Quote:
Originally posted by robustpuppy
I'm confused. In my experience, Americans say pocketbook when they mean handbag, not when they mean ladies' wallet, as in the womens' equivalent to a billfold, that is, the thing in which you stash your driver's license and currency.
But I am from the much maligned Long Island, so take it for what it's worth.
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First you had pocket books, which were literally books that fit in the pocket. Then you had pocketbooks, small cases that looked like books, or were at least shaped like books, that fit in the pocket. They normally belonged to men. At some point it began to cover a small bag carried by women in which they placed their belongings. And it just stuck I imagine.
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