Bummarees

A class of middlemen or fish-jobbers in Billingsgate Market, who get a living by bummareeing, i.e. buying parcels of fish from the salesmen, and then retailing them. A corruption of bonne marée, good fresh fish, or the seller thereof. According to the Dictionnaire de lʹAcadémie, marée means toute sorte de poisson de mer que nʹest pas salé. Bonne marée, marée fraiche.