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127614 



A Dictionary of Slang 
and Colloquial English 

Abridged from the seven-volume work, entitled 

Slang and its Analogues 



BY JOHN S. FARMER 
AKD W. E. HENLEY 



LONDON 

George Routledge & Sons, Limited 

New York : E. P. Dutton Co, 



1921 



A LIST 



THE MORE IMPOBTANT DICTIONABIES 

AND OfHBK WGHK8 TO WHICH REFERENCE AND 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT IS MADE 



%" Tttf faun A fa brack'to, thtut [168SJ, which, occur in the text may be taken 
a* inditutiny, in moxi /taw#, the dfrte of the carlicxt iUwtrative quotation 
"Hlang ad its Analogues.' 



It JO. GAUTiUDOB CJBAfifMATiocrs Promptoriuui Parvulorum sive 

clorioorunx The Brut English- 
Latin Dictionary. 
*~" de la Langue 



Hin/JKT, HIC?IARD * . Abeoedarium Anglico-Latinuna pro 



Wrriuus, .Toncw . A Little Diotionarie for Children 

(Latin and English). 
Caveat or Wamnmg for Common 
Curators vulgarly called Vaga- 
bones. The earliest Glossary of 
the language of "the Canting 
Crew." 
M/inipuluH Vocabulorum. 

the Frateraatye of, AS 



, , 

well oa of ruflyng Vaoabonee, as 
of beggerly, of Women as of 
Mo oTOyrlftB as of Boyes r with 



thoir proper N&mee and Qualities, 
with A Deeoription of the Crafty 
Company of Consonera and 
Shifters, Iao the XZV. Orders 
of Knave*; otherwyao called a 
Quartern of Knavoe, oonfirmed 
by Cook* LorelL 



A Isist o\ Dictionaries anJ Oth r 



1586. WITHALS. JOHN . 

1693. HOLLYBAND, CLAUDII * 
1595. ELORIO, JOHN 



1599. MrsrsHsnr, JOHN . 

1611. COTQRAVE, RA.NIH.B 

1616. B[TOLOKAB], JI.OHN] 

1617. MnrsHEtr, JOHN . 



1656. BLOUNT, THOMAS . 
1658. PHILLIPS, JEIDWAKD 

1660. HOWELL, JAMB? 

J674, HJ6A&, RICHARD . 
1677. 



e. 1696. 1. B.. OJSNT . 

17J& SMITH, CAPT. i 
1721. BAILEY, NATBAJ* * 



1724. 

1737. BAILTOT, NATHAN , 



1754. ANON . 



A Shorte Oiotionarie in Latin and 

English. 

Diciionnrits French and Englnh. 
A Worlde of WorcUw: a most copi- 

ous Dictionary of the Itah^n 

and English Tonfjues. 

Dictionaric m Spanish and 

" 



Dictionario dc la lAncnio fr m^ -t*. 
English Expositor of Kurd VS-mJ-*. 
Guicl<i into tht* Tonguv^, Knvlish, 

British or WeLh Low 

High I>titch t Fronch, 

Spanish Fo 

and Hebrew. 
GloHso^raphift, or D 

proting l ho hard 

in our rvfim'd Knsrli^h l 
The Now World uf 

or it, (ttwral !>!<f iontty routin- 

ing tht* intor{r**tati'->n^ rtf ttuch 

hiirtJ word IUH ;*rt* ti^ni-tMi from 
Klorio f Die- 



nter- 



Lexicon *T k tray]ottnn, ^rt 



tionary, 

euatin^ Atadmy, with 
Cantittfc iHfWHn 



Ene:U*h with 
ami Kwn**h. 

A Nttw IMctionnjry uf llw TV-im*. 
Ancient rind MitIirn. & tht* 
ini? CVw in it 
(the 



Caul 



An K 



^ i<tjr*t*K 



1769. 



WILLIAM 



A. List of Dictionaries and Other Works. 



1785. GROSS, FKAKOIS 

1786. TOOKB, JOHN 

1790. POHTSB, JOHJBf 



1803. 



1808. JAMIESOUN JOHN 



1812. VAFX, ,T. H. . 
1812. ANON . 

18-2-2. NAKK 



3. BKB, (;EORQ 



$, OJHTKJWAW, 



1HU. I>AN,\, H. H.. -fns. * 
iULUWfcu*, .JAMK.-I o. , 



R. 



Al/ 

t 



A Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongua 

Divcrftiona of Parley. 

Dictionary of all the Cant and Flash 
Languages. 

Oradus ad Canfabrigiam, or a Dic- 
tionary of the Terms Academical 
and Colloquial, or Cant, which 
are uaed at tho University. 

An Etymological Dictionary of the 
Scott ish Language. 2 vote. , with 
supplement, 2 vols. 

Klaflh Diet lonary. 

liang-up Dictionary, or the Lounger 
nn<l Sportsman's Vade-mecum. 

A Glossary of Words and Phrases, 
etc., in tho Work* of English 
Authors, particularly Shake- 
8pearf and hi Contemporaries. 
(JNow ed,, with considerable 
vddit,iotiK by J. O. Hnlliwoll and 
TKomaw Wright, 1876). 

A Dictionary of the Turf, tho Eing f 
Thi* (faaws ihfl Pit, of Bon Ton 
and the VrUi'a of Life, forming 
tht< <tc>mpU^t Jx^xicon Bala- 
tnmionm (n*r offered to the 
Sporting World. 

Th<- LfidiH' Lexicon and Parlour 



IK<tt|onnry of Sea Terma* 

A Diotioninry of Archaic and Pro- 
vincial Word. $ vols. 

l>irtionarv of American Words and 
PUrnmti (fid. of 1877). 

Bittkn of I K in don laid open; a 
Jtttttwt (Vmtpunion for tho Un- 
niiUatcd. (n which IB added a 
nuwl'TTi Kln^h Dictionary, oon- 
trviuinK H tho Cant Words, Slang 
Twin*. *wl With Phrasott now 
in Votic. with A lint of tho 
Sixty Ordiw *C Primo Covoe, 

'Hi** VulKwTtjiifpK*. Two Gloflsaries 
, wui Flaiih Words and 



A iJirtmnnry of M<^rtirn Slang, 
(*i*tit, mi Vulgar Wordu aftor- 
w*ft& tmtitknt 'Hift Hlrwag Die- 
tiwmrv. Ktymotogmi,Hitoricl, 
miil Aitwfcitia (Iut4t *& 1885). 
VagKtorum: Der Bettor 
4ta. av^niafttcd into 
with NotK, by John 
< 'ttmtUni iiatt^t, UK the Book of 
, with a 



A List of Dictionaries and Other Worfa. 



1879-82. SKEAT, BEV. W. W. 

1880. BREWER, REV. 33. OOBHAM . 

1881. KWONQ xi CHUT . 

1881. DATIBS, Bar. T. L. O. . 
1881. PASCOE, CHARLES 

1884-1904. MTTRRAY, JAMBS A. H. 
and A. GRAIOIE) 



188(1. YUWB, Cot* H., & 
C. 



1886. OEJCPHAITO, W. KING-TON 

1887. BARHKBE, ALBEIIT 

1888. FARMBU, JOHN S. . 

1889. BARBERS, A., and 

CHABLES GODFHHY 
1900. FABMBH, JOHN S. 



(JRnf we? ** 



r>f their 



tj, vvir', 



preface, by Martin Luther, in 

the* year 1528. 
Etymological Dictionary of the 

jfingliah Language, amma^d on 

an Historictvl B^HIB. 
Reader's Han<lboi>k of AHw.^ton**. 

References, Plots, and Sturio-;. 
A Dictionary of Knylirth i'hrv*^, 

A Supplementary Knjili^h t ll>-* t ',ry. 
Every - day Life in our Pnblir 

Pk*hooli<. (f-ontains u < Jlf >., rv 

of Public School i>I,ff.) 
A New Knifliwh Dirtionary *m 

Historical Principles, Kounfl'>I 

miiinlyon the Mftt*>ri*ita collect* 1 *! 

by th PliilulopoAl Soc*i*ty. In 



Hobaon-.Tol>son f Un 
of Ant!n-Indin (V> 
and Phn-Hitw, Kfv 
torical, 
cursive* 

Tiic Now Rngiinh. 

Arg 



Slang. Jitrgon. iuui <*rmt. 

The Public School Word Book. 



Slang and Colloquial English 



Huron, a jtnountainfwr.] (2) The 
luatlcr of a gang of thieves ; always 
with * tbo as a prefix. (3) A leader 

t.Uo church (1007). 

A. B. An A f bhVI-bfodicd] Boa-man. 

Abba. A form of contempt: gen- 
eric. AH suUs., a non-unionist: as adj., 
vile, Hilly. 

Aback, To fnkf, aback, to surprise, 
ohet'k ; uddenly and forcibly. fOrig. 
nautical : iu which aonse (0, /. D,) 
dating from 1704.1 

Abacter (or Abactor), iStcalera 
of < 'atllo or 'Bciaotth, by Hereto, or great 
number* ; and were distinguished 
from Furt* (Mount), 

Abaddon. A thiof turned informer ; 
H itobor (({.v.). [Obviously a Jew 
f^nt'c'.j punning rofaronco to Abaddon, 
the attgcl of tlio bottomless pit ; Ror. 
ix. H.] 

Abandnnnad (or Abandannaad), 
( I ) A Immlkcwhtof (or bandanna) thiof. 

1 Uw* (il) a potty thiof. I Bnwr : A 
font motion (**V) of a bandanna lad.] 

Abandoned Habit In pl. t flpoc. 
thf < rUUnji dt'nu-tmmdr* in Hotton libv. 

Abbcr (Harrow). (1) An abstract; 
(X')uuftbtiit(q.v.). 

Abbess (or Lady Abbess). A bawd; 
A Mwunlftwt of lr 8tow (fj.v.) : of. 
Ahlnit: Nun; Hmtan; otc, (1770.) 

Abbey. fr* ttrfaff an abbey to rt 
tjmpgct to Hquiwdw : ttUin obh to 
tiny (tit (tMwn (Kny : wtt Rpak It of an 
unttrf< ), Amoujt kindrw;} expwwlo 
an* : To hrinj* a tiobln to nint^K-nco ; to 
nmkti of n Ittrn-n a thorn ; to mnki> of a 
jukir of hrt'Hch^ti a purno ; to thwiU* a 
tnttl }K>Mt to , pudding - priuk ; Hi" 
wind-tntU in tiwiiuik-d into ft niutr. 
triu:kr ? front ft 



Hdron, a mountaineer.] (2) The 
tiadtT of a gang of (hicvcs; always 
*ith ' tlo ' as a prefix. (3) A leader 
> t,ho church (1007). 

A. B. An A [blo'|-bfodi<l] seaman. 

Abba. A form of oontompt: gon- 
iria AH subs., a non-unionist: as adj., 
i'il< i , willy. 

Aback, To take aback, to surprise, 
*Uc*'k : wuddenly and forcibly. fOrig. 
tiauttoul : iu which muue (0, M. D.) 
;iatiti'T from 1704.] 

Abucter (or Abactor). tcaler 
:f < 'at< lc or 'BooHtw, by Herda, or great 
niunborH ; and wore distinguished 
front Fvrc* (Mount), 

Abaddon. A thiof turned informer ; 
n Huitohor (<{.v.), [Obviously a Jow 
fpiK'< i '.i punning reference to Abaddon, 
Llif atigci o tlio bottomlosB pit ; Her. 
ix. U.J 

Abandnnnad (or Abandannaad). 
f ! ) A (uutdkrrtthiQf (or bandanna) thiof, 
I ii'iuM* (li) a potty thiof. I Uronwr : A 
contraction (vnr) of a bandanna lad.] 

Abandoned Habit In pi., poo. 
thf ruling doitii-motul* 1 ' in Hotton Ilow. 

Abber (Hrrcw). (1) An abstract; 

k ial: 



Abbess (or Lady Abbess). A bawd ; 
a ultwunlftitM of uui Htews (q.v.) : of. 
AhlNiti Nun; Snoristanj oto, (1770.) 

Abbey. Tr ttring ,an abbry to a 
H<ju(indr t altto 



, 

AK// r>w <iAAr (/toy s wi Rwak tt of an 
unt hrift ), AnxHiff kindrotl expr*-W!lo0& 
n' : Tit brinjt a tiobtn to ninpt*nce ; to- 
mkj of n Unco a thorn ; to mako of a. 
pitir of brn-s:h<'H a puroo ; to thwit A 
mill |>-'t u> H. pudding prink ; Hi* 
wtml.miH in ilwiudk^t into v nut- 
t-riu!kr i Ifotw ftlU';!rt to 



Abbey-laird. 



Abroad. 



Abbey-lair d. An insolvent debtor : 
spec, one sheltered in the sanctuary of 
Holyrood Abbey. (1709.) 

Abbey - lubber (or loon). An 
idler, vagabond : orig. (prior to the 
Reformation) a lazy monk or hanger-on 
to a religious house. Hence abbey- 
lubber-like, lazy, thriftless, ne'er-do- 
well : see Lubber. (1509.) 

Abbot A bawd's man : ponce 
(q.v.) : see Abbess. Whence Abbot on 
the cross (or croziered abbot), the bully 
(q.y.) of a brothel. Abbot (or Lord) of 
Misrule, the leader of the Christmas 
revels. Also (Scots) Abbot of unreason, 
and Fr. Abbgde Liesse (Abbot of Joy). 
(1591.) 

Abbotts' Priory. The King's 
Bench Prison : Abbott's Park, the rules 
thereof (Grose, 1823, Bee). [Sir Charles 
Abbott, afterwards Lord. Tenterden, 
was Lord C.-J. of the frig's Bench, 
1818.] 

ABC (The). 1. The A B C 
(Alphabetical) Railway Guide. 2. 
(London). An establishment of the 
ASrated Bread Company: orig. bakers, 
now refreshment caterers. Hence 
A JB C gvrlf B, waitress therein. 3. 
(Christ's), .die, jBread, and (Theese on 
going home night. 4. Generic for 
beginnings : thus, like (or as easy as) 
ABC, facile, as simple as learning 
the alphabet ; down to the ABC, down 
to first principles, or the simplest rudi- 
ments. (1595.) 

Abear. To endure, suffer. [O.E.D.: 
A word of honourable antiquity ; 
widely diffused iA the dialects; in 
London reckoned as a vulgarism. 
(885 with a gap to c. 1836)]. 

Aberdeen Cutlet. A dried had- 
dock : of. Billingsgate pheasant. 

Abigail. A waiting-woman, lady'a 
maid. [Abigail, a waiting gentlewoman 
in The Scornful Lady (1616) by Beau- 
mont and Fletcher : also see 1 Sam. 
xxv. 24-31.] Hence Abigailship 
(Grose). Cf. Andrew, Acres, etc. 
(1663.) 

Abingdon-law. Summary punish- 
ment : cf. Stafford-law ; Lydford-law ; 
Scarborough-warning, etc. [In 1645, 
Jord Essex and Waller held Abingdon, 
in Berks, against Charles I. The town 
was unsuccessfully attacked by Sir 
Stephen Hawkins in 1644, and by 
prince Rupert in 1645. On these occa- 
ions the defenders put every Irish 
prisoner to death without trial.} 



Ablewhackets (or Abelwhackets), 
A popular sea game with cards, 
wherein the loser is beaten over the 
palms of the hands with a handkerchief 
tightly twisted like a rope. Very popu- 
lar with horny -fisted sailors (mifth), 

Aboard. A gamester's term for 
getting even in score. 

About. See East, Right, Size. 

Above. See Bond, Par, Hooks, 
Huckleberry, Persimmon. 

Abracadabra. (1) A cabalistic 
word, formerly used as a charm. Hence 
(2), any word-charm, verbal jingle, 
gibberish, nonsense, or extravagancy. 

Abraham. 1. A cheap clothier's, 
slop (q-v.), or hand-me-down shop 
(q.v.). Hence Abraham work, ill-paid 
work, sweated labour (see Abraham- 
man). 2. Auburn : formerly written 
abern and abron . also Abram and 
Abraham-coloured. (1502.) 3. See 
Abraham-man, 

Abraham Grains. A publican 
brewing his own beer. 

Abraham-man (Abram, Abram- 
man or Abram-cove). A sturdy 
beggar (1567) : also Bedlam beggar 
(q.v.) and Tom of Bedlam. Theno- 
sturdy beggars roamed the country, 
begging and stealing, down to the 
period of the Civil Ware."} Hence 
To sham (or do) Abratu (or to Abraham 
sham), to feign madness, sham nick 
(nautical). Also Abram, naked, nuul, 
shamming sick ; Abraham- work, sham* 
of all kinds, false pretences : whence tot 
go on the Abraham suit, to report t<> 
trick or artifice. The mad Tom of 
King Lear is au Abram-man : e<? 
.Edgar's description, '. 4.( 

Abraham Newland. A banknote. 
[Abraham NewHml wa chief eiwhier 
to the. Bank of .Knglanii, from 177H to 
1807.J Hence T<t tthttm Abraham, to 
forgo bank paper. 

Abraham's Balm. Hanging : *we- 
Ladder. 

Abraham's - bosom. Dead and 
gone to heaven : t-f. Lukt* am. 22. 

Abraham's eye, A nwjrio chanwu 
the application of which :VA tiiipo#e<l 
to deprive a thief, who refused to con- 
fess his crime, of eymright. 

Abraham's Willing. A titling : 
ace Rhino. 

Abroad, K WicU> of th< mark, out 
of one'a reckoning. |xtrpUx*iiL To 
come abroad ( Winc'ht*!rtr) to mtum fco 
school work after tticknviw; to bt* on 



Abroaded. 



Ace. 



the sick list is to be continent (q.v.). 
Also to be fiurJced abroad, to be sent back 
to school after going continent: an 
implication of shamming. 

Abroaded. A noble defaulter on 
the continent to avoid creditors was 
said to be abroaded ; also police slang 
for convicts sent to a colonial or penal 
settlement, but likewise applied by 
thieves to imprisonment merely. 

Abs (Winchester). (1) Absent: 
placed against the name of a boy when 
absent from school. Also (2) to take 
away. Formerly, circa 1840, to abs a 
tolly (candle), meant to put it out; now, 
to take it away, whether lighted or 
unlighled : the modern notion (q.v.) 
for putting it out being to dump it. 
(3) To get (or put) away ; generally in 
the imperative: e.g. aba! Hence, 
to aba quiddy, to stir one's stumps 
(q.v.), or to put things away with 
speed. To have one's wind absed, to 
get a breather (q.v.). 

Abscotchalater. One in hiding 
from the police : cf. Absquatulate, 

Absence (Bton). Names - calling. 
(1856.) 

Absent. Absent witfu>ut leave, of 
oao who has broken prison, or ab- 
sconded. 

Absentee. A conviot. 

Absent-minded Beggar. Tommy 
Atkins (q.v.): popularised by Kipling's 
versos in aid of the wives and children 
of soldiers serving in South Africa dur- 
ing the Boer War. 

Absit. Every undergraduate wish- 
ing to leave Cambridge for a whole day, 
nob including a night, must obtain an 
absit from hiH tutor. Permission to go 
away for a longer period ... IB called 
an exeat 

Abskize (or Abschize). To de- 
OAmp : soft Bunk. [Suid to !xt of 
Western origin, circa 1833.] 

Absquatulate (or Absquotilate). 
To docamp, .skedaddle (q.v.): H<IC 
Dutik. (1833.) 

Academy, (I) A ^angof tluoven ; 
(2) a rendezvous for Uneven, harlots, or 
g&mefttors; ami (3) a prison. Honuo 
Academician, (!) a thief, and (2) a 
hk>t Also buzzing anadcmy, a train- 
ing school for pickpockets ; canting- 
academy* (I) a common lodging-house, 
kim (q.v.), or house of call for 
ami (2) a likely houwn for 
(q.v.) ; floating fwxfarny. the 
hulks; character academy* a rcorl of 



servants without characters, which are 
there concocted ; and gammoning- 
academy , a reformatory (B. K, Grose, 
Bee, Mateett.) 

Accident (1) Seduction; and (2) 
a bastard : see By-blow. 

Accommodate. 1. To equip, supply, 
provide. [Jon&on, Discoveries : one of 
the perfumed terms of the time, 
SalliweU : the indefinite use is well 
ridiculed by Bardolph's vain attempt to 
define it (2 H. IV., iii. 2. 77) : ci to 
accommodate with a loan, or with cash 
for a cheque.] (1597.) 2. To part a bet, 
or to let a person go halves (that is to 
accommodate him)inabetthatislikely 
to come off successful It is also, in an 
ironical manner, to believe a person 
when you are well assured he is uttering 
a lie, by observing you believe what he 
is saying, merely to accommodate him 
(Grose). 

Accompany. To cohabit. ( 1 500. ) 

Account To cast wp accownts 
(one's gorge., or reckoning). L To 
vomit, cab (or shoot the cat) (q.v.) : 
orig. to cast, thence by punning exten- 
sion (Ray, Gfrose): also to audit one's 
accounts at the Court of Neptune 
(1481). 2. To turn King's evidence. 
To go on the account, to join a fili- 
bustering or buccaneering expedition, 
turn pirato. [Ogilvie: probably from 
the parties sharing, as in a commercial 
venture.] (1812.) To account for, to 
kill, literally to be answerable for 
bringing down, one's share of the shoot- 
ing; make away with. (1846.) To 
give a good account o/, to bo successful, 
do one's duty by : e.g. Tho stable gave 
a good account of their trainer. 
(1684.) 

Accoutrement. In pi, fino 
rigging (now) for Men or Women, 
(formerly) only Trappings for Horsa. 
Well accoutred, gentilly dressM 
( B. 33. ). [A recognised usage from tho 
middle of the lth century.] 

Accumulative. A sort of jour- 
nalistic sparring match, codicil (q.v.). 

Accumulator* A backer, succewt- 
f ul with ono horse,oarrying forward the 
stakes to another event. 

Ace. The Htnallest standard of 
value: also ambs-ace : see Rap, Straw, 
otc. Henoo To bate an ace t to make a 
nlight reduction : also bate mo an aco, 
quoth Bolton, a deriaivo retort ; with- 
in an ace (or amb's-acc], nearly, within 
a shade: fioe Ames Aco. (152S.) 



Ace of Spades. 



Ace of Spades. 1. A widow. 2. 
A black-haired woman. 

Ack (Christ's). No ! refusal of a 
request, e.g. Lend me your book. 
Ack ! 

Ackman (Ackpirate or Ackruff). 
A fresh-water thief or pirate, [Cf. 
dialectic Acker, flood-tide, a bore, and 
Ark.] 

Acknowledge. To acknowledge the 
corn, to confess, make an admission : 
as to an accusation, failure, etc. 
(1846.) 

Acock-horse (or Acock). (1) 
Triumphant; also (2) defiantly. 
(1611.) 

Acorn. Horse foaled of an, acorn, 
the gallows : see Ladder and Nubbing- 
cheat (Grose). (1694.) 

Acquisitive. Plunder, booty, 
pickings. 

Acreocracy. The landed interest : 
cf. Snobocracy, Squattocracy, Mob- 
ocracy, Cottonocracy, Slavocracy, etc. 

Acres. A coward : see (The Rivals, 
v. 13. (1775.) 

Acrobat. A glass [i.e. tumbler]. 

Across. Across lots,, (1) by the 
shortest way ; (2) completely. (1848. ) 

Acteon. A cuckold, also as verb : 
whence Acteon's badge, the stigma 
of cuckoldom (73. E. f Grose, Bee). 
(1590.) 

Acting Dicky. 1. A temporary 
appointment which may, or may not, 
l>o confirmed by the Admiralty ; an 
acting-order. 2. A man acting in the 
name of an enrolled solicitor. 

Active Citizen. A louse : seo 
Chates (Grose and Bee). 

Act of Parliament. Small beer, 
five pints of which, by an act of Parlia- 
ment, a landlord was formerly obliged 
to give gratis to each soldier billeted 
upon him. 

Actual. Money ; generic : see 
Rhino : also tJie actual. (1856.) 

Ad (or Adver). An advertisement. 
(185-1.) 

Adam. 1. A bailiff (Comedy of 
Errors, iv. 3). 2. A master man, fore- 
man : see Adam's Ale and Adam Tiler. 

Adamed, Married. 

Adam's- ale (-wine, or Adam). 
Water. (1643.) English synonyms, 
aqua pura ; aqua pompagmis ; fish 
broth. ; pure element. 

Adam* s-ap pie. The thyroid car- 
tilage : also Adam's-moraei. (1580.) 
Adam's -arms. A spade; cf. old 



saw : When Adam delved and Eve 
span, Who was then the gentleman ? 
Hence Adam's -profession, spade work 
(i.e. gardening). (1602.) 

Adam Tiler (or Adam). An 
accomplice. (1C96.) 

Add. To add to the list, to geld, 
add to the list of geldings m train- 
ing. 

Addition. Colouring matter, or 
cosmetics used for the face. (1704. ) 

Addition, Division, and Silence ! 
A Philadelphia catch phrase : properly 
multiplication, division^ and silence ! o 
reply given by William (Boss) Tweed 
when asked the proper qualification for 
a ring or trust. (1872.) 

Addle. To addle ile sJioon, to roll 
on the back from side to side : of 
horses. [In the South a horse is then 
said to earn a gallon oi oats.] 

Addle-egg. Addle egg and Idle 
head* anything worthless, an abortion. 
(1589.) 

Addle-brain (-cove, -head, or 
-pate). A stupid btvnjrler, dullard, 
onofull of Whimsies and Projects, and 
as empty of Wit (B. E. and Grose). 
Hence addle-trained, etc. (1580. ) 

Addle- plot. A marplot, spoil-sport, 
Martin-mar-all (ft. E. and . GVov). 

Adjective Jerker. A wnu-r for 
the press ; ink-slinger (q.v.). 

Adjutant's Gig. The bamu-k 
roller : usually drawn by men under 
punishment. 

Admiral. Adiitiral of tl:t. Ulin\ , 
tapster : from the colour of lii.s apron 
(Grose). (1731.) Jrf/wfa/' of fA*- 
Narrow Seas, a man vomiting into Ihr 
lapof his neighbour or ? zVN<l-zw(#w-v). 
Admiral of the Zfrrf, a sol : tw Luahm".:- 
ton. Admiral of ihe jird, \, /W<, nnd 
Ktue, a beadle, hall- porter, or similar 
functionary when sporting the livery 
of office. Admiral of the White, u 
white-faced person, coward, woman m 
a faint. Ydhw Adttu'rul, a rear- 
admiral retired without service tiiioat 
after promotion. [Ailmirnlrf of t h<* rt-d, 
tho white, or the blue, were yrudeu in 
naval rank prior to 180-i, accord mi^ << 
tho colour of the ensign display <*<! : all 
admirals now ily tho while ensign, and 
thoy rank as Admiral of the Fleet, 
Admiral, Vice-Admiral, and H'-ar- 
Admira-1.] To tap the Ad mini? * (!) to 
suck tho moukuy : aeo quotw. ; iform. 
Den Affen sauycn., Al^o (2) to drink 
on the sly. (1H34.) 



Admiral's Regiment. 



Aggregator. 



Admiral's Regiment (The). The 
"Royal Marines ; also nicknamed The 
Little Grenadiers, The Jollies, and 
The Globe Rangers. 

Adonis. 1. A dandy, exquisite. 
Hence, to adonize, to dandify, dress 
to kill: of men only. (1611.) 2. A 
wig. (1760.) 

Adrift. Loose I'll turn ye adrift, 
a Tar phrase ; I'll prevent ye doing me 
any harm (B. .$.); also (Grose) adrift, 
discharged. Hence, astro y, puzzled, 
distracted. (1690.) 

Adsum (Ci'arterhouse). A response 
in answer to a summons or names- 
calling. (18-21.) 

Adullamites. 1. A nickname for 
seceding Liberals who in 1866 voted 
Tory because dissatisfied with a Liberal 
measure for the extension of the Fran- 
chise. [See 1 Sam. acxii. 1.] The 
political party in question were 
also known collectively as The 
Cave. Hence (2) Adullamy, ratting 
(q.v.). 

Advantage. 1. A thirteenth: 
added to a dozen of anything; (2) 
something in addition : also vantage. 
jSce Baker's dozen and Lagniappe. 
(1G4-1.) 2'o play upon advantage, to 
cheat. (1592.) 

,/Egrotat (^Eger). 1. An excuse 
for absence on account of sickness ; (2) 
a medical or other certificate of indis- 
position (Grow), [j&gritude, sickness ; 
3grotat, an invalid. (1532).] Hence 
reading-fFgrotant, leave taken to read 
for a degree ; arger-room (Felsted), the 
pick room. Lat. he is sick.] Gradus 
ad Cantab., 1803. 

Affidavit-man. A false witness, 
said to attend Westminster Hall, and 
other courts of justice, ready to swear 
anything for hiro (Grose). 

Afflicke. A thief. (1610.) 

Afflicted. Drunk: see Screwed 
(JRfiiy). 

Afflictions. Mourning goods: 
e.g. Afflictions are quiet, there is little 
demand for mourning. Mitigated 
afflictions, half mourning. 

Affygraphy. To an 
to & nicety, a T- In an 
in a moment, directly. 

Afloat. Drunk : see Screwed : also 
with lack teeth wdl afloat. 

Afraid. Among colloquial and 
proverbial Hayings are : He that's 
afraid of grass must not piss in a 
meadow (Ztal. Ohi ha Datura d'ogni 



wrtica now piaci in herba, He that's 
afraid of every nettlo must not piss in 
the grass) ; He that's afraid of leaves 
must not come in a wood (French, Qui 
a peur des feuiUes ne doit pas oiler a-u 
bois : Ital. s Nbn entri tra rocca e fuso 
chi non vuol esser filato) ; He that's 
afraid of the wagging of feathers must 
keep from among wild fowl ; He 
that's afraid of wounds must not come 
near a battle ; He's never likely to 
have a good thing cheap that's afraid to 
ask the price ; Afraid of far enough 
(fearful of what is not likely to happen) 
Afraid of him that died last year 
(fearful of a shadow) ; Afraid of the 
hatchet lest the helve strike him ; 
Afraid of his shadow ; More afraid 
than hurt. 

After. A long way after, of a 
sketch, cartoon, or burlesque of a classic 
picture, book, etc. 

After -clap. (1) Anything unex- 
pected (spec, disagreeable), after the 
conclusion of a matter. Hence (2) a 
demand made over and above a 
stipulated price, or for an amount 
already paid (Grose). (14th century.) 

After - dinner Man (or After- 
noon's - man). A man who drinks 
long into the afternoon : it was the 
custom, formerly, to dine in the halls 
of our Inns of Court about noon, and 
those who returned after dinner to work 
must have been much devoted to 
business, or obliged to work at unusual 
hours by an excess of it. (1614.) 

Afternoon-buyer. One who buys 
not until after the market dinner, 
thereby hoping to buy cheaper. 

Afternoon - farmer. A laggard ; 
spec, a farmer late in preparing his 
land, in sowing or harvesting his crops; 
hence one who loses bis opportunities. 

Afternoon- tea (Boy. High Sch., 
Edin. ). Detention after three o'clock. 

After Twelve. See Twelve. 

Against Against the grain 
(collar, or hair), contrary to inclination, 
unpleasant, unwillingly done (Grose). 
(1589.) To run against, to meet by 
accident .- e.g. I ran against him the 
other day in Brighton. 

Agaze. Astonished, open-eyed 
(Matsett.) (1400.) 

-agger (Charterhouse). As in Com- 
binaggera, a combination suit: esp. 
football attire. 

Aggravator ( Aggerawator, or 
Haggerawator). A lock of hair 



Agitator. 



Air. 



brought down from the forehead, well 
greased, and twisted in a spiral on the 
temple, either toward the ear, or con- 
versely toward the outer corner of the 
eye. Usually in pi., once an aid to 
beauty : now rare. English synonyms : 
bell-ropes; beau-catchers; cobbler's- 
knots ; cowlicks ; love-locks ; Newgate 
knockers ; number sixes ; spit-curls. 
(1836.) 

Agitator. 1. In Eng. Hist., an 
agent, one who acts for others ; a, name 
given to the agents or delegates of the 
private soldiers in the Parliamentary 
Army, 1647-9 ; in which use it varied 
with Adjutator (O. E. D.). J. A. H. 
Murray : Careful investigation satis fies 
me that Agitator was the actual title, 
and Adjufator originally only a bad 
spelling of soldiers familiar with 
Adjutants and the Adjutors of 1641.] 
2. A bell -rope, or knocker. To agitate 
the communicate, to ring the bell. 

Agogare. Be quick ! a warning 
signal (New York Slang Dictionary). 

Agony. To pile up (or on) the 
agony, to exaggerate, use the tallest 
terms in lieu of the simplest, cry Holll 
when all you mean is Goodness 
gracious I : as a newspaper when 
writing up murder, divorce, and other 
sensations. Also to agonize. Hence 
Agony-piler, a player in sensational 
parts : see Agony-column. (1857.) 

Agony-column. A special column 
in newspapers devoted to harrowing 
advertisements of missing friends and 
private business : orig. the second 
column of the Times. (1870.) 

Agree. To agree like pickpockets 
in a fair, to agree not at all. Other 
similes of the kind are, To agree like 
bells, they want nothing but hang- 
ing; and To agree like cats and 
dogs (or like harp and harrow). 

Agricultural-implement. A 
spade ; call a spade a spade and not 
an agricultural implement, a direct 
call to very plain speech. 

Aground (Qrose). Stuck fast ; 
stopped; at a loss; ruined; like a boat 
or vessel aground. [This accepted 
figurative use of the nautical phrase was 
rare prior to the nineteenth century.] 

Algiers (The). The 1st battalion 
of The Eoyal Irish Fusiliers, late The 
S7th Foot. [At Barrosa they captured 
the Eagle of the 8th French light 
Infantry, a fact now commemorated in 
one of the distinctive badges of the 



regiment, viz. An Eagle with the 
figure 8 below.] 

Aim. (B. E.) Endeavour or 
Design ... he has missed his Aim 
or end.' 

Ain't (Hain't or An't). That is, 
are not, am not, is not, have not, 
[0. E. D., in the popular dialect of 
London, Cockney speech in Dickens, 
etc.] See A'nt. (1701.) 

Air. Castles in the air (the akies, 
in Spain, etc.), generic for (1) the 
impossible. (2) imagination, and (3) 
hope: see infra. To build caf&ea, 

(1) to attempt the impossible; 

(2) to dream of visionary projects, 
indulge in idle dreams ; and (3) to be 
sanguine of success. Hence in the air, 
(1) uncertain, in doubt, and (2) 
anticipated (in men's minds) as 
likely ; air-built, chimerical ; air-castle, 
the land of dreams and fancies $ 
air-monger, a dreamer ; see Spain. 
Analogous phrases [avowedly generic* 
and inserted in this place because as 
convenient as any other : the senses, 
too, must obviously sometimes over- 
lap]. 1. (the impossible), to square 
the circle, wash a blackamore white, 
skin a flint, make a silk purse out of a 
sow's ear, make bricks without straw, 
weave a rope of sand, extract sunbeams 
from cucumbers, set the Thames on 
fire, milk a he-goat into a sieve, catch 
a weasel asleep, be in two places 
at once, plough the air, wash the 
Ethiopian, measure a twig, demand a 
tribute of the dead, teach a pig to play 
on a flute, catch the wind in a net, 
change a fly into an elephant, take the 
spring from the year, put a rope in 
the eye of a needle, draw water with 
a sieve, number the waves ; also 
(French) prendre la lun& avec le# denta ; 
rompreVarguiUeaugenou. 2. (imagina- 
tion), to have maggots, or whimseys ; 
to see an air-drawn dagger, the flying 
Dutchman, the great sea-serpent, the 
man in the moon ; to dream of Utopia, 
Atlantis, the happy valley, the isles of 
the West, the millennium, of fairyland, 
the land of Prester John, the kingdom 
of Micoraacon; to set one's wits to 
work, strain (or crack) one's invention, 
rack (ransack, or cudgel) one's brains. 
3. (hope), to seek the pot of gold (Fr. 
pot au lait), dream of Alnaschar, live 
in a fool's paradise ; sec a bit of 
blue sky, the silver lining in the cloud, 
the bottom of Pandora's box, catch at 



Air-and-exerdse* 



Att. 



a straw, hope against hope, roekon 
one's chickens before they are hatched. 
Air of a face or P'icture (B. E , 1696), 
the Configuration and Consent of Parts 
in each. For this 18th century quots. 
are given in O. E. D.~\ To air one's 
vocabulary, to talk for phrasing' s sake, 
flash the gab (q.v.). [One of the wits 
of the time of George IV , asked 
what was going on in the House of 
Commons, answered that Lord Casile- 
reagh way airmg his vocabulary.] To 
air one's heels, to loiter, hang about: 
see Cool and Heels. 

Air-and-exercise. (1) A whipping 
at the cart's tail ; shoving the tumbler 
(q.v.). Also (2) the revolving pillory ; 
and (3), penal servitude (in America, 
a short term of imprisonment) (Grose). 

Airing. See Out. 

Air-line. See Bee-line. 

Airy (li. W.), Light, brisk, pleasant. 
. . . He is an Airy Fellow. 

Ajax (or Jakes). A privy ; a Jakes 
(q.v.): Sir John Harrington, in 1596, 
published his celebrated tract, called 
The metamorphosis of Ajar, by 
which he meant the improvement of 
a jakes, or necessary, by forming it 
into what vre now call a water-closet, 
of which Sir John was clearly the 
inventor. Also a rm of abuse 
(1661.) 

Akerman's Hotel. Newgate 
prison. [The governor's name was 
Akerman, e. 1787.] 

Akeybo (Hotten). A slang phrase 
used in the following manner: He 
beats akpi/bo, and akeybo boat the devil. 

A-la-Mort, Sec Amort. 

Albany Beef. The flesh of the 
sturgeon. [Rome parts of the fish have 
a resemblance, in colour, and taste, to 
beef : caught in largo numbers as far 
up the Hudson River as Albany.] 

Albcrtopolis. The Kensington 
Gore district : out of compliment to 
the late Prince Consort, who was cloaoly 
identified with the Albert Hall and the 
Exhibition buildings of 1862. 

Albonized. Whitened [L. albus]. 

Alderman. 1. A half-crown, 2s. 
6d. : see Rhino. 2. A long clay pipe ; 
a churchwarden (q.v.). 3. A roasted 
turkey garnished with sausages ; the 
latter aro supposed to represent the 
gold chain worn by these magistrates. 
4. A jemmy (q.v.) : flomotimos alder- 
i*an jemmy : a weightier tool is the 
Lord Mayor (q.v.). 6. (Felsted). A 



qualified swimmer. [The Alders, a 
deep pool hi the Chelmer : see 
Farmer, Public School Word Book.l 
Blood and guts alderman : see Blood 
and guts. 

Alderman Lushington. Alder- 
man Lushmgton is concerned (or he has 
been voting for the Alderman), drunk. 

Alderman's Pace. A leisurely 
walking, slow gate (Cotgrave). 

Aldgate. Draught on the pump at 
Aldgate, a worthless bill of exchange 
(Grose). 

Ale. (1) A merry-making; and 
occasion for drinking. There were 
bnde-ales, church-ales, clerk-ales, give- 
ales, lamb-ales, leet-ales, Midsummer- 
ales, Scot-ales, Whitsun-ales, and 
several more. (2) An ale-house. Hence 
alecie (or alecy), drunkenness ; ale- 
Uown (ale-washed or alecied), drunk; 
ale-draper (whence ale-drapery), an 
inn-keeper (Grose-, of. ale-yard) ; ale- 
spinner, a brewer ; ale-knight (ale-stake, 
or ale-toast), a tippler, pot-companion ; 
ale-post, a, may pole (Grose); ale-passion, 
a headache ; ale-pock, an ulcered grog- 
blossom (q.v.) ; ale-crummed, grogshot 
in the face ; ale-suntting, tippling, etc. 
(1362). (3) In pi., Messrs S. AUsopp 
and Sons Limited Shares. See Adam's 
Ale. 

Alexander. 1. To hang. {Rogers : 
From the harsh and merciless manner 
in which Sir Jerome Alexander, an Irish 
judge (1660-1674) and founder of the 
Alexander Library at Trinity College, 
Dublin, carried out the duties of his 
office.] 2. To extol as an Alexander 
the Great. (1700.) 

Alexandra Limp. An affected 
lameness; cf. Grecian bend and Roman 
fall. 

Alfred David. An affidavit : also 
affidavy, davy, and (occasionally) after- 

Algerine. (I) A manager-baiter, 
eapec. when the ghost (q.v.) will not 
walk (q.v.). Also (2) a petty borrower. 

Alive. Alive occurs as an intensive 
and expletive : e.g. alive and kicking, 
very sprightly, all there (q.v.) ; also aU 
alive ; man (heart, or sakes) alive ! (an 
emphatic address) ; to look alive, to 
make haste ; aU alive, slovenly made 
(of garments). 

All. In pi., belongings : spec, tools : 
also awla : see Bens. Hence to pack 
up one's alls ; (1) to begone, to desist ; 
(2) eee All-nation*. The foe alls, * 



Attacompain. 



AU-stan&ing. 



country sign, representing five human 
figures, each having a motto under him 
the first is a king in his regalia ; his 
motto, I govern all : the second, a 
bishop in pontificals ; motto, I pray for 
all : third, a lawyer in his gown ; motto, 
I plead for all : fourth, a soldier in his 
regimentals, fully accoutred ; motto, I 
fight for aU : fifth, a poor countryman 
with his scythe and rake ; motto, 1 pay 
for all (Grose}. At all \ The cry of 
a gamester full of cash and spirit, mean- 
ing that he will play for any sums the 
company may choose to risk against 
him (HaUiwett). AU's quiet on the 
Potomac, a period of rest, enjoyment, 
peace. [The phrase dates from the 
Civil War; its frequent repetition in the 
bulletins of the War Secretary made it 
ridiculous to the public.] Phrases and 
colloquialisms. All about in one's head, 
light-headed ; aU about ^t, the whole of 
the matter ; all-around, thorough, all 
round (q.v.) ; all at sea, uncertain, 
vague ; all face, naked ; on all fours, 
fairly, equally, exactly ; aU holiday at 
Peckham, hungry, done for ; all in 
(Stock Exchange), slow, flat (q.v.) : of 
a market when there is a disposition to 
sell; whence, aU out, improving; aU 
over, thoroughly, entirely, exactly ; all 
round my hat, queer, all-overish (q.v.) : 
That's all round my hat, Bosh ! spicy 
as all round my hat, sensational; att 
serene, all's well, O.K. You know 
what I'm after ; all up with, finished, 
done for; all T.H., of the best, very 
good indeed (tailors'), all there (q.v.). 
See also Alive ; All-nations ; Along ; 
Beat; Betty Martin; Blue; Bandy; 
Caboose; Cheek; Dickey; My; 
Gammon ; Gay ; Go ; Heap ; Hollow ; 
Hough ; Jaw ; Lombard-sweet ; Mops- 
and-brooms ; Mouth ; Out ; Pieces ; 
Sheep ; Shop ; Shoot ; Skittles ; Smash ; 
Smoke; There; Up; Way; Way- 
down. 

Allacompain. Rain: also alacom- 
pain, alicumpane, elecampain : cf. 
France and Spain. 

All- (or I'm-) afloat A coat. 
All- bones. A thin bony person. 
(1602.) 

Alleviator. A drink, refreshment : 
see Go. 

Alley (Ally or Alay). A superior 
kind of marble. [Alabaster, of which 
they are sometimes made.] Also Ally- 
tor (or taw) : cf. stoney (q.v.) blood- 
alley, and commoney (q.v.). (1720.) 



The Alley, Change Alley : cf . House, 
Lane, Street, etc. (1720.) 

All - fired. A general intensive : 
e.g. alt- fired (violent) abuse ; an aU- 
fired (tremendous) noise ; an all-fired 
(very great) hurry, etc. Also as adv. 
unusually, excessively. 

All-get-out. That beats all-get-out,, 
a retort to any extravagant story of 
assertion. 

All-harbour-light. All right. 
Allicholly. Melancholy, solemn- 
cholly (q.v.). (1595.) 

All Nations. 1, The tap-droppings 
of spirts and malt liquors : also alls, or 
all sorts (Grose), 2. A parti-coloured 
or patched garment ; a Joseph's coat. 

All-night-man. A body-snatcher ; 
a resurrectionist (q.v.). 

Allot. To allot upon, to count upon, 

reckon ( q. v. ), calculate ( q. v. ). ( 1 S 1 6. ) 

All-out. A bumper, carouse. Hence 

to drink all out, to drain a bumper. 

(1530.) 

All-overish. An indefinite feeling 
of apprehension or satisfaction. Also 
to feel all over alike, and touch nowhere* 
to feel confusedly happy. Also as subs. 
(1841.) 

All-over-pattern. A term use-el 
to denote a design in which the whole 
of a field is covered with ornament in 
contradistinction to such as have units 
only at intervals, leaving spaces of the 
ground between them. 

Allow (Harrow). A boy's weekly 
allowance. Also, to ad mit, declare, in- 
tend, think. (1580.) 

All-round (Ainor. All-around). 
Generally capable, adaptable, or in- 
clusive ; affecting all alike : e.g. an till- 
round (average) rent ; an all-round 
(thorough) scamp; an all-rn^nd crickettr, 
one good alike at batting, bowlin<r, and 
fielding. Hence all-rounder. 

All-rounder. 1. A shirt collar; 
spec, one the same height all round the 
neck, meeting in front," or (as in clerical 
collars) at the buck. (1857.) 2. See 
All-round. 

Allslops. Allsopp and Sons' ale. 
[At one time their brew, formerly 
of the finest quality, had greatly de- 
teriorated.] 

All-sorts. Seo All-nations. 
Allspice. A grocor. 
All-standing. Fully dressed: 
hence to turn in aU siandiMj, to cro to 
bed in one's clothes. Also hroitykt up 
aU-ntanding, taken unawares. 



8 



Alma Mat&r. 



Ambidexter. 



Alma Mater. Originally (and pro- 
perly) one's University; now applied to 
any place of training ; school, college, 
or University. (1701.) 

Alman-comb. The four fingers and 
the thumb : seo Welsh-comb. 

Almighty. An intensive : mighty, 
great, exceedingly. (1824.) 

Almighty- gold (-money, or 
[American] -dollar). The power or 
worship of money ; Mammon. (1016.) 

Almond- for- a- parrot. A trifle 
to amuse a silly person. (1529.) 

Aloft. To go aloft, to die : see Hop 
the twig. (1C92.) To come aloft, to 
vault, play tricks: asa tumbler. (1624.) 

Along of. On account of, owing 
to, pertaining to, about : also (for- 
merly) along on. [The O. E. D. traces 
the phrase back to Anglo-Saxon times.] 

Along-shore (or Longshore) Boy 
(or Man). A landsman (Grose). 

Aloud. An intensive : e.g. to talk 
aloud, to rave -, to think aloud* to talk ; 
to walk aloud, to run ; to stink aloud, 
to overpower. 

Alphabet. Through tfie alpkabd, 
completely, first to last. 

Alsatia. 1. Whitefriars: a dis- 
trict ad joining the Tern pie, between the 
Thames and Fleet Street, pFormerly 
thesiteof aCarmelite convent (founded 
1241) and possessing certain privileges 
of sanctuary. These were coniirmed by 
a charter of James 1. in 1608, where- 
after the district speedily became a 
haunt of rascality in general, a Latin- 
ised form of Alsace having been jocu- 
larly conferred on it as a debateable 
land. Abuses, outrage, and riot led to 
the abolition of its right of sanctuary 
in 1007. Also Alsatia the higher. 
Whence Alsatia the lower, the liberties 
of the Mint in Soulhwark ; Alsatian, a 
roguo, debtor, or debauchee ; a resident 
in Alsatia : also, roguish, debauched ; 
ALiatia phrase, a canting term (/?. JS. 
and Orone). [Sec Fortunes of Nigel, 
chaps, svi. and xvii.]. (1688). 2. 
Hence any rendezvous or asylum for 
loose characters or criminals, where im- 
munity from arrest is tolerably certain; 
a disreputable locality : the term has 
sometimes been applied (venomously) 
to the Stock Exchange. Alsatian, an 
adventurer ; a Bohemian. (1834.) 

Alt. In alt, in tho clouds ; high- 
flywtf ; dignified. [Altiasimo, a musical 
term.] Cf. Altitude. (1748.) 

Altemal (or Altumal). Altogether. 



(1696.) Also as intj., out it short, 
stow it (q.v.), stash it (q.v.). 
[0. E. D. : Lat. allum, the deep, i.e. 
the soa and AL. Dutch altermal.'] 

Alter. To alter the Jeffs dick, to 
make up a garment without regard 
to the cutter's chalkmgs or instruc- 
tions. 

Altham. A wife : Old Cant. 

Altitude. In one's altitudes, gen- 
eric for bigh-mindedness. (1 ) In lofty 
mood ; (2) in high spirits ; (3) hoity- 
toity ; and (4) drunk (B. E. and Grose) ; 
see Screwed. (1616.) 

Altocad. A paid member of the 
choir who takes alto (Winchester Col- 
lege). 

Altogether. A whole ; a tout-en- 
semble. (1677.) The altogether, nudity; 
in the altogether nude: popularised 
byDu Manner's novel and play, Trtlby. 

Alybbeg. See 3>bbege. 

Alycompaine. See Allacompain. 

Amazon. 1. A masculine woman ; 
a vigaro. Also (the adjectival pre- 
ceded the figurative substantive usage) 
Amazonian, manlike, bold, quarrel- 
some. (1595.) 2. The Queen: chess. 
(1656.) 

Ambassador. A trick to duck 
some ignorant fellow, or landsman, fre- 
quently played on board ship in the 
warm latitudes. It is thus managed : a 
large tub is filled with water, and two 
stools placed on each side of it. Over 
the whole is thrown a tarpaulin, or old 
sail, which is kept tight by two persons 
seated on the stools, who are to repre- 
sent the king and queen of a foreign 
country. Tfie person intended to be 
ducked plays the ambassador, and after 
repeating a ridiculous speech dictated 
to him, is led in great form up to the 
throne, and seated between the king 
and queen, who rise suddenly as soon 
as he is seated, and the unfortunate 
ambassador is of course deluged in the 
tub (Grose). 

Ambassador of Commerce. A 
commercial traveller ; bagman (q.v.). 

Ambes-ace. See Ames-ace. 

Ambia. Chewed- tobacco juice: also 
the intensely strong nicotine, or thick 
brown substance which forms in pipes. 
1 have always supposed that it is 
merely a Southern variation of amber 
which exactly represents its colour. 
(Barttett). 

Ambidexter (or Ambodexter). (1) 
A venal juror or lawyer, one taking a 



9 



Ambree. 



OH, 



fee from both sides. Hence (2) a 
double-dealer, vicar of Bray (q.v.). 
Also, deceitful, tricky. (1532.) 

Ambree. Mary Ambree, generic 
for a woman of strength and spirit 
[Narea]. 

Ambrol. Ambrol, among the Tars 
for Admiral (B. E.). 

Ambush. Fraudulent weights and 
measures. [A punning allusion : to lie 
in wait i.e. lying weight.] 

Amen. To finish a matter (as amen 
does a prayer), approve, ratify. To say 
Fes and Amen, to agree to everything 
(Grose) ; amener, a general conformist. 
(1812.) 

Amen-bawler (-curler or -snorter). 
A parish clerk ; also (military) amen- 
waUah : see Black-coat (Grose). (1704. ) 

Amerace. Near at hand, within 
call. 

American Shoulders. A particu- 
lar cut in the shoulders of a coat : 
they are padded and shaped to give the 
wearer a broad and burly appearance. 

American Tweezers. An instru- 
ment to unlock a door from the outside, 
nippers (q.v.). 

Ames-ace (Ambs-ace, Ambes-ace, 
etc.). (1) Orig. and lit. the throw of two 
aces, the lowest cast at dice. Hence 
(2) misfortune, bad luck, nothing. 
Within ames-ace, nearly, very uear 
(Grose) : see Ace. (1297.) 

Aminadab. A quaker : in contempt 
(Grose). (1709.) 

Ammunition. 1. Originally applied 
to every requisite for soldiers' use, as 
ammunition bread, shoes, hat, etc. : 
now only of powder, shot, shell, and 
J/he like. Whence colloquialisms such 
as ammunition face, a warlike face ; 
ammunition urife, a soldier's trull 
(Grose) ; ammunition leg, a wooden leg, 
etc. (1658.) 2. Bum-fodder (q.v.). 
M out h-ammumtion, food : cf. Belly- 
timber. (1694.) 

Amoret (or Amorette). (1) Ori- 
ginally a sweetheart : spec. (2) a mis- 
tress. [0. E. D. : Eng. Amoret having 
become obsolete, the word has recently 
been re-adopted from the French ; see 
sense 4,] Whence (3) the concomitants 
of love : e.g. a love-knot, a love-sonnet, 
love-books, and (in pi.) love- tricks, 
dalliances (Cotgrave). (1400.) (4) 
Amourette, a love-affair, an intrigue. 
(1865.) 

Ampersand 1. The posteriors. 
2. The sign & ; ampersand. Van 

10 



ants : And - pussy - and ; Ann Passy 
Ann ; anpasty ; "andpassy ; anparse ; 
apersie (q.v.) ; per-se ; ampassy ; am- 
passy-and ; amperse-and ; ampus-and : 
ampussy and ; ampazad ; amsiam ; 
ampus - end ; apperse - and ; empersi- 
and amperzed ; and zumzy-zan. 

Amputate. To be ofE, to cut 
(q.v.) and run, also to amputate one's 
mahogany (or timber) : see Bunk and 
Timber- merchant. 

Amuse. To cheat, beguile, deceive. 
O, E. D. . . . Not in regular use, 
before 1600. . . . the usual sense m 
17th and 18th centuries] : spec. (B. E. 
and Grose), to throw dust in one's 
eyes by diverting one, to fling dust or 
snuff in the eyes of the person intended 
to be robbed ; also to invent some 
plausible tale to delude shop-keepers 
and others, thereby to put them off 
their guard. Whence amuscr, a cheat 
a snuff - throwing thief ; one that 
deceives (Ash and Grose). (14SO.) 

Anabaptist. A thief caught in the 
act and disciplined at the pump or h>, 
the horse-pond (Grose). 

Anchor. To sit down. To let go 
an anchor to the windward of the Ztw, 
to kee within the letter of the lav*. 

Ancient. See Antient. 

Ancient Mariner. A rowing don : 
row as in bough (Oxf. Univ.). 

Andrew. 1. A broadsword ; also 
Andre wForrara: cf. Gladstone. [Cosmo, 
Andrea, and Gianantonio Fer.ira, three 
Italian cutlers of Belluno m Venetiu.. j 
(1618.) 2. A body-servant, valet : cf. 
Abigail. (1618.) 3, A ship, whether 
trading or man-of-war : also Andrew 
Millar, and (Grose) Andrew Miller's 
lugger. Among Australian amugglers, a 
revenue cutter. (1591.) Poo Morry- 
Andrew. 

Angel. A child riding on th< 
shoulders: also Flying-angel. Angd 
on horseback, oysters rolled in bacon, 
and served on crisp toast, very hot. 

Angel Altogether. A topor. 

Angelic (or Angelica). A young 
unmarried woman. ( 182 1 . ) 

Angelif erous. Angelic, super- 
excellent. (1837.) 

Angel's-food. Strong alt*. (1597.) 

Angel's Footstool. An imaginary 
square sail, topping tho Bky-scraper 
(q.v.), the moon-sail (q.v.), and the* 
cloud-cleaner (q.v.). 

Angel's Gear, Female attire. 

Angel's Oil. A bribe : also oil of 



AngeVs Suit. 



Anser. 



angels. [Angel, a gold coin, value 
6s, 8d., first struck by Ed. IV. in 
1465.] 

Angel's Suit. A combination 
garment for men : the trousers were 
buttoned to coat and waistcoat made 
in one. 

Angel's Whisper. The call to 
defaulter's drill : usually extra iatigue 
duty. 

Angle. To get by stratagem, fish 
(q.v.) ; and (in an absolute sense, see 
Angler) to cheat, steal. As subs., (1) a 
lure or wile; (2) a victim: hence a 
simpleton, one easily imposed on ; and 
(3) a cunning or specious fellow, an 
adventurer. To angle one on, to lure. 
(153d.) To angle for farthings, to beg 
out of a prison-window, with a cap, 
or box, let down at the end of a long 
string. To angle vnth a stiver hook, (1) 
to bribe, and (2) buy one's catch in the 
market. 

Angler. * Angglers be peryllous and 
most wicked Knaues . . . they custom- 
ably carry with them a staffe of v. or vi. 
foote long, in which within one ynch of 
the tope thereof, ya a lytle hole ... in 
which they putte an yron hoke, and 
with the same they wyll plucke vnto 
them quickly anything that they may 
reohe ther with ' (Harmon). To angle, 
to steal; Angling-cove, a fence (q.v.) 
(JS. E. and Grose). 

Anglomaniacs. A club in Boston ; 
its members are opposed to every thing 
British, y s 

Angry Boy. See Boy and Roaring- 
Boy* 

Angular Party. A gathering of an 
odd number of people ; three, seven, 
thirteen, etc. 

Animal. 1. A term of contempt ; 
a fool he is a mere Animal, he is a 
very silly Fellow (If. E., c. 1090). 2. 
A new cadet at the United States 
Military Academy, West Point ; cf. 
Snooker. oe Whole. 

Animule. A mule. A portmant- 
eau-word (q.v.): ie. animal-mulo.] 

Ankle. To sprain one's ankle, to bo 
got with child (Grose) : FT., avoir mal 
aitx genouz. 

Ankle- beater. A boy-drover: 
they tended their animals with long 
wattles, and beat them on the legs to 
avoid spoiling or braining the iloBh : 
also penny-boys (q.v.), because they 
received one penny per head as re- 
muneration. 



Aiikie - spring Warehouse. The 
stocks. (1780.) 

Ananias. A liar. Hence Ananias- 
brand^ an imposture ; Ananias-dub, an 
imaginary company of liars; to play 
Ananias and Sapphira, to keep back 
part of Iho swag (q.v.). 
Anna Maria. A fire. 
Anne. See Bacon,Sighb, and Thumb. 
Annex. To steal, convey (q.v.). 
Anno Domini Ship. An old- 
fashioned whaler (Century). 

Annual. A holiday taken once in 
twelve months : cf. annual, a mass 
sairl, rent paid, or a book issued yearly. 
Anodyne. Death: also to km. 
Anodyne necldace (or collar), a halter 
(Grose): see Horse-collar, Ladder, 
and Nubbmg-cheat. (163C.) 

Anoint. 1. To natter, butter ( q. v. ). 
(1400.) 2. To bribe, grease the palm 
(q.v.); creesh the loof. (1584.) 3. 
To beat, thrash soundly ; also, anoint 
with the sap of a hazel rod (North) : 
cf. strap-oil. Whence anointed, well 
drubbed (see next entry). (1500.) 

Anointed. Pre-eminent in rascality. 
But in a French MS. ... is an 
account of a man who had received a 
thorough and severe beating: Qui anoit 
este si bien oignt. The English Version 
[Early English Text Society] translates 
this: 'Which so well was anoyntod 
indeed. From this it is clear that to 
anoint a man was to give him a sound 
drubbing, and that the word was so used 
in the fifteenth century. Thus, an 
anointed rogue means either one who 
has been well thrashed or who has 
deserved to be' (Skeat). 

Anonyma. A fashionable whore 
(<,. 1800-6(i). 

Another. You're another, a tu 
quoque : i.e. another liar, fool, thief 
any imaginable term of abuse : see 
NaiL (1534.) 

Anotherguess (Anothergets, 
Anothergaines, Anothergates, 
Anotherguise, Anotherkins). 
That is, another sort, kind, manner, 
fashion, etc. [0. E. D. : A phonetic re- 
duction from anothergots (tor another- 
gates).] Honce anothvt -guess sort of 
man (woman, etc.)* one up to snuff 
(q.v.). 1580.) 

Another Place. The House of 
Commons (ford QranvtUe). 

Anser. Anser is Latin for Goose 
(Brandy, Candle, Fish, etc.). A pun- 
ning catch or retort. (1612.) 



11 



Ansfium-scranehum. 



A-pigga-back. 



Anshum-scranchum. A scramble : 
e.g. when provision is scanty, and each 
one is almost obliged to scramble for 
what he can get, it is said to be anshum- 
scranchum work (HaUiwell). 

An't (Aint). A contraction for are 
not ; am not ; is not ; has not ; have 
not (han't): chiefly Cockney; cf. 
shan't, won't, can't : see Ain't. Also, 
andmayit. (1612.) 

Ant. In an anfs foot, in a short time*. 

Antagonize. To oppose a ball, 

oill, measure, etc. [Properly, only of 

contention or opposition between 

brces or things of the same kind.] 

Antarctic. To go to the opposite 
extreme : cf. lord, tree, etc. (1647.) 
Antechamber. (B. JE., c. 1696.) 
Forerooms for receiving of Visits, as 
the back and Drawing-rooms are for 
Lodgings, anciently called Dining- 
rooms. [Not in use in this sense until 
18th century, the earliest reference in 
O. E. D. being 1767 : the orig. meaning, 
the room admitting to the royal bed- 
chamber.] 

Antem. See Autem. 
Anthony. ( 1 ) To knock Anthony, to 
walk knock-kneed, cuff Jonas (q.v.). 
Hence Anthony Cu/fin, a knock-kneed 
man. Also (2) to keep warm by beat- 
ing one's sides : see Beating the Booby 
(Grose). Anthony (or Tantony pig), 
see Saint and Tantony. St. Anthony's 
fire, Erysipelas: from the tradition 
that those who sought the intercession 
of St. Anthony recovered from tho 
pestilential erysipelas called the sacred 
fire which proved extremely fatal in 
1089 (Brewer). 

Antidote. A very homely 
Woman (B. E.}. 

Antient. At sea, for Ensign or 
Flag (B. E.) [0. E. D.: a corrup- 
tion of Ensign, confounded with 
ancien.] Cf. Ancient Pistol, Othello's 
Ancient (i.e. standard bearers). 

Antimony. Type. [Antimony is a 
constituent part.] 

Antrums. Seo Tantrum. 
_ Anvil. On tJie anvil, in prepara- 
tion, in hand, on the stocks (the 
usual modern equivalent) [an iron] 
in the fire. Hence to anvil, fashion, 
prepare. (1607). 

Anvil-beater (-thresher, 
-whacker, etc.). A smith. (1677.) 
Any. Any other man, a call to 
order : addressed to a prosy or a dis- 
cursive speaker, or when from lack of 



continuity in thought the same idea is 
repeated in synonymous terms. Pm 
not taking any, a more or less sarcastic 
refusal, Not for Joe. 

Any bo dy. An ordinary individual : 
in depreciation ; cf. Nobody, Some- 
body, etc. (1826.) 

Anyhow. All anyhow, carelessly ; 
at random. Anyhow you can fix it, a 
form of acquiescence : e.g. I don't 
know if you'll succeed, but anyhow 
you can fix it. 

Any-racket. A penny -faggot. 
Anything. Like (or as) anything, 
an indelinite but comprehensive 
standard of measurement; or value, 
like one o'clock (old boots, winking, 
hell, etc.). (1542.) 

Anythingarian. An mdifierentist, 
Jack-of-both-sides. Kence anntJ^ng- 
arianism, the creed of All things to all 
men. (170.) 

Anywhere. Anj/icJiere dovni there ! 
A workroom, catch - phrase on any- 
thing falling to the iloor. 

Apart. Apart, severally, asunder 
(B. E., c. 1696). [Except for an an- 
ticipation by Langland not in use till 
long after B. E.'s time.] 

Apartments. 1. Apartirteutft to 
let, empty-headed, foolish, crazy : see 
Balmy. 2. Said of a widow, aLso of a 
woman given to prostitution ( Kay and 
Grose.) 

Ape. 1. An antic, gull. Hence 
Goal's ape, a natural fool ; to play the 
ape, (1) to mimic ; and (2) to play the 
fool ; to put an ape into one's 1'ood (cap, 
or hand), to befool, dupe : also to make 
one his ape. As adj. (or apish), foolish : 
hence ape-drunk, maudlin ; ape-wore, 
counterfeit ware. (1230.) 2. An 
endearment (Malone) : cf. monkey. 
( 1595.) 3. In pi., Atlantic and North- 
western First Mortgage Bonds. To 
lead apes in heU, to die unmarried : of 
both sexes. Hence ape-leader> an old 
maid, or bachelor (Grose). (1579.) To 
say an ape's paternoster, to chatter with 
cold. FT., dire des pate~7i#tre de singe. 
(1611.) Phrases. The ape clasputh lier 
young so long that at last she killnth 
them ; An apo is an ape, a various a 
varlet, Though they bo clad in &ilk or 
scarlet ; Tho higher the ape goes, Use 
more he shows his tail. 
A-per-se. See A. 
Apb.ro disian- dame. A courtea&n. 
A-pigga-back (or A-pisty-poll). 
See Angel and Pick-a-back. . 



Apostles (Twelve Apostles). 
Formerly when the Poll, or ordinary 
B.A. degree list, was arranged in order 
of merit, the last twelve were nick- 
named The Twelve Apostles ; also The 
Chosen Twelve, and the last, St Poll or 
St. Paul a punning allusion to 1 Cor. 
xv. 9, For I am the least of the 
Apostles, that am not moot to be called 
an Apostle. The list is now arranged 
alphabetically and in classes. At 
Columbia College, D.C., the last 
twelve on the B.A. list actually receive 
the personal names of the Apostles. 
(1785.) To man&uvre tlie apostles, to 
borrow of one to pay another, to rob 
Peter to pay Paul (Grose). 

Apostle's Grove. St. John's 
Wood ; also the Grove of the Evan- 
gelist. 

Apothecary. Formerly a term of 
contempt : prior to 1617 the business 
of grocer and chemist was combined, 
and it was not till 1S15 that the status 
of an apothecary, as a medical practi- 
tioner, was legally held by licence and 
examination of the Apothecaries Com- 
pany. Hence To talk like an apothe- 
cary, to talk nonsense, use (Grose) 
hard or gallipot words : from the as- 
sumed gravity and affectation of know- 
ledge generally put on by the gentlemen 
of this profession, who are commonly 
as superficial in their learning as they 
are pedantic in their language. Also 
Apothecaries' -Latin, gibberish, dog- 
(kitchen-, or raw-) Latin (q.v.); 
Apothecaries' bill, a long undetailed 
account: cf. Bawdy-house reckoning. 
Likewise proverbial sayings: A broken 
apothecary, a new doctor ; Apothe- 
caries* would not give pills in sugar 
unless they were bitter. 

Appii (The) (Durham University). 
The Three Tuns : a celebrated Durham 
Inn. [A mis-reading of Actsxxviii. 15.] 
Apple. In pi., a woman's paps : 
also Applc-dumpling-shop (Grose), the 
bosom. (1638.) Phrases and proverbial 
expressions : One rotten apple decays 
a bushel; To take an eye for an 
apple ; As like as an apple is like 
an oyster ; There's small choice in 
rotten apples; Won with an apple, 
lost with a nut; How we apples 
swim (What a good time we're 
having; a reference to the fable of 



Apple-cart. The human body : cf. 
Beer- barrel. To upset one's apple-cart, 
to floor a man, to thwart (Grose). Also, 
to upset the old woman's apple-cart ; 
to upset the apple- cart and spill the 
gooseberries (or peaches). 

Apple - pie Bed. A bed made 
apple-pie fashion, like what is called 
a turnover apple-pie, where the sheets 
are so doubled as to prevent any one 
from getting at his length between 
them: a common trick played by 
frolicsome country lasses on their 
sweethearts, male relations, or visitors 
(Grose). Fr., ht en portefeuiUe. 

Apple-pie Day (Winchester). The 
day on which Six-and-six (q.v.) was 
played. It was the Thursday after the 
first Tuesday in December. So called 
because hot apple-pies were served on 
gomers (q.v.) in College for dinner. 

Apple-pie Order. The perfection 
of neatness and exactness. (1813). 
Apples-and-pears. A flight of stairs. 
Apple Squire. (1) A harlot's con- 
venience. Hence (2) a kept-gallant 
(see Squire, Bully, and Fancy-man) ; 
(3) a wittol (q.v.); and (4) a pimp 
(q.v.). Also Pippin-squire, Squire of 
the body, Apple-John, Apple-monger, 
Apron-man, and Apron-squire. Apple- 
wife, bawd. Occasionally Apron-squire, 
groomsman. (1500.) 

Approach. To know carnally. 
Hence approachable,, wanton. 

April. This month the poetical 
typo of verdure (see Green) and in- 
constancy is frequently found in con- 
temptuous combination. Thus April- 
fool (or Scots April-gowk), cuckoo: 
Fr., poisson tfAvril), one who is sent 
on a sleeveless errand (for strap -oil, 
pigeon's milk, the squad umbrella, 
the diary of Eye's grandmother, etc.), 
or who is the victim of asinine sport on 
April-Fools' (or All Fools') Day (1st 
April). This has given rise to the sar- 
castic April-day, a wedding-day ; and 
Aprfl-genfleman, a newly-married hus- 
band. Also April-fish, a pimp (Fr., 
maquereau) ; April-squire, a new-made 
or upstart squire. (1592.) Tosmettof 
April and May, a simile of youth and 
courtship. (1596.) Also proverbial say- 
ings: A windy March and a rainy 
April make a beautiful May; April 
showers bring forth May flowers; 



avng ; a reerence o e ae o sowers ng or ay nower ; 
posse of horse-droppings floating When April blows his horn it's good 
down the river with a company of for hay and corn ; April cling good for 
apples). (1340.) Seo Adam's Apple, nothing; April borrows three days 

13 



Apron. 



of March, and they are ill ; A cold 
Apnl the barn mil fill ; An April 
flood carries away the frog and her 
brood ; April and May are the keys 
of the year. 

Apron. 1. A woman : generic ; cf. 
Muslin; Petticoat ; Placket, etc. Hence 
tied to one's apron strings (or apron- 
led), (1) under petticoat - rule, hen- 
pecked ; and (2) in close attendance ; 
apron -hold (or apron - string hold, or 
tenure), a hf e-interest in a wife's estate 
(Grose) ; apron - squire (see Apple- 
squire) ; apron - husband, a domestic 
meddler ; apron-up, pregnant, lumpy 
(q.v.). Also (proverbial) : Wise as 
her mother's apron-strings, dependent 
on a mother's bidding. (1542.) 2. 
Generic for one wearing an apron : 
e.g. a shopkeeper, a waiter, a workman : 
also apron-man, apron-rogue, aproneer. 
[Spec, the Parliamentary party (many 
of whom were of humble origin) 
' during the Civil War : by Cavaliers 
in contempt.] Hence (3), a cleric of 
rank, a bishop or dean (also Apron- 
and-Gaiters). As verb, to cover with 
(or as with) an apron ; and aproned, 
of the working-class, mechanic. Hence 
checkered-apron, a barber ; blue-apron 
(q.y.) ; green-apron, a lay-proacher ; 
white-apron, a prostitute. (1592.) 
Apron-washings. Porter. 
Aqua. Water : also Aqua-pompa- 
ginis (Grose, Dog-Latin). Hence, in 
jocose combination, aguapote, aqua- 
bib (Bailey, 1731), and aquatic, a 
water-drinker; aqua -bob, an icicle. 
(1704.) 

Aquadiente. Brandy. (1835.) 
Aquatics. (Eton). 1. The wet-bob 
(q.v.) cricket- team ; and (2) the playing 
field used by them : see Sixpenny. 

Aqua-vitae. Formerly an alchemic 
term, but long popularly generic for 
ardent spirits ; brandy, whisky, etc. 
[L. water of life. Cf. French eau-de- 
vie, and Irish usquebaugh,] Hence 
aqua-vitas man, (1) a quack, and (2) a 
dram-seller. (1542.) 

Arab. (1) A young street vagrant: 
also street arab and city arab. Whence 
(2) an outcast. (1848.) 

Arabian- bird. Anything unique. 
[Properly the phoenix.] Also Arabian 
nights, the fabulous, the marvellous 
(1605.) 

Arcadian - nightingale (or bird), 
An ass; see Nightingale. (1694.) 
Arch. L Properly chief, pre-emi- 



nent : hence, (1) clever, crafty, roguish 
(B. E.) ; and (2) extreme, out-and-out 
(q.v.). [0. E. D. : In modern use 
chiefly prefixed intensively to words of 
bad or odious sense.] Thus, arch- 
botcher, a clumsy patch-worker ; arch- 
fool (or dolt), an out-and-out duffer ; 
arch-knave, a rascal of parts ; arch-cove 
(or rogue), spec, the ringleader of a band 
of gipsies or thieves : whence arch- 
dell (or doxy), the same in rank among 
the female canters of gipsies (Grose) ; 
arch-whore, a bilking harlot (B~ E.), 
etc. Also, sharp, keen, splenetic : 
usually with at or upon. (1551.) "2. 
Saucy, waggish. Thus arch- (witty) 
fellow (B. E.) ; arch- (pleasant) wag 
(B. E.) ; arch duke, & comical or 
eccentric fellow (Grose). (1662.) See 
Ark. 

Archdeacon. (Oxford). Merton 
strong ale. 

Archwife. A masterful woman ; a 
virago. (1383.) 
Ard. Hot (Grose), ardent. 
Ardelio. A busybody, meddler. 
(1598.) 

Area-sneak (or slum}. A potty 
thief : spec, one working houses by 
means of an area-gate (Grose) : see 
Sneak, Slum, and Thief. ( 1 8G5. ) 
Arg, To argue, grumble : cf. Argle. 
Argal. Therefore, ergo : of which it 
is a corruption As subs., a clumsy 
argument. Fee Argle. (1602.) 

Argent. Money : generic : spec, 
silver money (Hauey) : see Gent. 
Hence argenlocracy, the jx>wer of 
money; Mammon (q.v.). (1500.) 

Argle. To argue disputatiouftly, 
haggle, bandy words; also argle-bargk, 
argol-bargol, or argm-bargie. Whence 
argol-bargolotts, quarrelsome : cf. Anr. 
(1689.) 

Argot. The jargon, slang, or 
peculiar phraseology oi a ch>ss, orig. 
that of thieves and rogues. See Slang 
and Cant. Whence aryotic* slancy. 
(1611.) 

Argue. To argue out of (away, a 
dog's tad off, etc.), to get rid of by 
argument : sco Talk, (1713.) 

Argufy, (1) To argue, worry, 
wrangle. Whence (2) to signify* prove 
of consequence, follow as a result of 
argument. Argufiif, a contentious 
talker. Sco Arg and Argle. (1751.) 
Aristippus. I. Canary wine. (1627.) 
2. *A Diet - drink, or Decoction of 
Sarsa China, etc. fesoM at certain 



14 



Ark. 



Article. 



Coffee-houses, and drank as T * (B. E. 
and Grose). 

Ark (or Arch). (1) A boat; a 
wherry : e.g. Let us take an Ark and 
winns, let us take a sculler (B. S. and 
Grose,). Hence arTcman, a waterman. 
Also (2), in Western America, a flat- 
bottomed market-produce boat (Bart- 
lett) : rarely seen since the introduction 
ol steam. 3. A barrack -room chest : 
a lingering use of an old dialect 
word. 

Arkansas- tooth pick. A large 
sheath knife : orig. a bowie-knife (q.v.) 
(1854.) 

Ark-floater. An actor well ad- 
vanced in years. 

Arm, Colloquialisms are : To make 
a long arm, to exert oneself ; as long as 
one's arm, very long ; to work at arm's 
length, to do awkwardly; one under 
the arm (tailor's), an extra job ; in the 
arms of Murphy (or Morpheus), asleep : 
see Murphy. 

Armful. A heap, a large quantity ; 
spec, an endearment: of a bouncing 
baby, a big cuddlesome wench, etc. 
(1579.) 

Armine. A wretched person, a 
beggar. (1605.) 

Armour. In armo-ur, pot-valiant; 
primed (q.v.). ; full of Dutch courage 
(q.v.) : see Screwed (B. E. and Grose). 

Armpits. To work under the arm- 
pits, to escape the halter by the skin of 
one's teeth, to practise only such kinds 
of depredation as will amount, upon 
conviction, to whatever the law calls 
single, or petty, larceny ; the extent of 
punishment for which is transportation 
for seven years. [On the passing of 
Sir Samuel Romilly's Act, capital 
punishment was abolished for highway 
robberies under 40s. in value.] 

Arm- pro p. A crutch; a wooden- 
leg (q.v.). 

Arms-and-legs. Small beer : be- 
cause there is no body in it (Grose). 

Arm - slasher (or slabber). A 
gallant who bled his arm to toast his 
mistress; hence to dagger (or stab) 
arms to toast a lady-love. (1611.) 

Armstrong. See Captain Arm- 
strong. 

Arrah, An expletive, with no 
special meaning (Grose) ; an expletive 
expressing emotion or excitement,com- 
mon in Anglo-Irish speech (O. E. D.). 
rParquhar, who first used the term 
(1706) was of Irish birth.] 



Array. (1) To thrash, to dress 
down (q.v.); (2) to afflict, punish (q.v.) ; 
and (3) defile. Hence as subs., a drub- 
bing, pickle (q.v.), plight, a pretty 
state of affairs. (1388.) 

Arrow (or Arra). A corruption of 
e'er a, or ever a. (1750.) 

'Arry. That is Harry: a popular 
embodiment of the vulgar, rollicking, 
yet on the whole good- tempered rough 
of the metropolis. "Whence 'Arriet, 
'Arry's young woman. [Popularised 
by Milliken in a series of ballads in 
Punch,] 'Arryish, vulgarly jovial. 
(1874.) 

Arst. Asked. 

Arter. After. 

Artesian. A Gippsland (Victoria) 
brew of beer : manufactured with water 
obtained from an artesian well at Sale 
hence artesian (generic), colonial 
beer : see Cascade. 

Artful Dodger. 1. A lodger. 2. 
An expert thief : also a fellow who 
dares not sleep twice in the same place 
for fear of arrest. [The Artful Dodger, 
a character in Dickens' Oliver Twist.] 

Arthur. King (or Prince) Arthur. 
A sailor's game. When near the line, 
or in a hot latitude, a man who is to 
represent King Arthur, is ridiculously 
dressed, having a large wig made out 
of oakum, or some old swabs. He is 
seated on the side, or over a large vessel 
of water, and every person in turn is 
ceremoniously introduced to him, and 
has to pour a bucket of water over him. 
crying out, Hail, King Arthur ! If 
during the ceremony the person intro- 
duced laughs or smiles (to which his 
majesty endeavours to excite him by 
all sorts of ridiculous gesticulations), he 
changes places with, and then becomes 
King Arthur, till relieved by some 
brother tar who has as little command 
over his muscles as himself (Grose) : cf. 
Ambassador. 

Artichoke. 1. A term of contempt. 
(1600.) 2. A hanging: also hearty 
choak (Grose) ; whence to have an arti- 
chobe and caper sauce for "breakfast, to 
be hanged. 

Article. 1. A woman : e.g. a prime 
article (Grose), a handsome girl, a hell 
of a goer (Lex. Bal.). 2. A mildly 
contemptuous or sarcastic address: 
usually with such adjectives as pretty, 
nice, etc. Thus, You're a pretty 
article, You're a beauty (q.v.) ; 
What sort of an article do you think 



15 



Article of Virtue. 



you are ? What's ycmr name when out 
for a walk? Also (Halliwdl) of a 
wretched animal. 3. In pL, a suit of 
clothes (Grose). 

Article of Virtue. A virgin. [A 
play upon virtue, and virtu.'] 

Artilleryman. A drunkard : cf. 
canon, drunk, and see Iraahlugton. 

Artist. An adroit rogue, skilful 
gamester. N. Y. S. D. 

As. See Make. 

Asia Minor. The Kensington and 
Bays-water district. [Many Anglo- 
Indians reside in this locality. The 
nickname is double-barrelled, for the 
district is also the headquarters of the 
Greek community in the metropolis.] 
Cf. New Jerusalem, Black Hole, etc. 

Asinego. (1) A little ass; hence 
(2) a fool, donkey (q.v.), duffer (q.v.). 
(1606.) 

Ask. To proclaim in church : as a 
marriage ; literally to ask for (or the) 
banns thereto. Formerly also of stray 
cattle, etc. [0. E. D. : The recognised 
expression is now to publish the 
banns; but ask is the historical 
word.] Whence asking, an announce- 
ment in church of intended marriage 
(1461). Aslc another, a jesting or con- 
temptuous retort to a question that 
one cannot, will not, or ought not, to 
answer : also Ask bogy (q.v.). 

Askew. A cup: see Skew (Harman, 
1567). 

Aspasia. A harlot. The name of 
one of the celebrated courtesans of 
Athens, called Hetcerae (iraipai), many 
of whom were highly accomplished and 
were faithful to one lover. . . . Repre- 
sentative of a fascinating courtesan, 
and more rarely, of an accomplished 
woman. 

Aspen-leaf. The tongue. (1532.) 

Ass. Generic for stupidity, clumsi- 
ness, and ignorance. Hence ( 1 ) a fool : 
see Buffle. [0. E. D. : now disused in 
polite literature and speech. ] Also ass- 
head : whence assheadcd, stupid ; and 
assheadedness, folly. To make an ass of, 
to stultify ; to make an ass of oneself, to 
play the fool ; Your ass-ship (a mock 
title : cf. lordship). Also Proverbs and 
proverbial sayings: When a fool is 
made a bishop then a horned ass is born 
therein ( 1400) : Perhaps thy ass can tsll 
thee what thou knoweat not (NasJt) ; 
To wrangle for an asy's shadow 
(Thynne) ; Go sell au ass (Topsdl : a 
charge of bloekishncas to a dull scholar). 



as an ass with a squib in his 
(Ootgravc) ; Honey is not for 
an ass's mouth (Shelton) ; An ass 
laden with gold will go lightly uphill 
(Shelton) ; Asses have ears as well as 
pitchers (M iddleton) ; He will act the 
ass's part to get some bran ( Urquhart); 
An ass in a lion's skin (Addison) ; 
An unlettered king is a crowned ass 
(Freeman) ; to plough with ox and ass, 
to use incongruous means ; The ass 
waggeth his ears (Cooper, 1563 : * a 
proverbe applied to theini, whiche, 
although they lacke learnynge, yet will 
they babble and make a countenance, 
as if they know somewhat'). 2. A 
compositor : used by pressmen : the 
tit-for-tat is pig (q.v.) : also donkey : 
FT., mulet. 

Assassin. A breast knot, or similar 
decoration worn in front. \Cen- 
tuiy: with allusion to its killing 
effect ] 

Assayes (The). The 2nd battalion 
(late 74th) Highland Light Infantry : 
for distinction at Assaye, when every 
officer present, save one, was killed or 
wounded, and the bnxtalion was re- 
duced to a mere wreck (Farmer., 3I&, 
Forces of Qt. and Greater Britim). 

Asses' Bridge (The). The fifth pro- 
position in the First Book of Euclid's 
Elements ; the pans asinorum. ( 1780. ) 

Assig. An assignation (B. J. and 
Grose). 

Assrnanship (or Asswomanship). 
The art of donkey-riding: on thy model 
oi horsemanship. (1800.) 

Aste. Money : generic : sec Rhino 
(Nares). (1612.) 

Astronomer. A horse with a high 
carriage of the head ; a star-gazor 
(q.v.). 

At See All ; Breeches ; Himd ; 
Hn-vo ; Pickpursr ; JRcat ; That; You. 

Athanasian Wench. A forward 
girl ; Quicuuqxie vult (q.v.) ; but* Tnrl. 

Athens. The J/w?t;- Atlieins. (1) 
Edinburgh; and (2) Do.*,ton, Mass, 
(also The Athens of America). 

Atlantic - ranger. A herring, a 
sea-rover (q.v. ) : soe Glasgow magis- 
trate. 

Aticins. Sec Tommy Atkins. 

Atomy. I. An anatomy, specimen, 
skeleton ; ol?o otamy : xvhenro (2) a 
very loan persca, walking s!?cli i ton 
(1508). -2 A diniimitsv - JVTVOH, pigmy 
(l. r >!H). 3, An umpty-lh'udvci indi- 
vidual. 



1G 



Atrocity. 



Avast/ 



Atrocity. Anybody or anything 
grievously below the ordinary stand- 
ard or out of the common : e g. a bad 
blunder, a flagrant violator of good 
taste, a very weak pun, etc. Hence 
atrocious, shockingly bad, execrable, 
and as adv. excessively. (1831.) 

Attack. A commencement of opera- 
tions ; as (jocularly) upon dinner, a 
problem, correspondence, etc. Also as 
verb. (1812.) 

Attempt. To approach a woman ; 
to attack the chastity. Hence at- 
temptT, atteiriptuble, and other deriva- 
tives. (1593.) 

Attic. The head, brain, tipper 
storey (q.v.) 

Attic-salt (style or wit). Well- 
turned phrases spiced with refined and 
delicate humour. (1633.) 

Attleborough. Pinchbeck, Brum- 
magem (q.v.). [Attleborough is cele- 
brated for its manufacture of trashy 
jewelry.] 

Attorney. 1 . A knave, swindler j 
an ancient (and still general) reproach. 
Whence attorneydom and attorneyism, 
(in contempt or abuse). (1732. ) 2. A 
drumstick of goose, or turkey, grilled 
and devilled : cf. Devil. (1828.) 

Attorney - General's Devil. See 
Devil. 

Auctioneer. To tip (or give) the 
aitetioneer, to knock a man down ; 
Tom Sayers' right hand was nick- 
named the auctioneer. 

Audit-ale (or Audit). A special 
brew of ale : ong. for use on audit days. 
Univ. (1823.) 

Audley. See John Audley. 

Aufe. See Oaf. 

Auger. A propy talker, bore (q.v.). 

Aught. A common illiteracy for 
naught, the cyper 0. 

Auld Hornie. The Devil : see 
Blacks py. 

Auld Reekie. The Old Town, 
Edinburgh; i.e. Old Smoky. (1826.) 

AulyAuly. (Win. Coll.: obnoloto). 
A game played in Grass Court on 
Saturday aiternoons after chapel. An 
indiarubbor ball was thrown ono to 
another, and everybody was obliged to 
join in. The game, though in vogue 
in 1830, watt not played as late as 
1845. 

Aumbes-ace. See Amos-ace. 

Aunt. 1. A bawd ; a harlot (B. E. 
and Grow) : heuco (old sayings) My 
aunt will feed me, She is one of my 



aunts that made my uncle go a-begging 
(or that my uncle never got any good 
o). (1604.) 2. An endearment or 
familiar address ; also aunty : spec. (1) 
in nursery talk, a female friend of the 
family ; and (2) a matronly woman : 
hence aunthood : cf. Uncle. (1592.) 
3. (Oxford and Cambridge : obsolete.) 
The sister university. (1655.) Phrases. 
If my aunt had been my uncle what 
would have happened then ? (a retort 
on inconsequent talk) ; to go and see 
one's aunt, to go to the W.C. (see Mrs. 
Jones). 

Aunt Sally. A game common to 
race-courses and fairs ; a wooden head 
is mounted on a pole to form a target ; 
in the mouth is placed a clay pipe, 
which the player, standing at twenty 
or thirty yards, tries to smash. 

Au Reservoir 1 Au revoir. 

Aurum Potabile. That is, Drink- 
able gold ; " a medicine made of the 
body of gold itself, totally reduced, 
without corrosive, into a blood -red, 
gummie, or honylike substance ' (Phil- 
lips) ; also, some rich Cordial Liquor, 
with pieces of leaf gold in it (Kersey). 

Australiah Flag. A rucked - up 
shirt-tail. 

Australian Grip. A hearty hand- 
shake. 

Autem (Autum, Autom, or An- 
tem). A church (Barman, B. E., 
Grose). As adj., married ; also in 
numerous combinations, thus : autem- 
baider (-cockier ; -jet or -prickear), a 
parson : spec, of Dissenters ; autem- 
cackle tub, (1) a dissenting meeting- 
house, (2) a pulpit ; autum-cove, a 
married man ; autum-dipper (or -diver), 
(1) a Baptist, (2) a thief working 
churches or conventicles, and (3) an 
overseer or guardian of the poor; 
autum-yoggler, a pietended French 
prophet (Grose]; autum-mort, a mar- 
ried woman, also the Twenty-fourth 
Order of the Canting Tribe, Travelling, 
Begging (and often Stealing) about the 
Country with one Child in Arms, an- 
other on Back,and (sometimes) leading 
a third in the Hand ; awtum-quaver, a 
Quaker , awtum-quaver tub, a Quaker's 
inoeting-house. 

Author- baiting. Calling a play- 
wright before the curtain to subject 
him to annoyance yelling, hooting, 
hollowing, etc. 

A vast I Hold! Stop! Stay! 
(1681.) 



17 



Avering. 



Babe. 



Avering subs. (old), 
the shallow (q.v.) docile. (1695.) 

Avoirdupois. Excess of flesh, fat. 

Avoirdupois - lay. Stealing brass 
weights off the counters of shops 
(Grose). 

Avuncular. Humorously employed 
in various combinations : e.g. avun- 
cular relation, a pawnbroker ; an uncle 
(q.v.) ; avuncular hfe, pawnbroking ; 
also avuncular, of or pertaining to an 
uncle ; to avunculize, to act as an 
uncle. (1662.) 

Awake. On the alert, vigilant, 
fully appreciative : see Fly. (1785.) 

Away. Away (forthwith, con- 
tinuously) occurs in several colloquial- 
isms, mostly imperative. Thus : Fire 
away, Commence immediately ; Say 
away, Spit it out ; Peg away, Keep 
going ; Right, away, at once : Away 
the mare, Adieu to care, Begone ; Far- 
and-away, altogether ; Who can Jiold 
that vrill away ? Who can bind an un- 
willing tongue ? To mistake away, to 
pilfer and pretend mistake; Away back, 
(1) long ago, and (2) see Way-back. 

Awful. Monstrous : hence a generic 
intensive great, long, exceedingly 
good, bad, pretty, etc. Thus an aw- 



ful (very unpleasant) time ; awful (side- 
splitting) fan ; aiofully (uncommonly) 
jolly, etc. Also penny-awful, a blood- 
curdling tale ; of. Dreadful shocker, 
Blood-and-guts story, etc. As adv., 
exceedingly, extremely. (1816.) 

Awkwar d. Pregnant, lumpy ( q.v. ). 

Awkward- squad. "Recruits at drill. 

Awls. See Alls. 

Ax. This archaic form of ask, ouce 
and long literary, survives dialectically 
[0. E. D. : Ax, down to nearly 1COO, 
was the regular literary form : it was 
supplanted in standard Englibh by ask, 
originally Hie northern foun.] Also ax- 
my~eye f a cute fellow, a knowing blade. 
(1380.) Phrases: To have an ax to 
grind, to have personal interests to 
serve ; to put the ax in the helve, to 
solve a doubt, unriddle a puzzle ; to 
send the ax after the helve (or the helve 
after the hatchet), to despair ; to haiig up 
one's ax, to desist from mullets labour, 
abandon a useless project ; to open a 
door with an ax (said of barren or un- 
profitable labour). 

Axewaddle. To wallow. Hence 
axewaddler (a term of contempt). 

Ayrshires. Glasgow and South- 
western Railway Stock. 



B. 1. The title of a captain in the 
army of the Irish Republican Brother- 
hood (H. J. Byron). 2. (Harrow). A 
standard in Gymnasium the next 
below A (q.v.). 3. (Felsted). See A. 
Not to know B from a bull's foot (a 
battledore, a broomstick, or any allitera- 
tive jingle), to be illiterate or ignorant, 
unable to distinguish which is which : 
also affirmatively : see A, Battledore, 
Chalk, etc. (1401.) B Flat (or B), a 
bed bug, Norfolk Howard (q.v.) : cf. 
F sharp. (1853.) 

Ba. To kiss : also as subs. : of. 
Buss. [0. E. D. : probably a nursery 
or jocular word j Century, perhaps 
the humorous imitation of a smack.] 
(1383.) 

Baa. A bleat ; also as verb ; of a 
sheep. Hence baaling, a lambkin : 
also baa-lamb ; baaing, noisy silliness, 
and as adj, (1600.) 

Bab. The first word children use, 
as with us dad or daddie or bab (Florio); 
Also bnbba. 



Babber-lipped. See Blabber-hps. 

Babble. Confused unintelligible 
talk such as was used at the building of 
the tower of Babel (B. E. and Grose). 
Babbler, a great talker (/>*. #.). 
[0. B. D. : Common to several lan- 
guages : in none can its history be 
carried far back ; as yet it is known as 

early in English as anywhere else 

No direct connection with Babel can b< 
traced ; though association with that 
may have affected the senses.] 

Babbler. L A hound giving too 
much tongue. (1782.) i>. See Babble. 

Babe. 1. The last elected member 
of the House of Commons : cf. father 
of tJie House, the oldest representative. 
2. The youngest member of a class afc 
the United State* Military College, 
West Point. 3. An a tietion shark (q.% .); 
a knock-out (q.v.) man: for ; con- 
sideration these agree not to oppose the 
bidding of larger dealers, who thua 
keep down the price, of lots. 4. (Ameri- 
can). A Baltimore rowdy : also blood 



18 



Babe in the Wood. 



Sack. 



tub (q.v.), plug-ugly (q.v.): see 
Baby. 

Babe in the Wood. 1. A culprit 
in the stocks or pillory (Grose). 2. la 
pi., dice. 

Baboo (or Babu). In Bengal, and 



(2) any large city : spec. London (also 
Modern. Babylon). Babylonian, (1) a 
papist ; and (2) an astrologer (Chaldea 
was the ancient seat of the craft) ; 
babylonish, popish. (1564.) 

Babylonitish. (Winchester). A 



elsewhere, among Anglo-Indians, it is dressing gown. [That is Babylonitish 



, , 

often used with a slight savour of dis- 
paragement as characterising a super- 
ficially cultivated, but too often effemi- 
nate Bengali ; and from the extensive 
employment of the class to which the 
term was applied as a title in the capa- 
city of clerks, in English offices the 
word has come often to signify a native 
clerk who writes English (fide), 
Hence "baboo- English, superfine ; grand- 
iloquent English such as is written by 
a baboo ; also bdboodom and babooism. 
(1866.) 

Baboon. A term of abuse : see Ape. 
Whence baboonery ; baboonish ; and ba- 
boomze, to monkey (q.v.). (1380.) 

Baby (or Babe). 1. A childish per- 
son : e.g. a great baby, a mere baby, 
etc. Hence, to smell of the baby, to be 
infantiuo or childish (in character or 
ability) : of. Baby-act. Also, to act (or 
treat) childishly; babyhood (babydom 
or babyism), childishness ; baby-bunt- 
ing, an endearment. (1596.) 2. In pi., 
pictures in books. [O. E. Z>.: perh. orig. 
the ornamental tail-pieces and borders 
with Cupids and grotesque figures in- 
terworked.] (1605.) 3. The minute re- 
ilection of one gazing into another's eye. 
Houce to look babies (or a boy) in the 
eyes, to look amorously ; to cast sheep' s- 



garment.] 

Baby's-pap. A cap. 

Baby Wee- wees. Buenos Ayres 
Water Works shares. 

Bacca. Tobacco : Fr., perlot (from 
perle). Also Bacco, Baccy, Backer, 
and Backey. (1833.) 

Bacca-pipes. Whiskers curled in 
ringlets : obsolete : see Mutton-chops. 

Baccate (or Bakkare), Go back I 
Give place ! Away ! (1473.) 

Bacchus. 1. Wine, intoxicating 
liquor. Whence son of Bacchus, a 
tippler : see Lushington ; and Bacchi 
ptenus, drunk : see Screwed. [In- 
numerable derivatives and combina- 
tions have been and are still in more or 
less regular and literary use.] (1496.) 
2. (Eton.) Verses written (c. 1561) on 
Shrove Tuesday in honour or dispraise 
of Bacchus because poets were con- 
sidered the clients of Bacchus. . . . 
This custom was continued almost into 
modern days, and though the subject 
was changed, the copy of verses was 
still called a Bacchus. 

Bach (or Batch). To live as a 
bachelor. 

Bachelor. Then the town butt is a, 
bachelor, the retort incredulous on a 
woman's chastity (Ray), 



a rag - doll : see Bartholomew - baby. 
(1530.) As adj., small ; tiny ; e.g. a 



[.v.). (1586.) 4. A doll, puppet, Bachelor's Baby. A bastard : see 
l*s plaything: also baby-clouts, Bye- blow and Bachelor' s-wife. (1672.) 
- " - * Bachelor's Buttons. To wear 

bachelor's buttons, to be a bachelor. 
[Grey. Country fellows carried the 
flowers of this plant in their pockets, to 
know whether they should succeed 
with their sweethearts, and they judged 
of their good or bad success by their 
growing or not growing there.] 

Bachelor's-f are. Bread and 
cheese and kisses, (1738.) 

Bachelor's-wif e . (1) An ideal wife ; 
and (2) a harlot: whence bachelor's 
baby, & bastard. (1562.) 

Back. 1. To espouse, advocate, or 
support, a matter, by money, influence, 
authority, etc. : commonly, to back up. 
Hence (2), in racing, to wager, or bet in 



baby-glass, baby-engine, etc. (1859.) 
To kiss the baby, to take a drink ; to 
smile (q.v.). 

Baby Act. The legal defence of in- 
fancy : hence to plead the baby act,, (1) 
to plead minority as avoiding a con- 
tract ; and (2) to excuse oneself on the 
ground of mexporienco. 

Baby-farmer. A professional adop- 
ter of infants, minder (q.v.) : spec, in 
an evil SOIIHO : once tho money is paid, 
the children are frequently gradually 
done to death. Whence Baby -farming. 

Baby-herder. A nurse. 

Babylon. Generic for luxury and 



magnificence. Hence ( 1 ) the papal support of one's opinion, judgment, or 
power (formerly identified with the fancy i to back the field, to bet against all 
mystical Babylon, of the Apocalypse) ; horses save one, usually the favourite ; 

19 



Backing On. 



backed, betted on ; backer, ( 3 ) a sup- 
porter, back -friend (q.v.), and (2) 
a layer of odds : cf. bookie ; backing, 
support. (1548.) 3. To endorse, counter- 
sign : e.g. to back a cheque ; also to 
back a bUl, to become responsible for 
payment : cf . to foot an account ; 
backed, endorsed, accepted : for- 
merly to direct or address a letter : 
prior to the general use of envelopes, 
the address was written on the back of 
the folded sheet (1768) : to be backed, 
to be carried for dead. Phrases and 
colloquialisms : To give, one the back, 
to ignore ; behind one's back, out of 
sight, hearing, or knowledge ; to give 
back, to turn tail ; to turn one's (or the) 
back on, (1) to go, (2) abandon, and (3) 
snub ; back and side (back and belly, or 
back and edge), all over, completely, 
through thick and thin ; to take the back 
on oneself, to run away ; with back to 
the ivnll, hard-pressed, struggling 
against odds ; to have by the back, to 
seize, lay hold of; to break the back, 
(1) to overburden, (2) all but finish (a 
task) ; to ride on one's back, to deceive ; 
to get the back of, (1) to take in the rear, 
and (2) have at an advantage ; on one's 
back, (1) floored (q.v.), (2) at the end 
of one's resources, (3) sick or indis- 
posed; to have (put, get, or set) one's 
back up, (I) to resist, rouse, and (2) get 
(or be) angry (J3. E. and Qfose) : whence, 
don't get your back up \ Keep calm ! 
or Your back's up, a jeer at an angry 
hunchbacked man ; to back out, to re- 
tire cautiously, escape from a dilemma; 
to give (or make) a back, (I) to lend a 
hand, and (2) bend the body, as atleap- 
frog; to back down, (1) to yield or 
retire from a matter, and (2) eat one's 
words : hence a back-dmon (or square 
back down,), (1) utter collapse, and (2) a 
severe rebuff ; to be on a man's back, to 
chide, be severe upon ; to see the back of, 
to get rid of. Also His back is broad 
enough to bear jests (Ray) ; What 
is got over the devil's back is spent 
under Ma belly. To back up (Win- 
chester), to call out : e.g. Why didn't 
you back up ? I would have come and 
helped you. In College, times are 
backed up by Junior ua Chambers: 
such as Three quarters, Hour, 
Bells go single, Bells down. See 
Beyond. 

Back-and-belly. All over, com- 
pletely: also back-and-bed, and cf. 
back - and - edge (supra, s,v. Back, 



phrases). Hence to keep one back-and- 
telly, to provide everything, feed and 
clothe ; to beat one backhand-belly, to 
thrash thoroughly, (c. 1300.) 
Backare. See Baccare. 
Backbiter. 1. One who slanders 
another behind his back, i.e. in his 
absence (Grose), Also (2) His bosom 
friends are become his back - biters, 
said of a lousy man. 

Back-breaker. 1. A hard task- 
master : spec, the foreman of a gang of 
farm labourers ; and (2) any task that 
requires excessive exertion. Hence 
back-breaking, arduous. 

Back-cap. To depreciate, dispar- 
age : also to give a back-cap. 

Back-cheat. A cloak; a wrap- 
rascal (q.v.). 

Backdoor. The fundament. Hence 
backdoor - trot, diarrhoea. As adj., 
clandestine, speciously secret: also 
backstairs : e.g. backdoor counsellor, 
backstairs influence (or work), etc. ; 
orig. and spec, of underhand intrigue 
at Court, i.e. when the Sovereign is 
approached secretly by the private 
stairs of a palace instead of by the 
State entrance. (1611.) 

Back-end. The last two months of 
the racing season, commencing with 
October : also as adj. [Properly, the 
latter part of autumn.] Hence back- 
ender, a horse entered for a race late in 
the season. (1820.) 

Backfall. A trip or fall on the 
back, as also backheel and backiock 
Also as verb. (1713.) 

Back-friend. (1) A secret enemy; 
one who holds back in time of need. 
Also (2) an ally (see Back, verb, 2). 
(1472.) (3) A splinter of skin formed 
near the roots of the finger-nail, a 
stepmother's blessing (q.v.). 
Back-gammon. See Backdoor. 
Back-handed Turn. An unprofit- 
able bargain. 

Back-nan der. 1. A glass of wine 
out of turn, the bottle being passed 
back or retained for a second glass in- 
stead of following the sun round the 
table. Hence backhand (verb) and 
backhanding. (1855.) 2. A blow on 
the face delivered with the back of the 
hand ; hence an unexpected rebuff, a 
set-down (q.v.). (1836.) 

Backing and Filling. Shifty, 
irresolute, shuly-shaUy : orig. nautical 
(1854.) 

Backing On. See Turning-on, 



Backings up. 



Bad. 



Backings up (Winchester). The 
unconsumed ends of half - burned 
faggots: obsolete. 

Back Jump. A back window : see 
Jump (Grose). 

Backmarked. To be backmarked, 
in handicapping to receive less start 
from scratch than previously given. 

Back - paternoster. See Back- 
wards. 

Back - scratcher. 1. A wooden 
toy on the principle of a watchman's 
rattle, which, drawn down the back, 
sounds like the ripping up of cloth ; 
much in favour at fairs and in crowds ; 
its use (in London) is now (1904) pro- 
hibited by police order. 2. A flatterer : 
hence back-scratching, flattery : cf. Ka 
me, Ka thee. 

Back-seam. To be down on one's 
back-seam, to be down on one's luck. 

Back Seat. To take a back seat, to 
retire into obscurity, confess failure, be 
left behind. [The colloquialism re- 
ceived an immense send off by 
Andrew Johnson in 1868: In the 
work of reconstruction traitors should 
take back seats.] 

Back-set (modern, Set-back). A 
rebuff, untoward circumstance, relapse. 
Hence, to set back, to check. 

Back-slang. 1. A variety of slang, 
orig. costers, in which a word is 
slightly veiled by being written or pro- 
nounced as nearly as possible back- 
wards : thus yob, boy ; cool, look ; 
yennep, penny ; etc. 2. See Slum. 
3. A back-room; also the back-entrance 
to any house or premises ; thus, we'll 
give it *em on the back slum, means 
we'll get in at the backdoor. As verb, 

(1) To enter or come out of a house by 
the backdoor ; or to go a circuitous or 
private way through the streets, in 
order to avoid any particular place in 
the direct road, is termed back- slanging 
it (Grose). (2) (Australian) to ask for 
hospitality on the road : a common and 
recognised up-country practice. 

Back -slum. See Slum 2, and 
Back-slang. 

Backstair. See Backdoor. 

Backs tair case. A bustle, dress 
improver : see Birdcage. 

Back-stall. See Stale, subs. 5. 

Back-talk, (1) A rude answer? 

(2) contradiction ; (3) an insinuation ; 
and (4) withdrawal from a promise or 
an accepted invitation (Lane.) : also 
back-i&ord and back -answer. Hence 



backward - answer, a perverse reply ; 
No back talk \ Shut up ! (1605.) 

Back-teeth. To have one's back 
teeth afloat, to be drunk : see Screwed. 
Back-timber. Clothes : cf. Belly- 
timber. (1656.) 

Back Tommy. Cloth to cover the 
stays at the waist. 

Backtrack. To take the back-track, 
to retreat, back out (q.v.). 

Back-trade. A backward course. 
(1640.) 

Back- trick. A caper backwards 
in dancing. (1601 ) 

Backward. A few phrases fall 
into alphabet here ; To say (or sing) 
ike Te Deum (the Lord's Prayer or to 
spell) backuxvrds, to mutter, curse : also 
as a charm : hence back-paternoster (or 
prayer), an imprecation; to go back- 
wards, to go to the W.C. : see Mm 
Jones ; to piss backwards, to defecate; 
to blow backwards, crepitate; If I 
were to fall backwards, I should break 
my nose (Ray : It., i.e. I am so foiled 
in everything I undertake). See Bad 
talk. 

Backwardation. A sum which & 
seller pays for not being obliged to 
deliver the shares at the time before 
agreed upon, but to carry them over to 
the following account : cf . Contango. 
Also Backwardation. 

Back-word. See Back-talk. 
Backy. A shopmate working be- 
hind another. 

Bacon. 1. Generic for rusticity. Thus 
bacon-facer (bacon-chops or chaw-bacon) 
a rustic ; bacon-brains, a stupid clod- 
hopper : hence bacon-brained (-faced or 
-fed), clownish, dull (Bee and Grose) : 
also bacon-faced (or -side), fat-jowled, 
fat, sleek ; bacon-picker, a glutton. 
(1596.) 2. The human body. Whence 
to save one's bacon, to save appearances, 
to escape injury or loss (B. &, Grose, 
Bee) : FT., sauver son lard ; to sett one's 
bacon, (1) to work for hire and spec., 
(2) to play the harlot for bread. 
(1362.) To putt bacon, described in the 
Ingoldsby Legends : He put his thumb 
unto his nose and spread his fingers 
out, to take a sight (q.v.), to make 
Queon Anne's Fan (q.v.). Phrases: A 
good voice to beg bacon (said in jeer 
ol an ill voice) (B. E. and Grose); 
When the devil is a hog, you shall oat 
bacon (Ray). 

Bad (or Badly). Very much, 
greatly. Also colloquial phrases ; to go 



21 



Bad Bargain. 



Bad Way. 



to the bad, to go to ruin ; to be [any- 
thing] to the bad, to show a deficit, be 
on the wrong side of an account; to 
come back again like a bad penny, (1) 
of anything unwelcome, and (2) a 
jocular assurance of return ; not half 
bad, fairly good ; bad to beat, difficult 
to excel; to icant badly,, the superla- 
tive of desire ; cruel bad, very bad. 
Also Give a dog a bad name and you 
may hang him. (1816.) 
Bad Bargain. See Q.H.B. 
Bad-break. A corruption of bad 
outbreak. 

Bad Crowd Generally. In sing., 
a mean wretch, no great shakes 
(q.v.). 

Bad-egg (-halfpenny, -hat, -lot, 
penny, etc.). 1. A ne'er-do-weel, 
loose fish : in America more inde- 
finitely used than m England. Also 
(old), a bad or risky speculation: FT,, 
mauvais gobet. ( 1 363. ) 

Bad Form. Conduct not in keep- 
ing with a conventional standard, 
vulgarity. 

Badge. 'A mark of Distinction 
among poor People ; as Porters, Water- 
men, Parish-Pensioners, and Hospital- 
boys, Blew - coats and Badges being 
the ancient Liveries' (B. E.). Hence 
badge-cove (or -man), a parish pensioner 
(Grose). To have one's badge, to be 
burned in the hand : e.g. He has got 
his badge and piked, He has been 
burned m the hand and set at liberty 
(Grose). 

Badger. 1. They that buy up a 
quantity of Corn and hoard it up in 
the same Market, till the price rises ; 
or carry it to another where it bears 
a better (. B.). \O. E. D. : Origin 
unknown : Fuller derived it from L., 
bajutare, to carry (as if a cant con- 
traction baj., cf. the modern zoo, cab, 
etc.), but evidence is required before 
this can be admitted for the 15c. . . . 
By Act 5 and 6 Ed. VI. c. 14. 7, 
Badgers were required to be licensed by 
the Justices (the origin of the hawker's 
license).] 2. A river desperado ; vil- 
lains who rob near rivers, into which 
they throw the bodies of those they 
murder (Grose) : see Ark-ruffian. 3. A 
panel-thief (q.v.) : hence Badger-crib. 
4. A red-haired individual. 5, A com- 
mon prostitute. 6. The impersonator 
of Neptune in the festivities incident to 
Crossing the lane ; also Badger-bag ; 
see Ambassador and Arthur, 7. ( Wel- 



lington School) A member of the 2nd 
XV. at football. [A badge is worn by 
each individual : see sense 1.] 8. A 
brush ; spec, when made of badger's 
hair. 9. See Badger State. As verb, 
to worry unceasingly : as a badger when 
baited ; to pester : usually of a helpless 
victim (Bee). Hence badgered, wor- 
ried, teased ; badgering, heckling, 
persecution: FT., agvtigner. (1704.) 
To overdraw the badger, to overdraw a 
banking account. (1843.) 

Badger-box (Australian). A bad- 
ger-box is like an inverted V in section. 
They are covered with bark, with, a 
thatch of grass along the ridge, and are 
on an average about 14 x 10 feet at the 
ground, and 9 or 10 feet high. 

Badgerly. Elderly, grey-haired : 
cf. grey as a badger. (1753.) 

Badger State. (1) The State of 
Wisconsin. [Badgers once abounded 
there.] Whence Badger, an inhabitant 
of Wisconsin. 

Bad Give-away. See Give-away. 

Bad-halfpenny. See Bad-egg. 

Bad Job. An ill bout, bargain, or 
business (B. E.). 

Bad Man. A professional fighter 
or man-killer, but who is sometimes 
perfectly honest. These men do moat 
of the killing in frontier communities ; 
yet the men who are killed generally 
deserve their fate. They are used to 
brawling, are sure shots, and able to 
draw their weapon with marvellous 
quickness. They think nothing of 
murder, are the terror of their asso- 
ciates, yet are very chary of taking the 
life of a man of good standing, and 
will often weaken, and back down, at 
once if confronted fearlessly. Stock- 
men have united to put down these 
dangerous characters, and many locali- 
ties once infested by bad men are 
now perfectly law-abiding (Jf2ooe- 
veldt). 

Bad Match Twist. Red (or car- 
roty) hair and black whiskers. 

Badminton. 1. A kind of claret- 
cup : claret, sugar, spice, soda-water, 
and ice. [Invented at the Duke of 
Beaufort's seat of the same namr. J 
(1845.) 2. Blood: cf. Claret, Rosy, 
etc. 

Bad Shot. See Shot. 

Bad Slang. Faked up monstrosi- 
ties, spurious curiosities ; aee Slang, 
suba. 7. 

Bad Way. See Way. 



Baff. 



Bagman. 



Baff. See Buff. 

Bag. 1. The womb. Hence as verb 
(or to be bagged), to become pregnant, 
to get big with, child ; bagged, lumpy 
(q.v.) : properly of animals ; bag-pud- 
ding, pregnancy : of. Sweet-heart and 
bag- pudding (Ray). (1598.) 2. The 
stomach : hence as verb, to feed, nil the 
stomach ; bagging, food : spec. (North) 
food eaten between meals, or (Lane.) a 
substantial afternoon repast, high 
tea; hence "bagging -time. (1750.) 3. 
In pi., the paps, dugs (q.v.) : properly 
of animals. ( 1 642. ) 4. In pi. , Buenos 
Ayres Great Southern Railway Bonds. 
5. In pi., loosely-fitting clothes : spec, 
trousers ; also bumbags : whence hovd- 
ing bags, breeches of loud pattern or 
cut, and go-to-meeting -bags* Sunday 
clothes, one's best wear : see Kicks. 
Hence baggy, stretched by wear ; bag- 
gily, loosely ; to bag, to sag ; bag-sleeve, 
a sleeve baggy above, and tight at, the 
wrist. (1350.) 6. (Westminster School). 
In sing., milk. 7. The contents of a 
game bag, the result of sport ; said of 
racing as of fishing, shooting, etc.; and 
alike of a big game expedition as of a 
day in the stubble. As verb (or to 
bring to bag), (1) to shoot, to Mil, to 
catch. (1814.) (2) To acquire, secure: 
i.e. to seize, catch, or steal : cf. Nab, 
Cop, Bone, etc. Wnence (old) bagger, a 
miser; bagged, (1) got, and (2) quodded 
(q.v.). (1740.) As intj., Bags \ or 
Bags I ! to assert a claim to some 
article of privilege : cf . Fains or Fain 
it (q.v.), a demand for a truce during 
a game, which is always granted : 
Pike I (or Prior pike) likewise serves 
to lay claim to anything, or to assort 
priority : also bar I e.g. He wanted me 
to do so and so, but I barred not. 
Phrases. To turn to bag and wallet, to 
turn boggar ; to give one the bag to hold 
(Ray), to slip off : also leave in tho 
lurch ; to give, the bag, (1) to leave with- 
out warning (Qroxe), also (2) dismiss, 
and (3) cheat ( Webster) : aoc Canvas, 
Sack, and Wallet ; to let the cat out of 
the bag, to disclose a trick or secret (see 
Cat) ; to empty the bag, to tell all : also 
lose an argument (Fr., vider le sac); 
to put one in a bag, to vanquish, double 
up j to piit (or get) owe'* head in a bag, 
to drink a pot of beer j to take the bag, 
to play the hare in Hare and Hounds ; 
to have the bag#, (1) to come of ace, and 
(2) be flush of money ; to bag the over 
(see Jockey), See Blue- bag ; 



bagger , Cat ; Green-bag ; Nose-bag ; 
Wind-bag. 

Bag-and-baggage. One's belong- 
ings : hence to dear (or turn) out bag- 
and-baggage, to make a good riddance : 
in depreciation. [0. E. D. : Originally 
a military phrase denoting all the pro- 
perty of an army collectively, and ot the 
soldiers individually; hence the phrase, 
orig. said to the credit of an army or 
general, To march out with bag-and- 
baggage (Fr., vie et bagues sauves) ; i.e. 
with all belongings saved ... to make 
an honourable retreat.] Bag - and- 
baggage policy, wholesale surrender, 
ral scuttling, peace at any price. 



Bag and Bottle. Provisions, food 
and drink : of. Back and belly. 

Bagatelle. A trifle, matter of little 
worth or consequence. As adj., trump- 
ery, trifling. \O. E. D. : Formerly quite 
naturalised ; now scarcely so.] (1 637. ) 

Baggage. 1. Luggage, portable 
property ; belongings (q.v.) : spec, the 
equipment of an army. Hence bag-and- 
baggage (q.v.). Wnence baggage-check, 
a luggage-ticket, cloak-room ticket ; 
baggage-man (or master), a guard in 
charge of luggage ; baggage-room, a 
parcels office or cloak-room; baggage- 
smasher, a porter, station thief. (1430. ) 
2. Generic for trash: e.g. encumbrances, 
rubbish, dirt, pus. Whence (spec, post- 
Reformation), the rites and accessories 
of Catholic ritual : cf. sense 3. As adj., 
trumpery (also baggagely), corrupt, 
vile. (1538.) 3. A good-for-nothing : 
man or woman : spec, strumpet (B. E. : 
cf. Fr, bagasse, Sp. bagaza, Port, bgasa, 
It. bagascia). Also (4) a familiar ad- 
dress to a woman, esp. a young woman : 
usually qualified by ounning, saucy, 
pretty, little, sly, etc. (Grose) : of. Puss, 
Rogue, Wench, Drab, etc. As adj., 
worthless (see sense 2), vile ; baggagery, 
the rabble, the scum of society. Heavy 

gage (Grose and Bee), women and 

ldren. 

Baggy. Inflated ; high-f alutin' 
(q.v.). See Bag, subs. 3. 

Bagle. A prostitute (HaUiwett). 

Bagman. 1. A bag- fox, a fox 
caught and preserved alive to be 
hunted another day, when it is brought 
in a bag and turned out before the 
hounds. 2. A commercial traveller, 
an Ambassador of commerce (q.v.) : 
formerly the usual epithet, but now in 
depreciation. (1765.) 



baggage 
children. 



Bagnio. 



Bagnio. A brothel, a stew (q.v.). 
[Orig. a bathing- house.] Also Baines. 
(1541.) 

Bag-of- bones. An emaciated 
person (or animal) a walking skeleton 
(q.v.), shapes (q.v). Also (old) Bed- 
full of bones, and Bagful of skin acd 
bones : Fr., sacdos (i.e. sac & dos). 
(1621.) 

Bag of Nails. Confusion, topsy- 
turveydom. [Qy. from bacchanals.] 
Also, He squints like a bag of nails, 
i.e. his eyes are directed as many ways 
as the points of a bag of nails (Grose.) 

Bag o' Moonshine. Nonsense : 
see Moonshine. 

Bag of Mystery. A sausage (or 
saveloy), a chamber of horrors (q.v.). 

Bag-of- tricks. Usually the whole 
"bag of tricks, every shift or expedient. 
[See fable of The Fox and the Cat.] 
Hence the bottom of the bag of tricks 
(or the bag), a last resource, a card 
up one's sleeve. (1659.) 

Bagpipe. A chatterbox, a wind- 
bag (q.v.) : of. He's like a bagpipe, 
he never talks till his belly's full. As 
adj., empty-headed, gutless (q.v.) ; and 
as verb, to gas (q.v.). 

Bag- pudding. A clown: of. Jack- 
pudding : see Bag, subs. 1. 

Bag-wig. An eighteenth century 
wig ; the back hair was enclosed in an 
ornamental bag ; hence bag - wigged, 
wearing a bag- wig. (1760.) 

Ba-ha. Bronchitis. 

Bah. An exclamation of contempt 
or disgust : Fr., bah ! (1600.) 

Bail. Straw-bail (or straw-shoes), 

1. Professional bail : see Straw. Also 
(2) insufficient bail (modern). To give 
(or take) leg bail, to escape, be indebted 
to one's legs for safety : see Bunk. Also 
to take leg-bail and give land-secunty. 
(1775.) 

Bail up (or Bale up). (1) To se- 
cure the head of a cow in a bail for 
milking. (2) By transference, to stop 
travellers in the bush, used of busii- 
rangers. ... It means generally to 
stop. Like Stick up (q.v. ), it is ofir n 
used humorously of a demand for sub- 
scriptions, etc. (1844.) 

Bain. See Bagnio. 

Bairn's-bed. The womb. (1549.) 

Bait. 1. Anger, a wax (q.v.). 

2. A fee, a refresher (q.v.). (1603.) 
WelsJi (or Scotch) bait, a rest given to 
a horse at the top of a hill, a breather 
(q.v.). (1662.) 



Baiting-stock. A laughing-stock. 
(1630.) 

Baitland. An old word, formerly 
used to signify a port where refresh- 
ments could be procured. (1725.) 

Bake (Winchester). To rest, to sit 
(or lie) at ease. Koace baker, (1) a 
cushion, and (2) anything to sit (or 
kneel) upon, as a bio Iting-Look, etc. 
[Bakers were of two kinds : that used 
in College was large, oblong and 
green ; whilst the Comrnoiicis' hrker 
was thin, nairow, muc-li smaller, and 
red.] Whence baker-la; -cr (cbw.), a 
Junior who carried a Pie3fect*s Lrcen 
baker in and out of Hall at meal-times. 
Also bakester (obs.), a shipyard ; bak- 
ing-leave, (obs.j, (1) permission to bake 
(spec, on a kind of soCa) in a study in 
Commoners or in a Scob-place (q.v.) 
in College, and (2) leavo to sit in 
another's toys (q.v.) ; baking-place, 
any place ia which to bake, or in 
connection with which baking leave 
was given. [North, dial. : beck (or 
beak), to expose oneself to the genial 
warmth of sun, fire, etc., to bask. 
Jamieson : beik, beke, beck, to bask.] 
( 1230. ) Phrases : To bake oti^s braid, 
to punish (q.v.), to do for (<\.v.) ; As 
they brew, so let them bake (prov. 
saying), Lot them go on as they have 
begun; I must go and bake some broad 
(a jocular excuse for departure) ( 1380.) 

Baked. Collapsed, exhausted, done 
up ; e.g. toward the end of the course 
the crew were regularly baked. ////- 
(or dough-) baked, inconclusive, imper- 
fect. Also dull - vetted, *oft (q.v.): 
see Half -baked. (1.-.02.) 

Baker. 1. Bakers, against -whom 
severo penalties for impurity of Itrvad 
or shortness of weight were onfit'lud 
from very early times, have boon the 
subject of much oollmruftl p.wasm. 
* 1 feare wo parte not yVl, Quoth tbo 
baker to the py lor ie.' (1. ">&!.) Thry 
say the owl was a baker's daujrhtrf. 
(IC02.) Three dear years will ru'X- * 
baker's daughter to a portion ; 'Tis 
not the smallness of the brend, but the 
knavery of the baker ; Take all, and 
pay the baker ; Pull devil, pull buker. 
2. A loafer. [The word ia rom Tally 
attributedto Baron de Mandate Jruiicey, 
who, in Cowboys anil CWf>/ir/,*, inno- 
cently translated thti word loafer u 
baker.") To spdl baker, to attempt A 
difficult task. fTn old 8pt*IImc? bookw 
Baker was often the tir t word of 



Baker-kneed. 



BaU. 



two syllables to which a child came 
when learning to spell.] 

Baker- kneed (or Baker-legged). 
Knock-kneed, bow-legged, effeminate 
(Grose). (1607.) 

Baker's Dozen (or Bargain). 1. 
Thirteen counted as twelve : sometimes 
fourteen (Grose and Bee). Hence 2. good 
measure : e.g. To give a man a baker's 
dozen, to trounce him well. Also 
Brown-dozen (q.v.) DeviPs-dozen (of. 
Baker 1, and FT., boulanger, devil), 
and Round-dozen (see Round). [Bakers 
were (and are) liable to heavy penalties 
for deficiency in the weights of loaves : 
these were fixed for every price from 
eighteenpence down to twopence, but 
penny loaves or rolls were not specified 
in the statute. They, therefore, to be 
on the safe side, gave, for a dozen of 
bread, an additional loaf, known as 
inbread. A similar custom was for- 
merly observed with regard to coal, 
and publishers nowadays reckon thir- 
teen copies of a book as twelve. 
(1596.) 

Baker's Light Bobs. The 10th 
Hussars. 

Bakes. 1 . A schoolboy. 2. An ori- 
ginal stake : chiefly schoolboys': e.g. 
When I get my bakes back I shall 
stop playing. [BarHett : in reference 
possibly to a baker not always getting 
his bake safely out of the oven.] 

Bakester, Baking-leave, Baking- 
place, etc. See Bake. 

Balaam. Miscellaneous paragraphs 
for filling up a column of type, padding 
(q.v.) ; applied either to MS. copy or 
stereo. Hence Balaam-box (or -basket), 
(1) a receptacle for such matter, and (2) 
a waste -paper basket. [Webster: a 
cant term ; popularised by Blackwood'a 
Mag. Sco Numbers xxii. 30.] (1822.) 

Balaclava- day. A soldier's pay 
day. [Balaclava in 1354-6 was a base 
of supply for English troops : as pay 
was drawn, the men went down to 
make thoir purchases.] 

Balance. The remainder, the rest : 
of. lave (Scots) and shank (as in the 
shank of the evening). (1846.) 

Balbus. A Latin prose composition. 
[From the frequency with which Balbus 
is mentioned in Arnold's Latin Prose 
Composition,'} 

Baldcoot. 1. A term of contempt : 
of. Baldhead. (The frontal plate of 
the coot is destitute of feathers.] 
Hence laid as a coot, as bald as may bo. 



\Tyndale, Works (1530), ii. 224, s.v.]. 
2. A young man who parts with his 
blunt freely at gambling, and is rooked; 
older persons also stay and get plucked 
sometimes, until they have not a 
feather to fly with. Such men, after 
the plucking, become bald-coots (Bee). 

Balderdash. (1) Froth or frothy 
liquid ; (2) a jumble of liquors (B. E. 
and Grose) : e.g. brandy (or milk) and 
beer, milk and rum, etc. : also as verb, 
to dash with another liquid, and 
hence to adulterate (Grose); (3) a 
jumble of words, nonsense, trash ; and 
(4) lewd conversation (Grose), obscen- 
ity, scurrility, [p. E. D. : From the 
evidence at present the inference is 
that the current sense was transferred 
.... with the notion of frothy talk. 
Century : Of obscure origin, apparently 
dial, or slang.] (1598.) 

Bald -face. New whisky: war- 
ranted to kill at forty rods. Boldfaced, 
neat (q.v.). 

Bald-faced Shirt. A white shirt: 
cf. Boiled shirt. 

Bald-faced Stag. A bald-headed 
man, bladder of lard. 

Baldhead (or Pate). A term of 
contempt: also Baldy. [Of Biblical 
origin.] Hence bafatude,, a state of 
baldness ; his balditude, a mock title ; 
and baldfieaded-row, the first row of 
stalls at theatres, especially at leg- 
shops (q.v.). (1535.) 

Baldheaded. Eagerly; with might 
and main. [Bartlett : as when one 
rushes out without his hat. (1848.) 
To snatch baldheaded, to defeat a person 
in a street fight. 

Baldober (or Baldower). A 
leader, a spokesman [Ger.]. 

Bald-rib. A lean person, a walk- 
ing-skeleton (q.v. ). (1621. ) 

Balductum. Nonsense, rubbish: 
as adj., affected, trashy. (1577.) 

Balfour's Maiden. A covered bat- 
tering-ram : used by the Royal Irish 
Constabulary in carrying out evictions 
in Ireland (1888-89.) 

Ball. 1. The head: also Ball in 
the hood, Billiard-ball, etc. (1300.) 
2. A ration, food or drink. 3. (Win- 
chester) in pi., a Junior in College : 
his duty is to collect footballs from 
lockers m school and take them through 
to the Ball-keeper in Commoners to be 
blown or repaired, and who, for service 
in looking after cricket and footballs, 
is exempted from kicking in (q.v.) and 



Ballad-basket. 



Banbwry* 



watching out (q v.) Phrases. To 
wick (or take) the, ball before the bound,to 
*nticipate ; to have the. ball at one's foot 
(or before one), to have in one's power 
(or at one's finger-ends) ; to open the 
ball, to lead off, make a start ; to keep 
the ball rolling (or keep up the baU), to 
prevent a matter nagging or hanging 
fire ; to take up the ball, to take one's 
turn : whence the balFs unth you, 
you're next. (1589.) CaU the ball 
(Stonyhurst), the Foul ! of Associa- 
tion football. Three brass (or golden) 
baUs : see Three Balls. 

Ballad-basket. A street singer: 
see Street pitcher : Fr., braillard. 

Ballad-monger. A ballad-maker : 
in contempt : hence Ballad-mongering. 
(1596.) 

Ballahou. A term of derision 
applied to an ill-conditioned slovenly 
ship (Century) ; a West Indian clip- 
per schooner : apparently she may also 
be a brig to judge from The Cruise of 
the Midge (Clark Russett). 

Ballambangjang. The Straits of 
Battambangjang, though unnoticed by 
geographers, are frequently mentioned 
in sailors' yarns as being so narrow, and 
the rocks on each side so crowded with 
trees inhabited by monkeys, that the 
ship's yards cannot be squared, on ac- 
count of the monkeys' tails getting 
jammed into, and choking up, the 
brace blocks (Hotten). 

Ballast. Money : generic : see 
Bhino. Hence ivett-ballasted, rich. 

Ball Face. A white man [Uartlett : 
applied at Salem, Mass., 1810-1820]. 
Ball-keeper. See Ball, subs. 
Ball of Fire. A glass of cheap 
brandy (Grose. ) 

Ball of Honour. See Beggar's 
Ace. 

Ball of Wax. A snob, or shoe- 
maker. 

Balloon. To brag, to gas (q.v.). 
Also balloonacy (cf. lunacy), a mania 
for ballooning; battoonatic (cf. lunatic), 
balloon - mad ; ballooning, inflating 
prices by fictitious means, and as adj., 
high falutin' (q.v.). (1826.) 

Ballot-box Stuffing. Tampering 
with election returns ; a box is con- 
structed with false bottom and com- 
partments so as to permit spurious bal- 
lots to bo introduced by tho toller in 
charge. The most outrageous frauds 
have been committed by this means 
(fiartlett). 



Ball's-bull. Like BdVs bull, said 
of a person with no ear for music 
Ball's bull had so little that he kicked 
the fiddler over the bridge (Halliwell)* 

Bally. A generic intensive : very, 
great, excessive. [A comparatively re- 
cent coinage, it is said, of The Sporting 
Times from ballyhooly.] 

Ballyhack, Oo to ballyhack, Got 
along. 

Ballyrag. See Bullyrag. 

Balm. A lie (Buncombe). 

Balmy. The balmy, sleep as arlj , 
sleepy: cf. balmy slumbers (Shake- 
speare) and balmy sleep (Young). To 
have a doze (01 wink) of the balmy, to 
go to sleep : see Bedfordshire and 



Balsam. Generic for money (Grose 
and Bee) : see Rhino. 

Bam (or Bamboozle). A hoax, 
cheat : as verb (bamboo, boozle, or barn- 
booze), to victimize, outwit, mystify 
or deceive (Grose) : also (BalUwcll) to 
threaten : cf. hum from humbug, 
\8wift (1710), Tatter. Refinements of 
Twenty Years Past : Certain words 
such as banter, bamboozle . . . now 
struggling for the vogue ; Johnson 
(1755) : a cant word ; Boucher (1833) : 
has long . . . had a place in the gypsy 
or canting dictionaries ; O. E. O. : 
probably of cant origin; Ceirfuryi 
fa slang word of no definite origin.] 
Whence numerous combination, col- 
loquialisms and phrases : e.g. in trw- 
boozlc away, to get rid of speciously ; 
to bamboozle into, to persuade artfully ; 
to bamboozle out of, to obits in by trick ; 
bamboozled, mystified, tricked ; bam- 
boozlemewt. tricky deception ; fcm- 
boozlcr, amystiiier ; bant bout , (l<'<vj>(,ivo 
humbug ; to bambluNtcrcatc* to bluslor, 
embarrass, or confuse : cf. congJoincr 
ate and comftogislicale ; 



squelched. See Banter. (170!).) 

Banaghan. He beat* BanntfUan*, 
an Irish saying of one who tolla 
travellers' talcs. [Banaghan (<7nw) 
was a minstrel famous for dealin'j; m 
the marvellous.] 

Banagher. To bang, 

Bananaland, Ban anal an der. 
Queensland, a native of Qiwun^nmi, 
A large portion of Qnfcii.s'A!;l lU'rt 
within the tropics to which t!u> banauu 
( Miisa aapientniH) is inditrouoii 1 *.] 

Banbury. The inhabitants of fchui 
Oxfordshire town (now nuUxl for it** 



Banco. 



Bang* 



cakes) seem to have been the subjects 
of ridicule and sarcasm from very early 
times ; chiefly on account of their zeal 
for the Puritan cause. Thus Banbury- 
mait (-blood or -saint), a hypocrite (cf. 
popular saying A Banbury man will 
hang his cat on Monday for catching 
mice on Sunday) ; Banbury - wife, a 
whore ; Banbury - story (or Banbury 
tale of a cock-and-a-bull), an extremely 
improbable yarn (Grose), silly chat 
(B. U.); Baribury-gloss, a specious 
reading ; Banbury-vapours, the stock- 
in-trade of a Puritan agitator ; Ban- 
bury-cheese, the thinnest of poor cheese 
(Heywood : I never saw Banbury 
cheese thick enough) : hence a term 
of contempt. Also proverbs (Howett, 
1660) : Like Banbury tinkers, who in 
stopping one hole make two ; As wise 
as the mayor of Banbury, who would 
prove that Henry HI. was before 
Henry EL (1535.) 

Banco. (Charterhouse). Evening 
preparation at House, under the 
superintendence of a monitor ; the 
Winchester toy - time (q.v.). [See 
Farmer : Public School Word Book.} 

Banco- s teerer. See Bunco- 
steerer. 

Band. Our Lady's bands, accouche- 
ment, confinement (an old abstract 
meaning.) (1495.) See Banded. 

Bandanna. Orig. a silk handker- 
chief with white, yellow, or other 
coloured spots on a dark ground. 
Also (loosely) a handkerchief of any 
kind : see Wipe. (1762.) 

Bandbox (or Bandboxical). (1) 
Precisely neat, fussy, finical ; and (2) 
frail or small (as is a bandbox) : e.g. a 
bandbox thing ; She's just come out 
of a bandbox (or glass case); You 
ought to be put hi a bandbox (of any- 
one over particular). See Bandog. 
(1774.) 

Banded. Hungry ; also to wear 
the bands (Grose and Vaux). 

Bandero. Widows' weeds. [Of. 
Litlrt : bandeau, ancienneiment, coiffure 
des veuves ; Kennett : bandore a widow's 
veil, and B. E., a widow's mourning 
Peak ; Eng., banderol, a streamer 
carried on tho shaft of a lance near 
the head.] 

Bandog. 1. A bailiff, or his 
Follower, a Sergeant, or bis Yeo- 
man (B, S. and Grose). [Properly 
a bound - dog, because ferocious ,- 
hence a mastiff 



or bloodhound,] To 



speak like a bandog (or bandog and 
bedlam), to rave, to bluster. (1600.) 
2. A bandbox (Grose). 

B.andS. Brandy and Soda. (1868.) 

Bandy. See Bender. 

Bandy-legged. Crooked (B. E.) 
[The earliest quot. in O. E. D. is dated 
1787 ; but the word did not come into 
general use until the second quarter of 
the eighteenth century.] 

Bang. 1. Generic for energy and 
dash : a blow, thump, Sudden noise, 
go (q.v.). As verb, to drub (B. S. 
and Grose), strike, explode, or shut 
with violence. Hence to bang it oid 
(or about), to come to blows (or fisti- 
cuffs), fight it out ; to bang (slam) a 
door; to bang (fire) a gun; to bang 
(play loudly) a piano ; to bang into 
one 's head, to convince by force; to 
bang against, to bump (or thump) ; 
to bang away ait, to make a violent and 
continuous noise ; to bang out, to go 
with a flourish ; to bang up, to sud- 
denly throw oneself upon, to spring 
up; &anj7(or&aw0o#),atonce, abruptly; 
e.g. &on<7wentsaxpence ; in a bang, in 
a hurry ; bang out, completely ; banging, 
violent, noisy, and as subs, a drubbing : 
see Wipe. 2. A fringe of hair (usually 
curled or frizzed) cut squarely across 
the forehead. As verb, to cut (or 
wear) the hair hi this fashion: also 
bang tail, bang-tailed, and bang-tail 
muster (of horses, cattle, etc.) Every 
third or fourth year on a cattle 
station, they have what is called a 
bang tail muster ; that is to say, all the 
cattle are brought into the yards, and 
have the long hairs at the end of the 
tail cut off square, with knives or 
sheep-shears : the object of it is ... to 
find out the actual number of cattle on 
the run, to compare with the number 
entered on the station books (Tyr- 
whitt). As verb (1) to excel, surpass, 
beat: cf. (Irish) that bangs Bannag- 
her and Bannagher bangs the world j 
(2) to outwit, puzzle, deceive : banging 
great, large, thumping (q.v.) : e.g. a 
banging boy, wench, lie, etc. ; banger, 
anything exceptional; bang-up, fine, 
first-rate, of the best (the root idea is 
completeness combined with energy 
and dash) ; occasionally (as verb), to 
smarten up ; (3) to offer stock loudly 
with the intention of lowering the 
price (Stock Exchange). To be banged 
up to the eyes, to be drunk : see Screwed 
to bang (or beat) the hoof : see Hoof. 



27 



Bang-beggar. 1. A stout cudgel. 2. 
A constable or beadle. 3. A vagabond : 
. term of reproach. 

Banger. A heavy cane, a bludgeon : 
one of the Yale vocables (Hall). The 
Bangers, the First Life Guards. 

Bang-pitcher. A tippler : see Lush- 
ington. "Hence to bang the pitcher, 
to guzzle : see Lush. 

Bangster. 1. A bully, braggart. As 
adj. turbulent. Bangstry, violence. 

2. A victor, winner : of. bang, verb. 

3. A wanton. 

Bangstraw. A thresher: also ap- 
plied to all servants of a farmer 
(Grose). 

Bang- tail. See Bang. 

B a n g y (Winchester College). 
Brown sugar. As adj., brown. Hence 
bangy bags (or &<zTOgr*es),brown-oploured 
trousers : the strong objection to 
these in former times probably arose 
from Tony Lumpkin coming to school 
in corduroys (Wrench). Bangy-gate 
(1) a brown gate leading from Grass 
Court to Sick House Meads ; and (2) 
a gate by Racquet Court into Kings- 
gate Street. 

Banian (or Banyan) -day. One 
day (originally two) in the week on 
which, in the Royal Navy, meat was 
withheld from the crews ; hence, a bad 
day, a disagreeable day : in reference 
to the Banian's abstinence from flesh. 

Banister. A balustrade: a cor- 
ruption of baluster condemned by 
Nicholson as improper, by Stuart 
and Gwilt (Diet. Archil. 1830) as vul- 
gar, the term had already taken 
literary rank, and has now acquired 
general acceptance. 

Banjo. A bed-pan, fiddle (q. v. ), slip- 
per (q.v.). 

Bank. 1. A lump sum, the total 
amount possessed: e.g. How's the 
bank ? Not very strong, about 
one and a buck. As verb, ( 1 ) to steal, 
make sure of: e.g. Bank the rags, 
Take the notes ; (2) to place in safety ; 
and (3) to share the booty, to nap tho 
regulars (q.v.). 2. Spec. The Bank, 
i.e. Millbank Prison; the site is now 
(1903) occupied by an Art Gallery. 

