Milkmaid

A milkmaid (or milk maid) is a girl or woman employed to milk dairy cows. She also used the milk to prepare dairy products such as cream, butter, and cheese. Many large houses employed milkmaids instead of having other servants do the work. The term milkmaid is not the female equivalent of milkman in the sense of one who delivers milk to the consumer; it is the female equivalent of milkman in the sense of cowman.

"As smooth as a milk maid's skin"

The expression "as smooth as a milk maid's skin" means exceptionally smooth.

This phrase came about as a result of exposure to cowpox, which causes no serious symptoms, but does convey a partial immunity to the disfiguring (and often fatal) disease smallpox. Thus, milkmaids lacked the "pockmarked" complexion common to smallpox survivors. This observation led to the development of the first vaccine.

Cultural references

Milkmaid (horse)

Milkmaid (foaled 1916 in Kentucky) was an American two-time Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. She was bred by J. Hal Woodford at his farm in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Woodford had bred and raced the 1907 Kentucky Derby winner, Pink Star. Out of the mare, Nell Olin, her sire was the British import, Peep o' Day, a son of the great Ayrshire who won the 1888 2,000 Guineas Stakes and Epsom Derby then just missed winning the British Triple Crown when he ran second in the St. Leger Stakes.

Purchased at age two in 1918 by owner/trainer John E. Madden, after winning the September 18th Hopeful Purse at Havre de Grace Racetrack he sold Milkmaid to Canadian, J.K.L. Ross. Her race conditioning was then turned over to future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer, Guy Bedwell.

1919 racing season

Milkmaid (disambiguation)

Historically, a milkmaid was a woman who milked cows and supplied milk.

Milkmaid may also refer to: