Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a bachelor who has no intention of altering his status.

1680		Merry Maid of Islington 14: I know what she’ll say, Pox on him for a Baudy Knight.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
1725		Life and Glorious Actions of [...] Jonathan Wilde 50: His old Wife the Mother of Beelzebub, took a leap in the Dark and thereby friend Jonathan became a very good Bawdy Batchelour (or as the Old Women term it, a Young Widower).

whoremongering.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching Ch. 16: By the mas thou hast beene at some baudy banquet.

(UK Und.) a female beggar who sells obscene literature, as well as pins, ballads and other goods.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 65: These Bawdy baskets be also wemen [sic], and go with baskets and Capcases on their armes, where in they haue laces, pynnes, nedles, white ynkell, and round sylke gyrdles of al coulours. These wyl bye cowneyskins, and steale linen clothes of on hedges. And for their trifles they wil procure of mayden seruaunts, when their mystres or dame is oute of the waye, either some good peece of beefe, taken, or cheese, that shal be worth xij. pens, for ii. pens of their toyes.
1589		G. Puttenham Art of Eng. Poesie III xix 165: Many a faire lasse in London towne, Many a bawdie basket borne up and downe.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching [as cit. c.1566].
1608		Dekker Belman of London [as cit. c.1566].
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 39: The rest in order thus [...] Bawdy-Baskets, Autem-Morts, Doxies.
1669		W. Winstanley New Help To Discourse 135: Bawdy Baskets are such as walk about with baskets on their arms, wherein are Pins, Needles, Laces etc. under pretence of selling which, they steal Linnen, Pewter or what comes next to their hand.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn) 61: Bawdy-baskets are such who walk about with Baskets on their arms, wherein are Pins, Needles, and Laces; and in this number some of you Band-string Women may come in, whop are always taking great pains with their hands in the day, and with their breeches at night.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68b: Give me leave to give you the names (as in their Canting Language they call themselves) of all (or most of such) as follow the Vagabond Trade, according to their Regiments or Divisions, as [...] Bawdy Baskets, such as prostrate themselves to any person.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 184: The Baudy-baskets are such as wander up and down with a Basket under their Arm, and a Child at their Backs, pretending to sell Toys and Trifles, and so Beg or Steal, as they see Occasion, or find Opportunity.
1719		A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) 202: Bawdy-Baskets, a tribe that goes about with pins, tape, obscene books and the like, to sell, but live more by stealing.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: bawdy-baskets; the Twenty-third Race of Canters; a sort of diminutive Pedlars, who sell Obscene Books, Pins, Tape, & but live more by pilfering and stealing.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Bawdy basket. (Cant) The twenty-third rank of canters, who carry pins, tape, ballads, and obscene books to sell, but live mostly by stealing.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1812–82		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

a suitable spot outdoors for sexual activity.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 61: A quarter of a mile from the towne he merrily took measure of her under a bawdy bush.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching [as cit. c.1566].

a particularly small bottle.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: bawdy-house-bottle; a very small one.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: bawdy-house-bottle; a very small one; that holds little more than a Pint, and is sold for a Quart in most Houses of ill Repute.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Bawdy-house bottle, A very small bottle; short measure being among the many means used by the keepers of those houses, to gain what they call an honest livelihood: indeed this is one of the least reprehensible; the less they give a man of their infernal beverages for his money, the kinder they behave to him.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 113/2: Bawdy house bottle, a small bottle kept in bawdy houses for the purpose of giving short measure.

a small glass.

1823

‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 7: Bawdy-house-glass — little measure, half-sized, as at the Vine in Holborn, and other such sleek and slum shops.

a brothel.

c.1800		Song No. 19 Papers of Francis Place (1819) n.p.: He [...] goes with the Gardens lads to every night a bawdy ken.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum n.p.: So he fences all his togs to buy her duds, and then He frisks his master’s lob to take her from the bawdy ken.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 14: Bodikin — a contraction of Bawdy-ken.
1833		‘Poll Of Drury’ Lummy Chaunter 60: Arter that why then we’ll pop / In the nearest bawdy-ken, love.
1838		‘Hurrah For The Girls’ Rambler’s Flash Songster 16: Then we sally forth to a bawdyken.
1842		‘Mother Levy Was A Widow’ Nobby Songster 38: Mother Levy was a widow, and she got no little gain, / She kept a slap-up B—dyken not far from Drury Lane.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open 95: Abbess, a bawd, the mistress of a bawdyken.
1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. (2nd edn).

(UK Und.) the robbery of a brothel prostitute’s client by her pimp or ‘husband’; the Murphy (Game), the n. (1)

1846

Swell’s Night Guide 68: She vent macadamizing again, and then she chummed vith a gonniff, and they took a crib and did the fence and bawdykin dodge.