DEAR MISS MANNERS: At a company holiday party, one of my colleagues decided not to partake of the wine that was offered. During a round of toasts, she was admonished -- in a good-natured way -- by co-workers, for raising her water glass. They said toasting someone with water is bad luck.

Aside from the luck angle, is there an etiquette rule covering what is in the glass used during a toast?

GENTLE READER: Technically -- a qualifier Miss Manners uses to emphasize that there are more important issues to consider -- technically, tradition does say that you are not supposed to toast with water.

But now the more important issues: First, it is rude to correct another person’s manners. And second, in a work environment, when you may not know every co-worker's personal situation, it is also foolish to draw attention to someone abstaining from alcohol.

Whoever did the admonishing will find that claiming it was good-natured will be of no help to them as a defense for their infractions.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: One of my friends endlessly plays with the food she does not want to eat, without ever signaling by the position of her cutlery that she has finished. So all of her fellow diners have to watch her shift the items to and fro, waiting for her to eat them.

Once, a waitress finally asked if she had finished, and my friend was offended by the “impertinent” question.

Since asking if she has finished is not an option, apparently, how can I politely make her stop playing with her food? It is unnerving to watch.

GENTLE READER: Other people seldom behave exactly the way we would wish. However, etiquette strictly limits our ability to correct such annoyances for a very basic reason: We would then have to reciprocate -- and who knows what we are doing that others find irritating.

Miss Manners therefore offers three gentle suggestions. 1. When you are the meal's host, you can offer to clear a plate, simply explaining you were trying to be helpful when caught out. 2. You can disrupt the fidgeting by passing her items such as bread, or by asking if your friend would like to order something else. Or, 3. You can go on with the conversation and try not to notice.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I received a frosty email from an administrator at a performing arts institution where I teach, taxing me with not having responded to an invitation to an event.

In fact, I had tried to respond, but the language and mechanics of the response form were so confusing that it was actually impossible to decline (which was what I needed to do).

The administrator noted that faculty had been asked to state whether we wished to “request an RSVP,” by which he meant “a complimentary ticket.”

While I know it can be obnoxious to correct other people’s language use, I am confident that my adored Miss Manners can thread this needle adroitly.

GENTLE READER: While she appreciates the adoration and deplores the incoherent instruction you received, Miss Manners feels compelled to point out that for all the possible responses you suggest, you omitted the obvious one: apologizing.

They asked you to attend -- or at least to tell them if you were unavailable -- and you failed to do so. They made that difficult and expressed themselves inarticulately, but you knew what they meant.

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When I meet new people and tell them where I earned my bachelor’s degree and what my plans for the future are, I frequently get comments and questions such as, "Wow, you must be really smart," or "Did you do well on the MCAT?" or "What was your GPA?"

Having been raised to consider this information personal, I am unsure how to respond. It is not information I feel comfortable sharing with people I know, much less people I have just met.

If the questions are yes-or-no (such as "Did you always excel at school?"), stating "yes" comes across as though I am bragging, but to say "no" would be a lie. (When I once replied "yes" to this type of question, the person responded by telling me that I was cocky.)

How do I respond to these inappropriate questions without seeming either rude or arrogant?

GENTLE READER: What house were you in?

Sorry, just a little joke from a school where they learn to avoid that tedious conversation by answering “Where did you go to college?” with “In the northeast.”

But your questioners are also asking about test scores? Miss Manners would be unable to resist asking incredulously, “Do you even remember your old test scores?”

And if they say yes, you can say, “Well, you must be really smart.” Without adding “... and must not have a life.”

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m pleased that our daughter is teaching her children (ages 4 and 7) about thank-you notes. My question concerns the e-card version of this.

With a written note, certainly a parent must stamp and address it, and perhaps hover over the child to inspire them to write. But the results are a delight for both receiver (sweet childish notes, misspellings and all!) and sender (learning to express thankfulness).

With an e-card, one wonders if the child had any role at all, and if so, what they learned from it. Even if the child could type, does a mailed birthday card, attached to a package or gift of money, merit only an e-card reply?

This may be an issue the generations view quite differently -- that mailed thank-yous, birthday and anniversary greetings may be seen as charming but archaic.

If etiquette suggests we get with the times, I will receive these e-thanks as happily as handwritten ones. (And if so, I assume texting and regular emails also suffice.) At the moment, though, I am slightly disappointed.

GENTLE READER: That is because your daughter taught part of the lesson, but not the hard part.

That presents require thanks is the first major lesson, especially as it is no longer universally practiced. So that is valuable.

What she has apparently not taught is that it is not enough to send a mere receipt, such as a rote text, which is probably pre-composed. Rather, the expression must be personal. Even toddlers can be urged to say something sincere and specific -- about both the present and the donor’s kindness.

That is a lesson that has an even deeper value than the essential social one.

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When did people become so insecure that they take offense at pretty much everything?

I’ve noticed a huge shift. Compliments given by strangers are now considered an insult or an attack against their feelings. A mom is insulted, a woman with a pretty hairstyle is offended, someone with a nice outfit is annoyed. "You look nice today" is taken as saying she looks bad the rest of the week.

What’s wrong with people?

What is a society when nobody talks to anyone, and we let insecurities turn us cold and isolated? Then you have people saying, "I’m lonely and no one talks to me." Well, what did you expect?

Due to being a single mom, people often ask what happened to cause my divorce. I just laugh and tell the truth -- that I was young and dumb -- and everyone always laughs in agreement. This has started some very funny conversations, and it has also started conversations with women who are struggling in their own marriages and need someone to talk to.

Due to financial struggles, I have purchased 99% of my clothes at resale shops or garage sales. I have always gotten compliments on my clothes; some women even ask where I bought my blouse, jacket, etc.

Do I get insulted, and say, “Oh my gosh, how dare she intrude in my life struggles”? No. I say, “Thank you -- and you know, I’ve had it so long I don’t remember where I bought it.” Compliment given, compliment accepted.

My faith keeps me motivated to be happy and kind to others. Here’s a final thought: If you use your time and energy to be happy and kind to others, you won’t have the time to look for insults where no insult exists.

A compliment to a stranger might just be what they need that day!

GENTLE READER: Or not.

Yet Miss Manners agrees that the unpleasant habit of taking insult when none was intended is widespread. She admires and appreciates your behavior. Indeed, the world would be a lot more pleasant if people presumed goodwill in others.

There are exceptions, of course: compliments that are salacious, for example. Questions that imply a slur. Or plain nosiness, which is also rampant. No one should feel forced to answer personal questions.

But barbed comments from strangers may be ignored, and nosy questions may be deflected. All Miss Manners asks is that they not inspire further rudeness.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am 56 years old and have a special person in my life. When we go out and meet people, how do I introduce her? As my girlfriend, my lady friend, my pillow pal? Please help.

GENTLE READER: Only if you expunge the term “pillow pal,” which has left Miss Manners with a mental picture she would prefer not to entertain.

The accepted term for an established unmarried couple is now “partner.” Short of that is “friend.”

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)