subs. phr. (West Indian).—A toper. [A bon-mot (c. 1876) of a sugar planter on the East Coast, Demerara. A negro, notorious for hard drinking, applied for leave; the manager, suspecting Quashie wanted to go ‘on the drink,’ bantered him. ‘John! you were drunk on Sunday?’ ‘Yes, massa!’ ‘Monday too?’ ‘Yes, massa!’ and the question, being repeated for the rest of the week, elicitating similar responses, the ‘boss’ quietly but pointedly said, ‘But, John, you can’t be an ANGEL ALTOGETHER, you know!’ The story got abroad, caught on, and in a short time the whole colony rang with the expression.]
