gentleman
- gentleman
someone in a situation or occupation the subject of vilification or taboo
In obsolete British use, he might be poor and involuntarily unemployed, a grim joke on the wealthy who did not need to work:
He is a gentleman now, without seeking the shelter of the workhouse. (O'Reilly, 1880)
The gentlemen were smugglers:
If the gentlemen come along don't you look out o' window. (Egerton, 1884)
And in many phrases such as gentleman of fortune, a pirate; gentleman of the cloth, a tailor, punning on the clergy; gentleman of the road, formerly a highway thief but in modern use, a tramp.
How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms.
R. W. Holder.
2014.
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Look at other dictionaries:
Gentleman — Gentleman … Deutsch Wörterbuch
gentleman — [ ʒɑ̃tləman; dʒɛntləman ] n. m. • 1698; gentilleman 1558; angl. gentleman, d apr. gentilhomme 1 ♦ Homme distingué, d une parfaite éducation. ⇒ gentilhomme (2o). Se comporter en gentleman. Arsène Lupin, le gentleman cambrioleur. Des gentlemans ou… … Encyclopédie Universelle
Gentleman — en 2005. Tilmann Otto (19 de abril de 1975 en Osnabrück, Alemania), mejor conocido por su nombre artístico Gentleman, es un Músico del Reggae. Contenido 1 … Wikipedia Español
Gentleman — Sm Mann von Lebensart und Charakter erw. fremd. Erkennbar fremd (18. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus ne. gentleman, einer Lehnübersetzung zu frz. gentilhomme, beides ursprünglich Edelmann . ne. gentle geht über frz. gentil zurück auf l. gentīlis… … Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache
Gentleman — Gen tle*man, n.; pl. {Gentlemen}. [OE. gentilman nobleman; gentil noble + man man; cf. F. gentilhomme.] [1913 Webster] 1. A man well born; one of good family; one above the condition of a yeoman. [1913 Webster] 2. One of gentle or refined… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
gentleman — GENTLEMAN, gentlemeni, s.m. Bărbat cu comportări alese, ireproşabile, cu caracter distins. [pr.: géntlmen] – cuv. engl. Trimis de gall, 03.05.2008. Sursa: DEX 98 GENTLEM//AN [pr.: géntlmen] gentlemanani m. Persoană care respectă cu stricteţe… … Dicționar Român
gentleman — patrician, aristocrat are comparable when they denote a person of good or noble birth. Gentleman basically implies descent from good family, the right to bear a coat of arms, and social rank just below that of the noble and above that of the… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
gentleman — (n.) well born man, early 13c., from GENTLE (Cf. gentle) + MAN (Cf. man). The Gentleman is always truthful and sincere; will not agree for the sake of complaisance or out of weakness ; will not pass over that of which he disapproves. He has a… … Etymology dictionary
gentleman — The word gentleman, formerly a term indicating social class, has largely fallen out of use in this meaning with the gradual erosion of class distinctions. It survives as a form of address (usually as ladies and gentlemen), in the phrase gentleman … Modern English usage
gentleman — [jent′ l mən] n. pl. gentlemen [jent′ lmən] [ME gentilman (after OFr gentilz hom): see GENTLE & MAN] 1. a) Obs. a man born into a family of high social standing b) any man of independent means who does not work for a living … English World dictionary
Gentleman — (engl., spr. dschéntl män, entsprechend im gewissen Sinn den französischen Ausdrücken »gentilhomme« und »galant homme«, mehr noch dem italienischen gentiluomo) ist zunächst in England eine Standesbezeichnung. Früher bezeichnete man mit G. den… … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
