Re: "Masseuse" replac ing "masseur"?

[RonButters at AOL.COM]

In a message dated 10/4/05 1:44:11 PM, laurence.horn at YALE.EDU writes:


> My WAG is that "masseuse" became popular as the
> >so-called "massage with a happy ending," i.e. orgasm, became popular
> 
> P.S.  I agree with that last point too, i.e. that the use of either
> "masseuse" with a male referent or "male masseuse" may be especially
> suggestive of the happy-ending variety of massage, the prevalence of
> which has incidentally prompted the classic retronym "therapeutic
> massage".
> 
> L
> 

Hmmm--well, either a man or a woman can give a hAppy ending. It seems to me 
more likely that MASSEUSE is just easier to say for speakers of American 
English, who might also be confused by the similarity between MASSEUR and 
MONSIEUR/MESSIEURS.