or cully, subs. (old).—A man; companion; partner. Specifically, a fool; one tricked or imposed upon. Grose seems to make a distinction, for he quotes CULL = ‘a man honest or otherwise,’ and CULLY = ‘a fop, fool, or dupe to women,’ in which sense it was current in the seventeenth century. Thus Rochester (in Satire on the Times), ‘But pimp-fed Ratcliffe’s not a greater CULLY.—See also quot., 1771. [Probably a contraction of CULLION (Fr., couillon; It., coglione); but derived by Annandale from the Sp. Gypsy chulai, a man; Turkish Gypsy, khulai, a gentleman.]
1671. R. HEAD, The English Rogue, pt. I., ch. v., p. 48 (1874). CULLE: a sap-headed fellow.
1676. A Warning for House-keepers.
| As we walk along the street, | |
| We bite the CULLEY of his cole. |
1693. CONGREVE, The Old Batchelor, Act iii., Sc. 1.
| Man was by nature womans CULLY made: | |
| We never are, but by our selves betray’d. |
1712. ARBUTHNOT, The History of John Bull, pt. IV., ch. i. I won’t let him make me over, by deed and indenture, as his lawful CULLY.
1748. T. DYCHE, A New General English Dictionary (5 ed.). CULL (s.): a cant word for a man, either good or bad, but generally means one that a wench has picked up for some naughty purpose.
1760. C. JOHNSTONE, Chrysal, ii., 17. Your secret, grave, old, rich CULLS, just fit to do business with.
1771. HENRY MACKENZIE, The Man of Feeling, xxvi. Harley … sallied forth with a blush of triumph on his face, without taking notice of the sneer of the waiter, who, twirling the watch in his hand, made him a profound bow at the door, and whispered to a girl, who stood in the passage, something, in which the word CULLY was honoured with a particular emphasis.
1824. SCOTT, St. Ronan’s Well, ch. xxx. ‘Na, Na,’ answered the boy: ‘he is a queer auld CULL, he disna frequent wi’ other folk.’
1830. BULWER-LYTTON, Paul Clifford, p. 75 (ed. 1854). A famous CULL is my friend Attie—an old soldier—has seen the world, and knows what is what.
1839. W. H. AINSWORTH, Jack Sheppard (1889), p. 14. Capital trick of the CULL in the cloak to make another person’s brain stand the BRUNT for his own—capital!
1889. Puck’s Library, April, p. 18. Showman: Look-a-here, CULLY, yer don’t ’xpect ter git a lecture on nat’l history ’n’a free ticket ter the antipoads fer a quarter, do yer?
RUM CULL, subs. (theatrical).—The manager of a theatre; also called a CULLY-GORGER.
