Broady Worker, subs. (thieves’).—A man who goes round selling vile
shoddy stuff under the pretence that it is excellent material, which
has been ‘got on the cross,’ i.e., stolen.
Brock, verb (Winchester College).—To bully; to tease; to badger. [Brock
is a north country and Hampshire name for a badger.] In French military
schools this is called faire une brimade or faire brimer.
Brockster, subs. (Winchester College).—A bully.—See Brock.
Brogues, subs. (Christ’s Hospital).—Breeches. This is, in reality, an
obsolete old English term which has survived among the ‘Blues.’
Broiled or Boiled Crow. To eat boiled crow.—A newspaper editor, who is
obliged by his ‘party’ or other outside influences, to advocate
‘principles’ different from those which he supported a short time
before, is said to ‘eat boiled crow.’ Originally the phrase was simply
to eat crow, and the following account is that currently accepted as to
its derivation.
1888. Atlanta Constitution. During the unpleasantness between the
States and England, there were located on opposite sides of the
Niagara river a British and an American fort, and during an
armistice the soldiers of both garrisons were accustomed to go
hunting. Among the American troops was one long, lank, stuttering
specimen of the genus Yankee, who would persist, in spite of orders
to the contrary, in going across the river on his hunting
expeditions. One day when on the Canada side he had had poor luck
and got nothing, but resolved not to go back entirely empty handed.
While passing through the grounds of an English gentleman, he spied
a crow, and, blazing away, brought it down. The Englishman had
witnessed the shot and resolved to punish the offender for poaching
on his private grounds. As the Yankee was loading his gun he
approached, and, complimenting him on his good shot, asked to look
at his gun. The unsuspecting Yankee handed it to him, and the
Briton, bringing the gun to his shoulder and covering the Yankee,
abused him for trespassing on his grounds, and ordered him, on pain
of death, to take a bite out of the crow. The soldier begged and
pleaded, but to no avail. The Englishman had the drop on him, so he
finally bit a piece from the breast of the crow. The Englishman,
after warning him to keep off his premises in the future, handed
him back his gun and bade him clear out. No sooner was his rifle
returned than he covered the Briton and ordered him to finish the
crow. Then it was the Englishman’s turn to beg off, but the Yankee
was firm, and the Englishman, with many a wry face, did succeed in
downing several bites of the unsavoury bird. His wounded honour
being appeased, the Yankee betook himself back to the fort. The
Englishman the next day went to the American commander and told his
version of the affair, and demanded that the culprit be punished.
From the description given, the American officer knew that the
offender must have been the stuttering soldier, and ordered him to
be brought before them. When he came in the captain asked him if he
had ever seen the gentleman before. The Yankee shifted uneasily
from one foot to the other, and, after several attempts, finally
answered that he had. ‘When and under what circumstances?’ asked
the officer. ‘I d-dined with him y-y-yesterday, captin,’ stuttered
the soldier. The story goes that his wit saved the soldier from
punishment.
Broke. Dead broke (q.v.)—Stone broke (q.v.), adj. (common).—Ruined;
decayed; hard up—said of health or pecuniary circumstances. The French
slang has n’avoir pas un radis, literally ‘not to have a radish’; but
for all synonyms, see Dead-broke.
1887. G. R. Sims, How the Poor Live, p. 16. ‘How do you do when
you’re stone broke?’ I ask him. ‘Well, sir, sometimes I comes
across a gentleman as gives me a bob and starts me again.’
1889. Pall Mall Gaz., Aug. 14. I see that Sullivan made 21,000
dols. out of his fight, but as he was ‘dead broke’ before the
battle, there won’t be much of it left. Nevertheless, Sullivan has
received hundreds of begging letters from folks who want him to pay
off mortgages on their homes or buy them houses and lots and things
of that sort.
Broken Feather in One’s Wing, subs. phr. (popular).—A blot on one’s
character.
1880. Mrs. Oliphant, Phœbe, jun., ii., 6. If an angel were to walk
about, Mrs. Sam Hurst would never rest till she had found out where
he came from. And perhaps whether he had a broken feather in his
wing.
Broken-Kneed, ppl. adj. (common).—Said of a girl or woman who has been
seduced. Cf., Ankle and Broken legged; for synonyms, see Dock and Leg.
In French theatrical slang, avoir mal aux genoux.
Broken Legged, ppl. adj. (common).—Seduced.—See Dock and Leg for
synonyms.
Brolly, subs. (general).—An umbrella. Term first used at Winchester,
being subsequently adopted at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
1885. Punch, June 6, p. 273. Pair o’ pattens and brolly are more in
your line.
Broncho, adj. (American).—Unruly; wild; savage. The epithet is derived
from broncho, the name of the native horse of California, a somewhat
tricky and uncertain quadruped. The term is familiarly applied to
horses that buck and show other signs of vice. The Spanish
signification of the word is rough and crabbed little beast, and in
truth he deserves this name.
