Citations:manspeak

English citations of manspeak, man-speak, and Manspeak

Noun: "(derogatory or humorous) communication by men viewed as crude, terse, evasive, or emotionally inept"

						1977 1981 1987 1989 1996	2002 2004 2011 2012 2013 2014
ME «	15th c.	16th c.	17th c.	18th c.	19th c.	20th c.	21st c.

• 1977, Mykol Hamilton & Barrie Thorne, "Womanspeak and Manspeak: Sex Differences and Sexism in Communication", in Beyond Sex Roles (ed. Alice G. Sargent)
• 1981, Erica Abeel, I'll Call You Tomorrow, and Other Lies Between Men and Women, page 19:

  They [men] fear inordinately women's anger, a confrontation of any sort - and the “Gosh it was wonderful”s and "I'll call you soon"s ensure a hassle-free getaway. Seen charitably, Manspeak is a clumsy form of consideration, designed to let the woman down easy.

• 1987, Mademoiselle, Volume 93, page 8:

  […] you're probably feeling confident in your ability to understand manspeak, so this section is in the form of a quiz.

• 1989, Studies in Literature, Volume 21, Issue 3, page 33:

  Likewise, Polanksi's representation of "manspeak" is equally indicating: […]

• 1996, Marnie Winston-Macauley, Manspeak: What He Says and What He Really Means, page vii:

  Since Manspeak, which consists of up to two short grunts, comes from the lower half of their bodies, most men aren't aware that what comes out of their mouths has little or no connection to their brains.

• 2002, Glamour, Volume 100, page 100:

  "I just want us to be friends."

  This is manspeak for: "I'm breaking up with you, but don't write me off completely because I still might try to hook up with you now and then. […]

• 2004, Bryan Davis, Spit and Polish for Husbands: Becoming Your Wife's Knight in Shining Armor, page 20:

  Their [women's] language conveys feelings using body language, facial nuances, and intonations of speech. To be sure, some women are fluent in Manspeak; they have learned to communicate on our plane of existence.

• 2004, Catherine Mann, Joint Forces, page 100:

  […] If you have any ideas for conversation starters, I'm not adverse to listening." His gray eyes lit. "Then I can translate them into manspeak."

• 2004, Gene Weingarten & Gina Barreca, I'm with Stupid: One Man. One Woman. 10,000 Years of Misunderstanding Between the Sexes Cleared Right Up, page 92:

  You are simply translating what I said into Manspeak. Manspeak is mostly grunts.

• 2011, Larry Welch, A Happy Journey: Stories from the Heart, page 49:

  Like all men, John expresses himself in manspeak. In passionately explaining the meaning for his climb, he told me ...it was a real asskicker.

• 2012, Jane Cunningham & Philippa Roberts, Inside Her Pretty Little Head: A New Theory of Female Motivation and What It Means for Marketing, page 131:

  When it comes to partners, they're more or less powerless too: their only resort being to cajole and encourage (which, in man-speak, is obviously interpreted as being a hideous nag).

• 2012, Alison Grambs, The Man Translator: Your Essential Guide to Manland, unnumbered page:

  From translating the convoluted language of Manspeak to deciphering the meaning of Man's every gesture, facial expression, and grunting noise, this book demystifies the testicle-bearing gender once and for all.

• 2013, Suzanne Johnson, Elysian Fields, page 244:

  Alex reached out and rested his hand over mine. "Let's slow down and see where it goes."

  Which was probably manspeak for let's go back to being friends.

• 2013, Sharon Struth, The Hourglass, unnumbered page:

  “My dear,” he said, in a gentle voice usually reserved for five-year-olds, “in man-speak, a nod means hello.”

• 2014, Becky Rutledge, Miss Becky's Breakup Boot Camp, unnumbered page:

  Understanding manspeak is simply one other tool you can use to analyze your relationship before you decide to keep him or dump him!

• 2014, Lucy Ryder, Resisting Her Rebel Hero, page 22:

  He grunted, but as she wasn't fluent in manspeak, she was unsure if he was agreeing with her or in pain.