👉 Okay, let’s tackle the frankly rather prickly and delightfully archaic bit of English that is… the "assos." 1!
Now, immediately upon saying that word out loud, you probably feel a little yanked back in time to the American South during the early 20th century. And honestly? That’s because it pretty nearly was. Let me unpack that for you. What exactly is an “assos”? Basically, a young man who is essentially a ladies' boy. Before the days of the term "dude," before even really established terms like, say, a young, pretty-boy, a young man in this specific context was called an ass. The word comes from the old English term that meant something along the lines of a little fool. They were young, pretty, and absolutely devoted to the affections of, you guessed it – women. Think of the most agreeable, well-mannered, and perhaps slightly vapid young man you can conjure, then sprinkle him with a generous coating of 1910s social mores. That's your assos. They were practically an institution in certain circles—the stuff of stage comedies, gossip magazines, and the occasional, rather judgmental, family portrait. You wouldn’t see this word in common parlance anymore. Here's what made them tick, according to old times: Appearance was everything. They had to look good! Think
