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diff --git a/42108-0.txt b/42108-0.txt index 9105b2f..e6bd570 100644 --- a/42108-0.txt +++ b/42108-0.txt @@ -1,39 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Slang Dictionary, by John Camden Hotten - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Slang Dictionary - Etymological, Historical and Andecdotal - -Author: John Camden Hotten - -Release Date: February 16, 2013 [EBook #42108] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SLANG DICTIONARY *** - - - - -Produced by Henry Flower, Delphine Lettau and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) - - - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42108 *** Transcriber’s Note: @@ -22627,366 +22592,4 @@ p. 254 “an ingenious candle-snuffers” End of Project Gutenberg's The Slang Dictionary, by John Camden Hotten -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SLANG DICTIONARY *** - -***** This file should be named 42108-0.txt or 42108-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/1/0/42108/ - -Produced by Henry Flower, Delphine Lettau and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Slang Dictionary - Etymological, Historical and Andecdotal - -Author: John Camden Hotten - -Release Date: February 16, 2013 [EBook #42108] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SLANG DICTIONARY *** - - - - -Produced by Henry Flower, Delphine Lettau and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Note: - -Superscript text is preceded by a caret symbol, e.g. ^4. - -Symbols in the printed text have been represented by descriptions in -square brackets. - -Italics are indicated by _underscores_, and bold text by ~tildes~. Small -capitals have been converted to upper case. - -Greek text has been transliterated and enclosed in _underscores_. - - - - -[Illustration: A CADGER'S MAP OF A BEGGING DISTRICT. - -EXPLANATION OF THE HIEROGLYPHICS. - -[Cross] ~No good~; too poor, and know too much. - -[Semicircle plus cross] ~Stop~,--if you have what they want, they will -buy. They are pretty "_fly_" (knowing). - -[Forked branch] ~Go in this direction~, it is better than the other -road. Nothing that way. - -[Diamond] ~Bone~ (good). Safe for a "cold tatur," if for nothing else. -"_Cheese your patter_" (don't talk much) here. - -[Triangle pointing down] ~Cooper'd~ (spoilt) by too many tramps calling -there. - -[Square] ~Gammy~ (unfavourable), likely to have you taken up. Mind the -dog. - -[Circle with dot] ~Flummuxed~ (dangerous), sure of a month in "_quod_," -prison. - -[Circle with cross] ~Religious~, but tidy on the whole. ] - - - - - THE - SLANG DICTIONARY - - ETYMOLOGICAL - HISTORICAL AND ANECDOTAL - - [Illustration: "THE WEDGE" AND THE "WOODEN SPOON."] - - A NEW IMPRESSION - - LONDON - CHATTO & WINDUS - 1913 - - - - -PREFACE. - - -Slang, like everything else, changes much in the course of time; and -though but fifteen years have elapsed since this Dictionary was first -introduced to the public, alterations have since then been many and -frequent in the subject of which it treats. The first issue of a work of -this kind is, too, ever beset with difficulties, and the compiler was -always aware that, though under the circumstances of its production the -book was an undoubted success, it necessarily lacked many of the -elements which would make that success lasting, and cause the "Slang -Dictionary" to be regarded as an authority and a work of reference not -merely among the uneducated, but among people of cultivated tastes and -inquiring minds. For though the vulgar use of the word Slang applies to -those words only which are used by the dangerous classes and the lowest -grades of society, the term has in reality, and should have--as every -one who has ever studied the subject knows--a much wider significance. -Bearing this in mind, the original publisher of this Dictionary lost no -opportunity of obtaining information of a useful kind, which could -hardly find place in any other book of reference, with the intention of -eventually bringing out an entirely new edition, in which all former -errors should be corrected and all fresh meanings and new words find a -place. His intention always was to give those words which are familiar -to all conversant with our colloquialisms and locutions, but which have -hitherto been connected with an unwritten tongue, a local habitation, -and to produce a book which, in its way, would be as useful to students -of philology, as well as to lovers of human nature in all its phases, -as any standard work in the English language. The squeamishness which -tries to ignore the existence of slang fails signally, for not only in -the streets and the prisons, but at the bar, on the bench, in the -pulpit, and in the Houses of Parliament, does slang make itself heard, -and, as the shortest and safest means to an end, understood too. - -My predecessor, the original compiler, did not live to see his wish -become an actual fact; and, failing him, it devolved upon me to -undertake the task of revision and addition. How far this has been -accomplished, the curious reader who is possessed of a copy of each -edition can best judge for himself by comparing any couple of pages he -may select. Of my own share in the work I wish to say nothing, as I have -mainly benefited by the labours of others; but I may say that, when I -undertook the position of editor of what, with the smallest possible -stretch of fancy, may now be called a new book, I had no idea that the -alteration would be nearly so large or so manifest. However, as the work -is now done, it will best speak for itself, and, as good wine needs no -bush, I will leave it, in all hope of their tenderness, to those readers -who are best qualified to say how the task has been consummated. - -In conclusion, it is but fair for me to thank, as strongly as weak words -will permit, those gentlemen who have in various ways assisted me. To -two of them, who are well known in the world of literature, and who have -not only aided me with advice, but have placed many new words and -etymologies at my service, I am under particular obligation. With this I -beg to subscribe myself, the reader's most obedient servant, - - The Editor. - - _December 20, 1873._ - - NOTE.--The reader will bear in mind that this is a Dictionary of - _modern_ Slang,--a list of colloquial words and phrases in _present_ - use,--whether of ancient or modern formation. Whenever _Ancient_ is - appended to a word, it means that the expression was in respectable - use in or previous to the reign of Queen Elizabeth. _Old_ or _Old - English_, affixed to a word, signifies that it was in general use as - a proper expression in or previous to the reign of Charles II. _Old - Cant_ indicates that the term was in use as a Cant word during or - before the same reign. - -_The Publishers will be much obliged by the receipt of any cant, slang, -or vulgar words not mentioned in the Dictionary. The probable origin, or -etymology, of any fashionable or unfashionable vulgarism, will also be -received with thanks._ - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - - THE HISTORY OF CANT, OR THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF VAGABONDS 1 - - ACCOUNT OF THE HIEROGLYPHICS USED BY VAGABONDS 27 - - A SHORT HISTORY OF SLANG, OR THE VULGAR LANGUAGE OF FAST LIFE 34 - - DICTIONARY OF MODERN SLANG, CANT, AND VULGAR WORDS 71 - - SOME ACCOUNT OF THE BACK SLANG 347 - - GLOSSARY OF THE BACK SLANG 353 - - SOME ACCOUNT OF THE RHYMING SLANG 358 - - GLOSSARY OF THE RHYMING SLANG 365 - - CENTRE SLANG 369 - - THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SLANG 371 - - - - -"_All ridiculous words make their first entry into a language by -familiar phrases; I dare not answer for these that they will not in time -be looked upon as a part of our tongue._"--SPECTATOR. - -"_Rabble-charming words, which carry so much wild fire wrapt up in -them._"--SOUTH. - -"_Slang derivations are generally indirect, turning upon metaphor and -fanciful allusions, and other than direct etymological connexion. Such -allusions and fancies are essentially temporary or local; they rapidly -pass out of the public mind: the word remains, while the key to its -origin is lost._" - -"_Many of these [slang] words and phrases are but serving their -apprenticeship, and will eventually become the active strength of our -language._"--H. T. BUCKLE. - - - - -THE HISTORY OF CANT, - -OR THE - -SECRET LANGUAGE OF VAGABONDS. - - -Cant and Slang are universal and world-wide. By their means is often -said in a sentence what would otherwise take an hour to express. Nearly -every nation on the face of the globe, polite and barbarous, has its -divisions and subdivisions of various ranks of society. These are -necessarily of many kinds, stationary and wandering, civilized and -uncivilized, respectable and disreputable,--those who have fixed abodes -and avail themselves of the refinements of civilization, and those who -go from place to place picking up a precarious livelihood by petty -sales, begging, or theft. This peculiarity is to be observed amongst the -heathen tribes of the southern hemisphere, as well as in the oldest and -most refined countries of Europe. In South Africa, the naked and -miserable Hottentots are pestered by the still more abject _Sonquas_; -and it may be some satisfaction for us to know that our old enemies at -the Cape, the Kaffirs, are troubled with a tribe of rascals called -_Fingoes_,--the former term, we are informed by travellers, signifying -beggars, and the latter wanderers and outcasts. In South America, and -among the islands of the Pacific, matters are pretty much the same. -Sleek rascals, without much inclination towards honesty, fatten, or -rather fasten, like the insects in the famous epigram, upon other -rascals, who would be equally sleek and fat but for their vagabond -dependents. Luckily for respectable persons, however, vagabonds, both at -home and abroad, generally show certain outward peculiarities which -distinguish them from the great mass of law-abiding people on whom they -subsist. Observation shows that the wandering races are remarkable for -an abnormal development of the bones of the face, as the jaws, -cheek-bones, &c., for high-crowned, stubborn-shaped heads, quick, -restless eyes,[1] and hands nervously itching to be doing; for their -love of gambling; for sensuality of all kinds; and for their use of a -CANT language with which to conceal their designs and plunderings. - -The secret jargon, or rude speech, of the vagabonds who hang upon the -Hottentots is termed Cuze-cat. In Finland, the fellows who steal -seal-skins, pick the pockets of bear-skin overcoats, and talk cant, are -termed Lappes. In France, the secret language of highwaymen, -housebreakers, and pickpockets, is named Argot. The brigands and more -romantic rascals of Spain term their private tongue Germania,[2] or -Robbers' Language. Rothwlsch,[3] or foreign-beggar-talk, is synonymous -with cant and thieves' talk in Germany. The vulgar dialect of Malta, and -the Scala towns of the Levant--imported into this country and -incorporated with English cant--is known as the Lingua Franca, or -bastard Italian. And the crowds of lazy beggars that infest the streets -of Naples and Rome, as well as the brigands of Pompeii, use a secret -language termed Gergo. In England, as we all know, it is called -Cant--often improperly Slang. - -Most nations, then, possess each a tongue, or series of tongues maybe, -each based on the national language, by which not only thieves, beggars, -and other outcasts communicate, but which is used more or less by all -classes. There is hardly any community in this country, hardly any -profession, but has its slang, and proficiency in this is the greatest -desideratum of an aspirant to the pleasures of Society, or the honours -of literature and art. The formation of these secret tongues varies, of -course, with the circumstances surrounding the speakers. A writer in -_Notes and Queries_ has well remarked that "the investigation of the -origin and principles of cant and slang language opens a curious field -of inquiry, replete with considerable interest to the philologist and -the philosopher. It affords a remarkable instance of lingual -contrivance, which, without the introduction of much arbitrary matter, -has developed a system of communicating ideas, having all the advantages -of a foreign language." - -"The terms Cant and Canting were probably derived from chaunt and -chaunting,--the whining tone, or modulation of voice adopted by -beggars, with intent to coax, wheedle, or cajole by pretensions of -wretchedness."[4] For the origin of the other application of the word -Cant, pulpit hypocrisy, we are indebted to the _Spectator_--"Cant is by -some people derived from one Andrew Cant, who, they say, was a -Presbyterian minister in some illiterate part of Scotland, who, by -exercise and use, had obtained the faculty, alias gift, of talking in -the pulpit in such a dialect that 'tis said he was understood by none -but his own congregation,--and not by all of them. Since Master Cant's -time it has been understood in a larger sense, and signifies all -exclamations, whinings, unusual tones, and, in fine, all praying and -preaching like the unlearned of the Presbyterians." This anecdote is -curious, though it is but fair to assume that the preacher's name was -taken from his practice, rather than that the practice was called after -the preacher. As far as we are concerned, however, in the present -inquiry, Cant was derived from chaunt, a beggar's whine; "chaunting" -being the recognised term amongst beggars to this day for begging -orations and street whinings; and "chaunter," a street talker and tramp, -is still the term used by strollers and patterers. This race is, -however, nearly obsolete. The use of the word Cant, amongst beggars, -must certainly have commenced at a very early date, for we find "To -cante, to speake," in Harman's list of Rogues' Words in the year 1566; -and Harrison about the same time,[5] in speaking of beggars and -Gipsies, says, "they have devised a language among themselves which they -name Canting, but others Pedlars' Frenche." - -Now, the word Cant in its old sense, and Slang[6] in its modern -application, although used by good writers and persons of education as -synonyms, are in reality quite distinct and separate terms. Cant, apart -from religious hypocrisy, refers to the old secret language of Gipsies, -thieves, tramps, and beggars. Slang represents that evanescent language, -ever changing with fashion and taste, which has principally come into -vogue during the last seventy or eighty years, spoken by persons in -every grade of life, rich and poor, honest and dishonest.[7] Cant is -old; Slang is always modern and ever changing. To illustrate the -difference: a thief in Cant language would term a horse a "prancer" or a -"prad;" while in Slang, a man of fashion would speak of it as a "bit of -blood," a "spanker," or a "neat tit." A handkerchief, too, would be a -"billy," a "fogle," or a "Kent rag," in the secret language of low -characters; whilst amongst the modern folk who affect Slang, it would be -called a "stook," a "wipe," a "fogle," or a "clout." Cant was formed for -purposes of secrecy. Slang, though it has a tendency the same way, is -still often indulged in from a mild desire to appear familiar with life, -gaiety, town-humour, and the transient nicknames and street jokes of the -day. Both Cant and Slang, we have before said, are often huddled -together as synonyms; but they are most certainly distinct, and as such -should be used. - -To the Gipsies, beggars and thieves are in great measure indebted for -their Cant language. It is supposed that the Gipsies originally landed -in this country early in the reign of Henry VIII. They were at first -treated as conjurors and magicians,--indeed, they were hailed by the -populace with as much applause as a company of English performers -usually receives on arriving in a distant colony. They came here with -all their old Eastern arts of palmistry and second-sight, with their -factitious power of doubling money by incantation and burial,--shreds of -pagan idolatry; and they brought with them, also, the dishonesty of the -lower-caste Orientals, and the nomadic tastes they had acquired through -centuries of wandering over nearly the whole of the then known globe. -They possessed also a language quite distinct from anything that had -been heard in England up till their advent; they claimed the title of -Egyptians, and as such, when their thievish propensities became a public -nuisance, were cautioned and proscribed in a royal proclamation by Henry -VIII.[8] The Gipsies were not long in the country before they found -native imitators; and indeed the imitation is much more frequently found -nowadays, in the ranks of the so-called Gipsies, than is the genuine -article. Vagabondism is peculiarly catching, and the idle, the vagrant, -and the criminal soon caught the idea from the Gipsies, and learned from -them to tramp, sleep under hedges and trees, tell fortunes, and find -lost property for a consideration--frequently, as the saying runs, -having found it themselves before it was lost. They also learned the -value and application of a secret tongue; indeed, with the Gipsies came -in all the accompaniments of maunding and imposture, except thieving and -begging, which were well known in this country, and perhaps in every -other, long before visitors had an opportunity of teaching them. - -Harman, in 1566, wrote a singular, not to say droll, book, entitled, _A -Caveat for commen Cvrsetors, vulgarly called Vagabones, newly augmented -and inlarged_, wherein the history and various descriptions of rogues -and vagabonds are given, together with their canting tongue. This book, -the earliest of the kind, gives the singular fact that within a dozen -years after the landing of the Gipsies, companies of English vagrants -were formed, places of meeting appointed, districts for plunder and -begging operations marked out, and rules agreed to for their common -management. In some cases Gipsies joined the English gangs; in others, -English vagrants joined the Gipsies. The fellowship was found convenient -and profitable, as both parties were aliens to the laws and customs of -the country, living in a great measure in the open air, apart from the -lawful public, and often meeting each other on the same by-path, or in -the same retired valley; but seldom intermarrying or entirely adopting -each other's habits. The common people, too, soon began to consider them -as of one family,--all rogues, and from Egypt. This superstition must -have been very firmly imbedded, for it is still current. The secret -language spoken by the Gipsies, principally Hindoo, and extremely -barbarous to English ears, was found incomprehensible and very difficult -to learn. The Gipsies naturally found a similar difficulty with the -English language. A rude, rough, and singular, but under the -circumstances not unnatural, compromise was made, and a mixture of -Gipsy, old English, newly-coined words, and cribbings from any foreign, -and therefore secret, language, mixed and jumbled together, formed what -has ever since been known as the Canting Language, or Pedlar's French; -or, during the past century, St. Giles's Greek. - -Such was the origin of Cant; and in illustration of its blending with -the Gipsy or Cingari tongue, we are enabled to give the accompanying -list of Gipsy, and often Hindoo, words, with, in many instances, their -English representatives:-- - - _Gipsy._ _English._ - - ~Bamboozle~, to perplex or mislead ~Bamboozle~, to delude, cheat, - by hiding. _Modern Gipsy._ or make a fool of any one. - - ~Bosh~, rubbish, nonsense, offal. ~Bosh~, stupidity, foolishness. - _Gipsy and Persian._ - - ~Cheese~, thing or article, "That's ~Cheese~, or CHEESY, a - the CHEESE," or thing. _Gipsy and first-rate or very good - Hindoo._ article. - - ~Chive~, the tongue. _Gipsy._ ~Chive~, or CHIVEY, a shout. To - CHIVEY, to hunt down with - shouts. - - ~Cuta~, a gold coin. _Danubian_ ~Couter~, a sovereign, twenty - _Gipsy._ shillings. - - ~Dade~, or DADI, a father. _Gipsy._ ~Daddy~, nursery term for - father.(*) - - ~Distarabin~, a prison. _Gipsy._ ~Sturabin~, a prison. - - ~Gad~, or GADSI, a wife. _Gipsy._ ~Gad~, a female scold; a woman - who tramps over the country - with a beggar or hawker. - - ~Gibberish~, the language of ~Gibberish~, rapid and unmeaning - Gipsies, synonymous with SLANG. speech. - _Gipsy._ - - ~Ischur~, SCHUR, or CHUR, a thief. ~Cur~, a mean or dishonest - _Gipsy and Hindoo._ man.(*) - - ~Lab~, a word. _Gipsy._ ~Lobs~, words. - - ~Lowe~, or LOWR, money. _Gipsy ~Lowre~, money. _Ancient Cant._ - and Wallachian._ - - ~Mami~, a grandmother. _Gipsy._ ~Mammy~, or MAMMA, a mother, - formerly sometimes used for - grandmother.(*) - - ~Mang~, or MAUNG, to beg. _Gipsy ~Maund~, to beg. - and Hindoo._ - - ~Mort~, a free woman,--one for ~Mot~, a prostitute. - common use amongst the male - Gipsies, so appointed by Gipsy - custom. _Gipsy._ - - ~Mu~, the mouth. _Gipsy and Hindoo._ ~Moo~, or MUN, the mouth. - - ~Mull~, to spoil or destroy. _Gipsy._ ~Mull~, to spoil, or bungle.(*) - - ~Pal~, a brother. _Gipsy._ ~Pal~, a partner, or relation. - - ~Pan~, water. _Gipsy._ _Hindoo_, ~Parney~, rain. - PAWNEE. - - ~Rig~, a performance. _Gipsy._ ~Rig~, a frolic, or "spree." - - ~Romany~, speech or language. ~Romany~, the Gipsy language. - _Spanish Gipsy._ - - ~Rome~, or ROMM, a man. _Gipsy ~Rum~, a good man, or thing. In - and Coptic._ the Robbers' language of Spain - (partly Gipsy), RUM signifies - a harlot. - - ~Romee~, a woman. _Gipsy._ ~Rumy~, a good woman or girl. - - ~Slang~, the language spoken by ~Slang~, low, vulgar, - Gipsies. _Gipsy._ unauthorized language. - - ~Tawno~, little. _Gipsy._ ~Tanny~, TEENY, little. - - ~Tschib~, or JIBB, the tongue. ~Jibb~, the tongue; JABBER,[9] - _Gipsy and Hindoo._ quick-tongued, or fast talk. - -[In those instances indicated by a (*), it is doubtful whether we are -indebted to the Gipsies for the terms. Dad, in Welsh, also signifies a -father. Cur is stated to be a mere term of reproach, like Dog, which in -all European languages has been applied in an abusive sense. Objections -may also be raised against Gad, Maund, and many other of these -parallels. We have, however, no wish to present them as infallible; our -idea is merely to call the reader's attention to the undoubted -similarity between both the sound and the sense in most examples.] - -Here, then, we have the remarkable fact of at least a few words of pure -Gipsy origin going the round of Europe, passing into this country before -the Reformation, and coming down to us through numerous generations -purely by the mouths of the people. They have seldom been written or -used in books, and it is simply as vulgarisms that they have reached us. -Only a few are now Cant, and some are household words. The word jockey, -as applied to a dealer or rider of horses, came from the Gipsy, and -means in that language a whip. The word, used as a verb, is an instance -of modern slang grown out of the ancient. Our standard dictionaries -give, of course, none but conjectural etymologies. Another word, -bamboozle, has been a sore difficulty with lexicographers. It is not in -the old dictionaries, although it is extensively used in familiar or -popular language for the last two centuries; and is, in fact, the very -kind of word that such writers as Swift, Butler, L'Estrange, and -Arbuthnot would pick out at once as a telling and most serviceable term. -It is, as we have seen, from the Gipsy; and here we must state that it -was Boucher who first drew attention to the fact, although in his -remarks on the dusky tongue he has made an evident mistake by concluding -it to be identical with its offspring, Cant. Other parallel instances, -with but slight variations from the old Gipsy meanings, might be -mentioned; but sufficient examples have been adduced to show that -Marsden, a great Oriental scholar in the last century, when he declared -before the Society of Antiquaries that the Cant of English thieves and -beggars had nothing to do with the language spoken by the despised -Gipsies, was in error. Had the Gipsy tongue been analysed and committed -to writing three centuries ago, there is every probability that many -scores of words now in common use could be at once traced to its source, -having been adopted as our language has developed towards its present -shape through many varied paths. Instances continually occur nowadays of -street vulgarisms ascending to the drawing-rooms of respectable society. -Who, then, can doubt that the Gipsy-vagabond alliance of three centuries -ago has contributed its quota of common words to popular speech? - -Thomas Moore, in a humorous little book, _Tom Crib's Memorial to -Congress_, 1819, says, "The Gipsy language, with the exception of such -terms as relate to their own peculiar customs, differs but little from -the regular Flash or Cant language." But this was magnifying the -importance of the alliance. Moore, we should think, knew nothing of the -Gipsy tongue other than the few Cant words put into the mouths of the -beggars in Beaumont and Fletcher's _Comedy of the Beggar's Bush_, and -Ben Jonson's _Masque of the Gipsies Metamorphosed_,--hence his -confounding Cant with Gipsy speech, and appealing to the Glossary of -Cant for so-called "Gipsy" words at the end of the _Life of Bamfylde -Moore Carew_, to bear him out in his assertion. Still his remark bears -much truth, and proof of this would have been found long ago if any -scholar had taken the trouble to examine the "barbarous jargon of Cant," -and to have compared it with Gipsy speech. George Borrow, in his -_Account of the Gipsies in Spain_, thus eloquently concludes his second -volume; speaking of the connexion of the Gipsies with Europeans, he -says:--"Yet from this temporary association were produced two results; -European fraud became sharpened by coming into contact with Asiatic -craft; whilst European tongues, by imperceptible degrees, became -recruited with various words (some of them wonderfully expressive), many -of which have long been stumbling-blocks to the philologist, who, whilst -stigmatizing them as words of mere vulgar invention, or of unknown -origin, has been far from dreaming that a little more research or -reflection would have proved their affinity to the Sclavonic, Persian, -or Romaic, or perhaps to the mysterious object of his veneration, the -Sanscrit, the sacred tongue of the palm-covered regions of Ind; words -originally introduced into Europe by objects too miserable to occupy for -a moment his lettered attention--the despised denizens of the tents of -Roma." These words might with very little alteration be ascribed to the -subject of which this volume is supposed--indeed hoped--to be a -handbook. - -But the Gipsies, their speech, their character--bad enough, as all the -world testifies, but yet not devoid of redeeming qualities--their -history, and their religious belief, have been totally disregarded, and -their poor persons buffeted and jostled about until it is a wonder that -any trace of origin or national speech remains. On the Continent they -received better attention at the hands of learned men. Their language -was taken down in writing and examined, their history was traced, and -their extraordinary customs and practice of living in the open air, and -eating raw, and often putrid meat, were explained. They ate reptiles and -told fortunes because they had learnt to do so through their forefathers -centuries back in Hindostan; and they devoured carrion because the -Hindoo proverb--"That which God kills is better than that killed by -man"[10]--was still in their remembrance. This is the sort of proverb, -we should imagine, that would hardly commend itself to any one who had -not an unnatural and ghoule-like tendency anxious for full development. -Grellman, a learned German, was their principal historian, and to him, -and those who have followed him, we are almost entirely indebted for the -little we know of their language. The first European settlement of the -Gipsies was in the provinces adjoining the Danube, Moldau and -Theiss, where M. Cogalniceano, in his _Essai sur les Cigains de la -Moldo-Valachie_, estimates them at 200,000. Not a few of our ancient and -modern Cant and Slang terms are Wallachian and Greek words, picked up by -these wanderers from the East, and added to their common stock. - -Gipsy, then, started, and was partially merged into Cant; and the old -story told by Harrison and others, that the first inventor of canting -was hanged for his pains, would seem to be a humorous invention, for -jargon as it is, it was doubtless of gradual formation, like all other -languages or systems of speech. Most of the modern Gipsies know the old -Cant words as well as their own tongue--or rather what remains of it. As -Borrow says, "The dialect of the English Gipsies is mixed with English -words."[11] Those of the tribe who frequent fairs, and mix with English -tramps, readily learn the new words, as they are adopted by what Harman -calls "the fraternity of vagabonds." Indeed, the old Cant is a common -language to the vagrants of many descriptions and every possible origin -who are scattered over the British Isles. - -English Cant has its mutabilities like every other system of speech, and -is considerably altered since the first dictionary was compiled by -Harman in 1566. A great many words are unknown in the present tramps' -and thieves' vernacular. Some of them, however, still bear their old -definitions, while others have adopted fresh meanings. "Abraham-man" is -yet seen in our modern "sham Abraham," or "play the old -soldier"--_i.e._, to feign sickness or distress. "Autum" is still a -church or chapel amongst Gipsies; and "beck," a constable, is our modern -Cant and Slang "beak," once a policeman, but now a magistrate. "Bene," -or "bone," stands for good in Seven Dials and the back streets of -Westminster; and "bowse" is our modern "booze," to drink or fuddle. A -"bowsing ken" was the old Cant term for a public-house; and "boozing -ken," in modern Cant, has precisely the same meaning. There is little -doubt, though, that the pronunciations were always as they are now, so -far at least as these two instances are concerned. "Cassan" is both old -and modern Cant for cheese; the same may be said of "chattes," or -"chatts," the gallows. "Cofe," or "cove," is still a vulgar synonym for -a man. "Dudes" was Cant for clothes; we now say "duds." "Flag" is still -a fourpenny-piece; and "fylche" means to rob. "Ken" is a house, and -"lick" means to thrash; "prancer" is yet known amongst rogues as a -horse; and to "prig," amongst high and low, is to steal. Three centuries -ago, if one beggar said anything disagreeable to another, the person -annoyed would say, "Stow you," or hold your peace; low people now say, -"Stow it," equivalent to "Be quiet." There is, so far as the Slang goes, -no actual difference in the use of these phrases, the variation being in -the pronouns--in fact, in the direction. "Trine" is still to hang; "wyn" -yet stands for a penny. And many other words, as will be seen in the -Dictionary, still retain their ancient meaning. - -As specimens of those words which have altered their original Cant -signification, may be instanced "chete," now written cheat. "Chete" was -in ancient Cant what _chop_ is in the Canton-Chinese--an almost -inseparable adjunct. Everything was termed a "chete," and qualified by a -substantive-adjective, which showed what kind of a "chete" was meant; -for instance, "crashing-chetes" were teeth; a "moffling-chete," was a -napkin; a "topping-chete," was the gallows, and a "grunting-chete," was -a pig. Cheat nowadays means to cozen or defraud, and lexicographers have -tortured etymology for an original--but without success. _Escheats_ and -_escheatours_ have been named, but with great doubts; indeed, Stevens, -the learned commentator on Shakspeare, acknowledged that he "did not -recollect to have met with the word cheat in our ancient writers."[12] -Cheat, to defraud, then, is no other than an old Cant term somewhat -altered in its meaning,[13] and as such it should be described in the -next etymological dictionary. Another instance of a change in the -meaning of the old Cant, but the retention of the word, is seen in -"cly," formerly to take or steal, now a pocket; and with the remembrance -of a certain class of low characters, a curious connexion between the -two meanings is discovered. "Make" was a halfpenny: we now say -"mag,"--"make" being modern Cant for getting money by any possible -means, their apophthegm being--"Get money the best way you can, but -_make_ it somehow." "Milling" stood for stealing; it ultimately became a -pugilistic term, and then faded into nothingness, "the cove wot loves a -mill," being a thing of the past. "Nab" was a head,--low people now say -"nob," the former meaning, in modern Cant, to steal or seize. "Pek" was -meat,--we still say "peckish," when hungry. "Peckish" is though more -likely to be derived from the action of birds when eating, as all slang -has its origin in metaphor. "Prygges, dronken Tinkers or beastly -people," as old Harman wrote, would scarcely be understood now; a -"prig," in the 19th century, is a pickpocket or thief. He is also a -mean, contemptible little "cuss," who is not, as a rule, found in low -life, but who could be very well spared from that of the middle and -upper classes. "Quier," or "queer," like cheat, was a very common -prefix, and meant bad or wicked,--it now means odd, curious, or strange; -but to the ancient Cant we are possibly indebted for the word, which -etymologists should remember.[14] "Rome," or "rum," formerly meant good, -or of the first quality, and was extensively used like cheat and -queer,--indeed as an adjective it was the opposite of the latter. "Rum" -now means curious, and is synonymous with queer; thus,--"rummy old -bloke," or a "queer old man." Here again we see the origin of an -every-day word, scouted by lexicographers and snubbed by respectable -persons, but still a word of frequent and popular use. "Yannam" meant -bread; "pannum" is the word now. Other instances could be pointed out, -but they will be observed in the Dictionary. - -Several words are entirely obsolete. "Alybbeg" no longer means a bed, -nor "askew" a cup. "Booget,"[15] nowadays, would not be understood for a -basket; neither would "gan" pass current for mouth. "Fullams" was the -old Cant term for false or loaded dice, and although used by Shakspeare -in this sense, is now unknown and obsolete. Indeed, as Moore somewhere -remarks, the present Greeks of St. Giles's themselves would be -thoroughly puzzled by many of the ancient canting songs,--taking, for -example, the first verse of an old favourite-- - - "Bing out, bien Morts, and toure and toure, - Bing out, bien Morts, and toure; - For all your duds are bing'd awast; - The bien cove hath the loure."[16] - -But perhaps we cannot do better than present to the reader at once an -entire copy of the first Canting Dictionary ever compiled. As before -mentioned, it was the work of one Thomas Harman, who lived in the days -of Queen Elizabeth. Some writers have remarked that Decker[17] was the -first to compile a dictionary of the vagabonds' tongue; whilst -Borrow[18] and Moore stated that Richard Head performed that service in -his _Life of an English Rogue_, published in the year 1680. All these -statements are equally incorrect, for the first attempt was made more -than a century before the latter work was issued. The quaint spelling -and old-fashioned phraseology are preserved, and the initiated will -quickly recognise many vulgar street words as old acquaintances dressed -in antique garb.[19] - - ~Abraham-men~ be those that fayn themselves to have beene mad, and - have bene kept either in Bethelem, or in some other pryson a good - time. - - ~Alybbeg~, a bedde. - - ~Askew~, a cuppe. - - ~Autem~, a churche. - - ~Autem mortes~, married women as chaste as a cowe. - - ~Baudye baskets~ bee women who goe with baskets and capcases on - their armes, wherein they have laces, pinnes, nedles, whyte inkel, - and round sylke gyrdels of all colours. - - ~Beck~ [Beak, a magistrate], a constable. - - ~Belly-chete~, apron. - - ~Bene~, good. _Benar_, better. - - ~Benship~, very good. - - ~Bleting chete~, a calfe or sheepe. - - ~Booget~, a travelling tinker's baskete. - - ~Borde~, a shilling. - - ~Boung~, a purse. [_Friesic_, pong; _Wallachian_, punga.] The oldest - form of this word is in Ulphilas, puggs; it exists also in the - _Greek_, _poung_. - - ~Bowse~, drink. - - ~Bowsing ken~, an alehouse. - - ~Bufe~ [Buffer, a man], a dogge. - - ~Bynge a waste~ [Avast, get out of the way] go you hence. - - ~Cackling chete~, a coke [cock], or capon. - - ~Cassan~ [Cassam], cheese. - - ~Casters~ [Castor, a hat], a cloake. - - ~Cateth~, "the vpright Cofe _cateth_ to the Roge" [probably a - shortening or misprint of _Canteth_]. - - ~Chattes~, the gallowes. - - ~Chete~ [see what has been previously said about this word.] - - ~Cly~ [a pocket], to take, receive, or have. - - ~Cofe~ [cove], a person. - - ~Commission~ [mish], a shirt. - - ~Counterfet cranke~, these that do counterfet the Cranke be yong - knaves and yonge harlots, that deeply dissemble the falling - sickness. - - ~Cranke~ [cranky, foolish], falling evil [or wasting sickness]. - - ~Crashing chetes~, teeth. - - ~Cuffen~, a manne. [A _cuif_ in Northumberland and Scotland - signifies a lout or awkward fellow.] - - ~Darkemans~, the night. - - ~Dell~, a yonge wench. - - ~Dewse a vyle~, the countrey. - - ~Dock~, to deflower. - - ~Doxes~, harlots. - - ~Drawers~, hosen. - - ~Dudes~ [or duds], clothes. - - ~Fambles~, handes. - - ~Fambling chete~, a ring on one's hand. - - ~Flagg~, a groat. - - ~Frater~, a beggar wyth a false paper. - - ~Freshe water mariners~, these kind of caterpillers counterfet great - losses on the sea:--their shippes were drowned in the playne of - Salisbury. - - ~Fylche~, to robbe: Fylch-man, a robber. - - ~Gage~, a quart pot. - - ~Gan~, a mouth. - - ~Gentry cofe~, a noble or gentle man. - - ~Gentry cofes ken~, a noble or gentle man's house. - - ~Gentry mort~, a noble or gentle woman. - - ~Gerry~, excrement. - - ~Glasyers~, eyes. - - ~Glymmar~, fyer. - - ~Grannam~, corne. - - ~Grunting chete~, a pygge. - - ~Gyb~, a writing. - - ~Gyger~ [jigger], a dore. - - ~Hearing chetes~, eares. - - ~Jarke~, a seale. - - ~Jarkeman~, one who makes writings and sets seales for [counterfeit] - licences and passports. - - ~Ken~, a house. - - ~Kynchen co~ [or cove], a young boye trained up like a "Kynching - Morte." [From the German diminutive, _Kindschen_.] - - ~Kynching morte~, is a little gyrle, carried at their mother's backe - in a slate, or sheete, who brings them up sauagely. - - ~Lag~, water. - - ~Lag of dudes~, a bucke [or basket] of clothes. - - ~Lage~, to washe. - - ~Lap~, butter mylke, or whey. - - ~Lightmans~, the day. - - ~Lowing chete~, a cowe. - - ~Lowre~, money. [From the Wallachian Gipsy word LOWE, coined money. - _See_ M. Cogalniceano's _Essai sur les Cigains de la - Moldo-Valachie_.] - - ~Lubbares~,--"sturdy Lubbares," country bumpkins, or men of a low - degree. - - ~Lyb-beg~, a bed. - - ~Lycke~ [lick], to beate. - - ~Lyp~, to lie down. - - ~Lypken~, a house to lye in. - - ~Make~ [mag], a halfpenny. - - ~Margeri prater~, a hen. - - ~Milling~, to steale [by sending a child in at a window]. - - ~Moffling chete~, a napkin. - - ~Mortes~ [mots], harlots. - - ~Myll~, to robbe. - - ~Mynt~, gold. - - ~Nab~ [nob], a heade. - - ~Nabchet~, a hat or cap. - - ~Nase~, dronken. - - ~Nosegent~, a nunne. - - ~Pallyard~, a borne beggar [who counterfeits sickness, or incurable - sores. They are mostly Welshmen, Harman says.] - - ~Param~, mylke. - - ~Patrico~, a priest. - - ~Patricos kinchen~, a pygge. [A satirical hit at the church, PATRICO - meaning a parson or priest, and KINCHEN his little boy or girl.] - - ~Pek~, meat. - - ~Poppelars~, porrage. - - ~Prat~, a buttocke. [This word has its equivalent in modern slang.] - - ~Pratling chete~, a toung. - - ~Prauncer~, a horse. - - ~Prigger of prauncers~ be horse-stealers, for to prigge signifieth - in their language to steale, and a PRAUNCER is a horse, so being put - together, the matter was playn. [Thus writes old Thomas Harman, who - concludes his description of this order of "pryggers," by very - quietly saying, "I had the best gelding stolen out of my pasture, - that I had amongst others, whyle this book was first a-printing."] - - ~Prygges~, dronken tinkers, or beastly people. - - ~Quacking chete~, a drake or duck. - - ~Quaromes~, a body. - - ~Quier~ [queer], badde. [_See ante_.] - - ~Quier cuffin~, the justice of peace. - - ~Quyer crampringes~, boltes or fetters. - - ~Quyer kyn~, a pryson house. - - ~Red shanke~, a drake or ducke. - - ~Roger~, a goose. - - ~Rome~, goode [now curious, noted, or remarkable in any way. _Rum_ - is the modern orthography]. - - ~Rome bouse~ [rum booze], wyne. [A name probably applied by canters - coming on it for the first time, and tasting it suddenly.] - - ~Rome mort~, the Queene [Elizabeth]. - - ~Rome vyle~ [Rum-ville], London. - - ~Ruff peck~, baken [short bread, common in old times at - farm-houses]. - - ~Ruffmans~, the wood or bushes. - - ~Salomon~, an alter or masse. - - ~Skypper~, a barne. - - ~Slate~, a sheete or shetes. - - ~Smelling chete~, a nose. - - ~Smelling chete~, a garden or orchard. - - ~Snowt fayre~ [said of a woman who has a pretty face or is comely]. - - ~Stall~ [to initiate a beggar or rogue into the rights and - privileges of the canting order. Harman relates that when an upright - man, or initiated first-class rogue, "mete any beggar, whether he be - sturdy or impotent, he will demand of him whether ever he was - 'stalled to the roge,' or no. If he say he was, he will know of - whom, and his name yt stalled him. And if he be not learnedly able - to shew him the whole circumstance thereof, he will spoyle him of - his money, either of his best garment, if it be worth any money, and - haue him to the bowsing-ken: which is, to some typling house next - adjoyninge, and layth there to gage the best thing that he hath for - twenty pence or two shillings: this man obeyeth for feare of - beatinge. Then dooth this upright man call for a gage of bowse, - which is a quarte potte of drink, and powres the same vpon his peld - pate, adding these words,--I, _G.P._, do stalle thee, _W.T._, to - the Roge, and that from henceforth it shall be lawfull for thee to - cant, that is, to aske or begge for thi liuing in al places."] - - ~Stampers~, shoes. - - ~Stampes~, legges. - - ~Stauling ken~, a house that will receyue stollen wares. - - ~Stawlinge kens~, tippling-houses. - - ~Stow you~ [stow it], hold your peace. - - ~Strike~, to steale. - - ~Strommell~, strawe. - - ~Swadder~, or PEDLER [a man who hawks goods]. - - ~The high pad~, the highway. - - ~The ruffian cly thee~, the devil take thee. - - ~Togemans~ [tog], cloake. - - ~Togman~, a coate. - - ~To bowse~, to drinke. - - ~To cant~, to speake. - - ~To cly the gerke~, to be whipped. - - ~To couch a hogshead~, to lie down and slepe. - - ~To cut bene whyddes~, to speake or give good words. - - ~To cut benle~, to speak gentle. - - ~To cutte~, to say. - - ~To cutte quyer whyddes~, to giue euil words or euil language. - - ~To dup ye gyger~ [jigger], to open the dore. - - ~To fylche~, to robbe. - - ~To heue a bough~, to robbe or rifle a boweth [booth]. - - ~To maunde~, to aske or require. - - ~To mill a ken~, to robbe a house. - - ~Tonygle~ [coition]. - - ~To nyp a boung~, [nip, to steal], to cut a purse. - - ~To skower the crampringes~, to weare boltes or fetters. - - ~To stall~, to make or ordain. - - ~To the ruffian~, to the Devil. - - ~To towre~, to see. - - ~Tryning~, hanging. - - ~Tyb of the butery~, a goose. - - ~Walking morte~, womene [who pass for widows]. - - ~Wapping~ [coition]. - - ~Whyddes~, wordes. - - ~Wyn~, a penny. [A correspondent of _Notes and Queries_ suggests the - connexion of this word with the Welsh, GWYN, white--_i.e._, the - white silver penny. _See_ other examples under BLUNT, in the - Dictionary; cf. also the Armorican, "GWENNEK," a penny.] - - ~Yannam~, bread. - -Turning attention more to the Cant of modern times, in connexion with -the old, it will be found that words have been drawn into the thieves' -vocabulary from every conceivable source. Hard or infrequent words, -vulgarly termed "crack-jaw," or "jaw-breakers," were very often used and -considered as Cant terms. And here it should be mentioned that at the -present day the most inconsistent and far-fetched terms are often used -for secret purposes, when they are known to be caviare to the million. -It is strange that such words as incongruous, insipid, interloper, -intriguing, indecorum, forestall, equip, hush, grapple, &c., &c., were -current Cant words a century and a half ago, if we are to judge by the -Dictionary of Canting Words at the end of _Bacchus and Venus_,[20] 1737. -It is but fair, however, to assume that the compiler of the dictionary -was but trading on the demand for Cant phrases, and was humbugging his -readers. The terms are inserted not as jokes or squibs, but as -selections from the veritable pocket dictionaries of the Jack Sheppards -and Dick Turpins of the day. If they were safely used as unknown and -cabalistic terms amongst the commonalty, the fact would form a very -curious illustration of the ignorance of our poor ancestors; but it -would be unfair and, indeed, idiotic to assume this without much -stronger proof than the book in question gives of itself. - -Amongst those Cant words which have either altered their meanings, or -have become extinct, may be cited lady, formerly the Cant for "a very -crooked, deformed, and ill-shapen woman;"[21] and Harman, "a pair of -stocks, or a constable." The former is a pleasant piece of sarcasm, -whilst the latter indicates a singular method of revenge, or else of -satire. Harman was the first author who specially wrote against English -vagabonds, and for his trouble his name, we are told, became synonymous -with a pair of stocks, or a policeman of the olden time. - -Apart from the Gipsy element, we find that Cant abounds in terms from -foreign languages, and that it exhibits signs of a growth similar to -that of most recognised and completely-formed tongues,--the gathering of -words from foreign sources. In the reign of Elizabeth and of King James -I., several Dutch, Flemish, and Spanish words were introduced by -soldiers who had served in the Low Countries and sailors who had -returned from the Spanish Main, who, like "mine ancient Pistol," were -fond of garnishing their speech with outlandish phrases. Many of these -were soon picked up and adopted by vagabonds and tramps in their Cant -language. The Anglo-Norman and the Anglo-Saxon, the Scotch, the French, -the Italian, and even the classic languages of ancient Italy and Greece, -besides the various provincial dialects of England, have contributed to -its list of words. Indeed, as has been remarked, English Cant seems to -be formed on the same basis as the Argot of the French and the -Roth-Sprach of the Germans--partly metaphorical, and partly by the -introduction of such corrupted foreign terms as are likely to be unknown -to the society amid which the Cant speakers exist. Argot is the London -thieves' word for their secret language; it is, of course, from the -French, but that matters not, so long as it is incomprehensible to the -police and the mob. "Booze," or "bouse," is supposed to come from the -Dutch _buysen_, though the word has been in use in England for some -hundreds of years. "Domine," a parson, is from the Spanish. "Donna and -feeles," a woman and children, is from the Latin; and "don," a clever -fellow, has been filched from the Lingua Franca, or bastard Italian, -although it sounds like an odd mixture of Spanish and French; whilst -"duds," the vulgar term for clothes, may have been pilfered either from -the Gaelic or the Dutch. "Feele," a daughter, from the French; and -"frow," a girl or wife, from the German--are common tramps' terms. So -are "gent," silver, from the French _argent_; and "vial," a country -town, also from the French. "Horrid-horn," a fool, is believed to be -from the Erse; and "gloak," a man, from the Scotch. As stated before, -the dictionary will supply numerous other instances. - -The Celtic languages have contributed many Cant and vulgar words to our -popular vocabulary. These have come to us through the Gaelic and Irish -languages, so closely allied in their material as to be merely dialects -of a primitive common tongue. This element may arise from the Celtic -portion of our population, which, from its position as slaves or -servants to its ancient conquerors, has contributed so largely to the -lowest class of the community, therefore to our Slang, provincial, or -colloquial words; or it may be an importation from Irish immigrants, who -have contributed their fair proportion to our criminal stock. - -There is one source, however, of secret street terms which in the first -edition of this work was entirely overlooked,--indeed, it was unknown to -the original compiler until pointed out by a correspondent,--the Lingua -Franca, or bastard Italian, spoken at Genoa, Trieste, Malta, -Constantinople, Smyrna, Alexandria, and all Mediterranean seaport towns. -The ingredients of this imported Cant are, as its name denotes, many. -Its foundation is Italian, with a mixture of modern Greek, German (from -the Austrian ports), Spanish, Turkish, and French. It has been -introduced to the notice of the London wandering tribes by the sailors, -foreign and English, who trade to and from the Mediterranean seaports, -but it must not be confounded with the mixture of Irish, English, and -Italian spoken in neighbourhoods like Saffron Hill and Leather Lane, -which are thronged with swarms of organ-grinders from all parts of -Italy, and makers of images from Rome and Florence,--all of whom, in -these dense thoroughfares, mingle with our lower orders. It would occupy -too much space here to give a list of the words used in either of these -Babel-like tongues, especially as the principal of them are noted in the -dictionary. - -"There are several Hebrew terms in our Cant language, obtained, it -would appear, from the intercourse of the thieves with the Jew fences -(receivers of stolen goods); many of the Cant terms, again, are -Sanscrit, got from the Gipsies; many Latin, got by the beggars from the -Catholic prayers before the Reformation; and many again, Italian, got -from the wandering musicians and others; indeed, the showmen have but -lately introduced a number of Italian phrases into their Cant -language."[22] The Hindostanee also contributes several words, and these -have been introduced by the Lascar sailors, who come over here in the -East Indiamen, and often lodge during their stay in the low tramps' -houses at the East-end of London. Speaking of the learned tongues, it -may be mentioned that, precarious and abandoned as the vagabonds' -existence is, many persons of classical or refined education have from -time to time joined the nomadic ranks,--occasionally from inclination, -as in the popular instance of Bamfylde Moore Carew, but generally -through indiscretions, which involve pecuniary difficulty and loss of -character.[23] This will in some measure account for numerous classical -and learned words figuring as Cant terms in the vulgar dictionary. - -In the early part of the last century, when highwaymen and footpads were -plentiful, and when the dangerous classes were in larger proportion to -the bulk of the population than they are now, a great many new words -were added to the canting vocabulary, whilst several old terms fell into -disuse. "Cant," for instance, as applied to thieves' talk, was -supplanted by the word "flash." In the North of England the Cant -employed by tramps and thieves is known as "Gammy." It is mainly from -the old Gipsy corrupted. In the large towns of Ireland and Scotland this -secret language is also spoken, with of course additions peculiar to -each locality. All those words derived from "gammy" are inserted in the -dictionary as from the North country. - -A singular feature, however, in vulgar language is the retention and the -revival of sterling old English words, long since laid up in ancient -manuscripts. Disraeli somewhere says, "The purest source of neology is -in the revival of old words"-- - - "Words that wise Bacon or brave Rawleigh spake;" - -and Dr. Latham remarks that "the thieves of London are the conservators -of Anglo-Saxonisms." A young gentleman from Belgravia, who had lost his -watch or his pocket-handkerchief, would scarcely remark to his mamma -that it had been "boned"--yet "bone," in old times, meant, amongst high -and low, to steal. And a young lady living in the precincts of dingy but -aristocratic Mayfair, although enraptured with a Jenny Lind or a -Ristori, would hardly think of turning back in the box to inform papa -that she (Ristori or Lind) "made no 'bones' of it"--yet the phrase was -most respectable and well-to-do before it met with a change of -circumstances. Possibly fashion, in its journey from east to west, left -certain phrases and metaphors behind, which being annexed by the -newcomers, sank gradually in the social scale until they ultimately -passed out of the written language altogether, and became "flash" or -Slang. "A 'crack' article," however first-rate, would have greatly -displeased Dr. Johnson and Mr. Walker--yet both crack, in the sense of -excellent, and crack up, to boast or praise, were not considered -vulgarisms in the time of Henry VIII. The former term is used frequently -nowadays, as a kind of polite and modified Slang--as a "crack" regiment, -a "crack" shot, &c. "Dodge," a cunning trick, is from the Anglo-Saxon; -and ancient nobles used to "get each other's 'dander' up" before -appealing to their swords,--quite "flabbergasting" (also a respectable -old word) the half-score of lookers-on with the thumps and cuts of their -heavy weapons. "Gallivanting," waiting upon the ladies, was as polite in -expression as in action; whilst a clergyman at Paule's Crosse thought -nothing of bidding a noisy hearer "hold his 'gab,'" or "shut up his -'gob.'" But then the essence of preaching was to indulge in idiomatic -phrases and colloquialisms--a practice now almost peculiar to itinerant -"ranters." "Gadding," roaming about in an idle and vacant manner, was -used in an old translation of the Bible; and "to do anything 'gingerly'" -was to do it with great care. Persons of modern affected tastes will be -shocked to know that the great Lord Bacon spoke of the lower part of a -man's face as his "gills," though the expression is not more -objectionable than the generality of metaphor, and is considerably more -respectable than many words admitted to the genteel--we use the word -advisedly--vocabulary. - -Shakspeare also used many words which are now counted dreadfully vulgar. -"'Clean' gone," in the sense of out of sight, or entirely away; "you -took me all 'a-mort,'" or confounded me; "it wont 'fadge,'" or suit, are -phrases taken at random from the great dramatist's works. These phrases -are the natural outcome of the poet's truth to life in the characters he -portrayed. A London costermonger, or inhabitant of the streets, instead -of saying, "I'll make him yield," or "give in," in a fight or contest, -would say, "I'll make him 'buckle' under." Shakspeare in his _Henry the -Fourth_ (part ii. act i. scene 1), has the word; and Mr. Halliwell, one -of the greatest and most industrious of living antiquaries, informs us -that "the commentators do not supply another example." If Shakspeare was -not a pugilist, he certainly anticipated the terms of the prize-ring--or -they were respectable words before the prize-ring was thought of--for he -has "pay," to beat or thrash, and "pepper," with a similar meaning; also -"fancy," in the sense of pets and favourites,--pugilists are often -termed "the 'fancy.'" The origin of the term, as applied to them, has, -however, never been satisfactorily decided, though Pierce Egan and -others since his time have speculated ingeniously on the subject. The -Cant word "prig," from the Saxon _priccan_, to filch, is also -Shakspearian; so, indeed, is "piece," a contemptuous term for a young -woman. Shakspeare was not the only vulgar dramatist of his time. Ben -Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher, Brome, and other play-writers, -occasionally, and very naturally, put Cant words into the mouths of -their low characters, or employed old words which have since degenerated -into vulgarisms. "Crusty," poor tempered; "two of a kidney," two of a -sort; "lark," a piece of fun; "lug," to pull; "bung," to give or pass; -"pickle," a sad plight; "frump," to mock, are a few specimens casually -picked from the works of the old histrionic writers. - -One old English mode of canting, simple enough, but affected only by the -most miserable impostors, was the inserting a consonant betwixt each -syllable; thus, taking _g_, "How do you do?" would be "How_g_ do_g_ -you_g_ do_g_?" The name very properly given to this disagreeable -nonsense, we are informed by Grose, was gibberish. - -Another slang has been manufactured by transposing the initial letters -of words, so that a mutton chop becomes a _ch_utton _m_op, and a pint of -stout a _st_int of _p_out; but it is satisfactory to know that it has -gained no ground, as it is remarkable for nothing so much as poverty of -resource on the part of its inventors. This is called "Marrowskying," or -"Medical Greek," from its use by medical students at the hospitals. -Albert Smith termed it the "Gower Street Dialect," and referred to it -occasionally in his best-known works. - -The "Language of Ziph," it may be noted, is another rude mode of -disguising English, in use among the students at Winchester College. -Some notices of this method of conveying secret information, with an -extensive Glossary of the Words, Phrases, Customs, &c., peculiar to the -College, may be found in Mr. Mansfield's _School Life at Winchester -College_. It is certainly too puerile a specimen of work to find place -here. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] "Swarms of vagabonds, whose eyes were so sharp as Lynx."--_Bullein's -Simples and Surgery_, 1562. - -[2] Probably from the Gipsies, who were supposed to come from Germany -into Spain. - -[3] From _Roter_, beggar, vagabond, and _wlsch_, foreign. See -Dictionary of Gipsy language in Pott's _Zigeuner in Europa und Asien_, -vol. ii., Halle, 1844. The Italian cant is called Fourbesque, and the -Portuguese Calao. See Francisque-Michel, _Dictionnaire d'Argot_, Paris, -1856. - -[4] Richardson's _Dictionary_. - -[5] _Description of England_, prefixed to Holinshed's _Chronicle_. - -[6] The word Slang, as will be seen in the chapter upon that subject, is -purely a Gipsy term, although nowadays it refers to low or vulgar -language of any kind, other than cant. Slang and Gibberish in the Gipsy -language are synonymous; but, as English adoptions, have meanings very -different from that given to them in their original. - -[7] "The vulgar tongue consists of two parts; the first is the Cant -language; the second, those burlesque phrases, quaint allusions, -and nicknames for persons, things, and places, which, from long -uninterrupted usage, are made classical by prescription."--Grose's -_Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue_, 1st edition, 1785. - -[8] "Outlandish people calling themselves Egyptians."--1530. - -[9] Jabber may be, after all, only another form of GABBER, GAB, very -common in Old English, from the _Anglo-Saxon_, GBBAN. - -[10] This very proverb was mentioned by a young Gipsy to Crabb, some -years ago.--_Gipsies' Advocate_, p. 14. - -[11] _Gipsies in Spain_, vol. i. p. 18. - -[12] Shaks. _Henry IV._, part ii. act ii. scene 4. - -[13] It is but fair to imagine that cheat ultimately became synonymous -with "fraud," when we remember that it was one of the most common words -of the greatest class of impostors in the country. - -[14] We are aware that more than one eminent philologist states that the -origin of "queer" is seen in the German _quer_, crooked,--hence strange -and abnormal. While agreeing with this etymology, we have reason to -believe that the word was first used in this country in a Cant sense. - -[15] Booget properly signifies a leathern wallet, and is probably -derived from the _low Latin_, BULGA. A tinker's budget is from the same -source. - -[16] Which, freely translated into modern Slang, might read--especially -to those who know the manners and customs of the Dialites--thus: - - "Good girls, go out, and look about, - Good girls, go out and see; - For every clout is up the spout, - The bloke's gone on the spree." - -[17] Who wrote about the year 1610. - -[18] _Gipsies in Spain_, vol. i. p. 18. Borrow further commits himself -by remarking that "Head's Vocabulary has always been accepted as the -speech of the English Gipsies." Nothing of the kind. Head professed to -have lived with the Gipsies, but in reality filched his words from -Decker and Brome. - -[19] The modern meanings of a few of the old Cant words are given within -brackets. - -[20] This is a curious volume, and is worth from one to two guineas. The -Canting Dictionary was afterwards reprinted, word for word, with the -title of _The Scoundrel's Dictionary_, in 1751. It was originally -published, without date, about the year 1710, by B. E., under the title -of _A Dictionary of the Canting Crew_. - -[21] _Bacchus and Venus._--1737. - -[22] _London Labour and the London Poor._ - -[23] Mayhew (vol. i. p. 217) speaks of a low lodging-house "in which -there were at one time five university men, three surgeons, and several -sorts of broken-down clerks." But old Harman's saying, that "a wylde -Roge is he that is _borne_ a roge," will perhaps explain this seeming -anomaly. There is, whatever may be the reason, no disputing the truth of -this latter statement, as there is not, we venture to say, a common -lodging-house in London without broken-down gentlemen, who have been -gentlemen very often far beyond the conventional application of the term -to any one with a good coat on his back and money in his pocket. - - - - -ACCOUNT - -OF THE - -HIEROGLYPHICS USED BY VAGABONDS. - - -One of the most singular chapters in a history of vagabondism would -certainly be "An Account of the Hieroglyphic Signs used by Tramps and -Thieves," and it certainly would not be the least interesting. The -reader may be startled to know that, in addition to a secret language, -the wandering tribes of this country have private marks and symbols with -which to score their successes, failures, and advice to succeeding -beggars; in fact, there is no doubt that the country is really dotted -over with beggars' finger-posts and guide-stones. The subject was not -long since brought under the attention of the Government by Mr. -Rawlinson.[24] "There is," he says in his report, "a sort of -blackguards' literature, and the initiated understand each other by -Slang [Cant] terms, by pantomimic signs, and by hieroglyphics. The -vagrant's mark may be seen in Havant, on corners of streets, on -door-posts, on house-steps. Simple as these chalk-lines appear, they -inform the succeeding vagrants of all they require to know; and a few -white scratches may say, 'Be importunate,' or 'Pass on.'" - -Another very curious account was taken from a provincial newspaper, -published in 1849, and forwarded to _Notes and Queries_,[25] under the -head of Mendicant Freemasonry. "Persons," remarks the writer, -"indiscreet enough to open their purses to the relief of the beggar -tribe, would do well to take a readily-learned lesson as to the folly of -that misguided benevolence which encourages and perpetuates vagabondism. -Every door or passage is pregnant with instruction as to the error -committed by the patron of beggars; as the beggar-marks show that a -system of freemasonry is followed, by which a beggar knows whether it -will be worth his while to call into a passage or knock at a door. Let -any one examine the entrances to the passages in any town, and there he -will find chalk marks, unintelligible to him, but significant enough to -beggars. If a thousand towns are examined, the same marks will be found -at every passage entrance. The passage mark is a cypher with a twisted -tail; in some cases the tail projects into the passage, in others -outwardly; thus seeming to indicate whether the houses down the passage -are worth calling at or not. Almost every door has its marks; these are -varied. In some cases there is a cross on the brickwork, in others a -cypher; the figures ~1, 2, 3~ are also used. Every person may for -himself test the accuracy of these statements by the examination of the -brickwork near his own doorway--thus demonstrating that mendicity is a -regular trade, carried out upon a system calculated to save time, and -realize the largest profits." These remarks refer mainly to provincial -towns, London being looked upon as the tramps' home, and therefore too -"fly" or experienced to be duped by such means. The title it obtains, -that of "the Start," or first place in everything, is significant of -this. - -Provincial residents, who are more likely to view the foregoing extract -with an eye of suspicion than are those who live in a position -to constantly watch for and profit by evidences of the secret -intercommunication indulged in by the dangerous classes, should note, in -favour of the extract given, how significant is the practice of tramps -and beggars calling in unfrequented localities, and how obvious it is -that they are directed by a code of signals at once complete and -imperious. It is bad for a tramp who is discovered disobeying secret -orders. He is marked out and subjected to all kinds of annoyance by -means of decoy hieroglyphs, until his life becomes a burden to him, and -he is compelled to starve or--most horrible of alternatives--go to work. - -The only other notice of the hieroglyphs of vagabonds worth remarking is -in Mayhew's _London Labour and the London Poor_.[26] Mayhew obtained his -information from two tramps, who stated that hawkers employ these signs -as well as beggars. One tramp thus described the method of "working"[27] -a small town. "Two hawkers ('pals'[27]) go together, but separate when -they enter a village, one taking one side of the road, and selling -different things, and so as to inform each other as to the character of -the people at whose houses they call, they chalk certain marks on their -door-posts." Another informant stated that "if a 'patterer'[27] has been -'crabbed'" (that is, offended by refusal or exposure) "at any of the -'cribs'" (houses), "he mostly chalks a signal at or near the door." -These hawkers were not of the ordinary, but of the tramp, class, who -carried goods more as a blind to their real designs than for the -purposes of sale. They, in fact, represented the worst kinds of the two -classes. The law has comparatively recently improved these nondescript -gentry off the face of the country, and the hawker of the present day is -generally a man more sinned against than sinning. - -Another use is also made of hieroglyphs. Charts of successful begging -neighbourhoods are rudely drawn, and symbolical signs attached to each -house to show whether benevolent or adverse.[28] "In many cases there is -over the kitchen mantelpiece" of a tramps' lodging-house "a map of the -district, dotted here and there with memorandums of failure or success." -A correct facsimile of one of these singular maps is given in this book. -It was obtained from the patterers and tramps who supplied a great many -words for this work, and who were employed by the original publisher in -collecting Old Ballads, Christmas Carols, Dying Speeches, and Last -Lamentations, as materials for a _History of Popular Literature_. The -reader will, no doubt, be amused with the drawing. The locality depicted -is near Maidstone, in Kent; and it was probably sketched by a wandering -Screever[29] in payment for a night's lodging. The English practice of -marking everything, and scratching names on public property, extends -itself to the tribe of vagabonds. On the map, as may be seen in the -left-hand corner, some Traveller[29] has drawn a favourite or noted -female, singularly nicknamed Three-quarter Sarah. What were the peculiar -accomplishments of this lady to demand so uncommon a name, the reader -will be at a loss to discover; but a patterer says it probably refers to -a shuffling dance of that name, common in tramps' lodging-houses, and in -which "3/4 Sarah" may have been a proficient. Above her, three beggars -or hawkers have reckoned their day's earnings, amounting to 13s., and on -the right a tolerably correct sketch of a low hawker, or cadger, is -drawn. "To Dover, the _nigh_ way," is the exact phraseology; and "hup -here," a fair specimen of the self-acquired education of the -draughtsman. No key or explanation to the hieroglyphs was given in the -original, because it would have been superfluous, when every inmate of -the lodging-house knew the marks from his cradle--or rather his mother's -back. - -Should there be no map, in most lodging-houses there is an old man who -is guide to every "walk" in the vicinity, and who can tell on every -round each house that is "good for a cold tatur." The hieroglyphs that -are used are:-- - -[Cross] ~No good~; too poor, and know too much. - -[Semicircle plus cross] ~Stop~,--If you have what they want, they will -buy. They are pretty "fly" (knowing). - -[Forked branch] ~Go in this direction~, it is better than the other -road. Nothing that way. - -[Diamond] ~Bone~ (good). Safe for a "cold tatur," if for nothing else. -"Cheese your patter" (don't talk much) here. - -[Triangle pointing down] ~Cooper'd~ (spoilt), by too many tramps -calling there. - -[Square] ~Gammy~ (unfavourable), like to have you taken up. Mind -the dog. - -[Circle with dot] ~Flummuxed~ (dangerous), sure of a month in "quod" -(prison). - -[Circle with cross] ~Religious~, but tidy on the whole. - -Where did these signs come from? and when were they first used? are -questions which have been asked again and again, and the answers have -been many and various. Knowing the character of the Gipsies, and -ascertaining from a tramp that they are well acquainted with the -hieroglyphs, "and have been as long ago as ever he could remember," -there is little fear of being wrong in ascribing the invention to them. -How strange it would be if some modern Belzoni, or Champollion--say Mr. -George Smith, for instance--discovered in these beggars' marks traces of -ancient Egyptian or Hindoo sign-writing! - -That the Gipsies were in the habit of leaving memorials of the road they -had taken, and the successes that had befallen them, is upon record. In -an old book, _The Triumph of Wit_, 1724, there is a passage which -appears to have been copied from some older work, and it runs -thus:--"The Gipsies set out twice a year, and scatter all over England, -each parcel having their appointed stages, that they may not interfere, -nor hinder each other; and for that purpose, when they set forward in -the country, they stick up boughs in the way of divers kinds, according -as it is agreed among them, that one company may know which way another -is gone, and so take another road." The works of Hoyland and Borrow -supply other instances. - -It would be hardly fair to close this subject without drawing attention -to the extraordinary statement that, actually on the threshold of the -gibbet, the sign of the vagabond was to be met with! "The murderer's -signal is even exhibited from the gallows; as a red handkerchief held in -the hand of the felon about to be executed is a token that he dies -without having betrayed any professional secrets."[30] Private -executions have of course rendered this custom obsolete, even if it -ever existed. - - * * * * * - -Since the first editions of this work were published, the publishers -have received from various parts of England numerous evidences of the -still active use of beggars' marks and mendicant hieroglyphs. One -gentleman writes from Great Yarmouth to say that, whilst residing in -Norwich, he used frequently to see them on the houses and street corners -in the suburbs. Another gentleman, a clergyman, states that he has so -far made himself acquainted with the meanings of the signs employed, -that by himself marking the characters [Square] (gammy) and [Circle with -dot] (flummuxed) on the gate-posts of his parsonage, he enjoys a -singular immunity from alms-seekers and cadgers on the tramp. This hint -may not be lost on many other sufferers from importunate beggars, yet -its publication may lead to the introduction of a new code. - - * * * * * - -In a popular constable's guide,[31] giving the practice of justices in -petty sessions, the following interesting paragraph is found, -corroborating what has just been said on the hieroglyphs used by -vagabonds:-- - - "Gipsies follow their brethren by numerous marks, such as strewing - handfuls of grass in the daytime at a four lane or cross roads; the - grass being strewn down the road the gang have taken; also, by a - cross being made on the ground with a stick or knife--the longest - end of the cross denotes the route taken. In the night-time a cleft - stick is placed in the fence at the cross roads, with an arm - pointing down the road their comrades have taken. The marks are - always placed on the left-hand side, so that the stragglers can - easily and readily find them." - -From the cleft stick here alluded to, we learn the origin and use of -[Forked branch], the third hieroglyph in the vagabond's private list. -And the extract also proves that the "rule of the road" is the same -with tramps as with that body which is morally less but physically -more dangerous, theLondon drivers. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[24] Mr. Rawlinson's _Report to the General Board of Health, Parish of -Havant, Hampshire_. - -[25] Vol. v. p. 210. - -[26] Vol. i. pp. 218 and 247. - -[27] See Dictionary. - -[28] Sometimes, as appears from the following, the names of persons and -houses are written instead. "In almost every one of the padding-kens, or -low lodging-houses in the country, there is a list of walks pasted up -over the kitchen mantelpiece. Now at St. Albans, for instance, at the -----, and at other places, there is a paper stuck up in each of the -kitchens. This paper is headed, 'Walks out of this town' and underneath -it is set down the names of the villages in the neighbourhood at which a -beggar may call when out on his walk, and they are so arranged as to -allow the cadger to make a round of about six miles each day, and return -the same night. In many of these papers there are sometimes twenty walks -set down. No villages that are in any way 'gammy' [bad] are ever -mentioned in these papers, and the cadger, if he feels inclined to stop -for a few days in the town, will be told by the lodging-house keeper, or -the other cadgers that he may meet there, what gentlemen's seats or -private houses are of any account on the walk that he means to take. The -names of the good houses are not set down in the paper, for fear of the -police."--_Mayhew_, vol. i. p. 418. [This business is also much altered -in consequence of the increase in the surveillance of the kens, an -increase which, though nominally for sanitary purposes, has a strong -moral effect. Besides this, Mr. Mayhew's informants seem to have -possessed a fair share of that romance which is inherent among -vagabonds.--ED.] - -[29] See Dictionary. - -[30] Mr. Rawlinson's _Report to the General Board of Health, Parish of -Havant, Hampshire_. - -[31] Snowden's _Magistrate's Assistant_, 1852, p. 444. - - - - -A SHORT HISTORY OF SLANG, - -OR - -THE VULGAR LANGUAGE OF FAST LIFE. - -Slang is the language of street humour, of fast, high, and low life. -Cant, as was stated in the chapter upon that subject, is the vulgar -language of secrecy. It must be admitted, however, that within the past -few years they have become almost indivisible. They are both universal -and ancient, and appear to have been, with certain exceptions, the -offspring of gay, vulgar, or worthless persons in every part of the -world at every period of time. Indeed, if we are to believe implicitly -the saying of the wise man, that "there is nothing new under the sun," -the "bloods" of buried Nineveh, with their knotty and door-matty-looking -beards, may have cracked Slang jokes on the steps of Sennacherib's -palace; while the stocks and stones of ancient Egypt, and the bricks of -venerable and used-up Babylon, may be covered with Slang hieroglyphs, -which, being perfectly unknown to modern antiquaries, have long been -stumbling-blocks to the philologist; so impossible is it at this day to -say what was then authorized, or what vulgar, language. The only -objection that can be raised to this idea is, that Slang was, so far as -can be discovered, traditional, and unwritten, until the appearance of -this volume, a state of things which accounts for its many changes, and -the doubtful orthography of even its best known and most permanent -forms. Slang is almost as old as speech, and must date from the -congregating together of people in cities. It is the result of crowding, -and excitement, and artificial life. We have traces of this as far as we -can refer back. Martial, the epigrammatist, is full of Slang. When an -uninvited guest accompanied his friend, the Slang of the day styled him -his "umbra;" when a man was trussed, neck and heels, it called him -jocosely "quadrupus." Slang is nowadays very often the only vehicle by -which rodomontade may be avoided. It is often full of the most pungent -satire, and is always to the point. Without point Slang has no _raison -d'tre_. - -Old English Slang was coarser, and depended more upon downright -vulgarity than our modern Slang. It was a jesting speech, or humorous -indulgence for the thoughtless moment or the drunken hour, and it acted -as a vent-peg for a fit of temper or irritability; but it did not -interlard and permeate every description of conversation as now. It was -confined to nicknames and improper subjects, and encroached but to a -very small extent upon the domain of authorized speech. Indeed, it was -exceedingly limited when compared with the vast territory of Slang in -such general favour and complete circulation at the present day. Still, -although not an extensive institution, as in our time, Slang certainly -did exist in this country centuries ago, as we may see if we look down -the page of any respectable History of England. Cromwell was familiarly -called "Old Noll,"--in much the same way as Bonaparte was termed -"Boney," and Wellington "Conkey" or "Nosey," only a few years ago.[32] -His Legislature, too, was spoken of in a high-flavoured way as the -"Barebones" or "Rump" Parliament, and his followers were nicknamed -"Roundheads," and the peculiar religious sects of his protectorate were -styled "Puritans" and "Quakers."[33] The Civil War pamphlets, and the -satirical hits of the Cavaliers and the Commonwealth men, originated -numerous Slang words and vulgar similes in full use at the present -moment. Here is a field of inquiry for the Philological Society, indeed -a territory, for there are thirty thousand of these partisan tracts. -Later still, in the court of Charles II., the naughty ladies and the gay -lords, with Rochester at their head, talked Slang; and very naughty -Slang it was too. Fops in those days, when "over head and ears" in debt, -and in continual fear of arrest, termed their enemies, the bailiffs, -"Philistines"[34] or "Moabites." At a later period, when collars were -worn detached from shirts, in order to save the expense of washing--an -object, it would seem, with needy "swells" in all ages--they obtained -the name of "Jacobites." One-half of the coarse wit in Butler's -_Hudibras_ lurks in the vulgar words and phrases which he was so fond of -employing. These Slang phrases contained the marrow of his arguments -stripped of all superfluous matter, and they fell with ponderous weight -and terrible effect upon his opponents. They were more homely and -forcible than the mild and elegant sentences of Cowley, and the people, -therefore, hurrahed them, and pronounced Butler one of themselves,--or, -as we should say, in a joyful moment, "a jolly good fellow." Orator -Henley preached and prayed in Slang, and first charmed and then ruled -the dirty mobs in Lincoln's Inn Fields by vulgarisms. Burly Grose -mentions Henley, with the remark that we owe a great many Slang phrases -to him, though even the worst Slang was refinement itself compared with -many of Henley's most studied oratorical utterances, which proves that -the most blackguard parts of a blackguard speech may be perfectly free -from either Slang or Cant. Swift, and old Sir Roger L'Estrange, and -Arbuthnot, were all fond of vulgar or Slang language; indeed, we may see -from a Slang word used by the latter how curious is the gradual adoption -of vulgar terms in our standard dictionaries. The worthy doctor, in -order to annihilate (or, as we should say, with a fitting respect to the -subject under consideration, to "smash") an opponent, thought proper on -an occasion to use the word "cabbage," not in the ancient sense of a -flatulent vegetable of the kitchen-garden, but in the at once Slang -sense of purloining or cribbing. Johnson soon met with the word, looked -at it, examined it, weighed it, and shook his head, but out of respect -to a brother doctor inserted it in his dictionary, labelling it, -however, prominently "Cant;" whilst Walker and Webster, years after, -when all over England "to cabbage" was to pilfer, placed the term in -their dictionaries as an ancient and very respectable word. Another -Slang term, "gull," to cheat, or delude, sometimes varied to "gully," is -stated to be connected with the Dean of St. Patrick's. "Gull," a dupe, -or a fool, is often used by our old dramatists, and is generally -believed to have given rise to the verb; but a curious little edition of -_Bamfylde Moore Carew_, published in 1827, says that "to gull," or -"gully," is derived from the well-known Gulliver, the hero of the famous -Travels. It may be from the phrase, "You can't come Gulliver over me," -in use while the popularity of the book was hot. How crammed with Slang -are the dramatic works of the last century! The writers of the comedies -and farces in those days must have lived in the streets, and written -their plays in the public-houses, so filled are they with vulgarisms and -unauthorized words. The popular phrases, "I owe you one," "That's one -for his nob," and "Keep moving, dad," arose in this way.[35] The second -of these sayings was, doubtless, taken from the card-table, for at -cribbage the player who holds the knave of the suit turned up counts -"one for his nob," and the dealer who turns up a knave counts "two for -his heels." From a dramatic point of view, the use of these phrases is -perfectly correct, as they were in constant use among the people -supposed to be represented by the author's characters. - -In Mrs. Centlivre's admirable comedy of _A Bold Stroke for a Wife_, we -see the origin of that popular phrase, the real Simon Pure. Simon Pure -is the Quaker name adopted by Colonel Feignwell as a trick to obtain the -hand of Mistress Anne Lovely in marriage. The veritable Quaker, the -"real Simon Pure," recommended by Aminadab Holdfast, of Bristol, as a -fit sojourner with Obadiah Prim, arrives at last, to the discomfiture of -the Colonel, who, to maintain his position and gain time, concocts a -letter in which the real Quaker is spoken of as a housebreaker who had -travelled in the "leather conveniency" from Bristol, and adopted the -garb and name of the western Quaker in order to pass off as the "Real -Simon Pure," but only for the purpose of robbing the house and cutting -the throat of the perplexed Obadiah. The scene in which the two Simon -Pures, the real and the counterfeit, meet, is one of the best in the -comedy. - -Tom Brown, of "facetious memory," as his friends were wont to say, and -Ned Ward, who wrote humorous books, and when tired drew beer for his -customers at his alehouse in Long Acre,[36] were both great producers of -Slang in the last century, and to them we owe many popular current -phrases and household words. - -Written Slang was checked, rather than advanced, by the pens of -Addison, Johnson, and Goldsmith; although Bee, the bottle-holder and -historiographer of the pugilistic band of brothers in the youthful days -of flat-nosed Tom Cribb, has gravely stated that Johnson, when young and -rakish, contributed to an early volume of the _Gentleman's Magazine_ a -few pages, by way of specimen, of a slang dictionary, the result, Mr. -Bee says, "of his midnight ramblings!"[37] This statement is not only -improbable, but an investigation of the venerable magazine, though -strict and searching, produces no evidence in corroboration of Mr. Bee. -Goldsmith, even, certainly coined a few words as occasion required, -although as a rule his pen was pure and graceful, and adverse to -neologisms. The word "fudge," it has been stated, was first used by him -in literary composition, although it probably originated with one -Captain Fudge, a notorious fibber, nearly a century before. Street -phrases, nicknames, and vulgar words were continually being added -to the great stock of popular Slang up to the commencement of -the present century, when it received numerous additions from pugilism, -horse-racing, and "fast" life generally, which suddenly came into great -public favour, and was at its height in the latter part of the reign of -George III., and in the early days of the Regency. Slang in those days -was generally termed "flash" language. It will thus be noted that the -term "flash" has in turn represented both Cant and Slang; now the word -Slang has become perfectly generic. So popular was "flash" with the -"bloods" of high life, that it constituted the best paying literary -capital for certain authors and dramatists. Pierce Egan issued -_Boxiana_, and _Life in London_, six portly octavo volumes, crammed with -Slang; and Moncrieff wrote the most popular farce of the day, _Tom and -Jerry_ (adapted from the latter work), which, to use newspaper Slang, -"took the town by storm," and, with its then fashionable vulgarisms, -made the fortune of the old Adelphi Theatre, and was without exception -the most wonderful instance of a continuous theatrical run in ancient or -modern times. This also was brimful of Slang. Other authors helped to -popularize and extend Slang down to our own time, and it has now taken a -somewhat different turn, dropping many of the Cant and old vulgar words, -and assuming a certain quaint and fashionable phraseology--familiar, -utilitarian, and jovial. There can be no doubt that common speech is -greatly influenced by fashion, fresh manners, and that general change of -ideas which steals over a people once in a generation. But before -proceeding further into the region of Slang, it will be well to say -something on the etymology of the word. - -The word Slang is only mentioned by two lexicographers--Webster and -Ogilvie.[38] Johnson, Walker, and the older compilers of dictionaries -give "slang" as the preterite of "sling," but not a word about Slang in -the sense of low, vulgar, or unrecognised language. The origin of the -word has often been asked for in literary journals and books, but only -one man, until recently, ever hazarded an etymology--Jonathan Bee.[39] -With a recklessness peculiar to ignorance, Bee stated that Slang was -derived from "the _slangs_ or fetters worn by prisoners, having acquired -that name from the manner in which they were worn, as they required a -sling of string to keep them off the ground." Bee had just been nettled -at Pierce Egan's producing a new edition of Grose's _Dictionary of the -Vulgar Tongue_, and was determined to excel in a vulgar dictionary of -his own, which should be more racy, more pugilistic, and more original. -How far he succeeded in this latter particular, his ridiculous etymology -of Slang will show. Slang is not an English word; it is the Gipsy term -for their secret language, and its synonym is Gibberish--another word -which was believed to have had no distinct origin.[40] Grose--stout and -burly Captain Grose--whom we may characterize as the greatest antiquary, -joker, and porter-drinker of his day, was the first lexicographer to -recognise the word "Slang." It occurs in his _Classical Dictionary of -the Vulgar Tongue_, of 1785, with the statement that it implies "Cant or -vulgar language." Grose was a great favourite with Burns, and so pleased -him by his extensive powers of story-telling and grog-imbibing, that the -companionable and humour-loving Scotch bard wrote for his fat -friend--or, to use his own words, "the fine, fat, fodgel wight"--the -immortal poem of _Tam O' Shanter_. - -It is not worth while troubling the reader with a long account of the -transformation into an English term of the word Slang, as it is easily -seen how we obtained it. Hucksters and beggars on tramp, or at fairs and -races, associate and frequently join in any rough enterprise with the -Gipsies. The word would be continually heard by them, and would in this -manner soon become part of their vocabulary,[41] and, when carried by -"fast" or vulgar fashionables from the society of thieves and low -characters to their own drawing-rooms, would as quickly become Slang, -and the representative term for all vulgar language. Modern philologists -give the word Slang as derived from the French _langue_. This is, at all -events, as likely as any other derivative. - -Any sudden excitement or peculiar circumstance is quite sufficient to -originate and set going a score of Slang words. Nearly every election or -public agitation throws out offshoots of excitement, or scintillations -of humour in the shape of Slang terms--vulgar at first, but at length -adopted, if possessing sufficient hold on the public mind, as -semi-respectable from sheer force of habit. There is scarcely a -condition or calling in life that does not possess its own peculiar -Slang. The professions, legal and medical, have each familiar and -unauthorized terms for peculiar circumstances and things, and it is -quite certain that the clerical calling, or "the cloth"--in itself a -Slang term given at a time when the laity were more distinguished by -their gay dress from the clergy than they are now--is not entirely free -from this peculiarity. Every workshop, warehouse, factory, and mill -throughout the country has its Slang, and so have the public schools and -the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Sea Slang constitutes the -principal charm of a sailor's "yarn;" and our soldiers have in turn -their peculiar nicknames and terms for things and subjects, proper and -improper. A writer in _Household Words_ (No. 183) has gone so far as to -remark, that a person "shall not read one single parliamentary debate, -as reported in a first-class newspaper, without meeting scores of Slang -words," and "that from Mr. Speaker in his chair, to the Cabinet -Ministers whispering behind it--from mover to seconder, from true blue -Protectionist to extremest Radical--Mr. Barry's New House echoes and -re-echoes with Slang." This statement is most worthy of notice, as -showing how, with a very small sub-stratum of fact, a plausible, though -not the less gigantic, mis-statement may be built up. - -The universality of Slang is extraordinary. Let any person for a short -time narrowly examine the conversation of his dearest and nearest -friends, or even analyse his own supposed correct talk, and he shall be -amazed at the numerous unauthorized, and what we can only call vulgar, -words in constant use. One peculiarity of the growth of Slang is the -finding of new meanings for old words. Take, for instance, the verbs -"do," "cut," "go," and "take," and see how they are used to express -fresh ideas, and then let us ask ourselves how is it possible for a -Frenchman or German, be he never so well educated, to avoid continually -blundering and floundering amongst our little words when trying to make -himself understood in an ordinary conversation? He may have studied our -language the required time, and have gone through the usual amount of -"grinding," and practised the common allotment of patience, but all to -no purpose as far as accuracy is concerned. As, however, we do not make -our language, nor for the matter of that our Slang, for the convenience -or inconvenience of foreigners, we need not pursue this portion of the -subject further. "Jabber" and "hoax" were Slang and Cant terms in -Swift's time; so, indeed, were "mob" and "sham."[42] Words directly from -the Latin and Greek, framed in accordance with the rules which govern -the construction of the language, are not Slang, but are good English, -if not Saxon,--a term, by the way, which is as much misused as any -unfortunate word that can be remembered just now. Sound contributes many -Slang words--a source that etymologists frequently overlook. Nothing -pleases an ignorant person so much as a high-sounding term, "full of -fury." How melodious and drum-like are those vulgar coruscations -"rumbumptious," "slantingdicular," "splendiferous," "rumbustious," and -"ferricadouzer." What a "pull" the sharp-nosed lodging-house-keeper -thinks she has over her victims if she can but hurl such testimonies of -a liberal education at them when they are disputing her charges, and -threatening to "absquatulate!" In the United States the vulgar-genteel -even excel the poor "stuck-up" Cockneys in their formation of a native -fashionable language. How charming to a refined ear are "abskize," -"catawampously," "exflunctify," "obscute," "keslosh," "kesouse," -"keswollop," and "kewhollux!"[43] It must not be forgotten, however, -that a great many new "Americanisms" are perfectly unknown in America, -and in this respect they resemble the manners and customs of our cousins -as found in books, and in books only. Vulgar words representing action -and brisk movement often owe their origin to sound, as has before been -remarked. Mispronunciation, too, is another great source of vulgar or -Slang words, and of this "ramshackle," "shackly," "nary-one" for neither -or neither one, "ottomy" or "atomy" for anatomy, "rench" for rinse, are -specimens. The commonalty dislike frequently-occurring words difficult -of pronunciation, and so we have the street abridgments of "bimeby" for -by-and-by, "caze" for because, "gin" for given, "hankercher" for -handkerchief, "ruma tiz" for rheumatism, "backer" for tobacco, and many -others, not perhaps Slang, but certainly, all vulgarisms. Whately, in -his _Remains of Bishop Copleston_, has inserted a leaf from the bishop's -note-book on the popular corruption of names, mentioning, among others, -"kickshaws," as from the French _quelques choses_; "beefeater," the -grotesque guardian of royalty in a procession, and the envied devourer -of enormous beefsteaks, as but a vulgar pronunciation of the French -_buffetier_, and "George and Cannon," the sign of a public-house, as -nothing but a corruption (although so soon!) of the popular premier of -the last generation, George Canning.[44] Literature has its Slang terms; -and the desire on the part of writers to say funny and startling things -in a novel and curious way contributes many unauthorized words to the -great stock of Slang. - -Fashionable or Upper-class Slang is of several varieties. There is the -Belgravian, military and naval, parliamentary, dandy, and the reunion -and visiting Slang. English officers, civilians, and their families, -who have resided long in India, have contributed many terms from the -Hindostanee to our language. Several of these, such as "chit," a letter, -and "tiffin," lunch, are fast losing their Slang character, and becoming -regularly-recognised English words. "Jungle," as a term for a forest or -wilderness, is now an English phrase; a few years past, however, it was -merely the Hindostanee "junkul." This, being a perfectly legal -transition, having no other recognised form, can hardly be characterized -as Slang. The extension of trade in China, and the English settlement of -Hong Kong, have introduced among us several examples of Canton jargon, -that exceedingly curious Anglo-Chinese dialect spoken in the seaports of -the Celestial Empire. While these words have been carried as it were -into the families of the upper and middle classes, persons in a humbler -rank of life, through the sailors and soldiers and Lascar and Chinese -beggars that haunt the metropolis, have also adopted many Anglo-Indian -and Anglo-Chinese phrases. As this dictionary would have been incomplete -without them, they are carefully recorded in its pages. Concerning the -Slang of the fashionable world, it has been remarked that it is mostly -imported from France; and that an unmeaning gibberish of Gallicisms runs -through English fashionable conversation and fashionable novels, and -accounts of fashionable parties in the fashionable newspapers. Yet, -ludicrously enough, immediately the fashionable magnates of England -seize on any French idiom, the French themselves not only universally -abandon it to us, but positively repudiate it altogether from their -idiomatic vocabulary. If you were to tell a well-bred Frenchman that -such and such an aristocratic marriage was on the _tapis_, he would -stare with astonishment, and look down on the carpet in the startled -endeavour to find a marriage in so unusual a place. If you were to talk -to him of the _beau monde_, he would imagine you meant the world which -God made, not half-a-dozen streets and squares between Hyde Park Corner -and Chelsea Bun House. The _th dansant_ would be completely -inexplicable to him. If you were to point out to him the Dowager Lady -Grimgriffin acting as _chaperon_ to Lady Amanda Creamville, he would -imagine you were referring to the _petit Chaperon rouge_--to little -Red-Riding Hood. He might just understand what was meant by _vis--vis_, -_entremets_, and some others of the flying horde of frivolous little -foreign slangisms hovering about fashionable cookery and fashionable -furniture; but three-fourths of them would seem to him as barbarous -French provincialisms, or, at best, but as antiquated and obsolete -expressions, picked out of the letters of Mademoiselle Scuderi, or the -tales of Crebillon "the younger." Servants, too, appropriate the scraps -of French conversation which fall from their masters' guests at the -dinner table, and forthwith in the world of flunkeydom the word "know" -is disused, and the lady's-maid, in doubt on a particular point, asks -John whether or no he "saveys" it?[45] What, too, can be more abominable -than that heartless piece of fashionable newspaper Slang, regularly -employed when speaking of the successful courtship of young people in -the aristocratic world:-- - - MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE.--We understand that a marriage is ARRANGED (!) - betwixt the Lady, &c. &c., and the Honourable, &c. &c. - -"Arranged!" Is that cold-blooded Smithfield or Mark Lane term for a sale -or a purchase the proper word to express the hopeful, joyous, golden -union of young and trustful hearts? Possibly, though, the word is often -used with a due regard to facts, for marriages, especially amongst our -upper classes, are not always "made in heaven." Which is the proper way -to pronounce the names of great people, and what the correct authority? -Lord Cowper, we are often assured, is Lord _Cooper_--on this principle -Lord Cowley would certainly be Lord _Cooley_--and Mr. Carew, we are -told, should be Mr. _Carey_, Ponsonby should be _Punsunby_, Eyre should -be _Aire_, Cholmondeley should be _Chumley_, St. John _Sinjen_, -Beauchamp should be _Beachem_, Majoribanks _Marshbanks_, and Powell -should always be _Poel_. The pronunciation of proper names has long been -an anomaly in the conversation of the upper classes of this country. -Hodge and Podge, the clodhoppers of Shakspeare's time, talked in their -mug-houses of the great Lords _Darbie_, _Barkelie_, and _Bartie_. In -Pall Mall and May Fair these personages are spoken of in exactly the -same manner at the present day, whilst in the City, and amongst the -_middle_ classes, we only hear of Derby, Berkeley, &c.,--the correct -pronunciations, if the spelling is worth aught. It must not be -forgotten, however, that the pronunciation of the upper classes, as -regards the names of places just mentioned, is a relic of old times when -the orthography was different. The middle-class man is satisfied to take -matters the modern way, but even he, when he wishes to be thought a -swell, alters his style. In fact, the old rule as to proper names being -pronounced according to individual taste, is, and ever will be, of -absolute necessity, not only as regards the upper and middle, but the -lower classes. A costermonger is ignorant of such a place as Birmingham, -but understands you in a moment if you talk of _Brummagem_. Why do not -Pall Mall exquisites join with the costermongers in this pronunciation? -It is the ancient one.