When a man says, "I'm ready," it means, literally, that he's ready to walk out the door that very moment. For a woman, however, "I'm ready," is code for "I'm approaching a state of semi-readiness, after I complete no less than three of the following activities":
Telephone sister and/or mother
Check email and/or FB
Tidy up the house
Place dirty clothes in washing machine and/or remove clean clothes from dryer
Change shoes 2-3 times
Chat with mailman and/or neighbor
Water house plants
Check that evening's television schedule to confirm starting time of favorite program
Rummage through purse to verify it contains cell phone, multiple face masks, medicine, keys, comb/brush, sunglasses, reading glasses, etc.
How is possible that two straightforward, unambiguous, words can possess such vastly different meanings?
