That "tabby" is British: "An old or elderly maiden lady: a dyslogistic appellation; often with a half-humorous attribution of certain qualities of the cat; sometimes applied to any spiteful or ill-natured female gossip or tattler."
This "tabby" is Australian: "An (attractive) young woman or girl." And while it's not said to be a dyslogistic appellation, the quotes aren't precisely respectful. The first is 1916: " Then the tabbies took to screamin'." 1932 is worse: "We don't need to go mackin' round with Chinks and wimmen's earnings. We pay our tabs..when we want 'em, and tell 'em to get to hell out of it when we don't." "Macking" in African-American usage is "pimping"--could this be an Australian parallel?
no subject
This "tabby" is Australian: "An (attractive) young woman or girl." And while it's not said to be a dyslogistic appellation, the quotes aren't precisely respectful. The first is 1916: " Then the tabbies took to screamin'." 1932 is worse: "We don't need to go mackin' round with Chinks and wimmen's earnings. We pay our tabs..when we want 'em, and tell 'em to get to hell out of it when we don't." "Macking" in African-American usage is "pimping"--could this be an Australian parallel?
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