English

Shalva Kikodze, In the Restaurant (1921), Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia

Noun

lady who lunches ‎(plural ladies who lunch)

1. (chiefly in the plural) A lady who is affluent and thus able to have lunch with other such ladies in relatively expensive restaurants.
   • 1996, Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel, London: Picador, ISBN 978-0-330-33276-7:

     But there's always this aggrieved air that I'm some sort of ghastly Harvey Nichols-obsessed lady who lunches while he earns all the money.

   • 2002, Evan Hunter, The Moment She was Gone: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-0-7432-3748-2:

     I'm not interested in material things, the way you and your ladies who lunch are, the way my fat brother Aaron is! I'm happy to work on my jewelry, to be able to commit to my religious beliefs through my jewelry.

   • 2006 February, Indianapolis Monthly, page 263:

     Sublime cafe fare (and gourmet takeaway) in a sunny, noisy setting crowded with suits, ladies who lunch and artsy Mass Ave types.

   • 2010, Tammi Shelton, The Stone Dragon, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, ISBN 978-1-4500-5912-1, page 145:

     I then choose a pale green silk print dress that plays up the green in my eyes. Matching it with pea green 3 inch heels, pearl necklace and 7mm pearl earrings; I once again look like a lady who lunches; a very wealthy one but one never the less.

Synonyms

• lady of leisure