A pet peeve of mine: as a reader, it brings me to a screeching halt when a male character in a novel refers to a female –especially one he’s attracted to — as “the (lastname) woman” or “the (lastname) girl.”
Who on earth talks like that? It’d be “Ms. Baldwin,” or more likely, “Margie.”
Evidently New York publishing-house editors do. Hey guys, we can keep track of characters by first name nowadays.
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In my far-future sci-fi novel, only 25% of the population have surnames, much less uses them.
It’s appropriate as a way to express disdain or contempt for the woman so cited — possibly for her spouse, as well. However, like any motif, it can be misused or overused.
@Francis: Okay, but have you ever actually used or heard such a phrase in actual conversation? If not, I’d think that damns it right there, unless you’re writing a period piece in which people really speak that way.