Faggot

The origins of the word in this preceding sense are rather obscure. The word faggot has also been used in English since the late 16th century to mean "old or unpleasant woman," and the modern use may well derive from this.^[3] Female terms, it should be noted, are often used with reference to homosexual or effeminate men (cf. nancy, sissy, queen). The application of the term to old women is possibly a shortening of the term "faggot-gatherer", applied in the 19th century to people, especially older widows, who made a meagre living by gathering and selling firewood.^[4] It may also derive from the sense of "something awkward to be carried" (compare the use of the word "baggage" as a pejorative term for old people in general).^[5]