Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a small group, amount or collection.

c.1595		Shakespeare Love’s Labour’s Lost V ii: A holy parcel of the fairest dames.
1606		J. Day Ile of Guls II i: Twere a pretty parcell of pollicy.
1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle V i: A parcel of such stuff.
1632		R. Brome Covent-Garden Weeded III i: These are a parcel of those venomous weeds, / That ranklie pester this faire Garden-plot.
1678		Four for a Penny 2: We here present you, Gentlemen, with a parcel of Beasts of prey.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Bully-huff, a poor sorry Rogue that haunts Bawdy-houses, and pretends to get Money out of Gentlemen and others, Rattling and Swearing the Whore is his Wife, calling to his assistance a parcel of Hectors.
1707		Farquhar Beaux’ Strategem IV ii: But such a parcel of scoundrels are got about him now, that, egad, I was ashamed to be seen in their company.
1715		S. Centlivre Gotham Election I i: A Parcel of canting Rogues.
1721		Penkethman’s Jests 21: We bark like true Dogs, but you bark like a Parcel of Curs.
1733		Laugh and Be Fat 67: It was a hard case that her Cloaths, which were very Neat and Good, should be given to a Parcel of Gosspis.
1747		H. Simms Life of Henry Simms/Alias Young Gentleman Harry 20: I [...] was taken by a Parcel of Thief-takers, and conducted to Clerkenwell Bridewell.
1751		Smollett Peregrine Pickle (1964) 171: Then turning to Gam, threw him out at the window, among a parcel of hogs that fed under it.
1759		Low Life Above Stairs II v: They only bring Nobility into Disgrace [...] just as a Parcel of low-lived Wretches make the Manners of their Superiors appear ridiculous by an aukward Imitation of them.
1768		Proceedings Old Bailey 6 July 246/1: The noise was terrible, like a parcel of men working upon a ship’s bottom.
1775		in F. Moore Songs and Ballads of the Amer. Revolution (1855) 93: A parcel of noodles.
1788		G.A. Stevens Adventures of a Speculist I 219: We are a parcel of d---’d fly fellows.
1797		M. Leeson Memoirs (1995) III 229: A parcel of abandoned prostitutes.
1805		H.H. Brackenridge Modern Chivalry (1937) Pt II Vol. II Bk IV 546: By my showl, said he, I will be after bating de whole o’d you togeder. A parcel of spalpeens and bog-trotters.
1809		Horry & Weems Life of General F. Marion (1816) 75: ‘Here now,’ I said to myself, ‘is a parcel of people, meaning my poor father and his friends.’.
1812		Spirit of Irish Wit 226: [H]iring a parcel of strangers, who did not care a farthing about me.
1822		D. Carey Life in Paris 218: A parcel of macaroni Frenchmen.
1837		A. Greene Glance at N.Y. II v: I like a good fight, but not one with a parcel of foo-foos like them.
1848		‘Ruff Sam’s Bear Fight’ Spirit of the Times 4 Mar. (N.Y.) 14: Depend on it, thar was a parcel on ’em.
1850		F.E. Smedley Frank Fairlegh (1878) 255: Tell me a parcel of lies, most likely.
1856		M. Griffith Autobiog. of a Female Slave 246: Wal, I owed some men a parcel of money, gamblin’ debts.
1865		‘Times and Fashion’ in Bob Smith’s Clown Song and Joke Bk 3: With narrow-bottomed pants and short tailed coats, / And hair on their chins like a parcel of goats.
1879		G.R. Sims Dagonet Ballads 76: A silly young oaf to be fillin’ his head with a parcel o’ lies.
1884		(con. c.1840) ‘Mark Twain’ Huckleberry Finn 31: A whole parcel of Spanish merchants and rich A-rabs was going to camp in Cave Hollow.
1898		E. Pugh ‘The Inevitable Thing’ in Keating Working Class Stories of the 1890s (1971) 111: I’m a widder myself, but I don’t go boozin’ with a parcel o’ men.
1903		W.W. Jacobs ‘The Money Box’ in Monkey’s Paw (1962) 119: This comes o’ listening to a parcel o’ teetotallers.
1916		R. Service ‘The Black Dudeen’ in Rhymes of a Red Cross Man 140: A parcel o’ lead comes missing me head, / But it smashes me old dudeen.
1928		E.C.L. Adams ‘The Telephone Call’ in Nigger to Nigger 102: Dere been a passel er niggers in de store settin’ ’round on boxes.
1937		J. Curtis You’re in the Racket, Too 145: As if it were not bad enough to have the sanctity of one’s home upset by a rascally thief, without having it further invaded by a parcel of detectives.
1941		G. Casey ‘Short Shift Saturday’ in Mann Coast to Coast 212: There were parcels of ‘blueys’, rolled in towels, all over the place.
1956		R.T. Hopkins Banker Tells All 135: The gang opened several large safes and captured the largest ‘parcel’ of gold watches ever recorded in a burglary.
1966		R. Stone Hall of Mirrors (1987) 316: I just come up against a parcel of niggers you bastards let in.

2. a young woman.

1877		‘’Arry on His ’Oliday’ in Punch 13 Oct. 160/2: I looked sweet / On a tidy young parcel in pink as ’ung out in the very same street.
1889		‘’Arry in Switzerland’ in Punch 5 Dec. in P. Marks (2006) 97: He’d a mash at Charmooney — neat parcel, though in course not my style.

3. a substantial sum of money, esp. when won or lost in gambling.

1898		Binstead & Wells Pink ’Un and Pelican 191: They were to be sure and ‘have a fair old parcel on’.
1903		A. Binstead Pitcher in Paradise 223: The Plunger was off in the first flight [...] to go and lose another ‘parcel’ at some other diversion.
1910		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘A Derby Bet’ Sporting Times 28 May 1/2: If the gee ‘cops’ I can’t claim my parcel, if beaten the stake’s his.
1923		Wodehouse Inimitable Jeeves 114: If you haven’t dropped a parcel over the race [...] why are you looking so rattled?
2004		(con. 1990s) N. ‘Razor’ Smith A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun 446: We came to nick a right parcel.

4. (Ulster) a difficult, troublesome person; a term of abuse.

1943		M. Harrison Reported Safe Arrival 43: ‘Parcels!’ said Penny.
1967		R. Conot Rivers of Blood 53: [H]is grandmother, [...] told him he was a no-good parcel just like his father .
1997		Share Slanguage.

5. (Aus. tramp) a rolled blanket which contains one’s possessions.

1945

Baker Aus. Lang. 102: A drum, of course, is the equivalent of swag, bundle, curse, matilda, shiralee, parcel, turkey, donkey, national debt or bluey as the tramp’s rolled blanket is variously called.

6. a bulk consignment of drugs.

2000

J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 11: Now I was shifting parcels.