Meaning of Betty | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A short bar used by thieves to wrench doors open; a jimmy.
   slang
2. A diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth.
3. A girl who hangs out with skateboarders or surfers.
   derogatory, slang
4. A picklock, skeleton key; a tool for opening locks.
   slang
5. A man who performs tasks that traditionally belong to a woman; (originally) an effeminate or gay man.
   archaic, derogatory
6. A pear-shaped bottle covered with straw, in which olive oil is sometimes brought from Italy; a Florence flask.
   US, archaic
7. A baked dessert made with alternating layers of sweetened fruit and buttered bread crumbs.
8. An attractive woman; a babe.
   slang

Equivalents

Examples

“No modern Lycæum vvill ever equal thy Glory, […] deſcribing the povverful Betty, or the artful Picklock, […]”

“After a quick meal at a tea shop, we found ourselves in the hallway at the Midland Hotel, where he removed a skeleton key, or “betty” as he called it, from his pocket and inserted it in the keyhole. […] Once they were out of sight, I fumbled about with the betty for a few moments before the lock finally clicked open.”

“On olive oil in casks, twenty cents per gallon; olive salad oil in bottles or betties, thirty per centum ad valorem”

“A pie-size betty is traditional, but if you like, assemble the recipe in individual ovenproof ramekins.”

“Isn't my house classic? The columns date all the way back to 1972. Wasn't my Mom a betty? She died when I was just a baby. A fluke accident during a routine liposuction. I don't remember her, but I like to pretend she still watches over me.”

“People in the last century weren't afraid of homely names; now we are all so smart and fine: no more "Lady Bettys" now.”

“But Mrs. Betty Carver respects tradition, and this, I'm afraid, is ours. - - - She smells like expensive soap and her teeth are shiny-white. She does not in any way look like her name. It's not her fault that she was born in a time when people believed in names like Wanda, Dottie and Betty. She's more of a Vanessa or Paulina.”

CEFR level