Banker. 1. A horse, good at 
jumping on and off banks too high to 
be cleared. 2. In pi., clumsy boots 
and shoes, beetle-crushers (q.v.) : seo 
Trotter-cases. 

Bankrupt- cart. A one - horae 
chaise of a Sunday (Bee,) : said to 



be ao called by a Lord Chief Justice 
through their being so frequently used 
on Sunday jaunts by extravagant 
shopkeepers and tradesmen (Grose). 

Bankruptcy List. To be put on t7ie 
bankruptcy list, to be completely 
knocked out of time (Grose). 

Bank-shaving. Usury : before banks 
were regulated by Act of Congress, the 
least reputable purchased notes of 
hand and similar documents at enor- 
mously usurious rates of discount : 
he who thus raised the wind was said 
to get his paper shaved. 

Bankside-lady (or wench). In 
15th to 17th c. a harlot : in old London 
the neighbourhood of the theatres was 
likewise the quarter of the stews (q.v.) 
notably Bankside, Southwark, and 
in later days, Covent Garden and 
Drury Lane. 

Bank-sneak. A bank thief (q.v.). 

Banner. Money paid for board and 
lodging : the origin of the term is un- 
known. 

Bannister. A traveller in distress : 
the term occurs in the ancient accounts 
of the parisli of Chudleigh, co. Devon. 

Banquet. Running banquet, a snack, 
slight repast between meals ; running 
banquet between beadles, a whipping. 

Banquet-beagle. A glutton, smell- 
feast (q.v.). 

Banter. Nonsense, raillery, 
pleasantry, a jest or matter of jest. 
As verb, with numerous derivatives : 
e.g. banterer, hanteree, bantering, ban- 
tery, etc. Swift says the word was First 
borrowed from the bullies in White 
Friars, then it foil among the foot- 
men, and at last retired to the pedants 
(Tale of a Tub, 1710; of unknown 
etymology : it is doubtful whether the 
verb or the sb. was the earlier : ex- 
isting evidence is in favour of the verb : 
the sb. wa^ treated as slang in 1688 
(O. E, X>.). 2. A challenge to a race, 
shooting-match, etc. (Barttett, 1484). 
Also as verb. 

Bant. Orig. to follow the dietary 
prescribed by Dr. Banting for corp- 
ulence ; hence to diet oneself, train. 

Bantling. A bastard: cf. brat; 
hence (modern), child (B. E., Grose) : 
spec, a young or undersized child ; 
usually in depreciation : with groat 
probability, a corruption of Ger. 
bankling, bastard, from bank, bench, 
i.e. a child bogofrtea on a bench and 
not in the marriage-bed (Mahn). 



Bargain. 



Banty. Saucy, impudent. 

Banyan- day. See Banian-day. 

Baptised. Mixed with water, 
christened (q.r.) (Grose, Bee) : spec. 
of spirits when not taken neat (q.v.) : 
Fr., chrftien, baptist. 

Baptist. A jjickpocket caught and 
ducked (Bee). 

Bar. As verb and preposition bar, 
of respectable lineage, is now more or 
lees colloquial. 1. Except, excluding, 
save, but for : mostly used in racing, 
e.g. four to one bar one, four to one 
on the field, that is on all the horses 
entered excepting only the favourite. 
2. To exclude from consideration, take 
exception to. 3. To stop, cease. 4. To 
frequent dnnVing-bars, to tipple. To 
bar too much, to get drunk: see 
Screwed. 

Barabbas. A publisher. [Usually* 
but erroneously, attributed to Lord 
Byron, who is said to have applied it 
to John Murray the elder, having sent 
him a Bible in which the famous pas- 
sage in John xviii., 40, was altered 
to Now Barabbas was a publisher. 
The reigning John Murray (1904) 
writes : I have it on the authority of 
my father, who was alive during all 
the time of his father's dealings with 
Byron, that there is not a word of 
truth in any detail of the story. The 
joke was in reality made by Thomas 
Campbell in regard to another pub- 
lisher, the Mr Longman of bis day]. 

Baragan- tailor. A rough- working 
tailor. 

Barathrum. An extortioner, a glut- 
ton. 

Barb. To shave, trim the beard : 
also to barber : cf. Butch. 2. To clip 
old, sweat (q.v.) : also applied to 
lipping wool, cloth, etc. 

Barbadoes. To transport (as a con- 
vict) : Barbadoes was formerly a penal 
settlement. 

Barbar. (Durham School). A can- 
didate for scholarship hailing from 
another school : i.e. barbar-iaxL, 
stranger. 

Barber. 1. A thick fagot or bough : 
one was included in each bundle of nre- 
wood. 2. Any large piece of timber. 3. 
A generic reproach : thus, barbels-block 
(clerk, or barber-monger), a fop, one 
who spends much time in barbers' 
shops ; spec, (mechanics) an over- 
dressed shopman or clerk ; barber's 
cat, a weak, sickly -looking person; 



gold 
clip 



barbels - chair, a strumpet (because 
common to all comers) ; barbels-music, 
rough music. Also (proverbial) Nos- 
trils wider than barbers' basins. As 
verb, to work off an imposition by 
deputy : also barberise : tradition says 
that a learned barber, was at one 
time employed as a scapegoat in 
working off this species of punish- 
ment. 3. See Barb and barberise. 
That's the barber, that's well done ; 
It's all O.K. (q.v.): a street catch- 
phrase about the year 1760 (Grose). 

Barbarize. To shave, cut hair, play 
the barber : cf. Barb. 

Barber' s-knock. A double knock : 
the first hard, and the second soft as if 
by accident. 

Bard. A term of contempt : in 
early Lowland Scotch used for a 
strolling musician or minstrel, into 
which tile Celtic bard had degenerated, 
and against whom many laws were 
enacted ; in 16th cent., a term of con- 
tempt, but idealised by Scott to mean 
an epic poet, a singer. 

Bar'd cater tra. False dice : so 
constructed that the quatre and trots 
were seldom cast : cf . fuUams, high- 
men, low-men, etc. 

Bare-board. To go on bare-board, to 
play without putting down the stake. 

Bare-bones. A lean person, walk- 
ing skeleton, rack of bonos : also (in 
Commonwealth times) a term of con- 
tempt. 

Bare-footed. Variously applied: 
e.g. to take tea barefooted, to dispense 
with sugar and milk ; to take a dram 
barefooted, to drink, spirits neat (q.v.), 
or naked (q.v.) ; barefooted on the top 
of the head, bald. 

Bargain. Subs. (old). A catch, 
sell (q.v.). Hence, to sell a bargain, 
to humbug, hoax, banter : a species of 
low wit, of ancient usage, but much in 
vogue about the latter end of the reign 
of Queen Anne. Swift remarks that, 
The maids of honour often amused 
themselves with it. Dutch (or wet) 
bargain, a deal clinched by a drink ; 
Dutch-bargain also means a deal the 
advantage of which is all on one side. 
Also in various proverbial phrases : 
thus, To make the best of a bad 
bargain (Hay); At a great bargain 
make a pause ; More words than one 
go to a bargain ; A good bargain is a 
pick-purRO (i.e. tempts people to buy 
what they need not). 



Barge. 



Bcvrmy. 



Barge. 1. A fat, heavy person ; one 
broad in the beam : in contempt. 2. 
(Printers) (a) A case unduly loaded 
with stamps not infrequent request 
with a shortness of those most in use. 
Also (6) a card or small box for spaces : 
used while correcting away from case. 
3. (Sherborne School). Small cricket : 
played against a wall with a stump 
for bat. As verb, to abuse, slang ; 
cf. Bullyrag. Also (Charterhouse and 
Uppingham) to hustle, mob up, brick. 



the bark of a dog. 4. A noisy (or 
assertive) disputant, spouting dema- 
gogue, querulous fault - fmder. As 
verb, to clamour, menace, abuse. 5. 
(Univ.), a big swell (i.e. one assert- 
ing himself or putting on side (qv.) 
6. (American) A noisy coward, blatant 
bully, lamb (q.v.). 7. Whence to bark 
at (or against) the inoon, to clamour 
uselessly, agitate to no effect, labour 
in vain : cf. proverb, Barking dogs 
bite not. 8. Generic for firearms, spec 



Bargee. A barge-man or barger (in navy), a duelling pistol ; also a 
.T-- j--., i \. 



(the dictionary terms): Cambridge 
wit (Grose). 

Barge-pole (Winchester). A large 
stick of thick bough, of which there 
was one in each fagot : also any large 
piece of wood : cf. Barber. Not fit to 
be touched with the end of a barge-pole 
(a pair of tongs, etc.), unapproachable 
through filth, disease, prejudice, or the 
like. 

Bark. 1. A native of Ireland : hence 
Barkshire, Ireland. 2. The skin. As 
verb, to abrade (scrape, or rub off) 
the skin, bruise. 3. A cough : spec, 
when persistent and hacking: per- 
sons thus troubled are said to Have 
been to Barking Creek (or Barkshire). 
As verb, to cough incessantly. Barker, 
one with a churchyard cough (q.v.) or 
notice to quit (q.v.). 4. See Barker. 
Phrases: To bark against (or at) tJie 
moon (see Barker) ; to take the bark off, 
to reduce in value, rub the gilt off ; 
the word with the bark on it, without 
circumlocution, no mincing matters, 
the straight -tip (q.v.); between the 
bark and the wood (or tree) (of a well- 
adjusted bargain where neither party 
has the advantage (Halliwell) ; to bark 
through the fence, to take advantage 
of adventitious shelter or protection 
to say or do that which would other- 
wise entail unpleasant consequences ; 
to bark up the wrong tree, to blunder, to 
mistake one's object or the right course 
to pursue, to get the wrong sow by the 
ear ; to go between bark and tree, to 



meddle : spec, in family matters ; the as adj. 



lower deck gun. Barking iron 
historically the older term (Grose). 
English synonyms, blue lightning, 
dag, meat - in - the - pot, my uncon- 
verted friend, one-eyed scribe, pop, 
peacemaker, whistler. 

Barkey. Any kind of vessel: an 
endearment. [Baik for vessel is 
never used by sailors (Clark Jtussett).] 

Barla-fumble ! A call for truce or 
quarter : also barley. 

Barley. In general colloquial uso : 
thus, oil of barley (or barley - bree, 
-broth, -juice, -'water, or -wine), (I) 
strong ale, and (2) whisky (Grose) ; 
barley-island, an alehouse ; John Bar- 
ley (or Barleycorn), the personification 
of malt liquor : cf. proverb, Sir John 
Barleycorn's the strongest knight ; 
barley - cap, a tippler ; barley-mood (or 
sick) (1) drunk; and (2) 'ill- humour 
caused by tippling ; also to have (or 
wear) a barley-Jtat (-cap, or -hood) 
(1500). 

Barley-bun gentleman. A gent. 
(although rich) yet lives with 
barley bread, and otherwise barely 
and hardly ( Minslitu). 

Barley-straw. A trifle (1721). 

Barmecide. Usually in the phrase, 
a Barmecide feast, short commons ; 
lenten entertainment. [From, the 
Arabian Nights story of a prince of 
that name who put a series of empty 
dishes before a bc^ar pretending that 
they formed a swznptuous repast, the 
beggar facetiously assenting.] Also 



bark is worse than the bile (of one who 
threatens but fails to do as ho vows). 
Barker. 1. A salesman's servant 
that walks before the shop, and cries, 
Cloaks, Coats, or Gowns, what d'ye 
lack, sir ? (B. E.). 2. A tout of any 
description. Fr., aboyewr. 3. A boy 



Barmy ( Balmy). Excited, flighty, 
empty-headed (i.e. full of nothing but 
froth) ; barmy-brained, cruay ; barmy- 
froth, a simpleton, muddle-head ; to 
put on the balmy stick (prison), to feign 
madness. English synonyms: to be 
dotty, off one's chump, sappy, spoony, 



. ., . . , , , , 

attending, a drovor, helping him to touched, wrong in the upper storey, 
drive his sheep by means of imitating half-baked, have a screw looee, a bee 

30 



Barn. 



Barrett's Blues. 



in one 1 s bonnet, no milk in the cocoa- 
nut, rats in the upper storey (or cock- 
loft), a tile (screw or slate) loose. 

Barn. See Parson's barn. 

Barnaby. To dance jb'amaby, to 
moveexpcditiously, irregularly (Grose): 
an old dance to a quick movement was 
so named. Barnaby -bright (or Long 
Barnaby), St. Barnabas's Day, llth 
June, O.S. : cf. old rhyme 
Barnaby Bright ! Barnaby Bright : 
The longest day and the shortest night. 

Barnacle. 1. A close companion, a 
follower that will not be dismissed, a 
leech ; hence a decoy swindler (1591) ; 
cf. Barnard. 2. One that speaketh 
through the nose (PercivaU). 3. 
A good job, or snack easily got 
(B. E.}. 4. A gratuity given to grooms 
by the buyers and sellers of horses 
(B. E.). 5. In pi., spectacles, bossers 
(q.v.), goggles (q.v.): Fr., persiennes : 
formerly applied only to spectacles 
with side- pieces of coloured glass, and 
used moro as protectors from wind, 
dust, etc., than as an aid to the sight 
(1571). 6. A brake for unruly 
horses' noses (B. E.), 7. The irons 
felons wear in gaol (B. B.). 

Barnard. A sharper's confederate ; a 
decoy : cf. Barnacle. (1532.) 

Barnburner. A member of the 
radical section of the Democratic party 
(U.S.A.). (1848.) 

Barndoor. 1. A target too large to 
be easily missed (1547) : hence barn- 
door practice, a battue : the quarry is 
driven within a radius from which it is 
impossible for it to escape ; 2. applied 
at cricket to a player who blocks 
every ball. 

Barndoor-savage. A country yokel, 
farm-labourer, clodhopper. 

Barnetl (Christ's Hospital: ob- 
solete). Nonsense ! humbug ! 

Barnet-fair (or Barnet). The hair. 

Barney. 1, Generic for humbug or 
deceit : Bpec. (sporting) an unfair 
competition of any kind a race, prize 

" r or game ; the term is never ap- 
to a fair contest ; henco a free 
, or rough and tumble, in which 
rules of the game are not too 
strictly observed. 2. A spree, lark 
(q.v.), picnic (q.v.). 3. A bad recita- 
tion (Harvard College, e. 1810). As 
verb, to recite badly. 

Barn - mouse. Bitten by a barn- 
mouse, tipsy, screwed (q.v.) : see 
Barley (Grose), 



Barn-stormer. A strolling player : 
spec, a mouthing actor (see quot. 
1886) : also barnstorming. 

Baraumese. The high-ialuting ( q. v. ) 
language so lavishly used by the late 
P. T. Barnum hi advertising the 
greatest show on earth, exaggeration 
of style : cf. Telegraphese : hence to 
barnumize (1) to exhibit with a lavish 
display of puffing advertisement ; and 
(2) to talk of (or assert) oneself bom- 
bastically in the style of Barnum. 

Baronet. A sirloin of beef: cf. 
Baron. (1749.) 

Barrack. To jeer at opponents, 
interrupt noisily, make a disturbance ; 
also with for, to support as a partisan, 
generally with clamour : an Australian 
football term dating from about 1880 : 
the verb has been ruled unparlia- 
mentary by the Speaker in the Vic- 
torian Legislative Assembly, but it is 
in very common colloquial use : it is 
from the aboriginal word borak (q.v.), 
and the sense of jeering is earlier than 
that of supporting, but jeering at one 
side is akin to cheering for the other 
(Morris). Hence barracking and bar- 
rocker. 

Barrack- (or Garrison) -hack. 1. A 
young woman attending garrison balls 
year after year. 2. A soldiers' trull : 
see Hackney. 

Barred-gown. An officer of the law ; 
spec, a judge : broad stripes or bars of 
gold lace run across the front of the 
gown. 

Barrel. 1. A confirmed tippler: 
also be.&f-barrd ; whence barrd-Jumse 
(American), a low groggery ; barrel- 
fever, drunkenness (or disease caused 
by tippling ) : see Gallon-distemper ; 
barrel-boarder , a bar loafer. 2. Money- 
used in a political campaign (Ameri- 
can politics) ; spec, that expended for 
corrupt purposes : cf. Boodle ; barrel- 
campaign, an election in which bribery 
is a leading feature : a wealthy candi- 
date for office (c. 1876) is said to have 
remarked, Let the boys know that 
there's a bar'l o* money ready for *em, 
or words to that effect. Never (or the 
devil) a barrel the better lierring, nrach 
like, not a pin to choose between them, 
six of one and half a dozen of the 
other. (1542). 

Barrel- bellied. Well - rounded in 
stomach, corpulent. (1694.) 

Barrell's Blues. The Fourth Foot, 
now The King's Own (Royal Lane* 



Barres. 



Bates 9 Farm. 



shire Regiment) : from its facings and 
Colonel's name from 1734 to 1739. 

Barres. Money lost at play, but not 
paid : a corruption of barrace, an 
obsolete plural of bar. 

Barrikin. Gibberish, j argon, 
jumble of words. (1851.) 

Barring Out. A half serious 
but oftentimes jocular rebellion of 
schoolboys against their schoolmaster. 
[HalUwdl. An ancient custom at 
schools : the boys, a few days before 
the holidays, barricade the school 
room from the master, and stipulate 
for the discipline of the next half year. 
According to Dr. Johnson, Addison, 
in 1683, was the leader in an affair of 
this kind at Lichfield.] 

Barrow- bun ter. A barrow- woman, 
a female costermonger. (1771.) 

Barrow-man. A man under sen- 
tence of transportation. 

Barrow- tram. A taw-boned person : 
properly the shaft of a wheelbarrow. 

Barter (Winchester College). A 
half volley : as verb, to hit hard. 
[From the Warden of that name 
famous for disposing of them.] Hit- 
ting barters, practice catching, lull 
pitches hit from the middle of Turf 
towards Ball - Court for catching 

tctice towards the end of Long 



Bartholomew Baby. 1. A gaudily 
dressed doll, such as appears to have 
been commonly sold at Bartholomew 
Fair. 2. A person gaudily dressed. 

Bartholomew-pig. Roasted pigs 
were formerly among the chief attrac- 
tions of Bartholomew Fair, West Smith- 
field, London : they were sold pip- 
ing hot, in booths and on stalls, 
and ostentatiously displayed, to excite 
the appetite of passengers. Hence a 
Bartholomew-pig became a common 
eubjoct of allusion : the Puritan railed 
against it. 

Barts. St. Bartholomew Hospital. 

Bash. To beat, thrash, crush out of 
shape. Bashing, a flogging, spec, with 
the cat; basher (1) a rough; and (2) 
a prize-fighter. 

Bashaw. 1. A pasha. 2. A great (or 
imperious) man, grandee. (1593.) 

Bashi - Bazouk. A ruffian : used 
loosely as a more or less mild term, of 
opprobrium j also applied to anything 
bizarre in character or composition : 
the expression came into vogue during 
the period when the Bulgarian atro- 



cities were electrifying the world by 
their barbarous cruelty. 

Bash-rag. A ragamuffin. 

Basil. A fetter usually fastened 
on the ankle of one leg only. ( 15 2.) 

Basin. A schooner (q.v.). 

Basket. An exclamation frequently 
made use of in cockpits where peisons, 
unable to pay their losings, arc ad- 
judged to be put into a basket sus- 
pended over the pit, there to remain 
till the sport is concluded (Grose). To 
go to the ballet, to go to prison : poor 
prisoners in pubhc^gaols were mainly 
dependent on the almsbasket for sus- 
tenance (1632) ; to pin the basket, to 
conclude a matter ; to be left in the 
basket, to remain xin chosen ; left tr> the 
last; the pick of the basket, the best, 
choicest ; to bring to the basket, to re- 
duce to poverty ; to leave in the basket, 
to leave in the lurch. 

Basket-scrambler. One living on 
charity, in receipt of alms, 

Bass. A familiar abbreviation 
for Bass' ale, brewed at Burton-on- 
Trent. 

Bass. A kiss: see Buss (1430). 
Also as verb. 

Basta, It is enough ! No more 1 
No matter ! 

Baste. To thrash, beat soundly : 
cf. Anoint (1533). Basting, a cudgel- 
ling, tanning (q.v.). 

Baster. 1. A house thief (q.v.). 
2. A stick, cudgel. 3. A heavy blow. 
(1726.) 

Bastile. A workhouse. 2. A 
prison, steel (q.v.). 

Bat. 1. A prostitute : cf. Fly-by- 
night; Fr. hirondelle de nuit. 2. A 
drunken frolic : see Batter. 3. Pace, 
speed, rate, manner, stylo : e.g. 
going off at a lively bat. ' Off one'* 
own bat f by oneself, through one's 
own exertions, unaided (1845); to 
bat the eyes, ( 1) to blink, wink ; (2) to 
look on, watch ; of u bystander not 
playing ; to carry out one** bat, to 
outlast all opponents, secure result 
aimed at. 

Batch. To live single : of both sexes : 
a corruption of ' batchelor,' 

Batchelor's Son. A bastard. 

Bate. Hate me an ace, quoth Bolton, 
an expression of credulity (1570), 
Excuse me 1 

Bates' Farm (or Garden). Coldbath 
Fields prison : from a warder of that 
name and a certain appropriateness, in 



Bat-fowler. 



of Ten Toes. 



the initials, C.B.F., the prison initials, 
and used as a stamp, Charley Bates' 
farm. To feed the chickens on Cliaiiey 
Bates' Farm, to be put to the tread- 
mill. 

Bat-fowler. A swindler, sharper, 
victimiser of the unwary. Bat-fowl- 
ing, swindling, rookery (1602). 

Bath. Go to Bath, a contemptuous 
injunction to be off, Go to Blazes, 
Hull, Halifax anywhere : the in- 
junction was intensified by, * and get 
your head shaved,' a svngaest/ion of 
craziness. To go to Bath, to go beg- 
ging : Bath in the latter days of the 
17th century was infested with the 
cadging fraternity. 

Bathing Machine. A 10-ton brig. 

Batle - bum (or Batie - bummil). 
A useless bungler, slowcoach, inactive 
helpless fellow (1550), 

Bat-mugger (Winchester College). 
A wooden instrument used for rubbing 
oil into cricket bats. 

Bats. A pair of bad or old boots. 
Elworthy, in West Somerset Words, 
gives this as a heavy laced boot with 
hobnails. 

Bats Down. How many bats 
down ? i.e. how many wickets have 
fallen ? 

Battels. The weekly bills of students 
at Oxford. Dr. Murray says much de- 

nds on the original sense at Oxford : 
his was food, provisions, it is 
natural to connect it with battle, 
to feed, or receive nourishment. It 
appears that the word has apparently 
undergone progreasive extensions of 
application, owing partly to changes 
in the internal economy of the colleges. 
Some Oxford men of a previous gener- 
ation state that it was understood by 
them to apply to the buttery accounts 
alone, or even to the provisions ordered 
from the buttery, aa distinct from the 
commons supplied from the kitchen : 
but this latter use is disavowed by 
others. Also as verb, and Battier, an 
Oxford student, formerly used hi con- 
tradistinction to a gentleman com- 
moner. 

Batter. Wear and tear ; e.g. the 
baiter is more than can be stood for 
long. To go on the batter, to indulge 
in debauchery of any kind drunken- 
ness, prostitution, etc. Battered, drunk : 
see Screwed. 

Batterf ang. To beclaw, attack with 
fists and nails (1630). 

c * 



Battle. See Battels. Phrases, to 
give the battle, to acknowledge defeat, 
grant the victory ; to have the battle, to 
be the victor (1400) ; half the battle (of 
anything that contributes largely to 



Battledore. Not to know a B from 
a battledore, to be utterly illiterate 
(1553) ; to say B (or Bo /) to a bat&e- 
dore, to open one's mouth, to speak : 
of. Bo to a goose (1592). 

Battledore-boy. AL abecedarian. 

Battle of the Nile. A hat, tile; 
see Cady. 

Battle-royal. A general squabble, 
free fight : spec, of two termagant 
women (1672). 

Battle-wright. A soldier. 

Battlings. A weekly allowance of 
money : at Winchester it is Is., while 
at Kepton it is only 6d: also see 
Battels, passim. 

Battner. An ox: The cove has 
hushed the battner, i.e. has killed 
the ox (B. E.). 

Batty. Wages; perquisites: from 
batta, an extra pay given to soldiers 
while serving in India. Col. Yule 
says in Indian banking, batty means 
difference in exchange, discount on 
coins not current (or of short weight). 

Baubee. See Bawbee. 

Bauble (Bable or Bawbell). A toy, 
trinket, trifle (B. E.). To deserve the 
bavhel, to be foolish : the baubel being 
the Court jester's baton surmounted 
by a carved head with ass' ears ; to 
give the bantbel, to befool. 

Baulk. 1. A false report (especially 
that a master is at hand), which is 
sported (q.v.), not spread. 2. A false 
shot, a mistake. 

Baum. To fawn, flatter, curry 
favour (Hall). 

Bawbee (or Baubee). A halfpenny 
(B. E.). 

Bawcock, A burlesque term of en- 
dearment, my good fellow, my fine 
fellow. 

Bawdy-baskets. The twenty-third 
rank of Canters, with Pins, Tape, Ob- 
scene Books, etc., to sell, but live 



Bawdy- house- bottle. A very 
small one (B. 28.). 

Baw-waw. An exclamation of con- 
tempt (1599). As adj., contemptibly 
noisy. 

Bayard of Ten Toes. 1. The feet, 
Shanks mare, Marrowbone stage 



Bay State. 



Bean. 



(1606). To ride bayard of ten toes, to 
go on foot ; as bold as blind Bayard (of 
those who do not look before they leap) ; 
hence generic for blindness, ignorance, 
or recklessness. Bayard was a horse 
famous in old romances. 

Bay State. The State of Massa- 
chusetts : orig. the Colony of Massa- 
chusetts Bay. 

Bayswater Captain. A sponger 
(q.v.), adventurer : of. Dryland sailor. 

Bay Window. Fat, pregnant, lumpy 
(q.v.). 

Beach - cadger. A beggar whose 
pitch is at watering - places and 
sea-ports. 

Beach-comber. 1. A long wave roll- 
ing in from the ocean. 2. A settler on 
islands in the Pacific, living by means 
more or less reputable : comprising 
runaway seamen, and deserters from 
whalera. 3. A sea-shore loafer, one 
on the look-out for odd jobs. 4. A 
river boatman. 5. A wrecker, water- 
rat (q.v.). 

Beach -tramper. A coastguards- 
man, shingle smasher. 

Bead. To draw a bead, to attack 
an opponent by speech or otherwise : 
from backwoods parlance ; to raise a 
bead, to bring to the point, ensure 
success : from brandy, rum, or other 
liquors, which will not raise a bead 
unless of the proper strength ; to bid a 
bead, to offer prayer ; beads-bidding, 
prayer ; to say (tell, or count) one's 
beads, to say prayers ; to pray without 
one's beads, to be out of one's reckoning. 

Beadledom. Red-tapism, formal- 
ity, stupid omciousnesB (I860). 

Beady. Full of bubbles, frothy 
(1868). 

Beagle, subs. (old). A spy; in- 
former ; man-hunter, policeman ; also 
a general term of contempt (1559). 

Beak. 1. A constable (also harman- 
beck), policeman, guardian of the 
peace: as far as is known, this (as 
beck) is the oldest cant term for one 
of a class of men. In Barman's Caveat 
(1573), harman beck is explained as 
'the counstable, harmans being the 
stookes.' 2. A magistrate: some- 
times beak of the law. 3. The 
nose : see Conk (1598). 4. (Eton and 
Marlborough Schools). A master : 
5. A thrust, poke (1592). Birds of a 
beak, birds of a feather (q.v.). 

Beaker. A fowl : also Beak. OacU- 
ing-cheat (q.v. ) : Fr., estable* or cstapMe 



34 



Beakei-himter. A poultry thief: 
also Beofa-ktmter. 

Beak-gander. A judge of the High 
Court oi Justice. 

Beaksman. A policeman. 

Be-all and End- all. The whole, 
everything, the blooming lot (q.v ) 
(1606). 

Beam. An authorised standard of 
criticism, manners, morals, etc. To 
kick (OT strike) the beam* to be over- 
powered, in a tight place (or corner). 

Beam Ends. To be thrown on one's 
beamends, ( 1 ) tobe in bad circumstances, 
at one's last shift, hard-up : a metaphor 
drawn, from sea -faring life : a ship is 
said to be on her beam ends Tyhea on 
her side by stress of weather, or shifting 
of cargo, as to bo submerged (1830), 
2. AIso > less figuratively, to be thrown 
to the ground, reduced to a sitting 
or lying posture. 

Bean (or Bien). 1. A sovereign, 20s.: 
formerly a guinea : in America five- 
dollajr gold pieces : see Half- bean and 
Haddock of beans : in old French rant, 
liens meant money or property : see 
Rhino. 2. pi., small coal (Newcastle). 
FvM of beans, in good form (or con- 
dition), full of health, spirits, or capa- 
city, as a horse after a good feed of 
beans. To give 6ea?w, to chastise, 
give a good drubbing. Like, bcanx, in 
good ionn (style, time, etc.), with 
force : a general expression of ap- 
proval and praise: cf. Like bla'/e.s, 
(bricks, or one o'clock). Not to care 
(or &e worifi) a bran* to hold in little 
esteem, think lightly of, bo of little 
value ; the allusion is to the small 
vorth or value of a bean, or the 
black of a bean (1207). JimHif, in 
good humour a, metaphor dra\i n from 
tho stable. To know &tw?, to bo well- 
informed, sharp and shrewd, within 
the charmed circle of the cultured 
elect, fully equipped in the upper 
storey. To faiowhow many blue hcnn 
make, five white ones, this is generally 
put in the form of a qxiestion, the 
answer to which ia Five, if peeled, 
and those who fail to get tripjx**! by 
the catch are said io know how many, 
etc. ; in other words to he cute, know- 
ing, vide awake. To drum a fann* to 
get elected : an alhiston to 1 he former 
uso of beans in balloting ; fo han> the 
Jean, to be first and foremost; in re- 
ference to the custom of appointing 
as king of the company on Twelfth 



Night, the man in whose portion of 
the cake the bean was found (1556). 
Also proverbial, Hunger maketh 
hard beans sweet ; It is not for 
idleness that men sow beans in the 
wind (i.e. labour in vain) ; Every 
bean liath its black. Three blue beans 
in a blue bladder, noisy talk, clap- trap, 
froth (1600). 

Bean Belly. A Leicestershire man : 
from a real or supposed fondness of the 
inhabitants of this county for beans. 

Bean-feast. An annual feast given 
by employers to their work-people. 
The derivation is uncertain, and, at 
present, there is little evidence to go 
upon. Some have suggested its origin 
in the prominence of the bean goose, or 
even beans at these spreads ; others 
refer it to the French bien, good, i.e. 
a good feast (by-the-bye, tailors call 
all good feeds bean-feasts); whilst 
others favour its derivation from the 
modern English bene, a request or soli- 
citation, from the custom of collecting 
subscriptions to defray the cost : also 
called a wayzgoose (q.v.). 

Bean-f caster. One who takes part 
in a bean-feast (q.v.). 

Beano. The same as bean - feast 
(q.v.). 

Bean-pole (stick, or wood). A 
lanky person, lamp-post (q.v.). 

Bean Trap. A swell mobsman, 
stylish sharper. 

Beany. Full of vigour, fresh, like a 
bean-fed horse. 

Bear (Stock Exchange). 1. Ap- 
plied, in the first instance, to stock sold 
by jobbers for delivery at a certain 
date, on the chance of prices falling in 
the meantime, thus allowing the seller 
to re - purchase at a profit. At first 
the phrase was probably To sell the 
bear-skin, the buyers of such bar- 
gains being called bear-skin jobbers, 
in allusion to the proverb, To sell the 
bear's skin before one has caught the 
bear. So far, the origin of the phrase 
soems pretty clear ; of the date of its in- 
troduction, however, nothing is known. 
It was a common term in Stock Ex- 
change circles, at the time of the burst- 
ing of the South Sea Bubble in 1720, 
but it does not seem to have become 
colloquial until much later. In these 
transactions no stock was delivered, the 
difference being settled according to 
tho quotation of the day, as is the prac- 
tice now in securities dealt witn for 



the account. At present the term for 
such an arrangement is time-bargain. 
2. Hence a dealer who speculates for a 
faD. The earliest instance noted of 
this transferred usage is of the date 
1744. FT., baissier : see Bull, Stag, 
and Lame Duck. 3. A rough, un- 
mannerly, or uncouth person ; hence 
the pupil of a private tutor, the latter 
being called a Bear -leader (q.v.); 
also called formerly JBridled-bear. To 
yilay the bear, to behave roughly and 
uncouthly (1579). As verb, to act as 
a bear (q.v.). Are you there with your 
bears ? A greeting of surprise at the 
reappearance of anybody or anything ; 
are you there again; What, again! 
so soon ? The phrase is explained by 
Joe Miller, as the exclamation of a 
man who, not liking a sermon he had 
heard on Elisha and the bears, went 
next Sunday to another church, only to 
find the same preacher and the same 
discourse (1642). To bear the bell 
(coals, palm, etc.), see the nouns; to 
bear low sad, to demean oneself humbly 
( 1300) ; to bear a blow, to strike ; to bear 
up, to cheat, swindle : see Bonnet. 
Sear a bob, (1) lend a hand, look sharp ! 
look alive 1 (2) To aid, to assist, to 
take part in anvthing. 

Beard. In spite of one's beard, in 
opposition or defiance to a purpose ; 
to one's beard, openly, to one's face ; 
to run in one's beard, to oppose openly, 
face out ; to take by the beard, to attack 
resolutely ; to make one's beard, to out- 
wit, delude; to make one's beard vrtthout 
a razor, to behead ; to put against the 
beard, to taunt. 

Bearded Cad (Winchester College). 
A porter, employed by the College 
to convey luggage from the railway 
station to the school : the term origin- 
ated in an extremely hirsute individ- 
ual who at one time acted in the 
capacity. 

Bear-garden. A scene of strife and 
tumult. 

Bear-garden Jaw, subs. (old). 
Rough, unmannerly speech ; talk akin 
to that used in bear gardens and other 
places of low resort (Grose). 

Be-argered. Drunk: see Screwed. 

Bearing. Acting as a bear (q.v.) ; 
or using artifices to lower the price of 
stock to suit a bear account. 

Bearings. To bring one to one's bear- 
ings, to bring one to reason, to act as 
a check. 



Bear-leader. 



Bed. 



Bear-leader. A travelling tutor. 

Bear - play. Bough, tumultuous 
behaviour. 

Bearskin-jobber. See Bear. 

Beast. 1. Applied to anything un- 
pleasant ; or, to that which displeases ; 
e.g. It's a perfect beast of a day, for 
it's an unpleasant day : see Beastly. 
2. A new cadet at the U.S. Military 
Academy at West Point. 3. (Cam- 
bridge University). One who has left 
school and come up to Cambridge 
for study, before entering the Uni- 
versity: because he is neither man 
nor boy. 

Beastly. In modern colloquial usage 
applied to whatever may offend the 
taste : cf. awful, everlasting, etc. 
(1611). 

Beat. 1. This word is used in many 
ways, its precise meaning often depend- 
ing on its qualifying adjective. It is said 
of both men and things ; for example, 
a live beat is anybody or anything that 
surpasses another, and the sense is 
not derogatory in the least. A dead 
leaf, on the other hand, is the name 
given to a man who sponges on Ms 
fellows. [Probably from that sense 
of beat signifying to overcome; to 
show oneself superior to, either in a 
good or bad sense.] 2. A daily round, 
duty, work, etc. ; and, figuratively, 
a sphere of influence (1788). As 
adj. (1) overcome, exhausted, done 
up: generally dead-beat (q.v.); (2) 
hence baffled, defeated. As verb, to 
swindle, deceive, cheat. Daisy beat, 
a, swindle of the first water, a robbery 
of magnitude. To beat hollow (to 
sticks, ribands, ftts t all creation, to 
shivers, etc.), to excel, surpass (1759). 
To get a beat on, to get the advantage of. 
Other phrases are, to beat the air, to 
.strive to no purpose (1375) ; to beat the 
streets, to -walk to and fro ; to beat over the 
old ground, to discuss topics already 
treated ; to beat about the bush, to act 
cautiously, approach warily or in a 
roundabout way (1572); to beat up, 
to visit unceremoniously ; to beat the 
brains, (head, etc.), to think per- 
sistently; to beat out, to exhaust, 
overpower ; to beat the hoof, to 
walk, go on foot, plod, prowl (1596) ; 
to beat the rib (see Rib). To beat the 
"booby (or goose), to strike the hands 
across the chest and under the armpits 
to warm them : formerly to beat Jonas ; 
to beat the raw?, to travel by rail without 



That beats the Dutch/ (see 
To beat daddy mammy, to 
tattoo, practise the elements of drum 
beating. To beat down to bed-rock (see 
Bedrock). To beat out, impoverished, 
in one's last straits, hard up. 

Beater-cases. Boots, shoes, now 
nearly obsolete. Trotter-cases (q.v.) 
being the usual term nowadays. 

Beaters. The feet : Barclay in Shyp 
of Folys (1509), speaks of * night 
watchers and beters of the stretes : ' 
see Creepers. 

Beating-stock. A subject of fre- 
quent chastisement : cf. Laughing- 



Beauetry, Dandyism, dandy out- 
fit : a humorous imitation of coquetry 
(1702). 

Beau Trap. 1. A loose stone in a pave- 
ment, under which water lodges, and 
which, on being trodden upon, squirts 
it up. 2. A well-dressed sharper, on 
the look-out for raw country visitors 
and such like. 3. A fop, well-dressed 
outwardly, but whose linen, person, 
and habits generally are unclean. 

Beauty. A term applied, on the rule 
of contrary, to the plainest or ugliest 
cadet in the class at the United States 
Military Academy at West Point. It 
was great beauty, it was a fine sight ; 
That's the beauty of it, That's just as it 
should be : as affording special pleasure 
or satisfaction. 

Beauty-sleep. Sleep before mid- 
night, the idea being that early hours 
conduce to health and beauty (1850). 

Beauty-spot. Ironically of a pimple 
or other blemish on the face or other 
exposed parts of the person. 

Beaver, subs, (common), An old 
term for a hat; goss, cady (1528): 
at one time hats were made of beaver's 
fur hence the name ; the term is still 
occasionally applied to tall chimney- 
pot hats, but for many years silk has 
replaced the skin of the rodent in their 
manufacture. In beaver, in a tall hat 
and non-academical garb, as distin- 
guished from cap and gown (1840). 
fcSee also Bever. 

Beck. 1. A constable : see Beak. 2. 
A parish beadle ; apparently the term 
was applied to all kinds of watch- 
men : see Harman-beck. As verb, to 
imprison : amongst Dutch thieves 
bekaan has the same signification. 

Bed. To put to bed *&a j 
and shovel, to bury. 



Bedder. 



Been. 



Bedder (Cambridge University). A 
charwoman ; one who makes the beds 
and performs other necessary domestic 
duties for residents in college. 

Bed-fagot. 1. Applied contemp- 
tuously to a woman ; cf. hussy, 
witch, etc. 2. A wanton. 

Bedfordshire. Sheet aUey (q.v.), 
blanket fair (q.v.), tlw land of Nod 
(q.v.), etc. (1665). 

Bedful of Bones. A skinny, bony, 
bedfellow (1621). 

Bedoozle. To confuse, to bewilder : 
probably a corrupt form of the old 
English' verb bedazzle, used by 
Shakespeare in Taming of the Shrew, 
iv. v. 46 (1593). 

Bedpost. In the twinkling of a bedpost, 
instantaneously, with great rapidity : 
originally in the twinkling of a bedstaff 
(1660). Among English synonyms 
may be included : in a jiffy, in two 
two's, in a brace of shakes, before you 
can say Jack Robinson, in a crack, in 
the squeezing of a lemon. Between 
you and me, and the bed-post, a humor- 
ous tag to an assertion ; i.e. between 
ourselves 1 know what you say, 
but, between you and me, etc. . . . the 
thing is absurd : sometimes the last 
word is varied by post, door post, 
or gate post any prop will serve 
(1831). 

Bedrock. To get down to bedrock, to 
get at the bottom of matters, thorough- 
ly understand, get in on the ground 
floor (q.v.) : a miner's term, alluding 
to the solid rock underlying superficial 
and other formations. Bedrock fact, 
a cbiel that winna ding, the incon- 
testable and incontrovertible truth. 

Bedtime. Tiie hour of death (Al- 
ford). 

Bee. 1. A sweet writer. 2. A 
busy worker. 3. A working party of 
neighbours and friends for the benefit 
of one of their number ; as when a 
party of settlers combine to erect a 
log-house for a newcomer, or when 
farmers unite to gather one another's 
harvests in succession : e.g. apple-bee, 
raising bee, etc. ; hence, a social gather- 
ing for some specific purpose,, as spelling 
bee. To have a bee in the head (brains, 
garret, or bonnet,) to have queer ideas, 
be half-cracked, flighty ; this phrase in 
of considerable antiquity, being traced 
back to a Scotch writer, Gawin 
Douglas by name [1474-1521], Bishop 
of Dunkeld, who used it in a transla- 



tion of Virgil's Mneid. Hence, bee- 
bonneted (or bee-Jt&aded) crazed ; bee- 
head, a crazy pate : see Buffle. 

Beef. 1. Human flesh (a trans- 
ferred sense) ; i.e. obese, stolid, fleshy 
like an ox. 2. By a further transi- 
tion beef has also come to signify 
men, strength, hands ; More beef ! a 
bo* sun's exhortation to extra exertion. 
To be in a man's beef, to wound with a 
sword (Grose). To cry (or give) beef (or 
hot beef), to give an alarm, pursue, set 
up a hue and cry : it has been suggested 
that beef in this case is a rhyming 
synonym for thief. To be dressed 
like Christmas beef, to be decked out 
in one's best raiment. To make beef, 
to run away, decamp. Beef to the 
heels, like, a MitUingar Heifer, said of a 
stalwart man, or a fine woman ; i.e. 
one whose superiority is manifest from 
the crown of the head to the sole of the 
foot ; literally, all beef down to the heels. 
Beef up ! phr. Put on your strength ! 
Give a long pull and a strong pull ! 
To beef it, originally a provincialism, 
but now common in the East End of 
London : to take a meat meal, more 
particularly of beef. 

Beef- brained. Doltish, obtuse, 
thickheaded. 

Beef-head. A dolt ; a stupid, thick- 
headed person : see Buffle. 

Beefment. On the bcefment, on the 
alert, on the look out. 

Beef-stick. The bone in a joint of 
beef. At mess it is First come, best 
served ; and those who come last 
sometimes get little more than the 
beef-stick. 

Beef Straight. See Straight. 

Beef - witted. See Beef-brained 
(1594). 

Beefy. Fleshy, unduly thick, obese : 
a run of luck and good fortune, gener- 
ally, is likewise referred to as beefy. 
Whence beefiness. 

Bee-line. To take (or make) a bee- 
lino, to go direct, as the crow flies, 
without circumlocution. Bees, when 
fully laden with pollen, make for the 
hive in a straight, or bee-line. One 
of the American railways is called the 
Bee Line Hood from the direct route it 
takes between its termini (1849), 

Beelzebub's Paradise. Kell, the 
infernal regions. 

Been. Been in the sun, drunk : see 
Screwed. Been measured for a new 
umbrella, said sportively of any one 



37 



Before. 



appearing in new, ill - fitting clothes, 
or who has struck out a new line of 
action, the wisdom of -which is doubt- 
ful : the joke is an old one and refers to 
a man of whom it was said that nothing 
fitted him but his umbrella. Oh yes, 
I've been there', I know what I am 
about. A popular exclamation : when 
it is said of a man that he has been 
there, shrewdness, pertinacity, and 
experience are implied. 

Beer. To drink beer, also, to do a Seer. 
To be vn beer, drunk : see Screwed. To 
think no small "beer of oneself, to possess 
a good measure of self-esteem (1840) : 
see Small-beer. 

Beer and Bible. An epithet applied 
sarcastically to a political party; which 
first came into prominence during the 
last Beaconsfield Administration, and 
which was called into being by a 
measure introduced by the moderate 
Liberals in 1873, with a view to placing 
certain restrictions upon the sale of 
intoxicating drinks. The licensed 
Victuallers, an extremely powerful 
association whose influence extended 
all over the kingdom, took alarm, 
and turned to the Conservatives for 
help in opposing the bill. In the 
ranks of the latter were numbered the 
chief brewers ; the leaders of the asso- 
ciation, moreover, had mostly strong 
high-church tendencies, while one of 
them was president of the Exeter Hall 
organization. The Liberals, noting 
these facts, nicknamed this alliance 
the Beer and Bible Association ; the 
Morning Advertiser, the organ of the 
Licensed Victuallers, was dubbed the 
Beer and Bible Gazette; and lastly, 
electioneering tactics ascribed to them 
the war cry of Beer and Bible I This 
so-called Beer and Bible interest made 
rapid strides : in 1870 the Conservatives 
were at their low-water mark among 
the London constituencies ; but, in 
1880, they had earned seats in the City, 
Westminster, Mary leb one, Tower Ham- 
lets, Greenwich, and Southward A 
notable exception to this strange 
fellowship was Mr. Bass [afterwards 
Lord Bass], of pale-ale fame, who held 
aloof from opposition to the measure 
in question. Anent the nickname 
Be&r and Bible Gazette given to the 
Morning Advertiser, it may bo men- 
tioned that it had already earned for 
itself a somewhat similar sobriquet. 
For a long time this paper devoted 



one-half of its front page to notices of 
publicans and tavern-keepers ; while 
the other half was filled up with 
announcements of religious books, 
and lists of preachers at the London 
churches and chapels. Tins gained 
for the paper the sobriquet of the Gin 
and Gospel Gazette. 

Beer and Skittles. Generally, Not all 
beer and skittles, i.e. not altogether 
pleasant, or couleur de rose. 

Beer-barrel. The human body : cf. 
Bacon. 

Beeriness (or Beery), pertaining to 
a state of (or approaching to) drunken- 
ness, intoxicated, fuddled with beer : 
see Screwed (1857). 

Beer-jerker (or -slinger). A tippler: 
see Lushington. 

Beerocracy, subs, (common). The 
brewing and beer-selling interest : a 
humorous appellation in imitation of 
aristocracy : cf. Mobocraey, Cotton- 
ocracy, etc. 

Beeswax. 1. Poor, soft cheese, 
sweaty-toe cheese (q.v.) (1821). 2. A 
bore ; one who button-holes another ; 
generally Old beeswax. 

Beeswaxers (Winchester College). 
Thick boots : used for football : prob- 
ably from being smeared with bees- 
wax to supple them : pronounced 
Beswazers. 

Beeswing. A gauzy film or crust, in 
port wines, the result of age, so called 
torn its appearance when broken up 
in the process of decanting. Hence 
also Beeswinged ( 1846). Old beeswing, 
a nickname for any one, but especi- 
ally for one who takes to his liquor 
kindly. 

Beetle. Deaf (Jwmfr, or dull) an a 
beetle, a type of dulaesa or stupidity, 
blockishness ; beetle-brain (-or head), a 
term of contempt : cf. Blockhead. 

Beetle-crusher(or beetle-squasher), 
1. A large foot : the term was popu- 
larised by Leech in Punch. 2. A 
large boot or shoo : also ftwtte-c<iw$. 
3. An infantry soldier ; a cavalry term : 
see Mud-crusher. 

Beetle-crushing. With solid tread, 
suuh as comes from large heavy feet in 
boots or shoes to match; e.g. the 
marching of infantry. 

Beetles. Colorado mining bharoj. 
Bee tie- sticker. An entomologist. 
Before. Jiff ore the wind, in prosper- 
ous circumstances, out of debt or 
difficulty. 



38 



Begad! 



Begad ! A corruption of By God ! 
and, as such., a euphemistic oath 
(1742). 

Beggar. 1. A term of contempt ; 
a mean or low fellow. 2. An endear- 
ment : ci baggage, dog, rogue, etc. 
Also phrases: A beggar's wallet is 
never filled (1539); Beggars should 
not be choosers (1562) ; A beggar 
may sing before a thief (1562) ; I 
know him as well as a beggar knows 
his bag ; Beggars mounted run their 
horses to death ; Rich when young, 
a beggar when old; As great as 
beggars; Sue a beggar and catch a 
louse ; Set a beggar on horseback 
and he'll ride to the devil. Beggar the 
tiling \ confound it, or, hang the 
thing. 

Beggared. Pll be beggared if, etc., an 
emphatic asseveration; i.e. I'll give 
up everything, even to being reduced 
to beggary, if, etc. 

Beggar-maker. A publican. 

Beggars. The small cards from the 
deuce to the ten. 

Beggar's Brown. Scotch snuff : 
made of the stem of tobacco. 

Beggar's Bullets (or Bolts). Stones 
(1584). 

Beggar's Bush. To go Jiome "by 
beggar's bush, to go to ruin (1686). 

Beggar's Plush. Corduroy (1688). 

Beggar's Velvet. Downy particles 
which accumulate under furniture : 
otherwise called sluts' -wool (q.v.). 

Begin. To begin upon a person, to 
attack, assault. 

Begosh ! B'gosh ! An expletive 
(probably of negro origin), a half veiled 
oath. 

Behind. 1. The posterior. 2. (Eton 
and Winchester Colleges). A back at 
football : at Eton called short behind 
and long behind, usually abbreviated 
to short and long ; at Winchester, 
secowd behind and last behind : these 
answer to tho half-back and back of 
Association football : at Winchester, 
in the Fifteens, there is also a third 
behind. Behind one's side (Winchester 
College). Said of a man when nearer 
the opponent's goal than the player of 
his team who last touched tho ball. 

Beilby's Ball. An Old Bailey 
execution (Grose). 

Bejan, Baijan (Scotch University). 
A freshman student of the first year at 
the Universities of St. Andrews and 
Aberdeen : it is now obsolete at Edin- 



burgh : from the French bee jaune, 
yellow beak, in allusion to the colour 
of the mandibles of young birds. The 
term was adopted from the University 
of Paris ; but, signifying a novice, 
it has been in more or less general use 
for nearly three hundred years. At 
Aberdeen, the second-class students 
are semi-bejans ; in the third tertians ; 
while those in the highest rank are 
1nag^strands. 

Belch. Beer, especially poor beer : 
because of its liability to cause eructa- 
tion. One of Shakespeare's characters 
in Twelfth Night is Sir Toby Belch, a 
reckless, roystering, jolly knight of the 
Elizabethan period. 

Belcher. 1. A neckerchief named 
after Jim Belcher, a noted pugilist : the 
ground is blue, with white spots : also 
any handkerchief of a similar pattern 
(1812). 2. A ring: with the crown 
and Y.R,. stamped upon them. 3. A 
beer drinker, a hard drinker (1598). 

Belial. Balliol College, Oxford. 

Believe. I believe you, employed to 
signify general assent; Yes: some- 
times / believe you, my toy ; once a 
favourite catch-phrase of a well-known 
actor. 

Bell. A song : a tramps' term : a 
diminutive of bellow. To beU a 
tnarble, to run away with it : the 
action scarcely amounts to actual 
theft. To ring one's own bell, to 
blow one's trumpet, to sound one's 
own praises. 

Bell - bastard. The illegitimate 
child of a woman who is herself 
illegitimate. 

Bellmare. A political leader, mostly 
contemptuously. 

Bellows. The lungs (1615). Bettowsto 
mend, said of a broken-winded horse ; 
likewise of a man whose lungs are 
affected, or one who from any cause 
is out of health. 

Bellows-blower. 1 . One exciting to 
strife. 2. An unskilled assistant, a 
mere hodman. 

Bellowsed. Transported, lagged : of. 
Bellowser. 

Bellowser. 1. A blow in the pit of 
thestomach, a winder, that which takes 
the breath away. 2. A sentence of 
transportation for life. 

Bell-rope. Aggerawators (q.v.). 

Bellswagger. See Belswagger. 

Bell-topper. A silk hat : see Gol- 
gotha. 



39 



Bell-wether. 1. A chief or leader : in 
contempt. 2. Clamorous person, a 
mouther (q.v.). Hence BeUwetherMig 
and BeUwetherishness, 

Belly-ache. A colic. 

Belly-bender. A boy's term for 
weak and unsafe ice. 

Belly-bound. Constipated ; costive. 

Belly-bumper (or Belly-buster). 
To take a belly-buster, to ride downhill 
in a sled lying on one's stomach : an 
amusement of young America : the 
idea of tobogganing was derived from 
this boyish pastime : also Belly-bumbo, 
Belly-guts (or gutter), Belly-flounders, 
Belly-flumps, and Belly-plumper. 

Belly-button. The navel. 

Belly-cheat (or Belly-chete). 1. 
An apron. 2. Food (1609). 

Belly-cheer (or Belly-chere). Food. 
Betty-cheering, eating, drinking ( 1559). 

Bell y-cri tic. A connoisseur of good 
living. 

Belly-friend. A parasite, sponger 
(q.v.). 

Belly-full. A sound drubbing, a 
thrashing (1599). 

Belly-furniture. Food, something 
wherewith to furnish the belly : cf. 
Belly-timber, Back-timber, etc. (1653). 

Belly-god. A glutton (1540). 

Belly - go-firster. An initial blow, 
generally given, say some authorities, 
in the stomach whence its classic 
name ! 

Belly-grinding. Colic, a pain in the 
bowels. 

Belly-gut, subs. (old). A lazy, greedy 
fellow; slothful glutton (1540). 

Belly-guts. 1. In Pennsylvania, 
molasses candy. 2. Belly - bumper 
(q.v.). 

Belly-hedges (Shrewsbury School). 
In school steeplechases, obstructions 
of such a height that they can easily 
be cleared i.e. about belly-high. 

Belly-metal. Food. 

Belly-mountained. Prominent in 
the belly, footy-gutted (q.v.). 

Belly-paunch. A glutton, a great- 
feeder. 

Belly- piece. 1. An apron: cf. Belly- 
choat (1689). 2. A mistress, concubine 
(1630). 

Belly-pinched. Hungry. 

Belly Plea. A plea of pregnancy : 
urged by female folons capitally con- 
victed. The ploa still holds * good, 
execution of femalo convicts in an 
interesting condition being deferred 

40 



until after accouchement : in practice, 
it really means a commutation of the 
death penalty for liie imprisonment. 

Belly- plum per. See Belly-bumper. 

Belly-sacrifice. A gluttonous feast. 

Belly-slave. A glutton. 

Belly-swain. A glutton. 

Belly-timber. Pood, provisions of 
all kinds: like many other words of its 
class (e.g. Back-timber, q.v.), once 
in serious use, but now a thorough- 
going vulgarism, only surviving dia- 
lectically, and as slang : Massinger anil 
the older dramatists employed it 
seriously, toward the end of the seven- 
teenth century it began to be used in 
a ludicrous and vulgar sense. 

Belly-up. Enceinte. 

Belly- vengeance. Sour beer: as 
apt to cause gastralgia : Fr., pissin dc 
chevai. 

Belongings. 1. Qualities, endow- 
ments, faculties. 2. Relations, one's 
kindred. 3. One's effects, possessions. 
4. Trousers. 

Belswagger,subs.(old). 1 , A lewdator, 
pimp (1775). 2. A bully, hector (1502). 

Belt. To strike below the belt, to act 
unfairly ; to take mean advantage, to 
stab a man in the hack. 

Beltinker. A beating, drubbing. As 
verb, to thrasl), beat soundly. 

Bemused. Fuddled, in the stupid 
stage of drunkenness : see Wcirov/cd : 
usually bemused with beer (Po^e). 

Ben. 1. A benefit, pnrformauce of 
which the receipts, alter paying ex- 
penses, are devoted to one person"? 
special use or benefit. 2. A fool : sec 
Buffle (Grow). 3. A shortened form of 
Benjamin (q.v.), a coat ; also of Bcnjy 
(q.v.), a waistcoat. To stand ben, to 
stand treat. 

Benar. See Bene. 

Benbouse. Good beer ( 1 C67). 

Bench-babbler (or whistler). A 
loafer, one who sits idly on a bench : 
a generic reproach. 

Bencher. A frequenter of taverns, 
ono who hulks about public houses, 

Ben Cull (or Cove). A frioiul, 
Pall (q.v.), companion. 

Bend. To tipple, drink hard ( J amir- 
son) (1758). Above one's Lend, abov 
one's ability (power or capacity), out 
of one's reach, above one's hook : in 
U.S.A. abow my IntcUrbcrrif (<].v.), 
Grecian beud t a craze amongst women 
which had a vogue from about 187- to 
1880: it consisted la walking with 



Bender, 



Bet. 



the body bent forward. On the bend, 
m an underhand, oblique, or crooked 
way not on the square. Bend over 
(Winchester College), a direction to 
put oneself into position to receive a 
spanking ; this is done by bending 
over so that the tips of the fingers ex- 
tend towards the toes, thus presenting 
a surface as tight as a drum for castiga- 
tion. 

Bender. 1. A sixpence : see Rhino 
(1789). 2. A hard and persistent 
drinker, a tippler (1728). 3. In public 
school phraseology a stroke of the 
cane administered by the master while 
the cujprit bends down his back. 4. 
The arm. 5. A drinking bout, spree. 6. 
The leg. 7. The bow-shaped segment 
of a paper kite. Over the bender, a 
variant of Over the left shoulder. 
As intj., an exclamation of incredulity, 
also used as a kind of saving clause to 
a promise which the speaker does not 
intend to carry into effect. 

Bendigo. A rough fur cap : named 
after a notorious pugilist. 

Bene, Ben. Good : this belongs to 
the most ancient English cant, and is 
probably a corruption from the Latin : 
benar and benat appear to have been 
used as comparatives of bene (1567). 
Stowe yow bene, hold your tongue. 

Bene-bouze. See Benbouse. 

Bene- cove. See Ben-cull. 

Bene Darkmans ! Good-night ! 
French thieves say sorgabon, an in- 
version of bonne sorgue. 

Benedick. A newly- married man ; 
especially one who has long been a 
bachelor. Apparently, however, there 
is some confusion in the usage, for it 
also signifies a bachelor. 

Bene Feakers. Counterfeiters of 
bills (Grose). 

Bene Feakers of Gybes. Counter- 
feiters of passes (Grose). 

Bene (or Bien) Mort. A fine woman, 
pretty girl, hostess (1567). 

Beneship. See Bonship (1567). 

Beneshiply. Worshipfully. 

Ben-flake. A steak. 

Bengal Tigers. The Seventeenth 
Foot, now the Leicestershire regiment : 
from its badge of a royal tiger granted 
for services in India from 1804-1823 : 
also called Tho Lily- Whites from its 
facings. 

Bengi. An onion. 

Benish. Foolish, 

Benjamin (Winchester College). 1. 



A small ruler. 2, (thieves') A coat: 
said to have been derived from a well- 
known London advertising tailor of 
the same name. Upper Benjamin, a 
greatcoat (1815). 

Ben Joltram. Brown bread and 
skimmed milk ; a Norfolk term for a 
ploughboy's breakfast (Hotteri). 

Benjy. 1. A low crowned straw hat 
having a very broad brim. 2. A 
waistcoat : also Ben (q.v.). 

Bens. Tools. 

Benship (or Beenship). Worship, 
goodness : this word, evidently from 
Beneship (q.v.), is given by Bailey 
(1728), and by Coles (1724), As adj., 
very good (1567). 

Beong. A shilling : see Rhino : 
from Italian bianco, white ; also the 
name of a silver coin. 

Beray. To defile., befoul, abuse : old 
cant. 

Berkeleys. A woman's breasts. 

Bermudas. A district in London, 
similar to Alsatia in Whitefriars (q.v.), 
and the Mint in Southwark, privileged 
against arrests. The Bermudas are 
thought to have been certain narrow 
and obscure alleys and passages north 
of the Strand, near Covent Garden, and 
contiguous to Drury Lane. 

Berthas. London, Brighton, and 
South Coast Railway shares. 

Berwicbs. The ordinary stock of the 
North Eastern Railway. 

Besom, A low woman. 

Besom-head. A blockhead, fool: 
see Buffle. Whence besom-headed. 

Besognio. 1. A raw soldier. 2. A 
needy beggar. 3. A worthless fellow. 

Bespeak-nigh t A benefit. 

Bess. See Betty. 

Bess-o'- Bedlam. A lunatic vagrant. 

Best To best one. To obtain an 
advantage, secure a superior position 
in a contest or bargain, to worst, but 
not necessarily to cheat. To best the 
pistol, to get away before the signal for 
starting is actually given. To give one 
best,to leave one, sever companionship. 

Bester. A cheat, swindler: generally 
applied to a turf or gaming blackleg. 

Bet. 1. Tobet one's eyes, to onlook, 
but to take no part in, nor bet upon 
the game. You bet ! Be assured, cer- 
tainly. 2. To bet round, to lay fairly and 
equally against nearly all the horses in 
a race, so that no great risk can be run: 
commonly called getting round (Hot- 
ten). 



BelM. 



Biddy. 



Bethel. In the year 1680 Befhd 
and Cornish were chosen sheriffs. The 
former used to walk about more like a 
corn- cutter than Sheriff of London. 
He kept no house, but lived upon 
chops, whence it is proverbial for not 
feasting to bethel the city (North). 
Little Bethel, a place of worship other 
than those of the established church : 
in contempt. 

Be there. See There. 

Better. More : there is no idea of 
superiority : a depraved word, once 
in good usage, but now regarded as a 
vulgarism (1587). Better half, a wife : 
originally my better half, i.e. the more 
than half of my being ; said of a very 
close and intimate friend : formerly also 
applied to the soul, as the better part 
of man (Murray) (1580). 

Bettor Round. One who is addic ted 
to betting round : see Bet. 

Betty. 1. A man who occupies him- 
self with household matters : in con- 
tempt. 2. A small instrument used 
by burglars to force open doors and 
pick locks: also Bess, now called a 
Jenny (1671). 3. A Florence flask: 
as used for olive oil. As verb (collo- 
quial), to potter about, fuss about. 
All betty \ a cry of warning, it's all up, 
the game is lost ! 

Betwattied. Surprised, confounded, 
out of one's senses, bewrayed (Grose). 

Between. Phrases: Between the beetle 
and the block, in parlous state ; between 
the cup and the lip, as near as a toucher 
(q.v.) ; between the devil and the Dead 
(or deep blue] sea, at one's last resource, 
cornered (q.v.) ; between the bark and 
the wood (or tree),, see Tree ; between you 
and me and the bedpost ; see Bedpost. 

Beyer. 1. Drink, hquor. 2. A 
potation, drinking bout, a time for 
drinking. 3. A small repast between 
meals, snack: especially a snack 
between mid-day dinner and supper 
(1500). Also as verb. 

Beverage (or Bevy). A tip, vail : 
equivalent to the Fr., pourboire: money 
for drink, demanded (Grose) of anyone 
having a new suit of clothes. 

Beware. ' We [strolling actors] call 
breakfast, dinner, tea, supper, all of 
them, numyarej and all berr, 
brandy, water, or soup, are &om/e' 
(wayimo). 

Beyond. The back of bci/ond, an 
out-of-tho-way place, ever so far off 
(1816). 



B Flat. A bug : of. F sharps : see 
Norfolk Howards. 

Bib. To nap a bib (or one'sbib), to 
weep, blubber, snivel, Best bib 
and tucker, best-clothes. 

Bibables (or Bibibles). Drink, as 
distinguished from food: a coinage 
on the model of edibles, eatables, 
drinkables, etc. 

Bib-all-night. A toper, confirmed 
drunkard : see Lushington (1612). 

Bible. A hand-ase, a small holy- 
stone (a kind of sand-stone used in 
cleaning decks), so called from seamen 
using them kneeling (Smyth), That's 
bible, that's the truth, that's A 1. 

Bible-carrier. A running stationer 
(q.v.) who sells songs without singing 
them : once often heard in the neigh- 
bourhood of Seven Dials. 

Bible-clerk (Winchester College). A 
College prefect in full power, appointed 
for one week. He keeps order in 
school, reads the lessons in chapel, 
takes round rolls (q.v.), and assists at 
floggings. He is absolved from going up 
to books (q.v. ) during his term of oftice. 
The prefect of hall need not act as 
Bible-clerk unless he likes, and the 
prefect of School may choose any 
week ho pleases ; the rest take weeks* 
in rotation, in the order of their 
Chambers in College : see Bibler and 
Bibling. 

Bible-pounder (sharp, or thumper). 
A clergy man. 

Bibler (Winchester College). 
Now called Bibling (q.v.). fa'blcr 
under nail, see Bibling under nail 

Bibling (Winchester College). For- 
merly called a bibler. A flogging of 
six cuts on the small o the back, ad- 
ministered by the head or second 
master. So called because the person 
to be operated upon ordered (q.v.) his 
name to the Bible-clerk (q.v.). 

Sibling-rod (Winchester College). 
The instrument with which a tabling 
(q.v.) was administered. It consisted 
of a handle with four apple twigs in 
the end, twisted together. It is re- 
presented on Aut l)i*fc. It was 
invented and first ul by Warden 
Baker in 14") 4. It is not uao'l now. 

Bibling under Nail {Wmehester 
College). A bibling (q.v. ) mhnmifttered 
for very heinous olTeuce* atttr an 
offender had stood under nail (q.v.). 

Biddy. 1. A chicken : nomotinwiH 
chicl?~a-biddy, '2. A young woman, 



42 



Big Wig. 



not necessarily Irish: in both these 
senses the word appears in Grose (1785) 
Since that time it would seem to have 
changed somewhat in meaning as 
follows. 3. A woman, whether young 
or old. 4. (Winchester College). See 
Bidet. 5. (American). A servant 
girl generally Irish. 

Bidet (or Biddy) (Winchester 
College). A bath. 

Bidstand. A highwayman ( 1637 ). 

Bien. See Bene. 

Biff. A blow. To give a biff in the 
jaw, to smack one's face, to wipe one 
in the chops. 

Biffin. My biffin I my pal ! A 
biffin is properly a dried apple, cf. 
Pippin. 

Big. To talk (or look) big, to assume 
a pompous style or manner with a 
view to impressing others with a sense 
of one's importance ; to talk loudly, 
boastingly: Fr., se hancher (1579). 
Big as aU outdoors, an expression in- 
tended to convey an idea of indefinite 
size, hugeness, enormous capacity. 

Big- bellied. Advanced in preg- 
nancy (1711). 

Big Ben. A nickname for the clock 
in the tower of the Houses of Parlia- 
ment at Westminster : named after Sir 
Benjamin Hall, the Commissioner of 
Works, under whose supervision it 
was constructed : it was commenced 
in 1856, and finished in 1857. 

Big Bird. To get (or give) the big 
bird, to be hissed on the stage; or, 
conversely, to hiss. 

Big Bug. A person of standing (or 
consequence) : a common mode of 
allusion to persons of wealth or other 
claims to distinction : variants are 
Big-dog, Big-toad, Big-wig, and Great 
gun (1854). 

Big Country. The open country. 

Big Dog of the Tanyard. A conse- 
quential, pompous individual; one 
who will neither allow others a voice in 
any matter, or permit dissent from his 
own views. 

Big Dog with the Brass Collar. 
The chief in any undertaking or 
enterprise, a leader. 

Big Drink. 1 . The ocean : more par- 
ticularly applied to the Atlantic : also 
called the Big pond, Herring pond, the 
Puddle (q.v.). 2. When a Western 
plainsman talks of the Big drink ho is 
always understood to mean the Mis- 
sissippi river. To take a big (or long) 



drink, to partake of liquor from a large 
glass. 

Big-endian. Anybody or anything 
of importance. 

Big Figure. To go the big figure, a 
variant of to go the whole hog, or 
to go the whole animal. 

Biggest. A superlative often used in 
the sense of the best or the finest. 

Biggest Toad in the Puddle. One of 
the many bold, if equivocal, metaphors 
to which the West has given rise. 
The biggest toad in the fuddle is the 
recognised leader or chief, whether 
in politics or in connection with the 
rougher avocations of pioneer life. 

B i g g i t y. Consequential, giving 
oneself airs : a negro term. 

Big Gun. A person of consequence. 

Big-head. To have a big-head, 1. To 
be conceited, bumptious : also applied 
to those who are cocksure of every- 
thing, or affected in manner. 2. The 
after effect of a debauch. To get the 
big-head, to get drunk : see Screwed. 

Big House. The workhouse : some- 
times called the Large House. 

Big Mouth. Excessive talkative- 
ness, loquacity. 

Big Nuts to crack. An undertaking 
of magnitude, one not easy to perform, 

Big One (or Big J Un). A man of 
note or importance. 

Big People. Persons of standing 
or consequence. 

Big Pond. The Atlantic : also The 
big drink (q-v.). 

Big Pot. A person of consequence. 

Big-side (Rugby School). The com- 
bination of all the bigger fellows in 
the school in one and the same game 
or run; also the ground specially 
used for the game so denominated: 
also used at other public schools. 
Whence Big-side run, a paper chase, 
in which picked representatives of all 
houses take part, as opposed to a 
house run. 

Big Take. That which takes the 
public fancy, a great success, etc., 
in short, anything that catches on. 

Big Talk. Pompous speech, a 
pedantic use of long words. 

Big Wig. A person of consequence, 
ono high in authority or rank: used 
both contemptuously and humor- 
ously (1703). Big-wigged, pompous, 
consequential. Big-wiggefy, a display 
of consequence, or pomposity. Big- 
wiggism, pomposity. 



Big Words. 



Bitty. 



Big Words, 
crack jaw words. 

Bike. Short for bicycle : of. Trike. 

Bilbo (or Bilboa). ( 1 ) A sword : 
Bilbao in Spain was once renowned for 
well - tempered blades. Hence (2) a 
sword personified, especially that of a 
bully. Bilbo's the word, Beware, a blow 
will follow the word. Bilbo-lord, a 



Pompous speech, long (or short) term of imprisonment. 
To pay a bill at sight, said of a man or 
woman who is always ready for action. 
To bUl up, to be confined to barracks. 

Billbrighter (Winchester College). 
A small fagot used for lighting coal fires 
in Kitchen : so called from a servant 
Bill Bright, who was living in 1830. 
Billet. A situation, berth. To get a, 



bully. Also (3) a kind of stock along billet, amongst prisoners to obtain 



promotion to duties which carry with 
them certain privileges. 

Billiard Block. One who puts up 
with disagreeables for the sake of 
pecuniary or other advantages; also, 



iron bar with sliding shackles for the 
ankle, and a lock by which to fasten the 
bar at one end to the ground (1567). 

Bile. A vulgarism for boil. 

Bilgewater. Bad beer. ^ , 

Bilk. A word, formerly in general occasionally, a jackal (q.v.), a tamo 
use, to which a certain stigma of vul- cat^q.v.). 
garity is now attached. Uncertain in 
derivation possibly a corrupted form 
of balk it was first employed tech- 
nically at cribba^e to signify the 
spoiling of an adversary's score in the 
crib. Among obsolete or depraved 
usat^esmay be mentioned. 1. A state- 
ment or string of words without sense, 
truth, or meaning (1663). 2. A hoax, 
imposition, humbug (1664). 3. A 
swindler, cheat: this is the most 
familiar current use of the word in its 
substantive form, and is applied 
mainly to persons who cheat cabmen 
of their fares, and such like: also 
Bilker (1790). 4. A person who 
habitually sponges upon another, and 
who never by any chance makes a 
return or even offers to do so. As 
adj., fallacious, without truth 01- 
meaning (1740). As verb, to cheat, 
defraud, evade one's obligations, 
escape from, etc. (1677). To btlk the 
blues, to evade the police. To bilk the 
schoolmaster,, to obtain knowledge or 
experience without paying for it ( 1 8'2 1 ). 

Bilker. A cheat, swindler: see Bilk. 

Bilking. Cheating, swindling. 

Bill (Eton College). 1. A list of boys 
who have to go to the hcatfmt'sLsr at 
12 o'clock ; also of those who get off 
Absence (q.v.), or names-calling : e.g. 
an eleven playing in a match are thus 
exempt. 2. (Harrow School). Names- 
calling, To ftang tip a bill, to pass it 
through one or more of its stages, and 
then to lay it aside and defer its 
further consideration for a more or 
less indefinite period. To rush a bill, 
to expedite tlio pfwin<< of a Ml 
through the Sonalo and Copgrttfifi. 
To hold with bill in titc, im/t/% to keep 



Billiard-slum. False pretences. 

Billingsgate. Coarse language, scur- 
rilous abuse : from the ovil reputation 
which the market of the same name 
has enjoyed for centimes. In the 
seventeenth century references to the 
violent and abusive speech of those 
frequenting the place were very 
numerous (1632). In French an 
analogous reference is made to the 
Place Maubert, also long noted for 
its noisy market. To Billingsgate (or 
talk Billingsgate), to scold, talk coarsely 
(or violently), slang (Q-v.). So 
also, You're no better than a Billings- 
gate fisli jag, i.o. rude and ill-mannored, 
Bdli-ngsgatry, scurr'lous language. 

Billingsgate Pheasant. A red 
herring (or bloater), a two-eyed steak. 

BUI of Sale. Widow's -weeds. 

Billy. I. A pocket handkerchief 
(or neckerchief) : chiefly oC silk : tho 
various fancies have been thus 
described : Belcher, darkish blue 
ground, large round white spots, with 
a spot in the centre of darker blue than 
the ground : this was adopted by Jem 
Belcher, the pugilist, as his colours, 
and soon became pojmbr amongst tho 
fancy ; JHrd'n - cyu w-i/tf, a hand- 
kerchief of any colour, containing 
white spots : the blue bird's-cyo is 
similar to the Bolchor except in tho 
centre : sometimes a bird' a -eye wipe 
has a white ground and bluo spot** ; 
Blood-red fancy, red ; IXws Billy, blue 
ground, generally with white figures ; 
Cream fancy, any pattern en a, whilo 
ground ; King's man, yellow pattern 
on a grecu JL- round ; Ra,n&il*# man, 
pri'cn, with -ft'hito spots : imi/iwl after 
tlus favourite colours of iTack RandaJ, 



La auapenao. Long (or a/tort) bill, a, pugilist ; Water'a wan, bky u 

44 



Bitty Barlow. 



Yellow fancy, yellow with white spots ; 
Yellow man, all yollow. 2. Stolen 
metal. 3. A weapon: usually com- 
posed of a piece of un tanned cowhide, 
us hard as horn itself, some six inches 
in length, twisted or braided into a 
sort of handle, and covered from end 
to end with woollen cloth : one ex- 
tremity is loaded with lead ; to the 
other is firmly attached a loop, large 
enough to admit a man's hand, formed 
of strong linen cord, and intended to 
allow the billy to hang loose from the 
wrist, and at the same time prevent 
it being lost or wrenched from the 
grasp of its owner. 4. A policeman's 
staff, truncheon. 5. A bushman's 
tea-pot or saucepan. 6. A companion, 
comrade, mate (1505). 7. A fellow 
(1774). 8. A brother ; hence Bftlyhood, 
brotherhood (1724). 

Billy Barlow. A street clown, 
mountebank : from the hero of a slang 
song Billy was a real person, semi- 
idiotic, and though in dirt and rags, 
fancied himself a swell of the first 
water ; occasionally he came out with 
real witticisms ; he was a well-known 
street character about the East-end 
of London, and died in Whitechapel 
Workhouse (1851). 

Billy blinder. A hoodwinker. 

Billy-boy. A vessel like a galliot, 
with two masts, the fore-mast square- 
rigged : they hail mainly from Goole : 
also called Humber-keels. 

Billy- button. 1. Mutton. 2. A 
journeyman tailor. 

Billy Busman. A thief whose 
speciality is silk pocket- and necker- 
chiefs. 

Billy-cock. A round, low-crowned 
hat generally of soft felt, and with a 
broad brim. The Billy-cock of the 
Antipodean colonies differs from the 
"English headgear known by the name 
in being made of hard instead of soft 
felt, and in having a turned-up brim. 

Billy-fencer. A marine store dealer. 

Billy-goat. A tufted beard ; similar 
to that of a goat. 

Billy-hunting. 1. Collecting and 
buying old metal. 2. Stealing pocket- 
handkerchiefs. 

Billy Noodle. A ladykiller, con- 
ceited ass. 

Billy-roller. A long stout stick. 

Bixn, Bimshire. A Barbadian: the 
island of Barbadoes : this place is also 
jeeringly called Little England. 



Bing. See Bynge a waste. 

Binge. A drinking bout. 

Bingham's Dandies. The 17th 
Lancers. 

Bingo. Brandy, or other spirituous 
liquor thought to be a humorous 
formation from B. for brandy (cf. B. 
and S.) and stingo (Grose). Hence, 
Bingo boy, a tippler, drunkard ; Bingo 
mort, a drunken woman. 

Bingy. Bad, ropy butter; nearly 
equivalent to vinmed (q..v.) : in the 
English Dialect Society's Chester 
Glossary, bingy is given as a peculiar 
clouty or frowsty taste in milk the 
first stage of turning sour. 

Binnacle Word. A fine (or affected) 
word, which sailors jeeringly offer to 
chalk up upon the binnacle (Qroae). 

Birch - broom. A room. Like a 
birch-broom in a fit, said of a rough 
towzly head. 

Birchin Lane. To send one to 
Birchin La-tie, to castigate, flog: cf. 
Strap oil, etc. 

Birch-oil. A thrashing : cf. Strap- 
oil, Hazel-oil, etc. 

Bird. When a play is hissed the 
actors say The bird's there J see Goose. 
As verb, to thieve, aioal, look for 
plunder : used by Ben Jonson. A 
bird of one's ovm brain, one's own 
conception. The bird in the bosom, 
one's secret pledge, conscience. Birds 
of a feather, of like character. Also 
proverbs and proverbial sayings 
Some beat the bush and others take 
the bird; A child's bird and a 
knave's wife lead a sore life ; The 
bird that fouleth its own nest is not 
honest, A bird in hand is worth three 
in the wood (or bush) ; An old 
bird is not caught with chaff; To 
kill two birds with one stone ; The 
early bird catches the worm. 

Bird-cage. 1. A bustle, an article 
of feminine attire, used for extending 
the skirts of the dress : at one time con- 
structed of such a size and in such a 
manner as to be not altogether unlike 
an elongated bird-cage : among Eng- 
lish synonyms may be mentioned 
canary cage, backstaircase, false here- 
after, bishop. 2. A four-wheeled cab. 
3. The paddock at the Newmarket 
race-course where saddling takes place. 

Birdlime. 1. Time. 2. A thief 
(1705). 

Bird's - eye (Bird's- eye Fogle, 
Bird's-eye Wipe). A silk handker- 



45 



Biter. 



chief spotted -with eye-like markings : 
see Billy (1665). 

Birdsnye. An endearment : cf . 
Pigsnye. 

Bird-witted. Inconsiderate, 
thoughtless, easily imposed on (Grose) 

Birk. A crib (q.v.), i-e. a house. 

Birthday Suit. Nudity, buff 
(q.v.) : FT., en sauvage (1771). 

Bishop. 1. A warm drink: wine, 
orange (or lemon), peel, and sugar 
but variously compounded (1703). 2. 
A bustle (q.v.) : a pad worn on the 
back part of the waist, and designed 
to give prominence to the skirt : see 
Bird-cage (1848). 3. A chamber- 
pot, jerry, Jordan, it (q.v.). 4. (Win- 
chester College). The sapling with 
which a fagot is bound together. As 
verb, (1) to burn marks into a horse's 
teeth, after ho has lost them by age ; 
or, by other deceptive arts to give a 
good appearance to a bad horse : by 
bishoppmg, a horse is made to appear 
younger than ho is : the expression is 
derived from the name of a person who 
initiated the practice ; (2) to murder 
by drowning : now obsolete : like 
Burke and Boycott from the name of 
an individual ; a man named Bishop 
drowned a boy in Bethnal Green, in 
1831, to sell the body for dissecting 
purposes. 

Bismarquer. To cheat, play foul at 
cards (or billiards) : the policy of Prince 
Bismarck, the German Chancellor, in 
1865-66 roused the indignation of 
Europe. 

Bit, Bite, Byte, 1. Money: 
see Rhino (1532). 2. A coin varying 
in value according to locality usually, 
however, to the silver piece of the 
lowest denomination. Four - penny 
pieces are still called bits in English, 
though more popularly known as 
Joeys (q.v.) (1748). 3. In disparage- 
ment lite of girls, bits of children, 
bit of a place, tit of one's mind, candid 
(and uncomplimentary) criticism, 
opinion, etc. Bitwise, little by little. 

Bitch, subs. (low). 1. A woman : 
not now in literary use, though for- 
merly so (1400). 2. A man : it has long 
since passed out of decent usage (1500). 
As verb, (I) to yield (or give up an 
attempt) through fear (Grose). (2) to 
spoil, bungle. To stand bitch, to make 
tea, or do the honours of the tea table, 
or to perform a woman's duty. 



Bitch Booby. A country girl 
(Grose). 

Bitch- daughter. The night- 
mare. 

Bitch-fou. Very drunk, beastly 
drunk : see Screwed. 

Bitch Party. A party composed of 
women : originally an Oxford term for 
a tea-party : cf. Hen- party (q.v.), and 
Stag-party. 

Bite. 1. Money : generic : see Bit 
and Rhino. 2. An imposition, piece 
of humbug, sell, do : cf. Bilk, Bam, 
Bargain, and Sell : the sense runs 
through all stages, from jocular hoax- 
ing to downright swindling ; also in 
the sense of disappointment, as in the 
old proverb, the biter bit (1711). 3. 
A sharper, cheat, trickster (1742). 4. 
Applied in a transferred sense to any- 
body or anything suspected of being 
different to what it appears, but not 
necessarily in a bad sense. 5. One 
who drives a hard bargain, a close 
fist. 6. A Yorkshireman. 7. An 
irregular white spot on the edge or 
corner of a printed page, caused by 
the frisket not being sufficiently cut 
out (1677). As verb, (1) to deceive, 
cheat, swindle, do, or take in : for- 
merly used both transitively and pas- 
sively; now only in latter (1699) ; (2) 
to strike a hard bargain ; (3) to steal ; 
e.g. to bite the roger, to steal a port- 
manteau, to bite the wiper, to pur- 
loin a handkerchief. As intj., (I) 
formerly an equivalent to the modern 
Sold! Done! etc. (1704); (2) 
(Charterhouse). A warning Cave I 
To do a thing when the maggot bites, to do 
it when the fancy takes ono, at one's 
own sweet will. To bite one's At>v, to 
regret a word or action. To bite one's 
name in, to drink heavily, tipple, drink 
greedily. To bite on the bridle, to be 
pinched in circumstances, reduced, 
in difficulties. Phrases : To bite it pen 
the bridle, to wait impatiently, like a 
restless horse ; To bite the dust (ground, 
sand), etc., to die ; to bite the tongue, 
to repress speech ; to bite flic, thumb at, 
(I) 'To threaten or defio by putting 
the thumbo naile into the mouth, and 
with a ierke (from the upper teeth) 
make it to knack' (Cntgravc) -, ("2) to 
insult : to bite one's car, lo careas fondly ; 
to bite the ear, to borrow. 

Biter. 1. A practical joker, hoaxer, 
one who deceives, a cheat and trickster : 
the term now ouly survives in the 



46 



Black-birders. 



proverbial expression, the biter bit 
(1669). 2. A wanton. 

Bite-up. An unpleasant altercation. 

Bit-faker (or Turner-out). A coiner 
of bad money. 

Bit-faking, Manufacturing base 
coin, counterfeiting. 

Bi ting-up. Grieving over a loss (or 
bereavement). 

Bit-maker. A counterfeiter. 

Bit-o'-bull. Beef : Fr., gobet ; for- 
merly, a dainty morsel. 

Bit of blood. A spirited horse 
thoroughbred (1819). 

Bit of cavalry. A horse (1821). 

Bit of ebony. A negro (or negress), 
snowball (q.v.). 

Bit of fat. 1. An unexpected 
advantage in a transaction. 2. See 
Fat. 

Bit of jam. See Jam. 

Bit of leaf. Tobacco. 

Bit of muslin. A young girl, 
a woman : see Petticoat. 

Bit of mutton. A woman, 
cf. Laced mutton. 

Bit of sticks. A corpse. 

Bit of stiff. A bank-note (or 
other paper money), the equivalent of 
money when not in specie, i.e. a 
draft or bill of exchange (1854). 
Hence, to do a bit of stiff, to accept a 
bill. 

Bit of stuff. An overdressed 
man, man with full confidence in his 
appearance and abilities ; also a young 
woman. 

Bitter. A glass of beer. To do a 
bitter, to drink a glass of bitter : 
originally (says Hotten) an Oxford 
term : varied by, to do a beer. 

Bittock. A distance of very un- 
decided length : if a North country- 
man be asked the distance to a place, 
he will most probably reply, a mile 
and a bittock : the latter may be con- 
sidered any distance from one hundred 
yards to ten miles : also of time. 

Biz. Business, employment, occu- 
pation : Good biz, profitable busi- 
ness. 

B. K. S. Barracks: used by officers 
in mufti, who do not wish to give their 
address. 

Blab, subs, (vulgar). 1. A babbler : 
a depraved word, once in common use, 
but rarely employed now, except 
colloquially. 2. Loose talk, chatter. 
Also as verb and in various com- 
pounds and allied forms, such as blab- 



ber, blabbing, blabbing - book, etc. 
a taint of vulgarism now rests upon 
them all. 

Black. 1. A poacher working with 
a blackened face (1722). 2. A mute 
(1619). Phrases: To look Nock, to 
frown, look angrily ; to say black is 
any one's eye. (eyebrow, nail, etc.), to 
find fault, lay to charge; black-babbling, 
malicious talk. 

Black Act Black art (q.v.). 

Blackamoor. \. A negro, any dark- 
skinned person ; originally not in 
depreciation, but now a nickname 
(1547). 2. A devil, demon, evil spirit 
(1663). 

Blackamoor's Teeth. Cowrie shells 
the currency of some savage tribes 
(1700). 

Black-and-tan. Porter (or stout) 
and ale, mixed in equal quantities. 

Black-and-tan country. The 
Southern States of North America. 

Black and White. The black 
characters of print or writing on white 
paper. Hence, to put a thing down in 
olack and wMte, to preserve it in writ- 
ing or in print : black on white is a 
variant (1596). 

Black - apronry. The clerical and 
legal professions (1832). 

Black -art. 1. Picking of locks, 
burglary (1591). 2. The business of 
an undertaker. 

Black-ball. See PilL 

Blackballing. Stealing, pilfering : 
a sailor's word : it originated amongst 
the employees of the old Black Ball 
line of steamers between New York 
and Liverpool the cruelty and scan- 
dalous conduct of officers to men, and 
sailors to each other, were so proverb- 
ial, that the line of vessels in question 
became known all over the world for 
the cruelty of its officers, and the 
thieving propensities of its sailors. 

Blackbeettes. The lower strata of 
society (1821). 

Blackberry swagger. A hawker 
of tapes, boot-laces, etc. 

Blackbird. Formerly a captive 
on board a slaver; now generally 
understood as referring to a Poly- 
nesian indentured labourer, who, if 
not by name a slave, is often one to all 
intents and purposes. As verb, to cap- 
ture negroes or Polynesians, to kidnap. 

Black- birders. Kidnappers for 
labour purposes on the islands of the 
Pacific. 
47 



Slack-look. 



Blackleg. 



Black- book. To be in the black books, 
to be in disgrace, have incurred dis- 
pleasure, to be out of fa,vour. 

Black box. A lawyer (Grose). 

Black-boy. See Blackooat. 

Black Bracelets. Handcuffs: see 
Darbies (1839). 

Black-cactte. 1. Clergymen, par- 
sons. 2. lice, active citizens (q.v.), 
chates(q.v.). 

Black-cattle Show. A gathering of 
clergymen. 

Black-coat. A parson (1627). 

Black-country. Parts of Stafford- 
shire and Warwickshire blackened by 
the coal and iron industries (1834). 

Black-cuffs. The Fifty-eighth Foot: 
now the second battalion of the North- 
amptonshire Regiment; from the 
regimental facings, which have been 
black since 1767 : also nicknamed the 
steel backs (q.v.). 

Black Diamonds. 1. Coals (1849). 
2. A rough (but clever or good) person : 
this has given place to rough diamond 
(q.v.). 

Black Dog. 1. Applied, circa 1702- 
30, to a counterfeit shilling and other 
base silver coinage. 2. Delirium 
tremens, the horrors, jim jams: 
black dog is frequently used for de- 
pression of spirits, and melancholy: 
when a child is sulky, it is said, the 
black dog is on his back : among 
the ancients a black dog and its pups 
were considered an evil omen. To 
blush like a black dog, not to blush 
at all, to be shameless (1634). 

Black Doll. See Dolly shop. 

Black-eye, To give a bottle a 
black eye, to empty it. 

Black -eyed Susan. Texan for a 
revolver : among other slang equiva- 
lents for this weapon current in the 
Lone Star State may be mentioned, 
Meat in the pot, Blue lightning, The 
peace-maker, Mr. Speaker, One-eyed 
scribe, Pill box, and My unconverted 
friend. 

Black-fellow. An Australian 
aboriginal (1831). 

Black-fly. A clergyman: see 
Devil-dodger (1811). 

Black-foot. A go-between, 
match-maker (1814). 

Blackfriars. Look out ! Beware ! 

Black Fri day. 1 . The day on which 
Overend, Guraey, & Co. suspended 
payment 10th May 1886 : c Blue 
Monday (1750). 2. The Monday on 



which the death penalty is carried 
out ; these events aio (or wero) gener- 
ally arranged to fall on the day in 
question. 

Black-gown. A collegian, learned 
man (1710). 

Blackguard, subs, (common). A 
man coarse in speech, and offensive in 
manner, scamp, scoundrol, disreput- 
able fellow : the term, as now used, is 
one of opprobrium, and although a 
good deal of uncertainty hangs about 
its history and derivation, it seems 
pretty clear that a certain amount of 
odium has always been attached to 
the word (1532). As adj., of or per- 
taining to a blackguard, to the scum 
or refuse of society, vile, vicious ( 1760). 
As verb, to act like a rufiian,use filthy 
(or scurrilous) language, play the 
vagabond (or scoundrel). 

Black Hole. 1. Cheltenham* from 
the number of retired Anjtlo-Indian.s 
who live there : cf. Asia Minor. 2. A 
barrack punishment-cell (or lock-up), 
guard-room: the official designation 
till 1868. 

Black Horse. The Seventh Dra- 
goon Guards : so called from the regi- 
mental facings, black on scarlet : 
occasionally The Blacks. During the 
reign of George II., the corps was 
known as The Virgin Mary's Guard, 
and is often called Struwboots (q.v.). 
Black House. A place of business 
where hours are long, and wages at 
starvation rates ; a sweating house. 
Black-humour. Melancholy. 
Black InoUes. Newcastle-on-Tyne : 
from its trade, coal : tho term is now 
obsolete, but it was in common UHC 
at the latter part of the eighteenth 
century. 

Black Jack. 1. A leathern jug for 
beer, usually holding two gallons 
(1591). 2. A black leather 3 erkin 
(1512). 

Black job. A funeral. 
Blackleg. LA turf swindler, 
rook, welcher ; also one who cheats at 
cards or billiards : origin unknown ; 
although many speculations have been 
hazarded, none are satisfactory ( 1771 ). 
2. A workman who, when his follows 
are on strike, is willing to go on working. 
8. Also any one failing or refusing to 
join his fellows in combination for a 
given purpose. As verb, to boycott, 
to make things so uncomfortable" for a 
man that he is compelled to leave his 



work or the town. To Hacldeg it, 
amongst trades' union men to return 
to work before the causes of a strike 
have been removed (or settled) to the 
satisfaction of the leaders. 

B 1 a c k-1 e g g i s m, Black-leggsry. 
Cheating, swindling, the arts and 
practices of a blackleg (q.v.) (1832). 

Black-letter Day. An inauspicious 
day : of. Red-letter day. 

Black Literature. That printed in 
black letter (1797). 

Blackmail (or rent). An illegal 
tribute (1533). 

Black - man (Black Gentleman). 
The devil (1606). 

Blackmails. See Darkinans. 

Black Maria. A prison van or 
omnibus : used for the conveyance of 
prisoners : the origin of the phrase is 
unknown. A variant is Sable Maria. 

Black Monday. A schoolboys' 
term for the Monday on which, after 
holidays, school re-opens. 

Black Mouth. A foul-mouthed 
person, a slanderer. Henoe Uack- 
mouthed, calumnious. 

Black - mummer. One unwashed 
and unshorn. 

Black-neb. A person of democratic 
sympathies at tho time of the French 
Revolution. 

Black -nob. A non-unionist, one 
who (while his fellows are on strike) 
persists in working at his trade, a 
blackleg (q.v.). 

Black Ointment. Uncooked meat. 

Black- pot. A toper, tippler, Lush- 
iagton (q.v.) (1594). 

Black Psalm. To sing t7ie black 
psalm, to cry ; a saying used to children 
(Grose). 

Blacks. See Black horse. 

Black Sal (or Suke). A kettle. 

Black Sanctus. A burlesque hymn 
or anthem, rough music. 

Black Saturday. A Saturday on 
which an artisan or mechanic has no 
money to take, having anticipated it 
by advances. 

Black Sheep. A scapegrace, bad 
lot ; mauvais sujet : also applied liko 
blackleg and black-nob to workmen, 
who persist in working when their 
comrades are on strike. As verb (Win- 
chester College) : when a fellow in 
Junior Part got above (or jockeyed) 
a fellow in Middle Part. 

Blacksmith's Daughter. A key: 
formerly the key with which the doors 



of sponging houses were unlocked: 
also Locksirmitis daughter. 

Black- snake. A long whip-lash. 

Black- spice Racket Robbing 
chimney sweepers of their tools, bag, 
and soot (Lexicon Balatronicum). 

Black Spy. The devil: Fr., dache. 

Black-strap. 1. Thick, sweet port. 
2. Properly speaking, gin mixed with 
molasses, but frequently applied to 
a compound of any alcoholic liquor 
with molaspes: beverages of this 
description were at one time the 
commonest of dnnks among agricul- 
tural labourers. 3. A task of labour 
imposed on soldiers at Gibraltar as a 
punishment for small offences (Gfrose). 

Black- teapot. A negro footman. 

Black Watch (The). The 42nd 
Foot; now the Royal Highlanders: 
from the colour of the dress. 

Blackwork. Undertaking : waiters 
at public dinners are often employed 
during the day as mutes. 

Blacky. A negro : cf . Darky. 

Bladder. A pretentious person, 
windbag (q.v.). 

Bladderdash. Nonsense, bunkum 
(q.v.), spoof (q.v,): a portmanteau 
word bladder balderdash. 

Bladder of Lard, A bald-headed 
person. 

Bladderskate. See Bletherskate. 

Blade. A roysterer, gallant, 
sharp, keen, free-and-easy man, good 
fellow (1595). 

Blamed. Used to emphasize a 
statement : it partakes of the nature 
of an oath, being often used instead 
of doomed or damned : in America 
the expression is more of a collo- 
quialism than it is in England (1835). 
Hence, Blame it ! a round - about 
oath. 

Blamenation ! Damnation I 

Blandiloquence. Smooth, nattering 
speech, carneying (q.v.). Hence 
Blandttoquous, smooth-speaking, flat- 
tering (1615). 

Blank (Blanked, Blankety). 
Euphemistic oaths: clearly an out- 
come of the practice of representing 
an oath, for decency's sake, in printing, 
by a dash or blank space ; e.g. d d. 

Blank -charter. Liberty to do 
as one likes. 

Blank cheque. Unlimited credit. 

Blanket. Lawful llaa&et ; a wife : 
see Dutch. Wet-blanket, any thing or 
person that discourages, a damper 



Hianket, ffair. 



(q.v.) (1830). Born on the wrong side 
of the blanket, illegitimate (1771). 

Blanket Fair. Bed: of. Bedford- 
shire, Sheet Alley, and Land of Nod. 

Blanket-love. Illicit amours ( 1G49). 

Blarmed. A euphemism for 
blessed (q.v.); damned; blowed 
(q.v.) ; or blamed (q.v.), of the last of 
which it is probably a corruption. 

Blarm me 1 A euphemistic oath. 

Blarney. Blandishment, soft 
speech, or sawder, gross flattery, 
gammon. [From Castle Blarney m 
Ireland, in the wall of which, difficult of 
access, is placed a stone. Whoever is 
able to kiss this is said thereafter to be 
able to persuade to anything (Grose).] 
As verb, (1) to wheedle, coax, natter 
grossly; (2) to pick looks (American 
thieves). 

Blasted. Execrable, confounded : 
Grose has blasted fellow for an aban- 
doned rogue (1682). 

Blatantation. Noisy effusion. 



ater. A calf : probably a cor- 
ruption of bleater (1714). 

Blather, Noisy talk, voluble non- 
sense : cf . Blether. As verb, to talk 
volubly, noisily, nonsensically. 

Blatherskite. 1. Boastful dis- 
putatious swagger : cf. BlethersMte. 
2. A swaggerer, boaster, one who talks 
volubly and nonsensically. 

Blayney's Bloodhounds. The 
Eighty-ninth Foot, now the second 
battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers : 
they obtained this nickname during the 
Irish Rebellion in 1798. 

Blaze. Blaze-away \ Look sharp ; 
stir your stumps an inj unction to 
renewed and more effective effort. 

Blazer. Originally applied to tho 
uniform of the Lady Margaret Boat 
Club of St. John's College, Cambridge, 
which was of a bright red and was 
called a blazer : now applied to any 
light jacket of bright colour worn at 
cricket or other sports. Prof. Skeat 
\N. and Q., 7 S., iii. 436] speaking of 
the Johnian blazer, says it was always 
of the most brilliant scarlet, and thinks 
it not improbable that the fact sug- 
gested the name which subsequently 
became general 

Blazes. 1. The infernal regions. 
As a verb, to blaze is employed in a 
manner closely bordering on slang : 
thus one says of an action that it is a 
blasting shame ; that he has a blazing 



50 



headache ; that so-and-so is a blazing 
thief ; that such a job is biding hard 
work ; that it is a blazing hot day. 2. 
The brilliant habiliments of flunkeys : 
from the episode of Sam Weller and 
the swarry. Old blazes* tlie devil. 
Go to blazes ! Go to the dcnl ; 30 to 
hell used in imprecations (1851). 
Like blazes, vehemently, with extreme 
ardour. How (Who, or What) far, 
blazes, How (What or Who) the 
Dickens. Drnnk as blazes (or Uaizurs), 
very drunk, beastly drunk : see 
Screwed. 

Bleach (Harvard University). 
To absent oncsalf from moramg 
prayers. 

Bleached Mort. A fair complex- 
loned wench (Grose). 
Bleak. Handsome. 
Bleater. The victim of a sharper 
or rook (1(509). 

Bleating cheat. A sheep (1, 5 07). 
Bleating Cull. A sheep stealer. 
Bleating Prig (or Rig). Sheep steal- 
ing- 
Bleed. 1. To he -victimise.! I, lose 
or part with money so that the loss w 
felt, be rushed (q.v.), Lave money 
drawn or extorted from one (1G6S). 
2. To piano down so that tho ed;jo 
of a printed book is cut away. 3, To 
let water out (nautical). To bhcd the 
monkey, to steal rum from ''.-e mesH 
tub called tlie monkey: the term 
is exclusively naval, monkeys not 
being known on merchant ships : also 
called sucking the monkey azul tsi jtpm*; 
the admiral. 

Bleeder (University). 1. A 
duffer beyond compare, u superlative 
fool : see Bufne. 2. A sovereign : see 
Rhino, o. A spur. 

Bleeding. An expletive: c-f. (Shake- 
speare), bleeding tiow. 

Bleeding Cully. One who parts 
easily with his money, or blec'ls freely 
(Qroae). 

Blenker. To plunder: much used 
during the Civil War, 

Bless. To curso, damn. Tit blr** 
oneself, to ba surprised, vexed, mor- 
tified : generally, God bless me ! 
Bless my eyes I Bless mv woui J 
Lor' bless mo ! (159i>). * Not a 
penny to bless oncsdf vxtb, utterly im- 
pecunious, without a sou (1843). 
To bless one's stars, to thank omwtf, 
attribute one's good fortune to h i k T 
generally in a ludicrous ^-UM- 



Blessed. 



Block. 



Blessed ( Blest). An ironical 
euphemism; often used like blazing 
for cursed, damned, etc., or as a vow 
(1806). 

Blessing. A curse : ironical. 

Blether Blather. Nonsense, 
vapid talk, voluble chatter (1787). 
Hence Blethering, volubly, foolishly 
talkative : cf . Bletherskate. 

Bletherskate, Blatherskite. 1. 
Boastful swagger: in talk or action. 
2. A boaster, noisy talker : in Ireland, 
Bladder - slcate, and Bladderum-sJsate 
(1650). 

Blew. 1. To inform, peach, expose, 
betray : see Blow upon. 2. To spend, 
waste : generally of money ; when a 
man has spent or lost all his money, he 
is said to have blewed it. 

Blimey ! Blind me ! 

Blind. 1. A means or place of con- 
cealment ( 1647). 2. A pretence, shift, 
action through which one's real pur- 
pose is concealed, that which obstructs, 
make-believe (1663). 3. A para- 
graph CTJ] mark is so called ; from the 
eye of the reversed P being filled up. 
As adj., tipsy, in liquor : see Screwed. 
Blind as a brickbat, very blind men- 
tally or physically (1849). When the 
devil is bfand, never : FT., le trente six 
du mois, and qucrnd les poules auront 
des dents. To go it Wind, to enter upon 
an undertaking without thought as 
to the result, or inquiry beforehand : 
from poker. 

Blind-drunk (or fou). So drunk as 
to be unable to see better than a blind 
man: see Screwed: Americans say, 
So drunk as not to be able to see 
through a ladder. 

Blinder. To take a, blinder, to die : 
see Hop the Twig. 

Blind Half Hundred. The Fiftieth 
Regiment of Foot, now the first bat- 
talion Queen's Own (Royal West Kent 
Regiment) : many men suffered from 
ophthalmia durin^ the Egyptian cam- 
paign. [1801]. 

Blind Harper. A beggar coun- 
terfeiting blindness, playing on a 
fiddle (Grose). 

Blind-man's Holiday. Formerly, 
the night or darkness ; now usually 
applied to the time between lights, 
when it is too dark to see, but often 
not dark enough to light up, and a 
holiday or rest from work is taken 



Blind Monkeys* An imaginary 



collection at the Zoological Gardens, 
which are supposed to receive care and 
attention from persons fitted by 
nature for such office and for little 
else. An idle and useless person is 
often told that he is only fit to lead 
blind monkeys. Another form is for 
one man to tell another that he knows 
of a suitable situation for him. How 
much a week ? and what to do ? are 
natural questions, and then comes 
the scathing and sarcastic reply, Five 
bob a week at the doctor's you're 
to stand behind the door and make 
the patients sick. They won't want 
no physic when they sees your mug 
(EoUen). 

Blindo. A drunken spree. As verb, 
to die : see Hop the Twig. 

Blind Side. The side that is 
weakest, the most assailable side 
(1606). 

Blind Story. A story without 
point. 

Blink. To drink : see Lush. 

Blinker. 1. The eye : cf. Winker, 
Peeper, Optic, etc. (1816). 2. In pL 
Spectacles, barnacles (1732). 3. In 
Norfolk, a black eye. 4. A hard blow 
in the eye. Blank your blinJeers, a 
euphemistic oath. 

Blink - fencer. A vendor of spec- 
tacles. 

Blinko. An amateur entertain- 
ment, a free-and-easy (q. v. ) ; a sing- 
song (q.v.). 

Blister. Euphemistic for damn: 
cf. Blamed (1840). 

Blizzard. 1. A poser, stunning blow, 
unanswerable argument, etc., etc. 
(1 83 1 ). 2. A snow-gale, furious storm 
of frost-wind and blinding snow. 

Bloak. See Bloke. 

Bloat. 1. A drowned body. 2. 
A drunkard. 3. A contemptuous 
name for a human being. 

Bloated Aristocrat. A man swollen 
with the pride of rank or wealth ; also 
a general sobriquet applied by the 
masses to the classes. Bloated 
has long been employed in a. similar 
sense. Swift spoke of a certain states- 
man aa a bloated minister (1731). 

Bloater. See My bloater. 

Blob. To talk, patter. Blob- 
tale, a tell-tale, tale-bearer (1670). 

Block. A stupid person, hard 
unsympathetic individual!, one of 
mean, unattractive appearance (1534) : 
soe Buffla. Barber' 8 block (1), the 



51 



Blockers. 



Bloody 



head (1637) ; (2) a fop. A chip of the 
same (or old) block, a man or thing 
exhibiting the same qualities as he or 
that -with which a comparison is made 
(1627). As deaf as a Nock, as deaf as 
may be. To cut a Hock with a razot , in- 
consequent argument,, futile endeavour, 
incongruous application of means (or 
ability) to the end in view (1774). To 
block a hat, to crush a man's hat over 
Ine eyes, to bonnet (q.v.). 

Blockers. See Block ornaments. 

B 1 o c k h e a d (or Block- pate). A 
stupid fellow, woodenhead ; see 
Buffle. 

Block House. A prison, house 
of detention : see Cage (1624). 

Block Island Turkey, subs. (Ameri- 
can). Salted cod-fish. Connecticut 
and Rhode Island. Slang delights in 
naming fish as flesh. For some curious 
examples, see Two-eyed Steak. 

Block Ornament (or Blocker). 
1. A small piece of meat of indifferent 
quality, a tnmming from a joint, 
etc. : as exposed for sale on the blocks 
or counters of butchers' shops in cheap 
neighbourhoods, opposed to meat 
hung on hooks (1848). 2. A queer- 
looking man or woman one odd in 
appearance. 

Block-pate. See Blockhead. 

Bloke (or Bloak). A man, fellow 
(1851). 

Blood. 1. A fop, dandy, buck, or 
fast man : originally in common use, 
but now obsolete : from that legitimate 
sense of the word which attributes fche 
seat of the passions and emotions to 
the blood hence, a man of spirit ; one 
who has blood worth mention, and, in 
an inferior sense, he who makes him- 
self notorious, whether by dress or 
rowdyism : in the last century, especi- 
ally during the regency of George IV., 



Blood and Thunder.' A beverage 
of port wine and brandy mixed. 

Blood and Thunder Tales. 
Low class fiction, the term being 
generally applied to works dealing 
with the exploits of desperadoes cut- 
throats, and other criminals : also called 
Awfuls, Penny dreadfuls, Gutter 
htsrature. Shilling shockers. 

Blood-an*-'ouns. An abbreviated 
form of an old and blasphemous oath. 

Blood-curdler (or Blood- freezer). 
A narration or incident which makes 
the flesh creep, that which stirs one's 
feelings strongly (and generally re- 
pulsively) : saia of a sensational 
murder, a thrilling ghost-story, etc. 

Blood for Blood. When 
tradesmen exchange wares, setting 
the cost of one kind off against another 
instead of making payment in cur- 
rency, they are said to give blood for 
blood. 

Blood- Freezer. See Blood-curdler. 

Blood-red Fancy. A particu- 
lar kind of handkerchief sometimes 
worn by pugilists and frequenters of 
prize fights : see Billy. 

Blood Suckers. The Sixty- third 
Regiment of Foot, now the iirsfc 
battalion of the Manchester Regi- 
ment. 2. An extortioner, sponger 
(1668). 

Blood-tub. A roivdy, blustering 
bully, rough : this nickname was 
peculiar to Baltimore ; the Blood-tubs 
were said to have been mostly butchers, 
and to have got their epithet from 
having, on an election day, clipped au 
obnoxious German's head in a tub of 
warm blood, and then driven him 
running through the town. 

Bloody, adj. (low). An inton&ive 
difficult to define, and used in a mul- 
titude of vague and varying season, 1 >nt 



the term was largely in vogue to denote frequently with no special meaning, 

a young man of good birth or social much less a sanguinary one : generally 

standing about town; subsequently, = an emphatic, very: in general collo- 

it came to mean a riotous, disorderly quial use from 1650-1750, but now 



fellow (1562). 2. Money: generic: 
see Rhino. As verb, to deplete of 
money, victimise: a figurative usage 
of to bleed ; i.e. surgically., to let or 
draw blood by opening a vein. 

Blood and Entrails. The 
British ensign is so nicknamed by 
Yankee sailors ; English salts return 
the compliment by jokingly speaking 
of the American flag as The Gridiron 
and Doughboys (q.v.). 



vulgar or profane. The origin is not 
quite certain ; but there is good roa?on 
to think that it was at first a refer- 
ence to the habits ot the bloods or 
aristocratic rowdies of the end of the 
17th and beginning of the 1 8th cent. 
The phrase bloody drunk was ap- 
parently as drunk as a blood (of. 
as drunk as a lord) ; thence it was 
extended to kindred expressions, ami 
at length to others ; probably in later 



52 



Bloody Baok. 



Slowed. 



times, its associations with bloodshed 
and murder (cf. a bloody battle, a 
bloody butcher) have recommended 
it to the rough classes as a word that 
appeals to their imagination. Compare 
the prevalent craving for impress- 
ive or graphic intensives as seen in the 
use of jolly, awf-idly, terribly, dewl- 
ish, deuced, damned, ripping, rattling, 
thumping, stunning, thundering, etc. 

Bloody Back. A soldier. 

Bloody Chasm. To bridge 
the bloody chasm, a favourite expres- 
sion with orators who, during the 
years immediately succeeding the 
Civil War, sought to obliterate the 
memory of the struggle. The anti- 
thetical phrase is to wave the bloody 
shirt (q.v.). 

Bloody Eleventh. The Eleventh 
Regiment of Foot, now the Devon- 
shire Regiment : at the battle of Sala- 
manca (fought with the French) the 
corps was nearly cut to pieces, whence 
its sanguinary sobriquet. At Fon- 
tenoy and Ostend also, it was hard- 
pressed and nearly annihilated. 

Bloody Jemmy. An uncooked 
sheep's head. 

Bloody Shirt. To wave, the 
bloody sfiirt, to keep alive factious 
strife on party questions. Primarily 
it was the symbol of those who, 
during the Reconstruction period at 
the close of the rebellion of the South- 
ern or Confederate States, would not 
suffer the Civil War to sink into oblivion 
out of consideration for the feelings of 
the vanquished. 

Bloomer. A mistake : said to be 
an abbreviated form of blooming 
error. 

Blooming (often Bloomin'). This 
word, similar in type to blessed, 
blamed, and other words of the kind, 
is, as used by the lower classes, a 
euphemism, but it is also frequently 
employed as a more meaningless in- 
tensitive (1726). 

Bloss. Generic for a woman 
girl, wife, or mistress : Shakespeare, 
in Titus Andronicus (1588, iv. ii. 72), 
employs it in the sense of one lovely 
ana full of promise Sweet blowse 

ou are a beautious blossome sure ; 
ennyson (1847) in the Princess (v. 
79), uses the expression, My babe, 
my blossom, ah, my child ! 

Blossom-faced. With red bloated 
lace. 



Blossom-nose. A tippler, Lushing- 
ton (q.v.). Blossom-nosed, red with 
tippling : cf . Grog-blossom, Rum-bud. 

Blot. To blot the scrip, to put an 
undertaking into writing : the modern 
phrase is, to put it ia black and 
white. Hence, To blot the scrip and 
jarJc it, to stand engaged, bound for 
any one (Grose). 

Bloviate. To talk aimlessly 
and boastingly, indulge in high 
falutin' : said to 
since 1850. 

Blow. 



have been in use 



1. A shilling: see Rhino. 
2. A drunken frolic, spree. As verb, 
(1) to boast, brag, gas, fume, storm 
generally to talk boastfully or self- 
assertingly of oneself or one's affairs 
(1400) ; (2) to inform, expose, betray, 
peach (1575) ; (3) to lie ; (4) employed 
euphemistically for damn gener- 
ally in the imperative Blow it I 
hang it 1 (5) to lose or snend money : 
cf. Blue ; (6) to indulge in a frolic or 
spree; (7) (Winchester School), to 
blush. To bite the blow, to steal 
goods, prig. To blow a cloud, to 
smoke. To How hot and cold, to 
vacillate, be inconsistent ; to blow the 
bellows, to stir up passion ; to blow off, 
to relieve one's f eehngs, get rid of super- 
fluous energy ; to blow into one's ear, 
to whisper privily ; to blow one's own 
trumpet, to brag, sound one's own 
praises ; to blow the coals (or the fire), to 
fan the flame of discord, promote 
strife ; to blow up, to scold, rate, rail 
at; To blow great guns, to blow a 
hurricane or violent gale : sometimes 
to blow great guns and small arms 
(1839). To blow one's bazoo, to boast, 
swagger, gasconade. To blow oneself 
out, to eat heartily, gorge : hence, 
blow out, a heavy feed (or enter- 
tainment), a tuck in. To blow the 
gab (or gaff), to reveal (or let out) a 
secret, peach (Grose). To blow the 
grampus, to throw cold water on a 
man who has fallen asleep when on 
duty. To blow together, to make gar- 
ments in a slovenly manner. To blow 
up sky-high, to do everything with un- 
usual energy. To blow upon, to betray, 
tell tales of, discredit, defame. 

Blowboul (or Bio boll). A 
tippler : see Lushington. 

Blow- book. A book containing 
indelicate or ' smutty ' pictures (1708), 

Slowed. To be blowed, Slowed is 
here a euphemism, frequently little 



Blowen. 



Blue. 



more than a thinly-veiled oath. To 
bo cursed, sent about one's business. 

El o wen (or Blowing). Origin 
ally a woman, without special refer- 
ence to moral character, now a showy 
courtesan or a prostitute (1688). 

Blower. 1 A girl : contemptuous 
in opposition to jomcr (q.v.) (Grose). 

2. A good talker, boaster, gas-bag. 

3. A pipe. 

Blowhard. A Western term of 
abuse : a newcomer may, in one and 
the same breath, be called a blarsfcecl 
Britisher, a coyote, and a blowhard. 

Blowse (Blowsy, Blouze, Blowzy). 
1. A beggar's trull, a wench. 2. 
A slatternly woman, especially one 
with dishevelled hair. Thought to be 
of canting origin. 

Blowze. 1. A beggar's trull, beg- 
gar wench, wonch (1573). 2. A fat, 
rod - faced bloated wench, or one 
whose head is dressed Uke a slattern 
(Bailey}. 

Blubber. 1. The mouth: see 
Potato-trap (Grose). 2. A woman's 
breasts. As verb, to cry, weep: in 
contempt (1400) : also Blab. 

Blubber and Guts. Obesity ; a 
low term. 

Blubber-belly. A fat person. 

Blubber Head. A foolish, empty- 
headed individual : see Buffle. 

Blucher (ch. hard) (Winchester 
College). 1. A College praefect in half 
power: their jurisdiction does not 
extend beyond Seventh Chamber 
passage, though their privileges are 
the same as those of other prsefects : 
they are eight in number. 2. A non- 
privileged cab plying at railway 
stations : railway companies recog- 
nise two classes of cabs, called the Pri- 
vileged .... and the Bluchers, non- 
privileged cabs, which are admitted to 
stations after all the privileged have 
been hired*, named after the Prussian 
Field - Marshal who arrived on the 
field of Waterloo only to do the work 
that chanced to be undone. 

Bludgeoner. A bully, pimp, 
ponce. 

Bludger. A thief, who does not 
hesitate to use violence ; literally one 
who will use a bludgeon. 

Bludget. A female thief, who 
decoys her victims into alley-ways, 
etc., to rob them. 

Blue. 1. A policeman : from the 
colour of the uniform; also (collect* 



ively), !>lu<js, Men in "Sine, Blue-boys, 
Blue- bottles, Blue-devils, Royal Regi- 
ment of Foot-guards Blue. 2. Among 
licensed victuallers and their customers 
in certain districts of Wales a com- 
promiso between the half -pint and 
the pint pot ; it is not recognised as a 
legal measure by the authorities, but 
the Board of Trade has pointed out 
to the local authorities that there is 
nothing in the Weights and Measures 
Act to prevent the use of the Blue or to 
make its possessor liable to penalties, 
always provided of course that the 
vessel is not used as a measure. 3. A 
scholar of Christ's Hospital : a blue- 
coat boy : also derived from the colour 
of the clothes a blue drugget gown or 
body with ample skirts to it, a yellow 
vest underneath in winter time, small 
clothes of Russia duck, worsted 
yellow stockings, a leathern girdle, and 
a little black worsted cap, usually 
carried in the hand, being the com- 
plete costume ; this was the ordinary 
dress of children in humble life in 
Tudor times. 4. Short for blue- 
stocking (q.v.) ; formerly a contempt- 
uous term for a woman having (or 
affecting) literary tastes (1788). 5. 
Female learning or pedantry (1824). 
6. At Oxford and Cambridge a man is 
said to get his blue when selected as a 
competitor in inter-university sports : 
the University colours are, for Oxford, 
dark blue ; and for Cambridge, light 
blue : cf. to get one's silk, said of a 
barrister when made King's Counsel. 
As adj., (1) applied, usually in con- 
tempt, to women of literary tastes : 
Fr., blcue celle-la ; (2) indecent; 
smutty ; obscene ; (3) gloomy, 
fearful, depressed, low-spirited : cf. to 
look blue, blue funk, and in the blues. 
As verb, (1) to blush (1700) ; (2) to 
pawn, pledge, spend, actually to get 
rid of money quickly : cf. Blew ; (3) to 
miscalculate, to make a mess of 
anything, to mull; (4) to steal, 
plunder ; to beblued* to be robbed : see 
Prig. By aU that's blue, a euphemistic 
oath : probably by Heaven : it may 
be compared with the French parblev* 
synonymous with 'par JDicu. fUl ctJtf 
is Uue> (1) to the utmost, the end, for 
an indefinite period: Smyth, in his 
Sailors' Word Book, says this phrase 
is borrowed from the idea of a vessel 
making out of port and getting into 
deep water; (2) tipsy; see Sc-^wed 



Bltte Apron. 



Blue Murd&r. 



(1616): c. Fr., avoir un coup d?l>l&u. 
To look blue, to bo confounded, aur- 
prised, astonished, aimojed, dis- 
appointed. Fr... en renter tout bleu, en 
ttre bleu, en bailler tout blev ( 1 GOO). To 
make the air blue, to curse, swear. 
True Hue, faithful, genuine, real : an 
allusion to blue as the colour of con- 
stancy (1383). 

Blue Apron. A tradesman (1721). 

Bluebacks. 1. The paper money 
of the Confederates : originating, as 
in the case of United States paper 
currency greenbacks, in the colour of 
the printing on the reverse. 2. The 
Orange Free State paper money. 

Blue Bellies. A nickname be- 
stowed by Southerners, during the 
Civil War, upon their opponents of 
the North, whose uniform was blue : 
also Boys in bluo, Yanks, etc. The 
Southerners, on the other hand, re- 
ceived such names as The secesh, 
Rebs, and Johnny Rebs, the latter 
being sometimes shortened to Johnnies. 
The grey uniform of the Confederates 
likewise caused them to be styled 
Boys in grey, and Grey backs. 

Blue Bills (Winchester College). 
A trades man's bills sent home to the 
parents and guardians of students. 

Blue Billy. A handkerchief 
(blue ground with white spots) some- 
times worn and used as a colour at 
prize-fights : see Billy. 

Blue Blanket. I. The sky: 
probably suggested by Shakespeare's 
Blanket of the dark (Macbeth, I. 
v.) (1720). 2. A rough overcoat made 
of coarse pilot cloth. 

Blue Blazes. See Blazes. 

Blue Boar. A venereal disease. 

Blue Bottle. 1. A policeman, 
constable, watchman (1598). 2. A 
serving-man : blue was the usual habit 
of servants (1C02). 3. A term of re- 
proach for a servant. 

Blue Boy. A bubo, a tumour or 
abscess with inflammation. 

Blue-boys. The police. 

Blue Butter, Mercurial ointment. 

Blue-cap. A Scotchman (1596). 
2. A kind of ale (1822). 

Blue-coat. 1. A constable, 
guardian of public order. 2. A serv- 
ing man, and, 3. (generally) one of the 
lower orders : as wearing coats of blue 
( 1600). 4. A blue-coat boy : see Blue. 

Blued (or Slewed). Tirey, drunk ; 
see Screwed. 



Blue Dahlia. Something rare (or 
seldom seen), a rara avis. 

BlueDevils. 1. Dejection, low- 
ness of spirits, hypochondria (1786). 
2. Delirium tremens (1818). Hence, 
such derivatives as Blue devilage, Blue 
devilry, Blue devilism ; and Blue 
devilly. 

Blue Fear. Extreme frigkc: the 
same as Blue funk (q.v.). 

Blue Flag. A blue apron (q.v.) 
worn by butchers, publicans, and 
other tradesmen (Grose). 

Blue Funk. Extreme fright, 
nervousness, dread (1856). 

Blue- gown. 1. A loose woman : 
a blue-gown was the dress of igno- 
miny for a harlot hi the house of 
correction (Nares). 2. A beggar, 
especially a licensed beggar who wore 
the dress as a badge. 

Blue Hen's Chickens. 
The inhabitants of Delaware. The 
nickname arose thus : Captain Cald- 
well, an officer of the first Delaware 
regiment in the American War of In- 
dependence, was noted for bis love of 
cock-fighting. Being personally popu- 
lar, and his regiment becoming famous 
for their valour, they were soon known 
as game - cocks ; and as Caldwell 
maintained that no cock was truly 
game unless its mother was a blue hen, 
his regiment, and subsequently Dela- 
wareans generally, became known as 
blue hen's chickens, and Delaware as 
the Blue Hen State for the same reason. 
A boaster is also often brought to book 
by the sarcasm Your mother was a 
blue hen no doubt. 

Blue Horse. The Fourth Dragoon 
Guards (1746-88). 

Blue-jacket. A sailor; especially 
used to distinguish seamen from the 
marines. 

Blue Laws. Puritanic laws of 
extreme severity : originally of enact- 
ments at New Haven, Conn,, U.S.A. 

Blue Lightning. A revolver. 

Blue Monday. A Monday 
spent in dissipation and absence from 
work. 

Blue Moon. Once, in a Uue 
moon, extremely seldom, an unlimited 
time, a rarely recurring period: an 
old phrase, first used in the sense of 
something absurd ; a blue moon, like 
the Greek Kalends, is something which 
does not exist (152G). 

Blue Murder (or Blue Murders) 



Jlfaeness. 



Cries of terror (or alarm), a great 
noise, an unusual racket : of. Fr,, 
morbleu. 

Blueness. Indecency (1840). Fr., 
horreurs, betises, gueulees. 

Blue Noses. The natives of 
Nova Scotia : in allusion, it is said, 
to a potato of that name which Nova 
Scotians claim to be the best in the 
world ; Proctor, however, hazards 
the suggestion that the nickname 
refers to the blueness of nose resulting 
from intense cold (1837). 

Blue Peter. The signal or 
call for trumps at whist : properly a 
blue flag with white square in centre, 
hoisted as a signal for immediate 
sailing. 

Blue Pigeon. 1. Lead used for 
roofing purposes : see Blue pigeon 
flyer. 2. The sounding lead. 

Blue Pigeon Flyer. A thief 
who steals lead from the roofs of 
buildings. Hotten thus explains the 
modus operand*. Sometimes a journey- 
man plumber, glazier, or other 
workman, when repairing houses, 
strips off the lead, and makes away 
with it. This performance is, though, 
by no means confined to workmen. 
An empty house is often entered and 
the whole of the roof in its vicinity 
stripped, the only notice given to the 
folks below being received by them on 
the occasion of a heavy downfall of 
rain. The term flyer has, indeed, of 
late years been more peculiarly ap- 
plied to the man who steals the lead 
in pursuance of his vocation as a thief, 
than to him who takes it because it 
eomes^in the way of his work (1789). 
Fr., limousinewr, gras-doublier, mas- 
taroufleur. To fly the blue pigeon, to 
steal lead from the roofs of houses. 

Blue Pill. A bullet; also JBlue 
plum and Slue whistler. 

Blue Ribbon (or Riband). A first 
prize, the greatest distinction. 

Blue Ruin. Gin : see Drinks 
(1817). 

Blues. 1. Despondency, hypo- 
chondria, depression of spirits : a 
shortened form of blue devils (q.v.). 
2. The police. 3. The Royal Horse 
Guards Blue are popularly so known 
from their blue uniform with scarlet 
facings : the corps first obtained the 
name of Oxford Blues in 1690, to 
distinguish it from a Dutch regiment 
of Horse Guards dressed in blue, 



commanded by the Bi.ul of Portland, 
tho former being comm.inded by the 
Earl of Oxford ; subsequently the 
regiment was, during the campaign in 
Flanders [1742-45], known as the 
Blue Guards. 

Blue Skin. 1. Formerly a 
contemptuous term for a Presby- 
terian. 2. A half-breed the child of 
a black woman by a white man. 

Blue Squadron. Mixed blood ; 
properly one with a Hindoo strain : 
Eurasians belong to the blue squad- 
ron : of. Touch of the tar brush. 

Blue Stocking. A literary 
lady : applied usually with the im- 
putation of pedantry. The gener- 
ally received explanation, is that the 
term is derived from the name given 
to certain meetings held by ladies in 
the days of Dr. Johnson for conversa- 
tion with distinguished literary men. 
One of the most eminent of these 
literati was a Mr. Benjamin Stilling- 
fleet, who always wore blue stockings, 
and whose conversation at thefw 
meetings was so much prized, that his 
absence at any time was felt to be a 
great loss, so that the remark became 
common, We can do nothing without 
the blue stockings, hence these meet- 
ings were sportively called blue- 
stocking clubs, and the ladies who 
attended them blue-stockings. It in 
stated that the name specially arose in 
this way. A foreigner of rank refused 
to accompany a friend to ono of the^e 
parties on the plea of being in his 
travelling costume, to which there was 
the reply, Oh I we never mind dress 
on these occasions ; you may come in 
bas bleus or blue stookmjrs, with 
allusion to Stillirtgfloof a Htoi*kinj;n, 
when the foreigner, fancying thut btt,* 
bleus were part of the nee^snry cos- 
tume, called the meeting ever after the 
Bas-bleu Society. In modern slang 
the term bluo-stockino; ia abbrevi- 
ated into blue. Derivatives are blue,- 
stockingiam, blue-stockings; etc. ( 1 738). 
Blue Stone. Gin (or wlusky) 
of so bad a quality that it can only l>e 
compared to vitriol, of which blitc-utwc, 
is also a nickname in the north o 
England and Scotland. 

Blue Tape. Gin : see Drinks. 
Blue Water. The opori sctn. 
Blue Whistler. A bullet. 
Bluey. 1. Lead: prc^ Bin* 
pigeon. 3. A bnshmari's bundle, th<* 



Bluey-hunter. 



Bob. 



outside wrapper of which is generally 
a blue blanket hence the name : alt'o 
called swag (q.v.) and drum (q v.). 

Bluey-hunler. A thief who steals 
lead, as described under Blue pigeon 
flyer (q.v.) (1851). 

Bluff. An excuse, pretence, 
that which is intended to hoodwink or 
blind. As verb, to turn aside, stop, 
hoodwink, to blind as to one's real 
intention. 

Bluffer. 1. An innkeeper (Grose). 
2. A bo'sun. 

Blunderbuss. A stupid blundering 
fellow : see Buffle (Grose). 

Blunt. Generic for money, espe- 
cially ready money : see Rhino (17 14). 

Blunted. Possessed of money, in 
comfortable circumstances, warm (q. v. ) 

Blunt-worker. A blunderer 
(1440). Blunt-working, blundering. 

B 1 u n t y. A stupid fellow, one 
slow-witted : see Buffle. 

Blur- paper. A scribbler (1603). 

Blush. To blush like a Hack or 
blue dog, to blush not at all (1579). 

Blushet. A modest girl, a little 
blusher (1625). 

B. N. C. Brasenose : the initials 
of Brasen Nose College, Oxford: hi 
spite of the nose over the gate, the 
probability is that the real name was 
Brasinium; it is still famous for its 
beer. 

Bo (or Boh). To cry (or say) J5o 
to a goose (battledore, bull, etc.), to open 
one's mouth, to speak. 

Boanerges. A loud, vociferous 
speaker : i.e. a son of thunder 
(Mark iii. 17). 

Board. 1. To borrow. 2. To 
accost, ask of, make a demand ; i.e. 
to come to close quarters (1547). To 
board in the smoJce^ to take one un- 
awares, or by surprise. On the board, 
enjoying all the privileges and emolu- 
ments of a com petent workman : when 
an apprentice becomes a regular jour- 
neyman he goes on the board : tailors 
usually work squatting on a low raised 
platform hence possibly the expres- 
sion. To keep one's name on the board, to 
remain a member of a College. To sweep 
the board, to pocket all the stakes. To 
begin the board, to take precedence. 
To go by the board, to go for good and 
all, be completely done for, ruined. 
To tad, on another board, to change 
one's tactics. 

Boarding House (or School). 



Newgate : hut equally applicable to 
any gaol Now Yori thieves apply it 
to the Tombs . see Cage. 

Boardman. A standing pat- 
terer: they endeavour to attract at- 
tention to their papers, or, more 
commonly, pamphlets ... by meaas 
of a board with coloured pictures upon 
it, illustrative of the contents of what 
they sell : this in street technology 
is board work : sometimes called a 
sandwich man. 

Board of Green Cloth. A card 
(or billiard) table. 

Boat. Formerly the hulks ; 
latterly to any prison : sec Cage. To 
have an oar in another's boat, to 
meddle, busybody. To sail in the 
same boat, to pursue the same course. 
As verb, ( 1 ) originally to transport : the 
term is now applied to penal servitude. 
To get the boat (or to be boated), to be 
sentenced to a long term of imprison- 
ment equivalent to transportation 
under the old system ; (2) to joiio as 
partner : evidently a corruption of 
to be in the same boat, i.e. to be in 
the same position or circumstances. 
To bail one's oum boat, to be self- 
reliant, to paddle one's own canoe. 

Bob. 1. A shilling : see Rhino ( 1812). 
2. A shoplifter's assistant; one who 
receives and carries off stolen goods : 
FT., nonne (or noune). 3. Gin: see 
Drinks ( 1 749). 4. An infantry soldier ; 
generally Light-bob, i.e. a soldier of the 
light infantry (1544). 5. (Winchester 
College). A large white jug contain- 
ing about a gallon in measure, and 
used for beer. As adj., lively, nice, in 
good spirits ( 1 721 ). As verb, to cheat, 
trick, disappoint : also to bob out of 
(1605). As intj., Stop I That's enough ! 
Dry bob (Wet bob) (Eton College), the 
first-named is one who devotes him- 
self to cricket or football and other 
land sports ; the latter one who goes 
in for rowing and aquatics generally 
(1844). AH is bob, All's safe, serene, 
gay (1786). Bear a bob I Be 
brisk! look sharp! To give thebob, (1) 
to give the door : used by Massinger 
It can be no other but to give me the 
bob ; (2) to befool, mock, impose upon. 
S'heLp me bob, a street oath, equivalent 
to So help me God ; a corrupted form 
of the legal oath: So help is pro- 
nounced swelp : also s'help the cat my 
greens the tatwrs, etc. To shift one's 
bob, to go away. 



67 



BMer. 



Bogus. 



Bobber. 1. A felloe-workman, 
mate, chum. 2. A spurious plural 
of bob (q.v.) = a shilling. 

Bobbery. A noise, squabble, 
disturbance, racket (1813). 

Bobbish. Frequently pretty 
bobbish, 1.0. hearty, in good health 
and spirits, clever, spruce (1819) ; also 
bobbisbly. 

Bobby. A policeman : this nick- 
name, though possibly not derived 
from, was certainly popularised by 
the fact that the Metropolitan Police 
Actof 1828 was mainly the work of Mr., 
afterwards Sir Robert Peel. Long 
before that statesman remodelled the 
police, however, the term Bobby the 
beadle was in use to signify a guard- 
ian of a public square or other open 
space. There seems, however, a lack 
01 evidence, and examples of its 
literary use prior to 1851 have not 
been discovered. At the Universities 
the Proctors are or used to be called 
bobbies. 

Bob by- twister. A burglar or 
thief (q.v.), who, when resisting pur- 
suit or capture, uses violence. 

Bob- cull. A good fellow, pleasant 
companion. 

Bob my pal. A girl, i.e. gal. 

Bobstick. A shilling's worth. 

Bob Tail. 1. A lewd woman. 2. 
A contemptible fellow Tag, rag, 
and bobtail. See Tag. 

Bo car do. A prison : see Cage : 
specially the prison in the old North 
Gate of Oxford, demolished in 1771. 

Boco. 1. The nose : see Conk. 2. 
Nonsense, bosh. 

Bodier, A blow on the side of the 
body. 

Bodkin. Amongst sporting men, 
a person who takes bis turn between 
the sheets on alternate nights, when 
an hotel has twico as many visitors 
as it can comfortably lodge ; as, for 
instance, during a race - week. A 
transferred sense from To ride (or sit ) 
bodkin, to take a place and be wedgea 
in between other persons when the 
accommodation is intended for two 
only (1638). 

Body-cover. A coat. 

Body of Divinity Bound in Black 
Calf. A parson : see Devil-dodger. 

Body-slangs. Fetters: see Dar- 
bies (1819). 

Body - snatcher. 1. A bailiff or 
runner ; the snatch was the trick by 



which the bailiff captured the delin- 
quent. '2. A policeraan. 3. A gener- 
ally objectionable individual : also 
mean bod}/ snatch&r. 4. A violator of 
graves, resurrectionist : also Body- 
lifter (1833). 5. An undertaker. 

Bog. 1. The works at Dartmoor, 
on which convicts labour ; durm<* 
recent years a large quantity of land 
has been reclaimed in this way. 2. An 
abbreviated form of bog- house (q.v.). 
As verb, fco ease oneself, evacuate. 

Bogey. See Bogy 

Boggle- de- Bo tch (Boggledy- 
Botch). A bungle, mess, hash : 
Boggle, however, is more frequently 
employed (1834). 

Bog-house (Bog-shop). A privy, 
necessary house (1671). 

Boglander. An Irishman : from 
the boggy and marshy character of a 
considerable portion of the Emerald 
Isle (1698). 

Bog Latin. A spurious mode 
of speech simulating the Latin in con- 
struction : see Dog Latin. 

Bog-oranges. Potatoes : see 
Bogland, with an oye to the vegetable 
in question f orminp. a very substantial 
food staple of the Irish peasantry. 

Bog-trotter. An Irishman : 
Camden, however (c. 1G05), speaking 
of the debateablo land on tho bor- 
ders of England and Scotland, say.s, 
Both these dales breed notable bog- 
trotters; so the original sense would 
appear to have boon, accustomed to 
walk across bogs ; as a nickname for 
an Irishman, it dates at least from 
1671. Bog - trotting, living among 
bogs; e.g. a bog-troiting Irishman 

Bogus. Spurious, fictitious, sham, 
not what it professes to 1 : of 
American origin. Dr. Murray, who, 
while slily satirising the bogus deri- 
vations circumstantially pivcn, says : 
Dr. S. Willard, of Chicago, in a letter 
to the editor of this Dictionary, quotes 
from the PaineeviUe (Ohio) Telegraph 
of July 6 and Nov. 2, 1827, the word 
bogus as a subs., applied to an ap- 
paratus for coining false money. Mr. 
Eber D. Howe, who was then editor of 
that paper, describes in his Autobio- 
graphy (1878) the discovery of such a 
piece of mechanism in the hands oC a 

?ang of coinors at Painesyille, in May 
827; it was a mysterious-locking 
object, and some one in the crowd 
58 



Bogy. 



Bolter. 



styled it a bogus, adosignation adopted 
in the succeeding numbers of the 
paper. Dr. Willard considers this to 
have been short for tank abogus, a 
word familiar to him from his child- 
hood, and which in his father's time 
was commonly applied in Vermont to 
any ill-looking object ; he points out 
that tantrabobs is given in Haiti well 
as a Devonshire word for the devil. 
[Bogus seenis thus to be related to 
bogy, etc.] (1825). 

Bogy, Bogey. A landlord : 
Fr., Monsieur Vautour (vautour a, 
vulture). Ask Bogy, a reply to a 
question (Grose) : modern God knows ! 
or Bramah knows ! under similar cir- 
cumstances. As adj., sombre, dark 
in tint : said of a painting exhibiting 
these characteristics. 

Bohemian. A gipsy of society; 
on who either cuts himself off, or is 
by his habits cut off, from society for 
which lie is otherwise fitted ; especi- 
ally an artist, literary man, or actor, 
who leads a free, vagabond, or irre- 
gular life, not being particular as to 
the society he frequents, and despis- 
ing conventionahty generally : used 
with considerable latitude, with OL 
without reference to morals (O.E.D.}- 

Bohn (American College). A trans- 
lation, pony (q.v.) : the volumes of 
Bonn's Classical Library are in such 
general use among under-graduates 
in American Colleges, that Bohn has 
become a common name for a trans- 
lation. 

Boil. To betray, peach (1602). 
To boil down, to reduce in bulk by con- 
densing or epitomising. To boil the 
vot, to gam (or supply) one's liveli- 
hood. To keep the pot boiling, to keep 
going. Tfie blood boils, of strong 
emotion, anger, or resentment. To 
boil one*$lobster, to enter the army after 
having been in the church. 

Boiled Shirt (Biled Shirt or 
Boiled Rag). A white shirt (1854). 

Boiler (Winchester College). 
1. A plain coffee-pot used for heating 
water : called fourpenny and sixpenny 
boilers, not from their price, but 
from the quantity of Tmlk they will 
hold : TO irtei' boilers were large tin 
saucepan-like vessels in. which water 
for hot bidets (q.v.) was heated. 2. 
See Pot boiler. 

Boiler - plated. Imperturbable, 
stolid, stoicaL 



Boilers (or Brompton Boilers). 
1. The Kensington "Museum and 
School of Art, in allusion to the 
peculiar form of the temporary build- 
ings, and the fact of their being -mainly 
composed of, and covered with sheet 
iron. This has been changed since the 
extensive alteiations in the building, 
or rather pile of buildings, and the 
term boilers is now applied to the 
Bethnal Green Museum : cf. Pepper- 
boxes. 2. (Royal Military Academy). 
Boiled potatoes : Fried potatoes are 
called Greasers. 

Boiling (or B i 1 1 n g). Whole 
botling (or biling), the whole lot, entire 
quantity : also whole gridiron (q.v.) 
and All the shoot (1835). 

Boke. The nose. 

Bold. Bold as brass, audaci- 
ously forward, presumptuous, without 
shame. 

