E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Bev’y.
A bevy of ladies. A throng or company; properly applied to roebucks, quails, and pheasants. Timid gregarious animals, in self-defence, go down to a river to drink in bevies or small companies. Ladies, from their timidity, are placed in the same category (Italian, bevere, to drink).
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“And upon her deck what a bevy of human flowers—young women, how lovely!—young men, how noble!”—De Quincey: Dream-fugue.
