quean, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

quean n.

also queanie

[11C SE quean, woman (with no pej. aspect); Nares, Glossary (1822), suggests OE cwean, a barren cow]

1. a strumpet, a prostitute.

1508		Dunbar ‘Flyting of Dunbar & Kennedy’ in Laing Poems (1834) II 71: Ersch Katharine, with thy polk breik, and rilling, Thow and thy Quene, as gredy gleddis, ye gang With polkis to mylne, and beggis baith meill and schilling.
1530		Palsgrave Lesclarcissement de la Langue Francoyse n.p.: Substances: Queane, garse, paillarde.
1533		J. Heywood Play of Weather in Farmer Dramatic Writings (1905) 123: It is the gise of such gross queans as thou art.
1540		D. Lyndsay Satyre of Thrie Estaits II (1604) 139: Ane curtill queine, and laidlie lurdane, Of strang wesche scho will tak ane iurdane.
1550		Udall Ralph Roister Doister in Dodsley III (1874) IV viii: Down with this little quean, that hath at me such spite!
1560		Nice Wanton Biiii: Suche a jade she is and so curst a quene, She would out scold the deuils dame.
1575		‘Mr. S’ Gammer Gurton’s Needle in Whitworth (1997) II iv: A subtle quean as any in this town.
1581		B. Riche Farewell to Military Profession (1992) 312: How canst thou, shameless quean, deny that.
1592		Greene Disputation Betweene a Hee and a Shee Conny-Catcher in Grosart (1881–3) X 173: This fellow he had heard to be one of the finest Nippers about the towne, and euer carried his queane with him.
1607		Middleton Trick to Catch the Old One III iv: Hold thy prating: I answer thee, thou art a beggar, a quean, and a bawd.
1617		J. Taylor ‘Iacke a Lent’ in Works (1869) I 117: Bawling queans that use to sell and buy.
1625		Massinger Unnatural Combat IV ii: A smart quean.
1635		T. Cranley (prisoner) Amanda or the Reformed Whore 23: Young bold-fac’t Queanes, and old fore-ridden Jades.
1640		H. Mill Nights Search letter by Chamberlain: There’s not a drunkard, filthy quean, or scum, That’s left unpunisht.
1655		‘Du Parc’ (trans.) Comical Hist. of Francion Bk i 8: Goe, Hussy, thou art the boldest quean in the World.
c.1660		‘Panche’ in Furnivall & Hales Bishop Percy’s Folio Manuscript of Loose and Humorous Songs (1868) 62: Quoth he, ‘thou drabb! thou filthy Queane!
1673		Holborn Drollery 36: Venus at him once did Rant, And like a scolding Quean did brawl.
1677		Behn Rover III ii: Blunt. [N]ow to Damning and Cursing,—but if that would ease me, where shall I begin? with my Fortune, my self, or the Quean that cozen’d me.
1682		Mennis & Smith et al. ‘Sawnies Neglect’ Wit and Drollery 321: Now he dotes on the Copper Lace / Of some leud Quean of London Town.
1697		M. Pix Innocent Mistress III ii: Ye lie, ye damned quean, he is here, ha, and his minion with him. Let me come at her!
1699		A great & famous scoldling-match 3: [Y]ou nasty Baudy foul-mouth’d Quean you.
1709		M. Pix Adventures in Madrid III i: Get you in ye sawcy Quean.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy I 255: The Quean my Wife will gad abroad, whilst I meet ev’ry where Derision.
1722		‘Whipping-Tom’ Extravagancy of a Lady’s Toilet II 54: If a Man marries a curs’d scolding Quean, he is wedded to the Devil.
1731		C. Coffey Devil to Pay I iii: Where is this Quean? – Here, Nell!
1737, 1759		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. n.p.: Quean a Whore, or Slut. A dirty Quean, a very Puzzel or Slut.
1768		Gentleman’s Bottle-Companion 63: Kissing queans, and then a whore, / Live the rakes of Maloe.
1777		Sheridan School For Scandal III iii: Here’s to the flaunting extravagant quean.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1787		A. Shirrefs Jamie and Bess II i: Gin ye’re wise ye will keep clear o’ Bess, / She is a sly and cunning quean.
c.1790		‘What a Beau your Granny was’ Luke Caffrey’s Gost 3: This little quain, with love inflam’d/ After we had a chearful glass; / She laugh’d to see a tool so tame, / Saying, what a Beau your Granny was.
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) II 332: A drunken ragged scolding quean / By a large circle of the boys / Pursued.
1806		A. Douglas ‘First day of Hairst’ Poems in Scot. Dialect 126: A gipsie quean cam’ to the place [...] She whisper’d, ‘Dear, I’m wae for you, I’ll put you to your bed.’ / Syne aff his coat an’ shoon she drew, / An’ took what cash he had.
1818		W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian (1883) 175: What did ye wi’ your wedding ring, ye little cutty quean, O?
1828		‘Humours of Glasgow Fair’ [broadsheet ballad] Now Willock had trysted wi’ Jennie, / For she was a braw canty Quean.
1832		D. Fenning Universal Spelling Book 54: Quean, a worthless woman.
1841		Flash (NY) 31 Oct. n.p.: Jane is a large, heavy Dutch-built quean.
1846		Bell’s Life in Sydney 18 July 2/6: The luckless Quean rewarded the exploit with a go of jackey and became elevated.
1859		G.A. Sala Twice Round the Clock 386: Go to, you naughty queans! [...] Go and mend you ways.
1863		G.A. Sala Strange Adventures of Captain Dangerous 243: A most frivolous Quean this, and I well rid of her.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 7: Quean - A strumpet. In Scotland, a low woman.
1896		A. Morse Earle Curious Punishments 16: In Scotland ‘flyting queans’ sat in ignominy in cucking-stools. Bessie Spens was admonished: London Quean.
c.1953		Babs Gonzales ‘Manhattan Fable’ 🎵 So, Eddie was off the scene, his jeans was clean, and he didn’t cop his quean.
1973		R. Todasco Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Dirty Words.
1985		‘Thommo’ Dict. Aus. Swearing & Sex Sayings 105: QUEAN — A bold impudent women of violent temper and speech, also a prostitute.

