If so, perhaps you can answer the following question for me: is it idiomatic for an Englishman to refer to his lawyer as “counselor” in direct address? (Example: “Well, counselor, do you think you’re going to be able to get me acquitted?”) I put such a sentence into the mouth of one of the characters in the libretto of The Letter, and Jonathan Kent, our director, asked me yesterday whether that usage might possibly be an Americanism. Alas, neither of us is sure, so I’m seeking a second opinion.
Would anyone who can speak to this question with expert knowledge please drop me a line as soon as possible?
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
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