@BooBear: It's not an insult. Ma'am is a shortened version of Madame.Madam, or madame /ˈmædəm/, is a polite form of address for women, often contracted to "ma'am". The abbreviation is "Mme" and the plural is mesdames (abbreviated Mmes). The term was borrowed from the French madame (French pronunciation: ​[maˈdam]), which means "my lady".No need to be ****, my lady! 4951