What is a Strumpet?

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hello, my name is Quincy Brown in San Diego. How are you doing?

Doing well. How are you doing, Quincy?

Oh, I’m just awesome.

So during the whole COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve been working as a delivery driver.

And one day my wife and I was joking around, given that she’s been in the house the entire time with my little daughter, that I’m out having fun, gallivanting, running into the strumpets.

Strumpets.

Yeah, and I’m like, I don’t know what a strumpet is, you know, and we’re laughing about it.

And she’s like, yeah, you’re having a good time and getting out of the house, and you’re going to run into strumpets.

So what is a strumpet?

I’ve never heard of this word.

I just need some help.

So she’s locked down in the house, and she thinks that you’re just having the time of your life running into, what, women of questionable morals?

Is that what you thought?

Well, maybe, because as a delivery driver, we have to go to doors and we have to, you know, climb stairs.

And sometimes our customers are really hungry and appreciative.

And her friends tell her stories of, you know, interactions.

We’ll just say interactions of, you know, lonely postmate guys running into, you know, people who are in the house lonely by themselves.

So I didn’t believe it.

You know, I was just joking around.

But I still never heard of the word strumpet.

I’ve been lost.

I’ve been kind of stuck.

I see.

Okay.

Yeah.

That’s a good sign if you don’t know the word.

Yeah, it’s a good sign, yeah, if you don’t know the word.

I have heard the word before.

It used to mostly mean a prostitute or a woman of loose morals.

It’s about 700 years old.

Okay.

Yeah, it probably comes from an old German word meaning a dirty and tidy woman with a French feminine et suffix, making it like an extra feminine word.

It’s similar to words like trollop.

But these days, both Chollop and Strumpet both have really lost a lot of their semantic force, as we would say.

So they mean something more like floozy or just someone who’s a big flirt, a tease, or sexually provocative.

So not necessarily somebody out there selling themselves on the street.

Right.

Okay.

Okay.

I give it to my wife and her large vocabulary.

Yeah.

Awesome. 700 years old.

Good crossword word.

Awesome.

Well, thank you, guys.

I think we can finish the joke now when she wakes up.

So she thinks you’re out there, what, delivering pizzas, and it’s like the start of a porn movie?

Well, I mean, younger married man in San Diego delivering food, you know, and yeah.

Getting big tips and so forth?

But, again, all jokes.

Exactly.

Because we joked about that when we first started.

I’m like, oh, babe, I get these nice tips.

And she’s like, what are you wearing?

Is that cologne?

And I’m like, yeah, why are you wearing cologne?

Because I like to present myself a certain way.

There’s no more cologne.

Yeah, yeah.

It’s going to get hot soon.

You’re going to be wearing shorts, right?

Wearing your Friday night clothes?

That’s the question.

Yeah, exactly.

Is it the silk shirt and the hair done up?

Is that what’s happening?

Not so funny.

Well, truth is, I actually do always wear a suit.

I’m the one delivery guy who comes up with a full button down and, you know, cars all perfectly shiny.

Oh, that’ll give you the tips, won’t it?

Yeah, that’ll bring the tips in.

People appreciate that care.

Yeah, it sounds like if she’s using an antiquated word like that, then she really is kidding, right?

Yeah.

Of course.

That’s the thing.

Me and my wife, we always joke about every taboo subject as we’re, you know, under 30 and been married for five years now.

And, you know, all of our friends are single and still living that life.

So we always joke around about it.

Oh, that’s delightful.

Quincy, take care of yourself.

Thanks for calling and give us a ring sometime.

All right.

Definitely.

I look forward to calling in again.

All right.

Bye bye.

All right.

Bye bye.

All right.

Bye.

Call us 877-929-9673.