May 12, 2020

AP bans the "archaic and sexist" term "mistress."

My son John notes (on Facebook).

But what's the alternative? AP recommends "companion" or "lover."

That made me laugh. "Lover" is so silly. How many times have I heard Trump talk about Peter Strzok and his "lover" Lisa Page?

But to oust a word, you need a replacement word. Thesaurus.com has these synonyms for "mistress":
concubine, girlfriend, paramour, prostitute, roommate, sweetheart, chatelaine, courtesan, doxy, inamorata, ladylove, moll, shack, sugar, sweetie, bedmate, best girl, dream girl, fancy woman, kept woman, main squeeze, old lady, other woman, shack job
Some of them are inappropriate, referring to prostitution (including the unfamiliar words "chatelaine" and "doxy") or to a financial arrangement that may not exist ("kept woman"). I like "bedmate," but not all sexual acting out happens in bed (especially the kind that ends up in the news). The concrete specificity of "bedmate" is a plus but also a minus. So I must say that the word that jumps out as the word to oust "mistress" is...

paramour.

145 comments:

MayBee said...

The problem with bedmate, paramour and other non-mistress words is they don't clearly convey the man is married to another.

gspencer said...

They can ban "mistress," but despite their best efforts she'll be sticking around.

tim maguire said...

The problem is, the term is sex specific for an act that is not. There is no obvious male equivalent. We need a word that does not denote gender.

How about "home wrecker"?

Shouting Thomas said...

AP is a Democratic Party propaganda sheet.

They're trying to clear battlespace for Kamala Harris for VP, trying to defuse talk about her relationship with Willie Brown.

The AP was one of the worst offenders in perpetrating the Russia collusion hoax.

I did a contract job in one of their offices before I retired. Progressive hotbed. No pretense of being anything other than a Democratic Party bureau.

Jersey Fled said...

Comare

Automatic_Wing said...

"Side piece"?

southern boy said...

Anticipation of Kamala being the VP candidate?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Mistress has a specific meaning that is not anything like suggestions by the AP.

The word "Mistress" is stating that the relationship is between a MARRIED man and a woman who is not his wife. the Mistress could also be married herself, but the meaning of the word is about the relationship between the MAN and the woman who is NOT his wife.

Companion or lover is not the same. Paramour is a good choice, but then people will bitch about that too.

Is there a term similar to Mistress that pertains to the man who is in a romantic relationship with a MARRIED woman? Gigolo doesn't quit fit the bill, because a Gigolo is more like a paid companion.

Political correctness and language control, just like George Orwell envisioned.

Just because a word is 'archaic' doesn't mean that it is irrelevant or inaccurate or truthful. (You can't handle the truth!!)

Jersey Fled said...

When I was a young boy, I had a "Comare Mary"

Don't be shocked. "Comare" means Godmother in Italian. She wasn't really my god mother. She was a close friend of the family. My grandmother's best friend.

Comare means many things.

So when an Italian man says he is visiting his comare ...

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Our Orwellian descent into speech crime/thought crime madness continues....

Shouting Thomas said...

There is no such thing as "sexism" or "sexist."

These words are Marxist feminist lies intended to undermine and destroy.

These terms describe nothing. They are outright lies.

Readering said...

Here I'm with POTUS. I like lover.

Mary Beth said...

"Side piece"?

Darn, beat me to it. I like this one because you can't tell if they're talking about a mistress or a weapon.

I think of chatelaine as a housekeeper, not a mistress. A doxy is a magical creature in Harry Potter.

Paramour is the one that makes the most sense, but you know people will hear it and then do a search for "paramore" and end up with a list of songs instead of juicy gossip.

MayBee said...

"Mistress" is sexist, but the word replacements they choose indicate what they are really trying to eliminate is judgment. To me that is a bad thing.

Fernandinande said...

"The purpose of Newspeak was not only to provide a medium of expression for the world-view and mental habits proper to the devotees of IngSoc, but to make all other modes of thought impossible."

RNB said...

"Paramour" seems to deconstruct into "for love." What went on between Willie and Kamala sounds more like a business arrangement.

AZ Bob said...

Why would words hinting at prostitution be incorrect? Her relationship with the powerful politician launched her political career.

rhhardin said...

O Mistress Mine Julian Bream, an LP I have somewhere in the other room. Thomas Morley

Michael said...

Fuck Buddy?

Owen said...

I vote for "inamorata" which Flanders and Swan made famous in "At The Drop Of A Hat." It has more of a roll to it, more of a zing, than "paramour," which kind of lies there waiting for something to happen.

donald said...

I vote whore.

Wince said...

"Lover" means... already having seen his penis.

rhhardin said...

Honest aj. (of women) chaste.

Howard said...

Mistress goes the way of actress. Maybe they could invent a new word mistor

Todd said...

tim maguire said...

The problem is, the term is sex specific for an act that is not. There is no obvious male equivalent. We need a word that does not denote gender.

How about "home wrecker"?

5/12/20, 8:12 AM


How about "splooge stooge", I don't think the AP has banned that [yet]...

Howard said...

Whenever I see or here at the word "lover" it always reminds me of that SNL sketch with Will Ferrell and Rachel Dreck in a hot tub French kissing like Japanese porn stars

rhhardin said...

You can pick up an armoire at Ikea now.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

thanks.
I'll know to use the word "mistress" as often as I can, in context.

I watch as much Waldemar Januszczak as possible. How do you learn about art history is you cannot use historical language? I guess that is the point of our cultural speech crime police.

LOL -
Disney Plus features a warning on some of its older content with 'outdated cultural depictions'
"Dumbo," "The Aristocats," "The Jungle Book," "Peter Pan," and some early Mickey Mouse shorts all contain the message: "This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.

I like how an old Christmas tune is deemed offensive by the leftwing speech police - because snuggling by the fire where it's warm is just so.... offensive.
But it's A-OK to these same speech-police for modern rap music to rapey rapey sex act in demeaning and animalistic terms.

Howard said...

Okay stewardess there's another example. Man attendant?

Sebastian said...

Nah, she was a FWB.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Whore! I vote whore, too.

Owen said...

Mary Beth (the commenter) @ 8:22: "...A doxy is a magical creature in Harry Potter."

So then what is an orthodoxy? She fixes your aching...joint?

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

I think it's important to mock leftwing speech police at every turn.

chuck said...

Paramour? Let's not obfuscate mistress with a dainty french import.

Howard said...

Let's see a mistress is a woman who exchanges sex for room and board. Bleachbit thinks this makes her a whore. So ladies, Bleechbit is calling all of you married women whores. Don't expect an apology anytime soon.

Paco Wové said...

"Private whore" would generally be more accurate, no?

Upon my honor,
I saw a Madonna
standing in a niche
Above the door
of the private whore
of the world's worst son of a bitch.

Sydney said...

Whore is accurate.

Howard said...

There's no such thing as Marxism or Marxist either shouting Thomas by your idiot tool logic pea-brain. I accept that.

Lurker21 said...

The story is that this is related to Kamala Harris and that seems likely. What was going on
between Willie Brown, who was separated from his wife for years and dating all over town, and Kamala Harris, a woman then half his age, I don't know. Insulting her just makes her a victim and arouses sympathy. I would stay away from the crude innuendos and just point out that she got jobs from someone she was having a relationship with. Whatever you want to call it, that is a no-no.

GatorNavy said...

Kept woman is accurate

AZ Bob said...

Here's the graft on Harris and Brown.

Leland said...

If AP considers "mistress" archaic and sexist; then why not just go ahead and ban the term "woman" or "female"? Those are medieval words that single out a sex that and are several centuries older than the term "mistress".

Matt Sablan said...

Paramour is a terrible alternative to mistress.

tcrosse said...

How will this sit with Elvira, Mistress of the Dark?

Howard said...

You can tell the commenters who are unable to attain or sustain wood call a mistress a whore.

rhhardin said...

Stewardesses get offended if you summon them with "waitress." People are really sensitive these days.

Drago said...

Readering: "Here I'm with POTUS. I like lover."

No, you're not.

Trump and his team will use the precisely accurate and appropriate term of mistress for Kamala whose presidential campaign was taken down by Tulsi Gabbard with a 1 minute attack.

Which beats the hell out of the left/LLR-left smearing Melania as an escort and a prostitute.

RMc said...

But to oust a word, you need a replacement word.

They have one: "doubleplusungood".

Shouting Thomas said...

There's no such thing as Marxism or Marxist either shouting Thomas by your idiot tool logic pea-brain. I accept that.

