blade n.
1. a man, prob. orig. one who carried an edged weapon.
(a) a gallant, a ‘sharp fellow’; cit. 1607 is a pun.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Northward Hoe II i: I haue knowne as tough blades as any are in England broke vpon a fetherbed. | |
| Wits V ii: Th’ old blade Skulks there like a tame filcher. | |
| Nights Search letter by Nabbs: This Subject handled by a Blade oth’ times, That knows to court his lasse in bawdy rimes. | |
| Author’s Prologue (trans.) Gargantua and Pantagruel I 1: [To] You thrice precious Pockified blades [...] I dedicate my writings. | |
| Virgil Travestie (1765) Bk I 16: This Blade, when first he heard the Sea ring, / Was pickling Pilchards. | |
| Whores Dialogue 7: Were it not for his [i.e. a civet-cat’s] sir reverence, I should have such a strong savor, that I suppose a Cobler would disdain to kiss me, much less such vaporing blades as come to our house with their faces muffled. | |
| Scoffer Scoff’d (1765) 206: I have been in my Days a Blade / At winning of a pretty Maid. | |
 | Dialogue between an Old Monkey and a Young Weazel 7: The Old Blade was so Critical upon his Examination, that he was judged Lunatick. | |
| Triumph of Wit 196: For all your duds are bing’d avast, the been Cove tips the Lour [For all your Clothes are stol’n I doubt, and shar’d amongst the Blades]. | |
| Compleat and Humorous Account of Remarkable Clubs (1756) 302: Come all ye merry Beaus and Blades, / Who love the charming Fiddle. | |
| Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 42: Which was a very unconscionable thing in him to abuse the Civility of those Blades who had the Conscience to take all he had from him. | |
| ‘Three Merry Butchers & Ten Highwaymen’ in Chap Book (1920) Sept. 10: She gave a squeaking cry / With that there came ten swaggering blades / With their Weapons ready drawn. | |
| Newcastle Courant 9 Apr. 1/2: One Woman, who at first said she knew some of the Blades, but she now denies it [...] So I suppose they have stopp’d her Mouth. | |
| Hist. of Jack Horner 11: Among the rest six jolly blades, Did with these crowders come. | |
![[Ire]](/static/img/flags/ire.png "Ireland") | ‘On the Spaw at Castle-connel’ in A. Carpenter Verse in Eng. in 18C Ireland (1998) 308: Empty blades, with addled heads. | |
| Midnight Spy 55: Observe that company of noisy blades. | |
| Midnight Rambler 12: Observe, said he, the smart blade [...] whipped into his buckish garb. | |
| Hants Chron. 7 Oct. 4/2: Mounseer shall powder, queue and club me. Gad, I’ll be a roaring blade. | |
| Willy Wood & Greedy Grizzle 6: But then our blade knew little of the lover’s trade. | |
| ‘Blarney’s Rambles’ in (1975) I 27: So young blades bold and free, take pattern by me. | |
| Guards 85: [T]here is a variety of blades, — polished blades, pointed blades, well-tempered blades, keen-edged or sharp-set blades, gentle blades, and peaceable blades, such as do for chimney-ornaments, or militia-musters; and we leave to the gallant Guards to select the denomination which best suits them. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Australian (Sydney) 11 July 4/2: Jack Kable swears he’ll ‘fight any thing alive’ for a purse of 500l.; and the Windsor ‘blades’ and his cousin ‘jarmins,’ are willing to post the ‘blunt’ instanter. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Ely’s Hawk and Buzzard (N.Y.) 21 June 1/3: Among these young pins is one who answers to the name of Robert, a fine looking young blade. | |
| Seymour’s Humourous Sketches (1866) 4: No more shooting in the grass, mind! [...] or ve shall have the blades upon us agin. | |
| Sixteen-String Jack 64: What a nobby out-an-out blade you must be to wake up the big wigs already. | |
| N.Y. Herald 27 Feb. 2/2: Broadway blades and Bowery Boys. | |
| ‘The London Fop’ Diprose’s Comic Song Book 61: I’m a different sort of blade, / I’m what folks call a fop. | |
| Hertford Mercury 22 July 2/7: You’ll have to look for Ministers, to fresh young blades like me. | |
| Hastings & St Leonards Obs. 18 Mar. 3/2: Alfred Waters, alias ‘Young Blade,’ was charged with stealing four partridges. | |
![[Scot]](/static/img/flags/sco.png "Scotland") | Dundee Courier 1 July 2/5: The daring young blade could not brook the idea of being refused admission and [...] he struck out with his fists. | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 24 Apr. 4/1: He’s a real learned blade. | |
| Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 18 Nov. 2/1: Peter Cooper, that roystering blade. | |
| Derby Dly Teleg. 1 Aug. 4/2: As defendant was rather ‘a gay young blade’, he advised him to try and be steadier in his conduct. | |
