What do you call people?

[Loony BoB]

Not nicknames for specific people, but rather groups of people... eg. males, females, teachers, friends, whatever.

I call anyone 'mate' - that can be someone at work, the bus driver, a friend... pretty much anyone, although I mostly use it for males rather than females. In fact, I usually only use it for females when the female in question is a bus driver - saying "Cheers, mate" to bus drivers is second nature to me as there are so few female drivers.

I've noticed I have a habit of calling my closer female friends 'hon' (or 'hun', if you want to spell it phonetically). I think I've called every girlfriend I've had in my life 'honey', although sometimes I might use other nicknames along with that but it depends on the girlfriend in that case.

When describing an individual to someone else or referring to a group of people, I prefer to use 'guys' rather than 'boys' or 'men' because both of the latter two can be seen as an insult or a compliment. However, when referring to a male friend of mine I tend to use 'man' when talking to him. Maaaybe 'dude'.

I always called my male teachers 'sir' and my female teachers 'miss' at school.

Can't think of any others off the top of my head!

[Fonzie]

I refer to many of my Teachers as "dudes", and being female doesn't change this.

[JKTrix]

When I talk indirectly about a group of people, I tend to use 'folks' a lot. In professional settings, I would call people 'sir' or 'ma'am' if I don't know their name, and if I do know their name I'd call them by their last name with a proper salutation.

Bermudians have a general term they use for guys and girls in informal situations, usually when trying to get their attention. "Hey bye" (like 'boy', rather than 'good-bye') is used for calling and greeting males. I guess it's similar to saying 'Hey man'. For females, the term "ace girl" is used in a similar matter, but is also applied as a label for a female friend. So you could say 'she's my ace girl', but not 'he's my bye'.

The term 'mate' is used less frequently than 'bye' or 'ace girl', but still quite common.

[fire_of_avalon]

Hey buddy ... hey lady ... hey y'all. And sir or miss/ma'am when appropriate.

[Aerith's Knight]

lets subcatigorize it, shall we..

friends: mate, dude, their name, amigo, playa

girlfriends: honey, sweetie, good-lookin' and love(rare)

sister: angel, name, nickname, Imouto

random people: sir/madam, pal(when annoyed), kid(when they are kids :p)

[Rocket Edge]

Alrigh pal. Thats how I greet my friends.

[Sergeant Hartman]

Alright butt?
Sappening?
Sup?

[escobert]

people?
I don't have something specific I call people.
I say their name or something. I dunno.

[The Jamie Star Scenario]

Peasants or plebs is what I call pretty much everyone on a day to day basis.

[Zeldy]

I call everybody "guys", even girls. When getting off a bus I say 't'ah' cause I've lived in St Helens too long, it's our common way of saying thanks.

I call teachers Sir and Miss/Mrs, we don't really have a choice though.

[Captain Maxx Power]

Males = Man, dude, bud, buddy, fella
Females = Love, pet (both usually preceeded with "y'all right")

[XxSephirothxX]

Hay guys?

[edczxcvbnm]

Man, Dude, Guys

It is a very sexist world out there XD

[Shauna]

When getting off a bus I say 't'ah' cause I've lived in St Helens too long, it's our common way of saying thanks.

I shall now make you feel like you have less words common to St Helens. Everyone I've ever known up here uses "Ta" when saying thanks. It is no longer common to you! >=D

But, I tend to not refer to people, I avoid calling people by their names - and I'll refer to them by you, or if I'm talking to a group of people, I'll somehow get their attention without actually calling them anything.

[Zeldy]

When getting off a bus I say 't'ah' cause I've lived in St Helens too long, it's our common way of saying thanks.

I shall now make you feel like you have less words common to St Helens. Everyone I've ever known up here uses "Ta" when saying thanks. It is no longer common to you! >=D

By "common" I mean like, it's not really a nice thing to say xD it's "really common", with common meaning like scruffy people, I can't explain it. It's like chewing gum with your mouth open, that's common.

[Shauna]

Oh. I get you. xD

[Vermachtnis]

I say, Hey Dudes to everybody.

Hey Pal to guys.

And call the girls Princess.

[Miriel]

I refer to a lot of my female friends as "lady". Almost all the guys I know, I call them "dude". Hmm... I tend to call a lot of people "weirdo" including most strangers.

