Bankside lady

English

Etymology

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

Noun

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

• See Thesaurus:prostitute

See also

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

References

• 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.