I’m probably going to regret this, but today I’d like to share some items from a list I found on the topic of gender-neutral terms. I know there are those out there who are tired of hearing the latest “politically correct” terms—I am sometimes torn about them myself. While I don’t feel like I could work a “man hour,” I always laugh when I am told “You are not a diabetic, you are a person with diabetes.” Honestly, after 36 years of injections and blood tests, I don’t care what you call me—diabetic, pin cushion, junkie—it doesn’t really change the fact that my pancreas doesn’t work.
I’ve selected just a few of these terms from a long list, based on my curiosity and personal amusement. I hope they open your eyes as they did mine. Happy Friday!
Following is a list of gender-specific words and terms with their recommended gender-neutral equivalents.
Instead of this… | Use this… | Examples and commentary |
boss man, boss lady | boss, supervisor | “Hey boss, you want anchovies wit’ dat?” |
brakeman (bobsled) | brake operator | I get upset when I am trying to stop my bobsled and Shane calls me a “brakeman” instead of a “break operator,” but if he calls me a “conductor’s assistant” one more time I’m jumping off when we reach top speed. |
brakeman (train) | conductor’s assistant | |
Dutchman | Dutch person | <Cue sounds of a stormy sea> The sailors spoke quietly of the phantom ship of legends; the vessel that was doomed to sail the seas forever without ever reaching port. It was with great reverence that they spoke of this ship, The Flying Dutch Person. |
fall guy | scapegoat | Something tells me that the ‘80s show, The Fall Guy, wouldn’t have lasted five years had it been named The Scapegoat. |
Johnny-on-the-spot | prompt person, right-on-time | Exchanging “Johnny-on-the-spot” with “prompt person, right-on-time” just sucks all the life out of that description for me. |
king-size | huge, very large | Mmm…no more “King Size.” It’s the new “Huge, Very Large Size” Kit Kat! ![]() |
masterpiece | great work of art | Wow. I’d never taken the word “masterpiece” apart and considered it a piece of art that only a “master” could create. And even these days, the masters in guilds can be male or female, such as master weavers. I don’t think calling something “a great work of art” means quite the same thing as calling it a masterpiece. |
mother lode | main vein | “I’ve hit the main vein!” Local prospectors mistakenly arrested for yelling about shooting smack. |
penmanship | handwriting | Hmmm. Another word (penmanship) that I’d never considered weighted toward one gender over the other. |
prodigal son | returning child | The prodigal son – memorable story from the bible. The returning child – common story of today’s college graduates. |
snowman | snow person | “In the meadow we can build a snow person And pretend that he is Parson Brown.” I wonder how many snowmen and snowwomen have been offended by this oversight in the past? |
taskmaster | supervisor, tyrant | Taking away “taskmaster” also takes away the umph behind the message. “Geez, that Fran in Sales is a real supervisor!” |
toastmaster, toastmistress | toast maker | Okay, Toastmasters! Time to change your name to “The Toast Makers.” |
Uncle Sam | U.S., United States | Yeah, I don’t even know what to say about this one. |
Kara Church
Senior Technical Editor
[…] a year ago, I sent out a list of gender-neutral job titles (Editor’s Corner – July 19, 2013). While researching a question from one of you about non-neutral titles, I ended up at the same […]
By: Editor’s Corner: Gender Neutrality in Terms | Editor's Corner on June 5, 2014
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