mary ellen
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.98 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Young and middle-aged women often caring for large families were known as 'Mary Ellens'. They dressed in a most distinctive fashion with large black shawls draped over their shoulders and fastened at the middle. The shawl formed a large pocket under each arm; often one would hold a baby, the other a bag and perhaps a little food which the Mary Ellen had managed to shoplift. Their men were known as Dicky Sams. […] Typically a Mary Ellen would hock her wedding ring for a barrow and a load of produce. […] At the end of the day she would have enough money to pay for the barrow and retrieve her ring."
- "Luke staggered blindly down the street, almost bumping into an old woman in black with a shawl drawn close about her head and shoulders—a Mary Ellen they called them round here."
- "Dad had just laughed when Rose said she wouldn't mind being a Mary Ellen but Mam had tightened her mouth and sniffed."
Usage
- British usage