Boler (or Bowler). A stiff felt 
hat (1861). 

B o 1 1 y (Marlborough College). 
Padding. 

Bolt. The throat (1821). As 
verb (at one period slang, now recog- 
nised), 1. To escape, leave suddenly : 
an instance of a word once orthodox, 
subsequently fell into disrepute, but 
which, after having for generations 
served as a mere slang term, is now 
nearly as respectable as when Dryden 
wrote: I have reflected on those 
who, from time to time, have shot into 
the world, some bolting out on the 
stage with vast applause, and others 
hissed off. 2. The usage in the 
United States indicates the right 
of the independently minded to 
revolt against partisan rule, as He 
bolted the party nominations: also 
substantively, as He has organised a 
bolt. 3. To eat hurriedly without 
chewing, swallow whole, gulp down. 
To get the bolt, sentenced to penal 
servitude. To twrn the corner of Bolt 
Street, to run : cf. Queer Street. See 
Moon. 

Bolter. 1. One who hides 
himself in his own house, or some 
privileged place, and dares only peep, 
but not go out of his retreat (jjyche); 
the privileged places referred to were 
such as Whitefriars, the Mint, Higher 
and Lower Alsatia, etc. 2. One who 
bolts; especially applied to horses, 
but figuratively to persons in the sense 
of one given if throwing off restraint ; 



Bolt-in- Tun. 



Bone-house. 



in American parlance on who kicks 
(q.v.) (1840). 3. One who exoroises 
the right of abstention in regard to his 
political party. 

Bolt-in-Tun. Bolted, run 
away (1819). A term founded on the 
cant word bolt, and merely a fanciful 
variation very common among flash 
persons, there being in London a 
famous inn so called ; it is customary 
when a man has run away from bis 
lodgings, broken out of jail, or made 
any other sudden movement, to say, 
the Bolt -in -tun is concerned, or, 
he's gone to the Bolt-in-tun instead 
of simply saying, he has bolted, etc. 

Boltsprit (Boltspreet, Bowsprit). 
The nose : see Conk (1690). 

Bolus. An apothecary, a doctor. 

Boman. A gallant fellow. 

Bombay Ducks. 1. The Bombay 
regiments of the East India Company's 
army. 2. A well-known delicacy: 
the Anglo-Indian relation of the 
Digby chick ; alive, it is a fish called 
the bummelo ; dead and dried, it 
becomes a duck. 

Bombo, Bumbo. A nickname 
given to various mixtures, but chiefly 
to cold punch ; Smollett, in a note in 
Roderick Random, speaks of it as A 
liquor composed of rum, sugar, water, 
and nutmeg (1748). 

B o n a. A girl, young woman, 
belle : a modern form, in a good sense, 
of Bona-roba (q.v.). As adj., good. 

Bonanza. A happy hit, stroke 
of fortune, success : from the Spanish, 
a fail wind, fine weather, prosperous 
voyage ; Bonanza was originally the 
name of a mine in Nevada, which once, 
quite unexpectedly, turned out to be 
a big thing, and of enormous value ; 
now applied to any lucky hit or suc- 
cessful enterprise. 

Bona-roba, subs. (old). A wench, 
specially a courtesan, a showy wanton. 
The term was much in use among the 
older dramatists. Ben Jonson speaks 
of a bouncing bona-roba ; and Cowley 
seems to have considered it as implying 
a fine, tall figure. Bona in modern 
times is frequently employed to signify 
a girl or young woman, without re- 
ference to morals (1589). 

Bonce. 1. The head (probably a 
derivative of sense 2) 2. A large 
marble (origin unknown, but soe Alley). 

Bond. Our Lady's lands, pregnancy, 
confinement. 



Bone. 1. A bribe to a Customs 
House oiiloer. 2. Something relished 
(1884). As adj., good, excellent; 
O is the vagabonds' hieroglyphic for 
bone, or good, chalked by them on 
houses and street corners as a hint to 
succeeding beggars. As verb, (1) to 
filch, steal, make off with, lake iato 
custody (1748) ; (2) to bribe, grease 
the palm; (3) to study : see Bohn. To 
bone standing, to study hard. The ten 
bones, the fingers : as in asseveration, 
By these ten bones! To have a bone 
in the leg (arm, throat, etc, ), a humorous 
reason for declining to do anything, a 
feigned obstacle (1542). Hard (or 
dry) as a bone, as hard (or dry) as may 
be (1833). Bones of me (you, etc.), an 
exclamation (1588). To feel a thing 
in one's bones, to feel acutely, under- 
stand perfectly. A bone to pick, a 
difficulty to solve, nut to crack, a 
matter of dispute, something dis- 
agreeable needing explanation, a 
settlement to make. A bone of con- 
tention, a source of contention or 
discord. To make, bones of, to make 
objection to, have scruples of* hesitate. 
To find bones in, to be unable to credit, 
believe, or swallow. To put a bone 
in one's hood, to break one's head. To 
carry a bone in the mouth (or teeth), of 
a ship when cutting through the water 
making foam about her. One end is 
pretty sure to be bone, an old-time 
saying equivalent to an admission 
that All is not gold that glitters ; that 
the realization of one's hopes never 
comes up to the ideal formed of them. 
To be upon the bones, to attack (1C16). 

Bone-ache. The lues venerea (1592). 

Bone-baster. A staff, cudgel ( 1600). 

Bone-box. The mouth : see 
Potato-trap (Grose). 

Bone- breaker. Fever and ague. 

Bone-crusher. A heavy-bore 
rifle used for killing big game. 

Boned. See Bone, verb, sense 1. 

Bone-grubber. 1. One who lives 
by collecting bones from heaps of 
refuse, selling his spoils at the marine 
stores or to bone grinders (I7o0). 2. 
A resurrectionist, a violator of graves : 
Cobbett was therefore called a bone-* 
grubber, because he brought the 
remains of Tom Paine from America. 

Bone-house. 1. The human 
body. 2. A coffin: also a charnel- 
house: Americans generally call a 
cemetery a bone-yard (1836). 



60 



Bone Muscle. 



Bone Muscle. To practise 
gymnastics. 

Bone- picker. 1. A footman: FT., 
larbin. 2. A collector of bones, rags, 
and other refuse from the streets and 
places where rubbish is placed, for the 
purpose of sale to marine dealers and 
crushers : the same as bone-grubber. 

Bone- polisher. The cat - o' - nine- 
tails. 

Boner (Winchester College). A 
sharp blow on the spine. 

Bones. 1. Dice, also called St. 
Hugh's bones (q.v.) To rattle the 
bones, to play at dice (1386). 2. 
Pieces of bones held between the fingers 
and played Spanish castanet fashion : 
generally an accompaniment to banjo 
and other negro minstrel music 
(1592). 3. A member of a negro 
minstrel troupe ; generally applied to 
one of the end men who playa the 
bones (sense 2) (1851). 4. The bones 
of the human body, but more generally 
applied to the teeth: Fr., piloches, 
ossdots. 5. A surgeon ; generally 
sawbones (q.v.). 6. (a) The shares 
of Wickens, Pease and Co. ; (5) North 
British 4% 1st Preference Shares, the 
4% 2nd Preference Stock being nick- 
named Bonettas. One end is pretty 
sure to be bone: an old-time saying 
equivalent to an admission that All is 
not gold that glitters ; that the realiza- 
tion of one's hopes nevez comes up 
to the ideal formed of them. To be 
upon the bones, to attack. 

Bonesetter. A hard riding 
horse, ricketty conveyance : see Bone- 
shaker (Grose). 

Bone-shake. To ride a bone- 
shaker (q.v,). 

Bone-shaker. 1. A hard trotting 
horse : seo Bone-setter. 2. An ordin- 
ary, as distinguished from a safety, 
a type of bicycle in use prior to the 
introduction of india-rubber tires and 
other manifold improvements. 

Bonettas. The 4% 2nd North 
British 2nd Preference Stock. 

Bong. See Boung. 

Boniface. The landlord of a tavern 
or inn, mine host: from Farquhar's 
play of The Beaux' Stratagem (1707). 

Boning. Boning adjutant, 
aping a military bearing. Boning 
muscle (q.v.) going in largely for 
gymnastics. Boning demerit, giving no 
cause for complaint as regards one's 
conduct : all West Point cadet slang. 



Bonk. A short, steep hill. 

Bonnering. Burning for heresy 
(1613) :cf. Boycott, Burke, Maffick, etc. 

Bonnet. 1. A gambling cheat, 
decoy at auctions ; sometimes called a 
bearer up : the bonnet plays as though 
he were a member of the general 
public, and by his good luck, or by the 
force of his example, induces others to 
venture theor stakes; bonneting is often 
done in much better society than that 
to be found in the ordinary gammg- 
rooms j a man who persuades another 
to buy an article on which he receives 
commission or percentage, is said to 
bonnet or bear-up for the seller (1812). 
2. A pretext, pretence, make believe. 3. 
A woman : cf . petticoat. As verb, ( 1 ) to 
act as a bonnet, cheat, puff, to bear up 
(q.v.) ; (2) to crush a hat over a man's 
eyes (1835). To have a green bonnet, 
to fail in business. A bee in one"s 
bonnet, see Bee. To fill a person's 
bonnet, to fill his place, equal him. 
To rive the bonnet of, to excel. 

Bonnet- buil der. A milliner ( 1 839). 

Bonneter. 1. See Bonnet. 2. A 
crushing blow on the hat. 

Bonnet - laird. A petty proprie- 
tor in Scotland : as wearing a bonnet 
like humbler folk. 

Bonnet-man. A highlander. 

Bonnets-so-blue. Irish stew. 

Bonny. Looking well, plump. 
2. Fine, good, very. To gtve a bonny 
for, to pay a long price. A 



Bono. Good : from the Latin. 

Booby. 1. A stupid fellow, lubber, 
clown: see Buffle. 2. A dunce, the last 
in a class. To beat the booby, see Beat. 

Booby Hutch. A police station. 

Booby - trap. An arrangement of 
books, wet sponges, vessels of water, 
etc., so arranged on the top of a door 
set ajar that when the intended victim 
enters the room the whole falls on him 
(I860). 

Boodle. 1. A crowd, com* 
pany, the whole boiling (q.v.) : often 
caboodle (q.v.). 2. Capital, stock-in- 
trade : specially something secret, 
peculiar and illegal ; also money used 
for bribery, money that comes as spoils, 
the result of some secret deal, the profits 
of which are silently divided ', the term 
is likewise used to cover the booty 
of a bank robber, or the absconding 
cashier. Amongst the thieving fra- 
ternity boodle is ased to denote money 



Booctter. 



Books. 



that is actually spurious or counterfeit, 
and not merely money used for nefari- 
ous purposes, but which as currency 
is genuine enough. 3. Generic for 
money : see Rhino. 4. A fool, noodle : 
see Buffle. To carry boodle, to utter 
base money. Falce - boodle, a roll of 
paper over which, after folding, a 
dollar bill is pasted, and another bill 
being loosely wrapped round this, 
it looks as if the whole roll is 
made up of a large sum of money in 
bills. 

B o o d 1 e r. 1. One who bribes 
or corrupts. 2. A man uttering base 
money : swindlers of this type gener- 
ally hunt in couples ; one carrying the 
bulk of the counterfeit money, and 
receiving the good change as obtained 
by his companion, who utters the 
boodle piece by piece; the game is 
generally worked so that at the slightest 
alarm the boodle carrier vanishes and 
leaves nothing to incriminate his con- 
federate. 

B o o g e t. A travelling tinker's 
basket (Harman) (1567). 

Book. 1. In betting (more 
especially in connection with horse- 
racing), an arrangement of bets made 
against certain horses, and so cal- 
culated that the bookmaker (q.v.) has 
a strong chance of winning something 
whatever the result (1836). By tlie 
book, formally, in set phraso. In a 
person's good (or bad} books, in favour 
(or disfavour). Out of one's book, 
mistaken, out of one's reckoning. 
Without one's book (1) unauthorised, 
(2) by rote. To drive to book, to 
compel to give evidence on oath. 
To bring to book, to bring to account. 
To speak like a book, to speak with 
authority. To talk like a book, to 
speak in set terms, as a precisian. To 
take a leaf out of a person's book, to 
take example by him 2, The first six 
tricks at whist. 3. The copy of words 
to which music is set, the words of a 
play : formerly only applied to the 
libretto of an opera (17G8). To know 
one's book, to have made up one's mind, 
to know what is best for one's interest. 
To suit one's book, to suit one's arrange- 
ments, fancy, or wish. 

Book Answerer. A critic (17CO). 
Booked. Caught, fixed, disposed 
of, destined, etc. (1840). 

Book-form. The relative powers 
of speed (or endurance) of race-horses 



62 



as set down in the Racing Calendar or 
book. 

Bookie (or Booky). A book- 
maker (q.v.). 

Bookmaker. A professional 
betting-man. The English Encyclo- 
pcedia says : In betting there are two 
parties one called layers, as the 
bookmakers are termed, and the other 
backers, in which class may be in- 
cluded owners of horses as well as the 
public. The backer takes the odds 
which the bookmaker lays against a 
horse, the former speculating upon 
the success of the animal, the latter 
upon its defeat ; and taking the case 
of Cremorue for the Derby of 1872, 
just before the race, the bookmaker 
would have laid 3 to 1, or perhaps 
1000 to 300 against him, by which 
transaction, if the horse won, as he did, 
the backer would win 1000 for risking 
300, and the bookmaker lose the 
1000 which he risked to win the 
smaller sum. At first sight this may 
appear an act of very questionable 
pohcy on the part of the bookmaker ; 
but really it is not so, because so far 
from running a greater risk than the 
backer, he runs less, inasmuch as it is 
his plan to lay the same amount (1000) 
against every horse in the race, and as 
there can be but one winner, he would 
in all probability receive more than 
enough inonoy from the many losers 
to pay the stated sum of 1000 which 
the chances are he has laid against the 
one winner, whichever it is ( 1862). 

Bookmaker's Pocket. A breast- 
pocket made insido the waistcoat, for 
notes of large amount (Jlotten). 

Books. 1. A pack of cards ; 
used mainly by professional card- 
players : also called devil's books, 
book of broads, book of briefs : Fr., 
juge de paix, cartouchiere a portccs (a 
prepared pack used by sharpers) 
(1706). 2. (Winchester College), (a) 
The prizes formerly presented by Lord 
Say and Selo, now given by the govern- 
ing body, to the Senior in each 
division at the end of Half. (6) 
The school is thus divided: Sixth 
Book Senior and Junior Division ; 
the whole of the rest of the School is 
iu Fifth Book Senior Part, Middle 
Part, Junior Part, each part being 
divided into so many divisions, Senior, 
Middle, and Junior, or Senior, 2nd, 
3rd, and Junior, as the case may require. 



Bookwork. 



Boots. 



Formerly, there was also Fourth 
Book, but it ceased to exist about 
twenty -five years ago (J840). (c) 
Up at books, in class, repeating lessons : 
now called Up to books, (d) Books 
chambers, on Remedies (a kind of 
whole holiday), we also went into School 
in the morning and atternoon for an 
hour or two without masters ; this was 
called books chambers ; and on Sun- 
days, from four till a quarter to five. 
(Mansfield), (e) To get or make books, 
to make the highest score at anything. 

Bookwork. Mathematics that 
can be learned verbatim from books 
all that are not problems. 

Bookwright. An author. 

Boom. This word is a compara- 
tively recent production in its slang 
sense ; and is used in a variety of com- 
binations ; as, The whole State is 
booming for Smith, or The boys have 
whooped up the State to boom for 
Smith, or The State boom is ahead in 
this State, etc., etc. Stocks and money 
are said to be booming when active ; 
and any particular spot within a 
flourishing district is regarded as within 
the boom -belt. A successful team 
or party is said to be a booming squad, 
and we even read of boomlets to ex- 
press progress of a lesser degree. As 
subs, commercial activity, rapid ad- 
vance in prices, flourishing state of 
affairs synonymous with extreme 
vigour and effectiveness (1875). As 
verb, to make rapid and vigorous 
progress, advance by leaps and bounds, 
push, puff, bring into prominence with 
a rush (1874). To top one's boom off, 
to be off (or to start) in a certain direc- 
tion. 

Boomer. 1. One who booms or 
causes an enterprise to become flourish- 
ing, active or notorious. 2. Anybody 
(or anything) considerably above the 
average : a bouncing lie, a fine woman, 
a horse with extra good points, etc., etc. 

Boomerang. Acts or words, 
the results of which recoil upon the 
person from whom they originate : the 
boomerang is properly an Australian 
missile weapon which, when thrown, 
can be made to return to the thrower ; 
or which, likewise, can bo caused to 
take an opposite direction to that in 
which it is first thrown (1845). 

Booming. Flourishing, active, 
in good form, large, astonishing. 

Boom-passenger. A convict 



on board ship : prisoners on board 
convict ships were chained to, or were 
made to crawl along or stand on the 
booms for, exercise or punishment 
(Holten). 

Boon - companion. A comrade 
in a drinking bout, a good fellow 
(1566). 

Boon - companionship. Jollity, 
conviviality (1592). 

Boong. See Bung. 

Boorde. See Bord. 

Boost. A hoisting, shove, lift, 
push up a New England vulgar- 
ism (1858). As verb, to hoist, lift up, 
shove. 

Boosy. See Boozy. 

Boot. To beat, punish with a 
strap : the punishment is irregular and 
unconventional, being inflicted by 
soldiers on a comrade discovered 
guilty of some serious breach of the un- 
written law of comradeship, such as 
theft, etc. : formerly inflicted with a 
bootjack hence the name. To make 
one boot serve for either teg, to speak 
with double meaning. The boot is on 
the other leg, the case is altered, re- 
sponsibility is shifted. To have one's 
heart in one's boots, to be in extreme 
fear. Over shoes, over boots, reck- 
less continuance of a course begun, 
in for a lamb in for a sheep. Like old 
boots, vigorously, thorough-going. To 
die in one's boots, to he hanged. 

Boot- catcher. A servant whose 
duty it was to remove a person's 
boots. 

Booth. A house. To heave a 
booth, to rob a house. 

Booth-burster. A loud and 
noisy actor, barn-stormer (q.v.). 

Booting. A punishment ad- 
ministered with a strap. 

Boot- Joe. Musketry drill 

Bootlick. A flunkey, hanger- 
on, doer of dirty work, toady. As 
verb, to toady, haxig on, undertake 
dirty work. 

Boots. 1. The servant at hotels 
and places of a kindred character who 
cleans the boots of visitors : formerly 
called boot - catchers (q.v.), because 
in the old riding and coaching days 
part of their duty was to divest travel- 
lers of their footgear. 2. The youngest 
officer in a regimental mess. 3. In 
humorous (or sarcastic) combination : 
e.g. Clumsy-boote, Lazy-boots, Sly- 
boots, Smooth-boots, etc. 



Boots Mid Leathers. 



Boots and Leathers. See Com- 
moner Peal. 

Booty. Plunder, spoils, swag (q.v.). 
To <play booty, to play falsely, dis- 
honestly ; or unfairly ; this with the 
object of not winning, a previous ar- 
rangement having been made with a 
confederate to share the spoils result- 
ing from the bogus play : sometimes it 
takes the form of permitting the 
victim to win small stakes in order 
to encourage him to hazard larger 
sums which, naturally, he is not 
allowed to win (1575). Booty -fellow, 
a sharer in plunder, illicit - gains, 
etc. 

Booze. 1. Drink, a draught : 
the older forms are bouse or bouze 
(q,v.), but booze in its present form 
appears as early as 1714. 2. A drink- 
ing bout, tipsy frolic. As verb, to 
drink heavily, tipple, guzzle : an old 
term employed in some sense of to 
drink, as early as 1300. Boozed, 
drunk, fuddled. Boozy, drunken, 
screwed (q.v.). Boozing, the act of 
drinking hard. Boozer, a drunkard, 
a tippler. 

Boozing Cheat. A bottle. 

Boozing -ken. A drinking den: 
Fr., bt&tne : see Lush crib (1567). 

Boozington. A drunkard, 
Lushington (q.v.). 

Borachio. A drunkard : see 
Lushington : properly a skin for hold- 
ing wine (1599). 

B o r a k. To poke borak, to pour 
fictitious news into credulous oars, 
stuff, kid. 

B o r d, Borde, Boorde. A 
sMUing : see Rhino (1567). 

Bordeaux. Blood : cf. Claret and 
Badminton. Bordeaux hammer, a 
vinous headache. 

Bord You ! An expression used 
to claim the next turn in drinking. 

Bore (old slang, but now recog- 
nised). Anybody (or anything) weari- 
some or annoying. As verb, (I) to 
weary or to be wearied : the wor l does 
not appear in English literature prior 
to 1750 ,* (2) push (or thrust) out of the 
course : amongst pugilists it signifies 
to drive an opponent on to the ropes 
of the ring by sheer weight, whilst 
amongst rowing men it denotes the 
action of a coxswain in so steering a 
boat as to force his opponent into 
the shore, or into still water, thus 
obtaining an unfair advantage; also 



analogously applied to horse - racing 
(1672). 

Bom. AU one's 'born days, one's 
lifetime (1740). Born weak, said of 
a vessel feebly built. 

Bosh. Nonsense, rubbish, stuff, 
rot anything beneath contempt : 
Murray says from the Turkish bosh 
lakerdi, empty talk ; the word became 
current in England from its frequent 
occurrence in Mower's Persian novel, 
Ayesha [1834], an extremely popu- 
lar production. As verb, to hum- 
hug, spoil, mar. As intj., nonsense ! 
Cubbish ! It's all my eye ! 

Bosh Faker. A violin player. 
Boshing. A flogging, bashing. 
Boshy. Trumpery, nonsensical. 
Bos-ken. A farmhouse : an old 
canting term. 

Boskiness. The quality of being 
fuddled with drink (or bemused), a 
state of drunkenness. 

Bosky. Drunk, tipsy, fuddled: 
see Screwed (1748). 
Bosnian. A farmer. 
Bosom-bird. An intimate friend. 
Bosom-mischief. The root 
of offending. 

Bosom-piece. A bosom friend : 
especially of a woman. 

Bosom -sermon. One learnt by 
heart. 

Bosom-slave. A mistress. 
Boss. 1 A master, head man, 
one who directs : from the Dutch baas, 
a master. 2. A short-sighted person ; 
also one who squints : also Bosser : cf. 
Boss-eyed. 3. A miss, blunder. As 
adj., pleasant, first rate, chief. As 
verb, (1 ) to manage, direct, control ; (2) 
to miss one's aim, make such a shot as 
a boss-eyed (q.v.) person would be ex- 
pected to make. Boss-shot, a shot that 
fails of its mark. 

Bossers. Spectacles. 
Boss-eyed. Said of a person with 
one eye (or rather with one eye in- 
jured), a person with obliquity of 
vision, squinny-eyed (q.v.), swivel- 
eyed (q.v.). 

Bostruchyzer (Oxford University). 
A small kind of comb for curling 
the whiskers (Hoften). 

Bot, Bott, Botts. The colic, 
belly-ache, gripes (1787). 

Botanical Excursion. Transporta- 
tion : the allusion is to Bot ny Bay (q.v.) 
Botany Bay ( University), 
1. At Oxford, Worcester College : on 



Botany Bay Feo&r> 



account ol its remote situation as re- 
gards other collegiate buildings. 2. 
A certain portion of Trinity College, 
Dublin : for a similar reason. 3. 
Penal servitude : formerly convicts 
[1787-1867] were transported to Bot- 
any Bay, a convict settlement at the 
Antipodes. Hence to go to Botany 
Bay, to get a long term of imprison- 
ment. 

Botany Bay Fever. Trans- 
portation, penal servitude. 

Botch. A tailor. 

Bottle. To Inrn out no bottle, 
not to turn out well, to fail. To pass 
the bottle of smoke, to countenance a 
conventional tie, to cant. To look for a 
needle in a bottle of hay, to engage in a 
hopeless search : also, needle in a hay- 
stack. To bottle up, to restrain temper 
(or) feelings, to hold (or keep) back 
(1622). 

Bottle - ache. Drunkenness : see 
Gallon distemper. 

Bottle - arsed. Type thicker at 
one end than the other a result of 
wear and tear. 

Bottle-head. A fool : see Buffle. 

Bottle-holder. 1. A second at 
a prize-fight. 2. One who gives moral 
support, backer, adviser : in the Tvmes 
of 1851, Lord Palmerston was reported 
to consider himself the bottle-holder of 
oppressed states : and in Punch of the 
same year, a cartoon appeared repre- 
senting that statesman as the judi- 
cious bottle-holder (1753). 

Bottle - holding. Backing, sup- 
porting. 

Bottle of Brandy in a Glass. 
A long drinfe, of beer. 

Bottle of Spruce. Twopence, 
deuce (q.v.). 

Bottles. Barrett's Brewery and 
Bottling Co. Shaios. 

Bottle - sucker. An able - bodied 
seaman, the abbreviation is A.B.S. 

Bottom. 1. The posteriors : 
not now in polite or literary use (1794). 
2. Capital, resources, stamina, grit 
( 1 062). 3. S pi rit placed in a glass prior 
to the addition of water. To knock the 
bottom out of one, to overcome, defeat. 
To stand on one's own bottom, to act 
for oneself, to be independent. 

Bottom Dollar. The last dollar. 
To bet one's bottom dollar, to risk all. 

Bottom Facts. The exact 
truth about any matter. To get to the 
bottom facts concerning a subject, to 



arrive at an unquestionable conclusion 
concerning it, to get to the root of the 
question : also Bottom-rock. 

B o 1 1 y. An inf ant's posteriors, 
Fr., tu tu. As adj., conceited, swag- 
gering: FT., faire sa merde, faire son 
matador. 

Bough. The gallows: see Tree 
(1590). 

Boughs. Up in the boughs, hi a 
passion (Grose). 

Bounce. 1. Brag, swagger, boast- 
ful falsehood, exaggeration (1714). 
2. Impudence, cheek, brass (q.v.). 3. 
A boaster, swaggerer, showy swindler, 
bully (1812). As verb, (1) to boast, 
bluster, hector, bully, blow up (1633) ; 
(2) to lie, to cheat, swindle ( 1 762). On 
the bounce, in a state of spasmodic 
movement, general liveliness. To get 
the grand bounce, to be dismissed: spec, 
in reference to government appoint- 
ments. 

Bounceable. Prone to bounc- 
ing or boasting, uppish, bump- 
tious (1830). 

Bouncer. 1. A bully, hector, 
blusterer, one who talks swagger- 
ingly (1748). 2. A thief who steals 
goods from shop counters while bar- 
gaining with the tradesman: Fr., 
degringoleur, and (the practice itself) 
ddgnngoler U la carre. 3. A lie, a 
Jiar (1762). 4. Anything large of its 
kind, whopper, thumper, corker 
(1596). 5. Chucker-out (q.v.). 6. A 
prostitute's bully. 7. A gun that 
kicks when fired. 

Bouncing. Vigorous, lusty, ex- 
aggerated, excessive, big (1563). 

Bouncing Cheat. A bottle. 

Bounder. 1. A four-wheeled 
cab, growler (q.v.). 2. A student 
whose manners are not acceptable, 
one whose companionship is not cared 
for. 3. A dog -cart. 4. A vulgar, 
though well-dressed man, a superior 
kind of 'Arry, one whose dress and 
personal appearance are correct, but 
whose manners are of a questionable 
character. The term is very often 
used in connection with bally (q.v.). 

Boung. See Bung. 

Boung Nipper. See Bung-nipper. 

Bounty-jumper. A man who, 
receiving a bounty when enlisting, 
deserts, re-enlists, and receives a 
second bounty. The War of the 
"Rebellion is responsible for this, as 
for many other colloquialisms ; as 



65 



Bounty- jumping. 



Box. 



the conflict lengthened out, men be- 
came in great request, and large 
bounties were offered by the North 
for volunteers. This bounty was 
found to be a direct incitement to bad 
faith and unfair dealing. Men would 
enlist, receive their bounty, join their 
regiment, and then decamp, to re- 
appear in another State, to go through 
the same performance, in some cases 
many times over. 

Bounty - jumping. Obtaining a 
bounty by enlisting and then deserting. 
Bourbon. 1. In American 
politics a Democrat of the straitest 
sect ; a fire-eater : applied, for the 
most part, to the Southern Democrats 
of the old school uncompromising 
adherents of political tradition be- 
hind the age, and unteachable. 2. 
A superior kind of whisky : originally 
that manufactured in Bourbon, Ken- 
tucky. 

Bouse, Bowse, Booze. 1. Drink 
or liquor of any kind (1567). 2. A 
drinking bout, carouse. As verb, to 
drink to excess, tipple, swill : both 
this and the substantive seem to have 
been known as early as 1300, but 
neither came into general use until the 
sixteenth century, from which period 
both forms have become more and 
more colloquial : see Lush. Hence, 
bouser, a toper ; bowing, hard drink- 
ing; and bousy, intoxicated or 
screwed. To bouse the jib, to tipple, 
drink heavily : a different word from 
bouse, to haul with tackle, i.e. to make 
oneself tight : see Screwed. 

Bousing Ken. A tavern, inn, 
drinking den: now applied to a low 
public house : see Lush crib (1567). 
Bouzy. See Boozy. 
Bow. Two (or many) strings to 
one's bow, an alternative, more re- 
sources than one (1562). To draw 
the long bow, to exaggerate, gas, 
talk up (1819). To draw the bow 
uy> to the ear., to do a thing with alac- 
rity, put on full steam, exert oneself 
to the utmost. The bent of one's bow, 
one's intention, inclination, disposi- 
tion. To shoot in another's bow, to 
undertake another's work, practise an 
art or profession other than one's own. 
By the string rather than the bow, m a 
direct fashion, by the straightest way 
to an end. To bend (or bring) to one's 
bow, to control, compel to one's will 
or inclination. To come to one's bow, 
66 



to be complaisant, become com- 
pliant. 

B o w-c a t c h e r. A lass-curl : see 
Aggerav/ator : a corruption of beau- 
catcher. 

Bowdlerize. To expurgate by 
removing words or phrases considered 
offensive or questionable from a book 
or writing : from Dr. T. Bowdler's 
method in editing an edition of Shakes- 
peare, in which, to use his own words, 
Those . . . expressions are omitted 
which cannot with propriety be read 
aloud in a family (1836). 

Bower. A prison: see Cage. 

Bowery Boy, Bowery Girl. The 
'Arry and ' Arriet of New York of some 
years ago : the Bowery was the farm of 
Governor Stuyvesant. 

Bowlas. Round tarts made of 
sugar, apple, and bread (Mayhew). 

Bowled. Croppled (q.v.). 

Bowler. See Boler. 

Bowles. Shoes : see Trotter- 



Bowl Out. To overcome, get the 
better of, defeat (1812). 

Bowl - the - hoop, subs, (rhyming 
slang). Soup. 

Bowman. AlPs Bowman, All's 
well! 

Bowse. See Booze. 

Bowsing Ken. See Bousing ken. 

Bowsprit. The nose. To have 
one's bowsprit in parenthesis, to have it 
pulled : cf. To have one's head in 
Coventry. 

Bow-window. A big belly, cor- 
poration (q.v.). Bow-windowed, big- 
bellied (1840). 

Bow-wow. 1. A childish name for 
a dog (1800). 2. A Bostonian : 
in contempt. 3. A cavalier, lover, spec, 
a petticoat-dangler : cf. Tame-cat. 

Bow-wow Mutton. Dog's flesh. 

Bow-wow-word. A term applied 
sarcastically by Max Miillerto words 
claimed as imitations of natural sounds. 

B o w y e r. One who draws a 
long bow, a dealer in the marvellous, 
a toller of improbable stories, a liar* 

Box. A prison cell. As verb 
(Westminster School), to take posses- 
sion of, bag. To be in a box* to be 
cornered, in a, fix, stuck (or hung) 
up. To be in the wrong box, to be out 
of one's element, in a false position, 
mistaken (1555). On the box, a man 
when on strike and in receipt of strike 
pay is said to be on the box. To boz 



Box Hoi. 



Brain-crack. 



f/arri/ (1) to take dinner and tea 
together ; (2) to dine out, i.e. to do 
without a meal at all. To box the 
compass, to repeat in succession, or 
irregularly, the thirty-two points of 
the compass; beginners, on accom- 
plishing this feat, are said to be able 
to box the compass (1731). 

Box Hat. A silk hat : see Cady. 

Bex-irons. Shoes : see Trotter- 
cases (1789). 

Box of Dominoes. The mouth. 
[From box 4- dominoes (q.v.), a slang 
term for the teeth.] For synonyms, 
see Potato-trap. 

Boy. 1. Champagne, fiz, Cham 
(q.v.) : Fr., champ. [A story, ben 
trovato, is told by the Sporting Times 
of June 30, 1882, as regards the origin 
of the phrase : At a shooting party 
in Norfolk once, a youth was told off 
to supply the company with cham- 
pagne. The day being hot and the 
sportsmen thirsty, cries of Boy ! 
Boy ! Boy ! were heard all day long. 
This tickling the fancy of the royal and 
noble party, the term boy became 
applied to champagne.] 2. A hump 
on a man's back: it is common to speak 
of a humpbacked man as two persons 
him and his boy. 3. (Anglo- 
Indian and colonial). A servant of 
whatever age. Old boy (1) a familiar 
term of address : spec, a father, the 
guv'nor, the boss; (2)Thedevil. Yellow 
boy, a guinea ; also, one pound sterling : 
see Rhino. Angry (or roaring boys), 
a set of young bucks, bloods, or blades 
(q.v.), of noisy manners and fire- 
eating tastes: Nares says, like tho 
Mohawks (q.v.) described by the 
Spectator, they delighted to commit 
outrages and get into quarrels ; early 
mention is made of such characters ; 
Wilson, in his Life of James I. (1653), 
gives an account of their origin : 
The king minding his sports, many 
riotous demeanours crept into the 
kingdom ; divers sects of vicious 
persons, going under the title of roar- 
ing boys, bravadoes, roysterers, etc., 
commit many insolencies ; the streets 
swarm, night and day, with bloody 
quarrels, private duels fomented, etc. 
(1599). Boys of the holy ground, for- 
merly [1800-25] bands of roughs in- 
festing a well - known region in St. 
Giles: see Holy-land. 

Boycott. To combine in refusing 
to hold relations of any kind, social or 



commercial, public or private, with a 
person, on account of political or other 
differences, so as to punish or coerce 
him. The word arose in the autumn 
of 1880 Capt. Boycott, an Irish land- 
lord, was the original victim to de- 
scribe the action instituted by the Irish 
LandLeague toward those who incurred 
its hostility. It was speedily adopted 
into every European language (O.E.D.) 

Brace. To get credit by swagger. 
To brace it through, to succeed by dint 
of sheer impudence. 

Bracelets. Handcuffs ; fetters 
for the wrist: Fr., alliances (properly 
wedding rings), also tartonve and 
lacets : see Darbies (1661). 

Brace of Shakes. A moment, 
jiffy, twinkling of an eye, etc. : 
see Shakes. 

Brace Up. 1. To pawn stolen goods 
to their utmost value. 2. To take a 
drink. 

Bracket-faced. Ugly, hard- 
featured (Grose). 

Bracket-mug. An ugly face. 

Brads. Generic for money : see 
Rhino (1812). To tip the, brads, to 
pay, shell out. 

Brag. A usurer, Jew. 

Braggadocia. Three months' im- 
prisonment as a reputed thief. 

Brain. Cuteness, cleverness, nous 
(q.v.). Hence brainy, smart, clever, 
up-to-date. Phrases : To beat (break, 
busy, cudgel, drag, or puzzle) one's 
brains, to exert oneself to thought or 
contrivance. To crack one's brains, 
to become crazy. On the brain, crazy 
about (a matter). To turn one's 
brain, to bewilder, flummox. A dry 
bra^n f silly, stupid, barren brain. A 
hot brain an inventive fancy. Soiled 
brains, a hot-headed person. To bear 
a brain, to be cautious. To suck (or 
pick) a person's brains, to get and ap- 
propriate information. Of the same 
brain, identical in conception or 
doing. 

Brain-pan (or Box.) 1. The skull, 
or skull-cap : also Brain-canister ; the 
Scotch equivalent is Hani -pan 2- 
The head (1520). 

Brain - trick. A cunning devlc . 

Brain -worm. A wriggling dis- 
putant (1645). 

Brain - brat. A creature of the 
fancy (1630), 

Brain-crack. A craze, crotchet, 
bee (1851). 



67 



Brain-worm. 



Break. 



Brain - worm. A wriggling dis- 
putant (1045). 

Bramble. A lawyer; a tangle of 
the law. 

Bramble-gel der. An agricul- 
turist: a Suffolk term. 
Bran. A loaf. 

Branded Ticket. A discharge given 
to an infamous man, on which his 
character is given, and the reason he 
is turned out of the service (Smyth). 

Brandy. Brandy *s Latin for goose 
(or for fish), this punning vulgarism 
appears first in Swift's Pohte Conversa- 
tion ; the pun is on the word answer. 
Anser is the Latin for goose, which 
brandy follows as surely and quickly 
as an answer follows a question. 

Brandy Face. A tippler, drunkard : 
spec, one whose favourite dnnk is 
brandy: see Lushington (1687). 
Brandy-faced. Red-faced, bloated. 
Brandy Pawnee. Brandyand 
water (1816). 

Brandy Smash. An American 
drink of brandy and crushed ice. 

Bran-mash. Bread sopped in coffee 
or tea. 

Brass. 1. Impudence, effrontery, 
unblushing hardness, shamelessness, 
etc. (1594). 2. Generic for money: 
see Khino (1526). 

Brass -basin. A barber, surgeon- 
barber (1599). 

Brass-face. An impudent person. 
Brass-bound and Copper Fast- 
ened. Said of a lad dressed in a 
midshipman's uniform (W. Glarlc 
Russell). 

Brass-bounder. A midshipman. 
Brasser (Christ's Hospital). A 
bully. 

Brass Farthing (or Farde). The 
lowest limit of value (1642). 

Brass Knocker. Broken victuals, 
the remains of a meal : specially ap- 
plied by beggars to the scraps often 
bestowed upon them in place of money. 
Brass-plate Merchant. A dealer 
who merely procures orders for coal, 
gets some merchant who buys in the 
market to execute them in his name, 
and manages to make a living by the 
profits of these transactions ( M ayhew). 
Brassy. Impudent, impertinent, 
shameless (1570). 

Brat LA child : almost invari- 
ably hi contempt (1505). 2. A rag, 
shabby clothes, or other articles that 
are mere rags. 



Brattery. A nursery (1788). 
Bratful. Au apronful. 
Brazen-faced. Shameless, impud- 
ent, unblushing, with a face as of brass, 
or as if rubbed with a brass candlestick 
(1571). 

Bread. Employment. Out of 
bread, out of work. Phrases : To know 
on which side one's bread is buttered, 
to recognise one's interests. To 
take the bread out of one's mouth, to 
deprive of the means of livelihood. 
Bread buttered on both sides, the height 
of good fortune, the best of luck. No 
bread and butter of mine, no concern 
(or business) of mine (1764). 

Bread-artist One working merely 
to gain a living : of. Potboiler. 

Bread and Butter Warehouse, 
phr. (old). Ranelagh Gardens. 

Bread-and-cheese. Plain living, 
needful food. 

Bread and Meat. The commis- 
sariat. 

Bread Bags. A nickname givec 
in the army and navy to any one con- 
nected with the victualling depart- 
ment, as a purser or purveyor in the 
commissariat: at one time called 
muckers : Fr., riz-'pain-sel. 

Bread-barge. The distributing 
basket or tray containing the rations 
of biscuits. 

Bread-basket. The stomach. Eng- 
lish synonyms: bread -room, dumpling- 
depot, victualling-office, porridge-bowl 
(1735). 

Bread-picker(Winchester Col- 
lege). The four senior prefects used 
to appoint juniors to this office, 
which was nominal, but which carried 
with it exemption from fagging at 
meal times. No notion book states 
in what the office consisted, but it is 
supposed that it relates to times when 
juniors had to secure the bread, etc., 
served out for then? masters. 

Bread-room, The stomach., bread- 
basket (1760) (q.v.). 

Bread -room Jack. A purser's 
servant. 

Break. 1. A collection (of money) 
usually got up by a prisoner's friends, 
either to defray the expenses of his de- 
fence, or as a uf t when leaving prison, 
2. Formerly and more generally ap- 
plied to a pause in street performances 
to enable the hat to be passed round: 
ciLead. To break one's back, to become 
bankrupt ( 1 001 ). To break one* 9 egg : 



Break-down. 



Bridge, 



seeCrackone'segg. Tobreak out all over 
(or in a fresh spot), expressions in com- 
mon use in the one case conveying 
an idea of completeness ; and, in the 
other, of commencing some new under- 
taking, or assuming a different posi- 
tion whether in an argument or action. 
To break shins, to borrow money. 
To break the balls, to commence play- 
ing. To break the molasses jug, to come 
to grief, to make a mistake. To break 
the neck or back of anything, to ac- 
complish the major portion of a task, 
be near the end of an undertaking, be 
past the middle of same. To break a 
straw with, to fall out with. To break 
a lance with, to enter into competition 
with. To break Priscian's head, to 
violate the laws of grammar. To 
break the neck of a thing (or matter), to 
get through the serious part of it. 
To break tfie ice, to commence, prepare 
the way. To break no squares, to do 
no harm. 

Break- down. 1 . A measure of li quor. 
2. A noisy dance, a convivial gather- 
ing : the term was, at first, specially 
applied to a negro dance, but is now 
in general use in England in a humor- 
ous sense. To break down, to dance 
riotously, be boisterous, spreeish. 

Break-o'-day Drum. A drinking 
saloon which keeps its doors open all 
night. 

Breaky-leg. 1. Intoxicating 
drink : see Drinks. 2. A shilling. 

Breast Fleet, Roman Catholics; 
from their practice of crossing them- 
selves on the breast as an act of devo- 
tion (Grose). 

Breath. Change your breath, an 
injunction to adopt a different manner 
or bearing. An offensive, slang ex- 
pression which, originating in Cali- 
fornia, quickly ran its course through 
the Union. 

Breath-bubble. An empty thing, 
trifle (1835). 

Breath-seller. 1. A perfumer 
(1601). 2. A paid speaker. 

Breech. To nog: formerly in 
literary use, but now fallen into des- 
uetude (1557). 

Breeched. Well off, with plenty of 
money ; weU breeched, in good circum- 
stances : cf. Ballasted. Fr. deculotte 
( bankrupt, i.e. unbreeched). 

Breeches. Ironically applied to the 
Commonwealth coinage; aug ' * 
by the arrangement of two 



on the reverse side of the coin. To 
wear the breeches, to usurp a husband's 
prerogative, be master (1450): cf. 
the grey mare is the better horse of 
the two. 

Breeching. A flogging (q.v.), 
formerly in general use (1520). 

Breef. See Brief. 

Breeze. A row, quarrel, disturb- 
ance, coolness (Grose). 

Brekker. Breakfast. 

Brevet Hell. A battle : the term 
originated during the American Civil 
War. 

Brevet- wife. A woman who takes 
a man's name, and enjoys all the 
privileges of a wife. 

Brew (Marlborough School). To 
make afternoon tea. 

Brewer's Horse. A drunkard : see 
Lushmgton. 

Brian o' Linn. Gin : see Drinks. 

Briar, Brier. A brier-wood pipe. 

Brick. A good fellow; one whose 
staunchness and loyalty commend him 
to his follows : said to be of University 
origin, the simile being drawn from 
the classics (1835). As verb, to pun- 
ish a man by bringing the knees close 
up to the chin, and lashing tb.o arms 
tightly to the knees a species of 
trussing. Like a brick (like bricks, or 
like a thousand of bricks), with energy, 
alacrity, thoroughly, vehemently and 
with much display. Brick in the hat, 
top-heavy, inability to preserve a 
steady gait: of drunken men. 

Brick- duster. See Brick-fielder. 

Brickdusts. The Fifty-third 
Regiment of Foot, now The King's 
(Shropshire Light Infantry), from its 
facings. 

Bnckfielder (or Brickduster). In 
Sydney the name given to a dusi or 
sand storm brought by southerly 
winds from sand hills locally known 
as the Brickfields hence the name : 
also the Buster or Southerly Burster. 

Bricklayer. A clergyman. 

Bricklayer's Clerk. A lubberly 
sailor. 

Bricks (Wellington College). A 
sort of pudding. 

B r i c k W a 1 1. To run one's head 
against a brick wall, to pursue a course 
obstinately to certain disaster, ruin, 
or death. 

Bridge, A cheating trick at 
cards, by which any particular card 
is cut by previously curving it by the 



Broiled Crow. 



pressure of the hand: Fr., le pont sec. 
To throw a person over the bridge, bo 
deceive him by betraying the con- 
fidence he has reposed in you. Beside 
the bridge, off the track, astray. A 
gold (or silver) bridge, an easy way of 
escape. 

Bridle-cull. A highwayman ( 1754). 

Bridport (or Brydport) Dagger. 

The hangman's rope. To be stabbed 

with a Bridport dagger, to be hanged 

(1662). 

Brief. 1. A ticket of any kind 
railway pass, pawnbroker's duplicate, 
raffle ticket. 2. A pocket book. Hence 
briefless, ticketless. 

Briefs (or Breefs). Prepared cards 
(1529). [Take a pack of cards and open 
them, then take out all the honours 
. . . and out a little from the edges of 
the rest all alike, so as to make the 
honours broader than the rest, so that 
when your adversary cuts to you, you 
are certain of an honour. When you 
cut to your adversary cut at the ends, 
and then it is a chance if you cut Mm 
an honour, because the cards at the 
ends are all of a length. Thus you 
may make breefs end-ways as well as 
side-ways] (Sotten). 

Brief -snatcher. A pocket-book 
thief (q.v.). 

Brier (or Briar). In pi. difficulty, 
trouble, vexation. In the briars, in 
trouble (1509). 

Brigh. A pocket, cly, skyrocket. 
Bright Bright in the eye, tipsy : 
see Screwed. 

Brighton Tipper. A particular 
brew of ale. 

Brim. A prostitute : i.e. Brim- 
stone (q.v.) (1730). 2. An angry, 
violent woman, or a termagant, with- 
out reference to moral character. 

Brimstone. 1. A violent tempered 
woman, virago, spitfire (1712). 2. A 
prostitute. 

Briney (or Briny). The sea ( 1856). 
English synonyms, herring pond, big 
pond, big drink, the puddle, Davy's 
looker. 

Bring. To bring down the house, 
to elicit loud applause ; and, figur- 
atively, to be successful (1754). 

Brisket- beater. A Roman Catholic : 
cf. Breast-fleet, and Craw-thumper 
(Grose). 

Bristle. To set up one's bristles, 
to show temper. 

Bristle Dice or Bristles, subs. 



A method of cogging dice by inserting 
bristles into them, and thus influencing 
the position of the cubes when thrown 
(1562). 

B r i s t ol Milk. Sherry : formerly 
a large import of the city of Bristol : 
see Drinks (1644). 

Broach. To broach daret, to 
draw blood. 

Broad. Knowing, cute, smart : 
cf . Wide. Phrases : In the broad or the 
long, in one way or another. It's as 
broad as it's long, there's no difference, 
there's not a pin to choose between 
them. 

Broad and Shallow. An 
epithet applied to the Broad Church 
party, in contradistinction __to the 
High and Low Churches : see High 
and dry. 

Broadbpttoms. A nickname of 
two Coalition Governments, one in the 
last century [1741], and the other in 
1807. 

Broadbrim. A Quaker : the origin 
of this expression is to be found in the 
hat once peculiar to the Society of 
Friends (1712). 

Broad - cooper. A person em- 
ployed by brewers to negotiate with 

Broad Cove. A card - sharper : 
Fr., bremeur (1821). 

Broad-faking. Playing at 
cards : spco. work of the three card 
and kindred descriptions. 

Broad-fencer. A k'rect card vendor. 

Broads. Playing cards (1789). 

Broadsman. A card-sharper. 

Broady 1. Cloth: a corruption 
of broadcloth (1851). 2. Anything 
worth stealing. 

Broady Worker. A man who goes 
round selling shoddy stuff under the 
pretence that it is excellent material, 
which has been got on the cross, i.e. 
stolon. 

Brock (Winchester College). To 
bully, tease, badger. 

Brockster (Winchester College). A 
bully. 

Brogues (Christ's Hospital). 
Breeches : in reality an obsolete old 
English term which has survived 
among the Blues. 

Broiled (or Boiled) Crow, To eat 
botlcd crow, a newspaper editor, who is 
obliged by his party, or other outside 
influences, to advoi-ate principles dif- 
ferent from those which he supported 



70 



Broke. 



Bruise. 



& short time before, is said to eat 
boiled crow. 

Broke. Dead broke (or stone 
broke), ruined, decayed, hard up of 
health or pecuniary circumstances : 
Fr., pas un radis. 

Broken Feather in One's Wing. 
A blot on one's character. 

Broken-kneed (or legged). 
Seduced. 

Brolly. An umbrella : first used 
at Winchester and subsequently 
adopted at both Oxford and Cam- 
bridge Universities. 

Broncho. Unruly, wild, savage : 
from the name of the native horse of 
California, a somewhat tricky and un- 
certain quadruped ; familiarly applied 
to horses that buck and show other 
signs of vice : the Spanish signification 
of the word is rough and crabbed little 
beast, and in truth he deserves this 
name. 

Broncho- buster. A breaker-in of 
bronchos, a flash-rider. 

Bronze John. A Texas name for 
yellow fever ; commonly called Yel- 
low Jack (q.v.). 

Broom, subs. (old). A warrant 
( 1815). As verb, to run away : see Bunk. 

Broomstick. A sort of rough 
cricket bat, very narrow in the blade : 
all of one piece of wood. To jump 
the broottistick (hop the broom, jump 
tlie besom), to go through a quasi 
marriage ceremony by jumping over 
a broomstick (1774). 

Broomsticks, Worthless bail, 
straw-bail (1812). 

Brosier (or Brozier) (Eton Col- 
lege). A boy when he had spent all 
his pockot money : brozier is Cheshire 
for bankrupt. J3roz^crc,d, cleaned out, 
done up, ruined, bankrupt (1796). 
Brozier -my -dame (Eton College), eat- 
ing one out of house and homo : when 
a dame (q.v.) keeps an unusually bad 
table, the boys agree together on a 
day to eat, pocket, or waste every- 
thing eatable in the house. The 
censure is well understood, and the 
hint is generally effective (1850). 

Broth. Breath. To make, white 
broth of, to boil to death. A broth of 
a boy, a downright good fellow. 

Brother- blade. A eoldior: see 
Mudcrusher (Grwte). 

Brother Chip, One of tho same 
calling or trade : formerly a fellow- 
carponlor (1820). 



Brother of the Brush. An artist, a 
house-painter (1687). 

Brother of the Bung. A brewer ; 
one of the same trade. 

Brother of the Buskin. A player, 
actor one of the same profession. 

Brother of the Coif. A serjeant- 
at-law : the coif was a close-fitting cap 
worn by the serjeants-at-law (Grose). 

Brother of the Quill. An author 
(1754). 

Brother of the String. A fiddler. 

Brother of the Whip. A coachman 
(1756). 

Brother - smut A term of famili- 
arity : e.g. Ditto, brother or sister 
smut, tv, quoque. 

Brpughtonian. A bruiser, boxer, 
pugilist : from Broughton, once the 
best boxer of his day. 

Brown. 1. A halfpenny : see 
Rhino (1812). 2. Porter: an ab- 
breviation of Brown Stout As verb, 

(1) to do brown, to get the better of ; 

(2) to understand, comprehend. To 
do brown, to do well, take in, deceive, 
exceed bounds (1600). 

Brown Bess. 1. Yes. 2. The old 
regulation musket, 3. A prostitute 
(1631). To hug brown B&ss, to serve 
as a private soldier. 

Brown George. 1. A wig, of the 
colour of over-baked ginger-bread: 
modish during the latter half of the 
last century. 2. A jug : generally of 
brown earthenware : cf. Black-jack. 
3. A coarse brown loaf, or hard biscuit 
(1653). 

Brownie. The polar bear. 

Brown Janet. A knapsack. 

Brown Joe. No : cf . Brown 
Bess, Yes. 

Brown - paperman. A gambler 
in pence. 

Brown-paper warrant. A warrant 
given by a captain : this he can cancel 
(Smyth). 

Brown Stone. Beer : see Drinks. 

Brown-study. Mental abstraction, 
musing, thoughtful absentminded- 
ness, idle reverie. 

Brown Talk. Conversation of 
an exceedingly proper character: of. 
Blue 

Browse. To idle, loll, take 
things easy. A browse morning, one 
in which there is little work. 

Bruise. To fight, box gen- 
erally with the idea of mauling. To 
bruise along, to pound along. 



71 



Suck. 



Bruiser. 1. A prize-fighter, 
boxer (1744). 2. A prostitute's bully. 
3. One toad of fighting. 4. Generic for 
a rowdy or bully : sometimes, how- 
ever, limited in its application to a 
particular band of ruffians, as once 
in Baltimore. 

Bruising. Prize - fighting, boxing 
(1757). 

B r u m. 1. A counterfeit coin : 
contracted form of Brummagem (q. v. ), 
spec, counterfeit groats (about 1691). 

2. Anything counterfeit, not genuine. 

3. Copper money struck by Boulton 
and Watt at their works at Soho, 
Birmingham (1787). 4. An inhabit- 
ant of Birmingham. As adj. (Win- 
chester College), mean, poor, stingy: 
the superlative is dead brum. 

Brumby. A wild horse : the Anti- 
podean counterpart of the American 
broncho. 

Brummagem. 1. Birmingham. 2. 
Base money of various denominations 
especially groats in 17th century 
hence anything spurious or unreal 
(1691). As adj., counterfeit, unreal, 
sham, showy, pretentious (1637). 

Brummagem Buttons. Counter- 
feit coin (1836). 

Brummish. Doubtful, counterfeit 
(1805). 

B r u m s. London and North 
Western Stock : formerly the London 
and Birmingham Railway. 

Brush. 1. See Brother of the 
Brush. 2. A hasty departure (1750). 
3. A person who decamps hastily, or 
who evades his creditors (1748). As 
verb, (1) to flog, thrash : e,g. to brush 
one's jacket: of. Dust; (2) to run away, 
decamp : also to brush off (1696). 

Brusher. 1. A full glass. 2. One 
that gets or steals away privately 
(Dyche). 3. A schoolmaster. As 
verb, to humbug by flattery. To 
brush up a flat, to use mealy-mouthed 
words, lay it on thick, soft soap (q.v.). 

Brute. A man who has not yet 
matriculated : the play is evident A 
man, in college phrase, is a collegian ; 
and as matriculation is the sign and 
seal of acceptance, a scholar bei'oro 
tjhat ceremony is not a man, only a 
biped brute. 

Brydport Dagger. See Bridport 



Bub. 1. Strong drink of any 
kind : usually applied to malt liquor, 
To take bub and grub, to cat and drmk 
(1671). 2. A woman's breast: gen- 
erally in plural bubbles (q.v.). 3. 
A brother. 4. A term of affection 
applied to a little boy : also a familiar 
address. 5. An abbrevi&lod form of 
bubble (q.v.). As verb, (1) to drink 
(1671); (2) to bribe, cheat: cf. Bub- 
ble (1719). 

Bubber. 1. A hard drinker, con- 
firmed tippler: see Lushington: Fr., 
b^bass^er (1653). 2. A drinking bowl 
(1696). 3. A public-house thief (1785). 
4. An old woman with large pendulous 



_ . T. I. An abbreviation of A big 
thing on ice : cf. P.D.Q., O.K., N.G., 
and Q.K. 



Bubbles. A woman's breasts 
(1686). 

B u b b i n g. Drinking, tippling 
(1678). 

Bubble. A dupe, gull, caravan 
(q.v.); and rook (q.v.) (1598). As 
verb, to cheat, humbug, delude as 
with bubbles, to overreacii (1664). 

Bubbleable. That can be duped, 
gullible (1669). 

Bubble and Squeak. Cold meat 
fried up with potatoes and greens 
(Grose). 

Bubble-buff. A bailiff. 
Bubble Company. A swindling 
association, enterprise, or project : 
the South Sea Bubble will occur to 
mind (1754). 

Bubbled. Gulled, deceived, be- 
fooled (1683). 

Bubbling-squeak. Hot soup. 
Bubbly Jock, 1 A turkey cock, 
gobbler (Grow). 2. A stupid boaster. 
3. A pert, coned tod, pragmatical 
fellow ; a prig ; a cau. 

Bubby. See Bub atid Bubbles. 
Bucco. A dandy, buck (q.v.). 
Buck. 1. In the- first instniico ? 
man of spirit or gaiety of oomluct. ; 
later a fop, a dandy (172o). 2. An 
unlicensed cabdnvcr : also a sham fare 
(1851). 3. A sixpence : thought to be 
a corruption of fyebuek (q.v") : rarely 
used by itself, but demotes the sixpence 
attached to shillingrt in reference to 
cost, as, three and a buck, three thil- 
lings and sixpence : sue Rhino. 4. 
A large marble. 5. A term used in 
poker. As adj., at PrLieeton College* 
anything which is of an intoiisivo 
degreo, good, oxcelloai, pleasant or 
agreeable, is called buck. AB verb, 
(1) to oppose, run counter to ; (2) Ap- 



Buck Bait. 



Bufe. 



plied to horses this term describes the 
action of plunging forward and throw- 
ing the head to the ground in an 
effort to unseat the rider. (3) To cook 
(q.v.) : of accounts. (4) To play 



Buckish. Foppish, dandyish 
(1782). 

Buck -jump. A jump made in 
buck (q.v.) fashion. 

Buckle. 1. To marry (1693). 



against the bank, usually, to buck the 2. To buckle to, to undertake, grapple 



, , 

tiger. (5) To put forth one's whole 
energy. To run a buck, to poll a bad 
vote at an election (Grose). To buck 
(or fight) the tiger, to gamble. To 
buck down (Winchester College), to be 
sorry, unhappy. 



with, slip in, work vigorously (1557). 
To buckle down, to settle down, be- 
come reconciled to, knuckle down 
(q.v.). 

,. Buckle-beggar. A Fleet parson; 

To be bucked, to_be also one who celebrated irregular 
marriages, a hedge priest, one who 
undertook similar offices for gipsies 
and tramps (1700). 

Buckle-bosom. A catchpoll, con- 
stable. 

Buckled. Arrested, scragged. 

Buckler. A collar. 

Bucklers. Fetters. See Darbies. 

Buckram. Men in buckram, non- 
existent persons : in allusion to Fal- 
staff's four men in buckram. 

Bucksome (Winchester College). 
Happy, in a state of buck-uppishness : 
see Buck-up. 

Bud. An endearment : of children 
or young persons. 

Budge. 1. A pick -pocket (1671). 
2. An accomplice who gains access to a 

dismiss from one's employment, send building during the day for the pur- 
a person about his business : see Bag pose of being locked in, so that he can, 
and Sack. To kick the bucket, to die : ' ' ' 



app 

tired. To buck up (Winchester Col- 
lege), to be glad, pleased: the usual 
expression is Oh, buck up, a phrase 
which at Westminster School would 
have a very different meaning, namely 
exert yourself; at Uppingham to be 
bucked (q.v.) is to be tired. 

Buck Bait. Bail given by a con- 
federate. 

Buckeen. 1. A bully (Grose). 2. A 
younger son of the poorer aristocracy. 

Bucket. An anonymous letter. 
As verb, (1) to ride hard, not to spare 
one's beast ; (2) to cheat, ruin, deceive 
(1812) ; (3) to take the water unfairly 
with a scoop at the beginning of the 
stroke instead of a steady even pull 
throughout. To give the bucket, to 



the bucket hero is thought to refer to a 
Norfolk term for a pulley ; when pigs 
are killed they are hung by their hind 
legs on a bucket (Grose). 

Bucket-afloat. A coat. 

Bucket Shop. 1. A stock gambling 
den carried on in opposition to regular 
exchange business, and usually of a 
more than doubtful character. 2. A 
low groggery, lottery office, gambling 
den, etc. 

Buckeye. A native of Ohio. 
Buck-eye State, Ohio. 

Buck Face. A cuckold. 

Buck Fitch. An old roue. 

Buckhara. A cattle-driver, cow- 

Buckhorse. A smart blow, box 
on the ear : from the name of a cele- 
brated bruiser of that name ; Buck- 
horse was a man who either possessed 
or professed insensibility to pain, and 
who would for a small sum allow any- 
one to strike him with the utmost force 
on the side of the face ; his real name 
was John Smith, and he fought in 
public 1732-46, 



when night comes, admit his fellow 
thieves: also sneaking -budge (1752). 
3. Drink, liquor : see Drinks. JBudgy, 
drunk. Budging -ken, a public house. 
Cove of the budging-ken, a publican. 
Budger, a drunkard (1821). As verb, 
to move, to make tracks. 

Budge-a-beake. To run away 
(presumably from justice) : of. to bilk 
the blues (q.v.) (1610). 

Budger. A drunkard: see Lush- 
ington. 

Budget. To open one's budget, to 
epeak one's mind. 

Budging -ken. A public house: 
see Lush-crib (1821). 

Budgy. Drunk, intoxicated: see 
Screwed. 

Bud of Promise. A young un- 
married woman : see Rosebud and 
Bud. 

Buenos Ayres. The Royal Crescent 
at Margate at the extreme end of the 
town used to be so called : the houses 
remained unfinished for a very con- 
siderable time (H. J. Byron). 

Bufe. A dog: from the sound of 
its bark (1567). 



73 



Jtiuje-nabber. 



Buf e - nabber (or napper ). A dog 
thief (q.v.) (Grose). 

Buff. 1. The bare skin (1654). 
2. A man, fellow: also Buffer (q.v.) 
(1708). 3. Foolish talk (1721). To 
buff it, (I) to swear to, adhere to a 
statement hard and fast, stand firm : 
also to buff it home (1812) ; (2) to strip, 
bare oneself to the buff or skin (1581). 
In buff, naked, in a state o nudity 
(1602). To stand buff, to stand the 
brunt, pay the piper, endure without 
flinching (1680). To say neither buff 
nor baff (not to say buff to a wolfs 
shadow, or to know neither buff 



Buffle-head. An ignoramus, stupid, 
obtuse fellow (1659). 

Buffleheaded. Stupid,idiotic,foolish. 

Buffo. A comic actor, singer in 
comic opera (or burlesque) (1764). 

Buffs (The). The Third Regiment 
of Foot in the British army : see Buff 
Howards. 

Buff y. Intoxicated : see Screwed. 

Bug. 1. A breast-pin. 2. An 
Englishman (old Irish) : Grose says, 
because bugs were introduced into 
Ireland by Englishmen !! 3. In the 
United States bug is not confined, 
as in England, to the domestic pest, 



stye), to say neither one thing nor but is applied to all insects of the 



another, to know nothing at all. 

Buffard. A foolish fellow: of. 
Buffle. 

Buff -coat. A soldier, one who 
wears a buff coat (1670). 

Buffer. 1. A dog: this term in 
varying forms from 1567 down to tlie 
present time Harman gives it as bufe 
(1567) and bufa (1573) ; Rowlands as 
buffa (1610) ; Head as bugher (1673) ; 
whilst in The Memorials oj John Hall it 
first appears as buffer. 2. A man, fellow 
sometimes with a slightly contempt- 
uous meaning; generally speaking a 
familiar mode of address, as in Old 
Buffer, although even this form may 
be used disparagingly (1749). 3. A 
boxer, one of the fancy (1819). 4. 
A rogue that kills good sound horses 
only for their skins (B. E.). 5. One 
who took a false oath for a considera- 
tion. 6. A pistol (1824). 7. A smuggler, 
rogue, cheat. 8. A boatswain's mate, 
one of whose duties it is or was to 
administer the Cat. 9. A stammerer 
(1382). 

Buff Howards. The Third 
Regiment of Foot, now the East Kent 
Regiment ; also The Buffs : from its 
facings and Colonel from 1737 to 1749 ; 
also the Nut-crackers (q.v.) ; and the 
Resurrectionists (q.v.), from its re- 
appearing at the Battle of Albuera 
after being dispersed by the Polish 
Lancers ; also the Old Buffs, from its 
facings, and to distinguish it from the 
31st, the Young Buffs ; but the most 
ancient Old Buffs were the Duke of York 
and Albany's Maritime Regiments 
raised in 1664, and incorporated into 
the 2nd or Coldstream Guards in 1689. 
Buffle. A fool, a stupid person: 
Murray quotes it as occurring in 1655, 
but the term was in use in 1580. 



Coleoptera order, which includes what 
in this country are generally called 
beetles. 4. A person of assumed im- 
portance (1771) ; big bug (q.v.), a per- 
son of wealth or distinction ; thence 
cattle -bug, a wealthy stock - raiser ; 
gold -bug, a monied man. Fire -bug, 
an incendiary. TJiat beats the bugs, 
a high mead of praise, that beats 
cock-fighting. As verb, (1) among 
journeymen hatters, to exchange dear 
materials for others of less value: 
Hats were composed of the furs and 
wools of diverse animals, among which 
is a small portion of bever's fur 
bugging is stealing the bever, and 
substituting in lieu thereof an equal 
weight of some cheaper ingredient 
(Grose). (2) to bribe : bailiffs accept- 
ing money to delay service were said 
to bug the writ ; (3) to give, hand over, 
deliver (1812). 

Bugaboo. 1. A sheriff's officer 
(Grose). 2. A tally-man. 3. A weekly 
creditor. 

Bugaroch. Pretty, comely, hand- 
some (Grose). 

Bug-blinding. Whitewashing. 
Bugger. 1. A thief (q.v.), one 
who steals breast-pins from drunken 
men. 2. A man, a fellow: a coarse 
term of abuse with little reference to 
the legal meaning : the French has an 
exact equivalent : equivalent to bitch 
(q.v.), as applied to women (1719). 
Buggy. A leather bottle. 
Bugher. See Buffer. 
Bug-hunter. 1. A thief who 
plunders drunken men. 2. An 
upholsterer (Lexicon Balatronicum). 

Bug-juice. 1. Ginger ala 2. 
Tho SculechtcT whibky of the Penn- 
sylvania Dutch a very inferior spirit : 
also bug-poison. 



74 



Bull 



Bugle. To bugle it. To abstain sill projecting from a window (1691). 
from going into class until the last 2. A thief (q.v.) : see Bulk (1669). 

mnmonf. io r.+.il t.Tio Vinrrla annn^a Bulky. A pOUCe COUStable : Said 

to be a northern term (1821). As 
adj. (Winchester College) ; rich, gener- 



moment, i.e. until the bugle sounds. 

Bug Walk. A bed. English 
synonyms : Bedfordshire, Sheet Alley, 
Blanket Fair, Land of Nod, doss, rip, 
Cloth Market. 

Bug-word. A word to cause terror, 
swaggering (or threatening) language ; 
i.e. Bugbear-word (1562). 

Build. Properly, to build is to 
construct, says Murray, for a dwell- 
ing and by extension of meaning ... to 
construct by fitting together of sepa- 
rate parts ; chiefly with reference to 
structures of considerable size . . . (not, 
e.g., a watch or a piano). Therefore, 
when build is applied to the make or 



, 

ous (or both) : the opposite of brum 
(q.v.). 

Bull. 1. Formerly a blunder or 
mistake ; now generally understood 
as an inconsistent statement, a ludi- 
crous contradiction, often partaking 
largely of the nature of a pun : the 
term was current long before the form 
Irish bull is met with (1642). 2. A 
crown, five-shilling piece : formerly 
bull's-eye (q.v.) (1812). 3. Originally 
a speculative purchase for a rise ; i.e. 
a man would agree to buy stock at a 



style of dress, it is pure slang It's a future day at a stated price with no 



, 

tidy build, who made it ? A tailor is 
sometimes called a trousers builder. 
In the United States, as Fennimore 
Cooper puts it, everything is built. 
The priest builds up a flock, the specu- 
lator a fortune, the lawyer a reputation, 
the landlord a town, and the tailor, as 
in England, builds up a suit of clothes ; 
a fire is built instead of made, and the 
expression is even extended to in- 
dividuals, to be built being used with 
the meaning of formed. I was not 
built that way ; and hence in a still 
more idiomatic sense to express un- 
willingness to adopt a specified course 
or carry out any inconvenient plan. 
To "build, a chapel, to steer badly, and 
so cause a ship to y,eer round. Not 
built that way, not to one's taste, in 
one's line a general expression of 
disapproval or dissent, whether said 
of persons or things. 

Bulgarian Atrocities. Varna and 
Rustchuk By. 3 per cent, obligations. 

Bulge. The legitimate meaning is 
extended in many odd ways. Bags 
(q.v.) bulge, but do not get baggy ; 
and in a similar fashion when a man is 
all attention bis eyes are said to bulge. 
To go (or be) on a bulge, to drink 
to excess : see Screwed. To get the 
bulge on one, to obtain an advan- 
tage over, to get the drop on one 
(1869). 

Bulger. Large buster (q.v.). 

Bulk. An assistant to a File 
or Pickpocket, who jostles a person 
up against the wall, while the other 
picks his pocket (. #.). 

Bulker. 1. A prostitute of a low 
type, one who slept on a bulk, a kind of 



intention of taking it up, but trusting 
to the market advancing in value to 
make the transaction profitable : bull 
is the reverse of bear (q.v.) : the term 
is now more frequently applied to 
persons, i.e. to one who tries to en- 
hance the value of stocks by speculative 
purchases or otherwise ; also used as 
a verb and adjective (1671) : on the 
French Bourse a bull is hatMsier, in 
Berlin he is known as liebhaler ; and 
in Vienna contremine. 4. See Bull the 
cask (or barrel). 5. 1 teapot with 
the leaves left in for a second brew. 
6. Prison rations of meat, an allusion 
to its toughness ; also generally used 
for meat without any reference to its 
being either tough or tender: Fr., 
bidoche. 7. A locomotive : sometimes 
bullgine. 8. (Winchester College). 
Cold beef: introduced at breakfast 
about 1873. As verb, at Dartmouth 
College, to recite badly, make a poor 
recitation. Stale bull, stock held over 
for a long period with profit. To 
bull the cask (or barrel), to pour 
water into a rum cask when empty, 
with a view to keeping the wood 
moist and preventing leakage; the 
water after some time is very intoxi- 
cating, and the authorities, not looking 
with much favour upon wholesale 
brewing of grog in this way, sometimes 
use salt water as a deterrant, though 
even this salt water bull, as it is called, 
when again poured out, has often 
proved too attractive for seamen to 
resist : again it is common to talk in the 
same way of Bulling a teapot, coffee- 
pot, etc. ; that is, after the first brew 
has been exhausted, by adding fresh 



75 



Buttace. 



water, and boiling over again, to make 
a second brew from the old materials. 
He may bear a bull that hath borne a 
calf, after little, big things are possible. 
A buU in a china shop, a simile of reck- 
less destruction. To fake the bull by 
the horns, to meet a difficulty with 
resolution and courage. To show the 
bull horn, to make a show of resist- 
ance. 

Bultace. A black eye (1659). 
Bull-and-cow. A row. 
Bull- back. Pickaback (q.v.) 
(1600). 

Bull-bait. To bully, hector, 
badger. 

Bull -beef. Hard, stringy meat; 
hence, As ugly as bull-beef ; As big as 
bull-beef ; Go and sell yourself for bull- 
beef (1579). To bluster like buU-beef, 
to tear round like mad. 

Bull-calf (or dog). A great hulkey 
or clumsy fellow (Grose). 

Bull-chin. A fat, chubby child 
(Grose). 

Bull-dance. A dance in which 
only men take part: cf. Stag-dance, 
Gander-party, Hen-party, etc. 

Bull- dog. 1. A sheriffs officer, 
bailiff (1698). 2. A pistol; in the 
naval service a main-deck gun (1700). 
3. A sugar-loaf. 4. A proctor's assist- 
ant or marshal (1823). 5. A member 
of Trinity College, Cambridge : ob- 
solete. 

Bull-dog Blazer. A revolver. 
Bull- dose. A severe castigation 
or flogging. As verb, to thrash, in- 
timidate, bully ; a term of Southern 
political origin, originally referring 
to an association of negroes formed 
to insure, by violent and unlawful 
means, the success of an election : 
now in general use, to signify the 
adoption and use of coercive measures 
(1876). 

Bull-doser. 1. A bully, braggart, 
swaggerer. 2. A pistol: spec, one 
carrying a bullet heavy enough to 
destroy human life with certainty. 

Bullet. To give the bullet, to dis- 
charge an employe, give the bag (or 
sack) (1841). FuU bullet, full size. 
Every bullet has its billet (or hghting- 
place): see Billet. Buftet tn mouth, 
ready for action. 

Bullet-head. L A person with a 
round head hko a bullet. 2. /n 
obstinate fellow, pig-hcadod fool, dull 
silly fellow (. E.). 



Bullfinch. 1. A stupid fellow. 2. 
A high thick hedge ; one difficult to 
jump or rush through: most authorities 
agree that this term is a corruption of 
bull-fence, i.e. a fence capable of pre- 
venting cattle from straying. As verb, 
to leap a horse through such a hedge 
(1820). 

Bull-flesh. Brag, swagger (1832). 

Bull-head. 1. Hair curled and 
frizzled, worn over the forehead 
(1672). 2. A fool, blockhead. Bull- 
headed, pig-headedly impetuous, block- 
headed. 

Bull-jine. A locomotive. 

Bull-nurse. A male attendant on 
the sick. 

Bullock. 1. A cheat. 2. A 
countryman or bushman : cf. Bullock- 
puncher. As verb, to bully, bounce 
over, intimidate (1716). 

Bullock's Heart. See Token. 

Bullock's-horn. To pawn. 

Bull Party. A party of men. 

Bull - puncher. A cow-puncher, 
(q.v.). 

Bull's Eye. 1. A sweetmeat of 
which peppermint is an important in- 
gredient (1825). 2. A five-shilling 
piece, a bull (q.v.) (1696). 

Bull's - eye Villas. A nickname 
given to the small open tents used by 
the Volunteers at their annual gather- 



Feather. To give [or get] 
the bull's feather, verbal phr. (old). To 
cuckold. Fr., planter des plumes de 



Bull's -head. A signal of con- 
demnation, and prelude of immediate 
execution, said to have been anciently 
used in Scotland (Jainieson). 

Bull's-noon. Midnight (1839). 

Bull-trap, A sham police con- 
stable. 

Bully, subs. (old). 1. A fancy man 
(q.v.) (1706). 2. (Eton College). A 
mdee at football ; the equivalent of 
the Rugby scrimmage and the Win- 
chester hot. 3. (nautical). A term 
of endearment: orig. of either sex 
sweetheart, darling : now of men only 
pal, mate. 4. A weapon formed 
by tying a stone or a piece of lead 
in a handkerchief: used knuckle- 
duster fashion. 5. A bravo, hector, 
swashbuckler; now spec, a tyran- 
nical coward. As adj., fine, capital, 
crack, spiff (1681). Thafs bully for 
you, Grand, fine, all right, OK. 



76 



Bully Beef. 



Bum Fodder. 



Bully boy (or butty boy with the glass 
eye), a good fellow (1815). 

Bully Beef. Tinned meat: iron 
ration (q.v.) : in the navy, boiled salt 
meat. 

Bully- boss. The landlord of a 
brothel or thieves' den. 

Bully-cock. 1. One who foments 
quarrels in order to rob the persons 
quarrelling (Grose). 2. A low round 
hat with broad brim, billy-cock (q.v.). 

Bully-huff. A boasting bully. 

Bullyrag (or Ballyrag). To revile, 
abuse, scold vehemently usually in 
vulgar or obscene language; also to 
swindle by means of intimidation. 

Bullyragging. Scolding, abuse, 
swindling. 

Bully-rook (or Bully-rock). 
Originally boon-companion ; later, a 
swaggerer, bully, bravo (1596). 

Bully Ruffian. A footpad or 
highwayman, who, to robbery, added 
coarse invective. 

Bully-scribbler. A bullying 
journalist (1715). 

Bully Trap. A man of mild out- 
side demeanour who is a match for any 
ruffian who may attack him (Grose). 

Bulrush. A simile of delusive 
strength. To seek a, knot in a bulrush, 
to cavil, find difficulties where there 
are none : also in sarcasm, to take 
away every knot in a bulrush. 

Bum. 1. The posteriors (1387). 
2. Bum bailiff (q.v.). 3. A birching, 
biding, tanning. As verb, to arrest. 
Cherry bums, the llth Hussars: the 
obvious reference is to the scarlet 
trousers worn by this branch of the 
service ; a similar nickname is given 
to the French Chasseurs, culs rouges. 
To say neither ba nor bum., to say not 
a word. 

Bum-bailiff (also Bum-baily). A 
bailiff or sheriff's officer (1602). 

Bum Bass. The violoncello. 

Bumbaste. To flog, thrash, beat 
soundly (1571). 

Bum -beating. Jostling, pushing 
others off the pavement (1616). 

Bumbee. A bailiff (1653). 

Bum-blade. A large sword 
(1632). 

Bumble. A beadle. 

Bum-card* A marked playing-card. 

Bumble-crew. Corporations, 
vestries, and other official bodies. 

Bumbledom. Petty officialism, 
red tape, fuseiness, pomposity (1866). 



Bumble-bath (or broth). A mess, 
pickle, confusion; as adj., clumav, 
unwieldy (1595). 

Bumble-foot. A club-foot (1861). 

Bumble - puppy. Family whist, 
i.e. unscientific whist. Also applied, 
says Hotten, to a game played in 
public houses on a large stone, placed 
in a slanting direction, on the lower end 
of which holes are made, and numbered 
like the holes in a bagatelle- table. The 
player rolls a stone ball, or marble, 
from the higher end, and according to 
the number of the hole it falls into the 
game is counted. It is undoubtedly 
the very ancient game of Trovle-in- 



Bumbler. 1. An idle fellow. 2. 
A blunderer. 3. A Tyneside artillery- 
man. 

Bumbles. Coverings for the eyes 
of horses that shy in harness. 

Bumbo. A liquor composed of 
rum, sugar, water, and nutmeg (Smol- 
lett); brandy, water, and sugar 
(Grose). 

Bum-brusher, subs, (schoolboys'). 
A flogging schoolmaster, an usher. 
English synonyms, fLaybottom, haber- 
dasher of pronouns (1704). 

Bum Charter. The name given 
to bread steeped in hot water by the 
first unfortunate inhabitants of the 
English Bastile., where this miserable 
fare was their daily breakfast, each 
man receiving with his scanty portion 
of bread a quart of boiled water from 
the cook's coppers (Vavac). 

Bum-court. The Ecclesiastical 
Court (1544). 

Bumclink. In the Midland 
counties inferior beer brewed for hay- 
makers and harvest labourers. 

Bum-creeper. One who waits 
bent almost double. 

Bum Curtain. An academical 
gown, worn scant and short ; especially 
applied to the short black gown worn 
till 1835 by members of Caius College. 

Bumf. Toilet paper. 

Bumf eague (Bumf eagle, Bumfeg). 
To flog, thrash (1589). 

Bumfhunt (Wellington College). 
A paper-chase. 

Bum Fiddle. The posteriors. 

Bum Fidget. A restless individual. 

Bum Fodder. 1. Low-class worth 
less literature : once in literary use 
(1653). 2. Toilet paper, curl paper 
(q.v.) (Grose). 



77 



Bummaree. 



Bundling. 



Bummaree. A Billingsgate middle- 
man : these men, who are not recog- 
nised as regular salesmen by the 
trade, are speculative buyers of fish 
(1786). 

Bummed. Arrested. 

Bummer. 1. A bum-bailiff (q.v.) 
2. A heavy loss, severe pecuniary 
reverse. 3. An idler, loafer, sponger, 
looter : the term came into general use 
at the time of the Civil War, -when 
it was specially applied to a straggler, 
hanger-on, or free-lance, particularly 
in connection with General Sherman's 
famous march from Atlanta to the sea ; 
also a general term of reproach, as 
with rascal, black-leg, etc. 

Bumming (Wellington College). 
A thrashing, licking. 

Bump. When one boat touches 
another in a race it is said to make 
a bump, and technically beats its 
opponent : see Bumping race. As 
verb, to overtake and touch an op- 
posing boat, thus winning the heat or 
race (1849). 

Bumper. 1. Anything of super- 
lative size a big fie, horse, house, 
or woman. 2. A full or crowded house 
(1838). 3. (cards). When, in long 
whist, one side has scored eight before 
the other has scored a point, a bumper 
is the result. 

Bum - perisher (or Bum-shaver). 
A short-tailed coat, a jacket. 

Bumping Race. Eight-oared 
inter-Collegiate races, rowed in two 
divisions of fifteen and sixteen boats 
respectively, including a sandwich 



sufficient, on good terms with oneself 
(1803). 

Bumptiousness. Self-assertiveness, 
arrogance, self-conceit. 

Bum-roll. A pad or cushion worn 
by women to extend the dress at the 
back the equivalent of the modern 
bustle or dress-improver (1601). 

Bumsquabbled. Discomfited, 
defeated, stupefied (1G20). 

Bum-sucker. A sponger, toady, 

lick-spittle, hanger-on : FT., leche-cul. 

Bum-trap. A bailiff (1750). 

Bun. 1. A sponger, one who 

cannot be shaken off. 2. A knob of 

hair worn at the back of the head. 3. 

A term of endearment (1587). To 

take (or yank) the &, to take first 

place, obtain first honours : a variant 

of take the cake. 

Bunce (Bunse or Bunt). Originally 
see Rhino. 2. Profit, gain, 
to the good. 

u n c e r. One who sells on 
commission. 

Bunch-of -fives. The hand or fist 
(1845). 

Bunco (or Bunco-game). A 
swindling game played either with 
cards or dice, not unlike three card 
monte. As verb, to rob, cheat, or 
swindle by means of the bunco game ; 
or by what in England is known as the 
confidence trick, etc. 

Bunco-steerer (Bunko-steerer). A 
swindler, confidence- trick man : The 



bunco-steerer .... will find you out 
the morning after you land in Chicago 

^ or St. Louis. He will accost you 

boat (q.v.), i.e. the top boat of the very friendly, wonderfully friendly 
second division, which rows bottom of when you come out of your hotel, by 
the first : the boats in each division your name, and he will remind you 
start at a distance apart of 176 feet which is most surprising, considerin* 
from stern to stern in the order at you never set eyes on his face before 
which they left off at the last preceding how you have dined together in Gin- 
race, and any boat which overtakes, cinnati, or it may be Orleans, or per- 
and bumps another (i.e. touches it in haps Francisco, because he finds out 
any part) before the winning post is where you came from last ; and he will 
reached, changes place with it for shake hands with you; and he will 



the next race. 

Bumpkin. The posteriors (1658). 

Bumpology. Phrenology. Bump- 
osopher, a phrenologist. 

Bump-supper. A supper to com- 
memorate the fact of the boat of the 
college having, in the annual races, 
bumped or touched the boat of another 
college immediately in front. 

Bumpsy. Drunk : see Screwed. 

Bumptious. Arrogant, self- 



propose a drink ; and ho will pay for 
that drink ; and presently he will take 
you somewhere else, among his pals, 
and he will strip you so clean,that there 
won't be felt the price of a four-cent 
paper to throw around your face and 
hide your blushes. In London . . . 
they do the confidence trick (csant 
and Rice). 

Bundling (or Bundling up). 3Vten 
and women sleeping on the same bed 



78 



Bung. 



Burn-crust. 



together without having removed their 
clothes. 

Bung (Bong, Boung). 1. A purse 
(1567). 2. A pickpocket: also Bung- 
nipper (1598). 3. A brewer, landlord 
of a public house. Hence as adj., 
tipsy, fuddled ; see Screwed. As verb, 
(1) generally bung up, i.e. to close or 
shut up the eyes by means of a blow 
that causes a swelling (1593) ; (2) to 
give, pass, hand over, drink, to per- 
form almost any action : Bung over 
the rag, hand over the money ; (3) 
to deceive one by a lie, to cram 
(q.v.). 

Bungay. Go to Bungay I Go to 
the deuce ! 

Bung-eyed. 1. Drunk, fuddled: 
see Screwed (1858). 2. Cross-eyed, 
unable to see straight, boss-eyed, 
squinny-eyed (q.v.). 

Bung-hole. The anus (1611). 

Bungfunger. To startle, confuse : 
cf. Bumbsquabbled : also used as adj., 
confounded (1835). 

Bung-juice. Beer. 

Bung-knife (or Boung-knife). A 
cut-purse's knife (1592). 

Bung-nipper (or Boung-nipper). 
A cut- purse, sharper. 

Bung Upwards. Said of a person 
lying on his face. 

Bunk. Hasty departure. As verb, 
(1) to be off, decamp; (2) (Wellington 
College), to expel. 

Bunker. Beer : see Drinks. 

Bunkum (Buncombe, Buncome). 
Talking for talMng's sake, claptrap, 
gas, tall talk : the employment of the 
word in its original sense of insincere 
political speaking or claptrap is ascribed 
to a member of Congress, Felix Walker, 
from Buncombe County, North Caro- 
lina, who explained that he was merely 
talking for Buncombe, when his fellow 
members could not understand why 
he was making a speech. That's ail 
buncombe, That's afl nonsense, or, an 
absurdity. Also used attributively ; 
for example, a bunkum proclamation, 
bunkum logic, bunkum politicians, 
etc. (1841). 

Bunky (Christ's Hospital). Awk- 
ward, ill-finished. 

Bunnick. To settle, dispose of 
(1886). 

Bunny. An endearment : of 
women and children (1606). 

Bunny -grub (Cheltenham Col- 
lege). Green vegetables, such as 



cabbage, lettuce, and the like : at the 
Royal Military Academy and other 
schools, grass (q.v.). 

Bunse. See Bunco. 

Bun - struggle (or Bun - worry). 
A tea : see Tea-fight. 

Bunt. See Bunce. 

B u n t e r. A low vulgar woman, 
one who picks up rags and refuse in 
the street. 2. A woman who takes 
lodgings, and after staying some time, 
runs away without paying the 
rent. 

Bunting. An endearment to a 
child : as in Baby bunting. 

Burdon's Hotel. Whiteoross Street 
Prison, of which the Governor was a 
Mr. Burdon : see Cage. 

Burick (or Burerk). A woman; 
spec, one showily dressed ; for- 
merly a thief s term for a prostitute 
(1819). 

Burke. 1. To murder by strangul- 
ation : as Burke did for the purpose of 
selling the bodies for dissection. 2. 
To hush up, smother a matter. 3. To 
dye the moustache and whiskers. 

Burn. To cheat, swindle. To 
be burned., to be infected with venereal 
disease. To burn the parade, to warn 
more men for a guard than necessary, 
and excusmg the supernumeraries for 
money : this practice was formerly 
winked at in most garrisons, and was 
a considerable perquisite to the adju- 
tants and sergeant-majors ; the pre- 
tence for it was to purchase coal and 
candle for the guard, whence it was 
called burning the parade. Burn my 
breeches I A mild kind of oath. To 
burn the ken, to live at an km or tavern 
without paying for one's quarters. 
His money burns in "his pocket, he is 
eager to spend (1740). To burn one's 
boats behind one, to cut off all chance 
of retreat. To burn the Thames, to 
perform some prodigy. To burn day' 
light, to burn candles in the daytime. 
To burn fine weather, to fail to turn it 
to advantage. To burn the candle at 
both ends : see Candle. To burn the 
planks, to remain long sitting. To 
burn one's fingers, to suffer through 
meddling. To burn a stone, to displace 
by accident. 

Burnand. To pilfer plots of plays, 
novels, etc.) : from the name of Mr. F. 
Burnand, the editor of Punch, 

Burn-crust. A baker: ef. Master of 
the mint, a gardener ; Bung, a brewer ; 



Burner. 



Butcher. 



Ball of wax, a shoemaker; Quill-driver, 
a clerk ; Snip, a tailor, etc. 

Burner. A card-sharper. 

Burr. A hanger on, dependant, 
sponger. As verb (Marlborough Col- 
lege), to fight, scrimmage, rag. 

Burst. 1. A spree, drunken frolic, 
big feed, blow out (q.v.) : usually, On 
the burst. 2, A sudden and vigorous 
access (or display) of energy, a lively 
pace or spurt. 

Bursted. Hard up. 

Burster. 1. A heavy fall, cropper. 
2. See Buster. 

Bury. Go bury yourself ! A 
Californianism which has more of the 



Business End [of a thing]. The 
practical part. 

Busk. To busk it, to sell songs, 
books, and other articles at bars and 
tap-rooms of public houses : also to 
work public houses and certain spots 
as an itinerant musician. 

Busker. See Busk. 

Busnapper. See Buz-napper. 

Buss Beggar. An old prostitute of 
the lowest type, a beggar's trull. 

Bust. 1. A corrupted form of 
burst: also busting, busted, 2. A 
burglary. 3. A frolic, spree, drunken 
debauch : cf . to go on the bust. 4. 
A failure, fizzle. As verb, (1) to burst, 



\^>eiuuj.ui.jLu.euj_LHiu vv.ui.uu iiaa liujj-c- ui. uuxj JTV tooiiuc, JJXAIC. -n.o VUAU, \i ) \nj UIU.BU, 

fortiter than the suaviter in its com- explode, (2) to commit a burglary ; (3) 

position : equivalent to, Go ! hide your to inform against an accomplice ; (4) 

diminished head : cf. Carry me out to fail in business or transactions of 

and bury me decently. To bury (or dig any kind ; (5) to put out of breath, 

up) the hatchet : amongst Indian tribes wind ; (6) to indulge in a drunken 

certain symbolic ceremonies are con- frolic, go on the spree ; (7) to destroy, 

nected with the war-hatchet or toma- commit suicide, set aside, expose. 



hawk, which are equivalent to 
declaration of war, or a compact of 
peace : To bury the hatchet is the em- 
blem of the putting away of strife and 
enmity ; on the other hand, the red skin, 



Bust me I A mild oath Blow me ! 
Jigger me ! 

Buster. 1. A new loaf; also a 
coarse cake or bun of large size that 
fills or blows out the stomach ( 1821 ). 2. 



enmiy ; on e oer an, e r , s or ows ou e somac . . 

before he commences hostilities, digs up A burglar : see Thief. 3. Anything of 



afresh the fateful symbol. To bury a 
moll, to desert a wife or mistress. To 
buryaQuaker t to evacuate, ease oneself. 
To bury a urife, to feast and make 
merry : used in connection with the 
jollifications frequently indulged in 
by apprentices on the completion of 
their term of indenture, when they 
became full-blown craftsmen. 

Bus (or Buss). 1. Business 
(q.v.) : pronounced biz. 2. Omnibus 
(1832). As verb, to punch one's head. 

Bush. 1. To camp out in the bush, 
get lost in the bush. Hence, 2. to 
be in a mental or a physical difficulty, 
to be muddled. To becct about the 
bush, to prevaricate, avoid coming to 
the point, go indirectly to one's object. 



Bushed. Hard up, without trifles. 



superior size, that has unusual capa- 
city, that causes admiration, a spurt, 
To come a buster, to fall heavily, to come 
a cropper. In for a buster, prepared, 
ready (or determined) for a spree 
(1852). 4. A heavy storm from the 
south, brick-fielder (q.v.). 

Busting. Informing against ac- 
complices, turning King's evidence. 

Bustle. 1. A pad, roll, or wire 
contrivance worn by women at the 
back in order to extend the dress, and 
also with a view to setting off the 
smallness of the waist (1788). 2. 
Money : see Rhino. As verb, to con- 
fuse, confound, perplex. 

Busy-head. A busybody. 

Busy-idler. A person busy about 



money, destitute (1812). 

Bushed On. Pleased, delighted. 

Bushwhacker. A free-lance: during 
the American Civil War deserters from 
the ranks of both armies infested the 
country, making raids upon defence- 
less houses and sacking whole towns. 

Bushy -park. A lark. To be in 
bushy park, to be poor. 

Business. Dramatic action, 
bye-play (1753). To do one's business 
for one, to kill, cause one's death. 



Busy-sack. A carpet-bag: in 
America a grip-sack. 

Butch. To follow the trade of a 
butcher. 

Butcher. 1. The king in playing- 
cards: when card-playing in pubbc 
houses was common, the kings were 
called butchers, the queens bileb.es, 
and the knaves jacks: Fr., basuf. 2. 
A peripatetic vendor of varieties and 
'notions' on railway cars at onoe 
a convenience and a terror. 3. A 



80 



Buz. 



prison doctor, 4. A malevolent critic. 
As verb, to murder a reputation, to 
mangle an author's lines. To butcher 
about (Wellington College), to make a 
great noise, humbug. 

Bulcher's-bill. The list of those 
killed in battle. 

Butcher's Mourning. A white hat 
with a black mourning hat-band. 

Butteker. A shop. 

Butter. Fulsome flattery, 
unctuous praise, soft soap: Fr., 
cirage (1819). As verb, (1) to 
(latter fulsomely, indulge in rhodo- 
luantic praise: "Fr., c^rer (1700); (2) 
to increase the stakes every throw or 
every game (1696). To look as if 
butter would not melt in one's mouth, a 
contemptuous saying of persons of 
simple demeanour (1475). Will cut 
butter when ifs hot, said of a knife 
when blunt. Butter and eggs, going 
down a slide on one foot and beating 
with the heel and toe of the other at 
short intervals. 

Butter-bag (or Butter-box). A 
Dutchman (L600). 

Butter-boat. To empty the 
butter-boat, to lavish praise, to butter 
(q.v.)- 

Buttercup. A pet name for a 
child. 

Buttered. 1. Whipped. 2. Flat- 
tered. 

Butter-fingered. Apt to let things 
fall, greasy (or slippery) fingered. 
Butter-fingers, one who lets things slip 
easily from a hold (1615), 

Butter-flap. A light cart, i.e. a 
trap. 

Butterfly. 1. A river barge. 2. 
The guard for the reins affixed to the 
top of a hansom cab. 

Butternuts. The sympathisers 
with the South in the North and the 
Middle States during the American 
Civil War ; the term was derived from 
the colour of the uniforms worn in the 
early part of the war by Confederate 
soldiers in the West, which, be* jag 
homespun, were dyed brown with the 
juice of the butternut. 

Butter-print. A child; usually 
when illegitimate (1620). 

Buttock, A common prostitute 
(1674). 

Buttock - and - file. A prostitute 
and her companion ; sometimes bulk 
and file; occasionally buttock and 
file is used of a single individual one 



who unites the roles of a thief and 
prostitute (1671). 

Buttock -and -tongue. A scold- 
ing woman, shrew. 

Buttock-and-twang. A common 
prostitute, but who is no thief. 

Button. 1. A shilling: formerly 
good currency, now only of counter- 
feit coin : see Rhino. 2. A decoy of 
any kind, whether the confederate of 
confidence- trick men, or a sham buyer 
at an auction. As verb, to decoy, 
act as confederate in swindles : Fr., 
aguicher. Not to care a button (or brass 
button), to care nothing. To have a 
button on, to have a fit of the blues 
(q.v.), despondent. To button up, 
when a broker has bought stock on 
speculation and it falls suddenly on bis 
hands, whereby he is a loser, he keeps 
the matter to himself, and is reluctant 
to confess the ownership of a share : 
this is called buttoning up. 

Button-burster (or Button-buster). 
A low comedian. 

Button-catcher. A tailor. 
English synonyms: snip, cabbage 
contractor, steel -bar, driver, goose 
persuader, sufferer, ninth part of a 
man, etc. 

Buttoner. A card - sharper's 
decoy (1841). 

Button-pound. Money : generic : 
see Rhino. 

Buttons. A page ; sometimes 
boy in buttons (I860). Dash my buttons 
(wig, etc.) a mild oath; also employed 
to express vexation or surprise. Not to 
have all one's buttons, to be deficient 
in intellect, slightly cracky, to have a 
bee in one's bonnet. To have a soul 
above buttons, to be above one's work 
or duty, to think one's ability superior 
to one's position. To make buttons* 
to look sorry, sad, to be in great fear 
(1593). 

Butty. A comrade, partner. 

Buvare. Drink: generic. 

Buy. To buy a prop, a term 
used to signify that the market has 
gone flat, and that there is no one to 
support it. 

Buz (or Buzz). A parlour game 
which is thus described by Hotten, 
who, however, erroneously limited it 
to public-houses : The leader com- 
mences saying one, the next on the 
left hand two, the next three, and 
so on to seven, when buz must be said ; 
every seven and multiple of 7, as 14, 



81 



Buz-Hoke. 



Plaai. 



17, 21, 27, 28 etc., must not be 
mentioned but buz instead ; whoever 
break the rule pays a fine. As verb, ( 1 ) 
some uncertainty exists as to whether 
to buz signifies to drain a bottle or 
decanter to the last drop, or whether 
it means to share equally the last of 
a bottle of wine, when there is not 
enough for a full glass to each of the 
party ; (2) to pick pockets ; (3) to 
search for, look about one. 

Buz-bloke, Buz-cove, Buz-gloak. 
See Buz-napper. 

Buz -man. 1. A pickpocket. 2. 
An informer. 

Buz-napper. A pickpocket : 
see Thief (1781). 

Buz-napper's Academy. 
A training school for thieves : figures 
were dressed up, and experienced 
tutors stood in various difficult atti- 
tudes for the boys to practise upon ; 
when clever enough they were sent on 
the streets : Dickens gives full par- 
ticulars of this old style of business 
in Oliver Twist. 

Buz-napper's Kinchin. A watch- 
man. 

Buzzing (or Buz-faking). Pocket- 



By-blow. An illegitimate child: 
also By-chop and By-slip (1594). 

By Cracky! An ejaculation con- 
veying no idea beyond that of general 
surprise. 

Bye - drink. Liquid refreshment 



taken at other than meal - timea 
(1766). 

By George! An ejaculation sig- 
nifying either surprise, or anger, or 
used without any special meaning 
(1731). 

By Goldam! A semi - veiled 
oath. 

By G o 1 1 y 1 Euphemistic for By 
God (1743). 

By Gorram ! See By Goldam ! 

By Gosh I A euphemistic oath. 

By Gum ! By Gummy ! intj. phr. 
Expletives from the great American 
Dictionary of Oaths and Cuss Yv'ords, 
compiled by descendants of the Puri- 
tan Fathers. 

By hook or by crook. See Hook, 

By Hooky. A veiled oath. 

Byng, Bing. To go. Bynge- 
awaste, to go away (1567). 

By-scape (or slip). A bastard 
(1646). 

By the Ever - living Jumping 
Moses I An effective ejaculation 
and moral waste - pipe for interior 
passion or wrath is seen in the ex- 
clamation, By the ever- living jump- 
ing Moses ! a harmless phrase, 
that for its length expends a con- 
siderable quantity of fiery anger. 
Eotten. 

By the Living Jingo ! (or By 
Jingo !) See Jingo. 

By the Wind. Hard up, in diffi- 
culties. 



Cab. 1. An adventitious aid to 
study, a crib, a pony (q.v.). As verb, 
to use a crib; cf. cabbage (1853). 
2. A brothel (1811). 3. A cavalier 
(17th century) ; cf. Sp., caballero. 4. 
A cabriolet : also any vehicle to seat 
two or four persons plying for hire. 
Whence, 5. A cabman (also Cabby) : 
e.g. Call a cab ! As verb, to travel by 
cab : cf, foot it, hoof it, tram it, train 
it, 'bus it. Hence cobber, a cab-horse : 
cf. Vanner, Wheeler, etc. 
' Cabbage. 1. Pieces purloined by 
tailors ; hence any small profits in the 
shape of material. [Johnson,-, a cant- 
ing term.] As verb, to purloin 
material, to take toll (q.v.). Also, cold- 
slaw (American) : cf. Pigeon-skewings. 
Cabbage is stored in hell (q.v.) or one's 



82 



eye (q.v.) (1038). 2. A tailor, also 
cabbager and cabbage - contractor 
(q.v.) (1690). 3. A style of dressing 
the hair : similar to the modern 
chignon: Er., kilo (1690) 4. A 
translation, crib (q.v.) ; also cab (q.v.) 
5. A cigar : 3Tr., fewlle dc platans, 
crapvios (or crapulados) : see Weed. 

Cabbage - contractor. See Cab- 
bage. 

Cabbage - gelder. A greengrocer 
or market gardener. 

Cabbage-head. A fool, soft-head, 
go-along (q.v.) : see Buffle (1682). 

Cabbage-leaf. A bad cigar ; also 
cabbage. [A popular theory of 
material.] ffr., infectadoB. See Weed, 

Cabbage Plant. An umbrella, 
gamp (q.v.), brolly (q.v.). 



Qabbag&r. 



Cabbager. A tailor. 

Cabbage-stumps. In pi., the 
legs : see Drumsticks. 

- Cabbage - tree Mob. A larrikin 
(q.v.). [A low-crowned cabbage-palm 
hat is affected by this section of Aus- 
tralian society.] Also Cabbagites. 

Cabby. A cabman: ITr., h^rondelle 
and maraudeur (1852). 

Cable. To send a telegram by 
ocean (submarine) wire : cf. Wire. To 
slip or cut one's cable, to die ; see Hop 
the twig. 

Cable-hanger. An oyster dredger 
not free of the fishery. 

Cab-moll. A prostitute. 

Cabobbled. Confused, puzzled, 
perplexed. 

Caboodle. A crowd ; usually, the 
whole caboodle. pBoodle (q.v.) was 
frequently used in the same sense, 
which is indifferently applied] (1858). 

Caboose. Convivial quarters, a 
bachelor's snuggery, a den (q.v.), dig- 
gings (q.v.). The whole caboose, a 
variation of caboodle (q.v.). 

Cacafuego. A spitfire, braggart, 
bully (1625). 

Ca chunk! An exclamation in- 
tended to convey an imitation of the 
sound of a falling body : onomatopoeic 
the bow-wow word of Max Muller. 
Variants are, Caswash, Cawhalux, 
Chewallop, Casouse, Cathump, Ker- 
plunk, Katouse, Katoose, Kelumpus, 
Kerchunk, Kerswosh, Kerslosh, 
Kerswollop, Kerblmkityblunk, and 
Kerblam. 

Cackle. 1. The dialogue of a play, 
spec, a clown's patter : whence cacMe- 
ckucker, a prompter; cackle-merchant, 
a dramatist ; cockier (or cacHing-cove), 
an actor, preacher, or lecturer ; cackle- 
tub, a pulpit. 2. Idle talk, inconse- 
quent chatter, a short spasmodic 
laugh ; and as verb, to talk idly, fussily, 
or loudly of petty things, as a hen after 
laying an egg : see Cackler (1676). 

Cackler. 1. A fowl : also cackling 
cheat (1672). English synonyms: 
beaker, cackler, margery prater, gal- 
eny, partlet, chickabiddy, rooster, 
chuck-chuck, chuckle. French syn- 
onyms : becquant, ornichon, pigue-en- 
terre fpeck-the-ground), estdble (or 
estaphte), 'bruantez (Breton). Whence 
caekling-fruit, an egg, and cacMer's- 
ken, a fowl-house. 2. A noisy talker, 
blab (q.v.) (1400). 
Cackling - cove. An actor. Eng- 



lish synonyms : mummery-cove, mug- 
faker, mummer, mugger (properly an 
actor who makes free play with his 
face), tragedy or comedy merchant, 
pro, stroller, cackle - faker, barn- 
stormer, surf. 

Cad. A term of contempt : spec, 
an offensive or ill-bred person, irrespec- 
tive of social position, but formerly 
of underlings and others performing 
menial offices. [0. E. D. : apparently 
from cadet and the popular forms 
cadee and caddie; cadator suggests a 
collateral, if an independent origin.] 
The vocable has passed through a 
variety of meanings. 1. A passenger 
taken up by coach drivers for their own 
profit. 2. A chum or companion. 3. 
An assistant. 4. An omnibus con- 
ductor. 6. A messenger or errand boy. 
6. A non-school or non-umversity man. 
At Cambridge, snob (q.v.), the word 
Thackeray used, has long been a 
common term for a townsman; now 
the undergrad says Townee or Towner 
(q.v.) (1831). 7. A vulgar, ill-man- 
nered person, a blackguard, i.e. a 
person incapable of moral decency 
( 1849). Hence caddish, vulgar, offens- 
ively bred. 

Cadator. A beggar apeing a 
decayed gentleman (1703). 
Caddie. An attendant at golf. 
Cade. The Burlington Arcade : cf . 
Zoo, Proms, Pops, Cri. 

Cadge. The profession of cadging 
or begging. As verb, to obtain by 
begging., to beg in an artful wheedling 
manner. Here cadging (or on the 
cadge), on the make (q.v.); among 
intimates to cadge a dinner or sivpper 
is often used without implied re- 
proach: see Cadger (1811). English 
synonyms: to mump, pike, mouch, 
stand the pad, maund, tramp, mike. 

Cadge-cloak (or Gloak). A 
beggar (1791). 

Cadger. 1. Primarily a carrier, 
pedlar, or itinerant dealer. 2. A whin- 
ing beggar, sponger (q.v.), snide (q-v.). 
Eng. synonyms : Abram man, croaker, 
Abraham, cove, Tom of Bedlam, Bed- 
lam beggar, maunderer, xnoueher, 
pikey, traveller, turnpike or dry-land 
sailor, scoldrum, shyster, shivering 
James, silver beggar, skipper-bird, 
mumper, paper- worker, goose-shearer, 
master of the black art, durrynacker. 
C a d y. A hat, also cadey and 
caddy : see Golgotha. 



dajjan. 



Odf 



Caffan. See Cassan. 
Caff re's Tightener. A full 
meal. 

Cage. 1. A petty prison, a country 
lock-up (1500). English synonyms 
(generic) : academy, boat, boarding- 
house, bower, block -house, bastille, 
bladhunk, stone-jug, jug, calaboose, 
cooler, coop, downs, clink, jigger, Irish 
theatre, quod, shop, stir, clinch, steel, 
sturrabin, mill, toll-shop, floating hell, 
floating academy, dry room, House that 
Jack Built, choakee. Special names 
for particular prisons : Bates' s Farm or 
Garden (Cold Bath Fields), Akerman's 
Hotel (Newgate), Castieu's Hotel (Mel- 
bourne Gaol, Burden's Hotel (White 
Cross Street Prison), Ellenborough 
Lodge, Spike or Park (the King's 
Bench Prison, to which, as a matter of 
fact, every Chief-Justice stood god- 
father), Campbell's Academy (the 
Hulks), City College and Whittington's 
College (Newgate), Tench, Pen, and 
Smith's Hotel (Edinburgh). 2. A 
dress-improver, bustle : see Bird-cage 
3. A bed ; also Breeding-cage. 4. The 
Ladies' Gallery in the House of 
Commons, also called the Chamber of 
Horrors, which, however, is properly 
the Peeresses' Gallery in the Upper 
House. 

Cagg. A term used by private 
soldiers, a solemn vow or resolution 
not to get drunk for a certain time ; or, 
as the term is, till their cagg is out, 
which vow is commonly observed with 
the strictest exactness : e.g. 'I have 
cagg'd myself for six months. Excuse 
me this time, and I will cagg myself 
for a year.' Common in Scotland, 
where the vow is performed with divers 
ceremonies (Grose). 

Cag-mag. 1. A tough old goose ; 
hence, 2. refuse, rubbish, scraps and 
ends (1769). 

Cain. To raise Gain, to be quarrel- 
some, make a disturbance : also to 
raise hate, hell (or hell and tommy), 
and to raise Ned (q.v.). To pay the 
cam, to pay the penalty. 
Cam and Abel. A table. 
Cainsham-smoke. The tears of a 
wife-beaten husband (Dunton) (1694). 
Cake (or Cakey). I. A fool, a 
dullard : see Buffle (Grose). 2. A stupid 
policeman. 3. (Christ's Hospital). A 
stroke with a cane : also as verb, to 
take the cake, to rank highest, carry off 
honours, be the best of a kind, fill tho 



bill (theatrical). In certain sections 
of the U.S.A. cake walks have long 
had a vogue among tho coloured 
people. The young bucks ' get them- 
selves up regardless, 5 and walk 
from one end of a hall to the other, 
trader the gaze of dusky beauty and 
the critical glance of judges. The 
marking is done on a scale of numbers, 
and ties are walked off witii the utmost 
finish and rare attention to style. The 
prize is a cake, and the winner takes it.] 
Also to take (or yank) the bun, to slide 
away with the Baabury, to annex the 
whole confectioner's shop : cf. io take 
the kettle, to take the prize for lying. 
Hurry up the cakes ! Look sharp ! 
[Buckwheat and other oat cakes form a 
staple dish at many American tables.] 
lake hot cakes, quickly, with energy ; a 
variant of like winking, or one o'clock. 
Phrases : You can't eat your cake 
and have it; One's cake is dough, 
one's project has failed ; Every cake 
has its mate, make, or fellow. 

Cake -fiddler (or Funibler). A 
parasite. 

Cakes and Ale. A good time : 
also Cakes and cheese. 

Cafcey-pannum Fencer. See Pan- 
num-fencer. 

Calaboose. A common gaol. 
[From the Sp., calahozo, through the 
French.] Also as verb, to imprison 
(1810). 

Calculate. To think, expect, 
believe, intend : see Guess and Reckon. 
Sometimes (New England) cal'late 
(1830). 

Calends. See Greek Kalends. 
Caleys. Caledonian Railway Ordin- 
ary Stock. 

Calf. 1. An ignoramus, dolt, weak- 
ling: cf. Calf lolly (1553). For 
synonyms, see BufSe. 2. An endear- 
ment : cf. Puss, Ape, Monkey, etc. 
3. See Essex calf. To eat the calf in 
the cow's belly, to anticipate, to count 
one's chickens before they are hatched 
( 1748). To slip the calf, to suffer abor- 
tion, to be brought to bed : projvrly 
of cattle. Calf-bed, a cow's matrix ; 
also parturition : cf. Child- bed and 
Bairn's-bed (q.v,). 

Calf - clinger. Tn pi., pantaloons, 
i.e. close-fitting trousors. 

Calf - country (land or ground). 
One's birthplace ; the hmu 1 <>/ curly 
life. Also Calf'ti'we, tho period of 
youth. 



Calf. 



Camp-stool Brigade. 



Calf, Cow, and Bull Week. Calves. Calves gone to grass, thin 

Before the passing of the factory Acts legs, spmdie-shanks. There are tnany 

it was customary in manufacturing dis- ways of dressing calves' heads, many 

tricts to work very long hours for three ways of saying or doing a foolish thing, 

weeks befors Christmas. In the first, a simpleton showing his folly, or, 

caK week, the ordinary hours were but generally, if one way won't do, we 

slightly exceeded ; in the second, cow must try another. Calves' Jieads are 

week, they were considerably aug- best hot, a sarcastic apology for sitting 



mented ; and in the third, or 
week, operatives spent the greater 
portion of Lhe twenty-four in their 
workshop. 



down to eat with one's hat on. 

Calx (Eton). The goal line at foot- 
ball. [From a Latin sense of calx, a 
go.il, anciently marked with lime or 



Calf's'- head. A stupid, witless chalk.] As Eton calx is a space so 
~* marked off at each end of wall (q.v.) ; 



individual (1600). See Buffle. 

Calf-lick. See Cow-lick. 

Calf -lolly. An idle simpleton ; a 
generic reproach (1653). 

Calf-love. A youthful fancy, 
romantic attachment (1823). 

Calfskin-fiddle. A drum. 

Calf - sticking. Selling worthless ingale, etc. 
rubbish, on the pretence that it is Cambridgeshire 
smuggled goods, to any foolish or 
unscrupulous person who can be in- 
veigled into purchasing it. 

Calibogus. A mixture of rum and 
spruce beer, an American beverage 
(Grose). 

Calico. Thin, wasted, attenuated 
(Bailey, 1725). 

Calico - bally. Somewhat fast; 



good calx is the end at which there is 
a door for a goal ; bad calx the end 
where part of an elm tree serves the 
purpose. 

Cambridge - oak. A willow: cf. 
Cotswold lion, Cambridgeshire night- 



(or Fen Night- 
The county is 



lfpenny, 



ingale). _ _ 

scored with canals and dykes.] 

Camden-town. A half] 
brown (q.v.) : see Rhino. 

Camel. A great hulking fellow. 

Camel's Complaint. Low spirits, 
the hump (q.v.). 

Camese. A shirt, chemise, shimmy. 
[Sp. carnisa, It. camicia.] The word ap- 



one always on the look-out for amuse- pears in various forms from the begin, 



ment. 

Californian. A red herring: see 
Glasgow Magistrate. 
for gold pieces. 

Californian - widow* A married 
woman whose husband is absent. 



ning of the seventeenth century, e.g. 
camisa, camiscia, kemesa, camise, and 
In pi., generic in a more genuinely English dress as 
commission, which in turn is shortened 
to mish. 

Camister. A clergyman, a 



grass-widow (q.v.). The least offensive blackgown (1851). 
sense. [At the period of the Californian Camp. To go to camp, to go to 
gold fever many men went West, bed, take rest. [In early settler days 
leaving their wives and families behind a camp was formed whenever a halt for 

the night was called.] To take info 

camp, to kill To camp, to surpass, 

floor. 

Campbell's Academy. The hulks, 

or lighters, on board which felons were 



them. 

Calk (Eton). To throw. 

Call (Eton). The time when the 
masters do not call Absence ( q. v. ). To 
Tiave or get a call upon, to have a pre- 
ference, got the first chance. To call 



condemned to hard labour. [Mr. 



a <7o, to change one's stand, alter one's Campbell was the first director.] 



tactics, give in at any game or business. 
See Coals, Put, Spade, Wigging. 

Calle. A cloak or gown (Grose). 

Calp (or Kelp). A hat: see Gol- 
gotha. 

Cal vert's Entire. The Fourteenth 
Foot. [From its colonel's name ( 1806- 



Camp-candlestick. 1. An empty 
bottle, ; 2. a bayonet. 
Camp-fire. A military social gather- 



tamp - follower. A prostitute, 
soldiers' trull. 

Camp-stool Brigade. People who 



1826) : three entire battalions were wait outside a place of entertainment 
kept up for the good of Sir Harry, for hours in order to secure seats, 
when adjutant-general, with an eye on [Camp-stools, now prohibited by police 



Calvert's malt liquors. '] 



order, formed part of the outfit.] 



85 



Oan. 



Canoe. 



Can. 1. A dollar piece : see Rhino. 
2. A general servant, slavey (q.v.). 

Canack, Canuck, Kanuck, 
K'nuck. A Canadian : usually K'uucfc. 
[Obscure, and limited in application : 
within, the Canadian frontier a Canuck 
is understood to be a French Canadian, 
just as within the limits of the Union 
only New Bnglanders are termed 
Yankees ; elsewhere the appellation is 
used indiscriminately.] 

Canary (or Canary-bird). 1. A 
prisoner (1678). 2. A mistress. 3. 
A sovereign, 20s. : formerly a guinea. 
English synonyms : yellow boy, gold- 
finch, yellow hammer, shinor^gingleboy 
monarch, couter, bean, foont, James 
(from Jacobus), poona, portrait, quid, 
thick 'un, skin, skiv, dragon, goblin : a 
guinea was also called a " ned.' French 
synonyms (twenty franc piece) : jaunet 
sigue (sigle, sigolle or cig), bonnet jaune, 
bcuton, inaLtaise, inoule a boutons, me- 
daille d'or. 4. A female watcher or 
stall (q.v.), mollisher (q.v.) : of. Crow, 
a male watcher : 3?r. marque franche, 
5. (Salvation Army), a written promise 
of a donation or subscription. [At some 
of the meetings of the Army, instead 
of sending round the plate, the officers 
distribute slips of paper on which those 
present are invited to record their in- 
tentions : the original colour of the 
slips was yellow.] 

Cancer. To catch or capture a 
cancer. See Crab. (1857). 

Candle. In pi., mucus at the nose. 
Phrases : To hold a candle to another, 
to help : see Devil ; not able (or fit) to 
Jwld a candle to, useless, nothing to be 
to; to sell (or let) by tlie 



candle (or by inch of candle), to sell by 
candle-auction: bids are received whilst 
a small piece of candle burns, the last 
bid before the candle goes out securing 
the article ; to smell of the candle, to 
show trace of study or night- work : cf. 
to smell of the lamp ; the game (play, 
etc.) is TIC* worth the candle, the end (or 
result) does not justify the cost or 
labour expended ; to light (or burn) the 
candle at both ends, to consume (or 
waste) in two directions at once : cf. 
Fr., Le jeu ne veut pas la chandeUe 
(Cotgrave). Also Proverbs and Pro- 
verbial sayings : Set forth the bright- 
ness of the sun with a candle ; He burns 
one candle to seek another : losing both 
time and labour ; To set a candle in the 
sunshine ; They grope in the dark that 



light not their candle at once ; To hold 
a farthing candle to the sun ; To hide 
one's candle under a bushel (Biblical : 
Matt. v. 15). 

Candle-end. In pi., a thing of 
little value (short duration, or small im- 
portance), trifle, fragment. To drink 
off (or eat) candle ends, a romantic 
extravagance in drinking a lady's 
health, by which gallants gave token 
of their devotion. 

Candle-keeper (Winchester). One 
of eight seniors in college by election 
who are not prsefects. [Most of the 
privileges of praefects are enjoyed with- 
out their powers.] (1840). 

Candlestick. 1. (Winchester). A 
candidate (1840). 2. (London). In 
pi., the fountains in Trafalgar Square. 

Candle - waster. 1. A night-stu- 
dent : whence candle-vjasting : cf . To 
smell of the candle, to show traces of 
study at night. 2. A small portion of 
burning wick that, falling on the 
candle, causes it to run. 

Candy. Drunk : see Screwed 
(Gro&e). 

Candyman. A bailiff, a process 
server. jln 1863, during a strike of 
miners at the collieries of Messrs. 
Strakers and Love, in Durham County, 
a hawker of candy and sweetmeats was 
employed to serve writs of ejectment.] 

Canister. 1. The head: see 
Crumpet (1811). 2. A hat: also 
canister-cap : see Golgotha. 

Cank. Dumb, silent. [Curiously 
enough, cank also signifies to chatter, 
cackle as a goose ; it only survives 
in this latter sense.] (1673). 

Cannibal (Cambridge). In Bump- 
ing races (q.v.) a college may be repre- 
sented by more than one boat, the best 
talent being put into the first ; but it 
has sometimes happened that the crew 
of the second have disappointed the 
prophets and bumped the first of its 
own college. It is thus termed a 
cannibal, having eaten up its own 
kind, and a fine is exacted from, it by 
the University Boat Club. 

Cannikin (or Cannifcen). The 
plague (1688). 

Cannis-cove. A dog-fancier. 
[Latin, canis, a dog.] 

Cannon. See Canon. 

Cannon-ball. An irreconcilable 
opponent of free trade. 

Canoe. To paddle one's own canoe* 
to make one's own way in life, exhibit 



Canon. 



Capetta. 



skill and energy, succeed unaided : of 
Western American origin, but now 
universal. Also to bail one's own boat ; 
FT., vl conduit or ti mene bien sa barque 
(1845). 

Canon (or Cannon). Drunk : see 
Screwed. 

Canoodle. 1. To fondle, bill and 
coo. 2. (Oxford). To paddle a canoe. 
3. To share profits. 4. To coax. 

Canoodler. See Canoodle. 

Canoodling. Endearments. 

Cant. 1. The secret speech or jargon 
of the vagrant classes gipsies, thieves, 
beggars, etc.; hence, contemptuously, 
the peculiar phraseology of a particular 
class of subject : see Thieves' Latin, 
St. Giles' Greek, Peddlars 1 French, 
etc. (q.v.). Also as verb, to -whine, to 
speak the jargon of gipsies, beggars, 
and other vagrants, and (generic), to 
speak, to talk (1567). 2. A blow or 
toss. 3. Food: also Kant, but of. 
sense 4. (1851). 4. A gift. 

Cantab. A student at Cambridge 
University : i.e. Cantabrigian (1750). 

Cantabank. A common ballad 
singer. 

Cantankerous. Cross-grained, ill- 
humoured, self-willed, productive of 
strife. Hence cantankerously, can- 
tankerousness, cantankerate (verb), 
and cantankersome (1773). 

Cante. See Canter. 

Canteen-medal. A stripe for the 
consumption of liquor. 

Canter. A vagrant, beggar, one 
who cants (q.v.) or uses the secret 
language otherwise called Peddlars' 
French, St. Giles' Greek, etc. 

Canterbury. In derisive allusion 
(old Puritan) to the see of Canterbury : 
e.g. Canterbury - tale (or story), a 
tedious yarn, friars' tale or fable, cock- 
and-bull story (q.v.); Canterbury- 
trick, mean dodge ; Canterbury pace 
(rack, rate, trot, gallop), the pace of 
a pilgrim on his way to the shrine of 
St. Thomas a Becket, a half gallop. 

Canticle. A pariah clerk (Grose). 

Canting. The jargon used by 
beggars, thieves, gipsies, and vagrants : 
see Cant (1547). 

Canting Crew. See Canter. 
Can't. See National Intelligencer, 
Hole, Ladder. 

Canuck. See Canack. 
Canvass. To receive the canvass, 
to be dismissed, to get the sack (q.v.) : 
see Bag (1652). 



Canvasseens. In pi., sailors' can- 
vas trousers : see Kicks. 

Canvas-town. The Volunteer 
Encampment, formerly at Wimbledon, 
now at Bisley, at the meeting of the 
National Bine Association: also any 
camp or baby-city. 

Cap. 1. A false cover to a tossing 
coin ; also cover-down : the cap shows 
either head or tail as it is left on or 
taken off. 2. The proceeds of an im- 
provised collection : cf. to send round 
the cap or hat (1851). 3. (West- 
minster). The amount of the collec- 
tion at Play and Election dinners. 
[The College cap is passed round on 
the last night of Play for contribu- 
tions.] As verb, (1) To stand by a 
friend, take part in any undertaking, 
lend a hand. (2) To take off (or touch) 
oiie's hat in salutation; also to cap to, 
and to cap it (1593). To cap one's 
lucky, to run away : see Bunk ; to cap 
(or cast) one's skin, to strip naked ; to 
set one's cap at, to set oneself to gain 
the affections : only of women (1773); 
to cap a quotation (anecdote, proverb, 
etc.), to fit with a second from the 
same, or another, author; to go 
one better, in the way of anecdote 
or legend (1584) ; to pull caps, to 
wrangle in an unseemly way : only of 
women (1763) ; to cast one's cap at, to 
be indifferent, give up as a bad job ; 
to come (fall under, or lie) in one's cap, 
to occur to mind, run in the head ; to 
put on one's thinking (or considering) 
cap, to pass under review, think out ; 
tlie cap jits, the remark or description 
applies ; to have enough under one's cap, 
to be drunk : see Screwed ; to throw 
up one's cap, to manifest pleasure by 
throwing one's cap in the air ; to kiss 
caps ivith to drink out of the same 
vessel : hence kiss of a cap ; to drink 
cap out, to empty ; also (proverbial), 
If your cap be of wool ; As sure as 
your cap is of wool ; My cap is better 
at ease than my head; Heady as a 
borrowed cap. 

Cape Cod Turkey. Salted cod: 
also Marblehead turkey : cl Billings- 
gate pheasant, Yarmouth capon, and 
Albany beef (1865). 

C a p e 1 1 a. A coat [Italian]. 
English synonyms: benjamin, cover- 
me-decently, upper benjamin (a great- 
coat), Joseph, wrap-rasoal, claw-ham- 
mer, swallow-tail, steel-pen (all three, 
a dress coat), M.B. coat, panupetaston* 



Cape Nightingale. 



Card. 



rock-a-low, reliever, pygostole, ulster, 
monkey-jacket : see Caster. 

Cape Nightingale. A frog: of. 
Cambridgeshire nightingale. 

Capeovi. Sick, seedy (q.v.). 

Caper. A device, idea, perform- 
ance, occupation ; in America, a 
racket (q.v.), e.g. the ' real estate 
racket' or 'caper' (1867). To cid a 
caper upon nothing., or to eat caper 
sauce, to be hanged : see Ladder, 
(1708). 

Caper-juice. Whisky. 

Caper-merchant. A dancing 
master, hop- merchant (q.v.) (Grose). 

Capital. To work capital, to com- 
mit an offence punishable with death. 

Capivi (or Capivvy). To cry 
capivvy, to be persecuted to the death, 
or very near it. 

Capon. 1. A red herring ; but 
applied to other kinds of fish ; herrings 
now receiving the distinctive cogno- 
men of Yarmouth capons (1640). 2. 
A term of reproach dullard, fool: 
see Buffle (1542). 3. A eunuch (1594). 
4. A billet-doux: cf. (Cotgrave) Pr., 
poulet, a chicken, also a love letter, or 
love message (158S). 

Capon-justice. A corrupt judge 



Cappadochio (Caperdochy, or 
Caperdewsie). A prison : see Cage. 
(1600). 

Capper. 1. A confederate ; at 
cards one who makes false bids in 
order to encourage a genuine player. 

2. A dummy bidder whose function is 
either to start the bidding or to run up 
the price of articles for sale. 3. A per- 
son or thing who caps, or beats, all 
others ; a thing which beats one's 
comprehension (1790). 

Capper - clawing. See Clapper- 
clawing. 

Capsick. Drunk : see Screwed. 

Captain. 1. A familiar and jesting 
address : cf . Governor, Boss, etc. 
(1598). 2. A gaming or bawdy-house 
bully (1731). Captain is also a fancy 
title for a highwayman in a good way 
of business : Fletcher uses the term 
copper-captain, as also does Washing- 
ton Irving, for one who has no right to 
the title, and, in modern athletics, we 
have the captain of a club or crew, with 
the corresponding verb, to captain. 

3. Money : see Rhino. 4. A glandered 
horse. 

Captain Armstrong. To come 



Captain Armstrong, to pull a horse 
and prevent him from winning. Also 
Captain Armstrong, a dishonest jockey. 

Captain Cop perthorn' s Crew. 
All officers : of a company where every- 
one wants to be first in command. 

Captain Cork. A man slow in 
passing the bottle. 

Captain Crank. The chief of a 
gang of highwaymen. 

Captain Grand. A haughty, 
blustering fellow : see Furioso. 

Captain Hackum. A hectoring 
bully (Grose). 

Captain Lieutenant. Meat 
neither young enough for veal, nor old 
enough for beef. [Properly a brevet 
officer who, ranking as captain, re- 
ceives lieutenant's pay (Grose).] 

Captain Queernabs. A shabby, 
ill-dressed man : see Guy. 

Captain Quiz. A mocker. 

Captain Sharp. A cheating bully, 
one whose office it is to bully a 'pigeon' 
refusing to pay up (Grose). 

Captain Tom. The leader of a 
mob ; also the mob itself (Grose). 

Caravan. 1. A dupe, gull, subject 
of plunder : see Bubble (1676). 2. A 
large sum of money (1690). 3. A train 
chartered to convey people to a prize 
fight. [Early in the present century 
caravan, now shortened to van, was 
applied to a third class covered railway 
carnage ; now a pleasure party is so 
described ; also a gipsy's cart ; also 
the wheeled cages of a travelling 
menagerie.] 

Caravansera. A railway station: 
thus : The scratch must be toed at 
sharp five, so the caravan will start at 
four from the caravansera (Hotten). 

Card. 1. A device, expedient, or 
undertaking: e.g. a good card, a 
strong card, a safe card, a likely, or a 
doubtful card (1537). 2. A character, 
odd fish, eccentric ; generally with 
knowing, old, queer, downy, rum, 
etc. : cf . Hamlet, v. ii. (from the 
card table, such expressions as, a 
sure card, a sound card, being of 
very ancient use. Osric tells Hamlet 
that Laertes is the card and calendar 
of gentry) (1835). 3. The ticket 
(q.v.), the figure, the correct thing. 
Hence (American) a published note, 
short statement, request, explanation, 
or the like ( Webster). Phrases : To give 
one cards, to give one an advantage, 
to give points : Pr.., faire un bosuf j 



Cardinal, 



Carrion. 



on the cards, within Che rang 
of probability, liable io turn up: 
Dickens popularised the expression 
(1749) ; to pack (stock, or put up) the. 
cards., to prepare cards for cheating 
purposes ; to &peaJs by the card, to 
speak with precision, with the utmost 
accuracy (1569) ; to face (or brag) 
it out with a card of ten, to put on a 
bold front ; a codling card, anything 
that damps one's ardour, a wet blanket 
(q.v.) ; a leading card, an example, 
precedent ; to play one's best card, to 
stake all, do one's best; to throw (or 
fling) up one's cards, to abandon a pro- 
ject ; to show one's cards, to make a 
clean beast, full explanation, or to 
reveal the extent of one's resources ; to 
have (or go in) ^v^th good cards, to have 
good grounds for expecting success ; to 
cast (or count ) one's cards, to take stock, 
reckon chances ; a house (or castle') of 
cards, an unsecure position, scheme, 
etc. 

Cardinal. 1. A red cloak: worn by 
ladies circa 1740 and later. 2. Mulled 
red wine (1861). 3. A shoeblack. 
Some London brigades wear red tunics: 
that stationed in the City is now better 
known as the City Beds. 4. A lobster : 
from its colour when cooked (Jules 
Janin once made a curious blunder and 
called the lobster le cardinal de la mer) ; 
whence cardinal hash, a lobster salad. 
5. A new [1890] variety of red. 

Cardinal's - blessing. A bene- 
diction carrying with it no further 
advantage (1720). 

Care. Not to care or be worth a 
fig, pin, rap, button, cent, straw, rush, 
or hang, similes ol indifference ; to 
care not even so much as the value of a 
fig, a pin, or a straw : Fr., s"en battre 
Vati : see Worth (1590). / don't care 
if I do, a street phrase of no parti- 
cular meaning ; also a form of accept- 
ing an invitation to drink : Will you 
peg ? I don't care if I do. 

Careaway. An exclamation of 
merriment or recklessness. Care 
begone I Away with care! Hence, 
a reckless fellow, roisterer, anything 
that drives away care (with a pun on 
caraway) (1440). 

Care-grinder, A treadmill, also 
vertical care-grinder (q.v.) : see Wheel 
of life. 

Cargo (Winchester). A hamper 
from home (1840) ; the word is still in 
use. 



Caii^i. A y. k^. k : see Quill-driver. 
Carlicues. See Curlycues. 
C a r n e y (or C a r n j j. Seductive 
flattery, language covering a design ; 
as verb, to wheedle, coax, insinuate 
oneself, act in a cajoling manner ; 
hence carneying, wheedling, coaxing, 
insinuating. 

Garnish. Meat. [Ital., carne 
neah: through the Lingua Franca.] 
Whence carm&li-ken, a thieves' eating 
house, prog-shop. 

Caroon. A five-shilling piece: sec 
Rhino. English synonyms : bull (or 
bull's eye), cartwheel, coachwheel (or 
simply wheel), tusheroon, dollar, thick 
'un(alsoasovereign), ease, caser,decus. 

Carpet. To reprimand, call over 
the coals, give a wigging (or ear- 
wigging), etc. : also to walk the carpet 
( 1 823 ). As adj . , generic for luxury and 
effeminacy : e.g. carpet consideration, 
Mend, gentry, toy, poet, soldier, knight 
(q v.), etc. To bring on the carpet, to 
bring up or forward. 

Carpet-bagger. A political adven- 
turer. [After the Civil War, numbers 
of Northerners went south j they were 
looked upon with suspicion. Originally 
a wild-cat banker (q.v.)]. 

Carpet-bag Recruit. A recruit of 
better than ordinary standing, Le. one 
with more than he stands upright 
in. 

Carpet-knight. A stay-at-home 
soldier, a shirker of practical work, a 
petticoat dangler : also in such com- 
binations as car pet -captain, carpet 
squire ; all in contempt. 

Carpet-swab. A carpet-bag (1837). 

Carrier. A rogue employed to 
look out, and watch upon the roads, at 
inns, etc., in order to carry information 
to their respective gangs, of a booty in 
prpspect (J3. E.). 

Carrier-pigeon. 1. A cheat, speo. 
a lottery office swindler (1781). [The 
sharper attended the drawing of a lot- 
lery in the Guildhall, and as soon aa a 
number or two are drawn, wrote them 
on a card ; a confederate, ready 
mounted, rode full speed to some 
distant insurance office, whore another 
of the gang, commonly a decent- 

siderable sum, thus biting the biter 
(Grose).] 2. A peripatetic commission 
agent, a kind of tout. 

Carrion. The human body ; for- 
merly a corpse. 



Carrion-case. 



Cassan. 



Carrion-case. A shirt, chemise : 
arrio^, the humxn body: see Flesh- 



An undertaker cases. 



Carrion Hunter. 
(1785). 

Carrots. In pi., red hair: also a 
proper name (1085). Take a carrot! 
A contemptuous retort : originally 
ohscene. 

Carry. To carry coals, to put up 
with insults, endure an affront or in- 
jury (1593) ; to carry boodle, see Boodle; 
to carry real estate, to neglect the finger 
nails ; to carry out one's bat, see Bat ; 
to carry com, to bear success well and 
equally : of a man who breaks down 
under a sudden access of wealth, or 
who becomes affected and intolerant, it 
is said, He doesn't carry com well ; to 
carry on, to make oneself conspicuous 
by a certain hue of behaviour, conduct 
oneself wildly or recklessly, joke or 
frohc ; also, in a special sense, open to 
flirt openly: whence carryings on, 
frolicsome or questionable proceedings, 
a course of conduct that attracts atten- 
tion (1663) ; carry me out and, bury 
me decently, a dovetail to an incredible 
story, or something displeasing j varied 
by Let me die! Good -night! etc., 
as also by Carry me home ! Carry 
me upstairs ! Carry me out and leave 
me in the gutter ! (a writer in Notes 
and Queries (2 S., iii. 387) states it to 
have been in use circa 1780); to 
carry the sticJs : see Trip up. 

Carry-castle. An elephant 
(1598). 

Carsey. A house, den, or crib. 
[Lingua Franca casa, a house.] 

Cart. To defeat: in a match, fight, 
examination, race, etc. : e.g. we carted 
them home, we gave them an awful 
licking. In the cart (or carted), an 
employee is said to put an owner in the 
cart, when, by trick or fraud, his horse 
is prevented from winning : also in the 
box ; 2. in the know, in the hunt ; 
3. the lowest scorer at any point is 
said to be in the cart ; sometimes on 
the tailboard ; to walk the cart, to walk 
over a racecourse ; to cart off (out or 
away), to remove ; to set (or <pwt ) the 
cart before the horse, to reverse matters 
(1520) ; to be left out of the carfs tail, 
to suffer loss or injury through care- 
lessness (1541) ; to keep cart on wheels, 
to peg away, keep things going. 

Cart - grease. Butter, spec, bad 
butter. Englishsynonyms : cow-grease, 



Thames mud, cow-oil, spread, scrape, 
smear, ointment, sluter. 

Carts. A pair of shoes : see Trotter- 



90 



Cart - wheel. 1. A five-shilling 
piece, also coach- wheel, and wheel : 
see Rhino. 2. A broad hint. 3. A 
continuous series of somersaults in 
which the hands and feet alternately 
touch the ground, the appearance pro- 
duced being similar to the spokes of a 
cart wheel in motion ; also Catharine 
wheel (1851). 

Carver and Gilder. A match- 
maker : cf . fingersmith, a midwife. 

Casa, See Case. 

Cascade. 1. Tasmania beer : be- 
cause manufactured from ' cascade ' 
water : of. Artesian. 2. A trundling 
gymnastic performance in panto- 
mime. As verb, to vomit (1771). 

Case. 1. A certainty in fact, an 
accentuated or abnormal instance in 
character. When two persons fall in 
love, or are engaged to marry, it is said 
to be a case with them. An eccentric 
person is a case. 2. A bad five-shilling 
piece. Half a case, a bad half-crown, 
cf. Caser. 3. A house, respectable or 
otherwise : spec, a brothel, and, by 
transference, a water-closet (1678). 
4. (Westminster School). The discus- 
sion by Seniors and tipper Election 
preceding a tanning (q.v.), and the 
tanning itself. A case of crabs, a 
failure ; a case of pickles, an incident, 
a bad breakdown, a break up ; a case 
of stump, impecuniosity. 

Caseine. A variant of The cheese 
(q.v.) : of. Cassan. (1856). 

Caser. Five shillings : see Case 
and Caroon. (1879). 

Case-vrow. A dress-lodger (q.v.). 

Casey. Cheese: see Cassan. 

Cash. Equal to cash, of unquestion- 
able merit ; to cash a prescription, to get 
a prescription made up ; cash or pass in 
one's checks, to die (in poker, counters 
or checks, purchased at certain fixed 
rates, are equivalent to com) ; to cash 
up, to liquidate a debt. 

C a s h e 1 s. Great Southern and 
Western of Ireland Railway Stock. 
[Said to be derived from the fact that 
the line originally had no station at 
Cashel.] 

Cask. A brougham, pill-box (q.v.) : 
FT., bagniole. 

Cass. See Cassan. 

Cassan. Cheese ; also cass, casuon, 



Cast. 



Catamount. 



cassam, cassom, and casey. TLo old- 
est form is cassan (1567). English 
synonyms: caz, sweaty -toe, choke - 
dog. 

Cast. See Accounts, Sheep's Eyes. 

Castell. To see, look (1610). 

Caster. 1. A cloak (1567). 2. A 
cast-off (1859). 

Castieu's Hotel. Melbourne gaol: 
BO called from Mir. J. B. Castieu : see 



Castle -rag. A fourpenny piece, 
flag : see Joey. 

Cast - off. 1. In pi., landsmen's 
clothes: see Togs. 2. A discarded 
mistress : see Cast. 

Castor. A hat : Latin, castor* a 
beaver : hats -were formerly made of 
beaver's fur: see Golgotha. (1640). 