[46] - -_Parliamentary Slang_, excepting a few peculiar terms connected with -"_the_ House" (scarcely Slang), is mainly composed of fashionable, -literary, and learned Slang. When members get excited, and wish to be -forcible, they are now and again, but not very often, found guilty of -vulgarisms, and then may be not particular which of the street terms -they select, providing it carries, as good old Dr. South said, plenty of -"wildfire" in it. Lord Cairns when Sir Hugh, and a member of the Lower -House, spoke of "that homely but expressive phrase, 'dodge.'" Out of -"the House," several Slang terms are used in connexion with Parliament -or members of Parliament. If Lord Palmerston was familiar by name to the -tribes of the Caucasus and Asia Minor as a great foreign diplomatist, -when the name of our Queen was unknown to the inhabitants of those -parts--as was once stated in the _Times_--it is worthy of remark that, -amongst the costers and the wild inhabitants of the streets, he was at -that time better known as "Pam." The cabmen on the "ranks" in Piccadilly -have been often heard to call each other's attention to the great -leader of the Opposition in the following expressive manner--"Hollo, -there! de yer see old 'Dizzy' doing a stump?" A "plumper" is a single -vote at an election--not a "split-ticket;" and electors who had occupied -a house, no matter how small, and boiled a pot in it, thus qualifying -themselves for voting, used in the good old days to be termed -"potwallopers." A quiet "walk over" is a re-election without opposition -and much cost; and is obtained from the sporting vocabulary, in which -the term is not Slang. A "caucus" meeting refers to the private -assembling of politicians before an election, when candidates are -chosen, and measures of action agreed upon. The term comes from America, -where caucus means a meeting simply. A "job," in political phraseology, -is a Government office or contract obtained by secret influence or -favouritism; and is not a whit more objectionable in sound than is the -nefarious proceeding offensive to the sense of those who pay but do not -participate. The _Times_ once spoke of "the patriotic member of -Parliament 'potted out' in a dusty little lodging somewhere about Bury -Street." But then the _Times_ was not always the mildly respectable -high-class paper it now is, as a reference to the columns devoted by it -to Macaulay's official career will alone determine. These, which -appeared during the present reign, would be far below the lowest -journalistic taste nowadays; yet they are in keeping with the rest of -the political references made at that time by the now austere and -high-principled "leading journal." The term "quockerwodger," although -referring to a wooden toy figure which jerks its limbs about when pulled -by a string, has been supplemented with a political meaning. A -pseudo-politician, whose strings of action are pulled by somebody else, -is often termed a "quockerwodger." From an early period politics and -partyism have attracted unto themselves quaint Slang terms. Horace -Walpole quotes a party nickname of February, 1742, as a Slang word of -the day:--"The Tories declare against any further prosecution, if Tories -there are, for now one hears of nothing but the 'broad-bottom;' it is -the reigning Cant word, and means the taking all parties and people, -indifferently, into the Ministry." Thus "broad-bottom" in those days was -Slang for "coalition." The term "rat," too, in allusion to rats -deserting vessels about to sink, has long been employed towards those -turncoat politicians who change their party for interest. Who that -occasionally passes near the Houses of Parliament has not often noticed -stout or careful M.P.'s walk briskly through the Hall, and on the -kerb-stone in front, with umbrella or walking-cane uplifted, shout to -the cabmen on the rank, "Four-wheeler!" The term is both useful and -expressive; but it is none the less Slang, though of a better kind than -"growler," used to denominate the same kind of vehicle, or "shoful," the -street term for a hansom cab. - -Military Slang is on a par, and of a character, with dandy Slang. -Inconvenient friends, or elderly and lecturing relatives, are pronounced -"dreadful bores." This affectionate term, like most other Slang phrases -which have their rise in a certain section of society, has spread and -become of general application. Four-wheeled cabs are called "bounders;" -and a member of the Four-in-hand Club, driving to Epsom on the Derby -Day, would, using fashionable phraseology, speak of it as "tooling his -drag down to the Derby." A vehicle, if not a "drag" (or dwag), is a -"trap," or a "cask;" and if the "turn-out" happens to be in other than a -trim condition, it is pronounced at once as not "down the road," unless -the critic should prefer to characterize the equipage as "dickey." Your -City swell would say it is not "up to the mark;" whilst the costermonger -would call it a "wery snide affair." In the army a barrack or military -station is known as a "lobster-box;" to "cram" for an examination is to -"mug-up" (this same term is much in vogue among actors, who regard -mugging-up as one of the fine arts of the profession); to reject from -the examination is to "spin;" and that part of the barrack occupied by -subalterns is frequently spoken of as the "rookery." In dandy or swell -Slang, any celebrity, from the Poet-Laureate to the Pope of Rome, is a -"swell,"--"the old swell" now occupies the place once held by the -"guv'nor." Wrinkled-faced old professors, who hold dress and fashionable -tailors in abhorrence, are called "awful swells,"--if they happen to be -very learned or clever. In this upper-class Slang, a title is termed a -"handle;" trousers, "inexpressibles," and bags, or "howling bags," when -of a large pattern;--a superior appearance, or anything above the common -cut, is styled "extensive;" a four-wheeled cab is called a "birdcage;" a -dance, a "hop;" dining at another man's table, "sitting under his -mahogany;" anything flashy or showy, "loud;" the peculiar make or cut of -a coat, its "build;" full dress, "full fig;" wearing clothes which -represent the very extreme of fashion, "dressing to death;" a dinner or -supper party, a "spread;" a friend (or a "good fellow"), a "trump;" a -difficulty, a "screw loose;" and everything that is unpleasant, "from -bad sherry to a writ from a tailor," "jeuced infernal." The phrase, "to -send a man to Coventry," or permit no person "in the set" to speak to -him, although an ancient saying, must still be considered Slang. - -The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and the great public schools, -are the hotbeds of fashionable Slang. Growing boys and high-spirited -young fellows detest restraint of all kinds, and prefer making a dash at -life in a Slang phraseology of their own to all the set forms and -syntactical rules of _Alma Mater_. Many of the most expressive words in -a common chit-chat, or free-and-easy conversation, are old university -vulgarisms. "Cut," in the sense of dropping an acquaintance, was -originally a Cambridge form of speech; and "hoax," to deceive or -ridicule, we are informed by Grose, was many years since an Oxford term. -Among the words that fast society has borrowed from our great -scholastic--not establishments (they are sacred to linendrapery and -"gentlemanly assistants")--institutions, is found "crib," a house or -apartments; "dead men," empty wine bottles; "drawing teeth,"[47] -wrenching off knockers,--an obsolete amusement; "fizzing," first-rate, -or splendid; "governor," or "relieving-officer," the general term for a -male parent; "plucked," defeated or turned back, now altered to -"plough;" "quiz," to scrutinize, or a prying old fellow; and "row," a -noisy disturbance. The Slang words in use at Oxford and Cambridge would -alone fill a volume. As examples let us take "scout," which at Oxford -refers to an undergraduate's valet, whilst the same menial at Cambridge -is termed a "gyp,"--popularly derived by the Cantabs from the Greek, -_gyps_, a vulture; "skull," the head, or master, of a college; -"battles," the Oxford term for rations, changed at Cambridge into -"commons." The term "dickey," a half-shirt, it is said, originated with -the students of Trinity College, Dublin, who at first styled it a -"tommy," from the Greek _tom_, a section,--the change from "tommy" to -"dickey" requires no explanation. "Crib," a literal translation, is now -universal; "grind" refers to "working up" for an examination, also to a -walk or "constitutional;" "Hivite" is a student of St. Begh's (St. Bee's) -College, Cumberland; to "japan," in this Slang speech, is to ordain; -"mortar board" is a square college cap; "sim," a student of a -Methodistical turn--in allusion to the Rev. Charles Simeon; "sloggers," -at Cambridge, refers to the second division of race-boats, known at -Oxford as "torpids;" "sport" is to show or exhibit; "trotter" is the -jocose term for a tailor's man who goes round for orders; and "tufts" -are privileged students who dine with the "dons," and are distinguished -by golden tufts, or tassels, in their caps. Hence we get the world-wide -Slang term "tuft-hunter," one whose pride it is to be acquainted with -scions of the nobility--a sycophantic race unfortunately not confined -to any particular place or climate, nor peculiar to any age or either -sex. There are many terms in use at Oxford not known at Cambridge; and -such Slang names as "coach," "gulf," "harry-soph," "poker," or -"post-mortem," common enough at Cambridge, are seldom or never heard -at the great sister University. For numerous other examples of college -Slang the reader is referred to the Dictionary. - -Religious Slang, strange as the compound may appear, exists with other -descriptions of vulgar speech at the present day. _Punch_, in one of -those half-humorous, half-serious articles, once so characteristic of -the wits engaged on that paper, who were, as a rule, fond of lecturing -any national abuse or popular folly, remarked--"Slang has long since -penetrated into the Forum, and now we meet it in the Senate, and even -the pulpit itself is no longer free from its intrusion." There is no -wish here, for one moment, to infer that the practice is general. On the -contrary, and in justice to the clergy, it must be said that the -principal disseminators of pure English throughout the country are the -ministers of our Established Church. Yet it cannot be denied that a -great deal of Slang phraseology and expressive vulgarism have gradually -crept into the very pulpits which should give forth as pure speech as -doctrine. This is an error which, however, has only to be noticed, to be -cured. - -Dean Conybeare, in his able "Essay on Church Parties,"[48] has noticed -this addition of Slang to our pulpit speech. As stated in his Essay, the -practice appears to confine itself mainly to the exaggerated forms of -the High and Low Church--the Tractarians and the "Recordites."[49] By -way of illustration, the Dean cites the evening parties, or social -meetings, common amongst the wealthier lay members of the Recordite -churches, where the principal topics discussed--one or more favourite -clergymen being present in a quasi-official manner--are "the merits and -demerits of different preachers, the approaching restoration of the -Jews, the date of the Millennium, the progress of the 'Tractarian -heresy,' and the anticipated 'perversion' of High Church neighbours." -These subjects are canvassed in a dialect differing considerably from -English, as the word is generally understood. The terms "faithful," -"tainted," "acceptable," "decided," "legal," and many others, -are used in a sense different from that given to any of them by the -lexicographers. We hear that Mr. A. has been more "owned" than Mr. B.; -and that Mr. C. has more "seals"[50] than Mr. D. Again, the word -"gracious" is invested with a meaning as extensive as that attached by -young ladies to nice. Thus, we hear of a "gracious sermon," a "gracious -meeting," a "gracious child," and even a "gracious whipping." The word -"dark" has also a new and peculiar usage. It is applied to every person, -book, or place not impregnated with Recordite principles. A ludicrous -misunderstanding resulting from this phraseology is on record (this is -not a joke). "What did you mean," said A. to B., "by telling me that ----- was such a very 'dark' village? I rode over there to-day, and found -the street particularly broad and cheerful, and there is not a tree in -the place." "The gospel is not preached there," was B's. laconic reply. -The conclusion of one of these singular evening parties is generally -marked by an "exposition"--an unseasonable sermon of nearly one hour's -duration, circumscribed by no text, and delivered from the table by one -of the clerical visitors with a view to "improve the occasion." This -same term, "improve the occasion," is of Slang slangy, and is so mouthed -by Stigginses and Chadbands, and their followers, that it has become -peculiarly objectionable to persons of broad views. In the Essay to -which reference has been made, the religious Slang terms for the two -great divisions of the Established Church receive some explanation. The -old-fashioned High Church party--rich and "stagnant," noted for its -"sluggish mediocrity, hatred of zeal, dread of innovation, abuse of -Dissent, blundering and languid utterance"--is called the "high and -dry;" whilst the opposing division, known as the Low Church--equally -stagnant with the former, but poorer, and more lazily inclined (from -absence of education) towards Dissent--receives the nickname of the "low -and slow." These terms are among persons learned in the distinctions -shortened, in ordinary conversation, to the "dry" and the "slow." The -Broad Church, or moderate division, is often spoken of as the "broad -and shallow." - -What can be more objectionable than the irreverent and offensive manner -in which many Dissenting ministers continually pronounce the names of -the Deity--God and Lord? God, instead of pronouncing in the plain and -beautiful simple old English way, "G-o-d," they drawl out into "Gorde" -or "Gaude;" and Lord, instead of speaking in the proper way, they -desecrate into "Loard" or "Loerd,"--lingering on the _u_, or the _r_, as -the case may be, until an honest hearer feels disgusted, and almost -inclined to run the gauntlet of beadles and deacons, and pull the vulgar -preacher from his pulpit. This is, though a Christian impulse, hardly in -accordance with our modern times and tolerant habits. Many young -preachers strive hard to acquire this peculiar pronunciation, in -imitation of the older ministers. What, then, can more properly be -called Slang, or, indeed, the most objectionable of Slang, than this -studious endeavour to pronounce the most sacred names in a uniformly -vulgar and unbecoming manner? If the old-fashioned preacher whistled -Cant through his nose, the modern vulgar reverend whines Slang from the -more natural organ. These vagaries of speech will, perhaps, by an -apologist, be termed "pulpit peculiarities," and the writer may be -impugned for having dared to intermeddle with a subject that is or -should be removed from his criticisms. Honesty of purpose and evident -truthfulness of remark will, however, overcome the most virulent -opposition. The terms used by the mob towards the Church, however -illiberal and satirically vulgar, are fairly within the province of an -inquiry such as the present. A clergyman, in vulgar language, is spoken -of as a "choker," a "cushion-thumper," a "dominie," an "earwig," a -"gospel-grinder," a "grey-coat parson;" a "spouter," a "white-choker," -or a "warming-pan rector," if he only holds the living _pro tempore_. If -he is a lessee of the great tithes, "one in ten;" or if spoken of by an -Anglo-Indian, a "rook." If a Tractarian, his outer garment is rudely -spoken of as a "pygostole," or "M. B. (mark of the beast) coat." His -profession is termed "the cloth" (this item of Slang has been already -referred to), and his practice is called "tub-thumping." This latter -term has of late years been almost peculiarly confined to itinerant -preachers. Should he belong to the Dissenting body, he is probably -styled a "pantiler," or a "psalm smiter," or perhaps, a "swaddler."[51] -His chapel, too, is spoken of as a "schism shop." A Roman Catholic is -coarsely named a "brisket-beater." - -Particular as lawyers generally are about the meanings of words, they -have not prevented an unauthorized phraseology from arising, which may -be termed legal Slang. So forcibly did this truth impress a late writer, -that he wrote in a popular journal, "You may hear Slang every day in -term from barristers in their robes, at every mess-table, at every -bar-mess, at every college commons, and in every club dining-room." -Swift, in his _Art of Polite Conversation_ (p. 15), published a century -and a half ago, states that "vardi" was the Slang in his time for -"verdict." A few of the most common and well-known terms used out of -doors, with reference to legal matters, are "cook," to hash or make up a -balance-sheet; "dipped," mortgaged; "dun" (from a famous writ or -process-server named Dunn), to solicit payment; "fullied," to be "fully -committed for trial;" "land shark," a sailor's definition of a lawyer; -"limb of the law," a milder term for the same "professional;" "monkey -with a long tail," a mortgage; "mouthpiece," the thief's term for his -counsel; "to run through the ring," to take advantage of the Insolvency -Act; "smash," to become bankrupt; "snipe," an attorney with a long bill; -and "whitewash," to take the benefit of the Insolvent Act. Comparatively -recent legislation has rendered many of these terms obsolete, and "in -liquidation" is now the most ominous sound a creditor can hear. Lawyers, -from their connexion with the police courts, and transactions with -persons in every grade of society, have ample opportunities for -acquiring street Slang, of which, in cross-questioning and wrangling, -they frequently avail themselves. - -It has been said there exists a literary Slang, or the Slang of -Criticism--dramatic, artistic, and scientific. This is composed of such -words as "sthetic," "transcendental," "the harmonies," "the unities," a -"myth;" such phrases as "an exquisite _morceau_ on the big drum," a -"scholarlike rendering of John the Baptist's great toe," "keeping -harmony," "middle distance," "arial perspective," "delicate handling," -"nervous chiaroscuro," and the like. It is easy to find fault with this -system of doing work, whilst it is not easy to discover another at once -so easily understood by educated readers, and so satisfactory to artists -themselves. Discretion must, of course, always be used, in fact always -is used by the best writers, with regard to the quantity of technical -Slang an article will hold comfortably. Overdone mannerism is always a -mistake, and generally defeats its own end. Properly used, these -technicalities are allowable as the generous inflections and bendings of -a bountiful language, for the purpose of expressing fresh phases of -thought, and ideas not yet provided with representative words.[52] -_Punch_ often employs a Slang term to give point to a joke, or humour to -a line of satire. In his best day he gave an original etymology of the -schoolboy-ism "slog." "Slog," said the classical and then clever -_Punch_, is derived from the Greek word "slogo," to baste, to wallop, to -slaughter. To show his partiality to the subject, he once amused his -readers with two columns on Slang and Sanscrit, from which the following -is taken:-- - - "The allegory which pervades the conversation of all Eastern nations - is the foundation of Western Slang; and the increased number of - students of the Oriental languages, especially since Sanscrit and - Arabic have been made subjects for the Indian Civil Service - examinations, may have contributed to supply the English language - with a large portion of its new dialect. While, however, the spirit - of allegory comes from the East, there is so great a difference - between the brevity of Western expression and the more cumbrous - diction of the Oriental, that the origin of a phrase becomes - difficult to trace. Thus, for instance, whilst the Turkish merchant - might address his friend somewhat as follows--'That which seems good - to my father is to his servant as the perfumed breath of the west - wind in the calm night of the Arabian summer;' the Western - negotiator observes more briefly, 'all serene!'"[53] - -But the vulgar term, "brick," _Punch_ remarks in illustration, - - "must be allowed to be an exception, its Greek derivation being - universally admitted, corresponding so exactly as it does in its - rectangular form and compactness to the perfection of manhood, - according to the views of Plato and Simonides; but any deviation - from the simple expression, in which locality is indicated--as, for - instance, 'a genuine Bath'--decidedly breathes the Oriental spirit." - -It is singular that what _Punch_ says unwittingly and in humour -respecting the Slang expression "bosh," should be quite true. "Bosh," -remarks _Punch_, after speaking of it as belonging to the stock of words -pilfered from the Turks, "is one whose innate force and beauty the -slangographer is reluctantly compelled to admit. It is the only word -which seems a proper appellation for a great deal which we are obliged -to hear and to read every day of our life." "Bosh," nonsense or -stupidity, is derived from the Gipsy and the Persian. The universality -of Slang is proved by its continual use in the pages of _Punch_. Who -ever thinks, unless belonging to a past generation, of asking a friend -to explain the stray vulgar words employed by the _London Charivari_? -Some of the jokes, though, might nowadays be accompanied by explanatory -notes, in similar style to that adopted by youthful artists who write "a -man," "a horse," &c., when rather uncertain as to whether or not their -efforts will meet with due appreciation. - -The _Athenum_, the _Saturday Review_, and other kindred "weeklies," -often indulge in Slang words when force of expression or a little humour -is desired, or when the various writers wish to say something which is -better said in Slang, or so-called vulgar speech, than in the authorized -language. Bartlett, the compiler of the _Dictionary of Americanisms_, -continually cites the _Athenum_ as using Slang and vulgar expressions; -but the magazine the American refers to is not the literary journal of -the present day,--it was a smaller, and now defunct, "weekly." The -present possessor of the classic title is, though, by no means -behindhand in its devotion to colloquialisms. Many other highly -respectable journals often use Slang words and phrases. The _Times_ (or, -in Slang, the "Thunderer") frequently employs unauthorized terms; and, -following a "leader"[54] of the purest and most eloquent composition, may -sometimes be seen another "article"[54] on a totally different subject, -containing, perhaps, a score or more of exceedingly questionable words. -Among the words and phrases which may be included under the head of -Literary Slang are, "balaam," matter kept constantly in type about -monstrous productions of nature, to fill up spaces in newspapers; -"balaam-box," the term given in _Blackwood_ to the repository for -rejected articles; and "slate," to pelt with abuse, or "cut up" in a -review. "He's the fellow to slate a piece" is often said of dramatic -critics, especially of those who through youth, inexperience, and the -process of unnatural selection which causes them to be critics, imagine -that to abuse all that is above their comprehension is to properly -exercise the critical faculty. This is, however, dangerous ground. The -Slang names given to newspapers are curious;--thus, the _Morning -Advertiser_ is known as the "Tap-tub," the "'Tizer," and was until -recently the "Gin and Gospel Gazette." The _Morning Post_ has obtained -the suggestive sobriquet of "Jeames;" whilst the _Morning Herald_ was -long caricatured as "Mrs. Harris," and the _Standard_ as "Mrs. -Gamp."[55] - -The _Stage_, of course, has its Slang--"both before and behind the -curtain," as a journalist remarks. The stage-manager is familiarly -termed "daddy;" and an actor by profession, or a "professional," is -called a "pro." It is amusing at times to hear a young actor--who struts -about padded with copies of all newspapers that have mentioned his -name--talking, in a mixed company, of the stage as _the_ profession. -This is after all but natural, for to him "all the world's a stage." A -man who is occasionally hired at a trifling remuneration to come upon -the stage as one of a crowd, or when a number of actors are wanted to -give effect, is named a "supe,"--an abbreviation of "supernumerary." A -"surf" is a third-rate actor, who frequently pursues another calling; -and the band, or orchestra between the pit and the stage, is generally -spoken of as the "menagerie." A "ben" is a benefit; and "sal" is the -Slang abbreviation of "salary." Should no money be forthcoming on the -Saturday night, it is said that the "ghost doesn't walk;" or else the -statement goes abroad that there is "no treasury," as though the coffers -themselves had departed. The travelling or provincial theatricals, who -perform in any large room that can be rented in a country village, are -called "barn-stormers." A "length" is forty-two lines of any dramatic -composition; and a "run" is the continuous term of a piece's -performance. A "saddle" is the additional charge made by a manager to an -actor or actress upon his or her benefit night. To "mug up" is to paint -one's face, or arrange the person, to represent a particular character; -to "corpse," or to "stick," is to balk, or put the other actors out in -their parts by forgetting yours. A performance is spoken of as either a -"gooser" or a "screamer," should it be a failure or a great success;--if -the latter, it is not infrequently termed a "hit." To "goose" a -performance is to hiss it; and continued "goosing" generally ends, or -did end before managers refused to accept the verdict of audiences, in -the play or the players being "damned." To "star it" is to perform as -the centre of attraction, with your name in large type, and none but -subordinates and indifferent actors in the same performance. The -expressive term "clap-trap," high-sounding nonsense, is nothing but an -ancient theatrical term, and signified a "trap" to catch a "clap" by way -of applause. "Up amongst the 'gods,'" refers to being among the -spectators in the gallery,--termed in French Slang "paradis." - -There exists, too, in the great territory of vulgar speech what may not -inappropriately be termed Civic Slang. It consists of mercantile and -Stock Exchange terms, and the Slang of good living and wealth. A turkey -hung with sausages is facetiously styled an "alderman in chains,"--a -term which has spread from the City and become general; and a -half-crown, perhaps from its rotundity, is often termed an "alderman." A -"bear" is a speculator on the Exchange; and a "bull," although of an -opposite order, follows a like profession. There is something very -humorous and applicable in the Slang term "lame duck," a defaulter in -stock-jobbing speculations. The allusion to his "waddling out of the -Alley," as they say, is excellent. "Breaking shins," in City Slang, is -borrowing money; a rotten or unsound scheme is spoken of as "fishy;" -"rigging the market" means playing tricks with it; and "stag" was a -common term during the railway mania for a speculator without capital, a -seller of "scrip" in "Diddlesex Junction" and other equally safe lines. -At Tattersall's a "monkey" is 500_l._, and in the City a "plum" is -100,000_l._, and a "marygold" is one million sterling. But before -proceeding further in a sketch of the different kinds of Slang, it may -be as well to speak here of the extraordinary number of Cant and Slang -terms in use to represent money--from farthings to bank-notes the value -of fortunes. Her Majesty's coin, collectively or in the piece, is known -by more than one hundred and thirty distinct Slang words, from the -humble "brown" (a halfpenny) to "flimsies," or "long-tailed ones" -(bank-notes). - -"Money," it has been well remarked, "the bare, simple word itself, has a -sonorous, significant ring in its sound," and might have sufficed, one -would have imagined, for all ordinary purposes, excepting, of course, -those demanded by direct reference to specific sums. But a vulgar or -"fast" society has thought differently; and so we have the Slang -synonyms--"beans," "blunt" (_i.e._, specie,--not soft or rags, -bank-notes), "brads," "brass," "bustle," "coppers" (copper money, or -mixed pence), "chink," "chinkers," "chips," "corks," "dibbs," "dinarly," -"dimmock," "dust," "feathers," "gent" (silver,--from argent), "haddock" -(a purse of money), "horse nails," "huckster," "loaver," "lour" (the -oldest Cant term for money), "mopusses," "needful," "nobbings" (money -collected in a hat by street-performers), "ochre" (gold), "pewter," -"palm oil," "pieces," "posh," "queen's pictures," "quids," "rags" -(bank-notes), "ready," or "ready gilt," "redge" (gold), "rhino," -"rowdy," "shiners" (sovereigns), "skin" (a purse of money), "stiff" -(checks, or bills of acceptance), "stuff," "stumpy," "tin" (silver), -"wedge" (silver), and "yellow-boys" (sovereigns);--just forty-three -vulgar equivalents for the simple word money. So attentive is Slang -speech to financial matters, that there are seven terms for bad, or -"bogus," coin (as our friends the Americans call it): a "case" is a -counterfeit five-shilling piece; "half a case" represents half that sum; -"grays" are halfpence made specially for unfair gambling purposes; -"queer-soft" is counterfeit or lead coin; "schofel" refers to coated or -spurious coin; "sheen" is bad money of any description; and "sinkers" -bears the same and not inappropriate meaning. "Snide" is now the generic -term for all bad money, whether coined or in notes; and "snide-pitching" -or "schoful-tossing" is the term in use among the professors of that -pursuit for what is more generally known as "smashing." "Flying the -kite," or obtaining money on bills and promissory-notes, is closely -connected with the allegorical expression of "raising the wind," which -is a well-known phrase for procuring money by immediate sale, pledging, -or by a forced loan. In winter or in summer any elderly gentleman who -may have prospered in life is pronounced "warm;" whilst an equivalent is -immediately at hand in the phrase "his pockets are well lined," or "he -is well breeched." Each separate piece of money has its own Slang term, -and often half a score of synonyms. To begin with that extremely humble -coin, a farthing: first we have "fadge," then "fiddler;" then "gig," and -lastly "quartereen." A halfpenny is a "brown" or a "madzer (pronounced -'medzer') saltee" (Cant), or a "mag," or a "posh," or a "rap,"--whence -the popular phrase, "I don't care a rap." The useful and universal penny -has for Slang equivalents a "copper," a "saltee" (Cant), and a "winn." -Twopence is a "deuce," and threepence is either "thrums" or "thrups." -"Thrums" has a special peculiarity; for while "thrums-buskin" represents -threepence-halfpenny, the term "buskin" is not used in connexion with -any other number of pence. Fourpence, or a groat, may in vulgar speech -be termed a "bit," a "flag," or a "joey." Sixpence is well represented -in street talk, and some of the slangisms are very comical--for -instance, "bandy," "bender," "cripple," and "downer;" then we have -"buck," "fye-b'ck," "half a hog," "kick" (thus "two and a 'kick,'" or -2_s._ 6_d._), "lord of the manor,"[56] "pig," "pot" (the price of a pot -of ale--thus half-a-crown is a "five 'pot' piece"), "snid," "sprat," -"sow's baby," "tanner," "tester," "tizzy,"--seventeen vulgar words to -one coin. Sevenpence being an uncommon amount has only one Slang -synonym, "setter." The same remark applies to eightpence and ninepence, -the former being only represented by "otter," and the latter by the -Cant phrase "nobba-saltee." Tenpence is "dacha-saltee," and elevenpence -"dacha-one,"--both Cant expressions. It is noticeable that coined -pieces, and sums which from their smallness or otherwise are mostly in -use, receive a commensurate amount of attention from promoters of Slang. -One shilling boasts eleven Slang equivalents; thus we have "beong," -"bob," "breaky-leg," "deener," "gen" (from the back Slang), "hog," -"levy," "peg," "stag," "teviss," and "twelver." One shilling and -sixpence is a "kye," now and then an "eighteener." It is noticeable that -so far the florin has escaped, and only receives the shilling titles -with the required numeral adjective prefixed. Half-a-crown is known as -an "alderman," "half a bull," "half a wheel," "half a tusheroon," and a -"madza (medzer) caroon;" whilst a crown piece, or five shillings, may be -called either a "bull," a "caroon," a "cartwheel," or a "coachwheel," -or, more generally than either, a "wheel" or a "tusheroon." The word -"dollar" is in general use among costermongers and their customers, and -signifies exactly five shillings. Any term representing this amount -"takes in two," and represents the half-crown by the addition of the -usual prefix. The next advance in Slang money is ten shillings, or -half-a-sovereign, which may be either pronounced as "half a bean," "half -a couter," "a madza poona," "half a quid," or "half a thick 'un." A -sovereign, or twenty shillings, is a "bean," "canary," "couter," -"foont," "goldfinch," "James" (from Jacobus), "poona," "portrait," -"quid," "thick-un," or "yellow-boy." Guineas are nearly obsolete, yet -the terms "neds" and "half neds" are still in use. Bank-notes are -"flimsies," "long-tailed ones," or "soft." A "fin," or a "finnuf," is a -five-pound note. Twenty-five pounds is a "pony," and a hundred a -"century." One hundred pounds (or any other "round sum"), quietly handed -over as payment for services performed, is curiously termed "a 'cool' -hundred." Thus ends, with several necessary omissions, this long list of -Slang terms for the coins of the realm which, for copiousness, it is not -too much to say, is not equalled by any other vulgar or unauthorized -language in Europe. - -The antiquity of many of these Slang names is remarkable. "Winn" was the -vulgar term for a penny in the days of Queen Elizabeth; and "tester," a -sixpence (formerly a shilling), was the correct name in the days of -Henry VIII. The reader, too, will have remarked the frequency of -animals' names as Slang terms for money. Little, as a modern writer has -remarked, do the persons using these phrases know of their remote and -somewhat classical origin, which may, indeed, be traced to a period -anterior to that when monarchs monopolized the surface of coined money -with their own images and superscriptions. They are identical with the -very name of money among the early Romans, which was _pecunia_, from -_pecus_, a flock. The collections of coin-dealers amply show that the -figure of a "hog" was anciently placed on a small silver coin; and that -that of a "bull" decorated larger ones of the same metal. These coins -were frequently deeply crossed on the reverse; this was for the -convenience of easily breaking them into two or more pieces, should the -bargain for which they were employed require it, and the parties making -it had no smaller change handy to complete the transaction. Thus we find -that the "half bull" of the itinerant street-seller, or "traveller," so -far from being a phrase of modern invention, as is generally supposed, -is in point of fact referable to an era extremely remote. This remark -will safely apply to most descriptions of money; and it must not be -forgotten that farthing is but a corruption of fourthing, or, literally, -fourth part of a penny. The representative coin of the realm was often -in olden times made to break up,--but this by the way. It is a reminder, -however, that the word "smash," as used by the classes that speak Slang -from motives other than those of affectation, has nothing whatever to do -with base coin, as is generally supposed. It simply means to give -change. Thus:--"Can you smash a thick 'un for me?" means simply, "Can -you give me change for a sovereign?" We learn from Erizzo, in his -_Discorso_, a further illustration of the proverb "that there is nothing -new under the sun;" for he says that the Roman boys at the time of -Hadrian tossed up their coppers and cried, "Head or ship;" of which -tradition our "heads or tails," and "man or woman," or "a tanner I heads -'em," is certainly a less refined version. We thence gather, however, -that the prow of a vessel would appear to have been the more ordinary -device of the reverse of the brass coin of that ancient period. There -are many other Cant words directly from a classic source, as will be -seen in the dictionary. - -Shopkeepers' Slang is perhaps the most offensive of all Slang, though -this is not intended to imply that shopkeepers are perhaps the most -offensive of people. This kind of Slang is not a casual eyesore, as -newspaper Slang, neither is it an occasional discomfort to the ear, as -in the case of some vulgar byword of the street; but it is a perpetual -nuisance, and stares you in the face on tradesmen's invoices, on labels -in the shop-windows, and placards on the hoardings, in posters against -the house next to your own--if it happen to be empty for a few -weeks--and in bills thrust into your hand, as you peaceably walk through -the streets. Under your door, and down your area, Slang handbills are -dropped by some "pushing" tradesman; and for the thousandth time you are -called upon to learn that an "alarming sacrifice" is taking place in the -next street; that prices are "down again;" that, in consequence of some -other tradesman not "driving a roaring trade," being in fact, "sold up," -and for the time being a resident in "Burdon's Hotel" (Whitecross-Street -Prison), the "pushing" tradesman wishes to sell out at "awfully low -prices," to "the kind patrons, and numerous customers," &c. &c., "that -have on every occasion," &c. &c. These are, though, very venial -offenders compared with those ghouls, the advertising undertakers, who -employ boys, loaded with ghastly little books, to follow up the parish -doctor, and leave their horrible wares wherever he calls. But what can -be expected of ignorant undertakers when a London newspaper of large -circulation actually takes out the death records from the _Times_, and -sends a circular to each address therein, informing the bereaved persons -that the "----" charges so much per line for similar notices, and that -its circulation is most extensive? Surely the typical "death-hunter," -hardened though he may be, is hardly down to that level. In shopkeeping -Slang any occupation or calling is termed a "line,"--thus, the "building -line." A tailor usurps to himself a good deal of Slang. Amongst -operatives he is called a "snip," a "steel-bar driver," a "cabbage -contractor," or a "goose persuader;" by the world, a "ninth part of a -man;" and by the young collegian, or "fast" man, a "sufferer." If he -takes army contracts, it is "sank work;" if he is a "slop" tailor, he is -a "springer up," and his garments are "blown together." Perquisites with -him are "spiffs," and remnants of cloth "peaking, or cabbage." The -per-centage he allows to his assistants (or "counter jumpers") on the -sale of old-fashioned articles is termed "tinge." If he pays his workmen -in goods, or gives them tickets upon other tradesmen, with whom he -shares the profit, he is soon known as a "tommy master." If his business -succeeds, it "takes;" if neglected, it becomes "shaky," and "goes to -pot;" if he is deceived by a debtor (a by no means unusual -circumstance), he is "let in," or, as it is sometimes varied, "taken -in." It need scarcely be remarked that any credit he may give is termed -"tick." - -Operatives' or workmen's Slang, in quality, is but slightly removed from -tradesmen's Slang. When belonging to the same shop or factory, they -"graft" there, and are "brother chips." Among printers the favourite -term is "comps,"--not compositors, though the same contraction is used -for that word,--but companions, whether so in actual fact, or as members -of the same "companionship." A companionship is the number of men -engaged on any one work, and this is in turn reduced to "ship:" -sometimes it is a "'stab ship," _i.e._, paid by the week, therefore on -the establishment; sometimes it is "on the piece," and anyhow it is an -extremely critical organization, so perhaps it would be better to -broaden the subject. Workmen generally dine at "slap-bang shops," and -are often paid at "tommy shops." At the nearest "pub," or public-house, -they generally have a "score chalked up" against them, which has to be -"wiped off" regularly on the Saturday night. This is often known as a -"light." When credit is bad the "light" is said to be out. When out of -work, they describe themselves as being "out of collar." They term each -other "flints" and "dungs," if they are "society" or "non-society" men. -Their salary is a "screw," and to be discharged is to "get the sack," -varied by the expression "get the bullet," the connexion of which with -discharge is obvious, as the small lecturers--those at the Polytechnic -for instance--say, to the meanest capacity. When they quit work, they -"knock off;" and when out of employ, they ask if any "hands" are, or any -assistance is, wanted. "Fat" is the vulgar synonym for perquisites; -"elbow grease" signifies labour; and "Saint Monday" is the favourite day -of the week. Names of animals figure plentifully in the workman's -vocabulary; thus we have "goose," a tailor's smoothing-iron; -"sheep's-foot," an iron hammer; "sow," a receptacle for molten iron, -whilst the metal poured from it is termed "pig." Many of the Slang terms -for money may have originally come from the workshop, thus--"brads," -from the ironmonger; "chips," from the carpenter; "dust," from the -goldsmith; "feathers," from the upholsterer; "horse-nails," from the -farrier; "haddock," from the fishmonger; and "tanner and skin" from the -leather-dresser. - -If society, as has been remarked, is a sham, from the vulgar foundation -of commonalty to the crowning summit of royalty, then do we perceive the -justness of the remark in that most peculiar of peculiarities, the Slang -of makeshifts for oaths, and sham exclamations for passion and temper. -These apologies for feeling are an addition to our vernacular, and -though some argue that they are a disgrace, for the reason that no man -should pretend to swear or curse who does not do so, it is some -satisfaction to know that they serve the purpose of reducing the stock -of national profanity. "You be blowed," or "I'll be blowed if," &c., is -an exclamation often heard in the streets. "Blazes," or "like blazes," -came probably from the army, unless, indeed, it came from the original -metaphor, afterwards corrupted, to serve all turns, "to smoke like -blazes." "Blast," too, although in general vulgar use, may have had an -engineering or military origin, and the phrase, "I wish I may be shot, -if," smacks much of powder. "Blow me tight" is a very windy and common -exclamation. The same may be said of "strike me lucky," "never trust -me," and "so help me Davy;" the latter being evidently derived from the -truer old phrase, "I'll take my Davy on't"--_i.e._, my affidavit, -"Davy," and sometimes "Alfred Davy," being a corruption of that word. -"By Golly," "Gol darn it," and "so help"--generally pronounced "selp" or -"swelp"--"me Bob," are evident shams for profane oaths. "Tarnation" is -but a softening of damnation; and "od," whether used in "od drat it," or -"od's blood," is but an apology for the name of the Deity. "Marry," a -term of asseveration in common use, was originally, in Popish times, a -mode of swearing by the Virgin Mary;--so also "marrow-bones," for the -knees. "I'll bring him down upon his marrow-bones,"--_i.e._, I'll make -him bend his knees as he does to the Virgin Mary. The Irish phrase, "Bad -scran to yer!" is equivalent to wishing a person bad food. "I'm -sniggered if you will," and "I'm jiggered," are other mild forms of -swearing among men fearful of committing an open profanity, yet slily -nibbling at the sin. Maybe, some day one of these adventurers will meet -with the object of his desires, and then when fairly "jiggered," -whatever it may ultimately turn out to be, it is to be hoped he will -prove a fearful example to all persons with the will, but not the pluck, -to swear fierce oaths. Both "deuce" and "dickens" are vulgar old -synonyms for the devil; and "zounds" is an abbreviation of "God's -wounds,"--a very ancient oath. - -In a casual survey of the territory of Slang, it is curious to observe -how well represented are the familiar wants and failings of life. First, -there is money, with one hundred and odd Slang terms and synonyms; then -comes drink, from small beer to champagne; and next as a very natural -sequence, intoxication, and fuddlement generally, with some half a -hundred vulgar terms, graduating the scale of drunkenness, from a slight -inebriation to the soaky state which leads to the gutter, sometimes to -the stretcher, the station-house, the fine, and, most terrible of all, -the "caution." The Slang synonyms for mild intoxication are certainly -very choice,--they are "beery," "bemused," "boozy," "bosky," "buffy," -"corned," "foggy," "fou," "fresh," "hazy," "elevated," "kisky," "lushy," -"moony," "muggy," "muzzy," "on," "screwed," "stewed," "tight," and -"winey." A higher or more intense state of beastliness is represented by -the expressions, "podgy," "beargered," "blued," "cut," "primed," -"lumpy," "ploughed," "muddled," "obfuscated," "swipey," "three sheets in -the wind," and "top-heavy." But the climax of fuddlement is only -obtained when the "disguised" individual "can't see a hole in a ladder," -or when he is all "mops and brooms," or "off his nut," or with his -"main-brace well spliced," or with the "sun in his eyes," or when he -has "lapped the gutter," and got the "gravel rash," or is on the -"ran-tan," or on the "ree-raw," or when "sewed up," and regularly -"scammered,"--then, and not till then, is he entitled, in vulgar -society, to the title of "lushington," or recommended to "put in the -pin," _i.e._, the linch-pin, to keep his legs steady. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[32] An outgrowth of this latter peculiarity consisted in anyone with a -high or prominent nose being, a few years back, called by the street -boys "Duke." - -[33] This term, with a singular literal downrightness, which would be -remarkable in any other people than the French, is translated by them as -the sect of _Trembleurs_. - -[34] Swift alludes to this term in his _Art of Polite Conversation_, p. -14, 1738. - -[35] See _Notes and Queries_, vol. i. p. 185. 1850. - -[36] He afterwards kept a tavern at Wapping, mentioned by Pope in the -_Dunciad_. - -[37] _Sportsman's Dictionary_, 1825, p. 15. - -[38] This introduction was written in 1859, before the new edition of -_Worcester_, and Nuttall's recent work, were published. - -[39] Introduction to Bee's _Sportsman's Dictionary_, 1825. - -[40] The Gipsies use the word Slang as the Anglican synonym for Romany, -the Continental (or rather Spanish) term for the Cingari or Gipsy -tongue. Crabb, who wrote the _Gipsies' Advocate_ in 1831, thus mentions -the word:--"This language [Gipsy] _called by themselves_ Slang, or -Gibberish, invented, as they think, by their forefathers for secret -purposes, is not merely the language of one or a few of these wandering -tribes, which are found in the European nations, but is adopted by the -vast numbers who inhabit the earth." - -[41] The word Slang assumed various meanings amongst costermongers, -beggars, and vagabonds of all orders. It was, and is still, used to -express "cheating by false weights," "a raree show," "retiring by a back -door," "a watch-chain," their "secret language," &c. - -[42] North, in his _Examen_, p. 574, says, "I may note that the rabble -first changed their title, and were called the "mob" in the assemblies -of this [Green Ribbon] club. It was their beasts of burden, and called -first _mobile vulgus_, but fell naturally into the contraction of one -syllable, and ever since is become proper English." In the same work, p. -231, the disgraceful origin of SHAM is given. - -[43] I am afraid my predecessor was of a somewhat satirical turn of -mind, or else he had peculiar notions of melody.--ED. - -[44] This latter is, as I take it, an error, as the sign was originally -intended to represent the king's head and cross guns, and may still be -seen in parts of the country.--ED. - -[45] Savez-vous cela?--[I fancy this is from the Spanish _sabe_. The -word is in great use in the Pacific States of America, and is obtained -through constant intercourse with the original settlers.--ED.] - -[46] At page 24 of a curious old Civil War tract, entitled, _The Oxonian -Antippodes_, by I. B., Gent., 1644, the town is called Brummidgham, and -this was the general rendering in the printed literature of the -seventeenth century.--[This must have been the first known step towards -the present vulgar style of spelling, for properly the word is -Bromwich-ham, which has been corrupted into Brummagem, a term used to -express worthless or inferior goods, from the spurious jewellery, plate, -&c., manufactured there expressly for "duffers."--ED.] - -[47] This was more especially an amusement with medical students, -after the modern Mohocks had discarded it. The students are now a -comparatively mild and quiet race, with very little of the style of a -generation ago about them. - -[48] _Edinburgh Review_, October, 1853. - -[49] A term derived from the _Record_ newspaper, the exponent of this -singular section of the Low, or so-called Evangelical Church. - -[50] A preacher is said, in this phraseology, to be "owned" when he -makes many converts, and his converts are called his "seals." This is -Cant in its most objectionable form. - -[51] "Swaddler" is also a phrase by which the low Irish Roman Catholics -denominate those of their body who in winter become Protestants, _pro -tem._, for the sake of the blankets, coals, &c., given by proselytizing -Protestants. It is hard to say which are the worse, those who refuse to -give unless the objects of their charity become converted, or those who -sham conversion to save themselves from starving, or the tender mercies -of the relieving officer. I am much afraid my sympathies are with the -"swaddlers," who are also called "soupers."--ED. - -[52] "All our newspapers contain more or less colloquial words; in fact, -there seems no other way of expressing certain ideas connected with -passing events of every-day life with the requisite force and piquancy. -In the English newspapers the same thing is observable, and certain of -them contain more of the class denominated Slang words than our -own."--_Bartlett's Americanisms_, p. 10, edit. 1859. - -[53] When this appeared, "all serene" was one of those street phrases -which periodically spring up, have their rage, and depart as suddenly as -they come into popularity. These sayings are generally of a most idiotic -nature, as their latest specimens, "I'll warm yer," "All serene," and -"I'll 'ave your hi"--used without any premonitory notice or regard to -context, and screeched out at the top of the voice--will testify. I -suppose we shall soon have another of these "ebullitions of popular -feeling."--ED. - -[54] The terms "leader" and "article" can scarcely be called Slang, yet -it would be desirable to know upon what authority they were first -employed in their present peculiar sense. - -[55] The _Morning Herald_ was called "Mrs. Harris," because it was said -that no one ever saw it, a peculiarity which, in common with its general -disregard for veracity, made it uncommonly like "Mrs. Gamp's" invisible -friend as portrayed by Dickens. But the _Herald_ has long since departed -this life, and with it has gone the title of "Mrs. Gamp," as applied to -the _Standard_, which is, though, as impulsive and Conservative as -ever.--ED. - -[56] This is rhyming slang, and is corrupted into "lord" only. -"Touch-me," a common term for a shilling, is also derived from the same -source, it being short for "touch-me-on-the-nob," which is rhyming slang -for "bob" or shilling. - - - - -THE - -SLANG DICTIONARY. - - -~A1~, first-rate, the very best; "she's a prime girl, she is; she is -A1."--_Sam Slick_. The highest classification of ships at Lloyd's; common -term in the United States; also at Liverpool and other English seaports. -Another, even more intensitive form is "first-class, letter A, No. 1." -Some people choose to say AI, for no reason, however, beyond that of -being different from others. - -~Abigail~, a lady's-maid; perhaps obtained from old comedies. Used in an -uncomplimentary sense. Some think the term is derived from Abigail Hill -(Mrs. Masham), lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne, and a typical ABIGAIL in -the way of intrigue. - -~About Right~, "to do the thing ABOUT RIGHT," _i.e._, to do it -properly, soundly, correctly; "he guv it 'im ABOUT RIGHT," _i.e._, he -beat him severely. - -~Abraham-man~, a vagabond, such as were driven to beg about the country -after the dissolution of the monasteries.--_See_ BESS O' BEDLAM, -_infra_. They are well described under the title of _Bedlam -Beggars_.--_Shakspeare's K. Lear_, ii. 3. - - "And these, what name or title e'er they bear, - Jarkman, or Patrico, Cranke, or Clapper-dudgeon, - Frater, or ABRAM-MAN; I speak to all - That stand in fair election for the title - Of king of beggars."--_Beaumont and Fletcher's Begg. Bush._ II. 1. - -It appears to have been the practice in former days to allow certain -inmates of Bethlehem Hospital to have fixed days "to go begging:" hence -impostors were said to "SHAM ABRAHAM" (the Abraham Ward in Bedlam having -for its inmates these mendicant lunatics) when they pretended they were -licensed beggars in behalf of the hospital. - -~Abraham-sham~, or SHAM ABRAHAM, to feign sickness or distress. From -ABRAHAM-MAN, the _ancient Cant_ term for a begging impostor, or one who -pretended to have been mad.--_Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy_, vol. i. -p. 360. When Abraham Newland was Cashier to the Bank of England, and -signed their notes, it was sung:-- - - "I have heard people say - That SHAM ABRAHAM you may, - But you mustn't SHAM ABRAHAM Newland." - -~Absquatulate~, to run away, or abscond; a hybrid _American_ expression, -from the Latin _ab_, and "squat" to settle. - -~Acres~, a coward. From Bob Acres, in Sheridan's _Rivals_. - -~Adam's Ale~, water.--_English._ The _Scotch_ term is ADAM'S WINE. - -~Added to the List~, a euphuism current among sporting writers implying -that a horse has been gelded. As, "Sabinus has been ADDED TO THE LIST." -Another form of expression in reference to this matter is that "the -knife has been brought into requisition." "ADDED TO THE LIST" is simply -a contraction for "added to the list of geldings in training." - -~Addlepate~, a foolish fellow, a dullard. - -~Admiral of the Red~, a person whose very red face evinces a fondness -for strong potations. - -~Affygraphy.~ "It fits to an AFFYGRAPHY," _i.e._, to a nicety--to a _T_. - -~Afternoon Farmer~, one who wastes his best opportunity, and drives off -the large end of his work to the little end of his time. - -~Against the Grain~, in opposition to the wish. "It went AGAINST THE -GRAIN to do it, but I knew I must," is a common expression. - -~Aggerawators~ (corruption of _Aggravators_), the greasy locks of hair -in vogue among costermongers and other street folk, worn twisted from -the temple back towards the ear. They are also, from a supposed -resemblance in form, termed NEWGATE KNOCKERS, and sometimes NUMBER -SIXES. This style of adorning the head is, however, fast dying out, and -the everyday costermonger or street thief has his hair cut like any one -else. The yearly militia drill may have had a good deal to do with this -alteration. - -~Akeybo~, a slang phrase used in the following manner:--"He beats -AKEYBO, and AKEYBO beat the devil." - -~Albertopolis~, a facetious appellation given by the Londoners to the -Kensington Gore district. Now obsolete. - -~Alderman~, a half-crown--possibly from its rotundity. Also a long pipe. - -~Alderman~, a turkey; "ALDERMAN IN CHAINS," a turkey hung with sausages. - -~All of a Hugh!~ all on one side; falling with a thump; the word HUGH -being pronounced with a grunt.--_Suffolk._ - -~All my Eye~, a remark of incredulity made in reference to an improbable -story; condensation of "ALL MY EYE AND BETTY MARTIN," a vulgar phrase -constructed from the commencement of a Roman Catholic prayer to St. -Martin, "Oh, mihi, beate Martine," which in common with many another -fell into discredit and ridicule after the Reformation. - -~All out~, by far;--"he was ALL OUT the best of the lot." -_Old_--frequently used by Burton in his _Anatomy of Melancholy_. - -~All-overish~, neither sick nor well; the premonitory symptoms of -illness. Also the feeling which comes over a man at a critical moment, -say just when he is about to "pop the question." Sometimes this is -called, "feeling all over alike, and touching nowhere." - -~All-rounder~, a shirt collar going all round the neck and meeting in -front. Once fashionable, but little worn now. - -~All Serene~, an ejaculation of acquiescence. Some years back a popular -street cry. With or without application to actual fact, the words ALL -SERENE were bawled from morning to night without any reference to the -serenity of the unfortunate hearers.--_See_ SERENE. - -~Alls~, tap-droppings, refuse spirits sold at a cheap rate in -gin-palaces. - -~All There~, in strict fashion, first-rate, "up to the mark;" a vulgar -person would speak of a handsome, well-dressed woman as being ALL THERE. -An artisan would use the same phrase to express the capabilities of a -skillful fellow-workman. Sometimes ALL THE WAY THERE. Always used as a -term of encomium. - -~All to Pieces~, utterly, excessively; "he beat him ALL TO PIECES," -_i.e._, excelled or surpassed him exceedingly. Also a term much in use -among sporting men and expressing want of form, or decadence. A boat's -crew are said to "go ALL TO PIECES" when they through distress lose -their regularity. A woman is vulgarly said to "fall to pieces," or -"tumble to pieces," when she is confined. - -~All to Smash~, or "GONE ALL TO PIECES," bankrupt, ruined. - -~Almighty Dollar~, an _American_ expression representing the manner in -which money is worshipped. Modernly introduced by Washington Irving in -1837. The _idea_ of this phrase is, however, far older than the time of -_Irving_. _Ben Jonson's Epistle to Elizabeth, Countess of Rutland_, -commences thus-- - - "Whilst that for which all virtue now is sold, - And almost every vice, _almightie gold_." - -It seems almost obvious that the term must have been applied, not to -dollars certainly, but to money, long before the time of Irving. - -~American Tweezers~, an instrument used by an hotel-sneak which nips the -wards end of a key, and enables him to open a door from the opposite -side to that on which it has been locked. - -~Andrew Millar~, a ship of war.--_Sea._ - -~Ain't~, the vulgar abbreviation of "am not," "are not," or "is not." - -~Anointed~, _i.e._, eminent; used to express great rascality in any one; -"an ANOINTED scoundrel," king among scoundrels.--_Irish._ - -~Anointing~, a good beating. A case for the application of salve. - -~Anonyma~, a lady of the _demi-monde_, or worse; a "pretty -horsebreaker." INCOGNITA was the term at first. Product of the -squeamishness of the age which tries to thrust away fact by the use of -fine words. - -~Antiscriptural~, oaths, foul language. Anything unfit for ordinary -society conversation. - -~Apartments to Let~, a term used in reference to one who has a somewhat -empty head. As, "He's got APARTMENTS TO LET." - -~Apostle's Grove~, the London district known as St. John's Wood. Also -called GROVE OF THE EVANGELIST. - -~Apostles~, THE TWELVE, the last twelve names on the Poll, or "Ordinary -Degree" List at the Cambridge Examinations, when it was arranged in -order of merit, and not alphabetically, and in classes, as at present; -so called from their being _post alios_, after the others.--_See_ POLL. -The last of all was called ST. PAUL (or Saint Poll), as being the least -of the apostles, and "not meet to be called an apostle" (_see_ 1 Cor. -xv. 9). As in the "Honour" list (_see_ GULF), students who had failed -only slightly in one or more subjects were occasionally allowed their -degrees, and these were termed ELEGANT EXTRACTS.--_Camb. Univ. Slang._ - -~Apple-pie Bed~, a trick played at schools on new comers, or on any boy -disliked by the rest. One of the sheets is removed, and the other is -doubled in the middle, so that both edges are brought to the top, and -look as if both sheets were there; but the unhappy occupant is prevented -getting more than half-way down, and he has to remake his bed as best he -can. This trick is sometimes played by children of a larger growth. - -~Apple-Cart~, the human structure, so far as the phrases with which it -is connected are concerned. As "I'll upset your APPLE-CART," "down with -his APPLE-CART." - -~Apple-pie Order~, in exact or very nice order. - -~Appro~, contraction of approbation, a word much in use among jewellers. -Most of the extensive show of chains, watches, and trinkets in a shop -window is obtained "ON APPRO," _i.e._, "on sale or return." - -~Area Sneak~, a thief who commits depredations upon kitchens and -cellars. - -~Argol-bargol~, to bandy words.--_Scotch._ - -~Article~, derisive term for a weak or insignificant specimen of -humanity. - -~Atomy~, a diminutive or deformed person. From ANATOMY, or ATOM. - -~Attack~, to carve, or commence operations; "ATTACK that beef, and -oblige!" - -~Attic~, the head; "queer in the ATTIC," intoxicated or weak-minded. -Sometimes ATTIC is varied by "upper story." - -~Attic Salt~, wit, humour, pleasantry. Partly a reference to a -suggestive portion of Grecian literature, and partly a sly hit at the -well-known poverty of many writers. - -~Auctioneer~, to "tip him the AUCTIONEER," is to knock a man down. Tom -Sayers's right hand was known to pugilistic fame as the AUCTIONEER. - -~Audit Ale~, extra strong ale supposed to be drunk when the accounts are -audited.--_Camb. Univ._ - -~Auld-Reekie~, an affectionate term for the old town of Edinburgh. -Derived from its dingy appearance. - -~Aunt Sally~, a favourite figure on racecourses and at fairs, consisting -of a wooden head mounted on a stick, firmly fixed in the ground; in the -nose of which, or rather where the nose should be, a tobacco-pipe is -inserted. The fun consists in standing at a distance and demolishing -AUNT SALLY'S pipe-clay projection with short bludgeons, very similar to -the halves of broom-handles. The Duke of Beaufort is a "crack hand" at -smashing pipe noses; and his performances some years ago on Brighton -racecourse, which brought the game into notoriety, are yet fresh in -remembrance. AUNT SALLY has, however, had her day, and once again the -inevitable "three shies a penny!" is chief among our outdoor amusements. - -~Avast~, a sailor's phrase for stop, shut up, go away,--apparently -connected with the _old Cant_, BYNGE A WASTE; or from the _Italian_, -BASTA, hold! enough. - -~Awake~, or FLY, knowing, thoroughly understanding. "I'm awake," _i.e._, -I know all. The phrase WIDE-AWAKE carries a similar meaning in ordinary -conversation, but has a more general reference. - -~Awful~, a senseless expletive, used to intensify a description of -anything good or bad; "what an AWFUL fine woman!" "awfully jolly," -"awfully sorry," &c. The phrase is not confined to any section of -society. - -~Ax~, to ask. Sometimes pronounced arks. - -~Babes~, the lowest order of KNOCK-OUTS (which _see_), who are prevailed -upon not to give opposing biddings at auctions, in consideration of -their receiving a small sum (from one shilling to half-a-crown), and a -certain quantity of beer. They can, however, even after this agreement, -be secured on the other side for a little longer price. There is no -honour among thieves--at all events not among auction thieves--nowadays. - -~Back~, to support by means of money, on the turf or otherwise.--_See_ -LAY. - -~Back~, "to get one's BACK UP," to annoy or enrage. Probably from the -action of a cat when preparing to give battle to an enemy. - -~Back-end~, that portion of the year which commences with October. This -phrase is peculiar to the turf, and has its origin in the fact that -October was actually, and is now nearly, the finishing portion of the -racing season. Towards BACK-END the punters and "little men" generally -begin to look forward with anxiety to their winter prospects, and "going -for the gloves" is not only a frequent phrase, but a frequently -recurring practice. - -~Back Out~, to retreat from a difficulty; reverse of GO AHEAD. Metaphor -borrowed from the stables. - -~Back Slang It~, to go out the back way. Equivalent to "Sling your hook -out of the back-door," _i.e._, get away quickly. - -~Backslums~, the byeways and disreputable portions of a town. - -~Back-Hander~, a blow on the face with the back of the hand, a -back-handed tip. Also a drink out of turn, as when a greedy person -delays the decanter to get a second glass. Anything done slyly or -secretly is said to be done in a back-handed manner. - -~Backer~, one who places his money on a particular man or animal; a -supporter of one side in a contest. The great body of betting men is -divided into BOOKMAKERS and BACKERS. - -~Back Jump~, a back window.--_Prison term._ - -~Bacon~, the body, "to save one's BACON," to escape. - -~Bad~, "to go to the bad," to deteriorate in character, to be ruined. -_Virgil_ has an almost similar phrase, _in pejus ruere_, which means, by -the way, to go to the worse. - -~Bad~, hard, difficult. Word in use among sporting men who say, "He will -be BAD to beat," when they mean that the man or horse to whom they refer -will about win. - -~Bad Egg~, a scoundrel or rascal. - -~Badger~, to tease, to annoy by "chaffing." Suggestive of drawing a -badger. - -~Bad Lot~, a term derived from auctioneering slang, and now generally -used to describe a man or woman of indifferent morals. - -~Badminton~, blood,--properly a peculiar kind of claret-cup invented at -the Duke of Beaufort's seat of that name. BADMINTON proper is made of -claret, sugar, spice, cucumber peel, and ice, and was sometimes used by -the patrons of the Prize Ring as a synonym for blood. - -~Bad Words~, words not always bad of themselves but unpleasant to "ears -polite," from their vulgar associations. - -~Baffaty~, calico. Term used in the drapery trade. - -~Bag~, to seize or steal, equivalent to "collar." - -~Bagman~, a commercial traveller. This word is used more in reference to -the old style of commercial travellers than to the present. - -~Bags~, trousers. Trousers of an extensive pattern, or exaggerated -fashion, have sometimes been termed HOWLING-BAGS, but only when the -style has been very "loud." The word is probably an abbreviation of -bumbags. "To have the BAGS off," to be of age and one's own master, to -have plenty of money. BAGS OF MYSTERY is another phrase in frequent use, -and refers to sausages and saveloys. BAG OF TRICKS, refers to the whole -of a means towards a result. "That's the whole bag of tricks." - -~Baked~, seasoned, "he's only HALF-BAKED," _i.e._, soft, inexperienced. - -~Baker's Dozen~, thirteen. Originally the London bakers supplied the -retailers, _i.e._, chandlers' shopkeepers and itinerants, with thirteen -loaves to the dozen, so as to make up what is known as the overweight, -the surplus number, called the _inbread_, being thrown in for fear of -incurring a penalty for short weight. To "give a man a BAKER'S DOZEN," -in a slang sense, sometimes means to give him an extra good beating or -pummelling. - -~Balaam~, printers' slang for matter kept in type about monstrous -productions of nature, &c., to fill up spaces in newspapers that would -otherwise be vacant. The term BALAAM-BOX has often been used as the name -of a depository for rejected articles. Evidently from Scripture, and -referring to the "speech of an ass." - -~Bald-Faced Stag~, a term of derision applied to a person with a bald -head. Also, still more coarsely, "BLADDER-OF-LARD." - -~Bale up~, an Australian term equivalent to our "Shell out." A demand -for instantaneous payment. - -~Ballambangjang.~ The Straits of BALLAMBANGJANG, 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 account of the -monkey's tails getting jammed into, and choking up, the brace -blocks.--_Sea._ - -~Ballast~, money. A rich man is said to be well-ballasted. If not proud -and over-bearing he is said to carry his ballast well. - -~Balmy~, weak-minded or idiotic (not insane). - -~Balmy~, sleep; "have a dose of the BALMY." - -~Bamboozle~, to deceive, make fun of, or cheat a person; abbreviated to -BAM, which is sometimes used also as a substantive--a deception, a sham, -a "sell." _Swift_ says BAMBOOZLE was invented by a nobleman in the reign -of Charles II.; but this is very likely an error. The probability is -that a nobleman then first _used_ it in polite society. The term is -derived from the _Gipsies_. - -~Bandannah~, originally a peculiar kind of silk pocket-handkerchief, now -slang used to denote all sorts of "stooks," "wipes," and "fogles," and -in fact the generic term for a kerchief, whether neck or pocket. - -~Banded~, hungry. From the habit hungry folks have of tying themselves -tight round the middle. - -~Bandy~, or CRIPPLE, a sixpence, so called from this coin being -generally bent or crooked; old term for flimsy or bad cloth, temp. Q. -Elizabeth. - -~Bang~, to excel or surpass; BANGING, great or thumping. - -~Bang-up~, first-rate, in the best possible style. - -~Bank~, to put in a place of safety. "BANK the rag," _i.e._, secure the -note. Also "to bank" is to go shares. - -~Bank~, the total amount possessed by any one, "How's the BANK?" "Not -very strong; about one and a buck." - -~Bantling~, a child; stated in _Bacchus and Venus_, 1737, and by -_Grose_, to be a cant term. This is hardly slang now-a-days, and modern -etymologists give its origin as that of bands or swaddling clothes. - -~Banyan-Day~, a day on which no meat is served out for rations; probably -derived from the BANIANS, a Hindoo caste, who abstain from animal food. -Quite as probably from the sanitary arrangements which have in hot -climates counselled the eating of BANYANS and other fruits in preference -to meat on certain days.--_Sea._ - -~Bar~, or BARRING, excepting; in common use in the betting-ring; "Two to -one bar one," _i.e._, two to one against any horse with the exception of -one. The Irish use of BARRIN' is very similar, and the words BAR and -BARRING may now be regarded as general. - -~Barber's Cat~, a half-starved sickly-looking person. Term used in -connexion with an expression too coarse to print. - -~Barber's Clerk~, an overdressed shopboy who apes the manners of, and -tries to pass himself off as, a gentleman; a term of reproach applied -not to an artisan but to one of those who, being below, assume airs of -superiority over, handicraftsmen. - -~Barge~, a term used among printers (compositors) to denote a case in -which there is an undue proportion of some letters and a corresponding -shortness of those which are most valuable. - -~Bark~, an Irish person of either sex. From this term, much in use among -the London lower orders, but for which no etymology can be found, -Ireland is now and then playfully called Barkshire. - -~Barker~, a man employed to cry at the doors of "gaffs," shows, and -puffing shops, to entice people inside. Among touting photographers he -is called a doorsman. - -~Barking-Iron~, or BARKER, a pistol. Term used by footpads and thieves -generally. - -~Barnacles~, spectacles; possibly a corruption of binoculi; but derived -by some from the barnacle (_Lepas Anatifera_), a kind of conical shell -adhering to ships' bottoms. Hence a marine term for goggles, which they -resemble in shape, and for which they are used by sailors in case of -ophthalmic derangement. - -~Barney~, an unfair race of any kind: a sell or cross. Also a lark, -jollification, or outing. The word BARNEY is sometimes applied to a -swindle unconnected with the sporting world. - -~Barn Stormers~, theatrical performers who travel the country and act in -barns, selecting short and tragic pieces to suit the rustic taste. - -~Barrikin~, jargon, speech, or discourse; "We can't tumble to that -BARRIKIN," _i.e._, we don't understand what he says. "Cheese your -BARRIKIN," shut up. _Miege_ calls it "a sort of stuff;" _Old French_, -BARACAN. - -~Bash~, to beat, thrash; "BASHING a dona," beating a woman; originally a -provincial word, applied to the practice of beating walnut trees, when -in bud, with long poles, to increase their productiveness. Hence the -West country proverb-- - - "A woman, a whelp, and a walnut tree, - The more you BASH 'em, the better they be." - -The word BASH, among thieves, signifies to flog with the cat or birch. -The worst that can happen to a brutal ruffian is to receive "a BASHING -in, and a BASHING out,"--a flogging at the commencement and another at -the close of his term of enforced virtue. - -~Baste~, to beat, properly to pour gravy on roasting meat to keep it -from burning, and add to its flavour. Also a sewing term. - -~Bastile~, the workhouse. General name for "the Union" amongst the lower -orders of the _North_. Formerly used to denote a prison, or "lock-up;" -but its abbreviated form, STEEL, is now the favourite expression with -the dangerous classes, some of whom have never heard of BASTILE, -familiar as they are with "steel." - -~Bat~, "on his own BAT," on his own account. Evident modification of the -cricket term, "off his own bat," though not connected therewith.--_See_ -HOOK. - -~Bat~, to take an innings at cricket. To "carry out one's BAT" is to be -last in, _i.e._, to be "not out." A man's individual score is said to be -made "off his own BAT." - -~Bat~, pace at walking or running. As, "He went off at a good BAT." - -~Bats~, a pair of bad boots. - -~Battells~, the weekly bills at Oxford. Probably originally wooden -tallies, and so a diminutive of bton.--_University._ - -~Batter~, wear and tear; "can't stand the BATTER," _i.e._, not equal to -the task; "on the BATTER," "on the streets," "on the town," or given up -to roystering and debauchery. - -~Batty~, wages, perquisites. Derived from BATTA, an extra pay given to -soldiers while serving in _India_. - -~Batty-Fang~, to beat; BATTY-FANGING, a beating; also BATTER-FANG. Used -metaphorically as early as 1630. - - "So _batter-fanged_ and belabour'd with tongue mettle, that he was - weary of his life."--_Taylor's Works._ - -~Beach-Comber~, a fellow who prowls about the sea-shore to plunder -wrecks, and pick up waifs and strays of any kind.--_Sea._ - -~Beak~, originally a magistrate, judge, or policeman; now a magistrate -only; "to baffle the BEAK," to get remanded. _Ancient Cant_, BECK. -_Saxon_, BEAG, a necklace or gold collar--emblem of authority. Sir John -Fielding was called the BLIND-BEAK in the last century. Maybe connected -with the Italian BECCO, which means a (bird's) _beak_, and also a -_blockhead_.--_See_ WALKER. - -~Beaker-Hunter~, or BEAK-HUNTER, a stealer of poultry. - -~Beans~, money; "a haddock of BEANS," a purse of money; formerly, BEAN -meant a guinea; _French_, BIENS, property. - -~Bear~, one who contracts to deliver or sell a certain quantity of stock -in the public funds on a forthcoming day at a stated place, but who does -not possess it, trusting to a decline in public securities to enable him -to fulfil the agreement and realize a profit.--_See_ BULL. Both words -are slang terms on the Stock Exchange, and are frequently used in the -business columns of newspapers. - - "He who sells that of which he is not possessed is proverbially said - to sell the skin before he has caught the BEAR. It was the practice - of stock-jobbers, in the year 1720, to enter into a contract for - transferring South Sea stock at a future time for a certain price; - but he who contracted to sell had frequently no stock to transfer, - nor did he who bought intend to receive any in consequence of his - bargain; the seller was, therefore, called a BEAR, in allusion to - the proverb, and the buyer a BULL, perhaps only as a similar - distinction. The contract was merely a wager, to be determined by - the rise or fall of stock; if it rose, the seller paid the - difference to the buyer, proportioned to the sum determined by the - same computation to the seller."--_Dr. Warton on Pope._ - -These arrangements are nowadays called "time bargains," and are as -fairly (or unfairly) gambling as any transactions at the Victoria Club -or Tattersall's, or any of the doings which call for the intervention of -the police and the protestations of pompous City magistrates, who, -during their terms of office, try to be virtuous and make their names -immortal. Certainly BULLING and BEARING are as productive of bankruptcy -and misery as are BACKING and LAYING. - -~Be-argered~, drunk. (The word is divided here simply to convey the -pronunciation.) - -~Bear-Leader~, a tutor in a private family. In the old days of the -"grand tour" the term was much more in use and of course more -significant than it is now. - -~Bear-up~ and ~Bearer-up~.--_See_ BONNET. - -~Beat~, the allotted range traversed by a policeman on duty. - -~Beat~, or BEAT-HOLLOW, to surpass or excel; also "BEAT into fits," and -"BEAT badly." - -~Beat~, "DEAD-BEAT," wholly worn out, done up. - -~Beater-Cases~, boots. _Nearly obsolete._ TROTTER CASES is the term -nowadays. - -~Beaver~, old street term for a hat; GOSS is the modern word, BEAVER, -except in the country, having fallen into disuse. - -~Bebee~, a lady.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Be-Blowed~, a derisive instruction never carried into effect, as, "You -BE-BLOWED." Used similarly to the old "Go to." _See_ BLOW ME. - -~Bed-Fagot~, a contemptuous term for a woman; generally applied to a -prostitute.--_See_ FAGOT. - -~Bed-Post~, "in the twinkling of a BED-POST," in a moment, or very -quickly. Originally BED-STAFF, a stick placed vertically in the frame of -a bed to keep the bedding in its place, and used sometimes as a -defensive weapon. - -~Bee~, "to have a BEE in one's bonnet," _i.e._, to be not exactly sane; -to have a craze in one particular direction. Several otherwise sensible -and excellent M.P.'s are distinguished by the "BEE in his bonnet" each -carries. - -~Beef-Headed~, stupid, fat-headed, dull. - -~Beefy~, unduly thick or fat, commonly said of women's ankles; also -rich, juicy, plenteous. To take the whole pool at loo, or to have any -particular run of luck at cards generally is said by players to be "very -BEEFY." - -~Beeline~, the straightest possible line of route to a given point. When -a bee is well laden, it makes a straight flight for home. Originally an -Americanism, but now general. - -~Beery~, intoxicated, or fuddled with beer. - -~Beeswax~, poor, soft cheese. Sometimes called "sweaty-toe cheese." - -~Beeswing~, the film which forms on the sides of bottles which contain -good old port wine. This breaks up into small pieces in the process of -decanting, and looks like BEES' WINGS. Hence the term. - -~Beetle-Crusher~, or SQUASHER, a large flat foot. The expression was -made popular by being once used by Leech. - -~Beetle-Sticker~, an entomologist. - -~Beggars' Velvet~, downy particles which accumulate under furniture from -the negligence of housemaids. Otherwise called SLUTS'-WOOL. - -~Belcher~, a blue bird's-eye handkerchief.--_See_ BILLY. - -~Bell~, a song. Tramps' term. Simply diminutive of BELLOW. - -~Bellows~, the lungs. BELLOWSER, a blow in the "wind," or pit of the -stomach, taking one's breath away. - -~Bellowsed~, or LAGGED, transported. - -~Bellows to Mend~, a person out of breath; especially a pugilist is said -to be "BELLOWS TO MEND" when winded. With the P.R., the word has fallen -into desuetude. - -~Belly-Timber~, food, or "grub." - -~Belly-Vengeance~, small sour beer, apt to cause gastralgia. - -~Bemuse~, to fuddle one's self with drink, "BEMUSING himself with beer," -&c. - -~Ben~, a benefit.--_Theatrical._ - -~Ben Cull~, a friend, or "pal." Expression used by thieves. - -~Bend~, "that's above my bend," _i.e._, beyond my power, too expensive or -too difficult for me to perform. - -~Bender~, a sixpence. Probably from its liability to bend. In the days -when the term was most in use sixpences were not kept in the excellent -state of preservation peculiar to the currency of the present day. - -~Bender~, the arm; "over the BENDER," synonymous with "over the -left."--_See_ OVER. - -~Bendigo~, a rough fur cap worn in the midland counties, called after a -noted pugilist of that name. "Hard Punchers" are caps worn by London -roughs and formerly by men in training. They are a modification of the -common Scotch cap, and have peaks. - -~Bene~, good.--_Ancient Cant_; BENAR was the comparative.--_See_ BONE. -_Latin._ - -~Benedick~, a married man. _Shakspeare._ - -~Benjamin~, coat. Formerly termed a JOSEPH, in allusion, perhaps, to -Joseph's coat of many colours.--_See_ UPPER-BENJAMIN. - -~Ben Joltram~, brown bread and skimmed milk; a Norfolk term for a -ploughboy's breakfast. - -~Benjy~, a waistcoat, diminutive of BENJAMIN. - -~Beong~, a shilling.--_See_ SALTEE.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Bess-o'-Bedlam~, a lunatic vagrant.--_Norfolk._ - -~Best~, to get the better or BEST of a man in any way--not necessarily -to cheat--to have the best of a bargain. BESTED, taken in, or defrauded, -in reality worsted. BESTER, a low betting cheat, a fraudulent bookmaker. - -~Better~, more; "how far is it to town?" "Oh, BETTER 'n a mile."--_Saxon_ -and _Old English_, now a vulgarism. - -~Betting Round~, laying fairly and equally against nearly all the horses -in a race so that no great risk can be run. Commonly called getting -round. _See_ BOOK, and BOOKMAKING. - -~Betty~, a skeleton key, or picklock.--_Old Prison Cant._ - -~B Flats~, bugs.--_Compare_ F SHARPS. - -~Bible-Carrier~, a person who sells songs without singing them.--_Seven -Dials._ - -~Biddy~, a general name applied to Irish stallwomen and milkmaids, in -the same manner that Mike is given to the labouring men. A big red-faced -Irish servant girl is known as a Bridget. - -~Big~, "to look BIG," to assume an inflated air or manner; "to talk -BIG," _i.e._, boastingly. - -~Big-Bird~, TO GET THE, _i.e._, to be hissed, as actors occasionally are -by the "gods." BIG-BIRD is simply a metaphor for goose.--_Theat. Slang._ - -~Big House~, or LARGE HOUSE, the workhouse,--a phrase used by the very -poor. - -~Big-wig~, a person in authority or office. Exchangeable with "GREAT -GUN." - -~Bilbo~, a sword; abbrev. of "BILBAO blade." Spanish swords were -anciently very celebrated, especially those of Toledo, Bilbao, &c. - -~Bilk~, a cheat, or a swindler. Formerly in general use, now confined to -the streets, where it is common, and mostly used in reference to -prostitutes. _Gothic_, BILAICAN. - -~Bilk~, to defraud, or obtain goods, &c., without paying for them; "to -BILK the schoolmaster," to get information or experience without paying -for it. - -~Billingsgate~ (when applied to speech), foul and coarse language. Many -years since people used to visit Thames Street to hear the Billingsgate -fishwomen abuse each other. The anecdote of Dr. Johnson and the -Billingsgate virago is well known. - -~Billingsgate Pheasant~, a red herring or bloater. This is also called a -"two-eyed steak." - -~Billy~, a silk pocket-handkerchief.--_Scotch._--_See_ WIPE. - -[Asterism] A list of slang terms descriptive of the various patterns of -handkerchiefs, pocket and neck, is here subjoined:-- - - 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 popular - amongst "the fancy." - - BIRD'S-EYE WIPE, a handkerchief of any colour, containing white - spots. The blue bird's-eye is similar to the Belcher except in the - centre. Sometimes a BIRD'S-EYE WIPE has a white ground and blue - spots. - - BLOOD-RED FANCY, red. - - BLUE BILLY, blue ground, generally with white figures. - - CREAM FANCY, any pattern on a white ground. - - KING'S MAN, yellow pattern on a green ground. - - RANDAL'S MAN, green, with white spots; named after the favourite - colours of Jack Randal, pugilist. - - WATER'S MAN, sky coloured. - - YELLOW FANCY, yellow, with white spots. - - YELLOW MAN, all yellow. - -~Billy~, a policeman's staff. Also stolen metal of any kind. -BILLY-HUNTING is buying old metal. A BILLY-FENCER is a marine-store -dealer. - -~Billy-Barlow~, a street clown; sometimes termed a JIM CROW, or -SALTIMBANCO,--so called 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. - -~Billy-Cock~, a soft felt hat of the Jim Crow or "wide-awake" -description. - -~Bingo~, brandy.--_Old Cant._ - -~Bingy~, a term largely used in the butter trade to denote bad, ropy -butter; nearly equivalent to VINNIED. - -~Bird-Cage~, a four-wheeled cab. - -~Birthday Suit~, the suit in which Adam and Eve first saw each other, -and "were not ashamed." - -~Bishop~, a warm drink composed of materials similar to those used in -the manufacture of "flip" and "purl." - -~Bit~, fourpence; in America a 12-1/2 cent piece is called a BIT, and a -defaced 20 cent piece is termed a LONG BIT. A BIT is the smallest coin -in Jamaica, equal to 6d. BIT usually means the smallest silver coin in -circulation; also a piece of money of any kind. Charles Bannister, the -witty singer and actor, one day meeting a Bow Street runner with a man -in custody, asked what the prisoner had done; and being told that he had -stolen a bridle, and had been detected in the act of selling it, said, -"Ah, then, he wanted to touch the BIT." - -~Bitch~, tea; "a BITCH party," a tea-drinking. Probably because -undergraduates consider tea only fit for old women.--_Oxford._ - -~Bite~, a cheat; "a Yorkshire BITE," a cheating fellow from that county. -The term BITE is also applied to a hard bargainer.--_North_; also _old -slang_--used by _Pope_. Swift says it originated with a nobleman in his -day. - -~Bite~, to cheat; "to be BITTEN," to be taken in or imposed upon. -Originally a Gipsy term. CROSS-BITER, for a cheat, continually -occurs in writers of the sixteenth century. Bailey has CROSS-BITE, a -disappointment, probably the primary sense; and BITE is very probably a -contraction of this. - -~Bit-Faker~, or TURNER OUT, a coiner of bad money. - -~Bit-of-Stuff~, overdressed man; a man with full confidence in his -appearance and abilities; a young woman, who is also called a BIT OF -MUSLIN. - -~Bitter~, diminutive of bitter beer; "to do a BITTER," to drink -beer.--Originally _Oxford_, but now general. - -~Bittock~, a distance of very undecided length. If a North countryman be -asked the distance to a place, he will most probably reply, "a mile and -a BITTOCK." The latter may be considered any distance from one hundred -yards to ten miles. - -~Bivvy~, or GATTER, beer; "shant of BIVVY," a pot or quart of beer. In -Suffolk the afternoon refreshment of reapers is called BEVER. It is also -an old English term. - - "He is none of those same ordinary eaters, that will devour three - breakfasts, and as many dinners, without any prejudice to their - BEVERS, drinkings, or suppers."--_Beaumont and Fletcher's Woman - Hater_, i. 3. - -Both words are probably from the _Italian_, BEVERE, BERE. _Latin_, -BIBERE. _English_, BEVERAGE. - -~Biz~, contraction of the word business; a phrase much used in America -in writing as well as in conversation. - -~B. K. S.~ Military officers in _mufti_, when out on a spree, and not -wishing their profession to be known, speak of their barracks as the -B.K.S. - -~Black and White~, handwriting or print. "Let's have it in BLACK AND -WHITE," is often said with regard to an agreement when it is to the -advantage of one or both that it should be written. - -~Black-a-vised~, having a very dark complexion. - -~Blackberry-Swagger~, a person who hawks tapes, boot-laces, &c. - -~Blackbirding~, slave-catching. Term most applied nowadays to the -Polynesian coolie traffic. - -~Black Diamonds~, coals; talented persons of dingy or unpolished -exterior; rough jewels. - -~Blackguard~, a low or dirty fellow; a rough or a hulking fellow, -capable of any meanness or cowardice. - - "A cant word amongst the vulgar, by which is implied a dirty fellow - of the meanest kind, Dr. Johnson says, and he cites only the modern - authority of Swift. But the introduction of this word into our - language belongs not to the vulgar, and is more than a century prior - to the time of Swift. Mr. Malone agrees with me in exhibiting the - two first of the following examples:--The _black-guard_ is evidently - designed to imply a fit attendant on the devil. Mr. Gifford, - however, in his late edition of Ben Jonson's works, assigns an - origin of the name different from what the old examples which I have - cited seem to countenance. It has been formed, he says, from those - 'mean and dirty dependants, in great houses, who were selected to - carry coals to the kitchen, halls, &c. To this smutty regiment, who - attended the progresses, and rode in the carts with the pots and - kettles, which, with every other article of furniture, were then - moved from palace to palace, the people, in derision, gave the name - of _black guards_; a term since become sufficiently familiar, and - never properly explained.'"--_Todd's Johnson's Dictionary._ - -Blackguard as an adjective is very powerful. - -~Blackleg~, a rascal, swindler, or card cheat. The derivation of this -term was solemnly argued before the full Court of Queen's Bench upon a -motion for a new trial for libel, but was not decided by the learned -tribunal. Probably it is from the custom of sporting and turf men -wearing black _top-boots_. Hence BLACKLEG came to be the phrase for a -professional sporting man, and thence for a professional sporting cheat. -The word is now in its worst sense diminished to "leg." - -~Black Maria~, the sombre van in which prisoners are conveyed from the -police court to prison. - -~Black Monday~, the Monday on which boys return to school after the -holidays. Also a low term for the Monday on which an execution took -place. - -~Black Sheep~, a "bad lot," "_mauvais sujet_;" sometimes "scabby sheep;" -also a workman who refuses to join in a strike. - -~Black Strap~, port wine; especially that which is thick and sweet. - -~Blackwork~, undertaking. The waiters met at public dinners are often -employed during the day as mutes, etc. Omnibus and cab drivers regard -BLACKWORK as a _dernier ressort_. - -~Bladder-of-Lard~, a coarse, satirical nickname for a bald-headed -person. From similarity of appearance. - -~Blade~, a man--in ancient times the term for a soldier; "knowing -BLADE," a wide-awake, sharp, or cunning man. - -~Blarney~, flattery, powers of persuasion. A castle in the county of -Cork. It is said that whoever kisses a certain stone in this castle will -be able to persuade others of whatever he or she pleases. The name of -the castle is derived from BLADH, a blossom, _i.e._, the flowery or -fertile demesne. BLADH is also flattery; hence the connexion. A more -than ordinarily persuasive Irishman is said to have "kissed the BLARNEY -stone." - -~Blast~, to curse. Originally a _Military_ expression. - -~Blaze~, to leave trace purposely of one's way in a forest or unknown -path by marking trees or other objects. - -~Blazes~, a low synonym for the infernal regions, and now almost for -anything. "Like BLAZES" is a phrase of intensification applied without -any reference to the original meaning. Also applied to the brilliant -habiliments of flunkeys, since the episode of Sam Weller and the -"swarry." - -~Bleed~, to victimize, or extract money from a person, to sponge on, to -make suffer vindictively. - -~Blest~, a vow; "BLEST if I'll do it," _i.e._, I am determined not to do -it; euphemism for CURST. - -~Blether~, to bother, to annoy, to pester. "A BLETHERING old nuisance" -is a common expression for a garrulous old person. - -~Blew~, or BLOW, to inform, or peach, to lose or spend money. - -~Blewed~, a man who has lost or spent all his money is said to have -BLEWED it. Also used in cases of robbery from the person, as, "He's -BLEWED his red 'un," _i.e._, he's been eased of his watch. - -~Blewed~, got rid of, disposed of, spent. - -~Blind~, a pretence, or make-believe. - -~Blind-Half-Hundred~, the Fiftieth Regiment of Foot; so called through -their great sufferings from ophthalmia when serving in Egypt. - -~Blind-Hookey~, a game at cards which has no recommendation beyond the -rapidity with which money can be won and lost at it; called also WILFUL -MURDER. - -~Blind-Man's-Holiday~, night, darkness. Sometimes applied to the period -"between the lights." - -~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 the BLIND MONKEYS to evacuate. -Another form this elegant conversation takes, 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 wont want no physic -when they sees your mug." - -~Blinker~, a blackened eye.--_Norwich._ Also a hard blow in the eye. -BLINKERS, spectacles. - -~Blink-Fencer~, a person who sells spectacles. - -~Bloated Aristocrat~, a street term for any decently dressed person. -From the persistent abuse lavished on a "bloated and parasitical -aristocracy" by Hyde Park demagogues and a certain unpleasant portion of -the weekly press. - -~Bloater.~--_See_ MILD. - -~Blob~ (from BLAB), to talk. Beggars are of two kinds--those who SCREEVE -(introducing themselves with a FAKEMENT, or false document) and those -who BLOB, or state their case in their own truly "unvarnished" language. - -~Block~, the head. "To BLOCK a hat," is to knock a man's hat down over -his eyes.--_See_ BONNET. Also a street obstruction. - -~Block Ornaments~, the small dark-coloured and sometimes stinking pieces -of meat which used to be exposed on the cheap butchers' blocks or -counters; matters of interest to all the sharp-visaged women in poor -neighbourhoods. Since the great rise in the price of meat there has been -little necessity for butchers to make block ornaments of their odds and -ends. They are bespoke beforehand. - -~Bloke~, a man; "the BLOKE with the jasey," the man with the wig, -_i.e._, the Judge. _Gipsy_ and _Hindoo_, LOKE. _North_, BLOACHER, any -large animal. - -~Blood~, a fast or high-mettled man. Nearly obsolete, but much used in -George the Fourth's time. - -~Blood-money~, the money that used to be paid to any one who by -information or evidence led to a conviction for a capital offence. -Nowadays applied to all sums received by informers. - -~Blood-Red Fancy~, a particular kind of handkerchief sometimes worn by -pugilists and frequenters of prize fights.--_See_ BILLY and COLOUR. - -~Bloody~, an expletive used, without reference to meaning, as an -adjective and an adverb, simply for intensification. - -~Bloody Jemmy~, an uncooked sheep's head.--_See_ SANGUINARY JAMES. Also -MOUNTAIN PECKER. - -~Blow~, to expose, or inform; "BLOW the gaff," to inform against a -person. - - "'As for that,' says Will, 'I could tell it well enough, if I had - it, but I must not be seen anywhere among my old acquaintances, for - I am BLOWN, and they will all betray me.'"--_History of Colonel - Jack_, 1723. - -The expression would seem to have arisen from the belief that a flower -might be blighted if "BLOWN upon" by a foul wind or a corrupted breath. -See the condition of the flowers on a dinner-table by the time the -company rise. In _America_, "to BLOW" is slang for to lie in a boasting -manner, to brag or "gas" unduly. - -~Blow a Cloud~, to smoke a cigar or pipe--a phrase used two centuries -ago. Most likely in use as long as tobacco here--an almost evident -conclusion. - -~Blow Me~, or BLOW ME TIGHT, a vow, a ridiculous and unmeaning -ejaculation, inferring an appeal to the ejaculator; "I'm BLOWED if you -will" is a common expression among the lower orders; "BLOW ME UP" was -the term a century ago.--_See Parker's Adventures_, 1781.--The -expression BE-BLOWED is now more general. Thomas Hood used to tell a -story:-- - - "I was once asked to contribute to a new journal, not exactly - gratuitously, but at a very small advance upon nothing--and avowedly - because the work had been planned according to that estimate. - However, I accepted the terms conditionally--that is to say, - provided the principle could be properly carried out. Accordingly, I - wrote to my butcher, baker, and other tradesmen, informing them that - it was necessary, for the sake of cheap literature and the interest - of the reading public, that they should furnish me with their - several commodities at a very trifling per-centage above cost price. - It will be sufficient to quote the answer of the - butcher:--'Sir,--Respectin' your note, Cheap literater BE BLOWED! - Butchers must live as well as other pepel--and if so be you or the - readin' publick wants to have meat at prime cost, you must buy your - own beastesses, and kill yourselves.--I remane, etc. - - "'JOHN STOKES.'" - -~Blow Out~, or TUCK IN, a feast. Sometimes the expression is, "BLOW OUT -your bags." A BLOW OUT is often called a tightener. - -~Blow Up~, to make a noise, or scold; formerly a cant expression used -among thieves, now a recognised and respectable phrase. BLOWING UP, a -jobation, a scolding. - -~Blowen~, originally a showy or flaunting female, now a prostitute only. -In _Wilts_, a BLOWEN is a blossom. _Germ._ BLHEN, to bloom. In -_German_, also, BUHLEN is to court, and BUHLE, a sweetheart. - - "O du _blhende_ Mdchen, viel schne Willkomm!"--_German Song._ - -Possibly, however, the street term BLOWEN may mean one whose reputation -has been BLOWN UPON or damaged. - -~Blower~, a girl; a contemptuous name in opposition to JOMER.--_Gipsy._ - -~Blowsey~, a word applied to a rough wench, or coarse woman. - -~Bludger~, a low thief, who does not hesitate to use violence, literally -one who will use a bludgeon. - -~Blue~, said of talk that is smutty or indecent. Probably from the -French, "Bibliothque Bleu." When the conversation has assumed an -entirely opposite character, it is then said to be BROWN or Quakerish. - -~Blue~, a policeman; otherwise BLUE BOTTLE. From the colour of his -uniform. - -~Blue~, or BLEW, to pawn or pledge. Actually to get rid of. - -~Blue~, confounded or surprised; "to look BLUE," to look astonished, -annoyed, or disappointed. - -~Blue Bellies~, a term applied by the Confederate soldiers during the -civil war in America to the Federals, the name being suggested by the -skyblue gaberdines worn by the Northern soldiers. On the other hand, the -"filthy BLUE BELLIES," as the full title ran, dubbed the Confederates -"Greybacks," the epithet cutting both ways, as the Southern soldiers not -only wore grey uniforms, but "greyback" is American as well as English -for a louse. - -~Blue Billy~, the handkerchief (blue ground with white spots) sometimes -worn and used as a colour at prize-fights. Also, the refuse ammoniacal -lime from gas factories. - -~Blue Blanket~, a rough overcoat made of coarse pilot cloth. - -~Blue Bottle~, a policeman. This well-known slang term for a London -constable is used by _Shakspeare_. In Part ii. of _King Henry IV._, act -v. scene 4, Doll Tearsheet calls the beadle, who is dragging her in, a -"thin man in a censer, a BLUE-BOTTLE rogue." This may at first seem -singular, but the reason is obvious. The beadles of Bridewell whose duty -it was to whip the women prisoners were clad in blue. - -~Blue Butter~, mercurial ointment used for the destruction of parasites. - -~Blued~, or BLEWED, tipsy, or drunk. Now given way to SLEWED. - -~Blue Devils~, the apparitions supposed to be seen by habitual -drunkards. Form of _del. trem._ - -~Blue Moon~, an unlimited period. "Once in a blue moon." - -~Blue Murders.~ Probably from desperate or alarming cries. A term used -more to describe cries of terror or alarm than for any other purpose. -As, "I heard her calling BLUE MURDERS."--MORBLEU. - -~Blue-Pigeon-Flyer~, sometimes a journeyman plumber, glazier, or other -workman, who, 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 applied to the man -who steals the lead in pursuance of his vocation as a thief, than to him -who takes it because it comes in the way of his work. - -~Blue Ruin~, gin. - -~Blues~, a fit of despondency.--_See_ BLUE DEVILS. - -~Blues~, the police. Sometimes called the Royal Regiment of Foot-guards -BLUE. - -~Bluey~, lead.--German, BLEI. Most likely, though, from the colour, as -the term is of the very lowest slang. - -~Bluff~, an excuse; also the game at cards known as euchre in America. - -~Bluff~, to turn aside, stop, or excuse. - -~Blunt~, money. It has been said that this term is from the _French_ -BLOND, sandy or golden colour, and that a parallel may be found in BROWN -or BROWNS, the slang for half-pence. Far-fetched as this etymology -seems, it may be correct, as it is borne out by the analogy of similar -expressions. Cf. BLANQUILLO, a word used in Morocco and Southern Spain -for a small Moorish coin. The "asper" (_aspron_) of Constantinople is -called by the Turks AKCHEH, _i.e._, "little white." - -~Blurt Out~, to speak from impulse, and without reflection, to let out -suddenly.--_Shakspeare._ - -~B.N.C.~, for Brasenose, initials of Brazen Nose College. In spite of -the nose over the gate the probability is the real name was Brasinium. -It is still famous for its beer.--_University._ - -~Board-of-Green-Cloth~, a facetious synonym for a card or billiard -table. - -~Boat~, originally to transport; the term is now applied to penal -servitude. To "get the BOAT," or to "be BOATED," is to be sentenced to a -long term of imprisonment equivalent to transportation under the old -system. - -~Bob~, a shilling. Formerly BOBSTICK, which may have been the original. -BOB-A-NOB, a shilling a-head. - -~Bob~, "s'help me BOB," a street oath, equivalent to "so help me God." -Other words are used in street language for a similarly evasive purpose, -_i.e._, CAT, GREENS, TATUR, &c., all equally ridiculous. Ignorant people -have a singular habit of saying "so help _my_," instead of "_me_," -whatever the following words may be. This shows how little they think of -the meanings of the phrases most in use among them. The words "so help" -are almost invariably pronounced "swelp." - -~Bobbery~, a squabble, tumult.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Bobbish~, very well, clever, spruce. "How are you doing?" "Oh! pretty -BOBBISH."--_Old._ - -~Bobby~, a policeman: both BOBBY and PEELER were nicknames given to the -new police, in allusion to the Christian name and surname of the late -_Sir Robert Peel_, who was the prime mover in effecting their -introduction and improvement. The term BOBBY is, however, older than the -introduction of the new police. The official square-keeper, who is -always armed with a cane to drive away idle and disorderly urchins, has, -time out of mind, been called by the said urchins, "BOBBY the beadle." - -~Bodkin~, any one sitting between two others in a carriage, is said "to -ride BODKIN." Amongst sporting men, applied to a person who takes his -turn between the sheets on alternate nights, when the hotel has twice as -many visitors as it can comfortably lodge; as, for instance, during a -race-week. - -~Body-Snatcher~, a bailiff or runner: SNATCH, the trick by which the -bailiff captures the delinquent. These terms are now almost obsolete, so -far as the pursuits mentioned are concerned. - -~Bog~, or BOG-HOUSE, a privy, as distinguished from a water-closet. -Originally printers' slang, but now very common, and not applied to any -particular form of _cabinet d'aisance_. "To BOG" is to ease oneself by -evacuation. - -~Bog-Oranges~, potatoes. A phrase perhaps derived from the term "Irish -fruit," which, by some strange peculiarity has been applied to potatoes; -for even the most ignorant Cockney could hardly believe that potatoes -grow in a bog. As, however, the majority of the lower classes of London -do believe that potatoes were indigenous to, and were first brought from -the soil of Ireland, which is also in some parts supposed to be capable -of growing nothing else, they may even believe that potatoes are -actually BOG-ORANGES. - -~Bog-Trotter~, satirical name for an Irishman.--_Miege._ _Camden_, -however, speaking of the "debateable land" on the borders of England and -Scotland, says, "both these dales breed notable BOG-TROTTERS." - -~Bogus~, an American term for anything pretending to be that which it is -not--such as BOGUS degrees, BOGUS titles, &c. - -~Boilers~, or BROMPTON BOILERS, a name originally given to the New -Kensington Museum and School of Art, in allusion to the peculiar form of -the buildings, and the fact of their being mainly composed of, and -covered with, sheet iron. This has been changed since the extensive -alterations in the building, or rather pile of buildings, and the words -are now the property of the Bethnal Green Museum.--_See_ PEPPER-BOXES. - -~Boko~, the nose. Originally pugilistic slang, but now general. - -~Bolt~, to run away, decamp, or abscond. Also to swallow without -chewing. To eat greedily. - -~Bolus~, an apothecary. Origin evident. - -~Bombay Ducks;~ in the East India Company's army the Bombay regiments -were so designated. The name is now given to a dried fish (_bummelow_), -much eaten by natives and Europeans in Western India.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Bone~, to steal or appropriate what does not belong to you. BONED, -seized, apprehended.--_Old._ - -~Bone~, good, excellent. [Diamond], the vagabonds' hieroglyphic for -BONE, or good, chalked by them on houses and street corners as a hint -to succeeding beggars.--_French_, BON. - -~Bone-Grubber~, a person who hunts dust-holes, gutters, and all likely -spots for refuse bones, which he sells at the rag-shops, or to the -bone-grinders. The term was also applied to a resurrectionist. Cobbett -was therefore called "a BONE GRUBBER," because he brought the remains of -Tom Paine from America. - -~Bone-Picker~, a footman. - -~Bones~, to rattle the BONES, to play at dice: also called St. Hugh's -BONES. - -~Bones~, "he made no BONES of it," he did not hesitate, _i.e._, -undertook and finished the work without difficulty, "found no BONES in -the jelly."--_Ancient, vide Cotgrave._ - -~Boniface~, landlord of a tavern or inn. - -~Bonnet~, or BONNETER, a gambling cheat. 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 their stakes. Bonneting is often done in much better society -than that to be found in the ordinary gaming rooms. A man who persuades -another to buy an article on which he receives commission or per-centage -is said to BONNET or bear-up for the seller. Also, a pretence, or -make-believe, a sham bidder at auctions, one who metaphorically blinds -or BONNETS others. - -~Bonnet~, to strike a man's cap or hat over his eyes. Also to "bear-up" -for another. - -~Booby-Trap~, a favourite amusement of boys at school. It consists in -placing a pitcher of water on the top of a door set ajar for the -purpose; the person whom they wish to drench is then made to pass -through the door, and receives the pitcher and its contents on his -unlucky head. Books are sometimes used. - -~Book~, an arrangement of bets against certain horses marked in a -pocket-book made for that purpose. "Making a BOOK upon it," is a common -phrase to denote that a man is prepared to lay the odds against the -horses in a race. "That does not suit my BOOK," _i.e._, does not accord -with my other arrangements. The principle of making a BOOK, or betting -round, as it is sometimes termed, is to lay a previously-determined sum -against every horse in the race, or as many horses as possible; and -should the bookmaker "get round," _i.e._, succeed in laying against as -many horses as will more than balance the odds laid, he is certain to be -a winner. The BOOKMAKER is distinguished from the backer by its being -his particular business to bet against horses, or to lay, while the -backer, who is also often a professional gambler, stands by the chance -of a horse, or the chances of a set of horses about which he supposes -himself to be possessed of special information. A bookmaker rarely backs -horses for his own particular fancy--he may indeed put a sovereign or a -fiver on an animal about which he has been told something, but as a rule -if he specially fancies a horse, the bookmaker lets him "run for the -BOOK," _i.e._, does not lay against him. When a bookmaker backs a horse -in the course of his regular business, it is because he has laid too -much against him, and finds it convenient to share the danger with other -bookmakers. - -~Booked~, caught, fixed, disposed of.