Bawd, subs. (old).—A female procuress. A carted bawd meant one who had been placed in a cart and led through the town to make her person known to the inhabitants. Cf., Abbess. See also Cart and Barrack-hack for synonyms
Bawde Phisicke.—See quotation.
1560-1. Awdeley, The XXV. orders of Knaues, (ed. 1869), p. 14. Bawde Phisicke, is he that is a Cocke, when his Maysters meate is euyll dressed, and he challenging him therefore, he wyl say he wyll eate the rawest morsel thereof him selfe. This is a sausye knaue, that wyl contrary his Mayster alway.
Bawdy Banquet, subs. (old).—Whoremongering.
[From bawdy,
lewd, + banquet.]
1567. Harman, Caveat (1869), p. 63. 'Where haue I bene?' quoth he, and began to smyle. 'Now, by the mas, thou hast bene at some baudy banquet.'
Bawdy Banquet, subs. (old).—A
running after loose women;
molrowing.
Bawdy Basket, subs, (old cant).—The
twenty-third rank of
canters (see Harman), who
carried pins, tape, ballads, and
obscene books to sell, but lived
mostly by stealing,
1567. Harman, Caveat (ed. 1869), p. 65. These bawdy baskets be also wemen, and go with baskets and Capeases on their armes, where in they haue laces, pynnes, nedles, white ynkell, and round sylke gyrdles of al coulours. These wyl bye conneyskins and steale linen clothes of on hedges. And for their trifles they will procure of mayden seruaunts, when [leaf 20, back] their mystres or dame is oute of the waye, either some good peece of béefe, baken, or chéese, that shalbe worth xij pens, for ii pens of their toyes. And as they walke by the waye, they often gaine some money wyth their instrument, by such as they sodaynely mete withall. The vpright men haue good acquayntance with these, and will helpe and relieue them when they want. Thus they trade their lyues in lewed lothsome lechery. Amongest them all is but one honest woman, and she is of good yeares; her name is lone Messenger. I haue had good proofe of her, as I haue learned by the true report of diuers.
1671. R. Head, English Rogue, pt. I., ch. v., p. 39 (1874). [In list of orders of thieves], bawdy-baskets.
2. A prostitute; an alternative and earlier form of bawd (q.v.).
1689. Puttenham, Art of Eng. Poesie, bk. III., ch. xix. Many a faire lasse in London towne, Many a bawdie basket borne vp and downe: Many a broker in a thridbare gowne, Many a bankrowte scarce worth a crowne. In London.
1608. Dekker, Beltnan of London, in wks. (Grosart) III., 86. The victualers to the campe are women, and to those some are Glymerers, some bawdy-baskets, some Autem-Morts.
Bawdy House Bottle, subs. phr.
(old).—A very small one, short
measure, being among the many
means used by the keepers of
those houses, to gain what they
call an honest livelihood; indeed,
this is one of the least reprehensible,
the less they give a
man of their infernal beverages
for his money, the kinder they
behave to him.—Grose.
Bayard of Ten Toes. To ride
Bayard of ten toes, phr. (old).—To
go on foot. Bayard was
a horse famous in old romances.—See
Marrow bone stage.
1606. Breton, Good and Badde, p. 14. Breton says of the 'honest poore man,'—his trauell is the walke of the woful, and his horse Bayard of ten toes.
1662. Fuller, Worthies, Somerset (ii., 291). At last he [Coryat] undertook to travail into the East Indies by land, mounted on an horse with ten toes.
