1861. G. Meredith, Evan Harrington, ch. iii., p. 23 (1885). 'Rich as Croœus, and as wicked as the black man below! as dear papa used to say.'
Blackmans.—See Darkmans.
Black Maria, subs. (popular).—A
prison van or omnibus, used for
the conveyance of prisoners.
The origin of the phrase is unknown,
but black is obviously
from the dark and sombre
colour of Her Majesty's Carriage
as it is sometimes jocularly
called. This view is also
supported by the fact that a
variant is Sable Maria (see
quot.). Julian Marshall, in
Notes and Queries [6 S., vii., p.
355], suggests that the term
Maria may be allied to 'Marinated,'
transported to some
foreign plantation, and 'married,'
persons chained or handcuffed
together, in order to be
conveyed to gaol [Grose has
this, as also has the Lexicon
Balatronicum]. In marinated
evident allusion is made to the
compulsory voyage; in married
to the forced wedlock of convictism.
Black Maria may, therefore,
possibly be a corruption of
one or the other, or both terms.
A writer on slang states that the
term is said to have originated in
Philadelphia in 1838, but gives
no evidence in support of the
statement.
1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, ch. ii., p. 61. On alighting from the 'Sable Maria' we were ushered through a door into a long white-washed passage, with cells on one side.
1880. G. R. Sims, Three Brass Balls, pledge xvii. It is the time when Black Maria, the prison van, stands waiting at the door, and the signal is given that the prisoners are coming out.
1889. Answers, Feb. 9. There are two kinds of Black Marias. One is called the night van and the other the day. The passengers politely term them 'mails.' The day van holds eighteen passengers not including the driver and warder, and the night van a dozen. The vans are divided into two halves, and on each side are small compartments about two feet square with a seat and door, which is carefully locked.
Amongst French Synonyms may be mentioned:—Le courrier du Palais (a thieves' term: courrier, a post or mail + Palais, an abbreviated form of Palais de Justice, a police court or sessions house); un panier à salade (familiar: 'a salad basket'); le courrier de la prefecture (thieves': Cf., courrier du Palais. Préfecture = the office of a chief magistrate); l'omnibus pègres (in slang un pègre signifies 'a thief'); un guimbard (thieves': une guimbarde is properly 'a long cart'); le service du château (roughs' and thieves': 'the prison service'; château = prison).
For other synonyms, see Her Majesty's Carriage.
Black-Monday, subs. (old).—1. A
schoolboys' term for the Monday
on which, after holidays,
school re-opens. Obviously
called black, from the reluctance
with which young hopefuls turn
their backs upon the sweets of
home and play. Black Friday
was used of the day on which
Overend, Gurney & Co., suspended
payment—10 May, 1886.
Cf., Blue Monday.
1750. Fielding, Tom Jones, bk. VIII., ch. xi. She now hated my sight, and made home so disagreeable to me, that what is called by school-boys black Monday was to me the whitest in the whole year.
1882. F. Anstey, Vice Versâ, ch. i. There comes a time when the days are grudgingly counted to a blacker Monday than ever makes a schoolboy's heart quake within him.
