mop squeezer

English

Alternative forms

mop-squeezer

Etymology

Sense 2 attested from 1949 in the US.^[1] Sense 2 possibly a reference to the scepter held by some queens (e.g., the queen of spades in the English deck).

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Audio (General Australian): (file)

Noun

mop squeezer (plural mop squeezers) (slang)

(archaic) A maidservant.
- c. 1758, Epistle of a Reformed Rake, page 23; quoted in Jonathon Green, “mop n.¹”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, 2024:
  Servant Maids – who despising their Station […] deserted their Calling, and from Mop-squeezers, were promoted to Whores.
(uncommon, possibly offensive) A queen (the playing card).

Related terms

mop-squeezing

References

^ Eric Partridge (2005) “mop squeezer”, in Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, editors, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, volume 2 (J–Z), London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 1321.

“mop n.¹”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present, retrieved February 17, 2024