Cat. 1. A prostitute (1401). 2. 
A shortened form of Cat-o* -nine- tails 
(q.v.) (1788). 3. A lady's muff. 4. 
A quart pot : pint pots are Kittens : 
cat and kitten sneaking, stealing pewter 
pots (1851). 5. See Tame cat. 6. A 
fanciful monster infesting lodging 
houses, which devours with equal 
readiness cold meat and coals, spirits 
and paraffin, etc., etc. (1827). Fly- 
ing cat, an owl (1690). To jerk, shoot, 
or whip tlie cat (or to cat), to vomit 
(1609). To whip the cat (or to draw 
through the, water with a cat). 1. To 
indulge in practical jokes (1614): 
hence cat-whipping or whipping the cat : 
A trick often practised on ignorant 
country fellows, vain of their strength ; 
by laying a wager with them that they 
may be pulled through a pond by a 
cat; the bet being made, a rope is 
fixed round the waist of the party to 
be catted, and the end thrown across 
the pond, to which the cat is also 
fastened by a pack-thread, and three 
or four sturdy fellows are appointed 
to lead and whip the cat ; these, on a 
given signal, seize the end of the cord, 
and pretending to whip the cat, haul 
the astonished booby through the 
water (Grose) 2. To work at private 
houses. Phrases: To see, how the 
cat will jump, to watch events and act 
accordingly ; also (American) to sit on 
the fence (1827) ; you kill my cat and 
PU kill your dog. Ca' me, ca* thee, 
an exchange in the matter of scratch- 
ing backs : FT., passez moi la casse, et 
je tfenvarrai la senne ; to let the cat out 
of the bag, to reveal a secret, to put 
one's foot in it (this and the kindred 



pliraae, To buy a, pig in a poke, are 
said to originate in the bumpkin's 
trick of substituting a cat for a young 
pig and bringing tt to market in a bag : 
if the customer were wary the cat was 
let out of the bag, and there was no 
deal) ; who ate or stole the cat ? a 
gentleman whose larder was frequently 
broken by bargees, had a cat cooked 
and placed as a decoy : it was taken and 
eaten, and became a standing jest 
against the pilferers ; to lead a cat and 
dog life, to quarrel night and day ; to 
turn cat in^ the pan, to fc rat,' to reverse 
one's position through self-interest, 
to play the turncoat (the derivation is 
absolutely unknown : tlie one gener- 
ally received that cat is a corrup- 
tion of cate or cake, is historically 
untenable) (1559) ; to feel as though a 
cat had kittened in one's mouth, to- 
have a month, after drunkenness. 
Many other phrases and proverbial 
sayings will occur to mind : A cat may 
look at a king, a retort on impertinent 
or ill -placed interference, there are 
certain things which an inferior may 
do in presence of a superior ; care 
Jjilled the cat, the strongest will ulti- 
mately break down, even though one 
had, hke the proverbial cat, nine 
lives ; enough to make a cat speak (or 
laugh), of something very extraordin- 
ary or facetious (frequently of very 
good drink); to -fight like Kilkenny 
cats, to engage in a mutually destruc- 
tive struggle ; to t>ett the cat : see Bell ; 
to grin like a Cheshire cat. Also pro- 
verbial sayings, Wisdom is great if the 
cat never touched milk; The cat 
winks when her eye is out ; The cat 
likes (or will eat) fish, but she will not 
wet her feet to catch them ; In the dark 
(or when the candle is out) all cats are 
grey ; Cats are not to be caught with- 
out mittens ; The cat will after kind ; 
Evil will abide as long as a cat is tied 
to a pudding ; As like as a cat and a 
cart wheel; Not .room enough to 
swing a cat ; A cat and mouse game. 

Catabaptist A denier of the ortho- 
dox doctrine of baptism: 16th and 
17th cent. [Coined by Gregory Naa- 
ianzen.] 

Catamarin. A vixenish old woman 
a cross-grained person of either sex 
(1833). 

Catamount (Catarnountain, or Cat 
o' Mountain). A shrew. [Cf. Cata- 
marin and Beaumont and Fletcher's 



91 



Cat and Mouse. 



Cat-o* -nine-tails. 



use of the word for a wild auvi 
from tlia mountains, a transferred 
sense of catamount, a leopard or 
panther.] 

Cat and Mouse. A house. 
Catastrophe. The tail or latter 
end : cf. the Falstaitian I'll tickle 
your catastrophe. 

Catawampous (Catawamptiously). 
With avidity, fiercely, eagerly, or 
violently destructive (1843). As subs. 
pi., vermin, especially those that sting 
and bite. 

Catch. A man or woman matri- 
monially desirable ; formerly a prize or 
booty ( 1593). In combination anything 
that catches : e.g. catch-all, catcli-bit, 
catch-cloak, catch-coin, catch-credit, 
catch - fish, catch - fool, catch - penny 
(guinea, slnHing, etc.) and so forth. 
To catch (or cut) a crt b. (1) To turn 
the blade of the oar, or feather, under 
water at tlie end of the stroke, and 
thus be unable to recover ; (2) to 
lose control of the oar at the middle of 
the stroke by digging too deeply ; or 
(3) to miss the water altogether, also 
to capture a cancer, and (American) 
to oatch a lobster ; to catch a tartar, 
to unexpectedly meet -with one's 
superior, TO fall into one's own trap, 
having a design upon another, to be 
caught oneself: also to catch on a 
snag (q.v.) (1C82) ; catch that catch 
may (catch as catch can, etc.), to help 
oneself, each as he can ; catch me / (or 
catch me at it /), an emphatic denial 
(1780) ; to catch it, to get a thrashing 
or scolding (1835) ; to catch on, to 
understand, grasp, apprehend, quickly 
seize an opportunity ; to catch the eye, 
to arrest attention ; to catch fire, to be- 
come inflamed with, passion, inspired 
with zeal, etc. ; to catch on a snag, to 
catch a tartar (q.v.), meet with one's 
superior ; to catch on the hop, to catch 
or have on the hip, as Gratiano catches 
Shylock : see Hop ; to catch the wind 
of the world, to quickly understand 
the meaning of what is said. See 
Twig. 

Catch-'em-alive (or alivo). 1. 
A fly-paper. 2. A tooth comb. 

Catch-fart. A footman, page-boy. 

Catch - pole. A warrant - officer, 
bum-bailifi : formerly in respectable 
use, but employed contemptuously 
from the sixteenth century (1377). 

Catchy. Vulgarly or cheaply at- 
tractive, of a quality to take the eye or 



ear, easily caught and remembered 
(as a tune) (1831). 

Caterpillar. A soldier : see Mud- 
crusher. 

Caterwaul. To make a noise like 
cats at rutting time, woo, make love 
(1899). 

Catever. A queer or singular 
affair, anything poor or bad. [Lingua 
Eranca, and Ifcal,, caltivo, bad.] 

Catfish death. Suicide by drown- 



itgut - scraper. A fiddler: also 
scraper or teaser of the catgut, rosin- 
the-bow (1633). 

Cat - harping fashion. Drinking 
cross ways, and not as usual over the 
left thumb (Grose), 

Cat -head. In pi., the paps: see 
Dairy. 

Cathedral (Winchester). A high 
hat : see Golgotha ; as adj., old- 
fashioned, antique (1690). [Because 
only worn when going to the Cathe- 
dral.] 

Catharine Puritan. A membei 
of St. Catharine's Hall, Cambridge. [A 
pun on Catharine and KaQaipiif, tc 
purify.] Also Doves (q.v.) 

Catherine Hayes. A liquor con- 
sisting of claret, sugar, and nutmeg 
(1856). [The derivation may presum- 
ably be traced to the immense popu- 
larity of the Irish singer at the an- 
tipodes.] 

Cat's. St. Catharine's Hall : whence 
Caffs men, members of St. Catharine's 
Hall. 

Catherine Wheel. See Cartwheel. 

Cat - lap. Thin potations of any 
sort, especially tea (1785). 

Cat-market. A number of people 
all talking at once : e.g. You make a 
row like a cat-market, a general cater- 
wauling. 

Cat - match. When a rook or 
cully is engaged amongst bad bowlers 
(Grose). 

Catoller (or Catolla). A noisy, 

rating fellow : a foolish betting man 
tJSgan). 

Cat - o' - nine - tails (or cat). A 
nine-lashed scourge still occasionally 
used on criminals, but until 1881 the 
authorised means of punishment in the 
British army and navy. In prison par- 
lance the cat-o' -nine- tails is Number 
one, or the Nine-tailed bruiser (q.v.), 
the birch being Number two (q.v.) 
(1665). 



Si 



Cat-party. 



Cos. 



Cat -party (Bitch - party). A 
gathering of women. 

Cats. Atlantic Seconds : for tele- 
graphic purposes. 

Cats and Dogs. To rain cats and 
dogs, and pitchforks and slwvels, to ram 
heavily (1738). 

Cat's-foot. To live under the 
cat's foot, to be under petticoat gov- 
ernment, hen-pecked: cf. Apron- 
string. 

Cat's - head (Winchester). The 
end of a shoulder of mutton. 

Catskin - earls. The three senior 
earls in the House of Lords, viz. the 
Earls of Shrewsbury, Derby, and 
Huntingdon, the only three earldoms 
before the seventeenth century now 
existing, save those that (like Arundel, 
Rutland, etc.), are merged in higher 
titles, and the anomalous earldom of 
Devon (1553), resuscitated in 1831. 

Cat's-meat. The lungs. 

Cat's-paw (or Cat's-foot), A 
dupe, tool. [A reference to the fable 
(Bertrand el Raton) of a monkey using 
the paw of a cat, dog, or fox, to pull 
roasted chestnuts off the fire, current 
hi the sixteenth century, but varying 
considerably in details.] (1657). 

Cat-sticks. Thin legs (1785), 

Cat's-water. Gin. 

Cattle. An imperfect or smutty 
look on a printed sheet, caused by an 
oily or unclean roller. 

Cattle. A term of contempt: 
applied to human beings : e.g. queer 
cattle, kittle-cattle (1577). Cattle is 
often used of horses. 

Cattle-bug. See Bug. 

Caudge- pawed. Left-handed 
(Grose). 

Caught. Caught on the fly, caught 
in the act, on the hop, or hip. 

Cauliflower. 1. A clerical wig 
supposed to resemble a cauliflower ; 
modish in the time of Queen Anne. 2. 
The foaming head of a tankard of 
beer. In Fr., tinge or faux-col. 3. In 
pi. the Forty-seventh Regiment of 
Foot : from its white facings. 

Caulk. 1. Sleep ; as verb, to sleep : 
also subs., caulking (1836). 2. To 
cease ; shut up ; i.e. stop one's talk, or 
leave off talking. 

Caulker. 1. A dram, stiff glass of 
grog : generally a finishing bumper. 
When this happens to bo sherry and 
follows the drinking of red wines, it is 
called a whitewash (q.v.) (1808). 2. 



A he, anything surprising or in- 
credible : see Whopper. 

Caution. Anything out of the 
common, wonderful, staggering, to be 
avoided, that causes surprise, wonder, 
fear. At Oxford, in 1865, a guy 
or cure (1835). Whence cautionary, 
that which is a caution. 

Cavaulting - school. A house of 
ill-fame. 

Cave (or Cave in). To give way 
when opposition can no longer be 
maintained, break up, turn up. 
English synonyms: to knuckle under, 
knock under, give in, sing small, turn 
it up, chuck it up, jack up, climb down 
(q.v.), throw up the sponge, chuck it, 
go down, go out, cut it, out the rope 
(pugilistic), etc. ( 1 877). Cave f (Eton). 
Beware ! a byword among boys 
out of bounds when a master is in 
sight. 

Caviare. Obnoxious matter 
blacked out by the Russian press 
censor. Every foreign periodical 
entering Russia is examined for ob- 
jectionable references or irreligious 
matter, the removal whereof is accom- 
plished in two ways. If the items or 
articles are bulky, they are torn or cut 
out bodily. If they are brief, they are 
blacked out by means of a rect- 
angular stamp about as wide as an 
ordinary newspaper column, and 
cross-hatched in such a way that, 
when Inked and dabbed upon the 
paper, it makes a close network of 
white lines and black diamonds. The 
peculiar mottled or grained look of a 
page thus treated has suggested the 
attributive caviare : a memory of the 
look of the black salted caviare spread 
upon a slice of bread and butter. As 
verb, to black out. 

Cavort. To prance, frisk, run or 
ride in a heedless or purposeless 
manner. [Lingua Franca, cavoHa, 
prancing on horseback.] (1848). 

Cawbawn. See Cobbon. 

Caw - handed (or Caw - pawed). 
Awkward, not dexterous, ready or 
nimble (Grose). 

Caxton, A wig. [A corruption of 
caxon.] 

C a y u s e. A nickname given by 
Mormon girls to young Latter Day 
Saints : the Yahoos of the Gentiles. 
[The cayuse is properly the common 
Indian pony.] 

Caz. Cheese: seeOassan. (1812). 



Cedar. 



Chalk. 



Cedar (Eton). 1. A pair -oared 
boat, inrigged, without canvas, and 
very crank. [From the material.] 

2. A pencil. 

Celestial-poultry. Angels. 

Celestial. 1. In pi., The Ninety- 
seventh Regiment of Foot. 2. A 
turn-up or pug nose: see Conk. 

3. A Chinaman. [The Chinese Empire 
is spoken of as the Celestial Empire.] 

Cellier. An out-and-out, unmiti- 
gated lie : an echo of the Meal-tub 
plot (1682). Cf. Burke, Boycott, 
Bishop, and Salisbury. 

Cellar-flap. A step or dance 
performed within the compass of (say) 
a cellar-nap : the Whitechapel artist 
achieves as many changes of step as 
possible without shifting his ground : 
his action being restricted to the feet 
and legs : also to cut capers on a 
trencher : to double-shuffle. 

Cent. See Worth. 

Cent-per-cent. A usurer (Grose). 

Centurion. A batsman scoring a 
hundred runs. [From Centurion, the 
commander of a * century,' in the 
Eoman Army.] 

Century. A hundred pounds; or 
at cricket, etc., a score of a hundred. 
[Originally a division of the Roman 
Army numbering 100 men. In Eng- 
lish it was and is in common use to 
signify a group of a hundred.] 

Cert. A certainty : also a dead 
(or moral) certainty, a dead 'un, and a 
moral (1859). 

Certainty. An infant of the female 
sex : see Uncertainties. 

Chafe. To thrash soundly, warm 
(1693). 

Chaff. 1. Ironical or sarcastic 
banter, fooling, humbug, ridicule. As 
verb, to banter, jest, gammon, or quiz 
(1821). Chaffy, full of banter. 2. 
(Christ's Hospital). A small article or 
plaything, e.g. a pocket chaff ; as 
adj. (Christ's Hospital), pleasant, glad : 
sometimes chaffy. As intj. (Christ's 
Hospital), an exclamation signifying 
joy or pleasure. Also phrases and 
proverbs : neither corn nor chaff, 
nondescript, neither one thing nor 
another (1835); To sell corn and eat 
chaff, to deny oneself, play the miser 
(1579) ; A grain of wheat in a busnel of 
chaff, poverty of result, much cry and 
little wool. 

Chaff-cutter. A back-biter, 
Blunderer. 



C h a ff e r. LA quizzer, banterer 
(q.v.). 2. The mouth, the tongue 
(1821); to moisten one's chaffer, to 
drink : see Lush. 

Chaffing-crib. The place where a 
man receives his intimates ; a den, 
snuggery, diggings (1821). 

Chained (or Chain) Lightning. 
Whisky of the vilest description : 
warranted to kill at forty rods : also 
forty-rod h'ghtning. 

Chain - gang. Jewellers ; watch- 
chain makers : FT., boguiste and chain- 
iste. 

Chair. To put in the chair, to 
commit to prison : of drivers neglect- 
ing to pay hire for their cabs. 

Chairmarking. Inserting the date 
in a cab-driver's licence in words in- 
stead of figures : or, endorsing it in an 
unusually bold, heavy hand : a hint 
to possible employers that the holder 
is undesirable. In other trades it is 
understood that an unexceptionable 
character, with the adjectives care- 
fully underlined, is to be read as imply- 
ing just the opposite of what it appears 
to say. 

Chaldese. To trick, cheat, take 
in (1684). 

Chalk. LA score, reckoning; 
whence, by chalks, many chalks, long 
chalks, etc., i.e. degrees or marks ; also 
credit, tick (1529). 2. A scratch or 
soar (1846). As verb, (1) To score 
up, tick off. (2) To make one stand 
treat, or pay his footing ; an old 
hand succeeds in chalking the shoes 
of a green hand, the latter has to 
stand drinks all round. (3) To strike : 
cf. chalkers, sense 1 (1822). Phrases: 
To chalk up (or chalk it up), to credit, 
take credit, put to one's account 
(1597) ; to beat by long (or many) chalks, 
to beat thoroughly, show appreciable 
superiority (1857) ; to walk (or stump 
one's chalks), to move or run away, be 
off ; to be able to walk a chalk, to be 
sober (the ordeal on board ship of 
trying men suspected of drunkenness 
is to make them walk along a line 
chalked on the deck, without deviating 
to right or left) ; making chalks, a 
term connected with the punishment 
of boys on board ship, and in the 
Royal Naval School : two chalk lines 
are drawn wide apart on the deck or 
floor, and a boy to be punished places 
a foot on each of these lines, and 
stoops, thereby presenting a con- 



Chalker. 



Chappie. 



venient section of his person to the 
boatswain or master ; to chalk the 
lamp-post, to bribe : see grease the palm 
(1857). Other expressions connected 
with chalk are, to know chalk from 
cheese ; to chalk out, etc. 

Chalker. 1. In pi., Men of wit 
in Ireland, who in the night amuse 
themselves with cutting inoffensive 
passengers across the face with a knife. 
They are somewhat like those facetious 
gentlemen, some time ago known in 
England by the title of sweaters and 
mohocks (Qrose). 2. A milkman. 

Chalk - farm. The arm. English 
synonyms: bender, hoop* stick, fin, 
daddle. 

Chalk - head. One with a good 
head for figures: spec, a waiter 
(1856). 

Cham (or Chamxny). Champagne, 
(q.v.), boy. 

Chamber of Horrors. 1. The 
Peeresses' Gallery in the House of 
Lords : cf. Cage, sense 4. 2. In pi., 
sausages. 

Chance. To have an eye to the main 
chance, to keep in view that which 
will advantage (1609). To chance the 
ducks, to risk what one may, take 
every chance : also, to chance the 
arm. 

Chancer. A liar; also an in- 
competent workman : i.e. one who 
chances what he cannot do. 

Changery. In chancery, in pugil- 
ism, the head under the left arm of 
an opponent so that he can pound 
away at it with his right ; also fig., in 
a parlous case, an awkward fix : 
Fr., chanceUerie and coup de chan- 
ceUerie, almost literal translations 
(1819). 

Chaney-eyed. One-eyed : cf . 
squinny-eyed. 

Change. To give change, to pay 
out, give one his deserts ; whence, to 
take one's change out of, to get even 
with, give tit for tat : see infra ; to 
have att one's change about one, to be 
clever, quick-witted, compos mentis, 
with twelve pence to the shilling about 
one ; to put the change on, to deceive 
mislead (1667) ; to ring the changes, 
to change better for worse; also to 
pass counterfeit money, to pitch the 
snide (q.v.) : see Ring (1661) ; to take 
the change out of [a person or thing], 
to be revenged, take an equivalent, get 
quid pro quo : e.g. Take your change out 



of that ! with a blow or other rejoinder : 
of. Put that in your pipe and smoke 
it ! (1829); quids change artiste, a per- 
former, male or female, who sings one 
song in one costume, retires for a few 
seconds and returns to sing another in 
another guise, and so on; to change one's 
note (or tune), to pass from laughter to 
tears, from arrogance to humility, to 
alter one's mode of speech, behaviour, 
etc. : see Breath. (1578). 

Change-bags (Eton). Grey flannel 
trousers for cricket, and knicker- 
bockers for football. 

Chant (or Chaunt). 1. A song; 
to throw off a rum chaunt, to sing 
a good song (1882). 2. A cipher, 
initials, or mark of any kind, on a 
piece of plate, linen, or other article ; 
anything so marked is said to be 
chanted ; also an advertisement in a 
newspaper or handbill, etc. (1812). 
As verb, (1) to talk, sing praise, cry, 
crack up : Fr., pousser la goualante : 
street patterers and vendors chant 
their songs and wares, oftentimes to 
an extent not warranted by their qual- 
ity. (2) To sell a horse by fraudulent 
representation : Fr., enrosser (1816). 
Hence chanter (generally horse-chanter, 
(1) a fraudulent horse-dealer ; and (2) 
a street patterer : commonly spelt 
ohaunter (q.v.) ; chanting, selling 
unsound or vicious horses by a trick. 

Chantey (or Chanty). A song 
sung by sailors at their work. The 
music is to a certain extent tradi- 
tional, the words which are com- 
monly unfit for ears polite are 
traditional likewise. The words and 
music are divided into two parts the 
chanty proper, which is delivered by 
a single voice, with or without a fiddle 
obligato, and the refrain and chorus, 
which are sung with much straining and 
tugging, and with peculiar breaks and 
strange and melancholy stresses, by a 
number of men engaged in the actual 
performance of some piece of bodily 
labour. 

Chantie. A chamber-pot : see It, 

Chapel (or Chapel of ease). A 
water-closet : see Mrs. Jones. 

Chapel of little ease. The police 
cells : see Little case. 

Chapped. Parched, dry, thirsty 
(1673). 

Chappie (or Chappy). The latest 
variety ( 1890) of a man about town, a 
dandy : a term of intimacy. 



95 



Character. A man or woman 
exhibii/iii 1 ^ some prominent (and 
usually contemptible) trait, an eccen- 
tric, a case (q.v.) : generally with 
low, queor, comic, etc. (1773). 

Charactered. Burnt in the hand, 
lettered (q v.) (1785). 

Charing-Cross. A horse ; sse Prad. 

Chariot. Aa omnibus : m the 
sixteenth century a vehicle of any 
kind, and in uiic eighteenth a light 
four-wheeled carriage. 

Chariot-bussing. Picking pockets 
in an omnibus. 

Charity. Cold as chanty, lacking 
in feeling, perfunctory ; charity begins 
at "home, ties of family, friendship, etc., 
come first. 

Charley (or Charlie). 1. A 
night-watchman. A popular name, 
prior to the introduction by Sir B. 
Peel, in 1829, of the present police 
force ; since fallen into desuetude. 
The Charlies were generally old men 
whose chief duty was crying the hour on 
their rounds. Boxing a Charley was 
a favourite amusement with young 
bucks and bloods : when they found a 
night-watchman asleep in his box, 
they would overturn it, leaving the 
occupant to escape as best he might. 
Charles I. reorganised the watch 
system of the metropolis in 1640. 2. 
A small pointed beard, fashionable in 
the time of Charles I. : of. Imperial, 
Goatee. 3. A fox. 4. A watch. 5. 
(tailors') The nap on glossy-surfaced 
cloth, also a round-shouldered figure. 

Charley Bates' farm (or garden). 
See Bates' farm- 

Charley - Lancaster. A hand- 
kerchief. 

Charley- pitcher. A sharper 
working the thimble-rig, three-card 
trick, prick the garter, etc. 

Charley-Prescot. A waistcoat. 

Charley-wag. To play the 
Charley-wag, to absent oneself from 
school without leave, play truant; 
figuratively to disappear : l"r., taitter 
(or caler) Pecole. 

Charlies. 1. The paps: see 
Dairy. 2. (Winchester: obsolete). 
Thick gloves made of twine. [Intro- 
duced by a Mr. Charles Griffith.] 

Charm. 1. A picklock (1785). 
2. In pi., the paps: FT., les appas'. 
once in literary use, but now impos- 
sible except as slang. 3. In pi., 
generic for money : see Rhino. 



Charter. To charier the bar (or 
grocery). To buy all the liquor in 
stock and stand drinks round as long 
as it lasts : this freak was not infre- 
quent in the West. In Australia a 
similar expression is to shout oneself 
hoarse (q.v.). / 

Chasing. Exceeding a given average 
standard of production. 

Chasse. To dismiss : FT., chasser 
(1847). 

Chat. 1. A house. 2. The truth, 
real state of a case, proper words 
to use, correct card (1819). 3. 
Gabble, chatter, impudence ; e.g. 
None of your chat. As verb, to hang : 



C h a t e s. 1. The gallows : also 
Chattes and Chats (1567): see 
Nubbmg- cheat. 2. In pL, lice. Eng- 
lish synonyms : active citizens, crabs, 
crumbs, friends in need, back friends, 
grey backs, black cattle, Scots Greys, 
gentleman's companions, creepers, 
gold - backed 'uns, German ducks, 
dicky-birds, familiars, saddle-backs, 
Yorkshire Greys. 

Chat-hole. A hole in a wall, made 
to carry on conversation (prison). 

Chats. 1. Seo Chates. 2. Seals, 
3. London, Chatham, and Dover Bail- 
way Stock. 

Chatterbox. An incessant talker ; 
contemptuously of adults and play- 
fully of children. Also chatter-basket, 
chatter-bones., chatter-cart, chatter- 
bladder, chatter-bag, chatter-pie, etc. 
Chatter - broth (or water), tea, scandal 
broth (q.v.). Chitter - chatter (or 
Chatter-clatter), small talk, gossip. 
Chatter-house, a resort for women 
(1611). 

Chatterer. A blow upon the 
mouth, or a blow that tells (1827). 

Chatterers. The teeth: see 
Grmdors. 

Chattery. Cotton or linen goods 
(1821). 

Chatty. A filthy man : see Chat. 
As adj., filthy* lousy. 

Chatty-feeder. A spoon. 

Chaunt. See Chant, To chaumt 
the play, to explain the tricks and 
manoeuvres of thieves. 

C h au n t e r. 1. -A street ballad 
singer, reciter of dying speeches, etc. 
Rarely heard now except in the poor- 
est neighbourhoods. The practice is 
peculiar. One man gets as far as he 
can, and when his voice cracks a coxa- 



Ckaunter-cove. 



Cheer. 



pardon takes things up. 2. See 
Chanter, sense 1. 

Chaunter-cove. A reporter. 

Chaunter-cull. A writer of bal- 
lads and street literature for the use of 
chaunters (q.v.). They haunted cer- 
tain well - known public houses in 
London and Birmingham, and were 
open to write ballads to order on any 
subject, the rate of remuneration 
varying from half-a-crown to seven- 
and-sixpence. The chauntcr having 
practically disappeared, his poet has 
gone with him (1781). 

Chaunter upon the Leer. An 
advertiser. 

Chauvering - donna (or - moll). 
A prostitute : see Tart. 

Chaw. 1. A countryman, yokel, 
bumpkin. In common use at public 
schools (1856). 2. A mouthful, gob- 
bet, what can be crammed in the 
mouth at once, e.g. a quid of tobacco, 
a dram of spirits, etc. : as verb, to eat, 
chew noisily, and roughly bite : once 
literary, now specifically to chew 
tobacco (1749). 3. A trick, device, 
sell ; also to deceive. Phrases : To 
chaw over, to create ridicule by repeat- 
ing one's words ; to chaw up, to get the 
better of, demolish, do for, smash or 
finish ; chawed up, utterly done for 
(1843) ; to chaw up one's words, to 
retract an assertion, to eat one's words. 

Chawbacon. A countryman, a 
bumpkin ( q. v. ). Other nicknames are 
bacon-slicer, clod-hopper, barn-door 
savage, clod- pole, cart-horse, Johnny, 
cabbage-gelder, turnip -sucker, joskin, 
jolterhead, yokel, clod - crusher, etc. 
(1811). 

Cheap. On the cheap, at a low rate 
[of money], economically, keeping up a 
showy appearance on small means ; 
cheap and nasty, of articles pleasing to 
the eye, but shoddy in fact : cf. Cheap 
and nasty, like Short's in the Strand, 
a proverb applied to the deceased 
founder of cheap dinners, now a well- 
known wine-bar ; to feel cheap, to have 
a mouth on, suffering from a night's 
debauch ; dirt cheap or dog chaep, in- 
expensive, as cheap as may be : dog 
cheap is the earliest form in which 
this colloquialism appears in English 
literature (1577), dirt cheap not being 
found earlier than 1837. 

Cheapside. He came home by way 
of Cheapside, i.e. he gave little or 
nothing for it, he got it cheap. 

G 97 



Cheat Generic for a thing, spec, 
the gallows ; also the Nubbing, Top- 
ping, or Treyning-cheat. The word 
is variously spelt chet, chete, cheate, 
cheit, chate, cheat. The following com- 
binations illustrate its use : Betty- 
cheze, an apron ; bleting-chete, a sheep 
or calf; cackhng-chete, a fowl ; crashing- 
cheats, the teeth ; grunting -chete, a pig ; 
hearing -chetes, the ears ; low'ing-chete, 
a cow ; lullaby - chete, an infant ; 
mofling - chete, a napkin ; nubbing- 
cheat, the gallows ; prattling -chete, the 
tongue ; quacking-chete, a duck : smett- 
ing-chete, the nose ; topping-cheat, the 
gallows; treymng-cheat, the gallows; 
trundling - cheat, a cart or coach all 
of which see (1567). 

Cheats. Sham cuffs or wristbands, 
half sleeves: cf. Dicky and Sham 
(1688). 

Checks. Generic for money, cash 
[A poker term]. To pass (or hand) in 
one's checks, to die : see Hop the twig. 
Cheek. 1. Insolence, jaw ; e.g. 
None of your cheek, None of your 
jaw. Equivalents are Up, chat, 
imperance, mouth, chin, chirrup, and 
nine shillings (nonchalance) (1840). 
2. Audacity, confidence, impudence, 
brass, face. Formerly brow was used 
in the same sense (1642). Also aa 
verb in both senses. To one's own 
cheek, to one's own share, all to oneself 
(1841) j to cheek up, to answer saucily. 
Cheek - ache. To have the cheek- 
ache, to blush, to be abashed. 

Cheekiness. Impudence, effront- 
ery, cool audacity (1847). 

Cheekish (or Cheeky). Audacious, 
impudent, saucy. 

Cheeks. 1. The posteriors. 2. An 
accomplice (1857). 

Cheeks and Ears. A kind of 
head-dress (1600). 

Cheeks the Marine. Mr. Nobody : 
popularised by Captain Marryat. Also 
a sarcastic rejoinder to a foolish or 
incredible story, Tell that to Cheeks 
the marine (1833). * 

Cheer. To change cheer, to exhibit 
emotion, change countenance ; to make 
a cheer, to assume a look of anger, fear, 
shame, etc. ; what cheer ? how are 
you ? with good cheer, readily, 
gladly; to be of good cheer, to be in 
good fettle, stout of heart, courageous ; 
the fewer the better cheer, the fewer 
there are, the more there is for each 
to eat. 



Cheese. 



Chic. 



Cheese. 1. The cheese, anything first- 
rate or highly becoming ; the expres- 
sion runs up and down the whole 
gamut of cheese nomenclature, from 
the Stilton, Double Gloster, to the 
pure Limburger (1835). 2. An adept, 
one who takes the shine out of 
another : at Cambridge an overdressed 
dandy is a howling cheese. Hard 
cheese, what is barely endurable, hard 
lines, bad luck ; tip-cheese, probably 
Tip-cat (q.v.) ; cheese it ! leave off ! 
have done ! be off ! (1811). To make 
cheeses (Fr., faire des fromages), a 
schoolgirl's amusement : turning 
rapidly round and round, the figure- 
maker suddenly sinks to the floor, 
causing the petticoats to inflate some- 
what in the form of a cheese: also 
a deep curtsey (1857). See Bread, 
Chalk, Moon. 

Cheese-box. A Confederate nick- 
name for a vessel of the Monitor 
type (1860-65): cf. Tinclad. 

Cheese - cutter. 1. A prominent, 
aquiline nose : see Conk. 2. A large, 
square peak to a cap : Fr., Zouave 
abatjour. 3. In pi., bandy-legs: see 
Drumsticks. 

Cheese - knife* A sword: also 
Cheese- toaster. 

Cheesemongers. The First Life- 
guards. [Bestowed, it is said, on 
account of veterans declining to serve 
when the corps was remodelled in 
1788, on the ground that the ranks 
were no longer composed of gentle- 
men, but of cheesemongers.] Also 
The cheeses. 

Cheeser. An eructation. 

Cheeses. See Cheesemongers. 

Cheese - toaster. A sword. Eng- 
lish synonyms : Toasting-fork, toast- 
ing iron, sharp, knitting-needle, iron, 
cheese-knife, tool, poker (1785). 

Cheesy. Fine, showy: the reverse 
of dusty (q.v.) (1858). 

Chemiloon. Chemise and drawers 
hi one, a combination (q.v.). 

Chepemens. Cheapside Market 
(1610). 

Cheque. To "have seen ike cheque, 
to know positively, be possessed of 
exact knowledge concerning a matter. 

Chemlet. A nipple (1599). 

Cherry. A young girl : cf. cherry 
ripe and rosebud. 

Cherry-breeches. See Cherubims. 

Cherry - coloured. Either red or 
black; in allusion to a cheating trick 



at cards. [When carrSs are being dealt, 
a knowing one ofters to bet that he 
will tell the colour of the turn-up card. 
Done, says Mr. Green. The sum 
being named, Mr. Sharp affirms that 
it will be cherry - colour ; and as 
cherries are either black or red, he wins 
(Grose). Cherry -coloured cat, one either 
black or white in colour (1785). 

Cherry- merry. 1. Convivial, 
slightly inebriated : see Screwed 
(1602). 2. A present of money. 
Cherry-merry-bamboo, a beating. 

Cherry-pickers. See Cherubims. 

Cherry-pie. A girl. 

Cherry-ripe. 1. A woman : also 
cherry-pipe. 2. A Redbreast (q.v.), 
Bow Street runner. A scarlet waist- 
coat formed part of the uniform. 3. 
A footman in red plush. 4. A pipe. 

Cherubims (vulgo, Cherry-bums). 
1. The Eleventh Hussars. [From the 
crimson overalls.] Also Cherry- 
breeches and Cherry - pickers. 2. 
Peevish children : an allusion to the Te 
Deum, To Thee cherubin and seraphin 
continually do cry. 3. Chorister boys. 
To be in the cherubims, to be in good 
humour, in the clouds, unsubstantial, 
fanciful (1542). 

Cheshire - cat. To grin like a 
Cheshire cat [chewing gravel, eating 
cheese], to laugh broadly, all over one's 
face (1782). 

Chest. To chuck out one's chest, 
to pull oneself together, stand firm, 
keep a stiff upper hp. 

Chestnut. A stale joke or story, 
an old 'Joe,' something frequently 
said or done before. 

Chete. See Cheat. 

Chew. A small portion of tobacco, 
a quid. To chew oneself, to get angry ; 
to chew the cud, to chew tobacco ; also 
to think, to turn over in one's mind 
to chew the rag (or fat), to grumble. 

Chewallop ! Onomatopoeia : re- 
presenting, it is thought, the sound of 
an object falling heavily to the ground 
or into water : see Cachunk (1835). 

Chewre. To steal. 

Chic. Finish, elegance, spirit, dash 
style any quality which marks a ] 
son or thing as superior. [Origii] " 
French slang term of uncertain c 
Littre being inclined to trace it to c 
ane, tact or skill. The French chic 
originally signified subtlety, cunning, 
skill ; and, among English painters, to 
chic up a picture, or to do a thing from 



Chickabiddy. 



Chippy. 



chic, to work without models and out 
of one's own head] (1856). As adj., 
stylish, elegant, up to Diet. 

Chickabiddy. A young girl: of. 
Chick-woman (Much Ado, I. iii.). 

Chickaleary-cove (or bloke). An 
artful member, a downy cove (q.v.). 

Chicken. A pint pot : cf . hens 
and chickens., and cat and kittens 
(1851). No chicken, elderly (1720); 
to count one's chickens before they are 
hatched, to reckon beforehand upon 
a successful issue (the Latins said, 
Don't sing your song of triumph 
before you have won the victory 
ante victoriamcanere triumphum) 
(1579). 

Chicken - butcher. A poulterer ; 
also (sporting), any one shooting im- 
mature game (1S11). 

Chicken-fixings. Properly a hash, 
stew, or fricassee of chicken, but the 
term is now applied to any fare out 
of the common ; also to show of any 
kind : Fr., giieulardise : cf. common 
doings. 

Chicken-flesh. Goose-flesh (q.v.). 

Chicken-pecked. Governed by a 
child : cf. hen-pecked. 

Chicken-thief. A petty thief. 

Chi-ike (or Chy-ack). A street 
salute, a word of praise (1869). Also 
as verb, to salute or hail, and (tailors') 
to chaff unmercifully. To give chi-ike 
vrith the chUl off, to scold. 

Child. See This child. Also in 
proverbs and proverbial phrases, The 
burnt child dreads the fire (1400). 
The child unborn (a type of inno- 
cence. Children, drunkards, and fools 
cannot lie. Once an old man, twice 
a child. Many kiss the child for the 
nurse's sake. 

Child-crowing. Group. 

Child-geared. Childish, silly. 

Child - queller. A severe discip- 
linarian. 

Children's-shoes. See Make. 

Chill (or take the chill off). 
To warm. With the chill off, an ex- 
pression of (1) dissent, (2) depreciation, 
or (3) disbelief : cf. over the left (q.v.). 

Chime. To praise, extol, puff, 
canoodle (q.v.), especially with a view 
to personal advantage. To chime in* 
to agree, endorse, spec, to break into 
an argument with a note of approval : 
also to chime in with (1838). 

Chimney. A great smoker: FT., 
locomotive. 



Chimney - chops. A negro: sea 
Snowball. 

Chimney-pot. The silk hat worn 
by men, and sometimes by women 
on horseback : beaver, bell-topper, 
etc., but see Golgotha : FT., cheminte 
(1861). 

Chimney - sweep. 1. A black 
draught : cf. custom - house officer. 
2. A clergyman : vice versa sweep = 
clergyman. 

Chin. A child. As verb, to talk, 
chatter : spec, to talk loudly, impu- 
dently, or abusively. To hold up by 
the chin, to support, encourage, save 
from disaster (1562) ; of the first chin, 
with sprouting beard ; up to the chin, 
deeply engaged, involved, over head 
and ears. 

Chinas. Eastern Extension Aus- 
tralasian and China Telegraph Shares. 

Chin-chopper. A drive under the 
chin : see Dig. 

Chinese - compliment. Seeming 
deference to others, one's mind being 
already made up. 

Chink. Generic for money, ready 
cash : also clunkers, or jink : see 
Rhino (1557). 

Chinker. In pi., handcuffs : see 
Chink. 

Chin -music. Talk, chatter, ora- 
tory : also chin-wag : Fr., casser un 
mot. Chinning, talking, chatting ; 
chinny, talkative : see Chin. 

Chmqua soldi. Fivepence : ItaL 

Chinse (Winchester). A chance. 

Chip. 1. An item of news : spec, a 
local (q.v.). 2. A reporter who col- 
lects chips. 3. A sovereign : see 
Rhino. As verb, to understand : see 
Twig. To chip in, to contribute one's 
share in money or kind, join in an 
undertaking, interpose smartly; not 
to care a chip, to care naught, not 
even the value of a counter : see Cent, 
Fig, Bap, Straw, etc. ; brother chip, 
brother smut, one of the same trade 
or profession ; chip of the same (or the 
same old) block, a person reproduc- 
ing certain familiar or striking char- 
acteristics ; chip in porridge, broth, 
a thing of no moment, nonentity 
(1686). Also Chip, a man or thing-: 
a bloke, cove, cheat (1628). 

Chipper. Fit, active, ready to 
chip in. 

Chippy, unwell, seedy : usually of 
over-indulgence in eating, drinking, 
etc. 



99 



Chips. 



CTtop. 



Chips. 1. A carpenter (1785). 2. 
Counters used ic Barnes of chance : cf. 
checks. 3- Cards. 4. Money. 5. 
(Wellington College). A kind of grill : 
from its hardness. To hand in one's 
chips, to die. 

Chirp. To talk : spec, to inform 
(thieves). 

Chirper. 1. A singer. 2. A glass 
or tankard (1862). 3. The mouth : see 
Potato trap. 4. A stage door black- 
mailer: if money be refused them, they 
go into the auditorium and hoot, hiss, 
and groan at the performer. 

Chirping-merry. Exhilarated with 
liquor (Grose). 

Chirpy. Cheerful, likely ( 1 837). 

Chirrup, verb (music-hall). To 
cheer or applaud a public singer, 
speaker, etc., for a consideration : FT., 
daguer. Hence chirruper and chirrup- 
ing. 

Chisel (Chizzle, or Chuzde). 
To cheat, defraud, swindle (Jamieson) 
(1808). Hence, chiselling, cheating. 
To go futt chisel, to go full speed, or 
full drive, show intense earnestness, 
use great force, go off brilliantly 
(1835). 

Chit. 1. A letter (1785), corrup- 
tion of a Hindoo word. 2. AT order 
for drinks : in clubs, etc. 3. A girl : 
under age and undersized. 4. Food 
eaten in the hand : as a thumber 
(q.v.), a workman's lunch, and a, 
child's piece (q.v.). 

Chit-chat. Chatter, familiar con- 
versation : cf. tittle-tattle, bibble- 
babble, etc. [Johnson: only used in 
ludicrous conversation.] 

Chitterlings. Shirt frills : cf . 
Ger., Gekrose. 

Chitty. An assistant tailor's cutter 
or trimmer. 

Chitty - faced. Thin, weazened, 
baby-faced (1601). 

Chiv. See Chive. 

Chive (or Chiv). A knife. Eng- 
lish synonyms : Arkansas toothpick 
(a bowie knife), cabbage - bleeder, 
whittle, gully, jockteleg (a clasp knife : 
a corruption of Jacques de Liege) 
snickersnee (nautical), cuttle, cuttle- 
bung, pig-sticker (1674). As verb, to 
stab, to knife (q.v.) 

Chive - fencer. A street hawker 
of cutlery. 

C h i v e y (or Chivvy). A shout, 
greeting, cheer: cf. Chi-ike. As 
verb, to guy (q.v.), chase round, 



hunt about, throw or pitch about 
(1831). 

Chiving-lay. Cutting the braces of 
coaches behind, whereupon, the coach- 
man quitting the box, an accomplice 
broke and robbed the boot. Also 
cutting through the back of the coach 
to snatch the large and costly wigs 
then fashionable (Grose). 

Chivy (or Chevy). The face. Aa 
verb, to scold, bullyrag. 

Choakee. See Chokey. 

Chock. To strike a person under 
the chin. 

Chocker. A man : generally old 
checker, but not necessarily in con- 
tempt. 

Chocolate. To give chocolate with- 
out sugar, to reprove (Grose). 

Choke-dog. Cheese; especially 
hard cheese made in Devonshire. 

Choke. To choke off, to get rid of, 
put a stop to, run contrary to. English 
synonyms, to shut off, shunt, fub off, 
rump, cold shoulder (1818). 

Choker. 1. A cravat; spec, the 
large neckerchief once worn high round 
the neck ; also white choker (q.v.), the 
neckgear peculiar to evening dress. 
English synonyms : neckinger, tie (now 
technical, but formerly slang), crum- 
pler (1845). 2. An all-round collar: 
cf. all-rounder. 3. A garotter ; see 
Wind-stopper. 4. Prison, lock up, 
quod : see Chokey. 5. The hangman's 
rope, squeezer, halter. White-choker, 
a parson. 

Chokey (Choky, Chokee, or 
Chocker). 1. A prison. Queer? * (or 
King's) Ohokey, the Queen's (or King's) 
Bench Prison : obs. 2. A cell : spec, 
a punishment cell. 

Chonkey. A species of mince-meat 
cake (1851). 

Chop. 1. A blow : once (sixteenth 
and seventeenth centuries) literary, 
and still respectable in some senses: 
e.g. a chopping (i.e. beating) sea. 2. 
An exchange, barter, and as verb, to 
barter, buy and sell, change tactics, 
veer from one side to the other, 
vacillate : see Chop, verb (1485) ; e.g. 
to chop logic, to give argument for 
argument ; to chop stories, to cap one 
anecdote with another. 3. To change 
quarters : e.g. the wind chopped 
round to the north (1554). 4. To eat 
a chop (1841). Chop and change, ups 
and downs, vicissitudes, changes of 
fortune (1759) ; to chop the whiners, to 



100 



Ohop-chop. 



Cinch. 



say prayers : FT., manger aa paillasse. 
See First chop, Second chop. 

Chop-chop. Immediately, 
quickly. 

Chopper. 1. A blow, struck on the 
face with the back of the hand. Men- 
doza claims the honour of its inven- 
tion, but unjustly ; he certainly re- 
vived, and considerably improved it. 
It was practised long before our time 
Brougham occasionally used it ; and 
Slack, it also appears, struck the 
chopper in giving the return in many 
of his battles. 2. A sausage maker. 
To have a chopper (or button) on, to be 
miserable, down in the dumps, in a fit 
of the blues. 

Chopping. Wanton, forward. 

Chopping - block. A man who 
takes an immense amount of punish- 
ment (q.v.) in fight without the science 
or the strength to return it. 

Chops. To lick the chops, to anti- 
cipate a matter with zest or relish 
(1655) ; down in the chops (or mouth), 
sad, melancholy : see Chopper (1830). 

Chortle. To chuckle, laugh in 
one's sleeve, snort. [Introduced by 
Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking 
Glass.-] 

Chosen Twelve. See Apostles. 

Chuck-farthing (Chuck, Chuck- 
and-toss, or Pitch - and - toss). A 
game played with money, which is 
pitched at a line, gathered, shaken in 
the hands, and tossed up into the air so 
as to fall heads and tails until the 
stakes are guessed away : a parish 
clerk was formerly named chuck-far- 
thing (1690). 

Chucking-out. Ejection. 

Chucks. A boy's signal on a 
master's approach. FT., Vesse 1 

Chuff it. Be off ! Take it away t 

Chum. 1. A close companion, a 
bosom friend, intimate. Formerly a 
ohamber-fellow or mate. [ Johnson : 
& term used in the Universities.] 
(1684). English synonyms: gossip, 
pal, pard (American), marrow (north- 
country), cully (theatrical), cummer, 
ben cull, butty, bo' (nautical), mate or 
matey, ribstone, bloater. 2. A 
brother-in-arms. As verb, to occupy a 
joint lodging, or share expenses, on 
the closest terms of intimacy with 
another, to be ' thick as thieves/ or 
* thick as hops * : Fr M &re dan* la 



a new arrival in a colony, greenhorn, 
tenderfoot (q.v.) (1861). 

Chummage. Money procured by 
chumming together ; but various ex- 
tensions of meaning appear to have 
been in vogue at different periods. 
Thus (1) quartering two or more 
collegians in one room, and allowing 
the richest to pay his companions a 
stipulated sum to go out and find 
quarters elsewhere. (2) Money paid 
by the richer sort of prisoners in the 
Fleet and King's Bench to the poorer 
for their share of a room ... A 
prisoner who can pay for being alone, 
chooses two poor chums, who for a 
stipulated price, called chummage, give 
up their share of the room (Grose), 

Chummery. Chumhood; also 
quarters occupied by chums. 

Chummy. 1. A chimney-sweep's 
climbing boy. [A corruption of 
chimney through chumley] (1635). 

2. A diminutive form of chum 
(q.v.) 3. A low-crowned felt hat: 
see Golgotha. As adj., very inti- 
mate, friendly, sociable : Fr., cJiouette, 
chouettard, chouettaud. 

Chump. 1. A blockhead. 2. A 
variant of chum : Fr., vieitte tranche. 

3. The head : spec, in the phrase off 
one's chump (q.v.) : see Crumpet. 
Chump of wood, no good : also a block- 
head ; off one* 8 chump, insane ; to get 
one's own chump, to earn one's own 
living. 

Chunk. 1. A thick piece, lump : 
of wood, bread, coal, etc. (1691). 2. 
school-board officer. 

Church. To take out the works of 
a watch and substitute another set, so 
that identification is impossible (1859). 
To talk church : see Talk ; to talk shop, 
seeShop; togotochurd),toget married. 

Churchwarden. A clay pipe with 
a long stem. English synonyms, 
alderman, steamer, yard of clay. 

Churl. To put a churl upon a 
gentleman : see Gentleman. 

Cider. All talk and no cider, pur- 
poseless loquacity, much cry and little 
wool, much ado about nothing. 

Cider-and. Cider mixed with some 
other ingredient : of. cold without 
hot with, etc. (1742). 

Cig, A cigar : see Weed. 

Cinch. To get a grip on, corner, 
put the screw on : also, in the passive 



chemise de guetgtfun, du dernier lien sense, to come out on the wrong side 
ovee qudgu'un (1730). New chum, in speculations. 

101 



Cincinnati-olive . 



Class. 



Cincinnati- olive. A pig. [A Clack. 1. Idle or loquacious talk, 

spurious olive oil is manufactured gossip s prattle (1440). As verb, to 

from lard, and Cincinnati is one of the gabble. 2. The tongue. A more 
largest centres of the pork -packing 



industry in America.] Cincinnati 
oyster, a pig's trotter. 

Cinder. 1. Any strong liquor, as 
brandy, whisky, sherry, etc., mixed 
with a weaker, as soda-water, lemon- 
ade, water, etc., to fortify it. 2. A 
running path or track. 

Cinder - garbler. A female ser- 
vant (Grose). English synonyms : mar- 
chioness, slavey, cinder-grabber, cin- 
derella, can (Scots), piss-kitchen, Julia. 

Circle. To give the lie in circle, to 
lie indirectly, circuitously (1610). 

Circiing-boy. A swindler, rook. 
[Nares : a species of roarer ; one who 
in some way drew a man into a snare, 
to cheat or rob him.] 

Circs. Circumstances. 

Circumbendibus. A roundabout, 
spec, a long-winded, story (1681). 

Circumlocution - office. A centre 
of red-tape, a roundabout way. A 
term invented by Charles Dickens and 
applied at firjt in ridicule to public 
offices, where everybody tries to 



ancient form was clap, dating back to 
1225. English synonyms: glib, red- 
rag, clapper, bubber, velvet, jibb, 
quail - pipe. Hence, clack - box, (1) 
the mouth: see Potato-trap. (2) A 
chatterbox. 

Clack-loft. A pulpit. 

Claim. To steal: see Prig. To 
jump a claim, to take forcible posses- 
sion, to defraud : specifically to seize 
land which had been taken up and 
occupied by another settler, or squat- 
ter (1846). 

Clam. 1. A blockhead : cf. Shakes- 
peare (Much Ado, n. iii.), 'Love may 
transform me to an oyster; but I'll 
take my oath on it, till he hath made 
an oyster of me, he shall never make 
me such a fool.* 2. The mouth or 
lips : also clam-shell : Shut your clam- 
shell, shut your mouth. The padlock 
now used on the United States mail- 
bags is called the clam-shell padlock. 
See Potato-trap. (1825). 

Clam-butcher. A man who opens 
clams ; the attendant at an oyster bar 



UUJ.UCJ3, WIieJTG OVOJ.J'UULLy LAAQB t>U ULttlUD , ULK3 ttliW3JJLU.aiIJ.Li 

shuffle c/ft his responsibilities upon is an Oyster butcher. 



some one else.] 

Circumslogdologize. See Stock- 
dollagize. 

' Circumstance. Not a circum- 
stance, etc., not to be compared with, 
a trifle, of no account unfavourable 
comparison. To whip [something] 
into a circumstance, to surpass. 

Circus-cuss. A circus-rider. 

Citizen. A wedge for prising 
open safes : used before the alderman 
(q.v.) or jemmy (q.v.) are brought 
into play. Whence citizen' 's-friend, a 
smaller wedge than the citizen. The 
order in which the tools are used is 
(1) citizen's friend, (2) citizen, (3) the 
alderman (i.e. a jemmy), and some- 
times (4) a Lord mayor. 

City College. Newgate; in New 
York, The Tombs : see Cage. 

City-stage. The gallows : for- 
merly in front of Newgate : see Nub- 
bing cheat. 

Civil Reception. See House of 
Civil Beception. 

Civil-rig. A trick to obtain alms 
by a profuse show of civility and 
obsequiousness. 

Civvies. Civilian clothes, as 
opposed to regimentals. 



Clink. A pewter tankard : for- 
merly a silver one (1785). 

Clinker. 1. A great lie (Orose): 
see Whopper. 2. Silver plate : whence 
clink-napper, a thief whose speciality 
was silver plate. 

Clap (or Clapper). 1. The 
tongue (1225). 2. To clap eyes on, to get 
a sight of, spot (q.v.) ; to dap on, to 
apply oneself with energy, set to, peg 
away. 

Clapper - dudgeon. A whining 
beggar (1567). 

Clap-of-thunder. A glass of gin : 
see Flash of lightning (1821). 

Clap-shoulder. A sheriff's officer, 
bum-bailiff (1630). 

Claras. Caledonian Hallway De- 
ferred and Ordinary Stock. 

Claret. Blood : variants are bad- 
minton, bordeaux, and cochineal-dye : 
Fr., vermeil (or vermois) (1604). To 
tap one's claret, to draw blood. Hence, 
claret jug, the nose. 

Clarian (Cambridge University). 
A member of Clare Hall, Cambridge : 
see Greyhound. 

Class. The highest quality or com- 
bination of highest qualities among 
athletes. He's not class enough, i.e. 



102 



Claw. 



Clip. 



not good enough. There's a deal of 
class about him, i.e. a deal of quality. 

Claw. A lash of the cat-o' -rune- 
tails : hence clawed off, severely beaten ; 
claws for breakfast, a bout of the cat 
(q.v.). 

Claw-hammer. A dress coat : also 
steel-pen coat and swallow-tail. 

Clay. A clay pipe : of. Yard of 
clay. To moisten (soak or wet) one's 
day, to drink (1718). 

Clean. 1. Entirely, altogether, e.g. 
clean gone, clean broke, etc. 2. Expert, 
smart. To dean out, to exhaust, strip, 
rack, or ruin : FT., se faire lessiver. 

Clean - potato. The right thing : 
of an action indiscreet or dishonest, it 
is said that It's not the clean potato. 

Clean-straw (Winchester College). 
Clean sheets. [Before 1540 the beds 
were bundles of straw on a stone floor. 
At that date Dean Fleshmonger put 
in oaken floors, and provided proper 
beds, such as existed in 1871 in Third, 
and later in the case of the Prefect of 
Hall's unused beds in Sixth. The 
term has never been used in reference 
to mattresses of any kind, straw or 
other.] 

Clean-wheat. If a the dean wheat, 
i.e. the best of its kind : see Al, 

Clear. (1) Thick with liquor. [Ap- 
parently on the lucus a non lucendo 
principle.] (1688). Clear as mud, 
not particularly lucid ; to dear out (or 
off), to depart (1825); (2) to rid of 
cash, ruin, clean out (1849). 

Clear - crystal. White spirits, as 
gin and whisky, but also extended to 
brandy and rum. 

Clear-grit. 1. (Canadian). A 
member of the colonial Liberal party. 
2. (American). The right sort, having 
no lack of spirit, unalloyed, decided. 

Cleave. To wanton. 

Clegg. A horse-fly. 

Clencher. See Clincher. 

Clergyman. A chimney - sweep : 
see Chimney-sweep. St. Nicholas* clerk 
(or clergyman), a highwayman (1589). 

Clerked. Imposed upon, sold 
(q.v.) (1785). 

Clerk's blood. Red ink: a com- 
mon expression of Charles Lamb's. 

Clever-shins. One who is sly to 
nopurpose. 

Cleyme. An artificial sore : made 
by beggars to excite charity. 

Click. A blow : also a hold in 
wrestling (1819). As verb, to stand 



at a shop-door and invite customers 
in, as salesmen and shoemakers do 
(Dycke). To dick a nab, to snatch 
a hat. 

Clicker (or Klicker). 1. A shop- 
keeper's tout. [Formerly a shoe- 
maker's doorsman or barker (q.v.), 
but in this particular trade the term 
is nowadays appropriated to a fore- 
man who cute out leather and dis- 
penses materials to workpeople ; a 
sense not altogether wanting from 
the very first] (1690). 2. A knock- 
down blow. 3. One who apportions 
the booty or * regulars.' 

Clif t. To steal : see Prig. 

Climb. To dimb down, to abandon 
a position : as subs., downward or re- 
trograde emotion, the act of surrender. 

Clinching. A prison cell : hence to 
get (or kiss) the d^nch (or dink), to be 
imprisoned. 

Clincher (or Clencher). 1. That 
which decides a matter : spec, a 
retort which closes an argument, a 
finisher, settler, corker (1754). 2. 
An unsurpassed lie, stopper-up: see 
Whooper. 

Cling-rig. See Clink-rig. 

Clink, 1. A prison, lock-up ; spec, 
applied, it is thought, to a noted gaol 
in the borough of Southwark ; subse- 
quently to places like Alsatia, the 
Mint, etc. privileged from arrests ; 
and latterly, to a small dismal prison, 
or a military guard room (1525) : see 
Cage. 2. Silver plate: also Clinch 
(1781). 3. Money : of. Chink (1724). 
4. A very indifferent beer made from 
the gyle of malt and the sweepings of 
hop bins, and brewed especially for the 
benefit of agricultural labourers in 
harvest time: also barn -clink. To 
kiss the dink, to be imprisoned 
(1588). 

Clinker. 1. In pL, fetters (1690). 
2. A crafty, designing man (1690). 3. 
A chain of any kind : fetter or watch 
chain. 4. A well - delivered blow, a 
hot-'un. 5. Any thing or person of 
first - rate and triumphant quality : 
also clincher, a settler (1733). 6. A 
lie: see Whooper. 

Clinkerum. See Clink. 

Clinking. First-rate, extra good, 
about the best possible : of. clipping, 
thumping, whooping, rattling, etc. 

Clink-rig (or Cling-rig). Stealing 
silver tankards (1681). 

Clip. A smart blow : e.g. a clip 



103 



Clipe. 



in the eye. As verb, to move quickly 
(1833). 

Clipe. To tell tales, split, to 
preach (q.v.). 

Clipper. A triumph in horses, 
men, or women (1836). 

Clipping (or Clippingly). Excel- 
lent, very showy, first-rate. See Al. 
(1643). 

Cloak. A watch case. 

Cloak-twitcher . A cloak thief : Fr. , 
tirdaine (i.e. wool-puller) : see Thief. 
(1785). 

Clobber. Primarily old, but now 
applied to clothes of any kind. As 
verb (or to clobber up) (1) to patch, 
revive, or ' translate ' clothes. Old 
clothes that are intended to remain in 
this country have to be tutored and 
transformed. The clobberer, the re- 
viver, and the translator lay hands 
upon them. The duty of the clob- 
berer is to patch, to sew up, and to 
restore as far as possible the gar- 
ments to their pristine appearance. (2) 
To dress smartly, rig oneself out pre- 
sentably (1879). To do clobber at a 
fence, to sell stolen clothes : Fr., laver 
lea harnais. 

Clock. A watch. A red clock, 
a gold watch ; a white dock, a silver 
watch : usually red 'un and white 
'un. To know whafs o'clock, to be on 
the alert, in full possession of one's 
senses, a downey cove : generally 
knowing (q.v.). Also to know the 
time o' day (1835). 

Clod- crusher. 1. A clumsy boot. 
2. A large foot. 3. A country yokel : 
see Clodhopper. 

Cloister - roush (Winchester Col- 
lege : obsolete). There were some 
singular customs at the commence- 
ment of Cloister time. Senior part 
and Cloisters, just before the entrance 
of the Masters into School, used 
to engage in a kind of general 
tournament ; this was called Cloister 
roush. 

Clootie. The Devil. 

Cloots. Hooves (1786). 

Close. Close as wax, miserly, 
niggardly, secretive. 

Close - file. A person secretive or 
close ; not open, or communica- 
tive. 

Cloth. The doth, generic for 
clergymen," also the members of any 
particular profession. 

Clothes-line. Able to sleep upon 



104 



a dothes-line, capable of sleeping any- 
where or in any position : of those 
able and willing to rest as well upon 
the roughest shake - down as upon 
the most comfortable bed. [Cf. Two- 
penny-rope and Plank-bed.] Also 
in a transferred sense, a synonym for 
general capacity and ability. 

Clothes - pin. That's the sort of 
clothes-pin I am, that's the sort of 
man I am : also of women : That's the 
sort of hair-pin (q.v.). 

Cloth-market. A bed : Fr., hatte, 
aux draps (1710). 

Cloud. See Blow a cloud. 
Cloud- cleaner. An imaginary sail 
jokingly assumed to be carried by 
Yankee ships : of. Angel's footstool. 

Clout. 1. A blow, a kick, whence 
douting, a beating, basting, tanning 
(q.v.) : see Bang, Dig, and Wipe (1783). 
2. A pocket-handkerchief (1621). 3. 
A woman's under- clothes, from the 
waist downwards : also her complete 
wardrobe, on or off her person. 4. A 
woman's ' bandage,' ' diaper,' or 
' sanitary.' As verb, (1) to strike : Fr., 
jeter une mandole (1576) ; (2) to patch, 
tinker. 

Clouter. A pickpocket : spec, a 
handkerchief thief. Also as verb, to 
prig a wipe (qv.). 

Clover. In clover, well-off, com- 
fortable, like a horse at grass in a 
clover field. 

Clow (Winchester College). Pro- 
nounced do : a box on the ear. Also as 
verb, to box the ear : it was customary 
to preface the action by an injunction 
to Hold down. 

Clowe. A rogue (Grose). 
Cloy (Cligh, or Cly). To steal: 
see Prig (1610). As subs., a thief : of. 
Clow. Cloying, stealing. 

Cloyer. A thief who intruded on 
the profits of young sharpers, by 
claiming a share (1611). 

Club. In manoeuvring troops, so 
to blunder the word of command that 
the soldiers get into a position from 
which they cannot extricate them- 
selves by ordinary tactics. 

Clump. A blow : spec, a thumper 
with the hand. As verb, to strike, 
give a heavy blow : Fr., faire du biftecJc. 
dumper. 1. A thick, heavy boot 
for walking : see Clump, verb, and 
Clumping. 2. One that clumps, a 
basher. 

Clumperton. A countryman. 



Cob. 



Clumping. Walking heavily and 
noisily : as in hobnails or in clogs. 

C 1 y. LA pocket, purse, sack, or 
basket (1714). 2. Money: old cant 
(1748). As verb, to take, have, re- 
ceive, pocket, to cop (q.v.) (1567). 
To cly off, to carry off : spec, in a sur- 
reptitious manner (1656). To dy ike. 
jerk (or gerke), to get a whipping (1567). 

Cly-faker. A pickpocket : see Cly 
and Fake. 

Clyster- pipe. An apothecary 
(1785). 

Co. LA man (Old Cant). 2. 
Short for Company, County. 

Coach. 1. A private tutor ; also 
in a transferred sense one who trains 
another in mental or physical ac- 
quirements, e.g. in Sanskrit, Shakes- 
peare, cricket, or rowing : analogous 
terms are crammer, feeder, grinder, 
etc. (1850). Also as verb, to prepare 
for an examination by private instruc- 
tion, to train : in general use both by 
coacher and coachee (1846). Coach- 
ing, special instruction, training, 
grinding (q.v.): Fr., barbe. 2. The 
people in a coach. To drive a coach 
and four (or six) through an Act of 
Parliament, to make the law a dead 
letter, take the law into one's own 
hands (1700). 

Coachee. A coachman : cf. Cabby. 
See Coach. (1790). 

Coach - fellow. A companion, 
mate (1598). 

Coaching. 1. (Eugby School). A 
flogging : obsolete. 2. See Coach. 3. 
(commercial). Putting up to pretended 
auction, thereby hoping to receive 
fancy prices by fictitious bidders. 

Coachman. A fly-fisher's rod. 

Coach-wheel. A crown-piece, five 
shillings: also (B. #.)*=2s. 6d. : see 
Cartwheel (1785). To turn coach 
wheels (see Cartwheels). 

Coach-whip. 1. A long thin strap. 
Also, 2. in pi., shreds, tatters. 

Coal. See Cole. To take in one's 
coals (or winter coals), to contract 
venereal disease. Precious coal ! an 
obsolete exclamation ( 1596) ; to carry 
(or bear) coals, to do dirty work; to 
havl over the coals, to reprimand; to 
carry coals to Newcastle, to do the 
superfluous ; black as a coal, as black 
as may be (1000) ; to heap (cast, etc.) 
coals of fire, to produce remorse by 
returning good for evil (Bom. xli. 20) ; 
to blow the coals, to fan the passions ; 



to blow hot coals, to rage ; to stir coals, 
to excite strife ; to blow at a cold coal, 
to undertake a hopeless task. 

Coal - blower. An alchemist, or 
quack : in contempt. 

Coal - box. A chorus : obviously 
' music-hally ' or s circussy ' : a cross 
between rhyming slang and a clown's 
wheeze (q.v.) (1809). 

Coal- carrier. A low dependant 
(1565) ; cf. to carry coals. 

Coaley. A coal-heaver, or porter 

Coaling (or Coally). Among pros,' 
a coally or coaling part is one that is 
acceptable to the player. 

Coal-scuttle. A poke bonnet: 
once modish, later reserved for old- 
fashioned Quakeresses, and now ob- 
solete except with Hallelujah Lasses 
(1838). 

Coarse-account. To make of coarse 
account, to slight (1579). 

Coat. doth (q.v.), profession, 
party : common in seventeenth cen- 
tury. See Tread. To get the sun into 
a horse > s coat, to improve its condition 
by feeding, exercise, etc. ; a trainer's 
term, to express fitness. Phrases, etc. : 
To baste (coil, or pay) one's coat, to 
thrash, tan (1530) ; to be in any one's 
coat, in any one's place, stand in one's 
shoes (1569) ; to cut the coat according 
to the, cloth, to adapt oneself to circum- 
stances ; to turn one's coat : see Turn- 
coat ; to wear the king's coat, to serve 
as a soldier. To sit on one's own coat- 
tail, to live or do anything at one's per- 
sonal expense ; Who'll tread on the, 
tail of my coat ? (attributed to Irishmen 
at Donnybrook Fair), to purposely 
assume a position in which some one 
may intentionally or unintentionally 
afford a pretext for a quarrel, provoke 
attack so as to get up a row ; / wovld 
not be in some of their coats for (any 
definite or indefinite sum), proverbial : 
cf. (modern) I would not stand in 
So-and-so's shoes (1549) ; Near is my 
coat, bvt nearer is my shirt (or skin), 
proverbial (1539). 

Coax. 1. To dissemble in the 
shoes the soiled or ragged parts of a 
pair of stockings (Grose). 2. Orig. 
to befool, whence to gull by petting, 
[Johnson: 



A low 

a wheedler : also 



wheedle, flatter. 
word.] As subs. (1 
ooaxer; (2) wheedli 

Cob. 1. A punishment cell : eee 
Clinch. 2. In pi, generic for money: 
spec, a Spanish coin formerly current 



105 



Gobi. 



Cockalorum* 



in Ireland, worth about 4s. 8d : also 
the name still given at Gibraltar to a 
Spanish dollar (1805). 3. (Winchester 
College). A hard hit at cricket: of 
modern introduction : cf. Barter. 4. 
A chief, a leader. 5. A wealthy man : 
hence a miser. 6. A huge lumpish 
person. 7. A testicle. As verb, (1) to 
hit hard: cf. Cobb ; (2) To detect, 
catch, etc. (3) To humbug, deceive, 
gammon (q.v.): whence, cobbled, 
caught, spotted (q.v.). 

Cobb. To spank, smack the pos- 
teriors with (say) a tailor's sleeve- 
board, fives-bat, etc. (1830). 

Cobber. A prodigious falsehood, 
a thumper, a whopper (q.v.). 

Cobble - colter. A turkey : Fr., 
orne de batte, Jesuite (1785). 

Cobblers'-knock (or Knock at the 
Cobbler's Door). A sort of fancy 
sliding in which the artist raps the 
ice in triplets with one foot while pro- 
gressing swiftly on the other (1836). 

Cobbler s' -marbles. A corrupt 
pronunciation of Cholera morbus, or 
Asiatic cholera. 

Cobbler's-thumb. The bull-head, a 
small fish which in England is called 
the Miller's thumb. 

Cobble-text. A prosy person, 
ignorant preacher 

Coblative. Cobbled, patched up. 

Cobweb-morning. A misty morn- 



ing. 
Cob 



obweb - throat. A dry parched 
throat, hence to have a cobweb in the 
throat, to feel thirsty. 

Cocard. An old fool, a simple- 
ton. Cocardy, folly. 

Cochineal- dye. Blood: see 
Claret (1853). 

Cock. 1. A chief or leader ; spec. 
in such phrases as Cock of the walk, 
school, etc. ; orig. a victor (1711). 
Hence, to cry cock, to acclaim a victor, 
acknowledge a chief, etc. 2. A familiar 
address : e.g. Old cock, or Jolly old 
cock : Fr., mon vieux zig, mon lapin 
(1639). 3. A horse not intended to win 
the race for which it is put down, but 
kept in the lists to deceive the public. 
4. A fictitious narrative in verse or 
prose of murders, fires, etc., produced 
for sale in the streets. [Famous 
manufactories of cocks were kept by 
* Jemmy * Catnach and Johnny Pitts, 
called the Colburn and Bentley of 
the paper trade : hence anything 
fictitious or incredible.] 5. Cockney 



(q.v.). 6. In gambling or playing 
with ' quads,' a cock is when one (or 
more) of the nine pieces does not fall 
flat, but lodges crosswise on another : 
the player is then given another 
chance. 7. A night watchman, and fig. 
a parson. 8. Good cock (or poor cock), 
a good (or bad) workman. As adj., 
chief, first and foremost (1676). As 
verb, to smoke. To cock the eye, to 
shut or wink one eye, leer, look in- 
credulous : Fr., clign&r des cettlets : cf. 
Cock-eyed : also to cock the chin : Fr., 
s'o&orgrner (literally, to make oneself 
blind of one eye by closing it) (1751) ; 
to cock up one's toes, to die ; That cock 
won't fight, that will not do (or, go 
down) ; of things problematical or 
doubtful ; knocked a - cock, knocked 
' all of a heap,' or ' out of time.' Also 
proverbs and proverbial phrases: 
Every cock is king on his own raidden 
(1225) ; The young cock learaeth to 
crow of the old (1509) : also, as the old 
cock crows so does the chick (1589). 

Cock-a-doodle-do. A conventional 
representation of the crow of the cock ; 
a name for this, and hence, a nursery 
or humorous name for the cock (also 
Cock-a-doodle). Also as verb. 

Cock-a-doodle Broth. Eggs beat 
up in brandy and a little water (1856). 

Cock-a-hoop (or Cock-on, or 
-in) a-hoop. Strutting j triumphant ; 
high - spirited ; uppish. To set (the) 
cock on (the) hoop, cock a hoop, (1) to 
drink without stint, make good cheer 
with reckless prodigality ; also (2) as 
intj., an exclamation of reckless joy 
or elation, to abandon oneself to reck- 
less enjoyment, cast off restraint, 
become reckless, give a loose to all 
disorder, set all by the ears. 

Cockalare. A comic or ludicrous 
representation, a satire lampoon, a 
disconnected story, discourse, etc. 

Cockaloft. Affectedly lofty, 
stuck up. 

Cockall. One that beats all, the 

* perfection.' 

Cockalorum or Cockylorum. 

1. A contemptuous address of any- 
thing undersized and self-important. 

2. A rough - and - tumble game : the 
players divide into two opposing bands 
of from twelve to fourteen each in 
fact, the more the merrier. One side 
' goes down,' so as to constitute a long 

* hogsbacfc ' the last boy having a 
couple of pillows between himself and 



106 



Cock-and-breeches. 



Coctte. 



the wall, and each boy clasping his stitute ; also a mistress or ' keep * 
front-rank man, and carefully tucking (1600). 2. A baby. 

Cock-a-wax. 1. A cobbler : see 
Snob. 2. A familiar address. 

Cock- bawd. A male brothel keeper 
(Grose). 

Cock -brain. A lighthearted, 



his own ' cocoa-nut ' under his right 
arm, so as to prevent fracture of the 
vertebrae. When the hogsback is thus 
formed, the other side comes on, leap- 
frogging on to the backs of those who 
are down, the best and steadiest 



, 
foolish person. Also cock brained. 



jumpers being sent first. Sometimes thoughtless, silly. 

the passive line is broken quite easily Cockchafer. The treadmill : see 

by the ruse of a short high jump, Wheel of life. 

coming with irresistible impulse on a Cocked. Half - cocked, full-cocked, 

back not expecting weight. Some- ' " " " " ' 

times a too ambitious leap-frogger 

ruins his party by overbalancing and 

falling off. It is, however, as the last 

two or three leap-froggers come on 



etc. Various degrees of drunken- 
ness : see Screwed. 

Cocked-hat Knocked into a 
cocked hat. Limp enough to be 
_ doubled up and carried flat under the 

that the real excitement more gener- arm pike the cocked hat of an officer], 
ally begins. ^There is absolutely^ no Also, fig. stupefied, speechless. Syno- 



back - space belonging to the other nyms : doubled up ; knocked into the 
party left to them ; and they are middle of next week ; spifflicated ; 



obliged to pile themselves one upon 
another Pelion on Ossa, as it is 
called. When the last man is up it is 
his duty to say, * High cockalorum 

cockalorum jig jig jig off, o 



beaten to a jelly; knocked a-cock; 
wiped out ; sent all of a heap ; bottled 
up ; settled ; full of beans, or snuff ; 
sent, done, or smashed to smithereens. 
Cocker. A pugilist, quarrel- 
some, contentious man, wrangler. 



off,' and then alone is~it permissible to According to Cocker, according to rule ; 

fall in one indistinguishable heap to properly, arithmetically, or correctly 

the ground. The repeater of the done. [Old Cocker was a famous 

shibboleth often falls off himself as he writing master in Charles II. 's time, 

is uttering the above incantation and the author of a treatise on 

thus losing the victory for his side. arithmetic : probably popularised by 

Cock - and - breeches. A sturdy, Murphy's The Apprentice (1756), in 

under-sized man, or boy. which the strong point of the old 

Cock-and-bull-story, subs, (collo- merchant Wingate is his extreme 

quial). An idle or silly story. [Pre- reverence for Cocker and his arith- 

sumabiy from some old legend of a metic.] In America, according to 

cock and a bull, a propos to which it Gunter (q.v.). 

should be noted that the French " " 
equivalent is eoq-d-Fdne, a cock-and- 
ass] (1603). Hence, disconnected, 
misleading talk, incredible story, 



Cockerel. A pert young man. 
Cockerer. A wanton. 
Cock-eye. A squinting eye. Cock" 

. , eyed, squinting, boss-eyed (q.v.). 

canard. Cock-fighting. That beats cock- 

Cock - and - hen - club, subs, (com- fighting, phr. (common). A general 
mon). 1. A free and easy (q.v.), a expression of approval up to the 
sing - song, where females are ad- mark ; Al ; That surpasses everything 
mitted as well as males (1819). 2. A else. [From the esteem in which the 
club for both sexes ; e.g. the Lyric. sport was held.] (1659). To live 
Cock-and-pinch. The old-fashioned like fighting-cocks, to have the best 



beaver of forty years since. 

Cockapert, Impudent, saucy. As 
subs., a saucy fellow. 

Cockatoo - farmer (or Cockatoo). 
In Victoria and New South Wales a 
small farmer or selector : in contempt, 



, 

food and plenty of it, be supplied with 
the best. 

Cock-horse. Triumphant; in full 
swing j cock-a-hoop. 

C o c k - 1 a i r d (Scots). A small 
fanner or proprietor cultivating his 



and used by large holders of agri- own land, a yeoman. 



cultural squatters with small capital 
(1865). 

Cockatrice. 1. A common pro- 



. 

Cockle. Whimsical. Hence, 
cockle-brained (headed f etc.), flighty, 
fanciful, whimmy. 



107 



GocJdes of the Heart. 



Oock-up. 



Cockles of the Heart. A jocose of Essex and Waller, with their pro- 



vulgarism encountered in a variety of 
combinations ; e.g. that will rejoice, 



digious number of cockneys.'] Hence, 
Cockney-shire, London. 



or tickle, or warm, the cockles of your Cockpecked. Masculine home- 



, , 

heart, etc. [It is suggested (N. and Q., 
1 S., iv. 26) that a hint as to its origin 
may be found, hi Lower, an eminent 
anatomist of the seventeenth century, 
who thus speaks in his Tractatus de 
Corde (1669), p. 25, of the muscular 
fibres of the ventricles: 'Fibrse quidem 
rectis hisce exteri oribus in dextro 
ventrioulo proxim^ subjectge obliqu& 
dextrorsum ascendentes in basin cordis 
terminantur, et spirali suo ambitu 
helicem sive cochleam satis apte 
referuiit.' The ventricles o the 
heart might, therefore, be called 
cochlea cordis, and this would easily 
be turned into Cockles of the heart.] 
FT., Ucheras la, face (that'll rejoice 
the cockles of your heart) (1671). 
To cry cocldes, to be hanged: see 
Ladder. 

Cockloche. A mean fellow, silly 
coxcomb: a generic reproach (1611). 

Cock-loft. The head: of. old 
proverb, All his gear is in his cock- 



rule: spec, of a tyrannical kind: of. 
Hen-pecked. 

Cockquean. A man who interests 
himself in women's affairs : a common 
form is cotquean. 

Cock-robin. A soft, easy fellow 
(Grose). 

Cock-robin Shop. A small printing 
office: a place where the cheapest 
work is done at the lowest price : of . 
Slop shop. 

Cock's - comb. 1. A cap as worn 
by a buffoon or professional fool. 2. 
The head. 3. A fop, conceited fool. 

Cock's-egg. To send one for a coc&'s 
egg. To send on a fool's errand ; 
to gammon (q.v.) : cf. pigeon's milk, 
oil of strappum, strap oil, the squad 
umbrella, etc. 

Cock-shy. 1. A mark, butt, or 
target ; any person or thing that is 
the centre of jaculation (1834). 2. The 
establishment of a strolling proprie- 
tor, where sticks may be thrown at 



lofi ; i.e. All his wealth, work, or coconuts or the like, for payment. 



worth is in his head (1642). 



Cocksure. Confidently certain ; 



Cock-mate. A familiar, intimate, arrogantly sure. [Probably a corrup- 
best friend. tion of cocky sure.' Shakespeare 

subs, (colloquial). ' "* ~ 



Cockney, 

One born within the sound of Bow- 
bells. [The origin of cockney has 
been much debated ; but, says Dr. 



( I Henry IV., n. i. ) employs the 
phrase in the sense of Sure as the 
cock of a firelock. We steal as in a 
castle, cocksure: and still earlier 



Murray, in the course of an exhaustive usages imply its derivation from the 



statement (Academy, May 10, 1890, 
p. 320), the history of the word, so far 
as it means a person, is very clear and 
simple. We have the senses (1) 

* cockered or pet child,* ' nestle-cock,* 

* mother's darling,' * milksop,* the 
name being applicable primarily to the 
child, but continued to the squeamish 
and effeminate man into which he 



fact that the cock was much surer 
than the older - fashioned match.] 
(1549). 

Cocksy. Impudent, bumptious, 
saucy: cf. Cocky. 

Cocktail. 1. A prostitute ; a 
wanton. 2. A coward. 3. An up- 
start, one aping gentility. 4. (Ameri- 
can). A drink composed of spirits 



grows up. (2) A nickname applied by (gin, brandy, whisky, etc.), bitters, 

country people to the inhabitants of crushed ice, sugar, etc., the whole 

great towns, whom they considered whisked briskly until foaming, and 

* milksops,' from their daintier habits then drunk 'hot.* As adj., (1) under- 



and incapacity for rough work. York, 
London, Perugia, were, according to 
Harman, all nests of cockneys. (3) 
By about 1600 the name began to be 
attached especially to Londoners, as 
the representatives -par excellence of 



bred, wanting in *form (chiefly of 
horses). (2) Fresh, foaming: of beer 
(see subs. 4). (3) (army). Unsoldier- 
like; anything) unworthy of the 
regular army, e.g. at one time the 
Volunteer auxiliaries were described 



the city milksop. One understands as a cocktailed crew. 



. 

the disgust with which a cavalier 
in 1641 wrote that he was 'obliged 
to quit Oxford at the approach 



Cock-up (printers'). A superior; 
e.g. the smaller letters in the 
following example^ : Y* 



108 



Cold-cook. 



, , J""- Smith, Sen*<; N- ; 

London 1 : alao a large - type initial 
letter. 

Cocky (or Cocking). 1. Pert, saucy, 
forward, coolly audacious, over con- 
fident, 'botty' (1711). 2. (Stock 
Exchange). Brisk, active. As subs, 
(old), a term of endearment : see also 
Cockatoo-farmer. 

Cockyolly-bird. A nursery endear- 
ment : of birds ; cf . dickey - bird, 
chickabiddy. 

Cocoa-nut. The head : Fr., coco : 
see Crumpet (1834). That accounts 
for the milk in the cocoa-nut, a rejoinder 
upon having a thing explained. No 
milk in the cocoa - nut, insane, silly, 
cracked. 

Cocum (Kocum). 1. Shrewdness, 
ability, luck, cleverness. [Yiddish,] 
2. (publishers'). A sliding scale of 
profit. [Publishers sometimes issue 
books without fixing the published 
price, leaving the retailer to make 
what he can.] To fight or play cocum, 
to play double, be wary, cunning, 
artful (1857). 

Cod. 1. Apparently orig. generic 
for a man : cf . bloke, cove, fellow, etc. 
Hence in several specialised senses : 
e.g. 2. A fool, a humbug, an imposi- 
tion (B. JE.) t and as verb, to hoax, 
chaff, take a rise out of. 3. A pal, or 
friend; generally prefixed to a sur- 
name ; at Charterhouse, a pensioner 
(see Thackeray, Newcomea, ii. 333). 
[Here cod probably =' codlin,* an old 
endearment.] 4. A purse ; a cod of 
money, a large sum of money. [A.S. 
cod or codd, a small bag.] 

Coddam (or Coddom). A game 
played three, four, or more a side. 
The only ' property ' required is a 
coin, a button, or anything which can 
be hidden in the clenched hand. The 
principle is simplicity itself * Guess 
whose hand it's in.' If the guesser 
'brings it home,' his side takes the 
piece, and the centre man works it. 
If the guess be wrong, a chalk is taken 
to the holders, who go on again. 

Codding. Nonsense, humbug, 
chaff : see Cod. 

Codger. A familiar address, 
especially old codger, a curious old 
fellow, odd fish, rum character ; a 
precise, and sometimes mean or 
miserly man (1760). 

Codland. Newfoundland: of. 
God-preserves. 



Codling. A raw youth. 

Cod- preserves. The Atlantic, 

Cod's-head. A stupid fellow, a fool: 
see Buffle (1675). 

Cofe. See Cove. 

Coffee. Beans. Greased coffee, 
pork and beans. 

Coffee - house (or Coffee - shop). 
1. A water-closet. 2. In India, a place 
at which the residents of a station 
(esp. in Upper India) meet to talk over 
a light breakfast of coffee, toaat, etc., 
at an earlier hour than the regular 
breakfast of the day ; the name is also 
applied to the gathering, and so the 
haft of a regiment for refreshment on 
an early march, etc. 

Coffee-milL The mouth ; a 
grinder itself, and furnished with 
grinders. 

Coffee- milling Grinding (q-"V') J 
working hard. Also taking a * sight ' 
by putting the thumb of one hand to 
the nose and grinding the little finger 
with the other, as if working an imag- 
inary coffee TniTl (1837). 

Coffins. 1. A piece of live coal 
thrown out explosively from a fire, and 
supposed to represent a coffin and 
presage death: cf. Winding-sheet, 
Thief, etc. 2. An ill-found unsea- 
worthy vessel. 3. In pi. (Stock Ex- 
change), the Funeral Furnishing 
Company's Shares. A nail in one's 
coffin : see Nail. 

Cog. A tooth. 

Coke. Go and eat coke, a contemp- 
tuous retort. 

Coker. A lie (Grose) : see Whopper. 

Colchester-clock. A large oyster. 

Cold. To leave out in the cold, to 
neglect, shut out, abandon. 

Cold- blood. A house licensed for 
the sale of beer, not to be drunk on 
the premises. 

Cold-coffee. 1. A sell, hoax, 
trumpery affair. 2. Misfortune, ill- 
luck : also cold gruel ; to have one's 
comb cut, to experience a run of ill- 
luck : Fr., &re abonne" au guignon. 3. 
A snub for proffered kindness. 

Cold-comfort. An article sent out 
on approval and returned. 

Cold-cook. An undertaker. 
English synonyms: carrion hunter, 
body snatcher, death hunter, black 
worker (see Black work). Hence, 
cold-cookshop, an undertaker's work- 
shop. Gold meat, & corpse: cf. 
pickles (q.v.), specimens direct from 



109 



Cold-deck. 



Coti. 



the subject. To make cold meat of one, 
to kill. Cold -meat box, a coffin. 
Cold-meat cart, a hearse. Gold-meat 
train, a funeral train to Brookwood 
and other cemeteries : but specifically 
a late night train to reach Aldershot 
in time For morning duty : 
a goods train, but a carriage is a1 
which is known as the * Larky Sub- 
altern ' : this particular train carries 
nothing more dreadful than a portion of 
the beef and mutton for the morning 
ration to the troops in camp ; and, as 
stated, a few belated officers. 

Cold-deck. A prepared pack of 
cards: also a good hand obtained on 
first dealing, and without drawing 
fresh cards. 

Cold Pig. To give cold pig, to 
waken a sleeper by sluicing him with 
cold water, or by suddenly stripping 
him of bed-clothes (1818). As subs., 

1. A person robbed of his clothing. 

2. A corpse. 3. The empty re- 
turns sent back by rail to wholesale 



Cold - shivers. The effect of ill- 
ness, intense fear, or violent emotion : 
also cold shake, which may refer alike 
to a period of cold weather, or an 
attack of fever and ague. 

Cold Shoulder. Studied coldness, 
neglect, or contempt (1816). 

Cold- tea. Brandy (1690). 

Cold-water Army. The world of 
total abstainers. 

Cold - without. Spirits and cold 
water without sugar : cf . Oder and, 
Hot with, etc. (1837). 

Cole (or Coal). Money : generic : see 
Rhino (1671). To post or tip the cole, 
to hand over money, shell or fork 
out. 

Colfabias (or Coif abis). A Latinized 
Irish phrase signifying the closet of 
decency, applied as a slang term to a 
place of resort in Trinity College, 
Dublin (Hotteri). 

Coliander (or Coliander Seeds). 
Money : generic (Grose) : see Rhino. 

Collar. To seize, appropriate, 
steal. To collar the bun (cake, Ban- 
bury, or confectioner's shop), to be 
easily first, to surpass. Out of collar, 
out of work, of cash, training. Con- 
versely, in collar, in work, comfort- 
able circumstances, fit or in form. 
Against collar, uphill, working against 
difficulties, against the grain. To be 
put to the pin of the collar, to be driven 



110 



to extremities, come to the end of 
one's resources. To -wear the cottar, to 
be subject to control not altogether 
to one's liking : the antithesis of, to 
have the whip hand, and, to wear the 
breeches; etc. 

Collar. See Big Bird. 

Collar-and- elbow. A peculiar style 
of wrestling the Cornwall and Devon 
style. 

Collar - day. Hanging day : also 
Wry-neck-day (q.v.) : FT., your de la 
St. Jean Baptiste. 

Collared. Unable to play one's 
usual game owing to temper, funk, 
or other causes. 

Collared Up. Kept close to busi- 
ness : cf. Out of collar. 

Collar-work, Laborious work. 

Collector. A highwayman or 
footpad. 

College. A prison ; the inmates 
are called Collegians or Collegiates 
(q.v.); Newgate was formerly called 
the City College (1703). Ladies' 
College, a brothel : see Nanny-shop. 

Colleger. A square cap, a mortar- 
board (q.v.) : see Golgotha. 

Collogue. To confer confidenti- 
ally and secretly, conspire, wheedle, 
flatter (1596). 

Colly-molly. Melancholy : cf . 
Solemoncholy and (Dr. Marigold's 
Prescriptions) Lemonjolly. 

Colly-wobbles. The stomach- 
ache, flatulency. 

Colour. 1. A handkerchief worn as 
a badge by prize-fighters and other 
professional athletes. Each man 
chose his own, and it was once a 
practice to sell them to backers to be 
worn at the ring-side : see Billy. In 
racing circles the colours are the 
owner's, and are shown in the jockeys* 
caps and jackets. 2. Payment : e.g. 
I have not seen the colour of his 
money = I have not received payment. 
Coloured on the card, having the colours 
in which a jockey is to ride inserted 
on the card of the race. Off colour, 
exhausted, run down, seedy. To 
colour one's meerschaum, to get brandy- 
faced, to drink one's nose into a state 
of pimples and scarlet. 

Colquarron. The neck: see Scrag. 

Colt. 1. One new to the office, the 
exercise of any art, etc. ; e.g. a pro- 
fessional cricketer during his first 
season, a first-time juryman, a thief 
in his novitiate. 2. A rope, knotted at 



Golfs Tooth. 



Come-down. 



one end, and whipped at the other. 3. 
A thief's billy (q.v.). 4=- A burglar's 
livery - stable keeper : a colt - man 
(Grose). 5. An attendant on a ser- 
jeant at his making. As verb, (1) 
to thrash : colting, a thrashing. (2) 
To cause a person to stand treat by 
way of being made free of a new 
place, to make one pay one's footing. 
Hence, collage., the footing paid by 
colts on their first appearance. 

Colt's Tooth. To have a colt (or 
coifs tooth), to be fond of youthful 
pleasures ; in the case of elderly 



any more lies ! Fr., As-tu fini tea 
mani&res (or magnes) ? ne fats done 
pas ta Sophie, and ne fais done pas ton 
fendart. To come out (1) to make an 
appearance, display oneself, express 
oneself vigorously, make an impress- 
sion : sometimes in an intensified form. 
to come out strong : cf. Come it strong 
(1637); (2) to turn out, result: e.g. 
How did it come out ? (3) to make a 
first appearance in society. To come 
out of the little end of the horn, to fare 
badly. To come over, to influence, 
overreach, cheat. To come the old 



persons, to have juvenile tastes ; to be soldier (or any person or thing) over 



of wanton disposition and capacity. 
[In allusion to a supposed desire to 
shed the teeth and see life over again.] 
(1500). 

Columbine. A prostitute. 

Columbus. Failure. A regular 
Columbus, an utter failure, a ' dead 
frost 1 : Fr., II pleut.'=the play is a 
failure. 

Comb. To comb one's hair, to take 
to task, scold, keep in order. Some- 
times to thrash, and generally ill-treat : 
also to comb down, to comb one's noddle 
with a three-legged (or joint) stool (1593). 

Comb - brush. A lady's maid 
(1760). 

Combie. A Combination room, 
the parlour in which college dons 
drink wine after Hall : also see Com- 
bination. 

Combination. A woman's under- 
garment, shift and drawers in one. 
Also Combie, and (American) Chemi- 
loon (chemise and pantaloon). 

Come. 1. To practise, understand, 
act the part of : cf. Come over and 
Come tricks. 2. To lend: e.g. Has 
he come it ? To make drunk come, 
to become intoxicated : see Screwed. 
To come about one, to circumvent : cf. 
Come over and Come round. To come 
down from the walls, to abandon a 
position. To come it, (1) to proceed 
at a great rate, to make a splash and 
dash (in extravagance), to cut a 
figure. (2) To inform; (3) to show 
fear; (4) to succeed: spec, in You 
can't come it, i.e. you cannot succeed. 
To come it strong, to exaggerate, lay 
it on thick, carry to extremes. To 
come John (or Lord Audley), see John 
Audley. To come off, to happen, 
occur, result from (1609). Come off 
the grass (or the tall grass), None of your 
airs ! Don't put it on so ! Don't tell 



one, to imitate, overbear, wheedle, 
rule by an assumption of authority : 
Fr., essay er de monter un bateau a 
quelqu'un; or monter le coup or un 
battage (1713). To come round, to 
influence, circumvent, persuade : cf. 
Come over and come about, sense 1. 
To come the gum game, to over-reach 
by concealment. To come through a 
side door, to be born illegitimately. 
To come to stay, to be endowed with 
permanent qualities. To come to (or 
up to) time, to answer the call of 
* Time ! * after the thirty seconds' 
rest between round and round, hence 
by analogy, to be on the alert, ready. 
To come up smiling, to laugh (or grin) 
at punishment ; hence (generally) to 
be superior to rebuff or disaster, face 
defeat without flinching. To come 
up to the chalk : see Scratch. To come 
the artful, to essay to deceive; To 
come the heavy, to affect a vastly 
superior position ; To come the ugly, to 
threaten ; To come the nob (or the don), 
to put on airs ; To come the lardy-dardy, 
to dress for the public and * look up to 
your clobber ' ; To come the serjeant, 
to issue peremptory orders ; To come 
the spoon, to make love ; To come the 
gipsy, to try to defraud ; To come the 
Rothschild to pretend to be rich ; and 
To come the Traviata (prostitutes, now 
obsolete), to feign consumption, to put 
on ' the Traviata cough ' (q.v.) with 
a view to beguiling charitable males. 
Come-down. A fall, whether of 
pride or worldly prospects, an aban- 
donment of something for something 
else of less value or moment. As verb, 
used either independently or in com- 
bination : e.g. To come down, to come 
down handsome, or to come down with 
the dust, dues, dibs, ready, oof, shiners, 
Uunt, needful, (1) to pay, ie. to 



111 



Comedy- merchant . 



Condog. 



* part ' ; or to lay down (as in pay- 
ment) ; to fork out : see Shell out 
(1701) ; (2) to abate prices. 

Comedy-merchant. An actor : see 
Cackling- cove. 

Comflogisticate. To embarrass, put 
out of countenance, confuse, hoax, of. 
Bamblustercate. 

Comf oozled. Overcome, exhausted 
(1836). 

Comfortable-importance (or Com- 
fortable-impudence). A wife; also 
a mistress in a wife's position : Fr., 
gouvernement : see Dutch. 

Comical. A napkin. To be struck 
comical, to be astonished. 

Coming. Wanton, forward, sexual 
(1750). 

Commercial. 1. A tramping rogue 
or vagabond : cf. Traveller. 2. A 
commercial traveller. 

Commission (or Mish). A shirt. 
[From the Italian.] 

Commister. A clergyman: also 
camister (q.v.). 

Common-doings. Every-day f are : 
cf. chicken-fixings. [A phrase of 
Western origin, at first restricted in 
its meaning, but now including ordi- 
nary transactions as compared to 
those either large or peculiarly profit- 
able; applied to men, actions, and 
things. f What shall we do ? ' says 
a poor frontiersman's wife, when she 
hears of a Federal officer who is to 
take up his quarters at her cabin for 
a day; 'I can't give him common- 
doings.'] 

Commoner-grub (Winchester Col- 
lege). A dinner formerly given by 
Commoners to College after cricket 
matches. [Commoners are boys not on 
the foundation.] 

Commoney. A clay marble: cf. 
Alley. 

Common- jack. A prostitute. 

Common - plug. An ordinary 
member of society. 

Commonsensical. Marked with 
common sense. 

Common-sewer. A drink, dram ; 
or ' go.' [From common sewer, a 
drain.] 

Communicator. To agitate the 
communicator, to ring the bell. 

Com p. A compositor. [An ab- 
breviated form of companion now 
peculiar to compositors, but originally 
applied to pressmen who work in 
couples, as well as to compositors who 



work in a companionship, or ship 
(q.v.).] 

Company. To see company, to 
live by prostitution. 

Competition - wallah. One who 
enters the Indian Civil Service by 
examination. 

C o m p o. A sailor's monthly ad- 
vance of wages. 

Compy - shop. A truck shop. 
[Probably a corruption of company- 
shop : workmen, before the passing of 
certain Truck Acts (q.v.), having been 
frequently compelled to make their 
weekly purchases at shops either kept 
by, or worked to the profit of, their 
employer.] 

Con (Winchester College). A rap 
on the head with the knuckles, or 
anything hard, such as a cricket ball. 
As verb, to rap with the knuckles. 
[The derivation formerly accepted at 
Winchester was from uav3v\ov=& 
knuckle, but the editors of the WyTce- 
Tiamist suggest its origin in the North 
Country con, ' to fillip,' with which the 
French se cogner exactly corresponds.] 

Concaves and Convexes. Cards 
prepared for cheating. All from the 
eight to the king are cut convex, and 
all from the deuce to the seven, con- 
cave ; so that by cutting the pack 
broadwise you cut convex, and by 
cutting them lengthwise you cut 
concave. Sometimes they are shaped 
the reverse way, so that, if suspicion 
arises, a pack so treated may be sub- 
stituted for the other to the same 
effect. In this trick the sharper has 
less in his favour than in others, be- 
cause the intended victim may cut in 
the usual way, and so cut a low card 
to the dealer. But the certainty of 
being able to cut or deal a high or low 
card at pleasure, gives him an advan- 
tage against which skill is of none 
avail. Other modes of sharping are by 
means of Reflectors (q.v.) j Longs and 
shorts, (q.v.) ; Pricked Cards (q.v.) ; 
The Bridge (q.v.); Skinning (q.v.); 
Weaving (q.v.) ; The Gradus (or Step) 
(q.v.); Palming (q.v.); and The 
Telegraph (q.v.). 

Concerned. Drunk : see Screwed. 
(1686). 

Concher. A tame or quiet beast. 
Condiddle. To purloin or steal 
(1825). 
Condog. To agree with : of. 



112 



Confab, 



Confab. Familiar talk (1778). 
As verb, to talk in a familiar manner, 
to chat. 

Confectionery. A drinking bar : of. 
Grocery, and Lush-crib. 

Confidence Trick (Dodge, or 
Buck). A process of swindling, 
obtaining trust with the deliberate 
intention of betraying it to one's own 
advantage. A greenhorn meets (or 
rather is picked up by) a stranger who 
invites ham to drink. The stranger 
admires him openly, protests his 
confidence in him, and to prove his 
sincerity hands him over a large sum 
of money [snide, q.v.)] or valuables 
[bogus, q.v.] with which to walk off 
and return. The greenhorn does both, 
whereupon the stranger suggests that 
it is his turn next, and being favoured 
with certain proofs of confidence, 
which in this case are real, decamps, 
and is no more seen. This is the sim- 
plest form of the trick, but the confid- 
ence man is inexhaustible in devices. 
In many cases the subject's idiosyn- 
crasy takes the form of an idiotic 
desire to overreach his fellows ; i.e. 
he is only a knave, wrong side out, and 
it is upon this idiosyncrasy that the 
operator works. He offers a sham 
gold watch at the price of a nickel one ; 
he calls with presents from nowhere 
where none are expected; he writes 
letters announcing huge legacies to 
persons absolutely Mnlees ; and as Ms 
appeal is addressed to the sister pas- 
sions of greed and dishonesty, be 
seldom fails of his reward. Fr., 
mener en bateau un pante pour le rz- 
/a*Ve^=to stick a jay and flap him. 

Conflabberated. Bothered, up- 
set, flummoxed (q.v.). 

Conflabberation. Aconfusod 
wrangle, a hullabaloo. 

Confounded. Excessive, odious, 
detestable, e.g. a confounded nuisance, 
He, humbug, etc. : cf. Awful, Beastly, 
and other ' strumpets of speech * 
(1767). 

Confubuscate. To confuse, 
perplex, astonish : cf. Confusticate. 

Coniacker. A counterfeiter, 
smasher, (q.v.), 'queer -bit' faker. 
[Obviously a play upon coin, money, 
and hack, to mutilate,] FT., un 
momifteur tarte. 

Conish. Genteel (1S30). 

Conk. The nose. English syno- 
nyms: boko (or boco), proboscis, 



smeller, bowsprit, claret-jug, gig, 
muzzle, cheese-cutter, beak, snuff- 
bos, snorter, post-horn, paste-horn, 
handle, snout, nozzle, smelling- cheat* 
snotter, candlestick, celestial, snottle- 
box, snuffler, trumpet, snorer, peak. 

Conoodle. See Canoodle. 

Conscience. A kind of association 
in a small theatrical company for the 
allotment of shares in the profits, etc. 
The man who is lucky enough to have 
a concern of his own, generally a very 
small affair, however badly he may 
act, must be the leading man or first 
low comedian, perhaps both. He 
becomes the manager, of course, and 
thus has one share for ' fit-up,' one foi 
scenery, one and a half for manage- 
ment, one for wardrobe, one and a 
half as leading man ; and the same is 
given to the wife, who, of course, will 
not play anything but the juvenile 
lead, but who at any other time would 
be glad to play first old woman. 

Considerable Bend. To go on the 
considerable bend, to go in for a bout 
of dissipation. 

Consonant-choker. One that clips 
his G's and muffles his R's. 

Constable. To out- (or over-run) 
the constable, to live beyond one's 
means and get into debt ; also, in a 
figurative sense, to escape from a bad 
argument, to change the subject, 
to talk about what is not understood 
(1663). 

Constician. A member of an 
orchestra. 

Constitutional. A walk undertaken 
for the sake of health and exercise 
[i.e. for the benefit of the constitu- 
tion] : Fr., tronchiner (1850). 

Contango (Stock Exchange). 
A fine paid by the buyer to the seller 
of stock for carrying over the en- 
gagement to another settling day, and 
representing a kind of interest for a 
fourteen days* extension. [Thought 
to be a corruption of continuation.] 
(1853.) 

Content. Dead : see Hop the 
twig. 

Continent (Winchester College). 4 
111 ; on the sick list [From continent 
cameram vel lectum, keeping one's 
room or bed.] See Abroad. 

Continental. To care (or be worth) 
not a continental or continental darnm* 
to be worthless ; to oaie not in th 
least degree. 



113 



Continuations. 



Cop. 



Continuations. Trousers: see Kicks. 
[Of analogous derivation to inexpres- 
sibles ; unmentionables ; mustn't- men- 
tion'ems ; untalkaboutables, etc.] 
(1841). 

Contraptions. Small articles, tools, 
and so forth (1838). 

Convenience. A -water-closet or 
chamber-pot. 

Convenient. A mistress (1676). 

Convenes. See Concaves. 

Convey. To steal (1596). Hence 
conveyance, a theft (1592). Convey- 
ancer, a thief : also conveyer. Con- 
veyancing, thieving. 

Cony (or Tom Cony). A simpleton. 

Cony catch. To cheat, deceive, 
trick, bite (q.v.) (1593). Hence, 
cony-catcher, a cheat, sharper, trick- 
ster. Cony-catching, cheating, trickery, 
swindling after the manner of Cony- 
catchers (q.v.). 

Coo-e-e-e or Coo-ey. A signal cry 
of the Australian blackfellow, adopted 
by the invading whites. The final 
' e ' is a very high note, a sort of pro- 
longed screech, that resounds for 
miles through the bush, and thus 
enables parties that have lost each 
other to ascertain their relative 
positions. 

Cook. 1. To tamper with, garble, or 
falsify : accounts are cooked when so 
altered as to look better than they are ; 
pictures are cooked when dodged-up 
for sale ; painters say that a picture 
will not cook when it is so excellent as 
to be beyond imitation (1751). 2. 
To swelter with, heat and sweat. To 
cook one's goose, to settle, worst, kill, 
ruin, English synonyms : to anodyne, 
to put to bed, to snuff out, to give (or 
cook) one's gruel, to corpse, to cooper 
up, to wipe out, to spifUcate, to settle 
(or settle one's hash), to squash, to 
shut up, to send to pot, to smash, to 
finish, to do for, to put one's light out, 
to stop one's little game, to stop one's 
galloping, to put on an extinguisher, to 
clap a stopper on, to bottle up, to 
squelch, to play hell with, to rot, to 
squash up, to stash, to give a croaker. 
For synonyms in the sense of circum- 
vention : see Floored. 

Cookeyshine. An afternoon 
meal at which cookies form a staple 
dish: of. Tea-fight, Muffin-worry. 

Cook-ruffian. A bad or indifferent 
cook, one ' who would cook the devil 
in his feathers.' 



Cool. 1. Impertinent, audacious, 
calmly impudent. 2. (In refer- 
ence to money ; e.g. a cool hun- 
dred, thousand, etc.). Commonly 
expletive ; but sometimes used to 
cover a sum a little above the figure 
stated (1750). As verb (Eton Col- 
lege). To kick hard. Hence, Cool- 
kick, when a Behind (q.v.), or back, 
gets a kick with no one up to him. 
Cool as a cucumber, without heat ; also, 
metaphorically, calm and composed. 
To cool one's coppers, to allay the 
morning's thirst after a night of drink. 

Cool- crape. A shroud, or winding 
sheet (Grose) (1742). 

Cooler. 1. A woman (1742). 
2. A prison : see Cage. 3. Ale or 
stout after spirits and water : some- 
times called Putting the beggar on 
the gentleman, also Damper (q.v.) 
(1821). 

Cool-lady. A female camp fol- 
lower who sells brandy (Grose). 

Cool-nantz. Brandy: see Drinks. 

Coon. 1. A man. 2. A nigger, e.g. 
a coons' bawdy house, house where 
none are kept but girls of colour. 
Gone coon, one in a serious or hopeless 
difficulty. To go the whole coon, to go 
the whole hog. 

Coon's - age. A long time, a blue 
moon. 

Coop. A prison: see Cage. Hence, 
Cooped up, imprisoned. 

Cooper (or Cooper up). 1. To 
destroy, spoil, settle, or finish. 2. 
To forge. 3. To understand. Hence, 
Coopered, hocussed, spoiled, ruined, 
e g. a house is said to be coopered 
when the importunity of many tramps 
has caused its inmates to cold-shoul- 
der the whole fraternity ; a coopered 
horse is a horse that has been * got at ' 
with a view to prevent its running. 

Coored. Whipped (D. Haggart, 
I*fe, Glossary, p. 171 [1821].) 

Coot. A stupid fellow; generally 
a silly, or mad, old coot : stupid 
as a coot is a common English pro- 
vincialism : see Buffle. 

Cooter. See Couter. 

Cop. . A policeman. As verb. 1. 
To seize, steal, catch, take an unfair 
advantage in a bet or bargain. [Cop 
has been associated with the root of 
the Latin cap-io, to seize, to snatch ; 
also with the Gipsy kap or cop = to 
take ; Scotch kep ; and Gallic ceapan. 
Probably, however, its true radix is 



Coyjbusy. 



to be found in the Hebrew cop=& 
hand or palm. Low- class Jews em- 
ploy the term, and understand it to 
refer to the act of snatching.] Cop 
like Chuck (q.v.), is a sort of general 
utility verb : thus to cop the needle, to 
get angry; to cop the bullet (or the 
door), to get the sack ; and to cop the 
brewer, to be drunk. 2. To arrest, 
imprison, betray, ensnare. English 
synonyms : to give the clinch, to make 
one kiss the clink, to accommodate, to 
nobble, to bag, to box, to fist (old), 
to scoop, to take up, to victimize, to 
run in, to give (or get) one the boat, 
to buckle, to smug, to nab, to collar, to 
pinch, to nail, to rope in, to snake, 
to pull up. 

Copbusy. To hand over booty to 
a confederate. 

Copper. A policeman. 

Copperheads. A nickname applied 
to different sections of the American 
nation ; first to the Indian ; then to 
the Dutch colomst(see Irving, Knicker- 
bocker) ; lastly, during the Civil War, 
to certain Northern Democrats who 
sympathised with the South. 

Copperman. A policeman. 

Copper-nose. A swollen, pimply 
nose, a jolly or bottle nose ; Fr., 
bette-rave, piton passe d V encaustique : 
cf. Grogblossom (1822). 

Copper's-nark. A police spy, one 
in the pay of the police. 

C o p u s. A wine or beer cup : 
commonly imposed as a fine upon 
those who talked Latin in hall or com- 
mitted other breaches of etiquette. 
Dr. Johnson derives it from episcopus, 
and if this be correct it is doubtless the 
same as bishop. 

Copy - of - countenance. A sham, 
humbug, pretence (1579). 

Core (C o r e i n g). Picking up 
small articles in shops (1821). 

Corinth. A brothel (1609). 
Hence, Corinthian. 1. A rake, loose 
liver, sometimes specifically, a fashion- 
able whore. Shakespeare has it, ' a 
lad of mettle,* but in another place 
he uses Corinth as above. 2. A dandy, ' 
specifically applied in the early part 
of the present century to a man of 
fashion; e.g. Corinthian Tom, in 
Pierce Egan's Life in London. 

Cork,- 1. A bankrupt. 2. A 
general name in Glasgow and neigh- 
bourhood for the head of an establish- 
ment, e.g. of a factory, or the like. To 



draw a cork, to draw blood ; to tap 
one's claret (1818). 

Cork-brained. Light headed, 
foolish. 

Corker. 1. That which closes an 
argument, or puts an end to a course 
of action ; a settler ; a finisher (q.v.) ; 
specifically a he : cf Whopper. 2. 
Anything unusually large, or of first- 
rate quality ; remarkable in some 
respect or another ; e.g. a heavy 
blow ; a monstrous lie. To play the 
corker, to indulge in the uncommon, 
exhibit exaggerated peculiarities of 
demeanour : specifically in school and 
university slang to make oneself ob- 
jectionable to one's fellows. 

Corks. 1. A butler : cf. Burn- 
crust, a baker ; Master of the mint, a 
gardener; Cinder-garbler, a maid-of- 
aH-work, etc. 2. (nautical). Money : 
see Rhino. 

Corkscrewing. The straggling, 
spiral walk of tipsiness. 

Corkscrews. Very stiff and formal 
curls, once called Bottle-screws. 

Corky. Sprightly, lively. Shakes- 
peare uses it in King Lear, m. vii. 
Com., Bind fast his corky arms ; but 
with Mm (1605) it = withered. 

Corn. 1. Food, sustenance, grub 
(q.v.). 2. An abbreviated form of 
corn - juice (q.v.), i.e. whisky (1843). 
To acknowledge the corn : see Acknow- 
ledge. 

Corned. 1. Drunk : see Screwed 
(1785). 2. (sailors'), pleased. 

Corner. 1. TattersalTs Subscrip- 
tion Booms, once situate at the top of 
Grosveaor Place, near Hyde Park 
Corner ; now removed to Albert Gate, 
but still known by the old nickname. 
2. Short for Tattenham Corner, a 
point on the Derby course on Epsom 
Downs. 3. A share; an opportunity 
of standing in for the proceeds of a 
robbery. As verb, to get control of a 
stock or commodity and so mono- 
polize the market ; applied to persons, 
to drive or force into a position of 
difficulty or surrender, e.g. in an 
argument ; also as subs., a monopoly, 
a controlling interest Fr., &re en -fine 
pigr&ne, and se rrtetfre swr les fonts de 
bapteme. Tailors speak of a man as 
cornered who has pawned work en- 
trusted to him, and cannot redeem it. 
To be round the corner, to get round 
or ahead of one's fellows by dishonest 
outs, doublings, twists, and turns. To 



115 



Corner-man. 



Counter -jumper . 



turn the comer, to get over the worst, -writers, and is American by survival' 
begin to mend in health and fortune. To die with cotton in one's ears : Many 



To be cornered, to be in a fix : 
etre dans le lac. 

Corner-man (or Cove). 1. A loafer; 
literally a lounger at corners (1851). 
2. The ' Bones ' and ' Tambourine ' in 
a band of negro minstrels. 

Corn-in- Egypt. Plenty of all kinds. 
[Biblical.] 

Cornish-duck. A pilchard: of. 
Yarmouth capon. 

Corn- juice. Whisky : see Drinks. 

Cornstalk. Generic (Australian) 
for persons of European descent, 
but especially applied to girls. The 



of the most hardened and desperate 
offenders, from the kindness, attention, 
and soothing conduct of the Rev. Mr. 
Cotton [the chaplain at Newgate, 
1821], who is indefatigable in admin- 
istering consolation to their troubled 
minds, have become the most sincere 
penitents (Bgan, Tom and Jerry). 
This was by no means the only instance 
of a popular punning allusion to the 
name of Cotton. The Jesuit Father 
Coton, having obtained a great 
ascendency over Henri IV., it was 
remarked by that monarch's subjects 



children of Anglo - Australians are that, unfortunately, his ears were 



generally taller and slighter in build stuffed with cotton, 
than their parents. Originally a native Cotton-lord (or king), 
of New South Wales; now general. 
Cf. Bananalander. 

Cornstealers. The hands. 

Corny-faced. Red and pimply with 
drink. 

Coroner. A severe fall. 

Corporation. A protuberant 
stomach: see Bread-basket (1785). 

Corpse. A horse in the betting for 



A wealthy 
cotton manufacturer. 

Cottonopolis. Manchester : cf. 
AlbertopoUs, Cubitopolis, Hygeia- 
polis. 

Cottons (Stock Exchange). Con- 
federate Bonds. [From the staple of 
the Southern States.] 

Cotton - top. A woman loose in 
fact, but keeping up some sort of 



market purposes alone ; otherwise a appearance. [In allusion to cotton 
stifPun. Verb, 1. To confuse, queer, stockings with silk feet.] 
' "" Couch. 



blunder, and so put out one's fellows, 
to spoil a scene. 2. To Mil (literaEy 
to make & corpse of one). Fr., parler 
sur quelqu'un. 

Corps e- provider. A doctor or 
physician : see Crocus. 

Corpse-reviver. A mixed drink. 

Correct (or K'rect Card). See Card. 

Corroboree. A disturbance. 



To couch a hogshead, to lie 
down and sleep (1569). 

Councillor of the Pipowder Court. 
A pettifogging lawyer. [The Pi- 
powder Court was one held at fairs 
where justice was done to any injured 
person before the dust of the fair was 
off his feet; the name being derived 
from the French p^e <po>udr6. Some, 



[Properly a tremendous native dance.] however, think that it had its origin 



Verb, to boil. 

Gorsican. Something out of the 
common ; a buster. [A Burnand- 
ism.] 

Corybungus. The posteriors. 

Cosh. A ' noddy,* a life-preserver ; 

a short, loaded bludgeon. Also a gerbier. 
policeman's truncheon. Count. 

Cossack. A policeman. 

Costard. The head, [Properly an 
apple.] See Crumpet (1534). 

Cotch. To catch. [A corruption.] 
Also ppl. adj., Cotched, 

Cot (Christ's Hospital). A shoe- 
string. 

Cotsold (or Cotswold Lion). A 
sheep : see Wool-bird (1615). 

Cotton. To take a fancy to, unite 



in pied-pouldreux, a pedlar, and 
signifies a pedlars' court. 

Council-of-ten. The toes of a man 
who walks Duck-footed (q.v.) : cf. 
Ten commandments : Fr., arpione. 

Counsellor. A barrister: Fr., 

A man of fashion, a swell. 

Counter. To strike while parry- 
ing. Figuratively, to oppose, to cir- 
cumvent. Another lie nailed to the 
counter : see Another. 

Counterfeit-cranke. 'These that do 
counterf et the cranke be yong knaves 
and yonge harlots, that deeply dis- 
semble the falling sickness ' (Harman). 
Hence, a cheat. 

Counter-jumper (or skipper). 



with, agree with. In the last sense it is A draper's assistant, a shopman : Fr., 
found occasionally in the Elizabethan chevalier dtt, m$re : see Knight of the 



116 



Count. 



yard : also Counter-jump, lo act as a 
shop-assistant, and Counter- jumping, 
verbal subs. (1855). 

Count. See Noses. 

Country. That part of the ground 
at a great distance from the wicket; 
thus, a fielder at deep-long-off, or 
long-on is said to be in the country., 
and a ball hit to the far boundary, is 
hit into the country. 

Country- put. An ignorant, country 
fellow: see Joskin. (1717). 

County- crop. The hair cut close 
to the skull ; a mode once common to 
all prisoners, but now to convicts only : 
also prison-crop. 

Couple (or Buckle) beggar. A 
celebrant of irregular marriages as 
the Chaplain of the Fleet; a hedge 
priest (1737). 

Coupling-house. A brothel. 

Couranne. See Caroon. 

Court-card. A beau, swell. 

Court Holy Water (or Court Pro- 
mises). Fair speeches without per- 
formance. 

Cousin Betty. A half-witted 
person : see JBufflo. 

Cousin-trumps. One of a Mud, 
Brother smut, Brother chip. 

Couter (or Cooter). A sovereign .* 
see Rhino. 

Cove (Covey, Cofe, Cuffing, and, 
in the feminine, Covess). 1. A 
person; a companion. Cove enters 
into many combinations : e.g. Cross- 
cove, a robber ; Flash-cove, a thief or 
swindler ; Kinchin-cove, a little man ; 
Flogging-cove, a beadle; SmacMng- 
cove, a coachman ; Harry - cove, a 
drunkard ; Topping-cove, a highway- 
man ; Abram-cove, a beggar ; Queer- 
cove, a rogue ; Nubbing-cove, the 
hangman ; Gentry-cove, a gentleman ; 
Downy-cove, shrewd man j Bum-cove, 
a doubtful character ; Nib - cove, a 
gentleman, etc., etc., etc., all which 
see, English synonyms : boy, chap, 
cull, cully, customer, kiddy, homo (or 
omee), fish, put, bloke, gloak, party, 
cuss, codger, buffer, gaffer, damber, 
duck, chip. [For examples of the 
use of Covey and Covess, see same.] 
2. In up - country Australian, the 
master, boss, or gafier of a sheep 
station. Cove of dosaing-ken, the land- 
lord of a common lodging-house : Fr., 
marcho/nd de sommeti, 

Covent Garden. A * farden ' or 
farthing. 



Covent - garden Abbess. A pro- 
curess. [Covent Garden at one time 
teemed with brothels : as Fielding's 
Covent Garden Tragedy (1751-2) sug- 



Co vent- garden Ague. A venereal 
disease. 

Covent - garden Nun. A pro- 
stitute. 

Coventry. To send one to (or to 
"be in) Coventry, to esclude from social 
intercourse, or notice; to be in dis- 
grace. 

Cover. A pickpocket's confed- 
erate : one who ' fronts,' i.e. distracts 
the attention of, the victim ; a stall 
(q.v.). As verb, 1. To act as a pick- 
pocket's confederate. 2. To drink: 
see Lush. 

Cover-arse Gown. A gown with- 
out sleeves (1803). 

Cover-down. An obsolete term for 
a false tossing coin ; see Cap. 

Co ver- me -decently. A coat 
(1821). 

Covess. A woman : see Cove. (1789). 

Covey. A man : a diminutive of 
cove (q.v.). 

Cow. LA woman. The term is 
now opprobrious ; but in its primary 
and natural sense the usage is ancient. 
Howell [1659] says : ' There are some 
proverbs that carry a kind of authority 
with them, as that which began in 
Henrie the Fourth's time. " He that 
bulls the cow must keep the calf." * 
2. A prostitute. 3. A thousand pounds : 
see Rhino. To talk the hind teg off a 
cow (or dog) : see Talk. Tune the cow 
died of : see Tune. 

Cowan. A sneak, a Paul Pry. 

Cow-and-calf. To laugh. 

Coward's-castle (or Corner). A 
pulpit. 

Cow cumber. A corruption of 
cucumber. 

Cow-grease (or Cow-oil). Butter: 
see Cart-grease. 

Cow-juice. Milk. 

Cow-lick. A look of hair, greased, 
curled, brought forward from the ear, 
and plastered on the cheek: once 
common amongst costermongers and 
tramps : see Aggerawators. 

Cow- oil. Cow-grease. 

Cow- puncher. A cowboy or herds- 
man. 

Cow- quake. The roar of a bull. 

Cows-and-kisses. The missus, or 
mistress ; also women generally. 



117 



Cow 9 s~baby. 



Cracksman. 



Cow's - baby (or baba) A calf, 

Cow-lhooter (Winchester College). 
A deerstalker hat : only worn by prse- 
fects and candle-keepers. 

Cow's-spouse. A bull (Grose). 

Cow - with - the - iron - tail. A 
pump ; the source of the ' cooling 
medium ' for ' regulating ' milk : also 
Black - cow, One - armed man, and 
Simpson's cow (q.v.). 

Coxy. Stuck up, conceited, im- 
pudent (1856). 

Coyduck. To decoy. [A blend of 
conduct and decoy.'] (1829). 

Cozza. Pork. 

Crab. 1. The same as bonnet (q.v.) 
subs., sense 1. 2. In pi., the feet. 

3. A pah? of aces, or deuce-ace the 
lowest throw at hazard (1768). Verb, 
to expose, inform, offend, insult ; and 
especially to interrupt, to get in the 
way of, to spoil. To turn out crabs 
(or a case of crabs), a matter turns out 
crabs when it is brought to a dis- 
agreeable conclusion. To catch a 
crab (to cut a crab, to catch or c^lt a 
cancer or lobster), there are various 
ways of catching a crab, as, for ex- 
ample (1) to turn the blade of the oar 
or * feather * under water at the end 
of the stroke, and thus be unable to 
recover ; (2) to lose control of the oar 
at the middle of the stroke by dig- 
ging too deeply; or (3) to miss the 
water altogether. 

Crab-louse. The pulex pubis, the 
male whereof is called a cock, the 
female a hen (Grose). 

Crabshells. Shoes. 

Crack. LA crazy person : soft- 
head : see Buffie (1609). 2. A pro- 
stitute (1698). 3. A lie : also Cracker. 

4. A burglary. 5. A burglar (1749). 

6. An approach to perfection (1825). 

7. A racehorse eminent for speed, and 
(hunting), a famous * mount.' 8. 
Dry firewood. Adj., approaching 
perfection : used in a multitude of 
combinations. A crack hand is an 
adept or dabster; a crack corps, a 
brilliant regiment; a crack whip, good 
coachman; etc. (1836). Verb, 1. 
To talk to, boast. [The verb was 
once good English, and in the sense of 
to talk or gossip is still good Scots. 
The modern form to crack up, is well 
within the borderland between literary 
and colloquial English (1597). 2. To 
force open, to commit a burglary. 3. 



To forge or utter worthless paper. 4. 
To fall to ruin, to be impaired (1631). 
5. To inform ; to peach (q.v.). To 
crack a bottle (or a, quart), to drink 
(1598). To crack a crib (swag, or ken), to 
commit a burglary ; to break into a 
house. English synonyms : to stamp 
a ken or crib, to work a panny, to 
jump a house (also applied to simple 
robbery without burglary), to do a 
crack, to practise the black art, to 
screw, to bust a crib, to flimp, to buz, 
to tool, to wire, to do a ken-crack-lay. 
To crack a crust, to rub along in the 
world: a superlative for doing very well 
i s, to crack a tidy crust. To crack a whid, 
to talk. To crack on, to put on speed, 
increase one s pace. To crack up, to 
praise, eulogize: a superlative is to 
crack up to the nines : Fr., faire Particle, 
and faire son boniment (or son petit 
boniment). The crack (or all the crack), 
the go (q.v.), the thing, the kick, the 
general craze of the moment. In a 
oracJc, instantaneously, in the twink- 
ling of an eye (1725)." 

Cracked (or Cracked-up). 1. 
Ruined, bust up, gone to smash (or 
to pot). 2. Crazy. 3. Deflowered : 
also Cracked in the ring. 

Cracker. Anything approaching 
perfection : used in both a good and 
bad sense ; e.g. a rattling pace, a 
large sum of money, a bad fall, an 
enormous he, a dandy (male or female) 
of the first magnitude, and so forth. 
Cracky. See Crickey. 
Crack - halter (or Crack - rope), 
A vagabond ; an old equivalent of 
jail-bird : cf. Hemp-seed (1566). 
Cracking. House-breaking. 
Crackish. Wanton, said only of 
women : cf. Coming. 

Crack-jaw Words (Names, etc.). 
Long words difficult to pronounce. 

Crackle (or Crackling). The velvet 
bars on the gowns of the Johnian 
'hogs' (q.v.). 

Crsickmans (or Cragmans). A 
hedge (1610). 

Crack (or Break) One's Egg (or 
Duck. To begin to score. [To 
make no run is to lay, or make, a 
duck's egg; to make none in either 
innings is to get a double-duck, or 
to come off with a pair of spectacles.] 
Crack- pot. A pretentious, worth- 



Crack-rope. See Crack-halter. 
Cracksman. A housebreaker. 



118 



Cradle. 



Cradle, Altar, and Tomb Column. 
The births, marriages, and deaths 
column in a newspaper : also Hatch, 
Match, and Dispatch column. 

Crag. See Scrag. 

Cram. 1. A lie ; also Crammer. 2. 
Hard, forced study. 3. One who 
prepares another for an examination, 
a coach, a grindstone. 4. An adven- 
titious aid to study, a translation, 
a crib. Verb, 1. To study at high 
pressure for an examination : also to 
prepare one for examination (1803). 
2. To lie, deceive (1794). 

Crammer. 1. A liar, one who tells 
Crams (q.v.). 2. A lie ; the same as 
cram. 3. One who prepares men for 
examination, a coaoh, grinder (q.v.) 
(1812). 

Cramming. The act of studying 
hard for an examination. 

Cramped (or Crapped). Hanged ; 
also killed. 

Cramping-cull. The hangman. 

Cramp in the Hand. Meanness, 
stinginess. 

Cramp - rings. Bolts, shackles, 
fetters. [Properly a ring of gold or 
silver, which after being blessed by 
the sovereign, was held a specific for 
cramp and falling-sickness.] (1609). 

Cramp - words. 1. Hard, unpro- 
nounceable vocables, Crackjaw words 
(q.v.) (1748). 2. Sentence of death 
(1748). 

Cranberry-eye. A blood-shot eye ; 
the result of alcoholism. 

Crank. 1. * These that do coun- 
terf et the cranke be yong knaues and 
yonge harlots, that deeply dissemble 
the tailing sicknes. For the crank in 
their language is the fallings evill ' 
(Harmon). Also Cranke and Crank- 
cuffin. 2. Gin and water (Qrose). 3. 
An eccentric, a crotcheteer. Adj., 
Easily upset : e.g. The skiff is very 
crank. 

Crank-cuffin. One of the canting- 
crew whose specialty was to feign 
sickness : see Crank. 

Cranky. Crotchetty, whimsical, 
ricketty, not to be depended upon, 
crazy. English synonyms : dicky, 
maggotty, dead-alive, yappy, touched, 
chumpish, comical, dotty, rocketty, 
queer, faddy, fadmongering, twisted, 
funny. 

Crap. 1. Money ; sometimes crop : 
see Ithino. 2. The gallows: see 
"gabbing Cheat. 3. Type that has got 



mixed ; technically known as ' pL* 
Verb, 1. To hang ; to be cropped, to 
be hanged. 2. To ease oneself by 
evacuation : see Mrs. Jones. 

Crapping - casa (case, castle, or 
ken). A water-closet. 

Crapping - castle. A night stool : 
see previous entry. 

Crash. 1. Entertainment: prob- 
ably a cant word (Wares), 2. The 
machine used to suggest the roar of 
thunder ; a noise of desperate (and 
unseen) conflict j an effect of ' alarums 
excursions' generally. Verb, to kill. 

Crashing - cheats (or chetes). 
1. The teeth (1567). 2. e Appels, 
peares, or any other fruit ' (Barman). 

Crater (Cratur, or Creature). 
Formerly, any kind of liquor, now, 
Irish whisky. [Fuller speaks of 
water as ' a creature so common and 
needful,' and Bacon describes light as 
4 God's first creature.* Transition is 
easy.] The skin of the creature, the 
bottle : see Brinks (1598). 

Crawl. A workman who curries 
favour with a foreman or employer, a 
lickspittle. 

Crawler. 1. A cab that leaves the 
rank and ' crawls * the street in. search 
of fares. 2. A term of contempt, 
lickspittle. 

Crawthumper. 1. Roman 
Catholic, ' the Pope's cockrels ' 
(1629) : also Brisket-beaters and, col- 
lectively, the Breast - fleet. 2. In 
America an Irishman or Dick, Le. an 
Irish Catholic (1782). 

Cream Cheese. To make believe the 
moon is made of cream (or green) cheese, 
to humbug, to deceive, to impose upon. 

Cream - jugs (Stock Excliange). 
1. Charkof - Krementschug Railway 
Bonds. 2. The paps. 

Cream - of - the - valley, (also Cold 
Cream). Gin: cf. Mountain Dew, 



Creamy. Excellent, first-rate : see 
Al. 

Creation. To beat (or lick) creation, 
to overpower, excel, surpass, be in- 
comparable. 

Creeme. To slip or slide anything 
into the hands of another (Qrose). 

Creeper. One who cringes and 
curries favour, a skunk, a snide (q.v.). 

Creepers. 1. The feet. English syn- 
onyms: dew-beaters, beetle-crushers, 
understandings, trotters, tootsies, 
stumps (also the legs), everlasting. 



Crocus. 



shoes, hocks, boot - trees, pasterns, 
ards (Old Cant now used as an adj. = 
hot), double-breasters, daisy-beaters, 
kickers, crabs, trampers, hookies, 
hoofs, pudseys. 2. Lice : see Chates. 
Creeps. The peculiar thrill re- 
sulting from an undefinable sense of 
dread : Goose - flesh, Cold shivers, 
Cold water down the back (1836). 
Crevecceur. See Heart - breaker. 
Cri. The Criterion, theatre and 
restaurant, at Piccadilly Circus. 

Crib. 1. The stomach (1656). 2. 
Generic for a place ; e.g. a house, 
place of abode, apartments, lodgings, 
shop, warehouse, den, diggings, or 
snuggery (1598). 3. A situation, place, 
or berth. 4. A literal translation sur- 
reptitiously used by students ; also a 
theft of any kind ; specifically, any- 
thing copied without acknowledg- 
ment (1841). 5. A bed. Verb, (1) 
to steal, pilfer ; used specifically of 
petty thefts : see Prig (1748). (2) To 
use a translation ; to cheat at an 
examination ; to plagiarise. To crack 
a, crib, see Crack. 

Cribbage - face (and Cribbage- 
faced). Pock - marked and like a 
cribbage-board, Colander-faced, Crum- 
pet - faced, Pikelet - faced, Mockered 
(q.v.) (1785). 

Cribber. A grumbler. 
Cribbeys (or Cribby - Islands). 
Blind alleys, courts, and bye-ways. 

Cribbing. 1. Food and drink, grub 
and booze (1656). 2. Stealing, pur- 
loining, using a translation. 

Crib- biter. An inveterate grum- 
bler. [Properly a horse that worries 
his crib, rack, manger, or groom, and 
at the same time draws in his breath 
so as to make the peculiar noise 
called wind-sucking.] Fr. gourgousseur, 
un r&me, rendcleur, and renaudeur. 
Crib-cracker. A housebreaker. 
Crib-cracking Housebreaking. 
Crikey! (Cracky! or Cry!) For- 
merly, a profane oath ; now a mere 
expression of astonishment. [A cor- 
ruption of ' Christ.'] 

Crimini (Criminey, or Crimes 1) 
See Crikey. [Possibly influenced by 
crimen meum, my fault.] (1700). 

Crimson. To make things look 
crimson, to go on a drunken frolic, 
paint the town red (q.v.). 

Crincle - pouch. A sixpence : see 
Bender (1593). 

Crinkums. A venereal disease. 



Crinoline. A woman. 
Cripple. 1. A ' snid ' (Scots) or 
sixpence: see Rhino (1785). 2. An 
awkward oaf, a dullard: FT., mala- 
patle. Go it, you cripples ! A sarcastic 
comment on strenuous effort ; fre- 
quently used without much sense of 
fitness ; e.g. when the person ad- 
dressed is a capable athlete. Wooden 
legs are cheap, is sometimes added as 
an intensitive. 

Crisp. A banknote : see Rhino. 
Crispin. A shoemaker. [From 
Saints Crispin and Crispianus, th* 
patrons of the ' gentle craft,' i.e. shoe 
making.] St. Crispin's lance, an awl. 
Crispin's fohday, Monday : spec. 25th 
of October, being the anniversary of 
Crispinus and Crispianus. 

Croak. A dying speech, especially 
the confession of a murderer. Also 
the same as printed for sale in the 
streets by a flying stationer (q.v.). 
Verb, to die : see Hop the Twig. 

Croaker. 1. A sixpence : see Rhino. 
2. A beggar. 3. A dying person. 4. 
A corpse. 5- The flesh of an animal 
which has died a natural death. 6. 
A doctor. 7. A person who sees 
everything en noir, and whose con- 
versation is likened to that of the 
raven, the bird of ill-omen : see Gold- 
smith's Good Natured Man. Fr., glas. 
Croakumshire. Northumberland. 
[Grose : from the particular croaking 
in the pronunciation of the people of 
that county, especially about New- 
castle and Morpeth, where they are 
said to be born with a burr in their 
throats, which prevents their pro- 
nouncing the letter * r.'] 

Crock. A worthless animal, a 
fool, rotter. 

Crocketts (Winchester College). 
A kind of bastard cricket, sometimes 
called ' small orochetts.' Five stumps 
are used and a fives ball, with a bat 
of plain deal about two inches broad, 
or a broomstick. To get crocketts, to 
fail to score at cricket, to make a 
duck's egg. 

Crocodile. A girl's school walk- 
ing two and two. 

Crocus (Crocu s- metallorum 
or Croakus). A doctor ; specifically, 
a quack. English synonyms: pill, 
squirt, butcher, croaker, corpse-pro- 
vider, bolus, clyster, gallipot. [Several 
of these terms also*=an apothecary.] 
(1785). 



120 



Crocus-chovey. 



Crow. 



Crocus-chovey. A doctor's shop. 

Crocus- pitcher. A quack ambulant. 

Crocussing-rig, subs. (old). 
Travelling from place to place as a 
quack doctor. 

Crone. A clown or buffoon. 

Crook. 1. A sixpence : see Rhino. 
2. A thief, swindler, one who gets 
things on the crook. On ike crook, the 
antithesis of on the straight (q.v.) : cf. 
Cross. To crook (or cock) the elbow (or 
the little finger), to drink. [Fr., lever 
le, coude ; a hard drinker is un adroit 
du, coude,"] See Lush. 

Crook-back. A sixpenny piece, 
many of the slang names of which 
suggest a bashed and battered ap- 
pearance ; e.g. bender, cripple, crook : 
see Rhino. 

Crooked. Disappointing, the 
reverse of straight (q.v.), pertaining 
to the habits, ways, and customs of 
thieves. Crooked as a Virginia (or 
snake) fence, uneven, zig-zag, said of 
matters or persons difficult to keep 
straight. To make a Virginia fence, 
to walk unsteadily, as a drunkard. 
Virginia fences zigzag with the soil. 

Crooky. To hang on to, lead, walk 
arm-in-arm, court, or pay addresses 
to a girl. 

Crop. See Crap. 

Cropped. Hanged : see Ladder, 
and Topped (1781). 

Cropper. A heavy fall or failure 
of any kind j generally * to come a 
cropper.' [Originally hunting.] 

Croppie (or Croppy). Originally 
applied to a criminal cropped in ears 
and nose by the public executioner ; 
subsequently to convicts, in allusion to 
closely cropped hair j hence any person 
with hair cut close to the head ; e.g. 
the Puritans and the Irish Rebels of 
1789. 

Croppled. To be croppled (Winches- 
ter College), to fail in an examination ; 
to be sent down at a lesson. 

Croppy. See Croppie. 

Crops. To go and look at the crops, 
to consult Mire. Jones (q.v.). 

Cross. 1. A pre-arranged swindle. 
In its special sporting signification a 
cross is an arrangement to lose on the 
part of one of the principals in a fight, 
or any kind of match. When both 
principals conspire that one shall win, 
it is called a Double cross (q.v.). 
[Obviously a shortened form of Cross- 
bite. 2. A thief; also Cross -man, 



Cross-cove, Cross -chap, squire (knight, 
or lad) of the cross, etc. Literally a 
man on the cross (see sense 1).] As 
verb, to play false in a match of any 
kind. Hence to thwart, baffle, spoil 
(1709). Cross in the air, a rifle carried 
butt-end upwards. To shake the. cross, 
to quit the cross (sense 1) and go on 
the square (q.v.)- To be. crossed, thus 
explained in a University Guide : 
For not paying term bills to the bur- 
sar (treasurer), or for cutting chapels, 
or lectures, or other offences, an 
undergrad can be crossed at the but- 
tery, or kitchen, or both, i.e. a cross is 
put against his name by the Don, who 
wishes to see him, or to punish him. 
On the cross, tlie opposite of on the 
square (q.v.) : cf. On the crook. 

Cross-belts. The Eighth Hussars. 
[The regiment wears the sword belt 
over the right shoulder in memory of 
the battle of Saragossa, where it took 
the belts of the Spanish cavalry. 
This privilege was confirmed by the 
King's Regulations of 1768. 

Cross-bite. See Cross-biting. As 
verb, to cheat, scold, hoax. [Nares 
thinks it a compound of cross and 
bite. It bas suffered a double ab- 
breviation, both its components being 
used substantively and verbally in the 
same sense.] See Stiff (1581). 

Cross - biter. A cheat, swindler, 
hoaxer : Fr., goureur (1592). 

Cross- biting. A deception, cheat, 
hoax (1576). 

Cross- buttock. A throw in wrest- 
ling. Also as verb and verbal subs. 
(1690). 

Cross - crib. A thieves* dossing- 
ken (q.v.) : or Lush-crib (q.v.) : also 
Cross-drum. 

Cross-fan (or Cross-fam). Robbery 
from the person done with one hand 
(fam) across, dissembling the action 
of the other. As verb, to rob from 
the person- 
Cross -kid (or Cross- quid). To 
question, cross-examine : Fr., faire la 
jactance, also faire saogww du nez. 

Cross-patch, subs, (colloquial). 
An ill-natured, ill-tempered person: 
cf. old nursery rhyme : ' Cross-patch, 
draw the latch, Sit by the fire and 
spin' (1785). 

C r o w. 1. A confederate on 
watch whilst another steals : generally 
a man, but occasionally a woman; 
the latter is also called a Canary (q.v.). 



121 



Crowd. 



Cry. 



2. A pjece of unexpected luck ; a Crumb-and- crust Man. A baker : 
#uke : generally a regulaf crow. cf. Burn-crust aud Master of the 
[Originally billiards, in which ita rolls : FT., marckand de larton. 
hazard not played for, i.e. a fluke ; no Crummy. 1. Fat, plump, well- 
doubt a corruption of the FT., raccroo.] developed: especially said of high- 

3. A parson. To eat crow : see Broiled bosomed and full - figured women : 
crow. A crow to pluck (pull, or pick) e.g. a crummy piece of goods. 
with one, something demanding ex- FT., fort en rate (an almo&t literal 
planation : a misunderstanding to translation) (1748). 2. (American), 
clear ; a disagreeable matter to settle : comely. 3. Lousy. Hence, Crummy- 
sometimes, a bone to pick (1593). doss, a lousy bed. 4. (thieves'). 

Crowd. A fiddle. Plump in the pockets. 

Crowder. 1. A large audience. Crump (Winchester College). 

2. A fiddler. A hard hit, a f all : as a verb, to cob 

Crow-eater. A lazybones who pre- (q.v.), 

fers subsisting upon what he can pick Crumpet. The head. English 

up, as crows do, to putting himself to synonyms : brain-pan, nut, chump, 

the trouble of working for it. jazey, steeple, tib or tibby, weather- 

Crow-fair. A gathering of clergy- cock, turnip, upper extremity, top 

men. end, twopenny, upper storey, canister, 

Crown. To inspect a window with attic, garret, costard, sconce, bonce, 



view to burglary. 

Crown-office. The head (1785). 

Crow's - foot. The Government top-knot, crust, chimney-pot, onion, 
broad arrow ; also (hi pi.) wrinkles at ' ,,..,-. 

the outside corners of the eyes. 

