adj. (old).—1. Chaste.
1598. JONSON, Every Man in his Humour, ii. 1.
| Why’t cannot be, where there is such resort, | |
| Of wanton gallants, and young revellers, | |
| That any woman should be HONEST long. |
1599. HENRY PORTER, The Two Angry Women of Abingdon (DODSLEY, Old Plays, 4th ed., 1875, vii., 389). Hod. Why, is my fellow, Dick, in the dark with my mistress? I pray God, they be HONEST, for there may be much knavery in the dark.
1600. Look About You, Sc. 28 (DODSLEY, Old Plays, 4th ed., 1875, vii., 476).
| Rob. What, lecher? no, she is an HONEST woman: | |
| Her husband’s well known. |
1602. SHAKESPEARE, Othello, iii. 3. I do not think but Desdemona’s HONEST.
1614. JONSON, Bartholomew Fair, v., 3. De HONEST woman’s life is a dull scurvy life, indeed.
1663. KILLIGREW, The Parson’s Wedding, iii., 2 (DODSLEY, Old Plays (HAZLITT), 4th ed., 1875, xiv., 454). There’s none but HONEST women. Ibid., v., 4, p. 525. Crooked, dirty, sordid vermin, predestined for cuckolds, painted snails with houses on their backs, and horns as big as Dutch cows! Would any woman marry such? Nay, can any woman be HONEST that let’s such hodmandods crawl o’er her virgin breast and belly?
1672. WYCHERLEY, Love in a Wood, ii., 1. A man … may bring his bashful wench, and not have her put out of countenance by the impudent HONEST women of the town.
1686–7. AUBREY, Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme (1881), p. 163. The towne is full of wanton wenches, and … (they say) scarce three HONEST women in the Town.
1693. CONGREVE, The Old Bachelor, iii., 10. Silvia. I’m not such a fool neither, but I can keep myself HONEST.
1695. CONGREVE, Love for Love, iii., 14. Mrs. Fore. Do you think any woman HONEST? Scan. Yes, several very honest; they’ll cheat a little at cards sometimes; but that’s nothing. Mrs. Fore. Pshaw! but virtuous, I mean.
2. (common).—Not positively illegal: as HONEST PENNY or SHILLING = money earned by means immoral [as by prostitution] but within the law. Also, TO TURN AN HONEST PENNY = to make a profitable deal.
1677. WYCHERLEY, The Plain Dealer, iii., 1. You must call usury and extortion God’s blessing, or the HONEST TURNING OF THE PENNY.
1886. J. S. WINTER, Army Society, ch. xxi. There was a chance of TURNING AN HONEST PENNY in hiring them out for the donkey-race.
TO MAKE AN HONEST WOMAN, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To marry a mistress.
1629. EARLE, Microcosmographie (5th ed.). ‘A Serving Man.’ The best work he does is his marrying, for he MAKES AN HONEST WOMAN, and if he follows in it his master’s direction, it is commonly the best service he does htm.
1672. WYCHERLEY, Love in a Wood, v., 6. Dap. Why she was my wench. Gripe. I’ll MAKE HER HONEST then.
1750. FIELDING, Tom Jones, bk. XV., ch. viii. Mr. Nightingale, and his love, stepped into a hackney-coach, which conveyed him to Doctors’ Commons, where Miss Nancy was, in vulgar language, soon MADE AN HONEST WOMAN.
1811. GROSE and CLARKE, Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
1824. SCOTT, St. Ronan’s Well, ch. xxv. My right honourable father nourished some thoughts of MAKING AN HONEST WOMAN of Marie de Martiguy, and a legitimate elder brother of Francis.
1827. P. EGAN, Anecdotes of the Turf, p. 182. She had now only to play her cards well, she was sure of winning the game, also of becoming an HONEST WOMAN.
AS HONEST A MAN AS WHEN KINGS ARE OUT, phr. (old).—Knavish.
HONEST AS THE SKIN BETWEEN THE BROWS (or HORNS), phr. (old).—As honest as may be.
1551. STILL, Gammer Gurton’s Needle, v. 2 [DODSLEY, Old Plays (REED), ii., 67]. I am AS TRUE, I wold thou knew, AS SKIN BETWENE THY BROWES.
1599. JONSON, Every Man out of his Humour, ii., 2. Punt. Is he magnanimous? Gent. AS THE SKIN BETWEEN YOUR BROWS, sir.
1600. SHAKESPEARE, Much Ado about Nothing, iii., 5. An old man, sir, and his wits are not so blunt, as, God help, I would desire they were, but in faith, HONEST, AS THE SKIN BETWEEN HIS BROWS.
1614. JONSON, Bartholomew Fair, iv., 5. It shall be justified to thy husband’s faish, now; tou shalt be as HONESHT AS THE SKIN BETWEEN HIS HORNSH, la.
