Brown Bess
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From an archaic meaning of brown, meaning plain or ordinary, and Bess, a nickname for Elizabeth associated with the lower class and prostitutes.
Noun[edit]
Brown Bess (plural Brown Besses)
- (informal) The British Army's Land Pattern Musket or any of its derivatives, standard-issue weapons for British soldiers in the American Revolution.
- Synonym: Black Bess
References[edit]
- John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary
- History of the Term 'Brown Bess'