Cruel (or Cruelly). ~ " 
very, great (1662). 

Cruelty -van (or Booby - hutch). 
A four-wheeled chaise. 

Crug (Christ's Hospital). 1. At 
Hertford, a crust; in the London 
school, crust and crumb alike (1820). 
Hence, 2. a Blue (q.v.): especially an 
old boy. 

Cruganaler (Christ's Hospital). A 
biscuit given on St. Matthew's Day. 
[Orthography dubious. Blanch in- 



nob, lolly, lobb, knowledge-box, block, 
cocoa-nut, Crown - Office, calabash, 
top-knot, crust, chimney-pot, onion, 
chevy, cockloft, top-flat, gable, pump- 
kin, hat- peg, billiard ball, upper-orust, 
Extremely, mazzard, oabaza, dome. Balmy in 
one's crumpet : see Balmy. 

Crumpet-face. A pock-pitted face, 
a cribbage-foce (q.v.). 

Crumpet-scramble. A tea party, 
tea-fight, muffin- worry, mufon-fightj 
bitch- party, or cooky-shine (q.v.). 

Grumpier. 1. A cravat. 2. A fall. 

Crush. A large social gathering 
(1854). As verb, to run away, de- 
camp: see Bunk. To crush down 
sides, to keep tryst, also to run to a 



clines to the following derivation: place of safety. To crush (or burst) 

" The biscuit had once something to do a pot (cup, or bottle) to drink in com- 

with those nights when bread and beer, pany. 

with cheese, were substituted for Crusher. 1. A policeman: cf. 

bread-and-butter and milk. Thence Crush ! once a favourite signal of the 

the term '" crug and aler." The only pea, thimble, and other race-course 

argument against this is the fact that sharps warning of the approach of the 

the liquid was never dignified with the police. 2. Anything large, fine, or 

name of ale, but was invariably called extraordinary : of. Whopper, Stinger, 

" the swipes.'* By another deriva- Corker, Bouncer, etc. (q.v.). 

... , ., .. It ig then ~ . . _ ., v*~ . 



tionsca" hard as nails. 1 
spelt Ouggy-nailer.'] 

C r u g g y (Christ 1 
Hungry. 

Cruisers. 1. Beggars, or highway 
spies : those who traversed the road 
(Grose] to give intelligence of a 



Crushing. Excellent, first-rate. 
Crust (or Upper Crust). The 
Hospital), head : see Crumpet. Upper-crust (q.v.). 
Crusty- beau. One that uses paint 
and cosmetics to obtain a fine com- 
plexion (Grose). 

Cry. A large number, a quantity. 



, 
booty ; also, rogues ready to snap [From cry, a pack of dogs.] Great 



> any booty that may offer. 2. In 
sing., a street- walker. 

Crumb. A pretty woman: cf. 



cry and hide wool, much ado about 
nothing. The original text of the 
proverb was, Great cry and little vwol, 
as the devil said when he sheared the 
122 



C.T.A. 



Curbstone-sailor. 



hogs. Hudibras alters it into All 
cry and no wool. To cry carrots and 
turnips, a term which rogues use for 
whipping at the cart's arse (Johnson, 
1747). To cry (or call) a go, to give in, 
as one unable to proceed. An ex- 
pression borrowed from cribbage signi- 
fying that the playeirwho makes use 
of it has nothing playable in his hand, 
and is compelled to cry a go. To 
cry cupboard, to be famished, hungry, 
banded (q.v.) : Fr., rien dans le cornet, 
U buffet vide, and danser devant le 
buffet. Cry matches I an exclamation 
of surprise. [Variously derived : (1) 
a corruption of ' Crime hatches ' ; (2) 
cry = XP/ or Christ, no suggestion 
being offered to account for * matches ' ; 
and (3) a conversion of the Fr. crc 
matin, presumably Canadian : of. 
Crimini.] To cry off, to retreat, back 
out from an engagement. See Stink- 
ing fish. 

C.T.A. (Circus and showmen's). 
The police. 

Cub (or Unlicked-cub). An awk- 
ward, sulky girl; a mannerless, uncouth 
lout of a boy. [In allusion to the 
supposed shapelessness of bear cubs 
till their dam has ' licked them into 
shape.'] 

Cubito polls. The Warwick and 
Eccleston Square districts. [From the 
name of the builders.] Cf. Alberto- 
polis, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, The 
New Jerusalem, Slopers' Island, etc. 
(q.v.). 

Cuckoo. 1, A fool: see Buffle. 
(1598). 2. A cuckold (1594). 3. In 
pi., generic for money : see Rhino. 
(1612). 

Cucumber-time. The dull season, 
[A correspondent of Notes and Queries 
says it is of German origin, and 
originated among London tailors of 
German nationality. The German 
phrase is die saure Chirlcen Zeit (pickled 
gherkin-time). Hence, it is said, the 
expression ' Tailors are vegetarians,' 
because they live now on * cucumber ' 
and now on ' cabbage'] (Grose). 

Cud. A chew of tobacco, a quid. 
As adj., (Winchester College). 1. 
Pretty, handsome. 2. (Christ's Hos- 
pital), severe : see Cuddy, 

Cuddie. A donkey. 

Cuddling. Wrestling. 

Cuddy (Christ's Hospital). 
Hard, difficult, said of a lesson. Also 
Hertfordice for Passy (q.v.). 



Cue. To swindle on credit. 

Cuff. 1. A foolish old man. Prob- 
ably a contraction of Cuffin (q.v.) 
(1678). 2. (tailors'). A religious man. 
To cuff Anthony: see Anthony. To 
beat or cuff Jonas : see Beat. 

Cuff er. 1. A lie, an exaggerated 
and improbable story. Hence, to 
spin cuffers, to yarn, draw the long 
bow (q.v.). 2. A man : see Cove. 

C u ffi n (C u ff e n, or Cuffing). A 
man (Barman, 1567). Queer-cuffin, a 
magistrate (1609). 

Cuff - shooter. A beginner, one 
who gives himself airs ; literally one 
who shoots his cuffs : having a greater 
regard for the display of his linen than 
for his work. 

Cule (Cull, Culing, Culling). 
To purloin : espec. from the seats of 
carriages ; the act of snatching hand- 
bags and other articles. [Probably an 
abbreviation of reticule.] 

Cull (or Cully). A man, com- 
panion, partner. Specifically, a fool, 
one tricked or imposed upon. Grose 
seems to make a distinction, for he 
quotes cull = " a man honest or other- 
wise,' and cully = * a fop, fool, or dupe 
to women,' in \vhich sense it was cur- 
rent in the seventeenth century. Sum 
cull, the manager of a theatre ; also 
a Cully-gorger. 

Culls. The testes (1600). 

Culminate. To mount a coach-boi 
(1803). 

Cummer. An intimate. 

Cup-and-saucer Player, A term of 
derision applied to players of the late 
T. W. Robertson's comedies. 

Cupboard-love. Interested affec- 
tion : cf . old saw, The way to a man's 
heart is through his stomach (1661). 

Cups. In one's cu^s, drunk : cf. 
Cup-shot and Screwed (1593). 

Cup-tosser. A juggler. 

Curate, A small poker, or 
tickler (q.v.), used to save a better 
one ; also a pocket-handkerchief in 
actual use as against a flimsy one worn 
for show. The better article is a 
Rector. Similarly when a tea-cake 
is split and buttered, the bottom half, 
which gets the more butter, is the 
Rector, and the upper half the Curate. 

Curb. To steal : see Prig. (1615). 

Curbstone - broker. See Gutter- 
snipe. 

Curbstone-sailor. A prostitute : see 
Tart. 



123 



Cure. 



Cure, subs, (common). An eccen- 
tric, fool, funny fellow. Originally 
applied in many connections, see 
Punch, xxxu 201 (1856). 

Curious. To do curious, to act 
strangely. 

Curl. Out of curl, out ot sorts ; 
out of condition. To curl up, to be 
silent, ' shut up.' To curl one's ha-ir, 
to administer chastisement, ' go for ' 
one. To curl one's liver (or to have 
one's liver curled), to make one feel 
intensely. 

Curie. Clippings of money 
(Grose). 

Curl-paper. Paper for the W.C., 
toilet paper, * wipe - bummatory ' 
(Urquhart), or ' sanitary ' paper, 
bumfodder, bumf, ammunition. 

Curly cues (or Carlicues). Fantastic 
ornaments worn on the person or used 
in architecture ; also, by implication, 
a strange line of conduct. 

Currants - and - plums. A three- 
penny bit, thrums (q.v.). 

Currency. A colonist born in 
Australia, those of English birth being 
sterling (q.v.). 

Curse. Not to care (or be worth) a 
curse, to care (or be worth) little or 
nothing at all (1362). 

Curse-of-God. A cockade (Lexicon 
ftalatronicum). 

Curse of Scotland. The nine of 
diamonds. The suggested derivations 
are inconclusive. [The locution has 
nothing to do with Culloden and the 
Duke of Cumberland, for the card was 
nicknamed the Justice-Clerk, in al- 
lusion to the Lord Justice-Clerk 
Qrmistone, who, for his severity in 
suppressing the Rebellion of 1715, was 
called the Curse of Scotland. Other 
suggestions are : (1) That it is derived 
from the game of Pope Joan, the nine 
of diamonds there being called the 
4 pope, 9 of which the Scotch have 
always stood in horror. (2) The 
word 4 curse ' is a corruption of cross, 
and the nine of diamonds is so ar- 
ranged as to form a St. Andrew's 
Cross. (3) That it refers to the arms 
of Dalrymple, Earl of Stair (viz. or, 
on saltire azure, nine lozenges of the 
field), who was held in abhorrence for 
the massacre of Glencoe ; or to Colonel 
Packer, who attended Charles I. on the 
scaffold, and had for his arms nine 
lozenges conjoined, or in the heraldic 
language, gules, & cross of lozenges. 



124 



These conflicting views were discussed 
at length in Notes and Queries, 1 S., 
i. 61, 90; iii. 22, 253, 423, 483; v. 
619 ; 3 S., xii. 24, 96 ; 4 S., vi. 194, 
289; also, see Chambers' Encyclopaedia.] 

Cur si tor (or Cursetor). A tramp or 
vagabond. 

Curtain - raiser. A short ' piece ' 
to bring up the curtain : FT., lever de 
rideau. 

Curtail (or Curtail). A vagabond 
or thief : ' A curtail is much like to the 
Vpnght man, but hys authority is not 
fully so great. He vseth commonly to 
>o with a short cloke, like to grey 
Friars, and his woman with him in like 
huery, which he calleth his altham if 
she be hys ' (Awdeley, 1560). ' Thieves 
who cut off pieces of stuff hanging out 
of shop windows ; the tails of women's 
gowns, etc. ; also thieves wearing 
short jackets ' (Grose, 1785). As verb, 
to cut off. 

C u s e (Winchester College). A 
book in which a record is kept of the 
v marks ' in each division : its name to 
dons is ' classicus paper ' ; also used 
for the weekly order. 

Cushion. To hide, conceal, Stall 
off (q.v.), Stow (q.v.). Slum (q.v.). 
To deserve the cushion, on the birth of 
a child a man was said to deserve the 
cushion ; i.e. the symbol of rest from 
labour. 

Cushion - smiter (or - thumper). 
A clergyman. 

Cuss. A man, Cove (q.v.), or Cull 
(q. v. ) : generally, but not necessarily, 
disparaging. To cuss out, to talk 
down, flummox by the lip (q.v.). 

Cussedness. Generally in such 
phrases as, pure cussedness, the cus- 
sedness of things, etc. Mischievous- 
ness, or resolution, or courage may 
be implied ; but in the Coventry plays 
cursydnesse signified sheer wickedness 
and malignity. 

Customer. A man, fellow, cove, 
cuss, or chap : with a certain qualifi- 
cation, e.g. an ugly customer = a 
dangerous opponent ; a queer customer 
=a suspicious person, one to be sus- 
pected ; a rum customer = an odd 
fish. 

Custom-house Officer. An 
aperient pill : of. Chimney-sweep. 

Cut. 1. A stage or degree: e.g. 
a cut above one. 2. A refusal to 
acknowledge acquaintance, or to 
associate with another person ; a snub. 



Gut. 



Cutting. 



A cut direct (or dead cut)ia a conspicu- 
ous non-acknowledgment of an ac- 
quaintance. 3. Mutilation of the 
book of a play, opera, etc. (1779). 
As adj., tipsy ; on the cut, on the spree : 
see Screwed (1748). As verb, 1. To talk 
(1567): To cut benle, to speake 
gentle ; to cut bene whydds, to speake 
or give good words ; to cutte quyer 
whyddes, to geue euil words or evil 
language. 2. To disown, ignore, or 
avoid associating with, a person : 
sometimes cut dead. An article in 
the Monthly Magazine for 1798 cites 
cut as a current peculiarity of ex- 
pression, and says that some had tried 
to change it into * spear,' but had 
failed. 3. To depart more or less 
hurriedly and perforce. Also to cut 
and run, cut it, cut one's lucky., cut 
one's stick, cut off, cut away, etc. 
[Originally nautical to cut the cable 
and run before the wind.] (1570). 
4. To compete in business ; to under- 
sell. A cutting trade is one where 
profits are reduced to a minimum. 
Also cut under. 5. To excel. Also 
cut out. 6. To strike out portions of 
a dramatic production, so as to shorten 
it for representation. 7. To avoid, 
absent oneself from. Thus, to cut 
lecture, to cut chapel, to cut flail, to cut 
gates (1794) are common phrases. To 
cut a caper or capers, to play a trick or 
prank, behave boisterously or fan- 
tastically ( 1692). To cut a dash, splash 
(or shine), to make a show, attract at- 
tention through some idiosyncrasy of 
manner, appearance, or conduct. In 
the United States to cut a splurge (or 
a swathe), FT., flamber, faire du flafla, 
and faire flouer (1771). To cut a 
figure, to make an appearance, good 
or bad (1759). To cut and come again, 
to have plenty : i.e. if one cut does 
not suffice, plenty remains to come 
at again (1738). To cut (or cut up) 
didoes (shindies, shines, etc.), to play 
pranks or tricks, to out capers. To 
cut dirt (or cut one's stick, lucky), to 
make off, escape. To cut fine, to 
narrow down to a minimum. To cut 
in, to join in suddenly and without 
ceremony, intrude, chip in (q.v.). 
Also substantively (1819). To cut 
into (Winchester College), originally 
to hit one with a ' ground ash.' The 
office was exercised by Bible-clerks 
upon a ' man ' kicking up a row when 
* wp to books. 5 Now generally used in 



the sense of to correct in a less formal 
manner than Tundmg (q.v.). To 
citf it, to move off quickly, run away, 
cut dirt (q.v.). As intj., Cease! 
Stow it! Stash it! A forcible 
injunction to desist and be off. Also 
cut that ! or simply cut ' To cut it fat, 
to show off, make a display, come it 
strong, put on side, cut a dash (q.v.). 
To cut mutton, to partake of one's 
hospitality, to break bread with one. 
To cut off one's head (American polit- 
ical) used of an official when his term 
of office has come to an end through 
change of Government, or super ces- 
sion in other ways. The cut of one's 
jib, the general appearance. To cut 
one's cart, to expose a trick. To cut 
one's comb, to snub, lower conceit 
(1593). To cut one's eyes, to get 
suspicious. To cut one's eye (or wis- 
dom) teeth, to learn what's what. To 
cut one's own grass, to get one's own 
living, paddle one's own canoe. To 
cut out, to debar, deprive of advan- 
tage, supersede (1779). To cut out of, 
to do out of. To cut saucy : see Saucy. 
To cut snort (generally cut it short !) a 
common injunction not to be prolix, 
Stow it ! To cut the line, (rope, or 
string), to cut a story short, stop 
yarning. To cut the painter (1) to 
decamp, make off secretly and sud- 
denly. (2) To die : see Hop the twig. 
To cut up, to run down, to mortify 
(1759). (2) To come up, turn up, 
become, show up. (3) To divide 
plunder, to share, to nap the regulars 
(1779). (4) To behave. To cut up 
fat, to leave a large fortune (1824). To 
cut up rough (rusty, savage, stiff, ugly), 
to become quarrelsome or dangerous. 
To "be cut up, to be vexed, hurt, de- 
jected : sometimes simply cut. For- 
merly, to be in embarrassed circum- 
stances (1821). 

Cut-away. A morning coat. [As 
compared with a frock coat.] 

Cute. Sharp, clever, ' fly to wotfs 
wot.' Fr., avoir le nez creux (1748). 

Cuts. Scissors. SmaU-cutes= 
button-hole scissors. 

Cutter. A thief, bully. This 
ancient cant word now survives in 
the phrase, to swear like a cutter 
(1589). 

Cutting. 1. The process of under- 
selling; competition of the keenest 
kind. 2. Disowning or ignoring a 
person. 



125 



Cuttle. 



Cuttle (or Cuttle- bung). 
A knife used by cut - purses 
(1592). 

Cutty -eyed. Suspicious looking., 
leering. 



Cutty. A short pipe, a nose- 
warmer (q.v.). 

C u z. A workman free of the 
* chapel.' 

Cymbal. A watch. 



D. 1. A penny, or (in pi.) pence ; 
e.g. two d, three d, etc. , two- pence, 
three-pence, etc. 2. A detective; 
among thieves, any policeman. To 
use a big d, to swear ; the d stands for 
damned. The two <Z's, army regula- 
tions enact that a soldier's pay must 
not be so docked in fines as to leave 
him less than two - pence a day. 
Hence, if a man, from any cause, is 
put on short pay, he is said to be on 
the two d"s. 

Dab. 1. An expert, a dabster. 
[Thought to be a corruption of adept 
(Latin adeptus) a dep ; a dap ; a dab.] 
Cf. dabbler, one who meddles 
without mastery ; a superficial med- 
dler. FT., dab, dale, or dade (1733). 
2. A bed, bug-walk, kip. 3. The 
drowned corpse of an outcast woman. 
4. A trifle (1745). As adj., 1. Clever, 
skilled, expert. 2. Bad. A dabheno, 
a bad market, day, or sale. Doogheno 
=a good day, etc. ; dab iros=bad 
sort. JRum-dabe, the same as dab, 
subs., sense 1 : see Bum. To dab 
down, to pay, hand over, post, 
shell out. To dab it up, to pair oft ; 
to agree to cohabitation. 

Dabster. An expert or dab (q.v. ). 

Dace. Two-pence; in America, 
two cents. [From deuce.] 

Dacha-saltee. A franc; ortenpence 
English. [From the Italian died 
soldi.-} 

Dadbinged (also -blamed, -fetched), 
gasted, -goned, -rotted, or -snatched 
(American), half-veiled oaths, ' whips 
to beat the devil round the stump.* 

Dad-dad, (Mum-mum or Daddy- 
mammy). A beginner's practice on the 

Daddle. The hand; or fist. To 
tip the doddle, to shake hands. English 
synonyms: chalk-farm, claw, clutch, 
cornstealer, duke, fam, famble, feeler, 
fin, flapper, flipper, forceps, forefoot, 
fork, grappling-iron (or hook), goll 
(old), oar, paddle, palette, paw, pher, 
shaker, wing, Yarmouth mitten. 



Daddy. 1. The superintendent of a 
casual ward ; generally an old pauper. 
2. A stage manager. 3. A confederate 
of workers of mock raffles, lotteries, 
etc. ; generally the person selected to 
receive the prize. 

Daddyism. (American). Pride of 
birth. 

Daffy (or Daffy's Elixir). Gin. 
[From a popular medicine sold as 
early as the beginning of the eighteenth 
century. 

Daffy - down - dilly. A dandy, 
one ' got up regardless.' 

Dagen. An artful member. 

Dagger - cheap. Dirt cheap. 
[From an ordinary of low repute in 
Holborn, notorious for the coarseness 
of its enter tainment (see Johnson's 
Alchemist, v. 2, and Devil is an Ass, i. 

!) 

Dags. A feat, performance, work, 
e.g. I'll do your dags=*&n incitement 
to emulation. 

Daily Levy (The). The Daily Tele- 
graph. [This London daily is the 
property of Mr. Edward LevyLawson.] 

Dairy. The paps. To air the 
dairy^sto expose the breast. Eng- 
lish synonyms: bubs (or bubbies), 
charlies, blubber, butter-boxes, but- 
ter-bags, berkeleys, cat-heads, diddies, 
globes, dugs, milk-walk, milk-shop, 
milky way, dumplings, udder (Brown- 
ing), ' Nature's founts ', feeding bot- 
tles, charms, hemispheres, apple- 
dumpling shop, meat market, poonts, 
titties, cabman's rests (rhyming), 
baby's bottom. 

Daisies. Boots : also Daisy- 
roots. To turn up one's toes to the 
daisies, to die : see Hop the twig. 

Daisy. A man or thing first-rate 
of a kind. As adj., first-rate, Al. 

Daisy- beat. See Beat. 

Daisy-beaters. See Creepers. 

Daisy-cutter. 1. A horse, good or 
bad : also daisy-kicker : FT., rase tapis 
(1785). 2. A ball bowled to travel 
more than half the pitch along the 



126 



sy -flicker. 



ground without rising, a sneak, 
and (Wykehamiee), a ramrod. 

Daisy-kicker. 1. A horse. 2. An 
ostler (1781). 

Daisy - roots. Boots. To pick a 
daisy, to evacuate in the open. 

Daisyville. The country, the 
monkery : also Deuseaville (1622). 

Dakma. To silence. 

Dam. To care or be worth not a 
dam, to oare or be worth nothing. 

Damage. The cost of anything, 
the sum total in the sense of recom- 
pense. What's the damage (or 
swindle) ? What's to pay ? (1800). 

Damaged. Drunk, Screwed (q.v.). 

Damber. A man, Cove, or Cull, in 
the fraternity of vagabonds. 

Damme (Dammy or Dammy-boy). 
A sixteenth and seventeenth century 
roysterer, a blusterer. 

Dam - nasty Oath (American). A 
corruption of amnesty oath. [South- 
erners, at the close of the Civil War, 
were required, as an outward sign of 
submission to the Union, to subscribe 
to certain conditions, upon which a 
free pardon was granted. The terms 
were deemed unpalatable.] 

Damned -soul. A Custom House 
clearing clerk. [To avoid perjury he 
was alleged to have taken a general 
oath never to swear truly in making 
declarations.] (Lexicon JSalatroni- 
cum, 1811). 

Damp (generally Something damp). 
A drink, go (q.v.). To damp one's 
mug, to drink : see Lush. To damp 
the sawdust, to crack a bottle with 
friends for luck on starting a new 
house. 

Damper. 1. A till, Lob (q.v.). 
Drawing a damper, robbing a till, 
Lob -sneaking. 2. A sweater ; one who 
takes as much as possible out of work- 
men for a minimum of pay. 3. He or 
that which damps, chills, or dis- 
courages. 4. Ale or stout after spirits 
and water, a Cooler (q.v.). 5. A 
snack between meals. 6. A suet 
pudding served before meat. 7. Un- 
leavened bread made of flour and 
water and baked in thin cakes, in a 
frying pan or on a flat stone in wood 
ashes (Australian). 

Damp-pot. The sea; specifically 
the Atlantic. 

Damson-pie. A Birmingham 
and * black country ' term for ' Bil- 
Ungsgatry.' 



127 



Dance. A staircase, flight of steps : 
a contraction of the older form 
Dancers. As verb, 1. To be hanged : 
also to dance upon nothing, and to 
dance the Padd^ngton frisk : see 
Ladder. 2. Type dances if letters 
drop out when the forme is lifted. 
To dance Barnaby, see Barnaby. 

Dance of Death. Hanging. 

Dancers. 1. Stairs, flight of 
steps: Fr., les grimpants (1671). 2. 
(sing.) Also dancing master. A thief 
whose speciality is prowling about the 
roofs of houses and effecting an 
entrance through attic and upper 
storey windows ; a garreteer (q.v.) : 
also dancing-master. 

Dancing-master. 1. A species of 
Mohock or dandy, temp. Queen Anne. 
[Who made his victims caper by 
running his sword through the legs"; 
for detailed description, see Spectator 
(1712), No. 324.] 2. See Dancers, 
sense 2. 3. The hangman, Jack 
Ketch (q.v.). 

D-and-D. Drunk and disorderly. 

Dander. Anger. To raise one's 
dander (or get one's dander up, or riz), 
to make or get angry. Hence Dan- 
dered, angry, mad. 

Dan do. A great eater, glutton, 
wolfer ; specifically a sharper who sub- 
sits at the expense of hotels, restaur- 
ants, or oyster bars. [Prom one 
Dando, a bouncing, seedy swell, 
hero of a hundred ballads, notorious 
for being charged at least twice a 
month with bilking.] 

Dandy (formerly slang, now re- 
cognized). 1. A fop, coxcomb, man 
who pays excessive attention to dress. 
The feminine forms, 4 dandilly ' and 
( dandizette,' did not catch on. 
Dandy was first applied half in admira- 
tion, half in derision to a fop about the 
year 1816. John Bee (Slang Diet., 
1823) says that Lord Petersham was 
the chief of these successors to the 
departed Macaronis, and gives, as 
their peculiarities, l French gait, 
lispings, wrinkled foreheads, killing 
king's English, wearing immense 
plaited pantaloons, coat cut away, 
small waistcoat, cravat and chitter- 
lings immense, hat small, hair frizzled 
and protruding.' In common English 
dandy has come to be applied to such 
as are neat and careful in dress- 
ing according to fashion. English 
synonyms : beau, blade, blood, buck, 



Davy. 



chappie, corinthian, count, court-card, 
cheese, dany-dovrn-rlilly, dancmg- 
itiaster, dude, diiudivary, eiquisite, 
limner, fop, galk-it. yommy, gorgcr, 
Jemmy Jessamy. Johnny, lounger, 
macaroni, mao'ior. moha-wk, nerve, 
nicker, nizzie, nob. oatmeal, scourer, 
emart, spark, sweater, fcVirell, toff, tip- 
topper, tumbler, yum-yum. 2. A 
base gold coin. [In allusion to its 
careful make and composition, this 
coin containing a certain proportion 
of pure gold.] 3. A * small whisky.' 
4. Anything first-rate ; a Daisy (q.v.) 
Also used adjectively. The Dandy, all 
right, your sort, the ticket : a north- 
country song has the line, ' The South 
Shields lasses are The Dandy O ! ' 

Dandy-master. Tae head of a gang 
of counterfeiters one who makes the 
coin but does not himself attempt to 
pass it : see Dandy 2. 

Dandy pratt (or Dandipratt). Prim- 
arily a dwarf, page ; by implica- 
tion a jackanapes. In all likelihood, 
the etymon of the modern ' dandy,' 
erroneously derived from the French 
dandin, a fool, as in Moliere, Georges 
Dandin (1580). 

Dang it ! A euphemism for Damn 
it ! Also Dang my buttons ! and 
Dang me ! 

Danglers, A bunch of seals. 

Dan Tucker. Butter. 

Darbies. 1. Handcuffs. English 
synonyms : black-bracelets, buckles, 
Father Derbie's bands, ruffles, wife, 
snitchers, clinkers, government se- 
curities, twisters, darbies and Joans 
(= fetters coupling two persons). 2. 
Sausages, bags of mystery, chambers 
of horrors (q.v.). 

Darble. The devil, [A corrup- 
tion of French diabl&.~\ 

Darby. Ready money. [One 
Derby is supposed to have been a 
noted sixteenth century usurer.] 

Darby Allen (Lancashire). Ca- 
jolery, chaff, gammon. 

Darby - roll. A gait peculiar to 
felons of long standing : the result of 
shackles-wearing. 

Darby's - dyke. The grave ; also 
death. 

Darby' s-f air. The day of removal 
from one prison to another for trial. 

Dark, To get the dark, to be con- 
fined, in the punishment cell. 

Dark-cull (or -cully). A married 
man with a secret mistress (Grose). 



D ark- horse ( or D arfc' un ) . A horse 
whose pace is unknown to the backers ; 
figuratively, one about whom little is 
known. 

Dark-house, subs. (old). A mad- 
house. Shakespeare (All's Wett, etc., 
n. lii.) used it to denote the seat of 
gloom and discontent. 

Darkmans (Darks, Darky). The 
night, twilight (1567). English syno- 
nyms : blaokmans, bund, blindman's 
holiday (twilight). 

Darkman's - budge. A burglar's 
confederate : he slips into a house 
during the day, hides there, and opens 
the door at night (Grose). 

Darky (or Darkey). 1. A dark 
lantern, bull's eye. 2. The night, 
twilight: also (nautical) Darks. 3. 
A negro : see Snowball. 

Darn (Darned). Euphemistic for 
damn and damned ; used to 
avoid ' cussing bar' -foot.' Also Dor- 
nation, Dangnation, Darn burn it, 
and Darn (or Dash) my buttons (or 
wig). 

Dart. A straight-armed blow. 
D.A.'s. The menstrual flux: an 
abbreviation of Domestic afflictions 
(q.v.) 

Dash. 1. A tavern waiter. 2. (com- 
mon). A small quantity, a drink ; 
a go (q.v.). Also a small quantity 
of one fluid to give a flavour to another 
e.g. a lemon and a dash, a bottle of 
lemonade with just a suggestion of 
bitter beer in it. As verb, to adulterate 
Dash it f (or dash my buttons, wig, 
limbers, etc.) Expletives employed 
euphemistically, i.e. to damn. To 
cut a dash : see Cut. To have a dash 
on, to speculate largely or wildly, to 
go it strong. 

Dasher. 1. A showy prostitute. 
(1790). 2. An ostentatious or extra- 
vagant man or woman, an impetuous 
person, a clipper ; also latterly, a 
man or woman of fashion, a person of 
brilliant qualities, mental or physical : 
FT., genreitx-se. 

Daub. 1. An artist. 2. A bad 
picture. 

David. 1. See Davy. 2. (Ameri- 
can). A torpedo. 

David's Sow. Drunk as Daviffs 
(or Davy's) sow, beastly drunk: see 
Screwed. 

Davy. 1. An affidavit: e.g. So 
Jtelp (or s'welp) me davy, or Alfred 
Davy (q.v.): Fr., Je fen fous man 



128 



Davy's-dust. 



Dead-head. 



billet or won fcttt lurlntutu, I'll take 
my davy on it (176-i). Davy Jon&s, 
Davy, or Old Davy, the spirit of the 
sea, specifically the sailor's devil 
(1751). Whence, Davy Jones* locker, 
the ocean, specifically, the .grave ot 
them that perish at sea. The popular 
derivation ( = a corruption of Jonah's 
locker, i.e. the place where Jonah 
was kept and confined, and by im- 
plication the grave of all gone to the 
bottom, drowned or dead) is con- 
jectural. Davy putting on the coppers 
for the par&ons, the indications of a 
coming storm. Davy Jonetf natural 
children, smugglers, sea-rovers, pirates. 

Davy's-dust. Gunpowder. 

Dawb (or Daub). To bribe. 

Daylight. A glass that is not a 
bumper, skylight (q.v.) : obsolete. 
To burn daylight, to use artificial 
light before it is really dark, to waste 
time (1595). To let (or knock) day- 
light into one (into the victualling de- 
partment, or into the luncheon reservoir), 
to stab in the stomach, and, by im- 
plication, to kill : Fr., bayafer. 

Daylights. 1. The eyes. To 
darken one's daylights, to give a black 
eye, sew up one's sees (1752). 2. In 
sing., the space in a glass between 
liquor and brim : inadmissible in 
bumpers at toasts : the toast-master 
cries ' no daylights nor heeltaps ! * 

Deacon. To pack fruit, vegetables, 
etc., the finest on the top : of. Yankee 
proverb, All deacons are good, but 
there is odds in deacons. To deacon 
a calf, to kill. To deacon land, to 
filch land by gradually putting back 
one's fences into the highway or other 
common property. To deacon off, to 
give the cue, lead in debate. [From 
a custom, once universal but now 
almost extinct, in the New England 
Congregational churches. An im- 
portant function of the deacon's 
office was to read aloud the hymns 
given out by the minister one line at a 
time, the congregation singing each 
line as soon as read. This was called 
deaconing off.] 

Deacon - seat. In log cabins the 
sleeping apartment is partitioned off 
by poles. The bed is mother earth, 
the pillow is a log, the foot-board a 
long pole six feet from the fire and in 
the centre of the cabin. The deacon 
seat is a plank fixed over and running 
parallel with the footboard so as to 



form a kind of settee m front of the 
fire. [Probably in allusion to the 
seats round a pulpit, facing the con- 
gregation, reserved for deacons.] 

Deacon's Hiding-place. A private 
compartment in oyster saloons and 
cafes ; Fr., cabinet particulier. 

Dead. An abbreviation of dead 
certainty. As adj., stagnant, quiet 
(of trade), flat (as of beer or aerated 
waters after exposure), cold, good, 
thorough, complete (1602). Dead as 
a door nail (mvMon, a herring, a tent- 
peg, Julius Cc&sar, etc.), utterly, com- 
pletely dead. Dead as a door-aail is 
found in Langland's Piers Plowman 
all other forms are modern. 
dead earnest, without doubt, in 
very truth. Dead against, decidedly 
opposed to. Dead alive (or Dead- 
and-alive), dull, stupid, mopish, for- 
merly deadly - lively. Dead - amiss, 
incapacitated through illness from 
competing in a race : of horses. Dead- 
beat, a sponger, loafer, sharper. 2. 
A pick-me-up compounded of ginger, 
soda, and whisky. As verb, to 
sponge, loaf, cheat. As adj., ex- 
hausted. Dead broke, utterly penni- 
less, ruined : also flat (or stone) broke ; 
used verbally, to dead break. Eng- 
lish synonyms: wound up, settled, 
coopered, smashed up, under a cloud, 
cleaned out, cracked up, done up, on 
one's back, floored, on one's beam 
ends, gone to pot, broken- backed, all 
U. P., in the wrong box, stumped, 
feathered, squeezed, dry, gutted, 
burnt one's fingers, dished, in a bad 
way, gone up, gone by the board, 
made mince meat of, broziered, wil- 
lowed, not to have a feather to fly 
with, burst, fleeced, stony, pebble- 
beached, hi Queer Street, stripped, 
rooked, hard up, broke, hooped-up, 
strapped, gruelled. 

Dead-cargo. Booty of a disappoint- 
ing character. 

Dead-certainty. That which is sure 
to occur ; usually contracted to Dead 
or Cert, both of which see. Dead cut, 
see Cut. 

Dead-duck. That which has depre- 
ciated to the verge of worthlesaness. 

Deader. 1. A funeral, black - job 
(q.v.). 2. A corpse. 

Dead -frost. A fiasco, Columbus 
(q.v.) ; Fr., four noir. 

Dead-head (Dead-beat or Dead* 
hand). One who obtains - 



129 



Dead-Jieai. 



Dean. 



thing of commercial value without 
special payment or charge ; bpcc, a 
person who travels by rail, visits 
theatres, etc., by means of free passes. 
Also as verb. 

Dead-heat A race with an equal 
finish: formerly dead (1C35). 

Dead-horse/ 1. Work, the wages for 
which have been paid in advance ; 
by implication, distasteful, or thank- 
less labour : Fr., bijouterie. To pull 
the dead horse, to work for wages al- 
ready paid : Fr., manger du sale (1651). 
2. (West Indian). A shooting star. 
Among Jamaican negroes the spirits 
of horses that have fallen over pre- 
cipices are thought to re-appear in 
this form. To flog the dead horse, to 
work to no purpose, dissipate one's 
energy in vain, make much ado 
about nothing. 

Dead-letter. Anything that has 
lost its force or authority by lapse of 
time or other causes (1775). 

Deadlights. The eyes. 

Dead - lurk. The art of entering 
dwelling-houses during divine service 
(Jfayhew). 

Deadly. Very, extremely, ex- 
cessively: e.g. So deadly cunning 
a man ( Arbuthnot). 

Deadly-lively. Jovial against the 
grain and to no purpose. 

Deadly-nevergreen. The gallows, 
The leafless tree, The tree that bears 
fruit all the year round : see Nubbing- 



Dead-man. 1. An emply bottle: 
said to bear Moll Thompson's mark 
(Le. M.T.=sempty), English syno- 
nyms : camp-candlestick, fellow-com- 
moner, corpse, dummy, dead marine, 
dead recruit, dead 'un. 2. A loaf, 
over- charged, or marked down though 
not delivered. In London, dead 'un 
is a popular term for a half -quartern 
loaf. Also, by implication, a baker 
(1819). 3 (tailors'). In pL, Misfits ; 
hence, a scarecrow. 

Deadman's - lurk. Extortion of 
money from the relatives of deceased 
persons. 

Dead - meat. A corpse. English 
synonyms : cold meat, pickles (medical 
students' : for specimens direct from 
the subject), croaker, stiff, stiff 'un, 
dustman, cold pig. See Cold-meat 
train. 

D e a d - ni e n's - shoes. A situa- 
tion, property, or possession formerly 



130 



occupied or enjoyed by a person 
who is dead and buried. Waiting for 
dead men's shoes, looking forward to 
inheritances (1584). 

Dead-nap. A thorough -going 
rogue. 

Dead - nip. A plan or scheme of 
little importance which has turned out 
a failure, 

Dead-oh. In the last stage of intoxi- 
cation : see Screwed. 

Dead - on (or Dead nuts on). 
Originally, having some cause oi 
complaint or quarrel ; also, very fond 
of, having complete mastery over, 
sure hand at. 

Dead-set. A pointed and persist- 
ent effort or attempt (1781). 

Dead Sow's-eye. A badly worked 
button-hole. 

Dead-stuck. Said of actors who 
break down in the midst of a perform- 
ance through sudden lapse of memory. 

Dead-swag. Dead stock, or dead 
cargo (q.v.); plunder that cannot be 
disposed of. 

Dead-to-rights. Certain, without 
doubt. 

Dead-'un. 1. An uninhabited 
house. The cracksman who confines 
his attentions to * busting * of this 
kind is, in ITr., un nourrisseur. 2. A 
half-quartern loaf. 3. A horse des- 
tined to be scratched or not intended 
to win, and against which odds may 
be safely laid ; a safe 'un (q.v.). 4. 
An empty bottle. 5. An unpaid 
super. 

Dead-unit for (or against). Collec- 
tive advocacy of (or opposition to) a 
subject, principle, or line of action. 

Dead-wo od earnest. Quite earnest, 
dead on. 

Dead Wrong- 'un. See Wrong 'un. 

Deady (or Dead-eye). Gin ; a 
special brand of full proof spirit, Stark- 
naked (q.v.). [Prom Deady, a well- 
known gin-spinner.] (1819). 

Deal. There's a deal of glass about, 
said of men and things ; used as a 
compliment-=showy, it's the thing. 
To wet the deal, to ratify a bargain by 
drinking, to ' shake.' To do a deal, to 
conclude a bargain. 

Deal-suit. A coffin ; especially one 
supplied by the parish. 

Dean (Winchester College). A 
small piece of wood bound round a 
Bill-brighter (q.v.) ; that securing a 
faggot is called a Bishop. 



Dean&r. 



Deuce. 



Deansr. A shilling : see Rhino. 
Death. To be death on, very fond 
of, thoroughly master of a metaphor 
of completeness; the same as Dead 
on, Mark on, or Some pumpkins on. 
To dress to death, to attire oneself in 
the extreme of fashion. In America 
to dress within a ^nch of one's life ; to 
dress up drunk, and to dress to kitt. An 
old Cornish proverb has dressed to 
death like Sally Hatch (N. and Q., 3 
ser., vi. 6). 

Death hunter. 1. A vendor of the 
last dying speeches, or confessions of 
criminala ; a running patterer or 
stationer (1738). 2. An undertaker. 

Death or Glory Boys. See Bing- 
ham's Dandies. 

Debblish. A penny : see Rhino. 

Decent (Decently, Decentish). 
Moderate, tolerable, passably, fairly 
good. 

Decoy-bird (or duck). One em- 
ployed to decoy persons into a snare ; 
a Buttoner or Bug-hunter (q.v.) : Fr., 
aUumeur, chatou&leur, or arrangeur. 

D e c u s. A crown piece : see 
Rhino. [From the Latin motto, 
Decus et tutamen on the rims of these 
coins.] (1688). 

Dee. 1. A pocket-book or reader. 
2. A detective; also 'tec (q.v.). 3. 
See D, sense 2. 

Deeker. A thief kept in pay 
by a constable (Haggart). 

Deep. Artful, e.g. a deep one: 
cf. Wide (1672). 

Deerstalker. A felt hat : see Gol- 
gotha. 

Deferred-stock. Inferior soup. 

Degen (Began, or Dagen). A 
sword (1785). 

Delicate. A lurker's (q.v.) false 
subscription book. 

Dell. A young girl, virgin, 
young wanton : later, a mistress : cf. 
Doxy (1567). 

Delog. Gold : see Rhino. 

Delo-nammow. An old woman. 

Delve. To delve it* to hurry with 
one's work, head down and sewing fast. 

Demaunder for Glymmar. ' These 
Demaunders for Glymmar be for the 
moste parte wemen ; for glymmar hi 
their language, is fyre. These goe 
with fayned lycences and counter- 
f ayted wrytings, haumg the hands and 
seales of suche gentlemen as dwelleth 
nere to the place where they fayne 
them seines to haue bene burnt, and 



their goods consumed with fyre. They 
wyll most lamentable demaunde your 
charitie, and wyll quicklye shed salte 
teares, they be so tender harted. 
They wyll neuer begge in that Shiere 
where their losses (as they say) was ' 
(Barman). 

Demi-doss. A penny sleep. 

Demi-rep. A woman of doubtful 
repute. [A contraction of demi- 
reputation.] (1750). 

Demnition Bow-wows. The 
* dogs ' which spell ' ruin.' Originally a 
Dickensism. 

Demon (Australian prison). 1. 
A policeman. 2. An adept; e.g. 
the demon bowler=Mr. Spofforth ; 
the demon jocfcey^Fordham or Fred 
Archer, and so forth. 

Den. A place where intimates are 
received ; one's diggings, or snug- 



A small walking stick 

Dep. 1. A deputy; specifically the 
night porter or chamberlain at padding 
or doss-kens. 2. (Christ's Hospital). 
A deputy Grecian, i.e. a boy m the 
form below the Grecians. 

D e r r e y. An eyeglass. To take 
the derrey, to quiz, ridicule. 

Derrick. The gallows. [A cor- 
ruption of Theodoric, the name of the 
public hangman at the end of the 
sixteenth and the beginning of the 
seventeenth centuries.] Now the name 
of an apparatus, resembling a crane. 
Also as verb, to hang (1600): see 
Nubbing-cheat. 

Derwenter. A convict. [From the 
penal settlement on the banks of the 
Derwent, Tasmania.] 

Despatchers. False dice with two 
sides, double four, five, and six. 

Desperate (and Desperately), 
generic for excessiveness ; e.g. des 
perately mashed, over head and ears 
in love. 

Detrimental. An ineligible suitor ; 
also a male flirt. 

Detrimental-club. The Reform 
Club. 

Deuce (Dewce, or Dense). 1. The 
devil ; perdition. Also used as an 
ejaculation, e.g. the deuce 1 what the 
deuce / who the deuce I deuce take you J 
etc. 2. Twopence : see Rhino (1714). 
3. The two at dice or cards. To play 
the deuce (or devil) with, to send, or 
be sent, to rack and ruin. The deuce 
to pay, unpleasant or awkward con- 



jseo'jcncpi to bs faced : see Dei'J, to 
1 '''/- 

Deuced. Denbsh, e^c.^ive, con- 
founded. Also adverbially. 

De.ues. - ville. The country: see 
Daisyvills. 

Detisea-ville Stampers. Country 
earners. 

Devil. 1. Formerly, a barrister 
who devils, or gets up, a case for a 
leader ; as in A Talc of Two Cities, 
Sydney Carton for Mr. Stryver. Now 
com mon. for any one hacking for 
a7:ther. 2. An errand boy or young 
apprentice ; in the early days of the 
craft, the boy who took the printed 
sheets as they came from the press : 
Fr., attrape- science (1754). 3. A kind 
of sharpened anchor, at the bows of a 
trawler, for cutting the nets of drifters 
in the Xorth Sea. 4. A firework 
(1742). 5. Gm seasoned with capsi- 
cums. 6. A grilled bone seasoned with 
mustard and cayenne. 7. A sand- 
storm. 8. A species of firewood 
soaked in resin. The (or a) devil of [a 
thiaj], an indefinite intensitive : e.g. 
devil of a mess, of a woman, of a 
row, etc. (1602). American devil, a 
steam whistle or hooter : used in 
place of a bell for summoning to 
work. JBlue devils: see ante. little 
(or young) devil, a half playful, half 
sarcastic, address ; a term of endear- 
ment ; e.g. You little devil. As verb, 

1. To act as a Devil (q.v.), to perform 
routine or regular work for another. 

2. To victimize. What who, when, 
where, or how the devil, an expletive of 
wonder, vexation, etc. To play the 
devil with, to ruin or molest. To 
puU the devil by the tail, to go headlong 
to ruin; also to be reduced to one's 
last shift. To whip the devil round 
the stump, to enjoy the sweets of 
wickedness and yet escape the penalty. 
Haul devil, pvU baker, to contend with 
varying fortunes. And the devil Jcno ws 
what, (or who), a term used vaguely 
and indefinitely to include details 
not specifically mentioned or known 
(1717). To go to the devil, to go to 
rack and ruin. Go to the devil I Begone ! 
a summary form of dismissal with no 
heed as to what may become of the 
person who is sent about his business, 
To hold a light or candle to (or "burn a 
candle "before} the devil, to propitiate 
through fear, to assist (or wink at) 
wrongdoing. Shakespeare (* Merchant 



of Venice,' act n. sc. vi), employe 
' What ! must I hold a candle to my 
sharae,* in much the same sense. Not 
fit to fold a candle to the devil, a simile 
of inferiority. To hold a candle to 
another, to assist in, occupy a sub- 
ordinate position, or to compare to 
another (1461). The devil (or the 
devil and aU) to pay, a simile of fruit- 
less effort; awkward consequences 
to be faced. [Nautical : originally, 
There's the devil to pay and no pitch 
hot ; the devil being any seam in a 
vessel, awkward to caulk, or in sailor's 
language ' to pay.' Hence by con- 
fusion, The deuce to pay (q.v.).] 
(1711). Tolls of the devil and you'tt 
see his horns or tail, said of a person 
who, being the subject of conversation, 
unexpectedly makes an appearance. 
FT., parlez des anges et vous en voyez 
les ailes (1664). Devil may care, 
rollicking, reckless, rash ( 1 822). Devil 
take (fetch, send, snatch, or fly away 
with) you, me, him ! an imprecation 
of impatience. Fr., le boulanger 
fentrotte en son pasclin. There*$ the 
devil among the tailors f a row is going 
on. [Edwards: Originating hi a 
riot at the Haymarket when Dow- 
ton announced the performance, for 
bis benefit, of a burlesque entitled 
* The Tailors : a Tragedy for Warm 
Weather.* Many thousands of jour- 
neymen tailors congregated, and 
interrupted the performances. Thirty- 
three were brought up at Bow Street 
next day. See Biographica Drama- 
tica under * Tailors.'] When the 
devil is blind, never, i.e. in a month 
of Sundays ; said of anything unlikely 
to happen : see Greek Kalends. 

Devil-dodger. A clergyman: also, 
by implication, any one of a religious 
turn of mind (1791). English syno- 
nyms : devil catcher (driver, pitcher, 
or scolder), snub devil, bible pounder, 
duck that grinds the gospel mill, corn- 
mister, camister, sky-pilot, chimney- 
sweep, rat, rum (Johnson), pantfler, 
cushion smiter (duster, or thumper), 
couple (or buckle) beggar, rook, gospel 
grinder, earwig, one-in-ten (tramps = 
a tithe-monger), finger-post, parish 
prig, parish bull, holy Joe, green 
apron, black cattle (collectively), 
white choker, patrico, black coat, 
black fly, glue pot, gospel postilion, 
prunella, pudding-sleeves, puzzle-text, 
schism - monger, cod, Black Bruns- 



132 



Devil-drawer. 



Deiv-beaters. 



wicker, spiritual flesh-broker, head- 
clerk of the Doxology Works, Lady 
Green, fire-escape, gospel sharp, padre 
(Anglo-Indian), pound-text. 

Devil-drawer. An indifferent 
artist. 

Devilish. Used intensively : cf. 
Awfully, beastly (1755). 

Devil's Bed-posts (or Four- 
poster ). The four of clubs ; held 
to be an unlucky ' turn up.' 

Devil' s-bones. Dice; also Devil's 
teeth, Devil's books (1664). 

DeviPs-books. Cards. [Of Pres- 
byterian origin ; in reproof of a syno- 
nym King's books, or more fully, 
The History of the Four Kings (Fr., 
livre des quatre rois).~\ Also Books of 
Briefs (Fr., la cartouchiere a portees) 
(1729). 

Devil's-claws. The broad arrow on 
convict dress. 

DeviTs-colours (or livery). Black 
and yellow. 

Devil's-daughter. A shrew. 

Devil's-delight. To kick up the 
devil's delight, to make a disturbance 
(1854). 

Devil' s-dozen. Thirteen; the 
original of baker's dozen (q.v.). 
[From the number of witches sup- 
posed to sit down together at a ' Sab- 
bath.* Fr., boulanger=the devil.] 

Devil's - dung, subs. (old). Asa- 
fo?tida : the old pharmaceutical name 
(1604). 

Devil' s-dust. 1. Old cloth shredded 
for re-manufacture. [In twofold al- 
lusion to the swindle and to the ' dust * 
or * flock ' produced by the disinteg- 
rating machine called a ' devil.* The 
practice and the name are old. Lati- 
mer, in one of his sermons before Ed- 
ward the Sixth, treating of trade 
rascality, remarked that manufac- 
turers could stretch cloth seventeen 



bed too. Not7 they have turned 
their flocks into powder, to play the 
false thieves with it.' Popularised by 
Mr. Ferrand in a speech" before the 
House of Commons, March 4, 1S42 
(Hansard, 3 S., bri. p. 140), when he 
tore a piece of cloth made from devil's 
dust, into shreds to prove its worth- 
lessness.] Also Shoddy (q.v.) (1840). 
2. Gunpowder. 

Devil's-guts. A surveyor's chain 
(1785). 

Devil's Own (The). 1. The Eighty- 
Eighth Foot. [A contraction of The 
Devil's Own Connaught Boys, a name 
bestowed by General Picton for 
gallantry in action and irregularity in 
quarters during the Peninsular War, 
1809-14.] 2. The Inns of Court 
Volunteers [in allusion to the legal 
personnel] (1864). 

Devil' s-paternoster. To say the 
devtfs paternoster, verb. phr. (old). 
To grumble (1614). 

Devil's-playthings. Cards : also 
Devil's books. 

Devil* s-sharpshooter. A cleric who 
took part in the Mexican War. 

Devil's - smiles. April weather, 
alternations of sunshine and rain. 

Devil's - tattoo. Drumming the 
fingers or tapping the floor with one's 
feet, in vacancy or impatience (1817). 
Devil's-teeth. See Devil's-bones. 
[Also to note in this connexion are 
DeviTa oum boy, a young blackguard ; 
imp of the devil, idem; Devil's own 
ship, a pirate ; JDeviPs own luck, un- 
common, or inexplicable good fortune. 
To lead one the devil's own dance, to 
baffle one in the pursuit of any object ; 
The devil a "bit, says Punch, a jocular 
yet decided negative ; and Neat but 
not gaudy, as the devil said when he 
painted his bottom pink and tied up his 
tail with pea green, a locution em- 



yards long, into a length of seven-and- ployed of aged ladies dressed in flam- 
twenty yards : * When they have ing colours.] 
brought him to that perfection,' he Deviltry. A vulgarism for 



continues, *they have a pretty feat 
to thick him again. He makes me a 
powder for it, and plays the pothicary. 
They call it flock-powder, they do so 
incorporate it to the cloth, that it is 
wonderful to consider ; truly a good 
invention. Oh that so goodly wits 
should be so applied ; they may well 
deceive the people, but they cannot 
deceive God. They were wont to 
make beds of flocks, and it was a good 



1 try. 
devilry. 

D e v o r (Charterhouse). Plum 
cake. [From the Latin.] 

Devotional - habits. Said of a 
horse that is apt to ' say his prayers/ 
i.e. to stumble and go on his knees. 

Dew-beaters (dusters, or 
treaders). 1. Pedestrians out early 
in the morning, i.e. before the dew 
is off the ground (1692). 2. The 
feet : see Creepers. 3. Shoes. 

133 



Dew-bit. 



Die-Hards. 



Dew-bit. A snack before break- 
fast. 

Dew-drink. A drink before break- 
fast : Fr., goutie pour tuer le ver, i.e. 
io drown tne maggot, or, to crinkle 
t'ae worm. Xot, of course, the early 
worm, of the proverb, but his spiritual 
cousin, the worm that never dies. 

Dewitt. To Ijnch. [The two De 
Witts, opponents of William of Orange, 
were massacred by the mob in 1672, 
without subsequent inquiry.] Cf. 
Boycott, Burke, Cellier (1690). 

Dewse-a-Vyle. The country: see 
Daisyville (1507). 

Dewskitch. A thrashing. 

Dial (or Dial-plate). The face. To 
turn ike hands on the dial, to disfigure 
the face. English synonyms : frontis- 
piece, gills (the jaws), chump (also 
the head), phiz, physog, mug, jib, 
chivy (or chevy), roach and dace 
(rhyming), signboard, door - plate, 
front- window. 

Dials. Convicts and thieves hailing 
from Seven Dials. 

Diamond - cracking. 1. Stone- 
breaking. 2. Coal mining. Cf. Black 
diamonds. 

Dibs (or Dibbs). Generic for money : 
see Rhino. [Said to be a corruption 
of diobs, i.e. diobolus, a classic coin= 
2|d. Another derivation is from the 
hucklebones of sheep, popularly dibbs, 
used for gambling ; Scots * chuckles.*] 
To brush with the dibs, to abscond with 
the cash ; To tip over the dilis, to pay 
down or shell out ; To flash the dibs., 
to show money, etc. 

Dice. To box the dice, to carry a 
point by trick or swindle. 

Dick. 1. A dictionary, a Richard 
(q.v.) ; also, by implication, fine 
language or long words. 2. A riding 
whip. 3. An affidavit. 4. An Irish 
Catholic : see Crawthumper. As verb, 
to look, Pipe (q.v.) ; e.g. the bulky's 
di eking, the policeman is watching 
you: FT., gaffer: see Pipe. Dick in 
the green, weak, inferior : of. Dicky. 
In the reign of Queen Dick, never, 
when two Sundays come in a week : 
see Greek Kalends. To swallow the 
Dick, to use long words without know- 
ledge of their meaning, to high f alute 
(American). Up to Dick, not to be 
taken in, artful, By, wide-awake. 
Also, up to the mark, i.e. perfectly 
satisfactory. 

Dickens. The devil (q.v.) or 



deuce (q.v.) (1596), used interchange- 
ably. [A corruption of nick (q.v.).] 
For synonyms, see Skipper. 

Dicker (or Dickering). Barter, 
swap (q.v.) : generally applied to trade 
in small articles. 

Dickey. 1. A woman's under pet- 
ticoat. 2. A donkey (1766). 3. A 
sham shirt front, formerly a worn-out 
shirt. [Hotten : originally tommy 
(from the Greek, T-O/EW/, a section), a 
word once used in Trinity Collage, 
Dublin.] Also, by implication, any 
sham contrivance (1781). 4. A shirt 
collar (De Fere). 5. A ship's officer 
or mate ; second dickey, i.e. second 
mate. 6. A swell : see Dandy. As 
adj., 1. Sorry, inferior, paltry and poor 
in quality. Dickey aormts (theatri- 
cal), a poor house. 2. Smart: cor- 
ruption of Up tu dick (q.v.). AU 
dickey with [one}, queer, gone wrong 
all up with (1811). 

Dickey-bird. 1. A louse: see 
Chates. 2. (pi.) Professional singers 
of all grades. 3. A prostitute ; gener- 
ally naughty dickey-bird. 

Dickey-diaper, A linen-draper. 
Dickey-dido. An idiot : see 
Buffle. 

Dickey -lagger. A bird-catcher. 
Dickey-sam. A native of Liverpool. 
Diddles. The paps. 
Diddle. 1. Gin : see Drinks. 2. 
A swindle, do. As verb, 1. To 
cheat (1811). 2. (Scots colloquial). 
To shake. 

Diddle-cove. A landlord. 
Diddler. A cheat, a dodger. [Cf. 
Jeremy Diddler, in Kenny's Raising 
the Wind."] Also a chronic borrower. 

Didoes. Pranks, tricks, fantastic 
proceedings. 

Die (or Dee). A pocket book. To 
die in one's boots (or shoes). 1. To be 
hanged: see Ladder (1653). 2. To 
' die standing ' : at work, in harness, 
in full possession of one's faculties. 
See Cotton. 

Die - by - the - Hedge. The flesh 
of animals deceased by accident or of 
disease ; hence, inferior meat. 

Die - Hards. The Fifty-Seventh 
Foot. [From the rallying call at 
Albuera (1811) its Colonel (Inglis) 
calling to the men, ' Die hard, my men, 
die hard,* when it had thirty bullets 
through the King's Colour, and only 
had one officer out of twenty-four, and 
one hundred and sixty-eight men, out 



134 



Dig. 



Dip. 



of five hundred and eighty-four, when 
left standing.] 

Dig. LA blow, thrust, punch, or 
poke ; in pugilism, a ' straight left- 
hander ' delivered under the guard on 
the 'mark' (1819). Also as verb. 
English synonyms : auctioneer, biff, 
bang, buck-horse, buster, chatterer, 
chin - chopper, chopper, clip, click, 
clinker, clout, cock, cork, comber, 
cuff, cant, corker, dab, downer, douser, 
ding, domino, floorer, ferricadouzer, 
fibbing, facer, flush - hit, finisher, 
gooser, hot 'un, jaw-breaker, lick, 
mendoza, muzzier, noser, nobbier, 
nose-ender, nope, oner, punch, stock- 
dollager, stotor, spank, topper, twister, 
whack, wipe. 2. A diligent student : 
(by implication from the verb (q.v.) ; 
also study ; e.g. to have a dig at Ctesar 
or Xavy ; as verb, to work hard ; especi- 
ally to study. To dig a day under the 
skin, to make one shave serve two 
days. To dig up the "hatchet : see Bury. 

Digester. See Patent digester. 

Digged. See Jigged. 

Diggers. 1. Spurs, persuaders 
(1789). 2. The spades suit- also 
Diggums. Big digger, ace of spades. 
3. The finger nails. 

Diggers' -delight. A wide-brimmed 
felt hat : see Golgotha. 

Diggings. A place of residence or 
employment. [First used at the 
Western lead mines in the U.S.A. to 
denote whence ore was dug.] Eng- 
lish synonyms : birk, box, case, crib, 
chat, den, dry-lodgings, drum, place, 
pig- sty, pew, cabin, castle, chaffing- 
crib, caboose, sky-parlour, shop, ken, 
dossing - ken, hole, rookery, hutch, 
hang-out. 

Diggums. 1. A gardener. 2. 
The suit of spades ; also Diggers (q.v.). 

Dil berries. Foacal and seminal 
deposits : clinkers. 

Dilly. A night cart; formerly 
a coach. [Fr., diligence.'] 

Dilly-bag. A wallet, scran-bag. 

Dilly-dally. To loiter, hesitate, 
trifle (1740). 

Dimber. Pretty, neat, lively, 
scrumptious, natty. Fr., batif, fignde, 
girofle. Dimber cove, a sprightly man, 
a gentleman. Dimber mort, a pretty 
girL 

Dimber -damber. A captain of 
thieves or vagrants. 

Dimmock. Generic for money : see 
Rhino. 



Dinahs. Edinburgh and Glasgow 
Railway Ordinary Stock. 

Dinarly (or Dinah) Money : gen- 
eric : see Rhino. Nantee (or Nanti 
Dinarly), no money : Sp., dinero ; 
lingua 'Franca, niente. dinaro, not a 
penny. 

Dine. To dine, out, to go dinnerless. 
To dine with Duke Humphrey, Take a 
Sptialfields breakfast (or an Irishman's 
dinner), go out and count the railings. 
Fr., Se coucher bredouitte (to go to bed 
supperless) ; otter voir defter lea dragons 
(to go and watch the dragoons march 
past) ; diner en vfile (to dine in town : 
i.e. to munch a roll in the street or to 
eat nothing), lire le journal. 

Ding. To knock, strike down, 
pound, or give way : also to get rid 
of, pass to a confederate, steal by a 
single effort. To ding a castor, to 
snatch a hat and run with it : the 
booty being dinged if it has to be 
thrown away. Going upon the ding, to 
go on the prowL Ding ike tot \ run 
away with the lot ! (1340). 

Ding -bat. Money : see Rhino. 
Ding-boy. A rogue, bully (Grose). 
Ding-dong. To go at it (or to it) 
ding-dong, to tackle with vigour, or in 
right good earnest. Formerly, helter- 
skelter (Orose, 1785). 

Dinge (Royal Military Academy). 
A picture or painting. 

Dinged. Darned (damned), some- 
times Ding-gonedL 

Dinger. I. A thief who throws 
away his booty to escape detection : 
see Ding. 2. In pi., cups and balls ; 
Fr., gobelets et muscades. 
Ding-fury. Huff, anger. 
Ding-goned. See Dinged. 
Dingle. Hackneyed, used up 
(1786). 

Dining - room. The mouth : see 
Potato - trap. Dining - room chairs, 
the teeth ; also Dinner-set (q.v.) : see 
Grinders. 

Dining-room Post. Petty pilfering 
by sham postmen. 

Dink. Dainty, trim (1794). 
Dinner-set. The teeth. Your 
dinner-set wants looking to, you need 
to go to the dentist. 

Dip. 1. A pickpocket; also Dip- 
per and Dipping-bloke : see Stook- 
hauler. 2. A stolen kiss, especially 
one snatched in the dark. 3, (West- 
minster School). A pocket inkstand 
4. A candle made by dipping the wick 



135 



Dipe. 



Do. 



in tallow. As verb ( 1 ) To pick pockets 
To dip a lob, to rob a till : also to go on 
the dipe, to go pocket- picking : see 
Frisk (2) To pawn, mortgage (1G93). 
(3) To be convicted, get into trouble. 
To dip one's beak, to drink : see Lush. 

Dipe. See Dip. 

Dipped. Dipped 'in the w&ng. 
Worsted. 

Dipper. 1. A baptist (Grose). 2. 
See Dip. 

Dipping-bloke. See Dip. 

Dips. I. A purser's boy. 2. A 
grocer. 

Dipstick. A gauger. 

Dirt. Money : generic : see Rhino. 
To eat dirt, to submit to insult, eat 
broiled crow, or humble pie (q.v.) ; to 
retract. To fling dirt (or mud), to 
abuse, vituperate (1689). To cut 
dirt. See Cut. 

Dirt-baillie. An inspector of 
nuisances. 

Dirt - scraper. An advocate who 
rakes up unpleasant facts in a witness's 
past. 

Dirty -dishes. Poor relations. 

Dirty Half-Hundred. The Fiftieth 
Foot. [From the fact that, in action, 
during the Peninsular Wax, the men 
wiped their faces with their black fac- 
ings.] Also the Blind Half- Hundred. 

Dirty -puzzle. A slut (Grose). 

Dirty-shirt March. On Sunday 
mornings the male population of Drury 
Lane, Whitechapel, and other crowded 
districts loaf about the streets, before 
attiring themselves in their Sunday 
clothes. This promenade is called a 
Dirty-shirt march. 

Dirty-shirts. The Hundred 
and First Foot. [They fought in 
their shirt-sleeves at Delhi in 1857-] 

Disgruntled. Offended : colloquial 
in U.S.A. Undisgruntled, unoftencled. 

Disguised. Drunk : see Screwed 
(1622). 

Dish. To cheat, circumvent, dis- 
appoint, to ruin (1798). 

Dish-clout. A dirty-puzzle, 
slattern. To make a napkin of one's 
dish-clout, to marry one's cook, eon- 
tract a mesalliance (Grose). 

Dished. Said of electrotypes when 
the centre of a letter is lower than 
its edges. 

Dismal -ditty. A psalm sung by a 
criminal at the gallows. 

Dispar /Winchester College). See 
Cat's-head 



136 



Dispatches. False dice ; con- 
trived always to throw a nick. See 
Doctor. 

Dissecting - job. Garments re- 
quiring extensive alterations. 

Distiller. A man easily vexed, 
and unable to dissemble his condition. 

Ditto-blues (Winchester College). 
A suit of clothes all of blue cloth : 
cf. Dittoes. 

Ditto Brother (or Sister) Smut. 
See Brother Smut. 

Dittoes. A complete suit of clothes 
of the same material. FT., un com- 
plet. Occasionally applied to trousers 
only. 

Ditty-bag. A handy bag, used by 
sailors as a * huswife.' [Deft, Dight 
= neat, active, handy.] 

Dive. A drinking saloon ; also ^ a 
brothel. As verb, to pick pockets : 
see Frisk. Diving, picking pockets 
(1631). To dive into one's sky, to put 
one's hands into one's pockets. To 
dive into the woods, to conceal oneself. 

Diver (or Dive). A pickpocket (as 
Jenny Diver in ' The Beggar's Opera *) 
dip (q.v.) : see Thief (1608). 

Divers. The fingers : see Forks. 

Divide. To divide the house with 
one's^ wife, to turn her out-of-doors. 

Diving-bell. A cellar- tavern : cf. 
Dive : and see Lush-crib. 

Do. 1. A fraud (1812). 2. One's 
duty, a success, performance of what 
one has to do; once literary (1663). 
As verb, (1) to cheat : see Gammon 
(1789). 2. To punish (q.v.). 3. To 
visit a place ; e.g. to do Italy, to do 
the Bow, to do the High (at Oxford), 
etc. FT., fa^re is used in the same 
sense ; faire ses Acacias, i.e. to walk 
or drive in the Attee des Acacias. 4. 
To perform, to come (q.v.) ; to do the 
pohte, to be polite; to do a 6oofc,to write 
one ; to do the heavy (the grand, or the 
genteel), to put on airs (1767). 5. To 
utter base coin or Queer (q.v.). Do 
as I do, an invitation to drink. See 
Drinks. To do a beer (or a bitter, a 
drink, or a drop), to take a drink. To 
do a bUk. See Bilk. To do a bitt, 
to utter an acceptance or bill of ex- 
change. To do a bishop, to parade at 
short notice. To do a bit, to eat some- 
thing ; of. to do a beer. To do a 
bunk (or shift), to ease nature: see 
Bury a quaker, and Mrs. Jones. Also, 
to go away. To do a crib, to break 
into a house, to burgle : Fr., maqufller 



Do. 



Dodder. 



une cambriole : see Crack a crib. To 
do a guy (1) to ran away, make an. 
escape. (2) To absent oneself when 
supposed to be at work. To do a nob, 
to make a collection. To do a pitch : 
see Pitch. To do a rush, see Rush. 
To do a snatch : see Snatch. To do 
a star pitch, to sleep in the open air : 
FT., loger d la belle, etmle : see Hedge 
Square. To do a brown : see Brown 
and Bamboozle : also to do brown and 
to do it up brown. To do for (1) to 
ruin: also to fall (1650). (2) To 
attend on (as landladies on lodgers). 
(3) To convict, sentence. Done, for, 
convicted. To do or play gooseberry : 
see Gooseberry. To do gospel, to go to 
church. To do the handsome (or the 
handsome thing), to behave extremely 
well to one. To do it away, to dispose 
of stolen goods : also To do the swag 
(q.v.), Fence (q.v.). To do it on the 
B. H., to perform with ease. To do 
it up, to accomplish an object in view, 
obtain one's quest. To do if up in 
good twig, to live an easy life by one's 
wits. To do one proud, to flatter : 
e.g. Will you drink ? You do me 
proud. To do out, to plead guilty and 
exonerate an accomplice. To do over 
(1) to knock down, persuade, cheat, 
rain (1789). (2) To search a victim's 
pockets without his knowing it : cf . 
run the rule over. To do potty, to 
pick oakum in gaol. To do one^s 
business, to kill : see Cook one's goose. 
Also (vulgar), to evacuate. To do the 
downy to lie in bed. Downy flea pas- 
ture, a bed. To do the swag, to sell 
stolen property : Fr., laver la camelote 
or lea fourgueroles. To do the trick, to 
accomplish one's object. To do time, 
to serve a term of imprisonment. To 
do to death, to repeat ad nauseam. To 
do to tie to, to be fit to associate with ; 
trustworthy. To do up, to use up, 
finish, quiet. Done up, tired out, 
ruined, sold up: see Floored (1594). 
For the rest, do, like Chuck and Cop, 
is a verb-of-all-work, and is used in 
every possible and impossible connec- 
tion. Thus, To do reason and To do 
right, to honour a toast ; To do a bit of 
stiff, to draw a bill ; To do a chuck, to 
eject, or to go away; To do a sip 
(back slang), to make water ; To do a 
eat, to vomit; To do a hall (or a 
theatre), to visit a music hall or a play- 
house ; To do a fluff (theatrical), to 
forget one's part ; To do a pitch (show- 



man's or street artists'), to go through 
a performance ; To do a mouch (or a 
mike), to go on the prowl ; To do a 
grouse, to go questing for women ; To 
do a doss, to go to sleep ; To do a 
cadge, to go begging ; To do a scrap, 
to engage in combat ; to do a rural, to 
' rear ' by the wayside ; etc. Do tell t 
intj. A useful interjection, for lis- 
teners who feel that some remark is 
expected ; equivalent to the English 
Re.illy ? and Indeed ? A similar 
phrase in the South is the old English, 
You don't say so ? which a Yankee 
will vary by, I want to know ! Do 
tell is also used with inexperienced 
Munchausens who by its means may 
often be lured to repeat themselves 
(1824). 

Doash. A cloak : see Capella. 
Dobbin. Ribbon. Dobbin rig, 
stealing ribbon. 

Dock. 1. The weekly work bill or 
Pole (q.v.). 2. The hospital As 
verb, (1) (Winchester College), to 
scratch out, tear out (as from albook) ; 
also to strike down. To go into dock, 
to undergo salivation. 

Docker. 1. A brief handed to 
counsel by a prisoner in the dock. 
Legal etiquette compels acceptance if 
' marked * with a minimum fee of 
1, 3s. 6d. 2. A dock labourer. 

Dock -walloper. A loafer ; one who 
loiters about docks and wharves ; also 
an unemployed emigrant. 

Dockyarder. A skulker : cf . Straw- 
yarder (q.v.). 

Dockyard-horse. An officer better 
at correspondence than at active 
service. 

Doctor. 1. A false die ; sometimes 
a manipulated card. To put the 
doctor on one, to cheat. 2. An adulter- 
ant. To keep the. doctor, to make a 
practice of adulterating liquor. 3. 
Brown sherry. [Because a doctored 
(q.v). wine.] 4. A ship's cook. 5. 
(Winchester College). The head 
master. 6. The last throw of dice or 
ninepins. As verb, (1) to patch, adul- 
terate, falsify, cook. (2) To poison a 
horse. 

Doctor Draw-fart. A wandering 
quack. 

Doctored. Patched, adulterated, 
falsified, cooked. 

Dod-burn it ! A euphemistic oath ; 
on the model of Dadbinged (q.v.). 
Dodder. Burnt tobacco taken 



137 



Dodderer. 



Dog's-ea'fed. 



froia the bottom of a pipe and placed 
on the top of a fresh plug to give a 
stronger flavour. 

Dodderer. A meddler; always in 
contempt. Sometimes doddering old 
sheep's head, which also=sa fool. 

Doddy. In Norfolk a person of 
low stature. Sometimes kodrnandod 
and hoddy-doddy, " all head and no 
body.' Dodman (dialect), a snail. 

Dodf etched. A euphemistic oath. 
Most of its kind have originated in 
New England, where the descend- 
ants of the Puritans form the largest 
portion of the population. 

Dodgasted. See Dodf etched. 

Dodge. To trick, swindle, elude. 
Used in various combinations : The 
pious dodge, a pretence of piety ; The 



chiding ; e.g. a sad dog, gay dog, old 
dog, etc. : see Cove. Sometimes 
adjectively=male ; An old dog at 
it, expert, or accustomed to (1596). 
2. A burglar's iron : see Jemmy. To 
go (or throw) to the dogs, see Go and 
Demnition Bow-wows. Hair of the 
dog tltat bit you : see Hair. To blush 
like a, blue dog : see Blush. Dog biting 
dog, said of actors who spitefully 
criticise each others' performance. 
Dog in a blanket, a pudding of pre- 
served fruit spread on thin dough, 
rolled up, and boiled ; also Roly-poly 
and Stocking. Like a dog in shoes, a 
pattering sound ; as the noise of a 
brisk walk. Dog in the manger, a 
selfish churl; who does not want 
himself, yet will not let others enjoy. 



tidy-dodge, begging in the streets with [From the fable.] (1621). To go to 
tidily but poorly dressed children, the dogs : see Go. To let sleeping dogs 
etc. Also, Nart ( 1708) : see Lay. lie : see Sleeping dogs. 

Dodger. 1. A trickster : e.g. the Dogberry. A magistrate or stupid 
* Artful Dodger j_ (Dickens, Oliver constable : see Beak and Copper. 
~ ~ " ----- [From Much Ado about Nothing.] 

Dog-cheap. Very cheap, of little 
worth, foolish. [Skeat : from Swed.* 
dog, very ; Latham : the first syllable 
is god = good, transposed + cheap, 
from chapman, a merchant hence, 
a good bargain.] FT., ban marchfi 
(1598). 

Dog-collar. A stand-up shirt 
collar, an all-rounder (q v.). 

Dog-drawn (old), adj., phr. Said 
of a bitch from which a dog has been 
removed by force. 

Dogger (Charterhouse). To 
cheat, sell rubbish. 

Doggery. 1. Transparent cheating : 
of. Dogger. [Carlyle in Frederick uses 
doggery = the doings of a scurvy set of 
soldiers.] 2. A low drinking saloon. 

Doggoned, A euphemistic oath. 

Doggy. A batty in the mining 
districts is a middleman ; a doggy is 
his manager. As adj., (1) Connected 
with, or relating to dogs. (2) Stylish. 

Dog -Latin. Barbarous or sham 
Latin ; also Kitchen, Bog, Garden, or 
Apothecaries' Latin. 

Dogs. 1. Sausages; otherwise bags 
of mystery (q.v.), or chambers 
of horrors (q.v.). 2. Newfoundland 
Land Company's shares; now amal- 
gamated with the Anglo - American 
United, and called Anglos. 

Dog's-body. Pease pudding. 

Dog's-eared. Crumpled, as the 



tff, ch. viii.) : Fr., fire ficelle, to be 
a dodger (1611). 2. A dram; pro- 
vincially, a nightcap : see Go. 3. A 
hard-baked cake or biscuit : usually 
corn - dodger, or when mixed with 
beef, beef-dodgers. 4. A handbill. 

Dodo. A stupid old man. 

Dodrotted. A euphemistic oath. 

Does. Does it ? A sarcastic 
retort. Does your mother know you're 
out " A popular locution, vague as 
to meaning and inexact in application 
an expression expressive of con- 
tempt, incredulity, sarcasm, anything 
you please. English variants : Has your 
mother sold her mangle ? Not to- 
day, or it won't do, Mr. Ferguson ! 
Sawdust and treacle ! Draw it mild ! 
And the rest ! Who are you ? All 
round my hat ! Go it, ye cripples I 
Shoo, fly ! How does the old thing 
work ? Well, yon know how it is 
yourself ! How's your poor feet ? 
Why, certainly ! "!i have your 
whelk ! Not to-day, baker, call to- 
morrow, and we'll take a crusty one ! 
Do you see any green in my eye ? 
Put that in your pipe and smoke it 1 
Where are you going on Sunday ? 
Go to Putney ! Who stole the donkey : 
the man in the white hat ! Cough, 
Julia ! Over the bender ! There you 
go with your eye out ! etc., etc. 

Dog. LA man; sometimes used 
contemptuously (cf. Cat, a woman), 



but more frequently in half-serious leaves of a page with, much reading. 

138 



Dog's-meat. 



Donkey. 



Dog's-meat. Anything worthless : 
as a bad book, a common tale, a 
villainous picture, etc. 

Dog-shooter. 1. A volunteer. 2. 
(Royal Military Academy). Cadets 
thus term a student -who accelerates, 
that is, who, being pretty certain of 
not being able to obtain a commission 
in the engineers, or not canng for it, 
elects to join a superior class before 
the end of the term. 

Dog*s-nose. A mixture of gin and 
beer : see Drinks. 

Dog's - paste. Sausage or mince- 
meat. 

Dog's - portion. A lick and a 
smell, i.e. next to nothing. 

Dog's-sleep. The lightest possible 
form of slumber. 

Dog's-soup. Water: see Adam'd 
ale and Fish broth. 

Dog's-tail. The constellation of 
Ursa minor or Little Bear. 

Dog - stealer. A dog-dealer : sar- 
castic. 

Doldrums. Low spirits; the dumps 
or hump (q.v.). [Properly parts of 
the ocean near the Equator abounding 
in calms and light, baffling winds.] 

Dole (Winchester College). A 
stratagem or trick. [Latin dolus.'] 

D o 1 i fi e r (Winchester College). 
One who contrives a trick. See 
Dole. 

Dollar. A five-shilling piece. 
Half-dollar, half-a-crown, or two 
shillings : see Caroon. 

Dollop. A lot. Att the doHop, the 
whole thing. In Norfolk to dollop, to 
dole out ; also to ' plank.' Dolloping, 
throwing down. 

Dolly. 1. A mistress. 2. A piece of 
cloth use as a sponge. As adj., silly. 

Dolly-mop. A harlot. 

Dolly - shop. A marine store : 
really an illegal pawn-shop and fence 
(q.v.) ; also leaving-shop. No ques- 
tions are asked ; all goods are received 
on the understanding that they may 
be repurchased within a given time ; 
so much per day is charged ; no 
duplicate is given ; and no books are 
kept. From the sign of the Black 
Doll (q.v.).] 

Dome. The head : see Crumpet. 

Domestic-afflictions. A woman's 
flower-time. 

Dome-stick. A domestic servant. 

Dominie. A clergyman ; also 
(modern Scots), a pedagogue or 



schoolmaster. [Latin dominus, a lord 
or master.] (1616). 

Dominie Do-little. An impotent 
old man. 

Domino ! An ejaculation of com- 
pletion : e.g. for sailors and soldiers 
at the last lash of the flogging ; and 
for 'bus conductors when an omnibus 
is full inside and out ; also, by im- 
plication, a knock-down blow, or the 
last of a series. [From the call at the 
end of a game of dominoes.] 

Domino - box. The mouth : see 
Potato-trap. 

Dominoes. 1. The teeth: see 
Grinders. To sluice one's dominoes, 
to drink. 2. The keys of a piano. 

Domino-thumper. A pianist. 

Dommerar (Dommerer, or Dum- 
merer). A beggar feigning to be deaf 
and dumb; also, a madman (1567). 

Don. An adept; a swell; also 
a swaggerer, a man putting on 
side. At the Universities a fellow 
or officer of a college ; whence the 
vulgar usage. [Latin, dominus, a lord, 
through the Spanish title.] (1665). 
As adj., clever, expert, first-rate. 

Dona (Donna, Donny, or Doner). 
A woman : see Petticoat. 

Donaker. A cattle-lifter (1669). 

Done! An interjection of accept- 
ance or agreement (1602). As adj., 
exhausted, ruined, cheated, convicted. 
[See Do in most of its senses.] 

Done-over. Intoxicated : see 
Screwed. 

Donkey. 1. A compositor; press- 
men are Pigs (q.v.). English syno- 
nyms: ass, moke, galley-slave. 2. A 
sailor's chest. 3. A blockhead : see 
Buffie. A penny (twopence or three- 
pence) more, and up goes the donkey, 
an exclamation of derision. [Street 
acrobats' : the custom was to finish off 
the pitch by balancing a donkey at the 
top of a ladder on receipt of * tuppence 
more ' ; which sum, however often 
subscribed, was always re-demanded, 
so that the donkey never ' went up ' 
at all.] Who stole the donkey? A 
street cry once in vogue on the ap- 
pearance of a man in a white hat. 
With a similar expression Who stole 
the leg of mutton ? applied to the 
police, it had its rise in a case of 
larceny. To ride the donkey, to cheat 
with weights and measures : also 
Donkey-riding. To talk the hind leg 
off a donkey : see Talk. 



139 



Donkey-drops. 



DouUe. 



Donkey - drops. Slow round hand 
bor- kng, such as IB seldom seen in good 
matches, but is effective against boys, 
is kno-wn by the contumelious desig- 
nation of donkey-drops. 

Donkey's-ears. An old-fashioned 
shirt- collar with long points. 

Donna. See Dona. 

Donnish (Donnism, Donnishness) 
(University). Arrogant, arrogance 
(1823). 

Donny. See Dona. 

Donovans. Potatoes : cf. Murphy. 
[Donovan, like Murphy, is a common 
Irish patronym.] 

Don's-week. The week before a 
general holiday. 

Don't-name-'ems. Trousers : see 
Kicks. 

Don't. Don't you wish you may get 
it, a retort forcible. 

Doodle. A dolt : see Buffle. 

Doodled. Cheated, done (1823). 

Doodle-doo-man. A cockfighter or 
breeder. 

Doog. Good. 

Do okie. A penny show or un- 
licensed theatre : cf. Gaff. 

Dookin (Dookering). Fortune- 
telling (1857). Dookin-cove, a fortune 
teller. 

Door-nail. Dead as a door-nail : 
see Dead, 

Doorsman. See Barker and Clicker. 

Doorstep. A thick slice of bread 
and butter : Fr., fondantc. 

Dooteroomus (or Doot). Generic 
for money : see Rhino. 

Dope. To drug with tobacco : also 
doping, the practice. 

Dopey. 1. A beggar's trull. 2. 
(old). The podex. 

Dor (Old Westminster School). 
1. Leave to sleep awhile (Kersey, 
1715). 2. An affront. 

Doras. South-Eastern Railway 
Deferred Ordinary Stock, sometimes 
applied to the ' A ' Stock 

D o r b i e. An initiate. The Dor- 
bie*s knock, a peculiar rap given by 
masons as a signal amongst themselves. 
It may be represented by the time of 
the f oUowing notes : 

rrii/r 

Dorcas. A sempstress ; especially 
one employing herself for charitable 
purposes. 

Dorse. See Doss. 



Dose. 1. A sentence of imprison- 
ment ; specifically three months' hard 
labour. English synonyms: spell, 
time, drag, three moon, length, stretch, 
seven-pennorth, sixer, twelver, lagging. 
2. A burglary. 3. A beating. 4. As 
much liquor as one can hold. To have 
a dose of the balmy, to do a sleep. To 
take a grown man's dose, to take a very 
large quantity of liquor. 

Doss (or Dorse). A bed, lodging ; also 
asleep, or hb (q.v.) (1789). As verb, 
to sleep. English synonyms : to go to 
the arms of Murphy (q.v.). have forty 
winks, go to Bedfordshire, take a little 
(or do a dose) of the balmy, chuck (or 
do) a doss, snooze, go to by-by, read 
the paper, shut one's eyes to think, 
retire to the land of Nod. 

Dosser. One who frequents a 
doss - house (q.v.). 'Appy dossers, 
houseless vagrants who creep in, sleep 
on stairs, in passages, and in empty 
cellars. The dosser, the father of a 
family. 

Doss-house (Dossing-crib or ken). 
A common lodging - house : FT., bas- 
tengue and garno. Doss -money, the 
price of a night's lodging (1838). 
Dossy. Elegant, spiff (q.v.). 
Dot. A ribbon. Dot-drag, a watch 
ribbon (1821). 

Dot - and - Carry - (or Go-) one. 
1. Properly, a man with a wooden leg ; 
by implication, a Hopping-giles or 
Limping- Jesus (q.v.): FT., banban. 2. 
A writing-master or teacher of arith- 
metic (Grose). As verb, to ' hirple ' ; 
especially applied to a person with 
one leg shorter than the other, or, 
with an uneven keel. 

Dot. 1. An item of news. 2. 
Money : see Rhino. 

D o 1 1 e r. A reporter, penny-a- 
liner : see Dot. 

Dottle. The same as Dodder (q. v. ). 

Dotty. 1. Feeble, dizzy, idiotic; 

e.g. Dotty in the crumpet, weak in the 

head ; Dotty in the pins, unsteady on 

the legs. Also 2. subs., a fancy man 

of prostitutes of the lowest type. 

Doubite. A street. 

Double. 1. A trick. 2. An actor 

playing two parts in the same piece ; 

also as a verb (1826). 3. A turning. 

4. Repetition of a word or sentence. 

Double, adj. and adv., is also used 

as an intensitive in many obscene or 

offensive connotations : e.g. Double- 

arsed, large in the posteriors ; Double 



140 



Double-back. 



Down. 



duggs (and Dovble-dugged or diddied), 
heavy breasted ; Double - gute (and 
Double gutted), excessively corpu- 
lent; Double-hocked, abnormally thick 
ankled ; Double - mouth&d, Mouth - 
almighty (q.v.) ; and so forth.] To 
'put the double on, to circumvent. To 
tip (or give) the double, to run or slip 
away openly or unperceived ; to 
double as a hare ; formerly to escape 
one's creditors. Also to Tip one the 
Dublin packet : see Amputate (1781). 

Double-back. To go back upon 
oneself, an action, an opinion. 

Double-barrel. A field or opera 
glass. 

Double- bottomed. Insincere, 
saying one thing and meaning another. 

Double-breasted feet. Club feet : 
also Double-breasters. 

Double-cross (or Double-double). 
Winning or doing one's best to win 
after engaging to lose or Mike (q.v.). 

Double-distilled. Superlative : e.g. 
a double - distilled whopper, a tre- 
mendous lie. 

Double - dutch. Unintelligible 
speech, jargor, gibberish. It was all 
Double - dutch to me, 1 didn't under- 
stand a word of it. 

Double-event. Backing a horse for 
two races. 

Double - finn. A 10 note : see 
Finn. 

Double-header. A false coin with a 
head on the obverse and reverse, made 
by soldering two split coins. 

Double- juggs. The posteriors 
(Burton). 

Double-lines. Ship casualties : from 
the manner of entering at Lloyd's. 

Doublet. A blow in the side or 
stomach, causing a man to bend from 
pain or lack of wind. 

Double - ribbed. Pregnant : see 
Lumpy. 

Double-shotted. Said of a whisky 
(or brandy) and soda, containing 
twice the normal quatity of alcohol. 

Double-shuffle. 1. A hornpipe step 
in which each foot is shuffled twice in 
succession, the more rapidly and 
neatly the better. 2. A trick or fake- 
ment. 

Double-slang. See Slangs. 

Doublet. A doctored diamond 
or other precious stone. The face is 
real and this is backed up by a piece of 
coloured glass. Of. Triplet 

Double-thumber. A prodigious lie. 



Double-tongued. Mendacious, 
given to change opinions in changing 
company. 

Double-tongued squib. A double- 
barrelled gun. 

D o u b I e - u p. 1. To punish. 
Doubled-up, collapsed (1819). 2. To 
pair off, chum with. 

Dough. Pudding. 

Dough-baked. Deficient in intel- 
lect. In U.S.A., easily moulded : said 
of politicians (1675). 

Doughy. A baker : see Master of 
the rolls. 

Douse. See Dowse. 

Dover. A made-dish, hash, re- 
chauffe. 

Dovers. South Eastern Railway 
Ordinary Stock. 

Dove. A member of St. Catharine's 
College, Cambridge. It is said that 
the members of St. Catharine's Hall 
were first of all called Puritans, 
from the derivation of the name of 
then: patroness from Kadaipetv. The 
dove being the emblem of purity, 
to change a name from Puritans to 
doves was but one short step. Soiled 
dove, a high-class prostitute. 

Dove-tart. A pigeon-pie. (Doo- 
tairt is excellent Scots for the same 
thing.) Cf. Snake-tart, eel pie. 

Dowlas. A draper. [From dowlas, 
now a kind of towelling, but mentioned 
by Shakespeare (' 1 Henry IV.,' m. iii, 
1597) as a material for shirts. Popu- 
larised as a sobriquet by <Jolman*s 
Daniel Dowlas in The Heir at Law. 

Dowling. A compulsory game of 
footbalL [coi\o.3 

Down. 1. Suspicion, alarm, a 
diversion. There is no down, all is 
quiet, it is safe to go on (1821). 2. 
Small beer. Up, bottled beer. As 
adv. (1) dispirited, hard-up, in dis- 
grace. Found in various combina- 
tions : e.g. Down in the mouth (or 
dumps), dejected; Down on one's 
luck, reduced in circumstances ; Down 
at heel, shabby ; Down at one 1 a back- 
seam, out of luck ; Down to bed- 
rock, penniless, etc., etc. (1608), (2) 
acquainted with, Fly (q.v.), Up to 
(q.v.). Also in combination: down 
to, down on, and down as a hammer 
(1610). (3) Hang-dog. As verb, to 
put on one's back ; whether by force or 
by persuasion. To be down a pit, 
to be very much taken with a part. 
To be (or come) down upon one, to be 



141 



Downed. 



Drat. 



rate, attack, oppose. Sometimes with 
~ ,% f . e. 1 ?. like a thousand (or is load) of 
bricks ; like one o'clock ; like a tom- 
tit on a horse turd, etc. To be down 
pin, to be out of sorts, despondent, 
To drop down on one, to discover one's 
character or designs. To pvt a down 
upoh one, to peach so as to cause detec- 
tion or failure. To put one down to 
[a thing], to apprize, elucidate, or 
ezplain ; to coach or prime ; to let 
one into the know. To take down a 
peg : see Peg. Down the road, vulgarly 
showy, flash. Down to dandy : see 
up to Dick. Down to the ground, en- 
tirely, thoroughly, to the last degree 

Downed. Tricked, beaten, sat 
upon. 

Downer. 1 A sixpence : see 
Rhino. In U.S.A., a five-cent, piece. 
[Cf. Deaner (q.v.) ; now corrupted 
into Tanner (q.v.).] 2. A knock- 
down blow : cf. Bender, Doubler, etc. 

Down -hills. Dice cogged to run 
on the low numbers (Grose). 

Downs. Tothill Fields prison : see 



Hell. 

Downy. A bed : also Downy flea- 
pasture. As adj., artful, knowing 
(q.v.) (1823). To do the downy: see 

Downey-bit. A half-fledged girl. 

Downy-cove (or bird). A clever 
rogue : in pi., the dowmes. English 
synonyms: mizzler, leary bloke or 
cove, sly dog, old dog, nipper, file, 
Greek, one that knows what's o'clock, 
one who knows the ropes, or his 
way about, don, dodger, dab, doll's 
eye-weaver, dam - macker, shaver, 
dagen, chickaleary - cove, ikey bloke, 
artful member, one that is up to the 
time of day, fly cove, one that's in 
the know, one that has his eye-teeth 
skinned, or that has cut his wisdoms. 

Dowry. A lot, a great deal ; 
dowry of parny, a lot of rain or water. 

Dowse (or Douse). A verb of 
action: e.g. Dowse your dog vane, 
take the cockade out of your hat; 
Dowse the glim r put out the candle; 
Dowse on the chops, a blow in the 
face. 

Dout. laterally, to do out ; as 
Dup (q.v.), to do up, and Don, to do 
on. See Hamlet, iv. Then up he 
rose and donned his clothes, and 
dupped the chamber door. 



Dosology - works. A church or 
chapel 

Doxy. A mistress, prostitute, oc- 
casionally, a jade, a girl, even a wife. 
In West of England, a baby (1567). 
Dozing-crib. A bed : see Bap. 

D.Q. On the D.Q., on the dead quiet : 
cf. Strict Q.T., etc. 

Drab. 1. Poison; also medicine. 
Also as a verb. 2. A strumpet. 
Drabbing, strumming. 

Drabbut. A vague and gentle 
form of imprecation. Drabbut your 
back, confound you. 

Draft. Draft on Aldgate pump, a 
fictitious banknote or fraudulent bill. 
See N. and Q., 7 S., i. 387-493 
(1750). 

Drag. 1. A cart of any kind ; now 
usually applied to a four-horse coach. 
2. A chain. 3. A street or road. Bacls 
drag, a back street. 4. Three months' 
imprisonment ; also Three Moon : see 
Dose. Done for a drag, convicted of 
Dragging (q.v.) : see Drag, a term of 
imprisonment. 5. Feminine attire 
worn by men. To go on (or flash) the 
drag, to wear women's attire for im- 
moral purposes. 6. A lure, trick, 
stratagem. 7. A fox prepared with 
herring or aniseed and brought to 
covert in a bag. 8. See Dragging. 
To put on the drag, to ease off or go 
slow ; also to put on pressure. To 
drag the pudding, to get the sack 
just before Christmas-time. 

Drag-cove. A carter OP driver of 
a Drag (q.v.). 

Dragging. Robbing vehicles. 

Drag - lay. The practice of rob- 
bing vehicles (Grose). 

Dragon. A sovereign, 20s. : see 
Rhino. To water the dragon, to urinate, 
* pump ship,' * rack off.* 

Dragsman. A coachman ; also a 
Drag-sneak (q.v.). 

Drag-sneak. A thief who makes a 
speciality of robbing vehicles (1781). 

Drain. 1. A drink: see Go. To 
do a drain (wet, or common sewer), to 
take a friendly drink (1835). 2. Gin, 
[From its diuretic qualities.] 

Drains. A ship's cook; The 
Doctor (q.v.). 

Drammer. See Drummer. 

Draper. See Gammon the Draper. 

Drat (Dratted). A mild and in- 
definite imprecation of contempt, or 
impatience. [A corruption of God 
rot it] 



142 



Draught. 



Drinks. 



Draught. A privy : see Mrs. -Jones 
(1002). 

Draw. 1. An undecided contest. 
[An abbreviation of ' drawn game. 3 ] 
2. An attraction; e.g. an article, 
popular preacher, successful play, and 
so forth. 3. A stroke with the surface 
of the bat inclined to the ground. As 
verb, (1) to attract public attention. 
(2) To steal, pick pockets. To draw a 
wipe (or ticker), to prig a handkerchief 
or -watch ; to draw a damper, to empty 
a till (Grose). (3) To tease to vexation, 
take in, make game of. (4) To bring 
out, cause to act, write, or speak, by 
flattery, mis-statement, or deceit. 
Also, to draw out ; Fr., tirer les v&rs du 
nez. (5) To ease of money: e.g. I 
drew him for a hundred ; She drew 
me for a dollar ! To draw on [a man], 
to use a knife. To draw a bead on, to 
attack with rifle or revolver. To 
draw a straight furrow, to live up- 
rightly. To draw 'plaster, to fish for 
a man's intentions. To draw straws, 
to be almost asleep, drowsy. To draw 
teeth, to wrench knockers and handles 
from street doors. To draw ike 
badger : see Badger. To draw blanks, to 
fail, be disappointed. To draw the 
bow up to the ear : see Bow. To draw 
(or pull) the long bow : see Bow. To 
draw the cork, to make blood flow ; to 
tap the claret (q.v.). To draw the 
King's (or Queen's) picture, to manufac- 
ture base money. To draw wool (or 
worsted), to irritate ; foment a quarrel : 
cf. Comb one's hair. Draw it mild 1 
an interjection of (1) derision ; (2) in- 
credulity ; (3) supplication : cf. Come 
it strong. Draw boy, a superior 
article ticketed and offered at a figure 
lower than its value. 

Drawer-on. An appetiser: used 
only of food, as Puller-on (q.v.) of 
drink. Both are in Massinger. 

Drawers. Embroidered stock- 
ings (1567). 

Draw-fart (or Doctor Draw-fart). 
A wandering quack. 

Draw - latch. A thief ; also a 
loiterer (1631). 

Draw - off. To throw back the 
body to strike; He drew off, and 
delivered on the left peeper. A sailor 
would say, He hauled off and slipped 
in. 

Dreadful. A sensational story, 
newspaper, or print : see Awful, and 
Shilling Shocker. 



Dredgermar*. A nver thief under 
pretence of dredging up coals and such 
like from the bottom of the river. 
They hang about barges and other 
undecked oraft, and when opportunity 
serves, throw any property they can 
lay their hands on overboard: in order, 
slyly, to dredge it up when the vessel 
is gone. Sometimes they dexterously 
use their dredges to whip away any- 
Lhing that may lie within reach. Some 
are mighty neat at this, and the ac- 
complishment is called Dry dredging. 

Dress (Winchester College). The 
players who come next in order after 
Six or Fifteen. [So called because 
they come down to the matches ready 
dressed to act as substitutes if re- 
quired.] To dress a hat, to exchange 
pilferings : e.g. to swap pickings from 
a hosier's stock with a shoemaker's 
assistant for boots or shoes. To 
dress down, to beat, scold (1715). To 
be dressed like Xmas beef: see Beef. 
To dress to death (within an inch of 
one's life, or to kill), to dress in the 
extreme of fashion. 

Dress -house. A brothel : of. Dress- 



'res sing (or Dressing - down) 
Correction, manual or verbal ; also 
defeat. 

Dress-lodger. A woman boarded, 
fed, and clothed by another, and pay- 
ing by prostitution. 

Dressy. Fond of dress. 

Drilled. Shot through the body. 

Drinks. The subjoined lists will 
be of interest. Invitations to drink 
What'll you have ? Nominate your 
pizen ! Will you irrigate ? Will you 
tod ? Wet your whistle ? How 9 !! 
you have it ? Let us stimulate 1 
Let's drive another nail! What's 
your medicine ? Willst du trinken ? 
Try a little anti-abstinence ? Twy 
(zwei) lager! Your whisky's wait- 
ing. Will you try a smile ? Will you 
take a nip ? Let's get there. Try a 
little Indian ? Come and see your 
pa ? Suck some corn juice ? Let's 
liquor up. Let's go and see the baby. 
Responses to invitations to drink. 
Here's into your face ! Here's how ! 
Here's at you ! Don't care if I do. 
Well, I will. I'm thar! Accepted, 
unconditionally. Well, I don't mind. 
Sir, your most. Sir, your utmost. 
You do me proud ! Yes, sir-ree ! 
With you yes ! Anything to oblige. 



143 



Drinks. 



Drop. 



Oi. time. 
I 



Fra vit'^ yor. 

*s : ;/;?r. 



L'ouat mo 
/rr 



water, CroM 1 :, vvine, jumper, jackoy, 
lap, riax, misery, oH Tom, nbbon, 



drink fi.e. a port'on], r^nerally, or satin, sootuizig-syrup, sfcark-nahod, 
" ' '" ' ' 



when taken at Vperjift-d times. Anti- 
lunch, appetiser, ball, bullock's 



, 

strip - me - naked, tape, white stitia, 
tape, or u r iae : see Satin. Synonyms 



(a glass of port), bead, bosom friend, /or champagne. Cham or cl 
bucket, bumper, big-reposer, chit- boy, tiz, dry, bitches' wine. Synonyms 
chat, chcirer, cinder, corker, cobbler, for port. Bed fustian (q.v,). Syno- 
damper, or something damp, dannie, nyms for sherry Bristol in ilk, white 

j j j , j j_- i__ was j 1 . Term*' implying -various degrees 

of intoxication : see Screwed. See 



drain, dram, dcocb-an-doras, digester, 
eye-opener, entr'acte, fancy smile, 
flash, flip, iac^r, forenoon, go, gill, 
heeltap, invigorator, Johnny, joram, 
morning rousor, modicum, nip, or 
nipperkin, night cap, nut, pistol shot, 
pony, pill, quantum, refresher, rouser, 
reposer, shout, smile, swig, sleeve- 
button, something, slight/ sensation, 
shant, sparkler, settler, stimulant, 
soother, thimble-foil, tift, taste, tooth- 
full, Timothy : see Go. General syn- 
onyms for dnnls. Breaky - leg, bub, 
crater i' also = whisky), fuddle, gargle, 
grog, guzzle, lap, hash, neck-oil, nectar, 
poison, sium-gullion, swizzle, stingo, 
tipple, tittey, toddy: see Tipple* 
Synonyms for ~b&er (including stout). 
Act of Parliament ; artesian, barley, 
belch, belly-vengeance, bevy or bevvy, 
brownstone, bum-clink, bung-juice, 
bunker, cold-blood, down (see Up); 
English burgundy (porter), gatter, 
half-and-half, heavy-wet, John Bar- 
leycorn, knock-down or knock-me- 
down, oil of barley, perkm, ponge, 
pon^elow, or ponjello, rosin, rot-gut, 
sherbet, stingo, swankey, swipes, 



see 

also lists under Elbow - crooker, 
Lush, Lushcrib, Lushmgton, Gallon 
Distemper. 

Dripper. A gleet. 

Dripping. A cook ; especially an 
indifferent one: Fr., fripier and 
daube : cf. Doctor and Slushy (q.v.), a 
ship's cook. 

Drive. A blow. To let drive, to aim 
a blow, strike. Four rogues in buck- 
ram let drive at me. Shakespeare. 
As verb, to send a ball off the bat with 
full force horizontally. To dnve at, 
to aim at : e.g. What are you driv- 
ing at ? What do you mean ? (1697). 
To drive a, 'bargain, to conduct a 
negotiation, make the best terms 
one can, dispute a condition or a price, 
succeed in a deal (1580). To drive a 
humming (or roaring) trade, to do well 
in business (1625). To drive oneself 
to the wash, to drive in a basket-chaise. 
To dnre pigs to market, to snore. Fr., 
jouer ic, la ronfie (or de Forgw), also 
fumer. To drive turkeys to market, to 
reel and wobble in drink. To drive 



swizzle, up (bottled ale or stout) : see French horses, to vomit. From the 

Swipes. Synonyms for Brandy. Hue done of French carters to their 

Ball of fire, bingo, cold-tea, eold- 

nantz ; French eltsar or cream : see 

French Elixir. Synonyms for whisky. 

Aqua vitce, bald - face, barley - bree, 

breaky - leg, bottled - earthquake, 

bum - clink, caper - juice, cappie, 

curse of Scotland, family-disturbance, 



farintosh, forty -rod lightning, grapple- 
the-rails, hard stuff, hell-broth, in- 



teams.] 

Driver's pint. A gallon. 

Driz. Lace : Fr., ntiche (in allusion 
to the holes in a loaf of bread). 

Driz-fencer. A street vendor of 
lace, also a receiver of stolen material. 

Droddum. The posteriors (1786). 

Dromaky. A prostitute : north of 
' and S. 



. , - England, particularly N. _. 

fernal compound, Mil - the - beggar, Shields. [From a strolling actress 
lightning, liquid fire, moonlight, moon- who personated Andromache.] 
shine, mountain-dew, old man's milk, Dromedary. A bungler ; specifically 
pine - top, railroad, red - eye, rotgut, a bungling thief : also Purple drome- 
screech, Simon pure, sit -on- a -rock dary. 

(rye whisky) soul - destroyer, square Drop. See Drop game. As verb, 

face, stone-fence, tangle-foot, the real (1) to lose, give, or part with (1812). 

thing, th^ sma' stffl, white-eye: see ' rtx ^ 1 - 1 - -*- J ' 

Old man's milk. Synonyms for gin. 
Blue ruin, blue-tape, Brian O'Lynn 
(rhyming), cat-water, cream of the 
valley, daffy, diddle, drain, duke, eye- 



(2) To relinquish, abandon, leave : e.g 
to drop an acquaintance, to gradually 
withdraw from intercourse : cf. Out. 
To drop the main toby, to turn out of 
the main road (1711). (3) To knock 
144 



D. Ts. 



down : cf. To drop into, to thrash. (4) 
To bring down with a shot. To drop 
anchor, to pull up a horse. To dtop 
one's anchor, to sit (or settle), down. 
To drop a cog, see Drop-game. To 
drop one's flag, to salute ; also to sub- 
mit, lower one's colours. To drop 
(hang, slip, or walk) into, to attack : 
also cf. Drop on to. To drop off the 
hooks, to die : see Hop the twig. To 
drop one's leaf, to die : see Hop the 
twig To drop on one, to accuse or 
call to account without warning. Also 
to thrash. To drop the scabs in, to 
work button-holes. To drop one's 
wax, to evacuate or ' rear.* To get 
(or have) the drop on, to hold at dis- 
advantage, forestall. To have a drop 
w the eye, to be slightly drunk : see 
Screwed (1738). Drop it I Cease ! 
Cut it! Cheese it! 

Drop-game. A variety of the con- 
fidence trick : The thief picks out his 
victim, gets in front of him, and pre- 
tends to pick up (say) a pocket-book, 
(snide) which he induces the green- 
horn to buy for cash. The object is a 
Cog, and the operator a Dropper or 
Drop-cove. 

Dropped-on. Disappointed. 

Dropper. A specialist in the Drop- 
game (q.v.) : also Drop-cove (1669). 

Dropping. A beating ; I'll give 
you a good dropping, i.e. I'll thrash 
you severely. 

Droppings. The excrement of 
horses and sheep. 

Drown. See Miller. 

Drudge. Whisky in its raw state. 

Drug. To administer a narcotic. 
A drug in the market, anything so 
common as not to be vendible. 

Drum. 1. An entertainment ; now a 
tea before dinner ; a Kettle-drum (q.v.) 
(1750). 2. A road, street, or highway. 
English synonyms: drag, toby, high (or 
main) toby, pad, donbite, finger and 
thumb (rhyming). 3. The ear. 4. A 
building ; Bazard - drum, a gambling 
hell ; Flash - drum, a brothel ; Cross- 
drum, a thieves' tavern ; In U.S.A., a 
drinking place. 5. A bundle carried 
on tramp : generally worn as a roll 
over the right shoulder and under the 
left arm : also Bluey and Swag (q.v.). 
6. A small workshop. 

Drummer. 1. A horse, the action of 
whose forelegs is irregular (Grose). 2. 
A thief, who before robbing, narcotises 
or otherwise stupefies bis victim. 3 



A commercial traveller ; also Ambas- 
sador of Commerce or Bagman (q.v.) ; 
Fr., gaudisaart or hirondelle. See 
Drum, a road. Old - time pedlars 
announced themselves by beating a 
drum at the town's end.] (1827). 4. 
A trousers' maker, Kickseys' -builder 
(q.v.). 

Drumstick - cases. Trousers : see 
Kicks. 

Drumsticks. 1. The legs especially 
of birds. English synonyms : cheese- 
cutters (bandy-legs), stumps, cabbage- 
stumps, pins, gams, notches, shanks, 
stems, stumps, clubs, marrow-bones, 
cat-sticks, trap-sticks, dripping-sticks, 
trams, trespassers, pegs, knights of the 
garter. 

Drunk. A debauch ; by implica- 
tion, a drunkard, i.e. a drunk and 
disorderly person. On the drunk, on 
the drink, i.e. drinking for days on 
end. DrunJc as Davy's sow, excessively 
drunk : see Screwed. 

Drunkard. To come the drunkard, to 
feign drunkenness ; also to be drunk. 
To oe quite the gay drunkard, to be 
more or less in liquor. 

Drunken-chalks. Good conduct 
badges : see Chalk. 

Drury - Lane Ague. A venereal 
disease : see Ladies' Fever. 

Drury-Lane Vestal. A prostitute. 

Dry. See lime-basket. 

Dry-boots. A dry humorist (Grose). 

Dry-hash. A miser ; also, by im- 
plication, a loafer. 

Dry-land! (rhyming). ' You 
understand ! ' 

Dryland - sailor. See Turnpike 
Sailor. 

Dry-lodging. Accommodation 
without board. 

Dry - nurse. A guardian, bear- 
leader, tutor ; a junior who instructs 
an ignorant chief in his duties (1614). 

Dry-room. A prison : see Cage. 

Dry - shave. Rubbing the chin 
with the fingers ; also as a verb. The 
action implies a certain effrontery. 

Dry -up. 1. A failure, Columbus 
(q.v.) ; contrast with Draw, sense 2. 
As verb, to cease talking, abandon a 
purpose or position, stop work. As an 
interjection, Hold your jaw I 

Dry-walking. A hard-up soldier's 
outing. 

D. T's. Delirium tremens : see Jim- 
jams. The D. T., The Daily Tele- 
graph. 



145 



Dub. 



Dugs. 



i A key; specifically a master (q.v.) ante. To tnake ducks and 
key : see Locksmith's daughter (178U). drakes of one's money, to squander 
~ ' money as lavishly as stones are squan- 

dered at ' ducks and drakes.' [In al- 
lusion to the childish game. ] ( 1 605). 

Duck's-bill. A tongue cut in a 
piece of stout paper and pasted on 
at the bottom of the tympan sheet. 

Ducky (or Duck of Diamonds). 
See Dnck. 

Dudder (Dudsinan, or Duffer). 
A pedlar of pretended smuggled wares 
gown- pieces, silk waistcoats, etc. 
The term and practice are obsolete, 
though in a few seaports, London 
especially, they survived till recently 
in a modified form. FT., marottier. 

Dude. A swell, fop, masher: see 
Dandy Dudette (or Dudmette), a 
young girl affecting the airs of a belle ; 
Dudine, a female masher. 

Dude-hamfatter. A wealthy pig- 
jobber. 

Duds. Clothes ; sometimes old 
clothes or rags (1440). D^lddery t a 
clothier's booth (De Foe's Tour of Qt. 
Brit., p. 125). In America applied to 
any kind of portable property. To 
angle for duds, see Anglers ; To sweat 
duds, to pawn. 

Dudsman. See Dudder. 
Dues. Money : see Rhino : spec, 
a share of booty. To tip the dues, to 
pay, to hand over a share. 

Duff. 1. Specifically, to sell flashy 
goods as pretended contraband or 
stolen ; hence to cheat. Duffers (or 
Men at the duff), pedlars of flash. 
Duffing, the practice ; as an adjective, 

, . .__ spurious (1781). 2. To rub up the nap 

German silver of old clothes to improve their ap- 
duck (or duck's pearance. Duffer, one who performs 
this operation, whilst the article 
operated upon is also a duffer by 
virtue of the fact itself. 

D u ff e r. LA pedlar ; specific- 
ally a hawker of brummagem (q.v.), 
and so-called smuggled goods. In 
the population returns of 1831 duffer, 
one who gets a living by cheating 
pawnbrokers. 2. Anything worth- 
less or sham. 3. A female smuggler. 
Duffer-out. To get exhausted. 
D u ffi n g. False, counterfeit, 
worthless. 

Dugs. The paps ; once used 
without reproach, of women ; now 
only in contempt except of animals : 
see Dairy. [From same stem as 
daughter.] 

JLifi 



As verb, to open. Dttb t/ijtir 
Open your mouih. Dub Hit. j^jgcr, 
open the cloor. AI j o by confusion, to 
shut or fasten (1567). Dub at a 
Knapping Jigger, a turnpike keeper. 
To dub up, to hand over, pay, fork out. 
Fr., foncer, ab'ivler. Formerly, to lock 
up, secure, button one's pocket. 

Dubber. 1. The mouth or tongue ; 
mum your dubber ; hold your tongue. 
2. A picklock (Grose). 

Dub-cove. See Dubsman. 

Dub -lay. Using picklocks. 

Dublin-dissector. A cudgel. 

Dubs (Winchester College). 
Double. 

Dub mans (or Dubs). A turnkey, 
gaoler. English synonyms: jigger- 
dubber, screw. 

Ducats. L Money : see Rhino. 
[Probably from Shylock in k The Mer- 
chant of Venice.'] 2. Specifically a 
railway ticket ; also pawnbroker's 
duplicate, raffle-card, or Brief (q.v.). 
Also Ducket. 

D u c e. Twopence : see Rhino. 
[Latin.] 

Duck. 1. Scraps of meat ; other- 
wise Block-ornaments, Stickings, Fag- 
gots-, Manablins, or Chuck (q.v.). 

2. (Winchester College). The face. 
To make a duck, to make a grimace. 

3. A draw or decoy. [An abbreviation 
of decoy-duck.] 4. A term of endear- 
ment ; also used in admiration ; e.g. 
a duck of a bonnet. Also ducky : 
duck of diamonds being a superlative. 
5. A metal -cased watch ; i.e. old 
watch movements 

cases. To make < 
egg), to make no score, to crack one's 
e g> S e * a P 8 " of spectacles. The 
duck that rune (or grinds) the. gospel 
mitt, a clergyman : see Devil-dodger. 
Lame duck (q.v. post). German 
duck (q.v. post). To do a duck, to hide 
under the seat of a public conveyance 
with a view to avoid paying the fare. 

Ducket. See Ducat. 

Duck-footed. Said of people who 
walk like a duck ; i.e. with the toes 
turned inwards. 

Ducking. To go ducking, to go 
courting. 

Ducks. 1. Linen trousers ; generally 
White ducks: see Backs. 2. Aylesbury 
Dairy Co. shares. 3. An official of the 
Bombay service. To chance the. ducks 



DuJce. 



Dost. 



Duke. 1. Gin : see Drinks. 2. A 
horse. 3. Any transaction in the 
shape of a burglary; e.g. I was 
jemming to then* duke, I was privy 
to the robbery. 

Duke Humphrey. See Dine. 
Duke - of - Limbs. An awkward, 
uncouth man ; specifically one with 
ungainly limbs (Grose). 

Duke - of - York (rhyming slang). 
To walk ; also, to talk. 

Dukes. The hands : see Bunch of 
fives. To grease the dukes, to bribe ; 
also to pay. To put up the dukes, to 
put up one's hands for combat. 
Dukey. See Dookie and Gaff. 
Dulcamara. A quack doctor. 
[From the name of a character in 
Donizetti's V Elixir d* Amour (1845).] 

Dull. DuU in the eye, intoxicated : 
see Screwed. 

Dull -swift. A sluggish messenger. 
Dumb-fogged. Confused. 
Dumb -foozled. Confounded, 
puzzled. 

Dumbfound (Dumfound, Dumb- 
founding, Dumbfounded or Dum- 
foundered). To perplex, confound, 
etc. (1690). 

Dummacker. A knowing person. 
Dummerer. See Dommerar. 
Dummock. The posteriors. 
Dummy. 1. A deaf mute ; also an 
idiot ; sometimes a duffer, sense 2. 2. 
Generic for shams : e.g. empty bottles 
and drawers in an apothecary's shop, 
wooden half-tubs of butter, bladders 
of lard, hams, cheeses, and so forth ; 
dummies in libraries generally take the 
form of works not likely to tempt the 
general reader. 3. The open hand at 
an imperfect game of whist. 4. A 
pocket book. 

Dummy-daddle Dodge. Picking 
pockets under cover of a sham hand 
or Daddle (q.v.). 

Dummy - hunter. A pickpocket 
whose speciality is pocket-books. 

Dump. A metal counter. As 
verb, (1) to throw down : e.g. to dump 
down coals. (2) (Winchester College). 
To put out. Dump the tolly ! Ex- 
tinguish the candle. 

Dump-fencer. A button-merchant. 
Dumpies. The nineteenth Hus- 
sars. [From the diminutive size of the 
men when the regiment was first 
raised,] 

Dumpling-depot. The stomach: 
see Bread-basket. 



Dumpling -shop. The paps: see 
Dairy. 

Dumps. Money : see Rhino. In 
the dumps, cast down, ill at ease, un- 
pleasantly situate (1392). 

Dun. An importunate creditor ; 
as verb, to persist in demanding pay- 
ment. Fr., loup. Also Dunner and 
Dunning (1663). 

Dunaker. A cattle-lifter (1650). 

Dunderhead. A fool : see Buffle. 

Dundreary. Specifically, a stam- 
mering, foolish, and long-whiskered 
fop the Lord Dundreary of Ovr 
American Cousin (1858) generally, 
a foppish fool. 

Dundrearies. A pair of whiskers 
cut sideways from the chin, and 
grown as long as possible. A 
fashion (now obsolete) suggested by 
Sothern's make-up in Our American 
Cousin. 

Dung. An operative working for 
less than society wages. Formerly, 
according to Grose, * a journey- 
man taylor who submits to the law 
for regulating journey-men taylors' 
wages, therefore deemed by the 
Flints (q.v.) a coward.' 

Dung-fork (also Dung-cart). A 
country bumpkin : see Joskin. 

Dunnage. Baggage ; clothes. 
[Properly wood or loose faggots laid 
across the hold of a vessel, or stuffed 
between packages, to keep cargo from 
damage by water or shifting.] 

Dunnaktn (or Dunnyfcen). A 
privy ; in U.S.A., a chamber-pot : see 
MJS. Jones (Grose). 

Dunop (back-slang). A pound. 

Dup. To open (1567). 

Durham-man. Aknock-kneed man. 

Duria. Fire. 

Durrynacker. A female lace 
hawker ; generally practised as an 
introduction to fortune-telling. Also 
Durrynacking. 

Dust. Generic for money: see 
Rhino (1655). To dust one's jacket, to 
thrash ; to criticise severely. To get up 
and dust (or to dust out of), to move 
quickly, leave hurriedly : see Bunk. 
To have dust in the eyes, to be sleepy, 
draw straws (q.v.). Said mainly of 
children : e.g. The dustman is coining. 
To kick up (or raise) a dust, to make a 
disturbance, or much ado (1759). To 
throw dust in the eyes, to mislead, dupe. 
To bite the dust, to knock under, be 
mortified, or shamed. 



it/ Bias's 



Breeks. 



Dust-bia. A grave. 

Dusted. Drubbed, severely criti- 
cised. 

Duster. A sweetheart : see Joiner 

Dust-hole, i. The Prince 01 Wales' 
Theatre in Tott?ulum Co.:rt. Road. 
[From tlio fact tuat, iifty years ago, 
under the ni.iuagtiBient of ilr. Glossop, 
the sweepings "of the house were 
deposited and baZered to accumulate 
tinder the pit.] 2. Sidney Sussex 
College, Cambridge. Obsolete. 

Dustman. 1. A personification of 
sleep : the duslmarfs coming, you 
are getting sleepy. 2. A head man. 

Dusty. Not so ditsty, a mark of 
approval, not so bad. so-so 

Dusty-bob. A scavenger. 

Dusiypoll (or Dusty - nob). A 
miller. 

Dutch. An epithet of inferiority. 
An. echo, no doubt, of the long-stand- 
ing hatred engendered by the bitter 
fight for the supremacy of the seas 
between England and Holland in the 
seventeenth century. As subs., a 
wife. [Probably an abbreviation of 
Dutch clock.] English synonyms: 
mollisher,rib, grey-mare, warming-pan, 
splice, lawful blanket, autem-mort, 
comfortable impudence, comfortable 
importance, old woman, evil, missus, 
lawful jam, yoke-fellow, night-cap, 
legitimate, or legiti, weight-carrier, 
mutton-bone, ordinary, pillow-mate, 
supper-table, Dutch clock, chattel, 
sleeping- partner, doxy, cooler, mount, 
bed-faggot. To do a dutch, to desert, 
run away : see Bunk. Thai beats the 
Dutch, a sarcastic superlative (1775). 
To talk Dutch (Double- Dutch, or High- 
Dutch), to talk gibberish; or, by 
implication, nonsense (1604). The 
Duich have taJten Holland, a quiz for 



stale news : cf. Queen Bess (or Queen 
Anne) is dead ; The Ark rested upon 
Mount Ararat, etc. 

Dutch-auction (or sale). A sale 
at minimum prices, a mock- auction. 

Dutch-bargain. A bargain all on 
ouo side. * In matters of commerce 
the fault of the Dutch, Is giving too 
little and asking too much ! ' 

Dutch -clock. 1. A wife: cf. Dutch. 
2. A bed-pan. 

Dutch - concert (or medley). A 
sing-song whereat everybody sings 
and plays at the same time ; a hubbub. 

Dutch-consolation. Job's comfort, 
unconsoling consolation. 

Dutch-courage. Pot-valiancy. 

Dutch -defence. Sham defence. 

Dutch - feast. An entertainment 
where the host gets drunk before his 
guests. 

Dutch -gleek. Drinks. 

Dutchman. Pm a Dutchman if 
I do, a, strong refusal. [During tho 
wars between England and Holland, 
Dutch was synonymous with all that 
was false and hateful; therefore, I 
would rather be a Dutchman, =the 
strongest term, of refusal that words 
could express.] 

Dutchman's - breeches. Two 
streaks of blue in a cloudy sky. 

Dutchman's - drink. A draught 
that empties the pot. 

Dutch - treat. An entertainment 
where every one pays his shot. 

Dutch - uncle. I mil talk to you 
like a Dutch uncle, I will reprove you 
smartly. [The Dutch were renowned 
for the brutality of their discipline.] 

Dutch-widow. A prostitute 
(1608). 

Dutch-wife. A bolster. 



Eagle-takers (The). The Eighty- 
Seventh Foot. [The title was gained 
at Barossa (1811), when it captured 
the eagle of the 8th French light 
Infantry. Its colours also bear the 
plume of the Prince of Wales and the 
harp and crown, an eagle with a 
wreath of laurel.] It was also nick- 
named The old Fogs; also The 
Faugh-a-Ballagh Boys, from Fag an 
bealacf Clear the Way, the regi- 



mental march, and the war-cry at 
Barossa. 

Ear. To send away with a flea in the 
ear, to dismiss peremptorily and with 
a scolding : Fr., mettre la puce A Voreille 
(1764). To bite the ear : see Bite. To 
get up on one's ear, to bestir oneself, to 
rouse oneself for an effort. 

Earl of Cork. The ace of diamonds. 

Earl of Mar's Grey Breeks (The). 
The Twenty-First Foot, [In allusion 



148 



to the colour of the men's breeches 
and to the original title of the ro^i- 
meut, The Earl of Mar's Fuziieers.] 
Obsolete. 

Early. To get up early, to be 
astute, ready, wide - axrake : cf. It's 
the early bird that catches the -worm 
(1738). 

Early - riser. An aperient : cf. 
Custom-house officer, and Two gunners 
and a driver. 

Early-v/orm. A man who searches 
the streets at daybreak for cigar 
stumps 

Earth - bath. A gra^e. To take 
nn earth - bath, to be buried ; cf . 
ground sweat. 

Earthquake. Battled earthquake, 
intoxicating drinks. 

Earth-stoppers. Horse's feet. 

Earthy. Gross, common, devoid 
of soul. 

Ear-wig. A private prompter or 
flatterer ; also (thieves') a clergyman. 
[From the popular delusion that the 
ear- wig lodges itself in the ear with a 
view to working its way into the brain, 
when it causes death.] (1639). As 
verb, to prompt, influence by covert 
statements, whisper insinuations. 

Ease. To rob; Fr. s sovlager: cf. 
Annex and Convey. To ease a 
bloke, to rob a man (1630). 

Eason. To tell. 

East-and- South (rhyming slang). 
The mouth ; also Sunny south : see 
Potato trap. 

Eastery. Private business. 

Easy. To make easy, to gag or kill 
(Grose). Eayy as damn it (or as my 
eye) f excessively easy, Easy as lying 
[Shakespeare]. Easy does it ! An 
exclamation of encouragement and 
counsel, Take your time and keep 
your coat on. Easy over the pimples 
(or over the stones), an injunction to go 
slow, or, mind what you're about. 

Easy Virtue. See Lady of Easy 
Virtue. 

Eat. To provision: e.g. a steamer is 
said to be able to eat 400 passengers 
and sleep about half that number. 
Eat coke : see Coke. Eat crow : see 
Crow. Eat a fig (rhyming slang), 
to crack a crib, to break a house. 
To eat one's head off, to be retained for 
service and stand idle ; also to cost 
more in keep than one is worth. Eat 
one's head (hat, boots, etc.), a locu- 
tion of emphatic asseveration. [Prob- 



ably D'ckeiisonian, influenced by the 
proveibial saying, To ea+. on^'s iisart 
out to undergo intense struggle, 
and also To eat one's head off (q.v.). 
To eat one's terms, to go through 
the prescribed course of study for 
admission to the bar. [In allusion 
to the dinners a student has to attend 
in the public hall of his inn.] To eat 
one's words, to retract a statement, 
own a he. To eat up, to vanquish, 
ruin. [Originally Zulu.] 

Eaves. A hen-roost. 

Eavesdropper. A chicken thief ; 
also generally, any petty pilferer. 

Ebenezer (Winchester College). 
A stroke at fives : when the ball hits 
'line' at such an angle as to rise 
perpendicularly into the air. 

Ebony. 1. A negro ; otherwise 
Blackbird (q.v.) and Black Ivory. 
Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) spoke of 
the negro race as God's images cut in 
ebony. 2. The publisher of Maga : 
i.e. Blackwood. 

Ebony-optics. Black eyes. Ebony- 
optics albonized, black eyes painted 
white. 

Edgabac (back slang). Cabbage. 

Edge. Stitched off the edge, said of 
a glass not filled to the top. Side- 
edge, whiskers. Short top edge, a 
turn-up nose or Celestial (q.v.). Edge 
in, to slip in, insinuate, e.g. to edge 
in a word (or a remark). Edge off 
(or out of), to slink away, gradually 
desist. To take the edge o$ [a thing, 
or person, or idea], to become ac- 
quainted with, enjoy to satiety : see 
Hamlet, m. ii. * It would cost you a 
groaning to take off my edge.' 

Edgenaro (back slang). An 
orange. 

Edge-ways. Notabletogetawordin 
edge-ways, having but the barest 
opportunity of taking part in a dis- 
cussion. 

Eel - skins. Tight trousers : see 
Kicks. 

E-fink (back slang). A knife. 

Efter. A theatre thief. 

Egg. See Bad egg. Egg on, to 
encourage. Sure as eggs is eggs, of a 
certainty, without doubt. [From 
the formula, ' x is z.'] To teach one's 
grandmother to roast (or suck) eggs, to 
lecture elders and superiors; FT., Us 
oisons veulent mener les oies pattre 
(the goslings want to drive the geese 
to pasture). 



Egham. 



Errand. 



Eg.ir.k-n, Staines, and Windsor 
A thrce-corueruil coiichiiiua"** bat. 

Egyptian-hall (rbymiiis Rlr.ni;). A 
ball. 

Eighter. An eight-ounce loaf. 
S k a m e { back slang). A Make 
(q.v.), siviadk.'. 

Ekom (bael: slaug). A Moke (q.v.) 
or donktv. 

Elbo r ,7. To tuin a corner, get out 
of sight. To stn:fa the, dbotv, to play 
dice. [ITrojv the mocion of the arm 
in casting.] (UiSO). To cronl- tht 
elbow, to drLik : see Lush. 

Elbow-crooker. A hard drinker. 
Eocjlisii syaouyros : boracliio, booziag- 
ton", brewer' y horse* bubber, budger, 
caop, lushin^'tcn, -worker of the cannon, 
wet - quaker. souker, lapper, pegger, 
aa^el alto^c-iLer, bloat, ensign-bearer,, 
tiddle - cup, sponge, tun, toss - pol 
swill- pot, vret" subject, shifter, pot- 
ster, s T .vr!IoTrer, pot- walloper, wetster, 
rirainbter, drink-Cter, beer-barrel, gin- 
nuios, lowerer, moist 'un, drainist, 
boozer, mopper-up, piss-maker, thirst- 
ington. 

Elbower. A runaway. 
Elbow-grease. Energetic and con- 
tinuous manual labour : e.g. Elbow- 
grease is the best iumiture oil : Fr., 
huile de. Iras or de poignet ; du foulage 
(1779). 

Elbow - scraper (or Jigger). A 
fiddler. 

Elbow-shaker. A gambler (1748). 
El bow -shaking. Gambling. 
Electrified. 1. Moderately drunk : 
see Screwed. 2. Violently startled. 
Elegant. Excellent. 
Elegant Extracts. 1. The Eighty- 
Fifth Foot. [This regiment was re- 
modelled in 1812, after a long 
sequence of court - martiaJs : when 
the officers were removed, and others 
set in their room.] 2. (Cambridge 
University). Students who, though 
* plucked/ were still given their 
degrees. A line was drawn below the 
poll-list, and those allowed to pass 
were nicknamed the elegant extracts. 
There was a similar limbo in the 
honour - list, called the Gulf : for 
' Between them (in ihe poll) and us 
(in ffie honour lists) there is a great 
gulf fixed.'] 

Elephant. A wealthy victim. 
To see the elephant, 1. To see the world, 
go out for wool and come home 
shorn; by implication, to go on the 



150 



loose: sometimes. To see the King. 
2. To be t-educed ; FT., avoir vu l& loup. 
Elephant-dance. See Cellar-flap 
aad Double-shuffle. 

klephant's-trunk (rhyming slang). 
Drunk : see Screwed. 

Elevated. Drunk: see Screwed. 
(I0G4). 

Elf en. To walk lightly, go on tiptoe. 
Ellcnborough - Lodge (Spike, or 
Park). The King's Bench Prison. 
[From L<L Chief - Justice Ellen- 
borough. Ellenbomigh's teeth, the 
chevaux de frise round the prison 
wall. 

lrig (back slang). A girl. 
Elycampane (or Elecampane). 
See Allacompain. 

Emag (back slang). Game: e.g. 
I know your little emag. 

Embroider. To exaggerate, add to 
the truth. 

Embroidery. Exaggeration: the 
American sass and trimmins (q.v.). 
Emma. See Whoa Emma. 
Emperor. A drunken man. 
[An intensification of, Drunk as a 
lord ; whence, Drunk as an em- 
peror.] FT., saoul com/me trente mitte 
hommes, or un dne. 

Empty the Bag. See Bag. 
Encumbrances. Children : see 
Certainties and Uncertainties. 

End. To le aU on end, to be very 
angry, irritated. Also expectant. At 
loose ends, neglected, precarious. 
End on, straight, full-tilt. To keep 
one's end up, to rub along. 

Enemy. Time : e.g. How goes the 
enemy, what's o'clock ? To Ml the 
enemy, to Mil time. 

English Burgundy. Porter: see 
Drinks. 

Enif. Fine. 

Eiiin - gen. Nine shillings. Enin 
yanneps, ninepenoe. 

Eno (back slang). One. 
Ensign - bearer. A drunkard ; 
especially with red nose and blotchy 
face: see Lushington. 

Ephesian, A boon companion, 
spreester : cf . Corinthian. 
Epip (back slang). A pipe. 
Epsom-races (rhyming Sang). A 
pair of braces. 

Equipped. Rich, well-dressed, in 
good circumstances. 

Erif (back slang). Fire. 

Eriff. A young, thief. 

Errand. To send a baby on TO 



Error. 



errand, to uudertake what is pretty 
sure to turn out badly. 

Error. See No error. 

Erth (back slang). Three. Erth 
gen s three shillings. JErtfi-'pu, Three- 
up, % street game, played -with three 
halfpence. Mrih sitb-noms, Three 
montha' imprisonment ; a drag. Erth 
yanneps Threepence. 

E s c 1 o p (back slang). A pohce- 
constable- esolop is pronounced^ slop ' 
the t is never sounded : see Beak. 

Es-roch (back slang). A horse: 
see Prad. 

Essex-lion. A calf : e.g. as valiant 
as an Essex -lion : cf. Cotswold Lion, 
Cambridgeshire Nightingale, etc. 

Essex-stile. A ditch. 

Esuch( back slang). Ahorse: see Ken. 

Eternity-bos. A coffin. English 
synonyms: cold meat box, -wooden 
surtout, collee-shop, deal suit. 

Evaporate. To run away, to dis- 
appear : see Bunk. 

Evatch (back slang). To have: 
e.g. Evatch a kool at the elrig, Have 
a look at the girl. 

Everlasting-shoes (also Everlast- 
ings). The naked feet : see Creepers. 

Everlasting-staircase. The tread- 
mill. 

Everton - toffee (rhyming slang). 
Coffee. 

Everything is lovely and the 
goose hangs high. Everything is 
going swimmingly. [An aflusion to 
the sport of gander pulling. A gan- 
der was plucked, thoroughly greased, 
especially about the head and neck, 
and tied tight by the feet to the 
branch of & tree. The game was 
then to rido furiously at the mark, 
catch it by the head or neck, and 
attempt to bear it away. With every 
failure the fun would get more up- 
roarious.] 

Evif (back slang). Five. Evif- 
gen, a crown, or five shillings. Ewf- 
yanneps, fivepence. 

Evil. A wife : see Dutch. 

Evtenet-gen (back slang). 
Twelve shillings. E'denet sithnoms, 
twelve months : generally known as 
a stretch. 

Ewe. See White-ewe and-Old ewe. 

Ewe-mutton. An elderly strumpet, 
or piece. 

Exalted. Hanged : see Ladder. 

Exam. An abbreviation of Ex- 
amination, 



Exasperate. To over-aspirate the 
letter B. 

E x c e 1 1 e r s. The Fortieth Foot. 
[A pun upon its number, xl-fers.] 

Excruciators. Tight boots ; especi- 
ally with pointed toes. 

Execution-day. Washing day. 

Exes. 1. An abbreviation of ex- 
penses. 2. An abbreviation of ex- 
officials, ex-ministers, and so forth. 
As in Tom Moore's ' We x's have 
proved ourselves not to be wise.* 

Exis-evif-gen (back slang). Six 
times five shillings, Le. 30s. All 
monies may be reckoned in this 
maaner, either with yanneps or gens. 
Exis-evif-yanneps, literally, sixpence 
and fivepence, elevenpence. Exis gen, 
six shillings. Exis sith-noms, six- 
months. Exis yanneps, sixpence. 

Expecting. With child. 

Experience Does it. A dog- 
English rendering of Experienta docet. 

Explaterate. To hold forth, ex- 
plain in detail. [From O.E. Expiate 
=sfco unfold.] 

Explosion. A delivery in childbed. 

Exquisite. A fop : see Dandy. 

Extensive, Formerly applied to a 
person's appearance or talk; rather 
extensive that ! intimating that the 
person alluded to is showing off, or 
cutting it fat. 

Extinguisher. A dog's muzzle. 

Ex Trumps (Winchester College). 
Extempore. To go up to books ex 
trumps, to go to class without pre- 
paring one's lessons. 

Eye. See All my eye. To putt wool 
over the eyes : see WooL To keep the. 
eyes clean (skinned, or peeled), to b 
watchful, alert, with all one's wits 
about one. To have a drop in the 
eye, to be drunk : see Screwed. In 
the tvtinUing of an eye : see Bedpost. 
To bet one's eyes: see Bet. My 
eyes ! An expression of surprise. 

Eyelashes. To hang on by the eye- 
lashes (or eyebrows), to be very tena- 
cious ; also by implication, to be in a 
difficulty : cf. Hang on by the splash 
board. 

Eye-limpet. An artificial eye. 

Eye-opener. 1. Drink generally j 
specifically, a mixed drink. 2. Any- 
thing surprising or out of the 
way. 

Eyeteeth. To have cut one's eye- 
teeth* to have learned wisdom. 

Eye-water. Gin : see Drinks, 



151 



Face. 



Faggot-briefs. 



Face. 1. Confidence, boldness, 
also (more frequently) impudence : 
e.g. I like your face, I like your 
cheek. Once literary ; cf. Cheek, 
Jaw, Gab, Brow, Mouth, Lip, etc. 
(1610). 2. Credit. To push one's 
face, to get credit by bluster (1765). 
3. A qualification of contempt : e.g. 
Now face ! where are you a-shoving 
of ? ' As verb, to bully (1503) also 
to face (or outface) with a card of fen, 
to browbeat, bluff. [Nares : derived 
from some game (possibly pnmero) 
wherein the standing boldly upon a 
fen, was often successful.] (1460). To 
face the knocker, to go begging : see 
Cadge. To have no face but one's own, 
to be penniless, or (gamesters') to 
hold no court cards : Fr., n'avoir pas 
une face, to have not a sou. To 
make faces, to go back, or ' round * 
upon a friend. To face the music, to 
meet an emergency, show one's hand. 
Face - entry. Freedom of access, 
the personal appearance being familiar 
to attendants. 

Facer. LA blow in the face 
(Grose). 2. A sudden check, spoke 
in one's wheel. 3. A dram. 4. A 
bumper (Grose). 5. A tumbler of 
whisky punch. 6. An accomplice, 
stall (q.v.), fence (q.v.). 

Facey. A fellow vis-d-vis, work- 
man. Facey on the bias, one in front 
either to right or left ; Facey on the 
two thick, one working immediately 
behind one's opposite. 

Facings. To be put (or go), 
through one's facings, to be called 
to account or scolded, to exemplify 
capacity ; to show off. Stile-facings, 
stains upon work caused by beer 
droppings. 

Fad-cattle. Easy women. 
Faddist (or Fadmonger). A 
person (male or female) devoted to the 
pursuit of public fads : as social 
purity, moral art, free - trade in 
syphilis, and so-forth. 

Faddle. To toy, trifle : as a subs., 
a busybody, a * nancified,' affected, 
male. Also Faddy, full of fads. 

Fadge. A farthing. English syno- 
nyms : fiddler, farden, gig, (or grig), 
quartereen. As verb, to suit, fit, 
agree with, come off. [Nares : prob- 
ably never better than a low word : 



it is now confined to the streets] 
(150U). 

F a d g e r. A glazier's frame, a 
1 frail.' 

Fadmonger. A Fa.ddisi (q.v.). 
Fadmcmgenng, dealing as a Faddist 
v--ith fads. 

Fag. 1. A boy doing rcenial work 
for a schoolfellow in a ligher form. 
As verb, to act as a fag. 2. Christ's 
Hospital). Eatables. 3. A lawyer's 
clerk. -1. A cigarette. 

Fag. See subs. To beat. 

Fagger (Figger, or Figure). A 
boy thief employed to enter houses by 
windows and either open the doors to 
his confederates as Oliver Twist with 
Bill Sykes), or hand out the swag to 
them; also Little snakesman (q.v.): 
cf . Diver. 

Fagging (or F a g g e r y). 
Waiting upon and doing menial work 
for a schoolfellow in a higher form. 
Also used adjectivelj. 

Faggot. 1. A woman, baggage : in 
contempt. [Once a popular symbol 
of recantation : heretics who had thus 
escaped the stake -were required either 
to bear a faggot and burn it in public, 
or to wear an imitation on the sleeve 
as a badge.] Also Bed- (or Straw-) 
faggot, a wife, or mistress ; Tumble- 
faggot, a whore-master ; Garry - faggot, 
a mattress. 2. A sort of cake, roll, 
or ball, a number being baked at a 
time, made of chopped liver and lights, 
mixed with gravy, and wrapped in 
pieces of pig's caul. It weighs six 
ounces, so that it is unquestion- 
ably a cheap [it costs Id. hot] and, to 
the scavenger, a savoury meal, but 
to other nostrils its odour is not 
seductive (Mayhew). 3. A dummy 
soldier ; one hired to appear at a 
muster to hide deficiencies. Many 
names of dummies would appear on 
the muster-roll : for these the colonel 
drew pay, but they were never in the 
ranks : obsolete, see Widow's - man 
(1672). As verb, to bind hand 
and foot, to tie [as sticks into a 
faggot] : Fr., un fagot, a convict, be- 
cause bound to a common chain on 
their way to the hulks. 

