man-killern.

a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) xxvi. 141 Whenne they [sc. the knights] were putte oute of the palyse, some of hem..bicome thevis, some man-killers.

a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1546) sig. G.ij^v Such as accompanyeth with man kyllers and murtherers.

1652 R. Brome Joviall Crew i. sig. B1^v One told a Gentleman His son should be a man-killer, and hang'd for 't.

1660 R. Coke Justice Vindicated ii. 49 The Inhabitants of Switzerland..who..have..continued Mercenary Man-killers to the interests of the Pope.

1895 Pall Mall Gaz. 29 July 11/2 Even in those regions, where expert man-killers are by no means scarce, the style of shooting is altogether different from that of target shooting.

1928 W. M. Breakenridge Helldorado 59 It had become the custom in these frontier towns to appoint as marshal someone..with a reputation as a man-killer.

1991 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Aug. 82/3 Basic Instinct features a razor-wielding man-killer dyke and an ice-pick-happy man-killer bi-woman.

1876 3rd Rep. Vermont State Board Agric. 1875–6 614 Any man who ever held the old Kimball Rake, usually called the ‘man killer’ or ‘scratch rake’.

1899 Daily News 12 June 9/3 The new Mark IV. bullet, known among experts as ‘The Man-killer’.

1929 F. C. Bowen Sea Slang 89 Man-killer, a hard-working sailing ship in which accidents were frequent. Some ships earned extraordinary reputations in that way.

1957 R. Campbell Portugal v. 86 They rechristened her [sc. a mare], Garota, or ‘dear little girlie-wirlie’, in order to..give the impression that this man-killer was as sweet-tempered and innocent as she looked. Actually she had already killed two men.

1964 Mrs. L. B. Johnson White House Diary 24 July (1970) 183 This was a man~killer of a day for Lyndon.

1989 C. R. Wilson & W. Ferris Encycl. Southern Culture 1394/2 The danger..was increased with the introduction of mechanical loading equipment... These ‘man killers’ greatly increased the dust level.