dragon lady

dragon lady

slang A derogatory term for a woman who is or is seen to be ruthlessly powerful, domineering, or manipulative. Named for the villainess in the comic strip Terry and the Pirates (1934–46), who was known for such traits. Sometimes capitalized. Outside of work, we call her the Dragon Lady for the way she bullies anyone and everyone who is lower than her on the corporate ladder. My uncle is married to a real dragon lady—all she does is yell at him and boss him around.
See also: dragon, lady
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

dragon lady

A domineering or belligerent woman, as in They called her the neighborhood dragon lady-she was always yelling at the children. This slangy term was originally the name of a villainous Asian woman in Milton Caniff's popular cartoon strip Terry and the Pirates (1934-1973), which ran in many newspapers. It was transferred to more general use in the mid-1900s.
See also: dragon, lady
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

dragon lady

A fierce and formidable woman. The term comes from a popular comic strip of the 1930s, “Terry and the Pirates,” which featured such a woman. In the mid-eighteenth century the word dragon alone was used to describe a fierce and violent person of either sex, although by the mid-1800s it was so used only for a woman. Possibly this was the original source for the comic-strip dragon lady.
See also: dragon, lady
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • blob
  • foundry
  • nut factory
  • nut-foundry
  • nuthatch
  • nuthouse
  • saltine
  • bulldagger
  • bull-dagger
  • bulldyker
References in periodicals archive
Over several years she shaped, expanded, and performed Dragon Lady at numerous Seattle venues, including a run at the neo-dinner theatre Cafe Nordo, where Filipino cuisine was incorporated into the show.
Sara Porkalob
Anna May Wong, the pioneering actress, whose screen career was memorialized with the words "she died a thousand deaths," and for whom the twin legacies of "dragon lady" and "butterfly" lived down within her own lifetime and influenced numerous American screen Chinese portrayals in later days.
Portrayals of Chinese women's images in Hollywood mainstream films--an analysis of four representative films of different periods
Will the new addition be perhaps shaped as a smaller dragon lady friend?
The sequel--Nakheel weaves a new Dragon's 're'-tale
Plant American, dragon lady or blue hollies (Ilex X meservae).
Winter doesnAAEt have to be a colorless season
I love flying the U-2 'Dragon Lady.' Nothing beats watching the sun rise at 70,000+ feet above the Earth' Our motto is 'In God we trust, all others we monitor!"
U-2 aircraft commander: Maj. Rick Anton
Characters included young Terry Lee, his adult pal Pat Ryan, their guide Connie, the Dragon Lady, and many others.
IDW Publishes Second Volume Collecting Classic 'Terry' Comic
To many diehard Beatle fans and critics, Yoke One is the "dragon lady" of rock.
Yoko no-no
The most frightening costume I saw this year was of a scary dragon lady with fire shooting out of her eyes, brandishing a subpoena.
The great cookie conspiracy
I smiled when people called me "a dragon lady" because they perceived me as a strong-willed women who was determined to make a success out of my department.
The life of a Chinese American female physician executive
Daryl has spent the best part of those six years at sea on his ketch Dragon Lady, sailing the world.
Serving up new treats
The wife who supported him during the struggling years comes across as a dragon lady in Chanel-ish drag who totally doesn't get him: "I used to say to Lou, 'You know, Lou, if you would put some of your energy into making money, you'd be a billionaire!'" Dead when Nathaniel began to film, Esther speaks from a videotaped archival interview.
Kahn man: Rhonda Lieberman on Nathaniel Kahn's My Architect
Over the past several months, the U-2 Dragon Lady, the Air Force's only high-altitude surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, has been in the news for flying sorties over Iraq, collecting important intelligence information first for U.N.
Eye in the sky: dedicated IMAs help keep Dragon Lady flying high
The pirates consist of randy Short Bill Gold; his foul-tempered sister, known as the Dragon Lady, who keeps a huge Komodo dragon as a pet; her two young but bloodthirsty children, Cherry and Bud; and a British pilot.
Thompson, Julian F. Terry and the pirates
With detailed endnotes and black-and-white photographs, this book is an impressive account of Lockheed's "Dragon Lady."
Spyplane: The U-2 History Declassified
The other major role of the Asian American woman in the media is that of the evil temptress or what is called the Dragon Lady. The Dragon Lady was made popular by Fu Manchu type movies, but continues today in films like The Crow.
Asian American Representations