What else is good to use other than "man and woman", or "female and male" or "boy and girl"?

Predator? What is there about “female and male” that suggests “Predator” in your mind, @flo?

…The speaker or writer by the way.

Or the speaker or writer, Predator, too.

Correcting part of my detail “Is there another duo that doesn’t suggest predator or that doesn’t undermine anyone (the speaker or not.)?”

I can’t figure out where the predator part comes in….

If they are siblings, “brother and sister”, or maybe “nieces and nephews”.

@zenvelo How about if they’re dating?

…I mean my OP is about dating. So, if someone says ” The couple were…and the man said and the woman said….“or re. the minors “The boy said… and the girl…”

@flo If it is about heteronormative dating, then one might say “he and she”; but why grasp for something beyond what you already have? It isn’t complicated.

Or you can always say “the couple”.

But the OP is what is another duo term that doesn’t suggest predator (meaning i.e an adult male and a minor female, or an adult female and a minor male)

And if you’re referring to what each of them said, you can’t say “the couple” said…

I use ladies and gentlemen quite a bit, but lady can sometimes be awkward to use in America. Gentleman still works though.

@JLeslie This is about recounting an event though, no addressing a couple.

Depends on the event. I would definitely say something like, “the gentleman who helped me said that I can pay with a check.” Or, “the ladies who work at the front desk told me to wait.” Although, I’m more likely nowadays to say, “the women who work at the front desk told me to wait.”

I think you are seeing the implication of someone being a predator where none exists in the terms you cited. As always, some context might be useful.

The person, perhaps.

Once again, I have no idea what you are asking.

Male and female, in and of themselves, those two words, do not suggest that one is a predator.

What are you really trying to ask?

I too lack a context where this question is understandable at all.

What is a “duo”?

What is an example of a “duo” that DOES “suggest predator”?

What is an example of a “duo” that DOES “undermine” someone?

The key words is “doesn’t” (in my detail). And the word “does”, also works, as in @Zaku‘s statement. So, either you can add one more duo to the list in my OP (i.e that _doesn’t suggest predator), or a duo that does. I correced myself in my 2nd post.

Master and slave?
Dominatrix and victim?
Rapist and victim?

Is that the kind of thing you mean?

@All, How about in describing missing persons context?

@janbb No, not at all.

Sorry – not getting what you’re after so I’ll bow out and see if others have a clue.

Not a clue here either. It seems that mentioning a male and a female in one breath means the male is a predator.

Is this supposed to be a puzzle question?

Why are these Q’s allowed to continue un modded, while other people get sent to Mod jail for an un-dotted i ?

Sir, and Madam (Ma’m).

Mister and Misses

Master and Miss

Master and Miss, predator for sure.

How about “Beauty and the Beast”? That’s gender neutral, can’t be certain which part of a couple it applies to.

Ahem…m’lud & m’lady

I see that I rushed and missed @JLeslie‘s post before my last post. “The “gentleman” and the “lady”. It’s not about dating in your example but it could be, so it goes under the doesn’t suggest predator, and it doesn’t undermine the speaker column. And it’s not about addressing them but describing them.

By the way, re. my use of the term “duo”, I’m thinking “boy” and “girl” and/or “woman” and “man” are each other’s counterparts.

@gondwanalon Mister and Mrs. yes, in the not suggest predator column.

Re. “Sir and “Madam, predator (I don’t think it suggests predator. I’ve only known it as the beginning in some letters.
@zenvelo Beauty and the Beast is gender neutral? Ok then.
@ucme, “m’lord and m’lady” are counterparts of each other so under not predator or undermining of speaker column.