I have always tried to understand the use of the word handsome in letter to a lady friend, but refrained from doing so, because I didn't know whether the word would be a thoughtful gesture or insulting. I have heard from many that the use of beautiful for a guy, when said by a woman, was also considered less than being referred to as handsome, but this one handsome/beautiful woman said just ... Yes, milady comes from "my lady".

Understanding the Context

Milady (from my lady) is an English term of address to a noble woman. It is the female form of milord. And here's some background on milord: In the nineteenth century, milord (also milor) (pronounced "mee-lor") was well-known as a word which continental Europeans (especially French) whose jobs often brought them into contact with travellers (innkeepers, guides ... single word requests - Is there an opposite gender for "lady ...

Key Insights

Having heard the phrase, "faint heart never won fair lady" for the third time in very short span, I'm determined to find out its origin. Unfortunately, when I Google, I'm getting a bunch of low-q... What is the origin of the saying, "faint heart never won fair lady"? Ladies is the plural form of lady, so the apostrophe goes to the right - ladies'. If you are wondering why we don't write ladies's, it is because ladies is one of the exceptions, along with girls', parents', players', weeks' and even Klingons' It can get a bit niggly with names too.

Final Thoughts

Aristophanes' plays, but Jesus's miracles and (usually) James ... I tried searching Google Ngram Viewer for "Look lady" and "Listen lady", both capitalized so as to occur at the start of a sentence, with the hope that these ngrams would reflect the usage of "lady" in a derogatory/dismissive sense. It seems to have come into usage around 1950, and really took off in the late 1990s.