[Vwoolf] bird
Stuart N. Clarke
stuart.n.clarke at btinternet.com
Wed Sep 18 07:22:39 EDT 2013
Yes, but it's a tricky one. Here is Orwell using it in the modern sense and
Scott in the old:
1816 Scott Old Mortality xii, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. IV. 270
‘Peggy, my bonny bird,’..addressing a little girl of twelve years old.
1915 P. MacGill Amateur Army v. 62 There's another bird there—and
cawfee!
1927 W. E. Collinson Contemp. Eng. 96 Bird (used like Ger. Biene
especially for a more flirtatious or less reputable type of girl).
1935 ‘G. Orwell’ Clergyman's Daughter ii. 161 He kept a sharp eye open
for the ‘birds’.
You'd have to look at the OED for further info. Mrs. D. is hardly a "bird"
in the modern sense.
Stuart
-----Original Message-----
From: omolly at satx.rr.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 12:13 PM
To: vwoolf at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
Subject: [Vwoolf] bird
Isn't "bird" cockney slang for a woman? Molly Hoff
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