Does anyone find the term ‘a nubile young women’ complimentary??

[Jamfirstest]

Go on just post yes or no if you like. It’s about Dr Hannah Fry obviously. I am compelled to argue with men in a futile way but I’m pretty sure women/anyone hate this term anyway.

It had sleazy connotations in the 1970s. This isn’t one of those ‘oh you can’t say nuffin these days’ things.

Its a bit well pervy.

No! Slimy

This sounds like the type of phrase some pervy aristocratic would use along with fine young filly whilst snorting and quaffing port. Horrible.

I've always sort of assumed nubile was related to Nubian in this context (and was therefore also basically racially derogatory as well as sleazy) but I've just looked it up and it comes from the Latin nubes, meaning clouds - hence clouded, e.g. veiled, ready for marriage. Ugh, men.

I have learned something today - as I usually do.

I remember being told it meant “marriageable,” from the same root as nuptial. I’ve looked it up, and some sources give that first, but more say it is indeed “sexually attractive.” I wonder if it has changed its meaning or at least the emphasis over time.

Interesting also that the root is nubes = clouds. Thank you too, @Belmondo .

Read Lolita and decide. It is a vile term for an old perverted paedo to use to ease they conscience.

This thread reminded me of a song by The Stranglers called Bring on the Nubiles. I just looked up the lyrics and can hardly believe it. Completely grim.

I suppose it's a compliment if you're an erotic dancer, but gross and demeaning in any other context!

Creepy

😂 You’re ‘gas’ as we say in Ireland (I could do this all day!)

Oh maybe! I also read it eons ago. Pretty certain my teacher wouldn’t have spent too much time on the finer points of what it meant, god love him. Either way it was definitely used for leering purposes

Awful.

We recently had a new person on you team and our (male) boss referred to her as 'young and eager'

I mean, really?

In normal usage, it just means 'sexy' though doesn't it? It's not a compliment as it's very shallow but not an insult either - it is used validly to describe people chosen for their sexiness... like podium girls, or grid girls, or playboy bunnies. You might say 'the nightclub employed a load of nubile young women to go out leafleting'.
Obviously it's not appropriate to describe somebody with three degrees presenting a science documentary regardless of how attractive they are.

‘The nightclub employed a load of nubile young women to go leafleting’. While we’re playing ‘back in the 80s’ I’ll join you there. That ain’t no discotheque. That’s a meat-market at best and the promoter’s a wrinkly old perve who everyone knows to stay an arms-length away from

Nubile to me always implies that they’re a teenager-ish. Same as ‘coltish’.

Yup. ‘Looks 19 ammirite lads’ (while rummaging in his suprisingly deep pockets). Been bowk for 40 years.

Ew.

Tbf I don’t think the majority of young men - at least under 35 - would even know the word nowadays.

@Northquiti know what you mean though lots of that book is equally creepy

I only knew it as meaning, of a woman or girl, old enough to be married. It still sounded creepy because it always seemed associated with pervy older men. You knew they didn’t mean old enough to run a household or old enough to look after children or old enough to do the cooking.