English
Noun
mixed company (uncountable)
- A gathering in which both males and females are present.
- 1880, Charlotte M. Yonge, Clever Woman of the Family, ch. 5:
- "Imagine my one attempt at rational conversation last night. Asking his views on female emigration . . . ."
- "Perhaps the bearings of the question would hardly suit mixed company."
- 1908, B. M. Bower, The Long Shadow, ch. 3:
- "Took 'er home all right, did yuh?" he leered, as if they two were in possession of a huge joke of the kind which may not be told in mixed company.
- 2001 June 24, Leon Jaroff, "The Man's Cancer," Time:
- "Fifteen or 20 years ago, you couldn't even mention the word prostate in polite mixed company."
Usage notes
- Often used to indicate a social situation in which rude or other unseemly behavior is especially inappropriate.
References