Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also duddies, dudds) clothing [Vaux glosses ‘women’s apparel in general’].

1542		‘The Jolly Beggar’ in Farmer Merry Songs and Ballads (1897) I 8: And he took out his little knife, loot a’ his duddies fa’.
c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 86: We wyll fylche some duddes.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching A2: Dudes, clothes; a lag of dudes, a bucket of clothes.
1608		Dekker Lanthorne and Candle-Light Ch. 1: We will filch some duddes: we will filch some clothes. Off the Ruffmans: from the hedges.
1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 43: When we haue tipt the loure & fenc’t away the duds / Then binge we to the bowsing ken / Thats cut the Robin Hood.
1620		Song of the Beggar 15: My dainty Dals, my Doxis, / Whene’er they see me lacking, / Without delay, poore wretches they / Will set their Duds a packing.
1639		J. Taylor Crabtree Lectures 191: Mort. [R]ather then want Rum-peck, or Beane boose, mill the Cacklers, coy the Quack, or Duds.
1648		Dekker ‘Canters Dict.’ Eng. Villainies (9th edn).
1651		T. Randolph Hey for Honesty III i: By these good stampers, upper and nether duds; I’le nip from Ruffmans of the Harmanbeck, Though glimmer’d in the fambles, I cly the chates.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 45: Bing out bien Morts and toure; / For all your Duds are bing’d awast.
1671		‘L.B.’ New Academy of Complements 213: My dainty Dells, my Doxies [...] Poor wretches, they, / Will set their Duds a packing.
a.1674		‘A Wenches complaint for . . . her lusty Rogue’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 17: Duds and cheats thou oft hast won.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Dudes, Cloaths.
a.1691		‘The Vagabond’ in Ebsworth Merry Drollery Compleat (1875) 205: [as cit 1671].
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Dudds, c. Cloaths [...] Rum dudds, c. fine or rich cloaths.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 196: For all your duds are bing’d avast, the been Cove tips the Lour [For all your Clothes are stol’n I doubt, and shar’d amongst the Blades].
1718		C. Hitchin Regulator 19: Dudds, alias Linen.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy V 243: Come off wi’ your Duds, and I pray pack away, / And likewise your Ribbonds, your Gloves, and your Hair.
1728		Defoe Street Robberies Considered 16: I sunk one of the Pieces upon my Mother, and told her if she would get me some better Duds, I did not doubt but I should suceed in greater Matters.
1732-1820		Order of the Beggar's Benison and Merryland (1892) 63: The Ainster lass was comin’ back — by bad luck chance she fell, / An’ drookit a’ hr dudds.
1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict. 112: Fine Cloaths Rum Duds.
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict.
1768		(con. 1710–25) Tyburn Chronicle II in Groom (1999) xxix: Dudds Linnen.
1788		‘De Night before Larry was Stretch’d’ Irish Songster 4: When a boy was condemned to the Squeezer, / Would pop all de duds dat he had, / To help his comrade to a Sneezer.
c.1790		‘Lord Altham’s Bull’ in Walsh Ireland Ninety Years Ago (1885) 89: Oh! Mrs. Mulligan, jewel, take in de bits o’ duds from de wall.
c.1800		‘Song No. 25’ Papers of Francis Place (1819) n.p.: My duds are grown wondrous seedy.
1810		‘Jonny Raw and Polly Clark’ in Batchelar’s Jovial Fellows Collection of Songs 4: At length she vow’d she’d serve him out, / Bung up his eyes and crack his snout, / And send the duds all up the spout.
1812		J. Bell Jr. (ed.) Rhymes of Northern Bards 30: Fling off their black duddies. / Leave hammers and studdies.
1821		D. Haggart Autobiog. 133: Most of them, had they attempted to undress, would have been puzzled to find the way into their duds again.
1835		Northampton Mercury 17 Oct. 4/4: The half-naked negroes, [...] laughing loudest in proportion to the scantiness of duds upon their backs.
1841		Sydney Herald 26 Oct. 2/4: Some of these vulgar slang words are as old as the time of Beaumont and Fletcher [...] to prig, for to "steal"; duds for ‘clothes;’ and cove, for ‘fellow’.
1842		‘Yankee Doodle!’ in Littell Clay Minstrel (1844) 168: Johnny, haste your ‘duds’ to pack.
c.1850		F.M. Whitcher Widow Bedott Papers (1883) 112: She shows her independence [...] by riggin’ out in old duds that would disgrace a washerwoman.
1867		J. Greenwood Unsentimental Journeys 152: When you come to [...] put on your own ragged duds before you come out, it’s very cold and wretched, very.
1875		M. Thompson Hoosier Mosaics 149: I ha’n’t had any good duds for a long time, and I’m tired o’ lookin’ like a scarecrow made out’ a salt bag.
1879		H. Hartigan Stray Leaves (2nd ser.) 73: The quartermaster had no objection to receiving the renovated duds.
1881		Dundee Courier (Scot.) 31 May. 7/6: Dan [...] peeled off his duds.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 311: Then Joe goes and peels off his duds and hands ’em over to Jim.
1893–5		H. Lawson ‘Two Sundowners’ in Roderick (1972) 99: Yer mate’s duds don’t suit ye.
1902		J. Masefield ‘Cape Horn Gospel II’ in Salt-Water Ballads 47: I’m bound for home in the Oronook in a suit of looted duds.
1901		Bateman & LeBrunn [perf. Kate Carney] Liza Johnson 🎵 Takes the dinner to the bake-house dressed in all his Sunday duds.
1915		C.J. Dennis ‘Uncle Jim’ in Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 95: A cherub togged in sunburn an’ a beard / An’ duds that shouted ‘’Ayseed!’ fer a mile.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 152: And that other old mosey lunatic in those duds. Hard time she must have with him.
1930		W.R. Burnett Iron Man 291: Better get your duds on.
1944		L. Glassop We Were the Rats 138: They’re not playing tennis in their cream duds now.
1957		Kerouac On The Road (1972) 158: Gui-tar and cowboy duds; you see, I’m a moo-sician.
1968		N. Heard Howard Street 68: I’m goin’ downtown and buy me some new duds.
1977		S. Stallone Paradise Alley (1978) 74: Why should I walk around lookin’ like a boiled rag when I can have a snappy set of duds for free?
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 90: [H]olding up his duds with his left hand.
1986		J.B. Keane Bodhrán Makers 245: You’d want to get out o’ them duds quick, Father.
1995		M. Dibdin Dark Spectre (1996) 51: The duds he had on looked like they cost more than my car.
2000		F. Kellerman Stalker (2001) 489: He hadn’t been taking any expensive vacations, or bought any designer duds.
2005		(con. 1960s) Guardian Weekend 2 Apr. 26: These duds were slick.
2007		L. Redhead Cherry Pie [ebook] Beautiful people in their pricey duds.
2012		D. O’Donnell Locked Ward (2013) 236: Yeah, nice duds, man.
2015		N. Cummins Tales of the Honey Badger [ebook] I [...] dropped me duds and climbed out over the water.
2017		L. McInerney Blood Miracles 19: [A] strapping build underplayed by well-chosen duds.
2022		J. Hannaham Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit 39: The stained white shirt and scratchy khakis every ex-con on the man side got [...] if his duds didn’t fit.

2. one’s possessions, one’s things in general.

1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 48: Duds, Goods.
1780		R. Tomlinson Sl. Pastoral 11: No duds in my pocket, no sea-coal to burn!
c.1812		Maher Night Before Larry was Stretched n.p.: He’d fence all the duds that he had, To help the poor dog to a sneezer [F&H].
1847		Jeffersonian Republican (Stroudsburg, PA) 5 Aug. 1/4: Our muscian packed up his duds, his purchases and his dollars.
1884		Athenaeum 19 July 74/2: [...] Duds, in the northern dialects, means small things, or things of little account, whether articles of clothing, trade, or merchandise [...] [F&H].
1910		Sporting Times 1 Jan. 2/3: The ‘Daily Mail’ describes the hero of the piece as an adept in ‘putting up his duds,’ which, if it means anything at all, is that he is an expert in pawning his sartorial belongings.
1928		M.C. Sharpe Chicago May (1929) 243: My few duds could be put into a handbag, in no time.
1931		(con. 1890s) C.W. Willemse Behind The Green Lights 5: I stole one of the sacks [...] piled in my duds, and hid myself where I could watch the gang-plank.
1953		J. Thompson Alcoholics (1993) 82: Now pack up your duds and get out of here.
1967		J. Wynnum I’m a Jack, All Right 85: Might be a good idea of Cocky and me packed our duds right now and shot through.
2020		A. Parks Bobby March Will Live Forever 300: Jumbo seemed to have acquired a new set of duds. A light-blue shirt, new jeans, white sandshoes.

3. (UK Und.) stolen articles.

1665		Head Eng. Rogue I .
a.1674		‘A Wenches complaint for . . . her lusty Rogue’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 17: Duds and cheats thou oft hast won.
1707		Rum-Mort’s Praise of Her Faithless Maunder in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 36: Duds and cheats thou oft hast won.
1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict.

4. imitation jewels.

1905

Marvel III:55 10: Diamonds – or what are commonly called ‘duds,’ which means imitation stones.

5. (Aus./UK juv.) trousers.

1924		G.H. Lawson Dict. of Aus. Words and Terms 11: duds – Trousers.
1967		‘Whisper All Aussie Dict.’ in Kings Cross Whisper (Sydney) xxxiv 4/4: duds: Trousers.
2001		OnLine Dict. of Playground Sl. 🌐 duds n. trouser.