Dictionary

mistressy en · ADJ

Etymology

From mistress + -y.

Meanings

1. Resembling or characteristic of a mistress.
   • When the parlourmaid came, she said in an altered, mistressy voice: ‘Find Miss Rhoda, Edith. She hasn’t been near me this morning. I’m afraid she may be over-exerting herself.’ 1970, Patrick White, The Vivisector, London: Jonathan Cape, […], →ISBN, page 34:
   • She usually reports in her mistressy way that I steep my mind in violence–yes, steep–that my temper is fiendish, and that my bite is worse than my bark. 1969, Michael Ramsbotham, The Remains of a Father, New York, N.Y.: Atheneum, →LCCN, pages 146–147:
   • Thankfully the lingerie designer Janet Reger successfully brought romance back with her mistressy ranges of camisoles, basques, lacy French knickers, and bra sets, along with sexy negligees and suspender belts that made women feel like a million dollars and their husbands very happy. 2015, Tracy Martin, The Bare Essentials: A Passion for Lingerie, London; New York, N.Y.: CICO Books, →ISBN, page 33:
   • And I’ll bet he and that Rachel woman—she needn’t think she’s off the hook, she’s got that sly, mistressy look about her—have invited people I’ve been carefully snubbing for years. 2003, Anna Maxted, Behaving Like Adults, ReganBooks, →ISBN, pages 360–361:
   • Claudia gave her an irritated mistressy look. 2006, Philip Boast, The Third Princess, Severn House Publishers, →ISBN, page 130:
   • Claudia Best. A mistressy kind of name. 1992, Judith Greber, As Good As It Gets, New York, N.Y.: Crown Publishers, Inc., →ISBN, page 310:
   • ‘Rubbish, I said I’ve no use for it,’ replied Charmian in her most mistressy voice. 1956, Anne Francis [pseudonym; Anne Wintle], Paulette, London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd, page 38:
   • Her mistressy voice, now urgent and straining, now clucking and scolding, now anxiously explaining, thinking in English, translating to itself first into Sepedi, begging, stressing, arguing, repeating, repeating, repeating – that restless voice tinkled into my consciousness, bringing me back. a. 1968, Can Themba, The Will to Die, Heinemann, published 1972, reprinted 1976, →ISBN, page 22:

Forms