Dear Jan
You ask about "tomboy" and its origins. I have given one account below.
While on this topic I might also mention a set of gendered phrases:
Jack of all Trades
Jenny of all Trades
We tend to think of Jack and Jill as a set - but Jack and Jenny point to
the large number of other uses of Jack and Jenny in terms of work and
working.
Language can be fun.
Keith Russell
OZ Newcastle
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Extract from the "Take Our Word For It" site
<http://www.takeourword.com/et_t-z.html#tomboy>
From Mike Kuzma:
What is the etymology of tomboy? Why are two words which typically refer
to males joined into a compound word to describe a female who has some
male characteristics?
Interestingly, tomboy originally referred to a `boisterous, rude boy,'
tom denoting `agressiveness associated with males.' Tom was used from
the Middle Ages as a term for `common man,' based on the common name
Thomas. Tomboy referring to a boisterous boy dates from before 1553. In
1579 we find it being applied to a `bold or immodest woman,' and in 1592
it refers to `a girl who behaves like a spirited, boisterous boy.'
<http://www.takeourword.com/et_t-z.html#tomboy>
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>>> Jan Coker <[log in to unmask]> 12/16/04 4:07 PM >>>
I have a question about the term tomboy. Does anyone know its history?
It is an
odd term to use to mean a girl who acts like a boy.
Jan
Jan Coker
C3-10 Underdale
University of South Australia
+61 8 8302 6919
fax +61 8 8302 6239
Relativity teaches us the connection between the different descriptions
of one
and the same reality
Albert Einstein
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