Comments on Women of Mystery: Masculine and Feminine

LOL, Clare!

2009-11-30T16:29:38.556-05:00

LOL, Clare!

I always thought "blond" was the hair color, and a...

2009-11-30T15:14:32.246-05:00

I always thought "blond" was the hair color, and a "blonde" was a person with that color of hair, regardless of gender. (In typical usage, it's almost a woman who is referred to as "a blonde."

I can't remember seeing "brunet" used anywhere before. I have to get out more.

I'm not sure I've ever seen brunet, not without th...

2009-11-30T12:40:48.963-05:00

I'm not sure I've ever seen brunet, not without thinking it was a typo or archaic anyway. Shows how much I know!

P.S. My word for verification is "penic." Is that an adjective describing the difference in these spellings?

I use blond for males, blonde for women, but that'...

2009-11-30T09:28:18.352-05:00

I use blond for males, blonde for women, but that's because my agent told me to do it that way. Prior to that, I never noticed. Now I always do. However, Dictionary.com says:

The spelling blonde is still widely used for the noun that specifies a woman or girl with fair hair: The blonde with the baby in her arms is my anthropology professor. Some people object to this as an unnecessary distinction, preferring blond for all persons: My sister is thinking of becoming a blond for a while. As an adjective, the word is more usually spelled blond in reference to either sex (an energetic blond girl; two blond sons), although the form blonde is occasionally still used of a female: the blonde model and her escort. The spelling blond is almost always used for the adjective describing hair, complexion, etc.: His daughter has blond hair and hazel eyes.

Throughout my 21 year career in the police departm...

2009-11-30T07:48:57.645-05:00

Throughout my 21 year career in the police department, writing descriptions of people who were arrested, or those who were wanted, etc. we commonly used "blonde" for a woman and "blond" for a man, but never brunette/brunet; only "brown." But that's the PD. To me, "brunet" just looks wrong!