"prostitude" = gigolo

[Joel S. Berson]

At 3/28/2010 04:02 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>At 2:18 PM -0400 3/28/10, Wilson Gray wrote:
>>According to an episode of one of the versions of Law and Order, the
>>term described by definition (2) is _walker_. In New York City, at
>>least.
>>
>>-Wilson
>
>So we've been misinterpreting all those remarks about how grandma
>just got herself a new walker...

And a prostidue walking dogs would not have many customers.

Joel


>LH
>
>>
>>On Sun, Mar 28, 2010 at 1:49 PM, Laurence Horn
>><laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
>>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>-----------------------
>>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>  Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>>>  Subject:      Re: "prostitude" = gigolo
>>>
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>  At 1:04 PM -0400 3/28/10, ronbutters wrote:
>>>>Not necessarily.
>>  >>(1) If the man is "financially supported" by the older woman, then
>>>>he is not a prostitute, which is one who directly offers sexual
>>>>services for pay, quid pro quo.
>>>>(2) If the man is paid to "be her escort" without sexual services,
>>  >>then he is certainly not a prostitute.
>>>>(3) Male prostitutes service clients of both sexes; GIGOLOS (or so
>>>>the dictionary says; see NOAD below) service only female clients.
>>>
>>>  It was observation (3) I had in mind in the parenthetical in my
>>>  comment below--somehow the male-client-servicing variety of male
>>>  prostitutes don't strike me as being aptly described as
>>>  "prostidudes".  But it's true I didn't have observations (1) and (2)
>>>  into account, since I was assimilating the escort variety of gigolos
>>>  to the escort-with-happy-ending variety.  I certainly wasn't
>>>  reckoning on professional male dancing partners counting as gigolos.
>>>
>>>  LH
>>>
>>>>
>>>>All of these points agree with my intuitions as well as being
>>>>supported by the dictionary definition. I have never heard the term
>>>>GIGOLO applied to young men who are supported by sugar daddies,
>>>>though I suppose someone might do it as a mild sort of metaphor,
>>>>especially since no alternative comes to my mind: HUSTLER has more
>>>>of the sense of 'prostitute'; ESCORT is often a euphemism for
>>>>'prostitute'; YOUNGER LOVER seems somewhat dated (and does not
>>>>necessarily convey the sense of financial dependance).
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>gig*o*lo |ejig/flP|  n. (pl. -os) often derogatory a young
>>>>man paid or financially supported by an older woman
>>>>to be her escort or lover.
>>>>    a professional male dancing partner or escort.
>>>>-ORIGIN 1920s (in the sense 'dancing partner'): from
>>>>French, formed as the masculine of gigole 'dance hall
>>>>woman,' from colloquial gigue 'leg.'
>>>>gig*ot |ejig/t|  n. a leg of mutton or
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>On Mar 28, 2010, at 12:04:20 PM, "Laurence Horn"
>>>><laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>At 3:51 PM +0000 3/28/10, ronbutters at aol.com wrote:
>>>>>Yeah but a gig(g)olo is not quite a male prostitute?
>>>>
>>>>Hmmm...Not all male prostitutes are gigolos, but aren't all gigolos
>>>>male prostitutes? (And "prostidudes" might single out the relevant
>>>>ones, like our Mr. Markus.)
>>>>
>>>>LH
>>>>
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>>
>>
>>--
>>-Wilson
>>---
>>All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"--a strange complaint to
>>come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>-Mark Twain
>>
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>
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