subs. (old).—1.  A gallant; a woman’s man; a SERVANT (q.v.): also LOVE-SQUIRE, and SQUIRE OF DAMES. Hence APPLE-SQUIRE (q.v.) and SQUIRE OF THE BODY = a STALLION (q.v.). As verb. = (1) TO SERVE (q.v.); (2) to PIMP (q.v.); and (3) to gallant.

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  1383.  CHAUCER, The Canterbury Tales, 5, 884, ‘The Wif of Bathes Prologue.’

                    Our prentis Jankin …
SQUIERETH me both up and doun,
Yet hast thou caught a false suspection:
I wol him nat, though thou were ded to-morwe.

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  1590.  SPENSER, The Fairie Queene, II. i. 21, 8.

          And eke himselfe had craftily devised
To be her SQUIRE, and do her service well aguised.

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  1599.  JONSON, Every Man out of his Humour, The Character of the Persons. Shift. … His chief exercises are, taking the whiff, SQUIRING a cockatrice, and making privy searches for imparters.

4

  1611.  CHAPMAN, May-Day, ii. 4. Now for a far-fetched device to fetch over my LOVE-SQUIRE.

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  1632.  MASSINGER, The Emperor of the East, 1. 2.

                    Marry, there I am call’d
The SQUIRE OF DAMES, or Servant of the Sex.

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  1639.  MAYNE, The Citye Match, iii. 4. And spoil your SQUIRING in the dark.

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  1665.  R. HEAD, The English Rogue, I. ix. 71 (1874). From what Dunghil didst thou pick up this Shakerag, this SQUIRE OF THE BODY?

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  1675.  WYCHERLEY, The Country Wife, iv. 3. To SQUIRE women about for other folks is as ungrateful an employment as to tell money for other folks.

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  1678.  COTTON, Scarronides, or, Virgil Travestie (1770), 90.

        And turning straight his eyes to Tyre,
To look for Dido, and her SQUIRE,
All in a Chamber finely matted,
He very fairly spy’d ’um squatted.

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  1708–10.  SWIFT, Polite Conversation, i. Neverout. … I’ll go to the Opera to-night,… for I promised to SQUIRE the Countess to her Box.

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  1900.  R. H. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, II. vi. It was no light-minded SQUIRE OF DAMES who sat alone in the smoking-room.

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  3.  (American).—See quot.

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  1862.  C. F. BROWNE (‘Artemus Ward’), Artemus Ward: His Book, ‘The Octoroon.’ It is a middlin fine day, SQUIRE. [Note.—SQUIRE, in New England phraseology, a magistrate, or justice of the peace; but throughout the States a very general complimentary title, varied occasionally by major, colonel, general, &c.]

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  4.  (various).—See quots. c. 1696 and 1785: also BROOM, GALLIPOT, and PAD.

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  1688.  SHADWELL, THE SQUIRE OF ALSATIA [Title].

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  c. 1696.  B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. SQUIRE OF ALSATIA, a Man of Fortune, drawn in, cheated, and ruin’d by a pack of poor, towsy, spunging, bold Fellows that liv’d (formerly) in White-Fryers. The SQUIRE, a Sir Timothy Treat-all; also a Sap-pate. SQUIRISH, foolish, also one that pretends to Pay all Reckonings, and is not strong enough in the Pocket. A fat Squire, a rich Fool.

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  1785.  GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v. SQUIRE OF ALSATIA. A weak profligate spendthrift, the SQUIRE OF THE COMPANY; one who pays the whole reckoning, or treats the company, is called STANDING SQUIRE.

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