Where's the Biggus Dickus act today, Mr. Lumberjack?

Oh, there is it. Right on cue.

You can tell the commenters who are unable to attain or sustain wood call a mistress a whore.

Really, Howie, it's time to come out of the closet.

daskol said...

I'm with JerseyFled on this one, but only if it's pronounced "goomar" a la Tony Soprano.

Bob Boyd said...

kamalamour - one who exchanges sex for career advancement. Not to be confused with camelamour.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Howard is my bitch.

Shouting Thomas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lurker21 said...

I remember my parents laughing at the joke about the man who moved to the suburbs and got a paramour (power mower) that he's riding every weekend.

Lucien said...

Owen: That’s the problem with “inamorata” — I keep picturing a hippopotamus (maybe Russian).

Lucien said...

Owen: That’s the problem with “inamorata” — I keep picturing a hippopotamus (maybe Russian).

Ryan said...

Waldemar Januszczak: good stuff! I love his doc on Van Gogh. Extremely well done.

As for terminology, the two people who are actually involvef don't use any of those terms at all. "Friend" suffices. If you want to be more specific, just say what you are trying to say.

Example: Bob, who is married to Alice, has a friend Janice who he visits once a week. They have sex and enjoy each other's company.

Why do we need a special word?

The whole concept of monogamy is so quaint.



Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Mistress by the fire = shut up.
Madonna gives your toe and a coke-bottle a blow-job while she dry-humps her satin bed sheets on stage and writes a book on SEX and humps it hard during her yoga session with the Torah = celebrate her pussy hat because she wants to blow up the White hOuse. War! yay! celebrate an American woman's right to free speech y'all.

Rory said...

Chippy

Ryan said...

English has way too many words. Most are not needed.

Like a kitchen full tools specific to each food: an egg cutter tool, an avacado cutter tool, an orange squeezer, a lemon sqeezer, a lime squeezeer, etc. 99% of things can be made with about 5 tools.

GatorNavy said...

I thought of one my uncle my used to say,”bit of a punch board isn’t she”?

Howard said...

That's it bleach bit bimbo, let it out let it all hang out. Catharsis is good for the libido.

MadisonMan said...

Sidepiece.

I agree that this has been done, btw, for the benefit of Kamala Harris as Biden's VP choice.

ndspinelli said...

I knew a probation officer back in the 70's who used "paramour" in his presentence reports. The feminists in the 70's said it was sexist. The circle of feminism.

Howard said...

English does have too many words compared to other languages that is so true. Ironically it is also why when you look at a multilingual instruction manual the English instructions are always the shortest.

Shouting Thomas said...

What’s the super duper manly, big dick thing to do here, Howie?

You got your leather ass chaps on today, or do you only wear them for the parades?

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Our hostess, in fact, finds that stuff kinda cute.

n.n said...

A betrayal with benefits. Polygamy without responsibility. A black hole h/t NAACP.

rcocean said...

Just women censoring words. Use this. Don't use that. Their mistress is Feminist Marxism.

Bruce Hayden said...

“Mistress has a specific meaning that is not anything like suggestions by the AP.”

“The word "Mistress" is stating that the relationship is between a MARRIED man and a woman who is not his wife. the Mistress could also be married herself, but the meaning of the word is about the relationship between the MAN and the woman who is NOT his wife.”

But it used to mean a woman he supported for sex outside his marriage. It is the paid aspect that causes the problem for me. Thus, Camel Toe Harris was apparently Willie Brown’s mistress because she benefitted financially, but Lisa Page wasn’t Peter Strzok’s because there was no financial aspect.

We aren’t quite ready for “fuck budy”, so my vote is for “lover”, unless the woman benefits financially then “mistress”. Except that “fuck budy” doesn’t convey, to me, transgressing marriage vows.

It is a conundrum.

rcocean said...

When people say "The AP does this" what they mean is 2-5 people that work at the AP did this. I'd love to know who they are. But no one else cares, they just want to fall in line and fallow orders. At least, those that care about words.

Ryan said...

Randall Munroe, of Xkcd, wrote a book explaining many complex things using only about 1000 words. It's called Thing Explainer. Surprisingly, it is very effective.

My father, on the other hand, is a retired research chemist. I asked him one day to summarize in plain English what he had discovered. He could not do it. Hebhad spent his whole career comminicating with other chemists and lost the ability to speak to normal people about his work.

