A
acknowledgment (of invitations)
age 18 to 23
assemblies

 

 

B
ball
bouquet
bow

 

 

C
chastity
corsage
cotillion
courtesy titles

 

 

D
dance card
debutante
dowager
duty dances

 

 

E
escorts
evening bag with flowers

 

 

F
fathers
first dance partner
formal
full court bow (Texas only)

 

 

G
gloves with 18 buttons
golf club
grandmother

 

 

H
hospitable to all
hostess

 

 

I
invitations

 

 

J
Jack & Jill
Harriet Jacobs (1861)
Jackson, Mississippi
Junior League

 

 

K
krewe

 

 

L
leader (as in deb leader)
lineage

 

 

M
Mardi Gras
marshals
military
Monaco princesses (royals to avoid)
Montgomery, Alabama
morning call
mothers
mystic orders (began in Mobile)

 

 

N
nobility
nosegay

 

 

O
Old Blood
Old Money
orchestra
originals (as in designer originals)

 

 

P
parents
preppies and prep school
presentation at court (preferably real royalty from Africa, Asia and Europe)
prom
prospects (of the boy or girl should be good)

 

 

Q
Queen Elizabeth I (some say she invented coming out)
quinceanera

 

 

R
receiving line
reserved table
Right People

 

 

S
scenes (white debs only)
season
sidesaddle
smelling salts (these days be careful some guy doesn't pop her amyl nitrate)
social heads of the family (the parents)
Social Register
society pages of the newspaper
sorority
stag line
standards
status
supper (after the dance, so they don't puke on the floor)
swoon

 

 

T
table manners
tailcoat or tails
tea
tennis club
theme
titles

 

 

U
unmarried (brides can't be debs)

 

 

V
Victoria (put 'coming-out' on the map)
Victorian tea dances
virginity

 

 

W
waist flowers
white gown (debs only)
white tie
Woman's Department (some newspapers still have these)
wrist flowers

 

 

X
Xerox (what you want in your trust fund)
XOM (what you don't want)

 

 

Y
yacht club
YSL (Yves Saint Laurent)

 

 

Z
zip + 4 (how the corporate world decides your social standing)
zirconium, cubic (Who cares if others don't know?  You'll know.)