Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a one-horse chaise or light, open carriage.

c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Whereas or Wear-a-s-e, a one Horse Chaise.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn).
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.

see also under relevant n.

(US gay) to attempt unsuccessfully to hide one’s homosexual preferences.

1941		G. Legman ‘Lang. of Homosexuality’ Appendix VII in Henry Sex Variants.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 206: wear a crystal [cut-glass] veil to ineffectively conceal homoerotic identity.

to be cuckolded.

1606

Marston The Fawne II i: Why? my lord, tis nothing to weare a forke [...] All things under the Moone are subject to their mistris grace.

1. to have a steady girlfriend; to be married; to bring one’s partner to a party.

1968

‘Hy Lit’ Hy Lit’s Unbelievable Dict. of Hip Words 44: wear a hat – Have a girl friend; or to be married [...] bring a girl friend to a party.

2. to lead a respectable life.

1968

‘Hy Lit’ Hy Lit’s Unbelievable Dict. of Hip Words 44: wear a hat – [...] to go straight.

to be intelligent.

1821

cited in Partridge DSUE (1984).

(US gay) to attempt to hide one’s homosexual proclivities.

1941		G. Legman ‘Lang. of Homosexuality’ Appendix VII in Henry Sex Variants.
1965		Guild Dict. Homosexual Terms 48: veil, to wear a mourning (v.): To attempt to conceal one’s homosexuality.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 206: wear a mourning veil to deny oneself homosexual pleasure; to filter out homoerotic temptation.

(US gay) to act in an obviously homosexual manner.

1972

B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 209: wear a red [green] tie [sweater] to be obviously gay.

(US black) to be naked.

1944

‘Jiver’s Bible’ in D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive.

(US gay) to be bisexual.

1972

B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular.

(US black) to be very well-off.

1953

L. Durst Jives of Dr. Hepcat (1989) 8: I don’t care if a kitty wears iron boots if he beats his gums off time, that’s my cue to play-on-out.

(US gay) to wear an outward sign of being a homosexual.

1941		G. Legman ‘Lang. of Homosexuality’ Appendix VII in Henry Sex Variants.
1965		Guild Dict. Homosexual Terms 3: badge, to wear one’s (v., obs.): To wear a red necktie or more than a reasonable amount of red clothing.

(US Und.) to act in an obvious manner, to betray one’s secrets.

1992

Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 4: Wearing Your Business An expression used to mean a person is visually allowing his affairs to be known to other inmates.

(US campus) to vomit.

1989

M. Belmonte Compter Science and Why (1993) 🌐 I was struck with [...] the plethora of words and phrases meaning ‘vomit’ and/or ‘to vomit’ [...] At most American colleges and universities, a weekend cannot pass without seeing multitudes [...] wear their lunch.

(Irish) to kiss intensely.

2000

P. Howard Miseducation of Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (2004) 21: She caught me wearing the face off her [...] on New Year’s Eve.

(mainly UK Und.) to be hungry.

1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

(US) to be in prison.

1904		‘Number 1500’ Life In Sing Sing 194: He enlisted with the persistent criminal class and came back to Sing Sing to wear the stripes where he had worn the blue.
1913		J. London Valley of the Moon (1914) 235: An’ now he’s got to wear the stripes for twenty years. [Ibid.] 244: The other workmen who were now wearing the stripes in San Quentin.

(US) to be a member of the police.

1886

Lantern (N.O.) 15 Sept. 3: John, recollect you drove nails in bridges before you wore the blue and buttons.

(US black) to go around looking deeply depressed.

1983

R. Klein Jailhouse Jargon and Street Sl. [unpub. ms.].

to be Welsh.

1871		Wrexham Advertiser 18 Mar. 3/1: As Britons still we seek / The good of dear old England, / Although we wear the leek.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

see ride the rag under ride v.

(US black) to be in a regular relationship, whether actually married or not, and thus to reject any alternative entanglements.

1980

E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 136: To wear the ring [...] picture[s] the individual as little more than an obedient animal.

