Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a term of contempt to any male.

1605		Marston Dutch Curtezan II i: I was at supper last night with a new weande bulchin, bread a God, drunke, horribly drunke.
1617		Middleton & Rowley A Fair Quarrel IV iv: The bulchins will use the Irish captain with respect.
1638		Ford Fancies III iii: Roguery, brokage and roguery, or call me bulchin.

2. a term of endearment to a child, usu. a chubby one.

1633		J. Shirley Gamester IV i: How is’t, Bulchins? Would you had been with us.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Bulchin a Chubbingly Boy or Lad.
1725		New Canting Dict.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Bull chin, a fat chubby child.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.