'F--- off, grandad!', yelled an aggressive young man with a bicycle at me at Clapham Junction station the other day. It is, I think, the first time I have been called that, but since I am now over half-way through my sixtieth decade, I should not complain. It set me thinking about the modes of address we use for others to whom we have not yet been introduced. In truth, there are no satisfactory ones. Consider the possibilities:
Sir or madam: too archaic for everyday use. When addressed as sir in a shop or restaurant my democratic spirit rebels.
Mate: again has an old-fashioned feel
Boss: much used by students at work, though in tones laden with sarcasm. In any case, too American.
Only revolutionary societies have satisfactorily solved this problem: citizen in France, comrade in Russia. I may start to address others by these titles.