(Aus.) to be drunk.

1902

Bulletin (Sydney) 4 Oct. 30/1: A recent advt. in the Argus calls for a ‘Companion who must be a teetotaller.’ The elderly invalid who offers the post had probably had a sad experience of the giddy young thing or the advanced spinster, who now and again wore the vine-leaf in her false hair.

to have been abandoned by one’s mistress or lover.

1584		Lyly Sappho II iv: Peace miserable wretch, enioy thy care in couert, weare willow in thy hatte, and baies in thy hart.
[1599		Greene George-A-Greene D4: Here sit thou, George, wearing a willow wreath, As one despairing of thy beautious loue].
1612		N. Field Woman is a Weathercock II i: The middlemost wears willow for his sake.
1672		‘A Mock to the Song of Harry Gave Doll’ in Ebsworth Westminster Drolleries (1875) II 117: In bed all the night, I weep on my pillow, To see some Maids happy, whilst I wear the Willow.
1697		Art of Cuckoldom in C.C. Mish Restoration Prose Fiction (1970) 189: The young Lovers in an Amorous Consult between ’em, come to this Resolve, viz. That the Man of Gold shall carry the Dame: She shall Marry our grave Citizen, and her contented Strephon wear the Willow.
1702		Vanbrugh Aesop I i: By my Virginity, Sir, [...] had they made Love to me together, Aesop should have worn the Willow.
[1714		J. Gay Shepherd’s Week 4th Pastoral 38: Hobnelia’s not bewray’d, Nor shall she crown’d with Willow die a Maid].
1725		‘Vain Dreamer’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 46: Her gans were like to coral red, / A thousand times I kissed ’em / Great pity ’twas that one so prim, / Should ever wear the willow.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1795		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Pindariana’ Works (1796) IV 330: Which of my swains must wear the willow?
1801		C. Dibdin Yngr Song Smith 32: My Dermot is gone, and I must wear the willow.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1815		Lancaster Gaz. 14 Jan. 4/3: I have stolen a Rose, it is true / The owner may now wear the willow.
1822		Cambridge Chron. & Jrnl 13 Sept. 4/1: And i must wear the willow garland / For him that’s dead, or false to me.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1847		Dundee Courier 5 Jan. 3/3: The King proved faithfless and left the poor Queen to wear the willow.
1854		G.J. Whyte-Melville General Bounce (1891) 200: Why, it’s ‘Uppy’ — he don’t look very disconsolate [...] Some men would not ‘wear the willow’ so contentedly.
1860		S. Tytler Wearing the Willow 315: No, no, Bride said to herself, she would never ‘wear the willow’ again.
1868		Western Dly Press 20 Aug. 4/2: The yourthful king of Bavaria will not wear the willow very long, as [...] negociations are on foot for a marriage between him and Grand Duchess Marie.
1887		Newcastle Courant 17 June 3/1: ’Tis not the heaviest grief / For which we wear the willow.
1910		‘O. Henry’ ‘The Robe of Peace’ in Strictly Business (1915) 88: I know half a dozen girls that wore the willow on the quiet when you shook us in that unaccountable way.
1936		D. Parker ‘Pattern’ in Coll. Poetry of Dorothy Parker 45: Go, and take your silly posies; / Who has vowed to wear the willow / Looks a fool, tricked out in roses.

(US gay) to be bisexual.

1972

B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular.

to be jealous.

1600s		Roxburgh Ballads II 61: If thy wife will be so bad... Why... weare stockings that are yellow? Tush, greeve no more, A cuckold is a good man’s fellow [F&H].
1605		Chapman & Jonson Eastward Ho! V v: Cuckold, husband? Why, I think this wearing of yellow has infected you.
1607		Dekker & Webster Northward Hoe I i: Iealous men are eyther knaues or Coxcombes; bee you neither: you wear yellow hose without cause.
1623		Massinger Duke of Milan IV ii: If I were The duke (I freely must confesse my weaknesse) I should weare yellow breeches.