white-livern.
/ˈwʌɪtlɪvə/, U.S. /ˈ(h)waɪtˌlɪvər/ Now rare.
A white-livered person; a coward; a flatterer.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > [noun] > coward(s)
coward?a1289
hen-hearta1450
staniel?a1500
pigeon?1571
cow1581
quake-breech1584
cow-baby1594
custard1598
chicken heart1602
nidget1605
hen?1613
faintling1614
white-liver1614
chickena1616
quake-buttocka1627
skitterbrooka1652
dunghill1761
cow-heart1768
shy-cock1768
fugie1777
slag1788
man of chaff1799
fainter1826
possum1833
cowardy, cowardy, custard1836
sheep1840
white feather1857
funk1859
funkstick1860
lily-liver1860
faint-heart1870
willy boy1895
blert1905
squib1908
fraid cat (also fraidy cat)c1910–23
manso1912
feartie1923
yellowbelly1927
chicken liver1930
boneless wonder1931
scaredy-cat1933
sook1933
pantywaist1935
punk1939
ringtail1941
chickenshit1945
candy-ass1953
pansy-ass1963
unbrave1981
bottler1994
the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > [noun] > coward(s) > base or acknowledged coward
nithingOE
crathona1400
cradden1513
dastarda1529
poltroona1529
sneaksby1580
craven1581
niddering1596
fazart1597
cur1600
niding1605
white-liver1614
nidderling1664
snool1718
dastardling1800
1614 E. Grimeston tr. P. Matthieu Hist. Lewis XI vi. 186 He stampt with his foot against the ground and sware by St. George, calling Edward one-eyed white-liuer.
1673 E. Hickeringill Gregory 207 Milk-sops, dastards and white-livers.
1762 J. Hoadly Lillo's Arden of Feversham iii. i. 28 Be an honest man of your word, and do't then, white liver.
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. at White Liver, Denotes a flatterer..White is used by our old writers as signifying hypocritical.
1845 J. S. Le Fanu Cock & Anchor I. xxv. 287 The sneering whispers of..‘white feather’, ‘white liver’, ‘muff’, ‘cur’, and other terms of like import reached Ashwoode's ear.
1949 R. Stout Trouble in Triplicate 161 As far as I knew, they were just a couple of white-livers, scared stiff by a false alarm.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2015; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1614