| Minor Dialogues 287: Two Youthful Blades enter. | |
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | Maori Maid 99: The ‘blade’ who comes a ‘mucker’ is a king beside the petty ‘welsher’. | |
| Boy’s Own Paper 1 Dec. 132: A [...] trusty blade will be at your service. | |
| Everlasting Mercy 44: That young blade from Worcester Walk / (You know how country people talk). | |
| Liverpool Dly Post 30 Apr. 6/4: Mr Crepton as a dashing young blade from Tralee. | |
| London Town 309: Whom he mollified by visiting all the ‘sporting drums and knowing blades’ in Cockneydom. | |
| (con. 1830s–60s ) All That Swagger 120: There are too many young blades in the running. | |
| Gloucester Citizen 19 Nov. 10/3: George Brent, a reckless young blade, carries on with the courtship. | |
| Kingsblood Royal (2001) 84: He saw a young blade in a zoot-suit. | |
| At Night All Cats Are Grey 171: I’ll hould you it was the young blade was round with the tally sheets. | |
| (con. WWII) Hollywoodland (1981) 52: ‘Why have you blades stopped coming?’ [Ibid.] 105: ‘I know you blades don’t get a fair shake.’. | |
| Decadence in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 32: You’re a blade all right / you make me weak at the knees. | |
| Indep. Rev. 23 June 4: Will it make the cut among the West End’s young blades? | |
| Indep. on Sun. Real Life 16 Jan. 3: This place is sheer heaven for [...] the blade about town. | |
| Metro (UK) 14 July 7/1: [pic. caption] Dashing young blade. |
(b) in combs., a style of a man, defined by the adj.
| ‘On Captain Hick’ in Merry Drollery Compleat (1875) 289: Now all you brave Blades leave your Shops & your trades. | |
| ‘An Allusion to Horace’ in Works (1999) 73: Dryden in vain tryd this nice way of Witt, / For he to be a tearing Blade thought fitt. | |
| ‘Jemmy & Anthony’ in Roxburghe Ballads (1885) V:1 169: Monmouth is a brave Lad, the like’s not in our City; / He is no tory Blade; (give ear unto my Ditty!). | |
| ‘The Sorrowful Citizen’ in Roxburghe Ballads (1891) VII:2 280: Why, do you imagine I will be afraid / Of such a coarse coxcombly Country Blade? | |
| Squire of Alsatia IV i: He is a Ranting Blade, a Royster of the Town. | |
| ‘Sot’s Paradise’ in Writings (1704) 31: A Dapper Blade was Squeez’d among the rest / Who would have made each Word he spoke a Jest. | |
| Humours of Oxford I i: These keen-set Oxford Blades will scramble for a fresh Country Girl. | |
| Newcastle Jrnl 27 Dec. 4/1: Ye Buffer boys and varmint blades, / Vot follows up no rig’lar trades. | |
| Polite Conversation 78: One of your finical London Blades dined with me last Year in Derbyshire. | |
| ‘The Maiden’s Choice’ in I (1975) 167: They are merry lads O they are wanton blades. | |
| ‘It Was I’ in Roxburghe Ballads (1891) VII:2 537: Not far from town, a country Squire, an open hearted blade, / Had long confess’d a strong desire to kiss the Chamber-maid. | |
| AEnigmatical Repository 35: Augustus ask’d a blust’ring blade, / Whose forehead bore a wound, / If he did not receive the scar / In flight, by looking round. | |
| ‘The Flying Highwayman’ in I (1975) 103: Come all ye bold and swaggering blades / That go in search of plunder. | |
| ‘A London Ken-cracking Song’ Confessions of Thomas Mount 20: There was Franc Finis, a hearty blade. | |
| ‘The Rakes of Stony Batter’ in (1975) I 223: Come all you roving blades, that ramble thro the City. | |
| (trans.) Adventures of Gil Blas (1822) I 260: These four jolly blades began with such hearty salutations, as if they had not met for these ten years. | |
| ‘Macbeth’ in Smith Rejected Addresses 112: I’m not fond of these jokes: / This must be some blade of the brain. | |
| Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 33: Last Friday night a bang-up set / Of milling blades at BELCHER’S met. | |
| ‘The Sprees of Tom, Jerry & Logick’ in James Catnach (1878) 124: A Fancy blade he then became, and his courage ran so high / That in his room, he floor’d his groom, and black’d his valet’s eye. | |
| Coal Hole Companion in (1979) 92: The fishmonger’s a frisky blade. | |
| Era (London) 21 Jan. 11/3: Two rough-and-ready blades, natural gluttons. | |
| Paved with Gold 224: The dashing young blades were in ripe spirits for the fun of the road. | |
| ‘When I was down to Sweeny’s’ Fred Shaw’s Champion Comic Melodist 13: My mother always said to me, / I was a cunning blade. | |
| Tag, Rag & Co. 37: They were sharp blades, these instruments of the law of a past generation. | |
| Chronicles of Newgate 206: Every roaring blade disdained all heeltaps. | |
| (con. 1835–40) Bold Bendigo 22: So you would become one of the milling blades? |
2. in lit. and fig. uses of an edged weapon.
