subs. (common).—A roysterer; a gallant; a sharp, keen fellow; a free and easy, good fellow. [Probably from BLADE, a sword, a soldier: i.e., a man of the world: cf. Fr. bonne lame]. In the 17th century, ROARING-BOYS (q.v.) were called BLADES.

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  1595.  SHAKESPEARE, 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!

2

  1632.  CHAPMAN and SHIRLEY, The Ball, iv.

        This came first o’keeping company with the BLADES,
From whom I learnt to roar and run away.

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  1636.  DAVENANT, The Wits, v.

                    Th’ old BLADE
Skulks there like a tame filcher, as he had
Ne’er stol’n ’bove eggs from market-women.

4

  1637.  FLETCHER, The Elder Brother, I., ii.

                  If he be that old,
Rough testy BLADE he always us’d to be.

5

  1637.  SHIRLEY, The Gamester, i.

        I do not all this while accompt you in
The list of those are call’d the BLADES that roar
In brothels, and break windows; fright the streets
At midnight worse than constables, and sometimes
Set upon innocent bell-men, to beget
Discourse for a week’s diet; that swear, damn-mes,
To pay their debts, and march like walking armories,
With poniard, pistol, rapier and batoon,
As they would murder all the king’s liege people,
And blow down streets.

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  1664.  PEPYS, Diary, 4 Jan. For suffering his man (a spruce BLADE) to be so saucy as to strike a ball while his master was playing in the Mall.

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  1667.  PEPYS, Diary, 3 June. With his hat cocked like a fool behind, as the present fashion among the BLADES is.

8

  1698.  FARQUHAR, Love and a Bottle, iv., 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.

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  1748.  T. DYCHE, A New General English Dictionary (5 ed.). BLADE (s.). … is sometimes used to signify a beau, spark, or hectoring fellow.

10

  1773.  GOLDSMITH, She Stoops to Conquer, i., 2. Land. A troublesome old BLADE, to be sure; but a keeps as good wines and beds as any in the whole country.

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  1860.  DICKENS, Great Expectations, xxiv., 115. He forged wills, this BLADE did, if he didn’t also put the supposed testators to sleep too.

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  1883.  Broadside Ballad, ‘Happy Thoughts,’ st. 4. My Uncle Dowle has lots of money; He’s a very knowing looking BLADE.

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