ale n.
SE in slang uses
In compounds
a heavy drinker.
Who’s Been Sleeping in my Bed 47: She’s a proper alecan. | ||
DSUE (8th edn) 10/2: latish C.19–earlyish 20. |
an alehouse-keeper; thus ale-drapery, a public house.
Kind-Harts Dreame C4: He vtterly undid two milch maydens that had set up a shoppe of Ale-drapery. [Ibid.] E3: I get mee a wife, with her a little money: when we are married, seeke a house we must; no other occupation haue I but to be an Ale-draper. | ||
Charge against Drunkenness 13: These godlesse ale-drapers, and other sellers of drink [OED]. | ||
[title] Batemans hue-and-cry after the pretended Sieur de Vernantes, and his counterfeit spirit of scurvey-grass, lately shamm'd upon the world by one Clark an ale-draper, near Temple-Barr. | ||
[title] The Kentish maiden: or, The fumbling ale-draper derided. Who gave a handkerchief and money for a night's lodging with a lass whom at length he left in the lurch. | ||
Cuckoldom Alamode 26 Aug. 1: [broadside] A certain Ale-Drapers Wife, whose charming features had so far-witch’d the Head-strong Tallow Chandler. | ||
in Pills to Purge Melancholy V 258: There lives an Ale-draper near New-palace-yard. | ||
Parish Register of Scotter, Linc. [Buried], July 8th, Thomas Broughton, Farmer and Ale-draper [F&H]. | ||
Dublin Courier 16 June 2/1: Elizabeth Harbourn [...] has parted from her husband Charles of the city of Dublin, in George’s-lane, ale-draper. | ||
, , | Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. | |
Lex. Balatronicum. | ||
Gloss. (1888) I 16: †ale-draper. A humorous term for the keeper of an ale-house. | ||
Perry’s Banking Gaz. 22 Feb. 4/1: Court-house, City of York, 5th March [...] Cowlman Richard of Silver-street, York, ale-draper. |
a drunkard, a drinking companion.
Kind-Harts Dreame C2: While they are in the ruffe of ribaudrie [...] the olde ale-knight their dad breakes out into admiration, and sends out stragling customers to admire his roaring sonnes. | ||
Pennyless Parliament of Thread-Bare Poets in Harleian Misc. III (1809) 76: But oh! you ale-knights, you that devour the marrow of the malt, and drink whole ale-tubs into consumptions. | ||
Eng. Poets (1810) VI 208/2: Come all you brave wights, That are dubbed ale-knights. | Answer of Ale to the Challenge of Sack in Chalmers||
Astrologaster 19: Saint Martin and Saint Urban guard all Ale-Knights, Tauerne-Hunters, and Drunkards, from falling into the Kennell. | ||
Mercurius Democritus 19-26 Oct. 624: An Ale Knight, called Sir Thomas Tooper, being lately fuddling in the Dark-house in Old Fish-street [etc.]. | ||
Gloss. (1888) I 17: †ale-knight, s. A haunter of ale-houses; a tippler. | ||
Book of Days II 597: This man was a regularly dubbed ale-knight, loved barley wine to the full . |
(Aus.) a female publican or barmaid.
Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 21: [O]wned by no other than ‘the ale-moll Constance Chaddick’. |
a brewer, a publican.
Sl. and Its Analogues. |
In phrases
to get drunk on beer; thus aled up.
Runyon on Broadway (1954) 674: When a Boston character is engaged in aleing himself up, it is a good idea to let him alone. | ‘A Piece of Pie’||
All Night Stand 120: They were already so aled up [...] that there wasn’t much way. |