Abraham man

See also: Abrahamman and Abraham-man

English

Alternative forms

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

Etymology

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, 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):

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Noun

Abraham man (plural Abraham men) (UK, thieves' cant, obsolete)

1. A mentally ill beggar.
2. (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 […], volume 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.