Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a prisoner, a former prison inmate.

1603		Davies of Hereford Sonnet to the Lady Rich 99: Thine Action speaking passion made [...] thee subject to a Iaile’s controule. But, such a Iaile-birde heauenly Nightingale.
1627		Hist. of Edward II (1680) 146: It is the Piety and the true Valour of an Army, which gives them Heart and Victory; which how it can be expected out of Ruffians and Goal-birds [sic], that are the scum of the Commonwealth, I leave to your consideration.
1628		J. Earle ‘A Vulgar-spirited Man’ Micro-Cosmographie No. 39: That thinke the Prison and want a Iudgement for some sin, and neuer like well hereafter of a Iayle-bird.
1632		Massinger City-Madam I i: I sent the prison-bird this morning for em.
1657		T. Jordan Walks of Islington and Hogsdon IV ii: Constable Lazy and Chamberlain Jaylbird.
1688		T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia I i: The Rogue spoke a particular language which such Rogues have made to themselves, call’d Canting, as Beggars, Gipsies, Thieves, and Jayl-Birds do.
1694		J. Eachard (trans.) Plautus’s Amphitryon I i: D’ye bawl, Jail-bird?
1697		Cibber Woman’s Wit I i: Hey! where abouts are you? Soho! Goal-bird! [sic].
1701		Defoe True Born Englishman in Works (1908) 276: In print my panegyric fills the street, And hired gaol-birds their huzzas repeat.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: Jayl-birds, Prisoners.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. 1725].
1740		R. North Examen 256: His first Employment was to lay one Strode, his Fellow Gaol-Bird, asleep, by Virtue of a Potion.
1751		Smollett Peregrine Pickle (1964) 768: She bestowed upon him the epithets of spendthrift, jailbird, and unnatural ruffian.
1762		Smollett Sir Launcelot Greaves II 181: My husband, though he is become a blackguard jail-bird, must be allowed to be a handsome fellow still.
1786		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Bozzy and Piozzi’ Works (1794) I 349: Sleep [...] Op’d wide the mouth that oft on jail-birds swore.
1819		‘One of the Fancy’ Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 77: Thus a new set of darbies, when first they are worn, / Makes the Jail-bird uneasy, though splendid their ray.
1821		W. Scott Kenilworth I 49: Why, thou gallows-bird – thou jail rat – thou friend for the hangman.
1821		‘A Real Paddy’ Real Life in Ireland 222: It was Lady Demiquaver who rallied Brian upon being a Gaol Bird.
1825		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 29 May 142/2: That most unfortunate ‘jail bird,’ Mary Ann Pearce, alias Lady Barrymore, was on Tuesday charged [...] with being drunk and disorderly.
1836		D. Crockett Exploits and Adventures (1934) 228: They are convicts, jail birds, and cowardly ruffians.
1838		D. Jerrold Men of Character I 157: I’ll work no more for gaol-birds. Damn me! I’m a gentleman.
1842		Wkly Rake (NY) 18 June n.p.: wants to know [...] If H.E. (not W.F.) is actually run of [sic] the track by the jail bird?
1848		W.E. Burton Waggeries and Vagaries 187: The marriage was of course broken off. His intended declined a connection with a jail bird.
1850		‘Ned Buntline’ G’hals of N.Y. 201: The young jail-bird tossed off another bumper of red-eye.
1856		C. Reade It Is Never Too Late to Mend 1 194: The gaol-birds who piped this tune were [...] the desperate cases of this moral hospital.
1863		T. Taylor Ticket-Of-Leave Man Act III: I know you for a jail-bird.
1865		G.A. Sala My Diary in America II 374: Laying springs for gaol-birds has become quite a popular profession.
1873		E. Eggleston Mystery of Metropolisville 244: O! if I wuz a jail-bird, / With feathers like a crow.
1874		J. Greenwood Wilds of London (1881) 242: To return, however, to my uncaged gaol-birds.
1885		M. Davitt Leaves from a Prison Diary I 5: Trading upon it [i.e. blackmail] becomes the rôle which these superannuated jailbirds play.
1886		M.E. Braddon Mohawks III 125: Here you are too near to Newgate and the Compter. The foul odours of the gaol-birds are blown in at your windows.
1894		H. Lawson ‘The Lost Souls’ Hotel’ in Roderick (1972) 153: The Lost Souls’ Hotel would be a refuge for men who’d been jail-birds once.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 31: Gaol Birds, habitual criminals.
1900		Marvel 6 June 3: Gaolbird or no [...] I’m the only witness of what took place here.
1901		H. Lawson ‘Lord Douglas’ in Roderick (1972) 497: We’re all jailbirds at heart, only we haven’t all got the pluck.
1910		Marvel 22 Jan. 3: Then he looked at my shabby gaol-bird of a companion.
1912		Truth (Wellington) 6 Apr. 6/1: Frederick, a mild-featured gaol-bird.
1919		F. Hurst ‘A Petal on the Current’ Humoresque 114: Ye hussy! Jailbird!
1924		S. Scott Human Side of Crook and Convict Life 219: The regular ‘gaol-bird,’ who comes back and back on rather unintelligent petty offences — is far the most usual type in Holloway.
1925		D.B. Heyward Porgy (1945) 52: I gots aberry perlite goat hyuh wut objec’ tuh de smell ob de jail-bird.
1932		(con. 1919) Dos Passos Nineteen Nineteen in USA (1966) 393: Dodgast it, he was tired of being treated like a jailbird.
1936		J. Curtis Gilt Kid 15: It was a grave mistake to hum songs that had gone so completely out of fashion. It as good as told the world that he was a gaol-bird.
1941		V. Davis Phenomena in Crime 89: All of them were [...] ex-jail birds.
1957		Lieber & Stoller ‘Jailhouse Rock’ 🎵 Number forty-seven said to number three: You’re the cutest jailbird I ever did see.
1967		(con. 1920s) J. Thompson South of Heaven (1994) 3: The men had been drifting in [...] jailbirds, mission stiffs, hoboes.
1968		(con. 1940s) G. Dutton Andy 62: You miserable gaol rat.
1978		R. Caron Go-Boy! 78: I guess you should know, being a jailbird and all.
1981		A. Weller Day of the Dog 68: Most likely ’e’ll turn out like me. Fuckin’ jailbird, or what?
1993		T. Jones Pugilist at Rest 32: Phoenix had sent us jailbirds before, but never a guy who had just been popped from death row.
2000		Indep. 10 Jan. 18: A volume of confessions by the Sheppey jailbird might well be a popular seller.
2010		K. Richards Life 440: For some reason all my close friends have been jailbirds at one time.
2021		S.A. Crosby Razorblade Tears 28: My father was a jailbird.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1859		G.A. Sala Twice Round the Clock 20: A dreadful jail-bird odour ascends from the ill-favoured auditory.
1920		F. Packard White Moll 85: Hayden-Bond of course grants his prison-bird chauffeur’s request to spend the night with his mother.
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 10: I got my first lesson in jailbird humor.
1976		R.M. Kavanagh Survival in Kavanagh S. Afr. People’s Plays (1981) 155: One more hour of guided tour in Jailbird Land / where taking notes and photographs and tapes is banned.
1983		V. Bloom ‘Recommendation’ Touch Mi, Tell Mi 38: Yuh wutless dis like yuh jail-bud fada.