Faggot-briefs. Bundles of 
dummy papers sometimes carried by 
briefless barristers. 



152 



Faggot-vote. 



Fan 



Faggot - vote. A vote cocured by 
the purchase of property under mort- 
gage, or otherwise, so as to constitute 
a nominal qualification without a sub- 
stantial basis. 

Fains! (Fainitsl Fain it!) A 
call for truce during the progress oi 
a game without which priority or place 
would be lost ; generally understood to 
be preferred m bounds, or when out 
of danger : see Bags ' 

Fair-gang. Gypsies. 

Fair-rations. Fair dealings. 

Fair-shake. A good bargain : see 
Shake. 

Fair-trade. Smuggling. 

Faithful. One of the faithful ( 1 ) A 
drunkard: see Lushington (1609). 
(2) A tailor giving long credit (Grose). 

Faithful Durhams. The Sixty- 
Eighth Footh. 

Fake. An action, proceeding, 
manoeuvre, mechanical contrivance 
an affair of any kind irrespective of 
morals or legality : generally used in 
a sense specifically detrimental. In 
America, a swindler. As verb, (1) 
to do anything ; to fabricate, cheat, 
deceive, devise falsely, steal, forge : a 
general verb-of-all-work. In America, 
fix (q.v.) is employed much in the 
same way : Fr., faire. Also, To fake 
a screeve, to write a begging letter ; to 
fake one's slangs, to file through one's 
fetters ; to false a cly (q.v.), to pick a 
pocket ; to fake the sweetener, to kiss ; 
to fake the duck, to adulterate, dodge ; 
to fake the rubber, to stand treat ; to 
fake the broads, to pack the cards, or to 
work the three-cark trick; to fake a 
line (theatrical), to improvise a speech ; 
to fake a dance (a step, or a trip) thea- 
trical), to perform what looks like, but 
is not, dancing. (2) To hocus, nobble, 
tamper. (3) To paint one's face, make 
up a character. Also to fake up. (4) 
To cut out the wards of a key. Fake 
away! an ejaculation of encouragement. 

Fake-boodle. See Boodle. 

Faked. Counterfeit : sometimes 
Faked-up: Fr., lophe. 

Fakement. 1. A counterfeit signa- 
ture, forgery: specifically a begging 
letter or petition : Fr., brasser des 
faffes, to forge documents, i.e. To 
screeve fakements. 2. Generic for 
dishonest practices; but applied to 
any kind of action, contrivance, or 
trade : see Fake. 3. Small properties, 
accessories. 



Fakemer.t - Chr-ley. An owner' 
ynTrtce niai'C. 

Faker. i. One who makes, does, 
or fakes anything ; specifically a 
thief. Found ia many combinations : 
e.g. Bit -faker, Flue -faker, Grub- 
faker. Sham-faker, Twat-faker, etc. 
2. A circus rider or performer. 

Fakes and Slumboes. Properties, 
accessories of any kiad. 

Faking. The act of doing any- 
thing : Fr., maquillage. (or goupinage). 

Fall. 1. To be arrested. 2. To 
conceive : see Lumpy. 

Fall of the Leaf (The). Hanging : 
see Ladder. 

False - hereafter. A bustle : see 
Bird-cage. 

F a m. See Fambling-cheat and 
Famble. 

F amble (Fam, or Fern). The 
hand : see Famblmg-cheat : see Bunch 
of fives and Daddle. As verb, to 
touch, to handle, especially with a 
view to ascertaining the whereabouts 
of valuables. Also To fam for the 
plant : see To run a rule over. 

Famblers (Fambling - cheats, or 
Fam-snatchers). Gloves. 

Fambling- cheat (Famble, or 
Fam). A ring ; also (about 1694) 
gloves, which later still were also 
called Fam-snatchers (q.v.) (1560). 

Fam-grasp. To shake hands : also 
subs., hand-shaking. 

Familiars. Lice : see Chates. 

Familiar-way. With child. 

Family-disturbance. Whisky : see 
Drinks. 

Family - hotel. A prison : see 



k amily-man. A thief ; specifically, 
a fence (q.v.). [In allusion to the 
fraternities into which thieves were at 
one time invariably banded] (1749). 

Family-plate. Silver money: see 
Rhino. 

Family-pound. A family grave. 

Fam-lay. Shoplifting. 

Fam-snatchers. Gloves: of. 
Fambling-cheat. 

Fam-squeeze. Strangulation. 

Fam-strucfc. Baffled in ascertain- 
ing the whereabouts of valuables on 
the person of an intended victim ; also 
handcuffed. 

Fan. A waistcoat ; said by Hotten 
(1864) to be a Houndsditoh term, but 
quoted in Matsell (1859) as American. 
English synonyms: ben, benjie, M.B. 



153 



Fancy. 



Father. 



waistcoat;, Cnarloy 1'rubcot. As verb, 
(1) to beat, to be-rate. (2) To feel, 
handle (with a view to ascertain if a 
victim has anything valuable about 
his person). Abo to steal from the 
person. Qvczn Anrn?s fan: see 'poet. 

Fancy. Tae fraternity of pugilists : 
prize-Stilting being: oace regarded as 
The fancy, par excett&'Me. Hence, by 
implication, people who cultivate a, 
.-*peo'al hobby or\u*lf. 

Fancy-bloke. 1. A sporting man. 
2. Se Fancy-man. 

Fancy-house. A brothel. 

Fancy-Joseph. An Apple-squire 
(q.v.), Cupid. 

Fancy-lay. Pugilism. 

Fancy-man (or bloke). A 
prostitute's, lover, liusb^nd, or pen- 
sioner. English synonyms: apple- 
squire, faker, bully, ponce, pensioner, 
Sunday-man, fancy-Joseph, squire of 
the body, apron - squire, petticoat 
pensioner, prosser, twat-faker, twat- 
mastcr, stallion, mack, bouncer, 
briber, buck. 

Fancy-piece. A prostitute. 

Fancy-work, To talte in fancy 
work, to play the harlot. 

Fang-f nker. A dentist. 

Fanning. 1. Stealing; Cross- 



grease ' us equivalent to a email 
quantity. 

Fast. 1. Embarrassed, hard-up, 
in a tight place. 2. Dissipated, ad- 
dicted to going the pace : e.g. a fast 
man, a rake-hell, or spendthrift ; a 
fast woman, a strumpet ; a fast life, a 
life of debauchery ; a fast house, a 
brothel, or a sporting tavern ; to dress 
fast, to dress for the town ; to live 
fast, to go the pace, and so forth 
(1751) 3. Impudent, cheeky: e.g. 
Don't you be ao fast, Mind your own 
business. To play fast and loose, to be 
variable, inconstant., say one thing 
and do another. 

Fastener (or Fastner). A warrant. 
Fat. 1. Money : FT., graisse : see 
Rhino. 2. Composition full of blank 
spaces or in short lines. Verse is 
frequently fat, while this dictionary, 
with its constant change of type, is 
lean (q.v.). Hence, work that pays 
well : FT., affaire juteuse. 3. A good 
part ; telling lines and conspicuous or 
commanding situations : FT., des 
cfodettes. As adj., (1) rich, abundant, 
profitable. (2) Good. Cut it fat: see 
Cut. Cut up fat: see Cut up. All 
the fafs in the fire, said of failures and 
of the results of sudden and un- 



fanning, robbery from the person, the expected revelation, disappointments : 

" iT " !-*-._ u~: ~ t^u i \,Q. j^ jg gjj over or up with, a 

person or thing. A late equivalent is, 
And then the band played. Fat as 
a hen' 8 forehead, meagre, skinny (q.v.). 
Fat- (Barge-, Broad- or Heavy-) 
arsed. Broad in the breech ; and, 



arms of the manipulator being folded. 
2. A beating. 

Fanny Adams. Tinned mutton. 

Fanny Blair. The hair. 

F a n t a i 1. A sort of round hat 
vrith a long leathern fan-shaped flap 



at the back ; worn by coal-heavers by implication (in Richard Baxter's 



and dustmen ; a Sou'-wester (q.v.). 

Fanteague. On the Fanteague, on 
the burst, or loose. 

Far - back. An indifferent work- 
man, ignoramus. 

Farclen. A farthing : see Rhino* 
Fadge. 

Farm. 1 . An establishment where 
pauper or illegitimate children were 
lodged and fed at so much a head. 
Also verbally, to contract to feed and 
lodse pauper or illegitimate children. 
2. The prison infirmary. To fetch the 
farm, to be ordered infirmary diet 
and treatment : see Fetch. 

Farmer. 1. An alderman. 2. 
One who contracts to lodge and feed 
pauper or illegitimate children. 

Farthing. To care not a brass 
farthing, to care nothing. Chaucer 
uses the expression ' no farthing of 



Shove to Heavy Arsed Christians'), 
thick-witted and slow to move. 

Fat- (or Thick-) chops. A con- 
tumelious epithet. 

Fater (Faytor, or Fator). A 
fortune-teller. In Spencer, a doer ; in 
Bailey, an idle fellow, vagabond : Fr., 
faiteur. 

Fat-flab (Winchester School). 
A cut off the fat part of a breast of - 
mutton : see Cat's-head. 

Fat- (or Full-) guts. An oppro- 
brious epithet for a fat man or 
woman. 

Fat-head. A dolt. Fat -headed 
(-skulled, -thoughted, -pated, -grained, 
or -witted), dull, stupid, slow. 

Father. LA receiver of stolen 
property, fence (q.v.). 2. A chief in 
authority, elder: e.g. The father of 
the house, the oldest member of the 



154 



FatJier Derbie's Bands. 



House of Commoiiis (cf. l;i*Lo) ; 
among printers, the chairman of the 
Chapel (q.v.), the intermediary be- 
tween master and men ; in naval 
circles, the builder of a man-of-wai 
or Government * bottom.' 

Father Derbie's Bands. See 
Darbies. 

Father's Brother. A pawnbroker, 
My uncle (q.v.). 

Fat Jack of the Bone-house. A con- 
tumelious epithet for a very stout man. 

Fatness. Wealth : Fat, rich. 

Fatten - up. To write Fat (subs., 
sense 3) into a part. 

Fat - 'un. An emission of peculiar 
ranfcness, * roarer * (Swift). 

Fatty (Fatymus, or Fattyma). 
A jocular epithet for a fat man j a 
comic endearment for a fat woman. 

Faugh - a - Ballagh Boys. The 
Eighty-Seventh Foot; also known 
as the Eagle-takers (q.v.), and the 
Old Fogs (q.v.). [From Fag an bealac, 
Clear the Way, the regimental 
march.} 

Faulkner. A tumbler, juggler. 

Fawney (or Fauney). 1. A ring : 
FT., brobuante, broqutile, chason. 2. 
A swindle (also Fawney-dropping, or 
rig), worked as follows : A ring 
(snide) is let drop in front of a passer- 
by, who picks it up, and is confronted 
by the dropper, who claims to share. 
In consideration of immediate settle- 
ment he offers to accept something less 
than the apparent value in cask. 
Also done with pocket-books, meer- 
schaum pipes, etc. Fa-wney-droppcr, 
one that practices the ring-dropping 
trick; Fawney-bouncing, selling rings 
for a pretended wager ; Fawnied, 
ringed (1789). 

Feager. * One that beggeth with 
counterfeit writings ' (Rowlands, 
1610). 

Feague. To send packing, whiff 
away. 

Feafc. The fundament. 

Feather. 1. Kind, species, com- 
pany : cf. Birds of a feather : see 
Kidney (1608). 2. In pi., money, 
wealth : see Rhino. In full feather ( 1 ), 
rich. (2) In full costume; with all 
one's war paint on. In high (or full) 
feather, elated, brilliant, conspicuous. 
To feather one's nest, to amass money ; 
specifically to enrich oneself by in- 
direct pickings and emoluments (1590). 
To feather an oar, in rowing, to turn 
155 



thj blade horizontally, with the upper 
edge pointing affc, as it leaves the 
water, for the purpose of lessening the 
resistance of the air upon it. To 
show the white feather, to turn cur, 
prove oneself a coward. [Among 
game cocks a cross-bred bird is known 
by a white feather in the tail. Of old 
the breed was strictly preserved in 
England, for though birds of all 
descriptions were reared in the farm- 
yard, special care was taken that game 
fowls did not mis with them ; but this 
would occasionally happen, and while 
the game birds were only red and 
black, white feathers would naturally 
appear when there was any cross. 
The slightest impurity of strain was 
said to destroy the bird's courage, and 
the half -breeds were never trained for 
the pit. It became an adage that any 
cock would fight on his own dunghill, 
but it must be one without a white 



feather to fight in the pit.] 
pillow 



Feather-bed and pillows. A fat 
woman. 

Feather-bed Lane. A rough or 
stony lane. 

Feather-bed Soldier (old col- 
loquial). A practised and determined 
loose liver. 

Feck. To discover a safe way of 
stealing or swindling. 

Feed. A meal, Spread (q.v.), 
Blow-out (q.v.) : FT., lampie. As 
verb (1), to support, backup. (2) To 
prompt. (3) To teach or cram (q.v. ) for 
an examination. At feed, at meat. 
To be off one's feed, to have a distaste 
for food. To feed the fishes, to be sea- 
sick ; also to be drowned. To feed 
the press, to send up copy slip by slip. 

Feeder. 1. A spoon ; among thieves 
a silver spoon. To nab a feeder, to 
steal a spoon (Grose). 2. A tutor, 
crammer (q.v.). coach (q.v.) (1766). 

Feeding - bottle. The paps : see 
Dairy. 

Feel. See Bones. 

Feele. A girl or daughter: see 
Titter: Fr., fiue; It., figlia. Feeles, 
mother and daughter. 

Feeler. 1. A device or remark 
designed to bring out the opinions 
of others. 2. The hand : see Bunch 
of Fives. 

Feet. Making feet for children's 
stockings, begetting or breeding chil- 
dren. Officer of feet, an officer of 
infantry (Grose). How's your poor 



Feet-casements. 



Fetch. 



feet ? 



the 



street catch phrase 
early part of the sixties. 
Irving's revival of ' The Dead Heart ' 
revived this bit of slang. . . . When the 
play was brought 7>ut originally, 
where one of the characters says, ' My 
heart is dead, dead, dead 1 ' a voice 
from the gallery nearly broke up the 
drama with ' How are your poor feet ? 
The phrase Eved,] 

Feet-casements. Boots or shoes : 
see Trotter-cases. 

Feeze (Feaze, Feize, or Pheeze). 
To beat. 

Feint. A pawnbroker: see My uncle. 

Feker. Trade, profession. 

Fell. Fell a lit on, to act craftily, 
in an tmderhand manner. 

Fell - and - didn't. Said of a man 
walking lame. 

Fellow. See Old fellow. 

Fellow - commoner. An empty 
bottle: see Dead man (1794). 

Felt. A hat of felted wool : see 
Golgotha (1609). 

Fern. See Famble. 

Fen. A prostitute (Grose). As verb 
(also Fend, Fain, Fainits, etc.), a term 
of warning, or of prohibition : as to 
prevent any change in the existing 
conditions of a game ; e.g. at marbles, 
Fen-flacingf, no alteration in position 
of marbles is permissible ; Fen-clear- 
ances. removal of obstacles is for- 
bidden. 

Feu ~e. 1. A purchaser or receiver 
of stolen goods. English synonyms: 
fencing master (or cully), billy-fencer, 
angling cove, stallsman, Ikey, family- 
man, father (1714). 2. A place 
where stolen goods are purchased or 
received : FT., vnovlin. As verb, (1) to 
purchase or receive stolen goods (1610). 
(2) To spend money (1728). To be 
(sit, or ride) on the fence, to be neutral, 
ready to join the winning side, to 
wait to see how the cat will jump : 
also, to sit on both sides of the hedge. 
Those who thus seek to run with the 
hare and hunt with the hounds are 
called Fence-men. The operation is 
Fence-riding, which sometimes quali- 
fies for rail-riding (q.v.). 

Fencer. A hawker of small wares, 
tramp : generally used in connection 
with another word ; thus, Driz-fencer 
(q.v.), a pedlar of lace. 

Fencing-crib (or ken). A place 
where stolen goods are purchased or 



156 



Fencing-cully. A receiver of stolen 
goods. 

Fen - nightingale. A frog : also 
Cambridgeshire, and Cape Night- 
ingale. 

Ferguson. You can't lodge here, 
Mr. Ferguson, a street cry, popular 
about 1845-50 ; used in derision or 
denial. [Mr. J. H. Dixon, writing to 
Mr. John Camden Hotten, under date 
Nov. 6, 1864, says the phrase originated 
thus : A young Scotsman, named 
Ferguson, visited Epsom races, where 
he got very drunk. His friends 
applied to several hotel keepers to give 
him a bed, but in vain. There was 
no place for Mr. Ferguson. He was 
accordingly driven to London by his 
companions, who kept calling out, 
Ferguson, you can't lodge here. This 
was caught up by the crowd, repeated, 
and in a week was all over London, and 
in a month all over the kingdom. Mr 
Dixon states he was introduced to 
Mr. Ferguson, and that two of his 
companions were intimate friends.] 

Perm. A hole : with Spencer, a 
prison (1632). 

Ferret. 1. A barge-thief. 2. A 
dunning tradesman. 3. A pawn- 
broker : see My uncle. To ferret out, 
to be at pains to penetrate a mystery 
of any kind by working under- 
ground. 

Ferricadouzer. A knock - down 
blow, a thrashing. 

F e s s. To confess, own up : FT., 
norguer. As adj., proud. 

Festive. Loud, fast ; a kind of 
general utility word. Gay and festive 
cuss (Artemus Ward), a rollicking 
companion. 

Fetch, 1. A stratagem ; indirectly 
bringing something to pass (1576). 2. 
A success. 3. A likeness : e.g. the 
very fetch of him, Ms very image or 
spit (q.v.) : also an apparition. As 
verb, (1) to please, excite admiration, 
arouse attention or interest (1607). 
(2) To get, do. Some combinations are 
To fetch the farm, to get infirmary 
treatment and diet ; to fetch a stinger, 
(colloquial), to get in a heavy blow ; 
to fetch a lagging (thieves'), to serve 
one's term ; to fetch a bowl, to cry ; to 
fetch a crack, to strike ; to fetch a cir- 
cumbendibus, to make a detour ; to 
fetch the brewer, to get drunk To 
fetch away, to part ; e.g. A fool and 
his money are soon fetched away. To 



Fettle. 



Fieri Facias. 



fetch up, 1. to stop ,- to run against. 2. 
To startle. 3. To come to light. 4. 
To recruit one's strength after illness. 
Fetching, attractive (as of women), 
pleasing (as of a dress or bonnet). 

Fettle. In good (or in proper) 
fettle, drunk. 

Few. A few (or Just a few), origin- 
ally a little. Hence, by implication, 
on the lucus a, non lucendo prin- 
ciple, considerably ; e.g. Were you 
alarmed ? No, but I was astonished 
a few ! i.e. I was greatly surprised : 
cf. Bather, a good deal (1778). 

Fib. 1. To beat, specifically (pugil- 
ism) to get in a quick succession of 
blows, as when you get your man 
round the neck (i.e. in chancery) and 
pommel his ribs and face (1665). 2. 
To He (1694). Also, used substan- 
tively, (1) a lie, (2) a liar (1738). 

Fibber. A liar (1748). 

Fibbery. Lying. 

Fibbing. 1. "Prim mailing an op- 
ponent's head while ' in chancery,* 
drubbing : Fr., oordee de coups de 
Wings. 2. Lying. 

Fibbing-gloak. A pugilist. 

Fibbing-match. A prize-fight. 

Fibster. A liar. 

Fiddle. 1. A sharper ; sometimes 
Old fiddle : see Book. 2. A swindle : 
see Sell. 3. A whip. 4. A fiddle on 
which to play a tune called ' Four 
pounds of oakum a day ' a piece of 
rope and a long crooked nail. 5. 
(Stock Exchange). One sixteenth 
part of a pound. 6. A watchman's 
(or policeman's) rattle. 7. A six- 
pence : see Rhino, and cf. Fiddler's 
money. As verb, (1) to trifle, especi- 
ally with the hands (1663). (2) To 
cheat, specifically, to gamble. (3) To 
earn a livelihood by doing small 
jobs on the street. (4) To intrigue. 
(5) To strike. Scotch frffle, the itch. 
To hang up the fiddle, to abandon 
an undertaking. To play first (or 
second) fiddle, to take a leading or 
a subordinate part. Among tailors 
second fiddle, an unpleasant task. 
Fit as a fiddle, in good form or con- 
dition. See Fiddle-de-dee. 

Fiddle-faced. Wizened, also sub- 
stantively. 

Fiddle-faddle. Twaddling, trifling, 
' little nothings,' rot (q.v.) : Fr., oui, 
lee landers ! (1693). As adj., trifling, 
fussy, fluffing (1712). As verb, to 
toy, trifle, talk nonsense, gossip, 



make much cry and little wool. 
(1761). Also Fiddle - faddler, one 
inclined to Fiddle-faddles. 

Fiddle - head. A plain prow as 
distinguished from a figure - head : 
Hence Fiddle-headed, plain, ugly. 

Fiddler. 1. A trifler, a careless, 
negligent, or dilatory person. 2. A 
sharper, cheat; also Fiddle (q.v.). 3. 
A prize-fighter; one who depends 
more on activity than upon strength 
or stay. 4. A sixpence. [From 
the old custom of each couple at a 
dance paying the fiddler a sixpence : cf . 
Fiddler's- money,] 5. A farthing : see 
Rhino. 

Fiddlers' -fare. Meat, drink, and 
money (Grose), 

Fiddlers' -green. A sailor's elysium 
(situate on the hither and cooler 
side of hell) of wine, women, and 
song. 

Fiddlers' -money. Sixpences : see 
Rhino. [From the custom at country 
merry-makings of each couple paying 
the fiddler sixpence.] Also generic- 
ally, small silver. 

Fiddlestick! Nonsense: sometimes 
Fiddlestick's end and Fiddle-de-dee 
(1610). As subs., A spring saw. 2. A 
sword. 

Fiddling. 1. A livelihood got on 
the streets, holding horses, carrying 
parcels, etc. 2. Buying a thing for 
a mere trifle, and selling it for double, 
or for more. 3. Idling, trifling. 4. 
Gambling. As adj., trifling, trivial, 
fussing with nothing (1667). 

Fid - fad. A contracted form of 
Fiddle-faddle (q.v.); also applied to 
persons (1754). 

Fidlam-bens (or coves). Thieves 
who steal anything they can lay 
hands on: also St. Peter's sons. 

Field. To chop the field, to win 
easily. 

Fielder. A backer of the field 
Le. the ruck (q.v.), as against the 
favourite]. At cricket, a player in 
the field as against those at the 
wickets. 

Field-lane Duck. A baked sheep's 
head. 

Fient (Scots colloquial). An ex- 
pression of negation : e.g, Fient a hair 
care I, Devil a hair I care. 

Fieri Facias. To have been served 
with a writ o/ fieri facias, said of a red- 
nosed man. [A play upon words.] 
(1594). 



167 



Lot* 



Pitchman. 



Fiery Lot. Fast (q.v.), rollicking, 
applied to a hot member (q.v.). 
Fiery Snorter. A reel nose. 
Filer. 1. A waistcoat hand. 2. 
A native of the Kingdom (q.v.}, i.e. 
the county of Fife. 

Fi-fi (or fie-fie). Indecent, blue, or 
smutty. 

Fifteener. A book printed in the 
15th century. 

Fifth Rib. To hit (dig, or poke) 
one. under the -fifth rib, to deliver a 
heavy blow, dumbfound. 

Fig. 1. A gesture of contempt made 
by thrusting forth the thumb between 
the fore and middle fingers ; whence 
the expression, I do not care, or would 
not give, a fig for you: FT., je ne 
voudraia pas en donner un ferret 
(Faigufflettei see other similes of 
worthlessness, Curse, Straw, Rush, 
Chip, Cent, Dam, etc. (1599). [Italian : 
When the Milanese revolted against 
the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa 
they set his Empress hind before upon 
a mule, and thus expelled her. Fred- 
erick afterwards besieged and took the 
city, and compelled all his prisoners, 
on pain of death, to extract with his 
(or her) teeth a fig from the funda- 
ment of a mule and, the thing being 
done, to say in announcement, Ecco 
la fica. Thus far la fica became a 
universal mode of derision. FT., 
faire la figue ; Ger., die Feigen weisen ; 
It., far U fiche ; Dutch, Devyghe setten. 
2. Dress. In fuU fig, in full dress. 
As verb, to ginger a horse. To fig 
out, to show off, dress ; don one's war 
paint (q.v.). To fig up, to restore, 
reanimate (as a gingered horse). 

Figaro. A barber. [From Le 
Nozze di Figaro.] 

Figdean. To kill : see Cook one's 
Goose. 

Figged. See Jigged. 
Figger (or Figure). See Fagger. 
Figging- (or Fagging-lay). Pocket- 
picking. 

Fight. A party ; e.g. Tea fight, 
Wedding-fight, etc.: ci Scramble, 
Worry, Row. To fight or $ay 
cocumt see Cocum. To fight (or 
buck) the tiger i see Buck. One, that 
can fight his weight in wtid cats, a 
brilliant desperado. 

Fighting - cove. A professional 
pugilist, specifically one who * boxes * 
for a livelihood at fairs, race-meetings, 
etc. 



158 



Fighting Fifth (The). The Fifth 
Foot. [So distinguished in the Pen- 
insula.] Other nicknames were the 
Shiners (in 1764, from its clean and 
smart appearance) ; The Old Bold 
Fifth (also Peninsular) ; and Lord 
Wellington's Body Guard (it was at 
headquarters in 1811). 

Fighting Ninth (The). The Ninth 
Foot. Also Holy Boys (Peninsular), 
from its selling its Bibles for drink. 

Fighting -tight. Drunk and 
quarrelsome: see Screwed. 

Fig-leaf. An apron. In fencing, 
the padded shield worn over the 
lower abdomen and right thigh : Fr., 
petite bannette. 

Figs (also Figgins). A grocer. 
Figure. 1. Appearance, conduct; 
e.g. to cut a good or bad figure, a mean 
figure, sorry figure, etc. (1712). 2. 
Paps and posteriors ; said only of 
women. No figure, wanting in both 
particulars. As verb, to single out, spot 
(q.v.). Figure, like Fetch, comes in for 
a good deal of hard work in America. 
It is colloquially equivalent to ' count 
upon ' ; as, You may figure on getting 
a reply by return mail ; also, to strive 
for. To figure on [a thing], to think it 
over; to figure out, to estimate; to 
figure up, to add up ; to cut a figure, see 
Cut ; to go the whole figure, to be 
thorough ; to go the big figure, to launch 
out ; to -miss a figure, to make a mis- 
take.] 

Figure-dancer. A manipulator of 
the face value of banknotes, cheques, 
and paper security generally (Grose). 
Figure-head. The face : see Dial. 
Figure-maker. A wencher. 
Figure (or Number) Six. A lock of 
hair brought down from the forehead, 
greased, twisted spirally, and plastered 
on the face : see Aggerawator. 

Filbert. Cracked in the filbert, 
crazy ; a variant of Wrong in the nut 
(q.v.) or Upper storey. 

Filch. 1. To steal : specifically to 
pilfer (1567). 2. To beat. As subs., 
a thief. 

Filcher (or Filch). A thief. 
F i 1 c h m an (or Filch). A thief s 
hooked staff: 'He carries a short 
staff in his hand, which is called a 
filch, having in the nab or head of it a 
ferme (that is to say a hole) into which, 
upon any piece of service, when he 
goes a filching, he putteth a hoofce of 
iron, with which hooke he angles at 



Fire-eater. 



a window in the dead of night for 
shirts, smookes, or any other linen or 
woollen ' (Dekker). 

File. 1. A pickpocket: also file 
cloy (or bung nipper) : Fr., poisse & la 
detoume (1754). As verb, to pick 
pockets. 2. A man : i.e. a cove (q.v.). 
Thus silent file (Fr. lime sourde), a 
dumb man; dose -file, a miser, or a 
person not given to blabbing ; hard- 
filet a grasper (q v.) ; old file, an elder ; 
and so forth. 

Filing-lay. Pocket - picking 
(1754). 

Filling at the Price. Satisfying. 

Fill. Fill one's pipe. To attain to 
easy circumstances. Fill the biU, to 
excel in conspicuousness : as a star 
actor whose name is ' billed * to the 
exclusion of the rest of the company. 
Hence, by implication, out of the 
common run of things ; e.g. That fills 
the lift, that takes the cake, for a He, 
an effect, an appearance anything. 
Fill the bin, to be beyond question, 
come up to the mark ; e.g. Is the news 
reliable ? Yes, it fills the bin. 

Fillupey. Satisfying. 

Filly. A girl ; specifically a 
wanton: among thieves, a daughter 
(1668). 

FUtfa. A prostitute (1602). 

Finable - famble. A lame excuse, 
prevaricating answer. 

Fin. The arm; also the hand: 
IV., nageowe : To tip the fin, to shake 
hands (Grose). 

Find (Harrow). A mess of three 
or four upper boys which teas and 
breakfasts in the rooms of one or 
other of the set. Find-fag, a fag who 
provides for, or finds, upper boys. 

Finder. 1. A thief; specifically a 
meat-market thief. 2. (Oxford Uni- 
" y). A waiter; especially at 



Fine. Punishment, a term of im- 
prisonment. To fine, to sentence. 
To cut it fine, see Out fine. To get 
one down fine and close, to find out all 
about a man, deliver a stinging blow. 
Att very fine and large, an interjection 
of (1) approval, (2) derision, and (8) 
incredulity. [The refrain of a music- 
hall song excessively popular about 
1886-88.] Fine as fivepence: see 
Fivepence. Fine day for the young 
ducks, a very wet day. Fine words 
butter no parsnips, a sarcastic retort 
upon huge promises. 



Fine-drawing. Accomplishing an 
end without discovery. 

Fineer (and Fineering). 
Running into debt ; getting goods 
made in such a fashion as to be unfit 
for every other purchaser, and if the 
tradesman refuses to give them on 
credit, then threatens to leave them 
upon his hands (Goldsmith). 

Fine-madam. An epithet of envy or 
derision for one above her station. 

Finger. A * nip,' usually ap- 
plied to spirituous liquors. Thus, 
Three fingers of clear juice, Three 
* goes * of whisky. To put the finger 
in the eye, to weep (Grose). 

Finger - and - thumb. A road or 
highway, i.e. drum. 

Finger-better. A man who bets on 
credit ; also one who points out cards. 

Finger-post. A clergyman. 

Finger - smith. L A pickpocket. 
2. A midwife: Fr., Madame tire- 
monde (or tire-pouce, tire-mdmes). 

Finish. To MIL 

Finisher. Something that gives 
the last, tiie settling touch to any- 
thing: see Corker, Clincher, etc, 
(1788). 

F i n j y ! (Winchester College) 
An exclamation excusing one from 
participation in an unpleasant or un- 
acceptable task, which he who says 
the word last has to undertake. 

Finnuf . See Finnup. 

Finn up (also Finaip, Finnuf 
Finnif , Finnic, Finn, or Fin) . A five 
pound note or Flimsy (q.v.) [A 
Yiddish pronunciation of German 
funf, five.] Also Finnup ready, 
ready money : in America, Finnup, a 
five dollar bill Double finnup, a ten 
pound note. 

Fippenny. A clasp knife : see Chive. 

Fire. Danger. Like a house on 
fire, easily and rapidly: cf. House, 
Winking, One o'clock, Cake, Briofe, 
etc. To fire a slug, to drink a dram 
(Grose). To fire a gun, to introduce 
a story by head and shoulders, lead 
up to a subject (Qrose)* To set the 
Thames on fire, to do some next-to- 
impossible task, to be exceptionally 
clever ; used negatively in sarcasm- 
Fire and Light. A master-at-arms. 

Fired. Arrested, turned out, and 
(among artists) rejected. 

Fire-eater. In Old Cant a quick- 
worker; and in modem English, a 
duellist or bully : also Fire-eating. 



150 



Fix, 



Fire-escape. A clergyman. 

Fire-prigger. A tiiiei whose venue 
is a conflagration (Grose). 

Fire-spaniel. A soldier who 
nurses the barrack-room fire : syn- 
onyms are: fire- dog, fire- worshipper, 
chimney - ornament, fender - guard, 
and. cuddle-chimney. 

Firewater. Ardent spirits. 

Fireworks. A state of disturb- 
ance, mental excitement : e.g. Fire- 
vxtrks on ilus, brain, a fluster. 

Firk. To beat (1599). 

Firkytoodle. To carets. English 
synonyms to canoodlo, to fiddle, to 
mess (or pull) about, to slewther 
(Irish), to spoon, to crooky, to fam. 

Firmed. See Well-firmed. 

First - chop. First rate. [From 
Hind., chaap, a stamp, an official 
mark on weights and measures ; 
hence used to signify quality.] Also 
Second-chop (q.v.). 

First-flight. In the first flight 
those first in at the finish; in fox- 
hunting those in at the death. 

First - nighter. An habitue" 
of theatrical jBrst-performances. 

First-night Wrecker. See Wrecker. 

Fish. 1. A man ; generally in con- 
tempt or disparagement, as Odd fish, 
Loose fish, Queer fish, Scaly fish, Shy 
fish. 2. Pieces cut out of garments to 
make them fit close. As verb, to 
attempt to obtain by artifice, seek in- 
directly, curry favour. Pretty kettle 
of fish, a perplexing state of affairs, 
quandary. To have other fish to fry, to 



scrubbing brush, and set to work. 
To put up one's fiat, to acknowledge a 
fact: of. Fill the bin and acknowledge 
the corn. 

Fit. Suitable, m good form. Fit 
as a fiddle, m perfect condition. To 
fit like a ball of wax, to fit close to the 
skin. To fit like a sentry box, to fit 
badly. To fit like a glove, to fit per- 
fectly. To fit to a T, to fit to a nicety. 
[In reference to the T square used in 
drawing.] To fit up a ahow, to ar- 
range an exhibition. 

Fitch's Grenadiers. The Eighty- 
Third Foot. [From the small stature 
of the men and the name of the first 
colonel.] 

Fits. To beat into fits : see Beat 
and Creation. 

Fitter. A burglar's locksmith. 
Fit-up. A small company: also 
used adjeotively : see Conscience. 

Five-fingers. The five of trumps 
in the game of Don or Five Cards 
(1611). 

Fiver. Anything that counts as 
five ; specifically a five-pound note : 
cf. Finn. 

Five over Five. Said of people 
who turn in their toes. 

Fivepence. As fine (or ag grand), 
as fivepence (or as fippence), as fine as 
possible : of. As neat as ninepence 
(1672). 

Fives. 1. The fingers. Bunch of 
fives, the fist : see Forks (1629), Also 
the feet, 2. A fight. 

Fix. A dilemma j frequently in con- 
junction with Awful (q.v.) and T 



have other business on hand. To be 

neither fish nor fiesh, to be neither one lar (q.v.), e.g. An 

>nT>g nor another ; said of waverers position. Variants are 

and nondescripts; sometimes ex- ~ 

tended to Neither fish, flesh, fowl, nor 

good red herring (1598). 

Fish-broth. Water: see Adam's 
ale (1599). 

Fisher. A lick-spittle ; only used 
contemptuously. 

Fishhooks. The fingers : see Forks. 

Fishrnarket. The lowest hole at 
bagatelle, Simon (q.v.). 

Fishy. Effete, dubious, or seedy 
(o persons) : unsound, or equivocal 
(of things). Also Fishiness, unsound- 



Fist. 1. Handwriting: FT., la 
cape. 2. A workman. Good fist, a 
good workman. 3. An index hand, 
As verb, (1) to apprehend (1598). 2. 
To take hold : e.g. Just you fist that 



a tree, Up a close, Under a cloud, In a 
scrape : Fr., avoir des mots avec les 
sergots, to run. amuck of the police. 
As verb, (1) to arrest (1789). (2) A 
general verb of action. Everything is 
fixed except the meaning of the word 
itself. The farmer fixes his fences, 
the mechanic his work-bench, the 
seamstress her sewing-machine, the 
fine lady her hair, and the schoolboy 
his books. The minister has to fix 
his sermon, the doctor to fix his 
medicines, the lawyer to fix his brief. 
Dickens was requested to un-fix his 
straps ; eatables are fixed for a meal ; 
a girl unfixes herself to go to bed, and 
fixes herself up to go for a walk. At 
public meetings it is fixed who are to 
be the candidates for office ; rules are 



160 



Fixings. 



Flannels. 



fixed to govern an institution, and 
when the arrangements are made the 
people contentedly say, Now every- 
thing is fixed nicely. To fix ike 
ballot box, to tamper with returns. 
Anyhow (or nohow) you can or can't 
fix it: see Anyhow. To fix one's 
flint, to settle one's hash : see Cook 
one's goose ( 1 835). To fix up, to settle, 
arrange. 

Fixings. A noun of all work: 
applied to any and everything. 

Fiz (or Fizz) , Champagne ; some- 
times lemonade and ginger-beer : see 
Boy. 

Fiz-gig. A firework. 

Fizzer. Anything first-rate: of. 
Fizzing. 

J*^rfz\ ri ?. First-rate. English 
-*r^nonyms: Al, cheery, clean wheat, 
clipping, crack, creamy, crushing, 
first chop, first-class, first-rate, or (in 
America) first-rate and a half, hunky, 
jamzny, jonnick, lummy, nap, out- 
and-out, pink, plummy, proper, real 
jam, right as ninepence, ri-"-- 
rooter, rum, screaming, scrumj 
ship-shape, slap-up, slick, sp 
cious, splendiferous, to rights, tip-top, 
true marmalade, tsing-tsing. 

Fizzle. A ridiculous failure, 
flash in the pan: in many of the 
United States colleges, the terma 
blundering recitation. To hit just 
one third of the meaning constitutes 
a perfect fizzle. As verb, to fail in 
reciting, recite badly. Also (said of 
an instructor) to cause one to fail at 
reciting. At some American colleges 
Flunk (q.v.) is the common word for 
an utter failure. To Fizzle, to stumble 
through at last. 

Flabbergast. To astound, stagger, 
either physically or mentally (1772). 

Flabberdegaz. Words interpolated 
to dissemble a lapse of memory, Gag 
(q.v.). Also, imperfect utterance or 
bad acting. 

Flag. 1. A groat, fourpenny piece : 
also Flagg, and Flagge: see Ehino 
(1567). 2. An apron ; hence a badge 
of office or trade : of. Flag-flasher. 3. 
A jade (1539). To fly the flag, to post 
a notice that hands are wanted. 

Flag of Defiance. A drunken 
roysterer: see Lushington. To hang 
out the flag of defiance (or bloody flag), 
to be continuously drunk. 

Flag-flasher. One sporting a 
badge or other ensign of office 



(cap, apron, uniform, etc.) whan off 
duty. 

Flag-about. A strumpet. 

Flag-flying. See Flag. 

Flag of Distress. 1. A card an- 
nouncing lodgings, or board and 
lodgings. Hence, any overt sign of 
poverty. 2. A flying shirt-tail; in 
America, a letter in the post-office 
(q.v.). 

Flagger. A street-walker. 

Flags. Linen drying and flying in 
the wind. 

Flag Unfurled. A man of the 
world. 

Flag-wagging. Flag-signal drill. 

Flam. 1. Nonsense (for synonyms, 
see Gammon), humbug, flattery, or 
a lie : as a regular flam (1598). 2. A 
single stroke on the drum (Qrose), As 
adj., false. As verb, (1) to take in, 
flatter, lie, foist or fob off. Flamming, 
lying. (2) (American University). To 
affect, or prefer, female society. 

Flambustious. Showy, gaudy, 
pleasant. 

Flamdoodle. Nonsense, vain 
boasting. Probably a variant of 
Flapdoodle (q.v.). 

Flame. 1. A sweetheart, mistress 
in keeping. Old flame, an old lover, 
cast-off mistress (1664). Also, 2. a 
venereal disease. 

Flamer. A man, woman, thing, or 
incident above the common. 

Flames. A red-haired person: 
ot Carrots and Ginger. 

Flaming. Conspicuous, ardent, 
stunning (q.v.) : see Al (1738). 

F lander kin. A very large fat 
man or horse ; also natives of Flanders 
(B. K). 

Flanders-fortunes. Of small sub- 
stance (B. K). 

Flanders - pieces. Pictures that 
look fair at a distance, but coarser 
near at hand (B. ..) 

Flank. 1. To crack a whip ; also, 
to bit a mark with the lash of one. 
2. To deliver a blow or a retort, 
push, hustle, quoit (Shakespeare) : FT., 
flanqu&r. A plate of thin flank, a 
sixpenny cut off the joint. To 
flanls the whole bottle, to dodge, Le. to 
outflank, to achieve by strata 

Flanker. A blow, retort^ 1 

Flankey. The posteriors. 

Flannel. See Hot flannel. 

Flannels. To get one's flannels, 
to get a place in the school football 



161 



Flash. 



or cricket teams, or in the boats : cf. 
to get one's colours, or, one's* blue. 

Flap. 1. Sheet-lead used lor roof- 
ing : Fr., doussin, noir : cf. Bluey. 2. 
A blow (1539). As verb, (1) to rob, 
swindle. 2. To pay, fork out. To 
flap a jay, to swindle a greenhorn, sell 
a pup (q-v.). To flap the dimmock, to 
pay. 

Flapdoodle. 1. Transparent 
nonsense, kid. Also Flamdoodle, 
Flamsauce, or Flap-sauce : see Gam- 
mon. To talk flapdoodle, to brag, 
talk nonsense. 

Flapdoodler. A braggart agitator, 

one that makes the eagle squeal (q.v.), 

Flap-dragon. To gulp down 

hastily, as in the game of flap-dragon 

(1604). 

Flap man. A convict promoted 
for good behaviour to first or second 
class. 

Flapper. 1. The hand ; also Flap- 
per-shaker: see Daddle. 2. A little 
girl. [Also a fledgling wild duck] 
3. A very young prostitute. 4. A 
dustman's or coaiheaver's hat, a 
Fantail (q.v.). 5. (in pi.). Very 
long-pointed shoes worn t>y nigger 
minstrels. 6. A parasite ; a remem- 
brancer. 

Flapper-shaking. Hand-shaking. 
Flap-sauce. See Flapdoodle. 
Flare. 1. Primarily a stylish 
craft ; hence, by implication, anything 
out of the common. 2. A row, dispute, 
drunk, or spree. As verb, (1) speci- 
fically to whisk out; hence, to steal 
actively, lightly, or delicately. 2. 
To swagger, go with a bounce. All 
of a flare, bunglingly. 

Flaring. Excessive: e.g. a flaring 
lie, flaring drunk : see Flaming. 

Flare-up (or -out). An orgie, fight, 
outburst of temper. Also a spree. 
English synonyms: barney, batter, 
bean-feast, beano, breakdown, burst, 
booze (specifically a drinking-bout), 
caper, deviTs delighfc, dust, fanteague, 
fight, flare, flats -yad (back slang), 
fly, gig, hay-bag, hell's delight, high 
jinks, hooping up, hop, jagg, jamboree, 
jump, junketting, lark, drive, randan, 
on the tiles, on the fly, painting the 
town (American), rampage, razzle- 
dazzle, reeraw, ructions, shake, shine, 
spree, sky-wannocking, tear, tear 
up, took As verb, to fly into a 
passion. 

Flash. L The vulgar tongue; the 



lingo of thieves and their associates. 
To patter flash, to talk in thieves' 
lingo. The derivation of Flash, like 
that of French argot, is entirely specu- 
lative. It has, however, been gener- 
ally referred to a district called Flash 
(the primary signification as a place 
name is not clear), between Buxton 
Leek and Macclesfield : there lived 
many chapmen who, says Dr. Aiken 
(Description of Country round Man- 
chester), * were known as flash-men . . . 
using a sort of slang or cant dialect.'] 
(1718). 2. Hence, at one period, 
especially during the Regency days, 
the idiom of the man about town, of 
Tom and Jerrydozn. 3. A boast, 
brag, or great pretence made by a 
spendthrift, quack, or pretender to 
more art or knowledge than he really 
has. 4. A showy swindler (e.g. Sir 
Petronel Flash) ; a blustering vulgar- 
ian (1605). 5. A peruke or perriwig. 
6. A portion, a drink, go (q.v,). As 
adj., (1) relating to thieves, their 
habits, customs, devices, lingo, etc. 
(2) Knowing, expert, showy, cf. Down, 
Fly, Wide-awake, etc. Hence (popu- 
larly), by a simple transition, vul- 
garly counterfeit, showily shoddy : 
possibly the best understood mean- 
ings of the word in latter-day English. 
To put one flash to anything, to put him 
on his guard; to inform. (3) Vulgar, 
blackguardly, showy, applied to one 
aping his betters. Hence (in Aus- 
tralia), vain-glorious or swaggering. 
(4) In a set style. Also used sub- 
stantively. Hence, in combination, 
Flash-case (crib, drum, house, ken, or 
panny) : see Flash - ken ; Flash - cove 
(q.v.); Flash-dispensary (American), 
a boarding house, especially a swell 
brothel; Flash-gentry, the swell mob 
or higher class of thieves ; Flash-girl 
(moll, -mollisher, -piece, or -woman), a 
showy prostitute ; Flash- jig (costers), 
a favourite dance; Flash-kiddy, a 
dandy ; Flash-lingo (or song), patter, 
or song interlarded with cant words 
and phrases ; Flash - man (q.v.) ; 
Flash-note, a spurious bank-note ; 
Flash-rider (American) : see Broncho- 
buster ; Flash toggery, smart clothes ; 
Flash vessel, a gaudy looking, but 
undisciplined ship. As verb, (1) to 
show, to expose. Among combina- 
tions may be mentioned t-To flash 
one's ivories, to show one's teeth, to 
grin (Grose); To flash the hash, to 



Flash-case. 



vomit (Grose) ; To flash the dicky, to 
show the shirt front; To flash tJie 
dibs, to show or spend one's money ; 
To flash a jawney, to wear a ring ; To 
flash, one's gab, to talk, to swagger, to 
brag ; To flash the bubs, to expose the 
paps ; To flash the muzzle (q.v.) ; To 
flash one's ticker, to air one's watch ; 
To flash the drag, to wear women's 
clothes for immoral purposes ; To 
flash the white grin : see Grin ; To flash 
the flay, to sport- an apron ; To flash 
the wedge, to fence the swag, etc, 
To flash the muzde, to produce a pistol. 
To flash it about (or to cut a flash or 
dash), to mate a display ; to live 
conspicuously and extravagantly. 

Flash-case (-crib, -house, -drum, 
-ken, -panny, etc.) 1. A house 
frequented by thieves, as a tavern, 
lodging-house, fence (q.v.) (1690). 
2. A brothel, any haunt of loose 
women. 

Flash - cove (also Flash Com- 
panion). A thief, sharper, fence 
(q.v.). 

Flash - man. Primarily a man 
talking Flash ; hence, a rogue, thief, 
the landlord of a Flash-case (q.v.). 
Also a Fancy-Joseph. In America, a 
person with no visible means of sup- 
port, but living in style and showing 
up well. 

Flash-of-lightning. 1. A glass of 
gin, dram of neat spirits : see Go 
and Drinks. Latterly, an American 
drink. 2. The gold braid on an 
officer's cap. 

Flashy (Flashily, or Flashly). 
Empty, showy, tawdry, insipid 
(1637). 

Flash-tail. A prostitute. 

Flasher. A high-flyer, fop, pre- 
tender to wit (1779). 

Flasher y. Inferior, vulgar : 
hence by inversion, elegance, dash, 
distinction, display. 

Flash - yad (back slang). A day's 
enjoyment. 

Flashy Blade (or Spark). A 
Dandy (q.v.) j now a cheap and noisy 
swell, whether male or female: of. 
Flasher (1719). 

Flat. 1. A greenhorn, noddy, gull : 
see Baffle (1762), 2. An honest 
man. 3. A lover's dismissal, jilting. 
As adj., downright, plain, straight- 
forward : as in That's flat ! a flat lie, 
flat burglary, etc.* (1598). There are 
other usages, more or less colloquial 



163 



e.g. Insipid, tame, dull : as in Mac- 
aulay's Flat as champagne in de- 
canters. On the Stock Exchange, 
flat, without interest ; stock is bor- 
rowed flat when no interest is al- 
lowed by the lender as security for the 
due return of the scrip. As verb, to 
jilt. To fed flat (1), to be low- 
spirited, out of sorts, Off colour (q.v.). 
(2) To fail, give way : also used sub- 
stantively. Flat as a flounder (or 
pancake), very flat indeed : also, flat 
as be blowed. To brush up aflat: 
see Brasher. To pick up a flat, to 
find a client : FT., lever or faire un 
miche. 

Flat-back. A bed-bug: see Nor- 
folk Howard. 

Flat-broke. Utterly ruined, 
Dead-broke (q.v.). 

Flat-catcher. An impostor. 
Flat-catching. Swindling. 
F 1 a t c h (back slang). 1. A half. 
Flatch-kennurd, half drunk,- Flatch- 
yenorle, half-a-crown ; Flatch-yennep, a 
half-penny. 2. A half-penny: see 
Rhino. [An abbreviation of Flatcb- 
yennep.] 3. A counterfeit half- 
crown : see Rhino. 

Flat - cap. A citizen of London. 
In Henry the Eighth's time flat round 
caps were the pink of fashion ; but 
when their date was out, they be- 
came ridiculous. The citizens con- 
tinued to wear them long after 
they were generally disused, and 
were often satirized for their fidelity.] 
(1596). 

Flat-cock. A female (Cfrose). 
Flat - feet. Specifically the Foot 
Guards, but also applied to regiments 
of the line. Also (generally with 
some powerful adjective), applied to 
militiamen to differentiate them from 
linesmen. 

Flat-fish (generally, a Regular 
Flat-fish). A dullard. 

Flat-footed. Downright, resolute, 
honest. [Western: the simile is 
common to most languages, j 

Flat-head. A greenhorn, a Sammy- 
soft (q.v.) : see Buffle. 

Flat-iron. A corner public house. 
[From the triangular shape.} 

Flattie (or Flatty). A gull: 
see Baffle. 

Flat -move. An attempt or pro- 
ject that miscarries ; folly and mis- 
management generally (Grose). 
Flats. 1. Playing cards : see King's 



Flals-and-sTiarps. 



Flesh-pot. 



Books. 2. False dice: see Fulhams. 
3. Base money. Mahogany flats, 
bed-bugs : see Norfolk Howards. 

Flats-and-sharps. Weapons. 

Flatten. To flatten out t to get the 
better of (in argument or fight). Flat- 
tened out, ruined; beaten. 

Flatter - trap. The mouth : FT., 
menteuse : see Potato-trap. 

Flatty-ken. A house where the 
landlord is not awake, or fiy to the 
moves and dodges of the trade. 

Flawed. Half -drunk, a little 
crooked, quick-tempered (Gfrose) : see 
Screwed. 

Flay (or Flay the Fox). 1. To 
vomit : from the subject to the effect, 
says Cotgrave ; for the flaying of so 
stinking a beast is like enough to make 
them spue that feel it. Now, To 
shoot the cat. 2. To clean out by 
unfair means. To flay (or skin) a 
flint, to be mean or miserly: see 
Skinflint. 

Flaybottom (or Flaybottomist) . 
A schoolmaster, with a play on the 
word phlebotomist, a blood -letter 
(Grose). FT., fouette-cvl ; and (Cot- 
grave) Fesse-cm f a pedantical whip- 
arse. 

Flavour. To catch (or get) 
the flavour, to be intoxicated : see 
Screwed. 

Flax. To beat severely ; to give it 
hot (q.v.J. 

Flax-wench. A prostitute 
(1604). 

Flea. To send away with a flea in 
ihe ear, to dismiss with vigour and 
acerbity. To have a flea in the ear, 
(1) to fail in an enterprise ; and (2) 
to receive a scolding or annoying 
suggestion. To sit on a bag of fleas, to 
sit uncomfortably ; on a bag of hen 
fleas, very uncomfortably indeed. To 
catch fleas for, to be on terms of ex- 
treme intimacy: e.g. I catch her 
fleas for her, She has nothing to refuse 
me: cf. Shakespeare (* Tempest/ rr. ii.), 
*Yet a tailor might scratch her 
where'er she did Itch/ In a flea's 
leap, in next to no time, instanter 
fq.v.). 

Flea-and-louse (rhyming slang), 
A house : see Ken. 

Flea-bag. A bed : FT., pueier. 

Flea-bite. A trifle (1630). 
Flea-biting. A trifle. 
Flea- (or Flay-) Flint. A miser : 
cf. Skinflint (q.v.) (1719). 



Flear. To gi'in. A flearing fool, 
a grinning idiot. 

Fleece. An act of theft : of. old 
proverb, To go out to shear and 
come home shorn. As verb, to 
cheat, shear or be shorn (as a sheep) 
(1593). Hence fleeced, ruined ; dead- 
broke (q.v.). 

Fleecer. A thief (1600). 

Fleeter-face. A pale-face, coward : 
cf. Shakespeare's Cream-faced loon. 
(1647). 

Fleet-note. A forged note. 

Fleet-of-the-desert. A caravan : 
see Ship of the desert, camel. 

Fleet-street. The estate of jour- 
nalism, especially journalism of the 
baser sort. Fleet-sir eeter, a journalist 
of the baser sort ; a spunging Prophet 
(q.v.) ; a sharking dramatic critic ; a 
Spicy (q.v.) paragraphist ; and so on. 
Fleet-streetese, the so-called English, 
written to sell by the Fleet-streeter 
(q.v.), or baser sort of journalist: a 
mixture of sesquipedalians and slang, 
of phrases worn threadbare and 
phrases sprung from the kennel; of 
bad grammar and worse manners ; the 
like of which is impossible outside 
Fleet-street (q.v.), but which in 
Fleet-street commands a price, and 
enables not a few to live. 

Fleg. To whip (Bailey). 

Flemish - account. A remittance 
less than expected; hence, an un- 
satisfactory account. [Among the 
Flemings (the merchants of Western 
Europe when commerce was young) 
accounts were kept in livres, sols, and 
pence ; but the livre or pound onlysas 
12s., so that what the Antwerp mer- 
chant called one livre thirteen and 
f ourpence would in English currency 
be only 20s.] (1668). 

Flesh - and - blood. Brandy and 
port in equal proportions. 

Flesh -bag. A shirt or chemise. 
English synonyms : biled rag (Ameri- 
can), camesa, carrion-case, commis- 
sion, dickey (formerly a worn-out 
shirt), gad (gipsy), lully, mill tog, 
mish, narp (Soots'), shaker, shimmy 
(=*a chemise, Marryat), smish. 

Flesh-broker. 1. A match-maker 
(1690). 2. A procuress (Grose). 

Flesh-fly (or Flesh-maggot). A 
whoremaster. 

Flesh-pot Sighing for the flesh-pots 
of Egypt, hankering for good things 
no longer at command. [Biblical.] 



FlesJi-ta&or. 



Floater. 



Flesh - tailor. A surgeon : see 
Sawbones. 

Fleshy (Winchester College): 
see Gat's Head. 

Fletch. A spurious coin : cf . Flatch. 

Flick (or Flig). 1. A cut with a 
whip-lash; hence, a blow of any sort 
A flicking is often administered by 
schoolboys with a damp towel or 
pocket-handkerchief. 2. A jocular 
salutation; usually Old Hick. As 
verb, 1. To cut (1690). 2. To strike 
with, or as with, a whip. 

Flicker. A drinking glass. As 
verb (1) to drink (Mateell). (2) To 
laugh wantonly ; also to kiss, or 
fondle a woman. Also Flick- 
(1) drinking, and (2) wanton 
laughter. Let her flicker, said of any 
doubtful issue : let the matter take its 
chance. 

Flicket-a-Flacket. Onomatopoetic 
for a noise of flapping and flicking 
(1719). 

Flier (or Flyer). 1. A horse or boat 
of great speed ; also (American rail- 
way) a fast train ; hence, by implica- 
tion, anything of excellence. 2. A 
shot in the air. 3. A small hand- 
bill, Dodger (q.v.). To take a flier, 
to make a venture ; to invest against 
odds. 

Flies (rhyming). Lies. Hence, 
nonsense, trickery, deceit. There are 
no flies on me (or him), T. am dealing 
honestly with you ; He is genuine, 
and is not humbugging. In America, 
the expression is used of (1) a man of 
quick parts, a man who knows a 
thing without its being kicked into 
him by a mule ; and (2) a person of 
superior breeding or descent. 

Fligger (also Flicker). To grin 
(1720). 

Film. See Flimsy. 

Flim-flam. An idle story, sham, 
Bobin Hood tale (q.v.) (1589). As 
adj., idle, worthless (1589). 

Flimp. To hustle or rob. To put 
on the flimp, to rob on the highway. 
Flimping, stealing from the person. 

Flimsy (or Flira). 1. A bank-note. 
Soft-flimsy, a note drawn on the 
' Bank of Elegance/ or ' The Bank of 
Engraving.' 2. News of all kinds, 
Points (q.v.). Krst used at Lloyd's. 

Flinders. Pieces mfinitesimaUy 
smalL 

Fling. 1. A fit of temper. 2. A 
jeer, jibe, personal allusion or attack 



( 1592). As verb, (1) to cheat, get the 
best of, Do (q.v.) or diddle (Grose). 
(2) To dance. To fling out, to depart 
in a hurry, and, especially, in a temper. 
In a fling, in a spasm of temper. To 
have one's fl^ng, to enjoy full liberty of 
action or conduct (1624). To fling 
dirt : see Dirt. 

Flinger. A dancer. 
Fling-dust. A street-walker. 
Flint. A man working for a 
Union or fair house ; non-Union- 
ists are Dung (q.v.). Both terms 
occur in Foote's burlesque, The 
Tailors : a Tragedy for Warm Weather, 
and they received a fresh lease of 
popularity during the tailors' strike 
of 1832. Old Flint, a miser : one 
who would skin a flint, i.e. stoop 
to any meanness for a trifle. To 
fix one's flint: see Fix. To flint in, 
to act with energy ; stand on no cere- 
mony, pitch into, tackle. A verb erf 
action well-nigh as common as Fix 
(q.v.). 

Flip. 1, Hot beer, brandy, and 
sugar ; also, says Grose, called Sir 
doudesley after Sir Cloudesley ShoveL 
2. A bribe or douceur. 3. A light blow, 
or snatch. As verb, to shoot. To 
up, to spin a coin, 
lip - flap. 1. A flighty creature 
(1702). 2. A step-dance; a Cellar- 
flap (q.v.). Also (acrobats 1 ) ; a kind 
of somersault, in which the performer 
throws himself over on his hands and 
feet alternately (1727). 3. A kind of 
tea-cake. 4. The arm : see Bender. 

Flipper. 1, The hand. Tip un 
your flipper, give me your hand : see 
Daddle. 2. See Flapper. 3. Part of 
a scene, hinged and painted on both 
sides, used in trick changes. 

Flirtatious. Flighty. 

Flirt-gill (Flirtgillan t or Gill-flirt). 
A wanton, a chopping - girl (q.v.) ; 
specifically a strumpet (1595). 

Flirtina Cop - all. A wanton, 
young or old ; a men's woman (q.v.). 

Float. The footlights : before the 
invention of gas they were oil-pans 
with floating wicks* // thai? a the way 
the stick float* : see Stick. 

Floater. 1. An Exchequer bOl ; ap- 
plied also to other unfunded stock. 2. 
A suet dumpling in soup. 3. A vend- 
ible voter. 4. A candidate represent- 
ing several counties, and therefore 
not considered directly responsible to 
any one of them. 



165 



jb loatintj-academy. 



Flop. 



Floating - academy. The hulks ; 
also Camwheli's academy (q.v.), and 
Floating hell (q.v.). 

Floating - batteries. 1. Broken 
bread in tea ; also Shngers (q.v.)- 2. 
The Confederate bread rations during 
the Secession. 

Floating-coffin. A rotten ship. 
Floating -hell (or Hell afloat). 
A ship commanded by (1) a brutal 
savage, or (2) a ruthless disciplinarian. 
Flock. A clergyman's congrega- 
tion. Aleio any bo<jy oi people with a 
common haunt or " interest : e.g. a 
family of children, a company of 
soldiers, a school of girls or boys, 
a cabf ill of molls, and such like. To 
p're into the wrong flock, to blunder : 
see To bark up the wrong tree. 

Flock-of-Sheep. 1. A hand 
at dominoes set out on the table. 2. 
White-crested dancing waves on the 
sea, White horses (q.v.). 

Flog. A -whip : a contraction of 
Flogger (q.v.). To flog (now recog- 
nised), is cited by B. E. (1690), and 
Grose, To be flogged at the tumbler, to 
be whipped at the cart's tail : see 
Tumbler. To flog the dead horse, 1. To 
work up an interest in a bygone sub- 
ject, try against heart, do with no 
will nor liking for the job. [Bright 
said that Earl Russell's Reform Bill 
was a dead horse (q.v.), and every 
attempt to create enthusiasm m its 
favour was flogging the dead horse.] 
2. To work off "an advance of wages. 
To flog a willing horse, to urge on one 
who is already putting forth bis best 
energies. 

Flogger. 1, Awhip: FT.,&OM&. 2. 
A mop (i.e. a bunch of slips of cloth on 
ti handle) used in the painting room to 
whisk the charcoal dust from a sketch. 
Flogging, Careful, penurious. 
F 1 o g g i n g-cove. 1. An official 
who administers the Cat (q.v.). 2. 
See Flogging cully. 

Flogging-cully. A man addicted 
to flagellation, a Whipster (q.v.). 
Flogging-stake. A whipping post. 
Flogster. One addicted to flog- 
ging. Specifically (naval) a nick- 
name applied to the Puke of Clarence 
(afterwards William IV.). 

Floor, 1. To knock down. Hence 
to vanquish in argument, make an 
end of, defeat, confound (Grose). To 
floor the odds, said of a low-priced 



the betting. 2. To finish, get outside 
of: e.g I floored three half -pints 
and a nip before breakfast. 3. To 
pluck, Plough (q.v.) To floor a 
paper (lesson, exami^iat^on, examiner), 
to answer every question, master, 
prove oneself superior to the occasion. 
To floot one's licks, to surpass one- 
self. Cut-around (q.v.). To have 
(hold, or take) the floor, to rise to ad- 
dress a public meeting ; in Ireland, to 
stand up to dance ; and, in America, 
to be in possession of the House. 

Floored. 1. Vanquished, brought 
under, ruined. English synonyms: 
basketed, bitched, bitched-up, bowled 
out, broken up, buggered up, busted, 
caved in, choked-off , cornered, cooked, 
coopered up, dead-beat, done brown, 
done for, done on toast, doubled up, 
flattened out, fluffed, flummoxed, 
frummagemmed, gapped, gone through 
St. Peter's needle, done under, grav- 
elled, gruelled, hoofed out, in the last 
of pea-tuno, or last run of shad, 
jacked -up, knocked out of time, 
knocked silly, looed, mucked - out, 
petered out, pocketed, potted, put in 
his little bed, queered m his pitch, 
rantanned, sat upon, sewn up, shut- 
up, smashed to smithereens, snashed, 
snuffed out, spread-eagled, struck of 
a heap, stumped, tied up, timbered, 
treed, trumped, up a tree. 2. Drunk ; 
in Shakespearean ' put down * ; as Sir 
Andrew Aguecheek, ' Never in your 
life, I think, unless you see canary 
put me down' ("Twelfth Night," i. 
iii.) : see Screwed. 3. Hung low at an 
exhibition ; in contradistinction to 
Skyed (q.v.), and On the line (q.v.). 

Floorer. 1. An auctioneer (q.v.), 
or knock-down blow. Hence, sudden 
or unpleasant news, a decisive argu- 
ment, an unanswerable retort, a, 
decisive check: Sp., 'peso (1819). 2. 
A question or a paper too hard to 
master. 3. A ball that brings down 
all the pins. 4. A thief who trips his 
man, and robs in picking him up ; a 
Ramper (q.v.). 

Flooring. Knocking down : hence, 
to vanquish in all senses. 

Floor-walker. A shop-walker. 

Flop. 1. A Bite (q.v.), a successful 
dodge (1856). 2. A sudden fall or 
flop down. 3. A collapse or break- 
down. 4. (For Flap or Flip). A 
light blow (1662). As verb, (1) to 



horse that pulls off the event in face of fall, or flap down suddenly: Fr., 

166 



Florence. 



Flummox. 



prendre un billet de parterre (1742). 
(2) To knock down. As adj , An 
onomatopoeia expressive of the noise 
of a sudden and sounding fall. Often 
used expletively, as Slap (q.v.) is, and 
the American, Right (q.v.) (172G). 
To flop over, to turn heavily ; hence 
(in America), to make a sudden 
change of sides, association, or 
allegiance. Flop up, a day's tramp, 
as opposed to a Sot-down, half a 
day's travel. Flop up time, Bedtime. 
Flop, too, is something of a vocable of 
all-work. Thus, to flop round, to loaf, 
to dangle ; to do a flop (colloquial), to 
sit, or to fall, down: to flop out, to 
leave the water noisily and awk- 
wardly ; a flop in the gills, a smack in 
the mouth. 

Florence. A wench that has been 
touzed and ruffled (JB. E.}. 

Floster. A mixed drink : sherry, 
noyau, peach - leaves, lemon, sugar, 
ice, and soda-water. 

Flouch. To faU (or go) flouch (or 
ftoush}, to come to pieces, sag sud- 
denly on the removal of a restraining 
influence, as a pair of stays. 

Flounce. To move with violence, 
and (generally) in anger. Said of 
women, for whom such motion is, or 
rather was, inseparable from a great 
flourishing of flounces. 

Flounder. 1. A drowned corpse : 
see Stiff. 2. To sell, and afterwards 
re-purchase a stock, or vice-versd. 
Flounder -and-Dab. A cab. 
Flour. Money : generic : see 
Rhino. 

Flourish. To be in luck: e.g. I 
flourish, I am well off ; Do you flourish, 
or Are you flourishing ? Have you got 
any money ? Flourishing, a retort to 
the inquiry, How are you ? The 
equivalent of Pretty well, thank 
you t 

F 1 o w e r y. Lodging, entertain- 
ment ; Square the omce for the 
flowery, pay the landlord for the 
lodging. [Lingua Franca.'] 

Flowery Language. Blasphemous 
and obscene speech. 

Flowing - hope. A forlorn hope. 

Flub-dub-and-Guff. Rhetorical 

embellishment; High-falutin* (q.v.). 

Flue. 1. The Recorder of London 

or any large town. 2. The filth, part 

fluff, part hair, part dust, which 

collects under ill-kept beds, and at 

the junctures of sofas and chairs: 



see Beggar's Velvet. 3. A contrac- 
tion of influenza. As verb, to put 
in pawn. In (or up) the flue, pawned. 
Up tJie flue (or spout), dead ; collapsed, 
mentally or physically. To be up 
one's flue, to be awkward for one. 
That's up your flue, that's a facer, or 
that's up against you. 

Flue-Faker (or Scraper). A 
chimney-sweep : see Clergyman. 

Fluff (or Fluffings). 1. Short 
change given by booking-clerks. The 
practice is known as Fluffing : see 
Menavelings : FT., des fruges ( = more or 
less unlawful profits of any sort). As 
verb, to give short change. 2. Lines 
half learned and imperfectly delivered. 
Hence, To do a fluff, to forget one's 
part : also as verb, to disconcert, to 
floor (q.v,)- Fluff it 1 an interjection 
of disapproval : Be off ! Take it 
away ! 

F 1 u ff e r. 1. A drunkard : see 
Lushington. 2. A player * rocky on 
his lines ' ; i.e. given to forgetting his 
part. 3. A term of contempt. 

Flufftness. 1. Drunkenness : see 
Fluffy and Fluffer. 2. The trick, or 
habit, of forgetting words. 

Fluffy. Unsteady, of uncertain 
memory. 

Fluke. In billiards, an accidental 
whining hazard ; in all games a result 
not played for; a Crow (q.v.). In 
yachting, an effect of chance ; a result 
in which seamanship has had no part. 
Hence, a stroke of luck. As verb, (1) 
to effect by accident. (2) To shirk. 
To cut flukes out, to mutiny, turn 
sulky and disobedient. To turn 
flukes, to go to bed ; i.e. to Bunk (q.v.), 
or turn in- 

Fluky (or Flukey). Of the 
nature of a Fluke (q.v.) ; i.e. achieved 
more by good luck than good guid- 
ance. Hence Fluikiness, abounding in 
Flukes. 

Flummadiddle l.Nonsense, 
Flummery (q.v.). 2, A sea-dainty. 

Flummergasted. Astonished, con- 
founded. A variant of Flabber- 
gasted (q.v.). 

Flummery. 1. Nonsense, Gammon 
(q.v.), flattery (Grose). 2. A kind of 
bread pudding (Nordhoff). 3. Oat- 
meal and water boiled to a jelly 
(Grose). 

Flummox (Flummocks, or Flum- 
mux). 1. To perplex, dodge, abash, 
silence, victimize, Best (q.v.}, dis- 



167 



Munvmocky. 



appoint Ai=o Conflurnmox. To {turn- fib, to flap, to flick, to flop, to jerk, to 
mox (or con/lummox) by the lip, to out- give one ballast, to hide, to lamm, to 

larrup, to paste, to punch, to rub 
down, to swinge, to swish, to switch, 
to trounce, to thump, to tund (Win- 
chester), to wallop. (2) To clean by 
filling full, and emptying, of water : 
e.g. to flush a sewer ; to wash, swill, or 
sluice away. Also, to fill with water : 
e g. to flush a lock. (3) To start or 
raise a bird from covert : e.g. to flush 
a snipe, or a covey of partridges. To 
come flush on one, to come suddenly 
and unexpectedly (Marvell) ; to over- 
whelm (as by a sudden rush of water). 
Flushed on the horse, privately whip- 
Flump. To fall, put, or be set down ped m gaol. 

with violence or a thumping noise: ~ 

onomatopoeic. Also to come down 
with a flump (1840). 

Flunk. 1. An idler, Loafer (q.v.), 
Lawrence (q.v.). 2. A failure, especi- 
ally (at college) in recitations ; a 
backing out of undertakings : also 
Flunk-out. As verb, to retire through 
fear, fail (as in a lesson), cause to fail. 
Flunkey. 1. A ship's steward. 2. 
An ignorant dabbler in stock, inexperi- 
enced jobber. 3. One that makes a 
complete failure in a recitation ; one 



slang (q.v.), talk down; to flummox 
the coppers, to dodge the police ; to 
flummox the old Dutch, to cheat one's 
wife, etc. 2. To confuse, Queer (q.v.). 
3. Used m the passive sense, to abandon 
a purpose, give in, die. As subs., a 
bad recitation, failure. Flummox&A, 
spoilt, ruined, drunk, Sent down 
(q.v.), Boshed (q.v.), defeated, dis- 
appointed, silenced, Floored (q.v.). 

Flummocky. Out of place, in bad 
taste. 

Flummut. A month in prison : see 
Dose. 



who Flunks (q.v.). 4. A man-serv- 
ant, especially one in livery. Hence, 
by implication, a parasite or Toady 
(q.v.): Fr., larbin (1848). Whence, 
Flunkeyiam, blind worship of rank, 
birth, or riches : Fr., larbinerie. 

Flurry. To flurry one's milk, 



Flush-hit. A clean blow, a bit 
full on the mark and straight from 
the shoulder. As adj., full, straight. 
Eight on (q.v.). 

Fluster. To excite, confuse, abash, 
Flummox (q.v.), upset, or be upset, 
with drink (1602). 

Flustered (or Flustrated). 
Excited by drink, circumstances, 
another person's impudence, etc.; 
also mildly drunk: of. Flusticated 
and see Screwed (1686). 

Flusticated (or Flustrated). Con- 
fused, in a state of heat or excite- 
ment: cf. Flustered (1712). 

Flustration. Heat, excitement, 
bustle, confusion, Flurry (q.v.) (1771). 

Flute. The recorder of a corpora- 
tion (1598). 

Flutter. 1. An attempt or Shy (q.v.) 



to be worried, angry, or upset : see To at anything, a venture hi earnest, a 
fret one's Mdneys( q.v.); To tear one's spree, a state of expectancy (as in 
shirt (or one's hair), (q.v.). betting) : hence gambling. 2. The 
Flurryment. Agitation, bustle, con- act of spinning a coin. As verb, (1) to 
fusion, nervous excitement. spin a coin (for drinks) ; also to gamble. 
Flush. A hand of one suit. As adj., (2) To go in for a bout of pleasure 
(1) with plenty of money, the reverse To flutter the ribbons, to drive. Flutter, 
of Hard-up (q.v.) ; Warm (q.v.). Also if not a word of all-work, is a word 
abounding in anything : e.g. Flush of with plenty to do. Thus, to have (or 
his patter, full of his talk; flush of do) a flutter, to have a look in (q.v.), to 
the lotion, liberal with the drink ; go on the spree ; to be on the flutter, to 
flush of his notions, prodigal of ideas ; be on the spree ; to flutter a judy, to 
flush of her charms, lavish of her person ; pursue a girl ; to flutter a brown, to spin 
and so forth (1603). (2) Intoxicated a coin ; to flutter (or fret) one's kidneys, 
(o.e. full to the bnm) ; also Flushed : to agitate, to exasperate ; to flutter a 
see Screwed. (3) Level: e.g. Flush skirt, to walk the streets ; and so forth.! 
with the top, with the water, with the Flu x. 1. To cheat, cozen, over- 
road, with the boat's edge, etc. As reach. 2. To salivate (Grose}. 
verb, (1) to whip. English synonyms : Fly. A familiar ; hence, by im- 
to bludgeon, to bumbaste, to breech plication, a parasite or Sucker (q.v.). 
(Cotgrave), to brush, to club, to curry, [In the sixteenth and seventeenth 
to dress with an oaken towel, to drub, centuries it was held that familiar 
to dry-beat, to dry-bob, to drum, to spirits, in the guise of flies, lice, fleas, 

168 



Flying. 



etc., attended witches, who for a 
price professed to dispose of the 
Power for evil thus imparted.] 2. A 
printer's devil ; specifically a boy who 
lifted the printed sheets from the 
press. [Now the vibrating frame 
used for the same purpose.] (1688). 
3. A customer. 4. The act of spinning 
a coin : of. Flutter. 5. A public 
waggon : afterwards (colloquial) a four- 
wheel hackney coach : FT-, mouche 
(fly)r=a public boat on the Seine. 6. 
A policeman. As adj., (1) knowing, 
Artful (q.v.), up to every move, cute. 
Also fly to, a-fly, fly to the game, and 
fly to what's what: of. Awake, and, 
see Knowing (2) Dextrous. As verb, 
( 1 ) To toss, raise ; to fty the mags, to toss 
up halfpence. (2) To give way : as, 
china flies in the baking. To fly around, 
to bestir oneself, make haste. Also to 
fly around and tear one's shirt. To fty 
the flag, to walk the streets. See also 
Flag. To fty high (or rather high), (1) 



to get, or be drunk : see Screwed. (2) 
o keep the best company, maintain 



To 



the best appearances, and affect the 
best aims: i.e. to be a High-flier 
(q.v. ). Also, to venture for the biggest 
stakes in the biggest way. To fty 
low, to make as little of oneself as 
possible,- to sing small (q.v.); and 
(among thieves) to keep out of the 
way when Wanted (q.v.). To fty off 
the handle, to lose temper, fail of a 
promise, jilt, die ; also to slip off the 
Handle (q.v.) ; to disappoint in any 
way. [In pioneer life for an axe to 
part company with its handle is a 
serious trial to temper and patience.} 
To fly out, to get angry, scold (1612). 
To make the fur (or feathers) fly, to 
attack effectively, make a disturbance, 
quarrel noisily like two torn cats on the 
tiles, who are said (in American) to pull 
fur, or to pull wool To take on the 
fly, to beg in the streets ; a specific 
usage of adverbial sense. To fly a 
kite, to raise money by means of 
accommodation bills, raise the Wind 
(q,v.). (3) To go out by the window. 
(4) To evacuate from a window. (5) 
To attempt, set one's cap at. To fly 
the blue pigeon, to steal lead from 
roofs : see Blue-pigeon. Fr., faire 
la mastar au gras-double (or la faire 
au mastar) (Grose). To let fty, to 
bit out: from cock-fighting. Not a 
feather to fly with, penniless, rained, 
Dead- broke (q.v.). To break a fly 



on a wheel, to make a mountain of a 
molehill: cf. To crack a nut with a 
Nasmyth hammer, to lavish force or 
energy. The fly on the wheel, one 
who fancies himself of mighty im- 
portance. [From the fable.] I don't 
rwe to that fty, I don't believe you ; 
you won't catch me with such bait as 
that. Off the fly, on the quiet, laid 
up in dock, doing nothing. On tJte fly, 
(1) walking the streets, out for a Lark 
(q.v.), Off work (q.v.), out on the 
spree (q.v.). (2) In motion: e.g. I 
got in one on the fly, I landed a blow 
while I was running. 

Fly-blow. A bastard; cf. Bye- 
blow. 

Fly-blown. 1. Intoxicated : see 
Screwed. 2. Qeaned-out, without a 
rap, Hard-up. 3. Used, done-up, 
Washed-out (q.v.). 4. Deflowered, 
known for a wanton, suspected of 
disease. 

Fly - by - night. 1. A sedan chair 
on wheels ; a usage of the Regency 
days. 2. A defaulting debtor, one 
who shoots the moon (q.v.). 3. A 
prostitute. 4. A noctambulist for 
business or for pleasure : i.e. a 
burglar or a common spreester (q.v.). 
5. A term of opprobrium, spec, 'an 
old woman, signifying that she was a 
witch, and alluding to the nocturnal 
excursions attributed to witches who 
were supposed to fly abroad to their 
meetings mounted on brooms ' (Grose). 

Fly - catcher. An open-mouthed 
ignoramus, a Gape-seed (q.v.): Fr., 
gobe-mouche. 

Flycop. A sharp officer ; one well 
broken in to the tricks of trade. 

Fly-disperser Soup. Oxtail 

Flyer. 1. See Flier in all senses. 
2. A shoe : see Trotter-case. 3. (Win- 
chester). A half- volley at football. 
A made-flyer is when the bound of 
the ball is gained from a previous 
kick, by the same side, against canvas 
or any other obstacle, or is dropped, 
as in a drop - kick. This is now 
confused with a kick-up. 

Fly-flapped. Whipped in the stocks, 
or at the cart's tail (Grose). 

Fly - flapper. A heavy bludgeon. 

Fly-flat. A would-be connoisseur 
and authority. 

Flying. To look as if the Devil 
had spued on him (or her) flying, said 
in derision of one odd -looking, filthy, 
or deformed. 



169 



Fogtatn. 



Flying-angel. 

Flying Bricklayers, Iho mounted 
Royal Uii^irkj'jrs. 

Flying - camps. Couples or gaaga 
of bcr^ars. 

Flying - caper. An escape from 
prison, Le^-ba:l (q.v.). 

Flying-cat. See Cat. 

Flying- country. A country where 
the Going (q.v.) is last and good. 

Flying - cove. An iui},oe,tor who 
gets, or tree's to get, mo.ie.-v from 
persons who licu-e been rob.,,-il by 
pretending to give such mfovination 
as will lead to recovery. Formerly, 
Flying-porter ( Cfi ose). 

Flyiag-dustzn&n. *See Stiff -"an. 

Flying - Dutchman. The London 
and Exeter esprit (G.W.R.) See 
also Flying Scoitrcan and Wild 
Irishman 

Flying horse (or mare). The 
throw by whicb an opponent is sent 
over the head. Introduced, says 
Bee, by Parkms (1754). 

Flying - jigger (or gygger). A 
turnpike gate. 

Flying - man. A tkirmisher good 
at taking, and running with, the ball. 

Flying - mare. See Flying-horse. 

Flying-pasty. Excrement 
wrapped in paper tiad thrown over a 
neighbour's wall f " 



Flying-porter. See Flying- cove. 

Flying-stationer, .A hawker 

of street ballads, Paper worker (q.v ), 

or Running patterei (q.v.). 'Printed Hazy (q.v.): see Screwed, 
for the Flying-stationer ' is the tm- fatwitted, Thick (q.v. 
primatur on hundreds of broadsheets - 
from the last century onwards (Grose). 

Fly my. Knowing, Fast (q.v.), 



fiom UiG fob. As verb, (1) to rob, 
cheat, pocket: also to fob off (1700). 
(2) To deceive, trifle with, disappoint, 
put off dishonestly or unfairly (1598). 
To gut a fob, to pick pockets. 

Fob us. An opprobrious epithet 
(1677) 

Fodder. Paper for the closet, 
Bum-fodder (q.v }. 

F ce t u s. To tap the iostits, to 
procure abortion. 

Fog. Smoke (Grose). In a fog, 
in a condition of perplexity, doubt, 
difficulty, or mystification : as, I'm 

rte in a fog as to what you mean, 
verb, (1) to smoke. (2) To mystify, 
perplex, obscure. 

Fogey (Fogy, Fogay, or Foggi). 
An invalid or garrison soldier or sailor. 
Whence the present colloquial usages : 
(1) a person advanced in life, and (2) 
an old-fashioned or eccentric person ; 
generally Old fogey. So also Fogey- 
tsh, old-fashioned, eccentric. Fogey- 
dom, the state of fogeyishness ; and 
fogeyism, a characteristic of f ogeydom, 

F o g g a g e. Fodder, especially 
green-moat (Grose). 

Fogged. 1. Drunk : see Screwed. 
2. Perplexed, bewildered, at a loss. 

Fogger. 1. A huckster, a cringing, 
whining beggar, a pettifogger. 2. A 
farm-servant whose duty is to feed 
the cattle ; i.e. to supply them with 
Foggage (q.v.). 

Foggy. 1 Drunk, clinched, 
' ' - ' 2. Dull, 



roguish, sprightly. 

Fly-my-kfte (rhyming). A light. 

Flymy-mess. To be in a fli/wy-^cst,, 
to be hungry and have nothing to eat. 

Fly - slicer. A cavalry-man : see 
Mudcrusher. French lancers are allum- 
eurs de gaz, then weapons being 
likened to a lamplighter's rod. 

Fly-the-garter. Leap frog. 

Fly-trap. The mouth ; see 
Potato-trap. 

Foaled. Thrown from a horse : 
Fr., faire parache. 

Fob (or Fub). 1. A cheat, trick, 
swindle. To come the /o6, to impose 
ttpon, swindle : of. Come over (1090). 
2. A breeches pocket, watch pocket 
(1678). 3. A watch-chain or ribbon, 
with buckle and fceals. worn hanging 



Fogle. A silk handkerchief; also 
generic. [Of. Itol., foglia, a pocket, 
a purse : Fr , fouttte, a pocket]. A 
cotton handkerchief is called a clout. 
English synonyms: bandanna, belcher, 
billy, clout, conch- clout, fam-cloth, 
flag, kent-rag, madam, muckender, 
mucketer (Florio) ; nose-wipe, pen- 
wiper, rag, sneezer, snot-tinger or 
snot-rag, stook, wipe : see Billy. 

Fogle - hunter. A thief whose 
speciality is Fogies (q.v.) : Fr., blavin- 
iste or chiffonier: see Stookhauler 
(1827). 

Fogle-hunting(or drawing). 
Stealing pocket-handkerchiefs : i.e. 
prigging of wipes. 

Fogram (or Fogrum). A fussy 
old man : see Fogey. As adj., fogey- 
ish, stupid (1777). Hence Fogram- 
ity, (1) Fogeyism (q.v.), and (2) the 
state of Fogeyishness. 



170 



Fogue. 



Foot-wobbler* 



Fogue. Fierce, fiery. 

Fogus. Tobacco (1671). 

Foiler. A thief (1C69). 

Foist (Foyst, or Fyst). 1. A cheat, 
swindler, sharper (1592). 2. A trick, 
swindle, imposture : also Foyster and 
Foister (1605). As verb, to trick, 
swindle, pick pockets (1607). 

Foister (or Foyster). A pick- 
pocket, a cheat (1598). 

Follower, A maid-servant's 
sweetheart, a beau : see Jomer. 

Follow-me-lads. Curls or ribands 
hanging over the shoulder: Fr., suivez- 
moi-jeune-homme : also Followers. 

Follow-on. A team eighty runs 
behind the other in the first innings 
is obliged to follow on ; i.e. to take to 
the wickets a second time. A run 
more, and it saves the follow on. 

Follow your nose! A retort on 
asking the way. The full phrase is, 
Follow your nose and you are sure 
to go straight (1620). 

Foo-foo. A person of no account 
an insignificant idiot, a Poop (q.v.). 

Fool. A dish of gooseberries, 
boiled with sugar and milk : also Gull 
(q.v.) (1720). No fool, a phrase 
laudatory. To make a fool of, to 
delude : specifically to cuckold, or to 
seduce un der promise of marriage. To 
fool about (or around), to dawdle, trifle 
with, be infatuated with, hang about, 
defraud. 

Fool-finder. A bum-bailiff 
(Grose). 

Fool -mo n g er. A person, male 
or female, living by their wits, e.g. 
a Promoter (q.v.), a betting-man, 
a swindler : also Fool - catcher and 
Fool- trap (q.v.). 

Foolometer. A standard, positive 
or neuter, whereby to gauge the 
public taste. 

Fool's Father. The pantaloon or 
Old 'un (q.v.). 

Fool's-wedding. A party of 
women : see Hen party. 

Fool-trap. A Fool-monger. 

F o o n t. A sovereign : see Rhino. 
[Probably a corruption of Ger., Pfund.'] 

Foot. 1. To acknowledge pay- 
ment; e.g. To foot a bill. 2. To 
kick, to Hoof (q.v.) : cf. ' Merchant of 
Venice,' i. in. 'You, that did void your 
rheum upon my beard, And foot me, 
as you spurn a stranger cur.' To foot 
it, to walk, to dance : see Pad the 
Hoof. To foot-up, to sum. up the 



total (of a. Mil) ; to Tot up (q.v.). 
Hence, to pay, discharge one's obliga- 
tions, Reckon up (q.v.) ; to summarize 
both merits and defects, and strike a 
balance. I? noting -up, the reckoning, 
the sum total : Fr., gowiberger. To 
put one's best foot (or leg) foremost, to 
use all possible despatch, esert one- 
self to the utmost (1596). To put 
one's foot -mio anything .fro make a mess 
of it, get into a scrape. The bishop 
(i.e. the Devil) has put his foot in it 
(Old English proverb) is said of burned 
porridge or over-roasted meat (Grose) : 
Fr., faire une gaffe. To have one foot 
(or ley) in the grave, on one's last legs, 
measured for a funeral sermon : also 
as adj. (1825). To puU foot, to make 
haste : also To take one's foot in one's 
hand, and To make tracks. To ttzke 
Mr. Foots horse, to walk, Go by 
Shank's mare (q.v.) : see Pad the 
hoof. To know the length of one's 
foot, to be well acquainted with one's 
character (1581). 

Footer (Harrow). I. Short for 
football. 2. A player of football 
according to Rugby rules. 

Foot-hot. In hot haste, Hot-foot 
(q.v.). 

Footing. Money paid on entering 
upon new duties, or on being received 
into a workshop or society : as at sea 
when a comrade first goes aloft. 
Formerly Foot-ale : Fr,, arroser ses 
galons, to christen one's uniform 
(1777). 

Footle. To dawdle, trifle, potter, 
Mess about (q.v.). 

Footlicker. A servant, a lickspittle 
(1609). 

Footlights. To smeU the footlights, 
to acquire a taste for theatricals. To 
smeU of the footlights, to carry thea- 
trical concerns and phraseology into 
private life, to Talk shop (q.v.). 

Footman's Inn. A poor lodging, 
a jail: Fr., Hotel de la modestie: the 
Poor Man's Arms (1608). 

Footman's-maund. An artificial 
sore, as from a horse's bite or kick : 
the Fox's bite of schoolboys. Also 
Scaldrum dodge, or Maund (q.v.). 

Foot-riding. Walking and 
wheeling one's machine instead of 
riding it. 

Foot-scamp. A footpad (Parker). 

Footstool. See Angel's footstool. 

Foot-wobbler. An infantry-man : 
see Mudorusher. 



171 



Form. 



F o o t y. Contemptible, worth- 
less : Fr., /ozrftt (Grose). 

Foozle. 1. A boggle, a miss. 2. 
A bore, a fogey ; and (m America) a 
fool, a green 'un : see Buffle. As verb, 
to miss, boggle, Muff (q.v.). Foozled 
(or Foozle^/), blurred in appearance 
and effect, fuzzy, JIuff ed ( q.v. ). Often 
said of badly painted pictures, or parts 
of pictures. 

Fop-doodle. An insignificant man, 
a fool (1689). 

Fop's Alley. The gangway run- 
ning parallel to the footlights, between 
the last row of the stalls and the 
first row of the pit in Her Majesty's 
Theatre, and in its palmiest days it 
wa-> always graced by the presence of a 
subaltern of the Guards in full uniform, 
daintily swinging his bearskin. 

Forakers (Winchester Col- 
lege). The water-closet : see Mrs. 
Jones. [Formerly spelt foricus and 
probably a corruption of foricas, an 
English plural of the Latin forica,'] 

Force (The). The police. To 
force the voucher, it is customary for 
sporting tricksters to advertise selec- 



F o r k. 1. A pickpocket : FT., 
Avoir lea mains crochues, to be a light- 
fingered or lime - fingered filcher ; 
every finger of his hand as good as 
a hme-twig (Cotgrave). 2. A finger. 
The /orfcs, the fore and middle fingers ; 
of. (proverbial) Fingers were made 
before forks. English synonyms : 
claws, fish-hooks (Grose), daddies, 
(also the hands), divers, feelers, fives, 
flappers, grapplers, grappling irons, 
gropers, hooks, nail bearers, pickers 
and stealers (Shakespeare), corn-steal- 
ers, Ten Commandments, ticklers, 
pinkies, muck - forks. 3. The hands. 

4. A gibbet ; in the plural, the gallows. 

5. A spendthrift. 6. The Crutch (q.v.), 
or Twist (q.v.) : FT., Fourcheure, that 
part of the bodie from whence the 
thighs depart (Cotgrave). As verb, 
to steal; specifically to pick a 
pocket by inserting the middle and 
forefinger: also To put one's forks 
down: Fr., vol d la fourchette. To 
fork out (or over sometimes to fork), 
to hand over, pay, to shell out (q.v.). 
To fork on, to appropriate : cf. Freeze 
on to. To fitch the fork, to tell a piti- 



tions and enclose vouchers (similar to ful tale. To eat vinegar with a fork, a 

person either over -shrewd or over- 
snappish is said to have eaten vinegar 



those sent out by respectable com- 
mission agents) for double or treble f .~~ e _ 

the current odds. The correspondent with a fork : Fr., avoir mange de 

is informed that, in consequence of Foseille, 

early investments, the extra odds can 

be laid ; a remittance is requested ; 

the voucher is forced ; and then the 

firm dries up, and changes its name 

and address. 

Forcemeat - ball. Something en- 
dured from compulsion : as ( 1) a rape : 



2. 



(2) going to prison; (3) transporta- 
tion ; (4) an affiliation order ; (5) ab- 



F o r k e r. A dockyard thief or 
Fence (q.v.). 

Forking. 1. Thieving. 
Hurrying and Scamping (q.v.). 

Forkless. Clumsy, unworkman- 
like, as without Forks (q.v.) (1821). 

Foreloper. A teamster guide. 

Forlorn-Hope. A last stake (Grose). 

Form. 1. Condition, training, 



stention (from drink, pleasure, etc.) fitness for a contest. In (or otrf of) 



through impecuniosity. 

Forceps. The hands : see 
Daddle. 

Fore-and-after. Anybody or any- 
thing good all round. 

Fore - buttocks. The paps: see 
Dairy. 

Fore-coach-wheel. A half- 
crowa : see Caroon. 

Forefoot. The hand (1598). 

Foreman of the jury. A babbler ; 
one with the Gift of the gab (q.v.) 

Fore-stall, In garotting, a look- 
out in front of the operator, or Ugly- 
man (q.v.); the watch behind is the 
Baok-statt (q.v.) : see Stale. 



form, in or out of condition, i.e. fit or 
unfit for work. Setter (or top) form, 
etc. (in comparison) : cf. Colour. 2. 
Behaviour (with a moral significance : 
as good form, bad form, agreeable to 
good manners, breeding, principles, 
taste, etc., or the opposite). This 
usage, popularised in racing circles, is 
good literary English, though the 
word is commonly printed in inverted 
commas (' '): Shakespeare ('Two 
Gentlemen of Verona,' 4), says, * Can 
no way change you to a milder form,' 
ie. manner of behaviour. 3. Habit, 
Game (q.v.): e.g. That's my form, 
That's what Fm in the way of doing ; 
or That's the sort of man I am. 



172 



Forney. 



Four Seams. 



Forney. A ring ; a variant of 
Fawney (q.v.). 

Fortune-biter. A sharper (1719). 

Fortune - teller. A magistrate 
(1696). 

Forty. To talk foity (more com- 
monly nineteen) to the dozen, to chatter 
incessantly, gabble. To walk off 
forty to the dozen, to decamp in quick 
time. Roaring forties, the Atlantic 
between the fortieth and fiftieth 
degrees of latitude ; also applied to the 
same region in southern latitudes. 

Forty -faced. An arrant deceiver : 
e.g. a forty-faced liar, a forty-faced 
flirt, and so forth. 

Forty-five. A revolver : see 
Meat in the pot. 

Forty-foot (or Forty-guts). A fat, 
dumpy man, or woman : in contempt. 
English synonyms : All arse and no 
body, arse-and-corporation, all-belly 
(Cotgrave) ; all guts (idem), bacon- 
belly, barrel-belly, belly-god, bladder- 
figured, bosse-belly, Bosse of Billings- 
gate (Florio, a fat woman), chuff 
(Shakespeare), Christmas beef, double- 
guts, double- tripe, fat-cock, fat-guts 
(Shakespeare and Cotgrave), fatico, 
fattymus or fattyma, fubsy, fat Jack 
of the bonehouse, fat-lips, flander- 
kin, fustiluggs (Burton), fussock, gor- 
belly, grampus, gotch-guts, grand-guts 
(Florio), gulche (Florio), gullyguts, 
gundigutts, guts, guts-and-stomach, 
guts-and-garbage, guts-to-sell, hoddy- 

hopper-arse, Jack Weight, loppers, 
lummox, paunch, pod, porpoise, pot- 
guts, princod, pudding-belly, puff- 
guts, ribs, slush-bucket, sow (a fat 
woman), spud, squab, studgy-guts, 
tallow-guts, tallow-merchant, thick- 
in - the - middle, tripes, tripes and 
trullibubs, tubs, waist, water-butt, 
waUnng-niaepin, whopper. 

Forty-jawed. Excessively 
talkative. 

Forty-lunged, Stentorian ; given 
to shouting ; Leather-lunged (q.v.). 

Forty-rod (or Forty-rod Light- 
ning). Whisky, specifically, spirit 
so fiery that it is calculated to Mil 
at Forty Rods' distance, i.e. on 
sight : of. Rotgut. Cf. Morio (1598), 
Catoolepa, ' a serpent in India so 
venomous that with his looke he kils 
a man a mile off.'] 

Forty - twa. A common jakes, 
or Bogshop (q.v.) : in Edinburgh, So 



called frora its accommodating that 
number of persons at once (Rotten}. 
[Long a thing of the past.] 

Forty - winks. A short sleep or 
nap : see Dog's sleep. 

Fossed. Thrown. 

Fossick. To work an abandoned 
claim, or to wash old dirt ; hence to 
search persistently. [Halliwell, to 
take trouble, but of. fosse, a ditch 
or excavation.] Also Possickzng, a 
living got as aforesaid ; Fossicker. a 
man that works abandoned claims ; 
Fossicking about (American), Shinning 
around, or in England, Ferreting (q.v. ). 

Fou (or Fow). Drunk ; variants are 
Bitch -fou, greetin* - f ou, piper-fou, 
roaring-fou, fou as barty (Burns), 
pissing-fou, and so forth : see Screwed. 
Also (Scots), full of food or dnnk. 

Foul. A running into or down. 
As verb, to run against, run down; 
also to come (or fall) foul of. [Foul, 
adj. and verb, is used in two senses : 
(1), dirty, as a foul word, a foul shrew 
(Dickens), to foul the bed, etc. ; and (2) 
unfair, as a foul (i.e. a felon) stroke, a 
foul blow, and so forth.] To foul a 
plate with., to dine or sup with (Grose). 

Foulcher. A purse. 

Foul-mouthed. Obscene or 
blasphemous in speech. 

Found. Found in a parsley-bed: 
see Parsley-bed and Gooseberry-bush. 

Four - and - nine (or Four - and 
ninepenny). A hat. [So - called 
from the price at which an enterpris- 
ing Bread Street hatter sold his hats, 
circa 1844, at which date London was 
hideous with posters displaying a 
large black hat and ' 4s. and 9d? in 
white letters.] 

Four-bones. The knees. 

Four - eyes. A person in spec- 
tacles : ' a chap that can't believe his 
own eyes.' 

Four - holed Middlings (Win- 
chester College). Ordinary walking 
shoes: of. Beeswaxers: obsolete. 

Four Kings. The history (or look) 
of the four kings, a pack of cards; 
otherwise, A child's best guide to the 
gallows, or The Devil's picture books : 
FT., livre des quatre rois. 

Four - legged burglar - alarm. A 
watch dog. 

Four - poster. A four-post bed- 
stead. 

Four Seams and a Bit of Soap, 
A pair of trousers : see Kicks. 



173 



Four 



Four (or Three) Sheets in the Foxed, stained or discoloured. 7. 

Wind. Drunk ; cf . Half soas over : To criticise a brother pro's perform- 

z ?(, Screwed. anee. 8. To mend a boot by capping 

Fourteen Hundred (Stock it. To set a fox to keep one's geese, to 

Exchange). A warning cry that a entrust one's money, or oue's circum- 

stranger is in the Eouse. The cry stances, to the care of sharpers. To 

is said to have had its origin in the fact make a fox paw, to make a mistake or 

that for a long while the number of a wrong move ; specifically (of women) 

members never exceeded 1399; and to be seduced. FT., faux pas. 

it was customary to hail ever}' new (Grose). 

coiner as the fourteen hundredth. Fox's-sleep. A state of feigned yet 
It has, in its primary sense, long since very vigilant indifference to one's 
lost significance, for there are now surroundings. [Foxes were supposed 
nearly three thousand members of to sleep with one eye open.] 
the close corporation which has its Fox y. 1. Red-haired : cf. Car- 
home in Capel Court. roty. 2. Cunning, vulpine in char- 
Fourteenth Amendment Persua- acter and look. Once literary, 
sion. Negroes. [From the number Jonson (1605) calls his arch- foist 
of the clause amending the Constitu- Volpone, the second title of his play 
tion at the abolition of slavery.] being The Fox ; and Florio (1598) 

Fourth (Cambridge University), defines Volpone as : an old fox, an old 

A Bear (q.v.) or jakes. [Origin un- reinard, an old, crafty, sly, subtle, 

certain ; said to have been first used at companion, sneaking, larking, wilie 

St. John's or Trinity, where the closets deceiver. 3. Repaired with new toe- 

were situated in the Fourth Court, caps. 4. A term applied to prints 

Whatever its derivation, the term is and books discoloured by damp. 5. 

now the only one in use at Cambridge, Inclined to reddishness ( 1792). 6. 

and is frequently heard outside the Strong-smelling : of a red-haired man 

University.] The verbal phrase is or woman. 

To keep a fourth (see Keep). On his Foy. A cheat, swindle (16 15). 

fourth, hopelessly drunk : see Screwed. Foyl-cloy. A pickpocket ; a 

Fourth Estate. The body of rogue (B. E.)~ 

journalists ; the Press. [Literally Foyst. See Foist. 

the Fourth Estate of the realm, the Foyster. See Foister. 

other three being the Queen, Lords, Fraggle. To rob. 

and Commons.] Fragment (Winchester College). 

Four-wheeler. 1. A steak. 2. A A dinner for six (served in College Hall, 

four-wheeled cab ; a Growler (q.v.). after the ordinary dinner), ordered by 

F o u s t y. Stinking [probably de- a Fellow in favour of a particular boy, 



rived from foist, sense 3]. 



who was at liberty to invite five others 



Fouter (Foutering). To meddle, to join him. [Obs. A fragment was 

importune, waste time and tongue ; supposed to consist of three dishes. 

the act of meddling, importunity, Winchester Ward-book 1891]. 
wasting time and tongue : e.g. Don't Framer. A shawl (1859). 
come foutering here ! From the Frater. A beggar working with 

French : the sense of which is intensi- a false petition (1567). 
fied in a vulgarism of still fuller Fraud. A failure, anything or 

flavour]. body disappointing expectation ; e.g. 

Fox. A sword j specifically, the an acquaintance, a picture, a book, 
old English broadsword (1598). As a play, a picture, a bottle of wine, 
verb, 1. to intoxicate, foxed, drunk; Actual dishonesty is not necessarily 
to catch a fox, to be very drunk ; while implied. 
to play the fox (Urquhart), to vomit, Fraze. See Vessel. 
to shed your liquor, i.e. to get rid of the Freak. A living curiosity : as the 
beast (1611). 2. To cheat, trick, Siamese Twins, the Two-headed Night- 
rob (colloquial at Eton) : see Gammon ingale. [Short for .Freak of nature.] 
(1631). 3. To watch closely: also to Free. Impudent, self-possessed, 
fox about. 4. To sham. 5. To play As verb, to steal ; cf. Annex and 
truant. 6. To stain, discolour with Convey. Free of jumble^s halt, im- 
damp ; said of books and engravings, potent. Free, gratis, for nothing, a 

174 



FreshmansJiip. 



pleonastic vulgarism. Free of 
intimate ; privileged to come and go 
at will. For the rest, the commonest 
sense of free is one of liberality : e.g. 
Free of his foolishness, full of chaff ; 
Free-handed, lavish in giving ; free- 
Jiearted, generously disposed; free of 
his patter, full of talk. 

Free-and-easy. A social gathering 
where smoke, drink, and song is the 
order of the day : generally held at a 
public house. 

Freebooker. A' pirate ' book- 
seller or publisher ; a play on ' free- 
booter.' 

Free fight. A general mellay. 

Freeholder. 1. A prostitute's 
lover or fancyman. 2. A man whose 
wife insists on accompanying him to 
a public house (1696). 

Free-lance. An habitual adulteress. 
Also said of a journalist attached to 
no particular paper. 

Freeman. A married woman's 
lover. Freeman of bucks, a cuckold. 

Freeman's Quay. To drink (or lush), 
at freeman's quay, to drink at another's 
expense. [Freeman's Quay was a 
celebrated wharf near London Bridge.] 

Freeze. 1. The act or state of 
freezing, a frost. 2. Hard cider (Grose), 
As verb, (1) to long for intensely 
e.g. to freeze to go back, said of the 
home-sick ; to freeze for meat. (2) 
Hence, to appropriate, steal, stick to. 
(3) To adulterate or Balderdash (q.v.) 
wine with Freeze (q.v: sense 2) 
(Grose). To freeze to (or on to), to take 
a strong fancy to, cling to, keep fast 
hold of ; and (of persons) button-hole 
or shadow. To freeze out, to compel 
to withdraw from society by cold and 
contemptuous treatment ; from busi- 
ness by competition or opposition ; 
from the market by depressing prices 
or rates of exchange. 

Freezer. I. A tailless Eton jacket : 
of. Bum-perisher. 2. A very cold 
day. By analogy, a chilling look, 
address, or retort. 

French - elixir (cream, lace, or 
article). Brandy. [The custom of 
taking of brandy with tea and coffee 
was originally French. Whence 
French Cream. Laced tea, tea dashed 
with spirits], English synonyms : ball- 
of-fire, bingo, cold tea, cold nantz, 
red ribbon. 

French fake. The fashion of 
coiling a rope by taking it backwards 



and forwards in pi rallel bands, so that 
it may run easily 

French-gout (disease, or 
fever). Sometimes gonorrhoea, but 
more generally and correctly syphilis, 
the llorbus GaUicus of older writers 
(1598). 

French Leave. To take French leave, 
(1) to decamp without notice; (2) to 
do anything without permission ; (3) 
to purloin or steal ; (4) to run away (as 
from aa enemy) [Derivation ob- 
scure ; French, probably traceable to 
the contempt engendered during the 
wars with France ; the compliment 
is returned in similar expressions.] 
(1771). 

French -pigeon. A pheasant killed 
by mistake in the partridge season, a 
Moko or Oriental (q.v.). 

French - pig. A venereal bubo ; a 
Blue boar (q.v.), or Winchester goose 
(q.v.). 

French -prints. Generic for indecent 
pictures. 

French-vice. A euphemism for 
all sexual malpractices. 

Frenchy. A Frenchman. 

Fresh. 1. Said of an under- 
graduate in his first term (1803). 
2. Slightly intoxicated, elevated : see 
Screwed. (Scots, sober). 3. Inex- 
perienced, but conceited and presump- 
tuous ; hence, forward, impudent 
(1596). 4. Fasting ; opposed to eating 
or drinking. Fresh as paint (as a, 
rose, as a daisy, etc.), full of health, 
strength, and activity ; Fit (q.v.). 
Fresh on the graft, new to the work. 

Fresh-bit A beginner. 

Freshen. To freshen one's way, to 
hurry, quicken one's movements. To 
freshen up, to clean, vamp, revive, 
smarten. 

Fresher. An undergraduate in his 
first term. The freshers* that part of 
the Cam which lies between the Mill 
and Byron's Pool. So called because 
it is frequented by Freshmen (q.v.). 

Fresh man (or Fresh er). A 
University man during bis first year. 
In Dublin University he is a junior 
freshman during bis first year, and a 
senior freshman the second year. At 
Oxford the title lasts for the first term : 
Ger., Fuchs (1596). As adj., of, or 
pertaining to, a freshman, or a first year 
student. 

Freshrnansbip. Of the quality or 
state of being a freshman (1605). 



175 



Freshman's Bible. 



Fr audacious. 



Freshman's Bible. The Univer- 
sity Calendar : cf. Post-office Bible. 

F r e s h m a n's - church. The 
Pitt Press at Cambridge. [From its 
ecclesiastical architecture.] 

Freshman's - landmark. King's 
College Chapel, Cambridge. [From 
the situation.] 

Freshwater-mariner (or seaman). 
A beggar shamming sailor, a turnpike 
sailor (q.v.) (Io67). 

Freshwater-soldier. A raw recruit 
(1598). 

Fret. To fret one's gizzard (guts, 
giblets, kidneys, cream, etc.), to get 
harassed and worried about trifles, 
Tear one's shirt (q.v ). 

Friar. A pale spot in a printed 
sheet: Fr., moine (monk). 

Frib. A stick : see Toko (1754). 

Fribble. A trifler, a contempt- 
ible fop. [From the character in 
Garrick's Miss in her Teens (1747)] 

Friday-face. A gloomy, dejected- 
looking man or woman : Fr., figure de 
carfime. [Probably from Friday being, 
ecclesiastically, the banyan day of 
the week.] (1592). Whence, Friday- 
faced, mortified, melancholy, sour- 
featured (Scott). 

Friendly- lead. An entertain- 
ment (as a sing-song) got up to assist 
a companion hi Trouble (q.v.), or to Frog-salad, 
raise money for the wife and children piece (q.v.). 
of a ' quodded pal.' "" 

Friends -in-need. lace: see 
Chates. 

Frigate. A woman. 

Frightfully. Very. An expletive 
used as are Awfully, Beastly, Bloody, 
etc. (q.v.). 

Frig -pig. A finnickmg trifler 
(Grose). 

Frillery. Feminine under- 
clothing : see Snowy. 

Frills. Swagger, conceit ; also 
accomplishments (as music, languages, 
etc.), and culture. To put on one's 
frills, to exaggerate, chant the poker, 



after arrest, for evidence of char- 
acter, antecedents, or identity. Hence, 
careful examination of any kind 
(1781). 2. To pick pockets, rob. 
To frisk a cly, to empty a pocket. To 
dance the Paddington frisk, to dance 
on nothing ; i.e. to be hanged : see 
Ladder. [Tyburn Tree was in Pad- 
dington.] 

Frisker. A dancer. 

Frivol (or Friv vie). To act 
frivolously, trifle. [A resuscitation 
of an old word used in another sense, 
viz. to annul, to sot aside]. 

Frog. 1. A policeman : see Beak. 

2. A Frenchman. Also Froggy and 
Frog-eater. [Formerly a Parisian; 
the shield of whose city bore three 
toads, while the quaggy state of the 
streets gave point to a jest common 
at Versailles before 1791 : Qu'en di- 
sent les grenouilles ? i.e. What do 
the frogs (the people of Paris) say ? ] 

3. A foot : see Creepers. To frog on, 
to get on, prosper. Frogging-on, 
success. 

Frog - and - Toad (rhyming). The 
main road. 

Frog-and-Toe. The city of New 
York. 

A Dutchman : cf. 
(1696.) 
A ballet ; i.e. a Leg- 



Froglander. 
Frog, sense 2. 



Frog's-march. To give the frog's 
march, to carry a man face down- 
wards to the station ; a device adopted 
with drunken or turbulent prisoners. 

Frog's-wine. Gin : see Drinks. 

Frolic. A merry-making. 

Frosty-face. A pox-pitted man 
(Grose). 

Front. To conceal the operations 
of a pickpocket ; to cover (q.v.). 

Frontispiece. The face : see Dial. 

Front-windows. The eyes ; also the 
face. 

Frost. 1. A complete failure : cf. 
Fr., four noir, temps noir. 2. A dearth 



swagger, put on side (q.v.); sing it of work, to have a frost, to be idle. 



(q.v.) : Fr., se gonfler le jabot, and 
faire son lard. 

F r i n t. A pawnbroker : see 
Uncle. 

Frisco. Short for San Francisco. 

Frisk. 1. A frolic, outing, Lark 
(q.v.), mischief generally (1697). 2. 
A dance (1719). As verb (thieves'), 
(1) to search, run the rule over (q.v.). 
Especially applied to the search made, 

176 



Froudacious (Froudacity). The 
word ' Froudacity,* invented by Mr. 
Darnell Davis in bis able review of 
The Bow of Ulysses, by Mr. T. A. 
Froude, reached the height of popu- 
larity hi the Australasian Colonies, 
where it was hi everyday use, the 
author being accused of ignorance, 
misleading, and careless treatment in 
his book on the Australasian colonies. 



Froust. 



lutt. 



F r o u s t (Harrow School). 1. 
Extra, sleep allowed on Sunday morn- 
ings and whole holidays : FT., fazre du 
lard. 2. A stink, stuffiness (in a 
room). 

Frousty. Stinking. 

F r o u t (Winchester College). 
Angry, vexed. 

Frow (Froe, or Vroe). A woman, 
wife, mistress. [From the Butch.] 
(1607). 

Frummagemed. Choked, strangled, 
spoilt (1671). 

Frump. 1. A coutemptuous speech 
or - piece of conduct, sneer, a jest 
(1553). 2. A slattern; more com- 
monly a prim old lady ; the correlative 
of Fogey (q.v.): FT., graillon. 3. A 
cheat, a tnck. As verb, to mock, in- 
sult (1589). 

Frumper. A sturdy man, good 
blade (1825). 

Frumpish. Cross-grained, old- 
fashioned and severe in dress, manners, 
morals, and notions : also ill-natured, 
given to frumps. Also Frumpy ( 1589). 

Frushee. An open jam tart. 

Fry. To translate into plain 
English : cf. Boil down. Go and fry 
your face, a retort expressive of in- 
credulity, derision, or contempt. 

Frying-pan. To leap (or jump) 
from the frying-pan into the fire, to go 
from bad to worse : cf . from the smoke 
into the smother ('As You Like It,' i. 
ii.) : FT., tomber de la poele dans la 
braise (1684). To fry the pewter, to 
melt down pewter measures. 

F-sharp. A flea : cf. B-flat. 

Fuant. Excrement. 

Fub. To cheat, steal, put off with 
false excuses. Also Fubbery, cheat- 
ing, stealing, deception. 

Fubsey (or Fubsy). Plump, fat, 
well -filled. Fubsy dummy, a well- 
filled pocket - book ; fubsy wench, a 
plump girl (Grose). 

Fubsiness. Any sort of fat- 
ness. 

Fuddle. 1- Drink. [Wedgwood : 
A corruption of Fuzz.] (1621). 2, A 
drunken bout; a Drunk. As verb, 
to be drunk: see Screwed. 

Fuddlecap (or Fuddler). A 
drunkard, boon companion: see Lush- 
ington (1607). 

Fuddled. Stupid with drink: see 
Screwed (1661). 

Fudge. Nonsense, humbug, ex- 
aggeration, falsehood (1700). Also 



as an exclamation of contempt. As 
verb, (1) to fabricate, interpolate, 
contrive without proper materials. 
(2) To copy, to crib. (3j To botch, 
bungle, muff (q.v.). (4) To advance 
the hand unfairly at marbles. 

Fug (Shrewsbury School). To stay 
in a stuffy room. As adj., stuffy. 

Fuggy. A hot roll. 

Fugo. The rectum (Cotgrave). 

Fulhams (or Fullams). 1. Loaded 
dice ; called l high 'or k low ' Fulhams 
as they were intended to turn up 
high of low. [Conjecturally, because 
manufactured at Fulham, or because 
that village was a notorious resort 
of blacklegs.] (1594). 2. A sham, a 
Make-believe (q.v.) (1664). 

Fulham - virgin. A prostitute : 
cf . Bankside lady, Covent Garden nun, 
St. John's Wood vestal, etc. 

Fulk. To use an unfair motion of 
the hand in plumping at taw (Grose), 

F u 1 k e r. A pawnbroker : see 
Uncle (1566). 

Full. 1. Drunk : see Screwed. 2. 
Used by bookmakers to signify that 
they have laid all the money they wish 
against a particular horse. Full guts, 
a swag -bellied man or woman. A 
fiitt hand, five large beers. Full in the 
betty, with child. Full in the pasterns 
(or the hocks), thick - ankled. Full 
team, an eulogium, A man is a full 
team when of consequence in the 
community. Variants are whole team, 
or whole team and a horse to spare : 
cf. One-horse=mean, insignificant, or 
strikingly small. Full in the waist- 
coat, swag-bellied. FuU of 'em, lousy, 
nitty, full of fleas. FuU to the bung, 
very drunk: see Screwed. To have 
(or wear) a full suit of mourning, to 
have two black eyes. Half-mourning, 
one black eye : see Mouse. To come 
futt bob, to come suddenly, full tilfc, 
FuU against, (1) dead, or decidedly 
opposed to, a person, thing, or place. 
FuU-flavoured, peculiarly rank: as a 
story, an exhibition of profane swear- 
ing. Full-gutted, stout, swag-bellied. 
FuU of emptiness, utterly void. Full 
on, set strongly in a given direction, 
especially in an obscene sense. At 
futt chisel, at full speed; with the 
greatest violence or impetuosity. 
Also Full drive ; FuU split. In full 
blast (swing), etc., in the height of 
success ; in hot pursuit. In fuU dig, 
on full pay. In fuU feather: see 



177 



s Earth. 



Furk. 



Feather. In full fig: see Fig. Full 
of it, with child. FvU of gvte, full oi 
vigour, excellently inspired auu done : 
as a picture, a novel, arid so forth : 
see Guts. FvU of beans : see Beans. 
Full of bread : see Bread. 

Fuller's Earth. Gin : see Satin. 
Fullied. To be juUied, to be com- 
mitted for trial : Fr., ctre mis sur la 
planche au pain. [From the news- 
paper expression* Fully committed.] 
Fulness. There's not fulness 
enough in the sleeve top, a derisive 
answer to a threat. 

F u m b 1 e r. An impotent man 
(1690). 

Fumbles. Gloves. 
Fun. 1. A cheat, a trick. As 
verb, ( 1 ) to cheat, trick : also (2) To put 
the fun on. 2. The posteriors, or 
Western End (Marvell). Probably 
an abbreviation of fundament. To 
poke fun at, to joke, ridicule, make 
a butt. To have been making fun, 
intoxicated : see Screwed. 

Functior (or Puncture) (Win- 
chester College). An iron bracket 
candlestick, used for the nightlight in 
college chambers. [The word, says 
Winchester Notions, looks like fuLc- 
tura, an earlier form of fulture, mean- 
ing a prop or stay, with phonetic 
change of I into TO.] 

Fundamental -features. The 
posteriors (1818). 

Funds. Finances ; e.g. My 
funds are very low. 

Funeral. Ifs not my (or your) 
funeral, it is no business of mine, or 
yours : Fr., nib dans mes blots (that is 
not my affair). Also used affirm- 
atively. 

Fungus. An old man. 
Funk. 1. Tobacco smoke ; also a 
powerful stink. 2. A state of fear, 
trepidation, nervousness, or cowardice, 
a stew (q.v.). Generally, with an 
intensitive, e.g. a mortal, awful, 
bloody, or blue funk : Fr., guenette, 
flubart, frousse. 3. A coward. As 
verb, (1) to smoke out ; see Funk the 
cobbler. (2) To terrify, shrink or 
quail through nervousness or coward- 
ice. (3) To fear, hesitate, shirk; and 
(among pugilists) to come it (q.v.) 
English .synonyms: to come it, to lose 
one's guts, to get the needle (athletic), 
(4) To be nervous, lose heart. (5) To 
move the hand forward unfairly in 
playing marbles; to fudge (qv.). 



To funk the cobbler, to smoke out a 
schoolmate : a trick performed with 
asafoetida and cotton stuffed into a 
hollow tube or cow's horn ; the cotton 
being lighted, the smoke is blown 
through the keyhole (1698). See also 
Peter Funk. 

Funker. 1. A pipe, a cigar ; a fire. 
2. A low thief. 3. A coward. 

Funking - room. Tho room at 
the Royal College of Surgeons where 
the students collect on the last even- 
ing of their final during the addition 
of their marks, and whence each is 
summoned by an official announcing 
failure or success. 

Funkster (Winchester College). 
A coward ; one that funks (q.v.). 

Funky. Nervous, frightened, timid 
(1845). 

Funnel. The throat: see Gutter 
Alley. 

Funniment. A joke, either practical 
or verbal. 

Funny. A chnker-built, narrow 
boat for sculls. To feel funny, to be 
overtaken with (1) emotion, or (2) 
dnnk : e.g. to was amorous, or get the 
flavour (q.y.) ; to begin to be the 
worse for liquor. 

Funny Bone. The elbow, with the 
passage of the ulnar nerve connecting 
the two bones : the extremity of the 
humerus (1837). 

Funny - man. A circus clown. 
Also a joker in private life. 

Fur. To make the fur fly : see 
Fly. To have one's fur out, to be 
angry. 

Fur - and - feathers. Generic for 
game. 

Furioso. A blusterer. ItaL, 
funoso = raving (1692). English 
synonyms: barker, blower, bodadil, 
bouncer, bulldozer (American), caca- 
fogo, Captain Bounce, Captain Bluff, 
Captain Grand, Captain Hackam, 
cutter, fire-eater, hector, huff-cap, 
humgiiffin, gasser, gasman, mouth, 
mouth - almighty, pissfire, pump- 
thunder, ramper, roarer, ruffler, shite- 
fire, slangwhanger, spitfire, swash- 
buckler, swasher, teazer, Timothy 
Tearcat. 

Furk (Ferk, Firk) (Winchester 
College). To expel, send (as on a 
message), drive away. Also To furk 
up, and furk down. [Old English 
fercian, High German ferlcen, Middle 
English, to lead or send away.] 



178 



Furmen. 



Gaffer. 



Furmen. Aldermen. From their 
fur-trimmed robes. 

Furmity-faced. White-faced: e.g. 
to simper like a funnity kitten (Grose). 

Furnish. To fill out, improve in 
strength and appearance. 

Furniture-picture. A picture sold 
not as a piece of art but as a piece 
of upholstery, such things being turned 
out by the score, as pianos are, or 
three - legged stools ; the worst and 
cheapest kind of Pot-boiler (q.v.). 

Furry - tail. A non-unionist ; a 
Rat (q.v.)- Specifically, a workman 
accepting employment at less than 
Society -wages : ef. Dung, Flint, 
etc. 

Further. Pll see you further 
first, a denial. 

Fur-trade. Barristers. 

F u s s o c k (or Fussocks). Op- 
probrious term for a fat woman (1690). 

Fust (or Fust out). To end in 
smoke, go to waste, end in nothing : 
cf. Fizzle. 

Fustian. 1. Bombast, bad 
rhetoric, sound without sense, bom- 
bastic ranting : now accepted (1598). 



2. Wine. Whiue fubtian, champagne ; 
red fustian, port. 

Fustilarian. A low fellow, a 
common scoundrel (1598). 

Fustilug (Fustilugs). A piece of 
grossness male or female, a coarse 
and dirty Blowzalinda, a foul slut, a 
fat stinkard (169C). 

Future. To deal in futures, to 
speculate for a rise or fall. 

Fuzz. 1. To shuffle cords min- 
utely ; also to change the pack (Grose). 
2. To be, or make, drunk (1685). 

Fuzziness. The condition of 
being in driak. Hence blurredaess, 
incoherence, bewilderment. 

Fuzzy. 1. Drunk: seo Screwed. 
Hence blurred (as a picture), tangled, 
incoherent or inconsequent. 2. Bough, 
as in a fuzzy head, a fuzzy cloth, a 
fuzzy bit (a full - grown wench), a 
fuzzy carpet, etc. 

Fuzzy-wuzzy. A Soudanese tribes- 
man. 

Fye-buck, A sixpence : see Rhino 
(1781). 

Fylche. See Filch. 

Fyst. See Foist. 



Gab. 1. The mouth; also Gob: 
see Potato trap. 2. Talk, idle babble : 
also Gabb, Gabber, and Gabble (1712). 
As verb, to talk fluently or brilliantly, 
to lie (1383). Gift of the gab (or gob), 
the gift of conversation, the talent for 
speech: Fr., n' avoir fas sa languedans 
sa poche. To Now the. gab, to inform, 
peach (q.v.). Also to blow the gaff 
(q.v.). To fash the gab, to show off 
(q.v.) in talk ; cf. Air one's vocabulary. 

Gabble. 1. A gossip : also 
Gabbler, Gabble- grinder, Gabble- 
merchant, and Gabble - monger. 2. 
A voluble talker. 

Gabble-mill. 1. The United States 
Congress: also Gabble-manufactory. 
2. A pulpit: see Humbox. 3. The 
mouth : see Potato-trap. 

Gable. The head : also Gable- 
end : see Crumpet. 

Gabster. A voluble talker, whether 
eloquent or vain ; one having the Gift 
of the gab (q.v.). 

Gab-string. See Gob-string. 

Gaby (also Gabbey and Gabby). 
A fool, babbler, boor : see Buffle. 



Gad. An idle slattern : Le. Gad- 
about (q.v.). As intj., an abbrevia- 
tion of By Gad ! On. the gad, 1. on the 
spur of the moment. 2. On the move, 
on the gossip. 3. On the spree (especi- 
ally of women) ; and, by implication, 
on the town. To gad the hoof, to walk 
or go without shoes, Pad the hoof 
(q.v.). Also, more loosely, to walk or 
roam about. 

Gadabout. A trapesing gossip ; as 
a housewife seldom seen at home, but 
very often at her neighbours' doors. 
Also as adjective ; e.g. A Gad-about 
hussey. 

Gaff. LA fair (1754). 2. A 
cheap, low music-hall or theatre; 
frequently Penny-gaff. 3. A hoar, 
an imposture. 4. (American cock- 
pit) A steel spur. 5. (anglers') A 
landing spear, barbed in the iron. As 
verb, (1) to toss for liquor. (2) To play 
in a gaff (q.v. sense 2). To blow the 
gaff (or gab), to give information, let 
out a secret (1186). 

G a ff e r. 1. An old man ; the 
masculine of Gammer (q.v.). Also a 



179 



Gallant,. 



title of address : e.g. Good day, 
gaffer! Cf. Uncle and Daddy. 
Also, by implication, a husband. 2. 
A master, employer, Boss (q.v.) ; 
(athletic) a pedestrian trainer and 
u iarmer ' ; and (navvies') 



suffering imposes on the credulity o* 
people. 

G a g g e r. A player dealing in 
Gags (q.v.), sense 2. Also Gaggist, 
Gag-master, and Gagster. 

Gaggery. The practice of Gag- 
ging (q.v.), sense 3. 



master or Ganger (q.v.) (1719). _ ^ , ^ 

A toss-penny, a gambler. Gagging. 1. Bluff (q.v.); speci- 

Gaffing. A mode of tossing for fically, Bunco-steering (q.v.), the art of 

drinks, etc., in which three corns are talking over and persuading a stranger 



placed in a hat, shaken up, and then that he is an old acquaintance. 2. 
thrown on the table. If the party to Loitering about for fares, * crawling.' 

3. Dealing in Gags (q.v.), sense 1. 
Also as ppl. adj. 

Gaggler's-coach. A hurdle. 
Gail. A horse : see Prad. 



. 

call, calls heads (or tails) and all 
three coins are as he calls them, he 
wins ; if not, he pays a settled amount 
towards drinks (Egan). 

Gag. 1. A joke, invention, hoax. 
Also as verb, to hoar, puff (1781). 2. 
Expressions interpolated by an actor 
in his part : especially such as can be 



repeated again and again in the course Fr. s gagn&r 
of performance. Certain plays, as 'The 
Critic,' are recognised ' gag- pieces,' 
and in these the practice is accounted 



Gaily - like. Showy f expensive, 
Bang-up (q.v.). 

Gain-pain. A sword ; specifically, in 
the Middle Ages, that of a hired soldier. 



to 



bread. 



Cf. Breadwinner and Potboiler 

(artists').] 

f Gait Walk in life, profession, 

legitimate. Cf. ' Hamlet,' m. ii. 'And mode of making a living, Game (q.v.). 

let those that play your clowns, say no Gaiters. Half boots, shoes. 

more than is set down for them.* Cf. 

Wheeze. A typical example is the 

' I believe you, my boy ! ' of the late 

Paul Bedford. Occasionally gag= 

patter (q.v.). Also as verb. 3. A 



... . . 

commonwealth of players in which 



Gal. 1. A girl, servant-maid, sweet- 
heart. Best girl, favourite flame. 2. 
A prostitute. 3. A female rough. 

Galaney. See Galeny. 

Galanty- (Gallanty- or Galantee-) 
show. A shadow pantomime : silhou- 



the profits are shared : cf . Conscience, ettes shown on a transparency or 

4. A fool ; ie. a thing to laugh at : see thrown on a white sheet by a magic 

Buffie. 5. (Christ's Hospital). Boiled lantern : specifically, the former, 

fafc beef. Gag-eater, a term of reproach ~ 
(1813). 6. (Winchester College). An 



exercise (said to have been invented 
by Dr. Gabell) which consists in 



Gal-boy. A romp, Tom-boy (q.v.). 
Galen. An apothecary : see 
Gallipot. 

Galena. Salt pork. [Galen, 



writing Lathi criticisms on some EL, a chief hog-raising and pork- 
" ' ^ ' ' -*--- " '- packing centre.] 



Galeny (or Galany). The domestic 
( 



celebrated piece, in a book sent in 

about once a month. In the Parts 

below Sixth Book and Senior Part, the hen ; now (West of England) a 

gags consisted in historical analysis, fowl : see Cackling - cheat. LJuaTin, 

[An abbreviation of gathering.] As gaUina.] 

verb, (1) see supra, and (2) to in- Galimaufrey. 1. A medley, jumble, 

form, Round on (q.v.); also to blow chaos of differences. [Fr., gallimavfree, 

the gag. On the high gag, on the a hash.] (1592). 2. A hodge-podge 

whisper, telling secrets. On the low of scraps and leavings (1724). 3. A 

gag, on the last rungs of beggary, ill- mistress (1596). 



luck, or despair. To strike the gag, to 
cease from chaffing. 

Gage (Gauge, or Gag). 1. A quart 
pot (i.e. a measure) : also a drink or 
Go (q.v.). (1567). 2. (18th century). 



Gall. Effrontery, Cheek (q.v.), 
Brass (q.v.); e.g. Ain't he got a 
gall on him ? (1789). 

Gallant. A Dandy (q.v.), ladies' 
man, lover, cuckold-maker, whether 



A chamber-pot. 3. A pip (1696). 4. in posse or in esse (Shakespeare). As 



A man : see Cove. 

Gagers. The eyes : see Glims 
Gagga. A cheat, who by sham 



. 

adj., (1) valiant ; (2) showy ; (3) amor- 
ous. As verb, to sweetheart, squire, 
escort, pursue, or enjoy. To 



pretence and wonderful stories of gallant a fan, to break with design, 

180 



Gallant Fiftieth. 



Galoot. 



to afford aii opportunity of presenting 
a better (B. E,) (1690). 

Gallant Fiftieth. The .Fiftieth 
Foot. [For its share in VimieTa, 
1808.] Also, Blind half -hundred 
(q.v.); and Dirty half-hundred (q.v.). 
Gallantry. (1) Sparkishness 
(q.v.), dandyism; and (2) the habit, 
or pursuit, of sexuality. A bfe oj 
gallantry, a life devoted to the other 
sex. 

Gallery (Winchester College) 
A commoner bedroom. [From a tra- 
dition of galleries in Commoners.] 
See Gallery-nymphs. To play to the 
gallery, to act so as to win the applause 
of the vulgar : i.e. to abandon distinc- 
tion and art for coarseness of means 
and cheapness of effect. Said indif- 
ferently of any one in any profession 
who exerts himself to win the suffrages 
of the mob ; as a political demagogue, 
a ' Tjopular ' preacher, a * fashion- 
able ' painter, and so on. Hence, 
Gallery - hit (shot, stroke, etc.), a 
touch desig led for. and exclusively ad- 
dressed to, the non- critical. To play 
the gallery, to make an audience, ap- 
plaud. 

Gallery-nymph (Winchester Col- 
lege). A housemaid : see Gallery. 

Galley, Put a brass galley down 
your back (printers'), an admonition to 
appear before a principal, implying 
that the galley will serve as a screen. 

Galley-foist. The state barge, used 
by the Lord Mayor when sworn in at 
Westminster (1609). 

Galley - growler (or stoker). 
A loafer, Malingerer (q.v.), Grumble- 
guts (q.v.). 

Galley - halfpenny. A base coin, 
temp. Henry IV. Because commonly 
imported m Genoese galleys.] 

Galley-slave. A compositor : see 
Donkey (1683). 

Galleywest. An indefinite super- 
lative : of. About-east. 

Galley-yarn (or news). A lying 
story, a swindle or Take-in (q.v.). 
Frequently abbreviated to ' G.Y.* 

Gallied. Harried, vexed, over- 
fatigued, perhaps like a galley-slave 
(Grose). In Australia, frightened. 

GalHnipper. A large mosquito. 

Gallipot. An apothecary. Eng- 
lish synonyms: bolus, bum- tender, 
clyster-giver, clyster-pipe, croaker, 
crocus, drugs, Ollapod (from a crea- 
tion of the Younger Coleman's), 



gagemonger, Galen (irom the great 
physician), Jakes- provider, pill-box, 
pill - merchant, pills, squirt, salts- 
and-senna, squire of the pot. 

Gallivant. 1. To ga<l about 
with, or after, one of the other sex, 
play the gallant, do the agreeable. 
2. To Trapes (q.v.), fuss, bustle about. 

Galliyate. To frisk, figure about: 
cL Gallivant. 

Gallon. Whafs a gfUlon of rum 
among one.? The retort sarcastic; 
applied, e.g. to those with fc eyes too 
big for their stomach," to dispro- 
portionate ideas of the fitness of tilings, 
and so forth. 

Gallon - distemper. 1. Delirium 
tremens ; 2. the lighter after-effects of 
drinking. English synonyms: (1) For 
the former barrel-fever, black-dog, 
blue-devils, blue Johnnies (Australian), 
B. J. (idem), blues, bottle-ache, D. T. ; 
horrors, jim-jams, jumps, pink-spiders, 
quart - mania, rams, rats, shakes, 
snakes in the boots, trembles,triangles, 
uglies. (2) For the latter a head, hot- 
coppers, a mouth, a touch of the 
brewer, a sore head (Scots). 

Galloper. 1. A blood horse, a 
hunter. 2. An aide-de-camp. 

Gallow-grass. Hemp [ie. haltera 
in the rough.] (1578). 

Gallows. 1. A rascal, a wretch 
deserving the rope (1594). 2. gener- 
ally in. pi., Gallowses, a pair of braces. 
As adv., excessively: of. Bloody, 
Bleeding (q.v.), etc. As adj., great, 
uncommon, real (1551). 

Gallows-bird (also Newgate- 
bird). 1. A son of the rope, habitual 
criminal, vagabond or scoundrel old 
or young, crack-rope or wag-halter 
(Cotgrave ; a gallows clapper (Florio) : 
FT., gibier de Cayenne (or de potence). 
2. (common). A corpse on, or from, 
the gallows. 

Gallows-faced. Evil-looking, hang- 
dog : also Gallows-looking (1766). 

Gallows - minded. Criminal in 
habit and idea, evil-hearted. 

Gallowsness. Rascality, reck - 



Gallows-ripe. Ripe for the rope. 

Gallus. See Gallows. 

Gally-f oist. See Galley-foist. 

Gallyslopes. Breeches: see 
Kicks. 

Galoot (also Galloot and Geeloot). 
A man (sometimes in contempt) ; also 
(in America) & worthless fellow (or 



Gal&ptious. 



Gammon. 



thui^j, ro'vuy, C.ul (q v.). On tkegay 
gafoof, on the sprf?. 

Gaioptious (or Galuptious). 
Delightful a ^t-neral superlative. 

Galore (a'^'j Gallore and Golore). 
In abundance, pleuty. 

Galumph. To bump along : ono- 
inatopceia. 

Galvanised-Yankee. A Greyback 
(q.v.) wlio took the oath to the North 
and served in iti ar:nies. 

Gam. 1. Pluck, gameness. 2. 
Stealing (Mnisell, 1S59). As verb, (1) 
to steal. ('2) To engage in social inter- 
course, make a call, hwe a chat. 

Gamaliel. A pedant, a person 
curious of the letter and the form : 
e.g, these Gamaliels of the theory 
=5 these ultra-panians, to whom the 
spint is nothing. 

Gamb (or Gam). A leg : an heraldic 
term. [It., gambs ; Fr.. jainhe, ; prob- 
ably througli Lingua Franca.] 

Gamble. A venture, Flutter (q.v.). 

Gambler. ' A guinea - dropper ; 
one class of sharpers ' (Bailey). ' A 
tricking gamester ' (Grose). ' A cant 
word, I suppose. A knave whose 
practice it is to iavite the unwary to 
game and cheat them ' ( Johnson). 

Gambol. A railway ticket. 

Gam-cases. Stockings. 

Game. 1. The proceeds of a 
robbery, Swag (q.v.). 2. A company 
of harlots. A game -pullet, a young 
prostitute. 3. A gull, simpleton : see 
Bufne. 4. Specifically, the game, 
thieving ; also (nautical), slave trading. 
Hen of the game, a shrew, a fighting 



onicers could be corrupted by bribes to 
allow the cargo to be stolen (Clark 
Rusaell). Cock of the game, a champ- 
ion, an undoubted blood, a star of 
magnitude (cook- pit) (1719). To make 
game of, to turn into ridicule, delude, 
humbug (1671). To die game, to 
maintain a resolute attitude to the last, 
to show no contrition. To get against 
the game, to take a risk, chance it. 
[From the game of poker.] To play 
Ihe, game, to do a thing properly, do 
what is right and proper. 

Gamecock. Hectoring, angry, 
valiant out of place. 

Gameness. Pluck, endurance, the 
mixture of spirit and bottom. 

Gamester. 1. A prostitute (1598). 
2. A ruffler, gallant, wencher ; a man, 
fit and ready for anything ; also a 
player (1639). 

G a m e y. 1. High - smelling, 
offensive to the nose, half-rotten. 2. 
Frisky, plucky. 

Gaminess. The malodorousness 
proceeding from decay and by im- 
plication filthiness. 

Gaming-house. A house of ill-re- 
pute hell, tavern, or stews (1611). 

Gammer. An old wife : a familiar 
address the correlative of Gaffer 
(q.v.) (1551). 

Gamming. A whaleman's term for 
visits paid by crews to each other at 
sea. 

Gammon. 1. Nonsense, humbug, 
deceit : sometimes Gammon and 

rach. No gammon, no error, no 
(1363). Also as verb, English 



JLLO/* U{ WVC yu-//CK, O. OUJ.CW, 01 J-lgU.Vl.Ltg, LM3O ^JLOU>;. XXI9U <*O V OX k/, J^JllgJUEjU. 

woman (1639). 5. A source of amuse- synonyms : to bam, to bamblustercate, 



ment. Lork (q.v.), Barney (q.v.) ; as, 
e.g. It was such a game ! 6. A 
design, trick, object, line of conduct : 
e.g. What's your little game, What 
are you after ? Also, None of your little 
games ' None of your tricks ! As adj., 

(1) plucky, enduring, full of spirit and 
Bottom (q.v.). [Cock-pit and pugil- 
ists. The word may be said to have 
passed into the language with the rise 
to renown of Harrv Pearce, sur- 
named the Game Chicken.] (1747). 

(2) Beady, willing, prepared. [Also 
from cock-fighting. See sense 1.] 

