Can you say "The girl I am going out with?"

I spoke to my mother last night, and she asked me, "Now have you been seeing your Good Friend?"

This is my mother's way of asking me if I had a date with Jane this weekend.

Many years ago, my friend Elliott came to the house for coffee with us and mentioned he had plans to see a young man that we had known in high school. "Now" my mother asked, "Is that your Very Good Friend?" Elliott burst out laughing and caught right on. "No, that is my ex-Very Good Friend."

Inflections indicating capitalized letters. This is how she refers to homosexual love interests. Friend would mean someone a person is casually dating. Good Friend, I take it, mean somewhat seriously dating. Very Good Friend means someone with who are in a committed relationship.

I find the southern gentility of it sweet and amusing, but the euphemistic aspect of it kind of grates on my nerves, even though I know she means well. Its a little bit too love-that-dare-not-speak-its-name-ish for my tastes.