Bankside lady

English

Etymology

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

Noun

Bankside lady (plural Bankside ladies)

(archaic, British slang) A prostitute.
- 1638, Randolph, Thomas, 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

See Thesaurus:prostitute

Related terms

City Road African, Covent Garden nun, Drury Lane vestal, Essex girl, Fleet Street dove, Fulham virgin, Haymarket ware, St. John's Wood vestal

References

Farmer, John Stephen (1890) Slang and Its Analogues‎, volume 1, page 120

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