mister

   The commonest use of ‘mister’ on its own, not followed by a name, is by children who address a passing stranger. In early November, for example, children displaying their effigies of Guy Fawkes in the streets of British cities will accost a man with ‘Penny for the guy, mister!’ Adult beggars are also likely to use the term. In The Day of the Locust, by Nathanael West, occurs: ‘“Hey, you, mister.” It was a beggar who had spotted him from the shadow of a doorway. “A nickel, mister.”’ In An American Dream, by Norman Mailer, a policeman uses ‘Mister’ to another man in a decidedly unfriendly way. Such usage also occurs in American military circles when an NCO or officer addresses a man of inferior rank. There is a decidedly aggressive use of the term in North Dallas Forty, by Peter Gent, when the coach of a professional American football team says to a player: ‘It’s not up to you to judge what’s good and bad here, mister.’ Clearly the speaker could have used the player’s name had he wished.

   A rare use of ‘Mister’ as an endearment is in A Kind of Loving, by Stan Barstow. A newly married man calls his wife ‘Missis’ to remind her of her married status, and is answered by ‘Mister’. Also very rare is the occurrence of ‘Misters’ in the eighteenth-century novel Cecilia, by Fanny Burney: ‘Mrs Belfield… running into the passage…angrily called out [to the chairmen] “What do you do here, Misters?”’

   The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that ‘Mister’ used alone is only slightly less respectful than ‘sir’, even though it adds that the use of ‘Mister’ is vulgar. One could argue that in children’s language ‘Mister’ usefully distinguishes those men who are not teachers or family members, while in adult language it often stands apart from ‘sir’, having little to do with politeness.

   A special use of ‘Mister’ occurs with a question intonation. ‘Good morning, Mister -?’ is really a request for the hearer to announce his last name. The normal use of ‘Mister’, written ‘Mr’, as a social title is discussed under Last name, Mr. This prefix is also used in several professional titles, such as: Mr President, Mr Chairman, Mr Secretary, Mr Speaker, etc. See the entries under the word that follows ‘Mr’. ‘Mr’ is also frequently used to form nonce names, such as ‘Mr Policeman’. These are also discussed under the words that follow ‘Mr’.