single word requests - Gender-neutral equivalent of "Man of the world"



You and I are men of the world. Where does this leave the fair sex?



I'm looking for a noun or noun-phrase that captures the essence of "Man of the world", but which can be equally applied to men and women.


I suppose I'm looking for a noun for a person who has enough savoir-vivre to be equally comfortable as a baseball game, an operatic performance, a beau monde cocktail party, and a strip club. A little help, please?


Alternatively, I could accept a gender-specific equivalent that applies to women.


"She's been around the block" has all kinds of ... uh ... irrelevant ... connotations. As does "woman of the world."


The kind of woman I have in mind knows her Verdi and Giordano; favors Hals over Rembrandt and has a weakness for John Singer Sargent; can fix her own plumbing if need be; can appreciate an expensive bottle of champagne and can drink, sing loudly off-key, and dance with the best of them at a truck stop. She's hardly a stranger to an evening gown but doesn't mind wearing mountain boots. She has read, and can casually quote from, Marcus Aurelius, but she can hold her own in a conversation about last season's Stanley Cup champions. She's hardly a bleeding heart, but isn't sanctimonious either: when a hobo sitting on the sidewalk pushes his plastic cup towards her, she won't pretend that he doesn't exist; nor will she lecture him on the benefits of getting and keeping a job: she'll deposit a five-dollar bill in his cup and continue on her way. Above all, she's not easily embarrassed. Yes, she will step into the alley to pee when she can't hold it anymore and has no other options, and she WON'T make a big deal of it.


A word or a phrase, please.




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