bene bowse

English

Alternative forms

• benbouse, ben-bouze, bene bouse, bien bowse

Noun

bene bowse

1. (obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) Good beer.
   • 1566, Thomas Harman, A Caveat Or Warning for Common Cursetors, Vulgarly Called Vagabonds‎^[1], London: Reeves and Turner, published 1871, page 118:

     Why, where is the ken that hath the bene bowse.

   • 1641–42, Richard Brome, A Jovial Crew, or the Merry Beggars, act 2:

     This is bene bowse, this is bene bowse, / Too little is my skew. / I bowse no lage, but a whole gage / Of this I'll bowse to you

References

• [Francis Grose] (1788) “Bene bowse”, in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 2nd edition, London: […] S. Hooper, […], →OCLC.
• John S[tephen] Farmer, compiler (1890) “bene bowse”, in Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present. […], volume I, [London: […] Thomas Poulter and Sons] […], →OCLC, pages 176–179.