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GeneralRe: "Sir" Pin
CDP180220-May-15 21:27
CDP180220-May-15 21:27 
AnswerRe: "Sir" Pin
Jochen Arndt20-May-15 21:12
professionalJochen Arndt20-May-15 21:12 
AnswerRe: "Sir" Pin
RossMW20-May-15 21:22
professionalRossMW20-May-15 21:22 
AnswerRe: "Sir" Pin
Richard MacCutchan20-May-15 21:37
mveRichard MacCutchan20-May-15 21:37 
AnswerRe: "Sir" Pin
super20-May-15 21:38
professionalsuper20-May-15 21:38 
GeneralRe: "Sir" Pin
Johnny J.20-May-15 21:56
professionalJohnny J.20-May-15 21:56 
AnswerRe: "Sir" Pin
KarstenK20-May-15 21:43
mveKarstenK20-May-15 21:43 
AnswerRe: "Sir" Pin
Nagy Vilmos20-May-15 22:02
professionalNagy Vilmos20-May-15 22:02 
Sir is, as others have said, an honorific associated with rank. Historically it was only used for an Knight or higher. In today's usage it is employed as a greeting as in Dear Sir or Dear Madam. In the military you address any superior officer as Sir, often beginning and ending a sentence with it, as in "Sir, yes Sir!".

It should still never be used with any other name except where the addressee is actually ennobled.

As an aside, when I was first out in Budapest two of the guys I worked with called me[edit] Willy or Vilmos [hence the nom du net] and I didn't mind them using a diminutive. However with other people, especially those who were not friends, I still expected William.
One numb-nut donkey brain decided to call me Willy, having been told not to. It came to a head one memorable afternoon when I was trying to decipher a nasty synchronisation issue and he was standing beside me say "Willy! Willy! Willy!" to try and get my attention. I was miffed.
I told him, as nicely as possible, "Only friends can call me Willy, you are not a friend. To you I am William or Mr N-W. If you find that too hard to remember, just address me as SIR!"

Until we fired him about a month later, he addressed me as Sir. Laugh | :laugh:
veni bibi saltavi


modified 21-May-15 5:00am.

GeneralRe: "Sir" Pin
Johnny J.20-May-15 22:13
professionalJohnny J.20-May-15 22:13 
GeneralRe: "Sir" Pin
Kenneth Haugland20-May-15 22:17
mvaKenneth Haugland20-May-15 22:17 
GeneralRe: "Sir" Pin
CDP180220-May-15 22:21
CDP180220-May-15 22:21 
GeneralRe: "Sir" Pin
Johnny J.20-May-15 22:25
professionalJohnny J.20-May-15 22:25 
GeneralRe: "Sir" Pin
HobbyProggy20-May-15 22:27
professionalHobbyProggy20-May-15 22:27 
GeneralRe: "Sir" Pin
Johnny J.20-May-15 23:34
professionalJohnny J.20-May-15 23:34 
GeneralRe: "Sir" Pin
CDP180220-May-15 22:27
CDP180220-May-15 22:27 
AnswerRe: "Sir" Pin
F-ES Sitecore20-May-15 22:30
professionalF-ES Sitecore20-May-15 22:30 
GeneralRe: "Sir" Pin
HobbyProggy20-May-15 22:43
professionalHobbyProggy20-May-15 22:43 
GeneralRe: "Sir" Pin
Richard Deeming21-May-15 2:14
mveRichard Deeming21-May-15 2:14 
AnswerRe: "Sir" Pin
Rage21-May-15 1:00
professionalRage21-May-15 1:00 
GeneralRe: "Sir" Pin
Marco Bertschi21-May-15 1:02
protectorMarco Bertschi21-May-15 1:02 
AnswerRe: "Sir" Pin
Richard Deeming21-May-15 2:18
mveRichard Deeming21-May-15 2:18 
AnswerRe: "Sir" Pin
peterchen21-May-15 2:26
peterchen21-May-15 2:26 
AnswerRe: "Sir" Pin
RedDk21-May-15 12:17
RedDk21-May-15 12:17 
Generalwell !! Is he a god of Pakistan? Pin
King Fisher20-May-15 20:45
professionalKing Fisher20-May-15 20:45 
GeneralRe: well !! Is he a god of Pakistan? Pin
HobbyProggy20-May-15 20:53
professionalHobbyProggy20-May-15 20:53 

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