But generally, with people I know, I prefer to give them specific nicknames. The more nicknames I have for a person, the closer I am with them and the more I like 'em. My boyfriend *literally* has dozens of nicknames. Too many to count. Everyone in my family has nicknames that I actively refer to them by.

Grace -> Gracie -> Gracious -> Grass -> Gracias

Yeah, I call my cousin Grace, Gracias now. I can't remember the last time I actually just called her by plain ol' "Grace". Just doesn't seem right anymore. Everyone I like, gets a nickname. Including my new puppy who started off as Elizabeth and who we now call Lizard the Wizard. Try and guess the progression on that one.

[Faded Tears]

For a group of friends I always say 'Hey guys' even if there are girls in the group. For some I say 'hey loser/skank' all jokes.

For relationships. Well I said honey in my previous one a lot. But it depends on the person, my new one, I say babe.

[demondude]

Hello my social equals what topic shall we discuss today then?

[rubah]

At school I took to calling my little band of percussionists children in efforts to make them not completely undermine my authority, and it worked to some extent xD

people in general are dudes or guys or chicas. I still want to call any girl chica in endearment; it got very widespread at school because of an awesome spanish teacher we had. I don't know, because maybe they're racist and I'm not even in spanish anymore, and really I don't have any girls that I feel that close to.

[Peegee]

Everybody regardless of gender and sex are referred to using the term 'dude'.

Otherwise I don't really call people anything. Maybe their given names.

[Araciel]

I don't address people by name, rank or serial number at all if I can get away with it. In general, someone will know I'm talking to them by my intonation and the direction of my focus toward them.

[Ouch!]

These days, I seem to call everyone chief.

"Oyo, chief." "S'up, chief?" "How goes it, chief?" "STFU, chief."

[LanceOfTime]

i call preps whores or clones.........i call emos that hang out with preps posers.....i call the few people i like "dude" or "fucker".......and i call my mom mother...my dad "loser".......rednecks= hicks......rappies= culture seekers

[BardTard]

Man, Dude, Guys

It is a very sexist world out there XD

I call everybody, even males, "lady" or "wench." I started this when my mom got pissed at me for calling her dude. She was like "I'm a girl! Stop calling me dude!" So now I call everybody girl names.

Just kidding. On occasion I'll call a guy "wench" though.

I usually just call people lame names like "homie" and "homedawg." I'm cheesy like that. :D


I don't address people by name, rank or serial number at all if I can get away with it. In general, someone will know I'm talking to them by my intonation and the direction of my focus toward them.

ME NEITHER! I like, NEVER say people's names! Unless of course I have to get their attention somehow. I just don't say names.

[Avarice-ness]

Normally everyone's "Dude" including my parents, sister, neice's.

My boyfriends "Dude" and "honey".

[o_O]

Right now I pretty much call everyone "brosef". Like Joseph, only brosef.

It's quite New Zealand-ish to call people "bro", "buddy" and "mate", which I do quite frequently as well.

[Polaris]

Normal people: When speaking I just call them bu their names or 'you'
With teachers it's different! if it's portuguese teacher we have to call them Professor, if they're british we have to call them eg. Mr. Dawber and if it's my english must be Frau Müller! ^^

For my friends: it depends but if most times I insult them with "gay" and if it's with my brother sometimes is love of my life, or bro! ^^

[Shiny]

Females: Chick, lady
Close female friends: Boo
Males: Dude, boy
Close male friends: b (short for boy)
Groups of people: Guys, bishes

[ReloadPsi]

Friends: Whatever their name/nickname is, I do often address them as "sir" as well. Sometimes I toss Japanese honorfics around as well.

College staff: First name. Through my experience college tutors hate being called Mr/Mrs/Miss anything.

Customers: "Mate" most of the time

Total strangers: My mummy says I mustn't talk to strangers. But I never listen to what she says anyway so it's usually nothing; I just lock eyes and say "Excuse me..." and go.

Third person: Guy, or lady.

[Dolentrean]

I say Hey dude to guys alot.

If I am talking about some girl I call them: That Chick

I call alot of people Kid/Kiddo regardless of them being older than me or not.

I call girls I know Girly alot.

