Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a man, a fellow.

1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 33: The Sailor cries, Missel the Gloke; then the Dropper takes him by the Arm and has him out of Doors.
1786		Whole Art of Thieving [as cit. 1753].
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang.
1821		D. Haggart Autobiog. 48: I will punsh outsides with your nibs, but not with that gloach.
1830		Lytton Paul Clifford II 264: Why, Captain Gloak, poor fellow! knew every turn of his men to a hair, and never needed to ask what they were about.
1842		Egan ‘The Bridle Cull’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 140: Then up came a stage-coach, and thus the gloque did say, / I’m sorry for to stop you, but you must hear my lay.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 120/2: Gloak, a man.
1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1881		Newcastle Courant 2 Sept. 6/5: Sam has a horror of sturabins ever since the screws put him in chokey for taking a bit of snout offered him by another gloak when he thought no one was looking.
1929		Advertiser (Adelaide) 25 Oct. 32/8: The ‘gloak’ (beggar) who is ‘quisby’ (broke) and cannot find a ‘downy earwig’ (sympathetic clergyman) is enlightened by cryptic signs of the whereabouts of the nearest ‘dolly shop’ (illegal pawnbroker).