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    In show business why is a female impersonator known as a 'drag act?'

    Question #39211. Asked by Hotspur. (Sep 27 03 1:28 PM)


    sequoianoir

    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, 1:58 PM
    TabbyTom

    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, 2:16 PM


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