meter maid

English

Alternative forms
  • meter-maid

Noun

meter maid (plural meter maids)

  1. A female meter attendant: a female public servant tasked with enforcing the use of parking meters.
    • 1967, Lennon–McCartney (lyrics and music), “Lovely Rita”, in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, performed by The Beatles:
      Lovely Rita meter maid / Nothing can come between us / When it gets dark I tow your heart away / Standing by a parking meter / When I caught a glimpse of Rita / Filling in a ticket in her little white book
    • 2000, Charles Baxter, chapter 3, in The Feast of Love, page 36:
      She worked as a meter maid. Almost like a song: Lovely Jenny, meter maid.
  2. (derogatory) A meter attendant of either gender.

Usage notes
  • This term is frequently taken as derogatory, even when used in reference to a woman. A more neutral term is meter attendant, which is the term found in the United States Department of Labor Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

Synonyms

Translations

Anagrams
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.