"cowardly," 1605, in "Macbeth;" from lily (in its color sense of "pale, bloodless") + liver, which was a supposed seat of love and passion. A healthy liver is typically dark reddish-brown.
mod. cowardly. : That lily-livered guy is up hiding under his bed till this blows over.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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