Mistress Roper
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The Marines, or any one of them; so called by the regular sailors, because they handle the ropes as unhandily as
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Mistress Roper” mean?
The Marines, or any one of them; so called by the regular sailors, because they handle the ropes as unhandily as
Is “Mistress Roper” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.