(3) Lame, crooked, disabled: as in 
Game leg. (4) Knowing, wide-awake, 
and (of women) Flash (q.v.) : e.g. 
Game-cove, an associate of thieves ; 
Game-woman, a prostitute; Game-ship 
(old), a ship whose commander and 



to bamboozle, to bambosh, to barney, 
to be on the job, to best, to bilk, to 
blarney, to blow, to bosh, to bounce, 
to cob, to cod, to cog, to chaff, to come 
over (or the artful, or Paddy, or the 
old soldier over) one, to cram, to do f 
to do brown, to doctor, to do Taffy, 
to fake the kidment, to flare up, to 
flam, to flummox, to get at (round, 
or to windward of) one, to gild the 
pill, to give a cock's egg, to gravel, 
to gull, to haze, to jimmify, to jaw, 
to jockey, to jolly, to kid, to make 
believe the moon is made of green 
cheese (Gotgrave), to mogue, to palm 
off on, to pickle, to plant, to plum, to 
poke bogey (or fun) at, to promoss, 
to put the kibosh on, to put in the 
chair, cart, or basket, to pull the leg, 
to queer, to quiz, to roast, to roor- 



182 



Gammoner. 



back, to run a bluff, or the shenani- 
gan, lo sell, to send for pigeon's milk, 
to sit upon, to send for oil of strappurn, 
etc., to shave, to sluni, or slumguzzle, 
to smoke, to snack, to soap, soft soap, 
sawder, or soft sawder, to spoof, to 
stick, to stall, to string, or get on a 
string, to stuff, to sawdust, or get on 
sawdust and treacle, to suck, to suck 
up, to sugar, to swap off, to take a rise 
out of, to rot, to tommy-rot, to take 
in, or down, to take to town, to take 
to the fair, to tip the traveller, to try 
it on, to throw dust in the eyes, to 
throw a tub to a whale, to pepper, 
to throw pepper in the eyes, to use the 
pepper box, to whiffle, to work the 
poppycock racket (Irish- American). 
[Note. Many of the foregoing are 
used substantively.] 2. A confederate 
whose duty is to engage the attention 
of a victim during robbery, Bonnet 
(q.v.), Cover (q.y.). Also as verb, 
to humbug : deceive, to take in. As 
intj., nonsense, Skittles (q.v.). Gam- 
mon and Patter, (1) the language used 
by thieves ; (2) (modem), a meeting, a 
Palaver (q.v.) ; (3) commonplace talk 
of any kind. To give (or keep) in 
gammon, to engage a person's atten- 
tion while a confederate is robbing 
him (1719). To gammon lusJiy (or 
queer, etc.), to feign drunkenness, 
sickness, etc. To gammon the twelve, 
to deceive the jury. 

Commoner. 1. One who Gam- 
mons (q.v.), a nonsense-monger: FT., 
bonisseur de loffitudes, Iblagueur, man- 
geur de frimea. 2. A confederate who 
covers the action of his chief, Bonnet 
Cover, Stall, all which see. 

Gammy. 1. Cant. 2. A nick- 
name for a lameter ; a Hopping Jesus 
(q.v.). 3. A fool: see Buffle. As 
adj., (1) bad, impossible. Applied to 
householders of whom it is known 
that nothing can be got. Gammy - 
vial, a town in which the police will 
not allow unlicensed hawking. (Vial, 
Fr., ViUe). (2) Forged, false, spurious : 
as a gammy-monek&r, a forged signa- 
ture ; gammy-lour, counterfeit money, 
etc. (3) Old, ugly. (4) Same as Game, 
sense 3 : e.g. a gammy arm, an arm 
in dock. Gammy-eyed, blind, sore- 
eyed ; or afflicted with ecchymosis in 
the region of the eyes. Gammey-lcg, 
a lame leg. Also (subs.) a term of 
derision for the halt and the maimed. 

Gamp. I. A monthly nurse, 



Finger-smith (q.v.). lira. Sarah 
Gamp, a character in Martin Chuzzle- 
wit (1843).] Albo a fussy and gossip- 
ing busybouy. 2. An umbrella ; 
specifically, oue large and loosely 
tied, Lettuce (q.v.). [The original 
Sarah always carried one of this said 
pattern.] Sometimes a Sarah Gamp. 
Mrs. Gamp, The Standard. As adj., 
bulging ; also Gampish. 

Gamut. Tone, general scheme, 
Swim (q.v.). Thus ^n tlte gamut, a 
picture, a detail, or a shade of colour, 
in tone with its environment. 

Gan (also Gane). The mouth: 
occasionally, throat, lip : see Potato 
trap (1572). 

Gander. A married man ; in 
America one not living with his wife, 
Grass- widower (q.v.). As verb, to 
ramble, waddle (as a goose). Also, to 
quest for women. Gone gander: see 
Gone coon. To see how the gander 
hops, to watch events, see how the cat 
jumps. If hat's sauce for the goose is 
sauce for the gander, a plea for consist- 
ency. 

Gander-month. The month after 
confinement ; when a certain license 
(or so it was held) is excusable in the 
male. Also Gander-moon, the hus- 
band at such a period being called a 
Gander-mooner : of. Buck-hutch, and 
Goose-month (1617). 

Gander - party. A gathering of 
men, Stag-party (q.v.) ; also Bull- 
dance, Gander-gang, etc. : cf. Hen- 
party, an assembly of women. 

Gander-pulling. See Goose-riding. 

Gander 's-wool. Feathers. 

Gang. A troop, a company (1639). 

Ganger. An overseer or foreman 
of a gang of workmen, a superin- 
tendent 

Ganymede. A pot-boy (i.e. 
a cup-bearer) : the masculine of Hebe 
(q.v.) (1659). 

Gaol-bird. A person often in gaol, 
an incorrigible rogue : Fr., chevronne. 

Gaoler's - coach. A hurdle to the 
place of execution (1785). 

Gap. To Now the gap, to blow the 
Gaff (q.v.). 

Gapes. A fit of yawning ; also the 
open mouth of astonishment (1818). 

Gapeseed. 1. A cause of aston- 
ishment, anything provoking the 
ignorant to stare with open mouth : 
also to seek a gape's nest (1598). 2. An 
open-mouthed loiterer^ 



183 



Gapped. 



Gaskins. 



Gapped. Worsted, Floored (q.v.). 

Gar. See By gar ! 

Garble. Garbling the coinage, a 
practice amongst money-lenders of 
picking out the newest coins of full 
weight for export or re-melting, and 
passing the light ones into circula- 
tion. 

Garden (The). 1. (greengrocers', 
fruiterers', etc.), Co vent Garden 
Market; 2. (theatrical), Covent Gar- 
den Iheatre ; 3. (diamond merchants'), 
Hatton Garden. Cf. House, Lane, 
etc. The Garden (Covent Garden) 
was frequently used for the whole 
neighbourhood, which was notorious 
as a place of strumpets and stews. 
Thus, Garden - house, a brothel; 
Garden-goddess, a woman of pleasure; 
Garden-gout, venereal disease ; Gar- 
den~ichore, a low prostitute, etc.] To 
<put one in the garden, to defraud a 
confederate, keep back part of the 
Regulars (q.v.), or Swag (q.v.). 

Gardener. An awkward coach- 
man : cf. Tea-kettle Coachman. 

Garden-gate (rhyming). A 
magistrate : see Beak. 

Garden Latin. Barbarous or 
sham Latin ; also Apothecaries', Bog, 
Dog, and Kitchen Latin. 

Garden - rake. A tooth - comb : 
also Scratching-rake, or R-ake. 

Gardy-loo. A warning cry ; 
take care ! [Fr., gardez (vous de) 
Feau ! Used before emptying slops 
out of window into the street. Hence 
the act of emptying slops itself.] 

Gargle, A drink : generic : cf. 
Lotion, and see Go. As verb, to 
drink, liquor up : see Lush. 

Gargle-factory. A public house : 
see Lush-crib. 

Garn. A corruption of Go on 1 Get 
away with you ! 

Garnish. 1. A fee, Footing (q.v.) ; 
specifically when exacted by gaolers 
and old prisoners from a newcomer. 
The practice was forbidden by 4 Geo. 
IV., c. 43, see. 12. Also Garnish- 
money (1592). 2. Fetters, handcuffs : 
see Darbies. As verb, to fetter, 
handcuff. 

Garret 1. The head, Cockloft 
(q.v.), Upper storey (q.v.) : see 
Crumpet (1625). 2. The fob-pocket. 
To have one's garret unfurnished, to be 
crazy, stupid, lumpish : Balmy (q.v.). 

Garreteer. LA thief robbing 
houses by entering skylights or garret- 



windows : also Dancer and Dancing- 
master. 2. An impecunious author, 
literary hack. 

Garret-master. A cabinet - maker 
working on his own account, and selling 
his manufacture to the dealers direct. 

Garrison-hack. 1. A woman given 
to indiscriminate flirtation with 
officers at a garrison. 2. A prostitute, 
a soldier's trull. 

Garrotte. A form of strangula- 
tion (see verb). [From the Spanish 
la garrota, a method of capital punish- 
ment, which consists in strangulation 
by means of an iron collar.] As verb, 

(1) a method of robbery with violence, 
much practised some years ago. The 
victims were generally old or feeble 
men and women. Three hands were 
engaged : the Front-stall who looked 
out in that quarter, the Back- stall at 
the rear, and the Ugly or Nasty-man 
who did the work by passing bis arm 
round his subject's neck from behind, 
and so throttling him to insensibility. 

(2) To cheat by concealing certain 
cards at the back of the neck. 

Garrotte r. A practitioner of 
garrotting (under verb, sense 1). 

Garrotting. 1. See Garrotte (verb, 
sense 1). 2. Hiding a part of one's 
hand at the back of the neck for 
purposes of cheating. 

Garter. In pi. the irons, or 
bilboes: see Darbies. To fly (or 
prick) the garter : see Prick. 

G a r v i e s. 1. Sprats : some- 
times Garvie-herrmg. 2. The Garvies, 
the Ninety-fourth Foot. [From the 
small stature of earlier recruits.] 

Gas. Empty talk, bounce, bombast. 
As verb, (1) to talk idly, brag, bounce, 
talk for talking' s sake : Fr., faire son 
cheval de corbutard (in American, To 
be on the tall grass) : see Long Bow. 
(2) To impose on, to Pill (q.v.), to 
Splash (q.v.) : see Gammon. To take 
the gas o^lt of one, to take the conceit 
out of, take down a peg. To turn cm 
the gas, to bounce, Gas (q.v.). To 
turn off the gas, to cease, or cause to 
cease, from bouncing, vapouring, or 
Gas (q.v.). To gas round, to seek 
information on the sly, Gas (q.v.). 

Gas-bag. A man of words or Gas 
(q.v.), gasconader : also Gasometer. 

Gash. The mouth : see Potato- 
trap. 

Gashly. A vulgarism for Ghastly. 

Gaskins. Wide hose, wide 



184 



Gasp. 



Gawk. 



breeches. From Galli^otskms, An 
old ludicrous word (Johnson). 

Gasp. A dram of spirits see Go. 
As verb, to drink a dram, e.g Will you 
gasp ? Will you take something neat. 

G a s p i p e. 1 An iron steamer, 
whose length is nine or ten times her 
beam. [At one time a ship's length 
but rarely exceeded four and a halt to 
five times the beam.] 2. A bad roller. 
3. A rifle, specifically the old Snider. 

Gaspipe-crawler. A thin man : see 
Lamp-post. 

Gasser. A braggart. 

Gassy (or Gaseous). 1. Likely 
to take umbrage or to flare up. 2. 
Full of empty talk or Gas (q.v.). 

Gaster. A fine and curious eater 
(Thackeray). In Rabelais, the belly 
and the needs thereof : a coinage 
adopted by Urquhart. 

Gat. A quantity ; e.g. a gat of 
grub, plenty to eat : also Gats. 

Gate. 1. The attendance at a race 
or athletic meeting, held m enclosed 
grounds ; the number of persons who 
pass the gate. 2. Money paid for ad- 
mission to athletic sports, race course, 
etc., the same as Gate-money (q.v.). 
3. in. pi. (University). The being for- 
bidden to pass outside the gate of a 
college: as verb, to confine wholly 
or during certain hours within the 
college gate for some infraction of 
discipline. To break gates, to stay out 
of college after hours. The gate, 
among fishmongers, Billingsgate ; 
among thieves, Newgate : of. Lane, 
Row, Garden, etc. To be at {fates 
(Winchester College). To assemble in 
Seventh Chamber passage, prepara- 
tory to going Hills or Cathedral. On 
the gate, on remand. 

Gate-bill. The record of an under- 
graduate's failure to be within the 
precincts of his college at, or before, a 
specified time at night. 

Gate - money. The charge for 
admission to a race - meeting : see 
Gate. 

G a t e r (Winchester College). A 
plunge head foremost into a Pot (q.v.). 

Gate - race (or meeting). For- 
merly, a contest not got up for sport 
but entrance money ; now a race or 
athletic meeting to which admission 
is by payment. 

Gath. A city or district in Philistia 
(q.v. ); often used, like Aakelon (q.v.)for 
Philistia itself. Hence, to be mighty 



%/i, (JTU, . i-j i j-^uiiatt.K {q.v ^ of the 
first maguitude ; to prevail against Gath, 
to smite the Philistines lii? and thigh, 
as becomes a valiant companion of 
the Davidsb a nd ; & ad so forth. Tell it 
not in Gath, an interjection of derision, 
signifying that the person exclaimed 
against has done something the know- 
ledge of which Trould bring on him 
the wrath, or the amazement, of his 
friends. 

Gather, To gatfiw up. to lead 
away. To gather the taxes, to go from 
workshop to workshop seeking employ- 
ment. Hence, Tax gatherer, a man 
out of work and looking for a job : 
of. Inspector of public buildings. Out 
of gathers, in distress : cf. Out at 
elbows. 

Gatherings. See Gags. 

Gatter. Beer ; also liquor gener- 
ally. Shant of gatter, ^ pot of beer : 
Fr., moussante : see "Prinks, 

Gaudeamus. A feast, drinking bout, 
any sort of merry-making. [German 
students', but now general and popu- 
lar.] From the first word of the 
mediaeval (students') ditty. 

Gaudy (or Gaudy-day). A feast 
or entertainment : specifically the 
annual dinner of the fellows of a 
college in memory of founders or 
benefactors ; or a festival of the Inns 
of Court (Lat., gaudere, to rejoice). 
(1724). As adj., good, frolicsome, 
festive : cf . Shakespeare's ' Let's have 
one other gaudynight ( l Ant. and Cleo.," 
m. xiii.). Neat but not gaudy, as the 
devil said, of ancient ladies dressed in 
flaming colours. 

Gauge. See Gage. To get the 
gauge of, to divine an intention, to 
read a character, to Size (or Reckon) 
np (q.v.). Hence, That's about the 
gauge of it, That's a fair descrip- 
tion. 

Gauley. See By golly. 

Gawf. A red-skinned apple. 

Gawk. A simpleton, especially 
an awkward fool, male or female : see 
Buffle. [Scots Gowk, a cuckoo, fool ; 
whence, to gowk, to play the fool. As 
in the * Derision of Wanton Women ' 
(Bannatyne, MS., 1567), * To gar them 
ga in gncking,' to make them play the 
fool.] As verb, to loiter round; to 
Play the sfoat. [The same verb is 
used by Jonson (Magnetic Lady, iii. 
4, 1633) In the sense of amazed, or 
bamboozled, Le, absolutely befooled : 



185 



Gawkiness. 



Gentleman. 



' Nay, look bow the man stands, as he 
were gowked ! *] 

Gawkiness. Awkwardness, silli- 
ness. Greenness (q.v.). 

Gawking. Loitcrlnjr and stanng, 
Gatheiog hayseed (q v.)- 

Gawky. An awkward booby, a 
fool : e.g. Now squire gawky, a chal- 
lenge to a clumsy lout : see Buftie 
(1686). As adj., lanky, awkward, 
stupkl (1759). 

Gawney (or Goney). A fool: see 
Bnffie. 

Gay. 1. Dissipated, specifically, 
given to venery : as in the French, 
avoir la cuisse gaie. Hence Gay 
woman (girl, or bit), a strumpet ; Gay 
house, a 'brothel ; To be gay, to be in 
continent, etc., etc. (1383). 2. In 
drink: see Screwed Att gay (or 
aU so gay}, all right, first-rate, All 
serene (q.v.). To fed gay, inclined for 
sport. 

Gay-tyke Boy. A dog fancier. 

Gazebo. A summer-house com- 
manding an extensive view. [Dog 
Latin, Gazebo, I will gaze.] 

Geach. A thief. 

Gear. Work, Business (q.v.). Thus : 
Here's goodly gear, Here's fine doings ; 
Here's a pretty kettle of fish (' Romeo 
and Juliet,* n. ii. 106). 

Gee. See Gee-gee. As verb, (1) 
to go or turn to the off-side ; used as a 
direction to horses. (2) To move 
faster: as a teemster to his horses, 
Gee-up! (3) To stop: as Gee 
whoa ! To gee with, to agree with, 
fit, be congenial, go on all fours with, 
do (1696). 

Gee-gee (or Gee). 1. A horse : see 
Prad. 2. The nickname among jour- 
nalists (of the interviewer type) of 
Mr. G(eorge) G(rossmith), better 
known, perhaps, as the Society Clown. 

Gee-gee Dodge. Selling horseflesh 
for beef. 

Geekie. A police-station. 

Geeloot. See Galoot. 

Geese. Att Ms geese are swans, 
he habitually exaggerates, or Embroi- 
ders (q.v.) ; or, He is always wrong in 
his estimates of persons and things. 
The old woman's picking tier geese, said 
of a snowstorm : the other leg of the 
couplet (schoolboys') runs : * And 
selling the feathers a penny a piece.* 
Like geeae on a common, wandering hi a 
body, aggressive and at large : e.g. 
as Faddists (q.v.) in pursuit of a 



Fad ; or members of Parliament in re- 
cess, whoa both sides go about to say 
the thing which is in them. 

Geewhihkens ! An exclamation of 
surprise : also Jeewbihkens. 

Geezer. An appellation, some- 
times, but not necessarily, of derision 
and contempt ; applied to both sexes, 
but generally to women : usually, Old 
geezer. 

Gelding. A eunuch. To enter 
for ike geldings' stakes, to castrate a 
man ; also used to describe a eunuch. 

Gelt. Money, Gilt (q.v.), Gelter: 
generic : see Rhino. 

Gemini ! (Geminy ! or Jiminy I) 
An exclamation of surprise, a mild 
oath : also O Jimminy ! O Jimminy 
Figs ! O Jimminy Gig ! etc. : for 
the phrase has pleased the cockney 
mind, and been vulgarised accordingly 
(1672). 

Gemman. A contraction of gentle- 
man (1550). 

Gen. A shilling : see Rhino. Back 
slang, but cf. Fr., argent.] 

Generalize. A i* 
Rhino and Gen. 

Geneva Print. Gin : see Drinks and 
Satin (1684). 

G e n - n e t (back slang). Ten 
shillings. 

Gennitraf (back slang). A 



(back slang). Long. 

Gent. 1. A showily- dressed vul- 
garian. [A contraction of gentle- 
man.] (1635). 2. Money : see 
Rhino [Fr., argent.'] 3. A sweetheart, 
mistress : e.g. My gent, my particular 
friend. As adj., elegant, comely, 
genteel (1383). 

Gentile. Any sort of stranger, 
native or foreign ; among the Mormons, 
any person not professing the Gospel 
according to Joe Smith. Hence, In 
the land of the Gentiles, (1) in foreign 
parts ; and (2) in strange neighbour- 
hoods or alien society. 

Gentle. A maggot ; vulgarly, 
Gentile. 

Gentle- craft. 1. Shoemaking. 
[From the romance of Prince Crispin.] 
2. Angling. 

Gentleman. A crowbar : see 
Jemmy. To put a churl (or beggar) 
upon a gentleman, to drink malt hquor 
immediately after wine (Grose). 
Gentleman of the (three, four, or five) 
outs (or ins), a varying and ancient 



186 



Gentleman Commoner. 



Get. 



wheeze, oi which the following are 
representative : Out of money, and 
out of clothes ; Out at the heels, azici 
out at the toes ; Out of credit, and in 
debt. A man in debt, in danger, and 
in poverty ; or in gaol indicted, 
and in danger of being hanged. Out 
of pocket, out of elbows, and out 
of credit. Without wit, without 
money, without manners. Gentleman 
of fortune, an adventurer. Gentleman 
of observation, a tout. Gentleman of 
the round, an invalided or disabled 
soldier, making his living by begging 
(1596). Gentleman of the short staff, a 
constable. Gentleman of the fist, a 
prize-fighter. Gentleman in brown, a 
bed bug : see Norfolk Howard. The 
little gentleman in broivn velvet, a mole. 
[The Tory toast after the death of 
William III., whose horse was said to 
have stumbled over a mole hill.] Gen- 
tleman of the green baize road, a card 
sharper. 

Gentleman Commoner. 1. A 
privileged class of commoners at 
Oxford, wearing a special cut of 
gown and a velvet cap. 2. An empty 
bottle; also Fellow- commoner (q.v.). 

Gentleman - ranker. A broken 
gentleman serving in the ranks. 

Gentleman 's-companion. A louse : 
see Chates. 

Gentleman's - master. A high- 
wayman (Grose). 

Gentleman's (or Ladies*-) piece. 
A small or delicate portion., a Tit-bit. 

Gentlemen's - sons. The three 
regiments of Guards. 

Gently I An interjection, Stand 
still (q.v.) ; hence, colloquially, don't 
get into a passion, Go slow (q.v.). 

Gentry-cove (or cofe). A gentle- 
man, Nib-cove (q.v.) : Fr., messire de 
la liawte (1567). 

Gentry-cove's Ken (Gentry-ken). 
A gentleman's house (1567). 

Gentry-mort. A lady (1567). 

Genuine (Winchester College). 
Praise. As adj., trustworthy, not 
false nor double-faced. As verb, 
to praise. He -was awfully quilled 
and genuined my task. 

Geordie (North Country). 1. 
A pitman; also (generally), a North- 
umbrian. 2. A North-country col- 
lier. 3. See George. 

George (or Geordie). 1. A half- 
crown : also (obsolete), the noble (6s. 
3d.), temp. Henry VZEL 2. A guinea : 



ai'o Yellow George : see i-:_i-.uo. 3. A 
p-snny: s.-e Ith'mo. Broit-n George. 
Sej A.M. lij fare (or By George). 
Se'j 3y Georga- 

George Home. A derisive retort 
oa a piece of stale news : also G. H. 1 
[From a romancing compositor of the 
name.] 

Georgy-porgy. To pet, fondle, be- 
slobber. 

German. The German, a round 
dance 

German Duck. 1. Half a sheep's 
head, stewed with onions (Grose). 2. 
A bed bug : sets Norfolk Howard. 

German - flutes (rhyming). A 
pair of boots. 

Germantowner. A pushing shot 
when balls in play jar together : cf. 
Whitechapel. 

Gerry. Excrement (1567). 

Gerry Gan. A retort forcible, 
Stow it! (q.v.) (1567). 

Gerrymander (the g hard as in 
get). To arrange the electoral sub- 
divisions of a State to the profit and 
advantage of a particular party. The 
term, says Norica, is derived from the 
name of Governor Gerry, of Massa- 
chusetts, who, in 1811, signed a Bill re- 
adjusting the representative districts 
so as to favour the Democrats and 
weaken the Federalists, although the 
last-named party polled nearly two- 
thirds of the votes cast. A fancied 
resemblance of a map of the districts 
thus treated led Stuart, the painter, to 
add a few lines with his pencil, and say 
to Mr. Russell, editor of the Boston 
Sentinel, " That will do for a Sala- 
mander.' Russell glanced at it: 
' Salamander,* said he, c call it a 
Gerrymander ! ' The epithet took at 
once, and became a Federalist war- 
cry, the caricature being published as 
a campaign document. 

Gerund-grinder. A schoolmaster, 
especially a pedant (1759). 

Get. 1. A cheating contrivance, 
a Have (q.v.). 2. A child : e.g. One 
of bis gets, one of Kia making ; Whose 
get is that ? who's the father ? It's 
his get, anyhow ; at all events he got it 
( 1570). Qet!(fa: You get !) Short for 
Get out ! Usually, Git \ To get at, 

(1) to quiz, banter, aggravate, take a 
rise out of : also To get back at. 

(2) To influence, bribe, nobble (of 
horses), and to corrupt (of persons) : 
applied to horse, owner, trainer,] ookey, 



187 



Get. 



Giblets. 



and vet alike. To 'jet b^ck at, to Measure, Mitten, Needle, .Religion, 

dfttiriao, caH to account. Get back Rise, Run, Scot, Swot or Scrape, Set, 

into your box 1 an injunction to silence, ~ ' " " " " " A - '-- 1 - A " 

Stow it! (c.v.). To pet encored f to 

have a job returned tor alterations. 

To get even with, to take one's revenge, 

give tit for tat. To get vt, to be 

punished (morally or physically), to male. 

be called over the coals. To get off, Get-up. 

to (1) escape punishment, be lot off- ; 



Shut of, Silk, Snuff, Straight, Sun, 
Ticket of Leave, Wool, Wrong box.] 

Getaway. A locomotive or train, 
Putfer (q.v.). 

Getter. A sure getter, a procreant 



regardless (to the nines, knocker, 
to kill, within an inch of one's life) ; 
(4) to disguise (as a sailor, a soldier, 
Henry VIII., a butcher, a nun) : see 
also Get into. 

G.H. See George Home. 

Ghastly. Very : a popular inten- 
sitive : cf. Awful, Bloody, etc. 

Ghost. One who secretly does 
artistic or literary work for another 
who takes the credit and receives the 
price : cfc Devil. [The term was 
popularised during the irial of Lawes 
v. Belt in 188(?).] As verb, to prowl, 
spy upon, shadow (q.v.). The ghost 



Dress, constitution 
and appearance, disguise : see Get-up. 

(2)' to utter, deliver oneself of, per- As verb, phr., (I) to prepare (a part, 
petrate as to get off a joke; and (3) a paper, a case) ; (2) to arrange (a 
get married. To get on, (I) to back a concert) ; (3) to dress (as Got up 
horse, put & Bit on (q.v.). (2) To " - --- ----- ----- 

succeed, or, simply, to fare. Thus, 
How are you getting on ? may signify 
( 1 ) To what esten L are you prospering ? 
or (2) How are you doing ? To get one 
in the cold, to have at an advantage, 
be on the Windward side (q.v. ). Have 
on toast (c : v.). To get one on, to 
land a blo^. To get down fine (or 
efoac), to know all about one's ante- 
cedents ; and (police) know where to 
find one's man. To get over, to seduce, 
fascinate, dupe : also To come over and 
To get round. To get outside of, to 

eat or drink, accomplish one's pur- _ fif ,, f ,.__.. 

pose. To get out of bed on the wrong walks (or does not walk), there is (or is 
side, to be testy or cross-grained, not) money in the treasury. The 
[A corruption of an old saying, To rise ghost of a, chance, the faintest likeli- 
on the right side is accounted lucky ; hood, or the slightest trace : e.g. He 
hence the reverse meant trials to hasn't the ghost of a chance. 
temper, patience, and luck.] (1607). Ghoul. 1. A spy ; specifically a 
To get out (or round), to back a horse man who preys on married women 
against which one has previously laid, who addict themselves to assignation 
Hedge (q.v.). To get set, (1) to warm houses. 2. A newspaper chronicler of 
to one's work, get one's eye well in. the small talk and tittle-tattle. 
To get there, to attain one's object, Gib. 1. Gibraltar : once a penal 
succeed, make one's Jack (q.v.), station: whence, 2. a gaol. To hang 
To get there with both feet, to be very one's gib, to pout : see Jib. 
successful; (2) to get drunk: see Gibberish (Gebberish, Gibberidge, 
Screwed. To get through, to pass an Gibrige, etc.). Originally the lingo of 
examination, to accomplish. To get up gipsies, beggars, etc. Now, any kind 
and dust, to depart hastily : see Ske- of inarticulate nonsense (1594). 
daddle. To get up behind (or get Gibble-gabble, Nonsense, Gibber- 
behind) a man, to endorse or back a ish(q.v.) (1600). 
bill. To get up the mail, to find G i b - c a t. A tom-cat. [An ab- 
money (as counsel's fees, etc.) for breviation of Gilbert^ O. Fr., Tibert 
defence. Get enters into many other the cat in the fable of Reynard the 
combinations : see Back teeth, Bag or Fox.] (1360). 
Sack, Bead, Beans, Beat, Big bird, and 
Goose, Big head, Billet, Bit, Boat, 
Bolt, Books, Bulge, Bullet, Bull's 
feather, Crocketts, Dander and Mon- 
key, Dark, Drop, Eye, Flannels, Flint, 
Game, Grand Bounce, Gravel - rash, 

Grind, Grindstone, Hand, Hang, Hat, erally, the Manifold (q.v.), 2. A~fat 

Head, Hip or Hop, Home, Horn, Hot, man, Forty-guts (q.v.) : also Duke of 

Jack, Keen, Length of one's foot, Giblets. To fret one* 8 giblets: see Fret. 

188 



Gibe. To go well with, be accept- 
able. 

Gibel. To bring. 

Gib-face. A heavy jowl, Ugly-mug 
(q.v.). 

Giblets. 1. The intestines gen- 



Gtbsalfm. 



Gilt. 



Gibraltar. A party stronghold: 
e.g. the Gibraltar of Democracy 
(Norton). 

Gibson (or Sir john Gibson). 
A rest to support the body of a build- 
ing coach. 

Gibus. An opera, or crash hat : 
FT., accordion. [From the naxae of the 
inventor.] 

Giddy. Flighty, wanton : e.g. 
To play the giddy goat, to live a fast 
life, be happy-go-lucky. 

Giffle-gafHe. Nonsense ; a variant 
of Gibble-gabble (q.v.). 

Gif-gaf (or Giff-gaff). A 
bargain on equal terms : whence the 
proverb : Gif-gaf makes guid friens : 
FT., Passe-moi la casse et je t'enverrai 
la senne. 

Gift. 1. Anything lightly gained 
or easily won. 2. A white speck on 
the finger nails, supposed to portend 
a gift. 3. See Gift-house. As fuU of 
gifts as a brazen horse of farts, mean, 
miserly, disinclined to Part (q.v.). 
Gkft of the gab : see Gab. 

Gift-house (or Gift). A club, 
a house of call; specifically for the 
purpose of finding employment, or 
providing allowances to members. 

Gig (Gigg, Gigge). 1. A wanton, 
mistress, flighty girl : cf. Giglet. 2. 
A jest, piece of nonsense, anything 
fanciful or frivolous : hence, generally, 
in contempt (1590). 3. The nose : see 
Conk. To snitchdl the gig, to pull the 
r>ose. Counter's gig, a hog's snout. 
4. A light two-wheeled vehicle drawn 
by one horse ; now recognised. 5. A 
door : see Gigger. 6. A fool, an over- 
dressed person : see Buffle. 7. Fun, 
frolic, a spree. Full of gig, full of 
laughter, ripe for mischief. 8. The 
mouth : see Potato-trap. 9. A far- 
thing : see Rhino. 10. See Policy 
dealing. As verb, to hamstring. By 
gigs' an oath (1551). 

Gigamaree. A thing of little 
worth, a pretty but useless toy, a 
Gimcrack (q.v.). 

Gigantomachize. To rise in revolt 
against one's betters : Gr., Giganto- 
machia, the War of the Giants against 
the Gods. [Probably a coinage of 
Ben Jonson's.] 

Gigger. 1. A sewing machine. 
[In allusion to noise and movement). 
2. See Jigger. 

Giggles - nest. Have you found a 
giggles-nest ? Asked of one tittering, 



or given to immoderate or senseless 
laughter. 

Gig - lamps. 1. Spectacles : see 
Barnacles -2. One who wears spec- 
tacles, a Four eyes ( q.v. ). [Popularised 
by Verdant Green.] 

Gigler (Giglet, Goglet, Gigle, 
Gig). A wanton, a mistress. 
Giglet (West of England), a giddy, 
romping girl ; and in Salop a flighty 
person is called a Giggle (1533). As 
adj., loose in word and deed : also 
Giglet-hke, and Giglet-wise, like a 
wanton (1598) 

Gild. To make drunk, flush with 
drink (1609). To gild the pill, to say 
(or do) unpleasant things as g 
as may be, impose upon, Bamb 
(q.v.). 

Gilded-rooster. A man 
of importance ; a Howling swell (q.v.) ; 
sometimes the Gilded rooster on the 
top of the steeple : cf. Big-bug, Big 
dog of the tanyard, etc. 

Gil deroy's -kite. To be hung 
higher than Gilderoy's kite, to be 
punished more severely than the very 
worst criminals, The greater the 
crime the higher the gallows, was at 
one time a practical legal axiom. 
Hence, out of sight, completely gone. 

Giles' Greek. See St. Giles' 
Greek. 

G i 1 g u y. Anything which hap- 
pens to have slipped the memory; 
equivalent to What's - his - name or 
Thingamy tight. 

Gilkes. Skeleton keys (1610). 

Gill (or Jill). 1. A girl; (1) a 
sweetheart : e.g every Jack must have 
his Gill ; (2) a wanton, a strumpet (an 
abbreviation of Gillian) (1586). 2. 
a drink, a Go (q.v.). 3. (in pi. g hard). 
The mouth, jaws, or face : see Potato- 
trap (1622). 4. in. pL A very large 
shirt collar ; also Stick-ups and Side- 
boards: FT., cache-bonbon-d^-liqueur. To 
grease the gills, to have a good meal, 
to Wolf (q.v.). To look blue (queer, or 
green) about the gitts, to be downcast, 
dejected ; also to suffer from the 
effects of a debauch. Hence, con- 
versely, To be rosy about the gills, 
to be cheerful. A cant (or dig) in the 
gills, a punch in the face. 

Gill-flirt. A wanton, flirt (1598). 

Gilly. A fool : see Buffle. 

Gilly - gaupus. A tall, loutish 
fellow. 

Gilt 1. Money : generic : see 



189 



Git. 



Rhino. [Ger. : Gdd ; Du. : Gelt.'] 2. 
A thief, pick-lock ; also Gilt- (or mm-) 
dubber, gilter, etc. 3. Formerly a 
pick-lock or skeleton key ; uow a 
crow-bar: see Jemmy (1671). To 
take the gilt off the gingerbread, to 
destroy an illusion, discount heavily. 

Gilt-dubfcer. See Gilt, sense 2. 

Gilt - edged. First-class, the best 
of its kind : see Fizzing. 

Gilter. See Gilt, sense 2. 

Gilt-tick. Gold : see Bhino. 

G i m b a 1- (or gimber-) jawed. 
Loquacious, talking Nineteen to the 
dozen (q.v.). [Gimbals are a com- 
bination of rings tor free suspension.] 

Gimcrack (Gincrack, or Jim- 
crack). 1. A showy simpleton, 
male or female : see Baffle (1618). 2. 
A showy trifle, anything pretty but of 
little worth (1632) 3. A handy man, 
Jack- of -all - trades (q.v.). As adj., 
trivial, showy, worthless. 

Gimcrackery. The world of Jim- 
crack (q.v.). 

Gimlet-eye. A squint-eye, 
Piercer (q.v.) : FT., des yeux en trou de 
pine, 

Gimlet-eyed. Squinting, or 
squinny-eyed, cock-eyed : as in the 
old rhyme : Gimlet eye, sausage nose, 
Hip awry, bandy toes. 

G i m m e r. An old woman : a 
variant of cummer. 

Gin. 1. An Australian native 
woman. 2. An old woman : see Geezer, 
To gin up, to work hard, make things 
Hum (q.v.): see Wire in. 

Gin - and - Gospel Gazette. The 
Morning Advertiser : as the organ of 
the Licensed Victualling and Church 
of England party : also the Tap-tub 
and Beer-and-Bible Gazette. 

Gin - and - tidy. Decked out in 
best bib and tucker : a pun on neat 



Gin-crawl. A tipple (q.v.) on gin. 

Gingambobs (or Jiggumbobs). 
Toys, baubles (1696). 

Ginger. 1. A showy horse, a 
beast that looks Figged (q.v.). 2. 
A red-haired person ; Carrots (q.v.). 
[Whence the phrase, Black for beauty, 
ginger for pluck.] 3. Spirit, dash, 
Go (q.v.). To want ginger, to lack 
energy and Pluck (q.v.). As adj., 
red-haired, Foxy (q.v.), Judas-haired 
(q.v.); also ginger-pated, ginger- 
hackled, and gingery (1785). 

Gingerbread. 1. Money : e.g. He 



190 



has the gingerbread, he is rich (1696). 
2. Brummagem (q.v.), showy, but 
worthless ware. As adj. showy 
but worthless, tinsel: Fr., en pain 
d'fyice. Gingerbread work (nauti- 
cal), carved and gilded decorations ; 
Gtngerbread quarters (nautical), lux- 
urious living (1757). To take the gdt 
off the gingerbread : see Gilt. 

Gingerly (old : now recognised; 
delicate, fastidious, dainty, as adv., 
with great care, softly (1533). 

Ginger - pop. 1. Ginger-beer. 2. 
(rhyming), A policeman, Slop (q.v.). 

Ginger-snap. A hot-tempered per- 
son, especially one with carroty hair. 

Gingham. An umbrella; speci- 
fically one of this material : see Mush- 
room. 

Gingle - boy. A coin ; latterly a 
gold piece : also ginglers : see Rhino 
(1622). 

Gin-lane (or Trap). 1. The throat : 
see Gutter-alley. Gin-trap also = the 
mouth: see Potato-trap (1827). 2. 
Generic for drunkenness. 

Gin-mill. A drinking saloon : see 
Lush-crib. 

Ginnified. Dazed, stupid with 
liquor. 

Ginnums. An old woman : spec, 
one fond of drink. 

Ginny. A housebreaker's tool ; an 
instrument to lift up a grate or grating 
(1690). 

Gin-penny. Extra profit : gener- 
ally spent in drink. 

Gin-slinger. A tippler on gin : see 
Lushington. 

Gin - spinner. A distiller ; a 
dealer in spirituous liquors : cf. Ale- 
spinner (1785). 

Gin-twist. A drink composed of 
gin and sugar, with lemon and water 
(1841). 

Gip. 1. A thief. 2. (Cambridge 
University) a college servant : see 

Girl-and-boy. A saveloy. 
Girl-getter. A mincing, womanish 
male. 

Girl - show. A ballet, burlesque, 

Git ! (or You Git ! ) Be off with you 1 
an injunction to immediate departure, 
Walker ! (q.v.). Sometimes a con- 
traction of Get out I Also Get out 
and dust (1851). To Jiave no git up 
and git, to be weak, vain, mean, slow 
generally deprecatory. 



Give. 



Glib, 



Give. 1. To lead to, conduct, ope.i 
upon : e.g. The door gave upon the 
street. Of. French, donner. '2. An 



To talK about and 
prevaricate, speak 



Gladstonize. 
round, evade, 
much and mean nothing. 

Glanthorne. Money: see Rhino. 
(17S9). 

Glasgow Greys. The 70th Foot, 



all-round auxiliary to active verbs : 

e.g. To give on praying, to excel at 

prayer ; To give on the make, to be _ 

clever at making money, etc. To give now the 2nd battalion East Surrey 

it to, (1) to rob, defraud (Grose) ; (2) to regiment: in the beginning it was 

scold, thrash : also To give what for, '- 1 '"- J ' "" 

To give it hot, To give something for 
oneself, To give one in the eye, etc. : 



the eye, 

Fr., oiler en donner (1612). T 
in (or out), to admit defeat, yield, be 
exhausted throw up the sponge 
(1748); to give away, to betray or 
expose inadvertently, Blow upon 



( 
d 



largely recruited in Glasgow. 

Glasgow Magistrate. A herring, 
fresh or salted, of the finest (from 
give the practice of sending samples to the 
Bailie of the River for approval) : also 
Glasgow baihe. English, synonyms 
(for hen-ings generally); Atlantic 
ranger, Cahforman, Cornish duck, 



q.v.), Peach (q.v.) : also to Give Digby chicken, Dunbar wether, gen- 

7^-1 i !_ j : ^ darme, Gourock ham, magistrate, 

. . Sf , pheasant, (or Billingsgate pheasant), 

posure ; give-away cue, an underhand reds, sea - rover, soldier, Taunton 

revelation of secrets ; to give one best, turkey, two-eyed steak, Yarmouth 



(1) to acknowledge inferiority, defeat : 
also (thieves') to leave, To cut (q.v.) ; 
to give the collar, to seize, arrest, 



capon : Fr., gendarme. 

Glass. An hour : an abbreviation of 

hour-glass. There's a deal of glass 

Collar (q.v.): see Nab; to give the about, (1) applied to vulgar display, 
bullet (sack, bag, kick-out, pike, road. It's the thing (q.v.) ; (2) said in answer 
etc.), to discharge from an employ; to an achievement in assertion: a 
give us a rest I cease talking \ an in- memory of the proverb, People who 
junction upon a bore ; to give nature a live in glass houses should not throw 
fillip, verb. phr. (old), to indulge, in stones. WJto*s to pay for the broken 
wine, etc. (1696). Other combina- glass ? (stand the racket) ; been 
tions will be found under the following; looking through a glass, drunk: see 
Auctioneer, Back cap, Bag, Bail, Screwed. 



cap, 

Baste, Beans, Beef, Biff, Black eye, 
Bone, Bucket, Bullet, Bull's feather, 
Clinch, Double, Fig, Gas, Go by, 
Gravy, Hoist, Hot beef, Jesse, Ken- 



Glass-eyes. A man wearing spec- 
tacles, Four-eyes (q.v.), Gig-lamps 
(q.v.) (1811). 

Glass-house. To live in a glass 



nedy, Key of the Street, Land, Leg house, to lay oneself open to attack 



Lip, Miller, Mitten, Mouth, 
le, Office, Points, Pussy, Bub of 
the thumb, Sack, Sky-high, Slip, 
Tail, Taste of Cream, Turnips, Weight, 
White alley, Word. 

Giver. A good boxer, an artist in 
punishment (q.v.) (1824). 

Gixie. A wanton, strumpet, 
affected ' mincing woman (1598). 
Gizzard. To fret one's gizzard, to 
' 



or adverse criticism. 

Glass-work. An obsolete method 
of cheating at cards : a convex mirror 
the size of a small coin was fastened 
with shellac to the lower corner of the 
left palm opposite the thumb, enabling 
the dealer to ascertain by reflection 
the value of the cards he dealt. 

Glaze. A window (1696). As 
verb, to cheat at cards by means of 



worry; To stick in one's gizzard, to glass-work (q.v.), or by means of a 



remain as something unpleasant (dis- 
tasteful or offensive), be hard of 
digestion, disagreeable or unpalat- 



mirror at the back of one's antagonist. 
To mitt (or star a glaze), to break a 
window (1823) ; on the glaze, robbing 
* 



able ; To grumble in the gizzard f to be jewellers* shops by smashing the 



secretly displeased ; Hence, Grumble- 
gizzard (q.v.). 

Gladstone. 1. Cheap claret (Mr. 
Gladstone, when in office in 1869, 
reduced the duty on French wines) : 
see Drinks. 2. A travelling bag 
(named in honour of Mr. Gladstone). 



windows: see Glazier (1724). 

Glazier. 1. The eye : see Glims : FT., 
les ardente (1567). 2. A window thief : 
see Thief. 

Gleaner. A thief (q.v.): of. 
Hooker, Angler, etc. 

Glib. The tongue: e.g. Slacken 



191 



Glibe. 



Go. 



your glib, loose your tongue : see 
Clack. 2. A nbbon (1754.) As adj., 
smooth, slippery, voluble ; Ghb- 
tonyned for Ghb-gabbit), talkative, 
ready of speech (1600). 

Glibe. Writing ; spec, a written 
statoment 

Glim (or Glym). 1. A candle, dark 
lanthorn, fire, or light el any kind. 
To douse tlw glim, to put out the light : 
FT., estourbir li cabaudc ; also short for 
Glimmer or Glyminar f ij v. ) ( i (VJO). 2 
A sham account of a nre, sold by fcho 
Flying stationers (q.v.). 3. In pi., the 
eyes. English synonyms: blinkers, 
daylights, deadlights, "glaziers, lights, 
lamps, ogles, optics, orbs, peepers, 
sees, squinters, toplishts, windows, 
winkers. 4. In pi., a pair of spectacles, 
Barnacles (q.v.). As verb, to brand, 
burn in the hand (1696). To puff 
the glims, to ,111 the hollow over the 
eyes of old horses by pricking the skin 
and blowing air into the loose tissues 
underneath^ thus giving the full effect 
of youth. 

Glim-fenders. 1. Andirons, fire- 
dogs (1696). 2. Handcuffs (a pun on 
sense 1). 

Glimflashly(or Glim-flashey). 
Angry : see Nab the Rust (1696). 

Glim - jack. A lir>fc boy, Moon- 
curser (q.v.) ; but, in any sense, a 
thief (1696). 

Glim -lurk. A beggars' petition, 
based on a fictitious fire or Glim 
(sense 2) 

Glimmer (Glymmar). Fire. 
Glimmerer. A beggar working 
with a petition giving out that he is 
ruined by fire : also Glimmering mort, 
a female ghmmerer (1696). 

Glimstick. A candlestick: Fr., 
occasion. 

Glister. Glister of fish hooks, a 
glass of Irish whisky. 

Glistner. A sovereign : 20s. : see 
Rhino. 

Gloak (or Gloach). A man : see 
Chum and Cove. 

Globe. 1. A pewter pot, pewter 
(1704). 2. In. pi., the paps: see 
Dairy. 

Globe-rangers. The Royal Marines. 
Globe-trotter. A traveller; prim- 
arily one who races from place to place, 
with the object of covering ground 
or making a record : Fi. } -pacquelineur. 
Whence, Globe-trotting, travelling after 
the manner of Globe-trotters (q.v.). 



102 



Glope (Winchester College). To 
spit : obsolete. 

Glorious. Excited with drink, 
in one's altitudes, Boozed : see Screwed 
(1791). 

Glorious-sinner. A dinner. 
Glory. The after life, Kingdom 
come (q v.) : usually, the coming 
glory, hi one's glory, in the full flush 
of vanity, pride, taste, notion, or idio- 
syncrasy. 

Gloves. To go for the gloves, to bet 
recklessly, bet against a horse without 
having the wherewithal to pay if one 
loses the last resource of the plung- 
ing turfite : the term is derived from 
the frequent habit of ladies to bet in 
pairs of gloves, expecting to be paid if 
they win, but not to be called upon to 
pay if they lose. 
Glow. Ashamed. 
Glue. Thick soup: which sticks 
to the ribs. English synonyms : de- 
ferred stock, belly-gum, giblets-twist, 
gut-concrete, rib-tickler, stick-in-the- 
ribs. 

Glue - pot. A parson : see Devil- 
dodger and Sky-pilot (1785). 

Glum. Sullen, down in the mouth, 
stern : Fr., faire son nez, to look glum ; 
also, rfen pas mener large (1712). 

Glump. To sulk : hence 
glumping, and glumpisTi, 
stubborn (1787). 

Glutman. An inferior officer of 
the Customs, and particularly a super- 
numerary tide waiter, employed temp- 
orarily when there is a stress or 
hurry of business. These glutmen were 
generally without regular employment, 
and also without character, their prin- 
cipal recommendation the fact of being 
able to write (1797). 

Glutton. 1. A horse which lasts 
well, Stayer (q.v.). 2. A pugilist who 
can take a lot of punishment (q.v.). 
Gnarler. A watch dog. 
Gnasp. To vex : see Bile. (1728). 
Gnoff. See Gonnof. 
Gnostic. A knowing one, Downy 
cove (q.v.), Whipster (q.v.) (1819). As 
adj., knowing, Artful (q.v.) ; whence 
ChiosticaUy, knowing. 

Go. LA drink ; specifically a 
quartern of gin : formerly Go-down 
(1690). English synonyms: bender, 
caulker, coffin nail, common - sewer, 
cooler, crack, cry, damp, dandy, dash, 
dewhaiik, dewdrop, dodger, drain, 
dam, facer, falsh, gargle, gasp, go- 



Go. 



Go. 



act with vigour and daring, advocate 
or speak strongly, live freely : also to 
go it blind, fast, bald-headed, strong, 



down, hair of the dog, etc., Johnny, 
lip, liquor up, livener, lotion, lounce, 

modest quencher, muzzier, nail tiom _ r ^ 

one's coffin, night-cap, nip or nipper, etc. (1689). As intj. phrase, Keep 
nobbier, old crow, a one, a two, or a at it ! keep it up ! a general (some- 
three out, peg, piek-mo-up, pony, times ironical) expression of encourage- 
ment : also Go it ye cripples, crutches 
are cheap ! (or Newgate's on fire), Go 
it, my tulip, Go it, my gay and festive 



quencher, reviver, rince, sensation, 
settler, shift, shove in the mouth, 
slug, small cheque, smile, snifter, 
something damp, something short, 
swig, thimbleful, tiddly, top up, tot, 
warmer, waxer, wet, whitewash, yard. 

2. An incident, occurrence : e.g. a 
Rum go, a strange affair, queer start ; 
a Pretty go, a startling business ; a 
Capital go, a pleasant business (1803). 

3. The fashion, the Cheese (q-v.), the 
correct thing : generally in the phrase 
All the go. 4. life, spirit, energy, 
enterprise, impetus : e.g. Plenty of 
go-, full of spirit and dash : FT., du 
chien (1825). 5. A turn, attempt, 
chance : cf . No go : hence, to have a go 
at, to make essay of anything : as a 
man in a fight, a shot at billiards, etc. 



y gay 

cuss ! (Artemus Ward), or (Ameri- 
can), Go it boots ! go it rags I I'll hold 
your bonnet ! g'lang ! (usually to a 
man making the pace on foot or horse- 
back) ; to go out t to fall into disuse ; 
to go over, (1) to desert from one side to 
another : specifically (clerical) to join 
the Church of Rome, to 'Vert (q.v. ) ; (2) 
to die, i.e. to go over, to join the 
majority: also to go off, to go off the 
hooks (go under, go aloft, to go up) ; 
(3) to attack, rifle, rob ; to go off, 
(1) to take place, occur; (2) to be 
disposed of (as goods on sale, or a 
woman in marriage) ; (3) to deteriorate 
(as fish by keeping, or a woman with 



6. A success : hence To make a go of it, years) ; (4) to die : see Hop the twig 
to bring things to a satisfactory termin- (1606) ; Go as you please, applied to 



ation. 7. The last card at cribbage, or 
the last piece at dominoes : when 
a player is unable to follow the lead, 
he calls a Go I 8. A dandy (q.v.), a 
very heavy swell, one in the extreme 
of fashion. As verb, (1) to vote, be 
in favour of : cf. Go for ; (2) to succeed, 
achieve, cf. Go down; (3) to wager, 
risk : hence to stand treat, afford 
(1768) ; (4) to ride to hounds ; (5) to be 
pregnant, to be anticipating child- 
birth (1561). Phrases: Go doum, (1) 
to be accepted, received, swallowed, to 
Wash (q.v.) (1609) ; (2) to be under 
discipline, rusticated ; (3) to become 
bankrupt ; also, To go under ; To go 
due north, to go bankrupt (i.e. to go 
to White-cross Street Prison, once 
situate in north London) ; to go on 
ike dub, to house-break, pick locks 
(1696) ; to go to the dogs, to go to ruin ; 
to go off on the ear, to get angry, fly into 
a tantrum : see Nab the rust ; to go for, 
(1) to attempt, tackle, resolve upon, 
to make for (q.v.) ; (2) to attack vio- 
lently and directly, by word or deed ; 
(3) to support, favour, vote for; (4) 
to criticise ; specifically, to run down ; 
to go in for (or at), to enter for, apply 
oneself to (e.g. to go in for honours) ; 
also to devote oneself to (e.g. to pay 
court), to take up (as a pastime, pur- 
suit, hobby, or principle) ; to go it, to 



, 

races where competitors run, walk, 
or rest at will e.g. in time and 
distance races : hence, general freedom 
of action ; to go to Bath, Putney, etc. 
(see Bath, Blazes, Hell, Halifax, etc.) ; 
to go through, to rob : i.e. to turn 
inside out : hence, to master violently 
and completely, make an end of ; to 
go up (or under), (1) to go to wreck and 
ruin, become bankrupt, disappear 
from society j also (2) to die ; to go up, 
to die ; specifically to die by the rope ; 
to go up Jor, to enter for (as an exam- 
ination) ; to go with, to agree, har- 
monise with ; on the go, on the move, 
restlessly active ; no go, of no use, 
not to be done, complete failure: 
frequently contracted to N.G. ; a 
little bit on the go, slightly inebriated, 
elevated: see Screwed. For other 
combinations see Abroad, All fours, 
Aloft, Aunt, Baby, Back on, Bad, 
Bail, Baldheaded, Bath, Batter, Bed- 
fordshire, Beggar's bush, Better, 
Blazes, Blind, Board, Bodkin, Bulge, 
Bungay, Bury, Bust, By-by, Call, 
Camp, Chump, College, Cracked, 
Dead broke, Devil, Ding, Ding-dong, 
Dock, Doss, Drag, Fkraeh, Flue, 
Gamble, Glaze, Glory, Gloves, Grain, 
Grass, Ground, Hairyfordshire, Hall, 
Halves, Hang, Hell, High fly, High 
toby, Hooks, Hoop, Jericho, Jump, 



193 



Goad. 



God?s-mercy. 



Kitchen, Han, Majority, Mill, Mtirphy, 
Pace, Pieces, Pile, Pot, Queen, Raker, 
Range, Rope- walk, Saltnvor, Shallow, 
Shop, Slow, Smash, Snacks, Snooks, 
Spout, Star-gazing, Sweet violets, 
Top, Walker's 'bus, West, Whole 
animal, Woodbine, Woolgathering, 
Wrong. 

Goad. 1. A decoy at auctions, a, 
horse-chaunter, a Peter funk (q.v.). 

2, In pl. s false dice. 

Goal (Winchester College). (1) 
At football the boy who stands at the 
centre of each end, acting as umpire ; 
and (2) the score of three points made 
when the ball is kicked between his 
legs, or over his head, without his 
touching it. 

Goaler's Coach. See Gaoler's 
Coach. 

Go - along. A fool, Flat (q.v.) : 
see Baffle. 

Goat. A lecher (1599). As verb, 
to thrash. To play the goat, to play 
the fool, Monkey (q.v.): Fr., faire 
Foiseau ; to ride the goat, to be initiated 
into a secret society (the vulgar error 
is that a live goat, for candidates to 
ride, is one of the standing properties 
of a Masonic lodge). 

Goatee. A tufted beard on the 
point of a shaven chin (in imitation 
of the tuft of hair on a goat's chin). 
English synonyms (for a beard gener- 
ally): charley, imperial, Newgate (or 
sweep's) frill, or fringe. 

Goater. Dress. 

Goatish adj. (old, now recog- 
nised). Lecherous [as vieing with a 
goat in lust.] Hence Goatiskly, adv., 
and Goatishness, subs. 

Go-away. A railway-train. 

Gob (or Gobbett). 1. A portion, 
juionthful, a morsel ; also a gulp, 
Bolt (q.v.) (1380). 2. The mouth: 
e.g. Shut your gob, an injunction 
to" silence : see Gab ; a spank on the 
gob t a blow on the mouth ; gob-fodi of 
claret, a bleeding at the mouth; gift 
of the gab (or gob) : see Gab. (1696.) 

3. A mouthful of spittle : Fr., copeau : 
It. , smaEzo di cavio (gutter-butter). As 
verb, (1) to swallow in mouthfuls, 
gulp down : also Gobble (q.v.). (2) 
to expectorate : Fr., glavioter, molarder. 

Gobbie. A coastguardsman ; 
whence gobbie-shtp, a man-of-war 
engaged in the preventive service. 

Gobble (or Gobble-up). To swallow 
hastily or greedily ; hence (American) 



794 



to seize, capture, appropriate : also 
'^ob: eg. Gob that 1 (1602). 

Gobbler. 1. A duck (Harmari) ; 
2. A turkey cock, Bubbly-jock (q.v.) : 
also Gobble -cock (1785). 3. The 
mouth : see Potato-trap. 4. A greedy 
eater ; hence gobbling, gorging. 

Go - between. A pimp or bawd : 
now an intermediary of any kind 
(1596). 

Goblin. A sovereign. 20s. : see 
Rhino. 

Gob-box. The mouth : see Potato- 
trap (1773). 

Gob-stick. A silver table-spoon 
(in America, either spoon or fork) ; 
also (nautical), a horn or wooden 
spoon. 

Gob -string (or Gab-string). A 
bridle (Grose). 

Go-by. The act of passing, an 
evasion, a deception. To give one 
the go-by, to cut, leave in the lurch. 

Go-by-the-ground. A dumpy man 
or woman (Grose). 

God. 1. In pi., the occupants of a 
theatre gallery (said to have been first 
used by Garnck because they were 
seated on high, and close to the sky- 
painted ceiling : Fr., paradis, also 
poulaitter (1772). 2. In pi., Quadrats 
used in Jeffing (q.v.). 3. A block 
pattern. Gods of doth, classical 
tailors (Grose). 4. A boy in the sixth 
form (Eton). A sight for the gods, a 
matter of wonderment; God pays ! an 
expression at one time much in the 
mouth of disbanded soldiers and 
sailors (who assumed a right to live 
on the public charity) : the modern 
form is, If I don't pay you, God Al- 
mighty will (1605); God (or Bramah) 
knows, I don't ; an emphatic rejoinder 
(1598). 

Goddess Diana. A sixpence, 
Tanner (q.v.) : see Rhino. 

Godfather. A juryman (1598). 
To stand Godfather, to pay the reckon- 
ing (godfathers being the objects of 
much solicitude and expectation) 
(1811). 

Go-down. 1. A draught of liquor, 
Go (q.v.). 2. (American), a cutting 
in the bank of a stream for enabling 
animals to cross or to get to water. 

God-permit. A stage coach (which 
was advertised to start Deo volente) 
(Grose). 

God's-mercy. Ham (or bacon) and 
eggs (There's nothing in the house but 



God's-penny. 



Gone. 



God'*! 'uorcy : at one time a common 
answer in country iruis to travellers in 
quest of provant). 

God's-penny. An earnest penny 
(1696). 

Go-easter. A portmanteau, 
Peter (q.v.) (because seldom used 
except in going city- or east-wards). 

Goer. 1. The foot : see Creepers, 
2. An expert or adept ; as in drawing, 
talking, riding j one well up to bis 
(or her) work : generally with an ad- 
jective, as e.g. a fast goer, a good 
workman. 

Goff. See Mrs. Goff. 

Goggles. 1. A goggle-eyed person: 
also Goggler (1647). 2. In pi. The 
eyes: also Goggle-eyes. Goggle-eyed, 
squint-eyed (1598). 3. In pi. spec- 
tacles, Barnacles (q.v.). As verb 
(Goggle), to roll the eyes, stare (1577). 

Gogmagog. A goblin, monster, a 
frightful apparition (Hood). 

Going. The condition of a road, 
piece of ground, cinder-path : ie. the 
accommodation for travelling : e.g. 
the going is bad. 

Goings - on. Behaviour, proceed- 
ings, conduct : cf . Carryings on. 

Goldarned (Goldurned, Gol- 
dasted, etc.). A mild form of oath. 

Gold-backed 'Un. A louse: also 
Grey-backed *un : see Ghates. 

Gold-bug. A man of wealth and 
(inferentially) distinction, a million- 
aire : see Bug. 

Gold-dropper. A sharper : an old- 
time worker of the confidence trick : 
also Gold-finder (1696). 

Golden-cream. Bum. 

Gold-end Man. An itinerant jewel- 
ler, a buyer of old gold and silver : 
also Goldsmith's apprentice (1610). 

Golden Grease. A fee, a bribe : see 
Palm oil. 

Goldfinch. 1. A well-to-do man, 
a Warm s un (q.v.) (1696). 2. A 
guinea, a sovereign; see Rhino (1700). 

Gold -finder. 1. An emptier of 
privies : also Gong-man, and Night- 
man: Fr., fouittemerde, fifi (1611). 2. 
A thief, Gold-dropper (q.v.) : see Thief. 

Gold Hat - band. A nobleman 
undergraduate, Tuft (q.v.) (1628). 

Goldie - locks. A flaxen - haired 
woman. Goldy-locJsed, golden haired 
(1698). 

Gold Mine. A profitable investment, 
store of wealth material or intel- 
lectual (1664), 



Golgotha. 1. The Dons' gallery at 
Cambridge ; also applied to a certain 
part of the theatre at Oxford (that is, 
The place of skulls : cf. Luke xxiii. 33, 
and Matthew sxvii. 33, whence the 

E: Dons being the heads of houses) 
10). 2. A hat. English synonyms : 
ile of the Nile (rhyming, i.e. a 
tile (q.v.), bell- topper, billy-cock, 
beaver, box-hat, cady, canister cap, 
castor, chummy, cathedral, chimney, 
chimney-pot, cock, colleger, cock-and- 
pinch, cowshooter, David, deer-stalker, 
digger's delight, fantail, felt, Gibus, 
gomer (Winchester), goss, moab, 
molocher, mortar-board, muffin-cap, 
mushroom, nab, nap, napper, pantile, 
pimple-cover, pill-box, plug-hat, pot, 
shako, shovel, sleepless hat, sou'- 
wester, stove-pipe, strawer, thatch, 
tile, topper, truck, upper-crust, wash- 
pot, wee-jee, wide-awake. 

Goliath. 1. A big man. 2. A man 
of mark among the Philistines (q.v.). 
[Mr. Swinburne described the late 
Matthew Arnold as David, the son 
of Goliath.] 

Goll. The hand ; usually in pi. 
See Daddle (1601). 

G o 1 1 o p. To swallow greedily, 
gulp : see Wolf. 

Gollumpus. A clumsy lout 
(Grose). 

Golly. A contraction of By 
Golly 1 (q.v.). 

Goloptious (or Golopshus). 
Splendid, fine, delicious, luscious. 

Gombeen-rnan. A usurer, money- 
lender, shacking middleman. 

Gomer (Winchester College). 1. 
A large pewter dish used in college. 
Also, 2. A new hat. 

Gomrny. A dandy: Er., gommei&x. 
2. One who calls Mr. Gladstone & 
G.O.M, [Grand Old Man], and thinks 
he has made a good joke. 3. A fool : 
seeBuffle. 

Gomus. A fool : see Buffle. 

Gondola. 1. A railway plat- 
form car, sideless or low-sided : also a 
fiat-bottomed boat. 

Gondola of London. A hansom 
cab, Shoful (q.v.). [The description 
is Lord Beaconsfield's.] 

Gone. 1. Ruined, totally undone : 
also, adv., an expression of complete- 
ness : e.g. Gone beaver, corbie, 
coon, gander, or goose, a man or an 
event past praying for (1406). Gone 
on. enamoured o infatuated with, 



195 



Goner. 



Goose. 



^VTrshed .">,-> M.v.), Svroet ou (q.v.) : 
^nerally ^i ci.jiicmj't : Fr., reamer 
cowme se..* p.lits boyw.c. 

Goner (Gor.es, * Gonus, or Goney). 
1. A fool, simpleton. ; ateo Gauney 
(q.v.) : see Buftle. 2. A person past 
recovery, utterly ruined, or done for 
in any tray. 

Gong (nr Gong-house). A privy : 
see Mrs. Jone. 

Gong-farmer (or Gong-man). 
An emptier of cess- pools, Gold-finder 
(q.v.) (1508). 

G o xi o f (Gonnof, Gonoph, or 
Gnof). 1. A thief (q.v.) ; specifically 
a pick - pocket, and especially an 
adept. [From the Hebrew. Ancient 
English ; a Iceacy from the old time 
Jews. It rav.e into use again with 
the modems rrho employ it commonly. 
Cf. gonoi\ thief in Er. :cdi. 2 and 6, 
viz. If the gonor be found.] 2. A 
bumpkin, churl, clumsy hand, shame- 
less simpleton (1383). As verb, to 
wheedle, cheat, steal. Hence, gonoph- 
ing, picking pockets. 

Gooby. A simpleton, blockhead: 
see Buffie. 

Good! An abbreviation of 
Good-night ! As adj., responsible, 
solvent: principally with for; e.g. 
He is good for any amount : also, 
expert (1598). Good goods,, in pi., 
something worth trying for, a success : 
in superlative, best goods. Bit (or 
piece) of goods, a woman : see Petti- 
coat. Good old . . . A familiar 
address, derisive or affectionate ac- 
cording to circumstances. To fed 
good, to be jolly, comfortable, in form, 
on perfect terms with oneself; to 
be in one's good books, to be in favour, 
in good opinion : conversely, to be in 
one's bad boo7:s, to be in disfavour ; 
good at it (or at the game), an expert, 
male or female ; to have a good swvm : 
see Swim; for good (or for good 
and a?/), completely, entirely, finally 
(1672); good as wheat: see Wheat; 
good as a play : see Play ; good as gold, 
very good ; as good as they make 'em, 
see Make 'em ; good-bye, John, it's no 
go ; airs U.P. ; good cess, good luck 
(probably an abbreviation of success : 
bad cess, the reverse. 

Goodfellow (Good-boy, or Good- 
man), 1. A roysterer, a boon com- 
panion (1570). 2. A thief (q.v.) (1608). 

Good Girl (or Good One). A 
wanton (1611). 



Goodman. 1. A gaoler, Dubs- 
man (q.v.) (1721). 2. The devil. 

Goodman - turd. A contemptible 
fellow, .Bad-egg (q.v.) (1598). 

Good Night ! The dovetail to an 
incredible statement or surprising 
piece of news. 

Good-people. The fairies ( 1828). 

Good (or Good old) Sort. A 
man of social or other parts. 

Good Thing. Something worth 
having or backing, a bon mot, Good 
goods (q.v.) : in racing a Cert (q.v.) 
(1844). 

Good Time. A carouse, friendly 
gathering, enjoyable bout at any- 
thing. Hence, To have a good time, 
to be fortunate or lucky, enjoy oneself, 
make merry (1596). 

Good 'un. 1. A man, woman, or 
thing of decided and undoubted 
merit. 2. An expression of derisive 
unbelief : e.g. a lie. 

Good-wooled. Of unflinching cour- 
age, the greatest merit, thoroughly 
dependable. 

Goody. 1. A matron : the corre- 
lative ol goodman, husband : used 
like auntie, mother, and gammer, in 
addressing or describing an inferior 
(1598). Hence goodyship, ladyship. 

2. A religious hypocrite male or 
female, the 'uncoguid* of Burns; hence 
goody - goodyism, sentimental piety. 

3. Generally in pi., sweetmeats, bon- 
bons, cakes and buns. 4. The kernel 
of a nut. As adj., well-meaning but 
petty, officiously pious: also Goody- 
goody. 

G o o k. A low prostitute : see 
Tart. 

Goose. 1. A tailor's smoothing 
iron (whose handle is shaped like the 
neck of the bird) : hence the old ditton, 
A tayler be he ever so poor is sure to 
have a goose at his fire (Grose) : BY., 
gendarme (1606). 2. A simpleton: 
usually only of women: also Goose- 
cap (q.v.) (1591). 3. A reprimand, 
Wigging (q.v.). 4. See Wayz goose. 
6. A woman. As verb, (1) to hiss, con- 
demn by hissing : also to get the goose 
or the big bird (q.v.) : 1Y., appeter (or 
siflter) Azor (to whistle a dog, Azor 
being a common canine appellation), 
boire une goutte (to be goosed) ; (2) to 
ruin, spoil: see Cook one's goose; 
(3) to mend boots by putting on a new 
front half-way up, and a new bottom ; 
otherwise to foot boots: of. Foac 



196 



Goose-and-gridiron. 



Gorger , 



Chose without gravy, a severe but 
bloodless blow : see Wipe ; to be sound 
on the goose, before the civil war, to be 
sound on the pro-slavery question; 
now, to be generally staunch on party 
matters, to pe politically orthodox ; to 
find fault vrith a, fat goose, to grumble 
without rhyme or reason (1690) ; to 
kill the goose for the golden eggs, to 
grasp at more than is due, over-reach 
oneself (from the Greek fable) ; every- 
thing is lovely and the goose hangs 
high : see Everything ; he'll be a man 
among the geese when the gander is 
gone, ironical, He'll be a man before 
his mother ; Go t shoe the goose, a retort, 
derisive or incredulous, the modern 
To hell and pump thunder. Unable 
to say boh J to a goose, said of a bashful 
person (Grose) ; see also Wild - goose 
chase. 

Goose-and-gridiron. The American 
eagle, and the United States flag : see 
Gridiron. 

Gooseberry. 1. A fool : see Buffle. 
2. A chaperon, one who takes third 
place to save appearances or play 
propriety (q.v.), a daisy- or goose- 
berry-picker. 3. A marvellous tale, 
a Munchausen (q.v.), flim-flam: also 
gigantic and giant gooseberry. Hence 
Gooseberry season, the dull time of 
journalism, when the appearance of 
monstrous vegetables, sea serpents, 
showers of frogs, and other portents 
is chronicled in default of news: 
also Silly season (q.v.). To j&ay (or 
do) gooseberry, to play propriety ; also 
to sit third in a hansom : cf . Bodkin ; to 
play old gooseberry, to play the deuce, 
upset, spoil, throw everything into 
confusion; also (Lex. Bal.) 9 said of a 
person who, by force or threats, sud- 
denly puts an end to a riot or dis- 
turbance ; Old gooseberry, the devil 
(see Skipper). 

Gooseberry-eyed. Grey-eyed (Lex. 
Bal., 1811). 

Gooseberry-grinder. The breech. 

Gooseberry - lay. Stealing linen 
from a line. 

Gooseberry - picker. 1. A person 
whose labour profits, and is credited 
to, another, a Ghost (q.v.). 2, A 
chaperon : see Gooseberry. 

Gooseberry-pudding. A woman : 
see Petticoat. 

Gooseberry-wig. A large frizzled 
wig; Perhaps (Grose) from a supposed 
likeness to a gooseberry bush. 



Noodie 



A booby male or 
(q.v.) : see Buffle 



Goo 

female, 
(1593). 

Goose-egg. No score, Love (q.v.) : 
also Gooser. 

Goose-flesh (or Goose-skin). 
A peculiar tingling of the skin pro- 
duced by cold or fear, etc., the sensa- 
tion described as Cold \7ater down the 
back, the Creeps (q.v.) (1824). 

Goose -gog (or Goose -gob). A 
gooseberry. 

Goose - month. The lying - in 
month : cf. Gander-month. 

Goose-persuader. A tailor: see 
Snip. 

Gooser. 1. A settler, knock- 
out blow, the act of death. 2. No 
score, a Goose-egg (q.v.). 

Goose-riding. See Gander-pulling. 
Goose's Gazette. A lying story, 
flim-flam tale: that is, a piece of 
reading for a goose. 

Goose-shearer. A beggar. 
Goose-step. 1. Balancing 
on one foot and moving the other 
back and forwards without taking a 
step : a preliminary in military drill, 
the perns asinorum of the raw recruit. 
Also, 2. (more loosely) marking time : 
that is, lifting the feet alternately 
without advancing. 

Goose - turd Green. A light 
yellowish green (Cotgrave). 

Goosey - gander. A fool : see 
Buffle. 

Gopher. 1. A young thief ; 
spec, a boy employed by burglars to 
enter houses through windows, sky- 
lights, etc. (in natural history, Gopher, 
a burrowing squirrel). 2. A rude 
wooden plough : Southern States. 

G o r e e. Money ; spec, gold or 
gold-dust : Forfc Goree is on the Gold 
Coast : see Rhino (1696). 

Gorge. 1. A heaw meal, Tuck- 
in (q.v.), Blow-out (q.v.) (1553). 2. 
A theatrical manager: an abbrevia- 
tion of Gorger (q.v.). As verb, to eat 
voraciously ; also to gulp as a fish does 
when it swallows (or gorges) a bait: 
see Wolf (1572). 

Gorger. 1. A voracious eater, 
Scruncher (q.v ). Rotten gorger, a 
lad who hangs about Cbvent Garden or 
other markets, eating refuse fruit. 2, 
A well-dressed man, a gentleman : 3Tr., 
un grating. Gipsy, gorgio, gentle- 
men.] 3. An employer : a principal : 
spec, the manager of a theatre : also 



197 



Gorgonzola Roll. 



Grab. 



CuHy-gorger : FT., amendier. 4. A 
neckerchief (1320). 

Gorgonzola Hall. Formerly the 
New Hall of the Stock Exchange ; now 
the corporation generally. [From the 
veinincrs of the marble.] 

G o r m. To Gorge (q.v.) : see 
Wolf. Pm gormed, a profane oath : 
see Gaum (1849). 

Gormagon. * A monster with 
six eyes, three mouths, four arms, 
eight legs, five on one side and three 
on the other, three arses, two tarses, 
and a cunt upon its back: a man on 
horseback with a woman behind him * 
(Grose). 

Gormy-ruddles. The intestines. 

Gorram (or Goram). See By 
goldam 

Gony. See By Gorry ! 

Goschens. The 2 per cent. 
Government Stock created by Mr. 
Goschen in 1888. 

Gosh. See By gosh. 

Gospel. 1. Anything offered 
as absolutely true : also Gospel-truth. 
To do gospel, to go to church. 

Gospel -gab. Insincere talk con- 
cerning religion, cant. 

Gospel-grinder (postilion, sharp, 
or shark). A paison, devil-dodger, 
sky-pilot. 

Gospeller. An Evangelist 
preacher : in contempt : also Hot- 
gospeller, a preaching fanatic. 

Gospel-mill (or shop). A church 
or chapel, Doxology - works (q.v.) 
(1785). 

G o s s (or Gossamer). A hat : 
at first a make of peculiar light- 
ness called a Four-and-nine (q.v.) : 
occasionally, a white hat: see Gol- 
gotha ( 1830). To give (or get) goss, to 
requite an injury, kill, go strong, get 
an opportunity, put in big licks (q. v. ) : 
sometimes ejaculatory, as Give me 
goss and let me rip ! 

Gossoon. A boy : Fr., garnon, 

Gotch-gutted. Pot-bellied; a 
gotch in Norfolk, signifying a pitcher 
or large round jug (Grose). 

Got 'em bad. A superlative of 
earnestness or excess: e.g. any one 
doing his work thoroughly, a horse 
straining every nerve, a very sick 
person, spec, a subject of the Horrors 
(q.v.)- 

Got *em on (all on). Dressed 
in the height of fashion, rigged out, 

Goth. A frumpish or uncultured 



person ; one behind the times or 
ignorant of the ways of society (1712). 
Hence Gothic, rustic, rude, uncultured. 

Gotham. New York city : 
hence, Gothamite, a New Yorker: 
first used by Washington Irving in 
Salmagundi (1807). 

Go - to - meeting bags (clothes, 
dress, etc.). Best clothes : as worn 
on Sundays, or holiday occasions 
(1837). 

Gouge. An imposture, swindle, 
method of cheating (1845). As verb, 
(1) to defraud ; also (2) to squeeze out 
a man's eye with the thumb, a cruel 
practice used by the Bostonians in 
America (Grose). 

Gouger. A cheat, swindler, rook. 

Gourd. Hollow dice filled with 
lead to give a bias (1544). 

Gourock ham. A salt herring 
(Gourock was formerly a great fishing 
village) : see Glasgow Magistrate. 

Government-man. A convict. 

Government - securities. Hand- 
cuffs, fetters generally : see Darbies. 

Government - signpost. The gal- 
lows: seo Nubbing-cheat. 

Governor (or Guv). 1. A father, 
relieving officer, old 'un, pater, nibso : 
also applied to elderly people in 
general : FT., ggniteur and Fancien 
(the old 'un) (1836). 2. A mode of 
address : Fr., bourgeois. 3. A master or 
superior, an employer. Fjaglish syn- 
onyms: boss, captain, chief, colonel, 
commander, head-cook and bottle- 
washer, gorger, omee, rum-culL 

Governor's-stiff. A pardon. 

Gower-street Dialect. See Medical 
Greek. 

Gowk. A simpleton (Scots' 
Gowk, a cuckoo) : see Buffle. Also a 
countryman : see Joskin. To hunt 
the gowk, to go on a fool's errand. 

Gowler. A dog ; spec, a howler. 

Gown (Winchester College). 

1. Coarse brown paper: obsolete. 

2. (University). The schools as dis- 
tinguished from the Town (q.v.) : e.g. 
Town and gown. Hence, gownsman, 
a student. 

Grab. 1. A sudden clutch. 2. 
A robbery, steal (q.v.): of. Grab-gains. 

3. A body - stealer, resurrectionist 
(q.v.). 4. A boisterous game at 
cards. As verb, (1) to pinch (q.v.), 
seize, apprehend, snatch or steal. 
Grabbed, arrested (1811); (2) to hold 
on, get along, live. 



198 



Grass. 



Grab-alL 1. An avaricious 
person, greedy-guts (q.v.). 2. A bag 
to carry odds and ends parcels, 
books, and so forth. 

Grabber. In pi., the hands : 
see Daddle. 

Grabble. To seize, grab (q.v.) 
(1811). 

G r a b b y. An infantry - man : 
in contempt by the mounted arm : 
FT., manonnette. 

Grab-gains. The trick of snatch- 
ing a purse, etc., and making off. 

Grab - game (coup, or racket). 
A mode of swindling : the sharpers 
start by betting among themselves ; 
then the bystanders are induced to 
join, stakes are deposited, and lastly, 
there is a row, when one of the gang 
grabs the stakes and decamps. 

Grace - card. The sis of hearts 
(for origin see N. and Q., 5th Series, 
iv. 137). 

Gracemans. Gracechurch Street 
Market (1610). 

Graduate, 1. A horse that has been 
run. 2. An adept, artful member 
(q.v.). As verb, to seek and acquire 
experience in life, love, society, or 
trade ; and so on. 

Gradus. A mode of cheating: 
a particular card is so placed by the 
shuffler that when he hands the pack 
to be cut, it projects a little beyond 
the rest ; the chance being that it forms 
the turn-up. Also called the step 
(q.v.). 

Gradus - ad - parnassum. The 
treadmill: see Wheel-of -life. 

Graft. Work, employment, lay 
(q.v.) : e.g. what graft are you on 
now ? Great-graft, profitable labour, 
good biz (q.v. ). As verb, ( 1 ) to work : 
FT., bait&ser, membrer ; (2) to steal ; 
(3) to cuckold, plant horns (1G96) ; (4) 
to sole old boots: ci Goose and 
Translate. 

Grampus. A fat man : see Forty- 
guts. To How the grampus, to drencn ; 
also to sport in the water. 

Grand. Short for grand piano. 
As adj., a general superlative. To do 
the grand, to put on airs. 

Grand Bounce. See Bounce, 

Grandmother. To see one's 
grandmother, to have a nightmare. 
To sJioot one's grandmother, to foe 
mistaken, find a mare's nest, be 
disappointed : commonly, You've shot 
your grannie. To teach one's grand- 



199 



mother (or grannie) how to suck eggs, 
to instruct an expert in his own 
particular line of business, talk old 
to one's seniors (1811). My Grand- 
mother's Review, the British Review : 
the nickname was Lord Byron's. 

Grand -strut. The Broad Walk 
in Hyde Park (1823), 

Granger. 1. A member of the 
Farmers' Alliance ; a secret American 
society, nominally non-political, but 
really taking a hand in politics when 
occasion offered to favour agricultural 
interests : during the decade of years 
ending 1870 it attained to great 
numerical strength, and extended 
throughout the United States : see 
Agricultural wheeL 2. Hence, a 
farmer, countryman, any one from 
the rural districts. 

Grangerise. To fill out a book 
with portraits, landscapes, title-pages, 
and illustrations generally, not done 
for it. Hence Grangeriam, the prac- 
tice of illustrating a book with 
engravings, etc., from other sources : 
from the practice of illustrating 
Granger's Bibliographical History of 
England. Also Granger ite, a practi- 
tioner in Grangerism. 

Grannam. Corn (1563). 

Grannam's-gold. Inhen ted wealth. 

Granny. 1. A bad knot with the 
second tie across ; as opposed to a reef 
knot in which the end and outer part 
are in line: also Granny's knot or 
Granny's bend. 2. Conceit of super- 
ior knowledge. As verb, to know, 
recognise, swindle (1851). 

Grape-shot. Drunk: see Screwed. 

Grape-vine. A hold in wrestling. 

Grape - vine Telegraph, News 
mysteriously conveyed : during the 
civil war bogus reports from the 
front were said to be by the grape-vine 
telegraph : also clothes-line telegraph. 

Grapple. The hand : also 
grappler: see Daddle. 

Grapple-the-rails. Whisky : see 
Drinks (1783). 

Grappling - irons (or hooks), 

1. Handcuffs: see Darbies (1811). 

2. The fingers : see Fork : also grap- 
plers and grappling-hooks. 

Grass (Royal Military Academy). 
1. Vegetables : bunny - grub : FT., 
gargousses de la canonniere. 2. 
Fresh mint (American). 3. Short for 
sparrow-grass (q.v.), asparagus. 4. 
A temporary newspaper hand; hence 



Grass-comber. 



the proverb, A grass on news waits 
dead men's shoes (Australian printers). 
Grass-hand, a raw worker, green hand. 
As verb, to throw (or be thrown), 
bring (or be brought) to ground: 
hence, to knock down, defeat, kill. 
To give grass, to yield ; to go to grass, 

(1) to abscond, disappear : also to 
hunt grass ; (2) to fail sprawling, be 
ruined, die; (3) to waste away (as 
of limbs) ; to hunt grass (1) to decamp ; 

(2) to field, to hunt leather (q.v.); 

(3) to fall, go to ground ; hence, to be 
puzzled or bewildered ; to cut one's 
own grass, to earn one's own living ; 
to be sent to grass, to be rusticated, 
receive a travelling scholarship (q.v.) ; 
go to grass I be off ! You be hanged ; 
to let the grass grow under one's feet, 
to proceed or work leisurely: FT., 
limer. 

Grass- comber. A countryman 
shipped as a sailor. 

Grasser. A fall. 

Grasshopper. 1. A waiter in a 
tea-garden. 2. A policeman, copper 
(q.v.). 3. A thief (q.v.) 

Grassing. Casual work away 
from a printmg office. 

Grassville. The country; cf. 
Daisyville. 

Grass - widow. 1. An unmarried 
mother, a deserted mistress (1696). 
2. A married woman temporarily 
separated from her husband. [The 
usually accepted derivation that 
grass is FT., gr&ce, is doubtful. Hall 
(says J. C. Atkinson, in Glossary of 
Cleveland Words) gives as the defini- 
tion of this word, An unmarried 
woman who has had a child ; in 
Moor's Suffolk Words and Phrases, 
Grace-widow, A woman who has had 
a child for her cradle ere she has had 
a husband for her bed; and corre- 
sponding with this is the N. S. or Low 
Ger., gras-wedewe. Again, Sw. D., 
gras - anka, or -enka grass - widow, 
occurs in the same sense as with us : 
A low, dissolute, unmarried woman 
living by herself. The original mean- 
ing of the word seems to have been A 
woman whose husband is away, 
either travelling or living apart. The 
people of Belgium call a woman of this 
description haech-wedewe, from haeck&n, 

to feel strong desire It seems 

probable, therefore, from the ety- 
mology, taken in connection with the 
Clevel, signification, that our word 



may rather be from the Scand. source 
than from the German ; only with a 
translation of the word enka- into its 
English equivalent. Dan, D., graes- 
enka, is a female whose betrothed 
lover (fastman) is dead ; nearly 
equivalent to which is German, 
strohwittwe, literally straw - widow. 
See N. and Q., 6 S viii., 268, 414 : x. 
333, 436, 526; xi. 78, 178.] English 
synonyms : Calif ornian widow, widow- 
bewitched, wife in water colours 
(1700). 

Grass - widower. A man away 
from Ms wife. 

Gravel. 1. To confound, puzzle, 
floor (q.v.). 2. To go against the 
grain. 

Gravel-crusher. A soldier doing 
defaulter's drill. 

Gravel - grinder. A drunkard : 
see Lushington. 

Gravel - rash. The lacerations 
caused by a fall. To have the gravel 
rash, to be reeling drunk : see Screwed. 

Gravesend-bus. A hearse. 

Gravesend-sweetmeats. Shrimps. 

Gravesend - twins. Solid lumps 
of sewage. 

Grave - yard. The mouth : see 
Potato-trap. To keep a private grave- 
yard, to affect ferocity, bluster. 

Gravy - eye. A derisive epithet : 
e.g. Well Old gravy-eye. 

Grawler. A beggar : see Cadger. 

Gray. 1. A coin showing either 
two heads or two tails, pony (q.v.) 
(1828). 2. See Grayback. 3. In pL, 
yawning, listlessness : cf. Blues. 

Grayback. 1. A louse : also 
Scots Greys : FT., grenadier : see 
Chates. 2. A Confederate soldier: 
from the colour of the uniform : see 
Blue-belly. 

Gray -beard. 1. An old man: 
mostly in contempt (1593). 2. Origin- 
ally a stoneware drinking jug; now 
a large earthenware jar for hold- 
ing wine or spirits : with a bearded 
face in relief. 

Gray-cloak. An alderman above 
the chair : his proper robe is a cloak 
furred with grey amis. 

Gray-goose. A big field stone on 
the surface of the ground (1816). 

Grayhound. 1. A fast Atlantic 
liner ; one especially built for speed : 
also ocean grayhound. 2. (Cam. 
bridge University). A member of 
Clare CoUege, a Clarian (obsolete). 



200 



Gray-mare. 



Qreen. 



Gray - mare. A wife ; spec, one 
wearing the breeches (q.v.) (1546). 

Gray-parson (or Gray-coat 
parson). A lay impropriator, or 
lessee of tithes (Grose). 

Grease. 1. A bribe, paim- 
o (or grease), boodle (q.v.) : greasing, 
bribing. 2. Well-paid work, fat 
(q.v.) : printers', 3. Fawning, flat- 
tery. As verb, (1) to bribe, corrupt 
by presents, tip (q.v.) : also, to 
grease the fist, hand, or palm : Fr., 
coqu&r la boucanade (1557). (2) To 
fawn, to flatter : formerly, to grease 
one's boots (1598). (3) To gull, cheat, 
do (q.v.). To grease a fat sow, to 
bribe a rich man (Grose) ; to grease 
one's gills, to make a good or luxuri- 
ous meal. 

Greased Lightning. An express 
train. Like greased lightning, very 
quick. 

Greaser. 1. A Mexican ; also 
a Spanish American. The Mexicans 
are called greasers from their greasy 
appearance, by the Western people 
(^Kctori) : Greasers, Californian slang 
for a mixed race of Mexicans and 
Indians (Bret Harte). 2. In pi. 
(Royal Military Academy), fried pot- 
atoes, as distinguished from boilers, 
boiled potatoes. To give one 
greaser (Winchester College), to rub 
the back of the hand hard with the 
knuckles. 

Grease-spot* The imaginary 
result of a passage at arms, physical 
or intellectual (1844). 

Greasy - chin. A dinner (Grose). 

Great Cry and Little Wool. See 
Cry. 

Great Go (or Greats). The 
final examination for the B.A. degree 
at Cambridge : of. Little-go : at 
Oxford, greater. 

Great Gun. 1. A person of dis- 
tinction, a thing of importance. 
English synonyms : big bug, big dog of 
the tanyard, big dog with the brass 
collar, big gun, big head, big one, 
big (or great) pot, big wig, biggest 
toad in the puddle, cock of the walk, 
don, large potato, nob, rumbusticator, 
stunner, swell, swell-head, topper, 
top-sawyer. 2. A peculiar practice, 
trick of particular usefulness and 
importance, favourite wheeze (q.v.). 
To Uow great guns, to blow a gale ; 
also, to Uow great guns and small 
arms (1839). 



Great-house. See Big House. 

Great- Joseph. An overcoat. 

Great Scott 1 An exclamation 
of surprise an apology for an oath : 
a memory of the name of 
Meld Scott, a presidential 
candidate whose dignity and style 
were such as to win him the nickname 
Fuss-and-Feathers. 

Great Shakes. See Shakes. 

Great Smoke. London. 

Great Sun. An exclamation. 

Great - unwashed. The lower 
classes, the rabble : -also the un- 
washed . first used by Burke ; popul- 
arised by Scott. 

Great Whipper-in (The). Death, 
Old floorer (q.v.). 

Grecian. LA roysterer, Greek 
(q.v.)- 2. (Christ's Hospital). A senior 
boy. 3. An Irishman. Hence Grecian 
accent, a brogue. 

Grecian-bend. An affected 
stoop in walking (1821): cf. Alexandra 
limp, Roman fall, Italian wriggle, 
Kangaroo droop. 

Greed. Money : see Rhino. 

Greedy-gut (or guts). A 
voracious eater, a glutton : as in the 
old (schoolboys') rhyme : Guy-hi, 
Greedy-gut, Eat all the padding up : 
Fr., un glafdtre (1598). 

Greek. 1. Slang, or Flash (q.v.) ; 
usually St. Giles' Greek (q.v.): cf. 
Cant* Gibberish, etc. 2. A card- 
sharper, cheat (1528). 3. An Irish- 
man (1823). 4. A gambler; also a 
highwayman. Merry Greek, a roy- 
sterer, drunkard (Cotgrave) (1602). 

Greek-fire. Bad whisky, 
rotgut (q.v.). 

Greek Kalends. Never. To 
defer to the Greek Kalends, to put off 
sine die : the Greeks used no kalends 
in their reckoning of tome (1649). 
English synonyms r in the reign of 
Queen Dick, when the devil is blind, 
when two Sundays come in a week, 
at Domesday, at Tib's eve, one of 
these odd-come-shortly's, when the 
ducks have eaten up the dirt, when 
pigs fly, in a month of Sundays, once 
in a blue moon. 

Green. Rawness, simplicity. 
Generally in the phrase, Do you see 
any green in my eye ? Do you take me 
for a fool ? As adj., simple, in- 
experienced, gullible, unsalted (q.v.) 
(1596). As verb, to hoax, swindle: 
at Eton to green up : see Gammon. 



201 



Gridiron. 



To :,sxd to Dr. Green, to put out to grass 
(1811). S* dp me grtji- s / (or taiurs /) 
a, veiled oatii of an obscene origin. 
Just for greens, for no reason m 
particular. 

G r e e n-a p r o n. A lay preacher : 
also as adj. 

Green -back. 1. A frog. 2. 
One of Todhunter's series of mathe- 
matical text-books : bound in green 
cloth : cf, Blue-ruin. 3. The paper 
issue of the Treasury of the United 
States ; first sent out in 1862 during 
the civil war, the backs are printed 
in green. Hence green - backer, an 
advocate for an unlimited issue of 
paper money. 

Green-bag. A lawyer ; robes and 
briefs were carried in a green bag ; the 
colour is now blue, or, in cases of 
presentation from seniors to juniors, 
red (1696). English synonyms : black 
box, bramble (provincial), devil's 
own, gentlemen of the long robe, land- 
shark, limb of the law, mouth-piece, 
Philadelphia lawyer (q.v.), quitam, six 
and-eightpence, snipe, sublime rascal. 

Green-bonnet. To have (or 
wear) a green bonnet, to fail in busi- 
ness, go bankrupt : a green cloth cap 
was once ^ orn by bankrupts. 

Green Cheese. See Cream Cheese 
and Moon. 

Green Cloth. See Board of 
Green Cloth. 

Green Dragoons. The Fifth 
Dragoon Guards ; also known as the 
Green Horse : from their green 
facings. 

Greener. A new, or raw hand ; 
spec, an inexperienced workman intro- 
duced to fill the place of a striker. 

Green-goods. Counterfeit 
greenbacks ; hence green-goods man 
(or operator), a counterfeiter of green- 
backs, snide-pitcher (q.v.). 

Green -goose. 1. A cuckold. 2. 
A prostitute. 

Green - gown. To give a green 
gown, to rough and tumble with a 
girl. 

Green - head. A greenhorn : see 
Buffle (1696). 

Greenhorn (Green-head, or 
Greenlander). A simpleton, fool, 
gull (q.v.); also a new hand: see 
Baffle. To come, from Greenland, to be 
fresh to things, raw (q.v.) ; Green- 
lander, sometimes an Irishman (1753). 

Greenhouse. An omnibus. 



by i 
Gar- 



Green Howards. The Nine- 
teenth Foot, now the Princess of 
Wales' s Own Yorkshire Regiment: 
from its facings and its Colonel's 
name (1738-4.8), and to distinguish it 
from the Third Foot, also commanded 
a Col. Howard. Also Howard's 
rarbage. 

Green Kingsman, A silk pocket- 
handkerchief : any pattern on a 
green ground. 

Green Linnets. The 39th Foot, 
now the first battalion Dorsetshire 
Regiment : from the facings. 

Greenly. Like a greenhorn, 
foolishly (1596). 

Greenmans. 1. The fields, the 
country (1610). 2. In sing., a con- 
tractor who speculates with other 
people's money. 

Greenness. Immaturity of 
judgment, inexperience, gullibility 
(1748). 

Green-rag. See Greeny. 
Green-river. To send a man v/p 
Green-river, to kill : from a once famous 
factory on Green River, where a 
favourite hunting knife was made. 
Green-sickness. Chlorosis. 
Green - turtle. To live up to 
green-turtle., to do, and give, one's 
best. 

Greenwich Barber. A retailer of 
sand from the Greenwich pits : a pun 
upon shaving the banks (Grose). 

Greenwich - goose. A pensioner 
of Greenwich Hospital (Grose). 

Greeny. 1. The curtain : from 
the colour : also green-rag (1821). 2. 
A freshman (q.v,). 3. A simpleton, 
greenhorn (q.v.) : see Buffle. 

Greetin' Fu*. Drunk: literally 
crying drunk : see Screwed. 

G r e e z e (Westminster School). 
A crowd, push (q.v.). 

Gregorian. A kind of wig worn 
in the 17th century : after the inventor 
one Gregory, a barber in the Strand. 

Gregorian - tree. The gallows : 
there was a sequence of three hang- 
men of the name : see Nubbing-cheat. 
Gregorine. A louse ; specifically, 
head vermin : see Chates. 

Greshamite. A fellow of the Royal 
Society (1690). 

Grey. See Gray, passim. 
Griddle. To sing in the streets. 
Whence, griddling, street-singing ; 
griddler, a street singer (1851). 
Gridiron. 1. The United States 



Grief. 



Grip. 



flag ; the Stars and Stripes : also 
Gridiron and Doughboys ; also speak- 
ing of the Eagle in conjunction with 
the flag, the Goose and Gridiron. 2. 
A County Court Summons : originally 
applied to writs of the Westminster 
Court, the arms of which resemble a 
gridiron (1859). 3. The bars on a 
cell window : !Pr., ler gaides de Schtard. 
The Gridiron, the Graf ton Club: the 
grill was a speciality. On the gridiron, 
troubled, harassed, in a bad way, on 
toast (q.v.). The whole gridiron : see 
Whole animal. 

Grief. To come to grief, to come to 
ruin, meet with an accident, fail 

Griffin (or Griff). 1. A new- 
comer, raw hand, greenhorn (q.v.). 
Specific uses are (Anglo-Indian), a 
new arrival from Europe ; (military), 
a young subaltern ; (Anglo-Chinese), 
an unbroken horse. Griffinage (or 
Griffinism), the state of greenhornism 
(1859). 2. A woman of forbidding 
manners or appearance, a Gorgon : 
also a caretaker, chaperon, or sheep- 
dog (q. v. ). [A reflection of the several 
griffins of ornithology and of heraldry : 
the former a feeder on birds, small 
mammals, and even children ; the 
latter (as in Milton) a perfection of 
vigilance.] 3. A signal : e.g. to tip 
the griffin, to warn, give the office 
(q.v.), or tip (q.v.); the straight griffin, 
the straight tip. 4. In pi. the scraps 
and leavings from a contract feast, 
which are removed by the purveyor. 

Griff-metoli. Sixpence, a tanner 
(q.v.) : see Rhino (1754). 

Grig. 1. An active, lively, and 
jocose person : as in the phrase 
Merry as a Grig (1611). 2. A farthing, 
a gigg (q.v.) : see Rhino (1696). As 
verb, to vex, worry (1855). 

Grim. A skeleton : also Grin. 
Whence Old Mr. Grim, death. 

Grin. To strike on plates with 
knives and forks, beat with the feet, 
and shout at the top of the voice, in 
an effort to make the victim grin. To 
grin in a glass case, to be shown as an 
anatomical preparation : the bodies 
and skeletons of criminals were once 
preserved in glass cases at Surgeons' 
Hall (Grose). 

Grin agog, the Cat's Uncle. 
A grinning simpleton (Grose). 

Grind. 1. A walk, constitutional : 
e.g. to take a grind, or (University) 
to go on the Grand-Chester (or Gog 



Hills) grind. 2. Daily routine, 
hard or distasteful work (1853). 3. 
Study, reading for an examination ; 
also a plodding student, i.e. a grinder. 
4. A demonstration. : as (1) a ' public 
grind,' given to a class and free to all ; 
and (2) a private grtnd, for which a 
student pays an individual teacher: 
in America, a quiz (q.v.). 5. (Oxford 
University) Athletic sports : also, 
a training run. The grind (Cambridge 
University), the ferry-boat at Chester- 
ton. As verb, (1) to prepare for 
examination, study, read, teach, in- 
struct, coach (q.v.), do a round of 
hard and distasteful work, apply one- 
self to daily routine ; (2) to vex, put 
out. To grind an axe, see Axe. To 
get a grind on one, to play practical 
jokes, tell a story against one, annoy 
or vex. To grind wind, to work the 
treadwill : see Everlasting staircase. 

Grinder. 1. A private tutor, 
Coach (q.v.) : cf. Crammer (1812). 2. 
Usually in pi., the teeth. English 
synonyms: bones, chatterers, cogs, 
crashing cheats, dining-room furni- 
ture (or chairs), dinner-set, dominoes, 
front-rails, Hampstead Heath (rhym- 
ing), head-rails, ivories, park-palings 
(or railings), snagglers, tushes (or 
tusks), tomb-stones (1597). To take 
a grinder, to apply the left thumb to 
the nose, and revolve the right hand 
round it, as if to work a hand-organ 
or coffee-mill ; also to take a sight 
(q.v.), to work the coffee mill (q.v.) : 
a street retort on an attempt to impose 
on good faith or credulity (183C). 

Grinding - house. The House of 
Correction : see Cage (1614). 

Grinding-mill. The house of a 
tutor or coach (q.v.) where students 
are prepared for an examination. 

Grind-off (or Grindo). A miller : 
from a character in The Miller and 
his Men. 

Grindstone. A tutor, a coach 
(q.v.). To bring (hold, put, or keep) 
one's nose to the grindstone, to oppress, 
harass, punish, treat harshly. To 
have one's nose kept to the grindstone, to 
be held to a bargain, or task (1578). 
To have the grindstone on one's back, 
said of a man going to fetch the 
monthly nurse (Grose). 

Grinning-stitches. Slovenly 
sewing, stitches wide* apart, ladders 
(q.v.). 

Grip (or Gripsack). A hand-bag, 



203 



Qripe. 



Grow. 



satchell. To lose one's grip, to fail, 
lose one's control. 

Gripe. 1. A miser, usurer : 
also griper or gripe-fist (q.v.). Grip- 
ing, extortion. 2. In pi., the colic, 
stomach ache, collywobbles : see 
Jerry-go-nimble (1684). 

Gripe-fist. A miser, grasping 
broker: also gripe-penny. 

Grist. A large number or quan- 
tity : Swift uses grist, a supply ; a 
provision. To bring grist to the mitt, 
to bring profitable business, be a source 
of profit (1719). 

Grit. 1. Character, pluck, spirit, 
sand (q.v.): also clear grit. No grit, 
lacking in stamina, wanting in courage 
(1S25). 2. A member of the Liberal 
party (Canadian political). 

Gritty. Plucky, courageous, 
resolute, full of character. 

Grizzle. To fret ; also to grizzle 
one's guts. 

Grizzle -guts (Grizzle- or Glam- 
pot). A melancholy or ill-tempered 
person, sulkington (q-v.). 

Groaner. A thief (q.v.) plying 
his trade at funerals or religious 
gatherings. 

Groaning. The act of parturition : 
also adj., parturient, or appertaining 
to parturition: as in groaning -malt 
(Scots'), drink for a lying-in ; groaning 
pains, the pangs of delivery; groaning 
itrife, a woman ready to lie-in (1594). 

Groats. A naval chaplain's 
monthly allowance. To save one's 
groats, to come off handsomely: at 
the University nine groats were 
formerly deposited in the hands of an 
academic officer by every person stand- 
ing for a degree, which, if obtained 
with honour, were returned to him 
(Grose). 

Grocery. 1. Small change (1728). 
2. A drinking bar ; also confectionery 
and groggery. 3. Sugar : a restricted 
use of a colloquialism. 

Grog. Spirits and water, strong 
drink generally: till Admiral Vernon's 
time (1745) rum was served neat, but 
he ordered it to be diluted, and was 
therefore nicknamed Old Grog, in 
allusion to his grograzn coat : a phrase 
that was presently adapted to the 
mixture he had introduced : Groggy, 
drunk : see Screwed. As verb, to 
dilute or adulterate with water. To 
have grog on board (or to be grogged), 
to be drunk : see Screwed. 



204 



Grog-blossom. A pimple caused 
by excessive drinking : also copper- 
nose and jolly-nose : Fr., nez culotU, 
and nez de pompettea (1811). 

Grog-fight. A drinking party : cf. 
Tea-fight. 

Groggery. A public bar, grog 
shop. 

Groggy. 1. Under the influence 
of drink: see Screwed (1829). 2. 
(stable) Moving as with tender feet. 
3. (pugilists') Unsteady from punish- 
ment and exhaustion: Fr., locher 
(1831). 

Gr ogham. A horse, daisy- 
kicker (q.v.): now mostly in con- 
tempt: see Prad (Grose). 

Grog-shop. The mouth : see 
Potato-trap (1843). 

Grog-tub. A brandy bottle. 

Groom. A croupier. 

Groomed. See Well-groomed. 

Groovy. A sardine. As adj., 
settled in habit, limited in mind. 

Groper. 1. A blind man, Hood- 
man (q.v.) (1696). 2. A pocket 
(Grose). 3. A midwife, fingersmith 
(q.v.) (Grose). 

Ground. To suit down to the 
ground, to be thoroughly becoming or 
acceptable. To wipe (or mop) up the 
ground (or floor) with one, to adminis- 
ter the soundest of thrashings, prove 
oneself absolutely superior to one's 
opponent. To go (or get) well to the 
ground, to defaecate, rear (q.v.): see 
Mrs. Jones (1608). 

Grounder. A ball with a ground de- 
livery, sneak, grub ; and (in America) 
at base ball, a ball struck low, or 
flying near the ground. 

Ground-floor. To be let in on the 
ground-floor, to share in a specula- 
tion on equal terms with the original 
promoters. 

Ground-squirrel. A hog, grunter 
(Lex. Bat.). 

Ground-sweat. To have (or take) a 
ground-sweat, to be buried (1696). 

Grouser. 1. A grumbler rusty- 
guts (q.v.). 2. A rowing man, wet- 
bob (q.v.). 

G r o u t e (Marlborough and 
Cheltenham Colleges). To work or 
study hard, swot (q.v.). 

Grouty. Crabbed, sulky. 

Grove of the Evangelist. St. 
John's Wood ; also Apostle's Grove, 
and the Baptist's Wood. 

Grow. To be accorded the privi- 



Growler. 



Gudgeon. 



lego of letting one's hair and beard Grub - shop (crib, trap, etc.). 
grow: also to grow one's feathers. 1. The moulb ; uad 2. a crubbery 

Growler. A four-wheeled cab : (q.v.) : sso Potato-trap. 3. See Grub- 
of. Sulky. English synonyms : bird- bin-cnb in both senses. 
cage, blucher, bounder, fever-trap, Grub - stake. Food and other 
flounder - and-dab (rhyming), four- necessaries furnished to mining p rO . 
wheeler, groping hutch, mab (an old specters in return for a share in the 
hackney), rattler, nimbler. To rush finds. Hence, to grub-stake, to specu- 
(or work) the growler, to fetch beer late after this fashion. 

Grub Street The world of cheap, 
mean, needy authors : originally a 
street near Moorfields, changed in 1830 



(workman's). 

Grown -man's -dose. A lot of 
liquor: also a long drink (q.v.): see 
Go. 

Grown-up. An adult : also (under- 
takers') a grown (1864). 

Grub. 1. Food. English synonyms : 



to Milton Street (1696). 

Gruel. 1. A beating, punish- 
ment (q.v.). Hence, to get (or give} 
one's gruel, to castigate, be well 



belly-cheer (or chere), beUy-furniture, beaten, killed. In the prize ring, to 

belly-timber, Kaffir's tightener (speci- knock a man out for good. Gnielled, 

fically, a full meal), chuck, corn, floored; also gruelling (1815). 2. 

(broken "" ** 



manablins 

mouth harness, mungarly, 
peck, prog, scoff (S. African), scran, 
stodge, tack, tommy (specifically 
bread), tuck, yam. Also, verbally, to 
bung the cask, to grease the gills, to 
have the run of one's teeth, to yam. 
2. A short thick-set man, a dwarf: 
in contempt : see Hop-o'-my-Thumb. 



Coffee. 

GrueUer. A knock-down blow, 
settler (q.v.), a floorer (q.v.). 

Grumble - guts. An inveterate 
croaker: also grumble-gizzard* 

Grumbles. To be all on the 
grumbles, to be discontented, cross, on 
the snarley-yow (q.v.). 

Grumbletonian. A pattern of 



. 

3. A sloven, generally of elderly people, discontent, one ever on tlie grumble. 

4. A careful student, hard reader. Grumbleton (during the reigns of 

5. Roots and stumps: whatever is "--'- <" j.-\ - - 



grubbed up. 6. A' ball delivered 
along the ground, grounder (q.v.), 
daisy-cutter (q.v.): see Lob-sneak. 
As verb, (1) to take or supply with 
food (1725). Whence grubbing, eat- 
ing. (2) To beg, ask alms, especially 
food. (3) To study, read hard, sweat 
(q.v.). To ride grub, to be sulky, 
crusty (q-v.), disagreeable (Grose). 
To grub along, to make one's way 
as best one can, rub along. 

Grubbery. (1) An eating-house: 
also (2) a dining-room, and (3) the 
mouth. 

Grubbing -crib. 1. An eat- 
ing-house. QruKbing-orib faker, the 
landlord of a cheap cookshop : FT., 
nourrisseuT, "RngliaK synonyms : 
grubbery, grubby (or grubbing-ken), 
grub-shop, guttle-shop, hash-house, 
mungarly casa, prog-shop, slap-bang 
shop, tuck-shop, waste-butt. 2. A 
workhouse : sometimes Gruboiken : 
see Spinniken. 

Grubble. To feel for at random, 
or in the dark. 

Grubby. Food : a diminutive of 
grab (q.v.)- As adj., dirty, slovenly. 

Grub-hunting. Begging for food. 



the later Stuarts), an imaginary centre 
of discontent ; hence, Grumbletonian, 
a nickname of the County party, dis- 
tinguished from the Court, as being in 
opposition.] (1690). 

Grumpy (or Grumpish). Surly, 
cross, angry. 

Grundy. A short fat man, forty- 
guts (q.v.) : see Mrs. Grundy. 

Grunter. LA pig, grunting- 
cheat (q.v.): also pork (1656). 2. 
A sixpence : formerly (Grose) Is. : see 
Rhino. 3. A policeman, trap (q.v.): 
pig (q.v.). 4. A constant grumbler, 
grumble-guts (q.v.). 

Grunter *s - gig. A smoked pig's 
chap (Grose). 

Grunting-cheat A pig (1067). 

Grunting-peck. Pork or bacon. 

Gruts. Tea. 

G. T. T. Gone to Texas; abs- 
conded; moonshining gentry used 
to mark G. T. T. on the doors of their 
abandoned dwellings as a consolation 
for inquiring creditors : Fr., otter en 
Belgigue. 

Guage. See Gage. 

Gubbins. Fish offal (1611). 

Gudgeon. 1. A bait, an allure- 
ment : hence, to gudgeon (or to swallow) 



205 



Guerrilla. 



Gummy. 



a f/'/i7<7?on, to be extremely Credulous (1596), 2. A cheat, fraud, trick 

or Kuiliblc (1508). 2. An easy dupe, (1600). 3. (Oxford Univ.). A swindler, 

Duffle (q.v.) ( 1 783). trickster. As verb, to cheat, dupe, vic- 

Guerrilla. This name is applied timise, take hi (q.v.) in any fashion 

by gamblers to fellows who skin and to any purpose (1596). Hence, 

.,uckera when and where they can, gullible, adj., easily duped, 

who do not like the professional G u 1 1 a g e. The act of trickery, 

gamblers, but try to beat them, the state of being gulled (1605). 

sometimes inform on them, and tell Gull-catcher (Guller, Gull- 

the suckers that they have been sharper, etc.). A trickster, cheat 
cheated (MatscU). ( 1602). 

Guff. Humbug, bluff, jabber : see Gullery. Dupery, fraud, cheat's 



Gammon. 

Guffy. 
crusher. 

G u i d e r s. 



A soldier: see Mud- 



device. 

Gullet. The throat : see Gutter- 



finder (q.v.) (1712). 

Guinea-hen. A courtezan (1602). 



alley (1383). 

1. Reins, ribbons Gull - finch. A simpleton, fool : 

(q.v.). 2. Sinews, leaders (q.v.). see Bufflo (1630). 

Guinea. A guinea to a goose- Gull-groper. A gamester's money- 

berry, long odds. lender (1609). 

Guinea-dropper. A sharper : Gully. 1. The throat : see Gutter- 
spec, one who let drop counterfeit alley. 2. A knife : see Chive (1633). 
oruineas in collusion with a Gold- As verb, to gull (q-v.), dupe, 

'- """ swindle. 

Gully-fluff. Pocket-filth, beggar's 
* ' ' * : also flue (q.v.). 

t. A glutton : see 

19 a guinea : as ve'ts ; special jurymen, Gully-hole (or Gully). The throat : 

etc. Now mainly restricted to clergy- see Gutter-alley. 

men acting as deputies, and (in Gully -raker. (1) A cattle-whip; 

contempt) to directors of public also (2) a cattle-thief. 

companies : hence guinea - trade, Gulpin. A simpleton, gape-seed 

professional services (1821). 3. A (q.v.): Fr., gdbemouchet Sponge: see 

midshipman, Buffle. 

Guise's Geese. The Sixth Foot, or Gulpy. Easily duped. 

Saucy Sixth, now the Royal Warwick- G u 1 s h. To hold one's gulsh, to 

shire Regiment : from its Colonel's hold one's tongue, keep quiet, 

name (1735-63). Gum. 1. Chatter, talk, jaw (q.v.), 

Guiver. 1. Flattery; 2. Artfulness abuse (1751). 2. A trick, piece of 

(q.v.). As adj., smart, fashionable, dupery, sell (q.v.): also gummation. 

on it (q.v.). Guiver lad, a low- 3. A golosh, india-rubber overshoe: 

class dandy; also an artful member short for gum- shoes. As verb, to 

(q.v.). As verb, to humbug, fool cheat, take in (q.v.), roast (q.v.), 

about (q.v.), show off. quiz : see Gammon. Old Mother Gum, 

Gulf. 1. The throat, the maw: an old woman: in derision. By 

see Gutter-alley (1579). 2. (Cam- gum! a mild oath. Bless your (or 

bridge Univ.). The bottom of a list his, her f its, etc.) gums, a piece of 

of passes, with the names of those banter : a facetious way of saying 

who only just succeed in getting their Bless your soul ! 

degree. 3. (Oxford Univ.). A man Gummagy. Snarling: of a scolding 

who, going in for honours, only gets habit. 

a pass. As verb (Cambridge Univ.), Gummed. Said of a ball close to 

to place in the gulf ; to be gulfed, to be the cushion. 

on such a list : men so placed were Gummy. 1. A toothless person j 

not eligible for the Classical Tripos : i.e. with nothing but gums to show : 

cf. Pluck and Plough. generally, Old Gummy. 2. Medicine : 

Gulf-spin. A rascal, worth- also gummy-stuff. 3. A dullard, fool : 

less fellow, beat (q.v.), shyster see Buffle. As adj., puffed, swollen, 

(<l-'* r .). clumsy (Grose). To feel gummy, to 

GulL LA ninny: see Buffle perspire. 
206 



Gump. 



Gutter-aUey. 



Gump. A dolt : see -BufEe (1825) 

Gumption. Cleverness, under- 
standing, nous (q.v.) : also rum 
gumption (Grose). 

Gumptious. Shrewd, intelligent, 
vain. 

Gum - smasher (or Tickler) , A. 
dentist : snag-catcher (q.v.). 

Gum-suck. To flatter, humbug, 
dupe : see Gammon. 

Gum-sucker. 1. A native of Tas- 
mania, who owes his nickname to the 
abundance of gum-trees in the Tas- 
manian forests : of. Corn-stalk. 2. 
A fool : see Buffie. 

Gum-tickler. 1. A drink: spec, 
drop of short, or a dram : see Go 
(1814). 2. See Gum-smasher. 

Gum-tree. To be up a gum-tree, to 
be on one's last legs, at the end of 
one's rope : He has seen his last gum- 
tree, It is all up with him. 

Gun. 1. A lie (New Cant Diet., 
1725). 2. A thief (q.v.); spec, a 
Magsman (q.v.) or street-artist: also 
gun-smith and gunner. Gunning, 
thieving. 3. A revolver: seeMeat-in- 
the-pot. 4. A toddy glass. As verb, 
( 1 ) to consider with attention. (2) To 
strive hard, make a violent effort : e.g. 
to gun a stock, to use every means to 
produce a break; when supplies are 
heavy and holders would be unable to 
resist. In the gun, drunk : see Screwed 
(1696). Son of a gun: see Son. Sure 
as a gun, quite certain, inevitable 
(1633). 

Gundiguts. A fat man, forty- 
guts (q.v.) (1696). 

Gunner's-daughter. To kiss 
(or marry) the gunner's daughter, to be 
flogged. Gunner's daughter, the gun 
to which boys were lashed for punish- 
ment (Grose). 

Gunpowder. An old woman (1696). 
Gunter. See Cocker. 
Gup. Gossip, scandal. To "be a 
gup, to be easy to take or steaL 

Gurtsey. A fat man, podge 
(q.v.) : see Forty-guts. 

Gush. The expression of affected 
or extravagant sentiment. As verb, 
to overflow with extravagant or 
affected sentiment. Hence gusher, 
a practitioner of gush : also Gushing- 
tion ; gushing, extravagant s affected 
or irrational in expression, demonstra- 
tively affectionate: also gushingly. 
Gut. 1. The vice or habit of glut- 
tony; the belly (as opposed to the 
207 



groin). 2. In pi. the stomach and 
inlesfcine.3 (1C09). 3. In 1. a fat 
man, forty-guts (q.v.) : also guls-and- 
garbage. More guts than Irakis, a 
fo'jl (1598). 4. Spirit, quality, a 
touch of force, energy, or fire : e.2. 
a picture, a book, an actor. With 
guts, a strong thing; put your gvt* 
into it (aquatic), row the very best 
you can. He (or it) has no guts in 
him (or it), he (or it) is a common 
rotter (q.v.). Hence, gutsy, adj., 
having guts, and gutei'itiss, subs., the 
condition of being gutsy (1738). As 
verb, (1) to plunder, or take out all 
or most of the contents (i.e. intes- 
tines) of a place or thing, dram, 
clean out : e.g. to gut a house (thieves'), 
to rifle it ; to gut an oyster, to eat it ; 
to gut a book, to empty it of interest- 
ing matter ; to gut a quart pot, to drain 
at a draught. Whence, gutted, dead- 
broke ( 1 696). (2) To eat hard, fast, and 
badly, wolf (q.v.). To fret one's guts, 
to worry ; to have plenty of guts but no 
bowels, to be unfeeling, hard, merci- 
less ; my great guts are ready to eat my 
little ones, I am very hungry : also, 
my guts begin to think my throat's cut, 
my guts curse my teeth, and my guts 
chime twelve (Grose) ; not fit to carry guts 
to a bear, to be worthless, absolutely 
unmannerly, unfit for human food. 

Gut-foundered. Exceedingly 
hungry (1696). 

Gut-pudding. A sausage (Nomen- 
dator). 

Gut-puller. A poulterer, chicken- 
butcher (q.v.). 

Gut - scraper. A fiddler : also 
catgut-scraper and tormentor of cat- 
gut : see Rosin-the-bow (1719). 

Gutter. Porter (MatseU) : prob- 
ably a corruption of gatter (q.v.). 
As verb (Winchester College), to fall 
in the water flat on the stomach : JV., 
piquer un platventre. To lap the 
gutter, to be in the last stage of in- 
toxication : see Screwed. Carry me 
out and leave me in the gutter: see 
Carry me out. 

Gutter-alley (or lane). 1. The 
throat. All goes down gutter-lane, 
He spends all on his stomach. Eng- 
lish synonyms: Beer Street, common 
sewer, drain, funnel, Gin Lane, gulf- 
gullet, gully-hole, gutter, HoUoway, 
Peck Alley, Red Lane, the Bed 
Sea, Spew Alley, swallow, thrapple, 
throttle, whistle. 2. A urinal. 



Gutter-Hood. 



Hack. 



Gutter-blood. (1) A ragged 
rascal ( 16*22). Also (2) a vulgarian ; 
an upstart from the rabble. 

Gutter- chaunter. A street singer. 

Gutter-hotel. The op'.'ii air : se^ 
Hedge-square. 

Gutter-literature. See Blood-and- 
thundor, and Awful. 

Gutter - master. A term of re- 
proach (1607). 

Gutter - prowler. A street thief 
(q.v.). 

Gutter-snipe. 1. A street arab : 
also gutter-slush. 2. A poster for 
the kerb. 3. An. outside broker who 
does business chiefly in the street ; a 
kerbstone broker (q.v.): FT., loup- 
cervier. 

Guttie. 1. A gutta-percha ball. 
2. A glutton, stodger (q.v.). 3. A 
forty-guts (q.v.). 

Guttle. To eat greedily, Gormand- 
ize (q.v.). Also to drink: e.g. to 
gvttte a pint, to take off, or do, a 
pint ; He's been gwttting svripes, he's 
been drinking beer. Hence gtcttHer, 
a coarse or greedy eater, a sturdy 
pot-companion, gorger (q-v.) : cf. 
Thackeray's Book oj Snobs for Guttle- 
bury Fair : see Guzzle (1672). 

Guttle - shop. A pastry - cook's, 
tuck-shop (q.v.). 

Guv. An abbreviation of governor 
(q.v.). 

Guy. 1. A Fifth of November 
effigy, whence, 2. an ill-dressed per- 
son: as in the old street cry, Hollo, 
boys, there goes another guy ! English 
synonyms: caution, Captain Queer- 
nabs, chivey, comic bird, ragamuffin, 
sight. 3. A dark lantern : obviously 
a reminiscence of the Gunpowder 
Plot. 4. A jaunt, expedition. As 
verb, (1) to quiz, chaff, roast (q.v.), 



Josh (q.v.) ; (2) to escape, hedge 
(q.v ), run away : also to do a guy 
(which also=to give a false name: see, 
Burk (3) To spoil, muddle, disfigure, 
distort. (4) To damn, hiss, slate (q.v.), 
give the bird (q.v.). 

Guzzle (or Guttle). 1. An insati- 
able eater or drinker. 2. A debauch. 
3. Drink. As verb, to drink greedily, 
or to excess (1607). 

Guzzle-guts. A glutton, a 
hard drinker (Lex. Bal., 1811): see 
Guzzle. 

Guzzler. A hard drinker, a coarso 
voracious feeder : see Guzzle (1760). 

Guzzling. Eating or drinking 
to excess, also eating or drinking in a 
coarse unmannerly fashion (1696). 

Guzzum. Chatter, noise. 

G. Y. Att a G.Y., crooked, all on 
one side, all of a hugh. 

Gybe. A written paper (1567). 
As verb, to whip, castigate : e.g. 
gybed at the carfs tail, whipped at 
the cart's tail (1696). 

Gybing (also Gibery). Jeering 
(1696). 

Gyger. See Jigger. 

Gyp (Cambridge University). 
1. A college servant : at Oxford, a 
scout (q.v.) ; at Dublin, a skip (q.v.) 
Etymology doubtful: according to 
Sat. Bev. an abbreviation of Gipsy 
Joe ; according to Cambridge under- 
graduates from the Greek yv-fy 
(Gups), a vulture ; from the creature's 
rapacity.] (1794). 2. A thief (q.v.). 

Gypsies of Science. The British 
Association (1846). 

Gyrotwistive. Full of evasions 
and tricks, a portmanteau word. 

Gyte. 1. A child : in contempt. 2. 
A first year's pupil in the Edinburgh 
High School. 



Haberdasher. A dealer in 
small wares ; specifically (a) a hatter, 
and (b) f (humorously) a publican (i.e. a 
seller of tape, q.v.) ; now restricted to 
a retail draper (1599). HdberdaaTier 
of pronouns, & schoolmaster (1696). 

Habit (Old University). College 
habit, College dress, called of old, 
livery: the dress of the master, 
fellows, and scholars (Gradusad Canta- 
brigiam). 



Hab-nab (or Hob-nob). 1. At 
random, promiscuously, helter-skelter, 
ding-dong (1602). 2. By hook or by 
crook, by fair means or foul (1581). 

Hack (or Hackney). (1) A per- 
son or thing let out for promiscuous 
use: e.g. a horse, harlot, literary 
drudge. Whence (2) a coach that 
plies for hire; (3) (stables') a horse 
for everyday use, as offered to one for 
a special purpose hunting, racing, 



Hackle. 



Hatf-breed. 



polo. (4) (Cambridge Umv, ), * Hacks ; 
Hack preachers ; the comuion exhibi- 
tioners at St. Mary's, employed in the 
service of defaulters arid absentees.' 
Also hackster. As verb, to kick 
shins. Hacking, the practice of lack- 
ing shins at football. 

Hackle. Pluck, spirit, bottom 
(q.v.). To show hackle, to show fight. 

Hackslaver. To stammer, splutter, 
hesitate in speech. 

Hackum (Captain Hackum, or 
Hackster). A bully, bravo : see 
Furioso (1657). 

Had. See Have. 

Haddock. 1. A purse. Had- 
dock of beans, a purse of money 
(1598). 2. In pi., North of Scotland 
Ordinary Stock. 

Hag (old : now recognised). (1) 
A witch. Whence (2) an ugly old 
woman ; a she-monster. Also (3) a 
nightmare. At Charterhouse, a 
female of any description ; at Win- 
chester, a matron. Hence, Hag- 
ridden, troubled with nightmare ; hag 
born, witch born; hag-seed (Shakes- 
peare, * Tempest " ), spawned of a witch ; 
hag- faced, foul-featured (1529). Tour 
bag-ship ! in contempt (of women). 

Hag-finder. A witch finder (1637). 

Hagged. Ugly, gaunt, hag -like 
(1696). 

Haggisland. Scotland. 

Haggle. To bargain keenly, 
stick at (or out for) trumpery points, 
debate small issues (1696). 

Haggler. Formerly a travel- 
ling merchant^ a pedlar : now (in 
London vegetable markets) a middle- 
man (1662). 

Hail. To raise had (Ned, Cain, 
or Hell), to make a disturbance ; to 
kick up a row. To be hail fellow weU 
met, to be on very easy terms : also 
at hail fellow (1574). To be hailed 
for the last time, to die : see Aloft^ Hop 
the twig. 

Hair. To go against the hais, to 
go against the grain, contrary to 
nature (1589). Both of a hair., very 
much alike, two of a teade, two in a 
tale. Not worth a, hair, utterly worth- 
less : of. Cent, Rap, Dump, etc. To 
a hair, exactly, to a nicety ; to fit to 
a hair, to fit perfectly ( 1697). To split 
hairs, to cavil about trifles, quibble, 
be over-nice in argument ( 1 693). Suit 
of hair: see Head of hair. To raise 
(or lift) hair, to scalp ; hence, idiom- 



atically, to defeat, kill ; to keep one's 
hair, to escape a danger. To comb 
one's hair, to castigate, monkey (q.v.). 
To hold (or keep) one's hair (or wool) 
on, to keep one's temper, avoid excite- 
ment, take things calmly : also, to 
keep one's shirt on, or, pull down one's 
jacket (or vest) : Fr., etre calma et 
inodore. A hair of the Hack bear (or 
b'ar), a spice of the deviL To make 
one's hair stand on end, to astonish 
( 1 697). A hair of the dog that bit one, a 
pick-me-up after a debauch. [Ap- 
parently a memory of the superstition, 
which was and still is common, that, 
being bitten by a dog, one cannot do 
better than pluck a handful of hair 
from him, and lay it on the wound.] 
(1531). 

Hair-butcher. A barber. 

Hair-pin. An individual, male or 
female : e.g. Thafs the sort of hair- 
pin I am, that's my style. 

Hairy. 1. Difficult. 2. Splendid, 
famous, conspicuous, uncommon. 

Halbert. To get the halbert, to 
rise to sergeant's rank : (the weapon 
was carried by sergeants of foot). 
To be brought, to the Jialberts, to be 
flogged ; to carry the halbert in one's 
face, to show that one rose from the 
ranks (of officers in .commission) 
(1785). 

Half. Us half past kissing time 
and time to kiss again, the retort im- 
pudent (to females) when asked 
the time : a snatch from a ballad. 
[In Swift, Polite Conversation,, an hour 
past hanging time.! 

Half -a- crack (jiffy, or tick). 
Half a second. 

Half-and-half. Equal quantities 
of ale and porter : cf. Four-half and 
Drinks (1824). As adj., half -drunk, 
half -on (q.v.): see Screwed. Half- 
and-half-coves (men, boys, etc.), cheap 
or linsey-woolsey dandies, half-bucks 
(q.v.), half- tigers (q.v.). 

Half-an-eye. To see with half 
an eye, to discern readily, be quick 
at conclusions. 

Half-baked (or Soft-baked). Half- 
witted, cracked, soft (q.v.), doughy 
(q.v.), half-rocked (q.v.): Fr., n'awrir 
pas la tete bi&n cuite (1825). 

Half -breed. A nickname ap- 
plied to certain New York Bepublicans 
who wavered in their allegiance 
during an election to the Senate in 
1881 (Norton,). 



209 



Half -cocked. 



Half - cocked. Half-drunk : see 
Screwed. To go off at half-cock (or 
haZf-coc7;ed), to fail through hasty and 
ill-considered endeavours. 

Half-cracked. Lacking in intel- 
ligence. 

Half-crown Word. A difficult 
or uncommon vocable, jaw-breaker 
(q.v.), crack-jaw : see Sleeveboard. 

Half - crowner. A publication 
costing 2s. 6d. 

H a 1 f - c u t Half-drunk : see 
Screwed. 

Half-fly Flat. (1) A thief s jackal ; 
(2) a man (or woman) hired to do 
rough of dirty -work. 

Half - grown Shad. A dolt : see 
Baffle. 

Half Laugh and Purser's Grin. 
A sneer, a half - and - half meaning 
(Clark Xussell). 

Halfiings. Betwixt and between: 
usually of a boy or girl just past 
childhood (1818). 

Half -man. A landsman rated 
asA.B. 

Half - marrow. 1. A faithless 
spouse; also a parcel husband or wife 
(1600). 2. An incompetent seaman. 

Half-moon. A wig (1611). 

Half - mourning. A black eye. 
Full-mourning ', two black eyes, deep 
grief. 

Half -nab (or nap). At a venture, 
unsight unseen, hit or miss ( Hfniw?. 
Carew). 

Half-on. Half-drunk. 

Half-rocked. Half-witted, silly: 
a West Country saying is that all idiots 
are nursed bottom upwards. 

Half-saved. Weak-minded, shallow- 
brained. 

Half-screwed. More or less in 
liquor : see Screwed. 

Half-seas Over. Loosely applied 
to various degrees of inebriety : for- 
merly, half way on one's course, or 
towards attainment: see Screwed. 
[In its specific sense Gifford says, A 
corruption of the Dutch op-zee zober, 
over-sea beer, a strong heady beverage 
introduced into Holland from Eng- 
land. Up-zee Freese is Friezeland 
beer. The German zauber means 
strong beer, and bewitchment. Thus 
(1610) in Jonson, Alchemist, iv. 2. 
I do not like the dulness of your eye, 
It hath a heavy cast, 'tis upsee Dutch. 
Other nautical terms *=; drunk are 
Water-logged, Sprung, Slewed, With 



one's jib well bowsed, Three sheets 
in the wind, Channels under, etc.] 

Half-slewed. Parcel drunk: see 
Screwed. 

Half - snacks (or Half - snags). 
Half-shares (1683). 

Half-'un. Half a glass of spirits 
and water, half-a-go (q.v.). 

Half - widow. A woman with a 
lazy and thriftless husband. 

Halifax. Go to Halifax, be off ! 
The full text is Go to HeU, Evil, 
or Halifax: cf. Bath, Blazes, Hull, 
Putney, etc. (1599). 

Hall. 1. Specifically The Hatt, 
Leadenhall Market : cf . Garden Lane, 
etc. 2. (Oxford Univ.). Dinner: 
which is taken in College hall. To 
hall, to dine. Go and hire a haU, a 
retort upon loquacious bores. HaU by 
the sea, the Examination Hall of the 
conjoined Board of the Boyal Colleges 
of Physicians and Surgeons: situate 
on the Embankment at the foot of the 
Waterloo Bridge. HaU of delight, a 
music hall. 

Hallan-shaker (or Hallen- shaker). 
A vagabond, sturdy beggar (1503). 

HallibaUo. See Hulhballo. 

Hallion (or Hallyon). (1) A rogue, 
a clod, a gentleman's servant out of 
livery ; also (2) a shrew. 

Halloo. To hattoo with the under 
dog, to take the losing side. 

Halo. To work the halo racket, to 
grumble, be dissatisfied : from the 
story of the saint in Heaven who got 
dissatisfied with his nimbus. 

Haltersack. A gallows-bird: 
a general term of reproach and con- 
tempt (1598). 

Halves (Winchester College) : (pro. 
Hayes). Half - Wellington boots, 
which were strictly non hcet (obs.). 
Notions. To go (or cry) halves, to 
take (or claim) a half share or chance : 
in America at the halves (1831), 

Ham. 1. (in. pi.) Trousers : also 
Ham-oases: see Kicks (1725). 2. A 
loafer : also Ham-fatter : also (Ameri- 
can Slang Diet.), a tenth-rate actor 
or variety performer. No ham and 
all hominy, of indifferent quality, no 
great shakes, all work and no play 
much cry and little wooL 

Hamlet. A high constable, a 
chief of police (American). 

Ham -match. A stand-up 
luncheon. 

Hammer. 1. A hard-hitter : 



210 



Hammer-and-longs. 



Eandbacket- i/ori, ioti. 



especially a right-handed slogger, like 
Hammer Lane : also Hammerer and 
Hammer-man. 2. An unblushing lie. 
As verb, (1) to beat, punish (q.v.) ; 

(2) to bate, to drive down (prices, etc.); 

(3) to declare one a defaulter. Down 
as a hammer, (1) wide-awake, know- 
ing (q.v.), fly (q- v -); (2) instant, 
peremptory, merciless : cf. Like a 
thousand of bricks : also To be daum 
O7i ... like a, Jtammer. At (or under) 
the hammer, for sale at auction. That's 
the hammer, an expression of approval 
or assent. To be hammers to one, to 
know what one means. To hammer out 
(or into), to be at pains to deceive, to 
reiterate, to force to hear (1596). 

H amxner - and - tongs. Violently, 

Hammer - headed. 1. Oafish, 
stupid (1600). 2. Hammer-shaped 
i.e. long and narrow in the head. 

Hammering. 1. A beating, ex- 
cessive punishment (q.v.) , 2. over- 
charging time-work (as corrections). 

Hammering-trade. Pugilism. 

Hammersmith. To go to Hammer- 
smith, to get a sound drubbing. 

Hampered (old : now recognised). 
Let or hindered, perplexed, entangled. 

Hampstead Donkey. A louse : see 
Ghates. 

Hampstead-heath. The teeth : see 
Grinders. 

Hampstead - heath Sailor. A 
landlubber (q.v.) ; freshwater sailor 
(q.v.) : FT., marin tfeau douce or 
amirat Suisse (Swiss admiral : Switzer- 
land having no seaboard). 

Hanced. In liquor: see Screwed. 
(1630). 

Hand. 1. Properly a seaman : now 
a labourer, workman, agent (1658). 
2. A light touch, sleight, knack, skill. 
Phrases : A good (cool, neat, old, fine, 
etc.) hand, an expert (1748). A hand 
like a foot, a large coarse hand ; also 
vulgar or uneducated handwriting 
(1738). A hand like a fist, a hand full 
of trumps ; also (in derision) a hand 
there's no playing ; to take a hand ivith 
the outside music, to join in a free 
fight ; to get a hand on, to suspect, be 
distrustful ; to get one's hand in, to 
practise with a view to proficiency ; to 
bear a hand, to make haste ; to stand 
one's hand, to treat (q.v.), to stand 
Sam (q.v.) ; to hand in one's chips (or 
checks), see Cash one's checks ; to have 
(or get) the upper hand, to have at an 



advantage, get to wimh-ard (q.v.); 
to hand up (Winchester College), to 
give information against, betray 
(Notions) ; Jianda itp /an injunction 
to desist, stOTp it ! (q.v.) : also (poiioe), 
a command to surrender, bail up 
(q.v.). Amongst other colloquial 
usages of hand are the following : 
At hand, readily, hard by, At any 
hand (Shakespeare), on any account, 
At no hand, on no account, For one's 
own hand, for one's own purpose cv 
interest, From hand to hand, from on* 
to another, in hand, in a str.te of 
preparation, under consideration, cr 
control ; Off one's 7iands, finished, On 
hand, in possession, In one's hands, in 
one's care, Out of hand, completed, 
without hesitation, To one's hand, 
ready, Hand over head, negligently, 
rashly, Hand to mouth, improvident, 
Hands off / stand off, Hea^y on hand, 
hard to manage, Hot at hind, difficult 
to manage, Light in hand, easy to 
manage, To ask (or give) the hattd of, 
to ask, (or give) in marriage, to be 
hand in glove with, to be very intimate 
with, To bear a land, to help, To 
bear in (or DM) hand, to cheat or mock 
by false promises, To change hands, to 
change owners, to come to hand, to be 
received, To get Jtand, to gain Influence, 
To give a hand, to applaud, To give the 
hand to, to be reconciled to, To have a 
hand in f to have a share in, To hare 
one's hands full, to be fully occupied, 
To hold hands with, to vie with, to 
hold one's own, To lay hands on, to 
assault, to seize, To[lend a hand,io}\.elp, 
To make a "hand, to gain an advantage, 
To put (or stretcli) forth the hand 
against, to use violence, To set tJ:e hand 
to, to undertake, To strike hands, to 
make a bargain, To take by the Jiand, to 
take under one's guidance, To take 
in hand, to attempt, To icash one's 
hands of, to disclaim responsibility, 
A heavy hand, severity, A light hand, 
gentleness, A slack hand, idleness, care- 
lessness, A strict hand, severe discip- 
line, Glean hands, freedom from guilt, 
To stand one in hand, to concern, to 
be of importance to, Hand to fist, 
tfte-a-t&e, hip to haunch, Hand over 
hand, easily, To get a hand f to be 
applauded.] 

Hand - and - pocket Shop. An 
eating house, where ready money is 
paid for what is called for. 

Handbasket - portion, A woman 



211 



Handbind&r. 



Bang. 



whose husband receives frequent 
presents from her father, or family, 
is said to have a hand-basket portion. 

Handbinder. A wrist - chain : see 
Darbies. 

Hander. A stroke on the hand 
with a cane, a palinie (q-v.). 

Handicap. An arrangement in 
racing, etc., by which every com- 
petitor is, or is supposed to be, brought 
on an equality as far as regards his 
chance of winning by an adjustment of 
the weights to be carried, the distance 
to be run, etc. : extra weight or dis- 
tance being imposed in proportion to 
their supposed merits on those held 
better than the others. [A handicap 
is framed in accordance with the 
known performances of the competi- 
tors, and, in horse - racing, with 
regard to the age and sex of the 
entries. The term is derived from the 
old game of hand-in-cap, or handicap.] 
(1660). As verb, (1) to adjust or 
proportion weights, starts, etc., in 
order to bring a number of competitors 
as nearly as possible to an equality; 
(2) to make even or level, equalise 
between ; (3) to embarrass, burden, 
hinder, or impede in any way. 

Handle. 1. The nose: see Conk. 
2. A title : FT., queue, as Monsieur 
Sansqueue, Mr. Nobody (1855). 3. 
Occasion, opportunity, means (1753). 
As verb, (1) to conceal cards in the 
palm of the hand or up the sleeves, 
palm (q-v.) ; (2) to use, make use of, 
manage ( 1 606). To handle the ribbons, 
to drive ( 1857). To fly off the 'handle : 
see Fly. 

Hand-me-downs (or Hand- 
' em-downs). Second-hand clothes. 
Hand-me-down shop (or Never-too-late- 
to-mend-shop), a repairing tailor's : 
FT., decrochez-moi-ga. English syno- 
nyms: reach-me-downs, translations, 
wall-flowers. 

Hand-out. Food to a tramp at the 
door. 

Handpiece. A handkerchief, 
wipe (q.v.). 

Handsaw. A street vendor of 
knives and razors, chive-fencer (q.v.). 

Handsome. Sharp, severe, con- 
venient, fit, neat, graceful, dextrous, 
skilful, ready, ample, generous, liberal, 
manageable, in good or proper style, 
and (in America) grand or beautiful 
(1553). To do the handsome (or the 
handsome iking), to behave extremely 



212 



well, be civil ; handsome is that hand- 
some does, actions, not words, are the 
test of merit; also ironically of ill- 
favoured persons (1811); Jiandsome- 
bodied in the face, jeering commenda- 
tion of an ugly follow ; handsome as a 
last year's corpse, a sarcastic compli- 
ment ; handsomely f gently ! a cry to 
signify smartly, but carefully. Also 
handsomely over the "brides, go cauti- 
ously. 

Handsome - reward. A horse- 
whipping. 

Handsprings. To chuck hand- 
springs, to turn somersaults. 

Handy. Handy as a pocket in a 
shirt, very convenient : also derisively. 
Handy-blows (or cuffs). Fisti- 
cuffs ; hence close quarters (1603). 

Handy-man. A servant or work- 
man doing odd jobs (1847). 