Matt Sablan said...

"but Lisa Page wasn’t Peter Strzok’s because there was no financial aspect."

-- Are we sure, considering he kept choosing her to work with him on prestigious projects?

Gunner said...

I vote “doxy” because it has an “x” and sounds like Cockney slang.

rcocean said...

I suggest mistress for Republicans and "Fuck Buddies" for Democrats. As in "Kamala Harris, Fuck Buddy of Willie Brown,..." or what about "Kamala Harris, Cunt Buddy of Willie Brown.."

I'd suggest Cunt buddy. Go for it AP.

Ann Althouse said...

The original meaning of "mistress" is the same as "master" — just with a feminine ending. It has a whole lot of meanings that fit that idea. The mistress of the house is the one in charge of the house — the wife of the master.

Ann Althouse said...

"Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French maistresse.
Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Middle French maistresse, mestresse (c1180 in Old French; French maîtresse ) < maistre master n.1 + -esse -ess suffix1. Compare Old Occitan mestressa (1450), Italian (archaic) maestressa (a1348), and also post-classical Latin magistrissa (1269), magistressa (mid 14th cent.). Compare miss n.2, missus n., Mrs n.1"

(OED)

Ann Althouse said...

Have you ever wondered why there is an "r" in "Mrs." What is it an abbreviation of? Not "missus," because where's the "r"? The answer is...

MISTRESS!

OED on "Mrs.": "Origin: Formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymon: mistress n.
Etymology: Shortened < mistress n. (originally as a graphic abbreviation); on subsequent development of a distinct spoken realization see discussion below. For occasional corresponding fuller written forms see missus n. Compare Mr n."

Owen said...

Ryan: beg to differ. Unlike stuff in a kitchen drawer which acquires little/no associative richness --a lime squeezer is thought of only as a lime squeezer-- words have a grippy surface. They have a contact patch with our minds and memories. Using a word makes it richer, makes richer the thing it is used for. Win-win.

I love how vocabulary allows greater specificity, greater precision: not just for the-thing-being-named, but for the feeling, the emotional tone and resonance.

Your argument would mean that Yo-Yo Ma's cello can be reduced to a generator tuned to a few specific frequencies.

Shouting Thomas said...

An unbiased news organization (as if any existed) would not have decided that it is called upon to eradicate "sexism" or fix "sexist" language.

To do so is to assume the authority and verity of Marxist feminism.

I guessing half of us don't subscribe to the APs (or Althouse's) ideology and don't think any language fix is called for.

Ryan said...

The problem with paramour is that normal people don't know what it means. Shouldn't need a dictionary to read the news.

Matt Sablan said...

The connotation of the word has changed so much that I think it is fine for us to acknowledge we wouldn't use it in that same way today. There are plenty of words that have had their meaning or connotation drift since they were first used.

Howard said...

That's cool. Althouse prove my theory that those of you who called a mistress a whore are also calling wives whores.

Ryan said...

The AP references the woman receiving financial support from a man. Why is that necessary? Most cases don't involve payment.

Shouting Thomas said...

That's cool. Althouse prove my theory that those of you who called a mistress a whore are also calling wives whores.

That's been an oft-repeated Marxism feminist theory throughout my life.

Not exactly new, Howie.

bagoh20 said...

The only thing wrong with the word "mistress" is that it's something that worked and was in common usage. That's the only reason it needed to be banned. It's the disease of progressiveness, which is a form of OCD where you must change things just for the sake of change. The more it irritates others the better. This disease emanates from a severe lack of real purpose in life, enticing the sufferer to make one up. The more it upsets others the more important the progressive feels their purpose to be.

iowan2 said...

The Prof agrees with me!
Paramour has been my go to for a while. I thought it would make me seem sophisticated :)

Ryan said...

Owen proves my point. What you wrote is hard to understand.

Howard said...

Everything sounds better in the original German

die Herrin
mistress
Geliebte
beloved, lover, mistress, sweetheart, paramour, ladylove
die Mätresse
mistress, concubine, kept woman

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Progressives feed off the power to control control control, shame shame shame.

F the left.

Howard said...

Maybe replace mistress with mattress girl

RobinGoodfellow said...

I propose “side chick”!

Ralph L said...

horizontal protege

bagoh20 said...

