or baker-legged, adj. phr. (common).—1.  Knock-kneed; bow-legged: hence (2) effeminate (GROSE).

1

  1607.  DEKKER, Westward Ho! ii. 2. Will women’s tongues, like BAKERS’ LEGS, never go straight?

2

  1611.  COTGRAVE, Dictionarie, s.v. Iarretier: m. ere: f. BAKER-LEGD, that goes in at the knees.

3

  1652.  GAULE, Πῦς-μαντία, the Mag-astro-mancer, 186. BAKER KNEED [signifies] effeminate.

4

  1656.  W. DUGARD, The Gate of the Latine Tongue Unlocked, 292. He that is BAKER-LEGGED rubs his knees against one another.

5

  1656.  J. TAYLOR, Treatise on Artificial Handsomeness. (1662), 79. Who fears to set straight or hide the unhandsome warpings of bow Leggs and BAKER FEET?

6

  1659.  Lady Alimony, v., 5 (DODSLEY, Old Plays (HAZLITT), 4th ed., 1875, xiv., 361). His puny BAKER-LEGS.

7

  1675.  RAY, Proverbs, ‘Relating … to trades.’ He should be a BAKER by his bow-LEGS.

8

  1692.  SIR R. L’ESTRANGE, Life of Æsop. Æsop … was … flat-noz’d, hunch-back’d, blabber-lipp’d,… big-belly’d, BADGER-LEGG’D.

9

  1754.  MARTIN, English Dictionary (2 ed.). BAKER-LEGG’D, straddling, with the legs bowing outward.

10

  1784.  J. BARRY, Lectures, ‘On Design,’ II. (1848), 94. Knocked or BAKER KNEES.

11

  1812.  COLMAN, Poetical Vagaries, 13.

        His voice had broken to a gruffish squeak;
  He had grown blear-eyed, BAKER-KNEE’D, and gummy.

12

  1871.  Figure Training, 39. BAKER’S KNEE, as it is called, or an inclining inwards of the right knee-joint until it closely resembles the right side of a letter K, is the almost certain penalty of habitually bearing any burden of bulk in the right hand.

13