subs. (old).—1. A rascal: spec. a constable or sheriff’s officer: often jocular. Hence SCABBY (or SCAB) = contemptible; beggarly; SCABBY-SHEEP = a ne’er-do-weel; SCABILONIAN (see quot. 1600).
1591. J. LYLY, Endimion, iv. 2. Pages. What are yee, SCABS? Watch. The Watch: this the Constable.
1594. GREENE, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay [GROSART, Works, xiii. 9]. Loue is such a proud SCAB, that he will never meddle with fooles nor children.
1598. SHAKESPEARE, 2 Henry IV., iii. 2. Wart, thou art a good SCAB. Ibid. (1600), Much Ado about Nothing, iii. 3. Bora. Comrade, I say! Con. Here, man; I am at thy elbow. Bora. Mass, and my elbow itched; I thought there would a SCAB follow. Ibid. (1601), Twelfth Night, ii. 5. Sir To. Out, SCAB! Fab. Nay, patience, or we break the sinews of our plot.
1600. THOMAS HILL, A Quatron of Reasons of Catholike Religion [NARES]. With the introduction of the Protestant faith were introduced your galligascones, your SCABILONIANS, your St. Thomas onions, your ruffees, your cuffees, and a thousand such new devised Luciferan trinckets.
1608. MIDDLETON, A Trick to Catch the Old One, ii. 1. He? he’s a SCAB to thee.
1630. TAYLOR (‘The Water Poet’), Workes, ii. 111.
| A whore … | |
| Growes pocky proud, and in such port doth beare | |
| That such poore SCABS as I, must not come neere her. |
1664. COTTON, Scarronides, or, Virgil Travestie (1st ed.), 15.
| A huffing Jack, a plund’ring Tearer, | |
| A vap’ring SCAB, and a great Swearer. |
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. SCAB, a sorry Wench, or Scoundril-Fellow.
1701. DEFOE, The True-Born Englishman, I.
| The Royal Branch, from Pictland did succeed, | |
| With troops of Scots, and SCABS from North-by-Tweed. |
1751. SMOLLETT, Peregrine Pickle, xxi. A lousy, SCABBY, nasty, scurvy, skulking, lubberly noodle.
1851–61. H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, i. 20. He’s a regular SCAB. Ibid., iii. 107. I was the SCABBY SHEEP of the family, and I’ve been punished for it.
1861. G. MEREDITH, Evan Harrington, vi. A SCABBY sixpence?
1900. KIPLING, Stalky & Co., 71. You’re three beastly SCABS.
2. (artisans’).—A workman who refuses to join, or continues at work during a strike; a BLACKLEG (q.v.); generally applied to all non-Union men. Fr. flint.
3. (tailors’).—A button-hole.