--Term in _Book-keeping_. - -~Bookmaker's Pocket~, a breast-pocket made inside the waistcoat, for -notes of large amount. - -~Books~, a pack of cards. Term used by professional card-players.--_See_ -DEVIL'S BOOKS. - -~Boom~, "to top one's BOOM off," to be off or start in a certain -direction.--_Sea._ - -~Boom-Passenger~, a sailor's slang term for a convict on board ship. -Derived from the circumstance that prisoners on board convict ships were -chained to, or were made to crawl along or stand on the booms for -exercise or punishment. - -~Boon-Companion~, a comrade in a drinking bout. BOON evidently -corruption of BON. - -~Booze~, drink. _Ancient Cant_, BOWSE. BOOZE, or SUCK-CASA, a -public-house. - -~Booze~, to drink, or more properly, to use another slang term, to -"lush," viz., to drink continually, until drunk, or nearly so. The term -is an old one. _Harman_, in Queen Elizabeth's days, speaks of "BOUSING -(or boozing) and belly-cheere." _Massinger_ also speaks of BOUSE. The -term was good English in the fourteenth century, and came from the -_Dutch_, BUYZEN, to tipple. - -~Boozing-Ken~, a beer-shop, a low public-house.--_Ancient._ - -~Boozy~, intoxicated or fuddled. - -~Bore~, a troublesome friend or acquaintance, perhaps so called from his -unvaried and pertinacious pushing; a nuisance; anything which wearies or -annoys. The _Gradus ad Cantabrigiam_ suggests the derivation of BORE -from the _Greek_ _Baros_, a burden. _Shakspeare_ uses it, _King Henry -VIII._, i. 1-- - - "----at this instant - He BORES me with some trick." - -_Grose_ speaks of this word as being much in fashion about the year -1780-81, and states that it vanished of a sudden without leaving a trace -behind. That this was not so, the constant use of the word nowadays will -prove. The late Prince Consort spoke as follows on the subject of BORES -in his address to the British Association, at Aberdeen, September 14, -1859-- - - "I will not weary you by further examples, with which most of you - are better acquainted than I am myself, but merely express my - satisfaction that there should exist bodies of men who will bring - the well-considered and understood wants of science before the - public and the Government, who will even hand round the begging-box, - and expose themselves to refusals and rebuffs, to which all beggars - are liable, with the certainty besides of being considered great - BORES. Please to recollect that this species of BORE is a most - useful animal, well adapted for the ends for which nature intended - him. He alone, by constantly returning to the charge, and repeating - the same truths and the same requests, succeeds in awakening - attention to the cause which he advocates, and obtains that hearing - which is granted him at last for self-protection, as the minor evil - compared to his importunity, but which is requisite to make his - cause understood." - -~Bore~ (_Pugilistic_), to press a man to the ropes of the ring by -superior weight. In the world of athletics to BORE is to push an -opponent out of his course. This is a most heinous crime among rowers, -as it very often prevents a man having the full use of the tide, or -compels him to foul, in which case the decision of the race is left to -individual judgment, at times, of necessity, erroneous. - -~Bosh~, nonsense, stupidity.--_Gipsy_ and _Persian_. Also pure -_Turkish_, BOSH LAKERDI, empty talk. The term was used in this country -as early as 1760, and may be found in the _Student_, vol. ii. p. 217. It -has been suggested, with what reason the reader must judge for himself, -that this colloquial expression is from the _German_ BOSH, or BOSSCH, -answering to our word "swipes." - -~Bosh~, a fiddle. This is a _Gipsy_ term, and so the exclamations -"Bosh!" and "Fiddle-de-dee!" may have some remote connexion. - -~Bosh-Faker~, a violin player. Term principally used by itinerants. - -~Bos-Ken~, a farmhouse. _Ancient._--_See_ KEN. - -~Bosky~, inebriated. Not much in use now. - -~Bosman~, a farmer: "faking a BOSMAN on the main toby," robbing a farmer -on the highway. BOSS, a master.--_American._ Both terms from the -_Dutch_, BOSCH-MAN, one who lives in the woods; otherwise _Boschjeman_, -or _Bushman_. - -~Boss-Eyed~, said of a person with one eye, or rather with one eye -injured, a person with an obliquity of vision. In this sense sometimes -varied by the term "swivel-eyed." - -~Bostruchyzer~, a small kind of comb for curling the whiskers.--_Oxford -University._ - -~Botany Bay~, Worcester Coll. Oxon., so called from its remote -situation. - -~Bother~, trouble or annoyance. Any one oppressed with business cares is -said to be BOTHERED. "Don't BOTHER," is a common expression. BLOTHER, an -old word, signifying to chatter idly. - -~Botheration!~ trouble, annoyance; "BOTHERATION to it!" "confound it!" -or "deuce take it!"--an exclamation when irritated. - -~Bottle-Holder~, originally a term in prize ring parlance for the second -who took charge of the water-bottle, which was an essential feature in -all pugilistic arrangements. This second used to hold the combatant on -his knee between the rounds, while the other or principal second -sponged, instructed, and advised; an abettor; also the bridegroom's man -at a wedding. Slang term for Lord Palmerston, derived from a speech he -made some years ago when foreign secretary, in which he described -himself as acting the part of a judicious BOTTLE-HOLDER among the -foreign powers. - -~Bottom~, stamina in a horse or man. Power to stand fatigue; endurance -to receive a good beating and still fight on. "A fellow of pluck, sound -wind, and good BOTTOM is fit to fight anything." This was an old axiom -among prize fighters. Pierce Egan was very fond of the word. - -~Bottom~, spirit placed in a glass before arated water is poured in. -As, "a soda and a BOTTOM of brandy," "soda and dark BOTTOM," is American -for soda and brown brandy. - - "BOTTOMED well with brandy."--_Bon Gaultier Ballads._ - -~Botts~, the colic or bellyache.--_Stable Slang._ _Burns_ uses it. _See -Death and Dr. Hornbook._ - -~Botty~, conceited, swaggering.--_Stable._ An infant's -posteriors.--_Nursery._ - -~Bounce~, impudence, cheek. A showy swindler, a bully. - -~Bounce~, to boast, cheat, or bully.--_Old Cant._ Also to lie. - -~Bounceable~, prone to bouncing or boasting. - -~Bouncer~, a person who steals whilst bargaining with a tradesman, a -swindler, or a lie of more than ordinary dimensions. - -~Bounder~, a four-wheeled cab. Because of its jumping motion over the -stones. Also a University term for a TRAP, which generally has a very -rough time of it on the country roads. - -~Bow-Catcher~, or KISS-CURL, a small curl which a few years back used to -be, and probably will be again some day, twisted on the cheeks or -temples of young--and often old--girls, adhering to the face as if -gummed or pasted. Evidently a corruption of BEAU-CATCHER. In old times -this was called a lovelock, when it was the mark at which all the -Puritan and ranting preachers levelled their pulpit pop-guns, loaded -with sharp and virulent abuse. Hall and Prynne looked upon all women as -strumpets who dared to let the hair depart from a straight line -upon their cheeks. The French prettily termed these adornments -_accroche-coeurs_, whilst in the United States they were plainly and -unpleasantly called "spit-curls." Bartlett says: "Spit-curl, a detached -lock of hair curled upon the temple; probably from having been at first -plastered into shape by the saliva." It is now understood that the -mucilage of quince seed is used by the ladies for this purpose. When men -twist the hair on each side of their faces into ropes they are sometimes -called "bell-ropes," as being wherewith to _draw the belles_. Whether -BELL-ROPES or BOW-CATCHERS, it is singular they should form part of a -prisoner's adornment, and that a jaunty little kiss-curl should, of all -things in the world, ornament a jail dock; yet such was formerly the -case. Hunt, "the accomplice after the fact and King's evidence against" -the murderer of Weare, on his trial appeared at the bar with a highly -pomatumed love-lock sticking tight to his forehead. In the days of the -Civil Wars, the very last thing a Cavalier would part with was his -love-lock. - -~Bowdlerization~, a term used in literary circles to signify undue -strictness of treatment caused by over-modesty in editing a classic. To -BOWDLERIZE is to emasculate through squeamishness. From the name -(Bowdler) of one of Shakspeare's "purifiers." - -~Bowlas~, round tarts made of sugar, apple, and bread, sold in the -streets, especially at the East-end of London. - -~Bowles~, shoes. - -~Bowl Out~, to put out of the game, to remove out of one's way, to -detect.--Originally a _Cricketing term_, but now general. - -~Box-Harry~, a term with bagmen or commercial travellers, implying -dinner and tea at one meal; also dining with "Duke Humphrey," _i.e._, -going without--which _see_. - -~Box the Compass~, to repeat the thirty-two points of the compass either -in succession or irregularly. The method used at sea to teach boys the -points of the mariner's compass.--_Sea._ - -~Boy~, a hump on a man's back. In low circles it is usual to speak of a -humpbacked man as two persons--"him and his BOY," and from this much -coarse fun and personality are at times evolved. - -~Bracelets~, handcuffs. - -~Brace up~, to pawn stolen goods. - -~Brads~, money. Properly a small kind of nails used by -cobblers.--_Compare_ HORSE NAILS. - -~Brain-Pan~, the skull, and BRAIN-CANISTER, the head. Both pugilistic -and exchangeable terms. - -~Bramble-Gelder~, a derisive appellation for an -agriculturist.--_Suffolk._ - -~Brandy Pawnee~, brandy and water.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Brandy Smash~, one of the 365 American drinks, made of brandy and -crushed ice. - -~Bran-New~, quite new. Properly _Brent_, BRAND or _Fire new_, _i.e._, -fresh from the anvil, or fresh with the manufacturer's brand upon it. - -~Brass~, money. "Tin" is also used, and so are most forms of metal. - -~Brass~, impudence. In 1803 some artillerymen stationed at Norwich were -directed to prove some brass ordnance belonging to the city. To the -report delivered to the corporation was appended this note:--"_N.B._--It -is customary for the corporal to have the old metal when any of the -pieces burst." _Answer._--"The corporation is of opinion that the -corporal does not want BRASS." - -~Brass-Knocker~, broken victuals. Used by tramps and cadgers. - -~Brat~, a child of either sex. Generally used in an offensive sense. - -~Brazen-Faced~, impudent, shameless. From BRASS. Such a person is -sometimes said "to have rubbed his face with a brass candlestick." - -~Brazil~, a hard red wood; "HARD AS BRAZIL," a common expression. -_Quarles_ in his _Emblems_ says-- - - "Thou know'st my brittle temper's prone to break. - Are my bones BRAZIL or my flesh of oak?" - -~Bread-Bags~, a nickname given in the army and navy to any one connected -with the victualling department, as a purser or purveyor in the -Commissariat. - -~Bread Basket~, DUMPLING-DEPOT, VICTUALLING-OFFICE, &c., were terms -which in the old pugilistic days were given by the "Fancy" to the -digestive organs. Blows in this region were called "porridge -disturbers," and other fancy names, which were supposed to rob them of -their hardness--to those who did not receive them. - -~Break-Down~, a noisy dance, almost violent enough to break the floor -down; a jovial, social gathering, a "flare up;" in Ireland, a -wedding--_American_ so far as the dance is concerned. - -~Break One's Back~, a figurative expression, implying bankruptcy, or the -crippling of a person's means. - - "A story is current of a fashionable author answering a late and - rather violent knock at his door one evening. A coal-heaver wanted - to know if the gentleman would like a cheap ton of coals; he was - sorry for troubling him so late, but 'the party as had a-ordered the - two ton and a-half couldn't be found,' although he had driven his - 'waggon for six blessed hours up and down the neighbourhood. - Five-and-twenty is the price, but yer shall have them for 20s.' Our - author was not to be tempted, he had heard of the trick before; so - bidding the man go away from his house, he shut the door. The man, - however, lingered there, expatiating on the quality of his - coals--'Acterly givin' 'em away, and the gent wont have 'em,' said - he, addressing the neighbourhood in a loud voice: and the last that - was heard of him was his anything but sweet voice whistling through - the keyhole, 'Will eighteen _bob_ BREAK YER BACK?'" - -~Break Shins~, to borrow money. Probably from an older slang phrase, -"kick," to ask for drink-money. - -~Break the Ice~, to make a commencement, to plunge _in medias res_. - -~Break Up~, the conclusion of a performance of any kind--originally a -school term. - -~Breaky-Leg~, strong drink; "he's been to Bungay fair, and broke both -his legs," _i.e._, got drunk. In the ancient Egyptian language the -determinative character in the hieroglyphic verb "to be drank," has the -significant form of the leg of a man being amputated. "Tangle Leg" is -the name given to New England rum. - -[Illustration] - -~Breeched~, or TO HAVE THE BAGS OFF, to have plenty of money; "to be -well BREECHED," to be in good circumstances. Also among schoolboys to be -well flogged. - -~Breeches~, "to wear the BREECHES," said of a wife who usurps the -husband's prerogative. Equivalent to the remark that "the grey mare is -the better horse." - -~Breeching~, a flogging. Term in use among boys at several private -schools. - -~Breef~, probably identical with BRIEF, a shortened card used for -cheating purposes; thus described in an old book of games of about -1720-- - - "Take a pack of cards and open them, then take out all the honours - ... and cut 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 him an - honour, because the cards at the ends are all of a length. Thus you - may make breefs end-ways as well as sideways." - -Modern card-players of a certain kind have considerably improved on -this. - -~Breeks~, breeches.--_Scotch_, now common. - -~Brick~, a "jolly good fellow;" "a regular BRICK," a staunch fellow. -About the highest compliment that in one word can be paid one man. Said -to be derived from an expression of Aristotle's--_tetragnos anr_. - -~Bridge~, a cheating trick at cards, by which any particular card is cut -by previously curving it by the pressure of the hand. Used in France as -well as in England, and termed in the _Parisian Argot_ FAIRE LE PONT. - -~Brief~, a pawnbroker's duplicate; a raffle card, or a ticket of any -kind. - -~Briefs~, cards constructed on a cheating principle. See BRIDGE, -CONCAVES and CONVEXES, LONGS, and SHORTS, REFLECTORS, &c. From the -_German_, BRIEFE, which Baron Heinecken says was the name given to the -cards manufactured at Ulm. BRIEF is also the synonym for a card in the -German _Rothwlsch_ dialect, and BRIEFEN to play at cards. "Item--beware -of the Joners, (gamblers,) who practice Beseflery with the BRIEF, -(cheating at cards,) who deal falsely and cut one for the other, cheat -with Boglein and spies, pick one BRIEF from the ground, and another from -a cupboard," &c.--_Liber Vagatorum_, ed. by Martin Luther, in 1529. -English translation, by J. C. Hotten, 1860, p. 47. _See_ BREEF. - -~Brim~, a violent irascible woman, as inflammable and unpleasant as -brimstone, from which the word is contracted. - -~Briney~, the sea. A "dip in the BRINEY" once a year is a great -attraction to Cockney excursionists. A story is told of one excursionist -saying to another, as they stripped in a double machine, "Why, 'Arry, -what dirty feet you've got!" "'Ave I; well yer see I wasn't down last -year." - -~Bring-up~, or BRING-TO, to stop suddenly, as a team of horses or a -vessel. To BRING-UP also means to feed, clothe, and educate a child. To -BRING-UP by hand is to bring up a newly-born child or animal without -assistance from the natural fount. - -~Brisket-Beater~, a Roman Catholic. - -~Broad and Shallow~, an epithet applied to the so-called "Broad Church," -in contradistinction to the "High" and "Low" Churches. _See_ HIGH and -DRY. - -~Broad-Brim~, originally applied to a Quaker only, but now used in -reference to all quiet, sedate, respectable old men. - -~Broad-Cooper~, a person employed by brewers to negotiate with -publicans. - -~Broad-Faking~, playing at cards. Generally used to denote "work" of the -three-card and kindred descriptions. - -~Broad-Fencer~, a "k'rect card" seller at races. - -~Broads~, cards. BROADSMAN, a card-sharper. _See_ BROAD-FAKING. - -~Broadway Swell~, a New York term for a great dandy, Broadway being the -principal promenade in the "Empire City." - -~Broady~, cloth. Evidently a corruption of broadcloth. BROADY workers -are men who go round selling vile shoddy stuff under the pretence that -it is excellent material, which has been "got on the cross," _i.e._ -stolen. - -~Brolly~, an umbrella. Term used at both Oxford and Cambridge -Universities. - -~Brosier~, a bankrupt.--_Cheshire._ BROSIER-MY-DAME, school term, -implying a clearing of the housekeeper's larder of provisions, in -revenge for stinginess.--_Eton._ - -~Brother-Chip~, originally fellow carpenter. Almost general now as -brother tradesman of any kind. Also, BROTHER-WHIP, a fellow coachman; -and BROTHER-BLADE, of the same occupation or calling--originally a -fellow-soldier. - -~Brother-Smut~, a term of familiarity. "Ditto, BROTHER SMUT," _tu -quoque_. - -~Broth of a Boy~, an Irish term for a jolly good fellow. - -~Brown~, a halfpenny.--_See_ BLUNT. - -~Brown~, "to do BROWN," to do well or completely, "doing it BROWN," -prolonging the frolic, or exceeding sober bounds; "done BROWN," taken -in, deceived, or surprised. - -~Brown Bess~, the old Government regulation musket; a musket with a -browned barrel; also BLACK BESS. A suggestion has been made that BESS -may be from the _German_ BUSCHE, or BOSCHE, a barrel. It is much more -likely, however, that the phrase is derived from the fact that "the -soldier is wedded to his weapon." - -~Brown-papermen~, low gamblers. - -~Brown Study~, a reverie. Very common even in educated society, but -hardly admissible in writing, and therefore considered a vulgarism. It -is derived, by a writer in _Notes and Queries_, from BROW STUDY, and he -cites the old German BRAUN, or AUG-BRAUN, an eye-brow.--_Ben Jonson._ - -~Brown Talk~, conversation of an exceedingly proper character, -Quakerish. Compare BLUE. - -~Brown to~, to understand, to comprehend. - -~Bruiser~, a fighting man, a pugilist. _Shakspeare_ uses the word -BRUISING in a similar sense. - -~Brum~, a counterfeit coin. _Nearly obsolete._ Corruption of -_Brummagem_, for meaning of which _see_ Introductory Chapter. - -~Brush~, a fox's tail, a house-painter. Also a scrimmage. - -~Brush~, or BRUSH-OFF, to run away, or move on quickly.--_Old Cant._ - -~Bub~, drink of any kind.--_See_ GRUB. _Middleton_, the dramatist, -mentions BUBBER, a great drinker. - -~Bub~, a teat, woman's breast, plural BUBBIES; no doubt from BIBE. _See_ -_ante_. - -~Bubble~, to over-reach, deceive, to tempt by means of false -promises.--_Old._ (_Acta Regia_, ii. 248, 1726.) - -~Bubble-and-Squeak~, a dish composed of pieces of cold roast or boiled -meat and greens, afterwards fried, which have thus first BUBBLED in the -_pot_, and then SQUEAKED or hissed in the _pan_. - -~Bubble-Company~, a swindling association. - -~Buckled~, to be married. Also to be taken in custody. Both uses of the -word common and exchangeable among the London lower classes. - -~Bubbley-Jock~, a turkey, or silly boasting fellow; a prig.--_Scottish._ -In the north of England the bird is called a BOBBLE-COCK. Both names, no -doubt, from its cry, which is supposed by imaginative persons to consist -of the two words exactly. - -~Buck~, a gay or smart man; an unlicensed cabman; also a large marble -used by schoolboys. - -~Buck~, sixpence. The word is rarely used by itself, but generally -denotes the sixpence attached to shillings in reference to cost, as, -"three and a BUCK," three shillings and sixpence. Probably a corruption -of Fyebuck. - -~Buckhorse~, a smart blow or box on the ear; derived from the name of a -celebrated "bruiser" of that name. Buckhorse was a man who either -possessed or professed insensibility to pain, and who would for a small -sum allow anyone to strike him with the utmost force on the side of the -face. - -~Buckle~, to bend; "I can't BUCKLE to that." I don't understand it; to -yield or give in to a person. _Shakspeare_ uses the word in the latter -sense, _Henry IV._, i. 1; and _Halliwell_ says that "the commentators do -not supply another example." - -~Buckle-Beggar~, a COUPLE-BEGGAR, which _see_. - -~Buckle-to~, to bend to one's work, to begin at once, and with great -energy--from buckling-to one's armour before a combat, or fastening on a -bundle. - -~Buckley~, "Who struck BUCKLEY?" a common phrase used to irritate -Irishmen. The story is that an Englishman having struck an Irishman -named Buckley, the latter made a great outcry, and one of his friends -rushed forth screaming, "Who struck Buckley?" "I did," said the -Englishman, preparing for the apparently inevitable combat. "Then," said -the ferocious Hibernian, after a careful investigation of the other's -thews and sinews, "then, sarve him right." - -~Buckra~, a white man. The original of this term is a "flogging man," -from the Hebrew, and the application of it to the whites by the West -Indian negroes is, therefore, rather interesting. They probably first -learned it from a missionary. - -~Buckshish~, BUCKSHEESH or BACKSHEESH, a present of money. Over all -India, and the East generally, the natives lose no opportunity of asking -for BUCKSHISH. The usage is such a complete nuisance that the word is -sometimes answered by a blow; this is termed BAMBOO BUCKSHISH. BUCKSHISH -has taken up a very firm residence in Europe--may, in fact, on a much -larger scale than that of Asia, be said to have always had an existence -here. BUCKSHISH is a very important item in the revenues of officials -who hold positions of considerable importance, as well as in those of -their humbler brethren. During the recent visit of the Shah of Persia, -that potentate discovered that BUCKSHISH was by no means peculiar to the -East. - -~Budge~, to move, to "make tracks." - -~Budge~, strong drink; BUDGY, drunk; BUDGING-KEN, a public-house; "cove -of the BUDGING-KEN," the landlord. Probably a corruption of BOOZE. -Probably also, on the lucus a non lucendo principle, because its use -made one incapable of budging. - -~Buff~, the bare skin; "stripped to the BUFF." - -~Buff~, to swear to, or accuse; generally used in reference to a -wrongful accusation, as, "Oh, BUFF it on to him." _Old_ word for -boasting, 1582. - -~Buffer~, a navy term for a boatswain's mate, one of whose duties it -is--or was--to administer the "cat." - -~Buffer~, a familiar expression for a jolly acquaintance, probably from -the _French_ BOUFFARD, a fool or clown; a "jolly old BUFFER," said of a -good-humoured or liberal old man. In 1737, a BUFFER was a "rogue that -killed good sound horses for the sake of their skins, by running a long -wire into them."--_Bacchus and Venus._ The term was once applied to -those who took false oaths for a consideration; but though the word has -fallen into disuse there is no particular reason for imagining that the -practice has. - -~Buffer~, a woman employed in a Sheffield warehouse to give the final -polish to goods previously to their being plated. - -~Buffer~, a dog. Dogs' skins were formerly in great request--hence the -term BUFF, meaning in old English _to skin_. It is still used in the -ring, BUFFED meaning stripped naked, though the term BUFF, as applied to -the skin, is most likely due to its resemblance to the leather so -called. "Stripped to the BUFF," cannot have any reference to dog -skinning, though it may have originally referred to the BUFF jerkins -worn under defensive armour. In Irish cant, BUFFER is a _boxer_. The -BUFFER of a railway-carriage doubtless received its very appropriate -name from the old pugilistic application of this term. - -~Buffle-Head~, a stupid or obtuse person.--_Miege._ _German_, -BUFFELHAUPT, buffalo-headed. Occurs in _Plautus' Comedies made English_, -1694. - -~Buffs~, the Third Regiment of Foot in the British army. From their -facings. - -~Buffy~, intoxicated. - -~Buggy~, a gig, or light chaise. Common term in America and in India, as -well as in England. - -~Bug-Hunter~, a low wretch who plunders drunken men. - -~Bug-Walk~, a coarse term for a bed. - -~Build~, applied in fashionable slang to the make or style of dress, &c. -"It's a tidy BUILD, who made it?" A tailor is sometimes called a -"trousers' BUILDER." - -~Bulger~, large; synonymous with BUSTER. - -~Bulky~, a constable.--_North._ - -~Bull~, one who agrees to purchase stock at a future day, at a stated -price, but who simply speculates for a rise in public securities to -render the transaction a profitable one. Should stocks fall, the BULL is -then called upon to pay the difference. _See_ BEAR, who is the opposite -of a BULL, the former selling, the latter purchasing--the one operating -for a _fall_, the other for a _rise_. - -~Bull~, a crown-piece, formerly BULL'S EYE. _See_ WORK. - -~Bull~, term amongst prisoners for the meat served to them in jail. Also -very frequently used instead of the word beef. The costermonger often -speaks of his dinner, when he has beef, as a "bit o' BULL," without any -reference to its being either tough or tender, but he never speaks of -mutton as "sheep." - -~Bull-Beef~, a term of contempt; "as ugly as BULL-BEEF," "go to the -billy-fencer, and sell yourself for BULL-BEEF." Sometimes used to -indicate full size of anything. "There was he, as big as BULL-BEEF." - -~Bulldogs~, the runners who accompany the proctor in his perambulations, -and give chase to runaways.--_University._ - -~Bullet~, to discharge from a situation. To shake the BULLET at anyone, -is to threaten him with "the sack," but not to give him actual notice to -leave. To get the BULLET is to get notice, while to get the instant -BULLET is to be discharged upon the spot. The use of the term is most -probably derived from a fancied connexion between it and the word -discharge. - -~Bullfinch~, a hunting term for a large, thick, quickset hedge, -difficult alike to "top" or burst through. Probably a corruption of -BULL-FENCE, a fence made to prevent cattle straying either in or out. - -~Bull the Cask~, to pour hot water into an empty rum puncheon, and let -it stand until it extracts the spirit from the wood. The mixture is -drunk by sailors in default of something stronger.--_Sea._ - -~Bully~, a braggart; in the language of the streets, a man of the most -degraded morals, who protects fallen females, and lives off their -miserable earnings.--_Shakspeare_, in _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, uses -the word in its old form, as a term of endearment. This epithet is often -applied in a commendable sense among the vulgar; thus--a good fellow or -a good horse will be termed "a BULLY fellow," "a BULLY horse;" and "a -BULLY woman" signifies a right, good motherly old soul. Among Americans, -"BULLY for you," is a commendatory phrase, and "that's BULLY" is a -highly eulogistic term. - -~Bullyrag~, to abuse or scold vehemently; to swindle one out of money by -intimidation and sheer abuse. - -~Bum~, the part on which we sit.--_Shakspeare._ BUMBAGS, trousers; -_Gael._ BUN, a base or bottom; _Welsh_, BON, the lowest or worst part of -anything. - -~Bum-Bailiff~, a sheriff's-officer--a term, some say, derived from the -proximity which this gentleman generally maintains to his victims. -Blackstone says it is a corruption of "bound bailiff." A BUM-BAILIFF was -generally called "bummy." - -~Bumble~, to muffle. BUMBLE-FOOTED, club-footed, or awkward in the gait. - -~Bumble~, a beadle. Adopted from _Dickens's_ character in _Oliver -Twist_. This and "BUMBLEDOM" are now common. - -~Bumble-Puppy~, a game played in public-houses on a large stone, placed -in a slanting direction, on the lower end of which holes are excavated, -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 _Troule-in-madame_. - -~Bumbles~, coverings for the eyes of horses that shy in harness. - -~Bumbrusher~, an usher at a school. - -~Bumclink~, in the Midland counties the inferior beer brewed for -haymakers and harvest labourers. Derivation obvious. - -~Bum-Curtain~, an old name for academical gowns when they were worn -scant and short, especially those of the students of St. John's -College.--_Camb. Univ._ Any ragged or short academical gown. - -~Bummarees~, a term given to a class of speculating salesmen at -Billingsgate market, not recognised as such by the trade, but who get a -living by buying large quantities of fish from the salesmen and -re-selling them to smaller buyers. The word has been used in the -statutes and bye-laws of the market for upwards of 200 years. It has -been variously derived. Some persons think it may be from the _French_ -BONNE MARE, good fresh fish! "Mare signifie toute sorte de poisson de -mer qui n'est pas sale; bonne mare--_mare frache_, vendeur de -mare."--_Dict. de l'Acad. Franc._ The BUMMAREES are accused of many -trade tricks. One of them is to blow up codfish with a pipe until they -look double their actual size. Of course when the fish come to table -they are flabby, sunken, and half dwindled away. In Norwich, to BUMMAREE -one is to run up a score at a public-house just open, and is equivalent -to "running into debt with one." One of the advertisements issued by Hy. -Robinson's "Office," over against Threadneedle Street, was this:-- - - "Touching Advice from the OFFICE, you are desired to give and take - notice as followeth:-- - - "OF Monies to be taken up, or delivered on _Botto-maria_, commonly - called _Bomarie_. - - "OF money to be put out or taken upon interest," &c. - - --_The Publick Intelligencer_, numb. 17, 25th June, 1660. - -~Bummer~, literally one who sits or idles about; a loafer; one who -sponges upon his acquaintances. In California, men who profess to be -journalists, and so obtain free dinners and drinks, are called "literary -BUMMERS." Although the term is not much in use in this country, the -profession of bumming, both literary and otherwise, is freely practised. - -~Bumper~, according to Johnson from "bump," but probably from _French_ -BON PRE, the fixed toast in monastic life of old, now used for "full -measure." A match at quoits, bowls, &c., may end in a "BUMPER game," if -the play and score be all on one side. BUMPER is used in sporting and -theatrical circles to denote a benefit which is one in reality as well -as in name. - -~Bumptious~, arrogant, self-sufficient. One on very good terms with -himself is said to be BUMPTIOUS. - -~Bunce~, costermongers' perquisites; the money obtained by giving light -weight, &c.; costermongers' goods sold by boys on commission. In fact -anything which is clear profit or gain is said to be "all BUNCE." -Probably a corruption of _bonus_; BONE, or BONER, being the slang for -good. BUNCE, _Grose_ gives as the cant word for money. - -~Bunch-of-Fives~, the hand, or fist. - -~Bundle~, "to BUNDLE a person off," _i.e._, to pack him off, send him -flying. - -~Bundling~, men and women sleeping together, where the divisions of the -house will not permit of better or more decent accommodation, with all -their clothes on. BUNDLING was originally courting done in bed, the -lovers being tied or bundled up to prevent undue familiarities. The -practice still obtains in some parts of Wales. - -~Bung~, the landlord of a public-house. Much in use among sporting men. - -~Bung~, to give, pass, hand over, drink, or to perform almost any -action. BUNG up, to close up, as the eyes.--_Pugilistic._ "BUNG over the -rag," hand over the money.--_Old_, used by _Beaumont_ and _Fletcher_, -and _Shakspeare_. Also, to deceive one by a lie, to CRAM, which _see_. - -~Bunk~, to decamp. "BUNK it!" _i.e._, be off. - -~Bunker~, beer. - -~Bunkum~, an American importation, denoting false sentiments in -speaking, pretended enthusiasm, &c. The expression arose from a speech -made by a North Carolina senator named Buncombe. - -~Bunter~, a prostitute, a street-walking female thief. - -~Burdon's Hotel~, Whitecross Street Prison, of which the Governor was a -Mr. Burdon. Almost every prison has a nickname of this kind, either from -the name of the Governor, or from some local circumstance. The Queen's -Bench has also an immense number of names--SPIKE PARK, &c.; and every -Chief-Justice stands godfather to it. - -~Burerk~, a lady, a showily-dressed woman. - -~Burke~, to kill, to murder, secretly and without noise, by means of -strangulation. From Burke, the notorious Edinburgh murderer, who, with -an accomplice named Hare, used to decoy people into the den he -inhabited, kill them, and sell their bodies for dissection. The wretches -having been apprehended and tried, Burke was executed, while Hare, -having turned king's evidence, was released. Bishop and Williams were -their London imitators. The term BURKE is now usually applied to any -project that is quietly stopped or stifled--as "the question has been -BURKED." A book suppressed before publication is said to be BURKED. - -~Burra~, great; as BURRA SAIB, a great man; BURRA KHANAII, a great -dinner.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Bury a Moll~, to run away from a mistress. - -~Bus~, or BUSS, an abbreviation of "omnibus," a public carriage. Also, a -kiss, abbreviation of _Fr._ BAISER. A Mr. Shillibeer started the first -BUS in London. A shillibeer is now a hearse and mourning coach all in -one, used by the very poorest mourners and shabbiest undertakers. - - Why is Temple Bar like a lady's veil? Because it wants to be removed - to make way for the BUSSES. - -~Bus~, business (of which it is a contraction) or action on the stage, -so written, but pronounced BIZ.--_Theatrical._ _See_ BIZ. - -~Business~, the action which accompanies dialogue. "His BUSINESS was -good." Generally applied to byplay.--_Theatrical._ - -~Busk~, to sell obscene songs and books at the bars and in the tap-rooms -of public-houses. Sometimes it implies selling other articles. Also to -"work" public-houses and certain spots as an itinerant musician or -vocalist. - -~Busker~, a man who sings or performs in a public-house; an itinerant. - -~Bust~, or BURST, to tell tales, to SPLIT, to inform. BUSTING, informing -against accomplices when in custody. - -~Buster~ (BURSTER), a small new loaf; "twopenny BUSTER," a twopenny -loaf. "A penn'orth o' BEES-WAX (cheese) and a penny BUSTER," a common -snack at beershops. A halfpenny loaf is called a "starver." - -~Buster~, an extra size; "what a BUSTER," _i.e._, what a large one; "in -for a BUSTER," determined on an extensive frolic or spree. _Scotch_, -BUSTUOUS; _Icelandic_, BOSTRA. - -~Bustle~, money; "to draw the BUSTLE." - -~Busy-Sack~, a carpet-bag. - -~Butcha~, a Hindoo word in use among Englishmen for the young of any -animal. In England we ask after the children; in India the health of the -BUTCHAS is tenderly inquired for. - -~Butcher~, the king in playing-cards. When card-playing in public houses -was common, the kings were called butchers, the queens bitches, and the -knaves jacks. The latter term is now in general use. - -~Butcher's Mourning~, a white hat with a black mourning hatband. -Probably because, under any circumstances, a butcher would rather not -wear a black hat. White hats and black bands have, however, become -genteel ever since the late Prince Consort patronized them, though they -retain a deal of the old sporting leaven. - -~Butter~, or BATTER, praise or flattery. To BUTTER, to flatter, cajole. -Same as "soft soap" and "soft sawder." Soft words generally. Maybe from -the old proverb, "Fine words butter no parsneps." - -~Butter-Fingered~, apt to let things fall; greasy or slippery-fingered. - -~Button~, a decoy, sham purchaser, &c. At any mock or sham auction seedy -specimens may be seen. Probably from the connexion of buttons with -Brummagem, which is often used as a synonym for a sham.--_See_ BONNET. - -~Buttoner~, a man who entices another to play. - -~Buttons~, a page,--from the rows of gilt buttons which adorn his -jacket. - -~Buttons~, "not to have all one's BUTTONS;" to be deficient in -intellect. To "make BUTTONS" means for some occult reason to look sorry -and sad. "He was making BUTTONS," _i.e._, he was looking sorrowful. -Perhaps because button-making is a sorry occupation. - -~Butty~, a word used in the mining districts to denote a kind of -overseer. Also used by the Royal Marines in the sense of comrade; a -policeman's assistant, one of the staff in a _mle_. - -~Buz~, to share equally the last of a bottle of wine, when there is not -enough for a full glass to each of the party. - -~Buz~, a well-known public-house game, played as follows:--"The chairman -commences 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, 17, 21, 27, 28, &c., must not be mentioned, but -"BUZ" instead. Whoever breaks the rule pays a fine, which is thrown on -the table, and the accumulation expended in drink for the company. _See_ -"SNOOKS and WALKER" for more complicated varieties of a similar game. -These "parlour pastimes" are often not only funny, but positively -ingenious. But the Licensing Act and a zealous police are fast clearing -them all out. - -~Buz~, to pick pockets; BUZZING or BUZ-FAKING, robbing. - -~Buz-Bloke~, a pickpocket who principally confines his attention to -purses and loose cash. _Grose_ gives BUZ-GLOAK, an ancient cant word. -GLOAK was old cant for a man. BUZ-NAPPER, a young pickpocket. - -~Buz-man~, an informer; from BUZ, to whisper, but more generally a -thief. - -~Buz-napper's Academy~, a school in which young thieves were trained. -Figures were dressed up, and experienced tutors stood in various -difficult attitudes for the boys to practise upon. When clever enough -they were sent on the streets. Dickens gives full particulars of this -old style of business in _Oliver Twist_. - -~Buzzer~, a pickpocket. _Grose_ gives BUZ-COVE and, as above mentioned, -BUZ-GLOAK. - -~Byblow~, an illegitimate child. - -~By George~, an exclamation similar to BY JOVE. The term is older than -is frequently imagined--vide _Bacchus and Venus_ (p. 117), 1737. "'Fore -(or by) GEORGE, I'd knock him down." Originally in reference to Saint -George, the patron saint of England, or possibly to the House of -Hanover. - -~By Golly~, an ejaculation, or oath; a compromise for "by God." BY GUM -is another oblique oath. In the United States, small boys are permitted -by their guardians to say GOL DARN anything, but they are on no account -allowed to commit the profanity of G--d d----n anything. A manner of -"sailing close to the wind" which is objectionable to the honest mind. A -specimen ejaculation and moral waste-pipe for interior passion or wrath -is seen in the exclamation--BY THE EVER-LIVING JUMPING-MOSES--a harmless -and ridiculous phrase, that from its length is supposed to expend a -considerable quantity of fiery anger. - -~By Jingo~, an oath or exclamation having no particular meaning, and no -positive etymology, though it is believed by some that JINGO is derived -from the Basque _jenco_, the devil. - -~Cab~, in statutory language, "a hackney carriage drawn by one horse." -Abbreviated from the _French_ CABRIOLET; originally meaning "a light low -chaise." The wags of Paris playing upon the word (quasi _cabri_ au lait) -used to call a superior turn-out of the kind a _cabri au crme_. Our -abbreviation, which certainly smacks of slang, has been stamped with the -authority of the Legislature, and has been honoured by universal custom. - -~Cab~, to stick together, to muck, or tumble up.--_Devonshire._ - -~Cabbage~, pieces of cloth said to be purloined by tailors. Any small -profits in the way of material. - -~Cabbage~, to pilfer or purloin. Termed by _Johnson_ a "cant word," but -adopted by later lexicographers as a respectable term. Said to have been -first used in the above sense by _Arbuthnot_. - -~Cabbage-Head~, a soft-headed person. - -~Cabby~, popular name for the driver of a cab. This title has almost -supplanted the more ancient one of jarvey. - -~Caboose~, the galley or cook-house of a ship; a term used by tramps to -indicate a kitchen. - -~Cackle-Tub~, a pulpit. - -~Cackling-Cove~, an actor. Also called a MUMMERY-COVE.--_Theatrical._ - -~Cad~, or CADGER (from which it is shortened), a mean or vulgar fellow; -a beggar; one who would rather live on other people than work for -himself; a man who tries to worm something out of another, either money -or information. _Johnson_ uses the word, and gives _huckster_ as the -meaning, in which sense it was originally used. Apparently from CAGER, -or GAGER, the _old Cant_ term for a man. The exclusives at the English -Universities apply the term CAD to all non-members. It has also been -suggested that the word may be a contraction of the _French_ CADET. - -~Cad~, an omnibus conductor. Of late years the term has been generically -applied to the objectionable class immortalized by Thackeray under the -title of snob. A great deal of caddism is, however, perpetrated by those -who profess to have the greatest horror of it--the upper classes--a fact -which goes far to prove that it is impossible to fairly ascribe a -distinctive feature to any grade of society. - -~Cadge~, to beg in an artful, wheedling manner.--_North._ In Scotland to -CADGE is to wander, to go astray. _See_ under CODGER. - -~Cadging~, begging, generally with an eye to pilfering when an -opportunity occurs. To be "on the cadge" is almost synonymous with "on -the make." - -~Cag~, to irritate, affront, anger. Schoolboy slang. - -~Cage~, a minor kind of prison. A country lock-up which contained no -offices. - -~Cagmag~, bad food, scraps, odds and ends; or that which no one could -relish. _Grose_ give CAGG MAGGS, old and tough Lincolnshire geese, sent -to London to feast the poor cockneys. _Gael._, _French_, and _Welsh_, -CAC, and MAGN. A correspondent at Trinity College, Dublin, considers -this as originally a University slang term for a _bad cook_, _kakos -mageiros_. There is also a _Latin_ word used by Pliny, MAGMA, denoting -dregs or dross. - -~Cake~, a "flat;" a soft or doughy person, a fool. - -~Cakey-Pannum-Fencer~, or PANNUM-FENCER, a man who sells street pastry. - -~Calaboose~, a prison.--_Sea_ slang, from the Spanish. - -~Calculate~, a word much in use among the inhabitants of the Western -States U.S., as "I CALCULATE you are a stranger here." New Englanders -use the word "guess" instead of CALCULATE, while the Virginians prefer -to say "reckon." - -~Caleb Quotem~, a parish clerk; a jack of all trades. From a character -in _The Wags of Windsor_. - -~California~, or CALIFORNIANS, money. Term generally applied to gold -only. Derivation very obvious. - -~Call~, a notice of rehearsal, or any other occasion requiring the -company's presence, posted up in a theatre. "We're CALLED for eleven -to-morrow morning." - -~Call-a-Go~, in street "patter," is to leave off trying to sell anything -and to remove to another spot, to desist. Also to give in, yield, at any -game or business. Probably from the "GO" call in cribbage. - -~Cameronians~, THE, the Twenty-sixth Regiment of Foot in the British -Army. - -~Camesa~, shirt or chemise.--_Span._ _See_ its abbreviated form, MISH, -from the _ancient Cant_, COMMISSION. Probably re-introduced by the -remains of De Lacy Evans's Spanish Legion on their return. _See_ -Somerville's account of the Span. Leg., for the curious facility with -which the lower classes in England adopt foreign words as slang and cant -terms. _Italian_, CAMICIA. This latter is the more likely etymology, as -anyone who visits the various quarters where Irish, Italians, and a -mongrel mixture of half-a-dozen races congregate and pig together, will -admit. - -~Camister~, a preacher, clergyman, or master. - -~Canary~, a sovereign. From the colour. Very old slang indeed. - -~Canister~, the head.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Canister-Cap~, a hat. - -~Cannibals~, the training boats for the Cambridge freshmen, _i.e._, -"CANNOT-PULLS." The term is applied both to boats and rowers.--_See_ -SLOGGERS. Torpids is the usual term for the races in which these men and -machines figure. - -~Cannikin~, a small can, similar to PANNIKIN. "And let the CANNIKIN -clink." - -~Cant~, a blow or toss; "a CANT over the kisser," a blow on the mouth; -"a CANT over the buttock," a throw or toss in wrestling. - -~Cantab~, a student at Cambridge. - -~Cantankerous~, litigious, bad-tempered. An American corruption probably -of contentious. A reviewer of an early edition of this book derives it -from the _Anglo-Norman_ CONTEK, litigation or strife. Others have -suggested "cankerous" as the origin. _Bailey_ has CONTEKE, contention as -a Spenserian word, and there is the _O.E._ CONTEKORS, quarrelsome -persons. - -~Cant of Togs~, a gift of clothes. - -~Canvasseens~, sailors' canvas trousers. - -~Cap~, a false cover to a tossing coin. The term and the instrument are -both nearly obsolete. _See_ COVER-DOWN. - -~Cap~, "to set her CAP." A woman is said to set her CAP at a man when -she makes overt love to him. - -~Cap~, to outdo or add to, as in capping jokes. - -~Cape Cod Turkey~, salt fish. - -~Caper-Merchant~, a dancing-master. Sometimes a hop-merchant. - -~Capers~, dancing, frolicking; "to cut CAPER-SAUCE," _i.e._, to dance -upon nothing--be hanged. Old thieves' talk. - -~Capper-Clawing~, female encounter, where caps are torn and nails freely -used. Sometimes it is pronounced CLAPPER-CLAW. The word occurs in -_Shakspeare_, _Troilus and Cressida_, act v. sc. 4. - -~Caravan~, a railway train, especially a train expressly chartered to -convey people to a prize fight. - -~Caravansera~, a railway station. In pugilistic phraseology a tip for -the starting point might have been given thus. "The SCRATCH must be TOED -at sharp five, so the CARAVAN will start at four from the CARAVANSERA." - -~Carboy~, a general term in most parts of the world for a very large -glass or earthenware bottle. - -~Card~, a character. "A queer CARD," _i.e._, an odd fish. - -~Cardinal~, a lady's red cloak. A cloak with this name was in fashion in -the year 1760. It received its title from its similarity in shape to one -of the vestments of a cardinal. Also mulled red wine. - -~Cardwell's Men~, officers promoted in pursuance of the new system of -non-purchase. - -~Carney~, soft hypocritical language. Also, to flatter, wheedle, or -insinuate oneself.--_Prov._ - -~Carnish~, meat, from the _Ital._ CARNE, flesh; a _Lingua Franca_ -importation; CARNISH-KEN, a thieves' eating-house; "cove of the -CARNISH-KEN," the keeper thereof.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Caroon~, five shillings. _French_, COURONNE; _Gipsy_, COURNA; -_Spanish_, CORONA. - -~Carpet~, "upon the CARPET," any subject or matter that is uppermost for -discussion or conversation. Frequently quoted as _sur le tapis_, or more -generally "on the _tapis_," but it does not seem to be at all known in -France. Also servants' slang. When a domestic is summoned by the master -or mistress to receive a warning or reprimand, he or she is said to be -CARPETED. The corresponding term in commercial establishments is a -WIGGING. - -~Carpet-Knight~, an habitu of drawing-rooms, a "ladies' man." - -~Carrier-Pigeon~, a swindler, one who formerly used to cheat -lottery-office keepers. Now used among betting men to describe one who -runs from place to place with "commissions." - -~Carriwitchet~, a hoaxing, puzzling question, not admitting of a -satisfactory answer, as--"How far is it from the first of July to London -Bridge?" "If a bushel of apples cost ten shillings, how long will it -take for an oyster to eat its way through a barrel of soap?" - -~Carrot.~ "Take a CARROT!" a vulgar insulting phrase. - -~Carrots~, the coarse and satirical term for red hair. An epigram gives -an illustration of the use of this term:-- - - "Why scorn red hair? The Greeks, we know, - (I note it here in charity) - Had taste in beauty, and with them - The graces were all _Charitai_!" - -Of late years CARROTY hair in all its shades has been voted beautiful, -_i.e._, fashionable. - -~Carry Corn~, to bear success well and equally. It is said of a man who -breaks down under a sudden access of wealth--as successful horse-racing -men and unexpected legatees often do--or who becomes affected and -intolerant, that "he doesn't CARRY CORN well." - -~Carry me Out!~ an exclamation of pretended astonishment on hearing news -too good to be true, or a story too marvellous to be believed. Sometimes -varied by "Let me die," _i.e._, I can't survive that. Profanely derived -from the _Nunc dimittis_ (Luke xi. 29). The Irish say, "CARRY ME OUT, -and bury me decently." - -~Carry-on~, to joke a person to excess, to CARRY ON a "spree" too far; -"how we CARRIED ON, to be sure!" _i.e._, what fun we had. _Nautical -term_--from carrying on sail. - -~Carts~, a pair of shoes. In Norfolk the carapace of a crab is called a -_crab cart_; hence CARTS would be synonymous with CRAB SHELLS, which -_see_. - -~Cart-wheel~, a five-shilling piece. Generally condensed to "WHEEL." - -~Ca-sa~, a writ of _capias ad satisfaciendam_.--_Legal slang._ - -~Casa~, or CASE, a house, respectable or otherwise. Probably from the -Italian CASA.--_Old Cant._ The Dutch use the word KAST in a vulgar sense -for a house, _i.e._, MOTTEKAST, a brothel. CASE sometimes means a -water-closet, but is in general applied to a "house of accommodation." -CASA is generally pronounced _carzey_. - -~Cascade~, to vomit. - -~Case.~ Some years ago the term CASE was applied generally to persons or -things; "what a CASE he is," _i.e._, what a curious person; "a rum CASE -that," or "you are a CASE," both synonymous with the phrase "odd fish," -common half a century ago. This would seem to have been originally a -"case" for the police-court; drunkenness, &c. Among young ladies at -boarding-schools a CASE means a love-affair. CASE now means any -unfortunate matter. "I'm afraid it's a CASE with him." - -~Case~, a bad crown-piece. HALF-A-CASE, a counterfeit half-crown. There -are two sources, either of which may have contributed this slang term. -CASER is the Hebrew word for a crown; and silver coin is frequently -counterfeited by coating or CASING pewter or iron imitations with -silver. Possibly from its being "a CASE" with the unfortunate owner. - -~Cask~, fashionable slang for a brougham, or other private carriage. Not -very general. "PILLBOX" is the more usual term. - -~Cassam~, cheese--not CAFFAN, which Egan, in his edition of _Grose_, has -ridiculously inserted.--_Ancient Cant._ _Latin_, CASEUS. _Gael._ and -_Irish_, CAISE. - -~Cast~, to assist by lightening labour. Men in small boats who want to -be towed behind steamers or sailing vessels, say "Give us a CAST." Also -used by waggoners and others, who sometimes vary the performance by -asking, when stuck on a hill, for a pound, possibly a pound of flesh, -horse or human. - -~Cast up Accounts~, to vomit.--_Old._ - -~Castor~, a hat. Mostly used in pugilistic circles. Indeed many -hangers-on of the P.R. have considered that the term arose from the -custom of casting the hat into the ring, before entering oneself. CASTOR -was the _Latin_ name for the animal now known as the BEAVER; and, -strange to add, BEAVER was the slang for CASTOR, or hat, many years ago, -before gossamer came into fashion. - -~Cat~, a lady's muff; "to free a CAT," _i.e._, steal a muff. - -~Cat~, to vomit like a cat. Perhaps from CATARACT; but _see_ SHOOT THE -CAT. - -~Cat~--CAT O' NINE TAILS, a whip with that number of lashes used to -punish refractory sailors.--_Sea._ The "cat" is now a recognised term -for the punishmental whip. - -~Catamaran~, a disagreeable old woman.--_Thackeray._ - -~Cat and Kitten Sneaking~, stealing pint and quart pots and small pewter -spirit measures from public-houses. - -~Cataract~, once a black satin scarf arranged for the display of -jewellery, much in vogue among "commercial gents." Now quite out of -date. - -~Catchbet~, a bet made for the purpose of entrapping the unwary by means -of a paltry subterfuge. _See_ CHERRY COLOUR. - -~Catch-'em-Alive~, a humane trap; also a small-tooth comb. A piece of -paper smeared with a sweet sticky substance which is spread about where -flies most abound, and in this sense not particularly humane. The -CATCH-'EM-ALIVE trap for rats and other such animals is humane compared -with the gin trap. - -~Catch-penny~, any temporary contrivance to obtain money from the -public; penny shows, or cheap exhibitions. Also descriptions of murders -which have never taken place. - -~Catchy~ (similar formation to _touchy_), inclined to take an undue -advantage. - -~Caterwauling~, applied derisively to inharmonious singing; also -love-making, from the noise of cats similarly engaged. - -~Catever~, a queer, or singular affair; anything poor, or very bad. From -the _Lingua Franca_, and _Italian_, CATTIVO, bad. Variously spelled by -the lower orders.--_See_ KERTEVER. - -~Cat-faced~, a vulgar and very common expression of contempt in the -North of England. - -~Catgut-Scraper~, a fiddler. - -~Cat-in-the-Pan~, a traitor, a turncoat--derived by some from the -_Greek_, _katapan_, altogether; or--and more likely--from _cake in -pan_, a pan-cake, which is frequently turned from side to side. - -~Cat-lap~, a contemptuous expression for weak drink. Anything a cat will -drink is very innocuous. - -~Cats and Dogs.~ It is said to rain cats and dogs when a shower is -exceptionally heavy. Probably in ridicule of the remarkable showers -which used to find their way into the papers during the "silly season." - -~Cat's-meat~, a coarse term for the lungs--the "lights" or lungs of -animals being usually sold to feed cats. - -~Cat's-paw~, a dupe or tool. From the old story of the monkey who used -the cat's-paw to remove his roast chestnuts from the fire. A sea term, -meaning light and occasional breezes occurring in calm weather. - -~Cat's-water~, "old Tom," or gin. - -~Cattle~, a term of contempt applied to the mob, or to a lot of lazy, -helpless servants. - -~Caucus~, a private meeting held for the purpose of concerting measures, -agreeing upon candidates for office before an election, &c. This is an -American term, and a corruption of CAULKER'S MEETING, being derived from -an association of the shipping interest at Boston, previous to the War -of Independence, who were very active in getting up opposition to -England.--_See Pickering's Vocabulary._ - -~Caulk~, to take a surreptitious nap; sleep generally, from the ordinary -meaning of the term; stopping leaks, repairing damages, so as to come -out as good as new.--_Sea term._ - -~Caulker~, a dram. The term "caulker" is usually applied to a stiff -glass of grog--preferably brandy--finishing the potations of the -evening. _See_ WHITEWASH. - -~Caulker~, a too marvellous story, a lie. CHOKER has the same sense. - -~Caution~, anything out of the common way. "He's a CAUTION," is said of -an obdurate or argumentative man. The phrase is also used in many ways -in reference to places and things. - -~Cavaulting~, a vulgar phrase equivalent to "horsing." The _Italian_ -CAVALLINO, signifies a rake or debauchee.--_Lingua Franca_, CAVOLTA. -From this comes the Americanism "cavorting," running or riding round in -a heedless or purposeless manner. - -~Cave~, or CAVE IN, to submit, shut up.--_American._ Metaphor taken from -the sinking of an abandoned mining shaft. - -~Chaff~, to gammon, joke, quiz, or praise ironically. Originally "to -queer" represented our modern word "CHAFF." CHAFF-bone, the -jaw-bone.--_Yorkshire._ CHAFF, jesting. In _Anglo-Saxon_, CEAF is chaff; -and CEAFL, bill, beak, or jaw. In the _Ancren Riwle_, A.D. 1221, CEAFLE -is used in the sense of idle discourse. - -~Chaffer~, the mouth; "moisten your CHAFFER," _i.e._, take something to -drink. - -~Chal~, old Romany term for a man; CHIE was the name for a woman. - -~Chalk out~, or CHALK DOWN, to mark out a line of conduct or action; to -make a rule or order. Phrase derived from the _Workshop_. - -~Chalk up~, to credit, make entry in account books of indebtedness; "I -can't pay you now, but you can CHALK IT UP," _i.e._, charge me with the -article in your day-book. From the old practice of chalking one's score -for drink behind the bar-doors of public-houses. - -~Chalks~, "to walk one's CHALKS," to move off, or run away. An ordeal -for drunkenness used on board ship, to see whether the suspected person -can walk on a chalked line without overstepping it on either side. - -~Chalks~, degrees, marks; so called from being made by a piece of chalk; -"to beat by long CHALKS," _i.e._, to be superior by many degrees. -"Making CHALKS" is a term connected with the punishment of boys on board -ship, and in the Naval School at Greenwich. Two chalk lines are drawn -wide apart on the deck or floor, and the boy to be punished places a -foot on each of these lines, and stoops, thereby presenting a convenient -portion of his person to the boatswain or master. - -~Chance the Ducks~, an expression signifying come what may. "I'll do it, -and CHANCE THE DUCKS." - -~Chancery~, a pugilistic phrase for difficulties; "to get a man's head -into CHANCERY," _i.e._, to get an opponent's head firmly under one's -arm, where it can be pommelled with immense power, and without any -possibility of immediate extrication. From the helplessness of a suitor -in Chancery. This opportunity was of very rare occurrence when the -combatants were at all evenly matched. - -~Change~, small money. The overplus returned after paying for a thing in -a round sum. Hence a slang expression used when a person receives a -"settler" in the shape of either a repartee or a blow--"Take your CHANGE -out of that!" - -~Chap~, a fellow, a boy; "a low CHAP," a low fellow--abbreviation of -CHAPMAN, a huckster. Used by _Byron_ in his _Critical Remarks_. - -~Chapel~, a printers' assembly, held for the purpose of discussing -differences between employer and workmen, trade regulations, or other -matters. The term is scarcely slang, but some "comps" ask its insertion -in this work. - -~Chapel.~ An undergrad is expected to attend seven out of the fourteen -services in chapel each week, and to let four or five be morning -chapels. Occasionally a Don--the Dean as a rule--will "CHAPEL" him, that -is, order him to attend to worship his Creator twice daily. The Bible -clerk "pricks the list," _i.e._, marks down the names of all -present.--_Univ._ - -~Chapel-of-ease.~ _French_, CABINET D'AISANCE, a house of office. - -~Chariot-buzzing~, picking pockets in an omnibus. - -~Charley~, a watchman, a beadle. Almost obsolete now. - -~Charley-pitcher~, a low, cheating gambler. - -~Charlies~, a woman's breasts. Also called dairies and bubbies. - -~Chats~, lice, or body vermin. _Prov._, any small things of the same -kind. - -~Chatter-basket~, common term for a prattling child amongst nurses. - -~Chatter-box~, an incessant talker or chatterer. - -~Chatty~, a filthy person, one whose clothes are not free from vermin; -CHATTY DOSS, a lousy bed. A CHATTY DOSSER or a CRUMMY DOSSER is a filthy -tramp or houseless wanderer. - -~Chaunt~, to sing the contents of any paper in the streets. CANT, as -applied to vulgar language, may have been derived from CHAUNT. - -~Chaunt~, "to CHAUNT the play," to explain the tricks and manoeuvres of -thieves. - -~Chaunter-culls~, a singular body of men who used to haunt certain -well-known public-houses, and write satirical or libellous ballads on -any person, or body of persons, for a consideration. 7_s._ 6_d._ was the -usual fee, and in three hours the ballad might be heard in St. Paul's -Churchyard, or other public spot. Strange as it may appear, there are -actually two men in London at the present day who gain their living in -this way. Very recently they were singing before the establishment of a -fashionable tailor in Regent Street; and not long since they were -bawling their doggrel rhymes outside the mansion of a Norfolk M.P., in -Belgravia.[57] - -~Chaunters~, those street sellers of ballads, last copies of verses, and -other broadsheets, who sang or bawled the contents of their papers. They -often termed themselves PAPER WORKERS. Cheap evening papers and private -executions have together combined to improve these folks' occupations -off the face of the earth. _See_ HORSE-CHAUNTERS. - -~Chaw~, to chew; CHAW UP, to get the better of one, finish him up; -CHAWED UP, utterly done for. - -~Chaw-bacon~, a rustic. Derived from the popular idea that a countryman -lives entirely on bread and fat bacon. A country clown, a joskin, a -yokel, a clodcrusher. These terms are all exchangeable. - -~Chaw over~, to repeat one's words with a view to ridicule. - -~Cheap~, "doing it on the CHEAP," living economically, or keeping up a -showy appearance with very little means. - -~Cheap Jacks~, or JOHNS, oratorical hucksters and patterers of hardware, -who put an article up at a high price, and then cheapen it by degrees, -indulging all the time in volleys of coarse wit, until it becomes to all -appearance a bargain, and as such it is bought by one of the crowd. The -popular idea is that the inverse method of auctioneering saves them -paying for the auction licence.--_See_ DUTCH AUCTION. - -~Checks~, counters used in games at cards. In the Pacific States of -America a man who is dead is said to have handed (or passed) in his -checks. The gamblers there are responsible for many of the -colloquialisms current. - -~Chee-Chee~, this word is used in a rather offensive manner to denote -Eurasians,[58] or children by an English father and native mother. It -takes its origin in a very common expression of half-caste females, -"CHEE-CHEE," equivalent to our Oh, fie!--Nonsense!--For -shame!--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Cheek~, share or portion; "where's my CHEEK?" where is my allowance? -"All to his own CHEEK," all to himself. - -~Cheek~, impudence, assurance; CHEEKY, saucy or forward. - -~Cheek~, to irritate by impudence, to accuse. - -~Cheek by Jowl~, side by side--said often of persons in such close -confabulation that their faces almost touch. - -~Cheese~, anything good, first-rate in quality, genuine, pleasant, or -advantageous, is termed the CHEESE. The _London Guide_, 1818, says it -was from some young fellows translating "c'est une autre CHOSE" into -"that is another CHEESE." But the expression CHEESE may be found in the -Gipsy vocabulary, and in the Hindostanee and Persian languages. In the -last CHIZ means a thing--that is the thing, _i.e._, the CHEESE. - -~Cheese~, or CHEESE IT (evidently a corruption of _cease_), leave off, -or have done; "CHEESE your barrikin," hold your noise. Term very common. - -~Cheesecutter~, a prominent and aquiline nose. Also a large square peak -to a cap. Caps fitted with square peaks are called cheesecutter caps. - -~Cheesemongers~, once a popular name for the First Lifeguards. Until the -Peninsular War the First Lifeguards, from their almost exclusive service -at home, were nicknamed CHEESEMONGERS. This term then fell into -desuetude; but at Waterloo the commanding officer of the regiment had -not forgotten it, and when leading his men to the charge, called out, -"Come on, you damned CHEESEMONGERS!" an invitation complied with so -readily, that the title was restored, with the difference that it was no -longer a word of reproach. - -~Cheesy~, fine or showy. The opposite of "dusty." - -~Cherry-bums~, or CHERUBIMS, a nickname given to the 11th Hussars, from -their crimson trousers. - -~Cherry-colour~, either red or black, as you wish; a term used in a -cheating trick at cards. When the cards are being dealt, a knowing one -offers 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, leaving -his victim a wiser man, it is to be hoped, and not a _better_ for the -future. It may be as well for the habitually unfortunate to know that -wagers of this kind are not recoverable even according to the sporting -code, which disacknowledges all kinds of catch-bets. - -~Cherry-merry~, a present of money. CHERRY-MERRY-BAMBOO, a -beating.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Cherubs~, or still more vulgarly, CHERUBIMS, the chorister boys who -chaunt in the services at the abbeys and cathedrals. Possibly because in -some places their heads alone are visible. - -~Cheshire Cat~, to grin like a CHESHIRE CAT, to display the teeth and -gums when laughing. Formerly the phrase was "to grin like a CHESHIRE CAT -eating cheese." A hardly satisfactory explanation has been given of this -phrase--that Cheshire is a county palatine, and the cats, when they -think of it, are so tickled with the notion that they can't help -grinning.[59] - -~Chicken~, a term applied to anything young, small, or insignificant; -CHICKEN STAKES, small paltry stakes; "she's no CHICKEN," said of an old -maid. - -~Chicken-hearted~, cowardly, fearful. With about the amount of pluck a -chicken in a fright might be supposed to possess. - -~Chi-ike~, to hail in a rough though friendly manner; to support by -means of vociferation. - -~Chi-ike~, a hail; a good loud word of hearty praise; term used by the -costermongers, who assist the sale of each other's goods by a little -friendly, although noisy, commendation. - -~Children's Shoes~ (to make), to be made nought of.--_See_ SHOES. - -~Chill~, to warm, as beer. This at first seems like reversing the order -of things, but it is only a contraction of "take the CHILL off." - -~Chimney-Sweep~, the aperient mixture commonly called a _black draught_. - -~Chin-chin~, a salutation, a compliment.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Chink~, or CHINKERS, money.--_Ancient._ Derivation obvious. - -~Chin-wag~, officious impertinence. - -~Chip of the Old Block~, a child which physically or morally resembles -its father. BROTHER CHIP, one of the same trade or profession. -Originally brother carpenter, now general. - -~Chips~, money; also a nickname for a carpenter.--_Sea._ - -~Chirp~, to give information, to "peach." - -~Chisel~, to cheat, to take a slice off anything. Hence the old -conundrum: "Why is a carpenter like a swindler?--Because he chisels a -deal." - -~Chit~, a letter; corruption of a _Hindoo_ word.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Chitterlings~, the shirt frills once fashionable and worn still by -ancient beaux; properly the _entrails of a pig_, to which they are -supposed to bear some resemblance. _Belgian_ SCHYTERLINGH. - -~Chivalry~, coition. Probably a corruption from the _Lingua Franca_. -Perhaps from CHEVAULCHER. - -~Chive~, or CHIVEY, a shout, a halloo, or cheer; loud tongued. Probably -from CHEVY-CHASE, a boy's game, in which the word CHEVY is bawled aloud. -Dickens uses the word CHIVEY in _Bleak House_ rather freely, but there -it is from the other phase of CHEVY-CHASE which follows. - -~Chive~, a knife; also used as a verb, to knife. In all these cases the -word is pronounced as though written CHIV or CHIVVY. - -~Chive-Fencer~, a street hawker of cutlery. - -~Chivey~, to chase round, or hunt about. Apparently from -CHEVY-CHASE.--_See_ above. - -~Choakee~, or CHOKEY, the black hole.--_Military Anglo-Indian._ Chokey -is also very vulgar slang for prison. - -~Chock-Full~, full till the scale comes down with a shock. Originally -CHOKE-FULL, and used in reference to theatres and places of amusement. - -~Choke Off~, to get rid of. Bulldogs can only be made to loose their -hold by choking them.[60] Suggestively to get rid of a man by saying -something to him which "sticks in his gizzard." - -~Choker~, a cravat, a neckerchief. WHITE-CHOKER, the white neckerchief -worn by mutes at a funeral, waiters at a tavern, and gentlemen in -evening costume. Clergymen and Exeter Hallites are frequently termed -WHITE-CHOKERS. - -~Choker~, or WIND-STOPPER, a garotter. - -~Chonkeys~, a kind of mincemeat, baked in a crust, and sold in the -streets. - -~Choops~, a corruption of CHOOPRAHO, keep silence.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Chootah~, small, insignificant.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Chop~, in the Canton jargon of _Anglo-Chinese_, this word has several -significations. It means an official seal, a permit, a boat load of -teas. FIRST CHOP signifies first quality; and CHOP-CHOP, to make haste. - -~Chop~, to exchange, to "swop." To CHOP and change, to be as variable as -the wind. - -~Chops~, properly CHAPS, the mouth, or cheeks; "down in the CHOPS," or -"down in the mouth," _i.e._, sad or melancholy. - -~Chouse~, to cheat out of one's share or portion. _Hackluyt_, CHAUS; -_Massinger_, CHIAUS. From the _Turkish_, in which language it signifies -an interpreter. _Gifford_ gives a curious story as to its origin:-- - - "In the year 1609 there was attached to the Turkish embassy in - England an Interpreter, or CHIAOUS, who, by cunning, aided by his - official position, managed to cheat the Turkish and Persian - merchants, then in London, out of the large sum of 4000, then - deemed an enormous amount. From the notoriety which attended the - fraud, and the magnitude of the swindle, any one who cheated or - defrauded was said to _chiaous_, or _chause_, or CHOUSE; to do, that - is, as this _Chiaous_ had done."--_See Trench, Eng. Past and - Present._ - -CHIAUS, according to _Sandys_ (_Travels_, p. 48), is "one who goes on -embassies, executes commandments," &c. The particular Chiaus in question -is alluded to in _Ben Jonson's Alchymist_, 1610. - - "_D._ What do you think of me? - That I am a CHIAUS? - _Face._ What's that? - _D._ The Turk [who] was here. - As one would say, do you think I am a Turk?" - -~Chout~, an entertainment.--_East-end of London._ - -~Chovey~, a shop.--_Costermonger._ - -~Chow-Chow~, a mixture, food of any kind. Also chit-chat and -gossip.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Chowdar~, a fool.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Christening~, erasing the name of the maker, the number, or any other -mark, from a stolen watch, and inserting a fictitious one in its place. - -~Chubby~, round-faced, plump. Probably from the same derivative as CHUB, -which means literally a fish with a big head. - -~Chuck~, bread or meat; in fact, anything to eat. Also a particular kind -of beefsteak. - -~Chuck~, a schoolboy's treat.--_Westminster School._ Provision for an -entertainment. Hard CHUCK is sea biscuit. - -~Chuck~, to throw or pitch. - -~Chuck a Jolly~, to bear up or bonnet, as when a costermonger praises -the inferior article his mate or partner is trying to sell. _See_ -CHI-IKE. - -~Chuck a Stall~, to attract a person's attention while a confederate -picks his pockets, or otherwise robs him. - -~Chuck in~, to challenge--from the pugilistic custom of throwing a hat -into the ring; a modern version of "throwing down the gauntlet." This -term seems to have gone out of fashion with the custom which gave rise -to it. - -~Chuckle-head~, much the same as "buffle head," "cabbage head," "chowder -head," "cod's head,"--all signifying that large abnormal form of skull -generally supposed to accompany stupidity and weakness of intellect; as -the Scotch proverb, "muckle head and little wit."--Originally -Devonshire, but now general. - -~Chucks!~ Schoolboy's signal on the master's approach. - -~Chuck up~, to surrender, give in--from the custom of throwing up the -sponge at a prize-fight in token of yielding. This is very often -corrupted into "jack up." - -~Chuff it~, _i.e._, be off, or take it away, in answer to a street -seller who is importuning you to purchase. _Halliwell_ mentions CHUFF as -a "term of reproach," surly, &c. - -~Chull~, make haste. An abbreviation of the _Hindostanee_ CHULLO, -signifying "go along." CHULL is very commonly used to accelerate the -motions of a servant, driver, or palanquin-bearer. - -~Chum~, an intimate acquaintance. A recognised term, but in such -frequent use with slangists that it almost demands a place here. Stated -to be from the _Anglo-Saxon_, CUMA, a guest. - -~Chum~, to occupy a joint lodging with another person. _Latin_, CUM. - -~Chumming-up~, an old custom amongst prisoners before the present -regulations were in vogue, and before imprisonment for debt was -abolished; when a fresh man was admitted to their number, rough music -was made with pokers, tongs, sticks, and saucepans. For this ovation the -initiated prisoner had to pay, or "fork over," half-a-crown--or submit -to a loss of coat and waistcoat. - -~Chummy~, a chimney-sweep--probably connected with _chimney_; also a -low-crowned felt hat. Sometimes, but rarely, a sweep is called a -clergyman--from his colour. - -~Chump~, the head or face. Also one end of a loin of mutton. A -half-idiotic or daft person is said to be off his chump. - -~Chunk~, a thick or dumpy piece of any substance, as a CHUNK of bread or -meat.--_Kentish._ - -~Church a yack~ (or watch), to take the works of a watch from its -original case, and put them into another one, to avoid detection.--_See_ -CHRISTEN. - -~Churchwarden~, a long pipe, "a yard of clay;" probably so called from -the dignity which seems to hedge the smoker of a churchwarden, and the -responsibility attached to its use. Sometimes called an Alderman. - -~Cinder~, any liquor used in connexion with soda-water, as to "take a -soda with a CINDER in it." The cinder may be sherry, brandy, or any -other liquor. - -~Circumbendibus~, a roundabout way, a long-winded story. - -~Clack-box~, a garrulous person, so called from the rattle formerly used -by vagrants to make a rattling noise and attract attention.--_Norfolk._ - -[Asterism] A common proverb in this county is, "your tongue goes like -A BAKER'S CLAP-DISH," which is evidently a modern corruption of the -beggars' CLAP or CLACK-DISH mentioned in _Measure for Measure_. It was -a wooden dish with a movable cover. - -~Claggum~, boiled treacle in a hardened state, hardbake.--_See_ CLIGGY. - -~Clam, or clem~, to starve.--_North._ - -~Clap~, to place; "do you think you can CLAP your hand on him?" _i.e._, -find him out. CLAP is also a well-known form of a contagious disease. - -~Clapper~, the tongue. Said of an over-talkative person, to be hung in -the middle and to sound with both ends. - -~Clap-trap~, high-sounding nonsense. An ancient theatrical term for a -"TRAP to catch a CLAP by way of applause from the spectators at a -play."--_Bailey's Dictionary._ - -~Claret~, blood.--_Pugilistic._ Otherwise Badminton--which _see_. - -~Clashy~, a low fellow, a labourer.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Class~, the highest quality or combination of highest qualities among -athletes. "He's not CLASS enough," _i.e._, not good enough. "There's a -deal of CLASS about him," _i.e._, a deal of quality. The term as used -this way obtains to a certain extent among turfites. - -~Clawhammer coat~, an American term for a tail-coat used in evening -costume. Also known as a steel-pen coat. - -~Clean~, quite, or entirely; "CLEAN gone," entirely out of sight, or -away.--_Old_, see Cotgrave and Shakspeare. CLEAN CONTRARY, quite -different, opposite. - -~Clean out~, to ruin, or make bankrupt any one; to take all he has got, -by purchase, chicane, or force. De Quincey, in his article on Richard -Bentley, speaking of the lawsuit between that great scholar and Dr. -Colbatch, remarks that the latter "must have been pretty well CLEANED -OUT." The term is very general. - -~Click~, a knock or blow. CLICK-HANDED, left-handed.--_Cornish._ A term -in Cumberland and Westmoreland wrestling for a peculiar kind of throw, -as "an inside CLICK," or "an outside CLICK." - -~Click~, to snatch, to pull away something that belongs to another. - -~Clicker~, a female touter at a bonnet shop. In Northamptonshire, the -cutter out in a shoemaking establishment. In the _Dictionary of the -Terms, Ancient and Modern, of the Canting Crew_, Lond. n.d. (but prior -to 1700), the CLICKER is described as "the shoemaker's journeyman or -servant, that cutts out all the work, and stands at or walks before the -door, and saies--'What d'ye lack, sir? what d'ye buy, madam?'" In a -printing-office, a man who makes up the pages, and who takes work and -receives money for himself and companions. - -~Clift~, to steal. - -~Cliggy~, or CLIDGY, sticky.--_Anglo-Saxon_, CLG, clay.--_See_ -CLAGGUM. - -~Clinch~ (to get the), to be locked up in jail. - -~Clincher~, that which rivets or confirms an argument, an -incontrovertible position. Also a lie which cannot be surpassed, a -stopper-up, said to be derived as follows:--Two notorious liars were -backed to outlie each other. "I drove a nail through the moon once," -said the first. "Right," said the other; "I recollect the circumstance -well, for I went round to the back part of the moon and _clinched_ -it"--hence CLINCHER. - -~Cling-rig~, stealing tankards from public-houses, &c. - -~Clipper~, a fine fast-sailing vessel. Applied also as a term of -encomium to a handsome woman. - -~Clipping~, excellent, very good. CLIPPER, anything showy or first-rate. - -~Clock~, a watch. Watches are also distinguished by the terms "red -clock," a gold watch, and "white clock," a silver watch. Generally -modified into "red'un" and "white'un." - -~Clock~, "to know what's O'CLOCK," to be "up, down, fly and awake," to -know everything about everything--a definition of knowingness in -general.--_See_ TIME O' DAY. - -~Clod-hopper~, a country clown. - -~Cloud~, TO BE UNDER A, to be in difficulties, disgrace or disrepute; in -fact, to be in shady circumstances. - -~Clout~, or RAG, a cotton pocket-handkerchief.--_Old Cant._ Now -"_clouts_" means a woman's under-clothes, from the waist downwards, -_i.e._, petticoats when they are on the person; but the term is extended -to mean the whole unworn wardrobe. Probably St. Giles's satire, having -reference to the fact that few women there possess a second gown. - -~Clout~, an intentional heavy blow. - -~Clover~, happiness, luck, a delightful position--from the supposed -extra enjoyment which attends cattle when they suddenly find their -quarters changed from a barren field to a meadow of clover. Among -betting men he who has arranged his wagerings so satisfactorily before -an event that he cannot possibly lose, and may win a good deal, is said -to be in clover, a phrase which is sometimes varied by the remark that -"he stands on velvet." Any one who is provided for, so that he can look -forward to a term of ease and enjoyment for the rest of his life, is -also said to be in clover. - -~Club~, in manoeuvring troops, so to blunder in giving the word of -command that the soldiers get into a position from which they cannot -extricate themselves by ordinary tactical means. Young officers -frequently "CLUB" their men, and get consequently "wigged" by the -inspecting general. - -~Clump~, to strike, to beat.--_Prov._ - -~Cly~, a pocket.--_Old Cant_ for to steal. A correspondent derives this -word from the _Old English_, CLEYES, claws; _Anglo-Saxon_, CLEA. This -pronunciation is still retained in Norfolk; thus, to CLY would mean to -pounce upon, to snatch.--_See_ FRISK. _Gael._, CLIAH (pronounced CLEE), -a basket. - -~Cly-faker~, a pickpocket. - -~Coach~, a private tutor. Originally University, but now general. Any -man who now trains or teaches another, or others, is called a coach. To -coach is to instruct as regards either physical or mental acquirements. -A private tutor is sometimes termed a RURAL COACH when he is not -connected with a college. At Rugby a flogging is termed a "coaching." - -~Coach-wheel~, or TUSHEROON, a crown-piece, or five shillings. - -~Coal~, money; "post the COAL," put down the money. The phrase was used -by Mr. Buckstone at the Theatrical Fund Dinner of 1863. From this is -derived the theatrical term COALING, profitable, very good, which an -actor will use if his part is full of good and telling speeches--thus, -"my part is full of COALING lines." This term was used in the sporting -world long anterior to Mr. Buckstone's speech. _See_ COAL. - -~Coals~, "to haul (or pull) over the COALS," to take to task, to scold. -Supposed by Jamieson to refer to the ordeal by fire. To "take one's -coals in," is a term used by sailors to express their having caught the -venereal disease. It means that they have gotten that which will keep -them hot for a good many months. - -~Cobbing~, a punishment inflicted by sailors and soldiers among -themselves. _See_ Grose and Captain Marryat's novels. A hand-saw is the -general instrument of punishment. - -~Cock~, a familiar term of address; "jolly old COCK," a jovial fellow, -"how are you, old COCK?" Frequently rendered nowadays, COCK-E-E, a -vulgar street salutation--probably a corruption of COCK-EYE. The latter -is frequently heard as a shout or street cry after a man or boy. - -~Cock~, a smoking term; "COCKING a Broseley," _i.e._, smoking a pipe. -Broseley in Shropshire is famous for "churchwardens." A "COCK" is an -apocryphal story, generally, of a murder or elopement bawled about the -streets by the Seven Dials' "patterers." - -~Cock~, a pugilistic term for a man who is knocked out of time. "Knocked -him a reg'lar COCK." Sometimes used to signify knocked out of shape, as, -"Knocked him A-COCK," probably connected with "cocked-hat shape." A -horse who has been backed by the public, but who does not run, or, -running, does not persevere. - -~Cock~, "to COCK your eye," to shut or wink one eye, to make -"sheep's-eyes." - -~Cock-a-hoop~, in high spirits. Possibly the idea is from the fact that, -if a cock wins a fight, he will mount on anything near, and crow lustily -and jubilantly. It is noticeable that under these circumstances a cock -always gets off the ground-level if he can. - -~Cockalorum~, or COCKYLORUM, amplification of cock or cocky. - -~Cock and bull story~, a long, rambling anecdote.--_See_ Peroration to -_Tristram Shandy_. - -~Cock-and-hen-club~, a free and easy gathering, or "sing-song," where -females are admitted as well as males. - -~Cock-and-pinch~, the old-fashioned beaver hat, affected by "swells" and -"sporting gents" forty years ago--COCKED back and front, and PINCHED up -at the sides. - -~Cock-a-wax~, an amplification of the simple term COCK, sometimes "Lad -of WAX," originally applied to a cobbler, but now general. - -~Cocked-hat-club~, the principal clique amongst the members of the -Society of Antiquaries, who virtually decide whether any person proposed -shall be admitted or not. The term comes from the "cocked-hat" placed -before the president at the sittings. There was another cocked-hat club -in London not many years back, which had nothing peculiar about it -beyond the fact that every member wore during club sittings, a -"fore-and-aft" cocked-hat. Otherwise the proceedings were of the most -ordinary kind. - -~Cocked-hat-shaped~, shapeless: Anything which has been altered beyond -recognition, or any man who has been put completely _hors de combat_, is -said to have been knocked into a COCKED-HAT. - -~Cocker~, "It is all right, according to Cocker," meaning that -everything has been done in accordance with the present system of -figures. The phrase refers to the celebrated writing-master of Charles -II.'s time, whose Arithmetic, Dictionary, &c., were long the standard -authorities. The Arithmetic was first published in 1677-8, and, though -it reached more than sixty editions, is considered a very scarce book. -Professor de Morgan says that the main goodness of Cocker's _Tutor_ -consists in his adopting the abbreviated system of division; and -suggests that it became a proverbial representative of arithmetic from -Murphy's farce of _The Apprentice_, 1756, in which the strong point of -the old merchant, Wingate, is his extreme reverence for Cocker and his -arithmetic. A curious fact may here be mentioned in connexion with this -saying. It has been stated, and very well proved, that many words -popular in Shakspeare's time, and now obsolete in this country, are -still in every-day use in the older English settlements of North -America. The original compiler of this work was surprised, when -travelling through Western Canada, to find that, instead of the renowned -Cocker, the people appealed to another and more learned authority. -"According to Gunter," is a phrase in continual Transatlantic use. This -scientific worthy invented the sector in 1606; and in 1623, about the -time of the great Puritan exodus to North America, he brought out his -famous _Rule of Proportion_. This was popularly known as Gunter's -Proportion, or _Gunter's Line_, and the term soon became a vulgar -standard of appeal in cases of doubt or dispute. - -~Cock-eye~, a term of opprobrium often applied to one that squints. - -~Cockles~, "to rejoice the COCKLES of one's heart," a vulgar phrase -implying great pleasure. Also, to "warm one's COCKLES," said of any hot, -well-spiced drink, taken in cold weather. COCKLES altogether seem to be -an imaginary portion--of great importance--in the internal economy of -the human frame. - -~Cockney~, a native of London. Originally, a spoilt or effeminate boy, -derived from COCKERING, or foolishly petting a person, rendering him of -soft and luxurious manners. Halliwell states, in his admirable essay -upon the word, that "some writers trace the word with much probability -to the imaginary land of COCKAYGNE, the lubber land of the olden times." -Grose gives Minsheu's absurd but comical derivation:--A citizen of -London being in the country, and hearing a horse neigh, exclaimed, -"Lord! how that horse laughs!" A bystander informed him that the noise -was called neighing. The next morning when the cock crowed, the citizen, -to show that he had not forgotten what was told him, cried out, "Do you -hear how the COCK NEIGHS?"--_See_ MARE'S NEST. - -~Cock of the walk~, a master spirit, head of a party. Places where -poultry are fed are called WALKS, and the barn door cocks invariably -fight for the supremacy till one has obtained it. At schools where this -phrase was originally much used, it has been diminished to "COCK" only. - -~Cock one's toes~, to die. Otherwise "turn-up one's toes." - -~Cock-robin shop~, a small printing-office, where cheap and nasty work -is done and low wages are paid. - -~Cocks~, fictitious narratives, in verse or prose, of murders, fires, -and terrible accidents, sold in the streets as true accounts. The man -who hawks them, a patterer, often changes the scene of the awful event -to suit the taste of the neighbourhood he is trying to delude. Possibly -a corruption of _cook_, a cooked statement, or maybe "the story of a -cock and a bull" may have had something to do with the term. -Improvements in newspapers, especially in those published in the -evening, and increased scepticism on the part of the public, have -destroyed this branch of a once-flourishing business. - -~Cockshy~, a game at fairs and races, where trinkets are set upon -sticks, and for one penny three throws at them are accorded, the thrower -keeping whatever he knocks off. From the ancient game of throwing or -"shying" at live cocks. Any prominent person abused in the newspapers is -said to be a common COCKSHY. - -~Cocksure~, certain. - -~Cocky~, pert, saucy. - -~Cocoa-nut~, the head. A pugilistic term. Also, when anything is -explained to a man for the first time, it is not unusual for him to say, -"Ah, that accounts for the milk in the cocoa-nut"--a remark which has -its origin in a clever but not very moral story. - -~Cocum~, shrewdness, ability, luck; "Jack's got COCUM, he's safe to get -on, he is,"--viz., he starts under favourable circumstances; "to fight -COCUM" is to be wily and cautious. Allied perhaps to the Scottish KEEK, -_German_, GUCKEN, to peep or pry into. - -~Cod~, to hoax, to take a "rise" out of one. Used as a noun, a fool. - -~Coddam~, a public-house game, much affected by medical students and -cabmen, generally three on each side. The game is "simplicity itself," -but requires a great amount of low cunning and peculiar mental -ingenuity. It consists in guessing in which of the six hands displayed -on the table, a small piece of marked money lies hid. If the guesser -"brings it home," his side takes the "piece," and the centre man "works" -it. If the guess is wrong, a chalk is taken to the holders, who again -secrete the coin. Great fun is to be obtained from this game when it is -properly played. - -~Codds~, the "poor brethren" of the Charter House. In _The Newcomes_, -Thackeray writes, "The Cistercian lads call these old gentlemen CODDS; I -know not wherefore." A probable abbreviation of CODGER. - -~Codger~, or COGER, an old man; "a rum old CODGER," a curious old -fellow. CODGER is sometimes used as synonymous with CADGER, and then -signifies a person who gets his living in a questionable manner. -"COGERS," the name of a debating society, formerly held in Shoe Lane, -Fleet Street, and still in existence. The term is probably a corruption -of COGITATORS. - -~Coffee-Shop~, a watercloset, or house of office. - -~Cog~, to cheat at dice.--_Shakspeare._ Also, to agree with, as one -cog-wheel does with another, to crib from another's book, as schoolboys -often do. This is called "cogging over." - -~Cogged~, loaded like false dice. Any one who has been hocussed or -cheated is sometimes said to have been COGGED. - -~Coin~, "to post the COIN"--sometimes "post the coal"--a sporting phrase -meaning to make a deposit of money for a match of any kind. - -~Cold blood~, a house licensed for the sale of beer "NOT to be drunk on -the premises." - -~Cold coffee~, misfortune; sometimes varied to COLD GRUEL. An unpleasant -return for a proffered kindness is sometimes called COLD COFFEE.--_Sea._ - -~Cold coffee~, an Oxford synonym for a "sell," which _see_. - -~Cold cook~, an undertaker. Cold cook's shop, an undertaker's. - -~Cold meat~, a corpse. COLD-MEAT BOX, a coffin. - -~Cold meat train~, the last train at night by which officers can reach -Aldershot per South Western Railway. So called because by this train -corpses are often conveyed on account of the Necropolis Company to -Woking. - -~Cold shoulder~, "to show or give any one the COLD SHOULDER" is to "cut" -in a modified form, to assume a distant manner towards anybody, to -evince a desire to cease acquaintanceship. Sometimes termed "COLD -SHOULDER of mutton." - -~Colfabias~, a Latinized Irish phrase signifying the closet of decency, -applied as a slang term to a place of resort in Trinity College, Dublin. - -~Collar~, "out of COLLAR," _i.e._, out of place, no work. Probably a -variation of the metaphorical expressions, "in, or out of harness," -_i.e._, in or out of work--the horse being in collar when harnessed for -his work. COLLAR work is any very hard work, from the expression among -drivers. Any uphill journey is said to be all "COLLAR work" for the -horses. - -~Collar~, to seize, to lay hold of. Thieves' slang, _i.e._, to steal. - -~Collar and elbow~, a term for a peculiar style of wrestling--the -Cornwall and Devon style. - -~Collections~, the College examinations at the end of each term, when -undergraduates wear white ties and bands, and are trotted through the -subjects of the term's lecture. These are the occasions when the dons -administer reproof or advice on the conduct of each individual -undergrad.--_Oxford University._ - -~Collogue~, to conspire, talk mysteriously together in low tones, plot -mischief. Connected with "colloquy" or "colleague." Maybe mixture of -both. - -~Colly-wobbles~, the stomach-ache, a person's bowels,--supposed by many -to be the seat of feeling and nutrition.--_Devonshire._ - -~Colour~, complexion, tint; "I've not seen the COLOUR of his money," -_i.e._, he has never paid me any. In fortune-telling by cards, a -_diamond colour_ is the fairest; _heart-colour_, fair, but not so fair -as the last; _club colour_, rather dark; _spade colour_, an extremely -swarthy complexion. - -~Colour~, a handkerchief worn by each of the supporters of a -professional athlete on the day of a match, so as to distinguish them -from the partizans of the other side. The professional chooses his -colours, and his backers, and as many of the general public as can be -persuaded to do so, take one each to wear on the eventful day, the -understanding being that the man is to be paid, say, a guinea if he -wins, and nothing if he loses. Some of these handkerchiefs used to be, -in the palmy days of pugilism and professional rowing on the Thames, -very fine specimens of work; but as their purveyors expected to be paid -whether they won or lost, and as the price was generally about four -times the intrinsic value, colours are rather shyly dealt with now. The -custom is, however, a very ancient one, and such men as Tom Sayers, Tom -King, Harry Kelley, and Bob Chambers have, even in these degenerate -days, received very large sums for their winning colours. - -~Colt~, a murderous weapon, formed by slinging a small shot to the end -of a rather stiff piece of rope. It is the original of the misnamed -"life-preserver." - -~Colt~, a person who sits as juryman for the first time. In Cork an -operative baker who does not belong to the union. - -~Colt~, a professional cricketer during his first season. From the best -colts in the annual match are selected new county players. - -~Colt~, to fine a new juryman a sum to be spent in drink, by way of -"wetting" his office; to make a person free of a new place, which is -done by his standing treat, and submitting to be struck on the sole of -the foot with a piece of board. - -~Colt's tooth~, elderly persons of juvenile tastes are said to have a -COLT'S TOOTH, _i.e._, a desire to shed their teeth once more, to see -life over again. - -~Comb-cut~, mortified, disgraced, "down on one's luck."--_See_ CUT. - -~Come~, a slang verb used in many phrases; "Aint he COMING IT?" _i.e._, -is he not proceeding at a great rate? "Don't COME TRICKS here," "don't -COME THE OLD SOLDIER over me," _i.e._, we are aware of your practices, -and "twig" your manoeuvre. COMING IT STRONG, exaggerating, going ahead, -the opposite of "drawing it mild." COMING IT also means informing or -disclosing. Also, in pugilistic phraseology, to COME IT means to show -fear; and in this respect, as well as in that of giving information, the -expression "COME IT" is best known to the lower and most dangerous -classes. - -~Come down~, to pay down. - -~Commemoration~, the end of Lent term at Oxford, when honorary degrees -are conferred and certain prizes given, and when men have friends "up." - -~Commission~, a shirt.--_Ancient Cant._ _Italian_, CAMICIA. - - "As from our beds, we doe oft cast our eyes, - Cleane linnen yeelds a shirt before we rise, - Which is a garment _shifting_ in condition; - And in the _canting tongue_ is a COMMISSION. - In weale or woe, in joy or dangerous drifts, - A _shirt_ will put a man unto his _shifts_." - - --_Taylor's Works_, 1630. - -For further particulars, _see_ CAMESA. - -~Commister~, a chaplain or clergyman.--Originally _Old Cant_. - -~Common sewer~, a DRAIN,--vulgar equivalent for a drink. - -~Commons~, the allowance of anything sent out of the buttery or kitchen. -"A COMMONS of bread," or "of cheese," for instance.--_University._ SHORT -COMMONS (derived from the University slang term), a scanty meal, a -scarcity. - -~Competition wallah~, one who entered the Indian Civil Service by -passing a competitive examination.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Compo~, a sailor's term for his monthly advance of wages. - -~Comprador~, a purveyor, an agent.--_Originally Spanish, now -Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Concaves and convexes~, a pack of cards contrived for cheating, by -cutting all the cards from the two to the seven concave, and all from -the eight to the king convex. Then by cutting the pack breadthwise a -convex card is cut, and by cutting it lengthwise a concave is -secured.--_See_ LONGS AND SHORTS. - -[Illustration] - -~Conjee~, a kind of gruel made of rice.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Conk~, a nose. Possibly from the _Latin_, CONCHA, a shell. _Greek_, -_konch_--hence anything hollow. Somewhat of a parallel may be found -in the _Latin_, TESTA, an earthenware pot, a shell, and in later -_Latin_, a _skull_; from whence the _French_ TESTE, or TTE, head. -CONKY, having a projecting or remarkable nose. The first Duke of -Wellington was frequently termed "Old CONKY" in satirical papers -and caricatures. - -~Connaught Rangers~, the Eighty-eighth Regiment of Foot in the British -Army. - -~Conshun's price~, fair terms, without extortion. Probably conscience -price.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Constable~, "to overrun the CONSTABLE," to exceed one's income, or get -deep in debt. The origin of this phrase is unknown, but its use is very -general. - -~Constitutional~, a walk, or other exercise taken for the benefit of the -health. - -~Consumah~, a butler.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Contango~, among stockbrokers and jobbers, is a certain sum paid for -accommodating a buyer or seller, by carrying the engagement to pay money -or deliver shares over to the next account day. - -~Continuations~, coverings for the legs, whether trousers or breeches. A -word belonging to the same squeamish, affected family as unmentionables, -inexpressibles, &c. - -~Convey~, to steal; "CONVEY, the wise it call." - -~Conveyancer~, a pickpocket. Shakspeare uses the cant expression -CONVEYER, a thief. The same term is also French slang. - -~Cooey~, the Australian bush-call, now not unfrequently heard in the -streets of London. - -~Cook~, a term well known in the Bankruptcy Courts, in reference to -accounts that have been meddled with, or COOKED, by the bankrupt; also -to form a balance-sheet from general trade inferences; stated by a -correspondent to have been first used in reference to the celebrated -alteration of the accounts of the Eastern Counties Railway, by George -Hudson, the Railway King. Any unfair statements of accounts or reports -are now said to be COOKED. - -~Cook~, in artistic circles, to dodge up a picture. Artists say that a -picture will not COOK when it is excellent and unconventional, and -beyond specious imitation. - -~Cook one's goose~, to kill or ruin a person.--_North._ - -~Cooler~, a glass of porter as a wind up, after drinking spirits and -water. This form of drinking is sometimes called "putting the beggar on -the gentleman." - -~Coolie~, a soldier, in allusion to the Hindoo COOLIES, or day -labourers. - -~Coon~, abbreviation of racoon.--_American._ A GONE COON--_ditto_, one -in an awful fix, past praying for. This expression is said to have -originated in the first American war with a spy, who dressed himself in -a racoon skin, and ensconced himself in a tree. An English rifleman -taking him for a veritable coon, levelled his piece at him, upon which -he exclaimed, "Don't shoot, I'll come down of myself, I know I'm a GONE -COON." The Yankees say the Britisher was so "flummuxed," that he flung -down his rifle and "made tracks" for home. The phrase is pretty general -in England. [There is one difficulty about this story--How big was the -man who dressed himself in a racoon skin?] - -~Cooper~, "stout half-and-half," _i.e._, half stout and half porter. -Derived from the coopers at breweries being allowed so much stout and so -much porter a day, which they take mixed. - -~Cooper~, to destroy, spoil, settle, or finish. COOPERED, spoilt, "done -up," synonymous with the Americanism caved in, fallen in, ruined. The -vagabonds' hieroglyph [Triangle pointing down], chalked by them on gate -posts and houses, signifies that the place has been spoilt by too many -tramps calling there. - -~Cooper~, to forge, or imitate in writing; "COOPER a monniker," to forge -a signature. - -~Cooter~, "a sovereign."--_See_ COUTER. Gipsy, CUTA. - -~Cop~, to seize or lay hold of anything unpleasant; used in a similar -sense to _catch_ in the phrase "to COP (or catch) a beating." "To get -COPT," is to be taken by the police. Probable contraction of Lat. -_capere_. - -~Cop~, beware, take care. A contraction of COPRADOR.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Coper~, properly HORSE-COUPER, a Scotch horse-dealer,--used to denote a -dishonest one. COPING, like jockeying, is suggestive of all kinds of -trickery. - -~Copper~, a policeman, _i.e._, one who COPS, which _see_. - -~Copper~, a halfpenny. COPPERS, mixed pence. - -~Coppernose~, a nose which is supposed to show a partiality on its -owner's part for strong drink. Synonymous with "jolly nose." -Grog-blossoms are the jewels often set in a jolly nose. - -~Copus~, a Cambridge drink, consisting of ale combined with spices, and -varied by spirits, wines, &c. Corruption of HIPPOCRAS. - -~Corduroy roads~, an American term for the rough roads made by simply -laying logs along a clearing. - -~Corinthianism~, a term derived from the classics, much in vogue some -years ago, implying pugilism, high life, "sprees," roystering, -&c.--Shakspeare, 1 _Hen. IV._ ii. 4. The immorality of _Corinth_ was -proverbial in Greece. _Korinthiaz esthai_, to _Corinthianize_, indulge -in the company of courtezans, was a Greek slang expression. Hence the -proverb-- - - _Ou pantos andros eis Korinthon esth o plous_; - -and _Horace_, Epist. lib. 1, xvii. 36-- - - "Non cuivis hommi contingit adire Corinthum," - -in allusion to the spoliation practised by the "hetr" on those who -visited them. Pierce Egan, in his _Life in London_, is responsible for a -deal of the modern use of this word; and after him _Bell's Life_, as the -oracle of Corinthian sport, was not idle. - -~Cork~, a broken man, a bankrupt. Probably intended to refer to his -lightness, as being without "ballast." - -~Cork~, "to draw a CORK," to give a bloody nose.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Corkage~, money charged when persons at an hotel provide their own -wine--sixpence being charged for each "cork" drawn. - -~Corked~, said of wine which tastes of cork, from being badly decanted, -or which has lost flavour from various other obvious causes. - -~Corker~, "that's a CORKER," _i.e._, that settles the question, or -closes the discussion. - -~Corks~, a butler. Derivation very obvious. - -~Corks~, money; "how are you off for CORKS?" a sailors' term of a very -expressive kind, denoting the means of "keeping afloat." - -~Corned~, drunk or intoxicated. Possibly from soaking or pickling -oneself like CORNED beef. - -~Corner~, "the CORNER," Tattersall's famous horse repository and betting -rooms, so called from the fact of its situation, which was at Hyde Park -Corner. Though Tattersall's has been removed some distance, to Albert -Gate, it is still known to the older habitus of the Subscription Room -as "the CORNER." - -~Cornered~, hemmed in a corner, placed in a position from which there is -no escape. - -~Corner-man~, the end singer of a corps of Ethiopian or nigger -minstrels. There are two corner men, one generally plays the bones and -the other the tambourine. Corner-men are the grotesques of a minstrel -company. - -~Corn in Egypt~, a popular expression which means a plentiful supply of -materials for a dinner, &c., or a good supply of money. Its origin is of -course Biblical. - -~Corporation~, the protuberant front of an obese person. Probably from -the old announcements which used to be made, and are made now in some -towns where improvements are made by the municipal authorities, "Widened -at the expense of the CORPORATION." - -~Corpse~, to stick fast in the dialogue; to confuse, or put out the -actors by making a mistake.--_Theatrical._ - -~Cosh~, a neddy, a life-preserver; any short, loaded bludgeon. - -~Cossack~, a policeman. - -~Costard~, the head. A very old word, generally used in connexion with -"cracked." - -~Coster~, the short and slang rendering of "costermonger," or -"costardmonger," who was originally an apple-seller. COSTERING, _i.e._, -costermongering, acting as a costermonger would. - -~Costermonger~, a street seller of fish, fruit, vegetables, poultry, -&c. The London costermongers number more than 30,000. They form a -distinct class, occupying whole neighbourhoods, and were at one time cut -off from the rest of metropolitan society by their low habits, general -improvidence, pugnacity, love of gambling, total want of education, -disregard for lawful marriage ceremonies, and their use of a peculiar -slang language. They have changed a good deal of this, though, now. -COSTERMONGER _aliter_ COSTARDMONGER, _i.e._, an apple-seller. In Nares's -_Glossary_ (Ed.H.