Mrs. degree
1
9.9
- noun
- Slur
:
título para casarse (despectivo)
- Her aunt warned her not to focus solely on getting an Mrs. degree while in university.
Examples
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She joked that she was only in college for her Mrs. degree.
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Some people criticize the idea of pursuing an Mrs. degree instead of a career.
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She got her Mrs. degree before focusing on her career.
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Many women pursue a Mrs. degree in college.
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She attended college to earn her Mrs. degree instead of focusing on her career.
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Many students joke that some girls pursue a Mrs. degree to find a husband.
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After graduation, she was proud to have earned her Mrs. degree alongside her friends.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound links 'Mrs' (a married woman) with 'degree' (an academic qualification), so learners can infer a connection to marriage-related motives for studying; however, the ironic/societal nuance that the degree is pursued chiefly to find a husband is a culturally specific, non-literal interpretation not strictly predictable from the words alone. Because the core relation is partly inferable but requires pragmatic and cultural knowledge, this is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
The noun Mrs. degree comes from a joking image: it combines the title Mrs., used for a married woman, with the idea of a school degree. It paints the picture of someone going to college mainly 'to find a husband' instead of to study, so today it means choosing marriage rather than studies or work.