A dated American slang term for a brothel — dressing up the nature of the establishment with a cheerfully evasive name.
A dated American slang term for a brothel — dressing up the nature of the establishment with a cheerfully evasive name. Like many euphemisms for sex work venues, 'joy house' leans into ironic understatement, using the word 'joy' to sidestep the blunter vocabulary. Common in mid-20th century crime fiction and noir dialogue, it belongs to a tradition of colorful underworld vocabulary that used innocent-sounding words to discuss illicit businesses.
The detective traced the missing witness to a joy house on the edge of town.
Add your own interpretation of "joy house".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Browse all slang words starting with J.
No comments yet — say something.
(US, _, slang) A brothel.
No comments yet — say something.