or bloak, subs. (common).—A man; a fellow: sometimes in contempt: e.g., ‘a BLOKE with a jasey’ = judge (i.e., with a wig); ‘what’s that BLOKE, up to?’ = What’s that man doing? etc.
1851. H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, III., 397. If we met an old BLOKE (man) we propped him.
1857. SNOWDEN, Magistrates Assistant, 3 ed., 446. A gentleman.—A BLOAK.
1860. G. A. SALA, The Baddington Peerage, II., 49. My old BLOKE!
1862. C. KINGSLEY, The Water-Babies, in Macmillan’s Magazine, Dec., 96. Little better than BLOKES and boodles after all.
1863. OUIDA, Held in Bondage, I., 245. The girl is stunning, the BLOKES say, so we must forgive you.
1865. M. E. BRADDON, in Temple Bar, XIII., 483. The society of the aged BLOKE is apt to pall upon the youthful intellect.
1869. GREENWOOD, The Seven Curses of London. It came out in the course of the evidence, that the meaning of the word BLOKE was ‘a man whom a woman might pick up in the street.’
c. 1869. Broadside Ballad, ‘Shooting the Moon.’ Spoken—Yes, and I used to do very well, until some ragged young urchin said to his pal, don’t you varder, don’t you know that ’ere BLOKE, that’s the BLOKE we saw the other day with a barrow.
1873. ROBINSON, Little Kate Kirby, I., 136. ‘Give us a horder then, old BLOKE,’ shrieked another gamin.
c. 1875. Broadside Ballad ‘Keep it Dark.’
| And Dr. Kenealy, that popular BLOKE, | |
| That extremely warm member, the member for Stoke, | |
| Is about to succeed him, the lawyers to choke— |
1883. Daily News, May 15, 7, 2. ‘When you are coming out into the yard ask the next BLOKE to change numbers with you.’
1899. R. WHITEING, No. 5 John Street, v. I thought I should ha’ bu’st when I heerd that old cure lettin’ out at the aristocracy, arter I had floored the BLOKE.
