'Sheila' is still sometimes heard in parts of Australia as a general term
for women.  There is a current [to mind mind unconvincing] theory that the
term doesn't come from a trad Irish / Gaelic use, but came into prominence
in Australia where it was used similarly to 'nancy' or 'nancy boy', meaning
an effeminate male homosexual and had some particlar currency among the
convict classes.  However, I've checked my Australian National Dictionary
and the first use for 'sheila' it cites is 1828, and  its pretty clearly
used to mean women and Irish / lower class women in that and subsequent
contexts.

It is probably part of Australia's wonderful catalogue of achievement in
contributing slang names for women into world english.  After all, we
invented 'Dickless tracy' for women police.

Denis Gojak

----- Original Message -----
From: "Carol Serr" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 11:16 AM
Subject: Re: what's in a name? Sheila


> The use of "Sheila" to mean a 'young woman' (or simply, a female) in
> Australian English (slang, like American "chick") may have derived from
> the
> name of the Celtic Goddess "Sheela na Gig"...represented in carvings as an
> "immodest woman" (see link for images).  And the term was imported to
> Australia by Irish prisoners in the early days.  But...why wasn't it
> adopted by those who came to the US?  Hmmm.
>
> http://www.bandia.net/sheela/
>
> There used to be a webpage apparently (Australian National Univ)...that
> addressed this term in depth...but the link no longer works.  Darn.
>
> Some dictionaries say that 'sheila' "has been driven out (of use) by
> American English 'chick'.   Hmmm...
>
>>From: George Myers
>>
>>Would I, however as thought further look "down under" as there a
>>assignation of "Sheila" presents a similar enigma. I read and had
>>confirmed by a recent immigrant form Oz (or Australia) that in fact a
>>Sheila can mean a daughter-in-law and mother combination. I imagine
>>referring to a woman, to a "mate," as a "Sheila" is some reference to
>>both.
>
>