Ever wonder where the term "hooker" comes from? Of course you have, and you probably figured it had to have roots in New York City, too. According to Ephemeral NY, it all has to do with Corlears Hook, which was named in the 17th century for the Van Corlears family. By the 1830s it became the city’s most notorious red-light district, and the women of Corlears Hook were "the lowest and most debased of their class. They were flashy, untidy, and covered with tinsel and brass jewelry. Their dresses are short, arms and necks bare, and their appearance is as disgusting as can be conceived.” (Guessing this didn't make it into the Gentleman's Directory of 19th Century Brothels.)
This is all from the book Seafaring Women by David Cordingly, who adds that Corlears "is generally credited with giving rise to the term ‘hooker'." Dictionary.com confirms, noting that "one theory traces it to Corlear's Hook, a disreputable section of New York City."
So there you have it, every hooker to ever exist has roots in the bad ol' Big Apple. Which just sort of makes sense.
