Dame Partington and her mop

Someone staunchly opposed to progress or reform, even when it is inevitable. The phrase is thought to have originated from stories in 19th-century England of a woman who kept trying to get water out of her flooded home during a storm before finally evacuating. I can't believe you're still fighting against that new tax! Stop being like Dame Partington and her mop and just accept change! Sure, she can continue to be the modern-day Dame Partington and her mop, but that won't stop anything. Change is coming. You always do this—you start out as Dame Partington and her mop, but, in the end, you come to accept whatever is happening.

dizzy with a dame

old-fashioned Obsessed or preoccupied with a woman, usually romantically. I hardly see Paul at all these days—he must be dizzy with a dame or something. A: "Where's your brother been?" B: "I suspect he's dizzy with a dame but doesn't want our parents to know yet." Listen, never let your life revolve around some woman. The last time I was dizzy with a dame like that, I did a lot of stupid things I regret.