welfare queen
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English
Etymology
1970s, popularized during Ronald Reagan's 1976 presidential campaign, but not used by Reagan himself.
Noun
welfare queen (plural welfare queens)
- (US, derogatory) A woman collecting welfare, seen as doing so out of laziness, rather than genuine need.
- 1976 February 29, “‘Welfare Queen’ Loses Her Cadillac Limousine”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
- Miss Taylor, who is 40 years old, has been called Illinois’ “welfare queen” for allegedly defrauding Illinois and other states out of welfare payments while using a number of aliases.
- 1994, Lisa Jones, Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex, and Hair, Anchor Books, published 1995, →ISBN:
- Martin isn't a typecast welfare queen sucking the nation dry, as Thomas seemed to suggest, but a single woman like his own mother, who worked low-paying jobs without benefits to support her family and turned to relatives for help.