case

   1. obsolete

   a brothel

   As with carsey, from the Italian (or Spanish) casa, a house, and occasionally so spelt. And as casa or casita:

    Four casas, four women, often four Frenchwoman, to the square hectare. (Londres, 1928, in translation, writing of the density of prostitutes in Buenos Aires)

    Some people used to call her Caso Maggie. (Kersh, 1936)

    ... the representative of the law hurries to the Casita and the woman pays at once. (Londres, 1928, in translation)

   A casino is where we can gamble in public.

   2. anything which is the subject of taboo

   It may be someone displaying a degree of eccentricity in conduct. In medical use, a patient, especially where it might be a breach of confidence to divulge the identity. In funeral jargon, the corpse:

    We cremate quite a few cases. (J. Mitford, 1963)

   A recidivist is a hard case.