Obvious Facts People Didn’t Realize Were True Until Much Later in Life

I always like using the term RSVP. French always seems so classy, and I don’t speak any of it, so this is the closest that I get. I like that we have this weird holdover from a prior time where the sort of fancy people who sent out written invitations to parties always spoke a little French and assumed that you did, too.

But I guess that if you don’t speak French, you might not understand that it’s asking you to respond, implying that you should respond whether it’s yes or no. I feel like the person who wrote this has irritated a lot of hosts who can’t figure out why she won’t just tell them whether she’s coming to the dinner party.