gorilless
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Noun[edit]
gorilless (plural not attested) (rare)
- A female gorilla.
- 1861 September 30, “Paterfamilias”, “Gentle Gorilla–Wither Away. To the Editor of Fun.”, in Fun, published 12 October 1861, page 39, columns 1–2:
- The last statement suggests to me the question, did she walk upon her hind legs only, or upon all four? That is, did she walk erect like a man and a brother,—I should say a gorilless and a sister,—or like an attached and humble individual of the canine or feline quadruped species? […] Was not Seraphine a wonderful young person,—I mean gorilless?
- 1923 December, Volney G. Mathison, “The Woman-Handler”, in Radio, volume V, number 12, pages 68 and 70, column 3:
- “An’ now I hear you’re sendin’ our flagship Pastores out at four o’clock this afternoon with another cock-eyed cross between a giraffe an’ a Gila monster— / “By my soul, never!” yells th’ G.P.A., jumpin’ up like a bumb has gone off under him. “If the Pastores sails with that red-skirted gorilless aboard, it’ll be over my dead body!”
- 1985, Maureen Lipman, “Lipmanish Allthouthts[sic]”, in How Was It for You?[1], Clio Press, published 1989, section “A Joking Aside”, page 186:
- I know it’s horribly sexist but, it has to be said, so are gorillas. / Then there’s the lonely gorilless whose mate has died just before breeding time, leaving both her and her devoted keeper desolate with grief.
- 1985 March 31, Lynne Ames, “About Westchester; Listening Device”, in The New York Times, page 2:
- On another day, at the Program Corporation of America, a White Plains-based company that serves as lecture managers and booking agencies for celebrities, the gorilla was invited to stay for lunch. “You’re a “gorilless,” Joan Steinhaus, executive vice president, said as Miss Corsetti removed the head of her costume. “Would you like a banana?”
- 2016, CJ Verburg, “Lovely Rita”, in Zapped: An Edgar Rowdey Cape Cod Mystery, Boom-Books, →ISBN:
- She wanted a job with Phyllis the Gorilless.