Also 6 blowesse, 6–7 blowse, 7 blouze, 8 blowz, 6– blouse. [Of unknown origin: cf. various Du. and LG. words with the sense of ‘red’ or ‘flushed’ under BLUSH; but some of the uses appear to be influenced by BLOW v.1 Perhaps originally a cant term. Cf. BLOWEN.]
† 1. A beggar’s trull, a beggar wench; a wench.
1573. Tusser, Husb. (1878), 43. Whiles Gillet, his blouse, is a milking thy cow, Sir Hew is a rigging thy gate or the plow.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., III. iii. IV. ii. (1651), 628. I had rather marry a fair one, and put it to the hazard, than be troubled with a blowze.
1631. Brathwait, Whimzies, 144. His bonny blouze or dainty doxie, being commonly a collapsed tinker’s wife or some highway commoditie taken up upon trust.
1639. Ford, Lady’s Trial, III. i. 266. Wench is your trull, your blowze, your dowdie.
1648. Herrick, Hesper. (1869), 278. Yet he’ll be thought or seen, So good as George-a-Green; And calls his blowze, his queene.
1709. [E. Ward], Rambling Fuddle-Caps, 8.
| O Heavens! pray what has this Termagant Blowze | |
| Been a doing to th’ Gentleman’s Wig and Cloaths? |
1719. D’Urfey, Pills (1872), I. 5. That keeps a blowz And beats his spouse.
2. ‘A fat, red-faced, bloted wench, or one whose head is dressed like a slattern.’ Bailey, 1731; ‘a ruddy fat-faced wench.’ J. b. Hence blowze-like adj.
1588. Shaks., Tit. A., IV. ii. 72. Sweet blowse, you are a beautious blossome sure.
1600. Heywood, 1 Edw. IV., Wks. 1874, I. 60. My Besse is fair, And Shores wife but a blowze, compared to her.
1628. Wither, Brit. Rememb., VI. 644. Their flaring curles about their shag shorne browes Doe, of the fairest Lady, make a blouse.
1632. Heywood, Iron Age, II. I. i. Wks. III. 364. As fayre a blowse As you, sweete Lady.
1647. Lett., in Harrington, Nugæ Ant., 126. The woman, bravest prized, now blouze-like woud appear.
