old lady

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old lady (plural old ladies)

1. (literal, informal) An elderly woman.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:old woman

   Antonym: old man

   The door was opened by a little old lady.

   • 1946 March and April, R. A. H. Weight, “Euston to the North-West”, in Railway Magazine, page 71:

     A dear old lady said she thought the ancient castle at Conway most picturesque, but that it was a pity they put it so close to the railway!

   • 2025 January 25, Cem Davis tells Nick Brodrick, “A warm 'Waterloo family' welcome”, in RAIL, number 975, page 40:

     "Ninety per cent of our passengers will know where they are going. They'll come in and do the same journey every day. Therefore, I always base Waterloo not on the commuter, but on the little old lady who's lost in the middle of the station and just wants some help.

2. (slang) One's mother.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:mother

   Antonym: old man

   • 1985, Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, Back to the Future, spoken by Lorraine Baines (Lea Thompson):

     I swiped it from the old lady's liquor cabinet.

3. (slang, US) One's girlfriend, wife or significant other.

   Synonyms: girlfriend; see also Thesaurus:wife

   Antonym: old man

   • 1968, Joan Didion, “Slouching Towards Bethlehem”, in Slouching Towards Bethlehem:

     “ […] Now if that thing is balling—and your old lady or your old man is off somewhere flashing and doesn't want to be touched—well, you get put down on acid, you can be on a bummer for months.”

   • 1978, Lou Reed (lyrics and music), “Street Hassle”, in Street Hassle:

     But you know it could be a hassle / Trying to explain myself to a police officer / About how it was your old lady got herself stiffed

4. (informal, UK) The Bank of England, sometimes referred to as the “Old Lady of Threadneedle Street” or simply “The Old Lady”.
5. (chess, slang) A queen.

• Old Lady of Threadneedle Street

• old man