Also 4 bochour, 5 botchare. [f. BOTCH v. + -ER1.]

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  1.  A mender, repairer or patcher. Also fig.

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1499.  Promp. Parv., 42. Botchare of olde thinges, resartor.

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1629.  Ford, Lover’s Mel., I. ii. (1811), 134. Physicians are the bodys coblers, rather the botchers of mens bodies.

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1863.  Mrs. C. Clarke, Shaks. Char., ix. 225. Lepidus was a peace-botcher from timidity.

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  2.  spec. † a. A cobbler. Obs.

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c. 1375.  ? Barbour, St. Marcus, 78. He saw a bochour mend al[d] schone, & gef hyme his scho for to mend.

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1610.  Cooke, Pope Joan, in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), IV. 70. That John the Twenty-second was ‘filius veteramentarii resarcitoris videlicet solearum’; that is, the son of a botcher.

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  b.  A tailor who does repairs.

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1530.  Palsgr., 200/1. Botcher of old garments, rauavdeur.

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1552.  Huloet, Bodger, botcher, mender, or patcher of olde garmentes.

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1589.  R. Harvey, Pl. Perc., 14. There is a Shomaker, there is a Cobler: a Tailor, and a Botcher.

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1663.  Baxter, Div. Life, 31. A sorry Taylor may make a Botcher, or a bad Shoomaker may make a Cobler.

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a. 1734.  North, Lives (1826), II. 409. Like a botcher in a paltry hut, sat cross-legged.

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1783.  Cowper, Lett., 23 Sept. Though but a botcher, which is somewhat less than a tailor.

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1841.  Marryat, Poacher, xxviii. I had to examine … their trousers, and hold weekly conversation with the botcher, as to … repairs.

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  † c.  ? A jobber. (Sense doubtful; cf. botcheries and brokerages in quot. 1624 under BOTCHERY.)

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c. 1510.  Barclay, Mirr. Good Mann. (1570), G iv. Be no towler, catchpoll nor customer, No broker nor botcher, no somner nor sergeaunt … The moste of this number liueth … by fraudes and by polling.

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  3.  One who does a thing bunglingly; a clumsy maker up of; an unskilful workman, a bungler.

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c. 1440.  Promp. Parv., 42. Bochchare or vncrafty [1499 botchar], iners.

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1581.  J. Bell, Haddon’s Answ. Osor., 288. This Pope Boniface ye botcher of ye Decretalls.

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1654.  Trapp, Comm. Job xiii. 4. Ye are not onely … forgers, but … botchers.

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1700.  Congreve, Way of World, V. i. To become a botcher of second-hand marriages.

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1885.  R. Bridges, Nero, II. i. Thou miserable, painful, hackney-themed Botcher of tragedies.

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