meter maid

English

Alternative forms

• meter-maid

Noun

meter maid (plural meter maids)

1. A female meter attendant: a female public servant tasked with enforcing the use of parking meters.
   • 1967, Lennon–McCartney (lyrics and music), “Lovely Rita”, in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, performed by The Beatles:

     Lovely Rita meter maid / Nothing can come between us / When it gets dark I tow your heart away / Standing by a parking meter / When I caught a glimpse of Rita / Filling in a ticket in her little white book

   • 2000, Charles Baxter, chapter 3, in The Feast of Love, page 36:

     She worked as a meter maid. Almost like a song: Lovely Jenny, meter maid.

2. (derogatory) A meter attendant of either gender.

Usage notes

• This term is frequently taken as derogatory, even when used in reference to a woman. A more neutral term is meter attendant, which is the term found in the United States Department of Labor Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

Synonyms

• grey ghost
• meter attendant
• parking enforcement officer
• parking inspector
• traffic warden

Translations

female meter attendant

• Dutch: parkeerwacht (nl), parkeerwachter (nl)
• Finnish: parkkipirkko (fi), lappuliisa (fi) (informal); pysäköinnintarkastaja (formal)
• German: Politesse (de) f
• Swedish: lapplisa (sv) c

Anagrams

• Dreamtime