sheila

See also: Sheila

English

Etymology 1

From Sheila (“female given name”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃiːlə/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːlə

Noun

sheila (plural sheilas)

1. (Australia, New Zealand, slang) A woman.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:woman

   Antonyms: see Thesaurus:man

   Coordinate terms: bloke, (Australian) bruce

   • 2009, Rosemary Van Den Berg, Clogs and Bare Feet, page 208:

     He was a real gentleman and although he never asked any personal questions as to why ‘a couple of sheilas’ was hitch hiking to Perth, he said he was glad of the company.

   • 2010, Deke Rivers, The Singer and His Songs, page 22:

     “ […] You know I counted no less than fifty-five sheilas out on the street today, all screaming when you guys played.”

   • 2011, Kate Shayler, Burnished: Burnside Life Stories, page 8:

     I definitely didn’t think about getting married. I was real scared of sheilas back then.

Translations

woman

• French: nana (fr) f, gonzesse (fr) f

Etymology 2

mannequins wearing sheilas (shaylas)

From Arabic شَيْلَاء (šaylāʔ).

Noun

sheila (plural sheilas)

2. A shayla, a headscarf worn by Muslim women.

   Coordinate term: niqab

   • 2005, Meraj Rizvi, “Lesbianism makes its way to varsity dorms”, in Khaleej Times:

     They sport short hair, no makeup, and do not wear a sheila.

Alternative forms

• shayla

Further reading

• “sheila”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Ashlie, Elahis, Elisha, Hailes, Hilsea, Salehi, e-hails, hailse