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Dear Prudence,

I have always referred to large, overstuffed seats with no backs (commonly used as footrests these days) as "ottomans," and I'm sure I'm not alone on this. At a party the other day, I was chided by a friend (who is not Turkish) for using "ottoman" to refer to such a piece of furniture. He said that he had learned from a friend of his (who is Turkish) that the use of "ottoman" to describe a piece of furniture on which one rests one's feet was insulting. Now I don't buy this, but I have been wrong in the past. I have not been able to find any information on the etymology of the word "ottoman" that is useful. Is it ethnically insensitive of me to call an ottoman an ottoman? And what implications does this have for afghan blankets?

—Overstuffed and Underinformed

Dear Over,

Prudie is soooo tired of all the nonsense propagated by the PC nudniks. An ottoman is an ottoman, my friend, and ever was it thus. (Ditto for the afghan.) One of the sillier examples that comes to mind has to do with the ball teams known as the Indians and the Braves. They are being "encouraged" to change their names. This thinking is but a short hop from trying to change the name of Indiana. Once things are christened, that should be it. The names of things ought not be subject to change depending on politics ... sexual, national, or ethnic.   

—Prudie, nominally

Dear Prudence,

A casual friend of mine (a golf buddy) always acted sort of strange when riding in the same golf cart. He would make jovial, quasi-sexual references to me, and since I've never associated with gay guys, I assumed he was just going "over the top" with the jokes.  I hadn't played golf with him for quite some time, and at our last round of golf, he made it VERY clear he was not joking around. I still like the guy, he's quite a character, and I don't have a problem handling his unwanted advances. My problem is, do I need to advise his wife of this type of behavior?

—Socially Inept

Dear Sosh,

My God, whatever for?! Chances are she already knows ... and if not, why would you want to be the one to tell her that her spouse may not have declared his major? Think, man. You do not need to be The Enlightener. It would serve no purpose. Prudie does have a compliment for you, though. She thinks it admirable that you are secure enough not to have a problem with this chap's overtures. A lot of men couldn't deal with it.

—Prudie, assuredly

Dear Prudence,

I will try and make this as quick as I can. I am currently in a relationship with a really great guy. We are both still married but separated from our spouses. His soon-to-be ex is really evil. She dangles their daughter in front of his face like a piece of meat when she wants him to jump through hoops for her. It really makes me very angry. I know I want to be with him the rest of my life. He is a really great father and loves his daughter with all his heart. One day I want to have a child with this man, and I sometimes wonder if he will love my child as much as he loves his first. So my two questions are 1) how do I deal with this evil witch for the rest of my life?; and 2) do you think he will love our child when we have one as much as he loves his first? Thank you for your time.