old-maidish

English

Etymology

old maid +‎ -ish

Adjective

old-maidish (comparative more old-maidish, superlative most old-maidish)

1. Like an old maid; prim; precise; particular.
   • 1953, Ian Fleming, chapter 8, in Casino Royale, page 48:

     ‘You must forgive me,’ he said. ‘I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink. It comes partly from being a bachelor, but mostly from a habit of taking a lot of trouble over details. It’s very pernickety and old-maidish really, but then when I’m working I generally have to eat my meals alone and it makes them more interesting when one takes trouble.’

   • 1982, Joy Kogawa, Obasan, page 8:

     At thirty-six, I'm no bargain in the marriage market. But Aunt Emily in Toronto, still single at fifty-six, is even more old-maidish than I am and yet she refuses the label.

References

• “old-maidish”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.