Did you R. S. V. P.?

Many of us might have come across this clueless term. Clueless because it is very difficult to predict that this may not belong to English - considering the fact that it is used in English (as well).

Well R. S. V. P. stands for a French phrase "répondez, s'il vous plaît," which means "please reply." This, apparently is the most basic etiquette (rather rule) in Western culture, which, I believe, is sort of common sense, a courtesy that should very well be tacit! For instance, a person sending the invitation would like you to tell him or her whether you accept or decline the invitation. Even from a practical point of view this is important for efficient planning.

Ok fine, but why the French connection?
Well, history has it that French was the language of refinement and high society through the 19th century in the United States. Many of the practices of Western etiquette came from the French court of King Louis XIV in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. At Versailles, his palace, Louis XIV had the rules for court behavior written on what the French referred to as "tickets," or "étiquette." The tickets either were signs posted at Versailles or were the invitations issued to court events with the rules of behavior printed on the back.

So the next time you know that you should reply... in the meanwhile R. S. V. P. to my blog ;-)

Ref: Howstuffworks.com