Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also blue, jacket of blue) a sailor.

[1789		‘The Busy Crew’ in Comic Songster 107: Jack oakum all his perils ending / Has made the port where Kitty liv’d / His rigging no one dare attack it, / Tight fore and aft, above, below; / Long-quarter’d sho'es, check shirt, blue jacket].
1790		J. Freeth ‘A Strolling Ballad Singer’s Ramble to London’ Political Songster 6: We met a jovial Tar [...] Who cry’d my lad – can’st tips a quid, / Of nice and choice Virginia, / Quoth I my Blue — and welcome too.
1805		J. Davis Post Captain (1813) 145: There stands a youth before you! a blue jacket; who is neither wanting in merit or accomplishments.
1828		D. Jerrold Ambrose Gwinett I iii: gil: A word with you, the sharks are out to-night. label: The sharks? gil: Aye, the blue-jackets, the press-gang.
1837		‘Nights At Sea’ in Bentley’s Misc. Dec. 618: You may see I’m a blue-jacket.
1840		E. Howard Jack Ashore I 177: The bluejackets clustered eagerly and anxiously towards where the gratings were rigged.
1842		‘Harry Clay & the Jackets of Blue!’ in Littell Clay Minstrel (1844) 259: Then summon him, tars! Shout, jackets of blue.
1857		C. Kingsley Two Years Ago I 116: None but blue-jackets allowed on the beach!
1868		H.L. Williams Black-Eyed Beauty 52: You’re a brave lad, master – fought better than any six king’s blue jackets.
1870		E. Greey Queen’s Sailors III 2: It takes more than articles of war to keep blue jackets in order.
1882		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 5 Aug. 2/3: Why not give our gallant blue jackets [...] the rlght sort of arms to fight with .
1887		J.W. Horsley Jottings from Jail 124: Mr. Langmaid [...] is an old blue-jacket.
1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 21 Dec. 11/3: What a deafening cheer burst forth from the hundreds of gallant British blue jackets.
1890		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer II 12: The gay uniforms of the soldiers and blue-jackets.
1896		‘Frederick Benton Williams’ (H.E. Hamblen) On Many Seas 208: No boat would be sent ashore without, if not an officer, at least a marine in it, to prevent the blue-jackets from leaving the boat.
1900		Sporting Times 9 June 1/5: One of the blue-jackets who had taken part in it was brought up before the officer in charge of his party for holding his torch at the wrong angle. [...] ‘Sir,’ said the handy man in excuse, ‘I am very sorry if I’ve done anything wrong; but when I joined the Navy I understood that I was to be a sailor.’.
1906		Sun. Times (Perth) 24 June 4/6: Feature of the latest invasion of Blue jackets is their seemly conduct.
1914		‘Bartimeus’ ‘Farewell and Adieu!’ in Naval Occasions 147: The audience, composed for the most part of blue-jackets and Tommies, roared delight at each doubtful sally.
1920		Mornington Standard (Vic.) 23 Apr. 2/3: Never refer to a bluejacket as a ‘Jack Tar’ or ‘sailor’ [...] top hismelf he is a ‘matloe’.
1927		(con. 1918) J.W. Thomason Red Pants 89: She anchored in Guantánamo Bay [...] and her bluejackets swarmed at once over the side.
1931		B. Lubbock Bully Hayes 74: Nor a better station for a bluejacket than the Australian.
1946		B. Cerf Anything For a Laugh 168: ‘Battleships?’ boasted the British tar [...] ‘So what?’ sneered the American bluejacket.
1977		D. Muller Whitey 99: ‘You mean navy sailors?’ ‘Yes, bluejackets.’.
2004		(con. WWI) ‘Animated Dominoes, Dice’ at Old and Sold 🌐 And bluejackets and stripers chorused: You learn to splice and shake the dice / And games that sailors play.

2. (US) an abolitionist.

1838

T. Haliburton Clockmaker II 95: When you are in the House o’ Commons, at it agin, blue-jacket, for life.

3. a police officer.

1842		Comic Almanack Sept. 327: Black Eyes and Blue Jackets.
1900		Marvel XIV:358 8: A dignified-looking European emerged, escorted by a small guard of German bluejackets.
1903		J. London People of the Abyss 123: The base of the Nelson Column was triple-fringed with bluejackets.
1936		‘Banjo’ Paterson Shearer’s Colt 209: I’ll put a guard of bluejackets three deep all round the fence.

4. a coast guard.

1899

Boy’s Own Paper 26 Aug. 763: I also renewed acquaintance with Mr. Foxley, R.N., the courteous chief officer of the North Deal coastguard station, and was taken over the quarters and the arms room, and duly put in handcuffs by one of the blue-jackets – ‘Just to feel what it is like, madam’.

5. see bluecoat n. (5)