&W.) they are said to have been frequently Irish. -So, Ben Jonson-- - - "Her father was an Irish COSTAR-MONGER." - - _Alchym._, iv. x. - - "In England, sir, troth I ever laugh when I think on 't, - ----Why, sir, there all the COSTER-MONGERS are Irish." - - _2 P. Hen. IV., O. Pl._, iii. 375. - -Their noisy manners are alluded to in Beaumont and Fletcher's _Scornful -Lady_, iv. I. - - "And then he'll rail like a rude COSTER-MONGER - That school-boys had couzened of his apples, - As loud and senseless." - -~Cotton~, to like, adhere to, or agree with any person; "to COTTON on to -a man," to attach yourself to him, or fancy him, literally, to stick to -him as cotton would. _Vide_ Bartlett, who claims it as an Americanism, -and Halliwell, who terms it an archaism; also _Bacchus and Venus_, 1737. - - "Her heart's as hard as taxes, and as bad; - She does not even COTTON to her dad." - - _Halliday and Lawrance_, _Kenilworth Burlesque_. - -~Cotton Lord~, a Manchester manufacturer. - -~Cottonopolis~, Manchester. A term much in use among the reporters of -the sporting press engaged in that locality. - -~Council-of-ten~, the toes of a man who turns his feet inward. - -~Counter~, to hit back, to exchange blows. A cross COUNTER is a blow -with the right hand given in exchange for one with the left, the -counterer preferring to strike rather than to "stop" the -blow.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Counter-jumper~, a shopman, a draper's assistant. - -~Country-captain~, a spatch-cocked fowl, sprinkled with curry-powder. A -favourite breakfast dish with the captains of country-ships.--_Indian._ - -~Country-ship~, a ship belonging to the East Indies, and trading from -port to port in that country. - -~County-crop~ (_i.e._, COUNTY-PRISON CROP), haircut close and round, as -if guided by a basin--an indication of having been in prison. Since -short hair has become fashionable the expression has fallen somewhat -into disuse. In the times when long hair was worn, a man with his hair -cut as described was said to have had it done with a knife and fork. - -~Couple-beggar~, a degraded person, who officiated as a clergyman in -performing marriages in the Fleet Prison. - -~Couter~, a sovereign. HALF-A-COUTER, half-a-sovereign. From the -Danubian-gipsy word CUTA, a gold coin. - -~Cove~, or COVEY, a boy or man of any age or station. A term generally -preceded by an expressive adjective, thus a "flash COVE," a "rum COVE," -a "downy COVE," &c. The feminine, COVESS, was once popular, but it has -fallen into disuse. Originally ancient cant (temp. Henry VII.), COFE, or -CUFFIN, altered in Decker's time to COVE. _See Witts' Recreations_, -1654: "there's a gentry-COVE here," _i.e._, a gentleman. Probably -connected with CUIF, which, in the North of England, signifies a lout or -awkward fellow. Amongst Negroes, CUFFEE. - -~Coventry~, "to send a man to COVENTRY," not to speak to or notice him. -Coventry was one of those towns in which the privilege of practising -most trades was anciently confined to certain privileged persons, as the -freemen, &c. Hence a stranger stood little chance of custom, or -countenance, and "to send a man to COVENTRY" came to be equivalent to -putting him out of the pale of society. - -~Cover-down~, a tossing coin with a false cover, enabling either head or -tail to be shown, according as the cover is left on or taken off. The -cover is more generally called a CAP. This style of cheating is now -obsolete. A man who cannot manage to cheat at tossing without machinery -is a sorry rogue. - -~Cowan~, a sneak, an inquisitive or prying person. _Greek_, _kyn_, a -dog. Term given by Freemasons to all uninitiated persons. Used in -Anderson's _Constitutions_, edit. 1769, p. 97. If derived from _kyn_, -its use was probably suggested by such passages in the N. T. as Matt. -vii. 6, and Phil. iii. 2. The Moslems apply dog in a similar manner. It -is probably Oriental. Other authorities say it is from COWAN, or KIRWAN, -a Scottish word signifying a man who builds rough stone walls without -mortar--a man who, though he builds, is not a practical mason. - -~Cow-cow~, to be very angry, to scold or reprimand -violently.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Cow-hocked~, clumsy about the ankles; with large or awkward feet. - -~Cow-lick~, the term given to the lock of hair which costermongers and -tramps usually twist forward from the ear; a large greasy curl upon the -cheek, seemingly licked into shape. These locks are also called NUMBER -SIXES, from their usual shape. The opposite of NEWGATE-KNOCKER, which -_see_. - -~Cow's grease~, butter. - -~Coxy-loxy~, good-tempered, drunk.--_Norfolk._ - -~Crab~, a disagreeable old person. Name of a wild and sour fruit. - -~Crab~, "to catch a CRAB," to fall backwards by missing a stroke in -rowing. From the crab-like or sprawling appearance of the man when in -the bottom of the boat. - -~Crab~, to offend, or insult; to expose or defeat a robbery, to inform -against. CRAB, in the sense of "to offend," is _Old English_. - - "If I think one thing and speak another, - I will both CRAB Christ and our Ladie His mother." - - _Packman's Paternoster._ - -~Crabs~, in dicing, a pair of aces. - -~Crabshells~, or TROTTER-CASES, shoes.--_See_ CARTS. - -~Crack~, the favourite horse in a race. Steeplechase and hunting CRACKS -have been made the subjects of well-known pictures, and "the gallops of -the CRACKS" is a prominent line in the sporting papers. - -~Crack~, first-rate, excellent; "a CRACK HAND," an adept; a "CRACK -article," a good one. "A CRACK regiment," a fashionable one.--_Old._ - -~Crack~, dry firewood.--_Modern Gipsy._ - -~Crack~, "in a CRACK (of the finger and thumb)," in a moment. - -~Crack~, to break into a house; "CRACK A CRIB," to commit burglary. - -~Crack a bottle~, to drink. Shakspeare uses CRUSH in the same slang -sense. - -~Cracked up~, penniless or ruined. - -~Cracking a crust~, rubbing along in the world. CRACKING A TIDY CRUST, -means doing very well. This is a very common expression among the lower -orders. - -~Crackle~, or CRACKLING, the scored rind on a roast leg or loin of pork; -hence applied to the velvet bars on the gowns of the students at St. -John's College, Cambridge, long called "Hogs," and the covered bridge -which connects one of the courts with the grounds, Isthmus of Suez -(SUES, _Lat._ SUS, a swine). - -~Cracksman~, a burglar, _i.e._, the man who CRACKS. - -~Crack up~, to boast or praise.--_Ancient English._ - -~Cram~, to lie or deceive, implying to fill up or CRAM a person with -false stories; to impart or acquire learning quickly, to "grind" or -prepare for an examination. - -~Crammer~, one skilled in rapidly preparing others for an examination. -One in the habit of telling lies. - -~Crammer~, a lie. - -~Cranky~, foolish, idiotic, rickety, capricious (not confined to -persons). _Ancient cant_, CRANKE, simulated sickness. _German_, KRANK, -sickly. A CRANK or CRANKY vessel is one which pitches very much. - -~Crap~, to ease oneself by evacuation. - -~Crapping case~, or KEN, the water-closet. Generally called -CRAPPING-CASTLE. - -~Crawler~, a mean, contemptible, sycophantic fellow. Also a cab which is -driven slowly along while its driver looks out for a fare. Crawling is -by recent statute a punishable offence. - -~Crawly mawly~, in an ailing, weakly, or sickly state. - -~Craw thumper~, a Roman Catholic. Compare BRISKET-BEATER. - -~Cream of the valley~, gin; as opposed to or distinguished from -"mountain dew," whisky. - -~Crib~, house, public or otherwise; lodgings, apartments; a situation. -Very general in the latter sense. - -~Crib~, to steal or purloin; to appropriate small things. - -~Crib~, a literal translation of a classic author.--_University._ - -~Crib biter~, an inveterate grumbler; properly said of a horse which has -this habit, a sign of its bad digestion. - -~Cribbage-faced~, marked with the small-pox, full of holes like a -cribbage-board. Otherwise crumpet-face. - -~Crikey~, profane exclamation of astonishment; "Oh, CRIKEY, you don't -say so!" corruption of "O Christ!" Sometimes varied by "O crimes!" - -~Cripple~, a bent sixpence. - -~Cripple~, an awkward or clumsy person. Also one of dull wits. - -~Croak~, to die--from the gurgling sound a person makes when the breath -of life is departing. - -~Croaker~, one who takes a desponding view of everything, a misanthrope; -an alarmist. From the croaking of a raven.--_Ben Jonson._ - -~Croaker~, a beggar. - -~Croaker~, a dying person beyond hope; a corpse. The latter is generally -called a "stiff'un." - -~Croaks~, last dying speeches, and murderers' confessions. - -~Crocodiles' tears~, the tears of a hypocrite. An ancient phrase, -introduced into this country by Mandeville, or other early English -traveller, who believed that the crocodile made a weeping noise to -attract travellers, and then devoured them. See Shakspeare's use of the -term in _Othello_. - -~Crocus~, or CROAKUS, a quack or travelling doctor; CROCUS-CHOVEY, a -chemist's shop. - -~Crone~, a termagant or malicious old woman. CRONY, an intimate friend. - -~Crooked~, a term used among dog-stealers and the "fancy" generally, to -denote anything stolen. "Got on the CROOK" is exchangeable with "Got on -the cross," CROOK and cross generally being synonymous. - -~Crooky~, to hang on to, to lead, to walk arm-in-arm; to court or pay -addresses to a girl. - -~Cropped~, hanged. Sometimes topped. "May I be topped." - -~Cropper~, a heavy fall, a decided failure. Term originally used in the -hunting-field, but now general, and not at all confined to physical -matters. - -~Cropper~, "to go a CROPPER," or "to come a CROPPER," _i.e._, to fail -badly. - -~Croppie~, a person who has had his hair cut, or CROPPED, in prison. -Formerly those who had been CROPPED (_i.e._, had their ears cut off and -their noses slit) by the public executioner were called CROPPIES, then -the Puritans received the reversion of the title. - -~Crop up~, to turn up in the course of conversation. "It CROPPED UP -while we were speaking." - -~Cross~, a deception--two persons pretending hostility or indifference -to each other, being all the while in concert for the purpose of -deceiving a third. In the sporting world a CROSS is an arrangement made -between two men that one shall win without reference to relative merits. -This is sometimes done with the backer's consent for the public benefit, -at other times a backer is himself the sufferer, the men having "put -some one in to lay," according to instructions.--_See_ DOUBLE CROSS. - -~Cross~, a general term amongst thieves expressive of their plundering -profession, the opposite of square. "To get anything on the CROSS" is to -obtain it surreptitiously. "CROSS-FANNING in a crowd," robbing persons -of their scarf-pins, so called from the peculiar position of the arms. -This style of thieving is not confined to the conveying of scarf-pins. -CROSSMAN, a thief, or one who lives by dishonest practices. - -~Cross.~--For not paying his term bills to the bursar (treasurer), or -for cutting chapels, or lectures, or other offences, the undergrad can -be "CROSSED" at the buttery, 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. Of -course it is easy to get one's buttery commons out in some one else's -name, and to order dinner in from the confectioner's. The porter is -supposed to allow no dinners to be sent in, but, between his winking and -a little disguise, it is possible. As another instance, a barrel of beer -will not be admitted; but if it is in a hamper it will pass!--_Oxford -University._ - -~Cross-buttock~, an unexpected fling down or repulse; from a peculiar -throw practised by wrestlers. - -~Cross cove and molisher~, a man and woman who live by thieving. - -~Cross-crib~, a house frequented by thieves. - -~Crossed~, prohibited from taking food from the buttery.--_University._ - -~Crow~, or COCK-CROW, to exult over another's abasement, as a -fighting-cock does over his vanquished adversary. - -~Crow~, "a regular CROW," a success, a stroke of luck,--equivalent to a -FLUKE. - -~Crow~, one who watches whilst another commits a theft, a confederate in -a robbery. The CROW looks to see that the way is clear, whilst the -SNEAK, his partner, commits the depredation. - -~Crow~, "I have a CROW to pick with you," _i.e._, an explanation to -demand, a disagreeable matter to settle. Sometimes the article picked is -supposed to be a bone. - -~Crowsfeet~, wrinkles which gather in the corners of the eyes of old or -dissipated people. - -~Crug~, food. Christ's Hospital boys apply it only to bread. - -~Crumbs~, "to pick up one's CRUMBS," to begin to have an appetite after -an illness; to improve in health, circumstances, &c., after a loss -thereof. - -~Crummy~, fat, plump.--_North._ In London street slang, lousy. - -~Crummy-doss~, a lousy or filthy bed. - -~Crumpet-face~, a face pitted with small-pox marks. - -~Crunch~, to crush. Perhaps from the sound of teeth grinding against -each other. - -~Crush~, to run or decamp rapidly. CRUSH DOWN SIDES, run to a place of -safety, or the appointed rendezvous.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Crusher~, a policeman. - -~Crushing~, excellent, first-rate. - -~Crusty~, ill-tempered, petulant, morose.--_Old_, said to be a -corruption of the _Anglo-Norman_ CORUSEUX. - -~Cub~, a mannerless uncouth lout.--_See_ UNLICKED. - -~Cubitopolis~, an appellation, originally given by Londoners to the -Warwick and Eccleston Square districts. From the name of the builders. - -~Cue~, properly the last word spoken by one actor, it being the CUE for -the other to reply. "Very often an actor knows nothing of a piece beyond -his own lines and the CUES." - -~Cull~, a man or boy.--_Old Cant._ RUM CULL, the manager of a theatre. - -~Cullet~, broken glass. _French_, CUEILLETTE, a gathering or collection. - -~Culling~, or CULING, stealing from the carriages at racecourses. - -~Cully gorger~, a companion, a brother actor.--_Theatrical._ _See_ -GORGER. - -~Culver-headed~, weak and stupid. - -~Cummer~, a gossip or acquaintance. - -~Cumshaw~, a present or bribe.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Cupboard-headed~, an expressive designation of one whose head is both -wooden and hollow.--_Norfolk._ - -~Cupboard-love~, affection arising from interested motives. - - "A CUPBOARD LOVE is seldom true; - A love sincere is found in few."--_Poor Robin._ - -Cupboard is the fount-spring of the love supposed to exist among -policemen for the cooks upon their beats. - -~Cup-tosser~, a person who professes to tell fortunes by examining the -grounds in tea or coffee cups. A cup or goblet, however, is the old -mystic symbol of a juggler. _French_, JOUEUR DE GOBELET. - -~Cure~, an odd person; a contemptuous term, abridged from CURIOSITY, -which was formerly the favourite expression. The word cure, as -originally applied, was London street slang, and was, as just stated, an -abbreviation of curiosity, or, more correctly, of curious or queer -fellow. Of late years it has, however, been used to denote a funny, -humorous person, who can give and receive chaff. - -~Curios~, a corruption of "curiosities;" any articles of vertu brought -from abroad. Used by naval and military travellers and others. - -~Currency~, persons born in Australia are there termed CURRENCY, while -natives of England are termed STERLING. The allusion is to the -difference between colonial and imperial moneys, which it may be as well -to remark have no difference so far as actual value is concerned. - -~Curse~, anything worthless. Corruption of the _Old English_ word KERSE, -a small sour wild cherry; _French_, CERISE; _German_, KIRSCH. _Vision of -Piers Ploughman_:-- - - "Wisdom and witt nowe is _not worth_ a KERSE, - But if it be carded with cootis as clothers - Kembe their woole." - -The expression "not worth a CURSE," used frequently nowadays, is -therefore not properly profane, though it is frequently intensified by a -profane expletive. Horne Tooke says from KERSE, or CRESS. The expression -"not worth a tinker's CURSE," may or may not have arisen from -misapplication of the word's origin, though as now used it certainly -means curse in its usual sense. Tinkers do curse, unfortunately, and it -will take a good deal of school-board work to educate them out of it, as -well as a fair amount of time. The phrase "not worth a tinker's damn," -is evidently a variation of this, unless indeed it should be spelt -"dam," and used as a reference to the general worthlessness of the wives -and mothers of tinkers. This latter is merely offered to those who are -speculative in such matters, and is not advanced as an opinion. - -~Curse of Scotland~, the Nine of Diamonds. Various hypotheses have been -set up as to this appellation--that it was the card on which the -"Butcher Duke" wrote a cruel order with respect to the rebels after the -battle of Culloden; that the diamonds are the nine lozenges in the arms -of Dalrymple, Earl of Stair, detested for his share in the Massacre of -Glencoe; that it is a corruption of Cross of Scotland, the nine diamonds -being arranged somewhat after the fashion of a St. Andrew's Cross. The -first supposition is evidently erroneous, for in Dr. Houston's Memoirs -of his own Lifetime, 1747, p. 92, the Jacobite ladies are stated to have -nicknamed the Nine of Diamonds "the Justice Clerk," after the rebellion -of 1715, in allusion to the Lord Justice-Clerk Ormistone, who, for his -severity in suppressing it, was called the Curse of Scotland. Gules a -cross of lozenges were also the arms of Colonel Packer, who attended -Charles I. on the scaffold, and commanded in Scotland afterwards with -great severity.--_See_ Chatto on the _Origin and History of Playing -Cards_, p. 267. The most probable explanation is, that in the game of -Pope Joan the nine of diamonds is the POPE, of whom the Scotch have an -especial horror. - -~Curtail~, to cut off. Originally a Cant word--vide _Hudibras_, and -_Bacchus and Venus_, 1737. Evidently derived from the French _court -tailler_. - -~Cushion~, to hide or conceal. - -~Cushion-smiter~, polite rendering of tub-thumper, a clergyman, a -preacher. - -~Cushmawaunee~, never mind. Sailors and soldiers who have been in India -frequently say-- - - "CUSHMAWAUNEE, - If we cannot get arrack, - We must drink pawnee." - - _Anglo-Indian._ - -~Customer~, synonymous with CHAP, a fellow; "a rum CUSTOMER," _i.e._, a -man likely to turn the tables on any one who attacked him, and therefore -better be let alone, or very warily proceeded with; an "odd fish," or -curious person.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Customhouse-officer~, an aperient pill. - -~Cut~, to run away, move off quickly; to cease doing anything; CUT AND -RUN, to quit work, or occupation, and start off at once--_Sea_ phrase, -"CUT the cable and RUN before the wind;" to CUT DIDOES, synonymous with -to CUT CAPERS; CUT A DASH, make a show; CUT A CAPER, to dance or show -off in a strange manner; CUT A FIGURE, to make either a good or bad -appearance; CUT IT, desist, be quiet, go away, leave what you are doing -and run; CUT IT SHORT, cease being prolix, "make short work" of what you -have in hand; CUT OUT, to excel, thus in affairs of gallantry one Adonis -is said to CUT the other out in the affections of the wished-for -lady--_Sea_ phrase, from CUTTING out a ship from the enemy's port. CUT -THAT! be quiet, or stop; CUT OUT OF, done out of; CUT OF ONE'S JIB, the -expression or cast of his countenance [_see_ JIB]; TO CUT ONE'S COMB, to -take down a conceited person, from the practice of cutting the combs of -capons [_see_ COMB CUT]; CUT AND COME AGAIN, plenty, if one cut does not -suffice, plenty remains to come at again; CUT UP, to mortify, to -criticise severely, or expose; CUT UP SHINES, to play tricks; CUT ONE'S -STICK, to be off quickly, _i.e._, to be in readiness for a journey, -further elaborated into AMPUTATE YOUR MAHOGANY [_see_ STICK]; CUT IT -FAT, to exaggerate or show off in an extensive manner; to CUT UP FAT, or -CUT UP WELL, to die, leaving a large property; CUT UNDER, to undersell; -CUT YOUR LUCKY, to run off; CUT ONE'S CART, to expose unfair tricks; CUT -AN ACQUAINTANCE, to cease friendly intercourse with him; "CUT UP ROUGH," -to become obstreperous and dangerous; to have "CUT ONE'S EYE-TEETH," -_i.e._, to be wide awake, knowing; to DRAW CUTS, to cast lots with -papers of unequal lengths. - -~Cut~, to take cards from a pack, with a view to decide by comparison -which persons shall be partners, or which players shall deal. Not less -than four cards must be picked up by the cutter, and the bottom one is -the CUT. When cutting for a "turn-up," the residuum is called the CUT. - -~Cut~, in theatrical language, means to strike out portions of a -dramatic piece, so as to render it shorter for representation. A late -treasurer of one of the so-called Patent Theatres when asked his opinion -of a new play, always gave utterance to the brief but safe piece of -criticism, "Wants cutting." - -~Cut~, tipsy.--_Old._ - -~Cut~, to compete in business; "a CUTTING trade," one conducted on -competitive principles, where the profits are very closely shaved. - -~Cut-throat~, a butcher, a cattle-slaughterer; a ruffian. - -~Cute~, sharp, cunning. Abbreviation of ACUTE. - -~Cutter~, a ruffian, a cut-purse. Of Robin Hood it was said-- - - "So being outlaw'd (as 'tis told), - He with a crew went forth - Of lusty CUTTERS, bold and strong, - And robbed in the north." - -CUTTER, a swashbuckler--_balaffreux taillebras, fendeur de -naseaux._--_Cotgrave._ - - "He's out of cash, and thou know'st by CUTTER'S LAW, - We are bound to relieve one another." - - _Match at Midn._, O. Pl., vii. 553. - -This ancient cant word now survives in the phrase, "to swear like a -CUTTER." - -~Cutting-shop~, a place where cheap rough goods are sold. - -~Cutty-pipe~, a short clay pipe. _Scotch_, CUTTY, short. - -~Cutty-sark~, a short chemise.--_Scotch._ A scantily-draped lady is so -called by Burns. - - "'Weel done, CUTTY-SARK!' - And in an instant all was dark." - -~Dab~, or DABSTER, an expert person. Most probably derived from the -Latin _adeptus_. - -~Dab~, street term for small flat fish of any kind.--_Old._ - -~Dacha-saltee~, tenpence. Probably from the _Lingua Franca_. _Modern -Greek_, _deka_; _Italian_, DIECI SOLDI, tenpence; _Gipsy_, DIK, ten. So -also DACHA-ONE (oney), _i.e._, _dieci uno_, elevenpence.--_See_ SALTEE. - -~Daddle~, the hand; "tip us your DADDLE," _i.e._, shake hands. - -~Daddy~, a stage manager.--_Theatrical._ Also the person who gives away -the bride at a wedding. - -~Daddy;~ at mock raffles, lotteries, &c., the DADDY is an accomplice, -most commonly the getter-up of the swindle, and in all cases the person -that has been previously selected to win the prize. - -~Daddy~, the old man in charge--generally an aged pauper--at casual -wards. Most people will remember "kind old DADDY." - -~Daffy~, gin. A term with monthly nurses, who are always extolling the -virtues of Daffy's Elixir, and who occasionally comfort themselves with -a stronger medicine under Daffy's name. Of late years the term has been -altered to "soothing syrup." - -~Dags~, feat or performance; "I'll do your DAGS," _i.e._, I will do -something that you cannot do. Corruption of DARINGS. - -~Dairies~, a woman's breasts, which are also called CHARLIES. - -~Daisy-cutter~, a horse that trots or gallops without lifting its feet -much from the ground. - -~Daisy-kicker~, the name ostlers at large inns used to give each other, -now nearly obsolete. DAISY-KICKER, or GROGHAM, was likewise the cant -term for a horse. The DAISY-KICKERS were sad rogues in the old posting -days; frequently the landlords rented the stables to them, as the only -plan to make them return a profit. - -~Damage~, in the sense of recompense; "what's the DAMAGE?" _i.e._, what -is to pay? or actually, what is the DAMAGE to my pocket? - -~Damper~, a shop till; to DRAW A DAMPER, _i.e._, rob a till. A till is -more modernly called a "lob," and stealing from tills is known as -"lob-sneaking." - -~Dancer, or dancing-master~, a thief who prowls about the roofs of -houses, and effects an entrance by attic windows, &c. Called also a -"garreter." - -~Dance upon nothing~, to be hanged. - -~Dander~, passion or temper; "to get one's DANDER up," to rouse his -passion.--_Old_, but now much used in America. - -~Dando~, a great eater, who cheats at hotels, eating shops, -oyster-cellars, &c., from a person of that name who lived many years -ago, and who was an enormous oyster-eater. According to the stories -related of him, Dando would visit an oyster-room, devour an almost -fabulous quantity of bivalves, with porter and bread and butter to -match, and then calmly state that he had no money. - -~Dandy~, a fop, or fashionable nondescript. This word, in the sense of a -fop, is of modern origin. Egan says it was first used in 1820, and Bee -in 1816. Johnson does not mention it, although it is to be found in all -late dictionaries. DANDIES wore stays, studied a feminine style, and -tried to undo their manhood by all manner of affectations which were not -actually immoral. Lord Petersham headed them. At the present day dandies -of this stamp have almost entirely disappeared, but the new school of -muscular Christians is not altogether faultless. The feminine of DANDY -was DANDIZETTE, but the term only lived for a short season. - -~Dandy~, a small glass of whisky.--_Irish._ "Dimidium cyathi vero apud -Metropolitanos Hibernicos dicitur DANDY."--_Father Tom and the Pope_, in -_Blackwood's Magazine_ for May 1838. - -~Dandy~, a boatman.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Dandypratt~, a funny little fellow, a mannikin; originally a -half-farthing of the time of Henry VII. - -~Danna~, human ordure; DANNA DRAG, a nightman's or dustman's cart; -hence DUNNA-KEN, which _see_. - -~Darbies~, handcuffs.--_Old Cant._--_See_ JOHNNY DARBIES. Sir Walter -Scott mentions these, in the sense of fetters, in his _Peveril of the -Peak_-- - - "'Hark ye! Jem Clink will fetch you the DARBIES.' 'Derby!' - interrupted Julian, 'has the Earl or Countess'"---- - -Had Sir Walter known of any connexion between them and this family he -would undoubtedly have mentioned it. The mistake of Julian is corrected -in the next paragraph. It is said that handcuffs were, when used to keep -two prisoners together, called DARBIES and JOANS--a term which would -soon be shortened as a natural consequence. - -~Darble~, the devil. _French_, DIABLE. - -~Dark~, "keep it DARK," _i.e._, secret. A DARK horse is, in racing -phraseology, a horse of whom nothing positive is known, but who is -generally supposed to have claims to the consideration of all -interested, whether bookmakers or backers. - -~Darky~, twilight; also a negro. DARKMANS, the night. - -~Darn~, vulgar corruption of DAMN.--_American._ - -~Dash~, to jot down suddenly. "Things I have DASHED off at a moment's -notice." - -~Dash~, fire, vigour, manliness. Literary and artistic work is often -said to be full of DASH. - -~Dash~, an ejaculation, as "DASH my wig!" "DASH my buttons!" A relic of -the attempts made, when cursing was fashionable, to be in the mode -without using "bad words." - -~Dashing~, showy, fast. - -~Daub~, in low language, an artist. Also a badly painted picture. - -~David's sow~, "as drunk as DAVID'S sow," _i.e._, beastly drunk. _See_ -origin of the phrase in Grose's _Dictionary_. - -~Davy~, "on my DAVY," on my affidavit, of which it is a vulgar -corruption. Latterly DAVY has become synonymous in street language with -the name of the Deity; "so help me DAVY," generally rendered, "swelp my -DAVY." Slang version of the conclusion of the oath usually exacted of -witnesses. - -~Davy's locker~, or DAVY JONES'S LOCKER, the sea, the common receptacle -for all things thrown overboard;--a nautical phrase for death, is "gone -to DAVY JONES'S LOCKER," which there means the other world.--_See_ -DUFFY. - -~Dawdle~, to loiter, or fritter away time. - -~Dawk~, the post.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Daylights~, eyes; "to darken his DAYLIGHTS," to give a person black -eyes. Also the spaces left in glasses between the liquor and the -brim,--not allowed when bumpers are drunk. The toast-master in such -cases cries "no DAYLIGHTS or heeltaps!" - -~Daze~, to confound or bewilder; an ancient form of dazzle used by -Spenser, Drayton, &c. This is more obsolete English than slang, though -its use nowadays might fairly bring it within the latter category. - -~Dead-against~, decidedly opposed to. - -~Dead-alive~, stupid, dull. - -~Dead-amiss~, said of a horse that from illness is utterly unable to run -for a prize. - -~Dead-beat~, utterly exhausted, utterly "done up." - -~Dead-heat~, when two horses run home so exactly equal that the judge -cannot place one before the other; consequently, a DEAD-HEAT is a heat -which counts for nothing, so far as the even runners are concerned, as -it has to be run over again. When a race between dead-heaters has been -unusually severe, or when the stake is sufficiently good to bear -division, it is usual to let one of the animals walk over the course so -as to make a deciding heat, and to divide the money. In such case all -bets are divided. Sometimes, however, when no arrangement can be made, -an owner will withdraw his horse, in which case the animal that walks -over wins the whole of the stake, and his backers the whole of their -money. Where the course is short and the money of small amount, the -DEAD-HEAT is run off, the second essay being called the decider, though -on certain occasions even the decider has resulted in a -DEAD-HEAT.--_See_ NECK AND NECK. - -~Dead-horse~, "to draw the DEAD-HORSE;" DEAD-HORSE work--working for -wages already paid; also any thankless or unassisted service. - -~Dead-letter~, an action of no value or weight; an article, owing to -some mistake in its production, rendered utterly valueless,--often -applied to any instrument in writing, which by some apparently trivial -omission, becomes useless. At the general and large district -post-offices, there is a department for letters which have been -erroneously addressed, or for which, from many and various causes, there -are no receivers. These are called DEAD-LETTERS, and the office in -connexion with them is known as the DEAD-LETTER office. - -~Dead-lock~, a permanent standstill, an inextricable entanglement. - -~Dead-lurk~, entering a dwelling-house during divine service. - -~Dead-man~, a baker. Properly speaking, it is an extra loaf smuggled -into the basket by the man who carries it out, to the loss of the -master. Sometimes the DEAD-MAN is charged to a customer, though never -delivered. Among London thieves and low people generally a "dead'un" is -a half-quartern loaf. - -~Dead-men~, the term for wine bottles after they are emptied of their -contents.--_Old._--_See_ MARINES. - -~Dead-men's shoes~, property which cannot be claimed until after decease -of present holder. "To wait for a pair of DEAD-MEN'S SHOES," is -considered a wearisome affair. It is used by Fletcher:-- - - "And 'tis a general shrift, that most men use, - But yet 'tis tedious waiting DEAD MEN'S SHOES." - - _Fletcher's Poems_, p. 256. - -~Dead-set~, a pointed and persistent attack on a person. - -~Dead'un~, a horse which will not run or will not try in a race, and -against which money may be betted with safety.--_See_ SAFE UN. - -~Deaner~, a shilling. From DENIER. - -~Death~, "to dress to DEATH," _i.e._, to the very extreme of fashion, -perhaps so as to be killing. - -~Death-hunter~, a running patterer, who vends last dying speeches and -confessions. More modernly the term is supposed to mean an undertaker, -or any one engaged in or concerned with burials. - -~Deck~, a pack of cards. Used by Shakspeare, 3 _K. Hen. VI._, v. 1. -Probably because of DECKING or arranging the table for a game at cards. -General in the United States. - -~Dee~, a pocket-book; term used by tramps.--_Gipsy._ DEE (properly D), a -detective policeman. "The DEES are about, so look out." - -~Delicate~, a false subscription-book carried by a LURKER. - -~Demirep~ (or DEMIRIP), a courtezan. Contraction of DEMI-REPUTATION, -which is, in turn, a contraction for _demi-monde_ reputation. - -~Derby-dog~, a masterless animal, who is sure to appear as soon as the -Epsom course is cleared for the great race of the season. No year passes -without a dog running between the two dense lines of spectators and -searching in vain for an outlet, and he is almost as eagerly looked for -as are the "preliminary canters." It is said that when no DERBY-DOG -appears on the course between Tattenham Corner and the judge's box, just -before the start, a dead-heat will take place between all the placed -horses. - -~Derrick~, an apparatus for raising sunken ships, &c. The term is -curiously derived from a hangman of that name frequently mentioned in -Old Plays, as in the _Bellman of London_, 1616. - - "He rides circuit with the devil, and DERRICK must be his host, and - Tyborne the inn at which he will light." - -The term is now almost general for all cranes used in loading ships, or -doing similar work of a heavy nature. - -~Despatchers~, false dice with two sets of numbers, and, of course, no -low pips. So called because they bring the matter to a speedy issue. -Great skill in palming is necessary for their successful use. - -~Deuce~, the devil.--_Old._ Stated by _Junius_ and others to be from -DEUS or ZEUS. - -~Deuce~, twopence; DEUCE at cards or dice, one with two pips or spots. - -~Devil~, among barristers, to get up the facts of a case for a leader; -to arrange everything in the most comprehensive form, so that the Q.C. -or Serjeant can absorb the question without much trouble. DEVILLING is -juniors' work, but much depends on it, and on the ability with which it -is done. - -~Devil~, a printer's youngest apprentice, an errand-boy in a -printing-office. - -~Devil dodger~, a clergyman; also a person who goes sometimes to church -and sometimes to meeting. - -~Devil-may-care~, reckless, rash. - -~Devil's bed-posts~, the four of clubs. Otherwise Old Gentleman's -BED-POSTS. - -~Devil's books~, a pack of playing-cards; a phrase of Presbyterian -origin.--_See_ FOUR KINGS. - -~Devil's delight~, a noise or row of any description. Generally used -thus:--"They kicked up the DEVIL'S DELIGHT." - -~Devil's dung~, the fetid drug assafoetida. - -~Devil's dust~, a term used in the manufacturing districts of Yorkshire -to denote shreds of old cloth torn up to re-manufacture; also called -SHODDY. Mr. Ferrand, in his speech in the House, March 4, 1842, produced -a piece of cloth made chiefly from DEVIL'S DUST, and tore it into shreds -to prove its worthlessness.--_See Hansard's Parliamentary Debates_, -third series, vol. lxi. p. 140. - -~Devil-scolder~, a clergyman. - -~Devil's livery~, black and yellow. From the mourning and quarantine -uses of the colours. - -~Devil's teeth~, or DEVIL'S BONES, dice. - -~Devotional habits~, horses weak in the knees, and apt to stumble and -fall, are said to have these.--_Stable._ - -~Dew-beaters~, feet; "hold out your DEW-BEATERS till I take off the -darbies."--_Peveril of the Peak._ Forby says the word is used in Norfolk -for heavy shoes to resist wet. - -~Dew-drink~, a morning draught, such as is served out to labourers in -harvest time before commencing work. - -~Dewskitch~, a good thrashing, perhaps from catching one's due. - -~Dibbs~, money; so called from the huckle bones of sheep, which have -been used from the earliest times for gambling purposes when money was -not obtainable--in one particular game being thrown up five at a time -and caught on the back of the hand like halfpence. - -~Dick~, a riding whip; gold-headed DICK, one so ornamented. - -~Dick~, abbreviation of "Dictionary," but often euphemistically rendered -"Richard,"--fine language, long words. A man who uses fine words without -much judgment is said to have "swallowed the DICK." - -~Dickens~, synonymous with devil; "what the DICKENS are you after?" what -the devil are you doing? Used by Shakspeare in the _Merry Wives of -Windsor_. In many old stories his Satanic Majesty is called the DICKENS, -and by no other name, while in some others the word is spelt "diconce." - -~Dickey~, bad, sorry, or foolish; food or lodging is pronounced DICKEY -when of a poor description; "very DICKEY", very inferior; "it's all -DICKEY with him," _i.e._, all over with him. - -~Dickey~, formerly the cant for a worn-out shirt, but nowadays used for -a front or half-shirt. DICKEY was originally "tommy" (from the Greek, -_tom_, a section), a name which was formerly used in Trinity College, -Dublin. The students are said to have invented the term, and love of -change and circumlocution soon changed it to DICKEY, in which dress it -is supposed to have been imported into England. - -~Dickey~, a donkey.--_Norfolk._ - -~Dickey Sam~, a native of Liverpool. - -~Dicking;~ "look! the bulky is DICKING," _i.e._, the constable has his -eye on you.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Diddle~, old cant word for geneva, or gin. - -~Diddle~, to cheat, or defraud.--_Old._ In _German_, DUDELN is to play -on the bagpipe; and the ideas of piping and cheating seem to have been -much connected. "Do you think I am easier played on than a pipe?" occurs -in _Hamlet_. - -~Diddler~, or JEREMY DIDDLER, an artful swindler. A diddler is generally -one who borrows money without any intention of ever repaying it; the -sort of man who, having asked for half-a-crown and received only a -shilling, would consider that eighteenpence was owing to him.--From -_Raising the Wind_. - -~Diddling~, cheating or swindling. Borrowing money without any intention -of repaying it. Edgar Allan Poe wrote a very amusing article once on -DIDDLING, which he seemed to regard as a rather high art. - -~Didoes~, pranks or capers; "to cut up DIDOES," to make pranks. - -~Dig~, a hard blow. Generally in pugilistic circles applied to a -straight "left-hander," delivered under the guard on the "mark." - -~Diggers~, spurs; also the spades on cards. - -~Diggings~, lodgings, apartments, residence; an expression probably -imported from California, or Australia, with reference to the gold -diggings. It is very common nowadays for a man moving in very decent -society to call his abode or his office, or anyplace to which he -frequently resorts, his "DIGGINGS." - -~Dilly~, originally a coach, from _diligence_. Now a night-cart. - -~Dilly-dally~, to trifle. - -~Dimber~, neat or pretty.--_Worcestershire_, but old cant. - -~Dimber-damber~, very pretty; a clever rogue who excels his fellows; -chief of a gang. _Old Cant_ in the latter sense. - -~Dimmock~, money; "how are you off for DIMMOCK?" diminutive of DIME, a -small foreign silver coin, in the United States 10 cents. - -~Dinarly~, money; "NANTEE DINARLY," I have no money, corrupted from the -_Lingua Franca_, "NIENTE DINARO," not a penny. _Turkish_, DINARI; -_Spanish_, DINERO; _Latin_, DENARIUS. - -~Dine out~, to go without dinner. "I DINED OUT to-day," would express -the same among the very lower classes that "dining with Duke Humphrey" -expresses among the middle and upper. - -~Ding~, to strike; to throw away, or get rid of anything; to pass to a -confederate by throwing. _Old_, used in old plays. - - "The butcher's axe (like great Alcides' bat) - _Dings_ deadly downe ten thousand thousand flat." - - _Taylor's Works_, 1630. - -~Dingy~, a small boat. Generally the smallest boat carried by a ship. -The _g_ in this is pronounced hard. - -~Dipped~, mortgaged. - -~Dirt~, TO EAT, an expression derived from the East, nearly the same as -"to eat humble (_Umble_) pie," to put up with a mortification or insult. - -~Dirty Half-hundred~, a nickname given to the 50th Regiment on account -of their tattered and soiled appearance during the Peninsular War. A -term to be proud of, as it implies much work and little reward. - -~Disguised~, intoxicated. A very old term is that of "DISGUISED in -drink." - - "Some say drinking does DISGUISE men."--_Old Song._ - - "The saylers and the shipmen all, - Through foul excesse of wine, - Were so DISGUISED that at the sea - They shew'd themselves like swine." - - _Thos. Deloney's Strange Histories_, p. 14. - -~Dish~, to stop, to do away with, to suppress; DISHED, done for, -floored, beaten, or silenced. To "do brown" and to "DISH," both verbs -with very similar meanings, have an evident connexion so far as origin -is concerned, and most likely were both first used in the kitchen as -synonymous with "done for." The late Lord Derby made the word "DISH" -famous by his latest public act, that of "DISHING the Whigs." - -~Dithers~, nervous or cold shiverings; "it gave me the DITHERS." - -~Dittoes~, A SUIT OF, coat, waistcoat, and trousers of the same -material.--_Tailor's term._ - -~Ditty-bag~, the bag or huswife in which sailors keep needles, thread, -buttons, &c., for mending their clothes. - -~Diver~, a pickpocket. Also applied to fingers, no doubt from a similar -reason. To DIVE is to pick pockets. - -~Do~, this useful and industrious verb has for many years done service -as a slang term. To DO a person is to cheat him. Sometimes another tense -is employed, such as "I DONE him," meaning, I cheated or "paid him out;" -this is only used in the lowest grades of society. DONE BROWN, cheated -thoroughly, befooled; DONE OVER, upset, cheated, knocked down, ruined. -Among thieves DONE OVER means that a man's pockets have been all quietly -searched; the term also means among low people seduced; DONE UP, used -up, finished, or quieted. DONE also means convicted, or sentenced; so -does DONE-FOR. To DO a person in pugilism is to beat him. Humphreys, who -fought Mendoza, a Jew, wrote this laconic note to his supporter--"I have -DONE the Jew, and am in good health.--Rich. Humphreys." Tourists use the -expression, "I have DONE France and Italy," meaning I have been through -those countries. - -~Dobie~, an Indian washerman; and though women wash clothes in this -country, Anglo-Indians speak of a washerwoman as a DOBIE. - -~Doctor~, to adulterate or drug liquor; to poison, to hocus; also to -falsify accounts. A publican who sells bad liquors is said to keep the -DOCTOR in his cellars. On board ship the cook is always termed "the -DOCTOR."--_See_ COOK. - -~Doddy~, a term applied in Norfolk to any person of low stature. -Sometimes HODMANDOD and "HODDY-DODDY, all head and no body." DODMAN in -the same dialect denotes a garden snail. - -~Dodge~, a cunning trick. "DODGE, that homely but expressive -phrase."--Sir Hugh Cairns on the Reform Bill, 2nd March, 1859. -_Anglo-Saxon_, DEOGIAN, to colour, to conceal. The TIDY DODGE, as it is -called by street-folk, consists in dressing up a family clean and tidy, -and parading in the streets to excite compassion and obtain alms. - -~Dodger~, a dram. In Kent, a DODGER signifies a nightcap; which name is -often given to the last dram at night. - -~Dodger~, a tricky person, or one who, to use the popular phrase, "knows -too much." Also one who knows all phases of London life, and profits by -such knowledge. - -~Dogberry~, a foolish constable.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Dog cheap~, or DOG-FOOLISH, very or singularly cheap, or foolish. -Latham, in his _English Language_, says:--"This has nothing to do with -dogs. The first syllable is god = _good_, transposed, and the second, -the ch--p, is chapman, merchant: compare EASTCHEAP."--_Old term._ - -~Doggery~, nonsense, transparent attempts to cheat. - -~Dog gone~, a form of mild swearing used by boys. - -~Dog in a blanket~, a kind of pudding, made of preserved fruit spread on -thin dough, and then rolled up and boiled. This pudding is also called -"rolly-polly" and "stocking." - -~Dog in the manger~, a scurvy, ill-conditioned, selfish fellow. From the -fable of that title. - -~Dog Latin~, barbarous Latin, such as was formerly used by lawyers in -their pleadings. Now applied to medical Latin. - -~Dogs~, TO GO TO THE, to be commercially or socially ruined. Originally -a stable term applied to old or worthless horses, sold to feed hounds. - -~Dog's body~, a kind of pease pudding.--_Sea._ - -~Dog's ears~, the curled corners of the leaves of books, which have been -carelessly treated. The use of this term is so common that it is hardly -to be considered slang. - -~Dog's nose~, gin and beer, so called from the mixture being _cold_, -like a dog's nose. - -~Dog stealer~, a DOG DEALER. There is sometimes less difference between -the two trades than between "d" and "st." - -~Doing time~, working out a sentence in prison. "He's done time," is a -slang phrase used in reference to a man who is known to have been in -gaol. - -~Doldrums~, difficulties, low spirits, dumps.--_Sea._ - -~Dollop~, a lump or portion.--_Norfolk._ _Anglo-Saxon_, DALE, _dole_. - -~Dollop~, to _dole up_, to give up a share.--_Ibid._ - -~Dolly~, a very mild gambling contrivance, generally used in sweetmeat -and other child's-ware shops, until stopped by the authorities a few -years back, and consisting of a round board and the figure of an old man -or "DOLLY," down which was a spiral hole. A marble dropped "down the -DOLLY," would stop in one of the small holes or pits (numbered) on the -board. The bet was decided according as the marble stopped on a high or -low figure. _See_ DOLLY-SHOP. - -~Dollymop~, a tawdrily-dressed maid-servant, a semi-professional -street-walker. - -~Dolly shop~, an illegal pawnshop,--where goods, or stolen property, not -good enough for the pawnbroker, are received, and charged at so much per -day. If not redeemed the third day the goods are forfeited. Originally -these shops were rag shops as well, and were represented by the _black -doll_, the usual sign of a rag shop. Twenty years ago, a DOLLY SHOP was, -among boys, a small sweetstuff and fruit shop where a hollow wooden -figure, of the kind described above, was kept. A wager was made, and the -customer got double quantity for his money, or nothing. A paternal -legislature, and a police system worthy of the task, have long since -wiped this blot from a nation's face. The amount at stake was generally -a halfpenny, sometimes less. - -~Dominie~, a parson, or master at a grammar school. - -~Domino~, a common ejaculation of soldiers and sailors when they receive -the last lash of a flogging. The allusion may be understood from the -game of dominoes. A DOMINO means either a blow, or the last of a series -of things, whether pleasant or otherwise, so the ejaculation savours -somewhat of wit. - -~Dominoes~, the teeth. - -~Don~, a clever fellow, the opposite of a muff; a person of distinction -in his line or walk. At the English Universities, the Masters and -Fellows are the DONS. DON is also used as an adjective, "a DON hand at a -knife and fork," _i.e._, a first-rate feeder at a dinner-table. - -~Dona and feeles~, a woman and children. _Italian_ or _Lingua Franca_, -DONNE E FIGLIE. The word DONA is usually pronounced DONER. - -~Done!~ the expression used when a bet is accepted. To be DONE, is to be -considerably worsted.--_See_ also DO. - -~Done up~, an equivalent expression to "dead beat." - -~Donkey~, "tuppence more and up goes the DONKEY," a vulgar street phrase -for extracting as much money as possible before performing any task. The -phrase had its origin with a travelling showman, the finale of whose -performance was the hoisting of a DONKEY on a pole or ladder; but this -consummation was never arrived at unless the required amount was first -paid up, and "tuppence more" was generally the sum demanded. - -~Donkey~, in printers' slang, means a compositor. In the days before -steam machinery was invented, the men who worked at press--the -pressmen--were so dirty and drunken a body that they earned the name of -pigs. In revenge, and for no reason that can be discovered, they -christened the compositors DONKEYS. - -~Don Pedro~, a game at cards. It is a compound of All Fours, and the -Irish game variously termed All Fives, Five and Ten, Fifteen, -Forty-five, &c. It was probably invented by the mixed English and Irish -rabble who fought in Portugal in 1832-3. - -~Dookin~, fortune-telling. _Gipsy_, DUKKERIN. - -~Dose~, three months' imprisonment with hard labour. - -~Doss~, a bed. Probably from DOZE, though quite as likely from DORSE, -the back. Least likely of all, as any one who knows aught about the -surrounding circumstances of those who use the term will admit, is it -from the Norman, DOSSEL, a hanging or bed canopy, from which some have -professed to derive it. - -~Doss~, to sleep, formerly spelt DORSE. _Gael._, DOSAL, slumber. In the -old pugilistic days a man knocked down, or out of time, was said to be -"sent to DORSE," but whether because he was senseless, or because he lay -on his back, is not known, though most likely the latter. - -~Dossing-ken~, a lodging-house. - -~Dot and go one~, a lame or limping man. - -~Do the high~, to walk up and down High Street on Sunday evenings, -especially just after Church.--_Oxford University._ - -~Double~, "to tip (or give) the DOUBLE," to run away from any person; to -double back, turn short round upon one's pursuers, and so escape, as a -hare does.--_Sporting._ - -~Double cross~, a CROSS in which a man who has engaged to lose breaks -his engagement, and "goes straight" at the last moment. This proceeding -is called "doubling" or "putting the double on," and is often productive -of much excitement in athletic circles.--_See_ CROSS. - -~Double lines~, ship casualties. So called at Lloyd's from the manner of -entering in books kept for the purpose. - -~Double-shuffle~, a low, shuffling, noisy dance, common amongst -costermongers. Sometimes called "cellar flap," from its being danced by -the impecunious on the cellar-flaps of public-houses, outside which they -must perforce remain. - -~Doublet~, a spurious diamond, made up of two smaller stones for pawning -or duffing purposes. These articles are cleverly manufactured and -excellently set, and a practised eye can alone detect the -imposition.--_See_ MOSKENEER. - -~Double up~, to pair off, or "chum" with another man; to beat severely, -so as to leave the sufferer "all of a heap." - -~Doughy~, a sufficiently obvious nickname for a baker. - -~Douse~, to put out; "DOUSE that glim," put out that candle. In Norfolk -this expression is DOUT, which is clearly for DO OUT. Sometimes DOUSE -means to rinse; and sometimes to throw water, clean or dirty, over any -one, is to "DOUSE it." - -~Dovercourt~, a noisy assemblage; "all talkers and no hearers, like -DOVERCOURT." At Dovercourt, in Essex, a court is annually held; and as -the members principally consist of rude fishermen, the irregularity -noticed in the proverbial saying frequently prevails. Bramston in his -_Art of Politics_ says:-- - - "Those who would captivate the well-bred throng, - Should not too often speak, nor speak too long; - Church, nor church matters, ever turn to sport, - Nor make St. Stephen's Chapel DOVER COURT." - -This would seem to be more properly applied to a Court of Dover people, -a DOVER COURT, not a DOVERCOURT COURT. - -~Dove-tart~, a pigeon pie. A snake tart is an eel pie. - -~Dowd~, a woman's nightcap.--_Devonshire_: also an American term; -possibly from DOWDY, a slatternly woman. - -~Dowlas~, a linendraper. DOWLAS is a sort of towelling. - -~Down~, to be aware of, or awake to, any move--in this meaning, -exchangeable with UP; "DOWN upon one's luck," unfortunate; "DOWN in the -mouth," disconsolate; "to be DOWN on one," to treat him harshly or -suspiciously, to pounce upon him, or detect his tricks. - -~Downer~, a sixpence; apparently the Gipsy word, TAWNO, "little one," in -course of metamorphosis into the more usual "tanner." - -~Downs~, Tothill Fields' Prison. - -~Down the road~, stylish, showy, after the fashion. - -~Down to the ground~, an American rendering of the word entirely; as, -"that suits me DOWN TO THE GROUND." - -~Downy~, knowing or cunning; "a DOWNY COVE," a knowing or experienced -sharper. Literally, a DOWNY person is one who is "DOWN to every move on -the board." In Norfolk, however, it means low-spirited, _i.e._, DOWN in -the mouth. - -~Dowry~, a lot, a great deal; "DOWRY of parny," lot of rain or -water.--_See_ PARNY. Probably from the Gipsy. - -~Dowsers~, men who profess to tell fortunes, and who, by the use of the -divining rod, pretend to be able to discover treasure-trove.--_Cornish._ - -~Doxy~, the female companion of a tramp or beggar. In the West of -England, the women frequently call their little girls DOXIES, in a -familiar or endearing sense. _Orthodoxy_ has been described as being a -man's own DOXY, and _heterodoxy_ another man's DOXY.--_Ancient Cant._ - -~Drab~, a vulgar or low woman.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Drab~, poison.--_Romany._ - -~Draft on Aldgate Pump~, an old mercantile phrase for a fictitious -banknote or fraudulent bill. - -~Drag~, a cart of any kind, term generally used to denote any -particularly well-appointed turnout, drawn by a pair or four horses, -especially at race meetings. - -~Drag~, feminine attire worn by men. A recent notorious impersonation -case led to the publication of the word in that sense. - -~Drag~, a street, or road; BACK-DRAG, back street. - -~Drag~, or THREE MOON, three months in prison. - -~Drag~, THE, a favourite pursuit with fast-hunting sets; as, THE DRAG -can be trailed over very stiff country. - -~Dragging~, robbing carts, &c., by means of a light trap which follows -behind laden vehicles. Cabs are sometimes eased of trunks in this way, -though it is hard to say whether with or without the complicity of the -cabmen. - -~Dragging time~, the evening of a country fair day, when the young -fellows begin pulling the wenches about. - -~Draggletail~, a dirty, dissipated woman; a prostitute of the lowest -class. - -~Drain~, a drink; "to do a DRAIN," to take a friendly drink--"do a wet;" -sometimes called a "common sewer." - -~Draw~, used in several senses:--1, of a theatre, new piece or -exhibition, when it attracts the public and succeeds; 2, to induce--as, -"DRAW him on;" 3, of pocket-picking--as, "DRAW his wipe," "DRAW his -ticker." In sporting parlance it is used with an ellipsis of "trigger," -"I DREW on it as it rose." In America to "DRAW on a man" is to produce -knife or pistol, and to use it as well. Where lethal weapons are used in -the States, no man raises his weapon till he means to use it, and a -celebrated American writer has recently given a dissertation on the -relative advantages of cocking and firing a pistol by an almost -simultaneous action as it is raised, and of cocking as the instrument is -raised, and of then dropping the muzzle slightly as the trigger is -pulled. The former way is more speedy, the latter more effective. "Come, -DRAW it mild!" _i.e._, don't exaggerate; opposite of "come it strong," -from the phraseology of the bar (of a "public"), where customers desire -the beer to be "drawn mild." - -~Draw-boy~, a cunning device used by puffing tradesmen. A really good -article is advertised or ticketed and exposed for sale in the shop -window at a very low price, with a view of drawing in customers to -purchase other and inferior articles at high prices. These gentry have -fortunately found to their cost, on one or two occasions, by means of -magisterial decisions, that DRAW-BOYS have drawn for their owners -something other than profit. - -~Drawers~, formerly the ancient cant name for very long stockings. - -~Drawing teeth~, wrenching off knockers.--_Medical Student slang._ - -~Drawlatch~, a loiterer. - -~Draw off~, to throw back the body to give impetus to a blow; "he DREW -OFF, and delivered on the left drum."--_Pugilistic._ A sailor would say, -"he hauled off and slipped in." - -~Draw the long bow~, to tell extravagant stories, to exaggerate -overmuch; same as "throw the hatchet." From the extremely wonderful -stories which used to be told of the Norman archers, and more -subsequently of Indians' skill with the tomahawk. - -~Dress a hat~, TO, to rob in a manner very difficult of detection. The -business is managed by two or more servants or shopmen of different -employers, exchanging their master's goods; as, for instance, a -shoemaker's shopman receives shirts or other articles from a hosier's, -in return for a pair of boots. Another very ingenious method may be -witnessed about eleven o'clock in the forenoon in any of the suburban -districts of London. A butcher's boy, with a bit of steak filched from -his master's shop, or from a customer, falls in with a neighbouring -baker's man, who has a loaf obtained in a similar manner. Their mutual -friend, the potboy, in full expectation of their visit, has the tap-room -fire bright and clear, and not only cooks the steak, but again, by means -of collusion, this time with the barman or barmaid, "stands a shant of -gatter" as his share. So a capital luncheon is improvised for the three, -without the necessity of paying for it; and this practical communistic -operation is styled DRESSING A HAT. Most likely from the fact that a hat -receives the attention of three or four people before it is properly fit -for wear. - -~Dripping~, a cook. - -~Drive~, a term used by tradesmen in speaking of business; "he's DRIVING -a roaring trade," _i.e._, a very good one; hence, to succeed in a -bargain, "I DROVE a good bargain," _i.e._, got the best end of it. To -"LET DRIVE at one," to strike out. A man snoring hard is said to be -"DRIVING his pigs to market." - -~Drive at~, to aim at; "what is he DRIVING AT?" "what does he intend to -imply?" a phrase often used when a circuitous line of argument is -adopted by a barrister, or a strange set of questions asked, the purport -of which is not very evident. - -~Driz~, lace. In a low lodging-house this singular autograph inscription -appeared over the mantelpiece. "Scotch Mary, with DRIZ [lace], bound to -Dover and back, please God." It is a common thing for ignorant or -superstitious people to make some mark or sign before going on a -journey, and then to wonder whether it will be there when they return. - -~Driz-fencer~, a person who sells lace. - -~Drop~, "to DROP an acquaintance," to relinquish a connexion, is very -polite slang. DROPPING is distinguished from cutting by being done -gradually and almost imperceptibly, whereas cutting has outward and -visible signs which may be unpleasantly resented. To "DROP money" at any -form of speculation or gambling, is to lose it. - -~Drop~, to quit, go off, or turn aside; "DROP the main Toby," go off the -main road. - -~Drop~, "to DROP a man," to knock him down; "to DROP into a person," to -give him a thrashing. _See_ SLIP and WALK. "To DROP on a man," to accuse -or rebuke him suddenly. - -~Drop it~, synonymous with "cut it" or "cheese it." Probably from the -signal given in the good old hanging days by the culprit, who used -generally to drop a handkerchief when he was ready for the cart to be -moved from under him. - -~Drum~, a house, a lodging, a street; HAZARD-DRUM, a gambling-house; -FLASH-DRUM, a house of ill-fame. - -~Drum~, the ear.--_Pugilistic._ An example of slang synecdoche. - -~Drum~, as applied to the road, is doubtless from the Wallachian gipsy -word "DRUMRI," derived from the _Greek_, _dromos_. - -~Drum~, old slang for a ball or rout; afterwards called a hop. - -~Drummer~, a robber who first makes his victims insensible by drugs or -violence, and then plunders them. - -~Drumsticks~, legs; DRUMSTICK CASES, trousers. The leg of a fowl is -generally called a DRUMSTICK. - -~Dryasdust~, an antiquary. From Scott. - -~Dry lodging~, sleeping and sitting accommodation only, without board. -This is lodging-house keepers' slang, and is generally used in reference -to rooms let to lodgers who take their meals at their clubs, or in the -City, according to their social positions. - -~Dry nurse~, when an inferior officer on board ship carries on the duty, -on account of the captain's ignorance of seamanship, the junior officer -is said to DRY-NURSE his captain. Majors and adjutants in the army also -not unfrequently DRY-NURSE the colonels of their regiments in a similar -manner. The sergeant who coaches very young officers, is called a "wet -nurse." The abolition of purchase has, however, considerably modified -all this. - -~D.T.~, a popular abbreviation of delirium tremens; sometimes written -and pronounced _del. trem._ D.T. also often represents the _Daily -Telegraph_. - -~Dub~, to pay or give; "DUB UP," pay up. - -~Dubash~, a general agent.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Dubber~, the mouth or tongue; "mum your DUBBER," hold your tongue. - -~Dubsman~, or SCREW, a turnkey.--_Old Cant._ - -~Ducats~, money.--_Theatrical Slang._ - -~Duck~, a bundle of bits of the "stickings" of beef sold for food to the -London poor.--_See_ FAGGOT. - -~Ducket~, a ticket of any kind. Generally applied to pawnbroker's -duplicates and raffle cards. Probably from DOCKET. - -~Ducks~, trousers. _Sea_ term. The expression most in use on land is -"white DUCKS," _i.e._, white pantaloons or trousers. - -~Ducks and Drakes~, "to make DUCKS AND DRAKES of one's money," to throw -it away childishly--derived from children "shying" flat stones on the -surface of a pool, which they call DUCKS AND DRAKES, according to the -number of skips they make. - -~Dudder~, or DUDSMAN, a person who formerly travelled the country as a -pedlar, selling gown-pieces, silk waistcoats, &c., to countrymen. In -selling a waistcoat-piece, which cost him perhaps five shillings, for -thirty shillings or two pounds, he would show great fear of the revenue -officer, and beg the purchasing clodhopper to kneel down in a puddle of -water, crook his arm, and swear that it might never become straight if -he told an exciseman, or even his own wife. The term and practice are -nearly obsolete. In Liverpool, however, and at the East-end of London, -men dressed up as sailors, with pretended silk handkerchiefs and cigars -"only just smuggled from the Indies," are still to be plentifully found. - -~Dudeen~, or DUDHEEN, a short tobacco-pipe. Common term in Ireland and -the Irish quarters of London. - -~Duds~, clothes, or personal property. _Gaelic_, DUD; _Ancient Cant_; -also _Dutch_. - -~Duff~, to cheat, to sell spurious goods, often under pretence of their -being stolen or smuggled. - -~Duff~, pudding; vulgar pronunciation of dough.--_Sea._ - -~Duffer~, a hawker of "Brummagem" or sham jewellery, or of shams of any -kind, a fool, a worthless person. DUFFER was formerly synonymous with -DUDDER, and was a general term given to pedlars. It is mentioned in the -_Frauds of London_ (1760) as a word in frequent use in the last century -to express cheats of all kinds. - -~Duffer~, anything of no merit. A term applied by artists to a picture -below mediocrity, and by dealers in jewellery to any spurious article. -It is now general in its application to a worthless fellow. - -~Duffing~, false, counterfeit, worthless. - -~Duffy~, a term for a ghost or spirit among the West Indian negroes. In -all probability the DAVY JONES of sailors, and a contraction thereof -originally. - -~Duke~, gin, a term amongst livery servants. - -~Duke Humphrey.~ "To dine with DUKE HUMPHREY" is a euphuism for dining -not at all. Many reasons have been given for the saying, and the one -most worthy of credence is this:--Some visitors were inspecting the -abbey where the remains of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester lie, and one of -them was unfortunately shut in, and remained there _solus_ while his -companions were feasting at a neighbouring hostelry. He was afterwards -said to have dined with DUKE HUMPHREY, and the saying eventually passed -into a proverb. - -~Dukes~, or DOOKS, the hands, originally modification of the rhyming -slang, "Duke of Yorks," forks = fingers, hands--a long way round, but -quite true. The word is in very common use among low folk. "Put up your -DOOKS" is a kind invitation to fight. - -~Dukey~, or DOOKEY, a penny gaff, which _see_. - -~Dumbfound~, to perplex, to beat soundly till not able to speak. -Originally a cant word. Johnson cites the _Spectator_ for the earliest -use. _Scotch_, DUMBFOUNDER. - -~Dummacker~, a knowing or acute person. - -~Dummies~, empty bottles, and drawers in an apothecary's shop, labelled -so as to give the idea of an extensive stock. Chandlers' shop keepers -and small general dealers use dummies largely, half-tubs of butter, -bladders of lard, hams, cheeses, &c., being specially manufactured for -them. Dummies in libraries generally take the form of "Hume and -Smollett's History of England" and other works not likely to tempt the -general reader. - -~Dummy~, a deaf-and-dumb person; a clumsy, awkward fellow; any one -unusually thick-witted. - -~Dummy~, in three-handed whist the person who holds two hands plays -DUMMY. - -~Dummy~, a pocket-book. In this word the derivation is obvious, being -connected with DUMB, _i.e._, that which makes no sound. As a thieves' -term for a pocket-book, it is peculiarly applicable, for the contents of -pocket-books, bank-notes and papers, make no noise, while the money in a -purse may betray its presence by chinking. - -~Dump fencer~, a man who sells buttons. - -~Dumpish~, sullen or gloomy. - -~Dumpy~, short and stout. - -~Dun~, to solicit payment.--_Old Cant_, from the French DONNEZ, give; or -from JOE DIN, or DUN, a famous bailiff; or simply a corruption of DIN, -from the _Anglo-Saxon_ DUNAN, to clamour. - -~Dunderhead~, a blockhead. - -~Dundreary~, an empty swell. - -~Dung~, an operative who works for an employer who does not give full or -"society" wages. - -~Dungaree~, low, common, coarse, vulgar.--_Anglo-Indian._ DUNGAREE is -the name of a disreputable suburb of Bombay, and also of a coarse blue -cloth worn by sailors. - - "As smart a young fellow as ever you'd see, - In jacket and trousers of blue DUNGAREE." - -~Dunkhorned~, sneaking, shabby. DUNKHORN in Norfolk is the short, blunt -horn of a beast, and the adjective is applied to a cuckold who has not -spirit to resist his disgrace. - -~Dunnage~, baggage, clothes. Also, a sea term for wood or loose faggots -laid at the bottom of ships, upon which is placed the cargo. - -~Dunnyken~, originally DANNAKEN, a watercloset.--From DANNA and KEN, -which _see_. - -~Durrynacking~, offering lace or any other article as an introduction to -fortune-telling; generally practised by women. - -~Dust~, money; "down with the DUST," put down the money.--_Ancient._ -Dean Swift once took for his text, "He who giveth to the poor lendeth to -the Lord." His sermon was short. "Now, my brethren," said he, "if you -are satisfied with the security, down with the DUST." - -~Dust~, a disturbance, or noise, "to raise a DUST," to make a row. - -~Dust~, to beat; "DUST one's jacket," _i.e._, give him a beating. - -~Dust-hole~, Sidney Sussex College at Cambridge.--_Univ. Slang._ - -~Dust-hole~, the Queen's Theatre, Tottenham Court Road, was so called -until comparatively recently, when it was entirely renovated and -renamed, and now, as the Prince of Wales's, it is one of the most -fortunate and fashionable theatres in London. - -~Dustoorie~, commission, douceur, bribe.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Dusty~, a phrase used in answering a question where one expects -approbation. "What do you think of this?" "Well, it's not so DUSTY," -_i.e._, not so bad; sometimes varied to "none so DUSTY." - -~Dutch~, or DOUBLE DUTCH, gibberish, or any foreign tongue. "To talk -DOUBLE DUTCH backwards on a Sunday" is a humorous locution for -extraordinary linguistic facility. - -~Dutch auction~, a method of selling goods, adopted by "CHEAP JOHNS," to -evade the penalties for selling without a licence. The article is -offered all round at a high price, which is then dropped until it is -taken. DUTCH AUCTIONS need not be illegitimate transactions, and their -economy (as likewise that of puffing) will be found minutely explained -in Sugden (Lord St. Leonards) "On Vendors and Purchasers." - -~Dutch concert~, where each performer plays a different tune. Sometimes -called a DUTCH MEDLEY when vocal efforts only are used. - -~Dutch consolation~, "thank God it is no worse." "It might have been -worse," said a man whom the devil was carrying to hell. "How?" asked a -neighbour. "Well, he's carrying me--he might have made me carry him." - -~Dutch courage~, false courage, generally excited by drink--pot-valour. - -~Dutch feast~, where the host gets drunk before his guest. - -~Dutch uncle~, a personage often introduced in conversation, but -exceedingly difficult to describe; "I'll talk to him like a DUTCH -UNCLE!" conveys the notion of anything but a desirable relation. - -~Earl of Cork~, the ace of diamonds.--_Hibernicism._ - - "'What do you mean by the Earl of Cork?' asked Mr. Squander. 'The - ace of diamonds, your honour. It's the worst ace, and the poorest - card in the pack, and is called the EARL OF CORK, because he's the - poorest nobleman in Ireland.'"--_Carleton's Traits and Stories of - the Irish Peasantry._ - -~Early~, "to get up EARLY," to prepare for a difficult task. "You'll -have to get up very EARLY in the morning to beat that." Early rising and -ability seem also closely connected by certain modifications of this -expression. Possibly the belief is that a man who rises early for early -rising's sake deserves to be clever. Perhaps the greatest enjoyment a -day labourer--whose work commences at six in the winter mornings, and -who may have to rise at half-past four and trudge off--can have, is a -"quiet snooze" after the usual time of rising. The early rising in "the -steel" is the chief terror of that institution in the minds of habitual -criminals. - -~Earwig~, a clergyman, also one who prompts another maliciously and -privately. - -~Earwigging~, a private conversation; a rebuke in private; an attempt to -defame another unfairly, and without chance of appeal; a WIGGING is more -public. - -~Ease~, to rob; "EASING a bloke," robbing a man. - -~Eat his head off.~ A horse who is kept idle in the stable is said to -EAT HIS HEAD OFF. Of late the phrase has been applied to servants who -have little to do but constantly "dip their noses in the manger." - -~Eavesdropper~, a listener. The name is derived from the punishment -which, according to Oliver, was directed in the Lectures, at the revival -of Masonry in 1717, to be inflicted on a detected Cowan [g. v.], and -which was - - "To be placed under the eaves of the house in rainy weather, till - the water runs in at his shoulders and out at his heels."--_Mackey's - Lexicon of Freemasonry._ - -~Efter~, a thief who frequents theatres. - -~Egg~, or EGG ON, to excite, stimulate, or provoke one person to quarrel -with another, &c. From the Anglo-Saxon _eggian_; or possibly a -corruption of EDGE, or EDGE ON, or even from _agere_, to -drive.--_Ancient._ - -~Egg-flip~, or EGG-HOT, a drink made after the manner of purl and -bishop, with beer, eggs, and spirits made hot and sweetened. - -~Elbow~, "to shake one's ELBOW," to play with dice; "to crook one's -ELBOW," to drink. - -~Elbow grease~, labour, or industry. Anything that is rusty, or in -household work dirty or dingy, is said to require ELBOW GREASE. - -~Elegant extracts~, a Cambridge University title for those students who -having failed only slightly in some one subject, and being "plucked" -accordingly, were allowed their degrees. This applied to the "Poll" -list, as the "Gulf" did to the "Honours." - -~Elephant~, "to have seen the ELEPHANT," to be "_up_ to the latest -move," or "_down_ to the last new trick;" to be knowing, and not -"green," &c. Possibly a metaphor taken from the travelling menageries, -where the ELEPHANT is the finale of the exhibition.--Originally an -Americanism. Bartlett gives conflicting examples. General now, however. -A modification of this is "having seen the king." When a man becomes -aware that he has been cheated or imposed on, and does not mean to stand -it any longer, he is said to have seen the king, _i.e._, to have seen -his adversary's best card, and to be prepared for it. - -~Elevated~, intoxicated. ELEVATION is the name of a drug-mixture much -used in the fen-counties for keeping up the spirits and preventing ague. -It consists mainly of opium. - -~Enemy~, time, a clock, the ruthless enemy and tell-tale of idleness and -of mankind generally; "what says the ENEMY?" _i.e._, how goes the time? - -~Essex lion~, a calf. A calf is probably the only lively animal to be -seen in a journey through Essex. - -~Essex stile~, a ditch. A jocular allusion to the peculiarities of the -"low county." - -~Evaporate~, to go, or run away. - -~Everlasting shoes~, the feet. The barefooted children about the Seven -Dials, and other low quarters of London, are said to wear EVERLASTING -SHOES and stockings. Another expression in connexion with this want is, -"the shoes and stockings their mothers gave them." - -~Everlasting staircase~, the treadmill. Sometimes, but very rarely now -called "Colonel Chesterton's EVERLASTING STAIRCASE," from the gallant -inventor or improver. Also known as "the STEPPER." - -~Exasperate~, to over-aspirate the letter H, or to aspirate it whenever -it commences a word, as is commonly done by under-educated people who -wish to show off their breeding. EXASPERATION does not refer to an -omission of the aspirate. - -~Exes~, expenses. "Just enough to clear our exes." - -~Extensive~, frequently applied in a slang sense to a person's -appearance or talk; "rather EXTENSIVE that!" intimating that the person -alluded to is showing off, or "cutting it fat." - -~Extracted~, placed on the list of "ELEGANT EXTRACTS."--_Camb. Univ._ - -~Eye teeth~, supposed evidences of sharpness. A man is said to have, or -have not, cut his EYE TEETH, according to possession or want of -shrewdness. - -~Eye water~, gin. Term principally used by printers. - -~Face~, credit at a public-house, impudence, confidence, brass; thus a -BRAZEN-FACE. "To run one's FACE," is to obtain credit in a bounceable -manner. "He's got some FACE," _i.e._, he has got lots of impudence. - -~Face entry~, the entre to a theatre. From the FACE being known, as -distinguished from free-list entry. - -~Facer~, a blow on the face. In Ireland, a dram. - -~Facer~, a tumbler of whisky-punch. Possibly from the suffusion of blood -to the face caused by it. - -~Fad~, a hobby, a favourite pursuit. - -~Fadge~, a farthing. - -~Fadge~, a flat loaf.--_North._ - -~Fadge~, to suit or fit; "it wont FADGE," it will not do. Used by -Shakspeare, but now heard only in the streets. - -~Fadger~, a glazier's frame. Otherwise called a "frail," perhaps in -reference to the fragile nature of its contents. - -~Fag~, a schoolboy who performs a servant's offices to a superior -schoolmate. From FAG, to become weary or tired out. _Low German_, FAKK, -wearied. - -~Fag~, to beat. - -~Faggot~, a bundle of bits of the "stickings" (hence probably its name) -sold for food to the London poor. It is sometimes called a duck. In -appearance it resembles a Scotch "haggis," without, however, being -nearly so good as that fragrant article. Probably the FAG-END of a -thing, the inferior or remaining part, the refuse. - -~Faggot~, a term of opprobrium used by low people to children and women; -"you little FAGGOT, you!" FAGGOT was originally a term of contempt for a -dry shrivelled old woman, whose bones were like a bundle of sticks, only -fit to burn.--Compare the French expression for a heretic, _sentir le -fagot_. - -~Faggot briefs~, bundles of worthless papers tied up with red tape, -carried by unemployed barristers in the back rows of the courts to -simulate briefs. - -~Faggot vote~, a phrase which belongs to the slang of politics, and -which was applied to a class of votes, by no means extinct even now, -though not so common as in the days preceding the first Reform Bill, -when constituencies were smaller, and individual votes were consequently -more valuable. FAGGOT VOTES were thus created:--A large landowner who -was blessed with, say, seven sons and seven brothers, and had also on -his estate fourteen labourers' cottages worth about a shilling a week -each, would go through the form of sale of one cottage to each son and -each brother, it being perfectly understood that the title-deeds would -be returned when the occasion for their use was at an end. And thus the -squire would command fifteen votes instead of one. In a famous election -for the West Riding of Yorkshire during the third decade of the present -century, which cost upwards of half a million sterling, and ruined the -successful candidate, it was said that six hundred FAGGOT VOTES were -created by three noble lords. The origin of the term has been variously -explained. One ingenious writer has suggested that as a FAGGOT may be -split into a bundle of sticks, so was one estate thus split into a -bundle of votes. It is, however, more reasonable to suppose that it was -derived from the old word "FAGGOT," which was used to describe a -"nominal soldier," one, that is, whose name appeared on the muster-roll, -and for whom the colonel drew pay, but who was never to be found in the -ranks. The connexion is evident enough. - -~Fake~, in the sporting world, means to hocus or poison. Fake is also a -mixture supposed to be used for purposes of "making safe." - -~Fake~, to cheat, or swindle; to do anything; to go on, or continue; to -make or construct; to steal or rob,--a verb variously used. FAKED, done, -or done for; "FAKE away, there's no down;" go on, there is nobody -looking. From the _Latin_ FACERE. - -~Fakement~, a false begging petition, any act of robbery, swindling, or -deception. FAKEMENT is a word of most general application among the -lower classes. Any things strange, and most things not strange, are -called FAKEMENTS, particularly if there is anything peculiar or artistic -in their production. - -~Fakement Charley~, the owner's private mark. FAKER, is one who makes or -FAKES anything. To "fake a cly," is to pick a pocket. - -~Fal-lals~, trumpery ornaments, gewgaws. Forby suggests as a derivation -the _Latin_ PHALER, horse trappings. - -~Fambles~, or FAMMS, the hands.--_Ancient Cant._ _German_, FANGEN. - -~Family men~, or PEOPLE, thieves, or burglars. - -~Fan~, a waistcoat.--_Houndsditch term._ - -~Fancy~, the favourite sports, pets, or pastime of a person, the ton of -low life. Pugilists are sometimes termed the FANCY. Shakspeare uses the -word in the sense of a favourite or pet; and the paramour of a -prostitute is still called her FANCY MAN. - -~Fancy bloak~, a fancy or sporting man. - -~Fanning~, a beating. FANNING is also stealing; CROSS-FANNING is -stealing with the arms crossed so as to distract attention, as in -stealing breast-pins, &c. - -~Fanqui~, a European, literally foreign devil.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Fantail~, a dustman's or coalheaver's hat. So called from the shape. - -~Farm~, to contract, after the manner of those who engage to feed and -lodge children belonging to the parish, at so much a head; a fruitful -cause of starvation and misery. _See Oliver Twist._ The baby farmings, -unconnected with the parishes in which they occurred, which ultimately -resulted in the trial and execution of Margaret Waters, on the 11th -October, 1870, have caused the word FARM as applied to any dealings with -children, parish or private, to be one of obloquy and reproach. - -~Farmer.~ In Suffolk this term is applied to the eldest son of the -occupier of the farm. In London it is used derisively of a countryman, -and denotes a farm-labourer or clodpole. Both senses are different from -the proper meaning. - -~Fast~, gay, spreeish, unsteady, thoughtless,--an Americanism that has -of late ascended from the streets to the drawing-room. The word has -certainly now a distinct meaning, which it had not thirty years ago. -QUICK is the synonym for FAST, but a QUICK MAN would not convey the -meaning of a FAST MAN,--a person who, by late hours, gaiety, and -continual rounds of pleasure, lives too fast, and wears himself out. In -polite society a FAST young lady is one who affects mannish habits, or -makes herself conspicuous by some unfeminine accomplishment,--talks -slang, drives about in London, smokes cigarettes, is knowing in dogs, -horses, &c. An amusing anecdote is told of a fast young lady, the -daughter of a right reverend prelate, who was an adept in horseflesh. -Being desirous of ascertaining the opinion of a candidate for -ordination, who had the look of a bird of the same feather, as to the -merits of some cattle just brought to her father's palace for her to -select from, she was assured by him they were utterly unfit for a lady's -use. With a knowing look at the horses' points, she gave her decision in -these choice words, "Well, I agree with you; they _are_ a rum lot, as -the devil said of the ten commandments." Charles Dickens once said that -"fast," when applied to a young man, was only another word for loose, as -he understood the term; and a fast girl has been defined as a woman who -has lost her respect for men, and for whom men have lost their respect. - -~Fast~, embarrassed, wanting money, tied up. Sometimes synonymous with -"hard up."--_Yorkshire._ - -~Fast and loose~, to play FAST AND LOOSE with a man, is to treat him as -a fast friend in the days while he is useful, and to cast him loose -when he is no longer necessary; also, to equivocate or vacillate. In old -days it was the name of a vulgar pastime. _See_ PRICK THE GARTER. - -~Fat~, a printer's term signifying the void spaces on a page, for which -he is paid at the same rate as for full or unbroken pages. Occasionally -called "grease," and applied variously, but always as showing some undue -or uncommon amount of advantage. - -~Fat~, rich, abundant, &c.; "a FAT lot;" "to cut it FAT," to exaggerate, -to show off in an extensive or grand manner, to assume undue importance; -"cut up FAT," see under CUT. As a theatrical term, a part with plenty of -FAT in it is one which affords the actor an opportunity of effective -display. - -~Father~, or FENCE, a buyer of stolen property. - -~Favourite~, the horse that has the lowest odds laid against it in the -betting list. When the FAVOURITE wins, the public or backers of horses -generally are the gainers. When an outsider wins, the ring, that is to -say, the persons who make a business of laying against the chances of -horses, are the gainers. - -~Fawney~, a finger ring. _Irish_, FAINEE, a ring. - -~Fawney bouncing~, selling rings for a pretended wager. This practice is -founded upon the old tale of a gentleman laying a wager that if he were -to offer "real gold sovereigns" at a penny a-piece at the foot of London -Bridge, the English public would be too incredulous to buy. The story -states that the gentleman stationed himself with sovereigns on a -tea-tray, and sold only two within the hour, thus winning the bet. This -tale the FAWNEY BOUNCERS tell the public, only offering brass, -double-gilt rings, instead of sovereigns. - -~Fawney rig~, the ring-dropping trick. A few years ago this practice was -very common. A fellow purposely dropped a ring, or a pocket-book with -some little articles of jewellery, &c., in it, and when he saw any -person pick it up, ran to claim half. The ring found, the question of -how the booty was to be divided had then to be decided. The sharper -says, "If you will give me eight or nine shillings for my share, the -things are yours." This the "flat" thinks very fair. The ring of course -is valueless, and the swallower of the bait discovers the trick too -late. For another way of doing this trick, _see_ RING-DROPPING. - -~Feathers~, money, wealth; "in full FEATHER," rich. FEATHERS is also a -term applied to dress; "in full FEATHER," means very often in full -costume. It also means, at times, in high spirits. - -~Feed~, a meal, generally a dinner. Originally stable slang, now pretty -general. - -~Feele~, a daughter, or child.--Corrupted _French_. - -~Fellow-commoner~, uncomplimentary epithet used at Cambridge for an -empty bottle. - -~Felt~, a hat.--_Old term_, in use in the sixteenth century. - -~Fence~, a purchaser or receiver of stolen goods; also, the shop or -warehouse of a FENCER.--_Old Cant._ - -~Fen-nightingales~, toads and frogs, from their continued croaking at -night. - -~Feringee~, a European--that is, a Frank.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Ferricadouzer~, a knock-down blow, a good thrashing. Probably derived, -through the _Lingua Franca_, from the _Italian_, "far' cader' douser," -to knock down. "Far' cader' morto," is to knock down dead. - -~Few~, used to signify the reverse, thus:--"Don't you call this -considerably jolly?" "I believe you, my bo-o-oy, A FEW." Sometimes the -reply is, "just a FEW." Another expression of the same kind is RATHER, -which _see_. - -~Fib~, to beat or strike.--_Old Cant._ - -~Fib~, to lie, to romance. - -~Fibbing~, a series of blows delivered quickly, and at a short -distance.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Fiddle~, a sharper, "a street mugger." In America, a swindle or an -imposture. - -~Fiddle~, "to play second FIDDLE," to act subordinately, or follow the -lead of another. From the orchestral practice. - -~Fiddle-face~, a person with a wizened countenance. - -~Fiddle-faddle~, twaddle, or trifling discourse.--_Old Cant._ - -~Fiddler~, a sharper, a cheat; also a careless, negligent, or dilatory -person. On board some ocean steamers the FIDDLER is the capstan-house, -the only place on board where passengers are permitted to smoke. The -term FIDDLER is easily traceable to the fact that, while the seamen are -working the capstan-bars, a man sometimes plays on the fiddle to cheer -them at their toil. - -~Fiddler~, a sixpence. Fiddler's money is small money; generally from -the old custom of each couple at a dance paying the fiddler sixpence. - -~Fiddler~, or FADGE, a farthing. - -~Fiddlers' green~, the place where sailors expect to go when they die. -It is a place of fiddling, dancing, rum, and tobacco, and is undoubtedly -the "Land of Cocaigne," mentioned in medival manuscripts. A story is -told of a drunken sailor who heard a street preacher threatening all -listeners with eternal damnation, and who went up and asked where he -(the sailor) was going after death. "To hell, of course," replied the -preacher. "No, you lubberly son of a sea-cook!" shouted the seaman, -knocking the itinerant down; "I'm going to FIDDLER'S GREEN; and if you -say I'm not, I'll throttle you." Under compulsion, the preacher admitted -the existence of FIDDLER'S GREEN, _pro tempore_. - -~Fiddles~, transverse pieces of wood used on shipboard to protect the -dishes at table during stormy weather. Swing tables obviate the use of -FIDDLES. - -~Fiddle-sticks!~ an exclamation signifying nonsense. Sometimes -"Fiddle-de-dee." - -~Fiddling~, doing any odd jobs in the streets, holding horses, carrying -parcels, &c., for a living. Among the middle classes, FIDDLING means -idling away time, or trifling, and amongst sharpers it means gambling. - -~Fid-fad~, a game similar to chequers, or drafts, played in the West of -England. - -~Field~, the whole of the runners in a race of any kind. "A FIELD of -fourteen runners was placed in care of the starter." In betting -phraseology the FIELD represents the bulk of the horses, as opposed to -the favourite. "The FIELD for a pony," means that the offerer will lay -25_l._ against the favourite, preferring the chances of a winner turning -up amongst the others. "Ten to one on the FIELD," means that the price -named can be obtained about any horse in the race, that being the lowest -figure or favourite's price. Laying against favourites is called -FIELDING, and bookmakers are often known as FIELDERS. - -~Field~, "to look out," at cricket. In the outings of an eleven the -FIELDERS are those who stand away from the wickets with a view to -checking the progress of the ball. FIELDING is a great essential to -cricket, and to be "a good FIELD" is no slight honour. Also to lay -against favourites in the betting. - -~Field-lane duck~, a baked sheep's head. Field Lane was a low London -thoroughfare leading from the foot of Holborn Hill to the purlieus of -Clerkenwell. It was formerly the market for stolen pocket-handkerchiefs. -Holborn Viaduct improved all but a small portion of Field Lane off the -face of the earth. There is but the smallest vestige of this famous (or -infamous) thoroughfare left. The neighbourhood has received an upheaval -within the past few years, and from one end the pedestrian must descend -to the remains of Field Lane by means of a flight of steps. - -~Fieri-facias.~ A red-faced man is often jocularly said to have been -served with a writ of FIERI-FACIAS. - -~Fi-fa~, a writ of Fieri-Facias.--_Legal._ - -~Fi-fi~, Thackeray's term for Paul de Kock's novels, and similar modern -French literature. - -~Fig~, "in full FIG," _i.e._, full-dress costume, "extensively got up." -Possibly an allusion to the dress assumed by our first parents after -they were naked and not ashamed, or else an abbreviation of figure, in -the references to plates in books of fashions. - -~Fig~, "to FIG a horse," to play improper tricks with one in order to -make him lively. The FIG is a piece of wet ginger placed under a horse's -tail for the purpose of making him appear lively, and enhance his price. - -~Figaro~, a barber; from _Le Nozze di Figaro_. - -~Fig-leaf~, a small apron worn by ladies. - -~Figure~, "to cut a good or bad FIGURE," to make good or indifferent -appearance; "what's the FIGURE?" how much is to pay? FIGURE-HEAD, a -person's face.--_Sea term._ - -~Filch~, to steal, or purloin. Originally a cant word, derived from the -FILCHES, or hooks, thieves used to carry, to hook clothes, or any -portable articles from open windows.--_Vide_ Decker. It was considered a -cant or gipsy term up to the beginning of the last century. Harman has -"FYLCHE, to robbe." Probably from "FILICHI," Romany for a handkerchief. - -~File~, a deep or artful man, a jocose name for a cunning person. -Originally a term for a pickpocket, when to FILE was to cheat or rob. -FILE, an artful man, was used in the thirteenth and fourteenth -centuries. To deal with an artful man is sometimes said to be like -biting a FILE. - -~Filibuster~, an American adventurer, who, if successful, helps to -extend the boundaries of the United States, becomes a General, and -receives high honours, but who remains a FILIBUSTER, and is despised as -such, if he fails. The Texan, Nicaraguan, and kindred expeditions were -of a FILIBUSTERING order. - -~Fillibrush~, to flatter, praise ironically. - -~Fimble-famble~, a lame, prevaricating excuse.--_Scandinavian._ - -~Fin~, a hand; "come, tip us your FIN," viz., let us shake -hands.--_Sea._ - -~Finder~, one who FINDS bacon and meat at the market before they are -lost, _i.e._, steals them. - -~Finnuf~, a five-pound note. DOUBLE FINNUF, a ten-pound note.--_German_, -FUNF, five. - -~Fire-eater~, a quarrelsome man, a braggadocio or turbulent person who -is always ready to fight. - -~Firkytoodle~, to cuddle or fondle. - -~First flight~, the first lot to finish in a foot or horse race, in a -fox hunt, &c. - -~Fish~, a person; "a queer FISH," "a loose FISH." Term never used except -in doubtful cases, as those quoted. - -~Fishfag~, originally a Billingsgate fishwife; now any scolding, -vixenish, foul-mouthed woman. - -~Fishy~, doubtful, unsound, rotten; used to denote a suspicion of a -"screw being loose," or "something rotten in the state of Denmark," in -referring to any proposed speculation. - -~Fit~, an Americanism denoting the preterite of the verb to fight. A -Yankee once came upon the words _nihil fit_, and he immediately wrote -off to the editor of the paper to which he subscribed to know "Who was -Nihil, who he fit, what amount he fit for, and if he won." - -~Five fingers~, the five of trumps, at the game of Five-cards, or Don. - -~Fives~, "bunch of FIVES," the fist. - -~Fix~, a predicament, or dilemma; "an awful FIX," a terrible position; -"to FIX one's flint for him," _i.e._, to "settle his hash," to "put a -spoke in his wheel." - -~Fixings~, an Americanism, equivalent to our word "trimmings," which -_see_. - -~Fiz~, champagne; any sparkling wine. - -~Fizzing~, first-rate, very good, excellent; synonymous with "stunning." - -~Flabbergast~, or FLABBERGHAST, to astonish, or strike with wonder; -literally, to strike aghast.--_Old._ - -~Flag~, a groat, or 4_d._--_Ancient Cant._ - -~Flag~, an apron. People who wear their aprons when not at work, are -called "flag-flashers." - -~Flag of distress~, any overt sign of poverty; the end of a person's -shirt when it protrudes through his trousers. - -~Flam~, nonsense, blarney, a lie, humbug. "A regular FLAM," a tale -devoid of truth. - -~Flame~, a sweetheart. - -~Flannel~, or HOT FLANNEL, the old term for gin and beer, drunk hot, -with nutmeg, sugar, &c.; a play on the old name "lambswool." Also called -"flip." There is an anecdote told of Goldsmith helping to drink a quart -of FLANNEL in a night-house, in company with George Parker, Ned Shuter, -and a demure, grave-looking gentleman, who continually introduced the -words "crap," "stretch," "scrag," and "swing." Upon the Doctor asking -who this strange person might be, and being told his profession, he -rushed from the place in a frenzy, exclaiming, "Good God! and have I -been sitting all this while with a hangman!" - -~Flap~, lead used for the coverings of roofs. - -~Flapper~, or FLIPPER, the hand. - -~Flare up~, a jovial social gathering, a "breakdown," a "row." - -~Flash~, showy, smart, knowing; a word with various meanings. A person -is said to be dressed FLASH when his garb is showy, and after a fashion, -but without taste. A person is said to be FLASH when he apes the -appearance or manners of his betters, or when he is trying to be -superior to his friends and relations. FLASH also means "fast," roguish, -and sometimes infers counterfeit or deceptive--and this, perhaps, is its -general signification. As it is used by those who best understand it -nowadays, the word means that which is not what it appears to -be--anything spurious, as jewellery and shoddy clothes. "FLASH, my young -friend, or slang, as others call it, is the classical language of the -Holy Land; in other words, St. Giles's Greek."--_Tom and Jerry_, by -Moncreiff. Vulgar language was first termed FLASH in the year 1718, by -Hitchin, author of "_The Regulator of Thieves, &c., with account of -flash words_." "FLASH" is sometimes exchangeable with "fancy." - - "My FLASH man's in quod, - And I'm the gal that's willin, - So I'll turn out to-night, - And earn an honest shillin'. - - "Tooral, looral la, - What are wealth's possessions? - Bless the man we love, - And blow the b---- Sessions."--_Lyra Flagitiosa._ - -~Flash it~, show it--said when any bargain is offered. - -~Flash o' lightning~, the gold band on an officer's cap.--_Sea._ Also in -street slang, a glass of gin. - -~Flat~, a fool, a silly or "soft" person; the opposite of "sharp." The -terms appear to be shortenings for "sharp-witted" and "flat-witted." Or, -maybe, from musical notes. - -~Flat-feet~, the battalion companies in the Foot Guards. - -~Flats~, playing cards; sometimes called "broads." Also the storeys of -large houses, built on the "independent" principle, each flat having -its separate and peculiar offices, street-door, &c. - -~Flatty~, a rustic, or uninitiated person. - -~Flatty-ken~, a public-house the landlord of which is ignorant of the -practices of the thieves and tramps who frequent it. - -~Flay the fox~, to vomit. Now replaced by the more popular "shoot the -cat." - -~Flemish account.~--_Old._ Still used by sailors for a tangled and -unsatisfactory account or reckoning. - -~Flesh and blood~, brandy and port in equal quantities. - -~Flesh bag~, a shirt. American humourists call a white shirt a "clean -biled rag." In the mining camps, and rough parts generally, a white -shirt is called a "biled shirt" to distinguish it from the usual woollen -garment, which cannot be boiled. - -~Flick~, or OLD FLICK, a comical old chap or fellow. Term of endearment -among low people. - -~Flick~, or FLIG, to whip by striking, and drawing the lash back at the -same time, which causes a stinging blow. A flicking is often -administered by schoolboys with a damp towel or pocket-handkerchief. - -~Flies~, trickery, nonsense. "There are no FLIES about me, sir." -Softening of lies. - -~Flim-flamn~, idle story.--_Beaumont and Fletcher._ - -~Flimp~, to hustle, or rob. - -~Flimsy~, a bank-note. Bank of Elegance notes are sometimes called soft -flimsies. In this particular case two good terms make a bad one, as both -"soft" and "flimsies" used separately refer to good notes. - -~Flimsy~, the thin prepared copying-paper used by newspaper reporters -and "penny-a-liners" for making several copies at once, which enables -them to supply different papers with the same article without loss of -time. - -~Flint~, an operative who works for a "society" master, _i.e._, for full -wages. - -~Flip~, corruption of FILLIP, a light blow. Also a hot drink. _See_ -FLANNEL. - -~Flip-flap~, a peculiar rollicking dance indulged in by costermongers -when merry or excited--better described, perhaps, as the "double-shuffle" -danced with an air of extreme _abandon_. Also, a kind of somersault, -in which the performer throws himself over on his hands and feet -alternately. - -~Flipper~, the hand; "give us your FLIPPER," give me your hand.--_Sea._ -Metaphor taken from the flipper or paddle of a turtle. - -~Floater~, a small suet dumpling put into soup.--_Whitechapel._ - -~Floating academy~, the hulks. - -~Flog~, to whip. Cited both by Grose and the author of _Bacchus and -Venus_ as a cant word. Many efforts have been made to ascertain the -earliest use; Richardson cites Lord Chesterfield. From _Flagellum_. -"Flawged," for whipped, occurs in "The Presbyterian Lash, or Nockhoff's -Maid Whipt," published in 1663. Nockhoff was the anagram for the name -of the Rev. Zachary Crofton, who had scandalized the town by subjecting -his servant-maid to the discipline of the nursery. There is a good story -on the proper orthography of the convertible term for castigation -related in a newspaper of 1841. A county magistrate, who had sentenced a -boy to be birched, wrote in his warrant that the boy was to be "floged." -The scrupulous gaoler hesitated to inflict the punishment, and sent back -the warrant to the justice for amendment, who thereupon drew his pen -through "floged," and ordered the boy to be "wiped." - -~Flogger~, a whip.--_Almost obsolete._ FLOGGER is still the term applied -to a number of strips of cloth attached to a handle, and used in -theatrical painting rooms to beat off the dust of the charcoal used in -sketching a scene. - -~Flogster~, one addicted to flogging. William IV., who was accused of -unduly and excessively punishing the sailors whom he commanded when in -the navy, was nicknamed in the newspapers "Prince William Henry -FLOGSTER." - -~Floor~, to knock down.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Floored~, when a picture is hung on the lowest row at the Exhibition of -the Royal Academy, it is, in artistic slang, said to be FLOORED, in -contradistinction to "skyed," which _see_. - -~Floorer~, a blow sufficiently strong to knock a man down, or bring him -to the floor. Often used in reference to sudden and unpleasant news. - -~Flop~, to plump; "to go FLOP down," to fall suddenly, with violence and -noise. - -~Flowery~, lodging, or house entertainment; "square the omee for the -FLOWERY," pay the master for the lodging.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Flue-faker~, a chimney-sweep. - -~Fluff it~, a term of disapprobation, implying "take it away, I don't -want it." - -~Fluff~, railway ticket clerks' slang for short change given by them. -The profits thus accruing are called "fluffings," and the practice is -known as "fluffing." - -~Fluke~, at billiards, playing for one thing and getting another. Hence, -generally what one gets accidentally, as an unexpected advantage, "more -by luck than judgment." - -~Flummery~, flattery, gammon, genteel nonsense. In American ships a -peculiar kind of light sweet pudding. - -~Flummux~, to perplex or hinder. - -~Flummuxed~, done up, sure of a month in quod, or prison. In mendicant -freemasonry, the sign chalked by rogues and tramps upon a gate-post or -house corner, to express to succeeding vagabonds that it is unsafe for -them to call there, is known as [Circle with dot], or FLUMMUXED, which -signifies that the only thing they would be likely to get upon applying -for relief would be a "month in quod."--_See_ QUOD. - -~Flunkey~, a footman or other man-servant. - -~Flunkeyism~, blind worship of rank, birth, or riches, or of all three; -toadyism. - -~Flush~, the opposite of "hard up," in possession of money, not -poverty-stricken.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Flush~, to whip; "FLUSHED on the horse," to be privately whipped in -gaol; to deluge with water, as in "FLUSHING the sewers;" to come upon -suddenly and completely,--"I came FLUSH upon him." - -~Flush~, a term in cribbage, signifying a hand of cards composed -entirely of one suit. - -~Flutter~, to try hard in defence or pursuit of an object. "I'll have a -FLUTTER for it," means I'll have a good try for it. Also to toss for -anything. Probably from the spinning of the coin. - -~Fly~, knowing, wide-awake, fully understanding another's meaning. - -~Fly~, TO BE ON THE, to be out for a day's drink or pleasure. - -~Fly~, to lift, toss, or raise; "FLY the mags," _i.e._, toss up the -halfpence; "to FLY a window," _i.e._, to lift one for the purpose of -stealing. - -~Fly-boys~, men employed to clear the printed copies from the Hoe -machines, on which daily papers are "worked." So called to distinguish -them from the "machine boys," a superior grade of labourers who "lay on" -the sheets. - -~Flying mare~, a throw in wrestling. - -~Flying mess~, "to be in FLYING MESS" is a soldier's phrase for being -hungry and having to mess where he can. - -~Flying stationer~, a paper-worker, hawker of penny ballads; "Printed -for the Flying Stationers" is the _imprimatur_ on hundreds of penny -histories and sheet songs of the last and present centuries. - -~Flymy~, knowing, cunning, roguish.--_Seven Dials and Low Life._ - -~Fly the kite~, or RAISE THE WIND, to obtain money on bills, whether -good or bad, probably in allusion to tossing paper about as children do -kites. - -~Fly the kite~, to evacuate from a window,--term used in padding-kens, -or low lodging-houses. - -~Fobbed~, old slang for robbed. From FOB, the ancient breeches-pocket -for the watch. - -~Fogey~, or OLD FOGEY, a dullard, an old-fashioned or singular person. -Grose says it is a nickname for an invalid soldier, from the French -_fougueux_, fierce or fiery, but it has lost this signification now. - -~Fogger~, old word for a huckster. - -~Fogger~, a farm servant who feeds cattle. Probably a corruption of -fodderer. - -~Foggy~, tipsy. - -~Fogle~, a silk handkerchief,--not a clout, which is of cotton. It has -been hinted that this may have come from the German _Vogel_, a bird, -from the bird's-eye spots on some handkerchiefs, but a more probable -derivation is the Italian slang (_Fourbesque_), FOGLIA, a pocket, or -purse; or from the French Argot, FOUILLE, also a pocket. - -~Fogus~, tobacco.