Abraham man

Abrahamman Abraham-man English Alternative forms en Abraham-man Abrahamman Abram man Abram-man Abramman Etymology 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 use appears c. 1561 in The Fraternity of Vagabonds (1561) by John Awdely. Pronunciation en /ˈeɪ.bɹəˌhæm mæn/ /ˈeɪ.bɹə.həm mæn/ US en LL-Q1860 (eng)-Persent101-Abraham man.wav US Noun Abraham men en UK thieves obsolete A mentally ill beggar. en by extension Any beggar who pretends to be ill, physically or mentally, to obtain alms. en 1561 w:John Awdely The Fraternitye of Vacabondes http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A69425.0001.001/1:3?rgn=div1;view=fulltext 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. en 1608 1905 Thomas Dekker The Bel-Man of London https://archive.org/details/gulshornbookbelm00dekk J. M. Dent & Sons 98–99 An Abraham-man 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 en Abraham man Synonyms en 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 en sham Abraham sham Abram Further reading 1 7–8 I Abraham-Cove, Abraham-Man, Abram-Cove, Abram-Man, Tom of Bedlam’s Man, or Bedlam Beggar 1 subs 9–10 9 Abraham-men en eponyms en People