Page:Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant (1889) by Barrere & Leland.djvu/156

 In the above the allusion is to the cousin of Nell Gwyn, Charles II.'s mistress.

These make out a strong case for the early use of the word in England. It would seem to have died out for a time and been revived, possibly under Dutch influence, in the time of the Georges.

It has been suggested that blackguard is from braggart, with a change of liquid. French of the sixteenth century braguar, bragard, or bragghar (gradually altered to bragueur, then blagueur), dandy, vain fellow, swaggerer, traceable to the old braies, breeches, dandies of the sixteenth century being known by the approved style of their breeches. More recently there are instances of dandies or others receiving the appellation of the more conspicuous articles of their dress or the colour of these—the talon-rouge, a dandy of the time of Louis XIV.; col-cassé, the modern Parisian "masher;" cas-quette-à-trois-ponts, a bully ; culs-rouges and cherry-bums, hussars; white-choker, a clergyman, &c.

It has also been said that the term was derived from the circumstance of a number of dirty ragged boys attending on the parade to blacken the boots and shoes of the soldiers and do any other dirty offices. From their constant attendance at the time of the Royal Body Guard mounting, they were by some facetious person nicknamed the blackguards.

Blackie (American), a very old word for a negro, still occasionally used. It is to be found in a negro song which dates back to the beginning of this century.

Black jack (American), rum and molasses, with or without water. A New England drink. (Winchester), a large leathern jug which formerly was used for beer.

Black job (undertakers'), a funeral. Lord Portsmouth's hobby was to attend all the black jobs he could hear of.

Black language (Anglo-Indian), an expression, no longer common, for Hindustani and other Indian tongues. It is remarkable that the English gypsies sometimes speak of Romany as the Kālo jib, or black tongue. The term was doubtless originally Hindu.

Blackleg (common), a name formerly appropriated to swindlers in racing transactions, and to those who betted without intending to pay their losses. Also generally applied in America to gambling of any kind. In its earlier application it