easy adj.
1. of a woman, sexually promiscuous; thus easy lady, easy piece.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Cymbeline II iv: Not a whit, Your lady being so easy. | |
| Chances I ix: Ye found an easie Fool that let you get it. | |
| Chances I ix: [as cit. 1617]. | |
| Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Easy an easy mort, c. a forward or coming wench. | |
| Triumph of Wit 7: Yet, perhaps, shou’d I become your easie Prize, your Mind wou’d alter, and I should be neglected. | |
| New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698]. | |
 | Country Girl II i: What, all the libertines of the town brought to my lodging, by this easy coxcomb! | |
| Correct List of the Sporting Ladies [broadsheet] All the natural and acquired accomplishments requisite to complete their characters as Ladies of easy virtue. | |
| , , | | Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Easy virtue, a lady of easy virtue: an impure or prostitute. |
| Hist. of Billy Bradshaw 17: My lady was of the easy sort, but not the worst I have ever met. | |
| Lex. Balatronicum. | |
| Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Venus’ Miscellany (NY) 23 May n.p.: Suction split, a deep ravine near Cream Lake in the Kingdom of Easy Belly, a warm country in Eth-i-o-pia. | |
| Black-Eyed Beauty 7: From Canal-street up to Waverley Place, the easy pieces, the girls of joy, were ‘kinder thick’. | |
| Hand-made Fables 253: He could see that Emancipation meant being Free, but he did not see why it should mean being Free and Easy. | |
| Home to Harlem 211: She is sure some wonderful brown. [...] Now I sure does understand why Ray is so scornful of them easy ones. | |
| (con. 1900s–10s) 42nd Parallel in USA (1966) 323: A tired look... that made him think maybe she was kind of easy. | |
| Roofs of Paris (1983) 218: If the girl is so easy, the mother must have hot pants too. | |
| USA Confidential 221: Gals were so easy, New Yorkers came down for a good time. | |
| in Erotic Muse (1992) 163: She’s easy, she’s greasy, she works on the street, / And whenever you see her, she’s always in heat. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Flat 4 King’s Cross (1966) 12: I got a reputation among the boys for being ‘easy,’ and a reputation among the older people for being ‘fast’. | |
| (con. 1910s) Panzram (2002) 51: Easy ladies were rented out on the second floor. | |
| CB Slanguage 36: Easy Piece: prostitute. | |
| Day of the Dog 7: His eyes flicker around for signs of trouble or easy women — the two most common factors in his life. | |
| Yardie 89: Dem deh woman nah easy. | |
| (con. late 19C) Shady Ladies of the Old West 🌐 Other names [for prostitutes] were [...] ‘easy women’, [etc.]. | |
| Man-Eating Typewriter 105: ‘You’re an easy-mort are you, ducky-egg?’. |
2. innocent, gullible.
| Albovine I i: Paradine is A soft, easy fool, and must be gull’d. | |
| Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Easy, facile, supple, pliable, managable. | |
| Lives of the Gamesters (1930) 160: His Honour was as easie as possible in that treacherous strumpet’s company. | |
| New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698]. | |
| , , , | | Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698]. |
| Grunter’s Ode n.p.: The king is wondrous rich, the nation poor [...] If thus you suffer matters to go on, I soon shall re-baptize you Easy John. | |
| Real Life in London I 556: If he should be an easy cove, † he perhaps gives them change for their flash notes. [† Easy cove—One whom there is no difficulty in gulling]. | |
| Henrietta Temple 301: Upon my word, you are very easy. | |
| Pittsburgh Dispatch (PA) 16 Mar. 18/2: Think you that i have been a gullible, easy old man? | |
| Student Sl. in Cohen (1997) 19: easy a. Simple, credulous, unsophisticated. | |
| Climnch Valley News (Jefferson, VA) 11 Mar. 2/7: They would pick up a man on the streets who looked ‘easy’. | |
| A. Mutt in Blackbeard Compilation (1977) 51: ‘Do you think he’ll fall for it?’ ‘Sure! It’s a pipe. Jeff is as easy as Pickels.’. | |
| ‘The Spotted Sheep’ in Taking the Count 118: ‘Ain’t you wise to it yet?’ he demanded. ‘Wise to what?’ ‘Gee, but you are easy!’ exclaimed the fighter. | |
| et al. DAUL 65/1: Easy. Gullible; susceptible; slow-witted; stupid. | |
| Young Wolves 82: You’re too easy. Just chicken hearted. |
3. (UK Und.) silent; occas. dead; usu. in phr. make (the cull) easy, to silence or murder [it is the robbers whose work is thus made ‘easy’].
| New Canting Dict. n.p.: Make the Cull easy; Gagg him, that he may make no Noise; sometimes used for murdering a Person robbed, for fear of Discovery. | |
| , , , | | Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698]. |
| Memoirs of the Life of Lady H 33: A little Money, given to her and her Parents, will make them all easy and hush. | |
| , , | | Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. |
| Lex. Balatronicum. | |
| Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. | |
| Vocabulum. | |
| Sl. Dict. (1890). |
4. (UK/US Und.) amenable to bribery.
