Purses!
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The boy quickly replied, "That's right, lady. The last time I found a lady's purse, she didn't have any change for a reward."
Purses
Purses are fashion accessories with a function.In American English, a purse is a small bag, also called a handbag.In British English, a purse is a small money container similar to a wallet, but typically used by women and including a compartment for coins, with a handbag being considerably larger.
A purse or handbag is often fashionably-designed, and is used to hold a number of items such as a wallet, keys, tissues, makeup, a hairbrush, cellular device or personal digital assistant, feminine products, or other items.
Purse Variations
An antique Indian female purseThe word purse is originally derived from the Latin bursa, from the Greek, meaning oxhide.Purses are usually carried by women, though men sometimes carry one as a smaller alternative to a backpack; such a purse is sometimes self-consciously termed a murse or manbag (portmanteaus "man" with "purse" and "handbag" respectively). It can also be called a man-purse. Such bags are often similar or identical to messenger bags.
Coin purses are small purses, just large enough to hold money and cards.
A medium-to-small-sized purse with a short handle, designed to be carried (clutched) in one's hand is often called a clutch.
A larger purse with two handles is often called a tote.
A pocketbook is similar to a purse (in the British English sense), but allows the carrying of sheets of paper as well.
A security bag protects the carrier from travel theft. The purse includes an invisible stainless steel strap sewn into the fabric and a protectant on the main zipper.
Purses and Types of handbags
Crocodile skin handbags in a conservation exhibit at Bristol Zoo, EnglandClutch: Small, usually evening bag without a handle. Satchel: large bag with small handle that is carried on the arm rather than on the shoulder Duffle: A large bag usually used for travel or sports Tote: A medium to large bag with two straps Messenger bag : A bag with a long strap to be worn across the body.Purse Trivia
In the Oscar Wilde play, The Importance of Being Earnest, as a baby the protagonist, Jack Worthing, was found in a handbag in the cloakroom at Victoria Station, prompting Lady Bracknell's famous exclamation "A handbag?"A survey of shoppers at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex found that the average 30-year-old woman owns 21 handbags and buys a new one every three months, adding up to 111 over the course of a lifetime.
