used them time fresh college poor working newspaper reporter weekly paper small wealthy community these women were about town time dropping last month's clothes high-end resale shop running multi-million dollar home friend charity meeting tennis club course gossiping restaurants over lunch they were quintessential ladies lunch they their perfect powdered noses everyone's business knew about because ended interviewing them reason another more often than wanted ellen dorie lisa marlah lunch today some time we've been trying schedule something once month each other another time these lunches provide only moments group ourselves it's pure girl time husbands boyfriends needy children food preparation cleanup spinning loud house music talk over these moments talk more important than food course between four five marlah make like today there conversation passes from person person like delicious flourless chocolate cake being shared around table waves talk move quickly they never fully land take delicious bites conversation passes pressing savoring every last crumb until someone looks watch it's time today's heard about lisa's fabulous trip coast ellen's hilarious work stories about delivering babies with assistance from least favorite nurse dorie's mother-in-law deeply admires argumentative people she's coming week-long visit soon couple dozen other topics were swirled left restaurant minutes later full food complete social contentment although time two- three-hour lunch running appointment ellen's husband insists referring ladies lunch there pleasure derives from tossing this label along with knowing means endearing offensive today decided google term because wondered original intuitive understanding according wikipedia it's pretty much dead ladies lunch phrase describe well-off women meet lunch socially normally during working week typically women involved married non-working normally lunch restaurant perhaps department store during shopping sometimes there pretext raising money charity it's true about half defined requirements applied friends we're women meeting socially lunch restaurant during work week well-off non-working aren't there isn't shopping happening alone pretext anything certainly involving charity although charitable outside lunch dates down phrases well-off pretext decide there's absolutely reason worry that gabriel's endearment close true funny friends utterly transparent lively gathering we're there anything ironed checked list there notebooks table we're there have kind conversation that bubbles makes lovely mess then need back work make some money lest fail able these little luxuries reviewing lyrics stephen sondheim song that popularized phrase from musical company made feel even less like lady lunches here's ladies lunch--everybody laugh lounging their caftans planning brunch their behalf then fitting claiming they're looking grim 'cause they've been sitting choosing does anyone still wear i'll drink that caftans grim looks phew lady lunches wonder appear people around though seem spoiled privileged loud silly evoke envy annoyance sometimes feel annoyed other groups people real reason shouldn't they conjure baseless annoyance with it's quite likely though this modest midwestern town restaurants choose with varying tones skin reasonable shoes that look about average five women about lucky i'll drink that 