Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a mean person, a skinflint; a hard bargainer.

1604		Middleton Phoenix I viii: He’s a gull, he ventures with me; some filthy farmer’s son. The father’s a Jew, and the son a gentleman: faugh!
1606		Sir Gyles Goosecappe V i: If the sunne of thy beauty doe not white me like a shippards holland, I am a Iewe to my Creator .
1632		R. Brome Covent-Garden Weeded III i: Then the old Jew my father’s gone.
1637		R. Brome Eng. Moor III iii: The old Jew Quicksands has lost his wife.
c.1668		‘The Forsaken Maid’s Frolick’in Ebsworth Roxburghe Ballads (1891) VII:2 381: If a Suitor do turn a Jew, and will not give Love his due, / Why should a young Wench be true?
1672		Wycherley Love in a Wood III i: Nay, she’s a very Jew in that particular. [Ibid.] V i: That zealous Jew, your Father.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Jew any over-reaching Dealer, or hard, sharp Fellow. He treated me like a Jew, he used me very barbarously.
1704		S. Centlivre Gamester Act I: Hard-hearted Jew.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Jew, an over-reaching dealer, or hard sharp fellow, an extortioner: the brokers formerly behind St. Clement’s church in the Strand were called Jews by their brethren the taylors.
1795		J. O’Keeffe Life’s Vagaries 50: She’s very rich [...] Madam, you’re a Jew.
1800		Sporting Mag. June XVI 141/2: ‘You are a Jew,’ said one man to another: ‘when I bought this pig off you it was to be a guinea, and now you demand five and twenty shillings.’.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785]. [Ibid.] Jew. A tradesman who has no faith, i.e. will not give credit.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1835		‘The Bamboozling Barber’ in Cove in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 229: At midnight, when slumber’d her jew, / To the barber below she wou’d creep.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open [as cit. 1835].
1855		Delhi Sketch Bk 1 Mar. 33/1: Ensign Spiggs.- I must have the money, you're an infernal jew, but I agree.
1859		H. Kingsley Recollections of G. Hamlyn (1891) 34: Now, are you going to give the money, you old Jew?
1881-2		T.B. Reed Fifth Form at St Dominic’s (1890) 13: ‘Fifty pounds a year for three years!’ exclaimed a small boy, with a half whistle. ‘I wouldn't mind getting that!’ ‘Well, why don't you, you avaricious young Jew?’ .
1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 28 Sept. 5/5: That Jew of a manager [...] offered me a paltry ten pounds a week to play heavy parts.
1895		Coburg Leader (Vic.) 23 Nov. 4/1: If he don't give up those lamps, I will say in conclu, / We will stamp him for ever as a mean old Jew.
1899		Kipling ‘The Impressionists’ in Complete Stalky & Co. (1987) 103: ‘You are a cold-blooded Jew,’ Stalky groaned.
1913		Sport (Adelaide) 25 Jan. 11/3: They Say [...] That Bill B., better known as the Jew, spent his first sprat of the new year 1913 at Stevens’ pie-cart.
1928		C. McKay Home to Harlem 52: You blasted black Jew, say you’ prayers!
1967–8		Baker et al. CUSS 145: Jew An obnoxious person.
1978		H. Selby Jr Requiem for a Dream (1987) 5: Harry chuckled and shook his head. Whatta jew.

2. (Aus.) a bookmaker.

1894		Truth (Sydney) 14 Oct. 4/5: The bookmakers are all Jews [— some by circumcision and all by profession.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 29 Dec. 24/3: To speak of the bookies as ‘the Jews’ is now a misnomer. Of late years it is the exception to see an Israelitish name on a bag.

3. (Aus.) a pawnbroker.

1901

Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 11 Sept. 3/2: There's another trip to the Jews in view, / And my watch and clothes in pop.

4. (US black) the boss, irrespective of their actual religion.

1974

cited in C. Major Juba to Jive (1994).

5. (W.I.) any rich person, presumably white but with no religious overtones, other than the worldwide derog. stereotype.

1956

cited in Cassidy & LePage Dict. Jam. Eng. (1980).