very minor note on "lady" (UNCLASSIFIED)

[George Thompson]

>From the article in American National Biography on Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.:

In a television interview in March 1960 Powell referred to a Harlem widow, Esther James, as a "bag woman," someone who collected graft for corrupt police. She sued and won.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.  Working on a new edition, though.

----- Original Message -----
From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2011 10:46 am
Subject: Re: very minor note on "lady" (UNCLASSIFIED)
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU

> 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
> ,
> On Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 9:49 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC <
> Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> > Subject:      Re: very minor note on "lady" (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > Caveats: NONE
> >
> > I only am familiar with "bag lady" (a woman who talks to herself on
> the
> > street, carrying bags -- looks like a homeless person), not "bag woman".
> >
> > Also not mentioned so far is "cat lady" (a (usually) older, single woman
> > who has way too many cats in her home).  As opposed to Cat Woman (a
> sexy
> > woman of the build of Lee Meriwether, Michelle Pfeiffer, Halle Berry,
> > Julie Newmar, etc. who wears too tight clothing and purrs -- Eartha
> Kitt
> > never really did it for me.)
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> > Behalf Of
> > > victor steinbok
> > > Sent: Monday, April 18, 2011 4:05 PM
> > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > Subject: Re: very minor note on "lady"
> > >
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > ----------------------
> > > -
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       victor steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> > > Subject:      Re: very minor note on "lady"
> > >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > ------
> > > -
> > >
> > > That's probably because most of us hear it as "bag woman", not to
> be
> > > confused with equally notoriously diagnostic "bagman".
> > >
> > > VS-)
> > >
> > > --"By God, woman! What more do you want from me?!"
> > >
> > > On Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 2:15 PM, Jonathan Lighter
> > > <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I don't think this thread has mentioned the notoriously diagnostic
> > "bag
> > > > lady."
> > > >
> > > > JL
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > Caveats: NONE
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
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