Trophy wife

Posted by Masakim on January 27, 2003

In Reply to: Little Red Wagon posted by Alexandra on January 25, 2003

: I have two phrases I'm trying to figure out the origin of....

: The first is "I'll fix your little red wagon!" Anyone have ideas on where this originated?

: The second is "trophy wife"......just wondering where/when this one started.

trophy wife noun
A derogatory expression for a wife regarded as a status symbol for her husband.
_Tropht wife_ as a dimissive term for the young and attractive wife of an older man is recorded from the late eighties. The _trophy wife_ is seen essentialy as a BABE or BIMBO who has married a successful older man, often as his secopnd wife; through the marriage she gains access to his wealth, and he gains the status of a man whose power, and by implication sexual prowess, are displayed by his acquisition of a young and attractive woman.
These trophy wives make the fifty- and sixty-year-old CEOs feel they can compete sexually with younger men, the kind of ego boost that doesn't hurt when going up against Young Turks at the office. --Oliver Goldsmith _The First Wives' Club_ , p. 126
From _The Oxford Dictionary of New Words_
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There are similar phrases like "trophy child" and "trophy tree."
The fact is, these so-called "jump start" programs are a huge waste of money and time. They appeal to parents who are desperate for what I call "trophy children" -- children they can show off, brag about, and (it should go without saying) live through.
--John Rosemond, "'Jump start' programs a waste of time and money," _The Charlotte Observer_, Oct. 30, 2002
When the house is a multimillion-dollar mansion, an instant tree isn't enough. Only a "trophy tree" ¡ª a giant specimen weighing up to 35,000 pounds ¡ª¡¡will do. "If they put up a new, 40- to 50,000-square-foot mansion, they want it to blend in," said Chet Halka Jr., whose Halka Nurseries in Millstone Township, N.J., charges up to $60,000 for a single mature tree: $20,000 for the tree and $40,000 to plant it. His customers have included singer Mariah Carey, boxer Mike Tyson, actor Eddie Murphy and Rolling Stone Keith Richards.
¡ªKim Palmer, "Instant trees," _Star Tribune_, Nov. 19, 1999