Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a dandy, a ‘gay, fluttering coxcomb’ (Grose, 1785).

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Court-card, a gay fluttering Fellow.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Court card, a gay fluttering coxcomb.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1812–82		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

2. a helpful person.

1821

W.T. Moncrieff Tom and Jerry II iv: mrs. t.: I’ll open the door for you; and then make the best of your way off. log.: Will you – you’re a regular court-card. jerry: Yes, queen of hearts.

empty speeches, filled only with fake sincerity.

a.1657

Sir J. Balfour Annales of Scotland (1824–5) II 180: Such fleices might be so eassily shorne off his poore subjects, with no more labor and expensse, then the cuning bestouing of soume courte creame one the comons .

empty speeches, filled only with fake sincerity.

1593		J. Eliot Ortho-epia 23: I shall be sprinckled with the Court holy-water, that is to say, I shall haue a deluge of ceremonies, but as many apes tailes as dinners and breakefasts.
1605		Shakespeare King Lear III ii: O nuncle, court holy-water in a dry house is better than this rain-water out o’ door.
1614		B. Rich The honestie of this age 37: Wisedome [...] may bee rewarded with some Court holy water wordes, and which wee will bestowe, but for our owne aduantage.
1624		P. Barker A iudicious and painefull exposition 300: [T]hese mens words are soft as oyle [...] this fawning hypocrisie, this Court holy water, this dishonest ciuility, this base merchandize of words is nothing but gilded treason.
1631		J. Denison The heauenly banquet 273: Courteous speeches and faire promises were wont to bee Court holy-water, but this Gangrene hath dispersed it selfe too generally ouer the Land. Beloued.
1643		T. Fuller Sermon 9: Court-holy-water never quenched any thirsty soule. Flatterers are the worst of tame beasts, which tickle Princes even to their utter destruction.
1650		J. Rogers A godly & fruitful exposition 156: [O]ne handful of true hearty love, is worth ten armfuls of their Court holy-water, crouchings, and congees down to the groun.
1661		T. Wood A plot to disseize God 10: Court-Holy-Water, (a piece of falshood, a meer stranger for the most part to true Priests and right Souldiers).
1673		J. Dare Counsellor Manners, his last legacy to his son 70: This foul Hypocrisie, Court Holy Water, dishonest Civility, and base Merchandise of Praises and Commendations is nothing else but gilded Treason,.
1683		J. Barnard Theologo-Historicus 104: [T]he poorest Cobler in the Parish hath his Court cringes, and his Eau beniste de Cour, his Court-holy water (as they call it) as perfectly as the best Gentleman Huisher.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Court promises, fair Speeches, or empty Promises, without Performances. Much the same with Court-holy-water.
1725		New Canting Dict.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Court holy water / Court promises fair speeches and promises, without performance.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1822		R. Nares Gloss. (1888) I 198: court holy-water. A proverbial phrase for flattery, and fine words without deeds; borrowed from the French, who have their own eau bénite de la cour, in the same sense.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

a courtier; thus courtnold, courtier-like.

1568		T. Howell Arb. Amitie N: Though ich am not zo zeemlie chwot, As bene the courtnoles gay [OED].
1592		Greene Quip for an Upstart Courtier D: Now euery lowt must haue his sonne a Courtnoll.
1599		G. Peele Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes in Dyce (1861) 516: What, will you not flout an old man, you courtnold Jack? [...] You courtnoll crackropes, would be hang’d!
1606		W. Warner Albion’s England Bk 16 ciii (1612) 405: Such bastard Courtnals serue but Turns, befibbing Coyns of brasse .
1620		Cervantes [trans.] Don Quixote 334: I am no Court-noll, but a poore Husband-woman, a Ploughmans daughter, and wife to a Squire Errant.
1658		W. Chamberlayne Love’s Victory 56: Lost! hey – ’tis no matter and we were Both lost, so we could find some of our old Mates again – Ich can’t abide these Courtknowles.

(US gang) to subject to a ritual initiation, usu. involving a mild beating from fellow gang members, followed by some form of blooding, typically an armed attack on members of a rival gang.

1991		L. Bing Do or Die (1992) 56: These kids ain’t been courted in yet, even, but they claim the ’hood.
1993		K. Scott Monster (1994) 9: ‘Courted in’ means to be accepted [i.e. into a gang] through a barrage of tests, usually physical, though this can include shooting people.
2001		Thug’s Journal 4 Apr. 🌐 Leroy Bodacious Romeo and Hacksaw Butchweed wuz two busters from da hood that wuz bangin wit da posse. Da crew courted dey in so they be flyin the colors.

the young men with whom young wives, unhappy in their marriages to older men, are likely to seek solace.

c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Court of Assistants. A Court often applied to by Young Women who Marry Old Men.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd edn) .
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.