--_Ancient Cant._ FOGO, old word for stench. - -~Follow-me-lads~, curls hanging over a lady's shoulder. - -~Foont~, a sovereign, or 20_s._ Probably a corruption of vingt. - -~Footing~, "to pay FOOTING." _See_ SHOE. - -~Forakers~, the closet of decency, or house of office. Term used by the -boys at Winchester School. Very likely from "four acres," the original -necessary having been in all likelihood a field behind the school. - -~Force the voucher~, a term in use among sporting tricksters, who -advertise to send certain winners, and on receipt of letters enclose -vouchers similar to those sent out by respectable commission agents, but -with double or treble the current odds marked thereon, in reference to -the horse named. A plausible letter is sent with the voucher, and the -victim is informed that on account of early investments made by the -firm, which has of course a high-sounding title, the extra odds can be -laid by them, and a remittance to the amount named, or part of it, is -requested. Of course the firm "dries up" when claims become heavy, and, -with a new name and new address, appears in the next week's advertising -columns. FORCING THE VOUCHER was a fine game when it was first started, -but it was soon overdone, as it required no particular ingenuity, and -offered special immunities, theft of this kind being rather favoured -than otherwise by the authorities. Certainly the law that punishes -honest betting men seems powerless with regard to these plunderers, -otherwise we should hardly be treated as often as we are to the -spectacle of one man being fined for honest dealing, while another -escapes simply because he is not a betting man, but a welcher. - -~Fork out~, to bring out one's money, to pay the bill, to "stand for" or -treat a friend; to hand over what does not belong to you--old cant term -for picking pockets, and very curious in its origin. In the early part -of the last century, a little book was published on purloining, and of -course it had to give the latest modes. FORKING was the newest mode, and -it consisted in thrusting the fingers stiff and open into the pocket, -and then quickly closing them and extracting any article thus caught. - -~Forks~, or GRAPPLING-IRONS, fingers. Costermongers and other clumsy -feeders have a proverb which seems to justify their taking bones and -choice morsels in their hands during the progress of a meal. It is, -"Fingers were the first FORKS;" sometimes varied to "Fingers were made -before FORKS." - -~Form~, condition, training. "In good FORM" or "in bad FORM" refers to a -man's or horse's state of being in the sporting world. FORM has also had -a moral significance of late years, and with the qualifying adjectives -attached as occasion requires, is extensively used in general -conversation. As, "It was bad FORM of Brown to do that." "That article -was bad FORM." In the latter cases the word "in" rarely appears. - -~Forty foot~, a derisive appellation for a very short person. - -~Forty guts~, vulgar term for a fat man. - -~Forty-twa~, the common place of retirement on a well-known French plan -at Edinburgh, so called from its accommodating that number of persons at -once. - -~Forty winks~, a short sleep or nap. - -~Fou~, rather more than slightly intoxicated.--_Scotch._ - - "We are na' FOU, we are na' FOU." - -~Foul~, to jostle or bore unfairly in a race. _See_ BORE. To touch any -foreign substance during a race--particularly a boat-race--is to FOUL -it. - -~Foul~, a touch, no matter how slight, of bodies or machinery in a race -of any kind. FOULS in boat-racing are often inevitable, and are not -always the result of boring or any other malicious practice. - -~Foul riding~, riding which after a horse-race is made the subject of -complaint, such as refusing to let a competitor pass, boring him against -the rails, &c. Some jockeys are great adepts at this work, and are -invaluable to a confederacy as a means, not so much of attaining victory -themselves, as of preventing its attainment in others. Of course unless -proof of jostling can be given, or evidence of malicious intent shown, -jockeyship of this kind is not considered foul riding. - -~Four-and-nine~, or FOUR-AND-NINEPENNY GOSS, a cheap hat, so called from -4_s._ 9_d._, the price at which a once noted advertising hat-maker sold -his hats-- - - "Whene'er to slumber you incline, - Take a short nap at 4 and 9." - -~Four-eyes~, a man or woman who habitually wears spectacles. - -~Four kings~, HISTORY OF THE, an old name for a pack of playing cards. -_See_ Sir Thomas Urquhart's _Translation of Rabelais_. In _Argot_, LIVRE -DES QUATRE ROIS. - -~Fourth~, or FOURTH COURT, the court appropriated to the waterclosets at -Cambridge; from its really being No. 4 at Trinity College. A man leaving -his room to go to the FOURTH COURT, writes on his door, in algebraic -notation, GONE^4, which expresses the Cambridge slang phrase, "gone to -the FOURTH." - -~Fourth estate~, the complete body of journalists of all descriptions. -This term is much in use among "liners." - -~Fox~, to cheat or rob.--_Eton College._ In London to watch closely and -narrowly. - -~Foxed~, a term used by print and book collectors to denote the brown -spotted appearance produced by damp on paper. - -~Foxing~, when one actor criticises another's -performance.--_Theatrical._ Also in street slang FOXING means watching -slyly. - -~Fox's Sleep~, or FOXING, a purposely assumed indifference to what is -going on. A fox, as well as a weasel, is said to sleep with one eye -open. - -~Foxy~, rank, tainted, from the odour of the animal.--_Lincolnshire._ - -~Foxy~, said also of a red-haired person. - -~Frapping~, a beating. _French_, FRAPPER. - -~Free-and-easy~, a club held at a low public-house, the members of which -meet in the tap-room or parlour for the purpose of drinking, smoking, -and hearing each other sing. These gatherings are generally called -harmonic meetings by the landlord, but FREE-AND-EASY best indicates the -character of the proceedings. - -~Free fight~, a fight conducted on the Irishman's principle--"Sure, -wherever you see a head, hit it." The term is, however, American, so the -practice may be considered fairly general. - -~Freeman's quay~, "drinking at FREEMAN'S QUAY," _i.e._, at another's -cost. This quay was formerly a celebrated wharf near London Bridge, and -the saying arose from the beer which was given gratis to porters and -carmen who went there on business. - -~French cream~, brandy. - -~French gout~, a certain disease, which is also known as "ladies' -fever." - -~French leave~, TO TAKE, to leave or depart slyly, without saying -anything; or obtaining permission. - -~Fresh~, said of a person slightly intoxicated. - -~Freshman~, a University man during his first year. The official -appellation for the students until they have passed the Previous or -First Cambridge Examination, otherwise called the Smalls or Little Go, -is Junior Sophs or Sophisters. After this they are Senior Sophs until -their last term, when they are Questionists, or preparing "_ad -respondendum qustioni_." At Oxford the title FRESHMAN lasts for the -first term. - -~Friday-face~, a gloomy-looking man. Most likely from FRIDAY being a day -of meagre fare among Catholics and High Church Protestants. - -~Frisk~, to search; FRISKED, searched by a constable or other officer. - -~Frisk a cly~, to empty a pocket. - -~Frog~, a policeman. Because, by a popular delusion, he is supposed to -pounce suddenly on delinquents. - -~Frog's march~, the manner in which four or more policemen carry a -drunken or turbulent man to the station-house. The victim is held face -downwards, one constable being at each shoulder, while the others hold -on above the knees. Often there is another active and intelligent -officer who beats time to the march on the recalcitrant hero's -posteriors. - -~Frontispiece~, the face. - -~Frow~, a girl, or wife. _German_, FRAU; _Dutch_, VROUW. - -~Frummagemmed~, annihilated, strangled, garrotted, or spoilt.--_Old -Cant._ - -~Frump~, a slatternly woman, a gossip.--_Ancient._ In modern slang it is -the feminine of FOGEY, and means a prim old lady, who is generally -termed "a regular old FRUMP." - -~Frump~, to mock or insult.--_Beaumont and Fletcher._ - -~F sharps~, fleas. Compare B FLATS. - -~Fudge~, nonsense, stupidity. Todd and Richardson only trace the word to -Goldsmith. Disraeli, however, gives the origin to a Captain Fudge, a -great fibber, who told monstrous stories, which made his crew say in -answer to any improbability, "You FUDGE it!"--_See Remarks on the Navy_, -1700. At page 87 of a collection of some papers of William Crouch (8vo, -1712), the Quaker, we find a mention of this Captain. Degory Marshall -informed Crouch that-- - - "In the year 1664 we were sentenced for banishment to Jamaica by - Judges Hyde and Twisden, and our number was 55. We were put on board - the ship Black Eagle; the master's name was FUDGE, by some called - LYING FUDGE." - -Some persons believe that the word comes from the _Gaelic_, FFUG, -deception. - -~Fuggies~, hot rolls.--_School._ - -~Full against~, opposed to. As, "I'm FULL AGAINST him," I decidedly -object to, or dislike him, or I am opposed to him. The term originated -with the bookmakers; who, when they have laid all their money against a -certain horse, put a mark against his name, and reply to all inquiries, -"FULL AGAINST him." This grew to "FULL AGAINST his winning," and was -thus taken, when shortened, to express feeling the reverse of friendly. - -~Fullams~, false dice, which always turn up high.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Full blast~, a term evidently borrowed from the technology of the -engine-room, and now frequently used to express the heyday or apogee of -anything. As, "By the middle of the day matters were in FULL BLAST, and -proceedings generally were very satisfactory." - -~Full feather~, good condition, high spirits. Also any one gaily dressed -is said to be in FULL FEATHER. - -~Full fig~, full costume, male or female uniform or evening dress. - -~Full of beans~, arrogant, purseproud. A person whom sudden prosperity -has made offensive and conceited, is said to be too "FULL OF BEANS." -Originally stable slang. - -~Fully~, "to be FULLIED," to be committed for trial. Term in general use -among thieves. Possibly from the reports which, in the slang of the -penny-a-liner, say "the prisoner was FULLY committed for trial." The -magistrates often say FULLY committed also, whatever that may mean. - -~Funk~, trepidation, nervousness, cowardice. To FUNK, to be afraid or -nervous. - -~Funk~, to smoke out, or terrify. - -~Funking the cobbler~, a bold schoolboy trick, performed with assafoetida -and cotton stuffed into a hollow tube or cow's horn. The cotton being -lighted, the smoke is blown in through the keyhole of a door, or the -crannies of a cobbler's stall. A funny song, much in vogue some years -back, gave all the agonies of a drunken cobbler, who believed the devil -had come for him, with all sorts of accessories, till - - "He was told by a shout - That 'twas only some boys who'd been FUNKING him out." - -~Funny~, a rowing boat with both ends pointed and out of the water. - -~Funny-bone~, the extremity of the elbow--or rather, the muscle which -passes round it between the two bones, a blow on which causes painful -tingling in the fingers. Facetiously derived, from its being the -extremity of the _humerus_ (humorous). - -~Fye-buck~, a sixpence.--_Nearly obsolete._ - -~Gab~, GABBER or GABBLE, talk; "gift of the GAB," loquacity, or natural -talent for speech-making.--_Anglo-Norman_; GAB is also found in the -_Danish_ and _Old Norse_. - -~Gaby~, a simpleton, a country bumpkin. Probably from gape. - -~Gad~, a trapesing slatternly woman.--_Gipsy._ _Anglo-Saxon_, GDELING. - -~Gadding the hoof~, going without shoes. GADDING, roaming about, -although used in an old translation of the Bible, is now only heard -amongst the lower orders. - -~Gaff~, a penny play-house, in which talking is not permitted on the -stage. _See_ PENNY GAFF. - -~Gaffer~, a master, or employer; term used by "navvies," and general in -Lancashire and North of England. Early English for an old man. _See_ -"BLOW THE GAFF." - -~Gaffing~, tossing halfpence, or counters.--_North_, where it means -tossing up three halfpennies. One man tosses, and another calls. -Sometimes the coins are tossed from a stick, and the tosser keeps those -which fall heads uppermost. - -~Gag~, a lie; "a GAG he told to the beak."--_Thieves' Cant._ - -~Gag~, language introduced by an actor into his part. In certain pieces -this is allowed by custom, and these are called GAG-PIECES. _The Critic, -or a Tragedy Rehearsed_, is chief among these. Many actors, however, -take French leave in this respect with most pieces.--_Theatrical slang._ - - MR. ROBSON AT BELFAST.--We (_Northern Whig_) suspected a little bit - of what is professionally termed GAG in Mr. Robson's _Daddy - Hardacre_ last night. He had occasion to say that one of the - characters in the piece "understands me well enough," to which he - added--"I wish some other people did the same," with an expressive - glance at the pit; which we interpreted as having special reference - to those appreciative persons in the audience whom we have already - mentioned, who think it absolutely needful to roar with laughter at - every sentence Mr. Robson utters, without the least regard to - whether it be humorous or pathetic--only because Mr. Robson has fame - as a comic actor. - -When another Robson shall arise, no one will object to his GAGGING a -little. The public could afford that to such a man in these days of -"creations." - -~Gag~, to hoax, "take a rise" out of one; to "cod." - -~Gage~, a small quantity of anything; as "a GAGE of tobacco," meaning a -pipeful; "a GAGE of gin," a glassful. GAGE was, in the last century, a -chamber utensil. - -~Galeny~, old cant term for a fowl of any kind; now a respectable word -in the West of England, signifying a Guinea fowl.--_Vide_ Grose. -_Latin_, GALLINA. - -~Gallanty show~, an exhibition in which black figures are shown on a -white sheet to accompanying dialogue. Generally given at night by "Punch -and Judy" men. - -~Gallimaufry~, a kind of stew, made up of scraps of various kinds. Sea -term, and probably meaning the galley scraps. - -~Gallipot~, an apothecary. - -~Gallivant~, to wait upon the ladies.--_Old._ - -~Gallows~, or GALLUS, very, or exceedingly--an unpleasant exclamation; -"GALLOWS poor," very poor. Term originally applied to anything bad -enough to deserve hanging. - -~Gallows bird~, an incorrigible thief; often applied to denote a -ruffian-like appearance. - -~Gallowses~, in the North of England a pair of braces. - -~Gally-yarn~, a sailor's term for a hoaxing story. He expresses -disbelief by saying only "G. Y." - -~Galoot.~--_See_ GEELOOT. - -~Galore~, abundance. _Irish_, GO LEOR, in plenty. - -~Gamb~, a leg. Still used as an heraldic term, as well as by thieves, -who probably get it from the _Lingua Franca_. _Italian_, GAMBA; -_French_, JAMBE, a leg. - -~Game~, a term variously applied; "are you GAME?" have you courage -enough? "what's your little GAME?" what are you going to do? "come, none -of your GAMES," be quiet, don't annoy me; "on the GAME," out thieving. -To "play the GAME" is among sporting men to do a thing thoroughly and -properly. - -~Game leg~, a lame or wounded leg. - -~Gameness~, pluck, endurance, courage generally. - -~Gammon~, deceit, humbug, a false and ridiculous story. _Anglo-Saxon_, -GAMEN, game, sport. - -~Gammon~, to hoax, to deceive merrily, to laugh at a person, to tell an -untrue but plausible story, to make game of, or, in the provincial -dialect, to make GAME on;--"who's thou makin' thy GAM' on?" _i.e._, of -whom are you making a fool?--_Yorkshire._ - -~Gammy~, bad, unfavourable, poor tempered. Those householders who are -known enemies to the street folk and tramps are pronounced by them to be -GAMMY. GAMMY sometimes means forged, as "GAMMY-MONNIKER," a forged -signature; GAMMY STUFF, spurious medicine; GAMMY LOWR, counterfeit coin. -_Hants_, GAMY, dirty. The hieroglyphic used by beggars and cadgers to -intimate to those of the tribe coming after that things are not very -favourable is known as [Square], or GAMMY. _Gaelic_, _Welsh_, and -_Irish_, CAM (GAM), crooked. - -~Gammy-vial~ (Ville), a town where the police will not let persons hawk. - -~Gander Month~, the period when the monthly nurse is in the ascendant, -and the husband has to shift for himself. Probably from the open choice -he has during that period. - -~Ganger~, the person who superintends the work of a gang, or a number of -navigators. - -~Gape~, to stare about in an astonished manner. "GAPING about like a -country bumpkin." Sometimes pronounced GARP. There is no reference in -the use of this phrase by Cockneys to GAPE in its correct sense. - -~Gape-seed~, something to look at, cause for astonishment; a lazy -fellow, unmindful of his work, is said to be "looking for GAPE-SEED." -Rustics are said to find plenty of "GAPE-SEED" in London streets. - -~Gar~, euphuistic rendering of the title of the Deity; "be GAR, you -don't say so!"--_Franco-English._ - -~Garden~, among tradesmen signifies Covent GARDEN Market; among -theatrical performers, Covent GARDEN Theatre. - -~Gardener~, an awkward coachman; an insinuation that he is both coachman -and gardener, and understands the latter branch of service better than -the first; "get on, GARDENER," is a most insulting expression from a -cabby to a real coachman. Men who in small families do the coach, -garden, and general work, are sometimes called "teakettle grooms," or -"teakettle coachmen." - -~Gargle~, medical-student slang for drinkables. - -~Garnish~, the douceur or fee which, before the time of Howard the -philanthropist, was openly exacted by the keepers of gaols from their -unfortunate prisoners for extra comforts. The practice of garnishing is -by no means so defunct as some folk seem to think, and its influence may -often be traced by those who wish. - -~Garnish~, footing money.--_Yorkshire._ - -~Garreter~, a thief who crawls over the tops of houses, and enters -garret-windows. Called also a "dancer," or "dancing-master," from the -light and airy nature of his occupation. - -~Garrotte~, a system of robbery with violence much practised on dark -winter nights by ruffians who during summer infest racecourses and -fairs. Their victims are generally weak men and delicate women. From the -Spanish GARROTTE, because the practice generally commences with a -throttling attack. Procedure is, however, various, these gentlemen being -possessed of much ingenuity in the way of torture. "The cat" has within -the past year or so done much to modify this offensive state of things, -but the sympathetic appeals of certain tenderhearted M.P.'s and other -philanthropists, who are not themselves likely to be garrotted, on -behalf of the garrotters, will probably before long result in a -withdrawal of the _lex talionis_, and a natural resumption of the -garrotte system, with new adornments. - -~Garrotting~, a mode of cheating practised amongst card-sharpers, by -concealing certain cards at the back of the neck. - -~Gas~, to give off superfluous conceit, to bounce or brag; "his game is -GAS." "To give a person GAS," is to scold him or give him a good -beating. Synonymous with "to give him Jessie." - -~Gassy~, or GASEOUS, liable to "flare up" at any offence. - -~Gate~, THE, Billingsgate. Sometimes Newgate, according to the -occupation and condition of the speaker. In the same way Paternoster Row -is by publishers known as "the Row." - -~Gate~, to order an undergrad not to pass beyond the college GATE. As a -rule, the GATE begins after hall, but in extreme cases the offender is -GATED for the whole day.--_University._ - -~Gate-race~, among pedestrians a mock race, got up not so much for the -best runner to win, as for the money taken from spectators, at the gate. -This sort of business is not peculiar to pedestrians; there are such -things as gate-money meetings at horse-racing. - -~Gatter~, beer; "shant of GATTER," a pot of beer. A curious slang street -melody, known in Seven Dials as _Bet the Coaley's Daughter_, thus -mentions the word in a favourite verse:-- - - "But when I strove my flame to tell, - Says she, 'Come, stow that patter, - If you're a cove wot likes a gal, - Vy don't you stand some GATTER?' - In course I instantly complied-- - Two brimming quarts of porter, - With sev'ral goes of gin beside, - Drain'd Bet the Coaley's daughter." - -~Gaudy~, the annual dinner of the Fellows of a College, in memory of -founders and benefactors. From GAUDEAMUS.--_Oxford University._ - -~Gawfs~, cheap red-skinned apples, a favourite fruit with costermongers, -who rub them well with a piece of cloth, and find ready purchasers. - -~Gawky~, a lanky, or awkward person; a fool. _Saxon_, GEAK; _Scotch_, -GOWK. - -~Gay~, loose, dissipated; "GAY woman," a kept mistress or prostitute. -Many people will remember Leech's celebrated caricature of two wretched -females on an equally wretched night, and the question asked by one -woman of the other, "How long have you been GAY?" - -~Gay tyke boy~, a dog-fancier. - -~Gee~, to agree with, or be congenial to a person. - -~Geeloot~, or GALOOT, a recruit, or awkward soldier. A clumsy person, -also a term of contempt in America. - -~Gen~, a shilling. _See_ back-slang article. - -~Gent~, a contraction of "gentleman,"--in more senses than one. A -dressy, showy, foppish man, with a little mind, who vulgarizes the -prevailing fashion. - -~Gent~, silver. From the _French_, ARGENT. - -~Gentleman of four outs;~ in Ireland when a vulgar, blustering fellow -asserts that he is a gentleman, the retort generally is, "Yes, a -GENTLEMAN OF FOUR OUTS"--that is, without wit, without money, without -credit, and without manners. - -~Gentleman of three ins~,--that is, in debt, in danger, and in poverty. - -~Geordie~, general term in Northumberland and Durham for a pitman, or -coal-miner. From the _Greek_, GEORGE meaning one who works the earth, -originally a cultivator; the term has been in use more than a century. - -~German Duck~, a sheep's-head stewed with onions; a favourite dish among -the German sugar-bakers in the East-end of London. - -~German Ducks~, bugs.--_Yorkshire._ - -~Get up~, a person's appearance or general arrangements. Probably -derived from the decorations of a play. - - "There's so much GETTING UP to please the town, - It takes a precious deal of coming down." - - _Planch's Mr. Buckstone's Ascent of Parnassus._ - -~Ghost~, "the GHOST doesn't walk," a theatrical term which implies that -there is no money about, and that there will be no "treasury." - -~Gibberish~, unmeaning jargon; the language of the gipsies, synonymous -with SLANG, another Gipsy word. Somner says, "_French_, GABBER; _Dutch_, -GABBEREN; and our own GAB, GABBER; hence also, I take it, our GIBBERISH, -a kind of canting language used by a sort of rogues we vulgarly call -gipsies, a gibble-gabble understood only among themselves." _See -Introduction._ The GIBBERISH of schoolboys is formed by placing a -consonant between each syllable of a word, and is called the GIBBERISH -of the letter inserted. Thus, if F were the letter, it would be termed -the F GIBBERISH; if L, the L GIBBERISH--as in the sentence, "How do you -do?--_Howl dol youl dol?_" A GIBBERISH is sometimes formed by adding -_vis_ to each word, in which the previous sentence would be--"_Howvis -dovis youvis dovis?_" These things are worthy of schoolboys, as they are -in ability far below the rhyming, the back, or the centre slang, each of -which is constructed by people possessing no claim to literary -excellence whatever. Schoolboys in France form a GIBBERISH, in a -somewhat similar manner, by elongating their words two syllables, in the -first of which an _r_, in the second a _g_, predominates. Thus the words -_vous tes un fou_ are spoken, _vousdregue esdregue undregue foudregue_. -Fast persons in Paris, of both sexes, frequently adopt terminations of -this kind, from some popular song, actor, exhibition, or political -event. In 1830, the favourite termination was _mar_, saying _picemar_ -for picier, _cafmar_ for caf. In 1823, when the diorama created a -sensation in Paris, the people spoke in _rama_ (_on parlait en rama_.) -In Balzac's beautiful tale, _Le Pre Goriot_, the young painter at the -boarding-house dinner-table mystifies the landlady by saying, "What a -beautiful _soupeaurama_!" To which the old woman replies, to the great -laughter of the company, "I beg your pardon, sir, it is _une soupe -choux_." These adaptations can hardly be called slang, or we shall have -everybody making a slang of his own, and refusing to believe in any -one's else--a sort of secondhand edition of the Tower of Babel. - -~Gib-face~, a heavy, ugly face; GIB is properly the lower lip of a -horse; "to hang one's GIB," to pout the lower lip, to be angry or -sullen. - -~Gibus~, an opera hat. From the inventor of the crush hat. - -~Giffle-gaffle~, or GIBBLE-GABBLE, nonsense. _See_ CHAFF. _Icelandic_, -GAFLA. - -~Gig~, a farthing. Formerly GRIG. - -~Gig~, fun, frolic, a spree. _Old French_, GIGUE, a jig, a romp. - - "In search of lark, or some delicious GIG, - The mind delights on, when 'tis in prime twig." - - _Randall's Diary_, 1820. - - "'No heirs have I,' said mournful Matt; - But Tom, still fond of GIG, - Cried out, 'No hairs? don't fret at that, - When you can buy a wig.'" - -~Gig lamps~, spectacles; also a person who wears spectacles is often -called GIG-LAMPS. Connexion obvious. This term has been in use probably -as long as GIG-LAMPS themselves--if GIG-LAMPS were invented after -spectacles. - -~Gill~, or JILL, a homely woman; "Jack and Gill," &c. - -~Gills~, the lower part of the face.--_Bacon._ "To grease one's GILLS," -"to have a good feed," or make a hearty meal. A man suffering from the -effects of a previous night's debauch, is said to "look queer about the -gills." - -~Gills~, overlarge shirt collars. - -~Gilt~, money. _German_, GELD; _Dutch_, GELT. - -~Gimcrack~, a bijou, a slim piece of mechanism. Old slang for "a spruce -wench."--_New Bailey._ Any things which are gaudy and easily breakable, -are known now as GIMCRACKS. - -~Ginger~, a showy, fast horse--as if he had been figged with GINGER -under his tail; a red-haired man. Term commonly used in depreciation of -a person's appearance. - -~Ginger hackled~, having flaxen, light yellow hair. Term originally used -to describe a certain colour or colours in game-cocks.--_See_ HACKLE. - -~Gingerly~, to do anything with great care.--_Cotgrave._ - -~Gingham~, an umbrella. Term very common in London. - -~Gingumbob~, a bauble. - -~Gin-spinner~, a distiller, or rectifier of gin. - -~Give~, to strike, to scold; "I'll GIVE it to you," _i.e._, I will -thrash you. To lead to, in the sense of directions. Thus, in one of the -Christmas numbers of _All the Year Round_ we are told that "a side -portal and a passage, dark at noon, GAVE upon Paradise Alley." This -usage of the word, from the French idiomatic use of _donner_, is -becoming by no means uncommon. - -~Give in~, to admit oneself defeated, to "throw up the sponge," or -"strike one's flag." - -~Give it mouth~, a rude request to an actor or orator, which means, -speak up. Low folk can fancy nothing higher in the way of encomium on an -actor than, "He's the cove to GIVE IT MOUTH--rather!" - -~Gladstone~, cheap claret. GLADSTONE reduced the duty on French wines. - -~Glasgow magistrate~, a salt herring. When George IV. visited Scotland, -a wag placed some salt herrings on the iron guard of the carriage -belonging to a well-known GLASGOW MAGISTRATE, who made one of a -deputation to receive his Majesty. - -~Glaze~, glass; generally applied to windows. To "star the GLAZE" is to -break a window. - -~Glib~, a tongue; "slacken your GLIB," _i.e._, "loosen your tongue." - -~Glim~, a light, a lamp; "dowse the GLIM," put out the candle. _Sea and -Old Cant._ GLIMS, spectacles. _Gaelic_, GLINN, light. _German_ -(provincial), GLIMM, a spark. - -~Glim lurk~, a begging paper, giving a circumstantial account of a -dreadful fire--which never happened. - -~Gloak~, a man. Term much used in old thieves' cant. - -~Glum~, sulky, stem; "to look GLUM," to appear annoyed or disconcerted. - -~Glump~, to sulk. - -~Glumpish~, of a stubborn, sulky temper. - -~Go~, a GO of gin, a quartern of that liquor. (This word, as applied to -a measure of liquor, is stated to have arisen from the following -circumstance:--Two well-known actors once met at the bar of a tavern to -have a "wet" together. "One more glass and then we'll GO," was repeated -so often on either hand, that in the end GO was out of the question with -both of them, and so the word passed into a saying.) GO is also -synonymous with circumstance or occurrence; "a rummy GO," and "a great -GO," signify curious and remarkable occurrences; "all the GO," when -anything creates unusual interest, "no GO," no good; "here's a pretty -GO!" here's a trouble; GO, a term in the game of cribbage; "to GO the -jump," to enter a house by the window.--_See_ LITTLE GO; also -CALL-A-GO. - - "Gemmen (says he), you all well know - The joy there is whene'er we meet; - It's what I call the primest GO, - And rightly named, 'tis--'quite a treat,'" - - _Jack Randall's Diary_, 1820. - -~Go along~, a fool, a cully, one of the most contemptuous terms in a -thieves' vocabulary. - -~Gob~ or GOBBET, a portion. Generally applied to meat by schoolboys. - -~Gob~, the mouth, as in pugilistic slang "a spank on the GOB, drawing -the gravy." Also mucus, or saliva. Sometimes used for GAB, talk-- - - "There was a man called Job, - Dwelt in the land of Uz; - He had a good gift of the GOB; - The same case happen us." - - ZACH. BOYD. - -_Gaelic_--GAB and GOB, a mouth. _See_ GAB. - -~God bless the Duke Of Argyle!~ a Scottish insinuation made when one -shrugs his shoulders, of its being caused by parasites or cutaneous -affections.--_See_ SCOTCH FIDDLE, SCOTCH GREYS. It is said to have been -originally the thankful exclamation of the Glasgow folk, at finding a -certain row of iron posts, erected by his grace in that city to mark the -division of his property, very convenient to rub against. Some say the -posts were put up purposely for the benefit of the good folk of Glasgow, -who were at the time suffering from the "Scotch fiddle." This is, -however, but a Southern scandal. - -~Gods~, the people in the upper gallery of a theatre; "up amongst the -GODS," a seat amongst the persons in the gallery--so named from the high -position of that part, and the blue sky generally painted on the ceiling -of the theatre; termed by the French, "paradis." - -~Gods~, the quadrats used by printers in throwing on the imposing stone, -similar to the movement in casting dice.--_Printers' term._ - -~Go due north~, to become bankrupt, to go to Whitecross Street.--_Nearly -obsolete._ - -~Go for the gloves~, to lay against a horse on the chance of its losing, -without having the wherewithal to pay if it wins. Probably from the -custom of ladies who bet GLOVES, and expect, as the racing men say, to -"stand them to nothing," _i.e._, to be paid if they win, but not to pay -if they lose. This is a last resource of the bankrupt turfite; -and the big handicaps at the end of the year, the Cesarewitch and -Cambridgeshire, offer both temptation and opportunity to those who can -only hope to recoup themselves for their previous losses by "GLOVING IT" -successfully. When, in the sporting papers it is stated that a settling -at Tattersall's was more than usually unsatisfactory, it may be fairly -assumed that the GLOVES have not been won by those who most desired -them. - -~Go in~, to enter for, to apply oneself in pursuit of. Men at the -Universities are said to GO IN for honours, aquatics, or whatever their -chief desire or employment may be. The expression is now general. - -~Go it~, a term of encouragement, implying, "keep it up!" Sometimes -amplified to "GO IT, ye cripples;" said to have been a facetious -rendering of the last line of Virgil's _Eclogues_-- - - "Ite domum satur, venit Hesperus, _ite capell_;" - -or, "GO IT, ye cripples, crutches are cheap." - -~Goldbacked uns~, body lice. Sometimes called greybacked uns. - -~Goldfinches~, sovereigns. Similar to Canaries. - -~Gold-mine~, any profitable investment, from a fried-fish shop to a -remunerative speculation involving millions. - -~Golgotha~, a hat, "place of a skull." Hence the "Don's gallery," at St. -Mary's, Cambridge, and that part of the theatre at Oxford where the -heads of houses sit. - -~Gol-mol~, noise, commotion.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Golopshus~, splendid, delicious, luscious.--_Norwich._ - -~Gonnof~, an expert thief, a master of his craft; one of the greatest -compliments a London pickpocket can pay another is to say, "he's a -reglar GONNOF."--_See_ GUN. The word GONNOF is very old. During Kett's -rebellion in Norfolk, in the reign of Edward VI., a song was sung by the -insurgents in which the term occurs-- - - "The country GNOFFES, Hob, Dick, and Hick, - With clubbes and clouted shoon, - Shall fill up Dussyn dale - With slaughter'd bodies soone." - -~Good people~, the name given by country folk, evidently from fear of -offending by any less decided term, to fairies, brownies, pixies, &c. -Mothers often say to querulous children, "I wish the GOOD PEOPLE would -run away with you." - -~Goods~, in the sporting world, men or horses. A horse or man of -exceptionable quality is called "good GOODS," and a backer will speak of -either as being in his opinion "best GOODS," as compared with others in -the race. - -~Good time~, an expressive phrase, which means all earthly bliss to the -American mind. The finest reminiscence a Yankee can have is that of a -GOOD TIME, wherever it may have been spent. No moderate amount of -happiness is ever recorded in the register which denotes how often its -possessor has "had a GOOD TIME." - -~Good woman~, a not uncommon public-house sign, representing a woman -without a head,--the ungallant allusion is that she cannot scold. Maybe, -the publican does not think that it means also that she cannot drink. -The Honest Lawyer, another sign, is depicted in the same manner. - -~Goose~, a tailor's pressing iron. Originally a slang term, but now in -most dictionaries. - -~Goose;~ "Paddy's GOOSE," _i.e._, the White Swan, a celebrated -public-house in Ratcliff Highway. - -~Goose~, "to cook his GOOSE," to kill him; the same as "to give him his -gruel," or "settle his hash." - -~Goose~, "to get the GOOSE," "to be GOOSED," signifies to be hissed -while on the stage. The big-bird, the terror of actors. _See_ BIG -BIRD.--_Theatrical._ - -~Goose~, to ruin, or spoil; to hiss a play.--_Theatrical._ To be "sound -on the GOOSE" is in America to be orthodox in one's political creed. - -~Gooseberry~, to "play up old GOOSEBERRY" with any one, to defeat or -silence a person in a quick or summary manner. - -~Gooseberry-pickers~, sharp children, who are ostensibly placed in -charge of their elder sisters, when the latter go out shopping, but who -are in reality a check on any chance of flirtation. - -~Goosecap~, a simpleton, a booby, or noodle.--_Devonshire._ - -~Gooser~, a settler, or finishing blow. - -~Go over~, in clerical slang, signifies to join the Church of Rome. - -~Gorge~, to eat in a ravenous manner. "Rotten GORGERS" are those hungry -lads who hang about Covent Garden Market, and devour the discarded -fruit. - -~Gorger~, a swell, a well-dressed, or gorgeous man--probably derived -from the latter adjective. Sometimes used to denote an employer, or -principal, as the manager of a theatre. - -~Gormed~, a Norfolk corruption of a profane oath. So used by Mr. -Peggotty in _David Copperfield_. - -~Gospel grinder~, a City missionary, or tract-distributor. - -~Gospel Shop~, an irreverent term for a church or chapel of any -denomination. Mostly in use among sailors. - -~Goss~, a hat--from the gossamer silk of which modern hats are made. - -~Goss~, "to give a man GOSS," to requite an injury, to beat, or kill. -This is an Americanism, and is applied variously. A steamboat captain on -the Mississippi, determined to pass his rival, called out, so the story -goes, to the fireman, "Give her GOSS and let her rip, as I mean to pass -that boat, or bust." - -~Goth~, an uncultivated person. One who is ignorant of the ways of -society. - -~Go the whole pile~, to put all one's bank on a solitary chance. An -Americanism which had its origin in the PILES of gold dust used as -circulating medium by gambling miners. - -~Gourock ham~, a salt herring. GOUROCK, on the Clyde, about twenty-five -miles from Glasgow, was formerly a great fishing village.--_Scotch._ - -~Government sign-post~, the gallows. This is necessarily almost -obsolete. - -~Governor~, a father, a master or superior person, an elder; "which way, -GUV'NER, to Cheapside?" - -~Gowler~, a dog.--_North Country Cant._ _Query_, GROWLER. - -~Gownsman~, a student at one of the universities, as distinguished from -a TOWNSMAN. - -~Grab~, to clutch, or seize; GRABBED, caught, apprehended. - -~Grace-card~, the six of hearts, so termed in Ireland. A Kilkenny -gentleman, named GRACE, being solicited, with promises of royal favour, -to espouse the cause of William III., gave the following answer, written -on the back of the six of hearts, to an emissary of Marshal Schomberg's, -who had been commissioned to make the proposal to him:--"Tell your -master I despise his offer; and that honour and conscience are dearer to -a gentleman than all the wealth and titles a prince can bestow." This -would have been a much better story had James II. been a better King, -and had he not earned for himself, even among Catholic Irishmen, a -disgraceful name, through his craven conduct at the Battle of the Boyne. - -~Graft~, work; "where are you GRAFTING?" _i.e._, where do you work? -"What GRAFT are you at?" what are you doing? Perhaps derived from -gardening phraseology; or a variation of _craft_. - -~Granny~, a knot which will not hold, from its being wrongly and -clumsily tied.--_Sea._ - -~Granny~, to know, or recognise; "do ye GRANNY the bloke?" do you know -the man? - -~Grappling irons~, fingers.--_Sea._ - -~Grass~, "gone to GRASS," dead,--a coarse allusion to burial; absconded, -or disappeared suddenly; also, gone to waste; it is said of wasted limbs -that they have "gone to GRASS;" "oh, go to GRASS," a common answer to a -troublesome or inquisitive person,--possibly a corruption of "go to -GRACE," meaning, of course, a directly opposite fate. - -~Grass~, to knock down. Also to throw in a wrestling-match. "He GRASSED -his man with a heavy righthander," or "He brought his man to GRASS by -means of a swinging hipe." - -~Grass-comber~, a country fellow, a haymaker. - -~Grasshopper~, a waiter at a tea-garden. - -~Grass widow~, an unmarried mother; a deserted mistress. In the United -States, during the gold fever in California, it was common for an -adventurer to put both his wife (termed in his absence a GRASS-WIDOW) -and his children to school during his absence. Also a married woman, -resident in England, whose husband is in India or the colonies. - -~Gravel~, to confound, to bother; "I'm GRAVELLED," _i.e._, perplexed or -confused.--_Old._ Also, to prostrate, to beat to the ground. - -~Gravel-rash~, a scratched face,--telling its tale of a drunken fall. A -person subject to this is called a GRAVEL-GRINDER. - -~Gravesend sweetmeats~, shrimps. GRAVESEND TWINS are solid particles of -sewage. - -~Gray~, a halfpenny, with either two "heads" or two "tails"--both sides -alike. They are used for cheating the unwary at "Tommy Dodd," or pitch -and toss. They are often "rung in" with a victim's own money, so that -the caller of "heads" or "tails" cannot lose. Thus if A has to call, he -or a confederate manages to mix the selected GRAYS with B's tossing -halfpence. There are various and almost obvious uses for them. - -~Gray-coat parson~, a lay impropriator, or lessee of great tithes. - -~Gray mare~, a wife who "wears the breeches." From an old story in which -the point is to show that the "GRAY MARE," the wife's choice, "is the -better horse," and by parity of reasoning that the wife is superior to -the husband. - -~Grays~, or SCOTCH GRAYS, lice. These pretty little things are called by -many names, among others by those of GRAY-BACKS, and GOLD-BACKED UNS, -which are popular among those who have most interest in the matter. - -~Grease spot~, a minute remnant, humorously the only distinguishable -remains of an antagonist after a terrific contest. - -~Greasing~, bribing. Sometimes called "GREASING the palm" of a man's -hand. - -~Grecian bend~, modern milliner slang for an exaggerated bustle, the -effect of which is generally assisted by unnaturally high-heeled boots. - -~Greek~, a wide-awake fellow, a sharper. - -~Greek kalends~, an expression signifying an indefinite period; never. -Term used in making promises never intended to be carried out. The -Greeks had no KALENDS. - -~Greeks~, the low Irish. St. Giles's GREEK, slang or cant language. -Cotgrave gives merrie GREEK as a definition for a roystering fellow, a -drunkard. The GREEKS have always been regarded as a jolly, luxurious -race; so much so, that the Latins employed the verb _Grcari_ (lit. to -play the GREEK) to designate fine living and free potations, a sense in -which Horace frequently uses it; while Shakspeare often mentions the -merry GREEKS; and "as merry as a grig" (or GREEK) was long a favourite -allusion in old English authors. It is said by some that grig is in this -sense intended to represent the small eel of that name which from its -lively movements is supposed to be always merry; while others incline to -the belief that the cricket, which is also in some parts of the -provinces known as a grig, is meant. Readers may take their choice. - -~Green~, ignorant, not wide-awake, inexperienced.--_Shakspeare._ "Do you -see any GREEN in my eye?" ironical question in a dispute. - -~Greenbacks~, the paper money issued in the United States during the -war. The term was at first applied only to the notes for small amounts, -which were backed with green, but eventually the one word represented -all descriptions of what is now known in America as "currency." - -~Green-horn~, a fresh, simple, or uninitiated person. - -~Greenlander~, an inexperienced person, a spoon. Sometimes an Irishman. - -~Greenwich goose~, a pensioner of the Naval Hospital. - -~Griddler~, a person who sings in the streets without a printed copy of -the words.--_Seven Dials._ - -~Gridiron~, a County Court summons. Originally a summons to the Court of -Westminster only; from the GRIDIRON arms. The Grafton Club is nearly -always known as the GRID or GRIDIRON, that instrument being brought into -requisition whenever possible in the cuisine. - -~Gridiron and dough boys~, the flag of the United States, in allusion to -the stars and stripes.--_Sea._ - -~Grief~, "to come to GRIEF," to meet with an accident, to be ruined. - -~Griffin~, in India, a newly-arrived cadet; general for an inexperienced -youngster. - -~Grind~, "to take a GRIND," _i.e._, a walk, or constitutional. The daily -grind is a term representing employment containing much routine. At -Oxford college sports are called sometimes the GRIND. - -~Grind~, to work up for an examination, to cram by oneself, or with a -private tutor. - -~Grinder~, private tutor, a coach.--_University._ - -~Grinder~, a tooth. - -~Grindoff~, a miller. From _The Miller and his Men_. - -~Gripes~, the stomach-ache. _See_ TRIPES. - -~Grist to the mill~, money to the pocket, food to the family; anything -which is supposed to add to a man's immediate prospects, to his income, -or to his benefit in any way, is said to "bring GRIST TO THE MILL." - -~Grizzle~, to fret or cry continuously. - -~Grog blossoms~, pimples on the face, caused by hard drinking. Of such a -person it is often said, "He bears his blushing honours thick upon him." - -~Grog-fight~, a drinking party.--_Military._ - -~Groggy~, tipsy; when a prize-fighter becomes "weak on his pins," and -nearly beaten, he is said to be GROGGY. The same term is applied to -horses that are overworked and unsteady. From similarity of appearance -to the peculiarity of gait consequent on imbibing too much GROG. - -~Grove of the Evangelist~, a facetious name for St. John's Wood. - -~Growler~, a four-wheeled cab. It is generally supposed that drivers of -these vehicles take a less favourable view of life than do their Hansom -brethren. - -~Grub and bub~, victuals and drink of any kind,--GRUB signifying food, -and BUB, drink. - -~Grubbing ken~, or SPINIKIN, a workhouse; a cook-shop. - -~Grubby~, musty, or old-fashioned.--_Devonshire._ - -~Gruel~, "to give a person his GRUEL," to kill him. An expression in all -probability derived from the report of a trial for poisoning, or from -the easiest manner of administering a dose of poison. In the old days a -similar phrase was "to drug a posset." Compare "to settle his hash," and -"cook his goose." - -~Guardevine~, a cellaret.--_Scotch._ - -~Guinea pigs~, habitual directors of public companies; special jurymen; -and engineer officers doing civil duty at the War Office, and paid a -GUINEA per diem. - -~Guinea to a goose~, a sporting phrase, meaning long odds in favour of, -or against, anything under notice. In the City this state of things is -represented by the phrase, Lombard Street to a China orange. There are -also other colloquialisms on this subject, but their power is, as a -rule, mainly dependent upon their indecency. - -~Gulfed~, originally a Cambridge term, denoting that a man is unable -to enter for the classical examination from having failed in the -mathematical. These men's names appeared in the list of "Degrees -Allowed." The name GULF for this list is said to have arisen from the -boast of a former "wooden spoon." "I would have you to know there is a -great GULF between _me_ and the captain of the poll." Candidates for -classical honours were compelled to go in for both examinations. From -the alteration of the arrangements, the term as thus applied is now -obsolete. The expression is common now in Oxford as descriptive of a man -who goes in for honours, and only gets a pass. An Honorary Fourth is -when a candidate who only tries for a pass does so well that he is -raised to the honours' list. - -~Gull~, to cheat, to deceive; also one easily cheated. From the easy -manner in which the bird of that name is deceived. - -~Gullyfluff~, the waste--coagulated dust, crumbs, and hair--which -accumulates imperceptibly in the pockets of schoolboys. - -~Gully rakers~, cattle thieves in Australia, the cattle being stolen out -of almost inaccessible valleys, there termed GULLIES. - -~Gulpin~, a weak, credulous fellow, who will GULP down anything. - -~Gummy~, thick, fat--generally applied to a woman's ankles, or to a man -whose flabby person betokens him a drunkard. - -~Gumption~, or RUMGUMPTION, comprehension, capacity. From GAUM, to -comprehend; "I canna gauge it, and I canna GAUM it," as a Yorkshire -exciseman said of a hedgehog. - -~Gun~, a magsman or street thief. Diminutive of gonnuf or gunnof. A -GUN'S practice is known as GUNOVING. - -~Gunner's daughter~, a term facetiously applied to the method of -punishing boys in the Royal Navy by tying them securely to the breech of -a cannon, so as to present the proper part convenient for the cat, and -flogging them. This is called "marrying" or "kissing" the GUNNER'S -DAUGHTER. - -~Gup~, gossip.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Gurrawaun~, a coachman, a native Indian corruption of the English word -coachman. For another curious corruption of a similar kind, _see_ -SIMPKIN.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Gusher~, one overflowing with sentiment, a rhapsodizer. Romance-reading -young ladies are generally described as GUSHING, and of late years the -word GUSH has done duty as representing the newspaper work necessary for -a continuance of the "largest circulation." - -~Gut scraper~, a fiddler. - -~Gutter blood~, a low or vulgar man.--_Scotch._ - -~Gutter lane~, the throat. Probably from GUTTUR. - -~Guttle~, _see_ GUZZLE. - -~Guy~, a fright, a dowdy, an ill-dressed person. Derived from the effigy -of Guy Fawkes carried about by boys on Nov. 5. "Hollo, boys, another -GUY!" - -~Guy~, to get away. Same as HEDGE in street phraseology, which _see_. - -~Guzzle~, to eat or drink to excess; to eat loudly, hastily, and -clumsily. - -~Gyp~, an undergraduate's servant at Cambridge. Popularly derived by -Cantabs from the _Greek_, GYPS, _gyps_, a vulture, from the dishonest -rapacity peculiar to GYPS. At Oxford servants are called scouts. - -~Hackle~, pluck; "to show HACKLE," to be willing to fight. HACKLES are -the long feathers on the back of a cock's neck, which he erects when -angry,--hence the metaphor. - -~Hackslaver~, to stammer in one's speech, like a dunce at his lesson. - -~Haddock~, a purse.--_See_ BEANS. - -~Hair of the dog~, a "modest quencher," taken the morning following a -debauch. Originally a "HAIR OF THE DOG that bit you." This is very old, -and seems to show that homoeopathy is by no means new, so far as topers, -at all events, are concerned. - -~Half-a-bean~, half-a-sovereign. - -~Half-a-bull~, two shillings and sixpence. - -~Half-a-couter~, half-a-sovereign. - -~Half-a-hog~, sixpence; sometimes termed HALF-A-GRUNTER. - -~Half-and-half~, a mixture of ale and porter, much affected by medical -students; occasionally Latinized into "dimidium dimidiumque." Cooper is -HALF-AND-HALF, made of stout and porter. The term of HALF-AND-HALF is -also applied to the issue of marriages between gipsies and "white -people." - -~Half-a-stretch~, six months in prison. - -~Half-a-tusheroon~, half-a-crown. - -~Half-baked~, soft, doughy, half-witted, silly. HALF-ROCKED has a -similar meaning. - -~Half-foolish~, ridiculous; means often wholly foolish. - -~Half Jack.~ _See_ JACKS. - -~Half-mourning~, to have a black eye from a blow. As distinguished from -"whole-mourning," two black eyes. - -~Half-rocked~, silly, half-witted. Derived from a vulgar idea that in -the Westcountry children are nursed in a peculiar manner, which in -afterlife affects their wits. They are said to be nursed bottom upwards, -so as to sleep without much rocking. If this is inconsequent it is the -fault of the saying and not of the dictionary. Compare HALF-BAKED. - -~Half-seas-over~, reeling drunk.--_Sea._ Used by Swift. - -~Hall~, THE, Leadenhall Market, among folk who get their livings there, -in the same way as "The Garden" refers to Covent Garden. - -~Hand~, a workman or helper, a person. "A cool HAND," explained by Sir -Thomas Overbury to be "one who accounts bashfulness the wickedest thing -in the world, and therefore studies impudence." - -~Hander~, a second, or assistant. At some schools blows on the hand -administered with a cane are so called. - -~Handicap~, an arrangement by which, in any description of sport, every -competitor in a race is supposed to have a chance of winning equal to -the chances of his opponents. HANDICAPPING, in horse-racing signifies -the adjudgment of various weights to horses differing in age, power, and -speed, so as to place them as much as possible on an equality. At other -sports this equalization is managed by means of starts. - -The old game of HANDICAP (hand i' the cap) is a very different affair; -and, as it is now almost obsolete, being only played by gentlemen in -Ireland, after hunting and racing dinners, when the wine has circulated -pretty freely, merits a description here. It is played by three persons, -in the following manner:--A wishes to obtain some article belonging to -B, say a horse; and offers to "challenge" his watch against it. B -agrees; and C is chosen as HANDICAPPER to "make the award"--that is, to -name the sum of money that the owner of the article of lesser value -shall give with it, in exchange for the more valuable one. The three -parties, A, B, and C, put down a certain stake each, and then the -HANDICAPPER makes his award. If A and B are both satisfied with the -award, the exchange is made between the horse and watch, and the -HANDICAPPER wins, and takes up the stakes. Or if neither be satisfied -with the award, the HANDICAPPER takes the stakes; but if A be satisfied -and B not, or _vice vers_, the party who declares himself satisfied -gets the stakes. It is consequently the object of the HANDICAPPER to -make such award as will cause the challenger and challenged to be of the -same mind; and considerable ingenuity is required and exhibited on his -part. The challenge having been made, as stated, between A's watch and -B's horse, each party puts his HAND into a CAP or hat [or into his -pocket] while C makes the award, which he purposely does in as rapid and -complex a manner as possible. Thus, after humorously exaggerating the -various excellences of the articles, he may say--"The owner of the -superior gold lever watch shall give to the owner of the beautiful -thoroughbred bay horse, called Flyaway, the watch and fifteen -half-crowns, seven crowns, eighteen half-guineas, one hundred and forty -groats, thirteen sovereigns, fifty-nine pence, seventeen shillings and -sixty-three farthings. Draw, gentlemen!" A and B must instantly then -draw out and open their hands. If money appears in both, they are -agreed, and the award stands good; if money be in neither hand, they are -also agreed, but the award is rejected. If money be only in one hand, -they are not agreed, the award is off, and the stakes go as already -stated. Very frequently, neither A nor B is sufficiently quick in his -mental calculation to follow the HANDICAPPER, and not knowing on the -instant the total of the various sums in the award, prefers being "off," -and, therefore, "draws" no money. As in this event the HANDICAPPER gets -the stakes, the reason for the complex nature of his award is obvious. - -When HANDICAPPING has once commenced in a convivial party, it is -considered unsportsmanlike to refuse a challenge. So when the small -hours draw on, and the fun becomes fast and furious, coats, boots, -waistcoats, even shirts are challenged, HANDICAPPED, and exchanged, -amidst an almost indescribable scene of good humoured joviality and -stentorian laughter. This is the true HANDICAP. The application of the -term to horse-racing has arisen from one or more persons being chosen to -make the award between persons, who put down equal sums of money, on -entering horses unequal in power and speed for the same race. So that -the HANDICAP has ultimately come to be regarded as an arrangement of a -purely business-like nature, by which means affairs, no matter how much -they may differ in degree, may be arranged satisfactorily by all -parties. The use of the word is spreading rapidly, and it has already a -sense beyond that of mere sporting. - -~Handicap~, to make even, as a Roland for an Oliver. Not long since in a -pedestrian enclosure, a pugilist who had been specially retained on one -side struck a member of the other party, who not being a fighting-man -received the blow with apparent contentment. The injured person had, -however, determined on being revenged, and about an hour afterwards he -knocked the professional down with a big stick, using the words at the -same time, "that HANDICAPS us" (that makes us even). The word is often -used thus also: A man finding himself inferior to another at fisticuffs -will, seizing a weapon, exclaim, "I'll HANDICAP you," _i.e._, I'll bring -you to my level (or "level myself up") with this. - -~Handle~, a nose; the title appended to a person's name; also a term in -boxing, "to HANDLE one's fists," to use them against an adversary. - -~Handling~, a method of concealing certain cards in the palm of the -hand, or in fashionable long wristbands; one of the many modes of -cheating practised by sharpers. - -~Hand-me-downs~, second-hand clothes. _See_ REACH-ME-DOWNS. - -~Hand-saw~, or CHIVE FENCER, a man who sells razors and knives in the -streets. - -~Handseller~, or CHEAP JACK, a street or open-air seller, a man who -carries goods to his customers, instead of waiting for his customers to -visit him. - -~Hanging~, in difficulties. A man who is in great straits, and who is, -therefore, prepared to do anything desperate to retrieve his fortunes, -is said, among sporting men, to be "a man HANGING," _i.e._, a man to -whom any change must be for the better. - -~Hangman's wages~, thirteenpence halfpenny.--_Old. 17th century._ - - "'Sfoot, what a witty rogue was this to leave this fair - thirteenpence halfpenny, and this old halter," intimating aptly-- - - "Had the hangman met us there, by these presages - Here had been his work, and here his wages." - - _Match at Midnight._ - -The clothes of the culprit were also the hangman's wages. See one of -Lord Bacon's aphorisms, beginning "A cursed page." - -~Hang out~, to reside,--in allusion to the ancient custom of hanging out -signs. - -~Hang up~, to rob with violence, to garrotte. Most likely from -throttling associations in connexion with the practice of garrotting. - -~Hannah~, "that's the man as married HANNAH," a Salopian phrase to -express a matter begun or ended satisfactorily. Meaning actually, -"that's the thing." - -~Hansel~, or HANDSEL, the lucky money, or first money taken in the -morning by a pedlar.--_Cocker's Dictionary_, 1724. "Legs of mutton -(street term for sheep's trotters, or feet) two for a penny; who'll give -me a HANSEL? who'll give me a HANSEL?" Hence, earnest money, -first-fruits, &c. In Norfolk, HANSELLING a thing is using it for the -first time, as wearing a new coat, taking seisin of it, as it were. -Danish, HANDSEL; _Anglo-Saxon_, HANDSELEN. - -~Ha'porth o' coppers~, Habeas Corpus.--_Legal slang._ - -~Ha'porth o' liveliness~, the music at a low concert, or theatre. Also a -dilatory person. - -~Happy-go-lucky~, careless, indifferent as to the favours or reverses of -fortune. - -~Haramzadeh~, a very general Indian term of contempt, signifying -base-born.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Hard lines~, hardship, difficulty. Soldiers' term for hard duty on the -lines in front of the enemy. LINES was formerly synonymous with _Lot_, -_see_ Ps. xvi. 6.--_Bible version_--"The LINES are fallen unto me in -pleasant places;" _Prayer-Book do._--"The LOT is fallen unto me in a -fair ground." - -~Hard mouthed un~, any one difficult to deal with, a sharp bargainer, an -obstinate person. Derivation obvious. - -~Hard tack~, ship biscuits. This is a term used by sailors to -distinguish their ordinary sea-bread from that obtained on shore, which -is called soft TACK, or soft tommy. HARD TACK is also a phrase used by -the London lower classes to signify coarse or insufficient food. - -~Hard-up~, a cigar-end finder, who collects the refuse pieces of smoked -cigars from the gutter, and having dried them, smokes them, or sells -them as tobacco to the very poor. _See_ TOPPER. - -~Hard-up~, in distress, poverty-stricken.--_Sea._ - -~Hardy~, a stone.--_North._ - -~Harebrained~, reckless, unthinking. - -~Harry~, or OLD HARRY, (_i.e._, Old Hairy?) the Devil; "to play OLD -HARRY with one," _i.e._, ruin or annoy him. - -~Harry-soph~, _erisophos_, very wise indeed), a student of law or physic -at Cambridge who, being of the same standing as the students in arts in -his year, is allowed to wear a full-sleeved gown when they assume their -B.A. gowns, though he does not obtain his actual degree so soon. An -undergraduate in his last year is a Senior Soph, in his last term a -Questionist. - -~Harum-scarum~, wild, dissipated, reckless; four horses driven in a -line. This is also called SUICIDE. _See_ TANDEM, RANDEM, UNICORN, &c. - -~Hash~, a mess, confusion; "a pretty HASH he made of it;" to HASH UP, to -jumble together without order or regularity. The term also occurs in the -phrase "to settle his HASH," which is equivalent to "give him his -gruel," or "cook his goose," _i.e._, to kill him. - -~Hatchet~, "to throw the HATCHET," to tell lies. Same as "to draw the -long bow." - -~Hatchet~, "to sling the HATCHET," to skulk.--_Sea._ - -~Hawbuck~, a vulgar, ignorant, country fellow, but one remove from the -clodpole. - -~Hawse holes~, the apertures in a ship's bows through which the cables -pass; "he has crept in through the HAWSE-HOLES," said of an officer who -has risen from the grade of an ordinary seaman, whose original position -in the vessel was forward--before the mast.--_Navy._ - -~Hay bag~, a woman. - -~Haymarket Hectors~, bullies who, in the interest of prostitutes, affect -the neighbourhood of Leicester Square and the Haymarket. - -~Haze~, to confuse and annoy a subordinate by contradictory, -unnecessary, and perplexing orders. - -~Hazy~, intoxicated, also dull and stupid. - -~Head-beetler~, the bully of the workshop, who lords it over his -fellow-workmen by reason of superior strength, skill in fighting, &c. -Sometimes applied to the foreman. - -~Header~, a plunge head foremost into water, or a fall in the same -posture from accident. Nowadays a theatrical expression for any -supposedly daring jump of hero or heroine in sensational dramas. - -~Head or tail~, "I can't make HEAD OR TAIL of it," _i.e._, cannot make -it out. Originally a gambling phrase. - -~Head-rails~, the teeth.--_Sea._ - -~Head-serag~, a master, overseer, or other important personage; from -SERANG, a boatswain.--_Bengalee_, and _Sea_. - -~Heap~, "a HEAP of people," a crowd; "struck all of a HEAP," suddenly -astonished. - -~Heat~, a bout, or turn, in horse or foot racing. By means of heats the -field is gradually reduced. - -~Heavy dragoons~, bugs, in contradistinction from fleas, which are -"light infantry."--_Oxford University._ - -~Heavy wet~, malt liquor--because the more a man drinks of it, the -heavier and more stupid he becomes. - -~Hedge~, to get away from any dangerous spot. "We saw the slop coming, -and HEDGED at once." - -~Hedge~, to secure oneself from loss over one bet by making others. -HEDGING, as a system of betting, is entirely dependent upon what happens -in the market after a horse has been backed. From information, or good -judgment, a backer selects, say, three horses, A, B, and C, whom he -thinks likely to advance in the betting, and takes 50 to 1--say 1000 to -20--against each of them. As the race-day approaches the horse A may -fall out of the betting, from accident or other cause, and have to be -written off as a dead loss of 20. But the other two horses, as -anticipated, improve in public favour, and the backer, who now becomes a -HEDGER, succeeds in laying 5 to 1--say 500 to 100--against B, and 2 to -1--say 500 to 250--against C. The account then stands thus:--A is a -certain loss of 20; but if B wins, the HEDGER will receive 1000 and -pay 500; balance in favour, 500. If B loses, the HEDGER will receive -100 and pay 20; balance in favour, 80. If C wins, the hedger will -receive 1000 and pay 500; balance in favour, 500. If C loses, the -HEDGER will receive 250 and pay 20; balance in favour, 230. -Deducting, then, the loss of 20 on A, the HEDGER'S winnings will be -considerable; and he cannot lose, providing his information or judgment -lead to the required result. It must be borne in mind that very often a -man who feels inclined to go in for a HEDGING speculation, may back half -a dozen horses, not one of which sees a short price or goes to the post; -besides which it must never be forgotten, that, however well turf -speculations may look on paper, they are subject to the contingency of -the bets being honourably paid on settling-day--the Monday after a -race--when unfortunately there are often more "receivers" than "payers" -at the clubs. However, turf transactions are among professionals -conducted at least as honourably as are any other business matters; and -it is only the fledgling swell, to whom the Legislature gives special -opportunities of losing his money, who is generally _non est_ when -paytime comes. "The Druid" in _Post and Paddock_ has remarked:-- - - "The term HEDGING has been quite superseded by "laying off;" and we - had, in fact, quite forgotten it till we saw it stated in the papers - lately, by a clergyman, who did not answer a question on doctrine as - the Bishop of Exeter exactly liked, that his lordship addressed him - to this effect: 'You are HEDGING, sir; you are HEDGING!'" - -Usually correct as "The Druid" was, he seems to have fallen into an -error here, as HEDGING, and "laying off," have been exchangeable terms, -as far as the oldest turfite can say. It should be remembered that -HEDGING is generally done with the man who has originally laid the odds; -for as a natural consequence, when the backer finds it convenient to -hedge, the layer finds it equally so to back the horse back,--the first -loss being considered always the best by bookmakers who _are_ -bookmakers. Besides which, the layer has generally a lot of "dead -money"--money to the good over horses he has laid against, which have -since been struck out--and this he profitably expends in backing certain -horses back for the purpose of levelling up the book. - -~Hedge-popping~, shooting small birds about the hedges, as boys do; -unsportsmanlike kind of shooting. - -~Heel-tap~, the small quantity of wine or other beverage left in the -bottom of a glass, considered as a sign that the liquor is not liked, -and therefore unfriendly and unsocial to the host and the company. _See_ -DAY-LIGHT. - -~Heigh-ho!~ a cant term for stolen yarn, from the expression used to -apprize the dishonest shopkeeper that the speaker had stolen yarn to -sell.--_Norwich Cant._ - -~Hell~, a fashionable gambling-house. Small places of this kind are -called "silver hells." Reason obvious. - -~Hell and Tommy~, utter destruction. - -~Helter-skelter~, anyhow, without regard to order or precedence. - -~Hempen cravat~, the hangman's noose. - -~Hen and Chickens~, large and small pewter pots. - -~Hen-pecked~, said of one whose wife "wears the breeches." From the -action of the hen in paired cage-birds. - -~Herring-pond~, the sea; "to be sent across the HERRING-POND," to be -transported. - -~Hiding~, a thrashing. Webster gives this word, but not its root, HIDE, -to beat, to flay by whipping. Most likely from the part attacked. The -threat of thrashing is sometimes conveyed thus:--"I'll tan (or dress) -your HIDE." - -~Higgledy-piggledy~, confusedly, all together,--as pigs lie. - -~High and dry~, an epithet applied to the _soi-disant_ "orthodox" clergy -of the last century, for whom, while ill-paid curates did the work, the -comforts of the Establishment were its greatest charms. - - "Wherein are various ranks, and due degrees, - The Bench for honour, and the Stall for ease." - -Though often confounded with, they are utterly dissimilar to, the modern -High Church or Anglo-Catholic party, who now receive the title at times; -while their opponents receive the corresponding appellation of "Low and -Slow," and the so-called "Broad Church" is defined with equal felicity as -the "Broad and Shallow." Humourists have divided these three portions of -one Church into Attitudinarians, Platitudinarians, and Latitudinarians. - -~High Church~, term used in contradistinction from "Low Church." - -~Highfalutin'~, showy, affected, tinselled, affecting certain pompous or -fashionable airs, stuck up; "come, none of yer HIGHFALUTIN' games," -_i.e._, you must not show off or imitate the swell here.--_American_ -slang, now common in Liverpool and the East-end of London. From the -_Dutch_, VERLOOTEN. Used generally now in the sense of fustian, -high-sounding, unmeaning eloquence, bombast. - -~High-flier~, anything above the common order. Apt students, fast -coaches, and special trains are sufficient instances of the extreme -openness of the qualification. - -~High-fly~, "ON THE HIGH-FLY," on the genteel or letter-bearing begging -system. - -~High-flyer~, a genteel beggar or swindler. A begging-letter impostor. - -~High-flyer~, a large swing, in frames, at fairs and races. The first -fast coaches were called high-flyers on account of their desperate -speed. - -~High jinks~, "ON THE HIGH JINKS," taking up an arrogant position, -assuming an undue superiority. Scott explains this game in _Guy -Mannering_. Nowadays HIGH JINKS is often used to mean a jollification. - -~High-lows~, laced boots reaching a trifle higher than ankle-jacks. - -~High-strikes~, corruption of _Hysterics_. - -~Hipped~, bored, offended, crossed, low-spirited, &c. This may have been -originally hypped, and have had some connexion with hypochondriacal -affections. - -~Hitched~, an Americanism for married. From the word HITCH, used in -America in the sense of to harness. - -~Hittite~, a facetious sporting term for a prize-fighter. Derived from -the Bible. - -~Hivite~, a student of St. Begh's College, Cumberland, which is -pronounced and generally written St. Bee's. Literally, Hive-ite. - -~Hoax~, to deceive, or ridicule,--Grose says this was originally a -University cant word. Corruption of HOCUS, to cheat. - -~Hob and nob~, to act in concert with another; to lay "heads together;" -to touch glasses in drinking; to fraternize in a convivial meeting or -merry-making. Originally meaning "foot and head,"--the touching of the -top of one glass with the bottom of another, and then reversing the -order. Nowadays it means simply to clink glasses together as a -salutation before imbibing. - -~Hobbadehoy~, a youth who has ceased to regard himself as a boy, and is -not yet regarded as a man. - -~Hobble~, trouble of any kind. A man is said to be in a HOBBLE when he -has offended the proprieties in any way, "from pitch and toss to -manslaughter." - -~Hobbled~, committed for trial; properly said of animals fed by the -wayside, with their forelegs fastened together. Hence people who gather -burdens about them are said to get into HOBBLES. - -~Hob Collingwood~, according to Brockett, a north country term for the -four of hearts, considered an unlucky card. - -~Hobson's choice~, "this or none." Hobson was a carrier at Cambridge, -and also a letter-out of horses for hire; and is said to have always -compelled his customers to take the horse that stood in the stall next -the stable-door or none at all. He was a benefactor to the town, and -Hobson's Conduit still stands as a memorial of him. - -~Hock-dockies~, shoes. - -~Hocks~, the feet and ankles; CURBY HOCKS, round or clumsy feet and -ankles. Term originating with horsey men. - -~Hocus~, to drug a person for purposes of robbery. The potion generally -consists of snuff and beer among rogues of the lowest class, and is by -them called "snuffing a bloke;" or sometimes, when the drug is -administered to a woman for purposes other than those of robbery, -"snuffing a blowen." - -~Hocus pocus~, gipsy words of magic, similar to the modern "presto fly." -The gipsies pronounce "_Habeas Corpus_," HAWCUS PACCUS (_see_ Crabb's -_Gipsies' Advocate_, p. 18); can this have anything to do with the -origin of HOCUS POCUS? Turner gives OCHUS BOCHUS, an old demon. Pegge, -however, states that it is a burlesque rendering of the words of the -Roman Catholic Church service at the delivery of the host, HOC EST -CORPUS, which the early Protestants considered as a species of -conjuring, and ridiculed accordingly. - -~Hodge~, a countryman or provincial clown. Most country districts in -England have one or more families in the name of HODGE; indeed, GILES -and HODGE appear to be the favourite hobnail nomenclature. HODGE is said -to be simply an abbreviation of Roger. - -~Hog~, a shilling.--_Old Cant._ - -~Hog~, "to go the whole HOG;" "the whole HOG or none," to do anything -with a person's entire strength, not "by halves;" realized by the phrase -"in for a penny in for a pound." Bartlett claims this to be a pure -American phrase; whilst Ker, of course, gives it a Dutch origin.--_Old._ -"To go the whole HOG" is frequently altered by those people who believe -there is wit in circumlocution, into "the entire animal," or "the -complete swine!" - -~Hoga~, do. "That wont HOGA," _i.e._, that wont do, is one of the very -commonest of the Anglo-Indian slang phrases. - -~Hogmagundy~, the process by which the population is increased. - - "There's many a job that day begun - That ends in Hogmagundy."--_Burns._ - -~Hogmany night~, New Year's Eve, when presents are solicited by the -young folk.--_Scotch._ - -~Hogo~, a tremendous stench. From _haut got_. Now often pronounced -FOGO. - -~Hoisting~, shoplifting. - -~Hold hard~, an exclamation made when a sudden stoppage is desired. -Originally an expression used in riding or driving, now general. - -~Hollow~, "to beat HOLLOW," to excel. - -~Holy Joe~, a sea-term for a parson. - -~Holy Land~, a very old term for the Seven Dials,--where St. Giles's -Greek is spoken. - -~Homo~, a man. _Lingua Franca_; but _see_ OMEE, the more usual Cockney -pronunciation. - -~Hondey~, a Manchester name for an omnibus, and the abbreviation of -HONDEYBUSH, the original Lancashire pronunciation of the word. - -~Honest Shilling~, a shilling earned by a process actually immoral, but -not positively illegal. The money earned by a prostitute is said to be -honest, as distinguished from that obtained by a thief. Probably from -the story of the converted burglar, who determined to sin no more -himself, and who lectured against dishonesty, but sent his wife out -regularly every evening with instructions to earn an HONEST SHILLING. - -~Honey blobs~, a Scotch term for large ripe, yellow gooseberries. - -~Honour bright~, an asseveration which means literally, "by my honour, -which is bright and unsullied." It is often still further curtailed to -"HONOUR!" only. - -~Hook~, an expression at Oxford, implying doubt, either connected with -Hookey Walker, or with a note of interrogation (?) "Yes, with a HOOK at -the end of it!" _i.e._, with some reservation, generally that of doubt, -by the speaker. - -~Hook~, to steal or rob. _See_ the following. - -~Hook or by crook~, by fair means or foul--in allusion to the hook with -which footpads used to steal from open windows, &c., and from which -HOOK, to take or steal, has been derived. Mentioned in _Hudibras_ as a -cant term. - -~Hook it~, "get out of the way," or "be off about your business;" -generally varied by "take your HOOK." "To HOOK it," to run away, to -decamp; "on one's own HOOK," dependent upon one's own exertions. -Originally connected with the preceding, but now perfectly "on its own -HOOK." - -~Hookey walker!~ ejaculation of incredulity, usually shortened to -WALKER!--which _see_. - -~Hooks~, "dropped off the HOOKS," said of a deceased person--possibly -derived from the ancient practice of suspending on hooks the quarters of -a traitor or felon sentenced by the old law to be hung, drawn, and -quartered, which dropped off the hooks as they decayed. - -~Hook um snivey~ (formerly "HOOK and SNIVEY"), a low expression, meaning -to cheat by feigning sickness or other means. Also a piece of thick iron -wire crooked at one end, and fastened into a wooden handle, for the -purpose of undoing from the outside the wooden bolt of a door. Sometimes -used as an irrelevant answer by street boys. As, "who did that?"--"HOOK -UM SNIVEY"--actually no one. - -~Hop~, a dance.--_Fashionable slang._ - -~Hop merchant~, a dancing master. - -~Hop o' my thumb~, an undersized person. From the story of that name. -Portion of a set of phrases established for the benefit of the small, in -which Tomtit, Little Breeches, Daniel Lambert, Sixfoot, Twentystun, &c., -play a prominent part. - -~Hopping Giles~, a cripple. St. gidius or Giles, himself similarly -afflicted, was the patron saint of lazars and cripples. The ancient -lazar houses were dedicated to him. - -~Hoppo~, custom-house officer, or custom-house. Almost anything -connected with custom-house business.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Hop the twig~, to run away; also, a flippant expression meaning to die. -Many similar phrases are used by the thoughtless and jocose, as "laying -down one's knife and fork," "pegging out," from the game of cribbage, -and "snuffing it." A new form of this phraseology is to say that a man -has "given up" or "given in." - -~Hornswoggle~, nonsense, humbug. Believed to be of American origin. - -~Horrors~, the low spirits, or "blue devils," which follow intoxication. -Incipient _del. trem._ - -~Horse~, contraction of Horsemonger-Lane Gaol, also a slang term for a -five-pound note. - -~Horse~, to flog. From the old wooden horse or flogging-stool. - -~Horsebreaker.~ _See_ PRETTY HORSEBREAKER. - -~Horse chaunter~, a dealer who takes worthless horses to country fairs -and disposes of them by artifice. He is generally an unprincipled -fellow, and will put in a glass eye, fill a beast with shot, plug him -with ginger, or in fact do anything so that he sells to advantage. _See_ -COPER. - -~Horse marine~, an awkward person. In ancient times the "jollies," or -Royal Marines, were the butts of the sailors, from their ignorance of -seamanship. "Tell that to the MARINES, the blue jackets wont believe -it!" was a common rejoinder to a "stiff yarn." A HORSE MARINE (an -impossibility) was used to denote one more awkward even than an ordinary -"jolly." Nowadays the MARINES are deservedly appreciated as one of the -finest regiments in the service. - -~Horse nails.~ At the game of cribbage, when a player finds it his -policy to keep his antagonist back, rather than push himself forward, -and plays accordingly, he is sometimes said "to feed his opponent on -HORSE NAILS." - -~Horse nails~, money.--_Compare_ BRADS. - -~Horse's nightcap~, a halter; "to die in a HORSE'S NIGHTCAP," to be -hanged. - -~Horsey~, like a groom or jockey. Applied also to persons who affect the -turf in dress or conversation. - -~Hot coppers~, the feverish sensations experienced in the morning by -those who have been drunk over-night. - -~Hot tiger~, an Oxford mixture of hot-spiced ale and sherry. - -~House of Commons~, a humorous term for the closet of decency. - -~Houses;~ "safe as HOUSES," an expression to satisfy a doubting person; -"Oh! it's as safe as HOUSES," _i.e._, perfectly safe, apparently in -allusion to the paying character of house property as an investment. It -is said the phrase originated when the railway bubbles began to burst, -and when people began to turn their attention to the more ancient forms -of speculation, which though slow were sure. - -~Housewarming~, the first friendly gathering in a new or -freshly-occupied house. - -~How-came-you-so?~ intoxicated. - -~How much?~ A facetious way of asking for an explanation of any -difficult or pedantic expression. "Why don't you cook your potatoes in -an anhydrohepsaterion?" A waggish listener might be excused for asking, -"An anhydro--HOW MUCH!" - -~How's your poor feet?~ an idiotic street cry with no meaning, much in -vogue a few years back. - -~Hoxter~, an inside pocket.--_Old English_, OXTER. Probably the low -slang word HUXTER, money, is derived from this. OXTER is, among the -Irish, an armpit. - -~Hubble bubble~, the Indian pipe termed a hookah is thus designated, -from the noise it makes when being smoked. - -~Huey~, a town or village.--_Tramps' term._ - -~Huff~, a dodge or trick; "don't try that HUFF on me," or "that HUFF -wont do." Also a term in the game of draughts,--the penalty for failing -to take an opponent's piece when an opportunity occurs. - -~Huff~, to vex, to offend; a poor temper. HUFFY, easily offended. -HUFFED, annoyed, offended. Some folk are tersely and truly described as -easily HUFFED. - -~Hugger-mugger~, underhand, sneaking. Also, "in a state of -HUGGER-MUGGER" means to be muddled. - -~Hulk~, to hang about in hopes of an invitation. _See_ MOOCH. - -~Hulky~, extra-sized.--_Shropshire._ From this and from hulk we probably -get our adjective HULKING, as applied to the great lazy ruffians who -infest low neighbourhoods. - -~Hum and haw~, to hesitate, or raise objections.--_Old English._ - -~Humble pie~, to "eat HUMBLE PIE," to knock under, to be submissive. The -UMBLES, or entrails, and other unprime parts of a deer, were anciently -made into a dish for servants, while their masters feasted off the -haunch. - -~Hum-box~, a pulpit. This is a very old term. - -~Humbug~, an imposition, or a person who imposes upon others. A very -expressive but slang word, synonymous at one time with HUM AND HAW. -Lexicographers for a long time objected to the adoption of this term. -Richardson uses it frequently to express the meaning of other words, -but, strange to say, omits it in the alphabetical arrangement as -unworthy of recognition! In the first edition of this work, 1785 was -given as the earliest date at which the word could be found in a printed -book. Since then HUMBUG has been traced half a century further back, on -the title-page of a singular old jest-book--"_The Universal Jester_; or -a pocket companion for the Wits: being a choice collection of merry -conceits, facetious drolleries, &c., clenchers, closers, closures, -bon-mots, and HUMBUGS," by Ferdinando Killigrew. London, about 1735-40. - -The notorious Orator Henley was known to the mob as ORATOR HUMBUG. The -fact may be learned from an illustration in that exceedingly curious -little collection of _Caricatures_, published in 1757, many of which -were sketched by Lord Bolingbroke--Horace Walpole filling in the names -and explanations. Halliwell describes HUMBUG as "a person who hums," and -cites Dean Milles's MS., which was written about 1760. In the last -century, the game now known as double-dummy was termed HUMBUG. Lookup, a -notorious gambler, was struck down by apoplexy when playing at this -game. On the circumstance being reported to Foote, the wit said--"Ah, I -always thought he would be HUMBUGGED out of the world at last!" It has -been stated that the word is a corruption of Hamburgh, from which town -so many false bulletins and reports came during the war in the last -century. "Oh, that is _Hamburgh_ [or HUMBUG]," was the answer to any -fresh piece of news which smacked of improbability. Grose mentions it in -his Dictionary, 1785; and in a little printed squib, published in 1808, -entitled _Bath Characters_, by T. Goosequill, HUMBUG is thus mentioned -in a comical couplet on the title-page:-- - - "Wee Thre Bath Deities bee, - HUMBUG, Follie, and Varietee." - -Gradually from this time the word began to assume a place in periodical -literature, and in novels written by not over-precise authors. In the -preface to a flat, and most likely unprofitable poem, entitled, _The -Reign of HUMBUG, a Satire_, 8vo, 1836, the author thus apologizes for -the use of the word:--"I have used the term HUMBUG to designate this -principle [wretched sophistry of life generally], considering that, it -is now adopted into our language as much as the words dunce, jockey, -cheat, swindler, &c., which were formerly only colloquial terms." A -correspondent, who in a number of _Adversaria_ ingeniously traced -bombast to the inflated Doctor Paracelsus Bombast, considers that HUMBUG -may, in like manner, be derived from Homberg, the distinguished chemist -of the court of the Duke of Orleans, who, according to the following -passage from Bishop Berkeley's _Siris_, was an ardent and successful -seeker after the philosopher's stone! - - "194.--Of this there cannot be a better proof than the experiment - of Monsieur Homberg, who made gold of mercury by introducing light - into its pores, but at such trouble and expense that, I suppose, - nobody will try the experiment for profit. By this injunction of - light and mercury, both bodies became fixed, and produced a - third different to either, to wit, real gold. For the truth - of which fact I refer to the memoirs of the French Academy of - Sciences."--_Berkeley's Works_, vol ii. p. 366 (Wright's edition). - -Another derivation suggested is that of AMBAGE, a Latin word adopted -into the English language _temp._ Charles I. (_see_ May's translation -of Lucan's _Pharsalia_), and meaning conduct the reverse of -straightforward. Again, in the (burlesque) _Loves of Hero and Leander_ -(date 1642), we find "MUM-BUG, quoth he, 'twas known of yore," a cant -expression, no doubt, commanding a person to "shut up," or hold his -tongue, and evidently derived from the game of _mum-budget_ or -_silence_, upon which Halliwell (_Dict. Arch_.) has descanted. - - AMBAGE is also used in the sense of "circumlocution." "Without any - long studie or tedious AMBAGE."--_Puttenham_, _Art of Poesie_. - - "Umh! y' are full of AMBAGE."--_Decker's Whore of Babylon_, 1607. - - "Thus from her cell Cuman Sibyl sings - Ambiguous AMBAGES, the cloyster rings - With the shrill sound thereof, in most dark strains." - - _Vicar's Virgil_, 1632. - -De Quincey thus discourses upon the word:-- - - "The word HUMBUG, for instance, rests upon a rich and comprehensive - basis; it cannot be rendered adequately either by German or by - Greek, the two richest of human languages; and without this - expressive word we should all be disarmed for one great case, - continually recurrent, of social enormity. A vast mass of villany, - that cannot otherwise be reached by legal penalties, or brought - within the rhetoric of scorn, would go at large with absolute - impunity were it not through the stern Rhadamanthean aid of this - virtuous and inexorable word."--_Article on "Language."_ - -The original collater of these notes purchased the collection of essays -known as the _Connoisseur_ at the sale of Thackeray's library. At the -end of vol. i. he found a memorandum in the great humourist's -handwriting--"p. 108, 'HUMBUG,' a new-coined expression." On referring -to that page (in the 3rd edition, 1757) this paragraph was noted:-- - - "The same conduct of keeping close to their ranks was observed at - table, where the ladies seated themselves together. Their - conversation was here also confined wholly to themselves, and seemed - like the mysteries of the _Bona Dea_, in which men were forbidden to - have any share. It was a continued laugh and whisper from the - beginning to the end of dinner. A whole sentence was scarce ever - spoken aloud. Single words, indeed, now and then broke forth; such - as, odious, horrible, detestable, shocking, HUMBUG. This last - new-coined expression, which is only to be found in the nonsensical - vocabulary, sounds absurd and disagreeable whenever it is - pronounced; but from the mouth of a lady it is 'shocking,' - 'detestable,' 'horrible,' and 'odious.'" - -The use of this term is almost universal; in California there is a town -called Humbug Flat--a name which gives a significant hint of the -acuteness of the first settler. - -~Humdrum~, monotonous, tedious, tiresome, boring; "a society of -gentlemen who used to meet near the Charter House, and at the King's -Head, St. John's Street, Clerkenwell. They were characterized by less -mystery and more pleasantry than the Freemasons."--_Bacchus and Venus_, -1737. In the West the term applies to a low cart. - -~Humming~, strong as applied to drink. Extra strong ale is often -characterized as "HUMMING October." Maybe from its effect on heads not -quite so strong. - -~Hump~, low spirits. A costermonger who was annoyed or distressed about -anything would describe himself as having "the HUMP." - -~Hump~, to botch, or spoil. - -~Hump up~, "to have one's HUMP UP," to be cross or ill-tempered--like a -cat with its back set up. _See_ BACK and MONKEY. - -~Humpty-dumpty~, short and thick; all of a heap; all together, like an -egg. - - "HUMPTY-DUMPTY sat on a wall." - -Also a hunchback. HUMPTY is an abbreviated form of the expression. - -~Hunch~, to shove, or jostle. - -~Hunks~, a miserly fellow, a curmudgeon. - -~Hunky~, an American term which means good, jolly, &c. As, "a HUNKY -boy," a good jovial fellow; and "everything went off HUNKY." - -~Hunter pitching~, the game of cockshies--three throws a penny.--_See_ -COCKSHY. - -~Hurdy-gurdy~, a droning musical instrument shaped like a large fiddle, -and turned by a crank, used by Savoyards and other itinerant foreign -musicians in England, now nearly superseded by the hand-organ. From the -peculiar noise made by the instrument, which in Italy is called "viola." - -~Hurkaru~, a messenger.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Husbands' boat~, the Saturday afternoon packet to Margate during the -summer season. So called for obvious reasons. The passengers by this -boat come in for an unusual share of attention from the cads peculiar to -this watering-place. - -~Husbands' tea~, very weak tea. _See_ WATER BEWITCHED. - -~Hush-money~, a sum given to quash a prosecution or stay evidence. Money -given to any one for the purpose of quieting him. - -~Hush-shop~, or CRIB, a shop where beer and spirits are sold "on the -quiet"--no licence being paid. - -~Huxter~, money. Term much in use among costermongers and low sharpers. -Probably from OXTER or HOXTER. - -~Hyps~, or HYPO, the blue devils. From HYPOCHONDRIASIS.--_Swift._ - -~Hy-yaw!~ an interjectional exclamation of -astonishment.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Ikey~, a Jew "fence." Corruption of Isaac, a common Hebrew name. - -~Imperence~, servant-girl currency for impudence or impertinence. "Now, -then, Mr. IMPERENCE, leave off now, do," seems, however, to have faded -away with Greenwich, Bartlemy, and kindred fairs. - -~Improve the occasion~, a slang term much in use among Chadbands and -Stigginses, who never lose an opportunity of IMPROVING the condition of -either pockets or stomachs at the expense of the credulous. - -~In~, "to be IN with a person," to be even with, or up to him; also, to -be on intimate terms, or in partnership, with him. - -~Inexpressibles~, UNUTTERABLES, UNMENTIONABLES, UNWHISPERABLES, or SIT -UPONS, trousers, the nether garments. All affected terms, having their -origin in a most unpleasant squeamishness. - -~Infantry~, nursery term for children; LIGHT INFANTRY, fleas. - -~In for it~, in trouble or difficulty of any kind. As, "You're IN FOR -IT, I wouldn't stand in your shoes for a trifle." - -~In for patter~, waiting for trial, referring to the speeches of -counsel, the statements of witnesses, the summing up of the judge, -&c.,--the fuss of which the prisoner sets down as "all so much PATTER." - -~Innings~, earnings, good fortune; "he's had a long INNINGS," _i.e._, a -good run of luck, with plenty of cash flowing in. From the distinction -between INNINGS and outings at cricket and kindred games. - -~Inside lining~, dinner, &c. - -~Interesting~, "to be in an INTERESTING situation," applied to females -when _enceinte_. - -~Interview~, to inspect privately with a view to obtaining information -which shall be afterwards published. Both the verb and its use have -their origin with our Transatlantic cousins, and "interviewing" by means -of special reporters, who question most minutely, is of frequent -occurrence,--of occurrence whenever opportunity offers. Should a man be -found guilty of murder, or start as a candidate for the Presidency, he -will be INTERVIEWED by "our special correspondent," and there are -already signs of this objectionable form of newspaper work finding its -way here. Should a visitor of importance arrive in New York, the -conversation which passes, or is supposed to pass, between him and the -reporter will be found minutely described, with an elaborate -introduction. It is but fair to Americans, however, to say that the -gentleman to whom the credit, or discredit, of the invention of this -system belongs was a native of Great Britain, who invented many other -startling Americanisms during his residence in New York. - -~Into~, "hold my hat, Jim, I'll be INTO him," _i.e._, I will fight him. -In this sense equivalent to pitch INTO, or slip INTO. - -~Invite~, an invitation--a corruption used by stuck-up people of -mushroom origin. Often used, also, by people who know better, from their -desire for slang of any kind. - -~Ipsal dixal~, Cockney corruption of _ipse dixit_--said of one's simple -uncorroborated assertion. - -~Irish American~, an Irishman who has been for some time resident in the -States; sometimes a man born in America of Irish parents. The Irish -American body is a power in the United States, and is the fount-spring -as well as the maintaining power of all Fenianism. - -~Irish apricots~, potatoes. - -~Irish Cockney~, a child born of Irish parents in any part of the -southern counties of England. It is a singular fact that Irishmen born -profess great abhorrence of IRISH COCKNEYS, while the latter despise all -Irish, and use the word as one of reproach. IRISH COCKNEYS were -originally only Cockneys born of an Irish strain, but the term has -proved very elastic, and threatens soon to mean any English-born person -whose descent is Hibernian. Liverpool will, however, always prove an -exception to the rule, as the name "Liverpool Irishmen" is given to -those who would in any southern part be called Cockneys. - -~Irish theatre~, the temporary prison, guard-room, or lock-up in a -barracks. The fond fancy of the soldier supplies it with other -figurative appellations, as "the mill," "the jigger," "the house that -Jack built." In Edinburgh Castle it is termed "the dryroom." - -~Irons in the fire~, a man is said to have too many IRONS IN THE FIRE -when he turns his attention to too many occupations or enterprises at -once. - -~Isthmus of Suez~, the covered bridge at St. John's College, Cambridge, -which connects the college with its grounds on the other side of the -river.--_See_ CRACKLE. - -~Ivories~, teeth; "a box of IVORIES," a set of teeth, the mouth; "wash -your IVORIES," _i.e._, "drink." The word is also used to denote dice. - -~Jabber~, to talk, or chatter. A cant word in Swift's time. Probably -from GIBBER. - -~Jack~, the knave of trumps, at the game of all-fours. - -~Jack-at-a-pinch~, one whose assistance is only sought on an emergency. -Jack-in-the-water, an attendant at the watermen's stairs on the river -and sea-port towns, who does not mind wetting his feet for a customer's -convenience, in consideration of a douceur. - -~Jacked-up~, ruined, done for. To JACK-UP is to leave off doing anything -suddenly. _See_ CHUCK-UP. - -~Jacket~, the skin of a potato which has not been pared before cooking. -In Ireland potatoes are generally served "with their JACKETS on." - -~Jacketing~, a thrashing. Similar term to leathering, cowhiding, &c. - -~Jackey~, gin. _Seven Dials_ originally. Nearly general now. - -~Jack-in-the-box~, a small but powerful kind of screw, used by burglars -to break open safes. - -~Jack Ketch~, the public hangman.--_See_ KETCH. - -~Jack Nasty-face~, a sailor.--_Sea._ NASTY-FACE is a term applied often -in London streets to an ugly or unpleasant-looking person. - -~Jacks~, AND HALF-JACKS, card counters, resembling in size and -appearance sovereigns and half-sovereigns, for which they are -occasionally passed to simple persons. In large gambling establishments -the "heaps of gold" are frequently composed of JACKS. JACKS are not, as -they are sometimes supposed to be, counterfeit coins; they are simply -little medals, and so "magsmen" and "street muggers" carry them with -less concern than they would feel were their pockets loaded with -spurious money. - -~Jack Sprat~, a diminutive boy or man. - -~Jack Tar~, a sailor. - -~Jacob~, a ladder. Grose says, from Jacob's dream.--_Old Cant._ - -~Jacob's ladder~, a longitudinal flaw in the leg of a ballet-girl's -tights. - -~Jagger~, a gentleman. _German_, JAGER, a sportsman. - -~Jail-bird~, a prisoner, one who has been in jail. - -~James~, a sovereign, or twenty shillings. From JACOBUS, the James II. -guinea. - -~Jannock~, sociable, fair dealing.--_Norfolk._ Generally now JONNICK, -which _see_. - -~Japan~, to ordain. Having evident reference to the black clothes which -follow ordination.--_University._ - -~Jark~, a "safe-conduct" pass.--_Oxford._ Old cant for a seal. - -~Jarvey~, the driver of a hackney-coach; "JARVEY'S upper Benjamin," a -coachman's overcoat, with many capes. An ingenious etymology has been -found for JARVEY, thus:--JARVEY, vernacular for Geoffrey, which was -often written Geo. (gee-ho), hence JARVEY. This is open to considerable -objection, as George is shortened in similar manner to that shown above. -Still it is worthy of record, independently of its ingenuity, being as -exact as many accepted derivations. - -~Jaw~, speech, or talk; "hold your JAW," don't speak any more; "what are -you JAWING about?" _i.e._, what are you making a noise about? - -~Jaw~, to talk without cessation, to scold vehemently. - -~Jawbone~, credit. - - "We have a few persons whose pockets are to let--men who have more - complaints than dollars--individuals who, in digger's parlance, live - on JAWBONE (credit), and are always to be found at saloons; a class - of men who, when they are here, wish themselves yonder, and when - yonder, wish themselves back."--_Times Correspondent, San Francisco, - Oct. 21, 1862._ - -~Jaw-breaker~, a hard or excessively long word. Also, in pugilistic -sense, a hard blow on the side of the face. - -~Jaw-twister~, a hard or many-syllabled word. Elaboration of preceding. - -~Jazey~, a wig. A corruption of JERSEY, the name for flax prepared in a -peculiar manner, of which common wigs were formerly made; "the cove with -the JAZEY," _i.e._, the judge. - -~Jeames~ (a generic for "flunkeys"), the _Morning Post_ newspaper--the -organ of Belgravia and the "Haristocracy." - -~Jehu~, old slang term for a coachman, or one fond of -driving.--_Biblical._ - -~Jeminy O!~ a vulgar expression of surprise. - -~Jemmy~, a sheep's-head.--_See_ SANGUINARY JAMES. - -~Jemmy~, a short crowbar, which generally takes to pieces, for the -convenience of housebreakers. - -~Jemmy ducks~, the man whose business it is to look after the poultry on -board a ship.--_Sea._ - -~Jemmy Jessamy~, a dandy. - -~Jemmy-John~, a jar for holding liquor; probably a corruption of -demi-gallon, by means of DEMI-JOHN. - -~Jeremiad~, a lament; derived, of course, from the Book of Lamentations, -written by the Prophet Jeremiah. - -~Jeremy Diddler~, an adept at raising the wind, _i.e._, at borrowing, -especially at borrowing with no intention of repaying. _See_ the farce -of _Raising the Wind_. - -~Jericho~, an improper quarter of Oxford. A lady visitor once writing -her name down in the visitors' book at the Bodleian or elsewhere, for a -joke put down her residence as "Jericho," to the no small disgust of her -undergraduate friend.--_University._ - -~Jerry~, a chamber utensil; abbreviation of JEROBOAM.--_Swift._ - -~Jerry~, a watch. "JERRY nicking" or "JERRY sneaking" is watch-stealing, -which is a distinct form of street robbery, and requires both courage -and dexterity; for it is done, as the thieves say, "right afore a -bloke's face." - -~Jerry~, to jibe or chaff cruelly. Development of jeer. - -~Jerry-go-nimble~, the diarrhoea. Derivation apparent. - -~Jerry Lynch~, a pig's head pickled. Term usually applied to the long -Irish heads which are sent over here for sale in the poorer districts of -London, and which are vastly different from the heads of "dairy-fed" -porkers. - -~Jerry shop~, a beer-house. Contraction of "Tom and Jerry." - -~Jerry Sneak~, a hen-pecked husband,--a character in the _Mayor of -Garret_. Also, a stealer of watches. - -~Jerusalem pony~, a donkey. - -~Jessie~, "to give a person JESSIE," to beat him soundly. _See_ GAS. - -~Jew fencer~, a Jew street salesman. - -~Jew's eye~, a popular simile for anything valuable. Probably a -corruption of the _Italian_, GIOJE; _French_, JOAILLE, a jewel. In -ancient times, when a king was short of cash, he generally issued orders -for so many JEWS' EYES, or equivalent sums of money. The Jews preferred -paying the ransom, although often very heavy. It is notorious that in -this country the order often went forth to draw Jews' teeth in the -event of their refusing to contribute so much to the Exchequer. A -probable idea is, that as a Jew's teeth brought in so much money, the -value of a JEW'S EYE must be something fabulous. Possibly, also, from -the _lex talionis_ so strongly believed in by Jews,--an eye for an eye, -and nothing less. The term is used by Shakspeare. - -~Jezebel~, a showily-dressed woman of suspected character; derived, of -course, from 2 Kings ix. 30, but applied in this sense from the time of -the Puritans. Also, a hot-tempered female. - -~Jib~, a first-year man.--_Dublin University._ - -~Jib~, or JIBBER, a horse that starts or shrinks. Shakspeare uses it in -the sense of a worn-out horse. - -~Jib~, the face, or a person's expression; "the cut of his JIB," _i.e._, -his peculiar appearance. That sail of a ship, which in position and -shape, corresponds to the nose on a person's face.--_Sea._ A vessel is -often known by the cut of the JIB sail; hence the popular phrase, "to -know a man by the cut of his JIB." - -~Jibb~, the tongue.--_Gipsy_ and _Hindoo_. (Tramps' term.) Thence -extended to mean language. - -~Jiffy~, "in a JIFFY," in a moment. - -~Jigger~, a door; "dub the JIGGER," shut the door. _Ancient cant_, -GYGER. In billiards, the bridge or rest is often termed the JIGGER. -Also, the curtain of a theatre. JIGGER has many meanings, the word being -applied to any small mechanical contrivance. Printers use the word for a -little machine which guides the eye when copy is minute. - -~Jigger~, a secret still for the manufacture of illicit spirits. - -~Jigger~, "I'm JIGGERED if you will," a common form of mild swearing. -_See_ SNIGGER. - -~Jigger-dubber~, a term applied to a gaoler or turnkey. - -~Jiggot o' mutton~, a leg of mutton. From _Fr._ GIGOT. - -~Jilt~, a crowbar or house-breaking implement. - -~Jingo~, "by JINGO," a common form of oath, said to be a corruption of -ST. GINGOULPH. _Vide_ Halliwell. - -~Jo~, Scotticism for a man or lover. As "John Anderson, my JO, John." - -~Job~, "a JOB lot," otherwise called a "sporting lot," any miscellaneous -goods purchased at a cheap rate, or to be sold a bargain. Frequently -used to conceal the fact of their being stolen, or otherwise dishonestly -obtained. - -~Job~, a short piece of work, a prospect of employment. Johnson -describes JOB as a low word, without etymology. It is, and was, however, -a cant word; and a JOB, two centuries ago, was an arranged robbery. Even -at the present day it is mainly confined to the streets, in the sense of -employment for a short time. Amongst undertakers a JOB signifies a -funeral; "to do a JOB," conduct any one's funeral; "by the JOB," _i.e._, -piece-work, as opposed to time-work. A JOB in political phraseology is a -Government office or contract, obtained by secret influence or -favouritism. Any unfair arrangement is now called a JOB. - -~Job~, a sudden blow, as "a JOB in the eye." Also used as a verb, "I'll -JOB this here knife in your ribs." - -~Jobation~, a chiding, a reprimand, a trial of the hearer's patience. - -~Jobbery~, the arrangement of jobs, or unfair business proceedings. - -~Job's comfort~, reproof instead of consolation. - -~Job's comforter~, one who brings news of additional misfortunes. Both -these words are of Biblical origin. - -~Job's turkey~, "as poor as JOB'S TURKEY," as thin and as badly fed as -that ill-conditioned and imaginary bird. - -~Jocteleg~, a shut-up knife. Corruption of Jacques de Lige, a famous -cutler. - -~Joe~, a too marvellous tale, a lie, or a stale joke. Abbreviated from -JOE MILLER. The full name is occasionally used, as in the phrase "I -don't see the JOE MILLER of it," _i.e._, I don't perceive the wit you -intend, or I don't see the fun of doing it,--whatever may have been the -request. - -~Joey~, a fourpenny piece. The term is derived (like BOBBY from Sir -Robert Peel) from Joseph Hume. The explanation is thus given in -Hawkins's _History of the Silver Coinage of England_:-- - - "These pieces are said to have owed their existence to the pressing - instance of Mr. Hume, from whence they, for some time, bore the - nickname of JOEYS. As they were very convenient to pay short cab - fares, the hon. M.P. was extremely unpopular with the drivers, who - frequently received only a groat where otherwise they would have - received a sixpence without any demand for change." - -The term, therefore, was originated by the London cabmen, who have -invented many other popular phrases. Fancy offering a modern hansom -cabman a JOEY! - -~Jog-trot~, a slow but regular trot, or pace. - -~Jogul~, to play up, at cards or other game. _Spanish_, JUGAR. - -~John Blunt~, a straightforward, honest, outspoken man. - -~Johnny~, half-a-glass of whisky.--_Irish._ - -~Johnny Darbies~, a nickname for policemen, an evident corruption of the -_French_ GENSDARMES. Also, a term applied to handcuffs.--_See_ DARBIES. - -~Johnny Raw~, a newly-enlisted soldier. - -~John Orderly~, the signal to shorten the performance at a show. -Whenever the master, who remains on the platform outside to take the -money and regulate the performance, desires to refill the booth, he -pokes his head inside and shouts, "Is JOHN ORDERLY there?" The actors -instantly cut the piece short, the curtain falls, and the spectators are -bundled out at the back, to make room for the fresh audience. According -to tradition, JOHN ORDERLY was a noted showman, who taught this move to -the no less noted Richardson. This is like the old story of the publican -who used to call out to his waiter, "A pot of ale, Robert," when he -wished his customers to be served with the best; but "A pot of ale, -Bob," when they had been drinking long enough not to distinguish good -stuff from the bad the latter order meant. One day after calling for Bob -many times, he reluctantly, at the request of a visitor, tasted the ale, -and found it was the best. Rushing out immediately afterwards, and -calling for Bob with all his voice, he was answered by his wife, who -said, "Why, Bob's been out these three hours." - -~John Thomas~, a generic for "flunkeys,"--more especially footmen with -large calves and fine bushy whiskers. - -~Jolly~, a Royal Marine.