bawdy-house
Definition
- 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).