OT: I don't know

Well I'm glad someone else feels that way too. When I came here to the States I was horrifed to discover that people think it is "friendly" to address total strangers by their first names. At first I used to put up with it, but now I am a grandmother and I speak up. When a 19 year old doctor's office assistant or a bank teller addresses me as "Olwyn" I simply say "that's Mrs (last name) if you please". My first name is reserved for my friends.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

"Bruce Fletcher (Stronsay, Orkney)" wrote

What if, like me and Inspector Morse, you do not have a "Christian" name??? Dawne

In these politically correct times I assume folk have a "first name" and a "last name" with, possibly, one or more "middle names". Whether or not those names are common knowledge is your choice.

And you noticed, as well.

-- Carey in MA (RD&H as well....)

"Bruce Fletcher

Not sure what "common knowledge" has to do with it, as I did sign my name. Just that even long ago in non politcally correct times, we didn't refer to "Christian" names at school, but, as you say, first, middle and last.

This still managed to cause a muddle because for some reason that escapes logic my parents gave both my brother and I a "first" name but then proceeded to address us by our middle names. My brother indignantly stomped home from school in about 3rd grade when a teacher persisted in addressing him as "Harold"--his first name.

Dawne

My Christian name is Bruce and my surname is Fletcher. However, you would have great difficulty if you tried to determine my name by reading my hand-written signature

Did it come about because children were named after their parents ? Thats what happened in our family and it averted the Big Denis or Little Denis reference.

I took it to mean that middle names are often not common knowledge, because they are sometimes embarrassing. Mine disappeared when I got married because I don't like it.

I moved my maiden name into the middle name slot. I dictate "Karen M, as in Mary", people assume the M stands for Mary, and I don't care that they assume wrong, because I'd rather be a Mary than a XXXXX that it was originally.

I moved my maiden name into the middle name slot. I dictate "Karen M, as in Mary", people assume the M stands for Mary, and I don't care that they assume wrong, because I'd rather be a Mary than a XXXXX that it was originally.

Someone on TV this morning remarked that if you replaced the B with an S.........!

Pat

Best kind of signature to have, Bruce. I`ve had many people comment "Try to forge THAT!!!".

Pat

As the official office forger of attorney signatures on court documents where we weren't allowed to use the rubber stamp, I learned to forge a lot of chicken scratch. The one I could never duplicate exactly was just as illegible, but highly stylized. To forge Stan's signature, I'd need to place another document underneath and trace.

Ain't that the trewth. I had a prescription from my doc the other day and said to him 'try to write it so I don't have to translate for the pharmacist' - now if it was all written neatly, they would be suspicious.