Thieves’ cant. Forms: 6 quyer, quyre, 6–7 quire, quyre, 7 queere, 9 queer. [Of obscure origin: in later use (from c. 1700) identified in form with prec., and perh. associated with it in meaning.] Bad; worthless.
The exact sense varies with the sb.; for a list of the commonest phrases, as queer bird, buffer, bung, cole, etc., see the Dict. Cant. Crew (a 1700). Cf. also the sbs. as CUFFIN, CULL, etc. In quot. 1561 there may be an allusion to quire choir.
1561. Awdelay, Frat. Vacab. (1869), 4. A Quire bird is one that came lately out of prison.
1567. Harman, Caveat (1869), 84. To cutte quyre whyddes, to geue euell wordes or euell languages.
1608. Dekker, Lanth. & Candle-lt., B ii b. To the quier cuffin we bing.
1641. Brome, Joviall Crew, IV. ii. Wks. 1873, III. 431. The Quire Cove and the Harmanbeck.
a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Queere, base, Roguish, naught.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict., Queer-bail, Persons of no repute, hired to bail a prisoner in any bailable case.
[1865. Dickens, Mut. Fr., III. i. Concerning that bill-broking branch of the business…. What queer bills are to be bought, and at what prices?]
b. as sb.: Bad money; base coin.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict.
