Lately I’ve noticed that I don’t like it when in conversation men refer to their wives as “the wife” instead of, say, “my wife,” or — gasp — her name. Consider:

1. I don’t think the wife will go for that.
2. I don’t think Erin'll go for that.

To me, it sounds like the speaker in the first statement believes that his wife’s objections are illegitimate, whereas statement 2 carries no such implication in my ears.