2. a (passive) homosexual.

1910		I.L. Pavia Jahrbuch für Sexuelle Zwischenstufen No. 11 41: Bitch, quean, mehr oder minder schmeichelhafte Bezeichnungen für homosexuelle Männer.
1933		(con. WWI) A.E. Strong in Partridge Sl. Today and Yesterday 287: Joe. He was a quean to look at, yet he produced.
1947		(con. 1944) J.H. Burns Gallery (1948) 137: I have a perfect armorplating against elderly queans.
1952		K. Williams Diaries 20 June 77: Drinks at a gay pub called ‘Fitzroy’ which really is the gayest pub I know. Charming. Full of sailors and queans with prying eyes and inquisitive nostrils — all searching for some new sensation.
1955		N. Pulliam I Travelled a Lonely Land (1957) 237/2: quean – a sissyfied or dandyfied man or a ‘homo’. [Ibid.] queanie – a softie.
1962		R. Cook Crust on its Uppers 33: Morries and aged queans beating each other black and blue.
1970		San Diego Sailor 69: One of those dessicated queans who keep themselves together with astringents and creams.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.
2002		M. Houlbrook Sun among Cities intro. 17: The quean’s difference lay in his womanlike character.
2019		P. Baker Fabulosa 296/2: queen, quean a gay man.

3. an afficionado of sado-masochism.

1962

R. Cook Crust on its Uppers 58: Malts, spades, bubbles and the queans that beat ‘er black an’ blue.

In derivatives

queanish (adj.) (also queenish)

promiscuous.

1620

Rowlands Night Raven 23: An ill Liver is my discontent, But none can help it better than my wife If she would seeke to mend her queenish life.

In compounds

quean’s dolly (n.)

(Polari) a gay man’s female friend, a fag-hag n.² (1)

2019

P. Baker Fabulosa 296/2: quean’s dolly a female friend of a gay man.

In phrases

quean up (v.) (also queen up)

(Aus.) to dress carefully, though not always effeminately; usu. in phr. all queaned up.

1941

Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.