trollop

English

WOTD – 6 December 2015

Etymology

Origin uncertain; apparently connected with the Middle English trollen (“to go about, stroll, roll from side to side”). Ostensibly influenced, if not derived, in some way by a word from Old Norse trǫll (“troll, witch, mage, monster, etc.”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹɒl.əp/

• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -ɒləp
• Hyphenation: trol‧lop

Noun

trollop (plural trollops)

1. (derogatory) A strumpet; a whore.
   • 1903 February 8, The Truth, Sydney, page 3, column 4:

     Many an unfortunate Tuppenny trollop has gone from the old hag's den to the special ward at Little Bay, but not before the fell disease of the harlotic slums has been spread broadcast among the reckless patrons.

   • 1936, Anthony Bertram, Like the Phoenix:

     However, terrible as it may seem to the tall maiden sisters of J.P.'s in Queen Anne houses with walled vegetable gardens, this courtesan, strumpet, harlot, whore, punk, fille de joie, street-walker, this trollop, this trull, this baggage, this hussy, this drab, skit, rig, quean, mopsy, demirep, demimondaine, this wanton, this fornicatress, this doxy, this concubine, this frail sister, this poor Queenie--did actually solicit me, did actually say 'coming home to-night, dearie' and my soul was not blasted enough to call a policeman.

   • 1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Eternal City”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 433:

     Aarfy's buxom trollop had vanished with her smutty cameo ring, and Nurse Duckett was ashamed of him because he had refused to fly more combat missions and would cause a scandal.

Synonyms

See also Thesaurus:promiscuous woman

Translations

woman of a vulgar and discourteous disposition

• Dutch: slet (nl) f
• French: pute (fr) f, salope (fr) f, garce (fr) f, roulure (fr) f, traînée (fr) f, morue (fr) f
• German: Schlampe (de) f, Hure (de) f
• Macedonian: ороспија f (orospija), калаштура f (kalaštura), распуштеница f (raspuštenica)
• Russian: шлю́ха (ru) f (šljúxa)
• Scottish Gaelic: luid f
• Spanish: puta (es) f, golfa (es) f, ramera (es) f, zorra (es) f
• Swedish: slampa (sv) c

strumpet

• Bulgarian: курва (bg) f (kurva)
• Czech: běhna (cs) f, coura (cs) f
• Dutch: slet (nl) f, hoer (nl) f
• French: pute (fr) f, putain (fr) f, roulure (fr) f, morue (fr) f
• German: Hure (de) f, Dirne (de) f
• Italian: puttana (it) f, sgualdrina (it) f, battona (it) f, baldracca (it) f, squillo (it) f, peripatetica (it) f
• Macedonian: блудница f (bludnica), курва f (kurva)
• Russian: шлю́ха (ru) f (šljúxa)
• Scottish Gaelic: luid f, sgliùrach f
• Spanish: puta (es) f, golfa (es) f, ramera (es) f, zorra (es) f
• Swedish: slinka (sv) c

Verb

trollop (third-person singular simple present trollops, present participle trolloping, simple past and past participle trolloped)

1. to act in a sluggish or slovenly manner
2. (Scotland) to dangle soggily: become bedraggled
3. to behave like a trollop
4. Of a horse: to move with a gait between a trot and a gallop; to canter.

Synonyms

• (to behave like a trollop): See Thesaurus:harlotize

Anagrams

• roll-top, rolltop