Black Bracelets, subs. (old).—Handcuffs. For synonyms, see Darbies.
1839. Harrison Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard [1889], p. 63. When the turnkey, next morning, stepped into his room, The sight of the hole in the wall struck him dumb; The sheriff's black bracelets lay strewn on the ground, But the lad that had worn 'em could nowhere be found. Tol-de-rol!
Black-Cattle, subs. (popular).—1. Clergymen; parsons. [From the prevailing hue of the garments worn by the profession.] Sometimes used in the same way as red-coats for soldiers, e.g., black-coats (q.v.); also devil dodgers, the latter of which, see for synonyms.
2. (old.)—Lice. These are also called active citizens and chates (q.v.).
Black-Cattle Show, subs. (popular).—A gathering of clergymen. [From black-cattle (q.v.) + show, in its slang sense of a party or meeting.]
Black-Coat, subs. (familiar.)—A parson. Cf., Black-cattle and Devil-dodger.
1627. R. Perrot, Jacob's Vow, 52. Let us take heed how these black-coates get the day of us. [m.]
1671. Eachard, Observations, p. 176. Suppose we should bestow upon a poor low thinking black-coat, one of our best forms, such as follows; it is five to one he would commit some ecclesiastical blunder or other, in setting his name too near.
1818. Scott, Heart of Midlothian, i. You are the black-coat's son of Knocktarlitie.
1870. Emerson, Soc. and Solit., ix., p. 197. The black-coats are good company only for black-coats. [m.]
Black-Cuffs, subs. (military).—The Fifty-eight Foot, from the regimental facings which have been black since 1767. They have also been nicknamed the Steel Backs (q.v.).
Black Diamonds, subs. (popular).—1. Coals. [A simile in allusion to the colour, and also to the fact that both coal and diamonds are carbon.]
1849. T. Miller, in Gabarni in London, p. 43. Were he even trusted with the favourite horse and gig to fetch a sack of black diamonds from the wharf.
2. Also formerly a rough but clever or good person; this sobriquet, however, has given place to rough diamond (q.v.).
Black Dog, subs. (old).—1. Applied, circa 1702-30, to a counterfeit shilling and other base silver coinage. In this connection it may be pointed out that black had long previously been applied to base money. Ruding, in his Annals of the Coinage [London, 1817, vol. I., p. 405], having mentioned black money, appends this note—'Qy. Turonenses Nigri? Copper money struck at Tours.' [See Turney's infra. Qy. corrupted from Tierney, name of maker.] It is introduced in his account of the Statute of Money, passed at York, 1335, 9 cap., Edward III., which recites that all manner of black money which had been commonly current in the king's realm and obeisance should be utterly excluded, so as not to be current in one month after proclamation, on pain of forfeiture of the same. Later on, in 1339, a certain black money called 'turneys' was made by
