fair-sexv.
/ˌfɛːˈsɛks/, U.S. /ˌfɛrˈsɛks/ transitive. To cause to appeal to women. Chiefly with it.Chiefly with reference to Swift's use (see quot. 1712).
ΚΠ
1712 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 8 Feb. (1948) II. 482 I will not meddle with the Spectator, let him fair-sex it to the world's end.
1810 W. Taylor in Monthly Mag. 30 346 He may fair-sex it (as Swift says) to the end.
1972 W. Johnson in H. T. Swedenberg Eng. in Restoration & Early 18th Cent. 25 Addison fair-sexed it constantly to popularize Greco-Roman plays.
2002 D. Simes in H. Barker & S. Burrows Press, Polit. & Public Sphere Europe & N. Amer. 1760–1820 115 In the competition for the residual potential market, various strategies were adopted: including..‘fair-sexing’ a newspaper.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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