Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a fashionable man, a dandy.

1764

Low-life 74: The Jemmies, Brights, Flashes, Puzzes, Pizzes and Smarts of the Town [are] preparing to ride out in fives and sixes.

2. coins, presumably gold sovereigns.

c.1900

[perf. Vesta Tilley] Showing my Aunt Matilda round the Town 🎵 Aunt said, ‘Bert, here’s fifty pounds, because you’ve been so good’ / [...] / To all the boys I've shown the bright / And I am on the spree tonight.

3. (US black) a day, daylight, morning.

1938		Jackson Sun (TN) 25 Aug. 4/6: When you dig this jive, and is really brought to your deuce of benders, and has mitted many Harlem brights, you’ll be some scribe and hep to any kick of spiel.
1942		Morn. Herald (Uniontown, PA) 8 June 4/5: Ain’t had a chance to cool in many a bright what with clambakes all the way from the Land o’ Darkness to the sunny Southland.
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 219: I haven’t even seen my dreamers in a deuce of brights.
c.1953		Babs Gonzales ‘Manhattan Fable’ 🎵 One bright, about a deuce of ticks, he laid his story on a Harlem acquaintance named ‘Congolene Freddie’.
1954		‘Hepster’s Dict.’ Mad mag. June 20: bright – day.
1957		R.S. Gold ‘Vernacular of the Jazz World’ in AS XXXII:4 277: dims and brights. Nights and days.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 131: One of these ‘brights’ you’re going to shoot your ‘jib’ off.
1979		‘Iceberg Slim’ Airtight Willie and Me 9: I was winding up a stone and a day. I would hit those cold-blooded streets four brights (mornings) hence.

4. (US) in pl., headlights.

2001		(con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 46: He parked out front. He hit his brights. He nailed the one window.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 15: [I] hit my brights to jolt the cocksucker.

5. see bright boy under bright adj.³