lady of the evening

[ ley-dee uhv thuh eev-ning ]

noun

1. a prostitute (used as a euphemism).

Word History and Origins

Origin of lady of the evening¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

He told them that he paid a “lady of the evening” $50 to participate in the experiment.

From Scientific American

A regular at the bar was a woman, no longer so young, whom Deford called, in his breezy, vernacular way, “a lady of the evening.”

From The New Yorker

When Anita Loos, who wrote the novel “Gentleman Prefer Blondes,” visited the city in the twenties, she observed that “any Berlin lady of the evening might turn out to be a man; the prettiest girl on the street was Conrad Veidt”—the silent-screen leading man who played none other than Paul Körner in “Different from the Others.”

From The New Yorker

A few of the supporting performances round out the three-hour production in satisfying ways: Natascia Diaz brings zest to her portrayal of Bianca, the lady of the evening who plays a crucial, unwitting role in the tragedy, and Ben Diskant makes a first-rate fool of a Roderigo, the poor rich gentleman used and brutally dispatched by Iago.

From Washington Post

Pro bonko: Describing a freebie given by a lady of the evening.

From Washington Post