subs. phr. (American).—A Baltimore street rowdy, circa 1860–80. Hence any loafer or ROUGH (q.v.).
1876. Providence Journal, 30 Sept. The Democrats are getting up a soldiers’ convention at Indianapolis. As Union soldiers are scarce in the Democrat ranks, many are recruited from the PLUG-UGLIES of Baltimore.
1891. Daily Telegraph, 13 July, p. 5, col. 1. The PLUG-UGLY, the ‘dead rabbit,’ and the Californian ‘hoodlum’ are as racy of the soil of America as the ‘larrikin’ is of that of Australia.
1896. CRANE, Maggie, a Girl of the Streets, xiv. And she goes off with that PLUG-UGLY, who looks as if he had been hit in the face with a coin die.
