Milord

For the song, see Milord (song).

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, etc.) commonly used to address Englishmen or male English-speakers who seemed to be upper-class^[1] (or whom they wished to flatter) – even though the English-language phrase "my Lord" (the source of "milord") played a somewhat minor role in the British system of honorific forms of address, and most of those addressed as "milord" were not in fact proper "lords" (members of the nobility) at all. The word "milord" was occasionally borrowed back into the English language in order to be used as a sarcastic or jocular reference to British travellers abroad.

(Most English-speaking tourists in the 1700s had to be rich to undertake the "Grand Tour".)

The most famous usage in recent years has been the 1959 French song "Milord" by Edith Piaf.^[2]

In Greece the equivalent was O Lordos; Lord Byron was known as "O Lordos" (The Lord), or "Lordos Veeron" (as the Greeks pronounce it), causing things as varied as hotels, ships, cricket teams, roads and even suburbs to be called "Lord Byron" today.^[3][4][5]

Alternative legal use

"Milord" (in this use generally pronounced as, and sometimes written as, "M'lud") is commonly perceived to be used by English barristers (lawyers who appeared in court), accused, and witnesses when addressing the judge adjudicating in the trial.

It is common to see in television or film portrayals of British courtrooms barristers addressing the judge as M'lud. This, in fact, is nothing more than an erroneous stereotype perpetuated by the perception that this is accurate. In the same way as British judges on television are seen banging a gavel, the truth is that judges have never been addressed as M'lud, nor used a gavel^[6]. The correct term of address for a judge depends on his appointment. A District Judge, who sits in the Magistrates' Court, can be referred to as Sir or Madam. A Circuit Judge, who sits in the County Court or Crown Court, is called Your Honour, and a High Court Judge or above would be addressed as My Lord or My Lady, but never "M'lud".

See also

• Milady

References

1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary (1st. edition), entry "Milord".
2. ^ "Milord" lyrics
3. ^ http://www.wrecksite.eu/wrecked-on-this-day.aspx?05/11/2009
4. ^ http://www.mytravelguide.com/hotels/profile-18518303-Cyprus_Larnaca_Lordos_Beach_Hotel.html
5. ^ http://jalive.com.jm/tubeseek.asp?page=1&search_query=lagoonfon
6. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/nov/23/writ-large-courtroom-drama-bbc