Riding my bicycle, in my college days, on a rural road in Upstate NY I met a grizzled, weathered farmer-I had probably stopped to ask directions. We started chatting and he mentioned, I’m not sure why, a house not far away where “five women lived alone.” These contradictory terms did not faze him and the implicit meaning was clear; there were no men living in the house. I was struck and somewhat amused by his choice of words.

His sentiments may not have been common, but have they been altogether eradicated?

I wonder if  “men alone”  conjures images of a man and his solitude whereas “women alone”  still implies the absence of men. If so, it would be rather curious, wouldn’t it?