What did "bully" mean in the 1800s?
When describing how good his field is, a young man wrote:
My buckwheat looks first-rate, and the oats and potatoes are bully.
Source: Harper's Weekly, September 2, 1865
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Bully means "good". You would surely have heard "bully for you", which means "good for you".– FattieCommented Jun 20, 2017 at 16:30
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Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.– tchrist ♦Commented Jul 9, 2017 at 17:06
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4 Answers
The relevant definition from OED is:
Capital, first-rate, ‘crack’.
This is most certainly the definition you are looking for as, all of the citations are 1844-1875 (although the earliest of said citations are for "bully-boat"). Also, it's listed as originally American, so that fits with the "young man in Aroostook County, Maine".
A similar definition can be found in A Glossary of Words & Phrases Usually Relating to the U.S.:
Fine, capital. A low word, used in the same manner as the English use the word crack
What's cool about this source is it was published in 1860, a mere five years before the usage in your clipping.
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4"Bully" was also an exclamation of admiration or approval, as in "bully for him!". It seems like this was probably related.– BarmarCommented Jun 20, 2017 at 16:12
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@Fattie It's apparently a specific type of boat. Like this one for sale.– Laurel ♦Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 16:39
J. E. Lighter, Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang (1994) notes that bully in the sense of "splendid or excellent" is considerably older than the United States:
bully adj. very fine; splendid; excellent; (obs.) best. [Earliest two listed citations:] ca.1599 [Thomas] Dekker, Shoemaker's Holiday V v: Yet Ile shave it off...to please my bully king. 1681 in OED: From such Bully fishers, this Book expects no other reception.
The original source of the "1681" quote is the preface to the 1688 edition of James Chetham, Angler's Vade Mecum, where the usage seems to be sarcastic.
answered Jun 20, 2017 at 3:26
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2As a folk music lover, describing fellow sailors as "bullies" or "bully boys" comes up frequently in sea shanties too. For example traditionalmusic.co.uk/sea-shanty/Blow_Bullies_Blow.htm Since shanties were largely an artifact of the 1800s, that places them contemporaneously with the article.– GrahamCommented Jun 20, 2017 at 14:05
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1@Graham So, “Bully in the Alley” was probably not originally referring to a state of inebriation, but to a sailor — who happened to be so inebriated? Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 7:36
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1@can-ned_food Almost certainly to a sailor, given that it's a shanty, wouldn't you think? although like many folk songs, the actual origin is obscure and it's no more than speculation. I thought I should mention this source of the word though, because although the old meaning of the word is dead in current usage, shanties with the old meaning of the word are very much still alive in folk clubs around the US and UK. So it's a way in which you can still meet the word today.– GrahamCommented Jun 21, 2017 at 9:48
Bully -- ODO
- (US, informal) adj. Very good; excellent.
the statue really looked bully
This meaning fits the context given.
My buckwheat looks first-rate, and the oats and potatoes are bully
My father, a child of the1920s - 1930s used it often, To him it was something great, excellent, very good?
