I believe that I first heard "man" used as an adjective in the phrase "man cave" -- which is, I believe, a place where guys go to isolate themselves from their wimmen and famly and where they watch boxing on the TV, drink a lot of beer, and puke on the shag rug. But recently I learned about the "man stand." "To do the man stand" is when the husband waits at the door of the dress shop clutching a bundle of packages while the old ball and chain decides between the 10 and the 12 and between the gray one and the green. Sometimes a manstander parks his carcass in a designated "man chair." And now there's a new one: the "man spread", which describes the way a crude young guy with below-the-waist pants sits in the subway, legs akimbo, indifferent to the gentle ladies and to the tired old geezers who need to relax far more than he does.
"Man boobs," which are nothing more than unsightly fat, are sometimes abbreviated to "moobs." "Manparts" requires no elucidation.
In each of these cases, "man" is not used affectionately or admiringly. "Man," as an adjective, is anything but "manly." "Man" is primitive and insensitive, an adjective of derogation and denigration.
January 4: My penpalessa, SF, writes that in England the phrase "man flu" has now become popular. A "man flu" is merely a cold that men (such babies they are!!) make a fuss about, but which a woman would ignore.
I have to man up and admit you're right.
Posted by: Richard Mothpan | December 24, 2014 at 09:40 AM