Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a hired killer; a thug.

1586		G. Whetstone Mirrour for Magestrates of Citties (2nd edn) K1: Heere a man may finde out Brauoes of Rome and Naples, who for a pottle of wine, will make no more conscience to kill a man, than a Butcher a beast.
1597		S. Daniel Civil Wars III lxxii: This bravo cheers these dastards all he can.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 131: This young Bravo [...] had prepared a banquet for me.
c.1670		Rochester ‘The Wish’ in Complete Poems (2006) 80: Thus Bravo-like, I’ll saucilly impose / And safe from danger, valiantly advise.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Bravo a Mercenary Murderer, that will Kill any Body.
1700		Farquhar Constant Couple III ii: There, up comes her bravo; the Italian grows saucy, and I give him an English douse of the face.
c.1705		Mr H.B.’s Answer to Perin del Vago 9: Some petty lawyers, with their Hectors, Bravo’s, Bullies, who serve the Embroilers of Church and State.
1725		New Canting Dict.
1730		Derby Mercury 14 Jan. 3/2: ‘List of Officers which are established in the most notorious Gaming Houses [...] Common Bail, Affidavit Men, Ruffins, Bravoes, Assassins, cum multis aliis.
1734		C. Johnson Hist. of Highwaymen &c. 97: My Master being always a busy Man, must needs step out to see what was the Matter, leaving the stern Bravo.
1749		Smollett (trans.) Adventures of Gil Blas IV 75: Pray save me from the fury of a bravo that wants to kill me.
1771		R. King New London Spy 72: A number of bravos and desperados, who had long skulked up and down.
1797		Sporting Mag. Sept. X 312/1: Common Bail, Affidavit Men, Ruffians, Bravoes, Assassins, multus cum aliis.
1804		Sporting Mag. May XXIV 125/1: [as cit. 1797].
1822		W. Scott Peveril of the Peak 33: Four bravos in pay of the Duke of Buckingham, were sent to court, disguised as musicians, and bearing cases which they pretended contained their musical instruments; but which really were meant to be filled with fire arms.
1830		Lytton Paul Clifford III 296: But, above all, the same inflexible, defying, stubborn spirit, though in Brandon it assumed the stately cast of majesty, and in Clifford it seemed the desperate sternness of the bravo, stamped itself in both.
1837		R.M. Bird Nick of the Woods III 156: It was Doe who, for the bravo’s price, and with the bravo’s baseness [...] struck the blow.
1843		Satirist & Sporting Chron. (Sydney) 18 Mar. 3/2: Was Mr Hogans [...] assaulted during his absence, up country, by a common Bravo?
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1859		G.A. Sala Twice Round the Clock 154: [They] made their miserable livings as runners and decoy-ducks, and bravos to these abominable nests [i.e. ‘gambling houses’]. They were called ‘Greeks.’.
1865		Plymouth Wkly Democrat (IN) 5 Jan. 1/5: Horse jockies, horse thieves [...] buffers, bummers [...] bravos and panderers [...] bludgenors, bounty jumpers, koniackers, knucks [and] pocketbook stuffers.
1873		W.H. Thomes Slaver’s Adventures 319: The Don has money, and could hire a dozen bravos to dog your steps.
1880		Bulletin (Sydney)10 Apr. 2/3: There are also Italian bravos to whose actions one cannot cry ‘bravo,’ who, if they do not belong to the order of bravos and banditti [...] have still all the inclinations of their predecessors of old, and if they cannot cut a throat in safety will cut a character to ribbons.
1882		A. Trumble Heathen Chinee 34: What the bravoes were to old Venice, the ‘highbinders’ are to Chinatown. Professional assassins, who make no secret of theior craft.
1884		(con. 1730) A. Griffiths Chronicles of Newgate 208: Ruffians, bravos, and assassins for any odd job that might turn up requiring physical strength.
1896		S. Crane George’s Mother (2001) 108: He thrust out his legs in the easy scorn of a rapier-bravo.
1905		Sun. Times (Perth) 12 Mar. 1/1: The blackmailing foxer is largely in evidence in the West Perth parks [and] a bullet would be healthier than blackmail for the nocturnal bravoes.
1907		D. Stewart Vultures of the City in Illus. Police News 12 Jan. 12/3: The Frenchman pulled a revolver from his vest and levelled it at the half-drunken bravo.
1910		Wodehouse Psmith in the City (1993) 62: I was amazed [...] to hear Comrade Bickersdyke urging certain bravoes in the audience to turn me out.
1916		J. Buchan Greenmantle (1930) 277: Better a bloody end in a street scrap than the tender mercies of that bandbox bravo.
1931		W.N. Burns One-Way Ride 69: That young bravo [...] had erred gravely in killing him.
1954		J. Phelan Tramp at Anchor 21: His trade was what would have been called in the Middle Ages that of a bravo, a tough whose services could be bought by any wealthy crook.
1958		Chronicle-Telegram (Elyria, OH) 13 Dec. 4/3: I could not help overhearing three bravos in an adjacent bar.