E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Bartholomew Fair.
Held in West Smithfield (1133–1855) on St. Bartholomew’s Day.
1
A Bartholomew doll. A tawdry, overdressed woman; like a flashy, bespangled doll offered for sale at Bartholomew Fair.
2
A Bartholomew pig. A very fat person. At Bartholomew Fair one of the chief attractions used to be a pig, roasted whole, and sold piping hot. Falstaff calls himself,
3
“A little tidy Bartholomew boar-pig.”—2 Henry IV. ii. 4.