1888. Francis, Saddle and Mocassin. Oh! I don’t know. He’d been
singing the music to ‘em’ (imitating them). Sam’s too broncho.
Broncho-Buster, subs. (American).—A breaker-in of bronchos; also called
a flash-rider. [From broncho (q.v.) + bust, in its slang sense of
annihilate, or overcome, + er.] These men make a profession of their
business and perform really marvellous feats, riding with ease the most
vicious and unbroken beasts that no ordinary rider would dare tackle. A
favourite feat is to sit out the antics of a bucking-horse with silver
half-dollars under each knee or in the stirrups under each foot. Their
method of breaking-in may be described as the exercise of main force,
it being a tussle as to which can hold out the longest, man or broncho.
The calling is a dangerous one, and a first-class broncho-buster can
always command high wages and constant employment on large ranches.
Bronze John, subs. (American).—Texas name for yellow fever; Englishmen
commonly call it yellow Jack (q.v.)
Broom, subs. (old).—1. See quot.
1815. Scott, Guy Mannering, ch. xxviii. ‘The people got rusty about
it, and would not deal, and they had bought so many brooms that——’
Ibid, ch. xxxiii. (II., p. 96). What are you wanting here? Ye’ll be
come wi’ a broom in your pocket frae Ellengowan? Got so many
warrants out.
2. (harlotry.)—The female pudenda. The male penis is the broomstick.
For synonyms, see Monosyllable.
Verb (old).—To run away. For synonyms, see Amputate.
1821. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, p. 6. Tom. That will do—now then
Dicky, mizzle!—be scarce!—broom! Prime. Wouldn’t intrude a moment,
gentlemen, good morning—order my carriage.
Broomstick, subs. (athletic).—A sort of rough cricket bat, very narrow
in the blade and all of one piece of wood.
To jump the broomstick—hop the broom—jump the besom, phr. (common).—To
live as man and wife without the legal tie. The allusion is to a quasi
marriage ceremony performed by both parties jumping over a broomstick.
1811. Poole, Hamlet Travestied, ii., 3. Jump o’er a broomstick, but
don’t make a farce on The marriage ceremonies of the parson.
1851. Mayhew, London Labour and London Poor I., p. 336. The old
woman (who kept the ken), when any female, old or young, who had no
tin, came into the kitchen, made up a match for her with some men.
Fellows half-drunk had the old women. There was always a broomstick
wedding. Without that ceremony a couple weren’t looked on as man
and wife.
1860. Dickens, Great Expectations, ch. xlviii., p. 227. ‘They both
led tramping lives, and this woman in Gerrard St. here, had been
married very young, over the broomstick (as we say), to a tramping
man, and was a perfect fury in point of jealousy.’
c. 18(79). Broadside Ballad, ‘David Dove that fell in love.’ By L.
M. Thornton.
The girl that I had hoped to hear
Pronounce my happy doom, sir,
Had bolted with a carpenter,
In fact hopped o’er the broom, sir.
Broomsticks, subs. (old).—Worthless bail. For synonyms, see Straw bail
and Cf., Bail.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dictionary. Queer bail are persons of no
repute, hired to bail a prisoner in any bailable case. These men
are to be had in London for a trifling sum, and are called
broomsticks.
Brosier or Brozier, subs. (Eton College).—A boy when he had spent all
his pocket-money. [Brozier is a Cheshire term for a bankrupt.] A French
term for a bankrupt is un déculotté, i.e., one unbreeched; also un
bauce or bausse fondu.
Broziered, ppl. adj.—Cleaned out; done up; ruined; bankrupt.
1796. Merton, Way to get Married (in Inchbald’s ‘British Theatre,’
vol. XXVI). [The term is so used here].
Brozier-my-dame, verbal phr. (Eton College).—Eating one out of house
and home. At Eton, when a dame (q.v.) keeps an unusually bad table, the
boys agree together on a day to eat, pocket, or waste everything
eatable in the house. The censure is well understood, and the hint is
generally effective.
1850. Notes and Queries, June 15, p. 44. I well remember the phrase
brozier-my-dame, signifying to eat her out of house and home.
1888. Rev. W. Rogers, Reminiscences, p. 15. Etonians of my standing
will remember John Francis Plumptre, one of the Fellows ... I once
behaved very shabbily to him, for I joined a conspiracy to
‘brozier’ him. There were ten or twelve of us [at breakfast], and
we devoured everything within reach.
Brother-Blade, subs. (old).—A soldier. Formerly brother of the blade,
i.e., of the sword; a fellow-soldier. For synonyms, see Mudcrusher.
1785. Grose, Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Brother of the blade,
a soldier.
1834. H. Ainsworth, Rookwood, bk. IV., ch. ii. ‘I heard some
devilish good stories of you at D’Osyndar’s t’other day; the fellow
who told them to me little thought I was a brother blade.’
