Ma'am

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/weekinreview/29angier.html

Reminds me of the first time I got ma'am-ed:
After moving to southern Maryland, I was in the classroom and one of my 10th graders said something borderline rude. I gave him the hairy eyeball and a warning that he had crossed the line. He answered back, "Yes, ma'am." It seriously took me a minute or two to figure out if he was messing around. Having come from New England, I had never been "ma'am-ed" before. It continued to drive me nuts for a while, like not being allowed to open my own door if I got there first, but eventually, it wore me down. Now I just resent it because I still want to be a "miss," which is an age thing, not a politeness thing.