When all color, nuance, history, and depth have been removed from our culture, and the tapestry turns to an organic, gluten-free, flat, umber sheet, I'm sure that will be a much better world.

John Christopher said...

I miss gal pal.

I'm Full of Soup said...

I hereby ban AP unless it agrees to refer to me as Emperor for Life.

Bay Area Guy said...

"Fuck-buddy" is way too crude. No nice adventurous gal wants this label.

"Friend with Benefits" is accurate, but too bland. An adventurous gal will accept this status, but not the label.

Of course, I am talking about young 'uns -- like between ages 19-25. At 25, it changes drastically and men who have good jobs or career paths, can call most of the shots (at least in my experience).

"Paramour" or "Concubine"? Those don't work either. Too complicated.

In college, my roommates once asked if I was now officially dating JF, whereupon I replied, the relationship was "pleasantly undefined" -- which gave them a big yowl of laughter. Sex without too much work or commitment!

Is "Kamala" not yet ripe enough for the appropriate term? I do recall a few folks asking their girlfriends for a "Lewinsky" 25 or so years ago.




MadisonMan said...

MISTRESS!

Well, I couldn't very well keep calling myself The Master, now could I?

William said...

I object to the sexist and pejorative term "sugar daddy". Many men, in their later years, develop an interest in the younger generation. They like to help out with the rent or college tuition and offer hands on mentoring to young people. It's wrong to use such a dismissive term for the guidance and generosity they offer. Benefactors with benefits is a bit wordy, but it's a more accurate description of who they are.

Scott said...

One is reminded of the man in Baltimore who explained to his neighbor how his paramour made life a lot easier.

The neighbor was aghast. "What does your wife think?"

"She don't care how I cut the grass."

tcrosse said...

The Brits will refer to a schoolmistress, or mistress as a teacher generally. Female for master. That's Jake with HMQ.

Meade said...

"F the left."

Ambiguous (in the context of this blog post).

virgil xenophon said...

"Stumpet"?

virgil xenophon said...

"Strumpet"?

virgil xenophon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n.n said...

mistress (n.)

c. 1300, "female teacher, governess; supervisor of novices in a convent," from Old French maistresse "mistress (lover); housekeeper; governess, female teacher" (Modern French maîtresse), fem. of maistre "master," from Latin magister "chief, head, director, teacher" (see master (n.)).

Sense of "a woman who employs others or has authority over a household and servants" is from early 15c. Meaning "woman who has mastered an art or branch of study" is from mid-15c. Sense of "kept woman of a married man" is from early 15c. As a polite form of address to a woman, mid-15c. Meaning "woman who is beloved and courted, one who has command over a lover's heart" is from c. 1500.

- etymonline.com

We lose more good words to social progress.

n.n said...

The Anachronistic Press has deemed the word a burden, nonviable and proscribed its use. This time, it's just sacrificial semantics. Next time, it's sacrificial hu...

c365 said...

Mistress was an authoritative word. Think the master and the mistress of a house or school.

In a way, it actually empowers the mistress to have that title. She's the "other" woman but the one with the real power title and influence in the relationship.

The corollary would be to call the male home wrecker a master. But that would sound too empowering.

Skeptical Voter said...

I believe that Senator "Spartacus" Booker referred to his female "beard" as his "boo".

The word "mistress" has a connotation of a steady but adulterous relationship that the terms harlot and slut and round heels just don't convey. Good descriptive words should not be messed with. Look at what's happened to the term "rape" in the latter days of feminism. It's hard to understand the long list of things now included in that term which weren't included in say 1970.

Bob Boyd said...

Judging by the comments, it's clear the AP is going to have to add to the list of things we can't call Kamala before this thing is over.

Bob Boyd said...

How about "regular stop? As in, "she was a regular stop there for a while", can you say that?

Clyde said...

"Side piece."

RigelDog said...

Lisa Page is best described as Strzok's Text Moll, yes?

Owen said...

virgil xenophon @ 10:20: "...strumpet." Well played. "Trull" is another possibility, and one that I find pleasing because it's such a short saucy word. Not quite "troll" but with a good whiff of the demimonde.

Prof A @ 9:12:. "The original meaning of "mistress" is the same as "master" — just with a feminine ending. It has a whole lot of meanings that fit that idea. The mistress of the house is the one in charge of the house — the wife of the master."

