Lexic.us

Definition of Old maid

1. Noun. An elderly unmarried woman.

2. Noun. Any of various plants of the genus Zinnia cultivated for their variously and brightly colored flower heads.

3. Noun. Commonly cultivated Old World woody herb having large pinkish to red flowers.

4. Noun. The loser in a game of old maid.

5. Noun. A card game using a pack of cards from which one queen has been removed; players match cards and the player holding the unmatched queen at the end of the game is the loser (or 'old maid').

Definition of Old maid

1. Noun. A children's card game, sometimes played with a special deck, where the object of the game is for each player to find matches for all the cards in his hand, without being stuck with the single unmatchable card. ¹

2. Noun. The unmatchable card itself. ¹

3. Noun. (pejorative) An old woman who has never married; a spinster. ¹

4. Noun. A particular kind of periwinkle. ¹

5. Noun. A particular kind of zinnia. ¹

6. Noun. An unpopped kernel in a batch of popped popcorn kernels. ¹

7. Noun. A card game in which cards must be paired and one undesirable card is designated "old maid". ¹

8. Noun. An unpaired card in that game. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Old Maid

old folks old franc old francs old geezer old girl old gold old growth old guard old guards old habits die hard

old hag syndrome old hand old hat old lace old lady old maid (current term) old maid flower old man old man's beard old man of the mountain

old master old mate old men old moon old moons old pence old pennies old penny old person

Literary usage of Old maid

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Daniel Defoe: His Life and Recently Discovered Writings: Extending from 1716 by Lee, William, Daniel Defoe (1869)
"Marriage Proposal to the old maid, and her Reply. Kensington, Nov. 2. AJ, Nov. 14.—Friend AFP, Yours of Saturday last, I read, and do much commiserate the ..."

2. The Bookman (1903)
"Lilian Bell's first book, The Lore Affairs of an old maid, was immediately successful. So, too, was Miss Anne Sedgwick's first novel, The Dull Miss ..."

3. The Scrap Book (1906)
"rT"'HE following truthful and touching J. history of an old maid, dating from about 1843, ... Thirty, was rather fearful of being called an old maid. ..."

4. A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant: Embracing English, American, and Anglo by Albert Barrère, Charles Godfrey Leland (1890)
"... for an old maid or gossip. Tabs (tailors), the ears. Tack or sheet (nautical), a man's saying that he will not start tack or sheet, implies resolution. ..."

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