Bladder of Lard, subs. (popular).—A bald-headed person. [From the supposed similarity of the smooth, hairless cranium to a bag or bladder of lard.]
1886. Athenæum, July 31, p. 142. An elderly Jew money-lender, whom she afterwards describes to her admiring friends as a bladder of lard, a graceful reference to his baldness and tendency to stoutness.
Blade, subs. (common.)—A roysterer;
a gallant; a sharp, keen
fellow; a free and easy, good
fellow. [Probably from blade,
a sword, a soldier. There
seems no warrant for supposing
the word connected with the
Dutch bloed, or with the term
'blood,' a dandy, in use in the
time of the Georges in a somewhat
similar sense; indeed, the
following quotations show a
much older usage. In French
a 'sly blade' is called un
renaré.
1595. Shakspeare, Romeo and Juliet, ii., 4. The pox of such antic, lisping, affecting fantasticoes; these new tuners of accents! By Jesu, a very good blade!—a very tall man!
1632. Chapman and Shirley, The Ball, Act iv.
This came first o' keeping company with the blades, From whom I learnt to roar and run away.
1636. Davenant, The Wits, Act v.
The old blade Skulks there like a tame filcher, as he had New stolen 'bove eggs from market-women.
1637. Fletcher, Elder Brother, I., ii.
If he be that old Rough testy blade he always used to be.
1664. Pepys, Diary, Jan. 4. For suffering his man (a spruce blade) to be so saucy as to strike a ball while his master was playing in the Mall.
1667. Pepys, Diary, June 3. With his hat cocked like a fool behind, as the present fashion among the blades is.
1698. Farquhar, Love and a Bottle, Act iv., Sc. 2. These London blades are all stark mad; I met one about two hours ago, that had forgot his name, and this fellow would persuade me now, that I had forgot mine.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5 ed.). Blade (s.) . . . is sometimes used to signify a beau, spark, or hectoring fellow.
1773. O. Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer, Act i., Sc. 2. 'A troublesome old blade, to be sure; but a keeps as good wines and beds as any in the whole country.'
1860. Dickens, Great Expectations, ch. xxiv., p. 115. 'He forged wills, this blade did, if he didn't also put the supposed testators to sleep too.'
1883. Broadside Ballad, 'Happy Thoughts,' st. 4.
My Uncle Dowle has lots of money; He's a very knowing looking blade.
Blamed, ppl. adj. (popular).—An
expletive used to emphasize a
statement. It partakes of the
nature of an oath, being often
used instead of 'doomed' or
'damned.' In America the
expression is more of a colloquialism
than it is in England.—See
Oaths.
1835. Haliburton ('Sam Slick'), The Clockmaker, 3 S., ch. vi. Yes, John Bull is a blamed blockhead.
1872. S. Clemens, Roughing It, ch. ix. The keeper had fired four times at an Indian, but he said with an injured air, that the Indian had 'skipped' around so's to spile everything—and ammunition's blamed skurse too.
1873. Carleton, Farm Ballads, p. 18.
And so that pourin' dissentions in our cup; And so that blamed cow-critter was always coming up.
1888. Detroit Free Press, Oct. 6. 'Did you see any Quakers in Philadelphia?' was asked of a Detroiter who lately returned from that city. 'Only one that I was sure of.' 'Did he "thee" and "thou" you?' 'He did. He got down off his hack and said: "If thee don't pay me 2 dols. I'll knock thy blamed head off," and I paid, although I knew the regular fare was twelve shillings. You don't want
