A phrase from historical newspaper personal ads, explained with real examples from the archive.
A woman whose husband was away in the armed forces.
| Type | Historical language |
|---|---|
| Category | Period vocabulary |
| Earliest example in the archive | June 11, 1944, Evening Star |
| Most common | 1940s |
A Second World War term. In Washington in 1944 a young woman attorney offered to share a lake cottage with a congenial couple, girls, or a service wife, which tells you who was looking for company that year.
YOUNG WOMAN ATTORNEY will share modern cottage, Lake Jackson, Va., with congenial couple, girls or service wife; furn. transp. D. C. daily; must love country; ref.;…
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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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