SUMPREME WORD DU JOUR: MATA HARI

SUPREME WORD DU JOUR: MATA HARI

PRONUNCIATION:

(MA-tuh HAR-ee, MAT-uh HAR-ee)

MEANING:

(noun): A seductive woman who works as a spy.

ETYMOLOGY:

After exotic dancer Mata Hari, a stage name of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle (1876-1917). She was a Dutch woman, who took a Malay name, allegedly spied for the Germans, and was executed by the French. Her stage name Mata Hari means sun, literally "eye of the day", from Malay mata (eye) + hari (day, dawn). Earliest documented use: 1936.

USAGE:

"In London, Sophia joins the war effort ... and embarks upon improbable espionage escapades, hoping to come off as a Mata Hari in furs and printed chiffon."
Liesl Schillinger; The Persistence of Levity; Newsweek (New York); Sep 20, 2013.

  

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Lady Supreme!!!!