Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also liver-faced, yellow-livered) cowardly [the assumption that a coward has insufficient bile or ‘choler’ in his liver, so rendering it white and him weak].

1546		J. Heywood Proverbs II Ch. v: Why thinke ye me so white lyverd, (quoth she), / That I wyll be tong tied?
1583		P. Stubbes Anatomie of Abuses 56: He is but a beast that for such white lyvered punishment would abstayne from such gallant pastyme.
1593		Shakespeare Richard III IV iv: White-liver’d runagate! what doth he there?
1601		Jonson Cynthia’s Revels IV i: When they come in swaggering company, and will pocket up anything, may they not properly be said to be white-liver’d?
1615		Merrie Dialogue Between Band, Cuffe, and Ruffe A2: A couple of white-liuered fellowes, your Laundresse will make you both as white as a clout.
1622		J. Mabbe (trans.) Life of Guzman Pt II Bk II 107: Not having (white-Liverd Whore-sonne, as I was) the courage.
1637		Fletcher Elder Brother IV iii: As I live, they stay not here, white-livered wretches!
1654–5		Mercurius Fumigosus 31 27 Dec.–3 Jan. 244: Have you not given me the Pox you Rogue? Thou White-liver’d Rogue? Thou burnt-breech’d Rogue?
1654		New Brawle 7: Out thou white-liver’d Roague [...] thou whore-master.
1661		A. Brome ‘The Prodigal’ Songs and Poems 89: Then hang the Dull wit Of that white-liver’d cit.
1678		‘Poor Robin’ True Character of a Scold 5: She [...] has either quite forgot his Name, or else she likes it not; which makes her Rebaptize him with more noble Titles, as White-liver’d Raskal, Drunken sot, Sneaking Ninkompoop.
1690		Pagan Prince 119: The White-liver’d, Faint-hearted, Lazy, Lozelly Belgians.
1722		Proceedings Old Bailey 10 Oct. 2/1: Take a knife and stick your self, ye nasty white Liver’d Dog, and then you may lye down by that Bitch your Wife.
1751		W. Kenrick Falstaff’s Wedding (1766) III vi: I am as cold as e’er a white-livered younker in town.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1796		G. Colman Yngr Iron Chest I ii: Our young master took horse, for his house, determined [...] to send a challenge to this white-liver’d giant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1833		Albany Microscope (NY) 28 Dec. n.p.: This white-livered, long-shanked biped [...] told him to ‘go to hell’.
1834		W.G. Simms Guy Rivers I 72: Answer to that, Jared Bunce, you white-livered lizard.
1840		T. Haliburton Clockmaker III 148: Them white-livered, catfish-mouthed, dipt-candle lookin’ scoundrels the Brunswickers.
1848		Bell’s Life in Sydney 4 Nov. 2/5: Letitia [...] called him a white livered little dog.
1854		G.J. Whyte-Melville General Bounce 348: He muttered a complimentary remark, containing the figurative expression, ‘white-livered son of a —.’.
1865		in T.P. Lowry Stories the Soldiers Wouldn’t Tell (1994) 41: He ‘would kill the damned white-livered, red-headed, son of a bitch.’.
1872		‘Mark Twain’ Roughing It 225: You thievin’ black-hearted, white-livered son of a nigger.
1889		B. Mitford Fire Trumpet I 96: As for getting in a funk about it, that would do for niggers or white-livered Dutchmen, but not for him.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 95: White Livered or Liver Faced, cowardly.
1898		A.J. Boyd Shellback 125: You d––– sneaking white-livered Dutchman!
1903		Truth (Sydney) 23 Aug. 3/3: But them colonists, they are sir / A white-livered, crooked lot; / Treacherous, you cannot trust ’em.
1903		A. Adams Log Of A Cowboy 192: ‘Not to you, you white-livered s–– of a b–––,’ was the instant reply, accompanied by a shot.
1913		‘J.W.L.’ Slave Stories 112: You white-livered cur!
1928		J. O’Connor Broadway Racketeers 65: That white livered louse led the Pinks right to the plant over in Jersey.
1934		O. Strange Sudden 93: Flash it, yu white-livered sneak.
1948		Z.N. Hurston Seraph on the Suwanee (1995) 899: Pray, you goddamned white-livered bastard, you!
1952		J. Cleary Sundowners 192: Here’m I, up for twenty — quid, and he backs out like a yellow-livered quean!
1966		T.V. Olsen Hard Men (1974) 23: You want me to hire this white-livered college boy?
1978		H.C. Bosman Street-Women in Gray Theatre One 15: I was sorry for him because he was white livered and a squealer and with no guts.

2. (US black/W.I.) promiscuous.

1953

R. Mais Hills were Joyful Together (1966) 148: She isn’t worth it. Just a white-livered tramp.