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Question
#39211. Hotspur
asks:
In show business why is a female impersonator known as a 'drag act?'
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sequoianoir
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The origin of the phrase drag queen is unclear. It may derive from Elizabethan slang (quean referring to a strumpet) or may have come to be applied to female impersonators as a consequence of the extravagant drag balls of the earlier twentieth century, a precursor of the drag shows that became associated with gay bars and nightclubs in the period between the world wars.
 http://www.glbtq.com/arts/drag_queens.html
It is suggested that DRAG = DRessed As (a) Girl
Sep 27 03, 2:58 PM
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TabbyTom
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Cassell's Dictionary of Slang says that "drag" dates from the nineteenth century, and arose because a long dress would drag along the ground.
This etymology seems to be supported by the OED. It lists "feminine attire worn by a man" as one of several senses with the basic meaning "something that drags or hangs heavily, so as to impede motion."
Sep 27 03, 3:16 PM
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