(a) the penis.
| Wit at several Weapons III i: The onely cutter about Ladies honors? And his blade soonest out? | |
| Ram-Alley V i: Giue me that lustie lad, That wins his widdow with his well-drawne blade. | |
| Covent-Garden Weeded IV i: To all the Brothers and Sisters of ... The Blade and the Scabberd. | |
| Parliament of Ladies 8: Much good councell was given them to agree, and unite against the common enemy, their Husbands, and it was at length ordered that these should be reconciled, and Tom Temple to put in his blade. | |
| Wits Interpreter 269: Here six foot deep in his fast sleep / The Lord of Lampasse lyes, / Who his end made with his own blade, / Betwixt his Mistris thighs; / If through that hole to heaven he stole. | |
| A Strange & True Conference 3: I come here [...] onely for Drawing a Sword-cutlers blade out of his belly, and putting it in my own . | |
| ‘Mourning Conquest’ Pepys Ballads (1987) III 139: The stoutest heart that ever drew, is sometimes forced to yield, / And so put up his Blade again, there sadly for to hing. | |
| Sl. and Its Analogues. | |
| Maledicta IV:2 (Winter) 194: Weaponry is particularly well represented […] blade, broadsword, blade, bilbo, fox, falchion, etc. |
(b) (US) any knife, esp. a switchblade; also attrib.
| ‘Bully of the Town’ 🎵 Took along my trusty blade to carve that fella’s bones. | |
| Treat ’Em Rough 28: He has always got a knife hid on him somewheres and his first name is Nick so they call him Nick the Blade. | |
| ‘The Chatter of Guns’ in Sat. Eve. Post 13 April; list extracted in AS VI:2 (1930) 131: blade, n. Knife or razor. | |
| God Sends Sun. 35: Jes’ keep yo’ blade in your pocket, if you please. | |
| ‘One More Way to Die’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 376: I didn’t have my blade so I just said, ‘Here, you can have some of what I got’. | |
| in Bristol Eve. Post 27 Nov. in Norman’s London (1969) 43: I got into a fight with some geezer, and he striped me down the boat with a blade. | |
| (con. 1953–7) Violent Gang (1967) 86: We figured he had a blade on him, too. | |
| Blind Man with a Pistol (1971) 140: Three more blades glinted in the night. | |
| Family Arsenal 224: He was going to slip him a blade. | |
| Little Legs 147: I had to use a blade. | |
| It Was An Accident 233: We already decided no blades though unless it got necessary. | |
| Layer Cake 153: Where did the blade come from? | |
| Eve. Standard 4 July 8/4: ‘If you wanna understand blade culture, you got to get into the head of how people on road think’. |
3. a person who is ‘sharp’.
(a) (Scot./US) one’s wife, usu. old blade, or girlfriend.
| ‘A Word-List From Virginia’ in DN IV:iii 181: blade, n. Wife. ‘My old blade’s been sick now goin’ on a week.’. | |
| (con. 1920s) No Mean City 54: That old blade of mine, Mary Hay [...] Ah’m finished wi’ the Mary Hay lassie. |
(b) (Ulster) a showily or bizarrely dressed woman.
| All of Us There 113: Any other young woman wearing a hat, or any other garment not considered suitable, is [...] called a ‘blade’ or ‘tackle’. |
(c) (Ulster) a cantankerous, verbally abusive woman.
| Concise Ulster Dict. |
(d) an expert, a connoisseur, a wise man or one posing as such.
| Pugilist at Rest 141: It’s not a bad job. I’m the best trauma ‘blade’ in the city. |
4. (US black) a Cadillac.
| Urban Black Argot 133: a Blade i. a Cadillac, particularly a Coup de Ville or Fleetwood ii. any large, late model car. | |
| Runnin’ Down Some Lines 229: blade 1. Cadillac, often associated with a Coupe de Ville or Fleetwood. |
5. (US) of a pimp, to take his ‘stable’ of sex workers to towns or cities where they are most likely to attract lucrative clients .
| (ed.) Combating Human Trafficking 132: By advertising in diffrent cities and booking in advance, a pimp can take a stable of prostitutes on a tour of lurcative locations. [...] This model of prostitution is often referred to as ‘the blade’, and the participants are said to be ‘on the blade’ or ‘working the blade’. |
6. (S.Afr. gay) a young homosexual male.
![[SA]](/static/img/flags/sa.png "South Africa") | Gayle. |
7. (US black) in pl., a type of wheel rims, used on a customized automobile.
| ‘Choppin’ Blades’ 🎵 So long as J’s sell, and them boppin’ hoes slut / I’ll be ridin’ chromin’ blades. |