Brother Chip (provincial workmen’s).—One of the same calling or trade;
formerly a fellow carpenter.
1820. Clare, Poems of Rural Life, Familiar Epistle, st. 3. And,
brother chip, I love ye dearly, poor as ye be!
Brother of the Brush, subs. phr. (old).—An artist; a house-painter.
1687. Bp. Cartwright, in Hist. Magd. Coll. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.), 143.
Pray make use of my brother of the brush. [M.]
1759. Sterne, Tr. Shandy (1793), I., 133. The honourable devices
which the Pentagraphic bretheren of the brush have shewn in taking
copies. [M.]
1833. Byron, wks. (1846), p. 585, col. 1. A young American brother
of the brush. [M.]
Brother of the Bung, subs. phr. (old).—A brewer; one of the same trade.
[Bung here is used as an emblem of the trade of a brewer.]
Brother of the Buskin, subs. phr. (old).—A player; actor—one of the
same profession. [Buskin is in allusion to the covering for the foot
and leg (cothurnus) worn by actors in tragedy among the ancients; in
contrast to the sock (soccus) worn by comedians. Stage buskins had very
thick soles to give an appearance of height. Hence buskin as symbolical
of tragedy, but used in the phrase brother of the buskin in a
transferred and general sense.] Quoted by Grose [1785]. Cf.,
Barn-stormer and Booth-burster.
Brother of the Coif, subs. (old).—A serjeant-at-law. [The coif was a
close-fitting cap worn by the serjeants-at-law—hence the term.] Quoted
by Grose [1785].
Brother of the Gusset, subs. (old).—A pimp or ponce (q.v.). For
synonyms, see Bully.
Brother of the Quill, subs. phr. (old).—An author. [Quill = pen.] For
synonyms, see Ink-slinger.
1754. B. Martin, Eng. Dict. (2 ed.). Brother of the quill, an
author, one of the same profession.
Brother of the String, subs. phr. (old).—A fiddler. [A reference to the
violin or fiddle as a stringed instrument.]
Brother of the Whip, subs. phr. (old).—A coachman, the whip being
taken, as it were, as an insignia of office.
1756. The World, No. 207. He ... had always greased my heels
himself, and upon every one of my birthdays, had treated all his
brother whips at his own expence.
1849. T. Miller, in Gabarni in London, p. 39. He is very kind to
any poor brother of the whip whom he sees tugging up-hill in vain,
with a weighty load and an ill-fed team.
Brother-Smut, subs. phr. (popular).—A term of familiarity. ‘Ditto,
brother or sister smut,’ tu quoque.
Brother Starlings, subs. (old).—Men who cohabit with the same mistress.
1785. Grose, Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Brother Starling ...
one who ... builds in the same nest.
Broth of a Boy, subs. phr. (Irish originally, but now common).—A jolly
good fellow. Cf., Brick. [The term is thought to originate from the
Irish Broth, passion—Brotha, passionate, spirited—its meaning being,
‘He’s a lad of spirit,’ though it may come from the ancient Cornish
name for the mastiff—brath. Hence a broth of a boy would then mean ‘a
stout dog of a boy—robust.’]
1819–24. Byron, Don Juan, c. viii., st. 24. But Juan was quite a
broth of a boy, a thing of impulse and a child of song.
1877. Besant and Rice, Son of Vulcan, ch. xx. You ought to have
been a preacher and a boy. Faith, and a broth of a boy, and a broth
of a preacher you’d have made.
Broughtonian, subs. (old).—A bruiser; boxer; pugilist. [From Broughton,
once the best boxer of his day.]
Brown, subs. (common).—1. A halfpenny. [Probably an allusion to the
colour of the coin in question.] For synonyms of money generally, see
Actual.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict. Browns and whistlers, bad halfpence
and farthings.
1821. W. T. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, Act ii., Sc. 3. Bob. Now then
for the stumpy. (Searching about in his pockets for the money.) My
tanners are like young colts; I’m obliged to hunt ’em into a
corner, afore I can get hold on ’em—there!—hand us over three
browns out of that ’ere tizzy; and tip us the heavy. (Landlord
receives money, and delivers porter.)
1837. Barham, I. L. (Black Mousquetaire).
The magic effect of a hand of crowns
Upon people whose pockets boast nothing but browns.
1851. Mayhew, London Labour and London Poor, III., p. 57. If I
takes a hat round, they has a plate, and they gets sovereigns where
we has only browns. Ibid. We keeps it up for half an hour or an
hour ... if the browns tumble in well.
1853. Whyte Melville, Digby Grand, ch. iv. A shower of browns, the
coppers mingled with silver, from our private box, rewards their
exertions.
c. 1884. Broadside Ballad, ‘Jimmy Johnson’s Holiday.’
But Violet, the Margate pet,
Who always call’d him Teaser,
Said ‘She would stick like mortar’d brick,
While Johnson had a brown.’