Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also aproniere) a Roundhead.

1659

J. Gauden Tears, Sighs, etc. of the Church of England Bk II 238: Presently he is scared with the menaces of some proling Sequestrator, or some surly Aproniere.

2. a shopkeeper.

1690

in D’Urfey Collin’s Walk canto 3 107: But every sturdy aproneer, arm’d with battoon, did straight appear.

a publican; one who serves alcohol.

1607		Shakespeare Coriolanus IV vi: You have made good work, You and your apron men.
1611		Chapman May-Day II iii: quint.: ’Sfoot, we have no wine here methinks, where’s this aperner? drawer: Here, sir.
1637		Dekker Canters Dict. Eng. Villainies (8th edn) n.p.: Aproner.
1658		J. Cleveland Rustick Rampant 43: A medley of huddle of Botchers, Coblers [...] Apron-men and Plough-joggers domineering in the Kings Palace.
c.1670		‘Englands Joy’ in Euing Broadside Ballads No. 99: The broken Cits no more shall lick their Chops, / They’l turn agen Blue apron’d men.

a bishop, a dean.

[1862		Notts. Guardian 30 May 4/4: The gravity of the Japanese Ambassadors was fairly upset by the apron and gaiters of a Bishop, the other day].
1910		Bulletin (Sydney) 29 Sept. 36/2: The members of the counterjumping profession of Queensland will keep a kind thought for the departed Gaiters, Bishop Dawes.
1913		in A.H. Dawson Dict. of Sl. in DSUE (1984).

a man who is seen as involving himself excessively in his wife’s business.

1611

Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle III ii: I cannot abide these apron husbands; such cotqueanes!

a lay preacher.

a.1661

‘A Letany for the New-year’ in Rump Poems and Songs (1662) II 94: From all and more than I have written here, / I wish you well protected [...] From Apron Preachers, and extempore Prayers.

a labourer, an artisan.

c.1642

T. Killigrew Parson’s Wedding (1664) I i: When the city ran mad after their Russet Levites, Apron-rogues with horn hands.

a pimp.

1593		Nashe Christ’s Teares in Works IV (1883–4) 240: They will crouch cap in hande, play the Brokers, Baudes, Apron-squires, Pandars, or any thing.
1636		W. Davenant Platonic Lovers IV i: We us’d to call A dozen apron squires t’uncloath the husband.
1896		Farmer Vocabula Amatoria (1966) 77: Coquardeau, m. An apron-squire.

see separate entry.

pregnant.

1793		‘Logan Water’ in Burns Merry Muses of Caledonia (1965) 129: I wad a bang’d her belly fu’; / Her belly fu’ and her apron up.
1937–84		Partridge DSUE (1984) 24/1: C.19.

porter.

1880		Manchester Courier 1 Mar. 3/6: [T]he charge is [...] a glass of ale (brewer's apron washings) 2½d., spirits (a vile compound honoured by the name of rot gut) 5d. per glass.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1926		Sussex Agric. Exp. 11 June 9/7: Imagine their being able to get quart of good malt and hop beer for 4d.. and on very hot summer’s day in the hayfield a quart of twopenny, commonly called ‘apron washings’.

a tradesman; also attrib.

1642		J. Taylor St Hillarie’s Teares 8: When they shall please to declare that in the title of Puritane, they never entended, blew-apron preachers, Brownist, or Anabaptist.
[1662		Woolnoth ‘Coffee-Scuffle’ in Ebsworth Roxburghe Ballads (1885) V:1 171: For hither resort a throng of each sort, / Some clad in blew-aprons, and some sattin].
[1701		N. Ward ‘Battel without Bloodshed’ in Writings (1704) 113: Then Vintners and Vict’lars, the chief of their Leaders, / Must cover their Horns with their Beavers and Feathers, / Relinquish Blew-Aprons, to put on Blew-Coats].
a.1704		T. Brown London and Lacedemonian Oracles in Works (1760) III 292: The silly and trifling queries of the blue and green apron-men.
c.1707		‘The Long Vacation’ in Farmer Merry Songs and Ballads (1897) IV 140: But you Blue-Apron Tribe, / Let this caution prevail.
1721, 1726		N. Amhurst Terræ-Filius (2004) No. XLIII 320: For if any saucy blue apron dares to affront any venerable person [...] all scholars are immediately forbid to have any dealings or commerce with him.
1824		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 28 Nov. 349/3: [of a butcher] A blade of the blue apron tribe, who had come by the marrow-bone stage.
1868		Brewer Dict. of Phrase and Fable 98: A blue-apron statesman, a lay politician, a tradesman who interferes with the affairs of the nation. The reference is to the blue apron once worn by nearly all tradesmen, but now restricted to butchers, poulterers, fishmongers, and so on .

a lay preacher; also attrib.

