subs. (common).—1.  A whore; and (2) a term of endearment. For synonyms, see BARRACK-HACK and TART.

1

  1595.  SHAKESPEARE, Romeo and Juliet, i. 3.

                What lamb! what, LADY-BIRD!—
God forbid!

2

  1600.  JONSON, Cynthia’s Revels, ii. 1. Is that your new ruff, sweet LADYBIRD?

3

  1653.  R. BROME, The Court Beggar, i. 1. A very lime bush to catch LADY-BIRDS.

4

  c. 1696.  B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. LADYBIRDS, Light or Lewd Women.

5

  1725.  A New Canting Dictionary, s.v.

6

  1785.  GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.

7

  1811.  GROSE and CLARKE, Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.

8

  1821.  P. EGAN, Life in London, p. 173. Others of these LADY-BIRDS were offering their congratulations to him.

9

  1821.  W. T. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, p. 5. Here, among the pinks in Rotten Row, the LADYBIRDS in the Saloon etc.

10

  1859.  G. W. MATSELL, Vocabulum; or, The Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v.

11