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Green’s Dictionary of Slang

cardinal n.¹

[ref. to a cardinal’s cloak, which is red]

1. a lady’s cloak.

1755		Connoisseur No. 62 n.p.: That fashionable cloak... which indeed is with great propriety styled the cardinal [F&H].
c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Cardinal. A cloak in fashion about the year 1760.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn) n.p.:
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang.
1842		Cork Examiner 8 June 3/4: The Newesrt Designs for June in Cardinal Capes, Paisley Shawls.
1845		Wilts. Indep. 9 Oct. 2/2: [advert] Charles Roach Announces his Return from London with an entire new and fashionable Stock [...] Muffs, Boas, Victorines, Cardinals, etc.
1848		Bartlett Dict. Americanisms.
1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1881		Besant & Rice Chap. of the Fleet Pt I Ch. 4: In the windows of which were hoods, cardinals, sashes, pinners, and shawls [F&H].

2. mulled red wine.

1861		T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxford (1880) 171: He goes up, and finds [...] tankards full of egg-flip and cardinal.
1873		Sl. Dict.

In phrases

the cardinal is at home (also the cardinal is come)

a euph. phr. used to indicate that a woman is menstruating.

c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: The Cardinal is come; see The Captain, &c [i.e. ‘The Captain is come The catamenia are come down’].
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd edn, 3rd edn) .
1980		Maledicta IV:2 (Winter) 197: Or she may permit a bit of bazooka (= all but), refraining from sexual intercourse because the flag is up, indicating that the [...] cardinal is home.