A phrase from historical newspaper personal ads, explained with real examples from the archive.
Courting someone, or showing them interest.
| Type | Historical language |
|---|---|
| Category | Period vocabulary |
| Earliest example in the archive | February 20, 1862, New York Herald |
| Most common | 1800s to the 1900s |
To pay attentions to a woman was the standard phrase for courting her. In 1862 a New York writer hoped to hear again from a woman to whom he had been paying some attention on the train to Baltimore, which is either very polite or very suggestive.
Sources: Merriam-Webster, attention.
IF MRS. D. E. HAS RETURNED TO NEW YORK, SHE will much oblige her friend (who had the pleasure of paying some attention to her in the cars to Baltimore on Sunday night,…
The modern equivalents are flirting or showing interest.
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How this fits into 170 years of personal ad shorthand: From Object Matrimony to LTR: How Personal Ads Learned to Talk in Code.
All dictionary entries · The Personals Archive · How to write a personal ad
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