Moll, mole, or molly in Australia and New Zealand, is a usually pejorative or self-deprecating term for a woman of loose sexual morals, or a prostitute.
Etymology and spelling
"Moll" derives from "Molly", used as a euphemism for "whore" or "prostitute". The Oxford English Dictionary lists the earliest usage in a 1604 quote by Thomas Middleton: "None of these common Molls neither, but discontented and unfortunate gentlewomen."[1] The existence of the popular derivative spelling, mole, likely reflects the word's history as a spoken, rather than written, insult. Popular usage of this spelling can be seen in the name of The Comedy Company character Kylie Mole. Another example can be seen in a poem by Kevin Munro: "'That Dee will have our jobs; she's a fair dinkum mole!'".[2] The author suggests that this spelling doesn't carry the underworld connotations of the much older moll variant.
In popular culture
Puberty Blues was a 1981 movie based on the autobiographical novel by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey about their experiences of being 13-year-old girls on Sydney's southern beaches. In the novel, movie and television series, girls were referred to as molls, bush pigs, top chicks, glam mags, sceggs, or grommets.[3] The term was again popularised following the 2012 television series Puberty Blues, based on the same novel.
"Game on, molls!" became a popular catchcry in 2006, after Anna used it on Australian reality television show Big Brother.[4][5] It spawned a range of novelty products such as T-shirts. The phrase has since been quoted in many Australian reality television shows.[6][7][8]
See also
References
External links
The dictionary definition of moll at Wiktionary
