very minor note on "lady" (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Dan Goncharoff]

I find it interesting that the successors to "Apple Annie", who became Lady
For A Day, are now called "bag ladies".

DanG

On Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 3:46 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: very minor note on "lady" (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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:
>
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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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>
>
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