Abraham man

See also: Abrahamman and Abraham-man

English

Alternative forms

• Abraham-man, Abrahamman, Abram man, Abram-man, Abramman

Etymology

Britain pre-1561. From patients claiming, genuinely or not, to be temporarily discharged from the Abraham ward at Bethlem Royal Hospital (also known as Bedlam)—a psychiatric hospital in London, Kingdom of England—for the purpose of begging.

Possibly an allusion to a story in Luke 16, in which the beggar Lazarus ends up in Abraham's bosom.

First attested in The Fraternity of Vagabonds (1561) by John Awdely.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ.bɹəˌhæm mæn/, /ˈeɪ.bɹə.həm mæn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

Abraham man (plural Abraham men)

1. (obsolete, UK, thieves' cant, historical) A mentally ill beggar.
2. (obsolete, UK, thieves' cant, historical) By extension, any beggar who pretends to be ill, physically or mentally, to obtain alms.
   • 1561, John Awdely, The Fraternitye of Vacabondes‎^[1]:

     An Abraham man is he that walketh bare armed, and bare legged, and fayneth hymselfe mad, and caryeth a packe of wool, or a stycke with baken on it, or such lyke toy, and nameth himselfe poore Tom.

   • 1608, Thomas Dekker, The Bel-Man of London‎^[2], J. M. Dent & Sons, published 1905, An Abraham-man, pages 98–99:

     Of all the mad rascalls (that are of this wing) the Abraham-man is the most phantastick: The fellow (quoth this old Lady of the Lake unto me) that sat halfe naked (at table to day) from the girdle upward, is the best Abraham-man that ever came to my house and the notablest villaine: he sweares he hath bin in bedlam, and will talke frantickly of purpose […]

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:Abraham man.

Synonyms

• Abram, Abram-cove, Abram cove, Abraham-cove, Abraham cove, Bedlam beggar, God's minstrel, Poor Tom, Tom of Bedlam, Tom of Bedlam's man

Derived terms

• Abraham sham, Abram sham
• sham Abraham, sham Abram
• do Abram
• Abraham suit
• Abraham work

Further reading

• [Francis Grose] (1788) “Abraham man”, in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 2nd edition, London: […] S. Hooper, […], →OCLC.
• [Francis] Grose [et al.] (1811) “Abraham man”, in Lexicon Balatronicum. A Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence. […], London: […] C. Chappell, […], →OCLC.
• Albert Barrère and Charles G[odfrey] Leland, compilers and editors (1889–1890) “Abraham man”, in A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant […], volumes I (A–K), Edinburgh: […] The Ballantyne Press, →OCLC, pages 7–8.
• John S[tephen] Farmer, compiler (1890) “Abraham-Cove, Abraham-Man, Abram-Cove, Abram-Man, Tom of Bedlam’s Man, or Bedlam Beggar, subs.”, in Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present. […], volume I, [London: […] Thomas Poulter and Sons] […], →OCLC, pages 9–10.