Scifiguy, The word "faggot" is not improper in itself... but must be taken in context. It is a fine old word meaning twig or branch... as opposed to "log" which is heavier and trimmed. Old ballads and stories will describe peasants gathering faggots in the forest, when all they are doing is collecting kindling. British slang added fag as a synonym for cigarettes because of their skinniness as compared to cigars. I suspect that leaness may be behind its latest meaning, too. Those of us who fought for equal rights regard "girl" as an insult when applied to a mature woman. However, if we banned all words which may be taken and abused, we'd be impoverished... and quite possibly reduced to grunts and hand gestures. Carolly