| Share
 
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—Y

Yellow-boy

(A). A gold sovereign.

“John did not starve the cause: there wanted not yellow-boys to fee counsel.” —Arbuthnot: John Bull.

Yellow-boy

(A). A bankrupt. The French call a bankrupt Safranier, and Aller au safran means to be made a bankrupt. The allusion is to the ancient custom of painting the house of a traitor yellow. It will be remembered that the house of the Petit Bourbon was long so stigmatised on account of the treason of the Constable Bourbon.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Yellow Caps
Yellow Book of France
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

More on Yellow-boy from Infoplease:

  • Yellow-boy - Yellow-boy (A). A gold sovereign. “John did not starve the cause: there wanted not ...
  • A Day - Poemsby Emily Dickinson The Mountain XXIII A Day I'll tell you how the sun rose, — A ...
  • Brown - Brown A copper coin, a penny; so called from its colour. Similarly a sovereign is a “yellow ...
  • Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: Y - Definitions, origins, and illustrative excerpts for words, phases, and literary allusions starting with "Y"

Related Content

24 X 7

Private Tutor

Click Here for Details
24 x 7 Tutor Availability
Unlimited Online Tutoring
1-on-1 Tutoring
Explore 5th Grade Math , Calculus Tutor