E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Bohême (La).
A Bohemian, that is, one living on his wits, such as a penny-a-liner, journalist, politician, artist, dancer, or in fact any chevalier of unsettled habits and no settled home. From the French, Bohémien, a gipsy.
1
Une maison de Bohême means a house where no regularity is observed, but all things are at sixes and sevens.
