subs. (old).—A lawyer. [From the green bag in which robes and briefs were carried. The colour is now blue, or, in cases of presentation from seniors to juniors, red.]
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS.—Black box; bramble (provincial); devil’s own; gentleman of the long robe; land-shark; limb of the law; mouth-piece; PHILADELPHIA LAWYER (q.v.); quitam; six-and-eightpence; snipe; sublime rascal.
FRENCH SYNONYMS. Un bavard (pop. = a talker or mouthpiece); un blanchisseur (= whitewasher); un brodancheur à la plaque, aux macarons, or à la cymbale (thieves’: a notary-public); un gerbier (thieves’); un grippemini (obsolete: grippeminaud = thief); un inutile (thieves’: a notary-public); une éponge d’or (= a sucker-up of gold: in allusion to the long bills); un macaron huissier (popular).
ITALIAN SYNONYMS.—Dragon del gran soprano; dragonetto (= a dragon, or SUCK-ALL).
SPANISH SYNONYMS.—Remedio (= a remedy); la letraderia (= a body or society of lawyers); cataribera (jocular).
