What's "polite clothing"?

New Year's Eve church service next week. Dress code for leaders:
Men: Smart casual, shirt with jacket, no tie needed
Women: Neat and polite clothing

Huh? What's "polite clothing"? I thought I knew all about the different dress codes, but this one was completely new and puzzling. I had to stop for a moment and think from the point of the writer. Problem? Translation.

Indonesian language: sopan (respectful, well-mannered, decorous, usually translated as polite in English)
Chinese language: 斯文 (refined, educated, cultured, intellectual, polite, gentle)
Khmer language:សុភាព (polite, ladylike)
Thai language: สุภาพ (polite, refined, cultured, ladylike)

I am sure that other languages probably have similar ways of describing appropriate clothing for an occasion. But, these are the only languages I know, so I can only comment thus far.

What tickled me most was seeing an ad in the local newspaper for Etiquette Clothiers. Ha! This is the meaning of "polite clothing"! The funny thing is that Etiquette Clothiers sells underwear and socks - inner wear, not outer wear! How is anyone going to see your "polite clothing"?

The long and short of it all is wear something appropriate for church and to usher in the New Year. Now, that's polite and respectful. If you want to avoid such puzzling (and sometimes hilarious!) instructions, learn a language well, whichever one you choose. Then you'll always be polite and respectful!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

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