DEAR MISS MANNERS: This is a work-manners question.

As part of my job, I attend many networking events to promote the company I work for. At a luncheon, some of the other guests and I were complaining about the abundance of mosquitoes this year. A gentleman I had met a few times before said, “We should talk about my products. We have an all-natural remedy.”

We agreed to meet for coffee. At the meeting, I quickly discovered that this was a multilevel marketing company with a pretty bad reputation.

How do I decline this offer while keeping the professional relationship? He is very involved in the same professional circles, and really is a nice man who I will have to continue seeing at a lot of these events.

GENTLE READER: Business etiquette has the advantage of not being overly sensitive to the personal feelings of colleagues because they are not supposed to be a factor in doing business. Miss Manners does not lay this down as an absolute rule, but in the case of your marketing professional, it is close enough.

Thank him for his suggestion while adding that your company is more interested in a competitor. If pressed for a reason, make use of any one of the many meaningless rejoinders in which businesses delight, such as, “They just seem a better fit.”

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Bottled water at a funeral? My sister told me it was impolite. Why?

GENTLE READER: For the same reason you would not bring popcorn: It is informal to the point of disrespect.

Miss Manners will spare you the trouble of writing back to tell her about a medical condition that requires immediate and continuous access to water (or popcorn). Assuming you are not a goldfish, necessary liquid or food (for a diabetic, for example) can be placed in a pocket, allowing discreet access without compromising your ability to give some thought to the deceased.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Within a block radius of my home, there are three corner delis in which one can purchase canned beverages, snacks, sandwiches, newspapers, cigarettes and lotto tickets.

With growing frequency, while I am waiting in line, someone will come in, nod to (or in most cases, interrupt) the cashier and say they are leaving a dollar on the register. Then they walk out with a paper, essentially cutting the whole line since they have exact change.

A friend of mine says this is acceptable if the patron is a “usual” of the store, and doesn’t see why they would have to wait in line to buy a paper if they have exact change. But if my situation was reversed, I’d simply wait in line without issue.

GENTLE READER: As the transaction has not increased your own wait, the most Miss Manners can allow you is a wistful look expressing sadness that you are not in the position to do the same.

While what you have described does not fit her definition of cutting in line, she does not mean to excuse this technique for lengthier transactions, such as asking for directions or for something that requires more than a nodding cashier.

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We moved about four years ago to a small neighborhood in a rural area, where the homes are relatively far apart and people tend to like their privacy. We have a fenced area on our property that is overgrown, and it’s been recommended to me to use goats as an environmentally friendly solution to clearing it out.

Our neighbors behind us have goats, which we frequently see grazing freely around their property. We have not met these neighbors personally (as people tend to stick to themselves here) but have heard through other neighbors that they are friendly.

What is the proper etiquette for asking if we could borrow their goats for a week or so? Should I go over with a plate of cookies, introduce myself and then ask?

GENTLE READER: It would be tempting to issue an invitation directly to the goats, if only they could be expected to answer. (“We would love to have you over. We weren’t thinking of anything formal, you understand, just some light grazing.”)

But Miss Manners believes you really ought to get to know your human neighbors first, perhaps with that cookie-laden approach. You may then, in conversation, admire their livestock and steer the conversation, and the goats, in your own direction.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a 25-year-old lawyer who worked as a law clerk for a year before passing the bar exam. When I accompany the partner to hearings where the client is present, I invariably get asked whether I am still in law school or how I like being a paralegal.

What is the appropriate response? Also, when I am in the office, sometimes potential clients will walk in and ask me to make copies for them. I usually do this graciously, but I am wondering if there is something I can say to establish the fact that I am an attorney.

GENTLE READER: Etiquette bans correcting someone’s manners. It does not ban correcting their facts -- politely.

The answer to how you like law school is, “I adored it, thank you, but I’m actually an attorney now,” combined with a winning smile that demonstrates (correctly or not) that your feelings have not been hurt.

The request for copies requires you to suppress any resentment enough to remember that while it is not your job to make copies, it is your job to make potential clients happy. This can be accomplished with, “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m an attorney here at the firm, but let me find someone who can do this for you.”

Or you could say with a smile, “You probably don’t want this at my billing rate.”

Being 25 is a time-limited problem, but Miss Manners asks that you remember your dilemma when you are a partner and have 25-year-old associates. That older version of you will be able to save associates from similar embarrassment by always making proper introductions.

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m an old guy who has recently started getting a lot of tattoos. I belong to an earlier generation that generally frowned upon tattoos, but I’ve been intrigued by them for as long as I can remember. I love my new tattoos and I plan to get a lot more.

It’s easy to deal with compliments -- and I’ve gotten quite a few. But what can I say to people who make insulting comments? Do I stare them down? Cut them dead?

I’ve tried variations of “I got them for me, not for you,” which works, but somehow lacks the little kick I’m looking for. I don’t want to make a federal case of this, but sometimes I just don’t want to let something offensive get by.

GENTLE READER: Try, “Yes, I know they scare some people. But really, I’m quite harmless.”

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Which is appropriate when having an open house for a child?

1. Send paper invites/announcements to those you would like to attend?

2. Send them on social media to those you would like to attend?

GENTLE READER: How old is the child and how big is the house? If your child’s friends are not used to paper, you might not get anyone. If you post this on social media, you may get more than the house can hold.

Miss Manners suggests that you consult an expert on the habits of the circle you want to invite: your child.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’ve noticed that at checkouts, the clerk often addresses me as “Miss” in a rather dismissive tone. This only happens when the clerks are young men -- never older men, or women of any age, who say “ma’am,” a term of respectful address for any woman.

I feel offended by “Miss,” but I’m not sure why, or if I should say, “Please address me as Ma’am or Mrs. Smith.“

I notice these same clerks often address men of any age as “Sir.” Why not “Mr.” to be consistent, if they are going to call me “Miss”? I think I know why: “Mr.” sounds offensive. But again, why?

I searched the terms “senorita” vs. “senora,” and see that the trend in Spanish is toward calling any adult women “senora” regardless of whether she is married or not. I’m not Latina, but that appeals to me.

I realize my concern may be overly sensitive and trivial, but I would love your thoughts. To put things in perspective, I’m 80 years old, not a young “Miss.”

Perhaps I should just say, “Thanks, Mr.” and grab my groceries and go!

GENTLE READER: Do you know why they call you “Miss”?

Because others whom they have addressed respectfully as “ma’am” have chastised them for violating the fiction that everyone is young or at least pleased to be taken as such.

Miss Manners has been trying for years to dispel the self-hatred that leads people to think of growing old as shameful. She can only advise you not to waste emotional energy on how clerks address you.

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)