or lubbard, subs. (old: now recognised).—A hulking lout; a lumpish oaf: specifically (nautical) a bad seaman.
1362. LANGLAND, Piers Plowman (A), Prol. I. 52. Gret LOBRES and longe.
1534. UDALL, Roister Doister, iii. 3, p. 44 (ARBER).
| For the veriest dolte that euer was borne, | |
| And veriest LUBBER slouen and beast. |
1537. Thersites [DODSLEY, Old Plays (1874), i. 404]. Come hither, Cacus, thou LUBBER and false knave!
1567. EDWARDS, Damon and Pithias [DODSLEY, Old Plays, 1874, iv. 63]. Beaten with a cudgel like a slave, a vacabone, or a lazy LUBBER.
1570. Wit & Science, v., 3 [DODSLEY, Old Plays, 1874, ii. 387]. These great LUBBERS are neither active nor wise.
1573. HARMAN, A Caveat or Warening for Common Cursetors. Sturdy LUBBARES.
1580. TUSSER, Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie, ch. 57, st. 22, p. 131 (E.D.S.).
| For tempest and showers deceiueth a menie, | |
| and lingering LUBBERS loose many a penie. |
1590. NASHE, Pasquils Apologie [GROSART (1885), i. 241]. Will he neuer leaue to play the LUBBER?
1590. GREENE, Neuer too Late [GROSART (1881–6), VIII. 199]. Leauing this passionate LUBBER to the conceipt of his loues.
1600. Contention between Liberality and Prodigality, sc. iv. [DODSLEY, Old Plays, 1874, viii. 340]. Post. Look forth and see: a LUBBER, fat, great, and tall. Ibid., 370. A luskish LUBBER, as fat as a log.
1605–6. SHAKESPEARE, King Lear, i. 4. Kent. If you will measure your LUBBER’S length again, tarry.
1621. BURTON, The Anatomy of Melancholy (ed. 1892), ii. 156. The rest of these great Zanzummins, or gigantical Anakims, heavy, vast, barbarous LUBBERS.
1662. Rump Songs, ii. 38.
| If he had but the life | |
| And spirit of his Wife, | |
| He would not lye still like a LUBBER. |
1671. CROWNE, Juliana, iii. 1. Lo, blunderbuss, my lord, grand LUBBER.
1684. LACY, Sauny the Scot, v. 1. Go swagger at your greasy LUBBER there; your patient wife will make you no more sport.
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. LUBBER, LUBBERLY, a heavy, dull Fellow.
1700. CONGREVE, The Way of the World, iv. 7. How can you name that superannuated LUBBER? foh!
1725. A New Canting Dictionary, s.v.
1748. SMOLLETT, Roderick Random, xxiv. And called him … swab, and LUBBER.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.
1836. M. SCOTT, Tom Cringle’s Log, x. Confound the LUBBERS! Boatswain’s mate, call the watch.
1837. R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends, ‘The Dead Drummer’ (ed. 1862), p. 350.
| Of course in the use of sea terms you’ll not wonder | |
| If I now and then should fall into a blunder, | |
| For which Captain Chamier, or Mr. T. P. Cooke | |
| Would call me ‘a LUBBER,’ and ‘Son of a Sea-cook.’ |
Adj. (old: now recognised).—Clumsy; clownish. Also LUBBERLY.
1580. TUSSER, Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie, ch. 9, st. 16, p. 17 (E.D.S.).
| To raise betimes the LUBBERLIE, | |
| both snorting Hob and Margerie. |
1594. GREENE, Frier Bacon [GROSART (1881–6), XIII. 45]. This LUBBERLY lurden, ill-shapte, and ill-faced.
1596. NASHE, Have with You to Saffron-Walden, in Works, iii. 125. Lamely and LUBBERLY hee striues to imitate and bee another English Lipsius.
1598. SHAKESPEARE, Merry Wives of Windsor, v. 5. I came yonder at Eton to marry mistress Anne Page, and she’s a great LUBBERLY boy.
1597–8. HAUGHTON, A Woman will have her Will, vi. 2 [DODSLEY, Old Plays, 1874, x. 533]. Laur. Well, what shall we do with this LUBBER—Lover, I should say?
1598. FLORIO, A Worlde of Wordes. Homaccione, a great euill fauored man, a LUBBARLY man, a loggarhead.
1606. Wily Beguiled [DODSLEY, Old Plays, 1874, ix. 241]. Your LUBBERLY legs would not carry your lob-cock body.
1645. MILTON, L’Allegro. Then lies him down, the LUBBAR fiend.
1662. DRYDEN, Satire on the Dutch, 34.
| Venetians do not more uncouthly ride, | |
| Than did their LUBBER state mankind bestride. |
1706. FARQUHAR, The Recruiting Officer, v. 4. Me for a soldier! send your own lazy, LUBBERLY sons at home.
1759. GOLDSMITH, The Bee, No. 6, p. 395 (Globe ed.). Those modest LUBBERLY boys who seem to want spirit generally go through their business with more ease to themselves and more satisfaction to their instructors.
1856. YONGE, The Daisy Chain, xxxvii. ‘Poor George had been so spoilt by these aunts, and was so big, and old, that my mother did not know what to make of him.’ ‘A great LUBBERLY boy,’ Ethel said, rather repenting the next moment.
