From en.wiktionary.org:
[Betty]
** English
*** Alternative forms
- [bar used by thieves to open doors] [en]
- [en]
*** Etymology
From [en]. In thieves’ cant a tool for wrenching locked doors is also called
a _Bess_ (from “Elizabeth”) or a _Jenny_.[1] The “attractive woman” sense may
relate to the character [Betty Rubble] in the cartoon _The Flintstones_.[2]
*** Pronunciation
- [en]
- [en]
- [en]
*** Noun
[en-noun]
1. [en] A short bar used by thieves to wrench door s open; a jimmy . [from 17th century]
2. * [part=4]
3. [en] A picklock , skeleton key ; a tool for opening lock s. [from 18th century]
4. * [en]
5. [en] A man who performs tasks that traditionally belong to a woman ; [originally] an effeminate or gay man. [from 17th century]
6. [en] A pear -shaped bottle covered with straw , in which olive oil is sometimes brought from Italy ; a Florence flask . [17th to 19th century]
7. * [en]
8. A baked dessert made with alternating layers of sweetened fruit and buttered bread crumbs.. [from 19th century]
9. * [en]
10. [en] An attractive woman; a babe . [from 20th century]
11. * [en]
**** Synonyms
- [attractive woman] see Thesaurus:beautiful woman
- [man who performs a woman's tasks] [en] , [en] , [en] , [en]
**** Hyponyms
- [man who performs a woman's tasks] [en]
*** Verb
[en-verb]
1. To pick a lock , to open with a betty. [from 19th century]
2. * [en]
3. * [en]
4. [en] To be overly attentive to someone or something.
5. * [en]
6. * [en]
7. * [en]
*** References
[reflist]
- 1989 , Joan Hughes, _Australian Words and Their Origins_ (page 39)
*** Further reading
- [dessert] Meta Given's _Encyclopedia of Modern Cooking_ , J.G. Ferguson and Associates, Chicago, 1952, pages 726-727.
*** Anagrams
- [en]
[en] [en]