yellow boy—
1. the Winchester 1866 rifle:
- This weapon could hold sixteen cartridges. Known as the “Yellow-boy” because of its brass frame, it was developed from the Henry repeating rifle.
2. (dated) a gold coin:
- And if you’ll only go along with me, this day twelve months you’ll all have more yellow boys in your pockets than will buy a good farm down east.
3. (U.S. sl., may sound offensive) a light-skinned Black boy:
- His complexion was light and his features were far less Negroid than those of his mother. He was a rather good looking yellow boy.
yellow man—
1. (Anthropolog y) a person of the Mongoloid race with naturally yellowish skin:
- Mongolic or Yellow Man prevails over the vast area lying east of a line drawn from Lapland to Siam.
2. (coll.) a fearful, cowardly man:
- It frightens me when moderate voices are taken to be from weak and yellow men.
3. a flat sugar-stick, flavored with lemon:
- “Lemon Platt,” commonly sold as “Yellow Man” at fairs in the North of Ireland, derives its name from its flavor.