1) A young lady, especially an unmarried one.
2) Short for iron maiden. A Mideval torture device used in Germany. Basically, it was a coffin. The head and body of a maiden were sculpted into it to give the machine more dignity and elegance. The insides of the doors were lined with spikes, which would pierce the victim, although not fatally, so that he/she would die a slow, painful death.
2) Short for iron maiden. A Mideval torture device used in Germany. Basically, it was a coffin. The head and body of a maiden were sculpted into it to give the machine more dignity and elegance. The insides of the doors were lined with spikes, which would pierce the victim, although not fatally, so that he/she would die a slow, painful death.
Women, and especially attractive maidens, were given much grief in times past. Men would look for any excuse to torment them.
by Lorelili March 12, 2005
Gifted with the ability to speak articulately and even charmingly on the spur of the moment, but there is a lack of accuracy or understanding. Slippery or slick in speech, cunningly persuasive.
He was a charming man, but there was a glib quality to the way that he spoke; something just did not seem genuine about him.
by Lorelili July 28, 2011
The wind was howling outside that night. At about midnight, we heard a woman wailing, broken by occasional sobs. We knew instantly that it was the banshee. We knew then that one of us would soon die.
As I was locking up for the night, I heard a little girl somewhere in the building, and she was wailing. Following the sound into into the women's room, I saw a little girl of about four, her face flushed from crying. As I walked towards her, she disappeared. Was this my imagination or had I seen a ghost?
As I was locking up for the night, I heard a little girl somewhere in the building, and she was wailing. Following the sound into into the women's room, I saw a little girl of about four, her face flushed from crying. As I walked towards her, she disappeared. Was this my imagination or had I seen a ghost?
by Lorelili April 06, 2008
The nickname given to an unknown serial killer who killed five women in the Whitechapel section of the East End of London from August 31 to November 9, 1888. The killer was given this nickname because a knife was used to cut the victims throats and mutilate their abdomens. To this day, nobody knows the identity of the killer, since nobody saw or heard anything suspicious.
By today's standards, the Ripper murders would barely make headlines; a faceless lust killer murdering five streetwalkers in a huge slum that's already swarming with criminals and lowlifes. 55% of children were dead before age five; outhouses, clogged sewers, slaughterhouses, and horse-drawn buggies ensured that the filth and stench; overcrowding in crumbling buildings and low job prospects ensured that whole families were homeless; drinking and fights were rampant, and many people were missing teeth or had black eyes. Many women were forced to sell themselves as a sure way of supporting themselves and feeding their children, even if it meant going off to secluded nooks with six or seven strange (and potentially dangerous) men each day.
Contrary to the popular (romanticized) image of a black-caped figure in a top-hat, the victims were last seen with very nondescript, working-class men; the Ripper would most certainly have been caught had he worn the cape and top-hat.
There have been many theories as to who did this and there have been numerous urban legends (even the Royal Family was not spared the rumors), although most of these stories are certainly false.
By today's standards, the Ripper murders would barely make headlines; a faceless lust killer murdering five streetwalkers in a huge slum that's already swarming with criminals and lowlifes. 55% of children were dead before age five; outhouses, clogged sewers, slaughterhouses, and horse-drawn buggies ensured that the filth and stench; overcrowding in crumbling buildings and low job prospects ensured that whole families were homeless; drinking and fights were rampant, and many people were missing teeth or had black eyes. Many women were forced to sell themselves as a sure way of supporting themselves and feeding their children, even if it meant going off to secluded nooks with six or seven strange (and potentially dangerous) men each day.
Contrary to the popular (romanticized) image of a black-caped figure in a top-hat, the victims were last seen with very nondescript, working-class men; the Ripper would most certainly have been caught had he worn the cape and top-hat.
There have been many theories as to who did this and there have been numerous urban legends (even the Royal Family was not spared the rumors), although most of these stories are certainly false.
While Jack the Ripper has gone down in history as the star of history's great whodunnit, few people remember the victims:
-Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, found at 3:45 AM, August 31, 1888, age 43. Mother of five, three of whom were grown at the time. Separated from her husband, whom she left because of his affair during her fifth pregancy, Polly became caught in the downward spiral of drinking and prostitution. Polly was a homeless alcoholic during her last days and was last seen trying to secure money to pay for a bed at her lodging house.
-Annie Chapman, found at 6 AM, September 8, 1888, age 47. Mother of three, one of whom was born crippled, another dead at the age of twelve in 1882. Annie and her husband, while originally lower middle-class, took to drinking from the stresses around their children and separated after falling into poverty. His death in 1886 was a death-blow to her will to live. By her death, Annie was malnourished, homeless, and suffering from tuberculosis and syphillis.
-Elizabeth "Long Liz" Stride, found at 1 AM, September 30, 1888, age 45. She had separated from a husband in 1881 and had a troubled common-law marriage with a dock worker at her death.
-Catherine "Kate" Eddowes, found at 1:45 AM, September 30, 1888, age 46. Mother of three grown children. Separated from her first common-law husband, she was living quite happily with her second, going from doss house to doss house. An intelligent, bubbly woman, her last night was spent sleeping off the drink in a local jail until the police released her at 1 AM.
-Mary Jane Kelly, aka "Ginger" or "Fair Emma", found at 10:45 AM, Novemeber 9, 1888, age 25. The youngest victim and the only victim to be killed indoors, she had a ground-floor flat and allowed her homeless friends to spend the night there, although she and her boyfriend had recently broken up for just that reason. Originally worked in a high-class brothel in the West End of London, but somehow fell to the slums of the East End.
-Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, found at 3:45 AM, August 31, 1888, age 43. Mother of five, three of whom were grown at the time. Separated from her husband, whom she left because of his affair during her fifth pregancy, Polly became caught in the downward spiral of drinking and prostitution. Polly was a homeless alcoholic during her last days and was last seen trying to secure money to pay for a bed at her lodging house.
-Annie Chapman, found at 6 AM, September 8, 1888, age 47. Mother of three, one of whom was born crippled, another dead at the age of twelve in 1882. Annie and her husband, while originally lower middle-class, took to drinking from the stresses around their children and separated after falling into poverty. His death in 1886 was a death-blow to her will to live. By her death, Annie was malnourished, homeless, and suffering from tuberculosis and syphillis.
-Elizabeth "Long Liz" Stride, found at 1 AM, September 30, 1888, age 45. She had separated from a husband in 1881 and had a troubled common-law marriage with a dock worker at her death.
-Catherine "Kate" Eddowes, found at 1:45 AM, September 30, 1888, age 46. Mother of three grown children. Separated from her first common-law husband, she was living quite happily with her second, going from doss house to doss house. An intelligent, bubbly woman, her last night was spent sleeping off the drink in a local jail until the police released her at 1 AM.
-Mary Jane Kelly, aka "Ginger" or "Fair Emma", found at 10:45 AM, Novemeber 9, 1888, age 25. The youngest victim and the only victim to be killed indoors, she had a ground-floor flat and allowed her homeless friends to spend the night there, although she and her boyfriend had recently broken up for just that reason. Originally worked in a high-class brothel in the West End of London, but somehow fell to the slums of the East End.
by Lorelili May 06, 2009
A man or woman who fights for women's issues, but usually used for women.
An obnoxious word that is built off of the word "hero", which is not native to English and etymologically unrelated to "he" and "she". "Hero", strictly speaking, is gender neutral now and "shero" specifies gender, contrary to feminist efforts to make language gender-neutral; way to shoot yourselves in the foot, feminists.
An obnoxious word that is built off of the word "hero", which is not native to English and etymologically unrelated to "he" and "she". "Hero", strictly speaking, is gender neutral now and "shero" specifies gender, contrary to feminist efforts to make language gender-neutral; way to shoot yourselves in the foot, feminists.
"Heroine" can be used in a positive way; drop the "shero" and use "heroine" to describe a strong, intelligent woman and the connotations will change. Or just use "hero" if you don't want to differentiate.
by Lorelili December 02, 2007
Terminating something that usually incomplete and/or unwanted.
In most cases, an abortion is terminating an unwanted pregnancy. Not because the mother wnats to kill the baby, but because she is not ready for a child, doesn't want a child, or some other reason.
Too many abortions have been carried out in back-alley clinics with unsafe methods and ignorant providers. Women have gotten terribly sick and died because of botched abortions.
A fetus has only been in the world for a few months while the mother has been in the world for years. Both would be missed should one of them die, but the mother would be leaving so much should she be lost.
Abortions, contrary to those who oppose it, actually does help children; it reduces the number of abused/neglected children; if the parents didn't want the baby and end up having it, they (the parents) would become frustrated by the fact that they had a child that they didn't intend to have, leading to neglect and abuse of the child. With abortion, the child won't have to endure the abuse.
Too many "oops" babies have been born and life made hard for the child and the parents; it's the contraceptive, abortion, or adoption.
In most cases, an abortion is terminating an unwanted pregnancy. Not because the mother wnats to kill the baby, but because she is not ready for a child, doesn't want a child, or some other reason.
Too many abortions have been carried out in back-alley clinics with unsafe methods and ignorant providers. Women have gotten terribly sick and died because of botched abortions.
A fetus has only been in the world for a few months while the mother has been in the world for years. Both would be missed should one of them die, but the mother would be leaving so much should she be lost.
Abortions, contrary to those who oppose it, actually does help children; it reduces the number of abused/neglected children; if the parents didn't want the baby and end up having it, they (the parents) would become frustrated by the fact that they had a child that they didn't intend to have, leading to neglect and abuse of the child. With abortion, the child won't have to endure the abuse.
Too many "oops" babies have been born and life made hard for the child and the parents; it's the contraceptive, abortion, or adoption.
Abortion must be accessible to all and be made safer so that women won't die or become sick from a botched or faulty abortion.
by Lorelili March 20, 2005
1) A humanoid creature with magical powers and sometimes butterfly wings. Fairies (or "faeries" if you prefer) can be any size from the size of a seed to human size. Known to be pranksters, it is best not to get on their bad side. Dwarves, leprachauns, satyrs, banshees, nymphs and elves can also be concidered fairies.
2) A usually derogatory term for a gay male, especially one who is flamboyant and acts more "feminine" than a woman (as if there were something wrong with being feminine). A heterosexual man who acts in a feminine manner is also sometimes called a "fairy".
2) A usually derogatory term for a gay male, especially one who is flamboyant and acts more "feminine" than a woman (as if there were something wrong with being feminine). A heterosexual man who acts in a feminine manner is also sometimes called a "fairy".
1) The fairy darted through the forest, trailing magic dust.
2) After being called a "fairy" for the thousandth time, Eric told his harasser to shut up and cram it.
2) After being called a "fairy" for the thousandth time, Eric told his harasser to shut up and cram it.
by Lorelili November 10, 2006