English Reference
Idiom idiom

working girl


A female prostitute.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

The film is about a working girl trying to leave the streets.

CONTEXTUAL

She told the police she was a working girl to explain why she was on that corner at midnight.

COMPLEX

In the gritty novel, the protagonist, a working girl with a troubled past, dreams of escaping to a quieter life far from the city.


first recorded 17th c.

From *working* + *girl*. The term is first recorded c. 1620, appearing in the published works of the translator Thomas Shelton.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    as the next girl

    To a reasonable degree; as much as a typical woman.

  2. 02

    atta girl

    Alternative spelling of attagirl.

  3. 03

    big girl

    An adult woman; a woman behaving as a responsible adult.

  4. 04

    boys and girls

    Used to address an audience of children, or (jocularly) of adults.

  5. 05

    business girl

    A female prostitute.

  6. 06

    comfort girl

    A female sex slave; prostitute.

  7. 07

    good girl

    Well done, to a female.

  8. 08

    leather working

    The technology of making products from leather.

Last updated August 10, 2026