--_See_ HORSE MARINE. - -~Jolly~, a word of praise, or favourable notice; "chuck Harry a JOLLY, -Bill," _i.e._, go and praise up his goods, or buy of him, and speak well -of the article, that the crowd standing around his stall may think it a -good opportunity for laying out their money. This is called JOLLYING. -"Chuck a JOLLY," lit. translated, is, throw "a shout" or "good word." - -~Jolly~, to abuse or vituperate, sometimes to "bear up" or "bonnet." To -JOLLY a man often means to give him a piece of one's mind. To JOLLY -"for" any one is another phase of the business mentioned in the -foregoing paragraph. - -~Jomer~, a sweetheart, or favourite girl. _See_ BLOWER. - -~Jonnick~, right, correct, proper. Said of a person or thing. - -~Jordan~, a chamberpot. To throw the contents of a chamberpot over any -one is to christen him. - -~Jorum~, a capacious vessel from which food is eaten, as broth or stew. - -~Joskin~, a countryman. - -~Jossop~, the syrup or juice in a fruit pie or pudding. Also, sauce or -gravy.--_School._ - -~Jow~, be off, be gone immediately. If the word Jehanum be added, it -forms a peremptory order to go to a place unmentionable to ears -polite.--_Anglo-Indian._ Our phrase, "Go to Jericho," is probably a -modification of the Jehanum business. - -~Judas~, a deceitful person; JUDAS-HAIRED, red-haired, deceitful. It is -generally believed that JUDAS ISCARIOT was red-haired. Painters seem to -have accepted this idea, with modifications as to the exact amount of -colour. - -~Jug~, a prison of any kind. Contraction of "stone jug." - -~Julep~, one of a set of drinks peculiar to America. Generally prepared -with mint, and called a MINT-JULEP. Originally JULEP was a pleasant -liquid, in which nauseous medicines were taken. Its literal meaning is -rosewater, and it is derived from the Arabic. - -~Jump~, to seize, or rob; to "JUMP a man," to pounce upon him, and -either rob or maltreat him; "to JUMP a house," to rob it. - -~Jumped-up~, conceited, arrogant, setting full value on oneself. - -~Jump-up-behind~, to endorse an accommodation-bill. - -~Juniper~, gin. Derivation obvious. - -~Junk~, salt beef.--_See_ OLD HORSE. - -~Juwaub~, literally, in Hindostanee, an answer; but in Anglo-Indian -slang signifying a refusal. If an officer asks for leave and is refused, -he is said to be JUWAUBED; if a gentleman unsuccessfully proposes for -the hand of a lady, he is said to have got the JUWAUB.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Karibat~, food, literally rice and curry; the staple dish of both -natives and Europeans in India.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Keel-hauling~, a good thrashing or mauling, rough treatment,--from the -old nautical custom of punishing offenders by throwing them overboard -with a rope attached, and hauling them up from under the ship's keel. -See full description of this barbarous practice in Marryat's -_Snarleyyow_. - -~Keep a pig~, an Oxford University phrase, which means to have a lodger. -A man whose rooms contain two bedchambers has sometimes, when his -college is full, to allow the use of one of them to a Freshman, who is -called under these circumstances a PIG. The original occupier is then -said to KEEP A PIG. - -~Keep it up~, to prolong a debauch, or the occasion of a rejoicing,--a -metaphor drawn from the game of shuttlecock. People suffering from the -effects of drink are said to have been KEEPING IT UP.--_Grose._ - -~Kelter~, coin, money. Probably from GELT. - -~Ken~, a house.--_Ancient cant._ KHAN, _Gipsy_ and _Oriental_. - -[Asterism] All slang and cant words which end in KEN, such as SPIELKEN, -SPINIKEN, or BOOZINGKEN, refer to houses, and are mainly of Gipsy -origin. - -~Kennedy~, a poker; to "give KENNEDY" is to strike or kill with a poker. -A St. Giles's term, so given from a man of that name being killed by a -poker. - -~Kent rag~, or CLOUT, a cotton handkerchief. - -~Kervorten~, a Cockneyism for QUARTERN or quarter-pint measure. -"KERVORTEN and three houts," a quartern of liquor and glasses, each -holding a third of the quantity. - -~Ketch~, or JACK KETCH, the popular name for a public hangman; derived -from a person of that name who officiated in the reign of Charles -II.--_See Macaulay's History of England._ - -~Kettle of fish~, a mess or muddle of any kind. As, "Here's a pretty -KETTLE OF FISH!" - -~Key of the street~, an imaginary instrument said to be possessed by any -one locked out of doors. - -~Kibosh~, nonsense, stuff, humbug; "it's all KIBOSH," _i.e._, palaver or -nonsense; to "put on the KIBOSH," to run down, slander, degrade, &c. To -put the KIBOSH on anything is, latterly, to put an effectual end or stop -to it. - -~Kick~, a moment; "I'll be there in a KICK," _i.e._, in a moment. - -~Kick~, a pocket; _Gaelic_, CUACH, a bowl, a nest; _Scotch_, QUAIGH. - -~Kick~, a sixpence; "two and a KICK," two shillings and sixpence. - -~Kick the bucket~, to die.--_Norfolk._ According to Forby, a metaphor -taken from the descent of a well or mine, which is of course absurd. The -Rev. E. S. Taylor supplies the following note from his MS. additions to -the work of the East-Anglian lexicographer:-- - - "The allusion is to the way in which a slaughtered pig is hung - up--viz., by passing the ends of a bent piece of wood behind the - tendons of the hind legs, and so suspending it to a hook in a beam - above. This piece of wood is locally termed a BUCKET, and so by a - coarse metaphor the phrase came to signify to die." - -Another correspondent says the real signification of this phrase is to -commit suicide by hanging, from a method planned and carried out by an -ostler at an inn on the Great North Road. Standing on a bucket, he tied -himself up to a beam in the stable; he then KICKED THE BUCKET away from -under his feet, and in a few seconds was dead. The natives of the West -Indies have converted the expression into "kickeraboo." - -~Kick over the traces~, to be over-extravagant. Any one who has come to -grief by fast living is said to have KICKED OVER THE TRACES. - -~Kick up~, a noise or disturbance. - -~Kick up~, "to KICK UP a row," to create a tumult. - -~Kickeraboo~, dead. A West Indian negro's phrase. _See_ KICK THE BUCKET, -of which phrase it is a corruption. - -~Kickseys~, or KICKSIES, trousers. - -~Kickshaws~, trifles; made, or French dishes--not English or -substantial. Anything of a fancy description now. Corruption of the -_French_ QUELQUES CHOSES. - -~Kicksy~, troublesome, disagreeable. _German_, KECK, bold. - -~Kid~, an infant, or child. From the German _kind_; or possibly from the -name for the young of a goat. Also, a shallow dish in which sailors -receive their portions of food. - -~Kid~, to joke, to quiz, to hoax anybody. "No KID, now?" is a question -often asked by a man who thinks he is being hoaxed. - -~Kidden~, or KIDKEN, a low lodging-house for boys. - -~Kiddier~, a pork-butcher. - -~Kiddily~, fashionably or showily; "KIDDILY togg'd," showily dressed. - -~Kiddleywink~, a small shop where are retailed the commodities of a -village store. Originally KIDDLE-A-WINK, from the offer made, with a -wink, to give you something out of the kettle or kiddle. In the west -country an alehouse. Also, a woman of unsteady habits. - -~Kiddy~, a man, or boy. Formerly a low thief. - -~Kiddyish~, frolicsome, jovial. - - "Think, on the KIDDYISH spree we had on such a day." - - _Randall's Diary, 1820._ - -~Kidment~, humbug, coarse chaff or jocularity. - -~Kidnapper~, originally one who stole children. Now applied without -reference to the age or sex of those stolen. From "kid," a child, and -"nab" (corrupted to "nap"), to steal, or seize. - -~Kidney~, "of that KIDNEY," of such a stamp; "strange KIDNEY," odd -humour; "two of a KIDNEY," two persons of a sort, or as like as two -peas, _i.e._, resembling each other like two kidneys in a bunch.--_Old._ -"Attempt to put their hair out of KIDNEY."--_Terr Filius_, 1763. - -~Kid-on~, to entice or incite a person to the perpetration of an act. - -~Kidsman~, one who trains boys to thieve and pick pockets successfully. - -~Kilkenny cat~, a popular simile for a voracious or desperate animal or -person, from the story of the two cats in that county, who are said to -have fought and bitten each other until a small portion of the tail of -one of them alone remained. - -~Killing~, bewitching, fascinating. The term is akin to the phrase -"dressing to death." - -~Kilt~, an Irishism for badly beaten, but by no means equivalent with -killed. - -~Kimbo~, or A-KIMBO, holding the arms in a bent position from the body, -and resting the hands upon the hips, in a bullying attitude. Said to be -from A SCHIMBO, bandy-legged, crooked, _Italian_; but more probably from -KIMBAW, the old cant for beating or bullying. _See Grose._ _Celtic_, -CAM, crooked. - -~Kimmer~, a gossip, an acquaintance, same as CUMMER.--_Scotch._ - - "What's a' the steer, KIMMER?" - -~Kinchin~, a child.--_Old Cant._ From the _German_ diminutive, KINDCHEN, -a baby. - -~Kinchin cove~, a man who robs children; a little man.--Ancient Cant. - -~Kincob~, uniform, fine clothes, richly embroidered dresses. Really, -cloth of gold or silver.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Kingsman~, a handkerchief with yellow patterns upon a green ground, the -favourite coloured neckerchief of the costermongers. The women sometimes -wear KINGSMAN kerchiefs thrown over their shoulders. A coster will often -imagine his caste, or position, is at stake, if his KINGSMAN is not of -the most approved pattern. When he fights, his KINGSMAN is tied around -his waist as a belt. This partiality for a peculiar-coloured neckcloth -is part of the fondness for gaudy colours which at all times and in all -countries has been shown by the uncultivated. A strange similarity of -taste for certain colours exists amongst the Hindoos, Gipsies, and -London lower classes. Red and yellow (or orange) are the great -favourites, and in these hues the Hindoo selects his turban and his -robe; the gipsy his breeches, and his wife her shawl or gown; and the -costermonger, his plush waistcoat and favourite KINGSMAN. Among either -class, when a fight takes place, the greatest regard is paid to the -favourite coloured article of dress. The Hindoo lays aside his turban, -the gipsy folds up his fancy breeches or coat, whilst the pugilistic -costermonger of Covent Garden or Billingsgate removes his favourite -neckerchief to a part of his body, by the rules of the "ring," -comparatively out of danger. - -~King's pictures~ (now, of course, QUEEN'S PICTURES), money. - -~Kisky~, drunk, fuddled. - -~Kiss-curl~, a small curl twisted on the temple. _See_ BOWCATCHER. - -~Kisser~, the mouth.--_Pugilistic term._ - -~Kissing-crust~, the soft crust which marks where one loaf has been -broken from another. - -~Kiss-me-quick~, the name given to the very small bonnets which have of -late years become fashionable. - -~Kit~, a person's baggage. Also, a collection of anything, "the whole -KIT of 'em," the entire lot. _Anglo-Saxon_, KYTH.--_North._ - -~Kite~,--_see_ FLY THE KITE. - -~Kitmegur~, an under-butler, a footman.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Kitna~, how much?--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Knacker~, an old horse; a horse-slaughterer. Originally -_Gloucestershire_, but now general. - -~Knap~, _i.q._, NAP, to break.--_Old English_, but nearly obsolete. _See -Ps_. xlvi. 9 (Prayer-book version), "He breaketh the bow, and KNAPPETH -the spear in sunder;" probably sibilated into "snap." - -~Knap~, to receive, to take. Generally applied to the receipt of -punishments; "oh, my! wont he just KNAP it when he gets home!" - -~Knap~, to steal.--_Prison Cant._ - -~Knapping-jigger~, a turnpike gate; "to dub at the KNAPPING-JIGGER," to -pay money at the turnpike. - -~Knark~, a hard-hearted or savage person. The word is now usually spelt -NARK, and is applied to the lowest class of informers. - -~Knife~, "to KNIFE a person," to stab; an un-English custom, but a very -common expression. - -~Knife-board~, the seat running along the roof of an omnibus. - - "On 'busses' KNIFEBOARDS stretch'd, - The City clerks all tongue-protruded lay." - - _A Summer Idyll, by Arthur Smith._ - -~Knife it~, "cut it," cease, stop, don't proceed. - -~Knight~, a common and ironical prefix to a man's calling--thus, "KNIGHT -of the whip," a coachman; "KNIGHT of the thimble," a tailor. - -~Knobstick~, a non-society workman. One who takes work under price. - -~Knock about the bub~, to hand or pass about the drink. BUB is a very -old cant term for drink. - -~Knock-down~, or KNOCK-ME-DOWN, strong ale. - -~Knocked-up~, tired, jaded, used up, done for. In the United States, -amongst females, the phrase is equivalent to being _enceinte_, so that -Englishmen often unconsciously commit themselves when amongst our Yankee -cousins. - -~Knock-'em-downs~, the game of skittles. - -~Knocker~, "up to the KNOCKER," means finely or showily dressed, in the -height of fashion; proficient, equal to the task. - -~Knocker-face~, an ugly face, _i.e._, like an old-fashioned -door-knocker. - -~Knock-in~, the game of loo. - -~Knocking-in~, coming into college after time. A habit of KNOCKING-IN -late generally leads to some unpleasantness.--_Oxford University._ - -~Knocking-out.~ All visitors, on leaving a college after time, have to -state in whose rooms they have been, that his gate-bill may be scored up -for them. When a rackety party takes place, the visitors, or "out -college men," are generally supplied with a list of the names of the -quietest men in college, so that the whereabouts of the party may not be -betrayed.--_Oxford University._ - -~Knock-it-down~, to show, in the "free and easy" style, approval of a -song or toast, by hammering with pot or glass on the table. - -~Knock off~, to give over, or abandon. A saying used by workmen in -reference to dinner or other meal times, for upwards of two centuries. - -~Knock out~, in racing parlance, to drive out of the quotations; as a -KNOCKED-OUT favourite. Also to make bankrupt; as a KNOCKED-OUT backer or -bookmaker. When a man cannot meet his engagements on the turf, he is -said to be KNOCKED OUT. - -~Knock-outs~, or KNOCK-INS, disreputable persons who visit auction rooms -and unite to purchase the articles at their own prices. One of their -number is instructed to buy for the rest, and after a few small bids as -blinds to the auctioneer and bystanders, the lot is knocked down to the -KNOCK-OUT bidders, at a nominal price--the competition to result from an -auction being thus frustrated and set aside. At the conclusion of the -sale the goods are paid for, and carried to a neighbouring public-house, -where they are re-sold or KNOCKED-OUT among the confederates, and the -difference between the first purchase and the second--or tap-room -KNOCK-OUT--is divided amongst the gang. As generally happens with -ill-gotten gains, the money soon finds its way to the landlord's pocket, -and the KNOCK-OUT is rewarded with a red nose and a bloated face. -Cunning tradesmen join the KNOCK-OUTS when an opportunity for -money-making presents itself. The lowest description of KNOCK-OUTS, -fellows with more tongue than capital, are termed BABES. Within the past -few years a few respectable auctioneers, assisted much by one or two -just and admirable magisterial decisions, have succeeded in considerably -limiting the efforts of the KNOCK-OUT fraternity. - -~Knock-under~, to submit. - -~Knowing~, sharp, shrewd, artful; "a KNOWING codger," or "a KNOWING -blade," one who can take you in, or cheat you, in any transaction you -may have with him. It implies also deep cunning and foresight, and -generally signifies dishonesty. - - "Who, on a spree with black-eyed Sal, his blowen, - So swell, so prime, so nutty, and so KNOWING?"--_Don Juan._ - -KNOW, in this sense, enters into several slang phrases. "I KNOW -something," expresses that I am not to be taken in by any shallow -device. "He KNOWS a thing or two," _i.e._, he is a cunning fellow. - -~Knowledge-box~, the head.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Knuckle~, to fight with fists, to pommel. - -~Knuckle-duster~, a large, heavy, or over-gaudy ring; a ring which -attracts attention from its size. - -~Knuckle-duster~, an iron or brass instrument which covers the knuckles -so as to protect them from injury when striking a blow, adding force to -it at the same time. Sometimes a KNUCKLE-DUSTER has knobs or points -projecting, so as to mutilate and disfigure the person struck. This -brutal invention is American, but has been made familiar here. - -~Knuckle to~, or KNUCKLE UNDER, to yield or submit. - -~Knuller~, old term for a chimney-sweep, who solicited jobs by ringing a -bell. From the _Saxon_, CNYLLAN, to knell, or sound a bell. _See_ -QUERIER. - -~Kootee~, a house.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Kotoo~, to bow down before, to cringe, to flatter. From a Chinese -ceremony. - -~Kubber~, news.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Kudos~, praise; KUDIZED, praised. _Greek_, _kudos_.--_University._ - -~Kye~, eighteenpence. - -~Kypsey~, a basket. A term generally used by gipsies. - -~La!~ a euphuistic rendering of LORD! common amongst females and very -precise persons; imagined by many to be a corruption of LOOK! but this -is a mistake. Sometimes pronounced LAW, or LAWKS. - -~Lac~, one hundred thousand.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Laced~, strengthened with ardent spirits. Tea or coffee in which brandy -is poured is said to be LACED. - -~Lacing~, a beating. From the phrase, "I'll lace your -jacket."--_L'Estrange._ Perhaps to give a beating with a lace or lash. -Perhaps, also, a figurative phrase for ornamenting the article in -question with stripes. - -~Ladder~, "can't see a hole in a LADDER," said of any one who is -intoxicated. It was once said that a man was never properly drunk until -he could not lie down without holding, could not see a hole through a -LADDER, or went to the pump to light his pipe. - -~Ladies' mile~, that part of Hyde Park where the feminine beauty, rank, -and fashion most do congregate during the airing hours of the London -season. - -~Lag~, a returned transport, or ticket-of-leave convict. - -~Lag~, to void urine.--_Ancient Cant._ In modern slang to transport, as -regards bearing witness, and not in reference to the action of judge or -jury. - -~Lagged~, imprisoned, apprehended, or transported for a crime. From the -Old Norse, LAGDA, "laid,"--laid by the leg. - -~Lagger~, a sailor. Also, one who gives evidence; an informer. - -~Lagging gage~, a chamber-pot.--_Ancient Cant._ - -~Lambasting~, a beating. Perhaps LUMB-BASTING, from the lumbar-regions. - -~Lamb's wool~, spiced ale, of which the butler at Brasenose every Shrove -Tuesday supplies as much as is required at Hall, with a copy of verses -on the subject, generally written by a Brasenose man. One of these poems -began:-- - - Antiquum et vetus est {Ale n Nas} dicere laudes. - {alienas } - - _Oxford University._ - -LAMB'S WOOL is also a hot drink, well known to the community for -centuries. Supposed by some to be derived from Lammas, at which time it -was drunk, and by others to be derived from the similarity between the -foam of the drink and the white wool obtained from lambs. - -~Lame duck~, a stockjobber who speculates beyond his capital, and cannot -pay his losses. Upon retiring from the Exchange he is said to "waddle -out of the Alley." - -~Lamming~, a beating.--_Old English_, LAM; used by Beaumont and -Fletcher. Not as Sir Walter Scott supposed, from one Dr. Lamb, but from -the _Old Norse_, LAM, the hand; also, _Gaelic_. - -~Lammy~, a blanket. - -~Land-lubber~, sea term for "a landsman." _See_ LOAFER. - -~Land-shark~, a sailor's definition of a lawyer. - -~Lane~, a familiar term for Drury Lane Theatre, just as Covent Garden -Theatre is constantly spoken of as "the Garden." - -~Lap~, liquor, drink. LAP is the term invariably used in the ballet -girls' dressing-room for gin. - -~Lap~, one circuit of a pedestrian enclosure. In running a race of any -distance one man is said to LAP another when he is one entire circuit in -front. - -~Lap.~ LAP THE GUTTER, to get beastly and helplessly drunk. LAP means to -drink. LAP THE GATTER, to drink up the beer; a "rare LAPPER," a hard -drinker. - -~Lark~, a frolic, a joke; "let's have a jolly good LARK," let us have a -piece of fun.--_Anglo-Saxon_, LAC, sport; but more probably from the -nautical term SKYLARKING, _i.e._, mounting to the highest yards and -sliding down the ropes for amusement, which is allowed on certain -occasions. - -~Lark~, to sport boisterously, to show a disposition for "going on the -spree." - -~Larrence~, an imaginary being, supposed by the Scottish peasantry to -have power over indolent persons. Hence laziness is often called -LARRENCE. - -~Larrup~, to beat or thrash. - -~Larruping~, a good beating or hiding.--_Irish._ - -~Lashins~, large quantities; as, "LASHINS of whisky." An Irishism in -common use. - -~Latchpan~, the lower lip--properly a dripping-pan; "to hang one's -LATCHPAN," to pout, be sulky.--_Norfolk._ - -~Lavender~, "to be laid up in LAVENDER;" to be in pawn; to be out of the -way for an especial purpose. From the practice among housewives of -placing LAVENDER in drawers in which linen and clothes are to be kept -for any period. - -~Law~, "to give LAW to an animal" is a sporting term signifying to give -the hare or stag a chance of escaping, by not setting on the hounds till -the quarry has run some distance. Also, used for giving any one a chance -of succeeding in a difficult undertaking by allowing him so much grace -or preliminary notice. - -~Lay~, a pursuit or practice, a dodge. Term in this sense much used by -thieves. - -~Lay~, in wagering, to bet against a man or animal. Betters are divided -in racing slang into layers and takers; they are otherwise known as -bookmakers and backers. - -~Lay~, some, a piece. "Tip me a LAY of pannum," _i.e._, give me a slice -of bread.--_North._ - -~Lay~, to watch; "on the LAY," on the look-out.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Lay down the knife and fork~, to die. Compare PEGGING-OUT, HOPPING THE -TWIG, and similar flippancies. - -~Lead~, or FRIENDLY LEAD, a gathering at a low public-house, for the -purpose of assisting some one who is "in trouble" (in these cases -trouble always means imprisonment), who has just "come out of trouble," -or who is in want of a "mouthpiece." A LEAD is different from a raffle, -inasmuch as no article is put up or thrown for, but in the course of the -evening some friend of the troubled one LEADS OFF by putting a certain -sum in a plate, and the remainder of the party follow the LEAD with -whatever they can spare. Sometimes people pay as they enter the room, -but this does not alter the title or character of the meeting. In every -other respect a LEAD is similar to a raffle; songs, dances, drinking, -and a general desire to increase the bastardy averages being the most -conspicuous features of the entertainment. Irish LEADS and raffles are -characterized by less vice and more quarrelling than those of the lower -orders of English people. - -~Leary~, flash, knowing, artful, sly. - -~Leary bloke~, a clever or artful person. - -~Leather~, to beat or thrash. Probably from allusion to the skin, which -is often called LEATHER. Some think the term is from the LEATHER belts -worn by soldiers, which are often used as weapons in street rows. Most -likely from there being "nothing like LEATHER" with which to administer -a thrashing. - -~Leathern conveniency~, a carriage. A Quaker being reprimanded by the -Society of Friends for keeping a carriage, "contrary to the ancient -testimonies," said, "it is not a carriage I keep, but merely a -LEATHERN-CONVENIENCY." _See_ under SIMON PURE, in the Introduction. - -~Leaving shop~, or DOLLY SHOP, an unlicensed house where goods are taken -into pawn at exorbitant rates of interest. - -~Led captain~, a fashionable spunger, a "swell" who by artifice -ingratiates himself into the favours of the master of the house, and -lives at his table. Probably from the fact that a real captain leads, -but that a sham one is led--to the dinner-table. - -~Leer~, empty.--_Oxfordshire._ Pure _German_, as is nearly so the next -word. - -~Leer~, print, newspaper. _German_, LEHREN, to instruct; hence _Old -English_, LERE, "spelt in the LEER." _See_ SPELL.--_Old Cant._ - -~Leg~, a part of a game. In some old games there are so many LEGS to the -chalk, and so many chalks to the game. Sometimes the LEGS are called -chalks, and the chalks LEGS--one word is as good as another, provided an -agreement is made beforehand. - -~Leg~, or BLACKLEG, a disreputable sporting character and racecourse -_habitu_; that is, one who is disreputable among sporting men. - -~Leg-and-leg~, the state of a game when each player has won a LEG. In -Ireland a LEG is termed a horse, LEG-AND-LEG being there termed -"horse-and-horse." - -~Leg bail~, the bail or security given by absence. To give LEG BAIL is -to run away. - -~Leg it~, to run; "to give a LEG," to assist, as when one mounts a -horse; "making a LEG," a countryman's bow,--projecting the LEG from -behind as a balance to the head bent forward.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Leg-of-mutton~, humorous street term for a sheep's trotter, or foot. - -~Leg of mutton fist~, a large, muscular or bony hand. - -~Length~, forty-two lines of a dramatic composition.--_Theatrical._ - -~Length~, six months' imprisonment. _See_ STRETCH. - -~Let alone~, an expression which signifies "much less" as used in -comparative statement or argument. "I cannot afford five shillings, LET -ALONE five pounds." Barham, in one of the Ingoldsby Legends, says:-- - - "I have not had, this livelong day, one drop to cheer my heart, - Nor brown to buy a bit of bread with--LET ALONE a tart." - -~Let drive~, to strike at, or attack with vigour. - -~Let in~, to cheat or victimize. "He let me in heavily." - -~Let on~, to give an intimation of having some knowledge of a subject. -Ramsay employs the phrase in the _Gentle Shepherd_. Common in Scotland. - -~Let the cat out~, or LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG, a common phrase, which -implies that a secret is to be or has been let out. - -~Letty~, a bed. _Italian_, LETTO.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Levanter~, a card-sharper, or defaulting gambler. It was formerly the -custom to give out to the creditors, when a person was in pecuniary -difficulties, and it was convenient for him to keep away, that he was -gone to the East, or the LEVANT; hence, when one loses a bet, and -decamps without settling, he is said to LEVANT. The LEVANT was also a -notorious place for queer customers, who would do anything rather than -pay. Its reputation is not particularly odorous even now. - -~Levy~, a shilling.--_Liverpool._ Among labourers a LEVY is a sum -obtained before it is due, something to keep a man going till -Saturday-night comes, or his task is finished. - -~Liberty~, ground let in parts of Yorkshire for shooting purposes. - -~Lick~, a blow; LICKING, a beating; "to put in big LICKS," a curious and -common phrase, meaning that great exertions are being made.--_Dryden_; -_North_. - -~Lick~, to excel, or overcome; "if you ain't sharp, he'll LICK you," -_i.e._, be finished first. Signifies, also, to whip, chastise, or -conquer. _Ancient cant_, LYCKE. _Welsh_, LLACHIO, to strike. - -~Lickspittle~, a coarse but singularly expressive term for a parasite, -who puts up with indignities for the sake of advantages. - -~Lifer~, a convict who is sentenced to imprisonment for life. - -~Lift~, to steal, pick pockets; "there's a clock been LIFTED," said when -a watch has been stolen. The word is as old as the Border forays, and is -used by Shakspeare. SHOPLIFTER is a recognised term. _Old Gothic_, -LLIFAN, to steal; _Lower Rhenish_, LFTEN. - -~Lig~, a lie, a falsehood.--_Lancashire._ In old ballads the word "lie" -is often spelt "LIG." In old Saxon, LIG is to lie, but to lie as in a -bed. - -~Light~, credit, trust; "to get a LIGHT at a house" is to get credit. -When a man's credit is stopped, his LIGHT is said to be put out. LIGHT -also means life. "I'll put your LIGHT out" is a murderous threat. - -~Light Bob~, a light infantry soldier.--_Military._ - -~Light Feeder~, a silver spoon. - -~Lightning~, gin; "flash o' LIGHTNING," a glass of gin. - -~Lights~, a worthless piece of meat; applied metaphorically to a fool, a -soft or stupid person. - -~Lights~, the eyes. Also, the lungs; animals' lungs are always so -called. - -~Lil~, a book, generally a pocket-book.--_Gipsy._ - -~Lily Benjamin~, a great white coat. _See_ BENJAMIN. - -~Limb~, a troublesome or precocious child. - -~Limb of the law~, a lawyer, or clerk articled to that profession. - -~Limbo~, a prison, from LIMBUS or LIMBUS PATRUM, a medival theological -term for purgatory. The Catholic Church teaches that LIMBO was that part -of hell where holy people who died before the Redemption were kept. - -~Line~, a hoax, a fool-trap; as, "to get him in a LINE," _i.e._, to get -some sport out of him. - -~Line~, calling, trade, profession; "what LINE are you in?" "the -building LINE." - -~Liner~, a casual reporter, paid by the line. Diminutive of -"penny-a-liner." - -~Lingo~, talk, or language. Slang is termed LINGO amongst the lower -orders. _Italian_, LINGUA.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Lint-scraper~, a young surgeon. Thackeray, in _Lovel the Widower_, -uses the phrase, and gives, also, the words "sculapius," -"Pestle-grinder," and "Vaccinator," for the same character. - -~Lionesses~, ladies visiting an Oxford man, especially at -"Commemoration," which is the chief time for receiving feminine visitors -at the University. - -~Lion-hunter~, one who hunts up, and has a devout veneration for, small -celebrities. Mrs. Leo Hunter, in _Pickwick_, is a splendid specimen of -this unpleasant creature. - -~Lionize~, to make much of any visitor with small or moderate claims to -distinction; to conduct a stranger round the principal objects of -attraction in a place; to act as cicerone. - -~Lions~, notabilities, either persons or sights worthy of inspection; an -expression dating from the times when the royal lions at the Tower, -before the existence of Zoological Gardens and travelling menageries, -were a London wonder, to visit which country cousins and strangers of -eminence were constantly taken. Visitors taken round at Cambridge to see -the sights are, or were, called LIONS. The origin of the Tower -collection was the three leopards sent by the Emperor Frederic to Henry -III., as a living illustration of the royal arms of England. In the roll -of John de Cravebeadell, constable of the Tower (_B. M. Top. -Collections_, iii. p. 153), is a charge of 3_d._ per day "in support of -the leopard of our lord the king." Edward III., when Prince of Wales, -appears to have taken great interest in the animals; and after he became -king, there was not only the old leopard, but "one lion, one lioness, -and two cat-lions," says Stowe, "in the said Tower, committed to the -custody of Robert, son of John Bowre." The menagerie was only abolished -in 1834; and the practice was to allow any person to enter gratis who -brought with him a little dog to be thrown to the lions!--_Dr. Doran's -Princes of Wales._ - -~Lip~, talk, bounce, impudence; "come, none o' yer LIP!" - -~Lip~, to sing; "LIP us a chant," sing a song. - -~Liquor~, or LIQUOR UP, to drink drams.--_Americanism._ In LIQUOR, -tipsy, or drunk. - -~Little go~, the old term for the examination now called SMALLS. - -~Little snakes-man~, a little thief, who is generally passed through a -small aperture to open a door and let in the rest of the gang. - -~Liverpool Irishman~, any man born in Liverpool of Irish parents. See -IRISH COCKNEY. - -~Liverpudlian~, a native of Liverpool. - -~Live-stock~, vermin of the insect kind, especially of that more than -usually unpleasant kind found on tramps, &c. - -~Loafer~, a lazy vagabond. Generally considered an Americanism. LOPER, -or LOAFER, however, was in general use as a cant term in the early part -of the last century. LANDLOPER was a vagabond who begged in the attire -of a sailor; and the sea-phrase, LAND-LUBBER, was doubtless synonymous. - -~Loaver~, money. _See_ LOUR.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Lob~, a till, or money-drawer. - -~Lob-sneaking~, stealing money from tills; occasionally stealing tills -and all. - -~Lobb~, the head.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Loblolly~, gruel.--_Old_: used by Markham as a sea-term for grit gruel, -or hasty pudding. - -~Loblolly boy~, a derisive term for a surgeon's mate in the navy. - - "LOB-LOLLY-BOY is a person who on board of a man-of-war attends the - surgeon and his mates, and one who knows just as much of the - business of a seaman as the author of this poem."--_The Patent, a - Poem_, 4to, 1776. - -~Lobs!~ schoolboys' signal on the master's approach. Also, an assistant -watcher, an under gamekeeper. - -~Lobs~, words, talk.--_Gipsy._ - -~Lobscouse~, a dish made of potatoes, meat, and biscuits, boiled -together. - -~Lobster~, a soldier. A policeman, from the colour of his coat, is -styled an unboiled, or raw LOBSTER. - -~Lobster-box~, a barrack, or military station. - -~Loggerheads~, "to come to LOGGERHEADS," to come to blows. - -~Logie~, theatrical jewellery, made mostly of tin. - -~Loll~, to lie about lazily. "He would LOLL upon the handle of the -door," said of an incorrigibly lazy fellow. - -~Lolly~, the head. _See_ LOBB.--_Pugilistic._ - -~London ordinary~, the beach at Brighton, where the -"eight-hours-at-the-sea-side" excursionists dine in the open-air. - -~Long-bow.~ _See_ DRAW THE LONG BOW. - -~Long firm~, a gang of swindlers who obtain goods by false pretences. -They generally advertise or answer advertisements. The word LONG is -supposed to be from a playful allusion made by one of the firm to the -length of their credit. - -~Long-ghost~, a tall, thin, awkward person. Sometimes called -"lamp-post." - -~Long-headed~, far-seeing, clever, calculating. - -~Long-hundred~, a Billingsgate expression for 120 fresh herrings, or -other small fish, the long-hundred being six score. - -~Long-odds~, the odds which denote that the man or animal laid against -has, or is supposed to have, little or no chance. - -~Long-shore butcher~, a coast-guardsman.--_Sea._ All people who get -their livings by the side of the Thames below bridge are called -LONG-SHORE folk. - -~Long-tailed beggar~, a cat. The tale that hangs thereby runs thus:--A -boy, during his first very short voyage to sea, had become so entirely a -seaman, that on his return he had forgotten the name of the cat, and was -obliged, pointing to puss, to ask his mother "what she called that 'ere -LONG-TAILED BEGGAR?" Accordingly, sailors, when they hear a freshwater -tar discoursing too largely on nautical matters, are very apt to say, -"But how, mate, about that 'ere LONG-TAILED BEGGAR?" - -~Long-tailed-one~, a bank-note or "flimsy" for a large amount. - -~Long-tails~, among shooters, are pheasants; among coursers and -dog-fanciers they are greyhounds. - -~Longs~, the latrine at Brasenose, so called because built by LADY -LONG.--_Oxford University._ - -~Longs-and-shorts~, cards made for cheating. - -~Looking-glass~, a facetious synonym for a _pot de chambre_. This is -very old. The term arose from the fact that in ancient times this -utensil was the object of very frequent examination by the medical -fraternity. There is an old story of a lady who called at an inn, and -called for a LOOKING-GLASS to arrange her hair, and who was presented -with a chamber utensil. - -~Loony~, a silly fellow, a natural. Corruption of LOONEY TICK (lunatic). -Sometimes corrupted to LOOBY. - -~Loose.~ _See_ ON THE LOOSE. - -~Loose-box~, a brougham or other vehicle kept for the use of a _dame de -compagnie_. A more vulgar appellation is "mot-cart," the contemptuous -sobriquet applied by the envious mob to a one-horse covered carriage. - -~Loose-box~, a stable in which a horse is not tethered, but remains -loose. - -~Loot~, swag or plunder; also used as a verb. The word came much into -vogue during the latest Chinese campaign. - -~Lope~, this old form of leap is often heard in the streets. To LOPE is -also to steal. _German_, LAUFEN. - -~Lop-sided~, uneven, one side larger than the other. _See Jacob -Faithful._ - -~Lord~, a humpbacked man. _See_ MY LORD. - -~Lord~, "drunk as a LORD," a common saying, probably referring to the -facilities a man of fortune has for such a gratification; perhaps a sly -sarcasm at the supposed habits of the aristocracy. This phrase had its -origin in the old hard drinking days, when it was almost compulsory on a -man of fashion to get drunk regularly after dinner. - -~Lord-mayor's-fool~, an imaginary personage who likes everything that is -good, and plenty of it. - -~Lothario~, a "gay" deceiver; generally a heartless, brainless villain. - -~Loud~, flashy, showy, as applied to dress or manner. _See_ BAGS. - -~Lour~, or LOWR, money; "gammy LOWR," bad money. From the Wallachian -Gipsy word, LOWE, coined money. Possibly connected with the French, -LOUER, to hire.--_Ancient Cant_ and _Gipsy_. - -~Louse-trap~, a small-tooth comb.--_Old Cant._ _See_ CATCH-'EM-ALIVE. - -~Love~, at billiards, rackets, and many other games, nothing: five -points to none would be "five LOVE,"--a LOVE game being when one player -does not score at all. The term is also used at whist, "six LOVE," "four -LOVE," when one side has marked up six, four, or any other number, and -the other none. A writer in the _Gentleman's Magazine_ for July, 1780, -derives it either from LUFF, an old Scotch word for the hand, or from -the _Dutch_, LOEF, the LOOF, weather-gauge (_Sewell's Dutch Dictionary_, -4to, 1754); but it more probably, from the sense of the following, -denotes something done without reciprocity. - -~Love~, "to do a thing for LOVE," _i.e._, for nothing. A man is said to -marry for LOVE when he gets nothing with his wife; and an Irishman, with -the bitterest animosity against his antagonist, will fight him for LOVE, -_i.e._, for the mere satisfaction of beating him, and not for a stake. - -~Loveage~, tap droppings, a mixture of stale spirits, sweetened and sold -to habitual dram-drinkers, principally females. Called also "alls." - -~Low-water~, but little money in pocket, when the finances are at a low -ebb. - -~Lubber~, a clown, or fool.--_Ancient Cant_, LUBBARE. Among seamen an -awkward fellow, a landsman. - -~Lubber's hole~, an aperture in the maintop of a ship, by which a timid -climber may avoid the difficulties of the "futtock shrouds;" hence as a -sea-term the LUBBER'S HOLE represents any cowardly way of evading duty. - -~Luck~, "down on one's LUCK," wanting money, or in difficulty. - -~Lucky~, "to cut one's LUCKY," to go away quickly. _See_ STRIKE. - -~Ludlam's dog.~ An indolent, inactive person is often said to be "as -lazy as LUDLAM'S DOG, which leaned its head against the wall to bark." -Sailors say "as lazy as Joe the Marine, who laid down his musket to -sneeze." - -~Lug~, "my togs are in LUG," _i.e._, in pawn. - -~Lug~, to pull, or slake thirst.--_Old._ - -~Lug chovey~, a pawnbroker's shop. - -~Luke~, nothing.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Lully~, a shirt. - -~Lully prigger~, a rogue who steals wet clothes hung on lines to dry. - -~Lumber~, to pawn or pledge. Probably from LOMBARD. - -~Lumbered~, pawned; sometimes imprisoned. - -~Lummy~, jolly, first-rate. - -~Lump~, anything exceptionally large, "as a LUMP of a man," "a great -LUMP of a fellow," &c. - -~Lump~, the workhouse; also called the Pan. - -~Lump it~, to dislike it; "if you don't like it, you may LUMP IT;" -sometimes varied to, "if you don't like it, you may do the other thing." -Probably from the fact that, in bulk or in lump, the good has to be -taken with the bad. What you don't like must be reckoned with the LUMP. -To LUMP IT is also to take off at a draught, as medicine or a dram. "He -LUMPED IT down at once." - -~Lump the lighter~, to be transported. - -~Lump work~, work contracted for, or taken by the LUMP. - -~Lumper~, a contractor. On the river more especially a person who -contracts to deliver a ship laden with timber. - -~Lumper~, a low thief who haunts wharves and docks, and robs vessels, -also a person who sells old goods as new. - -~Lumpy~, intoxicated. Also used to signify _enceinte_. - -~Lunan~, a girl.--_Gipsy._ - -~Lurch~, a term at the game of cribbage. A is said to LURCH B when the -former attains the end, or sixty-first hole, of the board before the -latter has pegged his thirty-first hole; or, in more familiar words, -before B has turned the corner. A LURCH sometimes, and then only by -agreement, counts as a double game or rub. - -~Lurk~, a sham, swindle, or representation of feigned distress. An -imposition of any kind is a LURK. - -~Lurker~, an impostor who travels the country with false certificates of -fires, shipwrecks, &c. Also, termed a SILVER BEGGAR, which _see_. - -~Lush~, intoxicating drinks of all kinds, but generally used for beer. -It is generally allowed, as has been stated, that LUSH and its -derivatives claim Lushington, the brewer, as sponsor. - -~Lush~, to drink, or get drunk. - -~Lush-crib~, a public-house. - -~Lushington~, a drunkard, or one who continually soaks himself with -lush. Some years since there was a LUSHINGTON CLUB in Bow Street, Covent -Garden. - -~Lushy~, intoxicated. Johnson says, "opposite to pale," so red with -drink. He must, however, have been wrong, as the foregoing derivation -shows. - -~Lylo~, come hither.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Lynch-law~, summary punishment. From an American judge famous for -hanging first and trying afterwards. - -~Mab~, a cab, or hackney-coach. - -~Mace~, to sponge, swindle, or beg, in a polite way: "give it him (a -shopkeeper) on the MACE," _i.e._, obtain goods on credit and never pay -for them; also termed "striking the MACE." - -~Mace~, to welsh, to obtain money without any expectation of being able -to pay or intention of paying. - -~Maceman~, or MACER, a welcher, magsman, or general swindler; a -"street-mugger." - -~Madza~, half. _Italian_, MEZZA. This word enters into combination with -various cant phrases, mainly taken from the _Lingua Franca_, as MADZA -CAROON, half-a-crown, two-and-sixpence; MADZA SALTEE, a halfpenny [_see_ -SALTEE]; MADZA POONA, half-a-sovereign; MADZA ROUND THE BULL, half a -pound of steak, &c. This word is, in street phraseology, invariably -pronounced MEDZER. - -~Mag~, a halfpenny.--_Ancient Cant_, MAKE. MEGS were formerly -guineas.--_B. M. Carew._ MAKE, the old form, is still used by schoolboys -in Scotland. "Not a blessed MAG!" would be the phrase of a cadger down -on his luck to express his penniless state. - -~Mag~, literary and printers' slang for magazine. - -~Mag~, to talk; hence MAGPIE. To MAG in thieves' slang is to talk well -and persuasively. - -~Maggoty~, fanciful, fidgety. Whims and fancies were formerly termed -MAGGOTS, from the popular belief that a maggot in the brain was the -cause of any odd notion or caprice a person might exhibit. Deer are -sometimes found to have maggots in their brains, which, perhaps, -accounts for the origin of the term. - -~Magsman~, a street swindler, who watches for countrymen and "gullible" -persons, and persuades them out of their possessions. MAGSMEN are -wonderful actors. Their work is done in broad daylight, without any -stage accessories; and often a wink, a look, or a slip of the tongue -would betray their confederacy. Their ability and perseverance are truly -worthy of a better cause. MAGSMEN are very often men of superior -education. Those who "work" the tidal trains and boats are often -faultlessly dressed and highly accomplished. - -~Mahcheen~, a merchant. Chinese pronunciation of the English -word.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Mahogany~, "to have one's feet under another man's MAHOGANY," to sit at -his table, be supported on other than one's own resources; "amputate -your MAHOGANY," _i.e._, go away, elaboration of "cut your stick." - -~Mahogany flat~, a bug. - -~Mail~, to post a letter; "this screeve is mailed by a sure hand." - -~Main-toby~, the highway, or the main road. _See_ TOBY. - -~Make~, any one is said to be "on the MAKE" who asks too high a price -for his goods, or endeavours in any way to overreach. - -~Make~, to steal, a successful theft or swindle. A man on the look-out -for swindling opportunities is said to be "on the MAKE." - -~Make tracks~, an Americanism synonymous with skedaddle; to make oneself -scarce. - -~Make-up~, personal appearance.--_Theatrical._ - -~Makings~, materials. A man is often said to have the MAKINGS of a good -politician (or whatever he may aspire to be) in him, if they were but -properly applied. - -~Malapropism~, an ignorant, vulgar misapplication of language, so named -from Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Sheridan's famous comedy of the -_Rivals_. Mrs. Partington afterwards succeeded to the mantle of Mrs. -Malaprop; but the phrase Partingtonism is as yet uncoined, for the -simple reason that Mrs. Malaprop was the original, Mrs. Partington the -imitation. - -~Malley~, a gardener.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Manablins~, broken victuals. - -~Man a-hanging~, a man in difficulties. _See_ HANGING. - -~Mandozy~, a term of endearment among East-end Jews; probably from the -valiant fighter named Mendoza. - -~Mang~, to talk.--_Scotch._ - -~Man-handle~, to use a person roughly, as to take him prisoner, turn him -out of a room, or give him a beating. - -~Man in the moon~, the gentleman who is supposed to find the "pieces" to -pay election expenditure and electors' expenses, so long as the latter -vote his way. _See_ ELECTION INQUIRIES. - -~Marbles~, furniture, movables; "money and MARBLES," cash and personal -effects. - -~Marchioness~, a little, dirty, old-fashioned maid-of-all-work; a title -now in regular use, but derived from the remarkable character in the -_Old Curiosity Shop_. - -~Mare's nest~, a supposed discovery of marvels, which turn out no -marvels at all; from a story similar to that about the cock neighing. -Three Cockneys, out ruralizing, had determined to find out something -about nests. Accordingly, when they ultimately came upon a dungheap, -they judged by the signs therein that it must be a MARE'S NEST, -especially as they could see the mare close handy. An old preacher in -Cornwall up to very lately employed a different simile, as, "It's like a -cow calving up in a tree." - -~Marine~, or MARINE RECRUIT, an empty bottle. This expression having -once been used in the presence of an officer of marines, he was at first -inclined to take it as an insult, until some one adroitly appeased his -wrath by remarking that no offence could be meant, as all that it could -possibly imply was, "one who had done his duty, and was ready to do it -again." - -~Mark~, to make one's MARK is to achieve a success literary, artistic, -or otherwise. Men of eminence are said to leave their MARKS on the -earth's surface. An American poet has described this ambitious, albeit -somewhat rare, proceeding as leaving "footprints on the sands of time." - -~Marketeer~, a betting man who devotes himself, by means of special -information, to the study of favourites, and the diseases incident to -that condition of equine life. The MARKETEER is the principal agent in -all milking and knocking-out arrangements. - -~Market-horse~, a horse simply kept in the betting-lists for the purpose -of being betted against. - -~Marplot~, an officious bungler, who spoils everything he interferes -with. - -~Marriage lines~, a marriage certificate.--_Provincial._ - -~Marrow~, a mate, a fellow-workman, a pitman who works in a "shift" with -another.--_Northumberland and Durham._ - -~Marrow-bones~, the knees; "I'll bring him down upon his MARROW BONES," -_i.e._, I'll make him bend his knees as he does to the Virgin Mary. -Supposed to be from Mary Bones, an objectionable term used by the first -Protestants in reference to the supposed adoration of the Virgin Mary by -Catholics. - -~Marrowskying.~ _See_ MEDICAL GREEK. - -~Marry~, a very old term of asseveration, originally (in Popish times) a -mode of swearing by the Virgin Mary; _q.d._, by Mary. - -~Martingale~, a gambling term, which means the doubling of a stake every -time you lose; so that when you win once you win back all that you have -lost. So called from the fact that, as in all fair games you must win -once, you have a safe hold of fortune. The difficulty is to obtain a -bank large enough to do this effectively, or having the bank to find any -one who will follow you far enough, in a fair game. - -~Mary Ann~, the title of the dea ex machin evolved from trades-unionism -at Sheffield, to the utter destruction of recalcitrant grinders. She is -supposed to do all the "blow-ups," steal all the bands, and otherwise -terrorize over victims of the union. - -~Marygold~, one million sterling. _See_ PLUM. - -~Maskee~, never mind, no consequence.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Massacre of the innocents~, when the leader of the House of Commons -goes through the doleful operation of devoting to extinction a number of -useful measures at the end of the session, for want of time to pass -them. _Vide Times_, 20th July, 1859: Mr. C. Foster, on altering the time -of the legislative sessions.--_Parliamentary Slang._ - -~Master of the Mint~, a gardener. - -~Master of the Rolls~, a baker. - -~Mate~, the term a coster or low person applies to a friend, partner, or -companion; "me and my MATE did so and so," is a common phrase with a low -Londoner. Originally a _sea term_. - -~Matey~, a labourer in one of Her Majesty's dockyards. Common -elaboration of the word MATE. - -~Maudlin~, Magdalen College, Oxford. This is the old English -pronunciation of the word. - -~Mauley~, a fist, that with which one strikes as with a -mall.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Mauley~, a signature, from MAULEY, a fist; "put your fist to it," is -sometimes said by a tradesman when desiring a fellow-trader to put his -signature to a bill or note. - -~Maund~, to beg; "MAUNDERING on the fly," begging of people in the -streets.--_Old Cant._ MAUNG, to beg, is a term in use amongst the -gipsies, and may also be found in the Hindoo vocabulary. MAUND, however, -is pure Anglo-Saxon, from MAND, a basket. Compare BEG, which is derived -from BAG--a curious parallel. - -~Maw~, the mouth; "hold your MAW," cease talking. - -~Mawworm~, a hypocrite of the most unpleasant kind. From Bickerstaff's -play of _The Hypocrite_. Originally a MAWWORM was a worm in the -stomach, the thread worm. - -~Max~, gin; MAX upon tick, gin obtained upon credit. - -~Mazarine~, the platform beneath the stage in large theatres. Probably -corruption of _Italian_, MEZZANINO. - -~M. B. coat~, (_i.e._, Mark of the Beast,) a name given to the long -surtout worn by some of the clergy,--a modern Puritan form of abuse, -said to have been accidentally disclosed to a High Church customer by a -tailor's orders to his foreman. - -~Mealy-mouthed~, soft-spoken, plausible, deceitful. A specious liar is -said to be MEALY-MOUTHED. - -~Mean white~, a term of contempt among negroes, in the old slavery days, -for white men without landed property. A white man in the Southern -States had no _locus standi_ unless he possessed property, and the -blackest of niggers would have felt insulted at any "poor white trash" -claiming to be "a man and brother." - -~Measley~, mean, miserable-looking, "seedy;" "what a MEASLEY-looking -man!" _i.e._, what a wretched, unhappy fellow. - -~Medical Greek~, the slang used by medical students at the hospitals. At -the London University they have a way of disguising English, described -by Albert Smith as the Gower Street Dialect, which consists in -transposing the initials of words, _e.g._, "poke a smipe"--smoke a pipe; -"flutter-by"--butterfly, &c. This disagreeable nonsense, which has not -even the recommendation of a little ability in its composition, is often -termed Marrowskying. _See_ GREEK, ST. GILES'S GREEK, or the "_gidiac_" -dialect, Language of ZIPH, &c. - -~Meisensang~, a missionary, Chinese pronunciation of the English -word.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Menagerie~, the orchestra of a theatre.--_Theatrical._ - -~Menavelings~, odd money remaining after the daily accounts are made up -at a railway booking-office,--usually divided among the clerks. _See_ -OVERS and SHORTS. - -~Men of Kent~, men born in that portion of the "garden of England" which -lies east of the Medway, as distinguished from Kentish men born the -other side. The MEN OF KENT are entitled to the benefit of the old laws -of the county, that of gavelkind particularly. - -~Merkin~, a term usually applied to a woman's privities. Originally -false hair for those parts. - -~Merry Dun of Dover~, a large ship figuring in sailors' yarns. She was -so large that when passing through the Straits of Dover her flying -jib-boom knocked down Calais steeple; while, at the same time, the fly -of her ensign swept a flock of sheep off Dover cliffs. She was so lofty -that a boy who attempted to go to her mast-head found himself a grey old -man when he reached the deck again. This yarn is founded on a story in -the Scandinavian mythology. There is also a legend among sailors of the -gallant Thunderbomb, which had "ninety-nine decks and no bottom." - -~Mesopotamia~, a name given to Eaton Square and neighbourhood when first -built. This part was also called Cubitopolis.--_Fashionable slang._ - -~Mess~, to interfere unduly. Costermongers refer to police supervision -as MESSING. Among sailors, a dead man is said to have lost the number of -his MESS. - -~Metallician~, a racing bookmaker. Bookmakers use metallic books and -pencils. - -~Middy~, abbreviation of midshipman.--_Naval._ - -~Midge net~, a lady's veil. - -~Mike~, an Irish hodman, or general labourer. - -~Mike~, to loiter; or "lazy about." The term probably originated in St. -Giles's, which is thronged with Irish labourers, who rarely or never -labour (MIKE being so common a term with them as to become a generic -appellation for Irishmen), and who loiter and lean against the -public-houses in the "Dials." It has been said that the term is Old -English, MICHE, to skulk, to loiter; Old Norse, MAK, leisure, idleness. - - "Shall the blessed sun of heaven prove a MICHER?" - - _Shakspeare's Hen. IV._, ii. 4. - -Whatever may have been its origin, there can be now no doubt that the -word is supposed to have particular reference to the habits of the Irish -MIKES, or labourers, though now and again it is borrowed in the -interests of others. - -~Mild~, second-rate, inferior. _See_ DRAW IT MILD. Also feeble, -inefficient, as "a MILD attempt." Weak young men who keep bulldogs, and -dress in a "loud" stable style, from a belief that it is very becoming, -are sometimes called "MILD bloaters." - -~Milk~, a term used in connexion with racing; when a horse is entered in -a race for which his owner does not intend him to run, or at all events -in which he does not intend him to win, and bets against him, the animal -is said to "be MILKED." MILKING, is keeping a horse a favourite, at -short odds, for a race in which he has no chance whatever, or in which -he will not be allowed to try, for the purpose of laying against him. - -~Milky ones~, white linen rags. - -~Mill~, a fight, or set to. _Ancient Cant_, MYLL, to rob. Probably -from the special opportunities afforded to pickpockets when the ring was -a "national institution." - -~Mill~, to fight or beat. - -~Mill~, the old Insolvent Debtors' Court. "To go through the MILL" was -equivalent to being "whitewashed." - -~Mill~, the tread-MILL. - -~Miller.~ To drown the MILLER is to put too much water in anything. The -phrase was originally "to drown the MILLER'S thumb," or go over the -specified mark, _i.e._, the thumb-mark, in adding water to ardent -spirits. - -~Miller.~ "To give the MILLER" is to engage a person in conversation of -an apparently friendly character, when all at once the bystanders -surround and pelt him with flour, grease, and filth of various kinds, -flour predominating. This mode of punishing spies, informers, and other -obnoxious individuals, is used by cabmen, omnibus conductors, _et hoc -genus omne_. Eggs are useful missiles in an engagement of this -description. If rotten eggs are not obtainable, ordinary ones will do. - -~Miller.~ This word is frequently called out when a person relates a -stale joke. _See_ JOE. - -~Milvader~, to beat. - -~Mish~, a shirt, or chemise. From COMMISSION, the ancient cant for a -shirt, afterwards shortened to K'MISH or SMISH, and then to MISH. -_French_, CHEMISE; _Italian_, CAMICIA. - - "With his snowy CAMESE and his shaggy capote."--_Byron._ - -~Mitey~, a cheesemonger. - -~Mitten.~ "To get the MITTEN" is, in Canadian slang, to be jilted. - -~Mittens~, the boxing gloves. - -~Mizzle~, a frequentative form of MIST in both senses; as applied to -weather, it is used by John Gadbury in his _Ephemeris_ in 1695--MISTY -and MIZZLING--to come down as mist; while the other sense may be -expressed as to fade away like a mist. - -~Mizzle~, to run away, or decamp; to disappear as in a mist. From -MIZZLE, a drizzling rain; a Scotch mist. - - "And then one MIZZLING Michaelmas night, - The Count he MIZZLED too."--_Hood._ - -~Mizzler~, or RUM-MIZZLER, a person who is clever at effecting an -escape, or getting out of a difficulty. - -~Moab~, a name applied to the turban-shaped hat which was some -few years back fashionable among ladies, and ladylike swells of -the other sex. From the Scripture phrase, "MOAB is my washpot" -(Ps. lx. 8), which latter article the hat in question was supposed -to resemble.--_University._ - -~Mob.~ Swift informs us, in his _Art of Polite Conversation_, that MOB -was, in his time, the slang abbreviation of "mobility," just as NOB is -of "nobility," at the present day. _See_ SCHOOL. - - "It is perhaps this humour of speaking no more words than we needs - must which has so miserably curtailed some of our words, that in - familiar writings and conversation they often lose all but their - first syllables, as in MOB., red., pos., incog., and the - like."--_Addison's Spectator._ - -~Mob~, a thief's immediate companions, as,--"our own MOB;" MOBSMAN, a -dressy swindler or pickpocket. - -~Mob~, to hustle, crowd round, and annoy, necessarily the action of a -large party against a smaller one, or an individual. Mobbing is -generally a concomitant of street robbery. - -~Mobility~, the populace; or, according to Burke, the "great unwashed." -Johnson calls it a cant term, although Swift notices it as a proper -expression. - -~Mockered~, holey, marked unpleasantly. A ragged handkerchief and a -blotched or pitted face are both said to be MOCKERED. - -~Modest quencher~, a glass of spirits and water. Dick Swiveller was fond -of a MODEST QUENCHER. - -~Moey~, the mouth.--_Gipsy_ and _Hindoo_. Shakspeare has MOE, to make -mouths. - -~Mofussilite~, an inhabitant of an up-country district.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Moisten your chaffer~, a slang phrase equivalent to "take something to -drink." Also "moisten your clay," originally applied to smokers, now -general, and supposed to have reference to the human clay. - -~Moke~, a donkey.--_Gipsy_, but now general to all the lower orders. A -"coster" and his "moke" are almost inseparable terms. Probably derived -originally from the Arabic _al mocreve_, a carrier. - -~Moko~, a name given by sportsmen to pheasants killed by mistake during -September, before the pheasant-shooting comes in. They pull out their -tails, and roundly assert that they are no pheasants at all, but MOKOS. - -~Moll~, a girl; nickname for Mary.--_Old Cant._ - -~Molled~, followed, or accompanied by a woman. When a costermonger sees -a friend walking with a woman he does not know, he says on the first -opportunity afterwards, "I see yer the other night when yer was MOLLED -up and too proud to speak." - -~Mollisher~, a low girl or woman; generally a female cohabiting with a -man who gets his living by thieving. - -~Mollsack~, a reticule, or market basket. - -~Moll Thomson's mark~, that is, M. T.--empty; as, "Take away this -bottle, it has MOLL THOMSON'S MARK on it." _See_ M. T. - -~Moll-tooler~, a female pickpocket. - -~Mollycoddle~, an effeminate man; one who "coddles" amongst the women, -or does their work. - -~Mollygrubs~, or MULLIGRUBS, stomach ache, or sorrow--which to the -costermonger is much the same, as he believes, like the ancients, that -the viscera is the seat of all feeling. Costermongers are not alone, -even in the present day, in this belief. - -~Molrowing~, "out on the spree," in company with so-called "gay women." -In allusion to the amatory serenadings of the London cats. Another form -of this is, "out on the tiles." - -~Mondayish~, or Mondayfied, disinclined for work. "St. Monday" is a -great institution among artizans and small tradesmen. - -~Monk~, a term of contempt; probably an abbreviation of MONKEY. - -~Monkey~, spirit or ill temper; "to get one's MONKEY up," to rouse his -passion. A man is said to have his MONKEY up or the MONKEY on his back, -when he is "riled," or out of temper; this is old, and was probably in -allusion originally to the evil spirit which was supposed to be always -present with a man; also under similar circumstances a man is said to -have his back or hump up. - -~Monkey~, the instrument which drives a rocket.--_Army._ - -~Monkey~, 500_l._-_-Sporting Slang._ - -~Monkey~, the vessel in which a mess receives its full allowance of -grog.--_Sea._ - -~Monkey-board~, the place or step attached to an omnibus, on which the -conductor stands. - -~Monkey-boat~, a peculiar, long, narrow, canal boat. - -~Monkey with a long tail~, a mortgage.--_Legal._ - -~Monkey's allowance~, to get blows instead of alms, more kicks than -halfpence. - -~Monkery~, the country, or rural districts. Originally an old word for a -quiet or monastic life.--_Hall._ - -~Monniker~, a person's name or signature. - -~Month of Sundays~, an indefinite period, a long time. - -~Mooch~, to sponge; to obtrude oneself upon friends just when they are -about to sit down to dinner, or other lucky time--of course quite -accidentally. Compare HULK. To slink away, and allow your friend to pay -for the entertainment. In Wiltshire, TO MOOCH is to shuffle. _See_ the -following. - -~Mooching~, or ON THE MOOCH, on the look-out for any articles or -circumstances which may be turned to a profitable account; watching in -the streets for odd jobs, horses to hold, &c.; also scraps of food, -drinks, old clothes, &c. - -~Moon~, a month; generally used to express the length of time a person -has been sentenced by the magistrate; thus "one MOON" is one month of -four weeks. A calendar month is known as a "callingder" or long MOON. A -"lunar MOON," ridiculous as the phrase may seem, is of constant use -among those who affect slang of this description. - -~Mooney~, intoxicated, a name for a silly fellow. - -~Mooning~, loitering, wandering about in a purposeless manner. - -~Moonlight~, or MOONSHINE, smuggled spirits. From the night-work of -smugglers. - -~Moon-raker~, a native of Wiltshire; because it is said that some men of -that county, seeing the reflection of the moon in a pond, took it to be -a cheese, and endeavoured to pull it out with a rake. - -~Moonshee~, a learned man, professor, or teacher.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Moonshine~, palaver, deception, humbug. - -~Mop~, a hiring place (or fair) for servants. Steps are often "about to -be taken" to put down these assemblies, which have been proved to be -greatly detrimental to the morality of the poor. They are supposed to -contribute largely to the bastardy percentages. - -~Mop~, an habitual drunkard. Also a period of intoxication. "To be on -the MOP" is to be on the drink from day to day--to be perpetually -"stale drunk." - -~Mop up~, to drink, or empty a glass.--_Old Sea term._ - -~Mops and brooms~, intoxicated. Supposed by an imaginative person to be -the appearance presented by the world to a very drunken man. Possibly -the term was first used to express sea-sickness. - -~Mopusses~, money; "MOPUSSES ran taper," money ran short. - -~Moral~, a forthcoming result which appears certain--originally MORAL -certainty. This is racing slang, as, "The race is a MORAL for Cremorne." -These MORALS are often, however, of very uncertain tenure. - -~More-ish.~ When there is scarcely enough of an eatable or drinkable, it -is said to taste MORE-ISH; as, "This wine is very good, but it has a -slight MORE-ISH flavour." - -~Morris~, to decamp, be off. Probably from the ancient MORESCO, of -MORRIS-DANCE. _See Shakspeare._ - -~Mortar-board~, a square college cap. - -~Mortgage-deed~, a pawnbroker's duplicate. - -~Moskeneer~, to pawn with a view to obtaining more than the actual value -of an article. There are, in various parts of the country, men who make -MOSKENEERING a profession--that is, they buy jewellery which, though -fairly good, is not so good as it seems, and pawn it as opportunity -occurs. It is notorious that some men can obtain a much larger sum -on a given article than others can; though the smallest of these -professionals generally manage to get good livings, which does not say -much for the judgment of those constant inspectors of personal -property--pawnbrokers' assistants. - -~Mot~, a girl of indifferent character. Formerly, _Mort_. _Dutch_, -MOTT-KAST, a harlotry. MOT-CART, _see_ LOOSE-BOX. - -~Mouchey~, a Jew. - -~Mouldy~, grey-headed. Servants wearing hair-powder are usually termed -MOULDY-PATES by street boys. - -~Mouldy-grubs~, travelling showmen, mountebanks who perform in the open -air without tent or covering. Doing this is called MOULDY-GRUBBING. - -~Mount~, a saddle-horse. According to quality, "a good MOUNT," or "a bad -MOUNT." - -~Mount~, in theatrical parlance, to prepare for production on the stage. -"The piece was excellently MOUNTED." - -~Mounter~, a false swearer. Derived from the borrowed clothes men used -to MOUNT, or dress in, when going to swear for a consideration. - -~Mountain-dew~, whisky, advertised as from the Highlands. - -~Mountain-pecker~, a sheep's head. _See_ JEMMY. - -~Mourning~, "a full suit of MOURNING," two black eyes; HALF-MOURNING, -one black eye. - -~Mouse~, a black eye. By a faon de parler, any one with "a MOUSE" is -supposed to have been to Blackwall. - -~Mouth-almighty~, a noisy, talkative person. - -~Mouthpiece~, a lawyer, or counsel. Thieves and their associates always -speak of a counsel as a MOUTHPIECE. - -~Move~, a "dodge," or cunning trick; "up to a MOVE or two," acquainted -with tricks. Probably derived from the game of chess. - -~M.P.~, member of the police, one of the slang titles of the Force. - -~Mrs. Grundy~, the representative of the censorious world, "What will -MRS. GRUNDY say?" Originally a character in the comedy of _Speed the -Plough_. - -~Mrs. Harris~ and ~Mrs. Gamp~, nicknames of the _Morning Herald_ and -_Standard_ newspapers, while united under the proprietorship of Mr. -Baldwin. MRS. GAMP, a monthly nurse, was a character in Charles -Dickens's popular novel of _Martin Chuzzlewit_, who continually quoted -an imaginary MRS. HARRIS in attestation of the superiority of her -qualifications, and the infallibility of her opinions; and thus afforded -a parallel to the two newspapers, which appealed to each other as -independent authorities, being all the while the production of the same -editorial staff. _See_ introductory article. - -~Mrs. Jones~, the house of office, a water-closet. - -~M.T.~, railway slang used by porters and pointsmen for empties, or -empty carriages. _See_ MOLL THOMSON'S MARK. - -~Much of a muchness~, alike, very much the same thing. - -~Muck~, to beat, or excel. "It's no use, his luck's dead in; he'd MUCK a -thousand;" "he MUCKED me clean out," &c. To RUN A MUCK, or GO A MUCKER, -to rush headlong into certain ruin. From a certain religious frenzy, or -intoxication caused by bhang, which is common among the Malays, and -which now and again causes an enthusiast, kreese in hand, to dash into a -crowd and devote every one he meets to death until he is himself killed, -or falls from exhaustion.--_Malay_, AMOK, slaughter. - -~Muckender~, or MUCKENGER, a pocket-handkerchief.--_Old._ _Cf._ -SNOTTINGER. The original name of the "Neckinger" in Bermondsey was "the -Devil's Neck-handkerchief." There is still a Neckinger Road and Messrs. -Bevington and Sons' tannery in Bermondsey bears the name of the -Neckinger Mills. - -~Mucker~, TO GO A, to go to grief, to ruin one's prospects.--_Oxford -Univ._ - -~Muck-out~, to clean out; often applied to one utterly ruining an -adversary in gambling. - -~Muck-snipe~, one who has been "MUCKED OUT," or beggared, at gambling. -_See_ MUCK. - -~Mud-crusher~, a word of contempt, used by the cavalry in reference to -the infantry. - -~Mudfog~, "The British Association for the Advancement of Science." Term -first used by Charles Dickens in _Bentley's Miscellany_, about 1836. - -~Mud-lark~, a man or woman who, with clothes tucked above the knee, -grovels through the mud on the banks of the Thames, when the tide is -low, for silver or pewter spoons, old bottles, pieces of iron, coal, or -any articles of the least value, deposited by the retiring tide, either -from passing ships or the sewers. Occasionally applied to those men who -cleanse the sewers, and who wear great boots and sou'-wester hats. Those -who are employed in banks and counting-houses, in collecting and other -out-door duties, have also this appellation. - -~Mud-student~, a farming pupil. The name given to the students at the -Agricultural College, Cirencester. - -~Muff~, a silly or weak-minded person, a duffer; MUFF has been defined -to be "a soft thing that holds a lady's hand without squeezing it." - -~Muffin-cap~, a cap similar to that worn by a charity-boy. - -~Muffin-face~, a white, soft, delicate, or whiskerless face. - -~Muffin-worry~, an old lady's tea party. - -~Mufti~, the civilian dress of a naval or military officer when off -duty.--_Anglo-Indian._ From an Eastern word signifying a clergyman or -priest. - -~Mug~, the mouth, or face.--_Old._ - - "'GOBLET AND MUG.'--Topers should bear in mind that what they quaff - from the goblet afterwards appears in the MUG." - -~Mug~, to strike in the face, or fight. Also, to rob or swindle. -_Gaelic_, MUIG, to suffocate, oppress; _Irish_, MUGAIM, to kill, -destroy. - -~Mug~, "to MUG oneself," to get tipsy. - -~Mugging~, a thrashing,--synonymous with "slogging," both terms of the -"ring," and frequently used by fighting men. - -~Muggy~, drunk. Also, as applied to weather, stifling, oppressive. - -~Mug-up~, to paint one's face, or dress specially with a view to -impersonation.--_Theatrical._ To "cram" for an examination.--_Army._ - -~Mull~, "to make a MULL of it," to spoil anything, or make a fool of -oneself. - -~Mulligrubs.~ _Vide_ MOLLYGRUBS. - -~Mullingar heifer~, a girl with thick ankles.--_Irish._ The story goes -that a traveller, passing through Mullingar, was so struck with this -local peculiarity in the women, that he determined to accost the next -one he met. "May I ask," said he, "if you wear hay in your shoes?" -"Faith an' I do," said the girl; "and what then?" "Because," says the -traveller, "that accounts for the calves of your legs coming down to -feed on it." - -~Multee kertever~, very bad. _Italian_, MOLTO CATTIVO. Generally used -with the affix of bloke when referring to a man. Phrase much used by -circus riders. - -~Mum~, "to keep MUM," to hold one's peace. Hence "MUM'S the word,"--a -phrase which implies to all hearers that the matter to which it refers -must remain secret. - -~Mummer~, a performer at a travelling theatre.--_Ancient._ Rustic -performers at Christmas in the West of England. - -~Mump~, to beg. In Lincolnshire, Boxing-day is known as MUMPING DAY. - -~Mumper~, a beggar. A collector of holiday tribute. - -~Mumps~, the miserables. To feel MUMPISH is to be heavy, dull, and -stupid. - -~Mundungus~, trashy, coarse tobacco. Sometimes used to represent -the half-soddened, half-calcined residuum at the bottom of an -all-but-smoked-out pipe, which, when knocked out, is vulgarly called the -TOPPER, _q.v. Spanish_, MONDONGO, black pudding. - -~Mungarly~, bread, food. MUNG is an old word for mixed food, but -MUNGARLY is doubtless derived from the _Lingua Franca_, MANGIAR, to eat. -_See_ the following. - -~Mungarly casa~, a baker's shop; evidently a corruption of a Lingua -Franca phrase for an eating-house. The well-known "Nix Mangiare" stairs -at Malta derive their name from the endless beggars who lie there and -shout, "Nix mangiare," _i.e._, "Nothing to eat," to excite the -compassion of the English who land there,--an expression which exhibits -remarkably the mongrel composition of the _Lingua Franca_, MANGIARE -being Italian, and _Nix_ (_German_, NICHTS), an evident importation from -Trieste, or other Austrian seaport. - -~Munging~, or MOUNGING, whining, begging, muttering.--_North._ - -~Muns~, the mouth. _German_, MUND.--_Old Cant._ - -~Murerk~, the mistress of the house. _See_ BURERK. - -~Murkarker~, a monkey,--vulgar Cockney pronunciation of MACAUCO, a -species of monkey. Jacko Macauco, or Maccacco, as he was mostly called, -was the name of a famous fighting monkey, who used nearly fifty years -ago to display his prowess at the Westminster pit, where, after having -killed many dogs, he was at last "chawed up" by a bull terrier. - -~Murphy~, a potato. Probably from the Irish national liking for -potatoes, MURPHY being a surname common amongst the Irish. MURPHIES -(edible) are sometimes called DONOVANS. - -~Murphy~, "in the arms of MURPHY," _i.e._, fast asleep. Corruption of -MORPHEUS. - -~Mush~, an umbrella. Contraction of MUSHROOM. - -~Mush~ (or MUSHROOM) ~faker~, an itinerant mender of umbrellas. - -~Mushroom~, a hat, shaped like the fungus from which it takes its name, -often worn by demure ladies. - -~Muslin~, a woman or girl; "he picked up a bit of MUSLIN." - -~Musta~, or MUSTER, a pattern, one of a sort. Anglo-Indian term used in -describing the make or pattern of anything. A sample of any kind of -merchandize. This word is very generally used in commercial transactions -all over the world. - -~Mutton~, a contemptuous term for a woman of bad character; sometimes -varied to LACED MUTTON. The expression was used as a cant term for a -"wild duck" in the reign of James I. As a slang term it was employed by -Ben Jonson in his masque of _Neptune's Triumph_, which was written for -display at Court on Twelfth Night, 1623; "a fine LACED MUTTON or two," -are the words applied to wantons. Shakspeare has the term. In that class -of English society which does not lay any claim to refinement, a fond -lover is often spoken of as being "fond of his MUTTON," which, by the -way, in this place does not mean the woman so much as something else. - -~Mutton chops~, a sheep's-head. A man who has dined off sheep's-head -dignifies his meal by calling it MUTTON CHOPS (chaps). - -~Mutton-fist~, an uncomplimentary title for any one having a large and -muscular, bony, or coarse hand. - -~Mutton-walk~, the saloon at Drury Lane Theatre. A vulgar appellation -applied to this place early in the last century, still in use in the -neighbourhood of Covent Garden, which was formerly the great resort for -the gay and giddy of both sexes. - -~Muzzle~, the mouth. - -~Muzzle~, to fight or thrash; to throttle or garrotte. - -~Muzzler~, a blow in the mouth; a dram of spirits. - -~Muzzy~, intoxicated. - -~My aunt~, AUNT JONES, or MRS. JONES, the closet of decency, or house of -office. - -~My lord~, a nickname given to a hunchback. - -~My tulip~, a term of endearment used by the lower orders to persons and -animals; "'Kim up, MY TULIP,' as the coster said to his donkey when -thrashing him with an ash stick." - -~My uncle~, the pawnbroker,--generally used when any person questions -the whereabouts of a domestic article. "Oh! only at MY UNCLE'S" is the -reply. "Up the spout" has the same meaning. It is worthy of remark that -the French call this useful relative "ma tante," my aunt. - -~Nab~, to catch, to seize; "NAB the rust," to take offence.--_Ancient_, -fourteenth century. _See_ NAP. - -~Nab the rust~, to take offence. - -~Nabob~, an Eastern prince, a retired Indian official,--hence a slang -term for a capitalist. From Nawaub. - -~Nabs~, self; my NABS, myself; his NABS, himself.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Nag~, to persistently talk in a scolding manner, after the manner of -Mrs. Caudle. NAGGING is supposed to be persistent, persevering, -passionless scolding. - -~Nail~, to steal, or capture; "paid on the NAIL," _i.e._, paid ready -money; NAILED, taken up, or caught,--probably in allusion to the -practice of NAILING bad money to the counter. We say, "as dead as a -door-NAIL;" most possibly because of "apt alliteration." Shakspeare has -the expression in _Henry IV._-- - - "_Falstaff._ What! is the old king dead? - - _Pistol._ As NAIL in door." - -Dickens, in that marvellous little book, _A Christmas Carol_, says:-- - - "Old Marley was as dead as a DOOR-NAIL. - - "Mind! I don't mean to say that I know of my own knowledge what - there is particularly dead about a DOOR-NAIL. I might have been - inclined myself to regard a COFFIN-NAIL as the deadest piece of - ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the - simile: and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the - country's done for. You will, therefore, permit me to repeat, - emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a DOOR-NAIL." - -~Nail in one's coffin~, a dram, "a drop o' summat' short," a jocular, -but disrespectful phrase, used by the lower orders to each other at the -moment of lifting a glass of spirits to their lips. "Well, good luck! -here's another NAIL IN MY COFFIN." This is probably in ridicule of -teetotal or temperance preachers, and the arguments adduced by them. -Another phrase with old topers is "shedding a tear," also "wiping an -eye." - -~Namby-pamby~, particular, over-nice, effeminate. This was possibly of -Pope's invention, and first applied by him to the affected short-lined -verses addressed by Ambrose Phillips to Lord Carteret's infant children. -_See Johnson's Life of Pope._ - -~Nammus~, or NAMOUS, to be off, to get away; "let's NAMMUS, somebody's -coming." _See_ VAMOS. - -~Nanny-shop~, a disreputable house. - -~Nantee~, not any, or "I have none." NANTEE also means "shut up!" or -"leave off!" _Italian_, NIENTE, nothing. _See_ DINARLY.--_Lingua -Franca._ - -~Nantee palaver~, no conversation, _i.e._, hold your tongue. Very often -in this sense also shortened to NANTEE only. Originally _Lingua Franca_, -but now general. - -~Nap~, or NAB, to take, steal, or receive; "you'll NAP it," _i.e._, you -will catch a beating.--_North_; also _Old Cant_. - -~Nap~, to break, or rap with a hammer. _See_ KNAP.--_North._ - -~Nap~, or NAPPER, a hat. From "nab," a hat, cap, or head.--_Old Cant._ - -~Nap nix~, a person who works at his trade, and occasionally goes on the -stage to act minor parts without receiving any pay. The derivation is -obvious. _See_ NAP and NIX, _i.e._, NICHTS. - -~Nap one's bib~, to cry, shed tears, or carry one's point. - -~Nap the regulars~, to divide the booty. - -~Nap the teaze~, to be privately whipped in prison. - -~Nark~, a person in the pay of the police; a common informer; one who -gets his living by laying traps for publicans, &c. Sometimes called a -"nose." - -~Nark~, to watch, or look after; "NARK the titter," watch the girl. - -~Narp~, a shirt.--_Scotch._ - -~Narrow~, mean, sordid.--_Scotch._ In common slang, dull of -comprehension, as distinguished from wide awake. - -~Nasty~, ill-tempered, cross-grained. "He was very NASTY," _i.e._, he -was ill-humoured. - -~Nation~, or TARNATION, very, or exceedingly. Corruption of damnation. - -~Natty~, pretty, neat, tidy.--_Old._ - -~Natural~, an idiot, a simpleton. Sometimes HALF-NATURAL. - -~Navvy~, an excavator employed in making railways, canals, &c. -Originally slang, but now a recognised term. Short for navigator, a term -humorously applied to excavators when their chief work was that of -cutting and banking canals, making dykes to rivers, &c. - -~N. C.~, "enough said," being the initials of NUF CED. A certain -theatrical manager spells, it is said, in this style. - -~Near~, mean and stingy. - -~Neardy~, a person in authority over another; master, parent, or -foreman.--_North._ - -~Neat~, unmixed with water. "Two half goes of gin, one NEAT, the other -cold," meaning one as drawn, the other diluted with cold water. The -Americans use the word "straight" instead of NEAT: "I'll take mine -straight." - -~Neck~, to swallow. Neck-oil, drink of any kind. - -~Neck and crop~, entirely, completely; "he chuck'd him NECK AND CROP out -of window." - -~Neck and neck.~ Horses run NECK AND NECK in a race when they are so -perfectly equal that one cannot be said to be before the other. - -~Neck or nothing~, desperate. Originally a steeplechase phrase. - -~Neck beef~, a synonym for coarseness. "As coarse as neck ends of beef." - -~Neckinger~, a cravat. _See_ MUCKENGER. - -~Ned~, a guinea. HALF-NED, half-a-guinea. - -~Neddy~, a considerable quantity, as "a NEDDY of fruit," "a NEDDY of -fish," &c.--_Irish slang._ - -~Neddy~, a donkey. On Sunday, when a costermonger, if at all well to do, -takes his family out for an airing in his "shallow," the donkey is -called "Eddard." - -~Neddy~, a life preserver. Possibly contraction of Kennedy, the name of -the first man, it is said in St. Giles's, who had his head broken by a -poker. - -~Ned Stokes~, the four of spades.--_North Hants._ _See Gentleman's -Magazine_ for 1791, p. 141. - -~Needful~, money, cash; the "one thing NEEDFUL" for the accomplishment -of most pet designs. - -~Needle~, to annoy. To "cop the NEEDLE" is to become vexed or annoyed. - -~Needy mizzler~, a shabby person; a tramp who runs away without paying -for his lodging. - -~Never trust me~, an ordinary phrase with low Londoners, and common in -Shakspeare's time, _vide Twelfth Night_. It is generally used instead of -an oath, calling vengeance on the asseverator, if such-and-such does -not come to pass. - -~Newgate fringe~, or FRILL, the collar of beard worn under the chin; so -called from its occupying the position of the rope when Jack Ketch -operates. Another name for it is a TYBURN COLLAR. - -~Newgate Knocker~, the term given to the lock of hair which -costermongers and thieves usually twist back towards the ear. The shape -is supposed to resemble the knocker on the prisoners' door at Newgate--a -resemblance that carries a rather unpleasant suggestion to the wearer. -Sometimes termed a COBBLER'S KNOT, or COW-LICK. - -~Newmarket~, in tossing, when the game is "two out of three," that is, -when he who gains the first two tosses wins. When the first toss is -decisive, the game is termed "sudden death." - -~Nibble~, to take, or steal. NIBBLER, a petty thief. - -~Nib-cove~, a gentleman. NIBSOMEST CRIBS, best or gentlemen's -houses.--_Beggar's Cant._ - -~Nib-like~, gentlemanly. - -~Nibs~, self. His NIBS, means any one who may be referred to. As, "I -told his NIBS," or "stag his NIBS." "Your NIBS," yourself. - -~Nick~, or OLD NICK, the devil.--_Scandinavian_, KNICKAR, one of the -names of Odin, as the destroying or evil principle. - -~Nick~, to hit the mark; "he's NICKED it," _i.e._, won his point. Also -to steal. To be "out on the NICK," is to be out thieving. Sometimes -described as being "on the pinch." - -~Nick-nack~, a trifle.--Originally _Cant_. - -~Niggling~, trifling, or idling; taking short steps in -walking.--_North._ - -~Nightcap~, a glass of "warm with" taken the last thing at night. - -~Night-hunter~, a poacher.--_North._ Also a London prostitute. Sometimes -in the latter capacity varied to night-hawk. - -~Nil~, half; half profits, &c. - -~Nilly-willy~, _i.e._, NILL YE, WILL YE, whether you will or no; a -familiar version of the _Latin_, NOLENS VOLENS. Generally written now, -WILLY-NILLY. - -~Nimming~, stealing. _Old English_, NIM, to take. Motherwell, the Scotch -poet, thought the old word NIM (to snatch or pick up) was derived from -_nam, nam_, the tiny words or cries of an infant, when eating anything -which pleases its little palate. A negro proverb has the word:-- - - "Buckra man NAM crab, - Cram NAM buckra man." - -Or, in the buckra man's language-- - - "White man eat [or steal] the crab, - And then crab eat the white man." - - -Shakspeare evidently had the word NIM in his head when he portrayed Nym. - -~Nincompoop~, a fool, a hen-pecked husband, a "Jerry Sneak."--Corruption -of _non compos mentis_. - -~Nine corns~, a pipeful of tobacco. - -~Ninepence~, "nice as NINEPENCE," all right, right to a nicety. A -correspondent says:--"This most undoubtedly should be NINE-PINS. For at -the game of that name, in fairness to both parties, the nine pins must -always be set up with great accuracy. There is no nicety in NINEPENCE!" -Evidently this correspondent does not know how nice it is to have -ninepence, after being without money. At all events the phrase _is_ -"nice as NINEPENCE." - -~Nines~, "dressed up to the NINES," in a showy or _recherch_ manner. Up -to the NINES, up to the dodges and "wrinkles" of life. - -~Nine Shillings~, cool audacity; most probably derived from the -_French_, NONCHALANCE. - -~Ning-nang~, horse-coupers' term for a worthless thoroughbred. - -~Ninnyhammer~, a foolish, ignorant person. Generally shortened to NINNY. -NINNY is also short for nincompoop. - -~Nip~, to steal, to take up quickly. _See_ NAP and NIB. - -~Nipcheese~, a purser.--_Old Sea Slang._ - -~Nipper~, a sharp lad. Originally a superior grade among cut-purses. - -~Nix~, nothing. _German_, NICHTS. _See_ MUNGARLY. - -~Nix!~ the signal word of schoolboys and workpeople to each other that -the master, or other person in authority, is approaching. - -~Nix my dolly~, once a very popular slang song, beginning-- - - "In a box of a stone jug I was born, - Of a hempen widow all forlorn; - And my old dad, as I've heard say, - Was a famous merchant in capers gay; - NIX MY DOLLY, pals, fake away!" - -"Capers" of course here refers to the mode of the old gentleman's -decease. - -~Niz-priz~, a writ of nisi-prius.--_Legal._ - -~Nizzie~, a fool, a coxcomb.--_Old Cant, vide Triumph of Wit_. - -~Nob~, the head.--_Pugilistic_; "bob a NOB," a shilling a head. _Ancient -Cant_, NEB. NOB is an early English word, and is used in the romance of -_Kynge Alinaunder_ (thirteenth century) for a head; originally, no -doubt, the same as _knob_. - -~Nob~, a person of high position, a "swell," a NOBleman,--of which word -it may be an abbreviation, or of NOBILIS. _See_ SNOB. - -~Nob.~ When the knave of trumps is held at the game of cribbage, the -holder counts "one for his NOB." - -~Nobba~, nine. _Italian_, NOVE; _Spanish_, NOVA,--the _b_ and _v_ being -interchangeable, as in sa_b_e and sa_vv_ey. Slang introduced by the -"organ-grinders" from Italy. - -~Nobba saltee~, ninepence. _Lingua Franca_, NOVE SOLDI. - -~Nobbing cheat~, the gallows.--_Old Cant._ - -~Nobbing~, collecting money; "what NOBBINGS?" _i.e._, how much have you -got or collected from the crowd? This term is much used by "buskers." - -~Nobble~, to cheat, to overreach; to discover. In the racing world, to -"NOBBLE" a horse, is to "get at," and lame or poison him. - -~Nobbler~, a blow on the NOB, a finishing stroke; "that's a NOBBLER for -him," _i.e._, a settler.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Nobbler~, a confederate of thimble-riggers and card-sharpers, who plays -earnestly, as if a stranger to the "rig," and thus draws unsuspecting -persons into a game. The same as a "bonnet" or "bearer-up." In the North -of England, a low, cunning lawyer. - -~Nobby~, or NOBBISH, fine or showy; NOBBILY, showily. _See_ SNOB for -derivation. - -~No flies~, an emphatic addition made to an assertion for the purpose of -giving it weight. It really means "no error" or "no mistake." Both of -them popular; as, "A jolly fine girl, and NO FLIES!" - -~No-fly~, artful, designing. Term much used among printers, who shorten -it to "N.F." - -~Noli-me-tangere~, the Scotch fiddle, or other contagious disease. - -~Non-com~, a non-commissioned officer in the army. - -~No odds~, no matter, of no consequence.--_Latimer's Sermon before -Edward VI._ - -~Nooning~, an interval for rest and refreshment, taken at midday by -travellers in hot countries. - -~Norfolk-Howards~, bugs; a person named Ephraim Bug some few years back -advertised, that for the future he would call himself by the more -aristocratic appellation of NORFOLK HOWARD. - -~North~, cunning. The inhabitants of Yorkshire and the Northern counties -are supposed, like the canny Scots, to get the better of other people in -dealing; hence the phrase, "He's too far NORTH for me," _i.e._, too -cunning for me to deal with. - -~North country compliment~, to give or offer anything that is not wanted -by either giver or receiver is to pass a NORTH COUNTRY COMPLIMENT. - -~Norwicher~, more than one's share; said of a person who leaves less -than half the contents of a tankard for his companion. In what way the -term originated, or why Norwich was selected before any other city is -not known. Most likely from the slanders which the inhabitants of one -town are always inventing about their neighbours. - -~Nose~, a thief who turns informer; a paid spy; generally called a -policeman's NOSE; "on the NOSE," on the look-out. - -~Nose~, to give information to the police, to turn approver. - -~Nose~, "to pay through the NOSE," to pay an extravagant price. - -~Nose-bag~, a visitor at a watering-place, or house of refreshment, who -carries his own victuals. Term applied by waiters. - -~Nose 'em~, or FOGUS, tobacco. NOSE 'EM is but a contraction of the -rhyming slang, which _see_. - -~Nose-ender~, a straight blow delivered full on the nasal promontory. - -~Nose in the manger~, TO PUT ONE'S, to sit down to eat. To "put on the -nose-bag" is to eat hurriedly, or to eat while continuing at work. - -~Nose out of joint~, TO PUT ONE'S; to supplant, supersede, or mortify a -person by excelling him. - -~Noser~, a hard blow, leading to a bloody or contused nose.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Notional~, imaginative, full of ideas. Used in America to express a -wife's imaginations with regard to her husband's doings. - -~Nouse~, comprehension, perception.--_Old_, apparently from the _Greek_, -_nous_. _Gaelic_ and _Irish_, NOS, knowledge, perception. - -~Nowhere~, horses not placed in a race--that are neither first, second, -nor third--are said to be NOWHERE, especially when this lack of position -happens to favourites. - -~Number of his mess~, when a man dies in the army or navy, he is said to -"lose the NUMBER OF HIS MESS." - -~Nurse~, a curious term applied to competition in omnibuses. Two -omnibuses are placed on the road to NURSE, or take care of, each -opposition "bus," one before, the other behind. Of course the central or -NURSED bus has very little chance, unless it happens to be a favourite -with the public. Recent legislation and tramways have done much to do -away with NURSING. NURSE also means to cheat or swindle; trustees are -sometimes said to NURSE property, _i.e._, gradually eat it up -themselves. - -~Nut~, the head, in pugilistic slang. Used as an exclamation at a fight, -it means to strike on the head. In tossing it is a direction to hide the -head; to be "off one's NUT," to be crazed or idiotic. - -~Nut-cut~, roguish, mischievous. A good-natured term of -reproach.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Nuts~, to be NUTS on anything or person is to be pleased with or fond -of it or him; a self-satisfied man is said to be NUTS on himself. -NUTTED, taken in by a man who professed to be NUTS on you. - -~Nux~, the "plant," or object in view. "Stoll up to the NUX?" "Do you -fully comprehend what is wanted?"--_North Country Cant._ - -~Oaf~, a lumbering, awkward fellow. - -~Oak~, the outer door of college rooms; to "sport one's OAK," to be "not -at home" to visitors. _See_ SPORT.--_University._ - -[Illustration: A "Sporting Door," or "Oak."] - -~Oar~, "to put in an OAR," to interfere. - - "I put my OAR in no man's boat."--_Thackeray._ - -~Oat~, an atom. Probable corruption of iota, or perhaps from the small -size of an oat. "I never got an OAT of it," I never received the -smallest portion. - -~Oat-stealer~, an ostler. - -~Obfuscated~, intoxicated. - -~Obliquitous~, oblivious of distinction between right and -wrong.--_American._ - -~Obstropolous~, Cockney corruption of obstreperous. - -~Ochre~, money, generally applied to gold, for a very obvious reason. - -~O'clock~, "like ONE O'CLOCK," a favourite comparison with the lower -orders, implying briskness; otherwise "like winkin'." "To know what's -O'CLOCK" is to be wide-awake, sharp, and experienced. - -~Odd man out~, a street or public-house game at tossing. The number of -players is three or more. Each tosses up a coin, and if two come down -head, and one comes tail, or _vice vers_, the ODD MAN loses or wins, as -may have been agreed upon. Frequently used to victimize a "flat." If all -be alike, then the toss goes for nothing, and the coppers are again -"skied." It is easy for two men to arrange matters beforehand at this -game, and so swindle a third. - -~Odd man~, a man who trains in company with a boat's crew, so that in -the event of any one falling ill the seat will be fairly occupied. - -~Odds~, a phrase equivalent to "consequence;" "what's the ODDS?" _i.e._, -what is the expected result? "It's no ODDS," _i.e._, of no consequence. -ODDS, in sporting phraseology, refers to the proportions or differences -of a bet. One bookmaker will lay ODDS of "six to one" against such a -horse winning; whilst another, more speculative, or in the receipt of a -first-rate "tip" (information about the horse in question) will lay -"eight," or even "ten to one." - -~Od rot it~ (_Colman's Broad Grins_), DRAT IT, OD'S BLOOD, and all other -exclamations commencing with OD, are nothing but softened or suppressed -oaths. OD is a corruption of GOD, and DRAT of ROT. - -~Off and on~, vacillating; "an OFF AND ON kind of a chap," one who is -always undecided. - -~Off at the head~, crazy.--_Oxfordshire._ - -~Off one's chump.~ To be crazy is to be OFF ONE'S CHUMP; this is varied -by the word CHUMPY. A mild kind of lunatic is also said to be "off his -head," which means of course exactly the same as the first phrase. - -~Off one's feed.~ To be unable to eat is to be OFF ONE'S FEED. -Originally stable slang. - -~Off the horn~, a term used in reference to very hard steak, which is -fancifully said to be OFF THE HORN. - -~Office~, "to give the OFFICE," to give a hint dishonestly to a -confederate, thereby enabling him to win a game or bet, the profits -being shared. Also in sporting phraseology to give any information worth -having. - -~Offish~, distant, not familiar. Corruption of STAND-OFFISH. - -~Ogle~, to look, or reconnoitre. - -~Ogles~, eyes.--_Old Cant. French_, OEIL. - -~Oil of palms~, or PALM OIL, money. - -~Ointment~, medical student slang for butter. - -~O. K.~, a matter to be O. K. (OLL KORRECT, _i.e._, all correct), must -be on the "square," and perfectly in order. This is an Americanism, and -is derived from the initials O. K., said to have been marked on a -document by an official to signify that all was right and proper. - -~Old boots~, a simile as general in its application as it is irrelevant. -"Like OLD BOOTS" means like anything. "As cheeky as OLD BOOTS;" "As -quick as OLD BOOTS," seem a little more reasonable, new boots being -somewhat unfavourable to speedy locomotion. - -~Old dog~, a knowing blade, an experienced person. Butler uses the -phrase, _Hudibras_, part ii. canto iii. 208, where it was said of -Sidrophel, "And was OLD DOG at physiology." An Irish proverb says, "OLD -DOG for hard road," meaning that it requires an experienced person to -execute a difficult undertaking. - -~Old gentleman~, the devil. Also a card almost imperceptibly longer than -the rest of the pack, used by sharpers for the purpose of cheating. - -~Old gooseberry~ (_see_ GOOSEBERRY), OLD HARRY (_Old Hairy_), OLD -SCRATCH, all synonyms for the devil. - -~Old gown~, smuggled tea. - -~Old horse~, salt junk, or beef.--_Sea._ - -~Old hoss~, a term of endearment, originally an Americanism, but now in -common use here among friends. - -~Old Lady in Threadneedle Street~, the Bank of England. - -~Old man~, in American merchant ships, the master. The phrase is -becoming common in English ships. - -~Old salt~, a thorough sailor. - -~Old Tom~, extra strong gin; sometimes termed CAT'S WATER. Various -reasons are given for the use of the words OLD TOM. The distillers have -the sign of a tom cat on their illuminated placards. The origin of the -phrase is, however, in the fact that the managing clerk of a once -celebrated "gin-spinning" firm, who was known as OLD TOM, used to keep a -special bottle of extra good stuff with which to regale customers when -they settled their accounts. To get a drink of OLD TOM'S was then a -great favour. Gradually the title became popular as representing very -good strong gin. - -~Oliver~, the moon; "OLIVER don't widdle," _i.e._, the moon does not -shine. _Nearly obsolete._ - -~Ollapod~, a country apothecary. From George Coleman's comedy of _The -Poor Gentleman_. - -~Omee~, a master or landlord; "the OMEE of the carsey's a nark on the -pitch," the master of the house will not let us perform. _Italian_, -UOMO, a man; "UOMO DELLA CASA," the master of the house. _Latin_, -HOMO.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Omnium gatherum~, an indiscriminate collection of articles; a numerous -and by no means select assemblage. - -~On~, "to be ON," in public-house or vulgar parlance, is synonymous with -getting "tight" or tipsy; "it's St. Monday with him, I see he's ON -again," _i.e._, drunk as usual, or on the road to it. "I'm ON" also -expresses a person's acceptance of an offered bet. To GET ON a horse or -a man is to make bets on it or him. "Try it ON," a defiant challenge to -a person. - -~On the fly~, getting one's living by thieving or other illegitimate -means; the phrase is applied to men the same as "on the loose" is to -women. ON THE FLY also means on the drink. - -~On the loose~, obtaining a living by prostitution; in reality, on the -streets. The term is applied to females only, excepting in the case of -"sprees," when men carousing are sometimes said to be ON THE LOOSE. - -~On the nose~, on the watch or look-out. _See_ NOSE. - -~On the shelf~, transported. With old maids it has another and very -different meaning. - -~On the tiles~, out all night "on the spree," or carousing,--in allusion -to the London cats on their amatory excursions. _See_ CATERWAULING. - -~One-er~, that which stands for ONE, a blow that requires no repeating. -In _The Old Curiosity Shop_, the "Marchioness" tells Dick Swiveller that -"her missus is a ONE-ER"--there a variation of "stunner." - -~One in ten~, a parson. In allusion to the tithing system. - -~Onion~, a watch-seal. - -~O. P.~ Publishers' reply to an inquiry for a book or paper that is OUT -OF PRINT. - -~Open the ball~, to commence anything. - -~Oracle~, "to work the ORACLE," to plan, manoeuvre, to succeed by a wily -stratagem. - -~Orate~, an Americanism, which means, to speak in public, or make an -oration. - -~Organ-grinder~, an itinerant who is supposed to "GRIND" music out of a -barrel-organ. - -~Originator~, an inventor of plans for the formation of joint-stock -companies. The originator submits his schemes to the promoter, who -accepts or rejects them. - -~Otter~, eightpence. _Italian_, OTTO, eight.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Ottomy~, a thin man, a skeleton, a dwarf. Vulgar pronunciation of -ANATOMY. Shakspeare has ATOMY. - -~Out~, a dram glass. These glasses are two-OUT (half-quartern), -three-OUT, and four-OUT. An _habitu_ of a gin-shop, desirous of -treating a brace of friends, calls for "a quartern of gin and three -OUTS," by which he means three glasses which will exactly contain the -quartern. Really, the word glasses is understood. The man actually -means, and one or more three-OUT glasses. - -~Out~, in round games, where several play, and there can be but one -loser, the winners in succession STAND OUT, while the others PLAY OFF. - -~Out and out~, prime, excellent, of the first quality; beyond measure. -OUT-AND-OUTER, one who is of an OUT-AND-OUT description, "up" to -anything. - -An ancient MS. has this couplet, which shows the antiquity of the -phrase:-- - - "The Kyng was good alle aboute, - And she was wycked OUTE AND OUTE." - -~Outcry~, an auction.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Outing~, a day's holiday. The Oxford and Cambridge boatrace, the Derby, -and other events of a like character, are each said to be simply excuses -to the Cockneys for a day's OUTING. - -~Out of collar~, out of place,--in allusion to servants. When in place, -the term is IN COLLAR. Most likely from "head in the COLLAR," said of -horses when hard at work. - -~Out on the loose~, "on the spree," in search of adventures. _See_ ON -THE LOOSE. - -~Out on the pickaroon.~ PICARONE is Spanish for a thief, but this phrase -does not necessarily mean anything dishonest, but is often used to mean -readiness for anything in the way of excitement. It also means to be in -search of anything profitable, without much care as to honesty or -otherwise. - -~Outsider~, a person who does not habitually bet, or is not admitted to -the "ring," a duffer or good-for-nothing fellow. Also, a horse whose -name does not appear among the "favourites."--_Sporting._ - -~Over!~ or OVER THE LEFT, _i.e._, the left shoulder--a common -exclamation of disbelief in what is being narrated,--sometimes implying -that the results of a proposed plan will be OVER THE LEFT, _i.e._, in -the wrong direction, loss instead of gain. - -~Over~, generally used in connexion with come, as, "He came it rather -strong OVER me," _i.e._, tried to intimidate or compel me. The same -phrase would also be used to imply that an excess of flattery or praise -was being employed for a similar purpose, but that the adulation was -being "laid on a little too thick" to be considered genuine. Also used -thus sometimes: "You mustn't come Shakspeare OVER me," _i.e._, "you -mustn't assume an air of immeasurable literary superiority OVER me." -"You mustn't come Rothschild OVER me," &c. - -~Over~, in cricket, four balls delivered from one end to another. After -an OVER has been bowled, the fielders, wicket-keepers, &c., change ends, -and the bowling goes on from the recent batting wicket. A MAIDEN-OVER is -an OVER from which no runs are obtained. Four balls is the regulation -number to an OVER in all important matches; but little clubs and -practice elevens suit their own convenience. - -~Overs~, the odd money remaining after the daily accounts are made up at -a banking-house,--usually divided amongst the clerks. _See_ MENAVELINGS -and SHORTS. - -~Owned~, a slang expression used by the ultra-Evangelicals when a -popular preacher makes many converts. The converts themselves are called -his "seals." - -~P. P.~, an expression much in use among racing men, which means play or -pay, _i.e._, either go on with the arrangement or forfeit the money. The -following is a law of the turf on the subject:-- - - The following races shall be considered "play or pay":--The Derby - and Oaks at Epsom, the St. Leger at Doncaster, the Two Thousand - Guineas, the One Thousand Guineas, the Cesarewitch and - Cambridgeshire, at Newmarket, the Ascot, Goodwood, and Doncaster - Cups, and all handicaps above 200 sovs. value with two forfeits, the - minor of which shall not be less than 5 sovs.; and the Committees of - Tattersall's, and of the Subscription Room at Newmarket, will take - no cognisance of any disputes respecting "play or pay" bets on any - other races, or of any bets made upon handicap races before the - weights are published. - -This is the exact law on the subject, but as a rule all bets on -horse-racing are considered P. P. unless otherwise arranged. In all -matches, though, whether turf, pedestrian, aquatic, or otherwise, a run -is given for the money in ordinary betting transactions. - -~P's and q's~, particular points, precise behaviour; "mind your P'S and -Q'S," be very careful. Originating, according to some, from the -similarity of P'S and Q'S in the hornbook alphabet, and therefore the -warning of an old dame to her pupils, or, according to others, of a -French dancing-master to his pupils, to mind their _pieds_ (feet) and -_queues_ (wigs) when bowing. - -~Pack~, to go away; "now, then, PACK off there," _i.e._, be off, don't -stop here any longer.--_Old._ "Make speede to flee, be PACKING -awaie."--_Baret's Alvearie_, 1580. Contraction of "PACK up and be off." -Sometimes the term "sent PACKING" is used to indicate a sudden -discharge, as of a servant or mistress. - -~Packets~, hoaxing lies. Sometimes used as an exclamation of -incredulity.