Quote Originally Posted by Squashed_Fly
I think it has a lot to do with where you're from and how you're brought up as well.

Many regional dialects use these terms and everyone is brought up using them so nobody takes offence, or assumes they are of lesser intellect for using them.

I think it's more common in the Northern areas of the UK, amnd also Wales, where people are just generally more friendly and it's not seen as being 'over familiar' etc.

In Wales, every calls each other butt, and you go north, everyone is 'love', or 'duck' etc. The Scots use the term pal quite a lot to be friendly, but down here, that term can come across as quite aggresive.

Then you've got 'context', and how these terms are used. You can call someone mate, or buddy to be quite nasty in the right context. Or you can call your mates n*bheads and w*nkers in the right context to be friendly. In many ways, I think the context is more important than the actual words used...
+1