[lit-ideas] Adam's Rib (Was: "An helpe meet for him")
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:21:45 EDT
The OED has 'helpmeet', "a helpmate"
We know about 'help' -- do we know about 'mate'. Some quotes below, where
the sexual use is focused on.
Cheers
JL
-----
'to mate' To enter into a sexual relationship with someone.
1589 W WARMER Albions Eng. (1612) VI. xxxi. 154
The gayest Females mate With Loutes as soon as Lordes.
1895 A. C. FOX-DAVIES Armorial Families p. xx,
In England men mate with whom they will.
1990 J. BISHOP & M. WALDHOLZ Genome xv. 320 People tend to mate with
others in their own social class, a phenomenon psychologists call ‘assortive
mating
’.
In Adam's case he didn't have to 'assort' too much.
1853 E. S. DIXON in Househ. Words 14 May 248/2
The perverse pair of pigeons..seem determined to ‘mate’ according to their
own, rather than in obedience to Bob's ideas of a suitable match.
1877 J. BURROUGHS Birds & Poets (1895) 103
These birds do not mate.
1927 F. BALFOUR-BROWNE Insects iv. 108 In this position, the male finds
her and mates with her, the spermatozoa being released into the large
brood-pouch.
1991 Garden Apr. 180/2 Any male she mates with is bound to help feed her
nestlings.
1913 Jrnl. Exper. Zool. 15 587
When a female [Drosophila] with white eyes is mated to a wild male with red
eyes, the daughters have red, and the sons, white eyes.
1932 J. E. NICHOLS Study Empire Wool Production 66 The first cross ewe
progeny are mated to pure Merino rams.
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