--_North._ - -~Pad~, "to stand PAD," to beg with a small piece of paper pinned on the -breast, inscribed, "I am starving." - -~Pad~, the highway; also a tramp or itinerant musician. - -~Pad the hoof~, to walk; "PADDING THE HOOF, on the high toby," tramping -or walking on the high road. - - "Trudge, plod away o' the HOOF."--_Merry Wives_, i. 3. - -~Padding~, the light articles in the monthly magazines, of which the -serial stories are the main attraction. Publishers of magazines seem to -think that if they get a serial story from a popular novelist they can -pack any amount of rubbish into the remaining pages. This is not so in -America, as magazines like the _Atlantic Monthly_ and the _Overland -Monthly_ show. - -~Padding-ken~, or CRIB, tramps' and boys' lodging-house. - -~Paddle~, to go or run away.--_American._ - -~Paddy~, PAT, or PADDY WHACK, an Irishman. A nickname of PATRICK. - - "I'm PADDY WHACK, from Ballyhack, - Not long ago turn'd soldier; - In storm and sack, in front attack, - None other can be boulder."--_Irish Song._ - -~Paddy's goose~, the sign of the White Swan, a noted flash public-house -in the east of London, supposed to be Paddy's idea of a GOOSE. - -~Paddy's land~, "ould Ireland." - -~Padre~, a clergyman. From the Portuguese. - -~Pal~, a partner, acquaintance, friend, an accomplice. _Gipsy_, a -brother. - -~Palampo~, a quilt or bed-cover. Probably from PALANPORE, a town in -India, renowned for its manufacture of chintz -counterpanes.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Palaver~, to ask, or talk--deceitfully or otherwise, as occasion -requires; "PALAVER to his nibs for a shant of bivvy," ask the master for -a pot of beer. NANTEE PALAVER (pronounced PERLARVER), cease talking. In -this sense used by tramps. Derived from the Portuguese. - -~Pall~, to stop; "PALL that," spoken authoritatively, means, cease what -you are doing. From PALL, a small instrument which is used to stop the -windlass or capstan at sea. When a man says, "I am PALLED," he -means he cannot or dare not say any more. A sailor, on receiving any -extraordinary intelligence, will say, "You PALL me," _i.e._, you -confound me. Most likely from the order frequently given on board ship, -"Ease and PALL." - -~Palm~, to impose upon. "You can't PALM that off upon me," is said when -an intending purchaser is suspicious of the quality of the article -offered. - -~Palm oil~, or PALM SOAP, money; also, a bribe. - -~Palmer~, a swindler who used to visit shops under the pretence of -collecting harp halfpence. To induce shopkeepers to search for them, he -offered thirteenpence for one shilling's-worth, when many persons were -silly enough to empty a large quantity of copper on their counters. The -PALMER, a proficient with his fingers, generally contrived to conceal -some before he left the shop. - -~Palming~, robbing shops by pairs--one thief bargaining with apparent -intent to purchase, whilst the other watches his opportunity to steal. -The following anecdote will give an idea of their _modus operandi_. A -man once entered a "ready-made" boot and shoe shop, and desired to be -shown a pair of boots--his companion staying outside and amusing himself -by looking in at the window. The one who required to be fresh shod was -apparently of a humble and deferential turn, for he placed his hat on -the floor directly he stepped into the shop. Boot after boot was tried -on until at last a fit was obtained, when in rushed a man, snatched up -the customer's hat left near the door, and ran down the street as fast -as his legs could carry him. Away went the customer after his hat, and -Crispin, standing at the door, clapped his hands, and shouted, "Go it, -you'll catch him!"--little thinking that it was a concerted trick, and -that neither his boots nor the customer would ever return. Instances of -this kind of work frequently occur. PALMING sometimes refers to -secreting money or rings in the hand, as well as to bribing. PALMING is -also the generic term for all that kind of conjuring which depends on -manual dexterity, and which is totally distinct from the -mechanical-contrivance department. - -~Pam~, the knave of clubs at the game of loo; or, in street phraseology, -while the "Judicious Bottleholder" was alive, Lord Palmerston. - -~Pannikin~, a small pan. - -~Pannum~, food, bread.--_Lingua Franca_, PANNEN; _Latin_, PANIS; -_Ancient Cant_, YANNAM. - -~Pannum-bound~, said of a pauper or prisoner when his food is stopped. -PANNUM-STRUCK, very hungry, starving. - -~Panny~, a house--public or otherwise; "flash PANNY," a public-house -used by thieves; PANNY-MEN, housebreakers. PANNY, in thieves' cant, also -signifies a burglary. - -~Pantalettes~, the drawers worn in America by little girls. - -~Pantile~, a hat. The term PANTILE is properly applied to the mould into -which the sugar is poured which is afterwards known as "loaf sugar." -Thus, PANTILE, from whence comes the phrase, "a sugar-loaf hat," -originally signified a tall, conical hat, in shape similar to that -usually represented as the head-gear of a bandit. From PANTILE the more -modern slang term TILE has been derived. Halliwell gives PANTILE SHOP, a -meeting-house, from the steeple-crowned or PANTILE hats of its -frequenters. PANTILE also means a flat cake with jam on it, given to -boys at boarding-schools instead of pudding. - -~Pantiler~, a Dissenting preacher. Probably from the practice of the -Quakers, and many Dissenters, of not removing their hats in a place of -worship; or from the sugar-loaf hats originally worn by Puritans. -Another derivation is from the earthen tiles, technically PANTILES -(tiles hollowed in the middle, as distinguished from "pintiles," the -older sort, which are flat, smaller, and pinned or nailed to the -rafters), with which meeting-houses of Dissenters are usually covered; -hence the meeting-house came to be called a PANTILE, and its frequenters -PANTILERS. - -~Pants~, American term for trousers. Here used to represent the long -drawers worn underneath. - -~Panupetaston~, a loose overcoat with wide sleeves, now out of -fashion.--_Oxford University._ - -~Paper-maker~, a rag-gatherer, or gutter-raker--similar to the -chiffonnier of Paris. Also, a man who tramps through the country, and -collects rags on the pretence that he is an agent to a paper mill. - -~Paper-Worker~, a wandering vendor of street literature; one who sells -ballads, dying speeches, and confessions, sometimes termed a "running -stationer." - -~Parachute~, a parasol. - -~Paradise~, French slang for the gallery of a theatre, "up amongst the -GODS," which _see_. - -~Parish lantern~, the moon. - -~Parish prig~, or PARISH BULL, a parson.--_Thieves' cant._ - -~Parney~, rain; "dowry of PARNEY," a quantity of rain. _Anglo-Indian_ -slang from the _Hindoo_, PANI, water; _Gipsy_, PANE. Old Indian officers -always call brandy-and-water "brandy PAWNEE." - -~Parson~, a signpost. Common term in the north, where they say that the -PARSON points, but does not lead. This is given, as the lawyers say, -"without prejudice." - -~Parson Trulliber~, a rude, vulgar, country clergyman, devoted to -agricultural pursuits; the race is most probably now extinct. From the -pig-feeding and pig-headed parson in _Joseph Andrews_. - -~Parson's nose~, the hind part of a goose--a savoury mouthful. Sometimes -called the POPE'S NOSE. - -~Part~, to pay, restore, or give up; "he's a right un, he is; I know'd -he'd PART," _i.e._, he is a liberal (or punctual) person, and pays his -debts, or bestows gratuities. The term is in general use in sporting -circles, and is very commonly employed when speaking of the settlement -of bets after a race. It is probably derived from the very common -reference to stingy people, who are described as not liking to PART with -their money. - -~Parter~, a free, liberal person. Sometimes called a "good PARTER." Any -one who looks twice at his money, or who doesn't pay it at all, is -called a "bad PARTER." - -~Party~, a person--term in very general use, similar in application to -the German pronoun, MAN, a person, people; "where's the PARTY as 'ad a' -orter be lookin' after this 'ere 'oss?" policeman's inquiry of the wrong -cabman; "old PARTY," an elderly person. The term is said to have arisen -in our old justice courts, where, to save "his worship" and the clerk of -the court any trouble in exercising their memories with the names of the -different plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses, the word PARTY was -generally employed. Dean Alford remarked:-- - - "The word PARTY for a man is especially offensive. Strange to say, - the use is not altogether modern. It occurs in the English version - of the Apocryphal book of Tobit, vi. 7. 'If an evil spirit trouble - any, one must make a smoke thereof before the man or the woman, and - the PARTY shall be no more vexed.'" - -In Shakspeare we find the term:-- - - "_Stephano._ How now shall this be compassed? Canst thou bring me to - the PARTY?"--_Tempest_, iii. 2. - -This is not the only instance of the word being used by the immortal -bard. "I once heard," said the Dean just quoted, "a venerable dignitary -pointed out by a railway porter as an old PARTY in a shovel." The last -word is the vulgar term applied to the peculiar hat worn by clerical -dignitaries. - -~Pash~, to strike; now corrupted to BASH, which _see_.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Paste~, to beat, to thrash vigorously. - -~Pasteboard~, a visiting card; "to PASTEBOARD a person," to drop a card -at an absent person's house. - -~Paste-horn~, the nose. Shoemakers nickname any shopmate with a large -nose "old PASTE-HORN," from the shape of the horn in which they keep -their paste. - -~Pasty~, a bookbinder. - -~Patch.~ This old English term of reproach, long obsolete in polite -language, may yet occasionally be heard in sentences like these:--"Why, -he's not a PATCH upon him," _i.e._, he is not to be compared with him; -"one's not a PATCH on the other," &c. Shakspeare uses the word in the -sense of a paltry fellow:-- - - "What a pied ninny's this? thou scurvy PATCH!" - -In old English PATCH meant a fool, a wearer of patched clothes of -motley. - -~Patent coats~, the first coat, with the pockets inside the skirt, were -so termed. - -~Patter~, a speech or discourse, a pompous street oration, a judge's -summing up, a trial. Ancient word for muttering. Probably from the -_Latin_, PATERNOSTER, or Lord's Prayer. This was said, before the -Reformation, in a "low voice" by the priest, until he came to "and lead -us not into temptation," to which the choir responded, "but deliver us -from evil." In the reformed Prayer Book this was altered, and the Lord's -Prayer directed to be said "with a _loud voice_." Dr. Pusey takes this -view of the derivation in his _Letter to the Bishop of London_, p. 78, -1851. Scott uses the word twice, in _Ivanhoe_ and the _Bride of -Lammermoor_. - -~Patter~, to talk. PATTER FLASH, to speak the language of thieves, talk -cant. - -~Patteran~, a gipsy trail, made by throwing down a handful of grass -occasionally, especially where they have turned off from the main road. - -~Patter-crib~, a flash house. - -~Patterer~, one of a race now nearly defunct, who cried last dying -speeches, &c., in the streets. The term is also applied to those who -help off their wares by long harangues in the public thoroughfares. -These men, to use their own term, "are the aristocracy of the street -sellers," and despise the costermongers for their ignorance, boasting -that they live by their intellect, which, as they do not live -wonderfully well, is no particularly wise boast. - -~Pattern~, a common vulgar phrase for "patent." - -~Paul Pry~, an inquisitive person. From the well-known comedy. - -~Paw~, the hand. PAW-CASES, gloves. Boots are in some parts of Ireland -called "gloves for the feet." - -~Pay~, to beat a person, or "serve him out." Originally a nautical term, -meaning to stop the seams of a vessel with pitch (_French_, POIX); -"here's the d----l to PAY, and no pitch hot," said when any catastrophe -occurs which there is no means of averting; "to PAY over face and eyes, -as the cat did the monkey;" "to PAY through the nose," to give a -ridiculous price,--an expressive phrase of which no one seems to know -the origin. Shakspeare uses PAY in the sense of to beat or thrash. - -~Pay~, to deliver. "PAY that letter to Mr. So-and-so" is a very common -direction to a Chinese servant.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Pay-away~, "go on with your story, or discourse." From the nautical -phrase PAY-AWAY, meaning to allow a rope to run out of a vessel. When -the hearer considers the story quite long enough, he, carrying out the -same metaphor, exclaims "hold on." - -~Peach~, an informer against omnibus conductors and drivers, one -especially hired by the proprietors to count passengers and stoppages. -The term is in frequent use amongst omnibus-men. This is about the only -instance known of the verb being used as a substantive. - -~Peach~, to inform against or betray. Webster states that the word -"impeach" is now mostly used, and that PEACH is confined principally to -the conversation of thieves and the lower orders. The word was -originally "impeach," though it was never until lately used in the same -way as its abridgment. - -~Peacock horse~, amongst undertakers, is one with a showy tail and mane, -which holds its head up well. PEACOCKY refers to an objectionable high -action among racehorses. - -~Peaking~, remnants of cloth. Term amongst drapers and cloth -warehousemen. - -~Peaky~, sickly, delicate. - -~Pec~, a term used by the Eton boys for money, an abbreviation, of -course, of the _Latin_ PECUNIA. - -~Peck~, food; "PECK and boose," meat and drink.--_Lincolnshire._ -_Ancient Cant_, PEK, meat. - -~Peck~, to eat voraciously. A hearty eater is generally called "a rare -PECKER." Originally PECK was to eat delicately, "but we have changed all -that now." - -~Peck-alley~, the throat. - -~Pecker~, "keep your PECKER up," _i.e._, don't get down in the -mouth,--literally, keep your beak or head well up, "never say die!" - -~Peckham~, a facetious usage of the name of this district, implying a -dinner; "all holiday at PECKHAM," _i.e._, nothing to eat. - -~Peckish~, hungry. _Old Cant_, PECKIDGE, meat. - -~Peel~, to strip, or disrobe.--_Sporting._ - -~Peeler~, a policeman; so called from Sir Robert Peel (_see_ BOBBY); -properly applied to the Irish Constabulary rather than the Metropolitan -Police, the former force having been established by Sir Robert Peel. - -~Peepers~, eyes; "painted PEEPERS," eyes bruised or blackened from a -blow.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Peery~, suspicious, or inquisitive. - -~Peg~, brandy and soda-water. A PEG by which to pull oneself up again. -Also, a shilling.--_Scotch._ - -~Peg~, "to PEG away," to strike, run, or drive away; "PEG a hack," to -drive a cab; "to take him down a PEG or two," to check an arrogant or -conceited person,--possibly derived from the use of PEG tankards. _See_ -PIN. - -~Peg~, to drink frequently; generally used in reference to devotees of -"S. and B." - -~Peggers~, people who constantly stimulate themselves by means of brandy -and soda-water. - -~Pegtops~, the loose trousers in fashion some years back, small at the -ankle and swelling upwards, in imitation of the Zouave costume. - -~Penang-lawyer~, a long cane, sometimes carried by a footman. -PENANG-LAWYERS are also bludgeons which are carried by all classes in -Singapore. - -~Pencil-fever~, a supposititious disease among racehorses, the -preliminary symptoms of which show that an animal has been pretty -considerably "milked." PENCIL-FEVER sets in when, despite the efforts of -the "marketeers," a horse can no longer be kept at a short price in the -lists, through his actual condition being discovered, and when every -layer of odds is anxious to write his name down. This disorder is also -called "milk-fever," "market-fever," and other suggestive names. - -~Penny-a-liner~, a contributor of local news, accidents, fires, and -scandals to a newspaper; a man not regularly "on the paper;" one who is -popularly believed to be paid for each contribution at the rate of a -penny a line, and whose interest is, therefore, that his articles should -be stuffed with fine words and long sentences. This wonderful person, to -whom so much is daily attributed, is now generally called a LINER. - -~Penny dreadfuls~, an expressive term for those penny publications which -depend more upon sensationalism than upon merit, artistic or literary, -for success. - -~Penny gaff~, a shop turned into a temporary theatre (admission one -penny), at which dancing and singing take place every night. Sometimes -rude pictures of the performers are arranged outside to give the front a -gaudy and attractive look, and at night-time coloured lamps and -transparencies are displayed to draw an audience. Zest is given to these -entertainments by the fact that now and again the police make raids upon -the houses, and carry off both actors and spectators. These places are -also called "dukeys," for no reason that can be discovered. _See_ GAFF. - -~Penny starver~, a penny roll. _See_ BUSTER. - -~Pen'orth~, value for money; as, "I'll have my PEN'ORTH,"--given -irrespective of the actual amount. - -~Pensioner~, a man of the most degraded condition who lives off the -miserable earnings of a prostitute. There is an unmentionable prefix to -the word PENSIONER. _See_ PONCE. - -~Pepper~, to thrash, or strike.--_Pugilistic_, but used by -Shakspeare.--_Eastern Counties._ - -~Pepper-boxes~, the buildings of the Royal Academy and National Gallery -in Trafalgar Square. The name was first given by a wag, in allusion to -the cupolas erected by Wilkins, the architect, upon the roof, which, -from their form and awkward appearance, at a distance suggest to the -stranger the fact of their being enlarged PEPPER-BOXES. _See_ BOILERS. - -~Perch~, or ROOST, a resting-place; "I'm off to PERCH," _i.e._, I am -going to bed. - - "Nor yet a single perch, for which my lucky stars to thank, - Except the _perch_ I've taken on this damp rheumatic bank." - - _Lay of the Unsuccessful Angler._ - -~Perform~, to carry out a design, generally a dishonest one. To "PERFORM -on a flat" is to cozen a fool. - -~Perkin~, beer. Dandy or affected shortening of the widely-known firm, -Barclay and Perkins. - -~Perpendicular~, a lunch taken standing-up at a tavern bar. It is usual -to call it lunch, often as the PERPENDICULAR may take the place of -dinner. - -~Persuaders~, spurs. - -~Pesky~, an intensitive expression, implying annoyance; as, "A PESKY, -troublesome fellow." Corruption of PESTILENT; or, _Irish_, PEASGACH, -rough, rugged. PESKY has now become more American than English. _Pesky -Ike_ is the name of a popular American drama. - -~Peter~, a partridge.--_Poacher's term._ - -~Peter~, a bundle, or valise. Also, a cash-box. - -~Peter~, to run short, or give out.--_American._ - -~Peter Funk~, an American term for a spurious auction or "knock-out." - -~Peter Grievous~, a miserable, melancholy fellow; a croaker. - -~Petticoat~, a woman. - -~Pewter~, money, like "tin," used generally to signify silver; also a -tankard. "Let me have my beer in the PEWTER," is a common request to -waiters, made by "City" men, and others who affect habits of rude -health. The pots for which rowing men contend are often called PEWTERS. - -~Philadelphia-lawyer~, a Transatlantic limb of the law considered to be -the very acme of acuteness. Sailors relate many stories of his artful -abilities, none, however, short enough to find a place here. The phrase, -"Enough to puzzle a PHILADELPHIA-LAWYER," means, enough to puzzle the -sharpest man in the world. - -~Philander~, to ramble on incoherently; to write discursively and -weakly. - -~Philip~, a policeman. The word is loudly given as a signal that the -police are approaching. - -~Philiper~, a thief's accomplice, one who stands by and looks out for -the police while the others commit a robbery, and who calls out -"Philip!" when any one approaches. - -~Philistine~, a policeman. The German students call all townspeople not -of their body "Philister," as ours say "cads." The departing student -says, mournfully, in one of the Burschenlieder-- - - "Muss selber nun PHILISTER sein!" - -_i.e._, "I must now myself PHILISTINE be!" Also, a man who is of a set -opposed to one's own. Society is supposed to regard all outside its -bounds as belonging to the PHILISTINE world. Bohemians regard all -cleanly, orderly people who conform to conventionality as PHILISTINES. - -~Physog~, or PHIZ, the face. Swift uses the latter word. Corruption of -PHYSIOGNOMY. - -~Picaroon~, a pirate or buccaneer originally; now an ordinary thief. - -~Piccadilly butchers~, a satirical name applied by the crowd to the -regiment of Horse Guards, known as the "Royal Blues," from their savage -onslaught upon the crowd on the occasion of the arrest of Sir Francis -Burdett at his house in Piccadilly, by order of the Speaker of the House -of Commons. _See_ CHEESEMONGERS. - -~Piccadilly weepers~, long carefully combed-out whiskers of the -Dundreary fashion. - -~Pick~, "to PICK oneself up," to recover after a beating or illness, -sometimes varied to "PICK up one's crumbs;" "to PICK a man up," "to do," -or cheat him. - -~Pickaninny~, a young child is thus styled by the West Indian negroes. -The word is now completely naturalized among sailors and water-side -people in England. - -~Pickers~, the hands.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Pickle~, a miserable or comical position; "he is in a sad PICKLE," said -of any one who has fallen into the gutter, or got besmeared. "A PICKLE -herring," a comical fellow, a merry-andrew.--_Old._ Also, a mischievous -boy; "what a PICKLE he is, to be sure!" Derived from his always getting -into a PICKLE, or mess. - -~Pickles!~ gammon; also a jeering and insulting exclamation. - -~Pick-me-up~, a revivifying drink taken after a debauch; a tonic. - -~Piece~, a contemptuous term for a woman; a strumpet.--_Shakspeare._ Not -always objectionable nowadays. A "barber's clerk" does not object to -hear his sweetheart or wife called "a nice PIECE;" and gentlemen of the -counter-jumping fraternity describe their "young ladies" as "nice PIECES -of goods." - -~Pieman.~ In tossing, the man who cries is called the PIEMAN. In the old -days when the itinerant PIEMAN'S duty was to toss or sell, and his call -was, "Hot pies, toss or buy, toss or buy," he was always supposed to be -entitled to the cry, the intending eater "skying the copper." An active -and efficient police have, however, improved tossing--so far, at all -events, as PIEMEN and poor people are concerned--off the face of the -earth, and gaming of all descriptions is now a luxury confined to the -rich. - -~Pig~, a mass of metal,--so called from its being poured in a fluid -state from a SOW, which _see_.--_Workman's term._ - -~Pig~, a policeman; an informer. The word is now almost exclusively -applied by London thieves to a plain-clothes man, or a "nose." - -~Pig~, a pressman in a printing office. _See_ DONKEY. - -~Pig~, or SOW'S BABY, a sixpence. - -~Pig~, to live in a crowded, filthy manner. The lower orders of Irish -are said to PIG together. A suggestive, if not elegant, expression. - -~Pig and Tinder-box~, the vulgar rendering of the well-known tavern -sign, "Elephant and Castle." - -~Pigeon~, a gullible or soft person. The _French_ cant, or _Argot_, has -the word PIGEON, dupe--"PECHON, PESCHON DE RUBY, apprenti gueux, enfant -(sans doute drob)". The vagabonds and brigands of Spain also used the -word in their _Germania_, or robbers' language, PALOMO (PIGEON), -ignorant, simple. In the sporting world sharps and flats are often -called "rooks and PIGEONS" respectively--sometimes "spiders and flies." - -~Pigeon~, business, simply the Chinese pronunciation of the English -word.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Pigeon-English~, the English spoken by the natives of Canton and other -parts of China. - -~Pigeon-flying~, or BLUEY CRACKING, breaking into empty houses and -stealing lead. - -~Pigeon's milk~, an imaginary fluid for which boys and simpletons are -frequently sent on the 1st of April. - -~Pig-headed~, obstinate. - -~Pig's eye~, the ace of diamonds in cards. - -~Pig's whisper~, a low or inaudible whisper; also a short space of time, -synonymous with "cockstride," _i.e._, cock's tread. - -~Pike~, a turnpike; "to bilk a PIKE," to cheat the keeper of the -toll-gate. Mr. Tony Weller makes many amusing remarks on PIKES and -PIKE-keepers. Since the first edition of this work was published, PIKES -and PIKE-keepers have departed from amongst us, so far as London and its -immediate vicinity are concerned. - -~Pike~, to run, to be off with speed. - -~Pike it~, is said as a hasty and contemptuous, if not angry, dismissal, -"if you don't like it, take a short stick and PIKE it." This is but a -form of the attempts at rhyming smartness common in London. - - "Joe quickly his sand had sold, sir, - And Bess got a basket of rags; - Then up to St. Giles's they roll'd, sir; - To every bunter Bess brags. - Then unto the gin-shop they PIKE IT, - And Bess was admitted, we hear; - For none of the crew dare but like it, - As Joey, her kiddy, was there," - - _The Sand-man's Wedding_, a Cantata. - - "'Twas not our fault, dear Jack; we saw the watch going into the - house the moment we came there, and we thought it proper to PIKE - OFF."--_The Prison Breaker_, a Farce. - -~Pikey~, a tramp or gipsy. A PIKEY-cart is in various parts of the -country one of those habitable vehicles suggestive of a wandering life. -Possibly the term has reference to one who constantly uses the PIKE, or -turnpike road. - -~Pile~, a sum of money; generally the whole of a man's private means. A -term originally peculiar to Californian miners, in reference to their -accumulated dust and nuggets. American gamblers speak of "putting all -the PILE on" when they fancy anything very much. "To go the whole PILE" -runs level with our sporting phrase, "To go a raker." - -~Pill~, a doctor.--_Military._ PILL-DRIVER, a peddling apothecary. - -~Pill~, to blackball a man at a club. Sometimes a man who is blackballed -is described as having received too much medicine. - -~Pill-box~, a doctor's carriage. - -~Pin~, "to put in the PIN," to refrain from drinking. From the ancient -peg tankard, which was furnished with a row of PINS, or pegs, to -regulate the amount which each person was to drink. Drunken people are -often requested to "put in the PIN," from some remote connexion between -their unsteadiness and that of a carriage wheel which has lost its -linch-PIN. The popular cry, "Put in the PIN," can have no connexion with -the drinking PIN or peg now, whatever it may originally have had. A -MERRY PIN, a roysterer. _See_ PEG. - -~Pinch~, to steal or cheat; also, to catch, or apprehend. - -~Pinchbeck~, inferior, deteriorated. Anything pretending to more than -its proper value is said to be PINCHBECK. - - "Where, in these PINCHBECK days, can we hope to find the old - agricultural virtue in all its purity?"--_Framley Parsonage._ - -PINCHBECK was an inferior metal, compounded of copper and zinc, to -resemble gold. It was very fashionable in the last century, and derived -its name from a Mr. PINCHBECK, a well-known London tradesman, who -manufactured watches, buckles, and other articles out of it. PINCHBECK -first obtained his notoriety by the invention of an ingenious -candle-snuffers, which the author of _The Heroic Epistle to Sir William -Chambers_ made the vehicle of a facetious Ode that went through eight -editions. The title of this _jeu d'esprit_ ran thus:-- - - "_Ode to Mr. Pinchbeck, upon his Newly-invented Candle-Snuffers, by_ - MALCOLM M'GREGOR, Esq., 1776. - - "Illustrious PINCHBECK! condescend, - Thou well-beloved, and best king's friend, - These lyric lines to view; - Oh, may they prompt thee, ere too late, - To snuff the candle of the State, - That burns a little blue!" - -PINCHBECK published a poetical reply, and the two pamphlets were for a -long time the talk of the town. - -~Pink~, the acme of perfection. The scarlet garb worn in the -hunting-field. - -~Pink~, to stab, or pierce. In the days of rapier-wearing a professed -duellist was said to be "a regular PINKER and driller." - -~Pinnel~, or PENNEL,--corruption of penal servitude. As, "four-year -PINNEL." - -~Pinner-up~, a seller of old songs, pinned against a wall or framed -canvas. Formerly many of these street salesmen carried on their little -"paper trade" in London. There are but one or two now left. - -~Pins~, legs. - -~Pipe~, to follow or dog a person; to watch, to notice. - -~Pipe~, to shed tears, or bewail; "PIPE one's eye."--_Sea term._ - - "He first began to eye his pipe. - And then to PIPE his eye."--_Hood._ - -Metaphor from the boatswain's pipe, which calls to duty. - -~Pipe~, "to put one's PIPE out," to traverse his plans, "to take a rise" -out of him. When any one meets with a rebuff or a sharp answer, he is -often told to "put that in his PIPE and smoke it," _i.e._, to digest it -carefully. - -~Piper~, a person employed by an omnibus proprietor to act as a spy on -the conductor. - -~Piper~, a broken-winded hack horse. - -~Pipkin~, the stomach,--properly, an earthen round-bottomed -pot--_Norwich._ - -~Pips~, the marks, no matter of what suit, on playing cards. The ace is -often called "single PIP." - -~Pit~, a breast-pocket. - -~Pitch~, a fixed locality where a patterer can hold forth to a gaping -multitude for at least some few minutes continuously; "to do a PITCH in -the drag," to perform in the street. An itinerant is said to "make a -PITCH" whenever he attempts to do any business. - -~Pitch~, to utter base coin. Smashers are known to themselves and their -friends, the rest of the dangerous classes, as "snide PITCHERS." The -confederacy is divided into makers, buyers, holders, and pitchers. The -maker probably never sees the actual passers of base money, the buyer -being generally the intercommunicating medium. The holder is generally a -man who carries the bulk of the "snides," and waits about; while the -pitcher, often a woman--indeed, more often than not--runs the actual -risk. - -~Pitch~, to go to bed for less than the ordinary period. Journeymen -bakers, and others whose work is disjointed, call any short interval of -sleep a PITCH. Probably from the action. - -~Pitch into~, to fight; "PITCH INTO him, Bill," _i.e._, give him a -thrashing. - -~Pitch the fork~, to tell a pitiful tale. - -~Pitch the nob~, PRICK THE GARTER, which _see_. - -~Place~, to name the first three horses in a race. This is the duty of -the judge, who sees nothing of the race but the finish. Sometimes an -official will place more than the first three, but this in no way -interferes with the meaning of the word as generally received. To run -"nowhere" is to be unplaced. - -~Place~, first, second, or third position in a race. Sometimes a PLACE -is called a "situation" or a "shop." - -~Plant~, a dodge, a preconcerted swindle; a position in the street to -sell from. All bearings-up, bonnetings, and such like arrangements, are -the results of preconcerted schemes or PLANTS. - -~Plant~, to mark a person out for plunder or robbery; to conceal or hide -money, &c.--_Old Cant._ In the sense of conceal, there is a similar word -in _Argot_, PLANQUER. - -~Plant~, a hidden store of money or variables. To "spring a PLANT" is to -unearth another person's hoard. - -~Platform~, a standpoint in an argument, a statement of political or -general opinion. "Home rule's my PLATFORM!" Originally _American_, but -now general. - -~Play~, to strike for higher wages, to be out of work.--_North._ - -~Plebs~, a term used to stigmatize a tradesman's son at Westminster -School. _Latin_, PLEBS, the vulgar. - -~Plough.~ To be PLOUGHED is to fail to pass an examination. About -twenty years ago "pluck," the word then used, began to be superseded -by PLOUGH. It is said to have arisen from a man who could not supply -the examiner with any quotation from Scripture, until at last he -blurted out, "And the ploughers ploughed on my back, and made long -furrows."--_University._ - -~Ploughed~, drunk. - -~Pluck~, the heart, liver, and lungs of an animal,--all that is PLUCKED -away in connexion with the windpipe, from the chest of a sheep or hog. - -~Pluck~, to turn back at a University examination. The supposed origin -of PLUCK is, that when, on degree day, the proctor, after having read -the name of a candidate for a degree, walks down the hall and back, it -is to give any creditor the opportunity of plucking his sleeve, and -informing him of the candidate's being in debt. - -~Pluck~, courage, valour, stoutness. _See following._ - -~Plucked un~, a stout or brave fellow; "he's a rare PLUCKED UN," _i.e._, -he dares face anything. - -During the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny PLUCKY, signifying -courageous, became a favourite term even among ladies; and the term -British PLUCK will probably live--slangy as is its origin--as long as -the language into which it has been adopted, for the history of the -deeds with which it is associated can never die, while, indeed, a -history remains to this country. The word met with great disfavour at -first from the "genteel," but of course they followed when aristocracy -deigned to use it. - -~Plum~, 100,000, usually applied to the dowry of a rich heiress, to a -legacy, or to a sum made in business or by a lucky speculation. - -~Plum-cash~, prime cost.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Plummy~, round, sleek, jolly, or fat; excellent, very good, first-rate. - -~Plumper~, a single vote at an election, not a "split ticket." - -~Plunder~, a common word in the horse trade to express profit. Also an -American term for baggage, luggage. In Lower Canada the French packmen -call luggage "butin." - -~Plunger~, a heavy cavalry-man.--_Military slang._ - -~Plutocracy~, the wealthy classes. The Manchester merchants are often -termed a millocracy, and words of a similar character are mobocracy and -moneyocracy. - -~Pocket~, to put up with. A man who does not resent an affront is said -to POCKET it. - -~Pocket-pistol~, a dram-flask. - -~Podgy~, drunk; dumpy, short, and fat. - -~Pogram~, a Dissenter, a fanatic, formalist, or humbug. So called from a -well-known enthusiast of this name. - -~Poke~, a bag, or sack; "to buy a pig in a POKE," to purchase anything -without seeing it. POKE was originally a pocket. Shakspeare says-- - - "And then he pulled a dial from his POKE." - -~Poke.~ "Come, none of your POKING fun at me," _i.e._, you must not -laugh at me. - -~Poker.~ "By the holy POKER and the tumbling Tom!" an Irish oath. - -~Pokers~, or SILVER POKERS, the Bedels of the Vice-Chancellor, who carry -silver maces, and accompany him through the streets. They are also -officers of his court.--_University._ - - "Around, around, all, all around. - On seats with velvet lined, - Sat Heads of Houses in a row, - And Deans and College Dons below, - With a POKER or two behind." - - _Rime of the New-made Baccalere_, 1841. - -~Poky~, confined or cramped; "that corner is POKY and narrow." -Housewives describe a small uncomfortable room as "a POKY hole." -_Saxon_, POKE, a sack. - -~Policeman~, a fly--more especially the kind known as "blue bottle." -Also, among the dangerous classes, a man who is unworthy of confidence, -a sneak or mean fellow. - -~Polish off~, to finish off anything quickly--a dinner, for instance; -also to finish off an adversary.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Poll~, at Cambridge, the "ordinary degree" candidates for the B.A. -Examination, who do not aspire to the "Honours" list. From the _Greek_, -_hoi polloi_, "the many." - -~Poll~, to beat or distance, as in a race; to utterly vanquish in -competition. Term much used by printers. - -~Poll~, a female of unsteady character; "POLLED up," means living with a -woman in a state of unmarried impropriety. Also, if a costermonger sees -one of his friends walking with a strange woman, he will say to him on -the earliest opportunity, "I saw yer when yer was POLLED up." - -~Poll~, or POLLING, one thief robbing another of part of the booty. In -use in ancient times, _vide Hall's Union_, 1548. - -~Poll parrot~, a talkative, gossiping woman. A term much used about -Ratcliff Highway. - -~Polony~, Cockney shortening and vulgar pronunciation of Bologna -(sausage). The sausages which are sold under the name of POLONIES have, -however, no nearer connexion with Bologna sausages than that of the -word's derivation. - -~Pompadours~, the Fifty-sixth Regiment of Foot in the British army. - -~Ponce~, a degraded man who lives upon a woman's prostitution. Low-class -East-end thieves even will "draw the line" at PONCES, and object to -their presence in the boozing-kens. - -~Pond~, or HERRING-POND, the sea; so called by those who were sent -across it at the national expense. - -~Ponge~, or PONGELOW, beer, half-and-half; the term is also used as a -verb, as in the Cockney phrase, "let's PONGELOW, shall we?" - -~Pony~, twenty-five pounds.--_Sporting._ - -~Poona~, a sovereign. Corruption of "pound;" or from the _Lingua -Franca_. - -~Pop~, to pawn or pledge; "to POP up the spout," to pledge at the -pawnbroker's,--an allusion to the spout up which the brokers send the -ticketed articles until such times as they shall be redeemed. The spout -runs from the ground-floor to the wareroom at the top of the house. -Ginger-beer is also known as POP. - -~Pop the question~, to make an offer of marriage. - -~Pope's-eye~, a peculiar little part in a leg of mutton, much esteemed -by lovers of that joint. - -~Pope's nose~, the extremity of the rump of a roast fowl, sometimes -devilled as a dainty for epicures. Also known as "the parson's NOSE." - -~Pops~, pocket-pistols. - -~Porterhouse steak~, an American term for a steak which contains a small -bone. In the States, tender-loin steaks are much eaten. These are from -what we call the undercut of the sirloin. - -~Portrait~, a sovereign. Modification of "Queen's picture." - -~Posa~, a treasurer. A corruption of "purser," the name given -to the treasurer in the large Anglo-Chinese mercantile -establishments.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Posh~, a halfpenny, or trifling coin. Also a generic term for money. - -~Post~, to pay down; "POST the pony" signifies to place the stakes -played for on the table. - -~Post-horn~, the nose. _See_ PASTE-HORN. - -~Post-mortem~, at Cambridge, the second examination which men who have -been "plucked" have to undergo.--_University._ - -~Posted up~, well acquainted with the subject in question, "up to the -mark,"--metaphor drawn from the counting-house. - -~Pot~, a favourite in the betting for a race. Probably so called because -it is usual to say that a heavily-backed horse carries "a POT of money." -When a favourite is beaten the POT is said to be upset. - -~Pot~, a sixpence, _i.e._, the price of a POT or quart of half-and-half. -A half-crown, in medical student slang, is a FIVE-POT piece. - -~Pot~, TO GO TO POT, to die; from the classic custom of putting the -ashes of the dead in an urn; also, to be ruined or broken up,--often -applied to tradesmen who fail in business. "Go to POT!" _i.e._, go and -hang yourself, shut up and be quiet.--_L'Estrange._ "To put the POT on," -to overcharge or exaggerate. "To go to POT" most probably means to go -out of all shape, as metal in the melting-pot. - -~Pot~, to finish; "don't POT me," term used at billiards, when a player -holes his adversary's ball--generally considered shabby play. This word -was much used by our soldiers in the Crimea in reference to shots from a -hole or ambush. These were called POT-SHOTS. The term is still used to -denote a shot taken sitting or at ease. - -~Pot-boiler~, a picture hurriedly painted for the purpose of "keeping -the POT BOILING."--_Artistic slang._ - -~Pot-faker~, a hawker of crockery and general earthenware. - -~Pot-hat~, a low-crowned hat, as distinguished from the soft wideawake -and the stove-pipe. - -~Pot-hunter~, a sportsman who shoots anything he comes across, having -more regard to filling his bag than to the rules which regulate the -sport. A man who fires at anything, regardless of the rules which govern -true sportsmen. - -~Pot-hunter~, a man who gives his time up to rowing or punting, or -any sort of match in order to win the "pewters" which are given as -prizes.--_University._ The term is now much used in aquatic and athletic -circles; and is applied, in a derogatory sense, to men of good quality -who enter themselves in small races they are almost sure to win, and -thus deprive the juniors of small trophies which should be above the -attention of champions, though valuable to beginners. Also an unwelcome -guest, who manages to be just in time for dinner. - -~Pot-luck~, just as it comes; to take POT-LUCK, _i.e._, one's chance of -a dinner, or of what there is for dinner. A hearty term, used to signify -that whatever the pot contains the visitor is welcome to. - -~Pot-valiant~, courageous through application to the bottle. Possessed -of Dutch courage. - -~Pot-walloper~, an elector in certain boroughs before the passing -of the first Reform Bill, whose qualification consisted in being a -housekeeper,--to establish which it was only necessary to boil a pot -within the limits of the borough, by the aid of any temporary erection. -This implied that he was able to provide for himself, and not -necessitated to apply for parochial relief. Honiton, Tregoney, -Ilchester, Old Sarum, &c., had this privilege before the passing of the -first Reform Bill. Also, a scullion. - -~Potato-trap~, the mouth.--Originally a Hibernicism. - -~Potheen~, whisky made in an illicit still, once a favourite drink in -Ireland, now almost unattainable. People resident in England who read of -the charms of POTHEEN would be rather astonished if they were to taste -it. It is real "fire-water" flavoured with peat-smoke. - -~Potted~, or POTTED OUT, cabined, confined, figurative of crammed into a -garden-pot. Also applied to burial,--a horticultural allusion. - -~Potter~, to meddle without much judgment. Application various. A -gentleman may describe himself as "POTTERING about in his garden," and -think the phrase pleasant. The gardener, who has to do the work all over -again, may, however, use the word in quite a different sense. - -~Power~, a large quantity; "a POWER of money."--_Irish_ at first, but -now general. - -~Pow-wow~, a conference. Originally an Indian term. - -~Prad~, a horse. PRAD-NAPPING was horse-stealing. Both these terms are -old cant. - -~Prancer~, a horse.--_Ancient Cant._ In modern slang an officer of -cavalry. - -~Praties~, potatoes.--_Irish._ - -~Precious~, used, in a slang sense, like very or exceeding; "a PRECIOUS -little of that," _i.e._, a very little indeed; a PRECIOUS humbug, -rascal, &c., _i.e._, an eminent one. - -~Pretty horsebreakers~, a phrase adopted some years back, in deference -to common squeamishness, to denote the _demi-monde_, who dress so well -and ride so daintily. Really, pretty heartbreakers. - -~Prial~, a corruption of PAIR-ROYAL, a term at the game of cribbage, -meaning three cards of a similar description. Often used metaphorically -for three persons or things of a kind. DOUBLE-PRIAL, a corruption of -DOUBLE PAIR-ROYAL, means four cards, persons, or things of a similar -description. - -~Prick the garter~, or PITCH THE NOB, a gambling and cheating game -common at fairs, and generally practised by thimble-riggers. It consists -of a GARTER or a piece of list doubled, and then folded up tight. The -bet is made upon your asserting that you can, with a pin, PRICK the -point at which the garter is doubled. The garter is then unfolded, and -nine times out of ten you will find that you have been deceived, and -that one of the false folds has been pricked. The owner of the GARTER -holds the ends tightly with one hand, and there is little doubt that he -can make the "flat" lose and the "bonnet" win at pleasure. This was, -doubtless, originally a gipsy game, and we are informed by Brand that it -was much practised by the gipsies in the time of Shakspeare. In those -days it was termed PRICKING AT THE BELT, or FAST AND LOOSE. - -~Prig~, a thief. Used by Addison in the sense of a coxcomb.--_Ancient -Cant_, probably from the _Saxon_, PRICC-AN, to filch, &c.--_Shakspeare._ -PRIG, to steal or rob. PRIGGING, thieving. In Scotland the term PRIG is -used in a different sense from what it is in England. In Glasgow, or at -Aberdeen, "to PRIG a salmon" would be to cheapen it, or seek for an -abatement in the price. A story is told of two Scotchmen, visitors to -London, who got into sad trouble a few years ago by announcing their -intention of "PRIGGING a hat" which they had espied in a fashionable -manufacturer's window, and which one of them thought he would like to -possess. - -~Prig~, a conceited, stuck-up, over-knowing person; one who appropriates -or adopts a manner or costume not suited to him. - -~Priggish~, conceited. - -~Primed~, said of a person in that state of incipient intoxication that -if he took more drink it would become evident. Also, crammed for an -examination. - -~Pro~, a professional.--_Theatrical._ - -~Pro~, the proproctor, or second in command in the proctorial police. -The two proctors generally appoint a certain number of proproctors -each.--_Oxford University._ - -~Proctorized~, TO BE, to be stopped by the Proctor, and told to call on -him.--_University._ - -~Prog~, meat, food, &c. Johnson calls it "a low word." He was fond of -"prog," however. - -~Proof~, the best ale at Magdalen College, Oxford. - -~Prop~, a blow. As, "a PROP on the nose,"--more street slang than -pugilistic. - -~Prop~, a scarf pin. - -~Prop-nailer~, a man who "sneaks," or rather snatches, pins from -gentlemen's scarves. - -~Proper~, very, exceedingly, sometimes used ironically; "you are a -PROPER nice fellow," meaning a great scamp. A "PROPER man" generally -means a perfect man, as far as can be known. - -~Props~, crutches. - -~Props~, stage properties.--_Theatrical._ - -~Pros~, a water-closet. Abbreviated form of _pros tina topon_. Some say, -_pros ton topon_.--_Oxford University._ - -~Pross~, to break in or instruct a stage-infatuated youth. Also, to -spunge upon a comrade or stranger for drink. In this latter capacity the -word is in connexion with prostitute, a PROSSER being considered a most -degraded being, and the word being supposed by many to represent a man -who lives on a woman's prostitution. - -~Psalm-smiter~, a "Ranter," one who sings at a conventicle. _See_ -BRISKET-BEATER. - -~Pub~, or PUBLIC, a public-house; "what PUB do you use?" _i.e._, which -inn or public-house do you frequent? - -~Public patterers~, swell mobsmen who pretend to be Dissenting -preachers, and harangue in the open air to attract a crowd for their -confederates to rob. - -~Pucker~, poor or bad temper, difficulty, _dshabill_. PUCKER UP, to -get in a bad temper. - -~Puckering~, talking privately. - -~Puckerow~, to seize, to take hold of. From the _Hindostanee_, -PUCKERNA.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Pudding-snammer~, one who robs a cook-shop. - -~Puff~, to blow up, or swell with praise; declared by a writer in the -_Weekly Register_, as far back as 1732, to be illegitimate. - - "PUFF has become a cant word, signifying the applause set forth by - writers, &c. to increase the reputation and sale of a book, and is - an excellent stratagem to excite the curiosity of gentle readers." - -Lord Bacon, however, used the word in a similar sense a century before. -Sheridan also seems to have remembered the use of the word, _vide_ Mr. -PUFF. - -~Pug~, a fighting man's idea of the contracted word to be produced from -pugilist. - -~Pull~, an advantage, or hold upon another; "I've the PULL over (or of) -you," _i.e._, you are in my power--perhaps an oblique allusion to the -judicial sense. See the following. - -~Pull~, to have one apprehended; "to be PULLED up," or more recently "to -be PULLED" only, to be taken before a magistrate. The police are -constantly "pulling" loitering, furiously driving, or drunken cabmen. - -~Pull~, to drink; "come, take a PULL at it," _i.e._, drink up. - -~Pull~, to prevent a horse from winning, that is, so far as the rider's -action is concerned. - -~Pullet~, a young girl. Filly is an exchangeable term. - -~Pummel~, to thrash,--from POMMEL. - -~Pump~, to extract information by roundabout questioning. - -~Pundit~, a person who assumes to be very grave and -learned.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Punkah~, a fan, usually a fan of very large size, worked with a string, -and used to ventilate rooms.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Punt~, to gamble; PUNTING-SHOP, a gambling-house. Common in ancient -writers, but now disused. The word seems confined to playing for -"chicken stakes." PUNT means now in the sporting world to back horses -for small stakes. - -~Punter~, a small professional backer of horses. - -~Pup and ringer~, _i.e._, the "Dog and Bell," the sign of a flash -public-house. - -~Purdah~, a curtain.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Pure finders~, street-collectors of dogs' dung.--_Humorous._ - -~Purl~, to spill; PURLED is a hunting and steeplechasing term synonymous -with "foaled," or "spilt" (thrown); "he'll get PURLED at the rails." - -~Purl~, a mixture of hot ale and sugar, with wormwood infused in it, a -favourite morning drink to produce an appetite; sometimes with gin and -spice added:-- - - "Two penn'orth o' PURL-- - Good 'early PURL,' - 'Gin all the world - To put your hair into a curl, - When you feel yourself queer of a mornin'." - -~Purler~, a heavy fall from a horse in the hunting or steeplechasing -field. - -~Push~, a robbery or swindle. "I'm in this PUSH," the notice given by -one magsman to another that he means to "stand in." - -~Push~, a crowd.--_Old Cant._ - -~Pussey-cats~, corruption of Puseyites, a name constantly, but -improperly, given to the Tractarian party in the Church, from the Oxford -Regius Professor of Hebrew, who by no means approved of the Romanizing -tendencies of some of its leaders. The name still sticks, however, to -this day. - -~Put~, a game at cards, once fashionable, but now played among thieves -and costermongers only. - -~Put~, an obsolete slang term representing the modern "bloke" or "cove." -It was generally applied to elderly persons. - -~Put on~, to promise another money or valuables in the event of an -anticipated success. "You're ON a quid if Kaiser wins," might often have -been heard before last St. Leger. Many hangers-on of the turf live -almost entirely by what they are PUT ON, by bookmakers and backers for -whom they do odd work. - -~Put that in your pipe and smoke it~, said of a blow or repartee, and -equivalent to take that and think over it, or digest it, or let it be a -warning to you. - -~Put the pot on~, to put too much money upon one horse.--_Sporting._ - -~Put up~, to suggest, to incite, "he PUT me UP to it;" he prompted me to -do it. PUT UP, to stop at an hotel or a tavern for entertainment. - -~Put up~, to inspect or plan out with a view of robbery. To obtain full -particulars with regard to a house and its occupants, so that danger -shall be reduced to a minimum, and the chances of success enlarged. - -~Put upon~, cheated, victimized, oppressed. - -~Putter up~, a man who travels about for the purpose of obtaining -information useful to professional burglars. A man of this description -will assume many characters, sometimes ingratiating himself with the -master of a house, sometimes with the servants, but all to one end, that -of robbery. He rarely or never joins in the actual burglary, his work -being simply to obtain full particulars as to how, when, and where, for -which he receives his full share of the "swag." - -~Puttun~, regiment.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Pyah~, weak, useless, paltry. This word, much in use among sailors, is -evidently derived from the Indian term PARIAH, signifying the lowest -caste of Hindoos. Thus the Pariah dogs in India are termed PYAH dogs; -and the Pariah descendants of the old Portuguese settlers are called -PYAH Portuguese. Sailors term the natives of St. Helena--a -wretched-looking set of individuals--PYAH Englishmen. - -~Pygostole~, the least irreverent of names for the peculiar M. B. coats -worn by Tractarian curates:-- - - "It is true that the wicked make sport - Of our PYGOSTOLES, as we go by; - And one gownsman, in Trinity Court, - Went so far as to call me a 'Guy.'" - -_See_ M. B. - -~Pyjands~, a kind of drawers or loose pantaloons.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Quad.~ _See_ QUOD. - -~Quaker~, a lump of excrement. - -~Quality~, gentry, the upper classes. - -~Quandary~, described in the dictionaries as a "low word," may fittingly -be given here. It illustrates, like "hocus-pocus," and other compound -colloquialisms, the singular origin of slang expressions. QUANDARY, a -dilemma, a doubt, a difficulty, is from the French, QU'EN -DIRAI-JE?--_Skinner._ - -~Quartereen~, a farthing.--_Gibraltar term._ _Italian_, QUATTRINO. - -~Quaver~, a musician. - -~Quean~, a strumpet. In Scotland, a lower-class woman. _Saxon_, CWEAN, a -barren old cow. - -~Queen Bess~, the Queen of Clubs,--perhaps because that queen, history -says, was of a swarthy complexion.--_North Hants._ _See Gentleman's -Magazine for 1791_, p. 141. - -~Queen's tobacco-pipe~, the kiln in which all contraband tobacco seized -by the Custom-house officers is burned. - -~Queer~, an old cant word, once in continual use as a prefix, signifying -base, roguish, or worthless,--the opposite of RUM, which signified good -and genuine. QUEER, in all probability, is immediately derived from the -cant language. It has been mooted that it came into use from a _qure_ -(?) being set before a man's name; but it is more than probable that it -was brought into this country, by the gipsies, from Germany, where QUER -signifies "cross" or "crooked." At all events it is believed to have -been first used in England as a cant word. - -~Queer~, "to QUEER a flat," to puzzle or confound a "gull," or silly -fellow. - - "Who in a row like Tom could lead the van, - Booze in the ken, or at the spellken hustle? - Who QUEER a flat," &c.--_Don Juan_, xi. 19. - -~Queer bail~, worthless persons who for a consideration formerly stood -bail for any one in court. Insolvent Jews generally performed this -office, which gave rise to the term JEW-BAIL, otherwise STRAW BAIL. - -~Queer-bit-makers~, coiners. - -~Queer cuffen~, a justice of the peace, or magistrate,--a very ancient -term, mentioned in the earliest slang dictionary. In this sense, as well -as in that of the verb just given, the term is evidently derived from -_quro_, to inquire, to question. Quiz and _quis?_ have also an -undoubted connexion. - -~Queer-soft~, bad notes. - -~Queer-street~, "in QUEER STREET," in difficulty or in want. - -~Querier~, a chimney-sweep who calls from house to house soliciting -employment,--formerly termed KNULLER, which _see_. - -~Qui-hi~, an English resident at Calcutta.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Quick sticks~, in a hurry, rapidly; "to cut QUICK STICKS," to start off -hurriedly, or without more ado. _See_ CUT ONE'S STICK. - -~Quid~, or THICK UN, a sovereign; "half a QUID," half a sovereign; -QUIDS, money generally; "QUID for a QUOD," one good turn for another. -The word is used by old French writers:-- - - "Des testamens qu'on dit le maistre - De mon fait n'aura QUID ne QUOD." - - _Grand testament de Villon._ - -~Quid~, a small piece of tobacco--one mouthful. _Quid est hoc?_ asked -one, tapping the swelled cheek of another; _Hoc est quid_, promptly -replied the other, exhibiting at the same time a "chaw" of the weed. CUD -is probably a corruption. Derivation, _O. F._, or _Norman_, QUIDER, to -ruminate. - -~Quid-nunc~, an inquisitive person, always seeking for news. The words -translated simply signify, "What now?" - -~Quiet~, "on the QUIET," clandestinely, so as to avoid observation, -"under the rose." - -~Quill-driver~, a scrivener, a clerk,--satirical phrase similar to -"steel bar driver," a tailor. - -~Quiller~, a parasite, a person who sucks neatly through a quill. _See_ -SUCK UP. - -~Quilt~, to thrash, or beat. - -~Quisby~, bankrupt, poverty-stricken. Amplification of QUEER. - -~Quisi~, roguish, low, obscene.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Qui-tam~, a solicitor. _He who_, _i.e._, "he who, as much for himself -as for the King," seeks a conviction, the penalty for which goes half to -the informer and half to the Crown. The term would, therefore, with -greater propriety, be applied to a spy than to a solicitor. - -~Quiz~, a prying person, an odd fellow. Originally Oxford slang, but now -general, and lately admitted into some dictionaries. _See_ QUEER CUFFEN. - -~Quiz~, to pry, or joke; to hoax. - -~Quizzical~, jocose, humorous. - -~Quizzing-glass~, an eyeglass. This was applied to the old single -eyeglass, which was not stuck in the eye, as now, but was held in the -hand. - -~Quockerwodger~, a wooden toy figure which, when pulled by a string, -jerks its limbs about. The term is used in a slang sense, to signify a -pseudo-politician, one whose strings of action are pulled by somebody -else. - -~Quod~, a prison, a lock-up; QUODDED, put in prison. QUOD is really a -shortening of quadrangle; so to be QUODDED is to be within four walls. -The expression is, however, seldom used now except to mean in prison. At -Oxford, where it is spelt QUAD, the word has its original signification. - -~Quodger~, a contraction, or corruption rather, of the _Latin_ law -phrase, QUO JURE? by what law?--_Legal._ - -~R. M. D.~, cash down, immediate payment. The initial letters of READY -MONEY DOWN. Another version of this is P. Y. C. (pay your cash), often -seen in the market quotations,--as, "Meat fetched 6_s._ 4_d._ a stone, -P. Y. C., and 6_s._ 6_d._ for the account." - -~Rabbit~, when a person gets the worst of a bargain, he is said "to have -bought the RABBIT." From an old story about a man selling a cat to a -foreigner for a rabbit. - -~Racket~, a dodge, manoeuvre, exhibition; a disturbance. - -~Rackety~, wild or noisy. - -~Racks~, the bones of a dead horse. Term used by horse-slaughterers. - -~Raclan~, a married woman. Originally Gipsy, but now a term with English -tramps. - -~Rafe~, or RALPH, a pawnbroker's duplicate.--_Norwich._ - -~Raff~, a dirty, dissipated fellow; RAFFISH, looking like a RAFF. - -~Rag~, to divide or share; "let's RAG IT," or "go RAGS," _i.e._, share -it equally between us.--_Norwich._ - -~Rag~, a bank-note. - -~Rag and Famish~, the Army and Navy Club. From Ensign RAG and Captain -FAMISH, imaginary characters, out of whom Leech some years back obtained -much amusement. - -~Rag-shop~, a bank. - -~Rag-splawger~, a rich man. - -~Ragamuffin~, an ill-clad vagabond, a tatterdemalion. - -~Rain napper~, an umbrella. - -~Raise the wind~, to obtain credit, or money,--generally by pawning or -selling property, but not unusually by borrowing. Sometimes varied to -WHISTLE UP THE BREEZE. - -~Raker~, TO GO A, is, in racing parlance, to put more money than usual -on a certain horse. "Going a RAKER" often leads to "coming a cropper." - -~Ramp~, to hustle, to rob with violence, to levy blackmail in a -ferocious manner; to extort by means of threats. RAMPING is generally -done in gangs. - -~Rampage~, TO BE ON THE, on the drink, on the loose. Dickens, in _Great -Expectations_, refers to Mrs. Jo as being on the RAMPAGE when she is -worse tempered than usual. - -~Ramper~, a ruffian of the most brutal description, who infests -racecourses and similar places on welching expeditions during summer, -and finds pleasure and profit in garrotte robberies during winter. - -~Ramshackle~, queer, rickety, knocked about, as standing corn is after a -high wind. Corrupted from RAM-SHATTER, or possibly from RANSACK. - -~Rancho~, originally a Spanish-American word, signifying a -hunting-lodge, or cattle-station, in a wood or desert far from the -haunts of men. A hunting or fishing station in the Highlands or -elsewhere. In Washington, with their accustomed ingenuity in corrupting -words and meanings, the Americans use the appellation for a place of -evil report. The word is generally pronounced RANCH now. - -~Randals-man.~ _See_ BILLY. - -~Randan~, a boat impelled by three rowers, the midship man sculling, and -the bowman and strokesman rowing with oars. - -~Random~, three horses driven in line. _See_ TANDEM, SUDDEN DEATH, -HARUM-SCARUM. - -~Randy~, rampant, violent, warm.--_North._ RANDY-BEGGAR, a gipsy tinker. - -~Rank~, to cheat. Modification of RAMP. - -~Ranker~, a commissioned officer in the army who has risen from the -ranks. Usually employed in a disparaging sense. Purely military. Also, -among street folk, a corruption of RANK DUFFER. - -~Ran-tan~, "on the RAN-TAN," drunk. - -~Rantipoll~, a noisy rude girl, a madcap. - -~Rap~, a halfpenny; frequently used generically for money, thus:--"I -haven't a RAP," _i.e._, I have no money whatever; "I don't care a RAP," -&c. Originally a species of counterfeit coin used for small change in -Ireland, against the use of which a proclamation was issued, 5th May, -1737. Small copper or base metal coins are still called RAPPEN in the -Swiss cantons. Irish robbers were formerly termed RAPPAREES. - -~Rap~, to utter rapidly and vehemently; "he RAPPED out a volley of -oaths." - -~Rapping~, enormous; "a RAPPING big lie." - -~Rapscallion~, a low tattered wretch--not worth a RAP. - -~Raree-show~, a collection of curiosities. - -~Rat~, a sneak, an informer, a turn-coat, one who changes his party for -interest. The late Sir Robert Peel was called the RAT, or the TAMWORTH -RATCATCHER, for altering his views on the Roman Catholic question. From -RATS deserting vessels about to sink. The term is often used amongst -printers to denote one who works under price. Old cant for a clergyman. - -~Rat~, TO SMELL A, to suspect something, to guess that there is -something amiss. - -~Rather!~ a ridiculous street exclamation synonymous with yes; "Do you -like fried chickens?" "RATHER!" "Are you going out of town?" "RATHER!" -Very often pronounced "RAYTHER!" - -~Rattening~, the punishment inflicted on non-unionists by Sheffield -grinders, through the instrumentality of "Mary Ann." _See_ Parliamentary -Inquiry Report on the subject. - -~Rattlecap~, an unsteady, volatile person. Generally applied to girls. - -~Rattler~, a cab, coach, or cart.--_Old Cant._ - -~Rattletrap~, the mouth. Anything shaky and mean, but pretentious and -vulgar, is said to belong to the RATTLETRAP order of things. - -~Rattling~, jolly, pleasant, well-appointed. "A RATTLING good spread" -means an excellent repast, while a true friend is said to be a "RATTLING -good fellow." - -~Raw~, a tender point, or foible; "to touch a man upon the RAW," is to -irritate one by alluding to, or joking him on, anything on which he is -peculiarly susceptible or "thin-skinned." Originally stable slang. - - "Liver and bacon, kidneys, ten pounds one! - He thinks me RAW. I think I'm rather DONE." - - _Phantom Barber._ - -~Raw~, uninitiated; a novice.--_Old._ Frequently JOHNNY RAW. - -~Reach me downs~, or HAND ME DOWNS, clothes bought at secondhand shops. -From "REACH ME DOWN that, and let's see if it fits." In Houndsditch and -other celebrated old clothes' marts, the goods are kept hanging on pegs -so as to be well within view of intending buyers. - -~Reader~, a pocket-book; "Touch him for his READER," _i.e._, rob him of -his pocket-book. - -~Ready~, or READY GILT (maybe GELT), money. Used by Arbuthnot--"Lord -Strut was not very flush in READY." - -~Ready-reckoners~, the Highland regiments of the British army. - -~Real jam~, a sporting phrase, meaning anything exceptionally good. It -is said to be REAL JAM for those who back a horse at a long price, when -the animal wins, or comes to a short figure. - -~Recent incision~, the busy thoroughfare on the Surrey side of the -Thames, known to sober people as the New Cut. Even this latter name has -now been changed--if indeed the place ever was so called properly. -Although to the general public the street which runs from opposite -Rowland Hill's Chapel to Westminster Bridge Road is known as the New -Cut, its name to the Board of Works is Lower Marsh. - -~Redge~, gold. - -~Red herring~, a soldier. The terms are exchangeable, the fish being -often called a "soldier." - -~Red lane~, the throat. - -~Red liner~, an officer of the Mendicity Society. - -~Red rag~, the tongue. - -~Red un~, a gold watch. - -~Redtape~, official routine. A term which was much in vogue during the -Crimean campaign, so famous for War Office blunderings. - -~Regulars~, a thief's fair share of plunder. - -~Reliever~, a coat worn in turn by any party of poor devils whose -wardrobes are in pawn. - -~Relieving Officer~, a significant term for a father.--_University._ - -~Renage~, to revoke, a word used in Ireland at the game of five-card. - -~Rench~, vulgar pronunciation of RINSE. "(W)RENCH your mouth out," said -a fashionable dentist one day. - -~Re-raw~, "on the RE-RAW," tipsy or drunk. - -~Resurrection pie~, once a school but now a common phrase, used in -reference to a pie supposed to be made of the scraps and leavings that -have appeared before. - -~Ret~, an abbreviation of the word REITERATION, used to denote the forme -which, in a printing-office, backs or perfects paper already printed on -one side. - -~Rhino~, ready money.--_Old._ - - "Some as I know, - Have parted with their ready RINO." - - _The Seaman's Adieu_, Old Ballad, 1670. - -~Rhinoceral~, rich, wealthy, abounding in RHINO. At first sound it would -seem as though it meant a man abounding in rhinoceroses. - -~Rib~, a wife. Derivation, of course, Biblical. - -~Ribbon~, gin, or other spirits. Modification of white satin. - -~Ribbons~, the reins. "To handle the RIBBONS," to drive. - -~Ribroast~, to beat till the ribs are sore.--_Old_; but still in use:-- - - "And he departs, not meanly boasting - Of his magnificent RIBROASTING."--_Hudibras._ - -~Rich~, spicy; also used in the sense of "too much of a good thing;" "a -RICH idea," one too absurd or unreasonable to be adopted. - -~Richard~, a dictionary. _See_ DICK. - -~Ride~, "to RIDE the high horse," or "RIDE roughshod over one," to be -overbearing or oppressive; "to RIDE the black donkey," to be in an ill -humour. - -~Rider~, in a University examination, a problem or question appended to -another, as directly arising from or dependent on it;--beginning to be -generally used for any corollary or position which naturally arises from -any previous statement or evidence. - -~Rider~, a supplementary clause in a document. - -~Riff-raff~, low, vulgar rabble. - -~Rig~, or trick, "spree," or performance; "run a RIG," to play a -trick.--_See_ JOHN GILPIN. "RIG the market," in reality to play tricks -with it,--a mercantile slang phrase often used in the newspapers. - -~Rigged~, "well RIGGED," well dressed.--_Old Slang_, in use in 1736. -_See Bailey's Dictionary.--Sea._ - -~Rigging~, a process well known in connexion with sales by auction, by -which articles are secured at prices considerably below their real -value. _See_ KNOCK-OUTS. To RIG the market is to do similar business on -a larger scale for the purpose of affecting the supplies, and thereby -increasing the profits on an original purchase of the goods thus made -scarce. - -~Right as ninepence~, or NICE AS NINEPENCE (possible corruption of -NINE-PINS), quite right, exactly right, comfortable. _See_ NINEPENCE. - -~Right you are~, a phrase implying entire acquiescence in what has been -said or done. The expression is singularly frequent and general amongst -the lower and middle classes of the metropolis. - -~Rights~, "to have one to RIGHTS," to be even with him, to serve him out -properly. "TO RIGHTS" is also an ejaculation signifying satisfaction of -the highest order. - -~Rigmarole~, a prolix story. - -~Rile~, to offend, to render very cross, irritated, or vexed. Properly, -to render liquor turbid. - -~Ring~, to change; "RINGING castors," changing hats; "to RING the -changes," in low life means to change bad money for good; in -respectable society the phrase is sometimes employed to denote that the -aggressor has been paid back in his own coin, as in practical joking, -when the laugh is turned against the jester. The expression originally -came from the belfry. - -~Ring~, a generic term given to horse-racing and pugilism,--the latter -was sometimes termed the PRIZE-RING. From the rings used for betting and -fighting in, respectively. - -~Ring~, formerly "to go through the RING," to take advantage of the -Insolvency Act, or be "whitewashed." Now obsolete. - -~Ring~, the open space in front of a racecourse stand, which is used for -betting purposes. Betting men are nowadays known as members of the ring, -especially if they are in the habit of attending race-meetings. RING, in -America, is a combination of speculators whose object is to force the -market for their own especial benefit without any regard to order or -decency. We have similar arrangements here, but hitherto no one word has -fairly described them. - -~Ringdropping~, is a pursuit to which London "magsmen" and -"street-muggers" are prone. A ring or other spurious article is supposed -to be found just in front of a "soft-looking party," and he or she is -tempted to buy it at less than half its supposed value. - -~Rip~, a rake, "an old RIP," an old libertine, or a debauchee. -Corruption of REPROBATE. - -~Rip~, to go at a rare pace. This is an American term, and often means -to burst up. "Let her RIP, I'm insured." - -~Ripper~, a first-rate man or article.--_Provincial._ - -~Ripping~, excellent, very good. Equivalent to "stunning." - -~Rise~, "to take a RISE out of a person." A metaphor from fly-fishing, -the silly fish RISING to be caught by an artificial fly; to mortify, -outwit, or cheat him, by superior cunning. - - "There is only one thing, unfortunately, of which Oxford men are - economical, and that is, their University experience. They not only - think it fair that Freshmen should go through their ordeal unaided, - but many have a sweet satisfaction in their distresses, and even - busy themselves in obtaining elevations, or, as it is vulgarly - termed, in 'getting RISES out of them.'"--_Hints to Freshmen_, - Oxford, 1843. - -~Rise, or raise, a Barney~, to collect a mob; term used by patterers and -"schwassle-box" (Punch and Judy) men. - -~Roarer~, a broken-winded horse; or, in the more polite speech of the -stable, "a high blower." ROARING, as applied to horses, is often termed -"talking" by turf-men. It is often said delicately by sporting writers, -when speaking of a broken-winded racehorse, that "he makes a noise." - -~Roaring trade~, a very successful business.--_Shopkeepers' Slang._ - -~Roast~, to expose a person to a running fire of jokes for the -amusement and with the assistance of a whole company. A performance not -indulged in by gentlemen. QUIZZING is done by a single person only. - -~Robin redbreast~, the ancient Bow Street runner. So called from the -colour of his waistcoat. - -~Rock-a-low~, an overcoat. Corruption of the _French_, ROQUELAURE. - -~Rocked~, "he's only HALF-ROCKED," _i.e._, half-witted. _See_ -HALF-ROCKED. - -~Rogue's yarn~, a thread of red or blue worsted, worked into the ropes -manufactured in the Government dockyards, to identify them if stolen. -Also a blue thread worked into canvas, for the same purpose. - -~Roll of snow~, a piece of linen, or bundle of underclothing. - -~Romany~, a gipsy, or the gipsy language; the speech of the Roma or -Zincali.--_Spanish Gipsy._ "Can you patter ROMANY?" _i.e._, can you talk -"black," or gipsy lingo? - -~Rook~, a cheat, or tricky gambler; the opposite of "pigeon." - -~Rook~, to cheat, to play "rook" to another's "pigeon." - -~Rook~, a clergyman, not only from his black attire, but also, perhaps, -from the old nursery favourite, the _History of Cock Robin_. - - "I, says the ROOK, - With my little book, - I'll be the parson." - -~Rookery~, a low neighbourhood inhabited by dirty Irish and thieves--as -St. Giles's ROOKERY.--_Old._ In military slang that part of the barracks -occupied by subalterns, often by no means a pattern of good order. - -~Rooky~, rascally, rakish, scampish. - -~Roost~, synonymous with PERCH, which _see_. - -~Rooster~, a cock, whether bantam, game, barndoor, or of any other kind. -This is an Americanism which obtains full currency on the other side of -the Atlantic, though its use would infer that hens do not roost. As the -outcome of transpontine delicacy it must, however, be respected. - -~Rooter~, anything good, or of a prime quality; "that is a ROOTER," -_i.e._, a first-rate one of the sort. - -~Rope~, to lose a race of any kind purposely, to swindle one's backers -or the public by means of a "cross" or pre-arranged race, in which the -best man or best horse is made to ROPE, or run behind. - -~Roper~, MISTRESS, "to marry MRS. ROPER" is to enlist in the Royal -Marines. - -~Ropes~, the ways of London lower life. "To know the ROPES," is to be -conversant with the minuti of metropolitan dodges, as regards both the -streets and the sporting world. - -~Roping~, the act of pulling or restraining a horse, by its rider, to -prevent its winning a race--a trick not unfrequently practised on the -turf. Also when a pedestrian or other athlete loses where he should have -won, according to his backer's calculations, he is accused of ROPING. - -~Rose~, "under the rose" (frequently used in its _Latin_ form, _sub -ros_), _i.e._, under the obligation of silence and secrecy, of which -the rose was anciently an emblem, perhaps, as Sir Thomas Browne remarks, -from the closeness with which its petals are enfolded in the bud. The -Rose of Venus was given, says the classic legend, to Harpocrates, the -God of Silence, by Cupid, as a bribe to keep silent about the goddess's -amours. It was commonly sculptured on the ceilings of banqueting rooms, -as a sign that what was said in free conversation there was not -afterwards to be divulged; and about 1526 was placed over the Roman -confessionals as an emblem of secrecy. The White Rose was also an emblem -of the Pretender, whose health, as king, his secret adherents used to -drink "under the ROSE." - -~Rosin~, beer or other drink given to musicians at a dancing party. - -~Rosin-the-bow~, a fiddler. From a famous old song of that name. - -~Rot~, nonsense, anything bad, disagreeable, or useless. - -~Rot-gut~, bad, small beer. _See_ BUMCLINK. In America, cheap whisky. - -~Rough~, bad; "ROUGH fish," bad or stinking fish.--_Billingsgate._ - -~Rough-it~, to put up with chance entertainment, to take pot-luck and -what accommodation "turns up," without sighing for better. - -~Roughs~, coarse, or vulgar men. By many thought to be RUFF, corruption -of RUFFIAN. - -~Rouleau~, a packet of sovereigns.--_Gaming._ - -~Round~, to tell tales, to SPLIT, which _see_; "to ROUND on a man," to -swear to him as being the person, &c. Synonymous with BUFF, which _see_. -Also to turn round upon and abuse or rate. Shakspeare has ROUNDING, -whispering. - -~Round~, "ROUND dealing," honest trading; "ROUND sum," a large sum. -Synonymous also, in a slang sense, with SQUARE, which _see_. - -~Round~ (in the language of the street), the beat or usual walk of a -costermonger to sell his stock. A term used by street folk generally. - - "Watchmen, sometimes they made their sallies, - And walk'd their ROUNDS through streets and allies." - - _Ned Ward's Vulgus Britannicus_, 1710. - -The word "beat" has, so far as our modern guardians are concerned, -deposed "round." - -~Round robin~, a petition, or paper of remonstrance, with the signatures -written in a circle,--to prevent the first signer, or ringleader, from -being discovered. - -~Round un~, an unblushingly given and well-proportioned lie. Sometimes -known as a "whacker." - -~Roundabout~, a large swing with four compartments, each the size, and -very much the shape, of the body of a cart, capable of seating six or -eight boys and girls, erected in a high frame, and turned round by men -at a windlass. Fairs and merry-makings generally abound with these -swings. The frames take to pieces, and are carried in vans from fair to -fair by miserable horses. - -~Roundem~, a button. - -~Row~, "the ROW," _i.e._, Paternoster Row. The notorious Holywell Street -is now called by its denizens "Bookseller's Row." - -~Row~, a noisy disturbance, tumult, or trouble. Originally Cambridge, -now universal. Seventy years ago it was written ROUE, which would almost -indicate a French origin, from _rou_, a profligate or disturber of the -peace.--_Vide_ George Parker's _Life's Painter_, 1789, p. 122. This is, -however, very unlikely, as the derivation of the French word shows. - -~Rowdy~, money. In America, a ruffian, a brawler, a "rough." Rowdyism is -the state of being of New York roughs and loafers. - -~Rowdy-dow~, low, vulgar "not the CHEESE," or thing. - -~Rub~, a quarrel or impediment; "there's the RUB," _i.e._, that is the -difficulty.--_Shakspeare and L'Estrange._ - -~Rubbed out~, dead,--a melancholy expression, of late frequently used in -fashionable novels. RUBBED OUT is synonymous with WIPED OUT, which -_see_. - -~Rubber~, a term at whist, &c., the best of three games. - -~Ruck~, the undistinguished crowd; "to come in with the RUCK," to arrive -at the winning-post among the thick of the unplaced horses.--_Racing -term._ - -~Ruction~, an Irish row. A faction fight. - -~Ruggy~, fusty, frowsy. - -~Rule.~ "To run the RULE over," is, among thieves, to try all a person's -pockets quietly, as done by themselves, or to search any one thoroughly, -as at the police-station. - -~Rule the roast~, to be at the head of affairs, to be "cock of the -walk." - -~Rum~, like its opposite, QUEER, was formerly a much-used prefix, -signifying fine, good, gallant, or valuable; perhaps in some -way connected with ROME. Nowadays it means indifferent, bad, or -questionable, and we often hear even persons in polite society use such -a phrase as, "What a RUM fellow he is, to be sure," in speaking of a man -of singular habits or appearance. The term, from its frequent use, long -since claimed a place in our dictionaries; but, with the exception of -Johnson, who says RUM, a cant word for a clergyman(!), no lexicographer -has deigned to notice it. - - "Thus RUMLY floor'd, the kind Acestes ran, - And pitying, raised from earth the game old man." - - _Virgil's neid_, book v., Translation _by Thomas Moore_. - -~Rum cull~, the manager of a theatre, generally the master of a -travelling troop. - -~Rumbler~, a four-wheeled cab. Not so common as BOUNDER. _See_ GROWLER. - -~Rumbowling~, anything inferior or adulterated.--_Sea._ - -~Rumbumptious~, haughty, pugilistic. - -~Rumbustious~, or RUMBUSTICAL, pompous, haughty, boisterous, careless of -the comfort of others. - -~Rumgumption~, or GUMPTION, knowledge, capacity, capability,--hence, -RUMGUMPTIOUS, knowing, wide-awake, forward, positive, pert, blunt. - -~Rum-mizzler~, Seven Dials cant for a person who is clever at making his -escape, or getting out of a difficulty. - -~Rump~, to turn the back upon any one. A still more decided "cut direct" -than the "cold shoulder." - -~Rumpus~, a noise, disturbance, a "row." - -~Rum-slim~, or RUM SLING, rum punch. - -~Rumy~, a good woman or girl.--_Gipsy Cant._ In the Continental _Gipsy_, -ROMI, a woman, a wife, is the feminine of RO, a man. - -~Run~ (good or bad), the success or duration of a piece's -performance.--_Theatrical._ - -~Run~, to comprehend, &c.; "I don't RUN to it," _i.e._, I can't do it, I -don't understand; also not money enough, as, "I should like to, but it -wont RUN to it." - -~Run~, "to get the RUN upon any person," to have the upper hand, or be -able to laugh at him. RUN down, to abuse or backbite any one; to "lord -it," or "drive over" him. Originally stable slang. - -~Run for the money~, TO HAVE A, to have a start given in with a bet. As -20 to 1 against Doncaster, with a RUN given. _See_ P.P. To have a RUN -FOR ONE'S MONEY is also to have a good determined struggle for anything. - -~Run-in~, to lock up in the station-house. The police are very fond of -threatening to RUN-IN any person to whom they may take exception, and, -as recent revelations have shown, are by no means averse from putting -their threats into execution. - -~Running patterer~, a street seller who runs or moves briskly along, -calling aloud his wares. - -~Running stationer~, a hawker of books, ballads, dying speeches, and -newspapers. Persons of this class formerly used to run with newspapers, -blowing a horn, when they were sometimes termed FLYING STATIONERS. -Nowadays, in the event of any political or social disturbance, the -miserable relics of these peripatetic newsmen bawl the heads of the -telegram or information in quiet London thoroughfares, to the -disturbance of the residents. The race is very nearly extinct, the -evening-paper boys having run them to earth. - -~Rush~, to come upon suddenly, generally for the purpose of borrowing. -To "give a man the RUSH," is to spunge upon him all day, and then borrow -money at the finish, or pursue some such similar mode of procedure. - -~Rush~, "doing it on the RUSH," running away, or making off. - -~Rust~, "to nab the RUST," to take offence. RUSTY, cross, ill-tempered, -morose; not able to go through life like a person of easy and "polished" -manners. - -~Rustication~, the sending of an offender from the University for one -term or more, thus hindering his qualifying for a degree. - -~Rusty guts~, a blunt, rough, old fellow. Corruption of RUSTICUS. - -~Rye.~ Gipsy term for a young man. In the same parlance "rawnie" is a -young woman. - -~Sack~, to "get the SACK," to be discharged by an employer. Varied in -the North of England to "get the BAG." In London it is sometimes spoken -of as "getting the EMPTY." It is common now to speak of "getting the -BULLET," an evident play on the word discharge. - -~Sad dog~, a merry fellow, a joker, a "gay" or "fast" man. - -~Saddle~, an additional charge made by the manager to a performer upon -his benefit night.--_Theatrical._ - -~Safe~, trusty, worthy of confidence. A SAFE card is a man who knows -"what's o'clock." A SAFE man among betters is one who is sure to fulfil -his engagements. - -~Safe un~, a horse which will not run, or will not try, in a race. The -bookmakers in London have the information sent them by the touts in -their pay, and lay against the SAFE UN, who is also called a "stiff un," -a "dead un," or a "shtumer," as often as they can, irrespective of the -state of their books. Sometimes a SAFE UN will win, owing to the owner -or trainer having, for various reasons, altered his mind. Such a result -then goes to prove the "glorious uncertainty of the turf," a phrase in -very common use among sporting writers whenever a favourite is beaten, -or whenever a horse runs slow one day and loses, and very fast the next -day and wins. - -~Sails~, nickname for the sail-maker on board ship. - -~St. Martin's lace~, imitation gold lace; stage tinsel. - -~Saint Monday~, a holiday most religiously observed by journeymen -shoemakers and other mechanics. An Irishman observed that this saint's -anniversary happened every week. In some parts of the country Monday is -termed Cobblers' Sunday. - -~Sal~, a salary.--_Theatrical._ - -~Salaam~, a compliment or salutation.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Salamander~, a street acrobat and juggler who eats fire. - -~Saloop~, SALEP, or SALOP, a greasy-looking beverage, formerly sold on -stalls at early morning, prepared from a powder made of the root of the -_Orchis mascula_, or Red-handed Orchis. Coffee-stands have superseded -SALOOP stalls; but, in addition to other writers, Charles Lamb, in one -of his papers, has left some account of this drinkable, which he says -was of all preparations the most grateful to the stomachs of young -chimney-sweeps. The present generation has no knowledge of this drink, -except that derived from books. The word "slops"--as applied to weak, -warm drink--is very likely derived from the Cockney pronunciation of -SALOOP. - -~Salt~, a sailor. - -~Salt~, "it's rather too SALT," said of an extravagant hotel bill. Also, -a sort of black mail or tribute levied on visitors or travellers by the -Eton boys, at their triennial festival called the "Montem," by ancient -custom and privileges. It is now abolished. A periodical published at -Eton many years ago for circulation amongst the boys was called "_The -SALT-box_." When a person about to sell a business connexion makes -fictitious entries in the books of accounts, to simulate that a much -more profitable trade is carried on than there really is, he is said to -SALT the books--SALTING and COOKING being somewhat similar operations. -At the gold diggings of Australia, miners sometimes SALT an unproductive -hole by sprinkling a few grains of gold-dust over it, and thus obtain a -good price from a "green hand." Unpromising speculations are frequently -thus SALTED to entrap the unwary, the wildest ideas being rendered -palatable _cum grano salis_. And though old birds are not readily caught -by chaff, the efficacy of SALT in bird-catching, so far as the young are -concerned, is proverbial. - -~Salt-box~, the condemned cell in Newgate. - -~Salt junk~, navy salt beef. _See_ OLD HORSE. - -~Saltee~, a penny. Pence, &c., are thus reckoned:-- - - ONEY SALTEE, a penny, from the _Italian_, UNO SOLDO. - DOOE SALTEE, twopence DUE SOLDI. - TRAY SALTEE, threepence TRE SOLDI. - QUARTERER SALTEE, fourpence QUATTRO SOLDI. - CHINKER SALTEE, fivepence CINQUE SOLDI. - SAY SALTEE, sixpence SEI SOLDI. - SAY ONEY SALTEE, or SETTER SALTEE, sevenpence SETTE SOLDI. - SAY DOOE SALTEE, or OTTER SALTEE, eightpence OTTO SOLDI. - SAY TRAY SALTEE, or NOBBA SALTEE, ninepence NOVE SOLDI. - SAY QUARTERER SALTEE, or DACHA SALTEE, tenpence DIECI SOLDI. - SAY CHINKER SALTEE, or DACHA ONEY SALTEE, elevenpence DIECI UNO SOLDI, &c. - ONEY BEONG, one shilling. - A BEONG SAY SALTEE, one shilling and sixpence. - DOOE BEONG SAY SALTEE, or MADZA CAROON, half-a-crown, or two - shillings and sixpence. - -[Asterism] This curious list of numerals in use among the London street -folk is, strange as it may seem, derived from the _Lingua Franca_, or -bastard _Italian_, of the Mediterranean seaports, of which other -examples may be found in the pages of this Dictionary. SALTEE, the cant -term used by the costermongers and others for a penny, is no other than -the _Italian_, SOLDO (plural, SOLDI), and the numerals--as may be seen -by the _Italian_ equivalents--are a tolerably close imitation of the -originals. After the number six, a curious variation occurs, which -is peculiar to the London cant, seven being reckoned as SAY ONEY, -_six-one_, SAY DOOE, _six-two_ = 8, and so on. DACHA is perhaps from the -_Greek_ _deka_, ten, which, in the Constantinopolitan _Lingua Franca_, -is likely enough to have been substituted for the _Italian_. MADZA is -clearly the _Italian_ MEZZA. The origin of BEONG has not yet been -discovered, unless it be the _French_ BIEN, the application of which to -a shilling is not so evident; but amongst costermongers and other street -folk it is quite immaterial what foreign tongue contributes to their -secret language. Providing the terms are unknown to the police and the -public generally, they care not a rush whether the polite French, the -gay Spaniards, or the cloudy Germans help to swell their vocabulary. The -numbers of low foreigners, however, dragging out a miserable existence -in our crowded neighbourhoods, organ grinders and image sellers, foreign -seamen from the vessels in the river, and our own connexion with Malta -and the Ionian Isles, may explain, to a certain extent, the phenomenon -of these Southern phrases in the mouths of costers and tramps. Professor -Ascoli, in his _Studj Critici_, absurdly enough derives these words from -the ancient commercial importance of Italian settlers in England, when -they gave a name to Lombard Street! - -~Salve~, praise, flattery, chaff. - -~Sam~, _i.e._, DICKY-SAM, a native of Liverpool. - -~Sam~, to "stand SAM," to pay for refreshment or drink, to stand -paymaster for anything. An Americanism, originating in the letters U.S. -on the knapsacks of the United States' soldiers, which letters were -jocularly said to be the initials of Uncle Sam (the Government), who -pays for all. In use in this country as early as 1827. - -~Sammy~, a stupid fellow. - -~Sampan~, a small boat.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Samshoo~, a fiery, noxious spirit, distilled from rice. Spirits -generally.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Samson and Abel~, a group of wrestlers in the centre of Brasenose -quadrangle. Some said it represented Samson killing a Philistine; others -Cain killing Abel. So the matter was compromised as above.--_Oxford -University._ - -~Sandwich~, a human advertising medium, placed between two boards -strapped, one on his breast the other on his shoulders. A "toad in the -hole" is the term applied to the same individual when his person is -confined by a four-sided box. A gentleman with a lady on each arm is -sometimes called a SANDWICH. The French phrase for this kind of -SANDWICH, _l'ne deux pannires_, is expressive. - -~Sanguinary James~, a raw sheep's-head. _See_ BLOODY JEMMY. - -~Sank work~, tailors' phrase for soldiers' clothes. Perhaps from the -_Norman_ SANC, blood,--in allusion either to the soldier's calling, or -the colour of his coat. - -~Sap~, or SAPSCULL, a poor green simpleton, with no heart for work. - -~Sappy~, soft, foolish, namby-pamby, milk-and-watery. "It's such a SAPPY -book." - -~Satin~, gin; "a yard of SATIN," a glass of gin. Term used by females on -make-believe errands, when the real object of their departure from home -is to replenish the private bottle. With servants the words "tape" and -"ribbon" are more common, the purchase of these feminine requirements -being the general excuse for asking to "run out for a little while." -_See_ WHITE SATIN. - -~Saucebox~, a pert young person. In low life it also signifies the -mouth. - -~Save~, to give part of one bet for part of another. A. and B. have -backed different horses, and they agree that in the event of either one -winning he shall give the other, say, 5. This is called "SAVING a -fiver," and generally is done when scratchings and knockings-out have -left the field so that one of the two speculators must be a winner. The -practice also obtains much in competitions decided in heats or rounds, -in the course of which backers and layers comparing their prospects -often "SAVE a bit" with each other. Saving is, therefore, a form of -hedging. - -~Saveloy~, a sausage of bread and chopped beef smoked, a minor kind of -POLONY, which _see_. - -~Savvey~, to know; "do you SAVVEY that?" _Spanish_, SABE. In the nigger -and _Anglo-Chinese patois_, this is SABBY, "me no SABBY." It is a -general word among the lower classes all over the world. It also means -acuteness or cleverness; as, "That fellow has plenty of SAVVEY." - -~Saw~, a term at whist. A SAW is established when two partners -alternately trump a suit, played to each other for the express purpose. - -~Saw your timber~, "be off!" equivalent to "cut your stick." -Occasionally varied, with mock refinement, to "amputate your mahogany." -_See_ CUT. - -~Sawbones~, a surgeon. - -~Sawney~, or SANDY, a Scotchman. Corruption of Alexander. - -~Sawney~, a simpleton; a gaping, awkward lout. - -~Sawney~, bacon. SAWNEY HUNTER, one who steals bacon. - -~Scab~, a worthless person.--_Old._ Shakspeare uses "scald" in a similar -sense. - -~Scab-raiser~, a drummer in the army, so called from one of the duties -formerly pertaining to that office, viz., inflicting corporal punishment -on the soldiers.--_Military._ - -~Scabby neck~, a native of Denmark.--_Sea._ - -~Scabby-sheep~, epithet applied by the vulgar to a person who has been -in questionable society, or under unholy influence, and become tainted. -Also a mean disreputable fellow. - -~Scaldrum dodge~, a dodge in use among begging impostors of burning the -body with a mixture of acids and gunpowder, so as to suit the hues and -complexions of any accident to be deplored by a confiding public. - -~Scaly~, shabby, or mean. Perhaps anything which betokens the presence -of the "Old Serpent," or it may be a variation of "fishy." - -~Scamander~, to wander about without a settled purpose;--possibly in -allusion to the winding course of the Homeric river of that name. - -~Scammered~, drunk. - -~Scamp~, a graceless fellow, a rascal; a wandering vagabond; scamping -was formerly the cant term for plundering and thieving. A ROYAL-SCAMP -was a highwayman, whilst a FOOT-SCAMP was an ordinary thief with nothing -but his legs to trust to in case of an attempt at capture. Some have -derived SCAMP from _qui ex campo exit_, one who leaves the field, a -deserter. - -~Scamp~, to give short measure or quantity; applied to dishonest -contractors. Also to hurry through a task in a way which precludes the -possibility of its being done well. Probably the same as SKIMP and -SCRIMP. - -~Scandal-water~, tea; from old maids' tea-parties being generally a -focus for scandal. - -~Scaramouch~, properly a tumbler, or SALTIMBANCO. Also a disreputable -fellow. - -~Scarborough-warning~, a warning given too late to be taken advantage -of. When a person is driven over, and then told to keep out of the way, -he receives SCARBOROUGH-WARNING. Fuller says the proverb alludes to an -event which happened at that place in 1557, when Thomas Stafford seized -upon Scarborough Castle before the townsmen had the least notice of his -approach. - -~Scarce~, TO MAKE ONESELF; to be off; to decamp. - -~Scarlet fever~, the desire felt by young ladies to flirt with officers -in preference to civilians. - -~Scarlet-town~, Reading, in Berkshire. As the name of this place is -pronounced Redding, SCARLET-TOWN is probably a rude pun upon it. - -~Scarper~, to run away; _Spanish_, ESCAPAR, to escape, make off; -_Italian_, SCAPPARE. "SCARPER with the feeley of the donna of the -carzey," to run away with the daughter of the landlady of the house; -almost pure _Italian_, "SCAPPARE COLLA FIGLIA DELLA DONNA DELLA -CASA."--_Seven Dials and Prison Cant_, from the _Lingua Franca_. - -~Schism-shop~, a Dissenters' meeting-house.--_University._ - -~Schofel~, bad money. _See_ SHOFUL. - -~School~, a knot of men or boys; generally a body of idlers or street -gamblers. Also, two or more "patterers" working together in the streets. - -~Schroff~, a banker, treasurer, or confidential clerk.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Schwassle box~, the street arrangement for Punch and Judy. _See_ -SWATCHEL-COVE. - -~Sconce~, the head; judgment, sense.--_Dutch._ - -~Sconce~, to fine. Used by Dons as well as undergrads. The Dons fined or -SCONCED for small offences; _e.g._, five shillings for wearing a -coloured coat in hall at dinner-time. Among undergrads a pun, or an -oath, or an indecent remark, was SCONCED by the head of the table. If -the offender could, however, floor the tankard of beer which he was -SCONCED, he could retort on his SCONCER to the extent of twice the -amount he was SCONCED in.--_Oxford University._ - -~Score~, a reckoning, "to run up a SCORE at a public-house," to obtain -credit there until pay-day, or a fixed time, when the debt must be -"wiped off." From the old practice of scoring a tippler's indebtedness -on the inside of a public-house door. - -~Scorf~, to eat voraciously. - -~Scot~, a quantity of anything, a lot, a share.--_Anglo-Saxon_, SCEAT, -pronounced SHOT. - -~Scot~, temper, or passion,--from the irascible temperament of the -Scotch; "Oh! what a SCOT he was in," _i.e._, what temper he showed. - -~Scotch coffee~, biscuits toasted and boiled in water. A gross calumny -on the much-enduring Scotians; a supposed joke on their -parsimony.--_Sea._ - -~Scotch fiddle~, the itch; "to play the SCOTCH FIDDLE," to work the -index finger of the right hand like a fiddlestick between the index and -middle finger of the left. This provokes a Scotchman in the highest -degree, as it implies that he is afflicted with the itch. It is supposed -that a continuous oatmeal diet is productive of cutaneous affection. - -~Scotch greys~, lice. Our northern neighbours were calumniously -reported, in the "good old times" of ignorance and prejudice, to be -peculiarly liable to cutaneous eruptions and parasites. - -~Scotches~, the legs; also synonymous with notches. - -~Scout~, a college valet, or waiter.--_Oxford._ _See_ GYP. - -~Scout~, the male servant, who generally has a staircase under his -charge, and waits on the men in each set of rooms. The female servant -(not unfrequently his wife or daughter) is the bedmaker.--_University._ - -~Scrag~, the neck.--_Old Cant._ _Scotch_, CRAIG. Still used by butchers. -Hence, SCRAG, to hang by the neck, and SCRAGGING, an execution,--also -_Old Cant_. - -~Scran~, pieces of meat, broken victuals. Formerly the reckoning at a -public-house. SCRANNING, or "out on the SCRAN," begging for broken -victuals. Also, an Irish malediction of a mild sort, "Bad SCRAN to yer!" -_i.e._, bad food to you. - -~Scran-bag~, a soldier's haversack.--_Military Slang._ - -~Scrap~, to fight. Also used as a substantive. Prize-fighters are often -known as SCRAPPERS. - -~Scrape~, a difficulty; SCRAPE, low wit for a shave. - -~Scrape~, cheap butter; also butter laid on bread in the thinnest -possible manner, as though it had been laid on and scraped off again. -"Bread and SCRAPE," the bread and butter issued to schoolboys,--so -called from the manner in which the butter is laid on. - -~Scratch~, an imaginary meeting-point in a fight, or verbal contest; -"coming up to the SCRATCH," preparing to fight--literally approaching -the line which used to be chalked on the ground to divide the ring. -According to the rules of the prize ring, the toe should be placed at -the SCRATCH, so the phrase often is "toeing the SCRATCH." - -~Scratch~, "no great SCRATCH," of little worth. - -~Scratch~, to strike a horse's name out of the list of runners in a -particular race. "Tomboy was SCRATCHED for the Derby at 10 a.m. on -Wednesday, from which period all bets made in reference to him are -void." _See_ P.P.--_Turf._ One of Boz's characters asks whether horses -are "really made more lively by being SCRATCHED." - -~Scratch-race~ (on the turf), a race at which the horses run at catch -weights, a race without restrictions. In boating, a race in which the -crew are picked up anyhow. A SCRATCH crew is a crew of all sorts. - -~Screaming~, first-rate, splendid. Believed to have been first used in -the Adelphi play-bills; "a SCREAMING farce," one calculated to make the -audience scream with laughter. Now a general expression. - -~Screed~, an illogical or badly-written article or paper upon any -subject. - -~Screeve~, a letter, a begging petition. - -~Screeve~, to write, or devise; "to SCREEVE a fakement," to concoct, or -write, a begging letter, or other impostor's document. From the -_Dutch_, SCHRYVEN; _German_, SCHREIBEN, to write. - -~Screever~, a man who draws with coloured chalks on the pavement figures -of our Saviour crowned with thorns, specimens of elaborate writing, -thunderstorms, ships on fire, &c. The men who attend these pavement -chalkings, and receive halfpence and sixpences from the admirers of -street art, are not always the draughtsmen. The artist or SCREEVER -draws, perhaps, in half-a-dozen places in the course of a morning, and -rents the spots out to as many cadaverous-looking men, who, when any one -looks hard at them, will commence to dabble clumsily with the short -pieces of chalks they always keep at hand. There are impostors of this -kind in higher walks of art. - -~Screw~, an unsound or broken-down horse, that requires both whip and -spur to get him along. So called from the screw-like manner in which his -ribs generally show through the skin. - -~Screw~, a mean or stingy person. - -~Screw~, salary, or wages. - -~Screw~, "to put on the SCREW," to limit one's credit, to be more exact -and precise; "to put under the SCREW;" to compel, to coerce, to -influence by strong pressure. - -~Screw~, a small packet of tobacco. A "twist" of the "weed." - -~Screw~, a key--skeleton, or otherwise. - -~Screw~, a turnkey. - -~Screw loose.~ When friends become cold and distant towards each other, -it is said there is a SCREW LOOSE betwixt them; the same phrase is also -used when anything goes wrong with a person's credit or reputation. - -~Screwed~, intoxicated or drunk. - -~Scrimmage~, or SCRUMMAGE, a disturbance or row.--_Ancient._ Probably a -corruption of SKIRMISH. - -~Scrimshaw.~ Anything made by sailors for themselves in their leisure -hours at sea is termed SCRIMSHAW-WORK. - -~Scrouge~, to crowd or squeeze.--_Wiltshire._ - -~Scruff~, the back part of the neck seized by the adversary in an -encounter. "I seized him by the SCRUFF of the neck, and chucked him -out." Originally SCURF. - -~Scrumptious~, nice, particular, beautiful. - -~Scufter~, a policeman.--_North Country._ - -~Scull~, or SKULL, the head, or master of a college.--_University_, but -nearly obsolete; the gallery, however, in St. Mary's (the Oxford -University church), where the "Heads of Houses" sit in solemn state, is -still nicknamed the "Golgotha" by the undergraduates. - -~Scurf~, a mean fellow. Literally a scurvy fellow. - -~Sea-connie~, the steersman of an Indian ship. By the insurance laws he -must be either a PYAH Portuguese, a European, or a Manilla man,--Lascars -not being allowed to be helmsmen. - -~Sea-cook~, "son of a SEA-COOK," an opprobrious phrase used on board -ship, differing from "son of a gun," which is generally used admiringly -or approvingly. - -~Seals~, a religious slang term for converts. Also a Mormon term for -wives. _See_ OWNED. - -~See.~ Like "go" and "do," this useful verb has long been supplemented -with a slang or unauthorized meaning. In street parlance, "to SEE" is to -know or believe; "I don't SEE that," _i.e._, "I don't put faith in what -you offer, or I know what you say to be untrue." - -~See it out~, to stay out late or early, and see the gas put out. Also -to complete an undertaking. - -~See the king.~ _See_ ELEPHANT. - -~Seedy~, worn-out, poverty-stricken, used-up, shabby. Metaphorical -expression from the appearance of flowers when off bloom and running to -SEED; hence said of one who wears clothes until they crack and become -shabby. "How seedy he looks," said of any man whose clothes are worn -threadbare, with greasy facings, and hat brightened up by perspiration -and continual polishing and wetting. When a man's coat begins to look -worn-out and shabby he is said to look SEEDY and ready for cutting. This -term has been in common use for nearly two centuries, and latterly has -found its way into most dictionaries. Formerly slang, it is now a -recognised word, and one of the most expressive in the English language. -The French are always amused with it, they having no similar term. - - "Oh, let my hat be e'er sae brown, - My coat be e'er sae SEEDY, O! - My whole turn-out scarce worth a crown, - Like gents well-bred, but needy, O!" - - _Fisher's Garland for 1835._ - -~Seeley's pigs~, blocks of iron in Government dockyards. Mr. Seeley, -M.P., was the first to call attention in the House of Commons to the -scandalous waste of pig-iron in the dockyards. Some of the yards were -found to be half paved with blocks of metal, which were thence called -"SEELEY'S PIGS." - -~Sell~, a deception, or disappointment; also a lying joke. - -~Sell~, to deceive, swindle, or play a practical joke upon a person. A -sham is a SELL in street parlance. "SOLD again, and got the money," a -patterer cries after having successfully deceived somebody. Shakspeare -uses SELLING in a similar sense, viz., blinding or deceiving. - -~Sensation~, a quartern of gin. - -~Serene~, all right; "it's all SERENE," a street phrase of very modern -adoption, the burden of a song. SERENE, ALL SERENE! from the _Spanish_ -SERENO, equivalent to the English "all's well;" a countersign of -sentinels, supposed to have been acquired by some filibusters who were -imprisoned in Cuba, and liberated by the intercession of the British -ambassador. The Sereno, the Spanish night watchman, cries out, with the -hour, the state of the atmosphere. He was called the Sereno (clear), -from his announcing the usual fine (sereno) night--quite different from -the work of our old "Charlies," whose usual call was one of foul -weather. - -~Serve out~, to punish, or be revenged on any one. - -~Setter~, sevenpence. _Italian_, SETTE. _See_ SALTEE.