Green’s Dictionary of Slang

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The Belman of London choose

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[UK] Dekker Belman of London D2: Of all the mad rascalls (that are of this wing) the Abraham-man is the moft phantastick: The fellow (quoth this old Lady of the Lake vnto me) that sat halfe naked (at table to day) from the girdle vpward, is the best Abraham-man that ever came to my house & the notablest villaine: he sweares he hath bin in Bedlam, and will talke frantickly of purpose; you see pinnes stuck in sundry places of his naked flesh, especially in his armes, which paine hee gladly puts himselfe to (beeing indeede no torment at all, his skin is either so dead, with some fowle disease, or so hardened with weather) onely to make you beleeue he is out of his wits: he calls himselfe by the name of Poore Tom, and comming neere any body, cryes out, Poore Tom is cold.
at abraham-man, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London C1: Then haue we Anglers, but they seldome catch fish, till they go vp west-ward for Flounders. [Ibid.] C4: An Angler is a lymb of an Vprightman, as beeing deriued from him: their apparell in which they walke is commonly frieze Jerkins and gaily Slops. [...] The Rod they angle with is a staffe of fiue or six foote [...] and with the same doe they angle at windowes about midnight; the draught they pluck up being apparell, sheetes, couerlets, or whatsoever their yron hookes can lay hold of.
at angler, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London H1: The base Applesquire and his yong mistres, laughing to see what a woodcocke they puld, and sharing the feathers betweene them.
at apple squire (n.) under apple, n.1
[UK] Dekker Belman of London D4: An Autem Mort, is a woman married, (for Autem in the Beggers language is a Church): these Morts seldome keepe with their husbands, but are from them sometimes a moneth or two, yet neuer walke they without a man in their company, and boyes and girles at their heeles of ten or twelue yeares old, whom they imploy at windowes of houses in the night time, or earely in the mornings, to pilfer away any thing that is worth the carying away.
at autem mort (n.) under autem, adj.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London F3: In this Law they which play booty are the Banckers.
at banker, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London F2: He that comes in, and before counterfeited the drunken Barnard is now sober and called the Barnacle.
at barnacle, n.1
[UK] Dekker Belman of London F: Maintaining themselues onely by the cozenage they vse in Carde-playing: which kind of play of theirs, they call The Barnards Law.
at barnard’s law (n.) under barnard, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London F1: The Barnard is the chiefe Player, for hee counterfeites many parts in one, and is now a drunken man, anon in another humour, and shifts himself into so many shapes, only to blind the Cozen.
at barnard, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London G3: A Batfowler walkes vp and downe the streetes, and counterfeits that hee hath let fall a Ring, a Iewell, or a peece of gold, requesting some Prentice, (when there is but one in the shop) to lend him his candle a while, to find his losses.
at bat-fowler, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London F2: Sometimes likewise this Card-cheating [...] is called Batt fowling, and then the Setter is the Beater, the foole that is caught in the net, the bird.
at bat-fowling, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London [as cit. c.1566].
at bawdy-basket (n.) under bawdy, adj.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London F2: Sometimes likewise this Card-cheating [...] is called Batt fowling, and then the Setter is the Beater, the foole that is caught in the net, the bird.
at beater, n.1
[UK] Dekker Belman of London C1: Next are Wilde Rogues, [...] then Tom of Bedlams band of madcaps, otherwise called Poore Toms Flocke of Wilde-geese.
at Tom of Bedlam, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London (3rd) B4: Bene lightmans to thy quarrones: in what lipken hast thous lipped in this darkmans? whether in a libbege, or in the Strummell?
at lib-beg, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London (3rd edn) J4: A bene Mort, hereby at the sign of the Prauncer.
at bene mort (n.) under bene, adj.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London (3rd) J3: I will lage it off with a gage of bene bowse.
at bene bouse (n.) under bene, adj.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London (3rd) J4: Bowse there a board & thou shalt haue benship.
at beneship, adj.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London D3: The second Bird of this fether is a Dell, and that is a yong wench, ripe for the Act of generation.
at bird, n.1
[UK] Dekker Belman of London E4: Before he play what store of Bit, he hath in his Bay, that is what money he hath in his purse, and whether it be in great Cogges or small that is, in gold or silver.
at bit, n.1
[UK] Dekker Belman of London B3: As yet I saw no body but this Band of the Black Guard.
at blackguard, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London n.p.: They seeke out some blinde victualing house, or Cookes house, without the barres, whose Host (if it be possible) is either an asse easie to be ridden, or else a common drunkard.
at blind alehouse (n.) under blind, adj.1
[UK] Dekker Belman of London H1: He that pickes the Pocket is called a Foyst. He that faceth the man is the Stale. The spying of this villanie, is called Smoaking or Boiling. [Ibid.] H3: If the Nip denie Snappage the Cloyer forthwith Boyles him, that is bewrayes him, or seaseth on his cloake.
at boil, v.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London H2: Some of these Boot-halers, are called Termers, and they plie Westminster Hall.
at boot-haler, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London F3: In this Law they which play booty are the Banckers.
at play booty (v.) under booty, n.1
[UK] Dekker The Belman of London (3rd) J4: Bowse there a board & thou shalt haue benship.
at bord, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman’s Second Nights Walk B3: For the bene bowse my watch hath a win.
at bouse, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London (3rd) C3: To the Bowsin Ken (that was to say the Tap-house) and there to pawne it [his best garment] for so much strong Ale, as could be ventur’d vpon it.
at bousing-ken, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London E3: The Names of false Dyce [...] A Bale of Bristles.
at bristles, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London H1: He that cuts the Purse is called the Nip. [...] The knife is called a Cuttle-bung.
at cuttle-bung, n.
[UK] Dekker Belman of London H1: The purse is the Bung. The money the Shelles.
at bung, n.1
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