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, ju 
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