Abraham-man

13th Nov 2006, 16:39 GMT

Abraham-man: Also abram-man. One of a class of beggars who once wandered over England after the dissolution of the religious houses in the 16th century, pretending lunacy for the sake of obtaining alms. To sham Abraham (or sham Abram) now means to feign sickness, to fake illness. MedTerms (TM) is the Medical Dictionary of MedicineNet.com. We Bring Doctors' Knowledge To You