subs. (old).—A brothel. Also (see quot. 1616), a public bath. For synonyms, see NANNY-SHOP.

1

  1596.  NASHE, Have with You to Saffron-Walden (GROSART, iii., 106). Any HOT-HOUSE or bawdy-house of them all.

2

  1599.  JONSON, Every Man out of his Humour, iv., 4. Let a man sweat once a week in a HOT-HOUSE, and be well rubbed and froted with a plump juicy wench and clean linen.

3

  1603.  SHAKESPEARE, Measure for Measure, ii. 1. Now she professes a HOT-HOUSE, which I think is a very ill house too.

4

  1606.  The Return from Parnassus, i., 2 (DODSLEY, Old Plays, 4th ed., 1875, ix., 115). He cannot swagger it well in a tavern, nor domineer in a HOTHOUSE.

5

  1616.  JONSON, Epigrams, ‘On the New HOT-HOUSE.’

        Where lately harbour’d many a famous Whore,
  A purging Bill, now fix’d upon the Door,
Tells you it is a HOT-HOUSE: So it ma’,
  And still be a Whore-house. Th’are Synonyma.

6

  1699.  GARTH, The Dispensary, ii., line 157. A HOT-HOUSE he prefers to Julia’s Arms.

7