subs. (old colloquial).—1. A saucy fellow; a fool. Primarily, the domestic jester. Hence CROSS-PATCH = an ill-natured fool: as in the children’s rhyme:—
| CROSS-PATCH, draw the latch, | |
| Sit by the fire and spin. |
1579. J. LYLY, Euphues and His England, 296. When I heard my Physition so PAT to hit my disease I could not dissemble with him.
1588. Marprelate’s Epistle, 3 (ARBER). Bridges was a verie PATCH and a dims when he was in Cambridg.
1592. SHAKESPEARE, Midsummer Night’s Dream, iii. 2.
| A crew of PATCHES, rude mechanicals, | |
| That work for bread upon Athenian stalls. |
1595. Menæchmi [HALLIWELL]. Why doating PATCH, didst thou not come with me … from the ship?
1598. FLORIO, A Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Coticone, a great gull, sot, PATCH, lubbar.
1619. FLETCHER, The Wild-Goose Chase, iv. 2.
| Call me PATCH and puppy, | |
| And beat me, if you please. |
1633. MASSINGER, A New Way to Pay Old Debts, v. The ideot, the PATCH, the slave, the booby.
1830. SCOTT, The Doom of Devorgoil, ii. 1. Thou art a foolish PATCH.
1840. CUNNINGHAM [Glossarial Index to GIFFORD’S Massinger, s.v.]. PATCH … was the cant name of a fool kept by Cardinal Wolsey … transmitting his appellation to a very numerous body of descendants.
2. (venery).—The female pudendum: see MONOSYLLABLE.
NOT A PATCH UPON, phr. (common).—Not to compare to.
1861. C. READE, The Cloister and the Hearth, xxxvii. NOT A PATCH UPON you for looks.
1884. W. C. RUSSELL, Jack’s Courtship, xvii. Is Wellington a PATCH upon the living splendid generals?
1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery under Arms, xxviii. There isn’t a woman here that’s a PATCH ON her for looks.
1897. B. MITFORD, A Romance of the Cape Frontier, I. xv. No; I don’t think she’s A PATCH ON Miss Brathwaite; but there’s something awfully fetching about her for all that.
