tomboy

active/agile/athletic/boisterous/adventurous/physically courageous/competitive child, live wire, one of the gang, strong/vigorous/direct/spirited/self-confident child, rude/blunt/messy/rough/tough child, logical/mechanically minded child. Tomboy used to refer only to boys, then to both girls and boys, and now only to girls. In Women of the World, Julia Edwards says of foreign correspondent Dickey Chapelle: "Although she called herself a tomboy, she was better described as a tomgirl, for she didn't want to be a boy. She just wanted to do the things boys get to do." Sociologists and behavior experts suggest that the concept of tomboy (along with the term) is obsolete; behavior that another generation found tomboyish is considered normal today. Sociologist Barrie Thorne spent 11 months observing boys and girls on a playground; only twice did she hear them use the word "tomboy" although adults did so fairly commonly. Many children were clearly unfamiliar with the term and several said they'd never heard of it. She predicts the word will disappear within the next decade. See also sissy.