n. A woman who performs some or all of her home's repair, maintenance, and construction jobs.
2001
On their first anniversary, LeShaun Williams's husband gave her a cordless drill. For Christmas, he bought her a circular saw. For her birthday in June, she got a RotoZip, a power tool designed to spin through tile, laminate, wood and drywall.
He knows what makes her happy: tearing into the house. Williams is one of a growing number of dedicated do-it-herselfers. Women now tackle repair and remodeling projects in half of American households, according to information from RotoZip, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer. (By the way, in case you hadn't noticed, Ace Hardware has changed its motto from "The Helpful Hardware Man" to the "Helpful Hardware Folks.")
He knows what makes her happy: tearing into the house. Williams is one of a growing number of dedicated do-it-herselfers. Women now tackle repair and remodeling projects in half of American households, according to information from RotoZip, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer. (By the way, in case you hadn't noticed, Ace Hardware has changed its motto from "The Helpful Hardware Man" to the "Helpful Hardware Folks.")
1989 (earliest)
It's Oscar night tomorrow and the big draw isn't about who's winning what. Admit it, you watch to see who's wearing what…Here's a sneak preview of the Academy Award finery, courtesy of Women's Wear Daily:…Accidental Tourist's Geena Davis, up for Best Supporting Actress, is a do-it-herselfer who designed her own gown and had someone else execute the design.
A recent flurry of media stories about do-it-herselfers seems to have been caused by the September release of a book called Dare to Repair: A Do-It-Herself Guide to Fixing (Almost) Anything in the Home, by Julie Sussman and Stephanie Glakas-Tenet. (Interestingly, Ms. Glakas-Tenet is the wife of George Tenet, the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.) Headline writers are always playing wth words, but there's something about the topic of the do-it-herselfer (also called a handywoman) that brings the punsters out of the woodwork(ing). Here's a sampling from the various do-it-herselfer citations that I found:
"Doing Their Nails With a Hammer," The New York Times, October 27, 2002
"Do-it-herselfer gives it her awl," Fort Wayne News Sentinel, October 23, 2002
"Power tools: Women are learning the drill," The Dallas Morning News, August 3, 1995
"More woman hammer out own niche in world of tools," The Dayton Daily News, June 30, 1995
"Doing Their Nails With a Hammer," The New York Times, October 27, 2002
"Do-it-herselfer gives it her awl," Fort Wayne News Sentinel, October 23, 2002
"Power tools: Women are learning the drill," The Dallas Morning News, August 3, 1995
"More woman hammer out own niche in world of tools," The Dayton Daily News, June 30, 1995