world's oldest profession
nounEtymology First appears c. 1888, coined by Rudyard Kipling as most ancient profession in the world. Alternative forms appeared in the early 1900s, present form popular by the 1930s. Similar terms with various senses (not necessarily prostitution) exist in other languages.
1
Euphemistic, No plural Prostitution.
- Lalun is a member of the most ancient profession in the world.1888, Rudyard Kipling, “On the City Wall”, in In Black and White:
- The company was extremely mixed. There were portly foreigners, opulent Jewesses, a sprinkling of the really smart, and several ladies belonging to the oldest profession in the world.1929, Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery: