Definition

1. Noun:
   • A house of prostitution: "bawdy-house" refers to a building or establishment where sexual activity is offered in exchange for payment; a brothel.

Usage Examples

• (The authorities entered and closed the illegal establishment.)
• (The establishment was a common symbol of immorality in that era.)

Advanced Usage

• "to keep a bawdy-house": to operate or manage a brothel.

  • She was charged with keeping a bawdy-house in the city centre. (She was legally accused of running a prostitution establishment.)

• "bawdy-house keeper": a person who owns or manages such an establishment.

  • The bawdy-house keeper was fined heavily by the court. (The operator of the brothel faced a substantial monetary penalty.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bawdy (adj): humorously indecent or lewd.

  • The comedian's bawdy jokes offended some audience members. (The jokes were sexually explicit and vulgar.)

• Bawd (n): a person who runs a brothel, especially a woman.

  • The old bawd was known throughout the town for her establishment. (The female brothel keeper was infamous locally.)

Synonyms

• Brothel: a house of prostitution.
• Whorehouse: a vulgar term for a place where sex is sold.
• House of ill repute: a euphemistic term for a bawdy-house.

Related Idioms

• No direct idioms: The term "bawdy-house" is largely archaic and legalistic, not commonly used in modern idiomatic expressions. However, the related word "bawdy" appears in phrases like "bawdy humour" (lewd or risqué comedy).