Another kind of buddy

[Paul Johnson]

Quite a while since I've heard either but;
I remember "buddy" used as a salutation more when being panhandled then
anything else. From the song, "Buddy can you spare a dime"?  Occasional
past tense "we were buddies back in the...."

"Pal" seemed to be used more often as an aggressive, derogatory  comment
then as a friendly greeting. People seem to start calling each other
"pal" just before the bar fight starts.

Joel S. Berson wrote:
> I hear them both as slightly disrespectful.  Probably because I would
> not like to be called "bud", "buddy", or "pal" by someone I was not
> buddy-like or pallish with (that is, acquainted and somewhat friendly
> with).
>
> See also James Harbeck.
>

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