3. (military.)—The Royal Horse Guards Blue are popularly so known from
the blue facings on the scarlet uniform. The corps first obtained the
name of ‘Oxford Blues’ in 1690, to distinguish it from a Dutch regiment
of Horse Guards dressed in blue, commanded by the Earl of Portland, the
former being commanded by the Earl of Oxford. Subsequently the regiment
was, during the campaign in Flanders [1742–45], known as the ‘Blue
Guards.’
Blue Skin, subs. (old).—1. Formerly a contemptuous term for a
Presbyterian. Butler, in Hudibras [I., p. 26], says:—
‘’twas Presbyterian true blue,
For he was of the stubborn crew
Of errant saints, whom all men grant
To be the true Church Militant.’
Blue is still the Presbyterian colour, and is used as an adjective by
them in describing books and people.
2. (West Indian.)—A half-breed—the child of a black woman by a white
man.
Blue Squadron, subs. (colonial).—One of mixed blood; properly one with
a Hindoo strain. Eurasians belong to the blue squadron. Cf., Touch of
the tar brush.
Blue Stocking, subs.—A literary lady: applied usually with the
imputation of pedantry. The generally received explanation is that the
term is derived from the name given to certain meetings held by ladies
in the days of Dr. Johnson for conversation with distinguished literary
men. One of the most eminent of these literati was a Mr. Benjamin
Stillingfleet, who always wore blue stockings, and whose conversation
at these meetings was so much prized, that his absence at any time was
felt to be a great loss, so that the remark became common, ‘We can do
nothing without the blue stockings,’ hence these meetings were
sportively called blue-stocking clubs, and the ladies who attended them
blue-stockings. It is stated that the name specially arose in this way.
A foreigner of rank refused to accompany a friend to one of these
parties on the plea of being in his travelling costume, to which there
was the reply, ‘Oh! we never mind dress on these occasions; you may
come in bas bleus or blue stockings,’ with allusion to Stillingfleet’s
stockings, when the foreigner, fancying that bas bleus were part of the
necessary costume, called the meeting ever after the Bas-bleu Society.
In modern slang the term blue-stocking is abbreviated into blue.
Derivatives are blue-stockingism, blue-stockinger, etc.
b. 1738, d. 1819. Wolcot (‘P. Pindar’), Benevolent Epistle, in wks.
(Dublin, 1795), vol. II., p. 125.
I see the band of blue-stockings arise,
Historic, critic, and poetic dames!
1780. Mad. D’Arblay, Diary, i., 326. Who would not be a
blue-stockinger at this rate?
1784. Walpole, Letters, iv., 381. [Walpole, writing to Hannah More,
playfully makes it a verb = to put on blue stockings.] When will
you blue-stocking yourself, and come amongst us?
1877. Macmillan’s Mag., May, p. 50. On the airs and graces of the
gushing blue stockings who were in vogue in that day ... she had no
mercy.
1877. Miss Martineau, Autob., vol. I., p. 100. Young ladies (at
least in provincial towns) were expected to sit down in the parlour
to sew,—during which reading aloud was permitted,—or to practice
their music; but so as to fit to receive callers, without any signs
of blue-stockingism which could be reported abroad.
Blue Stone, subs. (common).—Gin or whiskey of so bad a quality that it
can only be compared to vitriol, of which bluestone is also a nickname
in the north of England and Scotland. For all synonyms, see Drinks.
1880. Blackwood’s Mag., June, p. 786. The bar was still thronged,
and the effects of the mixture of spirits of wine, bluestone, and
tobacco-juice, were to be seen on a miserable wretch who lay
stretched in the courtyard.
1882. W. G. Black, in Notes and Queries, 6 S., v., p. 348. A
witness was asked in the Northern Police Court, Glasgow, a few
weeks ago, a question relative to the quality of certain whiskey
said to have been supplied to him. ‘It wasn’t whiskey,’ he said,
‘it was nothing but bluestone.’ ‘But what?’ inquired the
magistrate. ‘Bluestone, your honour,’ was the answer—‘poison.’ I
heard the question and answer, and there can be no doubt that the
word was used as a familiar one.
