What is "old maid"

Maid \Maid\, n. [Shortened from maiden. ?. See Maiden.]

1. An unmarried woman; usually, a young unmarried woman; esp., a girl; a virgin; a maiden.

   Would I had died a maid, And never seen thee, never borne thee son.
   --Shak.

   Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me.
   --Jer. ii. 3

2. 2. A man who has not had sexual intercourse. [Obs.]

   Christ was a maid and shapen as a man.
   --Chaucer.

3. A female servant.

   Spinning amongst her maids.
   --Shak.

   Note: Maid is used either adjectively or in composition, signifying female, as in maid child, maidservant.

4. (Zo["o]l.) The female of a ray or skate, esp. of the gray skate ( Raia batis), and of the thornback ( Raia clavata). [Prov. Eng.]

   Fair maid. (Zo["o]l.) See under Fair, a.

   Maid of honor, a female attendant of a queen or royal princess; -- usually of noble family, and having to perform only nominal or honorary duties.

   Old maid. See under Old.

Old \Old\, a. [Compar. Older; superl. Oldest.] [OE. old, ald, AS. ald, eald; akin to D. oud, OS. ald, OFries. ald, old, G. alt, Goth. alpeis, and also to Goth. alan to grow up, Icel. ala to bear, produce, bring up, L. alere to nourish. Cf. Adult, Alderman, Aliment, Auld, Elder.]

1. Not young; advanced far in years or life; having lived till toward the end of the ordinary term of living; as, an old man; an old age; an old horse; an old tree.

   Let not old age disgrace my high desire.
   --Sir P. Sidney.

   The melancholy news that we grow old.
   --Young.

2. Not new or fresh; not recently made or produced; having existed for a long time; as, old wine; an old friendship. ``An old acquaintance.''
   --Camden.

3. Formerly existing; ancient; not modern; preceding; original; as, an old law; an old custom; an old promise. ``The old schools of Greece.''
   --Milton. ``The character of the old Ligurians.''
   --Addison.

4. Continued in life; advanced in the course of existence; having (a certain) length of existence; -- designating the age of a person or thing; as, an infant a few hours old; a cathedral centuries old.

   And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?
   --Cen. xlvii. 8.

   Note: In this use old regularly follows the noun that designates the age; as, she was eight years old.

5. Long practiced; hence, skilled; experienced; cunning; as, an old offender; old in vice.

   Vane, young in years, but in sage counsel old.
   --Milton.

6. Long cultivated; as, an old farm; old land, as opposed to new land, that is, to land lately cleared.

7. Worn out; weakened or exhausted by use; past usefulness; as, old shoes; old clothes.

8. More than enough; abundant. [Obs.]

   If a man were porter of hell gate, he should have old turning the key.
   --Shak.

9. Aged; antiquated; hence, wanting in the mental vigor or other qualities belonging to youth; -- used disparagingly as a term of reproach.

10. Old-fashioned; wonted; customary; as of old; as, the good old times; hence, colloquially, gay; jolly.

11. Used colloquially as a term of cordiality and familiarity. ``Go thy ways, old lad.'' --Shak. Old age, advanced years; the latter period of life. Old bachelor. See Bachelor,

    1. Old Catholics. See under Catholic.

       Old English. See under English. n.,

    2. Old Nick, Old Scratch, the devil. Old lady (Zo["o]l.), a large European noctuid moth ( Mormo maura). Old maid.

       1. A woman, somewhat advanced in years, who has never been married; a spinster.

       2. (Bot.) A West Indian name for the pink-flowered periwinkle ( Vinca rosea).

       3. A simple game of cards, played by matching them. The person with whom the odd card is left is the old maid. Old man's beard. (Bot.)

          1. The traveler's joy ( Clematis Vitalba). So named from the abundant long feathery awns of its fruit.

          2. The Tillandsia usneoides. See Tillandsia. Old man's head (Bot.), a columnar cactus ( Pilocereus senilis), native of Mexico, covered towards the top with long white hairs. Old red sandstone (Geol.), a series of red sandstone rocks situated below the rocks of the Carboniferous age and comprising various strata of siliceous sandstones and conglomerates. See Sandstone, and the Chart of Geology. Old school, a school or party belonging to a former time, or preserving the character, manner, or opinions of a former time; as, a gentleman of the old school; -- used also adjectively; as, Old-School Presbyterians. Old sledge, an old and well-known game of cards, called also all fours, and high, low, Jack, and the game. Old squaw (Zo["o]l.), a duck ( Clangula hyemalis) inhabiting the northern parts of both hemispheres. The adult male is varied with black and white and is remarkable for the length of its tail. Called also longtailed duck, south southerly, callow, hareld, and old wife. Old style. (Chron.) See the Note under Style. Old Testament. See Old Testament under Testament, and see tanak. Old wife. [In the senses b and c written also oldwife.]

             1. A prating old woman; a gossip.

                Refuse profane and old wives' fables.
                --1 Tim. iv. 7.

             2. (Zo["o]l.) The local name of various fishes, as the European black sea bream ( Cantharus lineatus), the American alewife, etc.

          3. (Zo["o]l.) A duck; the old squaw.

             Old World, the Eastern Hemisphere.

             Syn: Aged; ancient; pristine; primitive; antique; antiquated; old-fashioned; obsolete. See Ancient.

n. 1 (context pejorative English) An old woman who has never married; a spinster. 2 A particular kind of periwinkle. 3 A particular kind of zinnia. 4 An unpopped kernel in a batch of popped popcorn kernels. 5 A card game in which cards must be paired and one undesirable card is designated "old maid". 6 An unpaired card in that game.

1. n. an elderly unmarried woman [syn: spinster]

2. any of various plants of the genus Zinnia cultivated for their variously and brightly colored flower heads [syn: zinnia, old maid flower]

3. commonly cultivated Old World woody herb having large pinkish to red flowers [syn: periwinkle, rose periwinkle, Madagascar periwinkle, Cape periwinkle, red periwinkle, cayenne jasmine, Catharanthus roseus, Vinca rosea]

4. a person who is primly fastidious

5. a card game using a pack of cards from which one queen has been removed; players match cards and the player holding the unmatched queen at the end of the game is the loser (or `old maid')

Old maid is a Victorian card game for two to eight players probably deriving from an ancient gambling game in which the loser pays for the drinks. It is known in Germany as Schwarzer Peter, in Sweden as Svarte Petter, in Norway as Svarteper, in Denmark as Sorteper, in Hungary as Fekete Péter, in Finland as Musta Pekka (all meaning "Black Peter"), in France as le pouilleux ("the lousy/louse-ridden one") or vieux garçon (literally "old boy", but a de facto pejorative for confirmed bachelor), and in Japan as ババ抜き　(Babanuki). The game spawns an element of bluffing, commonly used in poker.