zephyrette

plural zephyrettes

1. A type of light, crisp cracker, used primarily for some hors d'oeuvres.

   Mix with the whites of the eggs, and spread on zephyrette biscuits or on thin slices of bread.

   1896, Ysaguirre, La Marca, Cold Dishes for Hot Weather, page 126

   3 more examples

   Spread zephyrettes with quince jelly and sprinkle with chopped English walnut meat. Place a zephyrette over each and press together.

   1896, Fannie Merritt Farmer, The Boston Cooking-school Cook Book, page 461

   In tin packages costing twenty-five cents each the company offers afternoon teas, butter thins, ginger wafers, graham wafers, unsweetened grahams, oatmeals, pilot wafers, square saltines and zephyrettes.

   1912, American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record - Volume 60, page 63

   As the liquor flows from the oysters, dip it out with a spoon and keep them as dry as possible, until they are plump. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and add two tablespoonfuls of butter. Lay each one on a zephyrette and pour the liquor over.

   2008, May E. Southworth, Midnight Feasts, →ISBN, page 83

2. A daughter of Aeolus; a tiny female spirit of the wind.

   Aeolus appeared surrounded by a crowd of his children — the zephyrs and zephyrettes.

   2003, David Rothenberg, Wandee J. Pryor, Writing on Air, →ISBN, page 274

   2 more examples

   The storm, however, subsided ; and subsequently I discovered, upon music and the opera becoming the topics of conversation, that Mr. Nobody rivalled Paganini on the violin ; and believed that his lady danced better than the zephyrette, Taglioni; and that Herz, Hummel, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, and Weber, were, in comparison, beaten hollow by one of his little sisters.

   1831, Belle Assemblée

   ... and then the battles and struggles of these animals, the injuries inflicted on them by each other, and yet their continued existence: and, finally, this mingled, fluttering, hurting, killing, caressing, reproducing life becomes an infinite breath of life, wherein the individual life flies like a tiny zephyrette .

   1863, Jean Paul Friedrich Richter, Levana ... Translated from the German, page 318

plural Zephyrettes

1. historicalAn on-board hostess on the California Zephyr train, which originally operated between 1949 and 1970.

   The Zephyrette then takes the reservations of the Pullman passengers.

   1952, David L. Paden, Problems and Economics of Dining Car Service (unpublished M.B.A. dissertation), Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University, →OCLC, page 163

   3 more examples

   A good part of the train's personality lay in the Zephyrette, an on-board factotum who, like an airline stewardess, was a mix of hostess, paramedic, tour guide, secretary, nanny, security guard, purser, public relations agent and ombudswoman.

   1995, Henry Kisor, Zephyr: Tracking a Dream Across America, New York, N.Y.: Times Books/Random House, →ISBN; republished Holbrook, Mass.: Adams Publishing Group, 1995, →ISBN, page 18

   Zephyrettes were a fixture on the CZ right to the last day of service on March 22, 1970.

   1997, Mike Schafer, Joe Welsh, “Triumvirate Triumph: The California Zephyr”, in Classic American Streamliners, Oscola, Wis.: MBI Publishing Company, →ISBN, image caption, page 68

   "Zephyr and Ezekiel, huh?" Tommy had the courage to ask, shaking their hands. The two wooly-headed, intellectual-looking twins laughed. "Well, our dad's name was Zechariah and our mom worked as a Zephyrette on the California Zephyr passenger train," Ezekiel explained. "So I guess you could say they liked the letter z."

   2009 October 6, Sean Phelan, Coming of Age, Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 246

2. A lightweight print fabric used for women's dresses.

   I'm going to select one of those beautiful fast-color Zephyrette patterns for my 'prize' dress.

   1908 June, “The Prize Dress [advertisement]”, in James M. Irvine, editor, The Fruit-grower: An Illustrated Monthly Magazine for Progressive American Farmers, volume 19, number 6, St. Joseph, Mo.: The Fruit-grower, →OCLC, page 22 (yearly page 266), column 2

   2 more examples

   McCutcheon's Stocks of Ginghams, Linens, Shirtings, Novelty Voiles, Zephyrette, Japanese Crepes, and White materials are always abundant and varied.

   1921 February 5, “McCutcheon’s Smart New Fabrics for Spring and Summer Frocks [advertisement]”, in Hamilton Holt, editor, The Independent, volume 105, number 3757, New York, N.Y.: Independent Corporation, […], →OCLC, page 147

   United States Rubber Co. has introduced a lightweight plastic Zephyrette raincoat for women, girls and children.

   1953, “Plastic Raincoat”, in Industrial Sports, volume 14, Chicago, Ill.: Allegheny Pub. Co., →OCLC, page 6, column 2