Word: distaff
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Wednesday, at a lunch honoring Nancy Reagan, the pièce de résistance of the convention's distaff side, Barbara Bush paid tribute to the First Lady's love of beauty: "The White House is sparkling these days, and the meals are superb." Reagan, in response, quoted Eleanor Roosevelt: "I have never wanted to be a man. I have often wanted to be effective as a woman. But I never thought that trousers would do the trick." The audience of about 1,800 women, virtually none of them in pants, applauded, as they had applauded reminders...
...days of the movie business. This year, though, Hollywood is sending up a happy howl over a quartet of surprise hits: Disney's man-meets-mermaid comedy Splash ($37.5 million in 31 days); Warners' tony Tarzan epic Greystoke ($14.8 million in ten days); Fox's distaff Raiders rip-off'Romancing the Stone (5/2.5 million in ten days); and a rowdy ensemble farce, Police Academy (an astonishing $30 million in its first 17 days). Herewith, reports on three new contenders and the reigning champ...
...hours," says sympathetic Director Sydney Pollack. The breast-fallen lady he is referring to is that model of middle-aged primness, Dustin Hoffman, 44. In Tootsie, the actor renowned for his demanding perfectionism plays an actor so renowned for his demanding perfectionism that he finally has to go into distaff disguise to get a part. Tales of Hoffman's adventures in the role abound. At Manhattan's Russian Tea Room on a lunch break, Hoffman-still in costume and makeup-stopped by the table of an old friend, Public Relations Man John Springer. Dustin introduced himself as Dorothy...
What is a woman? A "petticoat, skirt, moll, broad," according to one recent U.S. edition of Roget's Thesaurus. Also "the fair sex, girlie, distaff side, Venus, nymph, wench, grisette and bit of fluff." Such archaisms have a kind of antique charm for veteran Rogetophiles, but new times demand new stereotypes. Accordingly, the British publishing firm of Longman advertised in the London Times Educational Supplement for an editor to update its standard 1962 version of Roget's. The result, out last month after more than three years of work, brought some shocked reviews. Cried the London Sunday Times...