very minor note on "lady" (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Jonathan Lighter]

Is _*bag guy_ possible?

I would guess it is, since it sounds like the universally used "bad guy."

IIRC, homeless "(shopping-)bag ladies" have been so called in NYC only since
ca1980.

JL

On Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 3:01 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: very minor note on "lady" (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 12:33 PM -0400 4/19/11, victor steinbok wrote:
> >I withdraw my comment. "Bag woman" is common, but clearly not as
> >common as "bag lady". But it also lead at least a couple of companies
> >to use "bag woman" as a tongue-in-cheek brand name for purses and
> >other assorted "women's" bags. I guess my "preference" was attached to
> >the incident in Boston, when a state rep helped a rather famous "bag
> >lady" after she got struck by passing cars in front of her home on
> >several occasions. A few months later, the woman finally was killed
> >when yet another car hit her. At that point, it came out that she
> >carries over $1 million in her bags and that she actually left a will
> >that had been changed to make the state rep and his assistant as her
> >beneficiaries. Her sister, who had not spoken to her for over 50
> >years, contested the will and won. My recollection was that the Boston
> >Globe and other local publications used "bag woman" as neutral,
> >instead of what might have been perceived as "affectionate" in "bag
> >lady".
> >
> >She'll always be a "bag lady" to you, Jon. I can see a variant of a
> >song with that line.
> >
> >VS-)
>
> ...and neither "bag man" nor "bag gentleman" are possible (relevant)
> formations, although for different reasons.
>
> LH
>
> >
> >On Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 10:44 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> ><wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>  I'm with Bill.
> >>
> >>  A "bag lady" is a bag lady.  To some she might be a "bag woman," but to
> me
> >>  that can only be a lady who who collects and delivers bribes, bets,
> etc.,
> >>  for crooks.  Like a bagman, only a lady.
> >>
> >>  JL
> >
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