| Memoirs of the US Secret Service 94: He would ‘work back’ the notes, through the police, or certain ‘easy’ detectives; and take his commissions, or share. |
5. (Can./US) kind-hearted, easily imposed upon.
| World of Graft 41: I ain’t kicking that the town’s easy, mind you. | |
| Confessions of a Con Man 15: He put his roll up against mine under the impression that I would be easy. | |
| ‘Terms Of Disparagement’ in DN IV:iii 214: easy, one lacking stability. ‘He is such an easy mark.’. | |
| There Ain’t No Justice 173: Just because I done you a favour, letting you off light, you tell all your mates I’m easy. | |
| Long Wait (1954) 80: Easy, the son of the bitch said. He’d shake in his shoes if you yelled at ’im. | |
| World’s Toughest Prison 798: easy – Soft-hearted; charitable; easy to influence. | |
| Dog Soldiers (1976) 107: ‘If I weren’t big and easy,’ Hicks said, ‘I’d ask you the same question.’. | |
| Campus Sl. Mar. 3: easy – can be taken advantage of. |
In compounds
a sexually available woman.
| Jailhouse Jargon and Street Sl. [unpub. ms.]. |
1. in fig. use, anything easily achieved.
| Out West 22 127: ‘An easy lay is more to my likin’. Of course, T mean the real, simon- pure, nothin' under the table. But then, ye know. I always expect the coin to wander across’. | |
| G.A. England 131: ‘We can turn turtle for the summer.’ ‘Meaning how?’ ‘Pull into our shells till the B. V. D.’s go into storage again.’ ‘And it’s really an easy lay?’. | |
| Picture Palace 261: Europe was a cheap meal, an easy lay, a place where you could make ends meet. |
2. usu. of a woman, one who can be easily seduced.
| (con. 1920s) Judgement Day in Studs Lonigan (1936) 551: He wondered had marriage [...] made her an easy lay for guys. | |
| (con. 1944) Naked and Dead 185: I don’t know why I’m not more popular with the girls . . . I’m such an easy lay. | |
| Look Long Upon a Monkey 58: They may be easy lays, but, boy, what humdrum ones! | |
| Teen-Age Mafia 41: The word got around, you want an easy lay you come to Mex Town. | |
| Adolescent Boys of East London (1969) 56: A minority of girls, who, in their words, were ‘easy lays’. | |
| Puberty Blues 76: The boys thought she looked like an easy lay. | |
| London Embassy 19: His wife’s fun, and I think I should tell you – she’s an easy lay. | |
| 8 Ball Chicks (1998) 107: They were just skanks, bitches, sleazes, easy lays. Hos. | |
| Stingray Shuffle 293: Okay, Rebecca’s an easy lay. | |
![[Ire]](/static/img/flags/ire.png "Ireland") | Blood Miracles 135: ‘I knew you’d just think of me as an easy lay’. |
3. (N.Z. prison) a gullible individual.
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 64/2: easy lay n. a person who is easily conned. |
(US) a promiscuous or easily seducible woman, also in homosexual use.
| Amer. Thes. Sl. | |
| ‘Kansas University Sl.: A New Generation’ in AS XXXVIII:3 173: A female who is dated because of her lax sexual habits: easy make. | |
| Becoming an Unwed Mother 26: To me, if I weren’t going with someone and was taking pills, it would be like advertising that I’m an easy make. | |
| Queens’ Vernacular 72: easy make a man easily persuaded to participate in a homosexual act. | |
| Haunts of His Youth 141: ‘But I’m an easy make,’ she says. We hug and kiss some more. | |
| A Cruise to Nowhere Lost at Sea 64: Bet you thought I was an easy make since we made love the first night we met. |
1. someone who is easily fooled or overcome.
| Richland Cop. Obs. (WI) 31 Aug. 1/3: ‘Ef you’re all, you’ll be easy meat too, afore long’. | |
| Tough Trip Through Paradise (1977) 66: She was on to him and knew he was easy meat. | |
| Student Sl. in Cohen (1997) 19: easy meat One easily duped. | |
| Mint (1955) 71: The driver is an old sweat, not a rookie’s easy meat. | |
| Keys to Crookdom 43: While the fellow was trying to extricate himself the wire found him easy meat. | |
| Gang War 24: He certainly, McCarthy thought, would not be easy meat for a second thirsty tramp who demands ‘the price of a cuppa cawfee’. | |
| Till Human Voices Wake Us 98: A prisoner’s easy meat [...] with all his letters censored. | |
| Look Long Upon a Monkey 174: This part was reckoned to make you do your nut so later on you’d be easy meat. | |
| Western Folklore XXV:2 128: African men are usually easy meat for the huckster selling love potions. | |
| Crazy Weather 107: He’s easy meat for a bushwhacker. | |
| Islam Online 15 July 🌐 [heading] Hizbullah Not Easy Meat for Israel. |
2. one who is easily seduced.
