Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Irish) a moneylender.

1905		Sun. Times (Perth) 9 Apr. 4/7: The Jewman wanted all their gold and gore.
1907		J.M. Synge Playboy of the Western World Act III: And myself as a girl was tempted often to go sailing the seas till I’d marry a Jew-man with ten kegs of gold.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 327: By Jesus, I’ll brain that bloody jewman for using the holy name. By Jesus, I’ll crucify him so I will.
1961		(con. 1890–1910) ‘Flann O’Brien’ Hard Life (1962) 36: The holy friars in Spain propagated the true faith by driving red-hot nails into the backs of unfortunate Jewmen.
1966		P. Boyle At Night All Cats Are Grey 63: D’ye mind the time he had a row in Downey’s pub with the wee jewman.
1970		C. Brown Down All the Days 83: It’s the Jewman!
1985		M. Johnston Around the Banks of Pimlico 114: My mother’s last involvement with the jew-man was when she borrowed for my Confirmation from Mr Glick .
1994		(con. 1930s) K.C. Kearns Dublin Tenement Life 31: The local ‘Jewman’ (the term always used by the tenement population but not in any derogatory manner) who loaned money were seen as shrewd but fair. [Ibid.] 32: Oh, my mother had a Jewman, we couldn’t do without them [...] In them days your first loan off a Jewman would be two or three pounds and you paid it back at a half a crown a week.