Baud

or bawdstrot, bawd, subs. (old).—1.  A procurer or procuress; a brothelkeeper; a go-between (in a bad sense) whether male or female; a match-maker (see quot. 1634); a harlot. Also as verb = to pander to sexual debauchery. Hence numerous derivatives: thus BAWDILY = lasciviously; BAWDINESS = lewdness, obscenity; BAWDING = the practice of a bawd; BAWDISH = obscene, filthy; BAWDRY or BAWDREMINY = unchastity, lewdness (in word or deed); BAWDY-BASKET = a hawking vendor of obscene literature; BAWDY-HOUSE = a brothel; BAWDY-BATCHELORS = ‘that live long Unmarried’ (B. E.); BAWDY-BANQUET = whoremongering; BAWDY-HOUSE-BOTTLE = a very small one (B. E.). [O.E.D.: BAWDSTROT “is probably the full word from which BAWD was shortened”].

  1362.  LANGLAND, Piers Plowman; Gesta Romanorum, 432; 1374, CHAUCER; 1447, STILLINGFORD; 1483, CAXTON; 1513, BROADSHAW; 1552, HULEOT.

  1560–1.  AWDELEY, The XXV. orders of Knaues (ed. 1896), 14. BAWDE PHISICKE, is he that is a Cocke, when his Maysters meate is euyll dressed, and he challenging him therefore, he wyl say he he wyll eate the rawest morsel thereof him selfe. This is a sausye knaue, that wyl contrary his Mayster alway.

  1567.  HARMAN, A Caveat or Warening for Common Cursetors (ed. 1869), 65. These BAWDY BASKETS be also wemen, and go with baskets and Capeases on their armes, where in they haue laces, pynnes, nedles, white ynkell, and round sylke gyrdles of al coulours. These wyl bye conneyskins and steale linen clothes of on hedges. And for their trifles they will procure of mayden seruaunts, when [leaf 20, back] their mystres or dame is oute of the waye, either some good peece of béefe, baken or chéese, that shalbe worth xij pens, for ii pens of their toyes. And as they walke by the waye, they often gaine some money wyth their instrument, by such as they sodaynely mete withall. The vpright man haue good acquayntance with those, and will helpe and relieue them when they want. Thus they trade their lyues in lewed lothsome lechery. Amongest them all is but one honest woman, and she is of good yeares; her name is Ione Messenger. I haue had good proofe of her, as I haue learned by the true report of diuers. Ibid., 63. ‘Where haue I bene?’ quoth he, and began to smyle. ‘Now, by the mas, thou hast bene at some BAUDY BANQUET.’

  1569.  SANDFORD; 1572, ARBUTHNOT; 1589, Pappe with a Hatchel.

  1589.  PUTTENHAM, Art of English Poesie, III. xix.

  1593.  NASHE, Christ’s Teares, 83 b. They will … play the Brokers, BAUDES, Apron-squires, Pandars, or anything.

  1595.  SHAKESPEARE, Romeo and Juliet, ii. 4. Mer. ’Tis no less, I tell you, for the BAWDY hand of the dial is now on the prick of noon. Nurse. Out upon you! what a man are you? Ibid. (1596), Hamlet, ii. 2. He’s for a jigg, or a tale of BAWDRY.

  1596.  NASHE, Have with You to Saffron-Walden (GROSART, iii., 106). Any hot-house or BAWDY-HOUSE of them all.

  1605.  VERSTEGEN, Restitution (1634), 333. BAWD … a name now given in our language to such as are the makers or furtherers of dishonest matches.

  1608.  MIDDLETON, Works, s.v. BAWDREMINY.

  1608.  DEKKER, The Belman of London [GROSART, Works, III. 86]. The victualers to the campe are women, and to those some are Glymerers, some BAWDY-BASKETS, some Autem-Morts. Ibid., 140. And he delivers it either to a Broker or some BAWD (for they all are of one feather).

  1630.  TAYLOR (‘The Water Poet’), Workes, ‘A Discovery by Sea,’ II. 21.

  1621.  BURTON, The Anatomy of Melancholys, III. II. ii. 5. I perceived … by the naked queans, that I was come into a BAWDY-HOUSE.

  1633.  FORD; 1634, JONSON; 1642, ROGERS; 1651, WELDON; 1651, CEVELAND; 1656, SANDERSON.

  1671.  R. HEAD, The English Rogue, I., v., 39 (1874). [In list of orders of thieves], BAWDY-BASKETS. Ibid. (1674), Canting Academy, 105. The BAWDS and the Buttocks that lived there round.

  1675.  COTTON, Burlesque upon Burlesque: or, The Scoffer Scofft [Works (1725), 208].

  1676.  SHADWELL; 1688, RAVENSCROFT; 1698, VANBRUGH; 1702, DE FOE.

  1699.  WARD, The World Bewitch’d, 23. [Hedges] will be the Leacher’s BAWDY-HOUSE, the Padder’s Ambuscade; … and the Farmer’s Security.

  1703.  WARD, The London Spy, xv. 365. Some loose shabroon in BAWDY-HOUSES bred.

  1711.  STEELE; 1726, AYLIFFE.

  1729.  GAY, Polly, ii. 7. Sure never was such insolence! how could you leave me with this BAWDY-HOUSE bully?

  1760.  STERNE, Tristram Shandy; 1763, CHURCHILL; 1765, BURKE; 1771, SMOLLETT; 1792, YOUNG.

  1809.  MALKIN, Gil Blas [ROUTLEDGE], 87. We passed the night in drinking and talking BAWDY.

  1811.  GROSE and CLARKE, Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v. FREE AND EASY JOHNS. A society which meets at the Hole in the Wall, Fleet-street, to tipple porter, and sing BAWDRY.

  2.  (old).—In pl. = fine clothes. Hence pretentiousness.

  1647.  HERRICK, Hesperides, 144.