B-girl [was D-girl]

[Tom Dalzell]

Peter Tamony collected, studied, and wrote about b-girl extensively.  His
theory, expressed in several articles and a privately printed monography, is
that "b-girl" came from "bee drinker" which in turn came from beading oil.

Tom Dalzell

"Douglas G. Wilson" wrote:

> I guess if you'd asked me 30 years ago or 1 day ago about the etymology of
> "B-girl" I would have speculated "short for 'bar-girl'", and that's what my
> OED and my Webster 3 show too. On second thought, though, it seems a little
> odd to abbreviate a short word such as "bar".
>
> "B-drinker" in essentially the same sense is still accessible on the Web,
> although I don't think I've ever heard it. Clearly "bar-drinker" is not
> likely as an etymology.
>
> "Beading oil" is found on the Web in a US Government document, where it
> clearly refers to an adulterant in whiskey. I can't find it in any
> dictionary, however. (Of course, we hoi polloi don't have access to the
> online OED.) I suppose the original "B" drink may have been colored with
> this substance, whatever it may be. Can anyone enlighten me?
>
> You learn something every day.
>
> -- Doug Wilson