Dollymop

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A young woman employed in low-status domestic work, often characterized by a flirtatious or lively demeanor
2. A term historically associated with a woman of questionable morals, particularly in relation to her attire and behavior
3. A reference to a girl or woman who engages in informal or casual relationships, often with a focus on social or romantic pursuits

Etymology: Dollymop is a word whose most vivid part, a slang sense of "dolly" for the penis, is one that its own dictionary entry treats with caution. The "dolly" element is attested as a slang term for the penis, and "mop" is the familiar household implement, so the combination was apparently meant as a rough, rude image of a woman passed from man to man. The compound is said to have appeared in the nineteenth century, in the London street-life writing of Henry Mayhew, but the sexual sense of "dolly" is not certain to be the one Mayhew intended, since he generally censored rude words in his text. The word describes a young woman of loose morals, and its slang flavour is part of its history: it belongs to the vocabulary of Victorian London's underworld and street society, where such terms were common. The connection between the two parts is loose and suggestive rather than fully documented, so the exact reasoning behind the coinage remains uncertain.