bawdy-house

See also: bawdyhouse and bawdy house

English

Alternative forms

• bawdy house, bawdyhouse

Noun

bawdy-house (plural bawdy-houses)

1. (now chiefly historical, formal) A brothel; a house of prostitution.
   • 1981 August 15, Nancy Wechsler, Gayle Rubin, Pat Califia, “Sadomasochism: Fears, Facts, Fantasies”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 5, page 7:

     Right now in Canada, police are attacking the gay male s/m community by using the bawdy house laws, which were originally intended to regulate prostitution. They are now being redefined and applied to kinky gay sex.

   • 2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex, Penguin, published 2013, page 57:

     The spread of venereal disease slaughtered innocent wives and families by the thousands; the plague of bawdy houses destroyed the peace and livelihood of honest citizens.

Derived terms

• bawdy-house bottle