And sometimes I will pick someones main noticable chararistic and add that before there gender (I call this girl that was in my Writing Class Blond Girl all the time)

EDIT: Also if someone is being a dick, or I just dont like them, i sometimes refer to them as "Douchie von Ass-face" or some variation

[oddler]

I hardly ever address someone by their name unless I need their attention.
I call guys guys. I call girls guys. "Hey/Yo/'Sup guy/mayne/buddy/dude."
I never say sir or ma'am unless jokingly.

[Jess]

I have a range of names that I may use, depending on the gender of the person but sometimes I'll use some words for both.

I address friends by; man, dude, babe, hun, mate, love. It depends how close I am to them, really. If I'm speaking Geordie (or sometimes when I'm not) I'll also say hinny, and pet. "Areeeet hinny!"

A lot of my friends have nicknames which I refer to them by, or if they don't I sometimes make my own nickname for them.

I just call my teachers by their first name because I'm at college, but when I was at school it was just "sir" or "miss". :jess:

[Old Manus]

Mate, son, oh, butt, and assorted swearwords.

I mainly use mate though. I'm not chavvy enough :cry:

[Evastio]

I usually say guys when I'm talking to a group of people.

[Darker Conscience]

When I talk indirectly about a group of people, I tend to use 'folks' a lot. In professional settings, I would call people 'sir' or 'ma'am' if I don't know their name, and if I do know their name I'd call them by their last name with a proper salutation.

Bermudians have a general term they use for guys and girls in informal situations, usually when trying to get their attention. "Hey bye" (like 'boy', rather than 'good-bye') is used for calling and greeting males. I guess it's similar to saying 'Hey man'. For females, the term "ace girl" is used in a similar matter, but is also applied as a label for a female friend. So you could say 'she's my ace girl', but not 'he's my bye'.

The term 'mate' is used less frequently than 'bye' or 'ace girl', but still quite common.

That's quite odd...here in Cork, Ireland we use the exact same term. It's only in the North side of the city people use it:)

[Momiji]

I normally call people by their proper first name, or nickname when they ask me to use it. If it is someone I do not know, I usually do not use any name whatsoever. However, if a person is my close friend, I'll usually use whatever affectionate yet annoying name I can come up with.

[Roto13]

I call everyone "bitchtards."

I think I'd like to start saying "hombres" and "chicas" from now on, though.

[Blue Harvest]

Friends (male or female): Mate
Groups: Dudes, amigos
The girl I like: Honey (it's her middle name and she hates it :P)

[Quindiana Jones]

Blokes and guys. Women get things like lasses, ladies, babes, the usual stuff. Depends on who it is I'm talking to. I change depending on the person.

When I get off the bus, I say "Cheers Drive."

[Pointless]

Well, my boyfriend almost never calls me by my name. He mostly calls me baby bee. It's adorable.

I think that's related to this thread.

[The Summoner of Leviathan]

Besides their names or nicknames, I will just say "guys". Some times "bitch" if I am feeling facetious. Every once and a while around close friends I will say "hon".

For older people that I do not know their name, I will say "sir" or "miss" (rarely "ma'am").

[Quindiana Jones]

Haha that reminds me. With some girls, I say "yo, bitches" in a really monotone voice. Makes me lol.

[The Shoeless Hobo]

I use generalisations for groups of people.

Asians: Gook
Arabs: Leb
Indians: Curry
Everyone else: Mate

[Shlup]

I pretty much refer to everyone as "guys."

[Caraliz]

"dude", "sup", "honey", "love"

try and guess who gets called what. :p

[Rianoa]

i have a habit of calling everyone dude

[Heath]

By and large I use "mate." It's inoffensive, pretty much always appropriate (except that time I referred to Her Majesty in such a fashion, but that's another matter). If I'm with friends, I sometimes call them "kids" regardless of whether they're younger than me or not because it's a good way to ensure they'll pay attention to what you say. Occasionally I'll use "guys" but not often.

[Montoya]

Dudes and foos.

[Rye]

Everyone falls under "guys" or "dudes".

My boyfriend has various nicknames. The most common of those is "mister", as in "Watcha' doin, mister?". The rest of them are so retchingly sweet and adorable that Old Manus' face palm would create a hand-shaped hole in his head.