My brother called me, "manly," a month or so ago. After gasping, "I can't believe you just called me that!" I told him that he had his vocabulary wrong and suggested that maybe the word he was looking for was, "masculine."
Calling me, "manly," makes me sound like I'm tall, broad, and really need to wax my eyebrows.
"Masculine" doesn't sound like much of a more flattering description, but being masculine is about characteristics, rather than physical attributes. To say that I have, "qualities traditionally ascribed to men, [such] as strength and boldness," (Dictionary.com) isn't insulting at all.
In fact, it's a compliment. I have no intention of behaving in the manner traditionally ascribed to women, (screeching, fainting, being-seen-and-not-heard) so I might as well try those traditionally ascribed to men. I'll be strong and I'll be bold.
I'll even kill the bugs, occasionally.
