| has gloss | eng: A fishwife or fish fag is a woman who sells fish. Such women were notoriously loud and foul-mouthed as in the expression, To swear like a fishwife. One reason for their outspokenness is that their wares were highly perishable and so lost value if not sold quickly. The term also commonly refers to a mean-spirited woman who collects other peoples gossip and spreads it around to all and sundry. In modern Britain it is an insult to call someone a fishwife. For example "She yells like a fishwife and I cant stand it." |