Blue Tape, subs. (old).—One of the many cant terms for gin. For
synonyms, see Drinks.
Blue Whistler, subs. (American).—A bullet. For synonyms, see Pill.
1888. New York Herald, Nov. 4. It was Mr. Barbour’s rifle shot
which had hit him in the head and caused him to stagger. The pellet
of lead passed deep into the brain. The second shot was from the
Atlanta drummer, and his thirteen blue whistlers tore the brute’s
liver into shreds and made a great hole in his side. Ibid. After a
few moments of reflection, being nearest to the quarry, I lifted my
double-barrelled shotgun and let drive a volley of blue whistlers
straight at bruin’s yawning jaws.
Bluey, subs. (thieves’).—1. Lead.—See also Blue pigeon. [Supposed to be
an allusion to the colour.]
French Synonyms. Du doussin; du noir (noir = black); du saucisson. ‘To
dispose of bluey at the fence,’ i.e., the receiver of stolen
goods—porter du gras-double au moulin.
2. (Australian.)—A bushman’s bundle, the outside wrapper of which is
generally a blue blanket—hence the name. This is also called his swag
(q.v.); likewise a drum (q.v.).
Bluey-Hunter, subs. (thieves’).—A thief who steals lead, as described
under blue pigeon flyer (q.v.), of which bluey-hunter is a synonym.
Cf., Billy-hunter.
1851–61. H. Mayhew, Lon. Lab. and Lon. Poor, IV., 26.
Bluey-hunters, or those who purloin lead from the tops of houses.
1856. H. Mayhew, Gt. World of London, p. 46. Bluey-hunters, who
take lead from the tops of houses.
Bluff, subs. (vagrants’ and common).—An excuse; a pretence; that which
is intended to hoodwink or ‘to blind.’ Probably a transferred usage of
the American sense.
1851–61. H. Mayhew, London Lab. and Lon. Poor, vol. I., p. 231.
[List of patterer’s words.] Bluff, an excuse.
1879. Bret Harte, Gabriel Conroy, ch. xxxix. There is a strong
suspicion among men whose heads are level that this Minstrel
Variety Performance is a bluff of the ‘Messenger’ to keep from the
public the real motives of the murder.
1884. Boston (U.S.) Journal, Sept. 25. The oiler was only a bluff.
Verb (common).—To turn aside; to stop; to hoodwink; to blind as to
one’s real intention. Properly, to brag; to conceal one’s weakness;
from the American game of poker.—See subs.
1871. De Vere, Americanisms, p. 327. Like its near cousin,
suggestively called bluff, poker is a mere hazard game, with which,
however, is combined great skill in bragging to a purpose. One man
offers a bet on his hand; another doubles the bet and ‘goes one
better’; then the first tries to bluff him off by a still higher
bet, and thus the stake rises rapidly to often enormous sums.
1883. Echo, April 20, p. 3, col. 5. Subsequently a prominent
bookmaker attempted to bluff Captain Machell by laying him 2,000 to
1,000 on Goggles against Sweetbread—a merry little bit of financial
diplomacy, which was promptly followed by Goggles being struck out.
1885. Bret Harte, Ship of ’49, ch. v. ‘Far from bluffing, Sleight,
I am throwing my cards on the table. Consider that I’ve passed out.
Let some other man take my hand.’
It may be remarked that Ray [1674–91] gives bluff as to blindfold, and
Bailey [1721] as to hoodwink. The German has blüffen; the Dutch
blaffen, ‘to bark at,’ and verblüffen, ‘to put out of countenance.’
So also bluffing in a similar sense.
1889. Answers, July 20, p. 121, col. 2. The youths evidently
disagreed as to the nature of my business: one, as far as I could
gather, assumed that I was a ‘nark,’ and that I was bluffing
(making an excuse), and ‘flamming’ (lying).
Bluffer, subs. (old).—An innkeeper.—Grose. Bailey [1721] also gives the
term with the same meaning, and American thieves still retain the word
in a similar sense.