Wednesday, January 18, 2012

good woman


 3. trans. To address as ‘woman’ (see woman n. 5). Cf.good woman v.   Now rare.

1740    S. Richardson Pamela II. 269   She call'd her another time Fat-face, and woman'd her most violently.
1822    Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 11 399   Whom call you woman? Dare to woman me!
1835    Fraser's Mag. July 18/1   ‘Woman! Dinna woman me, Miss McKimp,’ said the fish-lady.
1904    E. Jepson Admirable Tinker xiii. 234   ‘Woman, you're mad!’ said McNeill, rising with a scared face. ‘Don't you woman me, you low Scotchman!’
1947    K. M. Kingsbury Shanty Paradise vii. 75   The son, in his baby days, had taken it up like a lisping echo and had ‘womaned’ me this and ‘womaned’ me that all around the place.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Dry rot

The smell...was fresh and bitter and at the same time nauseating. Hilda wondered if it were not caused by some extremely recherché form of dry rot.

Iris Murdoch, Fairly Honorable Defeat