1654		Warren Unbelievers 145: It more befits a green-apron preacher than such a Gamaliel .
a.1704		N. Ward ‘The Rise and Fall of Madam Coming-Sir’ in Writings (1704) 399: This Green Apron, Demure Rachel, a Famous Lady of this Town, Pick’d up a Presbyterian Parson, and Pox’d him.
1751		W. Kenrick Falstaff’s Wedding (1766) I i: The green-apron’d rascals [...] had well nigh made an end of me.
1765		A. Tucker Light of Nature II 451: The gifted priestess among the Quakers is known by her green apron [F&H].
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.

1. usu. used derog., a nugatory amount of drink, but enough to intoxicate a light drinker; also as v.; thus extrapolation in cit. 1922.

1906		Hull Dly Mail 25 Sept. 3/5: [O]ne whom he may like to know would be described in Hull as ‘the young man who has had a sniff of the barman's apron’ .
1913		Sport (Adelaide) 20 Dec. 7/2: Did you have a smell of the whisky bottle, or did the barmaid swipe you with the towel, Dick?
1914		Sport (Adelaide) 21 Feb. 10/1: East Moonta young Boosers on the warpath again Saturday night, opening the hotel bar doors and taking a sniff — got knocked out.
1922		‘J.H. Ross’ Mint (1955) 55: The barman only shook his bloody apron at him, and he went arse-ways on the fucking floor.
1937		Sunderland Dly Echo 4 Oct. 5/3: ‘I must admit there was a lot of singing from a few [...] and these had obviously smelt a passing barman’s apron’.
1956		Aberdeen Eve. Exp. 19 Jan. 4/6: [H]e went out like a light, and came to again eventually in Woolmanhill outpatients’ department. ‘Might have been the sme'.l of the barman’s apron,’ he joked.
1963		A. Burgess Inside Mr Enderby in Complete Enderby (2002) 65: Been smelling the barmaid’s apron, that’s your trouble.
1964		Birmingham Dly Post 13 Jan. 14/5: [G]ive them a couple of wine gums and a sniff of the barmaid’s apron and they're a menace.
1980		J. McClure Spike Island (1981) 229: They tend to be young men with a whiff of the barmaid’s apron, and they go over the top and just make a bloody nuisance of themselves.
1984		Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 1096: smell of the barman’s apron, he’s had [...] since ca. 1920 [...] for smell, sniff is occ. substituted [...] and for barman, barmaid.

2. in fig. use of sense 1, a minuscule amount.

1929

Grantham Jrnl 6 July 11/3: I may add, landlord, I mean your Worship, ’ow I ain’t ’ad much as sniff of a barmaid’s apron from ’em.

to be out of work.

1909

J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

a prostitute; also attrib.

1598		J. Hall Virgidemiarum (1599) Bk IV 53: On midnight plaies, or tauerns of new wine, Hy ye white Aprons to your land-lords signe.
1656		L. Price Here’s Jack in the Box 11: Here are gallant fine white Holland Smocks, and Aprons white, whosoever weares of those Aprons, will be taken for some loose bodyed Gentlewoman [...] it [i.e. the fashion] was hatcht in Naples, brought foorth at Rome, taken up by a Nun, and made use of by a Fryer: and now is come to be a common Fashion worn by some of them that use the common Trade here in England.
[1661		‘Peter Aretine’ Strange Newes 5: Bess. We sustained by his losse 5 pound advantage [...] besides silk Gowns, Smock petty-Coats and White-Aprons].
1699		N. Ward London Spy VII 174: A couple of most Tolerable Punks, whose Silken Temptations, and more Modest Deportment, gave them a Just Title to a higher price than the White-Apron Bangtails, who were sweating in the crowd.
1705–07		N. Ward Hudibras Redivivus II:3 6: White-Apron Whores in home-spun Dresses.
1709		N. Ward Compleat and Humorous Account of Remarkable Clubs (1756) 271: Thence turn Fleet-street Stroler in a Sarsnet-Hood and White Apron, only a fit Mistress for a Water-Lane Pick-pocket.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy V 70: No Night-walker presume to go without a White Apron and Handkerchief, the better to be seen.
1723		‘Panegyrick upon Condums’ in Cabinet of Love (1739) 224: Alley’s dark Recess, or open Street Known by white Apron, bart’ring Love with Cit ... at cheapest Rate.
1734		Pope Sober Advice from Horace line 38: One is fired by Heads, and one by Tails [...] And others hunt white Aprons in the Mall.
1741		W. Kennett ‘Armour’ in Potent Ally 1: All ye Nymphs [...] Known by White-apron, bart’ring Love with Cit.