Hi.
What is the female for dandy, fop? A girl who is more worried about her appearance than in anything else?
Thanks.
What is the female for dandy, fop? A girl who is more worried about her appearance than in anything else?
Thanks.
Great stuff, Alaor! I was also going to suggest Cuchu's "airhead", but without an adjective, it doesn't carry the focus on meticulous makeup etc. And "steel-bellied" doesn't either.I do not know if that would help, but here we say: "Little Patricia" and "Little Maurice". If we say this we mean that these people put on very nice clothes and makeup to go to the supermarket on the corner, or attend classes in high school, or go shopping, etc. Their hair is always very tidy and her nails always done.
A princessYou could call her a princess, a blonde, an airhead, a valley girl, a bottle-blonde, an over-made-up tart....
Hmmmmmm...........but what if someone is called "a princess" by people who don't even know her (not to mention her brain)?Yes, "princess" is what came to mind when I read the question.
A recently invented word I read somewhere made me laugh: "celebutard". It's formed by the combination of "celebrity" and "retard", a derogatory name for the slow of mind. It seems to fit a few princesses to a "T" that have been in the news recently.
I'm not sure I understand. If they don't know her, why would they be calling her "a princess"? It takes at least some level of familiarity to form an opinion of someone, doesn't it?Hmmmmmm...........but what if someone is called "a princess" by people who don't even know her (not to mention her brain)?![]()
For example, she walks into a cafe somewhere, the waiter comes to greet her.....I'm not sure I understand. If they don't know her, why would they be calling her "a princess"? It takes at least some level of familiarity to form an opinion of someone, doesn't it?
In that case, it's a term of endearment, like "honey", "darling", "lamb", "sweetie-pie", "sugar", "cutie-pie", and so forth. There are dozens of these pet names that are used in some parts of the U.S. simply as a sign of friendliness.For example, she walks into a cafe somewhere, the waiter comes to greet her.....
--Dinner?
--No, just a drink.
--Alone?
--Yes, I would like.......black coffee, please.
--Nothing else?
--No, thanks, that's all.
--Okay, right away.
(after 3 minutes)
--Here you go, princess.
So, if the waiter walks back to the kitchen and says: "I've got a real princess at Table 4", does it mean that the girl is superficial? I mean, he barely knows her....(sorry for insisting.....I'm dying to knowIn that case, it's a term of endearment, like "honey", "darling", "lamb", "sweetie-pie", "sugar", "cutie-pie", and so forth. There are dozens of these pet names that are used in some parts of the U.S. simply as a sign of friendliness.
It would be very different if the waiter walked back to the kitchen and said, "I've got a real princess at Table 4."![]()
It most likely means that she is demanding, fussy, self-absorbed... and probably overdressed for the restaurant.So, if the waiter walks back to the kitchen and says: "I've got a real princess at Table 4", does it mean that the girl is superficial? I mean, he barely knows her....(sorry for insisting.....I'm dying to know)
Hmmmmmm....okay, thanks, James, for putting up with meIt most likely means that she is demanding, fussy, self-absorbed... and probably overdressed for the restaurant.![]()
I wonder if we can get an BE view on this matter.......(is it entirely impossible to be a compliment?I'm a woman, and I would feel insulted if a waiter called me "princess." The word suggests disdain. (At least, in the ways I've heard it used.) I would not feel the same way if the waiter called me "dear" or another such benign epithet.
It may be that in the U.S. we're more sensitive to -- and apt to be irritated by -- class distinctions.
How about a non-native view? If someone I didn't know called me princess, I think there's a high probability I'd consider it a derogatory term. But parents and family can say it. And the tone and manner of speech can make a whole world of a difference.I wonder if we can get an BE view on this matter.......(is it entirely impossible to be a compliment?)
Although we use "to get tarted up" to describe putting on lots of make-up, etc., if you referred to a woman as "a tart" in BE it would imply that she is a woman of loose morals.From the Farlex on-line dictionary:
tr.v. tart·ed, tart·ing, tarts Chiefly British
To dress up or make fancy in a tawdry, garish way. Often used with up.
She looked like a tarted up hussy to me. (my example).
Can we turn "Paris Hilton" into a verb?
"She Paris-Hiltoned herself to look like an expensive hussy.
To me 'tarted up hussy' is quite a bit more insulting than calling a man a dandy/fop. And question: Does noone else think that 'dandy' and 'fop' are a bit outdated terms? I've never heard anyone use them in modern speech.From the Farlex on-line dictionary:
tr.v. tart·ed, tart·ing, tarts Chiefly British
To dress up or make fancy in a tawdry, garish way. Often used with up.
She looked like a tarted up hussy to me. (my example).
Can we turn "Paris Hilton" into a verb?
"She Paris-Hiltoned herself to look like an expensive hussy.
This is the meaning in Chinese tooTrouble with 'wallflower' is that in BE it means an unattractive woman who is not asked to dance. By extension any unattractive woman who is left out of things. Not quite what we're looking for, I think.
What about a `wall flower' a decorative woman who doesn't have much to say. And it's in keeping wiith the era.
I don't agree with either of these definitions. I've always that of a wallflower as a shy or introverted girl. I would expect a wallflower to be pretty but shy, and certainly not equivalent to a dandy or fop.Trouble with 'wallflower' is that in BE it means an unattractive woman who is not asked to dance. By extension any unattractive woman who is left out of things. Not quite what we're looking for, I think.
I saw recently in a women's magazine a reference to a fop as a "himbo".I think bimbo is the best modern, female equivalent of fop
Whenever Bill Clinton found some young girl to chase (Monica L. wasn't the first or only!) his staff used to say he was having a "bimbo eruption."