Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a fool, a simpleton [abbr. sammy (soft) n.].

a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795) n.p.: sam a foolish empty fellow.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1827		Commercial Advertiser (N.Y.) 1 Feb. 2/3: On Saturday night five Corinthians sallied from the Lafayette Theatre, determined in true ‘Tom and Jerry’ style, to have a ‘swell.’ [...] Two of the party were Hick Sams; two prime twig kiddies, . . . and one an honorable broker.
1833		‘Her Muns with a Grin’ in Swell!!! or, Slap-Up Chaunter 50: A cut from the trine — or milldolling line — / Or a Sam darkly met.
1843		W.T. Moncrieff Scamps of London II i: I’m a ruined homo, a muff, a flat, a sam, a regular ass.
1852		Kendal Mercury 14 Feb. 3/3: However heavily they ‘throw the hatchet,’* (note *Telling a monstrous lie) every ‘Sam tumbles to the dodge’ (every clown perceives the imposture.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1888		S.O. Addy Sheffield Gloss. 199: Sam, the butt or fool of a party.

2. a familiar nickname/generic term used to address black men [Old Black Sam or sambo n.¹ (1)].

1825		Morn. Chron. (London) 9 Dec. 2/1: Negro Sam says that ‘his mistress is very bad; that the work is daily increased’.
1838		Morn. Advertiser (London) 17 Apr. 3/3: The plot of ‘The Negro of Wapping’ [...] is very simple. Black Sam, a negro , [...] attempts to rob an aged miser.
1856		Windsor & Eton Exp. 19 July 1/3: ‘Cheer up, Sam’ (Negro Melody).
1867		W.H. Dixon New America II 13: Sam—all negroes there are Sams—may be a Methodist [DA].
1883		Southern Standard (McMinnville, TN) 24 Nov. 2/1: All payed her makrfed attention, from rich Mr Watts [...] to negro Sam, the sweep.
1893		Sedalia Wkly Bazoo (MO) 7 Feb. 5/1: Frances owned a negro man named Sam.
1907		W.M. Raine Bucky O’Connor (1910) 13: ‘The nigger must have been in my way as I climbed into the car. Took the kink out of his hair, you say? Here Sam!’ He tossed a bill [...] ‘Do you reckon this is big enough to plaster your injured feelings, boy?’.
1928		R. Fisher Walls Of Jericho 297: Synonyms of Negro [...] : Sam, shade, shine.
1939		R. Ellison ‘Harlem’ 4: All the white folksll be killing off one another. And I hope they do a good job! Then there wont be nobody left but Sam.
1964		L. Nkosi Rhythm of Violence I i: Black Sams! Why don’t they do something so we can handle this once and for all!
1972		K. Johnson ‘Vocab. of Race’ in Kochman Rappin’ and Stylin’ Out 148: Sam. A common name of black males, it is used to refer to any black male.

3. (US black) a black man who willingly conforms to white stereotyping.

1932		N. Williams in Memphis World 5 Aug. 6: ‘Don’t laugh at Mr. Big Sam’.
1938		N.E. Eliason ‘Some Negro Terms’ in AS XIII:2 152/1: Sam: a Negro who demeans himself to secure favor from white people.
1972		N. Heard To Reach a Dream n.p.: Scorn the can / learn flimflam / down the man / never be a Sam.

4. a generic used when the proper name has been forgotten, esp. of women.

1952

J. Jones From Here to Eternity (1998) 239: It was bad, sam, bad. But I stayed there.

5. see sarmie n.