(EDITORS Be advised that the first letter in this column deals with matters of a sexual nature. While the language used is not graphic, the subject may be offensive to some readers.)... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: In December of last year I was in New York City, and went with some friends to see the World Trade Center site. It was a moving experience, and afterward we recouped our spirits at ... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am not Catholic, but my fiance is. When I go to church with him, the members of the congregation hold hands during the Lord's Prayer.... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: Please help me to clear up my confusion about tipping. Some of the people on the lists I read each December include hairdresser, paper carrier, doorman and day-care provider. One na... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband greets everyone with a smiling, hearty "Good morning," "Good afternoon" or "Good evening." If the recipient does not repeat the same message in return, he says it again, ... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am happily married and get along very well with my husband's family, even though our backgrounds are very different. My parents live in a mansion, while his parents live in a conv... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a single man of 39, and I was seated on a bench, indoors at the local pharmacy, waiting the (seemingly interminable) 40 minutes for the pharmacist to fill my orders.... more
The friends who give those wonderful annual parties you never miss are not as happy to greet many of you as they are gracious enough to pretend.... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I often attend live performances at the end of which the performers will acknowledge people in the audience. When someone on the stage announces an audience member by name, there is... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: Can you please explain the rules regarding the holding open of elevator doors while would-be passengers hurl themselves across the lobby, shouting, "Hold the elevator"?... more
Before water got so full of itself, it was a great little social mixer. With a history dating from ancient times when villagers would mingle by the well, it delighted in providing simple ways to foste... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: There is a minor point of place setting that I have been wondering about for some time now. The blade of the knife faces the plate in a properly laid place setting. Why?... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: For many years, a girl at my high school was one of my closest friends. Each of us knew everything about the other -- until about a year ago, when she started dating a guy who was a... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: The hospital in which I work has instituted a new format for its identification badges. The wearer's first name is now presented in large, bold print, whereas the last name and deg... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: Are there rules of etiquette about going through revolving doors? I work at the National Gallery of Art, a normally well-mannered area, where I have seen for years groups of people ... more
Time was when one of the ladylike accomplishments was disjointing a beast upon a platter. Hostesses, as much as hosts, were expected to possess the skill of carving meat, so as to be able to offer sus... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: When I was with a small group of ladies, none of whom I knew well, one of them made a very embarrassing, very personal, uncalled-for remark about me simply to get a laugh.... more
At the risk of being taken for an Edwardian sneering at Victorians, Miss Manners must say that society's prudery is not only ridiculous but dangerously repressive.... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I recently got divorced and remarried -- rather quickly, I might add. This came suddenly and unexpectedly -- to everyone around me, that is.... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: Are there professional situations in which one can be too polite? In recent years, TV and radio journalists have tended to preface their interviews with greetings and concluded them... more
Before going all dewy-eyed upon receiving a wedding invitation, it might be useful (Miss Manners confides in a discreet whisper) to make some inquiries.... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I will soon be having weight loss surgery, and my stomach will be able to hold less during each meal than it used to. What would be the proper thing to do and say when dining out? S... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: On behalf of myself and body-pierced and/or tattooed individuals everywhere, I'm writing to see if you can help me craft an appropriate response to rude comments and inquiries about... more
DEAR MISS MANNERS: It ruffles me to get a missive that says words to the effect of, "I'm stealing time from doing better things" or "I'm writing just a quick note," etc. What's so pressing that you ha... more