English

on the game

Working as a thief.

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    Origin

    From game (“fun, a fun activity, the fun of the chase, hunters' prey”), used in reference to sex since Old English and in particular reference to prostitution originally as lady or girl of the game in Early Modern English. In modern contexts, compare with the similar euphemistic use of sport.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • derivedEnglishgame “A playful activity that may be unstructured; an amusement or pastime.”
      • inheritedMiddle Englishgame
        • inheritedOld Englishgamen “amusement, game”

    Sources