Bachelor used to mean gay
"Confirmed Bachelor"/"Old Maid" - what represent exactly?
Extraneous1
Years ago, I remember hearing that these were, at one period, very specific terms.
IIRC (it sometimes happens) the definition hinged on age - if a person had obtained the specified age without ever marrying, then the label applied.
And yes, I consider the age was lower for women than for men.
Anyone recall these definitions?
Ice_Wolf2
An “old maid” is defined as an elderly unmarried girl. A “spinster” is synonymous, but is an unmarried lady, quite literally of any age (I’m 40, and I class myself as a spinster, rather than an elderly maid.)
A “confirmed bachelor” is a free man of any age who is not likely to change his marital status, either at all or any time soon. Usually said of men who choose to stay single, rather than get left “on the shelf” as with spinsters and old maids.
Zenpea3
In some English non-tabloid newspapers (afaik) ‘Confirmed Bachelor’ seems to be used to say someone is homosexual. I’ve seen it a couple of times, although I’m unsure if it was just co-incidence because it’s a corollary of the above reason, or actually is house style.
-James
Sunspace4
A confirmed bachelor / spinster
Merorung said:
I want to refer man / girl who is never planning to marry because they just don't like it even though they can if they want.
Can I call them a confirmed bachelor and spinster?
I heard that sometimes a confirmed bachelor can be considered as homosexual and spinstet is old-fashined so I'm little worried to use.
Any bettet way to refer someone who is never planning to marry because they just don't want?Click to expand...
All of these words are out of date in the current era.
It is true "confirmed bachelor" could be code for gay in the early 20th century, but we don't use those euphemisms anymore, we just say "gay."
Before the 1960s, there was a general consensus that most people would get married, and that sexual relationships outside of formal marriage were improper and kept very discrete. Spinster and ancient maid assumed celibacy, indeed virginity; confirmed bachelor assumed either celibacy or very discrete sexual relationships.
After the 1960s, it became increasingly acceptable for people to have a variety of short or long designation sexual relationships outside of marriage, includin
Something only the most Intelligent Men will decide to be. Does not express that you are Queer , only means that you have decided that YOU will be in bill of your life and make all of the decisions in it, not some "Woman".
*Greg and Molly just got done doing the rumpy-bumpy and now Molly wants to include some Pillow Talk*
Molly: Greg, listen honey, we include been Dating for over a year now..I wanted to know...when are you going to propose to me?
Greg: *Chuckles* Never.
Molly: *Upset* WHAT DO YOU Signify NEVER?!?
Greg: *Cool, Calm and Collected* Umm, I meant never as in not-ever...get it now?
Molly: *Emotional* You don't love me? All I want you to be is my Slave--I mean Husband...
Greg: Well thats not going to unfold , I'm a Confirmed Bachelor.
Molly: So that means your never going to grant me tell you what to do...ever?
Greg: Pretty much...oh look at the second, its, umm, 3:30 in the morning...I have to go, uh, water my cat...
Molly: Okay, but phone me later because we need to talk about this...
Greg: I'll see what I can do...
*Greg leaves and never talks to Molly a
From Aaron Hicklin’s Editor’s Letter “The Marrying Kind” in the September issue of Out magazine (p. 32):
Until very recently, British newspapers had a sly euphemism for known homosexuals who had resisted the kinds of sham marriages that were once par for the course. In the words of obituary writers, whose job it was to discover substitute words for “gay,” they were “confirmed bachelors” — an infinitely lonely construction. Reading those obituaries, you would never get the impression these men (there was no equivalent phrase for women) had ever loved, or been loved in refund . These were not confirmed bachelors in the American instinct (commitment-phobic straight men on the merry-go-round of short-term relationships). They were men who were never getting married because they couldn’t.
The piece is about homosexual marriage, of course, but my interest here is in the expression confirmed bachelor.
It was my impression that both the euphemistic and the, um, straightforward uses were elongated available on both sides of the Atlantic, and the Wikipedia page for bachelor doesn’t distinguish British from American usage:
The terms confirmed bachelor or
Confirmed bachelor
Posted by David FG on March 15, 2010 at 20:06
In Reply to: Confirmed bachelor posted by Baceseras on March 15, 2010 at 14:43:
: : : : : : : I have searched the site for the group of words "confirmed bachelor" and it only came up once, but in reference to the phrase "cloverboy." I would like to locate out the history of the phrase "confirmed bachelor," particularly to discover when it first held the connotation of homosexuality.
: : : : : : I didn't know that the phrase ever held to connotation of homosexuality. Obviously a man without female companionship in his life can expect gossip, but I don't ponder it has always accompanied the status of "confirmed bachelor," nor do I think it does now.
: : : : : : We don't own a parallel phrase "confirmed spinster," or at least I haven't heard it. Still women living alone except for a female comapanion can expect comments. Rosa Bonheur, possibly the most famous painter of horses in the 19th century and undoubtedly the most famous woman painter of her time, got all kinds of gossip because she lived with a woman. Geez Louise, who care?
: : : : : I contradict slightly wi
