The Naked House Boy must always express himself in a gentlemanly manner using only Appropriate Terminology when speaking or writing about body parts or bodily functions, except when this rule is temporarily suspended and permission is granted to use crude or slang words and phrases or when the House Boy is directly responding to or quoting the words or writings of someone else; and Master will not subject the House Boy to discipline or punishment for the use of Appropriate Terminology at home or away when spoken in proper context and at reasonable volume regardless of who may be present and could overhear.

long text

The conduct and behavior of the House Boy reflect directly on the training and standards that the Master establishes in his home environment. The Master’s home is a social place, and gentlemanly behavior when interacting with others is expected and customary. This extends to travel away from home, and the Master strives to set a gentlemanly example by choosing to use Appropriate Terminology whether at home or away. Any usage of gutter language or slang words and phrases by the House Boy without specific authorization is a violation of this rule and subject to discipline.

Every prospective House Boy is furnished a copy of the Appropriate Terminology Chart prior to his Pre-Collaring Interview And Inspection, and a physical copy of the chart is always available for viewing in the Master's home. While the words and phrases listed in the chart are not the only suitable terms that can be spoken by the House Boy, the chart provides a guide and assurance that the House Boy will not be subject to discipline for using any of the words or phrases illustrated above.

The House Boy is permitted to use slang words or phrases — like ‘fuck’ or ‘shit’ — only when directly repeating slang which has been spoken or written by somebody else, or when the Master has given permission to use slang for a specific reason. It is not a violation to privately ask the Master what an appropriate substitute would be for an inappropriate word or phrase, as long as the inappropriate word or phrase is not overheard by anyone else. On rare occasions, the Master may temporarily waive the Appropriate Terminology rule or permit specific slang words and phrases during an activity or event where the use of slang would be inoffensive.

The use of only Appropriate Terminology generally allows the Master and the House Boy to carry on a conversation without the need to self-censor at home or away. Discussions about the rules and protocols and the House Boy chores and activities can be engaged with less worry about offending others, although these conversations may still be embarrassing to the House Boy depending on the circumstances and content. An example would be waiting in line for coffee at Starbucks when the Master needs to question the House Boy about his morning shower and grooming. The Master would never loudly exclaim, “Did you shave your balls like you were supposed to today?” but may discreetly ask, “Did you groom your scrotum as required this morning?” While it’s possible that the barista or a nosy neighbor in line might overhear the conversation, no inappropriate language has been used and the House Boy will have to deal with any temporary embarrassment which occurs.

The requirement to use Appropriate Terminology includes conversations about sexual activities and bodily functions but does not preclude using what might be an otherwise inappropriate term in a properly defined manner, like the word ‘bitch’ to describe a female canine or the word ‘ass’ to describe the domesticated animal similar to a donkey. Some examples of Appropriate Terminology versus inappropriate slang are as follows: