green gown, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

green gown n.

[pun on SE green, with its general meanings of both countryside and innocence + the green stains that come from rolling on the grass]

sexual play, usu. assuming intercourse, performed out of doors; ‘a throwing of young Lasses on the Grass and Kissing them’ (B.E.).

1585–1616		Lamentation of a Lawyer’s Daughter for lacke of a Husband in Shirburn 303: Fortune never yeelded me a lovely gowne of greene.
1599		Greene George-A-Greene C1: First I saluted her with a green gowne, And after fell as hard a wooing As if the Priest had bin at our backs, to haue married vs.
c.1600		song in Wardroper (1969) 42: To sport it on the merry down, / To dance the lively hay, / To wrestle for a green gown, / In the heat of all the day.
c.1663		‘A Merry Dialogue’ in Ebsworth Bagford Ballads (1878) I 458: He promised her a rare green gown, / to kiss with him for half a crown.
1673		Holborn Drollery intro: If any thing be wanting, ’tis only their Apparel, a Green-Gown.
1691		‘Womens Delight’ in Ebsworth Merry Drollery Compleat (1875) 46: He bought her a Gown of green, / Became her wondrous well.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Green gown, a throwing of young Lasses on the Grass and Kissing them.
[c.1707		‘Hey Boy, Hey Boy’ in Farmer Merry Songs and Ballads (1897) II 147: Let her care for no Bed, but here let spread, / Her Mantle upon the Green].
1720		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy VI 345: Oh how kind the Country Lass, / Who her Cows bilking, leaves her Milking, / For a green Gown upon the Grass.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1832		Satirist (London) 15 July 230/3: THE LADIES’ DRESSES. Mrs. Doxey, of the Phoenix— [...] A gown of grass-green muslin loose about the neck, and open in front.
1840		‘The Green Gown’ in Capt. Morris’s Songs in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) III 220: Much mirth and sport they make, running at barley break — / What baste they make for a Green Gown.

In phrases

get a green gown (v.) (also have a green gown, receive…, take…)

to lose one’s virginity, usu. out of doors.

1607		W.N. Barley-Breake 6: Her gowne of greene she got of Ioue in fieldes.
1615		R. Brathwait Strappado 44: [Venus] pictur’d as sh’d beene Taking a greene-gowne ... of Mars.
1621		R. Burton Anatomy of Melancholy (1893) III 130: Sometimes they lie open [...] and willing to embrace, to take a green gown.
1655		‘Philomusus’ Marrow of Complements 175: Then who’s so fond to lie alone / When two may lie together [...] To have a green gown on the grass / And wear it uncontrouled.
1670		J. Kepple Maiden-Head Lost by Moon-Light in Mish Restoration Prose Fiction (1970) 181: I saw Myrtilla with small reluctancy receive a Green Gown from her lusty Lover.
1680		M. Stevenson Wits Paraphras’d 116: With thee I’ve wisht these many years / [...] / To get a Green-gown while I lie / Oth’ grass.
1700		‘The Green-Gown’ in Playford Pills to Purge Melancholy II 27: And Prudence prevented what Rachel repented, / And Kate was contented to take a Green-Gown.
1790		‘Bumper Allnight. Esquire’ Honest Fellow 79: Then whom should I meet but young Dick of our town; / Who swore e’er I went I should have a green gown.
1833		‘Milking The Bull’ Lummy Chaunter 91: Young Hodge came whist’ling with his team, / As he was going to plough; / When seeing me, he said, that I / Should have a fine green gown; / And so with that he towzled me / And tried to throw me down.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.

give someone a green gown (v.) (also green-gown, give someone a green mantle)

to have sex outdoors, poss. involving the loss of the woman’s virginity.

1351		Brevia Regis Edwardi III annus 24 in Sporting Mag. XVIII (1801) 27/1: They [...] forcibly took and carried a certain Nun, named Margaret de Everingham [...] exeuntes eam habitum religiosum et induentes eam robam viridem secularem – Anglice, Giving her a green gown.
1607		A Knight’s Conjuring cap 1 B: When it was a morning to tempt love to leap from heauen, and to goe a wenching; or to make wenches leaue their soft beds, to haue greene gownes giuen to them in the fields.
1648		R. Herrick ‘Corinna’s going a Maying’ Hesperides 75: Many a green-gown has been given; / Many a kisse.
1658		R. Brathwait Age for Apes 155: About a May-pole I dare hardly dance, Or give a wench a green-gown on the grasse.
1671		‘L.B.’ New Academy of Complements 147: With these innocent sports, we laugh, and lie down, / And to each pretty Lass, we give a Green-gown.
1684		‘The Winchester Wedding’ in Farmer Merry Songs and Ballads (1897) IV 49: Kit gave a Green Gown to Betty.
1691		W. Mountfort Greenwich-Park Prologue: [Greenwich] where many a Lass Has bin Green-Gown’d upon the tender Grass.
1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 281: Our Gallant being disposed to give his Lady a Green Gown [...] spread his fine Scarlet Cloack on the Ground.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy II 20: They laid the Girls down and gave each a green Mantle, / While their Breasts and their Bellies went Pintle a Pantle.
1780		‘My Man John’ Songsters Favorite 1: And in the fields he would give me a green gown.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1992		Randolph & Legman Ozark Folksongs and Folklore I 47: It should be observed that all references above to the color green are a fairly ancient British allusion to sexual intercourse, most frankly in the phrase ‘to give (a woman) a green gown,’ meaning to make love to her on the ground or grass.