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[jutfrank]

it sounds like an outraged mob, but if people don't like the d, so be it.

There's a semantic point to using the noun classifier outrage rather than the adjective descriptor outraged.

An outraged mob is a mob that is outraged.
An outrage mob is the kind of mob whose purpose is to show outrage. This kind of mob has a certain political/ideological agenda in expressing its outrage.

 

[GoesStation]

There's a semantic point to using the noun classifier outrage rather than the adjective descriptor outraged.

Indeed. The senses have only a little in common. If I may, here are my definitions: An outraged mob is a mob that is outraged. An outrage mob is a mob that wields outrage as a weapon.

 

[Tarheel]

You could argue that outrage (justified or not) was the reason the mob formed in the first place. You could further argue that the term outrage(d) mob is little more than a redundancy.

 

[jutfrank]

An outrage mob is a mob that wields outrage as a weapon.

That covers the sense perfectly, I think.

 

[Tdol]

No. It behaves like an adjective and consequently does not take the plural form.

Occasionally, they do- women drivers, etc. Though these forms rarely, if ever, have a singular.

 

[GoodTaste]

Occasionally, they do- women drivers, etc.

Interesting. Woman drivers sounds odd to me.

 

[emsr2d2]

Occasionally, they do- women drivers, etc. Though these forms rarely, if ever, have a singular.

Interesting. Woman drivers sounds odd to me.

As Tdol said, they're rarely used in the singular so "woman drivers" should sound odd to you. However, "women drivers", "women doctors" etc are still commonly heard (even though there is no reason to mention the sex of the person).

I have to disagree slightly with Tdol, though. My two examples above are commonly heard in the singular.

John: What is going on with this traffic?
Helen: There's someone at the front of the queue driving really slowly.
John: Probably a woman driver!
Helen: Don't be so sexist!

Paula: Hi, can I make an appointment with one of your doctors please?
Receptionist: Yes, of course. Who are you registered with?
Paula: Well, technically I'm with Dr Benjamin Hodson but I really want to see a lady doctor this time.
Receptionist: Let me see what I can do.

 

[jutfrank]

I understood Tdol to be saying that we don't say a women driver. Singularising the head word means having also to singularise the modifier.

 

[emsr2d2]

No, we singularise or pluralise both halves of the phrase. So generally it's "woman driver" or "women drivers".