[Ads-l] catnip for the ladies

[Jonathan Lighter]

GenealogyBank, easier to use when searching for phrases including
common words, has 25 exx. of "catnip for men." The earliest legit is
from 1988. All refer to fashions or perfumes rather than human beings.

JL

On Mon, Jun 22, 2026 at 1:25 PM Laurence Horn
<00001c05436ff7cf-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Is it worth checking to see if this extended catnip also applied in
> sex-nonspecific use, as in "catnip to/for men"?  Here's Google AI on the
> contemporary use:
>
> "Catnip for men" is a colloquial phrase most commonly used in the fragrance
> and dating community to describe intoxicating, irresistible scents designed
> to draw men in. It also refers to viral pheromone perfumes or specific
> popular fragrances believed to be highly attractive to the opposite sex."
>
> I didn't even know there was a "fragrance and dating community".  I suspect
> that the variety of catnip in question could extend to organic pheromones
> (or other traits).  But presumably this use is post-Mencken?
>
> LH
>
> On Mon, Jun 22, 2026 at 1:14 PM Jonathan Lighter <
> 00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> > Earlier (all Newspapers.com):
> >
> > 1926 H. L. Mencken, in _Evening Sun_ (Baltimore) (Aug. 30) II 15:
> > Valentino...was catnip to women.
> >
> > 1927 _Evening Sun_ (Baltimore) A (Oct. 25) 30:  William was the club's
> > golf champion, tall and sleek and a combination of sinew and catnip
> > for the ladies.
> >
> > 1928 _Evening Sun_ (Baltimore) (Apr. 24) 24: He is a gay and handsome
> > dog,...catnip for the ladies.
> >
> > 1928 _Richmond Times-Dispatch_ (Jul. 2) 4: BYRON...was catnip to the women.
> >
> > 1933 _Commercial Appeal_ (Memphis)  (Feb. 12) III 6: Rudy Valle,
> > catnip to [sic] the ladies.
> >
> > 1940 _Daily News_ (NYC) (Oct. 4) 60: Dennis O'Keefe shows to advantage
> > in a role that makes him "catnip" for the ladies.
> >
> > It would seem for now that Mencken created the concept, if not the exact
> > phrase.
> >
> > JL
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> 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."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org