Bankside lady

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

A reference to the brothels that were once common in Bankside, Southwark (now part of London) in medieval England.

Noun[edit]

Bankside lady (plural Bankside ladies)

  1. (archaic, British slang) A prostitute.
    • 1638, Thomas Randolph, The Muses' Looking-Glass, act 2, scene 4:
      Come, I will send for a whole coach or two / Of Bankside ladies, and we will be jovial.

Synonyms[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  • John S[tephen] Farmer, compiler (1890) “Bankside lady”, in Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present. [], volume I, [London: [] Thomas Poulter and Sons] [], →OCLC, page 120.