Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a lad, a boy; sometimes a female child.

1528		Skelton A Replycacion Prose: Stoicall studiantes, and friscajoly yonkerkyns, moche better bayned than brayned.
1539		R. Taverner Proverbes or Adagies of Erasmus xxxi Dvii: The common sorte of prodigall yongkers [...] thinke there is no botome of theyr fathers bagges and cofers.
c.1561		Awdeley Fraternitye of Vacabondes in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 8: These other yonckers wil finde some kind of mery talke with him.
1566		T. Drant (trans.) ‘The Seconde Satyre’ Horace his Satyres Bk I B: The younckers that are past the cure and charge Of Tutors graue, lyke lustye laddes, do loue to roue at large, To roiste, and reuell.
1570		Marriage of Wit and Science II ii: In fayth, I knowe a yonker that will ease you, / A lyuelye younge gentleman, as freshe as any flower.
c.1580		‘I.T.’ Grim The Collier of Croydon IV i: All the Youth are now a nutting gone; Here are a crew of Yonkers in this Wood.
1592		Greene Disputation Betweene a Hee and a Shee Conny-Catcher in Grosart (1881–3) X 166: No more returnes the yonker with Rose-water and Sugar, but [...] goes away roundly with the cup.
1600		Dekker Shoemakers’ Holiday V v: A verie boy, a stripling, a yonker.
1610		Jonson Alchemist V v: Cream from Hogsden [...] That, every Sunday in Moorfields, the younkers, / And tits, and tomboys should have fed on, gratis.
1615		Merry Dialogue Between Band, Cuff and Ruff 4: No, hog-yonker, it’s more than thou canst do.
c.1632		R. Brome A Novella III i: This Alinanie is a younker that would marry her.
1640		The Wandering Jew 61: I met a Yonker at your gate.
1645		P. Fisher ‘A March’ in Carpenter Verse in English from Tudor & Stuart Eng. (2003) 259: Each one of these same Yonkers bore / A knapsack.
1648		R. Herrick ‘Upon Bungies’ Hesperides 141: This Younker keeps so strict a Lent, / Fearing to break the Kings Commandement.
1659		Greene & Lodge Lady Alimony V iii: Let him hang like a Puppy without hope or pitty [...] till some nimble Younker become his successor.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 24: The woman amazed that she should be thus surprized by a Younker followed me.
1675		C. Cotton Scoffer Scoff’d (1765) 253: He is a very honest Younker / A bonny Lad, and a great Punker.
1682		‘Tom Thynne’s Ghost’ in Ebsworth Roxburghe Ballads (1885) V:1 121: He whilom told that Younker, he / Should sway the British Monarchy.
1713		J. Gay Wife of Bath I i: A little of my Advice, Younker, would do you no harm.
1716		‘Hesperi-Neso-Graphia’ in A. Carpenter Verse in Eng. in 18C Ireland (1998) 125: Younker, who such Pains do take, / In frisking.
1723		C. Walker Authentick Memoirs of Sally Salisbury 105: In the Quarrel, the Younker called SALLY whore.
1730		J. Gay Wife of Bath (rev. edn) II vii: For shame, Younker! going to bed!
1749		Sappho-An 15: Some bristly hairs appear, / Such as when yonkers their first Off’rings shear.
1753		Foote Englishman in Paris in Works (1799) I 34: Fleece the younker!
1768		A. Ross Helenore in Wattie Scot. Works (1938) 133: Chap out as monie yonkers frae your glen /As ilka horn an’ hoove o’ yours may ken.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 137: She darts downward in a trice, / As smooth as younkers slide on ice.
1786		J. O’Keeffe Wicklow Mountains 5: I supped my bread and milk, a little chubby-cheek’d younker.
a.1790		C. Dibdin ‘The Younker’ Collection of Songs I 142: The younker, who his first essay / Makes in the front of battle, / Stands all aghast.
1801		Sporting Mag. Apr. XVIII 42/1: There were also some dashing blades when he was a younker.
1807		Irving & Paulding Salmagundi (1860) 247: I recall with delight how each yonker at first in the cradle of science and virtue was nursed.
1815		(con. 18C) W. Scott Guy Mannering (1999) 189: He went to the East Indies in the same ship with your younker.
1826		C.M. Westmacott Eng. Spy II 315: There frequently occur circumstances in a younker’s life which he never, in all his after career, forgets.
1832		Spirit of the Times (NY) 31 Mar. 2/3: [N]early 200 beautiful trout [...] not considered a bad day’s work for two ‘younkers’.
1832		Currency Lad (Sydney) 3 Nov. 4/2: Well, there was the younker, singing out like a soger.
1835		Duncombe Dens of London 31: The younker [...] was the very image of a spoiled child and natural vagabond.
1837		Bentley’s Misc. Jan. 67: ‘I think, sir, the midshipman’s berth could lend you a bottle [i.e. of milk]’ ‘The devil they can, younker’.
1840		‘Blue Jacket’ Saucy I 7: Now, younker, I’ll tell you what I mean to make of you.
1843		Bellew Memoirs of a Griffin I 263: ‘Your beardless younker, fresh from school [...] is hail-fellow-well-met with you in an instant’.
1848		‘Ned Buntline’ Mysteries and Miseries of N.Y. III 60: Oh, yes! It’s master Frank, now! Before, I was younker, fool, and all that!
1851		Manchester Spy (NH) 5 Apr. n.p.: When I was a younker not more than eighteen [etc].
1855		Bell’s Life in Sydney 27 Jan. 3/2: The younker looked unlike a chip off the old block.
1858		A. Mayhew Paved with Gold 117: This severely punctual woman [would] suddenly appear before the assembled younkers as they sat at their accounts.
1867		W. Phillips Lost in London I iii: I’m ’shamed on ye, Jack Lonbones! [...] to set these younkers up to break rules made for theer benefit.
1873		Sl. Dict. 344: Younker in street language, a lad or a boy. Term in general use amongst costermongers, cabmen, and old-fashioned people.
1882		E.S. Ellis Huge Hunter in Beadles Half Dime Library XI:271 4/1: Hello, younker!
1894		‘Price Warung’ Tales of the Early Days 192: W’en fellers, espeshally younkers, go like that, arter kissin’ of Madame Cat-o’-nine-tails — w’y, mem, they’s go to the bad, slick!
1901		Boy’s Own Paper 13 Apr. 437: Here’s a younker coming aboard. See if you can make anything of him, will you?
1911		G. Bronson-Howard Enemy to Society 5: ‘What’s tan bark, Mr. McCune?’ ‘Thar ’tis, younker; oceans on oceans on’t.’.
1914		Truth (Melbourne) 10 Jan. 9/8: he rushed back to find her swanking beers with a couple of younkers.
1921		P. & T. Casey Gay-cat 149: The yunker here, mum, he ain’t yer neffee be enny means.
1928		D. Lawley Hustling Hobo 76: Say, yonker!
1933		B. Ross Tragedy of Z 115: Well, you dig, younker, and you’ll be President of the United States some day.
1938		B. Conlon ‘Rope Meat’ Wild West Weekly 22 Oct. 🌐 This younker’s tellin’ the truth, is my guess.
1968		G. Slatter Pagan Game (1969) 230: Tank was renowned for his mighty deeds [...] for wringing younkers’ necks and blowing up frogs.
[2011		J. Cornish Attack the Block [film script] 57: They mash up my whip with a bully van they stole, then bare more youngers come on peds with swords and bats, start threatenin’ me about aliens].
2011		H. Ellison Introduction in Pulling a Train’ [ebook] Just at the end of the Great Depression [...] there were thousands of younkers like me: on the road.