calico queen
A historical slang term from the American West for a prostitute, with 'calico' — a type of brightly printed cotton cloth associated with women's dress — serving as a euphemistic stand-in.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1850 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
A historical slang term from the American West for a prostitute, with 'calico' — a type of brightly printed cotton cloth associated with women's dress — serving as a euphemistic stand-in. The term is now entirely obsolete and belongs to the vocabulary of the Old West, frontier saloons, and 19th-century American vernacular. Mainly encountered in historical fiction, westerns, and academic studies of frontier language and culture.
The saloon in the mining camp was known to employ a handful of calico queens who supplemented the profits from gambling and whiskey.
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A historical Western US slang term for a prostitute, used in the 19th century frontier context. Calico referred to cheap, colorful printed cotton fabric associated with working-class women's dress; queen added a mock-regal overlay. Now entirely archaic, encountered only in historical fiction, Westerns, period research, or commentary on 19th century American slang. The calico fabric reference places the slang firmly in the frontier American West, where calico was associated with inexpensive dress rather than finery.
The novel's protagonist met his informant at a saloon frequented by calico queens and card sharks.
Comments
(Western US, slang) A prostitute.
Calico queen means: A prostitute.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
calico queen means: A prostitute.. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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(US) A tortoiseshell and white domestic cat.
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The American term for a domestic cat with a distinctive tricolour coat of white, orange, and black patches — known in the UK as a tortoiseshell and white. Almost always female (the genetics make males extraordinarily rare), calico cats have a reputation for being feisty and opinionated. The name comes from calico fabric, a patterned cotton cloth with similarly patchy colouring.