| (con. 1920s) Young Manhood in Studs Lonigan (1936) 364: He felt like dancing with her again, but hell, she was easy meat. Maybe he’d get something better. | |
| 5000 Adult Sex Words and Phrases. | |
| ‘Easy Meat’ 🎵 This girl is easy meat / I seen her on the street. | |
| ‘Cages’ in Heinemann Bk of Contemp. African Short Stories 89: But the truth is she’s easy meat [...] I’ll be having that one before long. | |
| Mud Crab Boogie (2013) [ebook] Kathy chuckled and picked at a hair on Norton’s chest. ‘You were easy meat. I’ve had harder games of noughts and crosses’. | |
| Indep. on Sun. Real Life 13: June 4: Raped at 18 by a heterosexual married man who thought him ‘easy meat’ because he is gay. | |
![[SA]](/static/img/flags/sa.png "South Africa") | Gayle 68/1: easy meat n. a man who is easily persuaded to participate in a homosexual act [American Gayspeak]. | |
| Observer 9 Jan. 15/1: Are white girls viewed by some Pakistani men as ‘easy meat’? |
a promiscuous, ‘forward’ woman.
| Dict. Canting Crew. |
(US) a sexually available woman.
| Runnin’ Down Some Lines 236: easy ride Sexually promiscuous female. |
(US) a sexually available woman.
| Long Wait (1954) 70: Maybe he gets tired of the easy stuff. | |
| Jailhouse Jargon and Street Sl. [unpub. ms.]. |
a prostitute.
| , , | | Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Easy virtue, a lady of easy virtue: an impure or prostitute. |
| Lex. Balatronicum. | |
| Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. |
SE in slang uses
In compounds
(US) granulated sugar.
| ‘Misc.’ in AS XIII:1 70/2: Easy digging. Sugar. |
(US prison) one who copes well with prison life.
| High Sierra in Four Novels (1984) 288: He knew how to do time, a real ‘easy-doer.’. |
in non-monetary senses, anything achieved without effort.
| letter 4 Dec. in Tomlinson Rocky Mountain Sailor (1998) 176: I was caught by a record high tide, coming back, and found many places marked ‘No thoroughfare’ that had been easy money going up. |
see separate entries.
(US gambling) the point of six in craps dice.
| Texas by the Tail (1994) 6: Joe, of course, is the lowest point on the dice. Above it are Phoebe Five (a hard gal to know), Easy Six (three combinations) [etc.]. | |
| ‘The Casino’ on Trump Plaza 🌐 For instance, if you bet the hard six (two 3’s) you win when that rolls before 7 or an ‘easy six’ (5 and 1 or 4 and 2). |
see separate entry.
In phrases
a phr. used as a warning, go easy, take your time, careful.
![[Scot]](/static/img/flags/sco.png "Scotland") | Falkirk Herald 8 June 2/1: There, there now, easy does it! | |
| Cork Examiner 18 Jan. 4/6: Easy does it, my toolip. Vot’s the hurry? | |
| Star 25 Jan. 3/1: Mr Savage [...] with his catch phrase ‘Easy does it,’ proved a great favourite. | |
| Deacon Brodie I tab.III iii: Easy does it, my lord of high degree! Keep cool. | |
| Bury & Norwich Post 26 Jan. 8/5: Easy does it, and fudgin’s no crime. Ain’t it scrumptious to watch ’ow they boggle and sniff? | |
| Lord Jim 29: Now’s your time; easy does it... All right. Slack away again forward there. | |
| Female of the Species (1961) 33: Steady, old man [...] Easy does it. | |
| Eve. Teleg. (Dundee) 28 Aug. 8/1: All his success came because he did — how you say it? — easy does it. | |
| Derby Dly Teleg. 31 Aug. 2/5: Ramage’s goal was one of the coolest ever [...] asy does it. | |
| Scrambled Yeggs 59: She started making more drinks. ‘Easy,’ I said. ‘Easy does it.’. | |
| Golden Orange (1991) 321: Easy does it. Easy does it. |
(US) of swing music, smooth, mellow.
| Newark Advocate (OH) 2 Sept. 12/5: The domicile was in solid, with the alligators really taking it on the easy greasy. |
(orig. US) attractive, esp. of women.
| Advertising Club of N.Y. Post-graduate Course 1-7 106: Advertising [...] must be easy on the eye and hard on the pocketbook. A lot of advertising is easy on the eye. This Lace Curtain ad is certainly very easy to look at but it does nothing to your pocketbook. | |
| Typo Graphic liii: A ‘middle of the road’ type, easy on the eye, and not very puzzling to the mind. | |
| Come in Spinner (1960) 8: And Boy! Is she easy on the eye! | |
| They’re a Weird Mob (1958) 160: Blondes are easy on the eye. | |
| ‘Dead Beard’ at www.asstr.org 🌐 She’s very easy on the eye is that polo mint, and she looks even better as I help her slide her edinburgh fringe down onto the top of my mr cool. |
(US) no problems, don’t worry.
| On the Yard (2002) 243: ‘When you can move,’ Chilly said impatiently, ‘get in touch with me. This is something I want done.’ [...] ‘Easy over, Chilly. I dig.’. |
to kill.
| Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. |