From Word Net Search: Boob
Noun
S: (n) dumbbell, dummy, dope, boob, booby, pinhead (an ignorant or foolish person)
S: (n) breast, bosom, knocker, boob, tit, titty (either of two soft fleshy milk-secreting glandular organs on the chest of a woman)
Verb
S: (v) drop the ball, sin, blunder, boob, goof (commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake) "I blundered during the job interview"
(I was not aware of the verb form, but it follows from the first noun form)
Boob could also be used to refer to a person who is acting like a clown, or it could be used to refer to something that induces cluelessness. We have a nickname for television in the US (although it's going out of fashion) called the boob-tube. I assure you it's not because it shows porn.
Noun
S: (n) breast, bosom, knocker, boob, tit, titty (either of two soft fleshy milk-secreting glandular organs on the chest of a woman)
S: (n) nipple, mammilla, mamilla, pap, teat, tit (the small projection of a mammary gland)
S: (n) titmouse, tit (small insectivorous birds)
(I was aware of titmouse but not a small bird called tit)
Tits is generally the word for mammary glands, being a corruption from teat. That's what @ghoppe was onto with his, where you emphasize the pointy bit of the end of the mammary gland. It's more evident on a dog or pig, where there are a line of teats (or tits). The fact that this usage has spread to also refer to women is likely from the fact that country/urban life has comingled more of late than of years past.
The usage to associate tits with boobs however, is purely sexist. In polite society you should mention neither, referring instead to the bosom that @Robusto mentions, or breast, but only when you must. Bosom indicates "that feeling of your grandmother wrapping her arms around you when you're scared" and breasts is generally seen as more clinical in nature.
Generally in polite society you would just avoid references to a woman's breasts, and let it go.
When breasts are being discussed (such as in the context of bra fitting), women will often use the word "boobs" amongst themselves.
With men and men alone, tits is fine.
NOTE: I edited in response to a comment and decided I would give a little more attribution.
I think the difference here boils down to the differences between these words:
- need (require)
- want (desire but do not need)
- whim (sudden or random desire)
The original quote is saying that context is a need, not just a want. When discussing requirements it is normal to prioritize according to needs and wants. That is the distinction that the author is making here.
A whim, on the other hand, is not as strong a desire as a want, and using the word "whim" softens the nature of the desire for context. Thus, the author wanted to keep the word "want" for its specific purpose in this context.
Best Answer
They are almost the same usually. Most of the time, "would like to" sounds more calm and fancy to me. For example
sounds more assertive than
So I guess your assumption was fairly on point.
One situation where I see them as crucially different is when asking for something to be done to you, or for you. When using "want to be" it sounds more like a demand and less like a request. If I were the boss of a group working on a project, I could say something bossy, like:
Whereas if I am equivalent to the other team members, I would request as such, more politely (I guess a boss can be polite too, though):
Below is my previous answer, which was about the wrong thing—I didn't notice the 'be' (sorry) but I think may be useful for some, so I'll leave it.
This is answered in English Language Learners and somewhat here and by many results in a google search.
However, I feel that none of those answers contribute good examples of which context you would use each in. I think this is what makes them the most different—the fact that "would like" sounds more polite in certain contexts, in many of which "want" isn't quite appropriate.
If I'm talking to someone I know, I think the following are equivalent
In a situation where you're asking for a service or product from a stranger, I would not use "want"
These would sound strange and rude with "want."
Generally, "want" sounds much more assertive too. You could use it when demanding something, instead of asking for it, for example