Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. the knees; thus bring someone down on their marrowbones, make someone beg forgiveness.

1532		T. More Confutation of Tyndale Answer VIII Pt II 814: He fell vppon hys marybonys.
1546		J. Heywood Proverbs II Ch. ix: Trudge, (quoth I), to him, and on your marybones / Crouch to the ground.
1550		Udall Ralph Roister Doister I iii: Couch on your marybones, whoresons, down to the ground!
1567		T. Drant Horace his Epistles fo. E iiij Ep. 12 n.p.: ‘To Iccius’ Phraates tooke his mace Kneeling upon his marribones, to Cesar’s aufull grace [F&H].
1589		Lyly Pappe with an Hatchet D2: We’le knock the bone on his pate, and bring him on his marie bones.
1594		Nashe Unfortunate Traveller in Works V (1883–4) 23: My welbeloued Baron of double beere got him humbly on his marybones to the king.
1603		Dekker Wonderfull Yeare 49: Only Hearbe-wiues and Gardeners (that neuer prayed before, vnlesse it were for Raine or faire Weather,) were now day and night vppon their marybones.
1613		Beaumont & Fletcher Honest Man’s Fortune V iii: Down quickly On your marrow-bones, and thank this lady!
c.1620		Fletcher Women Pleased III iv: Downe o’ your marrow-bones.
1633		Rowley Match at Midnight V i: I pray tumble downe of her Mary-pones, and aske her father plessing?
1654		New Brawle 8: You [got] down on your Mary-Bones and cry’d at my feet.
1664		C. Cotton Virgil Travestie (1765) Bk I 40: Upon a Stool set for the nonce, / She went to rest her Marrow-bones.
1678		Dryden Kind Keeper I i: Down o’ your Marrow-bones, and ask forgiveness.
1680		Merry Maid of Islington 16: You will be playing the blunt Prize of dried Mary-bones, and young Coney-skins.
1680		M. Stevenson Wits Paraphras’d 121: Between my Breasts to get thee once / I’le fall upon my Marrow-bones.
1696		Motteux (trans.) Gargantua and Pantagruel (1927) II Bk IV 227: With the whites of his eyes turnes up towards heavene, down on his marrow-bones .
1707		Farquhar Beaux’ Strategem V ii: O madam, down upon your knees, your marrow-bones!
1714		Spectator 5 Nov. n.p.: The mob drank the kings health on their marrow-bones .
1724		Hist. of the Remarkable Life of John Sheppard 53: The Butchers there on the Back on’t would Face me, and with their Cleavers soon bring me down on my marrow Bones.
1734		C. Johnson Hist. of Highwaymen &c. 189: Out flies the Sword, and poor Littleton was upon his Marrow-bones in a Moment.
1741		Sexes Mis-Match’d 198: Come, down on your Marrow Bones and ask her Forgiveness.
1751		Smollett Peregrine Pickle (1964) 279: He would down on his marrow-bones to his master.
1760		G. Colman Polly Honeycombe 22: I’ll carry her off to-day, if possible — Clap up a marriage at once, and then down upon our marrow-bones, and ask pardon and blessing of Papa and Mama.
1771		Smollett Humphrey Clinker (1925) I 93: O! then Madam Mopstick came upon her merrybones.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 289: No more he said, but on the stones / Dropt down upon his marrow-bones.
1786		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Farewell Odes’ Works (1794) I 165: Just as, with Papists, the religious [...] bend their marrowbones To bees-wax saints.
c.1790		‘Luke Caffrey’s Ghost’ in Chap Book Songs 3: So ’fore all your coppers are spint, / Take warning in time, as I charge you; / On your marrow bones down and repint.
1800		‘On the Taking of Louisburg’ in Songster’s Companion 68: The French on their marrow-bones bring.
1812		Spirit of Irish Wit 245: ‘Oh! my dear sir,’ cries Teddy, falling on his marrow-bones.
1817		M. Lewis 8 Mar. in Journal of a West India Proprietor (1834) 373: Down dropped the fellow in a moment upon his marrow-bones.
1821–5		‘Bill Truck’ Man o’ War’s Man (1843) 33: A poor wight must get down on his bare marrow-bones, amid the wet and filth. [Ibid.] 314: The admiral, now on his marrow-bones, gave in.
1832		‘Nelly Brown’ in Quid 62: Down dropp’d I on my marrow-bones.
1840		R. Barham ‘The Merchant of Venice’ in Ingoldsby Legends (1842) 58: So down on your marrowbones, Jew, and ask mercy!
1844		‘Jonathan Slick’ High Life in N.Y. I 207: I’d heard say that folks always got down on their marrow bones when they spoke to sich stuck up quality.
1848		Era (London) 4 June 4/1: One editur [...] being brought to his marrow-bones, and compelled to make sich an abject apology.
1853		T. Haliburton Sam Slick’s Wise Saws II 114: One of them would have gone down on his marrow-bones, and begged the honor of your hand.
1864		J.W. Haley Rebel Yell and The Yankee Hurrah (1985) 207: There are in the North a lot of dough-faces who are never happier than when a chance is offered to them to get down on their marrow bones.
1869		Sportsman (London) 13 Jan. 2/1: Notes on News [...] he said victim was once more, after much stabbing, six-shootering, gouging, and biting, brought upon his marrow-bones.
1874		J. Greenwood Wilds of London (1881) 94: This man loved and pined in secret, and [...] he finally went down on his ‘marrer bones’.
1875		‘Aliph Cheem’ Lays of Ind (1905) 145: [T]he much-enamoured Jones / [...] went on his marrow-bones.
1890		Bird o’ Freedom 8 Jan. 5/3: She said she didn’t want the old woman’s friendship, and talked police till Miss S. went on her marrow-bones and begged off.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 19 Aug. 1/5: We servants we hall goes down tew on hour marrow bones.
1902		J.D. Corrothers Black Cat Club 101: But dey wuz evah God’s one uv ’em down on his marrow-bones!
1904		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 16 Nov. 8/7: On your ‘marrows’ kneel and pray, / The General [i.e. Booth of the Salvation Army] is on the way.
1907		Gus Elen [perf.] ‘Don’t Stop my ’Arf Pint of Beer’ 🎵 When she said, ‘If we got spliced, you must not drink beer again’ / I went down on my marrow-bones and cried.
1914		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 20 May 3/2: Watch a Holey Joe at service, / Down upon his marrow bones.
1916		P. Kyne Cappy Ricks 131: You ought to be down on your marrowbones giving thanks to the good Lord.
1933		M. Marshall Tramp-Royal on the Toby 173: I got down on my marrow bones.

2. the fists when used as weapons.

1937–84

Partridge DSUE (1984) 724: ca. 1810–1910.