Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (mainly Irish) an old woman; esp. as the old one, one’s mother or wife.

1806		G. Colman Yngr John Bull III ii: By my sou’ she’ll bother the ould one!
1818		W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian (1883) 308: ‘You may be balked there, old one,’ answered the robber.
1821		W.T. Moncrieff Tom and Jerry III ii: Let’s quiz the old one a bit. I say, Mother Mummery, can you tell our fortunes for us?
1848		Wexford Indep. 12 Jan. 3/4: The ould one’s always dodgin’ me [...] And she comes it wid a smack to crack the dhudheen in me jaw.
1858		Sunbury American (PA) 25 Sept. 1/5: ‘Well, mother, you are an old un!’ ‘Don’t!’ — with a look of disgust — ‘don’t use your sailor slang here!’.
1932		M. Marshall Travels of Tramp-Royal 92: ‘I juist gaed oot for a mouthfu’ – hic! – o’ fresh air,’ giggled the auld one.
1948		P. Kavanagh Tarry Flynn (1965) 145: There’s the oul’ one now coming along the lane.
1961		(con. 1930s) D. Behan Teems of Times and Happy Returns 92: That ouldwan’d go to hell and back for style.
1975		E. Brady All in! All in! 167: Says my old one / To your old one, / Will you come to the Waxies’ Dargle. / Says your old one / To my old one, / Sure I haven’t got a fardel. [...] Up to about 1890 the waxies of Dublin held an annual gathering at Irishtown Green.
1981		(con. 1922) P. Crosbie Your Dinner’s Poured Out! 85: Many of the ‘oul’ wans’ of the area were in tears.
1998		J. O’Connor Salesman 86: Always wants to be the centre of everything [...] Just like her auldwan. [Ibid.] 367: The mother is saying the prayers [...] And this other auld one is just down the way, y’know. And she sees the mother and comes over to her.
2002		Blue Pages (Dublin) ‘Dublin Dict.’ 🌐 Aul’wan Mother / Auld Wan An old woman or someone behaving like an ‘auld wan’.

2. as a term of address.

1882

London Dly News 11 Jan. 2/1: One or two ancient bucks, grey-headed and very well dressed, pass to and fro [along Piccadilly], saluted with remarks addressed to ‘Daddy’ and ‘Old ’un’.

3. (also old ’un) a father.

1842		Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 3 Dec. n.p.: What was the surprise of one of the youngster [sic] to see his old dad there, and [...] for the ‘old un’ to see his son.
1889		H. Smart Long Odds II 3: ‘All right, old chappie. I’ll look up the old ’un’s last testament, never fear’.
1891		F.W. Carew Autobiog. of a Gipsey 412: The old ’un was an autem-cackler [...] and lived at Monmouth, and altho’ you’d ’ardly credit it to look at me, I was brought up in the ministry.
1915		Bulletin (Sydney) 5 Aug. 47/1: Last, I met a bosker little cliner, who made me hate gaol. I met her old ’un in quod, and we was going into some jobs together.
1940		S. Longstreet Decade 25: The Old One scowled at the stupid order of life and death.