Hang. 1. General drift, tendency 
or bent : as in to get the hang of, to get 
conversant with, to acquire the trick, 
or knack, or knowledge of (1847). 2. 
A little bit, a bit : see Care. As verb, 
(generally Hang it !), an exclamation of 
vexation, disgust, or disappointment; 
also, more forcibly, a euphemistic 
oath (1598). To hang in, to get to 
work, do one's best, wire in (q.v.); 
to hang in the beUropes, to defer 
marriage after being asked in church ; 
to hang on by one's eyelashes, to persist 
at any cost, and in the teeth of any 
discouragement ; to Jiang on by the 
splashboard, to catch a tram, omnibus, 
etc., when it is on the move ; hence 
to succeed by the skin of one's teeth : 
FT., arcpincer V omnibus ; to hang 
around (or about), to loiter, loaf, haunt ; 
to hang out, to live, reside : also (subs.), 
a residence, lodging; and (American 
University) a feast, entertainment; 
to hang out a shingle, to start or carry 
on business ; to hang one's latchpan, to 
be dejected, to pout : FT., favre son 
aquilin ; to hang it out, to skulk, mike 
(q.v.) ; to hang up, (1) to give credit, 
score (or chalk) up : said of a reckon- 
ing : also to put on the slate, or (Ameri- 
can) on the ice (q.v.) (1725) ; (2) to 
bear in mind, remember ; (3) to pawn ; 
(4) to rob with violence on the street* 
hold up (q.v.) : FT., la faire au pfre 
Frangoie; (5) to be in extremis, 
know not which way to turn for relief : 
e.g. a man hanging, one to whom 
any change must be for the better ; 
(6) to postpone, leave undecided ; to 



Happy Hunting-grounds, 



]MMJ on, (I) to sponge, and (2) to 
pursue an individual or a design 
(1601) ; to hang off, to fight shy oft; to 
hang up one's fiddle, to retire, desist ; 
to hang up one's fiddle anywhere, to 
adapt oneself to circumstances; to 
hang up one's hat (1) to die : see Hop 
the twig; (2) to make oneself per- 
manently at home. 

Hang-bluff. Snuff. 

Hang-by. A hangor-on, parasite, 
companion (1598). 

Hang-dog. A pitiful rascal, only 
fit for the rope for the hanging of 
superfluous curs : of. Gallows - bird 
(1732). As adj., vile, suspicious in 
aspect, gallows-looking (q.v.). 

Hang - gallows. A thievish, or 
villainous appearance (Grose). 

Hanger. A side-ana short 
sword or cutlass hanging from the 
girdle. Also in pi., (1) ornamental 
loops from the girdle to suspend the 
sword and dagger (1596); (2) gloves, 
specifically gloves in the hand : (3) see 
Pothooks. 

Hang-in-chains. A vile, desperate 
fellow (Grose), 

Hanging. Fit for the halter. 

Hanging - bee. A gathering 
lynch-lawmongers, bent on the appli- 
cation of the rope. 

Hangman. A jocular endear- 
ment (1600). 

Hangman 's-day. Monday, and 
(in America) Friday. 

Hangman's - wages. Thirteen- 
pence-halfpenny. [The fee for an 
execution was a Scots mark: the 
value of which piece was settled, by 
a proclamation of James I., at ISid.J 
(1602), 

Hang -slang about. To abuse, 
slang (q.v.), Billingsgate (q.v,). 

Hank. 1. A tie, hold, advantage, 
difficulty. In a hank, in trouble 
(1696). 2. A spell of rest, easy time. 
As verb, to worry, bait, drive from 
pillar to post. 

Hanker. To desire eagerly, fret 
after, long or pine for : generally with 
after. Also, hankering, an impor- 
tunate and irritating longing (1696). 

Hankin. The trick of putting off 
bad work for good : cf. To; play hanky- 
panky. 

Hanktelo. A silly fellow, a 
mere Codshead (B. J2.), 

Hanky-panky. (1) Legerdemain; 
whence (2) trickery, underhand (q-v.) 



work, cheating, any manner of doublo- 
dealing or intrigue. Hanky - panfcy 
business, conjuring; Itanky-panlsywork 
(or tricks}, double - dealing. A tit 
of hanky - panky, a trick ; a piece 
of knavery (1841). 

Hanky-panky-bloke. A conjurer. 

Hanky-spanky. Dashing, nobby 
(q.v.) : specifically of well-cut clothes. 

Hannah. That's the man as 
married Hannah, That's the thing: 
used of a thing well begun and well 
ended ; or as an expressive of certainty. 
Varied sometimes by TJiat's what's 
the matter with Hannah. 

Hansel (or Handsel). The first 
money taken hi the morning, lucky 
money. Hence earnest money, first- 
fruits, etc. Hansel-Monday, the first 
Monday in the new year, when pre- 
sents were received by children and 
servants (1587). As verb, (1) to 
give handsel to; also (2) to use for 
the first time. 

Hanseller. A street vendor, 
cheap Jack. 

Hans-en-Kelder. A child in the 
womb : literally Jack - in - the - cellar 
(q.v.) (1647). 

Hansom. A chop. 

Hap - harlot. A coarse stuff to 
make rugs or coverlets with, a rug : 
cf. Wrap-rascal, an overcoat (1577). 

Ha'porth o' Coppers. Habeas 
Corpus. 

Ha'porth of Liveliness. 1. 
Music. 2. A loitering Lawrence, 
slowcoach (q.v.). 

Happify. To please (1612). 

Happy. Slightly drunk, elevated 
(q.v.) : see Screwed. 

Happy - despatch. Death, speci- 
fically a sudden or violent end. 

Happy-dosser. See Dosser. 

Happy Eliza. A female Salva- 
tionist : as in the Broadside Ballad 
(1887-8), They call me Happy Eliza, 
and I'm Converted Jane : We've been 
two hot 'uns in, our time. 

Happy - family. Assemblages of 
animals of diverse habits and pro- 
pensities living amicably, or at least 
quietly, in one cage. 

Happy-go-lucky. Careless,thought- 
less, improvident. 

Ha 
The 

the North-American Indian's con- 
ception of heaven. 2. A favourable 
place for work or play. 



, . 

appy Hunting - grounds. 1. 
e future state ; glory (q.v.) : from 



213 



Happy-land. 



Hard-up. 



Happy-land. The after life, 
Jory (fj.v.). 

Happy-returns. Vomiting. 

Hard. 1. Hard labour. 2. See 
Hard-shell. 3. Third-class : as op- 
posed to soft (q..v.). Thus: Do you 
go hard or soft ? Do you go Third 
or First ? As adj., (1) applied to 
metal of all kinds: e.g. hard (cole or 
stuff), silver or gold as compared to 
cheques or soft (q.v.) (1825). (2) 
sour or souring, as in hard-cider ; (3) 
hard drinks (American), intoxicating 
liquors, as wine, ale, etc., while lemon- 
ade, soda-water, ginger- beer, etc., are 
soft {1C96). Phrases: Hard as a 
bnne (nails, etc.), very hard, austere, 
unyielding ; hard at it, very busy, in 
the thick of a piece of work; to die 
hard^ to uell one's life dearly ; e.g. 
The Die-hards (q.v.), the 59th Regi- 
ment, so called from their gallantry 
at Albuera ; also in many combina- 
tions, generally with an unplea- 
sant intention, thus Hard-fisted (or 
/Banded), very niggardly ; hard - bit 
(or hard-mouthful), an unpleasant ex- 
perience ; hard-driven (or hard-run), 
sore tested ; hard-faced (favoured, 
or featured), grim, shrewish, or bony ; 
hard-headed (or hard-witted), shrewd 
and intelligent, but timmaginative 
and unsympathetic ; hard-hearted, in- 
capable of pity ; hard-lipped, obstinate, 
dour ; hard-master, a nigger - driver ; 
hard - nut, a dangerous antagonist ; 
hard-on, pitiless in severity ; hard- 
riding, selfish and reckless equestra- 
tion ; hard - service, the worst kind 
of employment; hard-wrought, over- 
worked, etc., etc. 

Hard-a-weather. Tough, weather- 
proof. 

Hard -bake. A sweetmeat made 
of boiled brown sugar or treacle with 
blanched almonds. 

Hard-baked. 1. Constipated. 2. 

Hard - bargain (or Case). 1. A 
lazy fellow, bad-egg (q.v,), skulker. 
One of the Queen's hard bargains, a bad 
soldier. 2. A defaulting debtor. 3. A 
brutal mate or officer : also Hard-horse. 

Hard - bitten. Kesolute, Game 
(q.v.), desperate (1815). 

Hard-cheese. Hard lines, bad luck : 
specifically at billiards. 

Hard-cole. See Hard and Cole. 

Hard-doings. (1) Rough fare; and 
(2) hard work (1848). 



214 



Hard-drinking. Drinking to excess 
(lo9C). 

Hard-head. A man of good parts, 
physical, intellectual, or moral (1824). 

Hard-hit. To be hard hit, (1) to 
have experienced a heavy loss, as over 
a race, at cards, etc. ; (2) to be deeply 
in love, completely gone on (q.v.). 

Hard-lines. Hardship, difficulty, 
an unfortunate result or occurrence. 

Hard-mouthed. Difficult to deal 
with, wilful, obstinate : also coarse in 
speech (1686). 

Hard - neck. Brazen impudence, 
monumental cheek (q.v.). 

Hard-pan. The lowest point, 
bed-rock (q.v.). To get down to hard 
pan, to buckle to, get to business. 

Hard - puncher. The fur cap as 
worn by the London rough : formerly 
worn by men in training : a modi- 
fication of the Scotch cap with a peak. 
[From the nickname of a noted 
pugilist.] 

Hard-pushed. In difficulties, hard- 
up (q.v.). 

Hard put to. In a difficulty 
monetary or other : e.g. He'd be 
hard put to it to find a sovereign (or 
a word, or an excuse), It would take 
hi all his time, etc. 

Hard-row. See Row. 

Hard - run. In want of money, 
hard-up (q.v.). 

Hard-shell. 1. A member of an 
extreme section of Baptists holding 
very strict and rigid views. [The 
Soft-shells are of more liberal mind.] 
Also Hards and Softs (1848). 2. 
(political American). A division of 
the Democratic Party in 1846-48, 
when the Hunkers (q.v.) received the 
name of Hards and their opponents, 
the Barnburners (q,v.), that of Softs 
(1847). As adj., extremely ortho- 
dox, unyielding, hide-bound. 

Hard-stuff. 1. Money. 2. Intoxi- 
cating liquors : see Hard (adj., sense 
2). 

Hard -tack. 1. Ship's biscuits: 
specifically ordinary sea-fare as dis- 
tinguished from food ashore, or soft- 
tommy (q.v.) (1841). 2. Coarse or 
insufficient fare. 

Hard - up. 1. A collector of cigar- 
ends, a topper-hunter (q.v.). The 
refuse, untwisted and chopped up, 
is sold to the very poor : sometimes 
Hard-cut : FT., megottier. 2. A poor 
stony-broke (q.v.) (1857). 



Harum-scarum. 



As adv. phr., 1. v^ry badly in want of 
monoy, in urgent need of anything: 
also Hard - run and Hard - pushed 
(1809). English synonyms: many 
of the synonyms for floored apply 
equally to hard-up; others are, at 
low - water - mark, cracked up, dead- 
broke, down on one's luck, fast, in 
Queer Street, in the last of pea time, 
in the last run of shad, low down, 
low in the lay, oofless, out of favour 
with the oof - bird, pebble - beached, 
seedy, short, sold-up, stony-broke, 
strapped, stuck, stumped, suffering 
from an attack of the week's (or 
month's) end, tight, on one's uppers, 
under a cloud, on one's beam ends. 
2. Intoxicated : see Screwed. 3. 
(Winchester College). Out of counten- 
ance., exhausted (in swimming). 

Hard - upness (or Hard - uppish- 
ness). Poverty, a condition of im- 
poverishment. 

Hardware (or Hard). Counter- 
feit coin (MateeU). 

Hardware - bloke. A native of 
Birmingham, a Brum (q.v.). 

Hardy-annual. A bill that is 
brought before Parliament every year, 
but never passed into law; heace 
(journalistic), any stock subject. 

Hare. To dodge, double, be- 
wilder (1719). To hare it, to retrace 
one's steps, double back : from the 
way of a hare with the hounds ; to 
make a hare of, to make ridiculous, 
expose the ignorance of any person 
(1830) j to swallow a hare, to get very 
drunk: see Screwed (1696); to hold 
with the hare and hunt with the hounds, 
to play a double game, keep on good 
terms with two conflicting parties 
(1696). To kiss tJie hare's foot,, to be 
late, be a day after the fair, kiss the 
post. 

Hare-brained (or Hair-brained). 
Keckless, flighty, impudent, skittish : 
also, substantively, hare-brain, a hare- 
brained person (1534). 
Harei Hurried. 

Hare-sleep. Sham slumber, foxes' 
sleep (q.v.) (1696). 

Harking. Whispering on one side 
to borrow money (B. E.). 

Harlequin. 1. A sovereign: see 
Rhino. 2. (Winchester College), the 
wooden nucleus of a red indiarubber 
ball. 3. A patchwork quilt. Har- 
lequin china, sets composed of several 
patterns and makes. 



Harlotry. A wanton (1529). As 
adj., disreputable. 

Harman-beck (or Harman). 
An officer of justice : see Beak (1567). 

Harrnans. The stocks : the suffix 
mans is common lightmans, dark- 
mans, roughmans, etc. (1567). 

Harness. In harness, in business, 
at work : as, to die in harness, to die at 
one's post ; to get back into harness, to 
resume work after a holiday. 

Harp. Harp is also the Irish ex- 
pression for woman or tail, used in 
tossing up in Ireland, from Hibemia 
being represented with a harp, on the 
reverse of the copper coins of that 
country, for which reason it is in hoist- 
ing the copper, ie. tossing up, some- 
times likewise called music (Grose). 
To harp on, to dwell persistently and 
at any cost upon a subject (1596). 

Harper. A brass coin current in 
Ireland, temp. Elizabeth, value one 
penny: from the Irish Harp figured 
upon it. Have among you my blind 
harpers, an expression used in throw- 
ing or shooting at random among a 
crowd (Grose). 

Harridan. Orig. a foundered 
wanton : hence, a miserable, scraggy, 
worn-out woman (Grose). 

Harrington, A brass farthing. 
[Lord Harrington obtained a patent 
of manufacture under James L] 
(1616). 

Harry. 1. A countryman, clown, 
Joskin. 2. See Arry. Old Harry, the 
devil (1693). Harry of the West, 
Henry Clay. To play old Harry, to 
annoy, ruin, play the devil. Tom, 
Dick, and Harry, generic for any and 
everybody, the mob. 
Harry-bluff. Snuff. 
Harry-common. A general wencher 
(1675). 

Harry - soph (Cambridge Univ. : 
obsolete). * A Harry or errant Soph, I 
understand to be either a person, four- 
and-twenty years of age, and of an 
infirm state of health, who is per- 
mitted to dine with the fellows, and 
to wear a plain, black, full-sleeved 
gown ; or, else, he is one who, having 
kept all the terms by statute required 
previous to his law-act, is hoc ipeo 
facto entitled to wear the same gar- 
ment, and, thenceforth, ranks as 
bachelor, by courtesy* (Gent. Mag.). 

Harum-scarum. 1. Giddy, care- 
less, wild, a thoughtless or reckless 



215 



Has-been. 



Have. 



fellow (1740). 2. Four horses driven 
in a line, suicide (q.v.). 

Has-been. Anything antiquated : 
spec, in commendation, as the good 
old Has-beens ; of. Never was. 

Hash. 1. A mess ; spec, in the 
phrase To make a hash of : sixes- 
and sevens (1747). 2. Clandestine 
preparation for supper after hours 
(American cadets). 3. A sloven, 
blockhead (Burns). As verb, (1) to 
spoil, jumble, cook up and serve 
again ; (2) to vomit : also to flash 
the hash (q.v.). To go "back on one's 
hash, to turn, succumb, weaken (q.v.) 

Hash - house. A cheap eating- 
house, grubbing-crib (q.v.). 

Haslar-hag. A nurse at Haslar 
Hospital 

Hastings. To be none of the 
Eastings sort, to be slow, deliberate, 
slothful (1696). 

Hasty. Rash, passionate, quick to 
move (1696: now recognised). Hasty 
G., hasty generalisation (Cambridge). 

Hasty pudding. 1. A bastard. 2. 
A muddy road, a quag (1811). 

Hat (Cambridge Univ.). 1. A 
gentleman commoner (who is per- 
mitted to wear a hat instead of the 
regulation mortar-board) : also Gold- 
Hatband (1628). 2. A prostitute of 
long standing. Phrases : To eat one's 
hat (or head), generally in phrase, I'U 
eat my hat, used in strong emphasis ; 
to get a, hat : see Hat-trick ; to get into 
the hat, to get into trouble ; to have a 
brick in one's hat, to be top-heavy 
with drink : see Screwed ; to hang up 
one 1 8 hat-, see Hang; to pass (or send) 
round the hat, to make a collection ; 
to talk through one's hat, to rag, huff, 
bluster ; aU round my hat, a derisive 
retort from a broadside ballad, popu- 
lar c. 1830 : All round my hat I wear a 
green willow, All round my hat for a 
twelvemonth and a day, And if anyone 
should ask you the reason why I wear 
it, Tell them my true love is gone far 
away ; sung to a tune adapted from a 
number in Zampa : also, all over, com- 
pletely, generally; shoot that hat ! a 
derisive retort : also Ptt have your hat 1 
well, you can take my hat ! Well, that 
beats me, i.e. that is past belief ; 
what a shocking bad hat, said to have 
originated with a candidate for 
parliamentary honours, who made 
the remark to bis poorer constituents 
and promised them new head-gear. 



Hatch. To be under Jiatches, to be 
in a state of trouble, poverty, or de- 
pression : also dead (1606). 

Hatchet. 1. An ill-favoured 
woman. 2. A bribe received by 
Customs officers in New York for per- 
mitting imported dutiable goods to 
remain on the wharf when they ought 
to go to the general store-house. To 
bury (or dig up) the hatchet : see Bury. 
To throw (or sling) the hatchet, ( 1 ) to tell 
lies, yarn, draw the long bow (q.v.) ; 
hence hatchet flinging (or throwing), 
lying or yarning (1789). To sulk. 

Hatchet - faced. Hard - favoured, 

Hatch, Match, and Dispatch 
Column. The births, marriages, 
and deaths announcements : also 
Cradle, Altar, and Tomb Column, 

Hatchway. The mouth : see 
Potato-trap. 

Hate -out. To boycott, send to 
Coventry. 

Hatfield. A drink : the chief in- 
gredients are gin and ginger-beer. 

Hatful. A large quantity, heap 
(1859). 

Hatpeg. The head: see Crumpet. 

Hatter. A gold-digger working 
alone. Who's your hatter? a catch- cry 
long out of vogue. Mad as a hatter, 
very mad. 

Hat-trick. Taking three wickets 
with three consecutive balls : which 
feat is held to entitle the bowler to a 
new hat at the cost of the club. 

Hat-work. Hack work, such stuff 
as may be turned out by the yard 
without reference to quality. 

Haulable (University). Used of 
a girl whose society authorities deem 
undesirable for the men : e.g. she's 
haulable, a man caught with her will be 
proctorised. 

Haul-bowline. A seaman. 

Haul-devil. A clergyman, devil- 
dodger, sky-pilot. HavL devil, pvJl 
baker : see Devil. 

Haut-boy (or Ho -boy). A night 
scavenger, jakesman, gold - finder 
(q.v.). 

Have. 1. A swindle, take-in 
(q.v.), do (q.v.) : see Sell. 2. In pi., 
The moneyed classes, as opposed to 
the have-nots, their antipodes. 3. 
(in pi.) (Winchester College). Half- 
boots: pronounced Haves. Is that 
a catch or a have ? a formula of ac- 
knowledgment that the speaker ha* 



216 



Haoercake-lads. 



Head. 



been had : if the person addressed be 
unwise enough to answer with a defini- 
tion, the dovetail is a vulgar retort. 
As verb, to cheat, take-in, do. To 
have (or taJee) it out of one, to punish, 
retaliate, extort a quid pro quo, give 
tit for tat ; to have it out with one., to 
speak freely in reproof, complete an 
explanation, settle a dispute with 
either words or blows ; to have on, to 
secure a person's interest, attention, 
sympathy : generally with a view to 
deceiving him (or her) ; to have towards 
(or with or at), (1) to pledge in drink- 
ing, toast (1637) ; (2) to agree with ; 
to have on toast, (1) to take in; (2) 
worst in argument ; to have on the 
raws, to teaze, touch to the quick ; 
to let one have it, to punish severely ; 
to Iiave wp, to bring before the authori- 
ties ; to summons (q.v.). 

Havercake-lads. The Thirty-third 
Foot, now the first battalion of the 
Duke of Wellington's (West Riding 
Regiment). [From the circumstance 
that its recruiting sergeants always 
preceded their party with an oatcake 
on their swords.] 

Havey-cavey. Uncertain, doubtful, 
shilly-shally (1811). 

Havil. A sheep, wool-bird (1811). 

H a v o c k. Devastation, waste 
(B. E.). 

Hawcubite. A roysterer, street 
bully. [After the Restoration there 
was a succession of these disturbers 
of the peace : first came the Muns, then 
followed the Tityre Tus, the Hectors, 
the Scourers, the Nickers, the Haw- 
cubites, and after them the Mohawks 
(q.v.).] 

Hawk. 1. A card-sharper, rook 
(q.v.) (1696). 2. A bailiff, constable : 
see Beak. As verb, To spit up the 
thick phlegm, called oysters, whence it 
is wit upon record to ask the person 
so doing whether he has a license, a 
punning allusion to the act of hawkers 
and pedlars (Grose). Ware hawk ! A 
warning : look sharp ! (1529). 

Hawk-a-mouthed. Foul-mouthed. 

Hawker. A pedlar : now re- 
cognised (1696). 

Hawk-eye state. Iowa : after the 
famous Indian chief. 

Hawse. To faU athwart one's 
hawse, to obstruct, fall out with, 
counter and check. 

Hawse-holes. To come (or creep) 
in through the hawse-holes, to enter the 



service at the lovrept grade, rise from 
the forecastle (1830). 

Hay. To malce liay, to throw into 
confusion, turn topsy-turvy, knock tc 
pieces in argument or single combat : 
also to kick up a row. To dance t:,,e 
fiay, to make good use of one's tinx-. 

Hay - bag. A woman : FT., pail- 
laisse. 

Hay-band. A common cigar, s 
weed. 

Haymarket-hector. A prostitute's^ 
bully. 

Haymarket - ware. A common 
prostitute. 

Hay-pitcher (or Hay - seed). A 
countryman: of. Gape-seed (1851). 

Hays I An injunction to be gone, 
Git (q.v.). 

Haze. Bewilderment, confusion, 
fog (q.v.). As verb, (1) to play 
tricks or practical jokes, frolic ; hence 
Hazing : also to mystify, fog (q.v.), 
(2) To harass with overwork or paltry 
orders: also to find fault (1840). 

Hazel-geld. To beat any one with 
a hazel-stick or plant (B. E.). 

Hazy. Stupid with drink, mixed 
(q.v ) : see Screwed (1824). 

He (Charterhouse). A cake. A 
young he, a small cake : see She. 

Head. 1. A man-of-war's privy. 
2. The obverse of a coin or medal. 
Heads or tails ? Guess whether the coin 
spun will come down with head upper- 
most or not (the side not bearing the 
sovereign's head has various devices : 
Britannia, George and the Dragon, a 
harp, the Royal arms, an inscription, 
etc. all included in the word tail, Le. 
the reverse of head. The Romans said 
Heads or ships?) (1680). 3. An 
arrangement of the hair, a coiffure 
(1773). Phrases: To have at one's 
head, to cuckold (1640) ; to take one. 
in the head, to come into one's mind 
(1609) ; to do on head, to act rashly 
(1559) ; to do on ontfs head, to do 
easily and with joy ; to fly at the head, 
to attack, go for (q.v.) (1614); to 
eat one's Jusad : see Hat ; to eat one's 
(or if s) head off, to cost more than the 
worth in keep (1703) ; to run on head, 
to incite (1556) ; to give one's head (or 
one's beard) for washing, to yield 
tamely and without resistance : FT., 
laver la tSte, to reprimand, admonish 
with point, energy, and force (1615); 
to put a head (or new head) on one, (1) 
to change a man's aspect by punching 



217 



Head. 



Heap, 



his Lead : Jac^ou, to get the better 
of one's opponent, annihilate: also 
to put a new face on ; (2) to froth 
malt liquors : e.g. Put a head on it, 
Miss f addressed to the barmaid, is a 
request to work the engine briskly, 
and make the liquor take on a cauli- 
flower (q.v.) ; Jieads I win, tails you 
lose, a gage of certainty In no case 
can I fail : I hold all the trumps ; to 
get the, food into chancery, to get the 
other fighter's head under one arm 
and hold it there : hence Chancery, a 
position of helplessness (1819); (2) 
hence to get, or be got, into a posture 
of absolute helplessness ; to knock on 
the 7iead, to kill, destroy, put an end to ; 
to get (or put) the head in a bag : see 
Bag ; to get (or have) a swelling ^n the 
(or a big-) head, to be or become con- 
ceited, put on airs ; to hit the right nail 
on the head, to speak or act with pre- 
cision and directness, do the right 
thing : the colloquialism is common to 
most languages : the French say, 
Vous avezjrapp6 au but (You have hit 
the mark) ; the Italians, Havete dato 
in brocca (You have hit the pitcher : 
alluding to a game where a pitcher 
stood in the place of Aunt Sally, q.v.) : 
the Latins, Bern acu tetigisti, (You 
have touched the thing with a 
needle : referring to the custom of 
probing sores) (1719) ; to argue (or 
talk) one's head off, to be extremely 
disputative or loquacious, to be all 
jaw (q.v.) ; to bundle out head (or neck) 
and heels, to eject with violence ; to 
Jtave no head, (1) to lack ballast, be 
crack-brained: hence, to have a head 'on, 
to be cute, or alert, have sand (q.v.) ; 
(2) to be flat (of malt-liquors) ; to 
have a Tiead, to experience the after- 
effects of heavy drinking (of. Mouth) ; 
also to have a head-ache : see Screwed ; 
to give one his head, to give one full and 
free play, let go ; to have maggots in 
the head, to be crotchety, whimsical, 
freakish, have a bee in one's bonnet j 
to hurt in the. head, to cuckold, cornute ; 
to lie heads and tails, to sleep packed 
sardine fashion, i.e. heads to head- 
rail and foot-rail alternately ; over 
head and ears (in work, love, debt, etc.) 
completely engrossed in, infatuated 
with; to the fullest extent (1589); 
without head or tail, incoherent, neither 
one thing nor the other : e.g. I can't 
make head or tail of it, I cannot make 
it out (1728) ; to tow a head like a 



218 



sieve, to b unreliable, forgetful ; 
heads out ! a warning cry on the ap- 
proach of a master ; mutton-head (or 
headed) : see Mutton-head ; fat (or 
soft) in the head, stupid ; off one's head, 
stupid, crazy ; shut your head, hold 
your jaw. 

Head-beetler. ( 1 ) A bully ; and (2) 
a foreman, ganger (q.v.). 

Head-bloke. See Head-screw. 

Head - bully (or cully). Head 
bidly of the pass or passage ,bank, ' The 
Top Tilter of the Gang, throughout 
the whole Army, who Demands and 
receives Contribution from all the 
Pass Banks in the Army ' (. E. and 
Grose). 

Head - cook and bottle - washer. 

1. A general servant : in contempt. 

2. One in authority, boss (q.v.). 
Head -clerk. Head clerk of dox- 

ology works, a parson. 

Header. A notability, big-wig 
(q. v. ). To take a header, ( 1 ) to plunge, 
or fall, headforemost, into water : 
and (theatrical), to take an apparently 
dangerous leap in sensational drama. 
Hence (2), to go straight and directly 
for one's object (1856). 

Head-fruit. Horns (1694). 

Head-guard. A hat : specifically a 
billy-cock. 

Heading. A pillow, any rest for 
the head. Heading 'em, tossing coins 
in gambling : in allusion to the head 
on the coin. 

Head-marked. Horned. To know 
by head-mark, to know a cuckold by 
bis horns. 

Head-rails. The teeth: see 
Grinders (Grose). 

Head - robber, 1. A plagiarist. 
2. A butler. 

Head-screw (or bloke). A chief 
warder. 

Heady. 1. Heady, strong liquors 
that immediately fly up into the 
noddle, and so quickly make drunk 
(B. K). 2. Restive, foil of arrogance 
and airs, opinionated. 

Heady-whop. A person with a very 
large head. 

Healtheries. The Health Exhibi- 
tion, held at South Kensington: 
others of the series were nicknamed 
The Fisheries, The Colinderies, The 
Forestries, etc. 

Heap. A large number, lots, a 
great deal (1371). As adv., a great 
deal. AU of a heap, astonished, con- 



fused, takon aback, flabbergast (q.v.); 
and (pugilists') doubled up (1593). 

Heaped. Hard put to it, 
floored (q.v.). 

Hear. To hear a bird sing, to receive 
private communication : in modern 
parlance, A little bird told me so 
(1598). 

Hearing. A scolding, lecture, 
wigging. 

Hearing-cheats. The ears (1667). 
English synonyms: drums, flappers, 
leathers, lugs (Scots'), taps, wattles. 

Heart. Next the heart, fasting 
(1592). Other colloquial usages are 
at heart, in reality, truly, at bottom ; 
for on&'s heart, for one's life ; in one's 
heart of hearts, in the innermost re- 
cesses of oneself ; to break the heart of, 
(a) to cause great grief, or to kill by 
grief, and (6) to bring nearly to com- 
pletion ; to find in one's heart, to be 
wilTJTig ; to get or learn by heart, to 
commit to memory ; to have at heart, 
to feel strongly about; to have in the 
heart, to design or to intend ; to lay 
or take to heart, to be concerned or 
anxious about ; to set the heart at rest, 
to tranquillize ; to set the heart on, to be 
desirous of, to be fond of ; to take heart 
of grace, to pluck up courage. 

Heartbreaker. A pendant curl, love 
lock (q.v.) : FT., crSvecosur (1663). 

Heartburn. A bad cigar. 

Heartsease. 1. A twenty - shilling 
piece (B. E.}. 2. Gin: see Drinks 
(B. E>). 

Hearty. Drink, drunk: see Drinks 
and Screwed. My hearty, a familiar 
address. 

Hearty - choke. To have a hearty 
choke and caper sauce for breakfast, to 
be hanged: cf. Vegetable breakfast, 
and see Ladder (Grose), 

Heat. A bout, turn, trial: by 
this means the field is gradually re- 
duced : cf. Handicap (16S1). 

Heathen - philosopher. *A sorry 
poor tatter'd Fellow, whose Breech 
may be seen through his pocket- 
holes " (B. J?.). 

Heave. 1. An attempt to deceive 
or cajole ; a dead-heave, a flagrant 
attempt. 2. In pi., an attack of in- 
digestion or vomiting. As verb, (I) 
to vomit ; (2) to rob : old English ; has 



on (or ahead), to :aake haste, preaa 
forward. 

Heaven. See Wheelbarrow. 

Heavenly-collar (or lappel). A 
collar or lappel that turns the wrong 
way. 

Heaver. 1. The bosom, panter 
(q.v.) (1696). 2. A person in lore : 
i.e. siglung, or making play with the 
heaver. 3. A thief : cf. Heave. 

Heavy. See Heavy wet. As 
adj., large : e.g. a heavy amount, a 
considerable sum of money. To 
come (or do) the heaiy, to affect a 
vastly superior position, put on airs 
or frills (q.v.). The Heavies, the 
regiments of Household cavalry, 4th 
and 5th Dragoon Guards, and 1st 
and 2nd Dragoons : from their equip- 
ment and weight. 

Heavy - Cavalry (or Dragoons). 
Bugs : cf. Light infantry, fleas : also 
Heavy horsemen, the Heavy troop, 
and the Heavies. 

Heavy-grog. Hard work. 

Heavy-grubber. 1. A hearty eater, 
glutton : cf. Stodger. 

Heavy-plodder. A stockbroker. 

Heavy- (or Howling.) swell. A 
man or woman in the height of fashion, 
spiff (q.v.). 

Heavy- wet. 1. Malt bquor: 
specifically porter and stout : also 
Heavy: see Drinks (1821). 2. A 
heavy drinking bout. 

Hebe. A waiting maid, a bar- 
maid, waitress (1603). 

Hebrew. Gibberish, Greek (q.v.). 
To talk Hebrew, to talk nonsense, 
gibberish (1705). 

Hector. A bully, blusterer (1659). 
As verb, to play the bully, bluster: 
also to play the Hector (1677). To 
wear Hector's cloak, to receive the 
right reward for treachery: when 
Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumber- 
land, was routed in 1569, he hid him- 
self in the house of Hector Armstrong, 
of Harlaw, who betrayed Hm for hire, 
and prospered so ill thereafter that he 
died a beggar by the roadside. 

Hectoring. Bullying, blustering. 

Hedge. 1. To secure oneself 
against (or minimise) loss on a bet by 
reversing on advantageous terms, To 
get out (q.v.) : thus if a man backs A 



survived, in Shropshire, as a pro- to win him 100 at 5 to 1, he will if 
vincialism : e.g. the heler (hider) if possible hedge by laying (say) 3 to 1 
as bad as the heaver, the receiver is to the amount of (say) 60 against 

as bad as the thief (1567). To heave Mm ; he will then stand 

219 



wins he gains on tuts first bet 100, 
and loses on the second 60, leaving 
a net gain of 10 ; if A loses he gets 
on the first l>et 20, and wins on the 
second 20, thus clearing himself ; also, 
as subs. ( Ib i 0). 2. To elude a danger. 
To die by the ftedge, to die in poverty ; 
to hang i/i the hedge* of a lawsuit or 
anything else Depending, Undeter- 
mined (B. E.)> ns common as the 
hedge (or highway), very common ; 
T>y hedge or hi/ crook : see Hook. 

Hedge - bird. A scoundrel, vaga- 
bond, vagrant (1614). 

Hedge-bottom Attorney (or 
Solicitor). A person who, being 
not admitted, or being uncertificated 
(or, it way be, admitted and certi- 
ficated both, but struck off the rolls 
for malpractices), sets up in the name 
of a qualified man, and thus evades 
the penalties attaching to those who 
act as solicitors without being duly 
qualified : all the business is done in 
another name, but the hedge-bottom 
is the real principal, the partner being 
only a dummy. 

Hedge - creeper. A hedge-thief, 
skulker under hedges, pitiful rascal 
(1594). 

Hedge - marriage (or wedding). 
An irregular marriage performed by a 
hedge-priest (q.v.), a marriage over 
the broom. 

Hedge -note. Low writing: as 
Dryden, They left these hedge-notes 
for another sort of poem. 

Hedge - popping. Shooting small 
birds about hedges. Whence, hedge- 
popper, a trumpery shooter ; and 
hedge-game, small birds, as sparrows 
and tits. 

Hedge - priest (or parson). A 
sham cleric, a blackguard or vaga- 
bond parson, a couple beggar. As 
Johnson notes, the use of Hedge in a 
detrimental sense is common hedge- 
begot, hedge-born, hedge-brat, hedge- 
found, hedge-docked, hedge - tavern 
(a low ale-house), hedge-square (q.v,), 
hedge-reared, hedge-mustard, hedge- 
writer (a Grub Street author), hedge- 
building, etc. Shakespeare uses the 
phrase hedge-born as the very opposite 
of gentle-blooded (' 1 Henry VL,' iv. i. ). 
Specifically, hedge-priest (in Iceland) 
is a cleric admitted to orders directly 
from a hedge-school (q.v.) without 
having studied theology : before May- 
nooth, men were admitted to ordina- 



220 



tion ero they left for the continental 
colleges, so that they might receive the 
stipend for saying mass (1588). 

Hedge-school. A school in the 
country parts of Ireland formerly 
conducted in the open air, pending 
the erection of a permanent building 
to which the name was transferred. 
Hence, hedge-schoolmaster. 

Hedge-square. To doss (or snooze) 
in Hedge-square (or street), to sleep in 
the open air. English synonyms : to 
skipper it, doss with the daisies, be 
under the blue blanket, put up at the 
Gutter Hotel, do a star pitch. 

Hedge- tavern (or ale-house). 
A jilting, sharping tavern, or bund 
alehouse (B. E.). 

Heel. To bless the world with one's 
heels, to be hanged : see Ladder (1566). 
To cool (or kick) the heels, to wait 
a long while at an appointed place 
(1614). To lay T>y the heels, to confine, 
fetter, jail (1601) ; to lift one's heels, to 
lie down ; to turn (or topple) up the 
heels (or toes), to die : see Hop the 
twig (1592); to take to (or show) a 
pair of heels, to take flight, run 
away : see Burk (1593) ; h^s heels, the 
knave of trumps at cribbage or all- 
fours : hence, two for Ms heels, two 
points scored (at cribbage) for turning 
up this card ; to tread upon (be at, or 
upon) the heels, to follow close or hard 
after, pursue (1596) ; to go heels over 
head, to turn a somersault, be hasty, 
fall violently : also top over tail 
(1540) ; to have (or get) the heels of, to 
outrun, get an advantage (1748) ; 
down (or out) at heel, slipshod, shabby, 
in decay (1605). 

Heeled. Armed: from the steel 
spur used in cock-fighting. 

Heeler. 1. A follower or hench- 
man of a politician or a party. 2, 
A bar, or other loafer ; also any one 
on the lookout for shady work. 3. 
An accomplice in the pocket-book 
racket (q.v.) : the heeler draws 
attention, by touching the victim's 
heels, to a pocket-book containing 
counterfeit money which has been 
let drop by a companion, with a view 
to inducing the victim to part with 
genuine coin for a division of the find. 
4. (Winchester College). A plunge, feet 
foremost, into water : Pr., chandelle, 

Heel-taps. 1. Liquor in the bottom 
of a glass. Bumpers round and no 
heel taps, fill full, and drain dry ! Fr., 



Heifer. 



Her*,- house. 



rausigue (1795). 2. A dance peculiar Hellophone. The telephone : from 
do London dustmen. Halloo ! 

Heifer. A woman; old heifer Help. A hired assistant. Lady. 
(in Western America), a term of en- help, a woman acting aa a companion 
dearment. and undertaking the lighter domestic 

Heifer-paddock. A ladies' school. -<--.- - **- >- .,,,,. 

Heigh - ho. Stolen yarn : from 
the expression used to apprise a fence 
that the speaker had stolen yarn to 
sell. 

Helbat. A table. 

Hell. 1. Generic for a place of 
confinement, as in some games 
(Sydney), or a cell in a prison : speci- 
fically, a place under the Exchequer 
Chamber, where the king's debtors 
were confined ( 1593). 2. A workman's 
receptacle for stolen or refuse pieces, 
as cloth, type, etc. ; one's eye (q.v.) : 
also hell - hole and hell - box. Hett- 
matter (printers') old and battered 
type (1589). 3. A gambling house: 
whence stiver-hell, a gambling house 
where only silver is played for. Danc- 
ing-hell, an unchartered hall ; and so 
forth (1823). Heaven, Hell, and Purga- 
tory, three ale-houses formerly situ- 
ated near Westminster Hall (1610); hempen fever, to 
hett broke loose, extreme disorder, Ladder (Grose). 
anarchy (1623) ; hett of a lark, goer, 



duties with or without wages (1&24). 
So help (or s'e?p or s'wdp) me God 
(Bob, never, or say-so), an emphatic 
asseveration. 

Helpa. An apple. 

Helpless. Drunk : see Screwed. 

Hemp (or Hemp-seed, Stretch- 
hemp, Hemp-string, or Hempy). 
I. A rogue, candidate fit for the gal- 
lows : frequently used jocularly: see 
crack-halter (q.v.) : FT., gratne de 
bagne. 2. A halter (1754) ; as verb, 
to choke, strangle. To wag hemp in 
the wind, to be hanged (1532). 

Hempen-bridle. A ship's rope or 
rigging. 

Hempen Collar (candle, circle, 
cravat, croak, garter, necktie, or 
habeas). The hangman's noose, a 
halter: also hemp, and the hearty- 
choke (1530). 

Hempen Fever. To die of a 
be hanged : see 



row, and so forth), very much of 

a , a popular intensitive ; all to 

hett (or gone to hell), utterly ruined ; 
to hope (or ivish) to hett, to desire 
intensely ; to play (or kick up) hett and 
tommy, to ruin utterly : also to play 
hett and break things, to raise hell, to 
make helFs delight (1837) ; to lead 
apes in heU, to die an old maid : from. 
a popular superstition (1599) ; to give 
hett, to trounce, abuse, punish severely: 
also (American), to make one smell 
hell ; heft for leather, v-th the utmost 
energy and desperation ; like hell, 
desperately, with all one's might; go 
to hett! an emphatic dismissal; heU 
and scissor a ! an ejaculation of sur- 
prise and ridicule. 

Hell-bender. A drunken frolic, 
a tremendous row : also heU-a-popping 
and fall's delight. 

Hell - broth. Bad liquor : see 
Drinks. 

Hell-cat (hag, hound, kite, 
etc.). A man or woman of hellish 
disposition, a lewdster of either sex: 
of. Hallion (1606). 

Hell-driver. A coachman (1696). 

Hellite. A professional gambler 
(Ducange). 



Hempen-fortune. Bad luck : also 
the gallows. 

Hempen-squincy. Hanging * see 
Ladder (1646). 

Hempen-widow. A woman 
widowed by the gallows (1696). 

Hen. 1. A woman : specifically, a 
wife or mistress (1811). 2. Drink 
money: see Hen drinking. As verb, 
to funk, torn tail ; to hen on, to fear 
bo attempt. Cock and hen dub, club 
open to both sexes. Hens and 
chickens, pewter measures quarts 
and pints : cf. Cat and Mttens (1851). 

Hen-drinking. A Yorkshire 
marriage-custom: on the evening of 
the wedding day the young men of 
the village call upon the bridegroom 
for a hen meaning money for re- 
freshments .... should the hen be 
refused, the inmates may expect some 
ugly trick to the house ere the festi- 
vities terminate. 

Hen Frigate. A ship commanded 
by the captain's wife : cf. Hen-peeked 
(Grose). 

Hen-fruit. Eggs. 

Hen- (or Chicken-) hearted 
Timorous, cowardly (1529). 

Hen-house. A house Trader petti- 
coat government (Grose). 



221 



Hen-party. 



Hen-party (convention, or tea). 
An assemblage of women lev political 



L purposes. 

Hen-pecked. Petticoat govern- 
ment, ruled by a v.oraan (1006). 

Hen-snatcher. A chicken thiaf. 

Hens '-rights. Women's rights. 

Hen - toed. To turn the toes in 
walking, like a fowl. 

Here. Here's to you (at you, 
unto you, now, or luck), an invitation 
to drink, here's a health to you (3 J31). 
Herds luck, I don't believe you. / 
am not here, I don't feel inclined to 
work, I wish to be left alone. 

Here-and-Thereian. A rolling stone, 
a person with no permanent address 
(Lex. JBal., 1811). 

Hereford. White : Herefords 
are white-faced. 

Herefordshire-weed. An oak 

Her Majesty's Carriage. A 
prison van, the King's 'bus : see 
Black Maria: Fr., omnibus d, pgres. 

Her Majesty's Tobacco pipe. 
The furnace where forfeited tobacco 
from the Customs House was burnt : 
now a thing of the past : the tobacco 
being distributed to workhouses, etc. : 
see Tobacco-pipe. 

Herod. To out-Herod Herod, 
to out-do, specifically (theatrical) to 
excel in rant (1596). 

Herring. Neither fish, flesh, 
fowl, nor good red herring, neither one 
thing not the other (1682) ; to throw a 
sprat to catch a herring (or whole), to 

* . an advantage in the hope of 

r profit (1826) ; dead as a herring 
shotten herring), quite dead : 
die sooner on leaving the 
water "than most fish (1596); like 
herrings in a barrel, very crowded; 
the devil a barrel the better herring, all 
alike, indistinguishable. 

Herring - gutted. Lanky, thin 
(Grose). 

Herring - pond. The sea : speci- 
fically, the North Atlantic Ocean. To 
be sent across the herring-pond, to be 
transported (1722). 

Hertfordshire - kindness. An 
acknowledgment, or return, in kind, 
of favours received : spec, drinking 
to Kim who has already toasted one. 

Hewgag. The Hewgag, an undeter- 
minate, unknown, mythical creature. 

Hiccius Doccius. A juggler ; also 
a shifty fellow or trickster (1676). As 
adj., drunk. 



222 



Hie Jacet. A tombstone ; also 
a memorial inscription (1598). 

Hick. A man; specifically a 
countryman, a booby : also (American 
thieves') hiclcjop and hicksam (1696). 

Hickety - split. With all one's 
might, at top speed, hammer and 
tongs (q.v.), full chisel (q.v.). 

Hickey. Drunk : see Screwed. 

Hickory-shirt. A checked shirt, 
cotton or wool. 

Hide. The human skin: once 
literary, now colloquial or vulgar 
(1568). As verb, to flog, tan. 

Hidebound. Barren, intractable, 
niggardly, pedantic, utterly immov- 
able (1606). 

Hiding. A thrashing. 

Higgledy-piggledy. In confusion, 
topsy - turvy, at sizes and sevens 
(1598). 

High. 1. Drunk : see Screwed. 
2. Stinking, gamey (q.v.); whence, 
by implication, diseased, obscene in 
intention and effect. The High and 
Dry, the High Church or Anglo- 
Catholio party in the Establishment, 
to the Low and Slow (q.v.), 
jlical section : ci Broad 
and Shallow (1854). High and dry, 
stranded, abandoned, irrecoverable ; 
high and mighty, arrogant, imperious, 
proud, on the high horse or the high 
ropes (q.v.), full of side (q.v.) ; too high 
for one's nut, out of one's reach, beyond 
one's capacity, over one's bend (q.v.) ; 
you can't get high enough, a derisive 
comment on any kind of failure; 
how is that for high ? what do you 
think of it ? once a tag universal, 
common wear now (1860). 

High-bellied (or High in the belly). 
Pregnant : also High-waisted. 

Highbinder. 1. A Chinese black- 
mailer, 2. (political American). A 
political conspirator (Norton). 

High-bloke. 1. A judge. 2. A 
well-dressed man, splawger (q.v.). 

Highfalute. To use fine words, 
yarn (q.v.): IT., faireF ttroite. Whence 
highfaluting, bombast, rant ; and as 
adj., bombastic, fustian, thrasonical 
(1860). 

High-feather. In high feather, in 
luck, on good terms with oneself and 
the world. 

H i g h - fl y. To be on the high-fly, 
specifically, to practise the begging- 
letter imposture, but (generally) to 
tramp the country as a beggar (1839). 



High-tide, 



Highflyer. 1. Anything or any- 
body out of the common in opinion, 
pretension, attire, and so forth. 2. A 
dandy, male or female, of the first 
water. 3. A fast coach (1690). 4. A 
beggar with a certain style, begging- 
letter writer, broken swell (1851). 5. 
A swing fixed in rows in a frame much 
in vogue at fairs. 

High-flying. 1. Extravagance in 
opinion, pretension, or conduct (1689). 
2. Begging, the high-fly (q.v.), Stilling 
(q.v.). 

High-gag. A whisperer (MatseU). 
The high gag, telling secrets (Matsell). 

High-game. A mansion (thieves'). 

High - gig. In high gig, in good 
fettle, lively. 

High-go. A drinking bout, frolic. 

High - heeled Shoes. To have 
high-heeled shoes on, to set up as a 
person of consequence, do the grand 
(q.v.). 

High Horse. To go (or get) on 
(or ride) the high horse, to give oneself 
airs, stand on one's dignity, take 
offence : 3JV., vnonter sur aes grands 
chevaux : the simile is common to most 
languages (1716). 

High - jinks. 1. An old game 
variously played: most frequently 
dice were thrown by the company, 
and those upon whom the lot fell were 
obliged to assume and maintain for a 
time a certain fictitious character, or to 
repeat a certain number of fescennine 
verses in a particular order. If they 
departed from the characters assigned 
. . . they incurred forfeits, which were 
compounded for by swallowing an 
additional bumper (Quy Mannering, 
Note to ch. rxxii.) (1696). 2. A 
gambler at dice, who, having a strong 
head, drinks to intoxicate his adver- 
sary or pigeon. Under this head are 
also classed those fellows who keep little 
goes, take in insurances ; also, attend- 
ants at the races, and at the E O 
tables ; chaps always on the lookout 
to rob unwary countrymen at cards, 
etc. (Grose). 3. A frolic, row. To 
be at his high jinks, to be stilted and 
arrogant in manner, ride the high 
horse (q.v.) : FT., faire sa merde (or 
sa poire). 

High-kicker. Specifically a dancer 
whose speciality is the high kick 
or the porte d* armes ; whence, by meta- 
phor, any desperate spreester (q.v.), 
male or female. 



High - kiited. Obscene or there- 
abouts, full flavoured (q.v.), 

Hignland-bail. The right of the 
strongest, force majeure (1S1G). 

High - lawyer. A highwayman : 
see Thief (loD2;. 

High - liver. A garrotter, thief 
housed in an attic : hence high-living, 
lodging in a garret (Lex. Bal.). 

High-men. Dice loaded to run 
high: also, high-runners (1594). 

High - nosed. Very proud in look 
and in fact, supercilious in bearing 
and speech, superior (q.v.). 

High (or gay) old time (Game, 
Liar, etc.). A general intensitive : e.g. 
high old time, a very merry tune 
indeed ; high eld liar, & liar of might ; 
high old drunk, an uncommon booze 
(q.v.). 

High-pad (Toby, or High-Toby, 
splice). 1. The highway: also 
high-splice, toby (1567). 2. A high- 
wayman : also high - tobyman (or 
-gloak). (1696). 3. Highway rob- 
bery (1819). 

High-pooped. Heavily buttocked. 

High -rented. 1. Hot. 2. Very 
well known to the police ; hot (q.v.). 

High-roller. A goer (q.v.), fast 
liver, heavy gambler, highflyer (q.v.). 

High - ropes. To ~be on the high- 
ropes, to be angry, excited : also to 
put on airs, stand on one's dignity, 
ride the high-horse (q.v.) (1811). 

High-seasoned (or Highly-spiced). 
Obscene : of. Spicy. 

High- (or clouted-) shoon. A 
countryman, joskin (q.v.) (1096). 

High-sniffing. Pretentious, super- 
cilious, very obviously better than 
one's company, high-nosed (q.v.)- 

High-stepper. An exemplar (male 
or female) of what is fashionable, 
swell (q.v.): also a person of spirit. 
Whence, high-stepping (or high-pac- 
ing), conspicuously elegant or gallant^ 
in dress, speech, manner, conduct, any- 
High - stomached. Proud, dis- 
dainful, pot-valiant. 

High-strikes. Hysterics (1838). 

High-tea. Tea with meat, etc. : 
in Lancashire, bagging (q.v.). 

High-ti. A showy recitation 
(American : Williams ColL) ; at Har- 
vard, a squirt (q.v.). 

High-tide (or water) . Each for 
the moment, the state of being Sush 
(q.v.) (1696). Up to high-water mark 



High-iobij. 



Eitttie. 



in good condition : a general expres- 
sion of approval. 

High-toby. See High pad. 

High-toned. Aristocratic ; also, 
morally and intellectually endowed, 
beyond the common. High - soitlcd, 
cultured., fashionable. High - toned 
nigger, a negro who has raised himself 
in social position. [Once literary ; 
now utterly discredited and never 
used, save in ignorance or derision. 
Stokes, the maniac who shot GarSeld, 
described luznseli as a high-toned 
lawyer.] 

Highty-tighty (or Hoity-toity). A 
wanton (1G96). As adj., peremptory, 
waspish, quarrelsome. 

High Wood. To live, in high wood, 
to hide, dissemble of purpose, lie low, 
keep quiet. 

Higulcion - flips. An imaginary 
ailment. 

Hike. To move about: also to 
carry oS, arrest (1811). 

Hilding. A jade, wanton, dis- 
reputable slut (1593). 

Hill. Not worth a hiU of beans, 
absolutely worthless. 



Hip. To have (get, or catch) on 
the hip, to have (or get) an advantage 
(1591). 

H i p e. A throw over the hip. 
Hence, as vorb, to get across the hip 
before the throw. 

Hip-hop. To skip or move on one 
leg, hop : a cant word framed by the 
reduplication of hop (Johnson) (1700). 

Hip - inside. An inner pocket. 
Hip-outside, an outer ditto. 

Hipped (or Hippish). Bored, melan- 
chohcal, out of sorts (1710). 

Hippen. A baby's napkin (i.e. 
hipping cloth). Also (theatrical), the 
green curtain. 

H i r e n. 1. A prostitute : a cor- 
ruption of Irene, the heroine in Poole's 
play (158-i). 2. A sword: also a 
roaring bully, fighting hector: from 
Irene, the Goddess of Peace, a lucus 
a non lucendo. 

Hishee - Hashee. See Soap-and- 
bullion. 

His Nibs (or Nabs). See Nibs. 

Hiss. The hiss (Winchester Col- 
lege), thesignal of a master's approach. 

Historical- (Wrought-, or Illus- 



Hills (Winchester Coll.). 1. St. trated-) Shirt. A shirt or shift 



Catharine's Hill. 2. (Cambridge Univ.) 
The Gogmagog Hills : a common morn- 
ing's ride (Qradtts ad Cantab.). 

Hilly. Difficult: e.g. hilly reading, 
hard to read ; hilly going, not easy to 
do ; etc. 

Hilt. Loose in the hilt, unsteady, 
rocky (q.v.), lax in the bowels (1639). 

Hind-boot. The breech. 



worked or woven with pictures or 
texts (1596). 

History of the Four Kings. See 
Four Kings. 

Hit. A success : e.g. to make a hit, 
to score, profit, excel (1602). As 
adj. (Old Bailey), convicted. Hard- 
hvt, sore beset, hard-up (q.v.) : also 
deep in love (grief, or anger). As 



Hind-coachwheel. A five shilling verb, to arrive at, light on. To 

piece : IV., roue de derrtere, ihune, or hit it, to attain an object, light upon 

palet, a live franc piece : see Rhino. a device, guess a secret (1594) ; to hit 

H i n d - 1 e g. To kick ovt a hind off, to agree together, fit, describe 



to lout, make a rustic bow. 
talfs the hind leg off a horse (or dog) : 
see Talk ; to sit upon one's hvnd legs 
and howl, to bemoan one's fate, make 
a hullabaloo. 

Hindoo. See Know nothing. 
Hindoo punishment, more often called 
the muscle grind, a rather painful 



with accuracy and precision (1857) ; 
to hit the -fiat, to go out on the prairie 
(cowboy) ; to hit the pipe, to smoke 
opium ; to hit one where he lives, to 
touch in a tender part, hurt the 
feelings, touch on the raw (q.v.) ; hit 
(or struck) with, taken, enamoured, 
prepossessed : also hit up with ; hit 



exercise upon the bar, in which the in the teeiJt, to reproach, taunt, fling 
arms are turned backward to embrace in one's face (1663). 



the bar, and then brought forward Hitch, 
upon the chest^ in which position the married, 
performer revolves. 

Hind - shifters. The feet : see 
Creepers (1823). 

Hinges. Off the hinges, in con- 



1. To marry. Bitched, 
To agree: also to hitch 
horses. To hitch one*s team to the 
fence, to settle down. 

Hittite. A prize fighter. Eng- 
lish synonyms : basher, bruiser, duke 



fusion, out of sorts, not quite the ster, fistite, knight of the fist, gem- 



i&ing. 



man of the fancy, milling-cove, pug, 
224 



Hodmandod. 



puncher, scrapper, slasher, slogger, 
slugger, sparrmg-bloke (1823). 

Hive. To steal. To get hived, to 
be caught in a scrape : also to be 
hidden. To be hiied perfectly frigid, 
to be caught in flagrante delicto. 

Hivite. A student of St. Bees' 
(Cumberland). 

Hoaky. By the hoaky, a popular 
form of adjuration. 

Hoax. A jest, practical joke, 
take-in : originally (Grose) University 
cant. As verb, to play a practical 
joke, take-in, bite (q.v.). 

Hob (or Hobbinol). A clown (Qrose). 

Hob and Nob (or Hob Nob). 
1. To invite to drink, clink glasses 
(1756). 2. To give or take, to hit 
or miss at random (1577). 3. To be 
on terms of close intimacy, consort 
familiarly together. 

Hobbes's-voyage. A leap in the 
dark (1697). 

Hobbinol. Countryman, joskin 
(1663). 

Hobble. In a hobble (or hobbled), 
in trouble, hampered, puzzled : also 
(thieves'), committed for trial: Fr., 
tomber dans la m&asse (to come a 
cropper), and faitr6 (booked, q.v.). 
Hobbled upon the legs, transported or 
on the hulks (1777). 

Hobbledehoy. A growing 
gawk : as in the folk-rhyme, Hobble- 
dehoy, neither man nor bov. [For 
derivation, see Notes and Queries, 1 S., 
v. 468, viL 572; 4 S., ii. 297, viii. 
451, is. 47 ; 7 S., iv. 523, and v. 58.] 
(1557). Hence Hobbledehoyish and 
Hobbledehoyhood, 

Hobbledelee. A pace be- 
tween a walk and a run, a jog-trot 
(1811). 

Hobble r. A coast-man half 
smuggler, half handyman ; an un- 
licensed pilot : also a landsman acting 
as tow-Jack (Smyth). Also (Isle of 
Man), a boatman. 

Hobby. 1. A hackney, a horse in 
common use (1606). 2. A translation. 
To ride hobbies, to use cribs (q.v.). 
Sir Posthumous Hobby, one nice or 
whimsical in his clothes. 

Hobby-horse. 1. A whim, fancy, 
favourite pursuit. Hence Hobby- 
horsical, strongly attached to a par- 
ticular fad (1759). 2. A rantipole 
girl, wench, wanton (1594). 3. A 
witless, unmannerly lout (1609). As 
verb, to romp. 



Hob - collingwood. The four of 

hearts : considered an unlucky card. 

Hob-jobber. A man or boy on 

the look-out for small jobs holding 

horses, carrying parcels, and the like. 

Hob-nail. A countryman, joskin 

(1647). 

Hobnailed. Boorish, clumsy, coarse, 
ill-done (1599). 

Hobson's-choice. That or none : 
i.e. there is no alternative : popularly 
derived from the name of a Cam- 
bridge livery stable keeper, whose rule 
was that each customer must take 
the horse next the door, or have no 
horse at all. 

Hock. 1. The last card in the 
dealer's box at faro. Hence, from 
soda (q.v.) to hock, from beginning to 
end. 2. In pL, the feet. Curby 
hocks, clumsy foot: see Creepers 
(Gross). Old hock, stale beer; swipes 
(q.v.). In hock, laid by the heels, 
fleeced, bested (q.v.); and (thieves'), 
in prison. 

Hock-dockies. Shoes : see Trotter- 
cases (1789). 

Hockey. Drunk, especially on 
stale beer : see Screwed. 

Hocus. 1. A cheat, impostor : 
see Hocus-pocus (1654). 2. Drugged 
liquor (1823). As adj., drunk: see 
Screwed. As verb, (1) to cheat, 
impose upon ; (2) to drug, snuff (q.v.) 
(1836). 

Hocus-pocus. 1. A juggler's 
phrase: hence a juggler's (or im- 
postor's) stock in trade : also Hocus- 
trade (1639). 2. A trickster, juggler, 
impostor (1625). 3. A cheat, imposi- 
tion, juggler's trick (1713). As adj., 
cheating, fraudulent (1715). As 
verb, to cheat, trick. 

Hod (or Brother Hod). A brick- 
layer's labourer. Hod of mortar, A 
pot of porter. 

Hoddy-doddy (or Hoddie-doddie). 
A short thick-set man or woman: 
see Forty-guts. Also a fool (1534). 

Hoddy-peafc (or peke). A fool, 
cuckold (1529). 

Hodge. A farm labourer, rustic 
(1589). 

Hodge-podge (or Hotch-potch). 
A mixture, medley : Sp., commis~ 
trajo : see Hotch-potch (1553). 

Hodman. A scholar from West- 
minster School admitted to Christ 
Church College, Oxford (1728). 

Hodmandod. 1. A snail in hur 



Boe. 



Hdborn Hfll. 



shell (Bacon) : see Doddy (1663). 2. 
A Hottentot (1686). 

Hoe. To hoe in, to work with 
vigour, swot (q.v.). To hoe one's 
own row, to do one's own work. Hard 
row to hoe : see Hard row. 

Hoe-down. A negro dance, break- 
down (q.v.). 

Hog. LA shilling : also a six- 
pence : and (in America) a ten-cent 
piece : see Rhino (1686), 2. A foul- 
mouthed blackguard, dirty foecler : 
also, a common glutton (1598). 3. 
(Cambridge Univ. : obsolete), a 
student of St. John's : also Johnian 
Hog : see Crackle, Bridge of Grunts, 
and Isthmus of Suez (1690). 4. A 
yearling sheep (1796). 5. An inhabit- 
ant of Chicago : that city being a 
notable pig-breeding and pork-packing 
centre. 6. A Hampshireman (1770). 
As verb, (1) to cheat, humbug, gam- 
mon (q.v.); (2) to cut short: e.g. to 
hog a horse's mane. A hog in armour, 
a lout in fine clothes : also a Jack-in- 
office (q-v.) : Hog-in-togs (in America), 
a well-dressed loafer ( Grose). Hog and 
hominy, plain fare, common doings 
(q.v.): pork and maize are the two 
cheapest food stuffs in the U.S.A. 
To go the whole hog : see Whole animal. 
To bring one's hogs (or pigs) to a fine 
market, to do well, make a good deal 
(q.v.) : also in sarcasm, the opposite 
(1696). To drive one's hogs (or pigs) 
to market, to snore (1738). 

Hog - age. The period between 
boyhood and manhood: cf. Hobble- 
dehoy. 

Hogan - mogan. The States- 
General of the United Provinces were 
officially addressed as High and 
Mighty Lords, or in Dutch, Hoogmo- 
genden ; hence English satirists called 
them hogans - mogans, and applied 
the phrase to Dutchmen in general. 

Hog-grubber. A miser, niggard, 
mean cuss (q.v.) (1696). 

Hogmenay. 1. New Year's Eve, 
which is a national festival : the origin 
of the term has been the subject of 
much discussion (1776). 2. Hence a 
wanton: the feast was celebrated with 
much drink and not a little license. 

Hogo. A flavour, aroma, relish. 
Hence, in irony, and by corruption, a 
stink : cl Fogo : from IV., haul gotit 
(1569). 

Hogshead. To couch a hogshead, to 
lie down to sleep (1567)* 



Hog-shearing. Much ado about 
nothing, great cry and httle wool 
(1696). 

Hogs-Norton. To have, "been born at 
Hogs-Norton, to be ill-mannered( 1666). 
Hog-wash. 1. Bad liquor ; speci- 
fically, rot-gut (q.v.). 2. Worthless 
newspaper matter, slush, swash, and 
flub-dub (q.v.). 

Hoi Polloi. The candidates for 
ordinary degrees : from the Greek : 
cf. Gulf. 

Hoist. A shop-lifter; also a con- 
federate hoisting or helping a thief 
to reach an open window. The hoi&t, 
shop-lifting. To go upon the hoist, to 
enter a house by an open window 
(Grose). As verb, (1) to shop-lift, rob 
by means of the hoist (q.v.) ; (2) to 
run away: see Bunk; (3) to drink: 
e.g. WiH you hoist ? will you have a 
liquor ? hoisting, drinking ; on the 
hoist, on the drunk : also a hoist in. 
To give a hoist, to do a bad turn. 

Hoister. 1. A shop-lifter, hoist 
(q.v.) : also a pickpocket. 2. A sot : 
see Lushington. 

Hoisting (or Hoist-lay). 1. Shop- 
lifting, the hoist (q.v.) : also shaking 
a man head downwards, so that his 
money rolls out of his pockets. 2. A 
ludicrous ceremony, formerly per- 
formed on every soldier the first tune 
he appeared in the field after being 
married, as soon as the regiment, or 
company, had grounded their arms, 
to rest awhile ; three or four men of 
the same company to which the bride- 
groom belonged, seized upon him, and 
putting a couple of bayonets out of 
the two corners of his hat, to represent 
horns, it was placed on his head, the 
back part foremost, he was then 
hoisted on the shoulders of two strong 
fellows, and carried round the arms, 
a drum and fife beating and playing 
the pioneers' call, named Round-heads 
and Cuckolds, but on this occasion 
styled the Cuckolds March : in passing 
the colours he was to take off his hat 
.... This in some regiments was 
practised by the officers on their 
brethren (Grose). 

Hoit (or Hoyt). To be noisily or 
riotously inclined (1611). 

Hoity-toity. See Highty-tighty. 

Hokey-pokey. 1. A cheat, swindle, 
nonsense: from Hocus-pocus. 2. A 
cheap ice-cream sold in the streets. 

HolbornHill. To ride back- 



Sold. 



Edy-land. 



wards up Holborn HUl, to go to the 
gallows : the way was thence to 
Tyburn, criminals riding backwards 
(Grose) (1614). 

Hold. To bet, wager: see Do 
you hold? infra (1534). Phrases: 
To hold on to, to apply oneself, be per- 
sistent : generally, to hold on like grim 
death; to hold up, (I) to rob on the 
highway, bail or stick up (q.v.) : also 
as subs., a highwayman, road-agent 
(q.v.) ; (2) to arrest : see Nab ; to hold 
the stage, to have the chief place on the 
boards and the eye of an audience : 
FT., avoir les planches ; to hold a candle 
to (the devil, etc.) : see Devil; to hold 
a candle to, to vie with, be comparable 
to, assist in or condone ; to hold (or 
hang) on by the eyelids, eyelashes or eye- 
brows, (1) to pursue an object desper- 
ately, insist upon a point, carry on a 
forlorn hope : see Splash-board ; (2) 
said of a man aloft with nothing much 
to lay hold of; to hold in hand, to 
amuse, possess the attention of the 
nund, have in one's pocket; to hold the 
market, to buy stock and hold it to so 
large an extent that the price cannot 
decline ; do you hold ? have you money 
to lend ? can you stand treat ? hold your 
"horses, go easy, don't get excited : a 
general injunction to calm, in act and 
speech ; hold your jaw, hold your 
tongue, stow your gab (q.v.) ; Hold 
hard \ (or on) \ wait a moment ! don't 
be in a hurry 1 (1761) ; to hold-stitch : 
see Stitch ; to hold -wafer : see Water. 

Hold-out. An old-fashioned 
apparatus, in poker, for holding out 
desirable cards. 

Hole. 1. A cell : of. Hell, sense 1. 
(1540). 2. A cock-robin shop, private 
printing office : where unlicensed books 
were made (Moxon), (1683). 3, A 
difficulty, fix, hence (on the turf), to 
"be in a hole, to lose (a bet) or be de- 
feated (of horses) (1760). 4. A place of 
abode: specifically, a mean habitation, 
a dirty lodging : see Diggings. Phrases: 
A hole in one's coat, a flaw in one's 
fame, weak spot in one's character. 
To pick a hole in one's coat, to find a 
cause for censure ; to make (or burn) a 
hole in one's pocket, said of money 
recklessly spent; to make a hole in 
anything, to use up largely (1663) ; 
to make a hole in the wafer, to commit 
suicide by drowning ; to make a hole, to 
break, spoil, upset, interrupt; to make 
a "hole in one's manners, to be rude; 



221 



to make a hole in one's reputation, to 
betray, seduce ; to make a kola in the 
silence, to make a noise, raise Cain 
(q.v.) ; too drunk to see a hole in a 
ladder, very drunk : see Screwed. 

Hole-and-corner. Secret, under- 
hand, out of the way : e.g. hole-and- 
corner work, shady business. 

Holiday. Unskilled, indifferent, 
careless (Grose). Blvid man's holi- 
day : see ante. To have a holiday at 
Peckham, to go dinnerless. Att holi- 
day at Peckham, no work and nothing 
to eat. To take a holiday, to be dis- 
missed, get the gag (q.v.), or sack 
(q.v.). Gone for a holiday, said of a 
flaw, lapse, or imperfection of any kind 
(as dropped stitches, lost buttons, 
slurred painting, and so forth : also 
(Grose), any part of a ship's bottom 
left uncovered in painting it, and 
(Clark Russell) places left untarred on 
shrouds, backstays, etc., during the 
operation of tarrmg them. 

Holler. To cry enough, give in, 
cave in (q.v.) (1847). 

H o 1 1 i s (Winchester College). A 
small pebble (Notions), 

Hollow. Complete, certain, de- 
cided: as adv., completely, utterly: 
e.g. to beat or lick hollow ( 1759). 

Holt To take, take hold of. 

Holus-bolus. The head : also the 
neck. As adv., helter skelter, alto- 
gether, first come first served. 

Holy. More holy than righteous, 
said of a person in rags, or of a tattered 
garment. 

Holy-boys. The Ninth Foot, now 
the Norfolk Kegiment : from a trick of 
selling bibles for drink in the Penin- 
sula. 

Holy - father. A butcher's boy 
of St. Patrick's market, Dublin, or 
other Irish blackguard ; among whom 
the exclamation, or oath, by the Holy 
Father (meaning the Pope), is common 
(Grose). 

Holy Iron. See Holy Poker. 

Holy Joe. A pious person, 
whether hypocritical or sincere: also 
nautical), a parson. 

Holy Jumping Mother of Moses. 
See Moses. 

Holy - lamb. A thorough-paced 
villain (Grose). 

Holy -land (or Ground). 1. 
St. Giles's, Palestine (q.v.) (1819). 
2. Generic for any neighbourhood 
affected by Jews: specifically, Bay*- 



Holy Moses. 



Hook. 



water, ar.J ^nghton : cf. New Jeru- 
salem, and Holy of Holies. 

Holy Moses. See Moses. 

Holy of Holies. 1. The Grand 
Hotel at Brighton : which is largely 
tenanted by Jews. 2. A private room ; 
a sanctum (q.v.). 

Holy Poker (or Iron). The mace 
carried by an esquire bedel (of Law, 
Physic, or Divinity) as a badge of 
authority : the term, which is applied 
to the bedels themselves, is very often 
used as an oath. 

Holy-water Sprinkler. A medi- 
aeval weapon of oSence ; a morning 
star (q.v.). 

Home. England. To get tome, 
I. to achieve an object, succeed per- 
fectly, and (athletic) to reach the 
winning post. 2. to get in (a blow) 
with precision and effect, land (q.v.) : 
also(old) to give a mortal wound (1559) 
3. To recover a loss, neither to win nor 
lose, come out quits : also, to bring 
oneself home. To make oneself at "home, 
to take one's ease, be familiar to the 
point of ill-breeding. To come home, 
to, to reach the conscience, touch 
deeply. To go (send, or carry) "home 
(or to one's last home), to die, kill, 
bury: the Chinese say, To go home 
horizontally : see Hop the twig (1598). 

Home-bird. A hen-pecked hus- 
' band : also a milksop : FT., chauffe- 
la-couche (warming-pan). 

Home for lost dogs. A large and 
well-known medical school in London : 
from the fact that the majority of its 
inmates have strayed there from the 
various hospital schools, as a last 
resource toward taking a degree. 

Home - rule. Irish whisky : see 
Drinks. 

Homo. A man : generally Omee 
(q.v.) : from the Latin : see Cove. 

Homoney. A woman, also a wife : 
see Homo (1754). 

Homo-opathise. To get bills (i.e. 
petitions) through Legislature, Con- 
gress, or City Council, by means of 
bills (i.e. bank-bills). 
JHonesL 1. Chaste (1596). 2. 
Not positively illegal : as honest penny 
or shilling, money earned by means 
immoral (as by prostitution) but 
within the law. To turn an honest 
penny, to make a profitable deal 
(1677). To make an honest woman, to 
marry a mistress (1629). As honest 
a man as when kings are out, knavish. 



Honest as the skin, between the brows (or 
horns), as honest as may be (1551). 

Honest Injun ! A pledge of sincer- 
ity ; honour bright (q.v.). 

Honey. 1. A good fellow. 2. 
Money : see Rhino. 3. A term of en- 
dearment. As verb, to cajole, ex- 
change endearments, deceive by soft 
words or promises (1596). To sett 
honey for a halfpenny, to rate at a vile 
price (1592). 

Honey-blobs. Large, ripe, yellow 
gooseberries (1746). 

Honeycomb. A sweetheart : a 
general term of endearment (1562). 

Honey-fogle (or fugle). To cheat, 
swindle, humbug : see Gammon. 

Honour Bright 1 Upon my honour 
(1819). 

Hood. Two faces under one hood 
(or hat), double-dealing. To put a 
bone in one's hood, to cuckold (1560). 

Hoodlum. A young rough of 
either sex: also (political), a low- 
class voter : originally Calif ornian : cf . 
Arab. 

Hoodman. A blind man, groper 
(q.v.). As adj., blind; spec, drunk: 
also hoodman blind, blind drunk: FT., 
berlu and sans tnirettes. 

Hoof. A foot : see Creepers (1836). 
As verb, to kick. Hence, to hoof out, to 
eject, dismiss, discharge, decline to 
see. To hoof it (to pad or beat the 
hoof), to walk, tramp it, run away; 
hence Hoof -padding (1596). To see 
one's hoof in (a thing), to detect per- 
sonal influence or interference in a 
matter. 

Hoof-padder. A pedestrian. 

Hoofy. Splay, large. 

Hook. I. A finger : see Fork. In 
pi., the hands : also Hooks and Feelers 
(q.v. ). 2. A thief ( 1562). 3. A catch, 
advantage, imposture. As verb, (1) to 
rob, steal: specifically, to steal watches, 
rings, etc., from a shop by cutting a 
small hole in the window, and fiatiing 
for such articles with a piece of string 
with a hook at the end (1615) ; (2) to 
secure (as for marriage), marry. As 
intj. (Oxford Univ.), an expression 
implying doubt. Phrases: On the 
hook, (1) on the thieve, on the cross 
(q.v.); (2) on the hip (q.v.), at an 
advantage (1694) ; hook and eye, arm 
and arm ; to take (or sling) one's hook 
(or to hook it), to decamp, run away : 
see Bunk ; to drop (go, or pop) off tin 
hooks, (1) to die: see Hop the twig 



Hook and Snivey. 



Hop. 



(1837) ; (2) to get married ; to hook 
on to t to attach oneself to, button- 
hole (q.v.), follow up ; on one's own 
hook, on one's own account (risk, or 
responsibility), for one's own sake, 
dependent on one's own resources (or 
exertions) ; by hook or by crook, by- 
some means or other, by fair means 
or foul, at all hazards : probably of 
forestal origin (1298) ; with a hook at 
the end, a reservation of assent, over 
the left (q.v.), in a horn (q.v.) (1823) ; 
off the hooks, out of temper, vesed, 
disturbed, out of sorts : Fr., soriit de 
ses gonds, off the hinges (q.v.) : see 
Nab the rust. 

Hook and Snivey (or Hookum Sni- 
vey). 1. An imposture: specifically 

rtting food on false pretences (1781). 
An impostor as described in sense 1. 
3. A contemptuous or sarcastic affir- 
mation, accompanied by the gesture of 
taking a sight (q.v.) or playing 
hookey (q.v.). 4. A crook of thick 
iron wire in a wooden handle, used 
to undo the wooden bolts of doors 
from without (1801). 

Hooked. Over-reached, snapt, 
triekt. 

Hooker. 1. A thief (q.v.), 
angler (q.v.) : also (modern) a watch- 
stealer, dip (q.v.). * These hokers or 
Angglers, be peryllous and most 
wicked knaues, .... they customably 
carry with them a staffe of v. or vi. 
foote long, in which, within one ynch 
of the tope thereof, ys a lytle hole 
bored through, [leaf 9] in which hole 
they putte an yron hoke, and with 
the same they wyll pluck vnto them 
quickly any thing that they may 
reche ther with* (Harmon). 2. A 
prostitute. 

Hookey. To play hookey, to play 
truant, do Charley- wag (q.v.). To 
do (or play) hookey (or hooky}, to 
apply the thumb and fingers to the 
nose, take a sight (q.v.), coffee-mill 
(q.v.). 

Hookey Walker ! (or Walker !) 
Be off! go away: also implying 
doubt : cf. With a hook. \_Bee : ITrom 
John Walker, et hook - nosed spy, 
whose reports were proved to be fabri- 
cations.} 

H o o ki n g-c o w. A cow showing 
fight. 

Hook-pole Lay. Pulling a man off 
his horse by means of iron hooks at 
the end of a long pole, and plundering 



him (Smith, Lives of Highwaymen, ITL 
192, 1720). 

Hook-shop. A brothel 

Hoop. 1. A ring. 2. See Bull- 
finch. As verb, to beat. To u-dl 
/toop one's barrel, to thra&it soundly, 
tan (Grose). To hoop it for go through 
the hoop), (1) to pass the Insolvent 
Debtor's Court ; to get hooped up, 
whitewashed (q.v.) ; (2) to run away : 
see Bunk. 

Hoop-stick. The arm. 

H o o s i e t. A. native of Indiana : 
perhaps the most reasonaLle of several 
ingenious explanations is, that in the 
early days the customary challenge 
or greeting in that region was, Who's 
yer ? (who's here ?) : pronounced 
hoosier (Norton) (1843). 

Hooter. 1. A steam- whistle, 
American devil (q.v.). 2. A wooden 
trumpet, so contrived as to make a 
horrible noise. 3. A corruption of 
iota : e.g. I don't care a hooter for 
him. 

Hooting-pudding. A plum-pudding 
with such a paucity of plums that you 
can hear them hooting after each 
other (Slang, Jargon, and Cant). 

Hop. A dance : generally informal, 
as a Cinderella (q.v.). Also (1579) the 
motions of dancing. Hop - and - go- 
kick, a lameter, hop-and-go-one : cf. 
Dot-and-carry-one. To hop the wag, 



to play truant, or Charley-wag (q.v.) 
To hop (or jump) over the broom (or 
broomstick), to live as husband and 



live (or go) tally (q.v.) (1811). 
To hop the twig, (1) to leave, run away, 
skedaddle (q.v.): see Bunk (1785); 
(2) to die, kick the bucket (q.v.), to 
peg out (q.v.) : also to hop off. English 
synonyms : to be content, to cock up 
one's toes, to croak, to cut (or let go) 
the painter, to cut one's stick, to give 
in, to give up, to go to Davy Jones* 
locker, to go off the hooks, to go under, 
to go up, to kick the bucket, Hckera- 
boo (West Indian), to lay down one's 
knife and fork, to lose the number of 
one*s mess, to mizzle, to pass in one's 
checks, to peg out, to put on a wooden 
surtout, to be put to bed with a 
shovel, to slip one's cable, to stick 
one's spoon in the wall, to snuff it, to 
take an earth bath, to take a ground 
sweat. On the hop, (1) unawares, 
at the nick of time, in fiagrante delicto : 
also on the h. o. p. ; (2) on the go, in 
motion, unresting ; (3) See Hip. 



Hopeful. 



HorsebreaJcer. 



Hopeful (or Young Hopeful). A 
boy or young man: in sarcasm or 
contempt (1856). 

Hop- (or Hap-) Harlot. A coarse 
coverlet : cf. Wrap-rascal. 

Hopkins (Hoppy, or Mr Hopkins). 
A lameter: see Dot-and-go-one-Giles 
(Grose). Don't hurry, Hopkins / iron- 
ical to persons slow to move or to 
meet an obligation. 

Hop -merchant (or Hoppy). A 
dancing master, caper-merchant (q.v.). 
Also a fiddler (1696). 

Hop-o'-my-thumb. A dwarf (1599). 
English synonyms : go-by- the-ground, 
grub, grundy, Jack Sprat, little 
Breeches, shrimp, stump-of-the-gutter, 
torn-tit. 

Hopper. The mouth : see Potato- 
trap. To go a, hopper, to go quickly. 

Hopper - Hipped. Large in the 
breech : also snaggy-boned : also as 
subs. (1529). 

Hopper-docker. A shoe : see 
Trotter-cases. 

Hop-picker. 1. A prostitute : also 
Hopping-wife. 2. In pi., the queens of 
all the four suits. 

Hopping - Giles. A cripple : see 
Dot-and-go-one (Grose). 

Hopping- Jesus. A lameter: see 
Dot and -go-one. 

Hopping-mad. Very angry. 

Hop-pole. A tall, slight person: 
male or female: see Lamp-post. 

Horizontal Refreshment. Food 
taken standing ; generally applied to a 
mid-day snack at a bar. 

Horn. 1. The nose : also horney : see 
Conk (1823). 2. A drink ; a dram of 
spirits : see Go (1849). Phrases : To 
draw in one's horns, to withdraw, 
retract, cool dowja (Grose) ; to horn off, 
to put on one side, shunt : as a bull 
or stag with their horns ; in a horn, a 
general qualification (implying re- 
fusal or disbelief), over the left (q.v.) ; 
to come out of the little end of the horn, 
to get the worst of a bargain, be 
reduced in circumstances : also, to 
make much ado about nothing : said 
generally of vast endeavour ending 
in failure : through some unexpected 
squeeze (q.v.) (1605). 

Hornet. A disagreeable, cantanker- 
ous person. 

Hornie (or Homess). 1. A con- 
stable or watchman : also a sheriff. 2. 
The devil: generally Auld Hornie 



Hornswoggle. Nonsense, humbug 
(q.v.) : see Gammon. As verb, to 
humbug, delude, seduce. 

Horn-thumb. A pickpocket : from 
the practice of wearing a sheath of 
horn to protect the thumb in cutting 
out (1569). 

Horrors. 1. Delirium tremens. Also 
low spirits, or the blues (q.v.). 2. 
Sausages : see Chamber of horrors. 3. 
Handcuffs : see Darbies. 

Horse. 1. A five-pound note : see 
Fmnup. 2. Horsemonger Lane Gaol : 
also the old horse. 3. A man, a term 
of high regard and esteem. As verb, (1) 
a workman horses it when he charges 
for more in his week's work than he 
has really done : of course he has so 
much unprofitable work to get through 
in the ensuing week, which is called 
dead horse ; also (2) for one of two 
men who are engaged on precisely 
similar pieces of work to make extra- 
ordinary exertions in order to work 
down the other man : this is some- 
times done simply to see what kind 
of a workman a new man may be, but 
often with the much less creditable 
motive of injuring a fellow workman 
ha the estimation of an employer. 
Phrases: The gray mare is the better 
horse : see Gray-mare ; horse foaled of 
an acorn, ( 1 ) the gallows : see Nubbing- 
cheat (1760); (2) the triangles or 
crossed halberds under which soldiers 
were flogged ; old (or salt-) horse, salt 
beef: also junk and salt-junk; one- 
horse, comparatively small, insignifi- 
cant, unimportant (1858) ; to be horsed, 
to be flogged (from the wooden-horse 
used as a flogging-stool), to take on 
one's back as for a logging ; to fall away 
from a horseload to a cartload, ironically 
of one considerably improved in flesh 
of a sudden ; to ftog the dead horse : see 
Dead-horse and Horse ; to put the 
cart before the horse, to begin at the 
wrong end, set things hind-side before 
(1696) ; to put the saddle on the right 
horse, to apportion accurately (1696); 
to ride on a horse with (or bayard of) ten 
toes, to walk, use the marrowbone- 
stage: cf. Shanks' s mare (1606); as 
good as a shoulder of mutton to a sick 
horse, utterly worthless (1596); as 
strong as a horse, very strong: a 
general intensitive; horse and horse, 
neck and neck, even. 

Horsebreaker (or Pretty Horse- 
breaker). A woman (c. 1860), 



230 



H&rse-lwss. 



Hot-flannel. 



hired to ride in the park ; hence a 
riding demi-mondame. 

Horse-buss. Aloud-sounding kiss, 
bite (q.v.) (Grose). 

Horse -capper (coper, coser, 
courser, or chaunter). A dealer in 
worthless or faked horses : originally 
good English to cope, to barter : 
see Chanter. Hence Horse-coping and 
Horse-duffing (1616). 

Horse-collar. 1. An extremely long 
and wide collar. 2. A halter. To die 
in a horse's nightcap, to be hanged : see 
Ladder, English synonyms : anodyne 
necklace, Bndport dagger, choker, 
hempen cravat, hempen elixir, horse's 
neckcloth, horse's necklace, neck- 
squeezer, neckweed, squeezer, St. 
AndreVs lace, Sir Tristram's knot, 
tight cravat, Tyburn tiffany, Tyburn 
tippet, widow. 

Horse-editor. A sporting editor. 
Horse-copy, sporting news. 

Horseflesh. See Dead horse and 
Horse. 

Horse - godmother. A strapping 
masculine woman, virago : Fr., femme 
hommasse (Grose). 

Horse-latitudes. A space in the 
Atlantic, ' north of the trade - winds, 
where winds are baffling. 

Horse-laugh. A loud, noisy laugh, 
guffaw (1738). 

Horse - leech. 1. An extortioner, 
miser. 2. A horse - doctor ; also a 
quack (1594). 

Horse-marines. A mythical corps, 
very commonly cited in jokes and 
quizzies on the innocent. [The Jol- 
lies (q.v.) or Royal Marines, being 
ignorant of seamanship, have always 
been the butt of blue-jackets.] TeU 
that to the marines (or horse-marines), 
the sailors won't believe it, a rejoinder 
to an attempt at imposition or cred- 
ulity : often amplified with when 
they're riding at anchor. 

Horse - milliner. 1. A dandy 
trooper (1778). 2. A saddler and 
harness-maker (1818). 

Horse-nails. Money: see Rhino. 
To feed on horse-nails, to play so as not 
to advance your own score so much 
as to keep down your opponent's. 
To knock into horse-nails, to knock to 
pieces, be absolutely victorious. 

Horse-nightcap. See Horse 1 s-collar. 

Horse-protestant. A churehman- 

Horse-sense. Sound and practical 
j udgmen t. 



Horse 's-head. The boot-sole, heel, 
and what is left of the front after the 
back and part of the front have been 
used to fox (q.v.) other boots. 

Horse 's-meal. Meat without drink 
(Grose). 

Horse - sovereign. A twenty- 
shilling piece with Pistrucci's effigies 
of St. George and the Dragon. 

Hose. In my other hose, a quali- 
fication of refusal or disbelief, in a 
horn (q.v.), over the left (q.v.) (1598). 

Hoss. See Horse. 

Hoss-fly (or Old Hoss-fly). A 
familiar address : see Horse. 

Host. To reckon without one* 8 
host, to blunder (1696). Mine host, a 
taverner. 

Hosteler. An oat-stealer (Grose). 

Hot (Winchester College). 1. A 
mellay at football ; and, 2. a crowd. 
As adj., (1) of persons: sexually ex- 
citable, lecherous ; of things (as books) 
obscene, blue (q.v.), high -kilted 
(q.v.); hot member, a male or female 
debauchee, a man or woman con- 
temptuous of decorum ; "hoi as they 
make them, exceedingly amorous or 
reckless ; hot-blooded, lecherous : as (in 
"Merry Wives,' v. v.) the hot-blooded 
gods assist me ; hot-house, a brothel 
(1383); (2) careless of decorum, 
boisterous, utterly reckless, aban- 
doned ; (3) well known to the police, 
dangerous, uncomfortable; (4) violent, 
sharp, severe, passionate; (5) alive, 
vehement, instant. As verb (Win- 
chester College), to crowd, mob. To 
give (get, or catch) it hot, to thrash or 
reprove soundly, be severely beaten 
or taken to task (1859). lake a cat 
on hot bricks, uncomfortable, restive. 
Hot with, spirits with hot water and 
sugar: see Cider, and Cold without. 

Hot-beef. To give hat-beef, to cry 
Stop thief : also Beef (q.v.). 

Hot-cakes. To go off like hot cake*, 
to sell readily, be in good demand. 

Hot-foot. 1. Instant in pursuit. 
2. Restless. 

Hotch-potch. A medley, hodge- 

> (q.v.) (1597). 

tot-coppers. The fever and parched 
throat, or mouth (q.v.), attending a 
debauch : see Cool one's Copper (1830). 

Hotel Barbering. Bilking. 

Hotel warming-pan. A chamber- 
maid: also warming-paoi (q.v.): 3?r., 
Ivmog^re. 

Hot-flannel (or Flannel). Gin and 



231 



Hot-Jiouse. 



Hubble-buWe. 



beer, with nutmeg, sugar, etc., made 
hot (1789). 

Hot-house. A brothel, stew (q.v.) 
orig. a public bath (1596). 

Hot - place. Hell, a tropical 
climate. 

Hot-pot. Ale and brandy made 
hot (Grose). 

Hot -potato. To drop like a hot 
potato, to abandon (a pursuit, a person, 
a thing) with alacrity. 

Hot- stomach. So hot a stomach as 
to burn the clothes off his back, said of 
one who pawns his clothes for drink 
(Lex. JBal.). 

Hottentot. 1, A stranger (East 
End). 2. A fool : see Buffle. 

Hot - tiger. Hot-spiced ale and 
sherry. 

Hot-water. To be in hot-water, to 
be in trouble, in difficulties, worried 
(1846). 

Hound (King's College, Cam- 
bridge Univ.). 1. An undergraduate 
not on the foundation, nearly the same 
as a sizar. 2. A mean, contemptible 
feDow, scoundrel, filthy sneak. 

Hounslow-heath. The teeth: see 
Grinders ; also Hampstead-heath. 

Houri of Fleet Street. A pro- 
stitute. 

House. An audience. To bring 
down the house, to elicit a general 
burst of applause : FT., avoir sa cutel- 
ette boire du lait (1823). The House, 
(1) The Stock Exchange; (2) The 
House of Commons ; (3) Christ Church, 
Oxford. House (or apartments} to let, 
a widow (Lex. Bal.). Father of the 
Souse, the oldest elected member of 
the House of Commons. Souse that 
Jack built, & prison : see Cage. Like a 
house on fire, quickly, with energy : see 
lake. Safe as houses, perfectly safe. 

House -bit (or keeper, or piece). 
A servant-mistress. 

House-dove. A stay-at-home. 

Household-brigade. To join the 
household brigade, to marry, get 
spliced (q-v.). 

House of Civil Reception. A 
brothel : see Nanny-shop (Grose). 

House of Commons (or House of 
Office). A W.C. : see Mrs. Jones. 

House - tailor. An upholsterer 
(1696). 

Housewife (Huswife, or Hussy). 
Primarily, a house - keeper. Hence 
(a) a domestic servant ; (b) a wanton 
or a gad -about wench; and (c) a 



comic endearment. Hence, too, House- 
wifery and Housewife's tricks, wanton- 
ness (1508). 

Housey (Christ's Hospital). Belong- 
ing to the Hospital. 

Housle (Winchester College). To 
hustle. 

Hoveller. A beach-thief. 
How. How came you so ? drunt : see 
Screwed (1824). Sow much? What 
do you say ? What do you mean ? 
What price ? a general request for 
explanations. Sow are you off for 
soap, a street catch (1833). Sow the 
blazes', see Blazes. How is ihat for 
high-, see High. How's yow poor 
feet, a street catch : orig. a dovetail to 
a gag. Sow' II you have it, an invita- 
tion to drink: see Drinks. Sow we 
apples swim, (1) said in derision of a 
parvenu, of a person in better com- 
pany than he (or she) has any right 
to keep, or of a pretender to honour or 
credit he (or she) does not deserve; 
also (2) what a good time we're having ! 
Howard's Garbage. The Nineteenth 
Foot, now the Princess of Wales's 
Own (Yorkshire Regiment) : also 
Green Howards. 

Howard's Greens. The Twenty- 
fourth foot : now the South Wales 
Borderers : from its facings and its 
Colonel's name, 1717-37. 

How-do-you-do. A to-do, a kettle 
of fish, a pass (1835). 

Howler. An unblushing falsehood, 
enormous blunder, serious accident : 
and so forth. To come (or go) a 
howler, to come to grief, run, amuck. 

Howling. A general rntensitive 
e.g. Howhng swell, a man in the 
extreme of fashion ; howling - lie, a 
gross falsehood ; howling-bags, trousers 
extravagant in cut or pattern ; 
howling-cad, etc. 

Hosier. 1. An inside pocket 
(1834). 2. (Eoyal Military Academy). 
Extra drill : corruption of extra : Fr., 
&oZL 

Hoys. See Hoist. 
Hoyt See Hoit. 

Hub. 1. Boston : also Sub of the 
Universe; the description is Oliver 
Wendell Holmes's : since extended to 
other centres or chief cities. 2. A 
husband : see Hubby. 

Hubble-bubble. 1. A confused noise 
made by a talkative person, who 
speaks so quick that it is difficult to 
understand what he says or means 



HubUe-de-shuff. 



Hum-box. 



(Dyche). A hubble-bubble fellow, a 
man of confused ideas, or one thick 
of speech, whose words sound like 
water bubbling out of a bottle (Lex. 
Bol.). 2. A hookah, a pipe by which 
the smoke is passed through water 
(1811). 

Hubble-de-shuff. Confusedly. 

Hubbub. 1. A noise in the streets 
made by the rabble (B. E.). 2. A noise, 
riot, or disturbance (Grose). 

Hubby (or Hub). A husband (1798). 

Huck. To chaffer, bargain ( 1577). 

Huckleberry. Above one's huclde- 
berry (bend, or hook), beyond one's 
ability, out of one's reach : see Bend 
(1848). 

Huckle-my-but. Beer, egg, and 
brandy made hot (Grose). 

Huckster. 1. A retailer of small 
goods, pedlar (1696). 2. A mean 
trickster (1696). In huckster's hands, 
At a desperate pass, or condition, 
or in a fair way to be lost (B. E.). 

Hucksum (Huckle, Huckle-bone, 
or Huck-bone). The hip (1508). 

Hue. ' The Cove was Hued in the 
Naskin, the Rogue was severely Lasht 
inBridewel' (B. B.). 

Huey. A town or village. 

Huff. 1. An outburst of temper, 
peevishness, offence at some real or 
imaginary wrong or slight. Hence, 
to get (or take) the huff, to fly into a 
passion (1599). 2. A bully, Hector 
(q.v.), sharper: also Captain Hufi 
(1569). 3. A dodge, trick. 4. A term 
in the game of draughts : the penalty 
for not taking a piece. 5. ( Winchester 
College) : see Huff-cap. As verb, (1) 
to bluster, bounce, swagger (1607) ; 
(2) to anger, cheek (q.v)., get angered 
(1708). As intj., an exclamation of 
defiance : also Huffa and Huffa- 
gallant; the last probably the oldest 
form of the word (1510). To stand 
the huff, to stand the reckoning (Lex. 
Bal.), Also huffy, easily offended; 
huffed, annoyed ; huffily, testily, in a 
tantrum. 

Huff -cap (or Huff). 1. Strong 
ale : from inducing people to set their 
caps in a bold and huffing style. 
(Nares) (1579). 2. A swaggering bully, 
Hector (q.v.) (1596). As adj., swag- 
gering, blustering, rousing (1597). 
Huffer. A swaggerer. 
Huffle. To shift, hesitate, waver. 

Huff-snuff. A person apt to take 
(1692). 



Huftie-tuftie, Swaggering, galla f; 
(159G). * 

Hug. Garrotting (q.v.): also verbally 
and to put on the hug. To hug broi n 
bess (q.v.) ; to hug the rjuitner's da,U *- 
ter, to cuddle a gun for punishment ; 
to hug the ground, to fall, or be hit off 
one's legs; to give the hxg (pugilists), 
to close with and grapple the bcdy ; 
to hug the shore (bank, or wall), to 
keep close to ; Cornish hug, a hold 
in wrestling ; to hug a belie/ (de- 
lusion, or thought), to chur'sh; to 
hug one's cltains, to de^ght in 
captivity. 

Hugger-mugger. Mudcje, confu- 
sion. As adj., closely or b. T stealth, 
under-board : To eat so, tt^t is, to 
eat by one's self (B. E.). As adj., con- 
fused, disorderly, hap-hazard, hand- 
to-mouth (q.v. ; As verb, to meet by 
stealth, lay heads together. In hugger- 
mugger, in secret (1565). 

Hugging. Garrotting (q.v.). 
Hugsome. Attractive. 
Hulk (Hulkj, or Hulking). A 
fat person, a big lout generally, 
great hulk of a fellow (1631). As verb, 
to hang about, to Mooch (q.v.). 

Hull-cheese. ' Huli-cheese is much 
like a loafe out of a brewers basket, 
it is composed of two simples, mault 
and water, in one compound, and is 
cousin germane to the mightiest ale 
in England' (John Taylor). 

Hulverhead (Hulverheaded). A 
fool : see Buffle. 

Hum. 1. A kind of strong liquor : 
probably a mixture of beer and spirits, 
but also applied to old, mellow, and 
very strong beer : also Hum- cap 
(1616). 2. A trick, delusion, cheat, 
a lie (1756). 3. A church-goer. As 
verb, (1) to cheat, bamboozle, quiz 
(q.v.) (1762) ; (2) to mumble. To hum 
and haw, to hesitate, raise objections 
(1469). To make things hum, to 
force the pace, keep moving. To 
hum around, to call to account, call 
over the coals (q.v.). 

Human. A human being, 
liumber-keels. See Billy-boy. 
Humble Pie. To eat humble pie, to 
submit, apologise, knock under: see 
Cave in. 

Hum-bos^ 1. A pulpit (1725). Eng- 
lish synonyms : autem, cackle tub, 
clack loft, cowards' castle, gospel 
mill (also a church), wood. 2. An 
auctioneer's rostrum, 



233 



Humbox Pattef&r. 



Hurly-burly. 



K Humbox Patterer. A parson, devil- 
dodger, sky-pilot 

1 Humbug. I. A hoax, imposture, 
t Dwindle (1735). 2. Deceit, pretence, 
flffection. 3. A cheat, impostor, pre- 
tender : also (old), hummer (1783). As 
Verb, to hoax, swindle, cajole (1751). 
Hence, humbugging, hoaxing, swind- 
ling; humbugable., gullible; humbug- 
gery, deception, imposture ; humbug - 
ger, ,-jheat, hoaxer (1783). 

Huradnim. 1. A tiresome dullard, 
steadj - going, common - place person 
(1596). 2. Monotony, tameness, dull- 
ness (1823). 3. The same as humbug, 
(1596). L A wife; also a husband. 
As adj.,dull, tame, common - place, 
monotonous (1702). 

Humdurgeon. 1. An imaginary ill- 
ness (Grose). 2. Needless noise, ado 
about nothing (1815). 

Humdurgeoned. Annoyed. 

Humguffin. A hobgoblin: also a 
derisive address. 

Humgumptious. A knowing sort of 
humbug is humgumptious (Bee). 

Hummer. 1. Anything of magnitude 
or note (1696): spec. 2. a man or 
woman of notable parts, high stepper 
(q.v.), good goer (q.v.) : cf. Bustler. 
3, See Humbug. 

Humming. Strong applied to 
drink; brisk applied to trade ; hard 
applied to blows. Humming 
October., the specially strong brew 
from the new season's hops, stingo 
(q.v.) (1696). 

Hump. 1. To spoil, botch, do for. 
2. To shoulder and carry: e.g. to 
hump one's swag, to shoulder one's 
kit. To hump oneself, to stir, prepare 
for attack, fancy oneself (1847). To 
get (or have) the hump, to be despon- 
dent, hurt, put out, down in the 
mouth (q.v.) : also to have ihe hump 
up (or ow) (1599). 

Humpey. A pile of buffalo robes. 

Humphrey. A coat with pocket holes 
but no pockets (Matsett). To dine 
with Duke Humphrey: see Dine, Sir 
Thomas Gresham, and Knights (1592). 

Humpty-dumpty. 1. A short and 
thick-set person, grundy (q.v.), hunch- 
back : see Forty-guts. 2. Ale boiled 
with brandy (1696). As adj. and 
adv., short and thick, all of a heap, 
all together. 

Hum-strum. A musical instrument 
made of a mop-stick, a bladder, and 
some packthread, thence also called 



bladder and string, and hurdy gurdy ; 
it is played on like a violin, which is 
sometimes ludicrously called a hum- 
strum; sometimes instead of a bladder 
a tin canister is used (Grose). 

Hunch. To jostle, shove, squeeze 
(1696). 

Hung. To be hung up, to come to a 
standstill, be in a fix. 

Hungarian. 1. A hungry man, a 
rare pecker (q.v.) (1608). 2. A free- 
booter. 

Hunk. To be (or get) hunk or att hunk, 
(1) to hit a mark, achieve an object, be 
safe. Also (2) to scheme : from Dutch 
honk, goal or home. 

Hunker (or Old Hunker). In New 
York (1844) a Conservative Democrat, 
as opposed to the Young Democracy or 
Barn-burners (q.v.). Hence, an anti- 
progressive in politics. 

Hunks. A miser, mean, sordid 
fellow, curmudgeon. 

Hunky. Good, jolly: a general 
superlative: also Hunkidorum. 

Hunt. To decoy a pigeon (q.v.) to 
the tables. Hence hunting, card- 
sharping, flat - catching (q.v.) (1696). 
To hunt for soft spots, to make one- 
self comfortable, seek one's ease. To 
hunt grass, to be knocked down, 
grassed (q.v.) : also, to be puzzled, 
dumfow^dered. To hunt leather, to 
field at cricket. To hunt the dummy, 
to steal pocket books. To hunt the 
squirrel, an amusement practised by 
post boys and stage-coachmen, which 
consists in following a one - horse 
chaise, and driving it before them, 
passing close to it so as to brush the 
wheel, and by other means terrifying 
any woman or person that may be in 
it: a man whose turn comes for him 
to drink, before he has emptied his 
former glass, is said to be hunted 
(Grose). In (or out of) the hunt, 
having a chance (or none) ; in (or out) 
of the swim (q.v.), admitted to (or 
outside) a circle or society. 

Hunt-about. 1. A prying gossip. 2. 
A street walker. 

Hunt-counter. A beggar (1598). 

Hunters. Pitching the hunters, the 
three sticks a penny, with snuff-boxes 
stuck upon sticks ; if you throw your 
stick, and they fall out of the hole, you 
are entitled to what you knock off 
(Land. Lab.). 

Hurly-burly. A commotion, buatK 
uproar (1509). 



234 



Hurra's-nest* 



Image. 



Hurra 's-nest. The utmost confu- 
sion, everything topsy - turvy, shces- 
and-sevcns. 

Hurrah in Hell. Not to care a single 
hurrah in hell, to be absolutely in- 
different. 

Hurry. A quick passage on the 
violin, or a roll on the drum, leading 
to a climax in the representation. 

Hurry-durry. Rough, boisterous, 
impatient of counsel or control (1677). 

Hurrygraph. A hastily written 
letter. 

Husband's - boat. The Saturday 
boat to Margate during the summer 
season (1867). 

Husband's- tea. Weak- tea, water 
bewitched (q.v.). 

Hush. To kiU (Grose). 

Hush - money. Money paid for 
silence, to quash a case, or stay a wit- 
ness, a bribe, blackmail (1709). 

Hush-shop (or crib). An unlicensed 
tavern, 

Husky (Winchester College). Goose- 
berry fool with the husks in it : obsolete 
(Notions). As adj., stout, well built. 

Husky-lour. A guinea : see Khino 
(1696). 

Hussy. A corruption of housewife 
(q.v.). 



Hustle. To bestir oneself, go to 
work with vigour and energy : also to 
hustle, around. 

Hustler. An active man or woman, 
a hummer (q.v.), rustler (q.v.). 

Hutch. A place of residence or 
employment, diggings (q.v.). 

Hutter. See Hatter. 

Huxter. Money : also Hoxter : see 
Rhino. 

Huzzy (or Huzzie). A case: of 
needles, pins, scissors, bodkins, etc., a 
housewife's companion. 

Hypernese. A dialect of school cry pt- 
oepy. When spoken fast it deiies an 
outsider's curiosity. If two consonants 
commence a syllable, the former is 
dropped, and W substitute i : thus 
breeches would be wareechepes. If P 
commences a syllable, G is interpolated: 
thus penny would be pegennepy .... 
Bishop WilMns described it, without 
mentioning it as a novelty, a couple of 
centuries ago. 

Hyphenated American. A natural- 
ised citizen, as German - Americans, 
Irish- Americans, and the like (Norton). 

Hypocrite. A pillow slip or 
sham. 

Hyps (or Hypo). The blue devils 
(q.v.) (1710). 



Ice. A big thing on ice, a profitable 
venture, good thing ; also B.T.L 

Icken. Oak. Icken-baum, oak-tree : 
from the German (Mat3dl). 

Ictus. A lawyer : see Green-bag. 
[A corruption of juris consultas']. 

Idea-pot (or box). The head: see 
Crumpet (Grose). 

Identical. Generally tTte identical, 
the self-same person, point, argument, 
or action (1664). 

I desire. A fire. 

Ignoramus. A stupid and unlettered 
person, male or female : first applied to 
ignorant lawyers : from Latin, we 
ignore (it), the endorsement by which 
a grand jury threw out a bill (1569). 

Ignoramus-jury. A Grand Jury. 
(1696). 

I key. A Jew : specifically a Jew 
fence (q.v.) : a corruption of Isaac : 
also Ikey Mo. As adj., smart, fly 
(q.v.), knowing (q.v.). 

lie. See OiL 



I1L Vicious, unpleasant, ill-tem- 
pered : ci Religious. Also ill for, 
having a vicious propensity for any- 
thing (Jamieson) : cf. Neither is it ill 
air only that makes an ill seat, but 
ill ways, ill markets, and ill neigh- 
bours (Bacon). To do til to, to wrong 
a woman. 

Illegitimate. 1. A counterfeit 
sovereign; young illegitimate, a half 
sovereign (Bee). 2. A low grade coster- 
monger. As adj., applied to steeple- 
chasing or hurdle - racing as distin- 
guished from work on the flat. 

Ill-fortune. Ninepence: also the 
picture of &-luc& (B. E.). 

flluminate. To interline with a 
translation (1856). 

Illustrated Clothes. See Historical 
Shirt. 

I 'in-afloat. 1. A boat 2. A coat : see 
Capella. 

Image. An affectionate reproof: 
e,g. Come out you little image I 



Immense. 



Infant. 



Immense. A general superlative : 
cf. Awful, Bloody, etc. (1771). 

Immensikoff . A fur-lined overcoat : 
from the burden of & song, The Shore- 
ditch Toff, sung (c. 1SGS) by the late 
Arthur Lloyd, who described himself 
as Immensikoff, and wore an upper 
garment heavily trimmed -with fur. 

Immortals.The Seventy-Sixth Foot: 
now the second battalion of the Duke 
of Wellington's (West Riding Regi- 
ment). [Most of its men were wounded, 
but escaped being killed, in India in 
1806.] Also the Pigs, and The Old 
Seven and Sixpennies. 

Imp. A mischievous brat, a small 
or minor devil : originally a child. 
[Trench : there are epitaphs extant 
commencing, Here lies that noble imp ; 
and Lord Cromwell, writing to Henry 
VIEI., speaks of That noble imp your 
son.] 2. A man who gets up cases for 
a devil (q.v.). 

Imperence. Impertinence, impud- 
ence, cheek (q.v.). Also, inferentially, 
an impudent person; e.g. What's 
your imperence about ? (1766). 

Imperial. A tuft of hair worn on the 
lower lip. [It was introduced by the 
Emperor Napoleon HI.] See Goatee. 

Implement (old). A Tool, a Pro- 
perty, or Fool easily engaged in any 
(tho* difficult or Dangerous) Enter- 
prise (B. E.). 

Importance. A wife : also com- 
fortable importance (q.v.) (1647). 

Impost - taker. A gambler's and 
blackleg's money-lender, sixty- per- 
cent, (q.v.) (1696). 

Improvement. That part of a 
sermon which enforces and applies to 
everyday life the doctrine previously 
set forth, the application. 

Impure. A wanton (1511). 

In. A person in, or holding an 
office; specifically (in politics), a 
member of the party in office : cf. Out 
(1768). As adv., various : cricketers, 
at the wickets ; general, in season ; 
also, on an equality with, sharing, or 
intimate with, or fashionable; poli- 
tical, in office ; thieves', in prison ; or 
quodded (q.v.). To fie in (or in it) 
with one, (1) to be even with, on guard 
against; (2) to be on intimate terms 
(or in partnership) with, in the swim 
(q.v.). To "be. in for it, (1) to be in 
trouble ; generally to be certain to 
receive, suffer, or do (something) 
(1668) ; (2) To be with child. In for 



the plate, venereally infected. For 
all there's in it, to the utmost capacity 
(of persons and things). To play 
one's hand for all there's in it, to use 
fair means or foul to attain an object. 
To get it in for one, to remember to one's 
disadvantage. For combinations see 
Altitudes, Arms of Morpheus, Bad 
way, Blues, Bottom of the bag, Buff, 
Bunch, Cart, Click, Clover, Crack, 
Crook, Cups, Dead earnest, Difficulty, 
Hole, Jiffy, Jug, Kish, Know, Laven- 
der, Limbo, Liquor, Lurch, Patter, 
Pound, Print, Queer Street, Rags, 
Running, Shaoe, Shell, Skiffle, Slash, 
State of Nature, Straw, String, Suds, 
Sun, Swim, Tin-pot way, Town, 
Twinkling, Water, Wind, Wrong box, 
etc. 

In-and-out. The detail or intricacies 
of a matter ; generally in pi., e.g. To 
know all the ins-and-outs of a matter. 
As adv., unequal, variable : ap- 
plied to the performances of a horse 
which runs well one day, and on 
another not. 

Inch. To encroach, move slowly 
(1696). 

Incog. 1. Unknown, in disguise : 
also as subs. [An abbreviation of 
incognito.'] (1696). 2. Drunk: Le. 
disguised in liquor : see Screwed 
(1823). 

Incognita. A high-class prostitute, 
anonyma (q.v.). 

Incumbrance. In pi., children. 

Indentures. To make indentures, 
to stagger with drink (1622). 

Indescribables. Trousers : see Kicks 
(1835). 

Index. The face, dial (q.v.), phiz 
(q.v.). 

Indian. To prowl about, live like 
an Indian. 

Indian-gift. An inadequate return or 
exchange, a sprat for a whale. Indian 
giver, one who takes back a gift. 

India-wipe. A silk handkerchief 
(Grose). 

Indies. See Black Indies. 

Indispensables. Trousers: see 
Kicks. 

Indorse. To cudgel, lay cane on 
Abel (Grose). 

Ineffable. In pi., trousers; see 
Kicks. 

Inexplxcables. Trousers : see Kicks. 

Inexpressibles. Trousers : see Kicks 
(1790). 

Infant See Woolwich Infant 



Infantry. 



Interloper. 



Infantry. Children : Fr., entrer dans 
finfantene, to fail with child (1<;2U). 
Light infantry, fleas : cf. Heavy 
dragoons. 

Infare (or Infair). An installation 
with ceremony and rejoicing : house- 
wanning : more particularly an enter- 
tainment given by a newly married 
couple on their return from the honey- 
moon (1375). 

Inferior (Winchester College). 
Any member of the School not a 
Praefect (q.v.). 

Infernal. An intensitive: detest- 
able, fit only for hell : cf. Awful, 
Bloody (1602). 

Infra - dig (Winchester College). 
Scornful, proud : e.g. He sported infra- 
dig duck, or I am infra-dig to it. 

Ingle. An intimate, dear friend. 
As verb, to caress, to make much of 
(1599). 

Ingler. A fraudulent horse-dealer 
(1825). 

Ingotted. Rich, warm (q.v.), well- 
ballasted (q.v.). 

Iniquity Office. A registry office. 

Ingun. To get upon one's ingun, to 
get angry, turn savage. 

Ink. To sling ink, to make a 
business of writing : see Ink-slinger. 

Inkhorn (or Ink-pot). Pedantic, 
dry, smelling of the lamp (1579). 

Inkle. To warn, give notice, hint 
at, disclose (1340). 

Inkle-weaver. A close companion, 
chum (q.v.) (1725). 

Ink-slinger (Inkspiller, or Ink- 
waster). 1. A journalist, author, 
brother of the quill (q.v. ) : generally in 
contempt of a raw hand : Fr., marehand 
delignes. 

Ink-slinging. Writing for the press : 
Fr., scriboufllage. 

Inky. Used evasively : e.g. of a 
question to which a direct answer is 
undesirable or inconvenient. 

Inlaid (or Well-inlaid). In easy 
circumstances, with well-lined pockets, 
warm (q.v.) (1696). 

Innards. The stomach : also In- 
wards (1602). To fitt one** innards, 
to eat. 

Inner-man. The appetite. 

Innings. A turn, spell, chance : 
from cricket (1836). To have a good 
innings, to be fortunate : especially 
in money matters. To have a long 
innings, to die in the fulness of 
years. 



Innocent. 1. A simpleton, idiot 
(1304): see Buk 2. A corpse, 
stii? (q.v.). 3. A convict The mur- 
der (xiauyhler, or iM^sacre) of the 
innocents, the abandonment, towards 
the end of a session, of measures 
whether introduced l>y the Govern- 
ment or by private members, when 
they would have no chance of passing 
(1859). * 

Innominables. Breeches, trousers, 
inexpressibles : see Backs. 

Inside. A passenger riding inside a 
vehicle : see Outside (1816). As adj. 
and adv., trustworthy, pertinent, in 
touch with, bottom (q.v.). To know 
the inside of everything, to be well 
informed. Inside of, within the limit, 
in less time than. To take the inside 
out of (a glass, a book, etc.), to empty, 
gut (q.v.) (1S43). To be on (or to 
have) the, inside track, to be on the safe 
side, at a point of vantage, or (of a 
subject) to understand thoroughly. 
Inside and outside I A toast. 

Insider. 1. One in the know 
(q.v.). 2. One who has some special 
advantage, as in a business enter- 
prise. 

Inside-lining. Food. 

Inside-squatter. A settler within the 
bounds of civilisation: see Outside 
Squatter. 

Inspector of Pavements. 1. A 
man in the pillory (1821). 2. A man 
out of work : also inspector of public 
buildings : Fr., Inspecteur de monu- 
ments publiqves. 

Inspire. To impart a tone, pos- 
sibly official, to the subject matter of 
a newspaper or magazine article. 

Inspired. 1. Drunk: see Screwed. 
2. See Inspire. 

Institution. A practice, idea, in- 
vention, established custom or usage 
(1851). 

Int. A sharper (1621). 

Intense. Serious, soulful, aesthetic 
(<l-v.) ; yearnest (q.v.). 

Intimate. A shirt. 

Interesting condition (or situation). 
To be in a, to be with child (1748). 

Interfere. To maltreat 

Interloper. An unlicensed trader, 
smuggler, one who interferes, or inter- 
cepts unwarrantably. Also, * Hangers 
on, retainers to, or dependers upon 
other folks ; also Medlars and Busy- 
bodies, intruders into other Men's 
Professions, and those that intercept 



237 



Into. 



It. 



the trade o a Company, being not 
legally authorised (B. E.). 

Into. To be into a man, to pitch 
into him, fight him. As prep., short 
of, wanting : e.g. I thought I did 
pretty well delivering all the load into 
one box (Le. all but one box). 

Invite. An invitation. (1615). 

Inward. 1. An intimate (1603). 2. 
In pi., see Innards. 

Irish. Irish whisky, Fenian (q.v.). 
To get one's Irish up, to get angry : 
also to get one y s dutch (or, in America, 
Indian) up. As adj., an epithet of 
contempt and derogation : as, Irish- 
arm^ (or legs), thick legs. No Irish 
need apply, phr. (American). You're 
not wanted, Git ! (q.v.). You're 
Irish, said of any one talking un- 
intelligibly. 

Irish-apricot (apple, or lemon). 
A potato : see Murphy (Grose). 

Irish-assurance. A bold, forward 
behaviour ; it is said a dipping in 
the Shannon annihilates bashfulness 
(Grose). 

Irish-beauty. A woman with two 
black eyes (Grose). 

Irish-evidence. A false witness 
(Grose). 

Irishman 's-dinner. A fast. 

Irishman's-harvest. The orange 



Irishman's -hurricane. A dead 
calm. 

Irishman's - reef. The head of a 
sail tied up (Clark Russell). 

Irish-pennants. Fag ends of rope, 
rope-yarns, etc. 

Irish-rifle. A small tooth-comb. 

Irish-rise (or promotion). A re- 
duction hi position or pay. 

Irish - theatre, A guard room or 
lock-up in barracks : FT., maison de 
campagne. 

Irish-toyle. The Twelfth Order of 
Canters : also Rogues carrying Finns. 
Points, Laces, and such uke Wares, 
and under pretence of selling them, 
commit Thefts and Robberies* (jB. E.\ 

Irish-wedding. The emptying of a 
cesspool: see Goldfinder. To have 
danced at an Irish wedding, to have 
got two black eyes. 

Iron. 1. Money : see Rhino (Grose). 
2. Courage. 3. In pi., fetters: see 
Barbies. As verb, to flatter (1823). 
Bad iron, failure, misadventure, bad 
luck. To polish the king's iron toith 
on* eyebrow, to look out of grated 



or prison windows (Grose). To have 
many irons in the fire (or on the anwl), 
to carry out many projects at the 
same time, especially schemes for 
making money (1593). 

Ironbark. See Ironclad. 

Iron-bound. 1. Laced with metal. 
Iron-bound hat, a silver laced hat 
(Grose). 2. A hard-baked pie. 

Ironclad. 1. A paragon: as a 
severely chaste girl, popular play, 
song, horse, etc. 2. An iron-cased 
watch. As adj., strong, hard, un- 
yielding : also Ironbark (q.v. ). 

Iron-cow. See Cow. 

Iron-doublet. 1. A prison : see 
Cage. 2. Innocence. 

Iron-horse. 1. A locomotive. 2. 
A tncycle or bicycle. 

Ironmonger 's-shop. To keep an 
ironmonger's shop "by the side of a 
common, where the shewff sets one up, 
to be hanged in chains : see Ladder 
(Grose). 

Iron-rations. Tinned meat : speci- 
fically boiled salt -beef: see Bully- 
beef. 

Iron-toothpick. A sword, poker 
(q.v.). 

Irrigate. To drink, liquor up : also 
to irrigate one's canal (1708). 

Isabella. An umbrella, mushroom 
(q.v.). 

Island. To drink out of the island, 
* he drank out of the bottle till he saw 
the island: the island is the rising 
bottom of a wine bottle, which ap- 
pears like an island in the centre, 
before the bottle is quite empty.' (Lex. 
Bal.). 

I sland of Bermuda. See Bermudas. 

Isle-of-fHng. A coat : see Capella. 

Issues. To pool one's issues, to 
work in unison, come to an under- 
standing for mutual advantage. 

Isthmus-of-Suez. The bridge at St. 
John's College, Cambridge, leading 
from the grounds to one of the Courts 
familiarly known as the Bridge of 
Sighs : also The Bridge of Grunts. 
[From its slight similarity to the 
Venetian example Sues, swine, in 
punning reference to the Johnian 
hogs (q.v.) : see Crackle and Hog. 

I subscribe. A response to an invita- 
tion to drink : see Drinks. 

I suppose. The nose : see Conk 

It. A chamber-pot. English syno- 
nyms: bishop, chantie (Scots'), jerry, 
Jordan, jerker, jockum-gage, lagging- 



ItcUand. 



Jack* 



gage, looking - glass, member - mug, 
mingo, piss-pot, po, smoker, smoke- 
spell, tea-voider, thunder-mug, twiss. 

Itchland (or Scratchland). 1. 
Wales (B, E. 1G90) ; 2. Scotland (New 
Cant Diet.). Itchlander, a Scot. 

Itching-palm. See Palm. 

Item. A hint, piece of news : (in 
Banning) a signal from a confederate ; 
(American journalist) a paragraph of 
news ; (thieves') a warning (1650). 

Ivories. 1. The teeth : see Grind- 
ers (1782). 2. Dice: also (cards') 
checks and counters. English syno- 
nyms (for both genuine and false 
pieces), bones, cogs, fulhams, devil's 
teeth, devil's bones, gourds, rattlers, 
tats, high men, low men, uphills. 3. 



Billiard balls. To fash the ivories, 
(1) to show the teeth (Grose) ; (2), to 
be dissected or anatomised after 
execution, the skeleton being taken 
to the College of Surgeons ; pri&on, 
(3) to be hanged. To sluice (wash 
or rince) one's ivories, to drink : see 
Lush. 

Ivory-box. The mouth : see Po- 
tato-trap. 

Ivory-Carpenter. A dentist, snag- 
catcher (q.v.). 

Ivory-thumper (or Spanker). A 
pianist. 

Ivy-bush. Like an owl in an ivy 
bush, a simile for a meagre, or weazle- 
faced man, with a large wig, or very 
bushy hair (Grose). 



Jab (or Job). A prod, poke, stab. As 
verb, to handle harshly, hustle, prod, 
poke, stab (with a pointed weapon). 

Jabber, Chatter, incoherent or 
inarticulate and unintelligible speech 
(as a foreign language heard by one 
ignorant of it) (1706). As verb, to 
Talk thick and fast, as great Praters 
do, or to Chatter, like a Magpye (B. E.) 
(1548) ; to speak a foreign language 
(Grose). Hence, jabberer, one who 
jabbers ; jabbering, nonsense, indistinct 
and rapid speech, patter (q.v.) ; also 
jabberment; jabberingly, indistinctly, 
nonsensically. 

Jabbemowl. See Jobbernowl. 

Jabers (or Jabez). Be (or&y) jabers 
(or jabez), an oath (1821). 

Jack/ 1. A farthing ; also (Ameri- 
can thieves'), a small coin (1690). 2. 
The small bowl aimed at in the game of 
bowls (1605). 3. A contrivance to 
assist a person in taking off his boots, 
a bootjack (1696). 4. The knave in 
any of the four suits in a pack of cards : 
Fr., galuchei, larbin savonne, mistigris 
(1662). 5. A post-chaise (Grose). 6. 
A pitcher varying in capacity (gener- 
ally made of leather), blackjack (q.v.) 
(1592). 7. A Jacobite. ^ 8. A term of 
contempt. [The usage is common in 
most modern languages : e.g. Fr., 
Jean-guStre, peasant, Jean-bSte, cab- 
bage-head, Jean-fesse or Jean-foutre, 
scamp; It., Gianni, whence Zany ; Sp., 
Juan, as 6060 Juan, foolish John. 
See also many combinations To play 



the Jack, to act the fool (or goat, q.v.) ; 
Cheap Jack, a peddling tradesman ; 
Jack-fo'jl (Chaucer), a thundering 
idiot ; Jack-friar, a hedge-priest (q.v.) ; 
Jack-slave* a vulgarian; Jack-brag, a 
boaster ; Jack-snip, a botching tailor j 
Jack-straw, a low-born rebel ; Jack- 
sprat, a manmkin ; skip-jack, an up- 
start ; Jack-at-icarts, a httie conceited 
fellow ; Jack-in-the-box, the sacrament ; 
Jack-upland (Chaucer), a peasant. 
9. A counter resembling in size and 
appearance a sovereign ; also Half- 
jacks. [They are all made in Birm- 
ingham, and are of the size and 
colour of the genuine sovereigns and 
half-sovereigns .... Each presents 
a profile of the Queen; but instead of 
the superscription Victoria Dei Graiaa 
of the true sovereign, the jack has 
Victoria Regina. On the reverse, in 
the place of the Britanniarum Regina 
Fid. Def. surrounding the royal arms 
and crowns is a device (intended for 
an imitation of St. George and the 
Dragon) representing a soldier on 
horseback the horse having three 
legs elevated from the ground, while 
a drawn sword fills the right hand of 
uie equestrian, and a crown adorns 
his head. The superscription is, To 
Hanover, and the rider seems to be 
sociably accompanied by a dragon. 
Bound the Queen's head on the half 
jack is Victoria, Queen of Great 
Britain, and on the reverse the Prince 
of Wales's feather, with the legend 



Jack. 



Jacket. 



The Prince of Wales's Model Half Jack-of-aU-trades, one who can. (or 



Sovereign.] 10. (a) A sailor: also 
Jack-tar, English-jack, and Spanish- 
jack; (&) an attendant at a boat- 
house; also Jack-in-the-water (q.v.) 
(1788). 11. A stranger. 12. A male 
sweetheart : cf. GUI (1600). 13. The 
Union Jack, the rag (q.v.) (1652). 
14. A seal : see Jark. 15. A police- 
man : see Copper. 16. See Jakes. 17. 



pretends to be able to) turn his hand 
to any business : now usually in con- 
tempt, as Jack - of - all - trades and 
master of none (1633) ; Jack-of-legs, 
(1) an extra tall man, lamp- post 
(q.v.); (2) a large clasp knife: see 
Jocteleg; Jack-on-both~sides r a neutral; 
also one who hunts with the hounds 
and runs with the hare, a fence- 



A male: as in the compounds jack- rider (q.v.) (1594); Jack-out-of-doors, a 

hare, jack - crow, jack - ass, jack- vagrant (1634) ; Jack-out-of-office, a 

rabbit, etc. (1563). 18. An ape. 19. discharged official : in derision (1592) ; 

A peasant (1513). As verb, (1) to Jack-the-painter, a much adulterated 

1 *- J - green tea used in the bush ; Jack-the- 

slipper, the treadmill, wheel of life 

^ . . (q-v.); to jack the interim, to be re- 

lay on the jack, to thrash soundly, J-J-.--.~T. *- -wi. v.i~. 



brand an unmarked yearling 
maverick (q.v.). ; (2) to run away 
quickly: see Bunk Phrases: To 



scold in good round terms, baste, 

tan (1557) ; to make one's jack, to 

succeed, gain one's point: from the 

game of faro; to be coppered on the 

jack, to fail, lose one's point : from the 

game of faro ; to play the jack, to play 

the rogue (1609); to be upon their 

jacks, to have an advantage ; every 

man jack (or every jack-rag), every 

one without exception (1845) ; Jack- 

at-a-pinch t a person employed in an 

emergency, stop-gap; specifically, a 

clergyman who has no cure, but on 

occasion officiates for a fee : cf . 

Guinea-pig (1696) ; Jack-in-a (oi-the)- 

box, (1) a sharper, cheat; (2) a child's w v \* vyy*)' L^^K"**^. "- u^uuu, 

toy, consisting of a box out of which, a gaudy-suited and performing ape 



; to jack up, to clinch, abandon, 
chuck (q.v.); jacked-ttp f ruined, done 
for. 

Jack Adams. A fool : see Buffie 
(1696). 

Jack-a-dandy. 1. A little fop, cox- 
comb, dandiprat (q.v.) : also Jack 
Dandy (1632). 2. Brandy. 

Jack - a - green. See Jack-in-the- 
green, under Jack. 

Jack-a-lent. (1) A dapperling, 
dwarf ; and (2) a simpleton : also 
Jaek-o'-lent (1596). 

Jackanapes. An absurd fop, whip- 
per-snapper : a general term of re- 
proach. Jackanapes - coat, a dandy- 
coat (Pepys). [Originally, no doubt, 



on raising the lid, a figure springs 
(1570) ; (3) a game in which some 
article, of more or less value, is placed 
on the top of a stick standing in a 



(the word is still good Scots for a 
monkey ; cf. Scott, JKedgauntlct) ; and, 
hence, by implication, anybody at 
once ugly (or diminutive), showy, and 



hole, and thrown at with sticks: if the impudent. Also a Jack-of-wpes was a 



article be hit so as to fall clear of the 
hole, the thrower takes it ; (4) a small 
but powerful kind of screw, used by 
burglars to open safes (1848) ; (5) see 
Jack-tn-the-cellar ; (6) a street-pedlar 



man who exhibited performing apes] 
(1529). 

Jackaroo. A fresh arrival from 
England, new chum (q.v.). 

Jackass. A stupid ignoramus: see 



(1696) ; (7) the sacrament ; Jack-in Buffle. Also Jackasnem, stupidity. 
office, an over-bearing petty official, Jackass - Frigate. A small slow- 
upstart, Jack - in - the - pulpit (q.v.) sailing frigate (1833). 
(1696) ; Jack-in-the-ceUar (or box), a Jack-cove. A moan low follow, 
child in the womb, Hans-en-kelder snide (q.v.) (Matsell). 
(q.v.) (1765); Jack-in-the-dust, a - ' ' - * - 
steward's mate; Jack-in-the-green, a 
chimney-sweep enclosed in a portable 
framework of boughs for the proces- 
sions on the first of May : now mainly 
a thing of the past ; Jack-in-the-ptdpit, 
a pretender, upstart, Jack-in-omce 



(q.v.) ; Jack-in-the-iaater, an odd or 



Jack (or Tom) Drum*s Entertain- 
ment. HI - treatment, ignominious 
dismissal : cf. Stafford law. 

Jacked. Spavined, lamed. 

Jackeen (or Dublin Jackeen). A 
Dublin 'Arry (q.v.). 

Jacken-closer. A seal. 

Jackery. A favoured station hand 



handy man at a boat-house or landing (Australian), 
stage : also Jack (q.v., sense 10) ; Jacket 1. The akin of n 

240 



Jacketing. 



Jakes. 



pared potato : generally in phrase 
boiled in their jackets. 2. A pinafore 
roundabout (q.v.). 3. A folded 
docket-paper. As verb, (1) to cheat, 
swindle, betray ; (2) to thrash, beat : 
also to trim (dust or lace) one's jacket 
(1704) ; (3) to enclose (a document) 
after scheduling within it other papers 
relating to the same subject, docket ; 
(4) to denote, point out To give a 
red-laced jacket, to flog. To line one's 
jacket, to eat or drink, fill one's 
stomach (1611). Putt down, your 
jacket (or vest), keep cool ! don't get 
excited ! hold your hair on (q.v.). 
To send in one's jacket, to resign, 
deliver up one's badge of office. 

Jacketing. A thrashing, reprimand. 

Jacket-reverser. A turncoat. 

Jackey. Gin : see Drinks. 

Jack Frost. A popular personifica- 
tion of frost : of. John Fog and Tommy 
Snow. 

Jack-gagger. A man living on bis 
wife's immorality. 

Jack Ketch (or Kitch). A hang- 
man or executioner, a dancing-master 
(q.v.), topsman (q.v.). [From a 
famous practitioner of that name 
(circa 1663-86). Before his time the 
office had been filled by men whose 
names each and all became popular 
colloquialisms: e.g. Derrick (q.v.), 
Gregory Brandon (Gregorian tree, 
(q.v.), Dun (q.v.) (1676). As verb, to 
hang. Jack Ketch's kitchen, a room in 
Newgate, where tho hangman boiled 
the quarters of those executed and 
dismembered for high treason. Jack 
Ketch's pippin, a candidate for the 
gallows, #aHows-applo (q.v.). 

Jack-leg. Blackleg. 

Jackman. See Jarkman. 

Jack-nasty. A sneak, sloven : of. 
Jack- nasty-face ( 1 856). 

Jack-nasty-face. 1. A sailor: specifi- 
cally a cook (1811). 2. A filthy 
or unpleasant-looking person : of. 
Jack-nasty (1823). 

Jack-pudding. A serving merry- 
andrew, low - class buffoon : Fr., 
jean - pottage (jack-soup), Germ., 
Hanswurst (jack - sausage), Dutch, 
frickel-herringe, It., macaroni. Henco 
jack-pvddinghood (WalpoU), buffoon- 
ery (1650). 

Jack Randall* A candle : the name 
of a ffttnouft pugilist 

Jack Robinson. Before one can say 
Jack Robinson, instantly, in tho 

Q 4 



shortest possible time, in two-two's 
(q.v.). 

Jackrum. A marriage license 
(1825). 

Jack-sauce. An impudent fellow, 
sauce-box (q.v.) (1571). 

Jack's Delight A sailor's woman. 
Jack-shay. A tin quart used for 
boiling tea, and contrived to hold a 
tin pint. 

Jack-sprat. An undersized man or 
boy (Grose) (1570). 

Jack - straw. 1. A nobody ; and, 
2. a dwarf: see Hop-o'-my-thumb 
(1596). 

Jack Tar. 1. A sailor ; and, 2. a 
hornpipe (1781). 

Jack Weight. A fat man, forty-guts 
(q.v.). 

Jack-whore. A large, masculine, 
overgrown wench (Grose). 

Jacob. 1. Rogues called Jacobs ; 
these go with ladders in the dead of 
the night, and get in at the windows, 
one, two, or three pair, of stairs, and 
sometimes down the area (1753). 2. 
A ladder (1714). 3. A soft fellow, 
spooney, fool : see Buffle (Grose). 

Jacobite. A sham shirt, dickey 
(q.v.) ; also a shirt-collar (B. K). 

Jacob's Ladder. A longitudinal flaw 
in the leg of a pair of tights ; now 
applied to any rent of which only the 
woof threads are left (1859). 

Jade. 1. An epithet applied to 
women : in contempt : originally a 
horse or man (Chaucer) : especially (1) 
one over-ridden or foundered ; and 
(2) unsafe and full of tricks: jadish 
(Nashe), malicious, tricky, untrust- 
worthy (1560) ; 2. A long term of im- 
prisonment, stretch (q.v.). 

Jag. 1. A scrap, load, parcel, or 
lot : o.g. a fare, a oatoh of fish, etc. 
(1692). 2. A whim, fancy. 3. In- 
toxication : e.g. to have a jag on, to be 
drunk. 4. A drunkard, Lushington 
(<l-v.). 

Jagged. Drunk : see Screwed. 
J agger. l.A gentleman (1869). 
2. A hawker. 

[ague. A ditch (1622). 
ail-bird. A prisoner, orack- 
Iter (q.v.) (1603). 
Jakes. A privy, house of office. 
[CJerrfwy: Tho occurrence of dial. 
johnny, a jakes also called Mrs. 
Jones by country people (HaUiweU), 
with dial. Torn, a close-stool, suggests 
that Jakes was originally Jake's or 



Jakes- farmer. 



Jawing. 



Jack's, a humorous euphemism.] 
See Ajax (1550). 

Jakes-farmer. An emptier of cess- 
pools, goldfinder (q.v.): also jakes- 
raker (Sketton), and jakes-barreller 
(1596). 

Jam. 1. A sweetheart, mistress : also 
bit of jam. Lawful-jam, a wife. 2. 
A certainty of winning, clear profit : 
also real jam. 3. Excellence, good 
luck, happiness. Jam-'wp, the pink 
of perfection, slap-up (q.v.), bang- 
up (q.v.) : also real jam (1855). 4. 
A crush, crowd (1812). 5. A ring 
(MatseU). 6. The pool at Nap, into 
which each dealer pays, the winner of 
the next nap taking the lot. As adj., 
neat, smart, spruce. As verb, to 
hang (Grose). 

Jamboree (or Jimboree). A frolic, 
spree (q.v.). 

James. 1. A crowbar, jemmy (q.v.); 
Fr., Jacques (1819). 2. A sovereign or 
twenty shillings (1868). 3. A sheep's 
head: more frequently, when un- 
cooked, bloody jemmy (q.v.) (1827). 

Jamie Moore. To have been talking 
to Jamie Moore, to be drunk: see 
Screwed. 

Jammed. To be jammed, to meet 
with a violent death, by accident, 
murder, or hanging. 

Jam-tart (Stock Exchange). 1. 
Exactly the market, buyers and 
sellers at the same. 2. A wife or 



Jams. An abbreviation of Jim- 
jams (q.v.). 

Jan. A purse (1610). 

Jane. A sovereign : see Rhino. 

Jane-of -apes. A pert forward girl ; 
the counterpart of Jackanapes (q.v.) 

Jango. Liquor (1721). 

Janizary. * The Mob sometimes 
so called, and Bailives, Sergeants, 
Followers, Yeomen, Setters, and any 
lewd gang depending upon others' 
(B. JB.). 

Jannocfc (or Jonnok). Sociable, 
fair, just, straightforward, conclusive. 
To die jannock, to die with bravado. 

Janusmug. A go-between, inter- 
mediary between a thief and a re- 
ceiver. 

Jap. 1. A japanner (Purchas); 
also, 2. a Japanese. 

Japan. 1. To ordain. To be 
japanned, to take orders (1756). 2. 
To convert. To be japanned, to be 



converted (MalseU). 3. To black 
one's boots: Fr., saboitler (1712), 

Japanese Knife - trick. " " 
with one's knife. 

Jappers. See Jabers. 
Jargoozle. To mislead, to lead 
astray, bamboozle (q.v.). 

Jark. 1. A seal : It., tirdla : also 
Jack (1567). 2. A watch, ticker 
(q.v.). 3. A safe conduct pass, 
jasker (q.v.). To jark it, to run 
away : see Bunk. 

Jarkman. A begging-letter writer, 
fabricator of false characters, counter- 
feit-passes, and certificates (1567). 

Jarrehoe (Wellington College). A 
man-servant. 

Jarvel. A jacket. 
Jarvey (or Jarvis). 1. A hackney 
coachman (1811). 2. (old). A hackney 
coach (1823). 

Jasey (or Jazey). 1, A worsted wig. 
Cove with a jazey, a judge (1789). 2. 
A man with an enormous quantity of 
hair upon his head and face (MatseU). 
Jasker. A seal (MatseU). 
Jason's fleece. A citizen cheated of 
his gold (B. B.). 

Jaum. To discover (1821). 
Jaw. Abuse, chatter, impudence, 
any sort of talk. Hold (or stow) your 
jaw, hold your tongue. AU jaw, like 
a sheep's head, nothing but talk. Eng- 
lish synonyms: chin-music, gab (or 
gob), lingo, lip, lobs, patter, snaffle 
(1748). As verb, to chatter., abuse, 
use violent language : Fr., faire peter 
son grelot, or jouer du mirliton (1748). 
To jaw on the toby (or drum), to go 
on the road. 

Jawbation. 1. A general confab 
(q.v.), jawing-match : see Jobation. 
2. A scolding. 

Jawbone. Credit, day (q.v.). To 
caU one's jawbone, to live on credit, 
run one's face (q.v.). English syno- 
nyms : to run one's face, to get a 
light, to give (or strike) on the maco, 
to mace it, to get on sock, (or, on the 
nod), to go tick. 

Jawbreaker (or Jawtwister.) I. 
A hard or many - syllabled word 
Jawbreakinff, difficult. 2. A hard 
punch on the whisker. 

Jaw-cove. I. An auctioneer ; and, 
2. a lawyer (Mataett). 
Jawhawk. To abuse, vilify, jaw 



242 



Jawing- 
organs of 



(or Jaw-) tackle, 
speech. To have 



Tne 
one'* 



Jaw-smith. 



Jerry. 



jawing tacks aboard (or to cast off one's 
jaw-tackle), to talk fluently j jawing- 
match, wordy warfare (Clark Russell). 

Jaw-smith. 1. An orator ; also, 2. a 
loud-mouthed demagogue: originally 
an official orator or instructor of the 
Knights of Labour (St. Louis Globe 
Democrat, 1886). 

Jay (or J). 1. A simpleton: see 
BufHe. To play (or scalp) one for (or 
to flap) a juif, to dupe, swindle : Fr., 
router dans la, farine. 2. A wanton. 
It., putta (1596). 3. An amateur, a 
poor actor. 

Jay hawker. A freebooter, a 
guerilla: specifically a marauder 
during the Kansas troubles, and 
since extended to all bandits. 

Jeames. 1. A footman, flunkey 
(q.v.). 2. The Morning Post news- 
paper. 

Jeff. A rope. As verb, to gamble 
with quads, as w