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Bess oʹ Bedlam

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A female lunatic vagrant. Bedlam is a common name for a madhouse, and Bess is a national name for a woman, especially of the lower order. The male lunatic is a Tom Bedlam.

 

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

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Bertram Risingham
Bertramo
Berwicks [Stock Exchange term]
Beryl Molozane
Berzak [the interval]
Besaile
Besants or Bezants
Beside the Cushion
Besom
Bess
Bess o Bedlam
Bess of Hardwicke
Bessemer Iron
Bessie Bell and Mary Gray
Bessus
Best
Best Man (at a wedding)
Best Things (The Eight)
Bestiaries or Bestials
Bête
Bête Noire