Are you (or do you ever want to be) called "spunky," "spry," "feisty," or "sharp as a tack"?

I hear all these terms used for elderly people, and I think they’re supposed to be compliments or praise.

To me they’re in the same vein as “pretty good, for a six-year-old” and “not bad for a kid.” They sound condescending at best and insulting at worst.

I’m getting up there now myself, but I don’t want to hear “for someone your age” from anyone but my doctor. If anyone ever calls me “spunky,” “spry,” or “feisty” to my face, I hope I’ll have the presence of mind to spit in his eye.

Do you aspire to geriatric spunkiness, or are you as spunky now as you’re ever going to be?

Tags as I wrote them: elderly, seniors, geriatrics, labels, left-handed compliments, condescension.