Yes, true enough. And I like your originalist approach: dig into the etymology to find the "true meaning" of things. But aren't you bothered by the introduction (through "magister" and "magistrate" and "master" and "mistress") of power politics into what should be a loving relationship, a transaction between equals? "Mistress" in your reading verges dangerously close to "dominatrix." I am thinking black leather here, and with Kamala Harris that's not a good look.

Clyde said...

Written before reading the other comments, btw. Not surprised that it had already appeared upthread, but it's about a good as any choice.

John henry said...

Isn't "comare" the same as "comadre" in Spanish?

Or as we pronounce it here "Comay"

Comadre literally means co-madre of co-mother. It is often a godmother but not necessarily.

We have a popular news program here called "El Comay" that is a man dressed up in a woman suit with a foam head. "She" and a sidekick spend half an hour every night on political and celebrity gossip. My wife is a fan.

Pic of el comay https://latinorebels.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/La-Comay-foto-de-promoci%C3%B3n..jpg

Definitely not "mistress" material.

When I was a kid, long ago, we used to have a "Postmistress" running our post office. Back in the 90s I made reference to our local postmaster (woman) as postmistress and was roundly chastised.

Then there is Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and while she was very sexual, there was nothing to imply that she was a "mistress" in the sense used here.

And "Mistress of the house" used to be a common term in English novels.

Lots of dominatrices are called "Mistress Sue" etc. (So I am informed) While there is a sexual connotation, they are hardly mistresses in the sense used here.

Let's just call Kamala Willie's cockholster and be done with it.

Or perhaps, if we are being mean, use a term from one of WEB Griffin's books and call her a "seminal sewer"

Maybe we could even get a national conversation going about whether she is Brown's seminal sewer or not. Some will deny it, some will say that it is inappropriate to say even though she was, others will say fine.

The important thing is the discussion.

John Henry

John henry said...

Instead of sidepiece, wouldn't it be more correct to call Kamala Willie's mouthpiece?

And reminds me of an old joke:

"Hey Joe, getting any pussy on the side?"

"On the side? I had not realized they moved it."

So instead of sidepiece, perhaps frontpiece would be more accurate. Or backpiece according to taste.

John Henry

John Henry

buwaya said...

Romance novelists will be denied the proper word for a situation so open to complication.

rehajm said...

I thought hookers used the word paramour to jack up the price above their market rate or when the hooker believed the term hooker was beneath them (so to speak). In addition to the fee, or your 'arrangement' like housing, you buy things for them- perfume, lingerie, etc.- the stuff they use for work when they're not with you. In return for the extra payment you get some fascinating conversation.

D 2 said...

ok ok ok the masters and mistresses of language are telling us that English needs to move and evolve and change and not remain static.....

The AP want a word without historical weight (yuck! No one likes history, that’s why we always rewrite it - see Orwell) like “mistress” to describe a certain scenario, which may impart the “proper” neutral connotation. Because they never use negative words (eg the famous “pounce!” vern choice) in their articles.

Perhaps we can adopt the word “kamala” and it can be used as a noun and adjective, be gender neutral, and irrelevant to marital status

Donna: hey Susie, is it true? I heard you are stepping out on Dave and are Bill’s kamala.
Susie: so? You were kamaling with Rob last summer. Don’t be such a Karen about things.

rehajm said...

Side piece sounds like open carry. Side action works better...

Home wrecker is chock full of meaning but implies a discovery of the relationship by the cheated on spouse, or the inevitability of such a discovery and/or the inevitability or completion of the ending of a marriage.

Lurker21 said...

A "relatee" would be someone you are in a relationship with.

A "relator" would be what you are to them - or someone who sells your house.

Willy Brown's situation is a little out of the ordinary, though. He's a bit reminiscent of people who separated from their spouse but couldn't divorce or remarry for religious religions. Except that in his case there don't seem to be any religious reason for not divorcing. And he goes out a lot more and swaps his main squeeze frequently - maybe on some kind of rotation system. He has at once kept to legal monogamy while leaving monogamy far behind in real world terms. It seems like a slippery slope to polyamory. Mistress seems to imply a more stable and continuing relationship that any of Willy's partners have had with him.

But again, it's not about the sex. It's about the nepotism (or whatever word we coin to describe this sort of corruption).

Roger Sweeny said...

Business partner with benefits? Ally with benefits? Or, hey, just the old "friend with benefits".

