world's oldest profession
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
1888,[1] coined by Rudyard Kipling as “most ancient profession in the world”.[2] Alternative forms appeared in early 1900s, present form popular by 1930s.[2] Similar terms with various senses (not necessarily prostitution) exist in other languages.
Noun[edit]
the world's oldest profession (plural not attested)
- (euphemistic) Prostitution.
- 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “On the City Wall”, in In Black and White:
- Lalun is a member of the most ancient profession in the world.
Translations[edit]
- Some local terms have slight variants while others are strict translations with varying degrees of usage.
euphemism for prostitution
References[edit]
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “world's oldest profession”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Is Prostitution Really the World's Oldest Profession? It is pretty old., by Forrest Wickman, Slate, March 6, 2012