1614. B. Jons., Bart. Fair, i., 6. For the very calling it a Bartholomew-pig, and to eat it so, is a spice of idolatry.
Falstaff, in coaxing ridicule of his enormous figure, is playfully called by his favourite,
1598. Shakspeare, 2 Hen. IV., ii., 4. Thou whoreson little tidy Bartholomew-boar-pig.
Dr. Johnson thought that paste-pigs were there meant: but the true Bartholomew-pigs were substantial, real, hot, roasted pigs; as may be seen throughout the above play of old Ben, where Ursula, the pig-woman, is no inconsiderable personage. Gayton also speaks of the pig-dressers.
Like Bartholomew Fair pig-dressers, who look like the dams, as well as the cooks of what they roasted. Fest. N., p. 57.
The young wife in Jonson's play pretends a violent longing for pig, that she may be taken to the fair; and it seems that her case was far from uncommon. Davenant speaks of the Bartlemew-pig,
That gaping lies on every stall, Till female with great belly call.
The fair in its later days got to be a place of too much mobbing and riot for ladies in that condition. There might also be paste-pigs, but, if so, they were very inferior objects, and meant only for children. Mrs. Ursula also tells us the price of her pigs; namely, five shillings, five shillings and sixpence, or even six shillings! This was surely as dear in James I.'s time, as a guinea lately. The highest price, of course, was to be asked of a longing woman. The fair was abolished in 1854, having been inaugurated in 1133.—Nares.
Barts., subs. (medical students').—An
abbreviation of 'St.
Bartholomew Hospital.'
Bash, verb (popular).—To beat;
thrash; or crush out of shape.
Possibly from the Scandinavian
bask, a slap; 'box' also seems
to have the same derivation.
Chiefly appearing in the northern
dialects, bash is regarded nowadays
in the light of a vulgar
colloquialism. Thieves use it
synonymously with 'to flog.'—See
Bashing. In older writers
the word appears as pash, the
'p' in this case being simply a
harder form than 'b.' An alternative
onomatopoetic derivation
has, however, been suggested,
the 'b' of such words as 'beat'
and 'bang' being transferred to
the terminal letters of 'dash,'
'gash,' 'smash,' etc.
1592. Nashe, Strange Newes, in wks. II., 272. A leane arme put out of the bed shall grind and pash euerie crum of thy booke into pin-dust.
1622. Massinger, Virgin Martyr, II., ii. Jove's artillery shot down at once, to pash your gods in pieces.
1882. Daily Telegraph, Dec. 9, p. 2, col. 6. A man . . . told witness that he would earn a sovereign if he cared to give a certain woman—the complainant—a couple of black eyes. . . . His instructions were to follow the man he met in the public-house in Bear Street, and to bash the woman he would point out to him in Portland Street.
1882. F. Anstey, Vice Versâ, ch. xii. 'If you have got bashed about pretty well since you came back, it's been all your own fault, and you know it.'
1883. Standard, March 2, p. 6, col. 7. Mr. Hannay reminded her that when the summons was applied for, the boy's father had said that the boy was bashed on the floor, and received a black eye and a bruised head.
Amongst synonyms may be mentioned the English verb 'bang,' and the French bêcher,
