Haymarket ware

English

Etymology

A reference to the prostitution that was common in Haymarket area of London in the United Kingdom in the early 19th century.

Noun

Haymarket ware (uncountable)

  1. (dated, British slang) A prostitute, especially a low-class, on-street prostitute.
    • 1956, Georgette Heyer, Sprig Muslin:
      You take the advice of a man who’s older than you, my boy, and has seen more of the world than you ever will! If she ain't Haymarket ware, hedge off!
    • 1985, Rosina Pyatt, To Catch an Earl:
      Who was she, then, this girl? Or rather, what was she? An actress? A piece of Haymarket ware paid to alter her profession temporarily? If so, she was a most delectable item of merchandise.
    • 1995, Evelyn Richardson, Lady Alex's Gamble:
      "Women!" Christopher fumed. "They are nothing but vain parasites, every one of them after attention, wealth, or a title, or all three, and the worst of their sex are those in the ton. Give me honest Haymarket-ware anytime. At least with them you know what you are getting into. They only exact payment for services rendered, not for a lifetime […] "
    • 2004, Blair Bancroft, The Harem Bride:
      She looked like Haymarket ware. A veritable trollop. Good God, she had chosen something Mrs. Daphne Coleraine might wear!
    • 2011, Anne Barbour, Escapades:
      Melody's velvet gray eyes were transformed instantly into boiling little infernos of fury. "How dare you, sir! Do you think me Haymarket ware?"

Synonyms

See also

References
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.