croppie
Preserved but no longer current.
A person who has had his hair cut, or CROPPED, in prison. Formerly those who had been CROPPED (i.e., had their ears cut off and their noses slit) by the public executioner were called CROPPIES, then the Puritans received the reversion of the title.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
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 “croppie” mean?
A person who has had his hair cut, or CROPPED, in prison. Formerly those who had been CROPPED (i.e., had their ears cut off and their noses slit) by the public executioner were called CROPPIES, then the Puritans received the reversion of the title.
Is “croppie” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.