English

Noun

Covent Garden abbess ‎(plural Covent Garden abbesses)

1. (archaic, British slang) A procuress; a woman who procures costumers for prostitutes.

Related terms

• abbess ‎(“brothel madam”), Covent Garden ague, Covent Garden nun

References

• Barrère, Albert; Leland, Charles Godfrey (1889) A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant, volume 1, pages 275–276
• Farmer, John Stephen (1891) Slang and Its Analogues, volume 2, page 193