Scott Patton said...

co-conoodler

JAORE said...

Based on late night "comedy" show reference to Trump and Putin:

How about Kamela was Willie Brown's cock holster?



narciso said...

well hooker was named after the civil war general, right,

DKWalser said...

I think the word 'mistress' is a useful and perfectly fine word when used appropriately. It denotes a semi-permanent relationship, unlike a transitory 'affair' or a 'one night stand'. Often, but not always, a mistress is financially supported (partially if not entirely) by her gentlemen friend.

Years ago, my wife and I dined at an exclusive restaurant. In the booth next to us, a man and his mistress were discussing the terms of their arrangement. He would provide her with an apartment, a new car, and a spending allowance. He wouldn't come over without prior notice and, he'd see her at most twice a week -- unless they went somewhere on vacation together. I forget all the details. (Evidently, the man was a little hard of hearing, because they both talked louder than you'd expect for a typical dinner conversation.) The work 'mistress' captures the essence of their relationship better than does paramour.

Browndog said...

RigelDog said...

Lisa Page is best described as Strzok's Text Moll, yes?


Home wrecker.

Narr said...

How worthless, the lives and thoughts of AP stylists!

Ignorant children.

Narr
Mistress-->Matress-->Jizzbucket

TheOne Who Is Not Obeyed said...

Harris is a trollop. Not much else.

Iman said...

How ‘bout irregular lady?

chickelit said...

Harris will never live down her sordid start and for that I'm glad. Had she accomplished anything subsequently, she might stand a chance with Americans outside of the Bay Area. But she didn't. She's just an affirmative action pick.

Did I leave anything out?

chickelit said...

My guess is that the Biden camp wants us to think he'll pick Harris because it will rattle Trump. The thought of Harris as a vengeful prosecutor wielding national power and with unchecked grievances is scary indeed.

gilbar said...

Simple
The word "moll" is Always correct
Else
Fuck buddy

Lurker21 said...

At this point calling Harris a "cockholster" is like asking if the fact the Buttigieg has a husband makes him the wife. It's a quick and easy way of establishing yourself as an idiot.

Earnest Prole said...

The modern term is fuck-buddy

Speaking of which, what kind of "man" finds Lisa Page's boney ass and gummy mouth plowable?

Narayanan said...

will Mistress become the n-word for book burning purposes?

Mistress is also feminine form for Master

Narayanan said...

what words would describe / capture the situation from The Fountainhead where Toohey recommends Dominique to Wynand by showing him statue she modeled for Mallory?

loudogblog said...

Are they not going to be allowed to refer to Elvira as "Mistress of the Dark" anymore?

OldManRick said...

How about these two terms for her that fit like a glove -

Political Sugar Baby
Political Gold Digger

Sugar baby and gold digger both fit a situation where a younger woman hooks up with an older man with riches for access to those riches. Willie Brown's riches were political power. QED

n.n said...

Mistress and Commander.

DavidUW said...

paramour sounds like it derives from love.
mistress is a job, and paid accordingly.

cyrus83 said...

A woman who is having a relationship with a married man should be described with a word that has negative connotations. It's a mystery why with feminism the woman who injures the wife in this situation shouldn't be referred to with scorn. Maybe because most of the feminists happen to like sleeping with married men?

Cutthroat bitch seems appropriate when the woman knows the man is married and consents to take what is not hers (no sisterhood loyalty here!). Adulteress would also work in the general case.

Balfegor said...

People have already chimed in this with, but I have to say I, too, thought "What, you don't like 'mistress?' How about 'sugar baby'?"

Nichevo said...


Lurker21 said...
At this point calling Harris a "cockholster" is like asking if the fact the Buttigieg has a husband makes him the wife. It's a quick and easy way of establishing yourself as an idiot.
5/12/20, 5:20 PM


What makes you say that?








Blogger Howard said...
You can tell the commenters who are unable to attain or sustain wood call a mistress a whore.

5/12/20, 8:42 AM


What makes you say that? Don't go by Ann, she doesn't like anybody to drill down too deep into how she got her credentials.

Meanwhile the American people are not yet ready, despite your best efforts, to vote for an actual, literal whore, a paid, fee-for-service prostitute, for President; in better times they might regard that a suitable credential for the VP slot, but given your man's infirmity, it might cut a little too near the bone to put Harris thatclose to the big chair.

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