"It is very pleasant dining with a bachelor," said Miss Matty softly, as we settled ourselves in the counting-house. "I only hope it is not improper; so many pleasant things are!" -- Cranford, Elizabeth Gaskell
The phrase, '
confirmed bachelor' typically refers to a
distinguished gentleman, occasionally but not necessarily
homosexual, that shows little interest in
cultivating any sort of serious long-term
relationship with a woman.
Confirmed bachelors commonly have very rich and visible
social lives -- we're not talking about
crotchety old men, rather,
attractive,
suave,
sophisticated public figures who apparently have for their own reasons chosen not to
tie the knot.
Well-known confirmed bachelors include Paul Lynde, Liberace, Leonard Cohen, and presently, George Clooney.
Women who fail to marry by a certain age have been known previously as spinsters or old maids. These titles should be considered depreciated, however.
Confirmed Bachelor is also the name of 1994 four-minute experimental film directed and produced by Tom Kalin.