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A.Word.A.Day--pink collar

noun: Pertaining to the type of jobs, such as telephone operator or secretary, traditionally held by women.

[From the color pink, traditionally associated with women, on the model of phrases white collar or blue collar.]

"Ever on the alert for social shifts among the power elite, The New York Times pointed out the other day that this is the year in which women entering law school may, for the first time, outnumber men. The Times drafted a number of learned observers to speculate on the meaning of it all: Perhaps the atmosphere of law schools will become more 'teamlike'; ... But the most interesting comment in the article came from one Deborah Rhode, a Stanford law school professor who worries that the law may become a 'pink collar ghetto', like other professions that have traditionally welcomed women."
Marjorie Williams; Woman's Place Is At the Bar; The Washington Post; Apr 4, 2001.

This week's theme: Words with color as metaphors

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