broady
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Cloth. Evidently a corruption of broadcloth. BROADY workers are men who go round selling vile shoddy stuff under the pretence that it is excellent material, which has been "got on the cross," i.e. stolen.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “broady” mean?
Cloth. Evidently a corruption of broadcloth. BROADY workers are men who go round selling vile shoddy stuff under the pretence that it is excellent material, which has been "got on the cross," i.e. stolen.
Is “broady” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.