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Grunger, I'm afraid I feel the complete opposite when it comes to authoress, poetess and sculptress . They all sound so ungainly to me. I don't mind 'shepherdess' as it (the job itself) is virtually historic now. Conductress is embedded in my childhood, and refers only to women punching tickets on a bus and getting to ring the bell. I haven't heard seamstress since my gran died, though I do know a few dressmakers. Songstress seems to be about the same era - well, for me personally. I'd never go to a restaurant that had serveresses, nor a hotel with porteresses - those are as appealing/unappealing as the others!

Thanks, jigjag. I really don't like the replacement for 'batsman' - and think it's a daft idea anyway. There seems to be lots of people in authority, in charge of various bodies and so on who are imagining problems, putting forth scenarios and suppositions... baselessly. I think everyone's so scared of offending anyone and wants to keep the balance 'right', that they're leading themselves down weird and not so wonderful paths.

Jigjag

I have the feeling the MCC and ECB are going out of their way to upset and marginalise Cricket supporters and County members - I`ve just renewed my YCCC membership for 2022 even though I have no idea how and when the various competitions will take place.

malone jigjag tyke

Thanks for your comments. Several racehorses have contacted me to complain that the The British Horseracing Authority has also introduced a gender-neutral term, as "horse" is apparently male, and females are mares or fillies. They considered "racer", but have decided on "racist".

Grunger

I love it! Not as far-fetched as you think.

malone

I agree with you that there are people in authority who are trying to solve problems that dont exist. I spoke to Betty Batty of Making Cynical Changes.

"The MCC received a comment from a female batsman who said that she was neither a man not bats" she said. "Therefore we have changed the word so that she can be equated to a substance for frying fish."

Batty? Bats? Time will tell.

Grunger
I enjoyed reading that . Both MCCs should be ashamed of themselves. I will miss the old words when they die out. I prefer governess and schoolmistress to nanny and teacher. I suppose I will be battered into submission by these people.

Grunger (Grungeress?), I enjoyed your Betty Batty discourse - thanks for that!

Jigjag, I have to say that I have never used - when speaking of anything contemporary - 'governess' or 'schoolmistress' (or 'schoolmaster' for that matter. I think some words evolve, some words die out -and the impact on people varies tremendously. As the recent PU stuff shows, some losses are heart-felt by some, welcomed by others. The batty batter falls into another category altogether - nonsense for the sake of nonsense!

I much prefer the word batsman to batter, but it seems batter in cricket was first recorded in 1773 in these lines from a ballad:

At last, Sir Horace took the field, A batter of great might.

malone jigjag orson

Thanks for your posts. They reminded me of a friend who has started a comprehensiveschoolmistressship this term. One of my favourite words but I expect it to die out soon.