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Setter~, a person employed by the vendor at an auction to run the -bidding up; to bid against _bona-fide_ bidders. Also the man who takes -the box at hazard, and "sets a go." - -~Setting jewels~, taking the best portions of a clever book not much -known to the general public, and incorporating them quietly with a new -work by a thoroughly original author. The credit of this term belongs to -Mr. Charles Reade, who explained that the process is accountable for the -presence of some writing by one Jonathan Swift, in a story published at -Christmas, 1872, and called _The Wandering Heir_. - -~Settle~, to kill, ruin, or effectually quiet a person. - -~Settled~, transported, or sent to penal servitude for life; sometimes -spoken of as WINDED-SETTLED. - -~Set-to~, a sparring match, a fight; "a DEAD SET" is a determined -opposition in argument, or in movement. - -~Sevendible~, a very curious word, used only in the North of Ireland, to -denote something particularly severe, strong, or sound. It is, no doubt, -derived from sevendouble--that is, sevenfold--and is applied to linen -cloth, a heavy beating, a harsh reprimand, &c. - -~Seven-pennorth~, transportation for seven years. - -~Seven-sided animal~, a one-eyed man, as he has an inside, outside, left -side, right side, foreside, backside, and blind side. - -~Seven-up~, the game of all-fours, when played for seven chalks--that -is, when seven points or chalks have to be made to win the game. - -~Sewed-up~, done up, used up, intoxicated. _Dutch_, SEEUWT, sick. - -~Sewn-up~, quite worn-out, or "dead beat." - -~Shack~, a "chevalier d'industrie." A scamp, a -blackguard.--_Nottingham._ - -~Shack-per-swaw~, every one for himself,--a phrase in use amongst the -lower orders at the East-end of London, derived apparently from the -_French_, CHACUN POUR SOI. - -~Shackly~, loose, rickety.--_Devonshire._ - -~Shady~, an expression implying decadence. On "the SHADY side of forty" -implies that a person is considerably older than forty. SHADY also means -inferiority in other senses. A "shady trick" is either a shabby one, -mean or trumpery, or else it is one contemptible from the want of -ability displayed. The SHADY side of a question is, and fairly enough -too, that which has no brightness to recommend it. - -~Shake~, a disreputable man or woman.--_North._ In London a SHAKE is a -prostitute. - -~Shake-down~, an improvised bed. - -~Shake-lurk~, a false paper carried by an impostor, giving an account of -a "dreadful shipwreck." - -~Shake the elbow~, TO, a roundabout expression for dice-playing. To -"crook the ELBOW" is an Americanism for "to drink." - -~Shaker~, a shirt. - -~Shakers~, a Puritanical sect, almost peculiar to America, and not -similar to our Quakers, as is generally believed. They have very strange -notions on things in general, and especially on marriage and the -connexion of the sexes. - -~Shakes~, a bad bargain is said to be "no great SHAKES;" "pretty fair -SHAKES" is anything good or favourable.--_Byron._ In America, a fair -SHAKE is a fair trade or a good bargain. - -~Shakes~, "in a brace of SHAKES," _i.e._, in an instant. - -~Shakester~, or SHICKSTER, a female. Amongst costermongers this term is -invariably applied to ladies, or the wives of tradesmen, and females -generally, of the classes immediately above them. Amongst Jews the word -signifies a woman of shady antecedents. Supposed to be derived from the -_Hebrew_, SHIKTZA. It is generally pronounced "shickser." - -~Shaky~, said of a person of questionable health, integrity, or -solvency; at the Universities, of one not likely to pass his -examination. - -~Shaler~, a girl. Corrupt form of _Gaelic_, CAILLE, a young woman. - -~Shalley-gonahey~, a smock-frock.--_Cornish._ - -~Shallow~, the peculiar barrow used by costermongers. - -~Shallow~, a weak-minded country justice of the peace.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Shallow-cove~, a begging rascal, who goes about the country half naked, -with the most limited amount of rags upon his person, wearing neither -shoes, stockings, nor hat. - -~Shallow-mot~, a ragged woman,--the frequent companion of the -SHALLOW-COVE. - -~Shallows~, "to go on the SHALLOWS," to go half naked. - -~Sham~, contraction of champagne. In general use among the lower class -of sporting men. Sometimes extended to SHAMMY. - -~Sham Abraham~, to feign sickness. _See_ ABRAHAM. - -~Shandrydan~, an old-fashioned or rickety conveyance of the "shay" -order. - -~Shandy-gaff~, ale and gingerbeer. Origin unknown, but use very common. - -~Shanks~, legs. - -~Shanks's mare~, "to ride SHANK'S MARE," to go on foot. - -~Shant~, a pot or quart; "SHANT of bivvy," a quart of beer. - -~Shanty~, a rude, temporary habitation. The word is principally employed -to designate the huts inhabited by navigators, when constructing large -lines of railway far distant from towns. It is derived from the _French_ -CHANTIER, used by the Canadians for a log hut, and has travelled from -thence, by way of the United States, to England. - -~Shanty~, a song. A term in use among sailors. From CHANTER. - -~Shapes~, "to cut up" or "show SHAPES," to exhibit pranks, or -flightiness. - -~Shark~, a sharper, a swindler. Bow Street term in 1785, now in most -dictionaries.--_Friesic_ and _Danish_, SCHURK. _See_ LAND-SHARK. - -~Sharp~, or SHARPER, a cunning cheat, a rogue,--the opposite of FLAT. - -~Sharp~, a similar expression to "TWO PUN' TEN" (which _see_), used by -assistants in shops to signify that a customer of suspected honesty is -amongst them. The shopman in this case would ask one of the assistants, -in a voice loud enough to be generally heard, "Has Mr. SHARP come in -yet?" "No," would probably be the reply; "but he is expected every -minute." The signal is at once understood, and a general look-out kept -upon the suspected party. - -~Sharp's-alley blood-worms~, beef sausages and black puddings. Sharp's -Alley was, until City improvements caused it to be destroyed, a noted -slaughtering-place near Smithfield. - -~Shave~, a false alarm, a hoax, a sell. This term was much in vogue in -the Crimea during the Russian campaign,--that is, though much used by -the military before then, the term did not, until that period, become -known to the general public. - -~Shave~, a narrow escape. At Cambridge, "just SHAVING through," or -"making a SHAVE," is just escaping a "pluck" by coming out at the bottom -of the list. - - "My terms are anything but dear, - Then read with me, and never fear; - The examiners we're sure to queer, - And get through, if you make a SHAVE on't." - - _The Private Tutor._ - -~Shave;~ "to SHAVE a customer," charge him more for an article than the -marked price. Used in the drapery trade. When the master sees an -opportunity of doing this, he strokes his chin, as a signal to his -assistant who is serving the customer. - -~Shaver~, a sharp fellow; there are young and old SHAVERS.--_Sea._ - -~Shebeen~, an unlicensed place where spirituous liquors are illegally -sold. A word almost peculiar to Ireland. - -~Shed a tear~, to take a dram, or glass of neat spirits; jocular phrase -used, with a sort of grim earnestness, by old topers to each other. "Now -then, old fellow, come and SHED A TEAR!" an invitation to take "summat -short." The origin may have been that ardent spirits, taken neat by -younger persons, usually bring water to their eyes. With confirmed -drinkers, however, the phrase is used with an air of mingled humour and -regret at their own position. A still more pathetic phrase is--"putting -a NAIL IN ONE'S COFFIN," which _see_. The term SHED A TEAR is probably -derived from "eye-water." - -~Sheen~, bad money.--_Scotch._ - -~Sheeny~, a Jew. This word is used by both Jew and Gentile at the -East-end of London, and is not considered objectionable on either side. - -~Sheep's eyes~, loving looks, "to make SHEEP'S EYES at a person," to -cast amorous glances towards one on the sly. - - "But he, the beast, was casting SHEEP'S EYES at her - Out of his bullock head." - - _Colman, Broad Grins._ - -~Shelf~, "on the SHELF," not yet disposed of; young ladies are said to -be so situated when they cannot meet with husbands. "On the SHELF" also -means pawned, or laid by in trust. - -~Shell out~, to pay or count out money. Also a game played on a billiard -table, a variation of pool. - -~Shepherd~, to look after carefully, to place under police surveillance. - -~Shice~, nothing; "to do anything for SHICE," to get no payment. The -term was first used by the Jews in the last century. Grose gives the -phrase CHICE-AM-A-TRICE, which has a synonymous meaning. _Spanish_, -CHICO, little; _Anglo-Saxon_, CHICHE, niggardly; or perhaps connected -with the _German_, SCHEISSEN. - -~Shicer~, a mean man, a humbug, a "duffer,"--a worthless person, one who -will not work. This is the worst term one Jew can use to another. At the -diggings it means a hole which yields nothing. - -~Shickery~, shabby, bad. From SHAKY, SHAKERY. - -~Shickster~, a lady. _See_ SHAKESTER. - -~Shickster-crabs~, ladies' shoes.--_Tramps' term._ - -~Shigs~, money, silver.--_East London._ - -~Shikaree~, a hunter, a sportsman.--_Anglo-Indian._ An English sportsman -who has seen many ups and downs in jungles of the East styles himself -"an OLD SHIKAREE."--_Anglo-Indian._ Also spelt SHEKARRY. - -~Shilly-shally~, to trifle or fritter away time; to be irresolute. -Corruption of "Shall I, shall I?" - -~Shin~, an Americanism for walking. "I'm tired of SHINNING around." - -~Shindy~, a row, or noise. A SHINDY generally means a regular mle. - -~Shine~, a row, or disturbance. - -~Shine~, "to take the SHINE out of a person," to surpass or excel him. - -~Shiners~, sovereigns, or money. - -~Shiney rag~, "to win the SHINEY RAG," to be ruined,--said in gambling, -when any one continues betting after "luck has set in against him." - -~Shin-plaster~, a bank-note. Originally an Americanism. - -~Shins.~ "To break one's SHINS," figurative expression meaning to borrow -money. - -~Ship-shape~, proper, in good order; sometimes the phrase is varied to -"SHIP-SHAPE and Bristol fashion."--_Sea._ The latter portion of the -expression went out with Bristol's fame as a seaport. - -~Shirty~, ill-tempered, or cross. When one person makes another in an -ill-humour he is said to have "got his SHIRT out." - -~Shivering Jemmy~, the name given by street-folk to any cadger who -exposes himself, half naked, on a cold day, to obtain alms. The "game" -is unpleasant, but was, before exposure of a different kind spoilt it, -exceedingly lucrative. - -~Shockhead~, a head of long, unkempt, and rough hair. - -~Shoddy~, old cloth worked up into new; made from soldiers' and -policemen's coats. The old cloth is pulled to pieces, the yarn -unravelled and carded over again. This produces shoddy, which is very -short in the fibre, and from it are produced, on again twisting and -weaving, cloth fabrics used for ladies' mantles, &c. Also, a term of -derision applied to workmen in woollen factories.--_Yorkshire._ - -~Shoddy~, the plutocracy created out of bogus contracts during the civil -war in the United States. The SHODDYITES enriched themselves at the -expense of their country in the most shameless manner, having most -likely studied under those contractors who should have supplied our -soldiers with necessaries during the Crimean War. - -~Shoe~, to free or initiate a person,--a practice common in most trades -to a new-comer. The SHOEING consists in paying for beer, or other -liquor, which is drunk by the older hands. The cans emptied, and the -bill paid, the stranger is considered properly SHOD. SHOEING is a -variation of "paying one's footing." - -~Shoe leather!~ a thief's warning cry when he hears footsteps. This -exclamation is used in the spirit which animated the friend who, when he -suspected treachery towards Bruce at King Edward's court, in 1306, sent -him a purse and a pair of spurs, as a sign that he should use them in -making his escape. - -~Shoes~, "to die in one's SHOES," to be hanged. In the old hanging days -a highwayman would often kick off his shoes when the rope was round his -neck, so as--oh, vain and impotent attempt!--to defeat the prophecy that -had foreshadowed his present position. - -~Shoes, children's, to make~, to suffer oneself to be made sport of, or -depreciated. Commonly used in Norfolk.--_Cf._ Mrs. Behn's comedy, _The -Roundheads_. - - _Hews._ "Who, pox! shall we stand MAKING CHILDREN'S SHOES all the - year? No: let's begin to settle the nation, I say, and go - through-stitch with our work." - -~Shoful~, a Hansom cab. This favourite carriage was the invention of a -Mr. Hansom, afterwards connected with the _Builder_ newspaper. It has -been asserted that the term SHOFUL was derived from "shovel," the -earliest slang term applied to Hansoms by other cab-drivers, who -conceived their shape to be after the fashion of a scoop or shovel. A -logical friend of the present Editor's argues thus:--SHOFUL, full of -show, _ergo_, beautiful--handsome--Hansom. This is clever, but it -certainly never entered into the heads of those who gave the name of -SHOFUL to the Hansom cabs. - -~Shoful~, bad or counterfeit money. Perhaps, as some think, from the -_Danish_, SKUFFE, to shove, to deceive, cheat; _Saxon_, SCUFAN,--whence -the _English_, SHOVE. The term, however, is possibly one of the many -street words from the _Hebrew_ (through the low Jews); SHEPHEL, in that -language, signifying a low or debased estate. _Chaldee_, SHAPHAL.--_See_ -Psalm cxxxvi. 23, "in our low estate." A correspondent suggests a very -probable derivation, from the _German_, SCHOFEL, trash, rubbish,--the -_German_ adjective, SCHOFELIG, being the nearest possible translation -of our shabby. SHOFUL means anything mock, as SHOFUL jewellery. A SHOFUL -is also a humbug, an impostor. - -~Shoful-pitcher~, a passer of bad money. SHOFUL-PITCHING, passing bad -money. "Snide-pitcher" and "Snide-pitching" are terms exchangeable with -the preceding. - -~Shoful pullet~, a "gay" or unsteady woman, especially a young woman. - -~Sholl~, to bonnet one, or crush a person's hat over his eyes.--_North._ - -~Shool~, to saunter idly, to become a vagabond, to beg rather than -work.--_Smollett's Roderick Random_, vol. i., p. 262. - -~Shool~, Jews' term for their synagogue. - -~Shoot the cat~, to vomit. From a story of a man being sick in the back -yard, and suffocating a cat and all her kittens. - -~Shoot the moon~, to remove furniture from a house in the night without -paying the landlord. - -~Shop.~ In racing slang, to secure first, second, or third position in a -race, is to get a SHOP. This is also known as a place, and as a -situation. _See_ PLACE. - -~Shop~, a house. "How are they all at your SHOP?" is a common question -among small tradesmen. - -~Shop~, the House of Commons. The only instance we have met with of the -use of this word in literature occurs in Mr. Trollope's _Framley -Parsonage:_-- - - "'If we are merely to do as we are bid, and have no voice of our - own, I don't see what's the good of our going to the SHOP at all,' - said Mr. Sowerby." - -~Shop~, to discharge a shopman. In military slang, to SHOP an officer is -to put him under arrest in the guard-room. In pugilistic slang, to -punish a man severely is "to knock him all over the SHOP," _i.e._, the -ring, the place in which the work is done. - -~Shop-bouncer~, or SHOP-LIFTER, a person generally respectably attired, -who, while being served with a small article at a shop, steals one of -more value. Shakspeare has the word LIFTER, a thief. - -~Shop-walker~, a person employed to walk up and down a shop, to hand -seats to customers, and see that they are properly served. Contracted -also to WALKER. - -~Shopping~, purchasing at shops. Termed by Todd a slang word, but used -by Cowper and Byron. - -~Shoppy~, to be full of nothing but one's own calling or profession; "to -talk SHOP," to converse of nothing but professional subjects. - -~Short~, when spirit is drunk without any admixture of water, it is said -to be taken "SHORT;" "summat SHORT," a dram. A similar phrase is used at -the counters of banks; upon presenting a cheque, the clerk asks, "How -will you take it?" _i.e._, in gold, or notes. If in notes, long or -short? Should it be desired to receive it in notes for the largest -possible amount, the answer is, SHORT. A conductor of an omnibus, or any -other servant, is said to be SHORT when he does not give all the money -he receives to his master. - -~Short~, hard-up; a polite term for impecuniosity used in clubs and -among military men. - -~Short commons~, short allowance of food. _See_ COMMONS. - -~Shorter~, one who makes a dishonest profit by reducing the coin of the -realm by clipping and filing. From a crown-piece a SHORTER could gain -5d. Another way was by chemical means: a guinea laid in aquafortis -would, in twelve hours, precipitate 9d.-worth of sediment; in -twenty-four, 1s. 6d.-worth.--_Rommany Rye._ - -~Shot~, from the modern sense of the word to SHOOT,--a guess, a random -conjecture; "to make a bad SHOT," to expose one's ignorance by making a -wrong guess, or random answer, without knowing whether it is right or -wrong. - -~Shot~, from the once general, but now provincial word, to SHOOT, to -subscribe, contribute in fair proportion;--a share, from the -_Anglo-Saxon_ word, SCEAT; "to pay one's SHOT," _i.e._, share of the -reckoning, &c. - - "Yet still while I have got - Enough to pay the SHOT - Of Boniface, both gruff and greedy O!" - - _Fisher's Garland_ for 1835. - -~Shot~, "I wish I may be SHOT, if," &c., a common form of mild swearing. - -~Shot~, a term used among horse chaunters. To SHOT a horse, is to give -him a lot of small shot, which will for a short time effectually "open -his pipes," and make him appear sound in wind. - -~Shot in the locker~, money in pocket, resource of any kind in -store.--_Navy._ - -~Shoulder~, when a servant embezzles his master's money, he is said to -SHOULDER his employer. - -~Shout~, to pay for drink round. "It's my SHOUT," says he who pays. -Possibly because the payer originally SHOUTED to the bar-keeper of an -hotel to score the drink to him.--_Australian_, but now general. - -~Shove-halfpenny~, a gambling pot-house pastime, played on a table. A -very old game, originally called push-penny. - -~Shove in the mouth~, a glass of spirits, which is taken off quickly and -at once. - -~Shovel~, a term applied by the vulgar crowd to the inelegant twisted -hats worn by the dignitaries of the Church. Dean Alford says, "I once -heard a venerable dignitary pointed out by a railway porter as "an old -party in a SHOVEL."--_Queen's English._ - -~Shrimp~, a diminutive person.--_Chaucer._ - -~Shtumer~, a horse against which money may be laid without risk. _See_ -SAFE UN. - -~Shunt~, to avoid, to turn aside from. From the railway term. - -~Shut of~, or SHOT OF, _i.e._, rid of. A very common expression amongst -the London lower orders. One costermonger will say to another:--"Well, -Ike, did yer get SHUT O' them there gawfs [apples]?" _i.e._, did you -sell them all? - -~Shut up!~ be quiet, don't make a noise; to stop short, to cease in a -summary manner, to silence effectually. The following is from a literary -paper:--"Only the other day we heard of a preacher who, speaking of the -scene with the doctors in the Temple, remarked that the Divine disputant -completely SHUT THEM UP!" SHUT UP, utterly exhausted, done for. - -~Shy~, a throw. _See_ the following:-- - -~Shy~, to fling; COCK-SHY, a game at fairs, consisting of throwing short -sticks at trinkets or cocoanuts set upon other sticks,--both name and -practice derived from the old game of throwing or SHYING at live cocks. -This game is best known to the London public as "three shies a penny." - -~Shy.~ "To fight SHY of a person," to avoid his society either from -dislike, fear, or other reason. SHY has also the sense of flighty, -unsteady, untrustworthy. - -~Shy~, to stop suddenly, or turn off, as a horse does when frightened. - -~Shyster~, a duffer, a vagabond. Variation of "shicer." - -~Sices~, or SIZES, a throw of sixes at dice. - -~Sick as a horse~, a popular simile,--curious, because a horse never -vomits. - -~Sickener~, a dose too much of anything. Too much of even a good thing -will make a man sick. - -~Side~, an affirmative expression in the cant language of the northern -towns. "Do you stoll the gammy?" (Do you understand cant?) "SIDE, cove" -(yes, mate). - -~Side-boards~, or STICK-UPS, shirt collars. Name applied some years ago, -before the present style of collars came into fashion. - -~Sift~, to embezzle small coins, those which might pass through a -sieve--as threepennies and fourpennies--and which are, therefore, not -likely to be missed. - -~Sight~, "to take a SIGHT at a person," a vulgar action employed by boys -and others to denote incredulity, or contempt for authority, by placing -the thumb against the nose and extending the fingers, which are agitated -in token of derision. - - "The sacristan he says no word that indicates a doubt, - But he puts his finger to his nose, and spreads his fingers out." - - _Nell Cook._ - -~Silly season~, the period when nobody is supposed to be in London, when -there are no parliamentary debates to publish, and when editors are at -their wits'-ends to fill their papers with readable matter. All kinds of -crazes on political and social subjects are then ventilated, gigantic -gooseberries, monstrous births, and strange showers then become -plentiful, columns are devoted to matters which would not at any other -time receive consideration, and, so far as the newspapers are concerned, -silliness is at a premium. - -~Silver beggar~, or LURKER, a vagabond who travels through the country -with "briefs" containing false statements of losses by fire, shipwrecks, -accidents, &c. Forged documents are exhibited with signatures of -magistrates and clergymen. Accompanying these are sham subscription -books. The former, in beggar parlance, is termed "a sham," whilst the -latter is denominated "a delicate." - -~Sim~, one of a Methodistical turn in religion; a Low Churchman; -originally a follower of the late Rev. Charles Simeon.--_Cambridge._ - -~Simon~, a sixpenny-piece. - -~Simon~, or SIMPLE SIMON, a credulous, gullible person. A character in a -song, but now common. - -~Simon Pure~, "the real SIMON PURE," the genuine article. Those who have -witnessed Mr. Charles Mathews's performance in Mrs. Centlivre's -admirable comedy of _A Bold Stroke for a Wife_, and the laughable -coolness with which he, the false SIMON PURE, assuming the Quaker dress -and character of the real one, elbows that worthy out of his expected -entertainment, will at once perceive the origin of this phrase.--_See_ -act v. scene i. - -~Simpkin~, or SIMKIN, champagne.--_Anglo-Indian._ Derived from the -manner in which native servants pronounce champagne. - -~Simpson~, water used in the dilution of milk. Term in use among -cow-keepers. From this the parish pump has been called Mrs. SIMPSON. - -~Sing out~, to call aloud.--_Sea._ - -~Sing small~, to lessen one's boasting, and turn arrogance into -humility. - -~Sing-song~, a harmonic meeting at a pot-house, a free-and-easy. - -~Sinkers~, bad money,--affording a man but little assistance in "keeping -afloat." - -~Sinks~, a throw of fives at dice. _French_, CINQ. - -~Si quis~, a candidate for "orders." From the notification commencing SI -QUIS--if any one. - -~Sir Harry~, a close stool. - -~Sir Reverence~, a corruption of the old phrase, SAVE YOUR REVERENCE, a -sort of apology for alluding to anything likely to shock one's sense of -decency. _Latin_, SALV REVERENTI. _See_ Shakspeare's _Romeo and -Juliet_, act i. scene iv. From this it came to mean the thing -itself--human ordure generally, but sometimes other indecencies. - -~Siserara~, a hard blow.--_Suffolk._ Many derive this term from the -story of Sisera in the Old Testament, but it is probably a corruption of -CERTIORARI, a Chancery writ reciting a complaint of hard usage. - -~Sit under~, a term employed in Dissenters' meeting-houses, to denote -attendance on the ministry of any particular preacher. - -~Sit upon~, to overcome or rebuke, to express contempt for a man in a -marked manner. Also, to chaff or "roast" a man consumedly. - -~Sit-upons~, trousers. _See_ INEXPRESSIBLES. - -~Sivvy~, "'pon my SIVVY," _i.e._, upon my soul or honour. Corruption of -"asseveration," like DAVY, which is an abridgment of "affidavit." - -~Sixes and sevens~, articles in confusion are said to be all SIXES AND -SEVENS. The Deity is mentioned in the _Towneley Mysteries_ as He that -"set all on seven," _i.e._, set or appointed everything in seven days. A -similar phrase at this early date implied confusion and disorder, and -from these, Halliwell thinks, has been derived the phrase "to be at -SIXES AND SEVENS." A Scotch correspondent, however, states that the -phrase probably came from the workshop, and that amongst needle-makers, -when the points and eyes are "heads and tails" ("heeds and thraws"), or -in confusion, they are said to be SIXES AND SEVENS, because those -numbers are the sizes most generally used, and in the course of -manufacture have frequently to be distinguished. - -~Sixty~, "to go along like SIXTY," _i.e._, at a good rate, briskly. - -~Sixty-per-cent~, a bill-discounter. From the rate of interest generally -charged. If bill-discounters profess to do the business for less, they -generally make up the level sixty by extras. - -~Six-water grog~, a sea-term for the weakest grog possible--six portions -of water to one of rum--hardly enough spirit to "swear by." - -~Size~, to order extras over and above the usual commons at the dinner -in college halls. Soup, pastry, &c., are SIZINGS, and are paid for at -a certain specified rate per SIZE, or portion, to the college cook. -Peculiar to Cambridge. Minsheu says, "SIZE, a farthing which schollers -in Cambridge have at the buttery, noted with the letter _s_." - -~Sizers~, or SIZARS, certain poor scholars at Cambridge, annually -elected, who got their dinners (including "sizings") from what was left -at the upper, or Fellows' table, free, or nearly so. They paid rent of -rooms, and some other fees, on a lower scale than the "Pensioners" or -ordinary students, and were equal with the "battlers" and "servitors" at -Oxford. - -~Sizings.~ _See_ SIZE. - -~Skedaddle~, to go off in a hurry. The American war introduced this new -and amusing word. A Northerner who retreated "retired upon his -supports," but a Southerner was said to SKEDADDLE. The _Times_ remarked -on the word, and Lord Hill wrote to prove that it was excellent Scotch. -The Americans only misapply the word, which means, in Dumfries, "to -spill"--milkmaids, for example, saying, "You are SKEDADDLING all that -milk." The Yankees therefore adopted the term, and altered the -application. - -~Skid~, a sovereign. Fashionable slang. Occasionally SKIV. - -~Skid~, or SKIDPAN, an instrument for locking the wheel of a coach when -going down hill. It is often said that a talkative person might put the -SKID on, with advantage to his listeners, if not to himself. - -~Skied~, or SKYED, thrown upwards, as "coppers" in tossing. - -~Skied.~ Artists say that a picture is SKIED when it is hung on the -upper line at the Exhibition of the Royal Academy. _See_ FLOORED. - -~Skilligolee~, prison gruel. Also sailors' soup of many ingredients. The -term is occasionally used in London workhouses. - -~Skilly~, abbreviation of SKILLIGOLEE. - -~Skimmery~, St. Mary Hall, Oxford.--_University._ - -~Skin~, a purse. This term is mostly in use among thieves. - -~Skin~, to abate, or lower the value of anything; "thin-SKINNED," -sensitive, touchy, liable to be "raw" on certain subjects. - -~Skin-the-lamb~, a game at cards, a very expressive corruption of the -term "lansquenet," also a racing term. When a non-favourite wins a race, -bookmakers are said to SKIN THE LAMB, under the supposition that they -win all their bets, no person having backed the winner. This has been -corrupted into SKINNER. - -~Skinflint~, an old and popular simile for a "close-fisted," stingy -person. Sternberg, in his _Northamptonshire Glossary_, says the Eastern -languages have the same expression. Abdul-Malek, one of the Ommeyade -Khaliphs, noted for his extreme avarice, was surnamed Raschal-Hegiarah, -literally, "the SKINNER of a FLINT." - -~Skinner~, a term among bookmakers. "May we have a SKINNER," _i.e._, may -we SKIN THE LAMB, which _see_. - -~Skipper~, the master of a vessel. _Germ._, SCHIFFER, from SCHIFF, a -ship; sometimes used as synonymous with "governor." - -~Skipper~, a barn.--_Ancient Cant._ From the _Welsh_, YSGUBOR, -pronounced SCYBOR, or SCIBOR, the proper word in that language for a -barn. - -~Skipper-birds~, or KEYHOLE-WHISTLERS, persons who sleep in barns or -outhouses from necessity or in preference to sleeping in lodging-houses. - -~Skipper-it~, to sleep in the open air, or in a rough way. - -~Skit~, a joke, a squib. Term generally used in reference to any pungent -or pointed political allusion. - -~Skittles~, a game similar to that of Ten Pins, which, when interdicted -by the Government, was altered to Nine Pins, or SKITTLES. The pins are -set up in an alley, and thrown (not bowled) at with a round piece of -hard wood, shaped like a small flat cheese. The costers used to consider -themselves the best players in London, but they have been frequently -undeceived. SKITTLES has within the past few years received an awful -blow--quite a floorer--from "the powers that be." - -~Skow-banker~, a fellow who loiters about the premises of any one -willing to support him, and who objects to the necessity of working for -his living; a rogue, a rascal. Common in Melbourne, Australia. - -~Skrouge~, to push or squeeze.--_North._ - -~Skull-thatcher~, a straw-bonnet-maker,--sometimes called "a -bonnet-BUILDER." - -~Skunk~, a mean or paltry fellow, one whose name stinks. - -~Sky~, a disagreeable person, an enemy.--_Westminster School._ The word -derived its origin from a corruption of the last syllable of the word -"VOLSCI:" Westminster boys being of course understood to be the Romans. - -~Sky~, to toss up towards the SKY. Term used in tossing with halfpence; -"It's all right, Jim SKIED the browns," _i.e._, threw them up, a proof -that there could have been no collusion or cheating. - -~Sky-blue~, London milk much diluted with water, or from which the cream -has been too closely skimmed. - - "Hence, Suffolk dairy wives run mad for cream, - And leave their milk with nothing but the name; - Its name derision and reproach pursue, - And strangers tell of three-times-skimm'd--SKY-BLUE." - - _Bloomfield's Farmer's Boy._ - -The recent Adulteration Act has done away with SKY-BLUE, and made -Simpson a relic of the past. SKY-BLUE formerly meant gin. - -~Sky-lark.~ _See under_ LARK. - -~Sky-parlour~, the garret. - -~Sky-scraper~, a tall man; "Are you cold up there, old SKY-SCRAPER?" -Properly a sea-term. The light sails, which some adventurous skippers -set above the royals in calm latitudes, are termed SKY-SCRAPERS and -MOON-RAKERS. - -~Sky-wannocking~, unsteady frolicking.--_Norfolk._ - -~Slab~, thick, as gruel, porridge, &c. - -~Slack~, "to hold on the SLACK," to skulk; a slack rope not requiring to -be held.--_Sea._ - -~Slam~, a term at the game of whist. When two partners gain the whole -thirteen tricks, they win a SLAM, which is considered equal to a -rubber. - -~Slam~, to talk fluently. "He's the bloke to SLAM." From a term in use -among birdsingers at the East-end, by which they denote a certain style -of note in chaffinches. - -~Slammock~, a slattern or awkward person.--_West_, and _Norfolk_. - -~Slang~, low, vulgar, unwritten, or unauthorized language. _Gipsy_, -SLANG, the secret language of the gipsies, synonymous with GIBBERISH, -another gipsy word. The word is only to be found in the dictionaries of -Webster and Ogilvie. It is given, however, by Grose, in his _Dictionary -of the Vulgar Tongue_, 1785. SLANG, since it has been adopted as an -English word, generally implies vulgar language not known or recognised -as CANT; and latterly, when applied to speech, it has superseded the -word FLASH. Latterly, however, SLANG has become the generic term for all -unauthorized language. The earliest instance of the use of the word that -can be found, is the following:-- - - "Let proper nurses be assigned, to take care of these babes of - grace, [young thieves].... The master who teaches them should be a - man well versed in the cant language commonly called the SLANG - patter, in which they should by all means excel."--_Jonathan Wild's - Advice to his Successor._ LONDON, _J. Scott_, 1758. - -~Slang~, a travelling show. - -~Slang~, to cheat, to abuse in foul language. - -~Slang~, counterfeit or short weights and measures. A SLANG quart is a -pint and a half. SLANG measures are lent out at 2d. per day to street -salesmen. The term is used principally by costermongers. - -~Slang~, a watch-chain. SUPER and SLANG, a watch and chain. - -~Slang~, "out on the SLANG," _i.e._, to travel with a hawker's licence. - -~Slang-whanger~, a long-winded speaker.--_Parliamentary._ - -~Slangy~, flashy, vulgar; loud in dress, manner, and conversation. - -~Slantingdicular~, oblique, awry,--as opposed to PERPENDICULAR. -Originally an Americanism, now a part of the vocabulary of London "high -life below stairs." - -~Slap~, paint for the face, rouge. - -~Slap~, exactly, precisely; "SLAP in the wind's eye," _i.e._, exactly to -windward. - -~Slap-bang~, suddenly, violently. From the strike of a ball being felt -before the report reaches the ear,--the SLAP first, the BANG afterwards. - -~Slap-bang-shops~, originally low eating-houses where the ready-money -was paid down with a SLAP-BANG.--_Grose._ A SLAP-BANG-SHOP is now a very -pretentious eating-house. - -~Slap-dash~, immediately, or quickly; at a great rate. - -~Slap-up~, first-rate, excellent, very good. - -~Slasher~, a powerful roysterer, a game and clever pugilist. - -~Slashers~, the Twenty-eighth Regiment of Foot in the British army. - -~Slate~, "he has a SLATE loose," _i.e._, he is slightly crazy. - -~Slate~, to pelt with abuse, to beat, to "lick;" or, in the language of -the reviewers, to "cut up." Also, among bettors, to lay heavily against -a particular man or animal in a race. - -~Slate~, to knock the hat over one's eyes, to bonnet.--_North._ - -~Slavey~, a maid-servant. - -~Slawmineyeux~, a Dutchman. Probably a corruption of the Dutch, _ja, -mynheer_; or German, _ja, mein Herr_.--_Sea._ - -~Sleepless-hats~, those of a napless character, better known as -WIDE-AWAKES. - -~Slender~, a simple country gentleman.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Slewed~, drunk, or intoxicated.--_Sea term._ When a vessel changes the -tack, she, as it were, staggers, the sails flap, she gradually heels -over, and the wind catching the waiting canvas, she glides off at -another angle. The course pursued by an intoxicated, or SLEWED, man, is -supposed to be analogous to that of the ship. - -~Slick~, an Americanism, very prevalent in England since the publication -of Judge Haliburton's facetious stories, which means rapidly, -effectually, utterly. - -~Slick~, smooth, unctuous; abbreviation of sleek. - -~Sling~, a drink peculiar to Americans, generally composed of gin, -soda-water, ice, and slices of lemon. At some houses in London -GIN-SLINGS may be obtained. - -~Sling~, to pass from one person to another. To blow the nose with the -naked fingers. - -~Sling your hook~, a polite invitation to move-on. "Sling your Daniel" -has the same meaning. The pronouns may be altered to suit the context. - -~Slip~, "to give the SLIP," to run away, or elude pursuit. Shakspeare -has, "You gave me the counterfeit," in _Romeo and Juliet_. Giving the -SLIP, however, is a sea phrase, and refers to fastening an anchor and -chain cable to a floating buoy, or water-cask, until a time arrives when -it is convenient to return and take them on board. In fastening the -cable, the home end is SLIPPED through the hawse-pipe. Weighing anchor -is a noisy task, so that giving the SLIP infers leaving quietly. - -~Slip~, or let SLIP; "to SLIP into a man," to give him a sound beating, -"to let SLIP at a cove," to rush violently upon him, and assault with -vigour. - -~Slipping~, a trick of card-sharpers, in the performance of which, by -dexterous manipulation, they place the cut card on the top, instead of -at the bottom of the pack. It is the _faire sauter la coupe_ of the -French. In pugilistic parlance, "to SLIP a man," is to "duck and get -away" with great dexterity. - -~Slips~, the sides of the gallery in a theatre are generally so called. - -~Slog~, to beat or baste, to fight. _German_, SCHLACHTEN; or perhaps -from some connexion with the _Gaelic_ SLOGAN. The pretended _Greek_ -derivation from _slog_ is humbug, there being no such word in the -language. - -~Slogdollager~, an Americanism, meaning the same as our STOCKDOLLAGER, -which _see_. - -~Sloggers~, _i.e._, SLOW-GOERS, the second division of race-boats at -Cambridge. At Oxford they are called TORPIDS.--_University._ A hard -hitter at cricket is termed a SLOGGER; so is a pugilist. - -~Slogging~, a good beating. - -~Slop~, a policeman. At first back slang, but now modified for general -use. - -~Slop~, cheap, or ready-made, as applied to clothing, is generally -supposed to be a modern appropriation; but it was used in this sense in -1691, by Maydman, in his _Naval Speculations_; and by Chaucer two -centuries before that. SLOPS properly signify sailors' working clothes, -which are of a very cheap and inexpensive character. - -~Slope~, to decamp, to run, or rather slip away. Some persons think it -came originally from LOPE, to make off; and that the _s_ probably became -affixed as a portion of the preceding word, as in the case of "Let's -lope," let us run. It is purely an Americanism, and is possibly but an -emendation of our own word elope. Lope, leap, and elope are kindred. A -humorous correspondent says that Tennyson is decidedly partial to slang, -and instances amongst other proofs a passage from the laureate's famous -_Locksley Hall_:-- - - "Many a night, from yonder ivied casement, ere I went to rest, - Did I look on great Orion SLOPING slowly to the west." - -Though this correspondent may not have intended it, his joke has given -the key to the situation, and has shown how our cousins most probably -came to use the word in its present sense. "The sun is SLOPING fast." - -~Slops~, any weak, wet, and warm mixture. Hard drinkers regard all -effeminate beverages as SLOPS. - -~Slops~, chests or packages of tea; "he shook a slum of SLOPS," _i.e._, -stole a chest of tea. Also ready-made clothes--the substantive of SLOP. - -~Slops~, liquid house-refuse. - -~Slopshop~, a tailor's shop where inferior work is done, and where cheap -goods are sold. - -~Slour~, to lock, or fasten.--_Prison Cant._ - -~Sloured~, buttoned up; SLOURED HOXTER, an inside pocket buttoned up. - -~Slowcoach~, a lumbering, dull person; one slow of comprehension. - -~Slowed~, to be locked up (in prison). - -~Slubberdegullion~, a paltry, dirty, sorry wretch. - - "Quoth she, although thou hast deserved, - Base SLUBBERDEGULLION, to be served - As thou didst vow to deal with me, - If thou hadst got the victory"---- - - _Hudibras._ - -~Sluicery~, a gin-shop or public-house. - -~Sluicing one's bolt~, drinking. - -~Slum~, a chest, or package. _See_ SLOPS. - -~Slum~, a letter.--_Prison Cant._ - -~Slum~, an insinuation, a discreditable innuendo. - -~Slum~, gammon, "up to SLUM," wide awake, knowing. - - "And this, without more SLUM began, - Over a flowing pot-house can, - To settle, without botheration, - The rigs of this here tip-top nation." - - _Jack Randall's Diary_, 1820. - -~Slum~, or BACK SLUM, a dark retreat, a low neighbourhood; as -Westminster and East-end SLUMS, favourite haunts for thieves. - -~Slum~, to hide, to pass to a confederate. - -~Slum~, to saunter about, with a suspicion, perhaps, of immoral -pursuits.--_Cambridge University Slang_. - -~Slum the gorger~, to cheat on the sly, to be an eye-servant. SLUM in -this sense is old cant. - -~Slumgullion~, any cheap, nasty, washy beverage. An Americanism best -known in the Pacific States. - -~Slumming~, passing bad money. - -~Slush~, the grease obtained from boiling the salt pork eaten by seamen, -and generally the cook's perquisite. - -~Slushy~, a ship's cook. - -~Sluter~, butter.--_North._ - -~Smack smooth~, even, level with the surface, quickly. - -~Small-beer;~ "he doesn't think SMALL-BEER of himself," _i.e._, he has a -great opinion of his own importance. SMALL COALS is also used in the -same sense. - -~Small hours~, the early hours after midnight. - -~Small potatoes~, a term of contempt. "He's very SMALL POTATOES," he's a -nobody. Yet no one thinks of calling an important personage "large -POTATOES." - -~Smalls~, a University term for the first general examination of the -student. It is used at Cambridge, but properly belongs to Oxford. The -Cambridge term is "little go." - -~Smash~, to become bankrupt, or worthless; "to go all to SMASH," to -break, "go to the dogs," or fall in pieces. - -~Smash~, to pass counterfeit money. - -~Smasher~, one who passes bad coin, or forged notes. - -~Smashfeeder~, a Britannia-metal spoon,--the best imitation shillings -are made from this metal. - -~Smash-man-Geordie~, a pitman's oath.--_Durham_ and _Northumberland._ _See_ -GEORDIE. - -~Smeller~, the nose; "a blow on the SMELLER" is often to be found in -pugilistic records. Otherwise a NOSE-ENDER. - -~Smish~, a shirt, or chemise. - -~Smithers~, or SMITHEREENS; "all to SMITHEREENS," all to smash, SMITHER -is a Lincolnshire word for a fragment. - -~Smock-face~, a white delicate face,--a face without whiskers. - -~Smoke~, London. From the peculiar dense cloud which overhangs London. -The metropolis is by no means so smoky as Sheffield, Birmingham, &c.; -yet country-people, when going to London, frequently say they are on -their way to the SMOKE; and Londoners, when leaving for the country, say -they are going out of the SMOKE. - -~Smoke~, to detect, or penetrate an artifice. Originally used by London -detectives, probably on account of their clouded intellects. - -~Smudge~, to smear, obliterate, daub. Corruption of SMUTCH. - -~Smug~, smuggling.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Smug~, extremely neat, after the fashion, in order. - -~Smug~, sleek, comfortable. Term often applied to a seemingly pious -humbug, more of the Chadband than the Stiggins. - -~Smuggings~, snatchings, or purloinings,--shouted out by boys, when -snatching the tops, or small play property, of other lads, and then -running off at full speed. - - "Tops are in; spin 'em agin. - Tops are out; SMUGGING'S about." - -~Smut~, a copper boiler. Also, the "blacks" from a furnace. - -~Smutty~, obscene,--vulgar as applied to conversation. Variation of -dirty. - -~Snack~, a share or division of plunder. To "go SNACKS," to divide -equally. Also, a light repast.--_Old Cant_ and _Gipsy term_. - -~Snack~, to quiz or chaff with regard to a particular weakness or recent -transaction. As a substantive in this sense SNACK means an innuendo. - -~Snaffle~, conversation on professional or private subjects which the -rest of the company cannot appreciate. In _East Anglia_, to SNAFFLE is -to talk foolishly. - -~Snaffled~, arrested, "pulled up,"--so termed from a kind of horse's -bit called a SNAFFLE. - -~Snaggle teeth~, those that are uneven, and unpleasant looking.--_West._ - -~Snaggling~, angling after geese with a hook and line, the bait being a -worm or snail. The goose swallows the bait, and is quietly landed and -bagged. See Seymour's _Sketches_. - -~Snaggy~, cross, crotchety, malicious. - -~Snam~, to snatch, or rob from the person. Mostly used to describe that -kind of theft which consists in picking up anything lying about, and -making off with it rapidly. - -~Snaps~, share, portion; any articles or circumstances out of which -money may be made; "looking out for SNAPS," waiting for windfalls, or -odd jobs.--_Old._ _Scotch_, CHITS, term also used for "coppers," or -halfpence. - -~Snapps~, spirits. _Dutch_, SCHNAPPS. The word, as originally -pronounced, is used by East-end Jews to describe any kind of spirits, -and the Gentiles get as near as they can. - -~Sneaksman~, a shoplifter; a petty, cowardly thief. - -~Sneeze-lurker~, a thief who throws snuff in a person's face, and then -robs him. - -~Sneezer~, a snuff-box; a pocket-handkerchief. - -~Snell-fencer~, a street salesman of needles. SNELLS are needles. - -~Snick-ersnee~, a knife.--_Sea._ Thackeray uses the term in his humorous -ballad of _Little Billee_. - -~Snicker~, a drinking-cup. A HORN-SNICKER, a drinking-horn. - -~Snid~, a sixpence.--_Scotch._ - -~Snide~, bad, spurious, contemptible. As, "a SNIDE fellow," "SNIDE -coin," &c. Also used as a substantive, as, "He's a SNIDE," though this -seems but a contraction of SNIDE 'UN. - -~Snigger~, to laugh in a covert manner. Also a mild form of -swearing,--"I'm SNIGGERED if you will." Another form of this latter is -JIGGERED. - -~Sniggering~, laughing to oneself.--_East._ - -~Snip~, a tailor,--apparently from SNIPES, a pair of scissors, or from -the snipping sound made by scissors in cutting up anything. - -~Snipe~, a long bill or account; also a term for attorneys,--a race with -a remarkable propensity for long bills. - -~Snipes~, "a pair of SNIPES," a pair of scissors. They are occasionally -made in the form of a snipe. - -~Snitch~, to give information to the police, to turn approver. SNITCHING -is synonymous in thieves' slang with "nosing" and "peaching." - -~Snitchers~, persons who turn Queen's evidence, or who tell tales. In -_Scotland_, SNITCHERS signify handcuffs. - -~Snob~, a low, vulgar, or affected person. Supposed to be from the -nickname usually applied to a cobbler or maker of shoes; but believed -by many in its later sense to be a contraction of the _Latin_, SINE -OBOLO. Others go to work for an etymology thus:--They assume that NOBS, -_i.e._, _nobiles_, was appended in lists to the names of persons of -gentle birth, whilst those who had not that distinction were marked down -as S NOB, _i.e._, _sine nobilitate_, without marks of gentility,--thus, -by a simple transposition, quite reversing the meaning. Others, again, -remark that, as at college sons of noblemen wrote after their names in -the admission lists, _fil. nob._, son of a lord, and hence all young -noblemen were called NOBS, and what they did NOBBY, so those who -imitated them would be called _quasi-nobs_, "like a nob," which by a -process of contraction would be shortened to _si-nob_, and then SNOB, -one who pretends to be what he is not, and apes his betters. The short -and expressive terms which many think fitly represent the three great -estates of the realm--NOB, SNOB, and MOB--were all originally slang -words. The last has safely passed through the vulgar ordeal of the -streets, and found respectable quarters in the standard dictionaries. -For fuller particulars of the genus SNOB, in all its ramifications, the -reader cannot do better than apply to the general works of that great -master of the subject, William Makepeace Thackeray, though it may be as -well to remark that the SNOB for whom the novelist had such an aversion -is now very widely known as "cad." - -~Snobbish~, stuck up, proud, make-believe. - -~Snob-Stick~, a workman who refuses to join in strikes, or trade-unions. -Amplification of KNOB-STICK. - -~Snooks~, an imaginary personage often brought forward as the answer to -an idle question, or as the perpetrator of a senseless joke. Said to be -simply a shortening or abbreviation of "Sevenoaks," the Kentish village. - -~Snooze~, or SNOODGE (vulgar pronunciation), to sleep or doze. - -~Snooze-case~, a pillow-slip. - -~Snorter~, a blow on the nose. A hurry is sometimes called a "reg'lar -SNORTER." - -~Snot~, a term of reproach applied to persons by the vulgar when vexed -or annoyed, meaning really a person of the vilest description and -meanest capacity. In a Westminster school vocabulary for boys, published -in the last century, the term is curiously applied. Its proper meaning -is the glandular mucus discharged through the nose. - -~Snot~, a small bream, a slimy kind of flat fish.--_Norwich._ - -~Snotter~, or WIPE-HAULER, a pickpocket whose chief fancy is for -gentlemen's pocket-handkerchiefs.--_North._ - -~Snottinger~, a coarse word for a pocket-handkerchief. The German -_Schnupftuch_ is, however, nearly as plain. A handkerchief was also -anciently called a "muckinger" or "muckender," and from that a -neckerchief was called a "neckinger." - -~Snow~, wet linen, or linen hung out to dry.--_Old Cant._ - -~Snow-gatherer~, or SNOW-DROPPER, a rogue who steals linen from hedges -and drying-grounds. - -~Snuff~, "up to SNUFF," knowing and sharp; "to take SNUFF," to be -offended. Shakspeare uses SNUFF in the sense of anger, or passion. - -~Snuff it~, to die. Term very common among the lower orders of London. A -fanciful variation of "putting one's light out," and used simply in -reference to the action of the person dying. Thus any one threatening to -murder another says, "I'll put your light out," or any one committing -suicide is said to "put his own light out;" but to "SNUFF IT" is always -to die from disease or accident. To "lay down one's knife and fork," to -"peg out," or "give up," are variations of this form of euphemism. - -~Snuffy~, tipsy, drunk. - -~Snuggle~, to lie closely and cosily. - -~Snyder~, a tailor. _German_, SCHNEIDER. - -~Soaker~, an habitual drunkard. - -~Soap~, flattery. _See_ SOFT SOAP. - -~Sober-water~, a jocular allusion to the uses of soda-water. - -~Social evil~, a name for some years applied to our street-walking -system, in consequence of the articles in the newspapers which treat on -the evils of prostitution being so headed. A good story has been often -told on this subject, which will bear repeating:--"A well-known divine -and philanthropist was walking in a crowded street at night in order to -distribute tracts to promising subjects. A young woman was walking up -and down, and he accosted her. He pointed out to her the error of her -ways, implored her to reform, and tendered her a tract with fervent -entreaties to go home and read it. The girl stared at him for a moment -or two in sheer bewilderment; at last it dawned on her what he meant, -and for what he took her, and looking up in his face with simple -amazement, she exclaimed, 'Lor' bless you, sir, I ain't a SOCIAL EVIL; -I'm waitin' for the 'bus!'" The enthusiasm which was felt in this -direction a few years back has received considerable modification, as it -has been proved that the efforts of the promoters of midnight meetings -and other arrangements of a similar nature, praiseworthy though they -are, have little or no effect; and that the early-closing movement in -the Haymarket has done more to stamp out the SOCIAL EVIL than years of -preaching, even when accompanied by tea and buns, could ever have done. - -~Sock~, the Eton College term for a treat, synonymous with "chuck" used -at Westminster and other schools. Believed to be derived from the -monkish word SOKE. An old writer speaks of a pious man "who did not SOKE -for three days," meaning that he fasted. The word is still used by the -boys of Heriot's Hospital School at Edinburgh, and signifies a -sweetmeat; being derived from the same source as sugar, _suck_, SUCRE, -&c. - -~Sock~, credit. As, "He gets his goods on SOCK, while I pay ready." - -~Sock into him~, _i.e._, give him a good drubbing; "give him SOCK," -_i.e._, thrash him well. - -~Sockdolager.~ _See_ STOCKDOLLAGER. - -~Socket-money~, money extorted by threats of exposure. To be applied to -for SOCKET-MONEY is perhaps one of the most terrible inflictions that -can befall a respectable man. SOCKETERS, as the applicants are called, -should be punished with the utmost possible severity. - -~Sodom~, a nickname for Wadham, due to the similarity of the -sounds.--_Oxford University._ - -~Soft~, foolish, inexperienced. A term for bank-notes. - -~Soft-horn~, a simpleton; literally a donkey, whose ears, the -substitutes of horns, are soft. - -~Soft-sawder~, flattery easily laid on or received. Probably introduced -by Sam Slick. - -~Soft-soap~, or soft-sawder, flattery, ironical praise. - -~Soft-tack~, bread.--_Sea._ - -~Soft-tommy~, loaf-bread, in contradistinction to hard biscuit. - -~Soiled doves~, the "Midnight Meeting" term for prostitutes and "gay" -ladies generally. - -~Sold~, "SOLD again! and got the money," gulled, deceived. _Vide_ SELL. - -~Sold up~, or OUT, broken down, bankrupt. - -~Soldier~, a red herring. Common term in seaport towns, where exchange -is made, a soldier being called by the fishy title. - -~Something damp~, a dram, a drink. - -~Son of a gun~, a familiar term for a man. Sometimes applied -eulogistically, never contemptuously. Generally said of an artful -person, and perhaps, originally, son of a "gun," (or "gonnof"). In the -army it is sometimes applied to an artilleryman. - -~Sonkey~, a clumsy, awkward fellow. - -~Soor~, an abusive term. _Hindostanee_, a pig.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Soot-bag~, a reticule. - -~Sop~, a soft or foolish man. Abbreviation of MILKSOP. - -~Soph~ (abbreviation of "sophister"), a title peculiar to the University -of Cambridge. Undergraduates are junior SOPHS before passing their -"Little Go," or first University examination,--senior SOPHS after that. - -~Sort~, used in a slang sense thus--"That's your SORT," as a term of -approbation. "Pitch it into him, that's your SORT," _i.e._, that is the -proper kind of plan to adopt. - -~So-so~, not particularly reputable. "A very SO-SO sort of a person," a -person whom it is no advantage to know. "It was very SO-SO" (said of a -piece of work or an entertainment), it was neither good nor bad. - -~Sound~, to pump, or draw information from a person in an artful manner. - -~Souper~, an Irish Roman Catholic who pretends conversion--or -perversion--so as to obtain a share of the soup and blankets provided -for Protestants only by Christian missionaries. These recalcitrants are -also called "swaddlers." - -~Sou'-wester~, a hat with a projection behind. Much worn at sea in -"dirty" weather. A hat similar to that of a dustman or coalheaver, which -is called a "fantail." - -~Sov~, contraction of sovereign; much used in sporting parlance to -denote the amount of entrance money, forfeit, and added coin in -connexion with a race. In the published conditions of a race the word -SOVS is almost invariably used in preference to pounds, though in -reckoning the net value of a big stake, after its decision, the common -is used. - -~Sow~, the receptacle into which the liquid iron is poured in a -gun-foundry. The melted metal poured from it is termed PIG. - -~Sow's baby~, a pig; sixpence. - -~Spanish~, money. Probably a relic of buccaneering days. - - "Save its synonyms SPANISH, blunt, stumpy, and rowdy."--_Barham._ - -~Spank~, a smack, or hard slap. - -~Spank~, to move along quickly; hence a fast horse or vessel is said to -be "a SPANKER to go." - -~Spanking~, large, fine, or strong; _e.g._, a SPANKING pace, a SPANKING -breeze, a SPANKING fellow. - -~Sparks~, diamonds. Term much in use among the lower orders, and -generally applied to stones in rings and pins. - -~Specklebellies~, Dissenters. A term used in Worcester and the North, -though the etymology seems unknown in either place. - -~Specks~, damaged oranges.--_Costermonger's term._ - -~Speech~, a tip or wrinkle on any subject. On the turf a man will wait -before investing on a horse until he "gets the SPEECH," as to whether it -is going to try, or whether it has a good chance. To "give the SPEECH," -is to communicate any special information of a private nature. - -~Speel~, to run away, make off; "SPEEL the drum," to go off with stolen -property.--_North._ - -~Spell~, a turn of work, an interval of time. "Take a SPELL at the -capstern."--_Sea._ "He took a long SPELL at that tankard." "After a long -SPELL." - -~Spell~, "to SPELL for a thing," to hanker after it, to desire -possession. - -~Spell~, to advertise, to put into print. "SPELT in the leer," _i.e._, -advertised in the newspaper. - -~Spell~, contracted from SPELLKEN. "Precious rum squeeze at the SPELL," -_i.e._, a good evening's work at the theatre, might be the remark of a -successful pickpocket. - -~Spellken~, or SPEELKEN, a playhouse. German, SPIELEN. _See_ KEN.--_Don -Juan._ - -~Spick and span~, applied to anything that is quite new and -fresh.--_Hudibras._ - -~Spidireen~, the name of an imaginary ship, sometimes mentioned by -sailors. If a sailor be asked what ship he belongs to, and does not wish -to tell, he will most probably reply--"The SPIDIREEN frigate, with nine -decks, and ne'er a bottom." _See_ MERRY DUN OF DOVER. - -~Spierized~, to have your hair cut and shampooed, from the shop of -Spiers in High Street.--_Oxford University._ - -~Spiff~, a well-dressed man, a "swell." - -~Spiffed~, slightly intoxicated.--_Scotch Slang._ - -~Spiffs~, the per-centages allowed by drapers to their young men when -they effect a sale of old-fashioned or undesirable stock. - -~Spiffy~, spruce, well-dressed, _tout la mode_. - -~Spifflicate~, to confound, silence, annihilate, or stifle. A corruption -of the last word, or of "suffocate." - -~Spike Park~, the Queen's Bench Prison. _See_ BURDON'S HOTEL. - -~Spill~, to throw from a horse or chaise. _See_ PURL. - -~Spin~, to reject from an examination.--_Army._ - -~Spindleshanks~, a nickname for any one who has thin legs. - -~Spin-'em rounds~, a street game consisting of a piece of brass, wood, -or iron, balanced on a pin, and turned quickly round on a board, when -the point, arrow-shaped, stops at a number, and decides the bet one way -or the other. The contrivance very much resembles a sea compass, and was -formerly the gambling accompaniment of London piemen. The apparatus then -was placed on the tin lids of their pie-cans, and the bets were -ostensibly for pies, but were frequently for "coppers," or for beer when -two or three apprentices or porters happened to meet. An active and -efficient police have, however, changed all that now. - -~Spiniken~, St. Giles's Workhouse. "Lump," Marylebone Workhouse. "Pan," -St. Pancras. "Pan" and "Lump" are now terms applied to all workhouses by -tramps and costers. - -~Spinning-house~, the place in Cambridge where street-walkers are locked -up, if found out after a certain time at night. - -~Spirt~, or SPURT, "to put on a SPIRT," to make an increased exertion -for a brief space, to attain one's end; a nervous effort. Abbreviation -or shortening of SPIRIT, or allusion to a SPIRT of water, which dies -away as suddenly as it rises. - - "So here for a man to run well for a SPURT, and then to give over - ... is enough to annul all his former proceedings, and to make him - in no better estate than if he had never set foot into the good - waies of God."--_Gataker's Spirituall Watch_, 4to. 1619, p. 10. - -~Spitalfields' breakfast.~ At the East-end of London this is understood -as consisting of a tight necktie and a short pipe. Amongst workmen it is -usual to tighten the apron string when no dinner is at hand. Hunters and -trappers always take in their belts when supplies are short. "An -Irishman's dinner" is a low East-end term, and means a smoke and a visit -to the urinal. Sometimes the phrase is, "I'll go out and count the -railings," _i.e._, the park or area railings, mental instead of -maxillary exercise. - -~Spitfire~, a passionate person. - -~Splash~, complexion powder used by ladies to whiten their necks and -faces. The finest rice flour, termed in France _poudre de riz_, is -generally employed. _See_ SLAP. - -~Splendiferous~, sumptuous, first-rate. SPLENDACIOUS sometimes used with -similar meanings. - -~Splice~, to marry; "and the two shall become one flesh."--_Sea._ Also, -a wife. - -~Splice the main brace~, to take a drink.--_Sea._ - -~Split~, to inform against one's companions, to tell tales. "To SPLIT -with a person," to cease acquaintanceship; to quarrel. Also to divide a -bottle of arated water; as, "two brandies and a soda SPLIT;" in which -case "to SPLIT with" a person has a very different meaning from that -just given. - -~Split up~, long in the legs. Among athletes, a man with good length of -limb is said to be "well SPLIT UP." - -~Splodger~, a lout, an awkward countryman. - -~Spoffy~, a bustling busybody is said to be SPOFFY. - -~Sponge~, "to throw up the SPONGE," to submit, to give over the -struggle,--from the practice of throwing up the SPONGE used to cleanse a -combatant's face at a prize-fight, as a signal that the side on which -that particular SPONGE has been used has had enough--that the SPONGE is -no longer required. - -~Spoon~, synonymous with SPOONEY. A SPOON has been defined to be "a -thing that touches a lady's lips without kissing them." - -~Spooney~, a weak-minded and foolish person, effeminate or fond; "to be -SPOONEY on a girl," to be foolishly attached to one. - -~Spoons~, the condition of two persons who SPOON on each other, who are -deeply in love. "I see, it's a case of SPOONS with them," is a common -phrase when lovers are mentioned. - -~Spoons~, a method of designating large sums of money, disclosed at the -Bankruptcy Court during the examination of the great leather failures of -Streatfield and Laurence in 1860-61. The origin of the phrase was stated -to be the reply of the bankrupt Laurence to an offer of accommodating -him with 5000,--"Oh, you are feeding me with a TEA-SPOON." Hence, 5000 -came to be known in the firm as a TEA-SPOON; 10,000, a DESSERT-SPOON; -15,000, a TABLE-SPOON; and 20,000, as a GRAVY-SPOON. The public were -amused at this TEA-SPOON phraseology, but were disgusted that such -levity should cover a gigantic swindle of the kind. It came out in -evidence, however, that it was not the ordinary slang of the discount -world, but it may not improbably become so. To "take it with a SPOON," -is to take anything in small quantities. The counsel for the defence in -the Tichborne perjury case was reminded a short time back by one of the -judges that he was using a TEA-SPOON instead of a shovel, to clear -through the evidence. - -~Sport~, to exhibit, to wear, &c.,--a word which is made to do duty in a -variety of senses, especially at the Universities.--_See_ the _Gradus ad -Cantabrigiam_. "To SPORT a new tile;" "to SPORT an _grotat_" (_i.e._, a -permission from the Dons to abstain from lectures, &c., on account of -illness); "to SPORT one's oak," to shut the outer door and exclude the -public,--especially duns and boring acquaintances. Common also in the -Inns of Court. _See Notes and Queries_, 2nd series, vol. viii. p. 492, -and _Gentleman's Magazine_, December, 1794. - -~Sport~, an American term for a gambler or turfite--more akin to our -sporting man than to our sportsman. - -~Sporting door~, the outer door of chambers, also called the OAK. _See_ -under SPORT.--_University._ - -~Spot~, to mark, to recognise. Originally an Americanism, but now -general. "I SPOTTED him (or it) at once." - -~Spotted~, to be known or marked by the police. - -~Spout~, "up the SPOUT," at the pawnbroker's; SPOUTING, pawning. _See_ -POP for origin. - -~Spout~, to preach, or make speeches; SPOUTER, a preacher or lecturer. - -~Sprat~, sixpence. - -~Spread~, butter. Term with workmen and schoolboys. _See_ SCRAPE. - -~Spread~, a lady's shawl, an entertainment, a display of good things. - -~Spread~, a meal. Sporting term for a dinner. A sporting man often -challenges another to compete with him at any athletic pursuit or -pastime, for so much wine and a SPREAD of large or small proportions. - -~Spree~, a boisterous piece of merriment; "going on the SPREE," starting -out with intent to have a frolic. _French_, ESPRIT. In the _Dutch_ -language, SPREEUW is a jester. - -~Springer-up~, a tailor who sells low-priced ready-made clothing, and -gives starvation wages to the poor men and women who "make up" for him. -The clothes are said to be SPRUNG-UP, or "blown together." - -~Sprint race~, a short-distance race, ran at the topmost speed -throughout. SPRINT is in the North synonymous with SPURT, and hence the -name. - -~Sprung~, inebriated sufficiently to become boisterous. - -~Spry~, active, strong, manly. Much used in America, but originally -English. - -~Spuddy~, a seller of bad potatoes. In lower life, a SPUD is a raw -potato; and roasted SPUDS are those cooked in the cinders with their -skins on. - -~Spun~, when a man has failed in his examination at Woolwich, he is said -to be SPUN; as at the Universities he is said to be "plucked" or -"ploughed." - -~Spunge~, a mean, paltry fellow, sometimes called a SPUNGER. - -~Spunge~, to live at another's expense in a mean and paltry manner. - -~Spunging-house~, the sheriff's officer's house, where prisoners, when -arrested for debt, used to be taken. As extortionate charges were made -there for accommodation, the name was far from inappropriate. - -~Spunk~, spirit, fire, courage, mettle, good humour. - - "In that snug room, where any man of SPUNK - Would find it a hard matter to get drunk." - - _Peter Pindar_, i. 245. - -Common in America, and much used in some parts of Scotland. - -~Spunk-fencer~, a lucifer-match seller. - -~Spunks~, lucifer-matches.--_Herefordshire_; _Scotland_. SPUNK, says Urry, -in his MS. notes to Ray, "is the excrescency of some tree, of which they -make a sort of tinder to light their pipes with." - -~Spurt.~--_Old._ _See_ SPIRT. - -~Squabby~, flat, short and thick. From SQUAB, a sofa. - -~Square~, honest; "on the SQUARE," _i.e._, fair and strictly honest; "to -turn SQUARE," to reform, and get one's living in an honest manner,--the -opposite of "cross." The expression is, in all probability, derived from -the well-known masonic emblem the SQUARE, the symbol of evenness and -rectitude. - - "You must keep within the compass, and act upon the square with all - mankind, for your masonry is but a dead letter if you do not - habitually perform its reiterated injunctions."--_Oliver's Lectures - on Signs and Symbols_, p. 190. - -~Square~, "to be SQUARE with a man," to be even with him, or to be -revenged; "to SQUARE up to a man," to offer to fight him. Shakspeare -uses SQUARE in the sense of to quarrel. - -~Square cove~, an honest man, as distinguished from "cross cove." - -~Square moll~, an honest woman, one who does not "batter." - -~Squaring his nibs~, giving a policeman, or any official, money for an -immoral or unlawful purpose. The term HIS NIBS has no reference to any -functionary, as the words mean simply "him," and may be applied to any -one. - -~Square rigged~, well dressed.--_Sea._ - -~Square up~, to settle, to pay a debt. - -~Squarum~, a cobbler's lapstone. - -~Squash~, to crush; "to go SQUASH," to collapse. - -~Squeak~, an escape. Generally used with regard to the avoidance of -casualties. Among thieves, too, a prisoner acquitted after a hard trial -is said to have had "a narrow SQUEAK for it." - -~Squeak on a person~, to inform against, to peach. - -~Squeal~, to inform, to peach. A North country variation of squeak; -SQUEALER, an informer, also an illegitimate baby. - -~Squeeze~, silk; also, by a very significant figure, a thief's term for -the neck. - -~Squib~, a _jeu d'esprit_, which, like the firework of that -denomination, sparkles, bounces, stinks, and vanishes.--_Grose._ -Generally used in reference to political and electioneering attacks of a -smart kind, which sting for a moment and are then forgotten. - -~Squibs~, paint-brushes. - -~Squiffy~, slightly inebriated. - -~Squinny-eyed~, said of one given to squinting.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Squirt~, a doctor, or chemist. - -~Squish~, common term among University men for marmalade. - -~Stab~, "STAB yourself and pass the dagger," help yourself and pass the -bottle.--_Theatrical Slang._ - -~Stab~, "on the STAB," _i.e._, paid by regular weekly wages on the -"establishment," of which word STAB is an abridgment.--_Printer's term._ - -~Stab-rag~, a regimental tailor.--_Military Slang._ - -~Stag~, a shilling. - -~Stag~, a term applied during the railway mania to a speculator without -capital, who took "scrip" in proposed lines, got the shares up to a -premium, and then sold out. Caricaturists represented the house of -Hudson, "the Railway King," at Albert Gate, with a STAG on it, in -allusion to this term. - -~Stag~, to see, discover, or watch,--like a STAG at gaze; "STAG the -push," look at the crowd. Also, to dun, or demand payment; to beg. - -~Stage-whisper~, one loud enough to be heard. From the stage "asides." - -~Stagger~, to surprise. "He quite STAGGERED me with the information." - -~Stagger~, one who looks out, or watches. - -~Staggering-bob~, an animal to whom the knife only just anticipates -death from natural disease or accident,--said of meat on that account -unfit for human food. Also a newly-born calf. - -~Stale drunk~, unevaporated fumes of liquor. A man is said to be STALE -DRUNK when he has been drunk overnight, and has doctored himself with -stimulants a little too much in the morning--when he has tried too many -of the "hairs of the dog that bit him." If this state of things is long -continued, it is often called "same OLD DRUNK," from a well-known nigger -story. The nigger was cautioned by his master for being too often drunk -within a given period, when the "cullud pusson" replied, "Same old -drunk, massa--same old drunk." - -~Stalking-horse~, originally a horse covered with loose trappings, under -which the medival sportsman concealed himself with his bow, so as to -approach his game unobserved. Subsequently a canvas figure, made light, -so as to be easily moved with one hand. Now used to represent any -bugbear persistently paraded; any constant and unpleasant reference to -the possible consequences of an act. - -~Stall~, to lodge, or put up at a public-house. Also, to act a -part.--_Theatrical._ - -~Stall~, to frighten or discourage. In the days of dog-fighting and -pugilism, a dog or man who had originally shown great pluck would, after -a hard battle or two, show signs of cowardice. In such case he was said -to have been STALLED by his previous encounters. A STALL is a spurious -excuse or an imposition, a dodge, &c. - -~Stall-off~, to put off by means of a device, to misdirect purposely. - -~Stall off~, to blind, excuse, hide, to screen a robbery during the -perpetration of it by an accomplice. - -~Stall your mug~, go away; spoken sharply by any one who wishes to get -rid of a troublesome or inconvenient person. - -~Stallsman~, sometimes STALL, an accomplice. - -~Stampers~, shoes.--_Ancient Cant._ - -~Stand~, "to STAND treat," to pay for a friend's entertainment; to bear -expense; to put up with treatment, good or ill, as, "Will you STAND -that?" a question often asked when a man has been struck or insulted. -Also in the sense of aggregate cost, as, "This house STOOD me in 1000;" -_i.e._, cost that sum; "to STAND pad," to beg on the kerb with a small -piece of paper pinned on the breast, inscribed, "I am starving." - -~Stand in~, to make one of a party in a bet or other speculation; to -take a side in a dispute. - -~Standing~, the position at a street corner, or on the kerb of a market -street, regularly occupied by a costermonger, or street seller. - -~Standing patterers~, men who take a stand on the kerb of a public -thoroughfare, and deliver prepared speeches to effect a sale of any -articles they have to vend. _See_ PATTERER. - -~Stangey~, a tailor, a person under petticoat government,--derived from -the custom of "riding the STANG," mentioned in _Hudibras_:-- - - "It is a custom used of course - Where the grey mare is the better horse." - -~Star~, a common abbreviation of the name of the well-known STAR AND -GARTER Inn at Richmond. Clever people, who delight in altering names, -call this hostelry the "Gar and Starter." - -~Star it~, to perform as the centre of attraction, with inferior -subordinates to set off one's abilities.--_Theatrical._ - -~Star the glaze~, to break a window. Among thieves it means to break the -window or show-glass of a jeweller or other tradesman, take any valuable -articles, and run away. Sometimes the glass is cut with a diamond, and a -strip of leather fastened to the piece of glass cut out to keep it from -falling in and making a noise. Another plan is to cut the sash. - -~Starchy~, stuck-up, high-notioned, showily dressed, stiff and unbending -in demeanour. - -~Stark-naked~, originally STRIP-ME-NAKED, _vide Randall's Diary_, 1820, -raw gin. - -~Start~, "the START," London,--the great starting-point for beggars and -tramps. This is a term also used by many of superior station to those -mentioned. - -~Start~, a proceeding of any kind; "a rum START," an odd circumstance; -"to get the START of a person," to anticipate or overreach him. - -~Starvation~, though now a recognised word, was originally slang. Its -derivation is composite, and it was first introduced into the English -language by Mr. Dundas, in a debate in the House of Commons on American -affairs, in 1775. "I shall not," he said, "wait for the advent of -STARVATION from Edinburgh to settle my judgment." From this he was -always afterwards called STARVATION Dundas.--_Horace Walpole's Letters._ - -~Starve'em~, ~Rob'em~, and ~Cheat'em~, the adjoining towns of Stroud, -Rochester, and Chatham are so designated by soldiers and sailors; from -some fancied peculiarities of the inhabitants. - -~Stash~, to cease doing anything, to refrain, be quiet, leave off; -"STASH it, there, you sir!" _i.e._, be quiet, sir; to give over a lewd -or intemperate course of life is to STASH it. - -~Stay~, to exhibit powers of endurance at walking, running, rowing, &c. - -~Stayer~, one likely to persevere, one not easily discouraged. It is -usual for _laudatores temporis acti_ connected with the turf to deplore -the want of staying power which, according to their statements, -characterizes the modern British racehorse; while others, connected and -disconnected with sport, make similar remarks with reference to the -modern British man. So far, however, both descriptions of old gentlemen -have failed signally in endeavouring to make out a good case. - -~Steam-engine~, potato-pie at Manchester is so termed. - -~Steel~, the House of Correction in London, formerly named the Bastile, -but since shortened to STEEL. _See_ BASTILE. - -~Steel-bar drivers~, or FLINGERS, journeymen tailors. - -~Stems~, the legs. - -~Step it~, to run away, or make off. - -~Stepper~, the treadmill; the "everlasting staircase." - -~Stick~, a derogatory expression for a person; "a rum, or odd, STICK," a -curious man. More generally a "poor STICK."--_Provincial._ - -~Stick~, "cut your STICK," be off, or go away; either simply equivalent -to a recommendation to prepare a walking staff in readiness for a -journey--in allusion to the Eastern custom of cutting a STICK before -setting out--or from the ancient mode of reckoning by notches or tallies -on a STICK. In Cornwall the peasantry tally sheaves of corn by cuts in a -STICK, reckoning by the score. "Cut your STICK" in this sense may mean -to make your mark and pass on--and so realize the meaning of the phrase, -"in the nick (or notch) of time." Sir J. Emerson Tennent considers the -phrase equivalent to "cutting the connexion," and suggests a possible -origin in the prophet's breaking the staves of "Beauty" and -"Bands,"--_vide_ Zech. xi. 10, 14. - -~Stick~, to cheat; "he got STUCK," he was taken in; "I'm STUCK," a -common phrase to express that the speaker has spent or lost all his -money, and can neither play nor pay any longer. STICK, to forget one's -part in a performance.--_Theatrical._ STICK up, to place in an account; -"STICK it up to me," _i.e._, give me credit for it; STICK on, to -overcharge or defraud; STICK up for, to defend a person, especially when -slandered in his absence; STICK up to, to persevere in courting or -attacking, whether in fisticuffs or argument; "to STICK in one's -gizzard," to rankle in one's heart; "to STICK to a person," to adhere to -one, to be his friend through adverse circumstances,--to "cotton" to -him; "to STICK one's spoon in the wall," to die. - -~Stick-up~, to keep any one waiting at an appointed place or time. To -leave a friend or acquaintance to pay the whole or an undue share of a -tavern bill. - -~Stick-ups~, or GILLS, shirt collars. - -~Sticker~, one not likely to be easily shaken off, a stayer. - -~Stickings~, coarse, bruised, or damaged meat sold to sausage-makers and -penny pie-shops. - -~Sticks~, furniture, or household chattels; "pick up your STICKS and -cut!" summary advice to a person to take himself and furniture away. - -~Sticky~, wax. - -~Stiff~, paper, a bill of acceptance, &c.; "how did you get it, STIFF or -hard?" _i.e._, did he pay you cash or give a bill? "To do a bit of -STIFF," to accept a bill. _See_ KITE. - -~Stiff-fencer~, a street-seller of writing paper. - -~Stiff un~, a corpse. Term used by undertakers. - -~Stills~, undertakers' slang term for STILL-BORN children. The fee paid -by nurses and others for their disposal is usually 2_s._ 6_d._ A -separate coffin is never given; the STILLS are quietly introduced into -one containing an adult about to be buried. STILLS are allowed to -accumulate at an undertaker's until they sometimes number as many as a -dozen. Some little time back a very bulky coffin was opened, and found -to contain a large quantity of small corpses packed carefully round a -large corpse. This caused a little excitement, but nothing was done in -the matter. - -~Stilton~, "that's the STILTON," or "it's not the STILTON," _i.e._, that -is quite the thing, or that is not quite the thing;--affected rendering -of "that is not the CHEESE," which _see_. - -~Stingo~, strong liquor.--_Yorkshire._ - -~Stink~, a disagreeable exposure. "To stir up a STINK" is to make a -disclosure which is generally unpleasant in its effect. - -~Stinkomalee~, a name given to the then New London University by -Theodore Hook. Probably because some cow-houses and dunghills stood on -the original site. Some question about Trincomalee was agitated at the -same time. It is still applied by the students of the old Universities, -who regard it with disfavour from its admitting all denominations. - -~Stipe~, a stipendiary magistrate.--_Provincial._ - -~Stir~, a prison, a lock-up; "in STIR," in gaol. _Anglo-Saxon_, STYR, -correction, punishment. - -~Stir-up Sunday~, the Sunday next before Advent, the collect for that -day commencing with the words, "Stir up." Schoolboys, growing excited at -the prospect of the vacation, irreverently commemorate it by stirring -up--pushing and poking each other. "Crib-crust Monday" and "tug-button -Tuesday" are distinguished by similar tricks; while on "pay-off -Wednesday" they retaliate small grudges in a playful facetious way. -Forby says good housewives in Norfolk consider themselves reminded by -the name to mix the ingredients for their Christmas mince-pies. - -~Stock.~ "To STOCK cards" is to arrange cards in a certain manner for -cheating purposes. - -~Stock~, "to take STOCK of one," to scrutinize narrowly one whom you -have reason to suspect, or one with whom you are likely to have business -transactions; taken from the tradesmen's term for the annual examination -and valuation of their stock of goods. - -~Stockdollager~, a heavy blow, a "finisher." _Italian_, STOCCADO, -a fencing term. Also (in a general sense), a disastrous -event.--_Americanism._ - -~Stodge~, to surfeit, gorge, or clog with food. STODGE is in some places -bread and milk. - -~Stoll~, to understand.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Stomach~, to bear with, to be partial to. Mostly used in a negative -character,--as, "I can't STOMACH that." - -~Stone-jug~, a prison. - - "In a box of the stone-jug I was born." - -~Stook~, a pocket-handkerchief. A STOOK-HAULER, or "buzzer," is a thief -who takes pocket-handkerchiefs. - -~Story~, a falsehood,--the soft synonym for a lie, allowed in family -circles and boarding-schools. A Puritanism that came into fashion with -the tirade against romances, all novels and stories being considered as -dangerous and false. - -~Stot~, a young bullock. In Northumberland the term STOT means to -rebound. - -~Stotor~, a heavy blow, a settler.--_Old Cant._ - -~Stow~, to leave off, or have done; "STOW it, the gorger's leary." Leave -off, the person is looking. _See_ STASH, with which it is -synonymous.--_Ancient Cant._ - -~Stow~, to put away, to hide. A hungry man is said to STOW his food -rapidly. He is also said to hide it. - -~Stow faking!~ leave off there, be quiet! FAKING means anything that may -be going on. - -~Straight~, an American phrase peculiar to dram-drinkers; similar to our -word NEAT, which _see_. - -~Strap~, a barber. From _Roderick Random_. - -~Straw.~ Married ladies are said to be "in the STRAW" at their -accouchements. The phrase is a coarse metaphor, and has reference to -farmyard animals in a similar condition. It may have originally been -suggested to the inquiring mind by the Nativity. - -~Strawing~, "selling" straws in the streets (generally for a penny), and -"giving" the purchaser a paper (indecent or political) or a gold (!) -ring,--neither of which, the patterer states, he is allowed by Act of -Parliament to sell. - -~Streak~, to decamp, run away.--_Saxon._ In America the phrase is "to -make STREAKS," or "make TRACKS." - -~Streaky~, irritated, ill-tempered. Said of a short-tempered man who has -his good and bad times in STREAK. - -~Street-pitchers~, negro minstrels, ballad-singers, long-song men, men -"working a board" on which have been painted various exciting scenes in -some terrible drama, the details of which the STREET PITCHER is bawling -out, and selling in a little book or broadsheet (price one penny); or -any persons who make a stand--_i.e._, a pitch--in the streets, and sell -articles or contribute entertainments for a living. - -~Stretch~, a walk.--_University._ - -~Stretch~, abbreviation of "STRETCH one's neck," to hang, to be executed -as a malefactor. As, "The night before Larry was STRETCHED." - -~Stretch~, twelve months,--generally used to intimate the time any one -has been sentenced by the judge or magistrate. One STRETCH is twelve -months' imprisonment, two STRETCH is two years, three STRETCH is three -years, and so on. - -~Stretcher~, a falsehood; one that requires a STRETCH of imagination or -comprehension. - -~Stretcher~, a contrivance with handles, used by the police to carry off -persons who are violent or drunk. - -~Stretcher-fencer~, one who sells braces. - -~Stretching match~, an execution. Often called a "hanging match." - -~Strike a jigger~, to pick a lock, or break open a door. - -~Strike me lucky!~ an expression used by the lower orders when making a -bargain, derived from the old custom of striking hands together, leaving -in that of the seller a LUCK PENNY as an earnest that the bargain is -concluded. In Ireland, at cattle markets, &c., a penny, or other small -coin, is always given by the buyer to the seller to ratify the -bargain.--_Hudibras._ Anciently this was called a "God's penny." - - "With that he cast him a God's penny."--_Heir of Linne._ - -The origin of the phrase being lost sight of, like that of many others, -it is often used as a modification of "Strike me blind!" and is now and -again corrupted into "Strike me silly!" A foolish variation of this is -"Strike me up a gum-tree!" - -~Strills~, cheating lies.--_North Country Cant._ - -~String~, to hoax, to "get in a line." - -~Stroke~, the captain of a crew, the man who sets the pace, and is -generally the leading spirit in the boat. The coxswain usually looks -after University men when they are in training, so that they may not -fall into excesses, the STROKE having quite enough to do to attend to -his own training. Of late years University crews have placed themselves -under the guidance and tuition of "coaches," generally ex-University men -of great ability and experience. - -~Strommel~, straw.--_Ancient Cant._ Halliwell says that in Norfolk -STRUMMEL is a name for hair. - -~Strong~, "to come it STRONG." _See_ COME. - -~Stuck~, moneyless. _See_ STICK. - -~Stuck-up~, purse-proud--a form of snobbishness very common in those who -have risen in the world, especially among those who have risen rather -suddenly. Albert Smith wrote some amusing papers on the _Natural History -of STUCK-UP People_. - -~Stuff~, money. - -~Stuff~, to make false but plausible statements, to praise ironically, -to make game of a person,--literally, to STUFF or cram him with gammon -or falsehood. - -~Stump~, to go on foot. - -~Stump~, to go about speechmaking on politics or other subjects. -Originally an Americanism applied to the lowest class of candidates for -legislatorial honours, probably because they stood on a STUMP to address -their audiences. Maybe, also, because their utterances were short and -pithy. This latter reason would, however, hardly apply to our -representatives of the STUMP class, "the Leaguers," who are, as a rule, -as long-winded as they are illogical. - -~Stump up~, to give one's share, to pay the reckoning, to bring forth -the money reluctantly. - -~Stumped~, bowled out, done for, bankrupt, poverty-stricken. From the -cricketing term. - -~Stumps~, legs, or feet. - -~Stumpy~, money. - -~Stun~, to astonish. - -~Stunner~, a first-rate person or article. - -~Stunners~, feelings of great astonishment; "it put the STUNNERS on me," -_i.e._, it confounded me. - -~Stunning~, first-rate, very good, really, astonishing. Costermongers -call anything extra good, STUNNING. Sometimes amplified to STUNNING JOE -BANKS! when the expression is supposed to be in its most intense form. -Joe Banks was a noted character in the last generation. He was the -proprietor of a public-house in Dyott Street, Seven Dials, and -afterwards, on the demolition of the Rookery, of another in Cranbourn -Alley. His houses became well-known from their being the resort of the -worst characters, while at the same time the strictest decorum was -always maintained in them. Joe Banks also acquired a remarkable -notoriety by acting as a medium betwixt thieves and their victims. Upon -the proper payment to Joe, a watch or a snuff-box would at any time be -restored to its lawful owner--"no questions in any case being asked." -The most daring depredators in London placed the fullest confidence in -Joe, and it is believed (although the _Biographie Universelle_ is quiet -upon this point) that he never, in any instance, "sold" them. He was of -the middle height, stout, and strongly made, and was always noted for a -showy pin and a remarkably STUNNING neck-tie. It was this peculiarity in -the costume of Mr. Banks, coupled with those true and tried qualities as -a friend for which he was famous, that led his customers to proclaim him -as STUNNING JOE BANKS! The Marquis of Douro, Colonel Chatterley, and men -of their stamp, were accustomed to resort to a private-room at his -house, when too late (or too early) to gain admittance to the clubs or -more aristocratic establishments. - -~Sub~, a subaltern officer in the army. - -~Sub~, all.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Sub~, to draw money in advance; a term in use among workmen generally, -and those with casual employment in particular. Most likely from -subsidize. - -~Sublime rascal~, a lawyer. - -~Suck~, a parasite, a flatterer of the "nobs."--_University._ - -~Suck~, to pump, or draw information from a person. - -~Suck-casa~, a public-house.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Suck the mop~, to be the victim of an omnibus nursing exploit. When an -omnibus is being nursed, the driver of the hindmost vehicle keeps so -close to his opponent that the horses get their heads almost into the -doorway. The nursed omnibus is then said to SUCK THE MOP. Nursing is, -thanks to tramways and the Metropolis Streets Act, almost a thing of the -past. At the East-end, however, it still goes merrily on. - -~Suck the monkey~, to rob a cask of liquor by inserting a straw through -a gimlet-hole, and sucking a portion of the contents. Originally, as -Captain Marryatt states, to SUCK THE MONKEY, was to suck rum from -cocoa-nuts, which spirit had been inserted in place of the milk, for the -private use of the sailors. _See_ TAP THE ADMIRAL. - -~Suck up~, "to SUCK UP to a person," to insinuate oneself into his good -graces. - -~Sudden death.~ In tossing, to be decided by the first call is to "GO -SUDDEN DEATH," as distinguished from the longer forms of "best two out -of three," and "first three." At the Universities a crumpet, or Sally -Lunn, is so called. - -~Sufferer~, a tailor; the loser at any game. - -~Sugar~, money. - -~Suicide~, four horses driven in a line. _See_ HARUM-SCARUM. - -~Sulky~, a one-horse chaise, having only room for one person. Used -nowadays only in trotting matches. - -~Sumsy~, an action of _assumpsit_.--_Legal Slang._ - -~Sun in the eyes~, too much drink. A person who is tipsy is said to have -the SUN IN HIS EYES. He is also said to have been "standing too long in -the SUN." - -~Supe~, or super, abbreviation of SUPERNUMERARY.--_Theatrical._ - -~Super~, a watch; SUPER-SCREWING, stealing watches. - -~Surat~, an adulterated article of inferior quality. This word affords a -remarkable instance of the manner in which slang phrases are coined. In -the report of an action for libel in the _Times_, some few years back, -it was stated "that, since the American civil war, it has been not -unusual for manufacturers to mix American cotton with surat, and, the -latter being an inferior article, the people in Lancashire have begun to -apply the term SURAT to any article of inferior or adulterated quality. -The plaintiffs were brewers, and the action was brought to recover -special damages resulting from the publication of an advertisement in -these words:--'All in want of beerhouses must beware of Beaumont and -White, the SURAT brewers.'" - -~Surf~, an actor who frequently pursues another calling.--_Theatrical._ -SURF, or SERF, is also a term much in use among the lower orders to -denote a crawling or sycophantic wretch. - -~Suspicion~, a scarcely perceptible flavour; as, "There was just a -SUSPICION of oil in the mixture." _French_, SOUPON. - -~Swab~, an epaulet.--_Sea._ - -~Swack-up~, a falsehood. - -~Swaddler~, a Wesleyan Methodist; a name originally given to members of -that body by the Irish mob; said to have originated with an ignorant -Romanist, to whom the words of the English Bible were a novelty, and -who, hearing one of John Wesley's preachers mention the swaddling -clothes of the Holy Infant, in a sermon on Christmas-day at Dublin, -shouted out in derision, "A SWADDLER! a SWADDLER!" as if the whole story -were the preacher's invention.--_Southey's Life of Wesley_, vol. ii. p. -109. _See_ introductory article. - -~Swaddler~, _see_ SOUPER. - -~Swaddy~, or COOLIE, a soldier. The former was originally applied to a -discharged soldier, and perhaps came from SHODDY, which is made from -soldiers' and policemen's worn-out coats. The term was one of -opprobrium, and was probably the result of a long peace, for it became -obsolete as soon as the Crimean War commenced. - -~Swag~, a lot or plenty of anything, a portion or division of property. -In Australia the term is used for the luggage carried by diggers. -_Scotch_, SWEG, or SWACK; _German_, SWEIG, a flock. Old cant for a shop. - -~Swag-shop~, a warehouse where "Brummagem" and general wares, fancy -trinkets, plated goods, &c., are sold. Jews are the general proprietors; -and the goods are very low-priced, trashy, and showy. SWAG-SHOPS were -formerly plunder depts.--_Old Cant._ - -~Swagsman~, one who carries the booty after a burglary. - -~Swank~, to boast or "gas" unduly. - -~Swankey~, cheap or small beer. Any weak fermented beverage. - -~Swap~, to exchange. Grose says it is Irish cant, but the term is now -included in most dictionaries as an allowed vulgarism. - -~Swarry~, a boiled leg of mutton and trimmings. Sam Weller's adventure -with the Bath footmen originated the term. _See_ TRIMMINGS. - -~Swatchel-cove~, the master of a Punch-and-Judy exhibition who "fakes -the slum," and does the necessary squeak for the amusement of the -bystanders. _See_ SCHWASSLE BOX. The orthography of many of these -colloquial expressions differs. It was thought best to give the various -renderings as collected. - -~Sweat~, to extract money from a person, to "bleed." Also, to squander -riches.--_Bulwer._ - -~Sweat~, to violently shake up a lot of guineas or sovereigns in a -leathern bag for the purpose of benefiting by the perspiration. - -~Sweater~, common term for a "cutting" or "grinding" employer,--one who -SWEATS his workpeople. A cheap tailor, who pays starvation wages. - -~Sweep~, a contemptuous term for a low or shabby man. - -~Sweet~, loving or fond; "how SWEET he was upon the moll," _i.e._, what -marked attention he paid the girl. - -~Sweetener~, a person who runs up the prices of articles at an auction. -_See_ JOLLYING, BONNET, &c. - -~Swell~, a man of importance; a person with a showy, jaunty exterior, "a -rank SWELL," a very flashily dressed person, a man who by excessive -dress apes a higher position than he actually occupies. Any one -occupying a superior position in society is by the mob called a SWELL. -Anything is said to be SWELL or SWELLISH that looks showy, or is many -coloured, or is of a desirable quality. Dickens and Thackeray were -termed great SWELLS in literature, and so are the first persons in the -learned professions SWELLS in their way. - -~Swell hung in chains~, said of a showy man in the habit of wearing much -jewellery. - -~Swell street~, the West-end of London. - -~Swig~, a hearty drink. - -~Swig~, to drink. _Saxon_, SWIGAN. - -~Swill~, to drink inordinately. SWILL, hog-wash. From which the verb has -possibly been derived.--_Norfolk._ - -~Swim~, "a good SWIM," a good run of luck, a long time out of the -policeman's clutches.--_Thieves' term._ Among anglers "a good SWIM" is a -good pitch for a part where fish are plentiful--that is, because a lot -of fish keeping together are called a SWIM. Thus one who is in luck, is -well connected, or is doing a good business, is said to be in a good -SWIM. - -~Swindler~, although a recognised word in standard dictionaries, -commenced service as a slang term. It was used as such by the poor -Londoners against the German Jews who set up in London about the year -1762, also by our soldiers in the German war about that time. -SCHWINDELN, in _German_, signifies to cheat. - -~Swing.~ To have one's SWING is to have a full turn at anything. - -~Swing~, to be hanged; "if you don't do what's right, I'll SWING for -you," _i.e._, take your life,--a common threat in low neighbourhoods. - -~Swingeing~, large, huge, powerful. As a SWINGEING blow, SWINGEING -damages, &c. - -~Swipe~, at cricket, to hit hard with a full swing of the bat. Most -probably a condensation of "wipe swingeing" or "swinging wipe." - -~Swipes~, sour or small beer. SWIPE, to drink.--_Sea._ - -~Swipey~ (from SWIPES), intoxicated. - -~Swish~, to flog, derived perhaps from the sound. Maybe, a corruption of -SWITCH. - -~Swished~, or SWITCHED, married. - -~Swivel-eye~, a squinting eye. - -~Swizzle~, small beer, drink. - -~Swot~, mathematics; also, a mathematician; as a verb, to work hard for -an examination, to be diligent in one's studies.--_Army._ - -This word originated at the great slang manufactory for the army, the -Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in the broad Scotch pronunciation by -Dr. Wallace, one of the Professors, of the word sweat. It has since -become fashionable at the Universities. - -~Syce~, a groom.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~T~, "to suit to a T," to fit to a nicety.--_Old._ Perhaps from the -T-square of carpenters, by which the accuracy of work is tested. - -~Tabby party~, a party consisting entirely of women, a tea and tattle -gathering. In America, a gathering of men only is called a "stag party." - -~Tabooed~, forbidden. This word, now very common, is derived from a -custom of the South-Sea islanders, first noticed in _Cook's Voyages_. - -~Tack~, a taste foreign to what was intended; a barrel may get a TACK -upon it, either permanently mouldy, sour, or otherwise. - -~Tacked~, tied down. When a man has another vanquished, or for certain -reasons bound to his service, he is said to have "got him TACKED." - -~Tackle~, clothes.--_Sea._ Also to encounter a person in argument. - -~Taffy~ (corruption of David), a Welshman. Compare Sawney (from -Alexander), a Scotchman; Paddy (from Patrick), an Irishman; and Johnny -(from John Bull), an Englishman. - -~Tag-rag-and-bobtail~, a mixed crowd of low people, the lower orders -generally. - -~Tail-block~, a watch.--_Sea._ - -~Tail-buzzer~, a thief who picks coat-pockets. - -~Tail-down~, "to get the TAIL DOWN," generally means to lose courage. -When a professional at any game loses heart in a match he is said to get -his TAIL DOWN. "His TAIL was quite DOWN, and it was all over." The -origin is obvious. - -~Take~, to succeed, or be patronized. "Do you think the new opera will -TAKE?" "No, because the same company TOOK so badly under the old -management." "To TAKE on," to grieve; Shakspeare uses the word TAKING in -this sense. To "TAKE up for any one," to protect or defend a person; "to -TAKE off," to mimic; "to TAKE heart," to have courage; "to TAKE down a -peg or two," to humiliate, or tame; "to TAKE up," to reprove; "to TAKE -after," to resemble; "to TAKE in," to cheat or defraud, probably from -the lower class lodging-house-keepers' advertisements, "Single men TAKEN -in and done for,"--an engagement which is as frequently performed in a -bad as a good sense; in reference to this performance, Scripture is -often quoted: "I was a stranger and ye TOOK me in." "To TAKE the field," -when said of a general, to commence operations against the enemy. When a -racing man TAKES the field he stakes his money against the favourite, -that is, he takes the chances of the field against the chance of one -horse. - -~Take beef~, to run away. - -~Take in~, a cheating or swindling transaction,--sometimes termed "a -dead TAKE IN." Shakspeare has TAKE IN in the sense of conquering. To be -"had," or to be "spoken to," were formerly synonymous phrases with to be -TAKEN IN. - -~Take it out~, to obtain value for money, labour, &c. A rich man is said -to "TAKE IT (_i.e._, his money) OUT in fine footmen, fine feeding," &c. -A poor man "TAKES IT (_i.e._, his trouble) OUT in drink." - -~Talking~, a stable term, of a milder kind, applied to those horses -which are addicted to ROARING. _See_ the latter expression. - -~Talk shop~, to intrude oneself or one's private business too freely -into conversation. Any one who does this is said to be shoppy. - -~Tall~, extensive, exaggerated,--generally applied to conversation, as -"loud" is to dress, or personal appearance; "TALL talk that," _i.e._, -conversation too boastful or high-flown to be true. Among pedestrians a -great rate of speed is spoken of as TALL. - -~Tally~, five dozen bunches of turnips.--_Costermongers' term._ - -~Tally~, "to live TALLY," to live in a state of unmarried impropriety; -TALLY-WIFE, a woman who cohabits with a man to whom she is not married. - -~Tallyman~, an accommodating salesman who takes payment by instalments -to suit the convenience of the purchaser, but who is anything but -accommodating when payments are irregular. TALLYMEN are the cause of -much misfortune to the working classes, from their high and exorbitant -rates, and the temptations they offer to weak-minded women, who purchase -in haste and repent at leisure. - -~Tan~, to beat or thrash; "I'll TAN your hide," _i.e._, I'll give you a -good beating. - -~Tan~, an order to pull.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Tanner~, a sixpence. Perhaps _Gipsy_, TAWNO, little, or _Latin_, TENER, -slender. - -~Tanny~, or TEENY, little. _Gipsy_, TAWNO, little. - -~Tantrems~, pranks, capers, frolicking; from the _Tarantula_ dance. -_See_ account of the involuntary frenzy and motions caused by the bite -of the tarantula in Italy.--_Penny Cyclopdia._ - -~Tantrums~, ill-tempers. "He's in his TANTRUMS this morning," is often -said of a peevish, querulous man. They are not peculiar to the one sex, -however. - -~Tap the Admiral~, to suck liquor from a cask by means of a straw, said -to have been done with the rum-cask in which Lord Nelson's body was -brought to England, to such an extent as to leave the gallant Admiral -dry. - -~Tap-tub~, the _Morning Advertiser_,--so called by vulgar people from -the fact that this daily newspaper is the principal organ of the London -brewers and publicans. Sometimes termed the _Gin and Gospel Gazette_, -though this title is fast fading out since the paper has been in the -hands of its present editor. - -~Tape~, gin,--term with female servants. Also, a military term used in -barracks when no spirits are allowed. _See_ RIBBON. - -~Taper~, to give over gradually, to run short. - -~Taradiddle~, a falsehood. - -~Tar-brush~, a person whose complexion indicates a mixture of negro -blood, is said to have had a lick of the TAR-BRUSH. Sometimes a man of -this description is said to have been dipped in the black-pot, and he is -often reminded that "another dip would have done it," _i.e._, another -dip would have made a negro of him. - -~Tar-out~, to punish, to serve out. - -~Tarpaulin~, a sailor. - -~Tartar~, a savage fellow, an "ugly customer." To "catch a TARTAR," is -to discover somewhat unpleasantly that a person is by no means so mild -or good-tempered as he or she at first appeared. - -~Tat-box~, a dice-box. - -~Tater~, "s'elp my TATER," an evasion of a profane oath, sometimes -varied by "s'elp my greens." - -~Tatler~, a watch; "nimming a TATLER," stealing a watch. - -~Tats~, dice. - -~Tats~, old rags; milky TATS, white rags. - -~Tatterdemalion~, a ragged fellow. - -~Tatting~, gathering old rags. - -~Tattoo~, a pony.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Taw~, a large or principal marble; "I'll be one on your TAW," I will -pay you out, or be even with you,--a simile taken from boys aiming -always at winning the TAW when playing at marbles. - -~Tea-fight~, an evening party, alias a "muffin-worry." - -~Tea-spoon~, five thousand pounds. _See_ SPOONS. - -~Teagueland~, Ireland. From the national character of the name TEAGUE. - -~Teeth~, "he has cut his eye TEETH," _i.e._, is old and 'cute enough. - -~Teeth-drawing~, wrenching off knockers. Medical students' term. - -~Teddy Hall~, St. Edmund Hall.--_Oxford University._ - -~Teetotaller~, a total abstainer from alcoholic drinks. The origin of -this term is not known. It is said to be from the expression of a -fanatical and stuttering enthusiast in the cause of total abstinence. It -has nothing to do with tea. - -~Teetotally~, amplification of TOTALLY. - -~Te-he~, to titter, "Upon this I TE-HE'D."--_Madame d'Arblay._ As an -interjection it is as old as Chaucer. _See Miller's Tale_:-- - - "TE-HE, quod she, and clapt the window to." - -~Tell on~, to tell about, to talk of, to inform against. (This is formed -by a simple misuse of the preposition.) - -~Ten commandments~, a virago's fingers, or nails. Often heard in a -female street disturbance. "I'll leave the TEN COMMANDMENTS marked on -his chump," shows that the term may be applied to either the fingers or -the scratchings. It would be a strange hand, however, that, with the -best opportunity, could made five marks simultaneously. - -~Tench~, the Penitentiary, of which it is a contraction. _See_ STEEL. - -~Tenpence to the shilling~, a vulgar phrase denoting a deficiency in -intellect. - -~Testamur~, the slip of paper on which the examiners testify -(testari) to the fact that the candidate has satisfied their -requirements.--_University._ - -~Tester~, sixpence. From TESTONE, a shilling in the reign of Henry -VIII., but a sixpence in the time of Queen Elizabeth.--_Shakspeare._ -_French_, TESTE, or TTE, the head of the monarch on the coin. - -~Teviss~, a shilling. Costermongers' and tramps' term. - -~Thatch~, the human hair. "He's well THATCHED," is said of a man with a -good head of hair. - -~The Tavern~, New Inn Hall.--_Oxford University._ - -~The thing~, the style, the proper proportion. Application varied. A -good appearance, a decent dinner, or a fair bottle of wine, is said to -be "the THING," sometimes "the correct THING." - -~Thick~, intimate, familiar. The Scotch use the word "chief" in this -sense, as, "the two are very chief now." - -~Thick;~ "to lay it on THICK," to flatter unduly, to surfeit with praise -or adulation. - -~Thick un~, a sovereign; originally a crown piece, or five shillings. - -~Thimble~, or YACK, a watch.--_Prison Cant._ - -~Thimble-rig~, a noted cheating game some years back, played at fairs -and places of great public thronging, consisting of two or three -thimbles rapidly and dexterously placed over a pea. The THIMBLE-RIGGER, -suddenly ceasing, asks under which thimble the pea is to be found. Any -one not a practised hand would lose nine times out of ten any bet he -might happen to make with him. The pea is generally concealed under his -nail. THIMBLE-RIGGING has of late years given way to "broad-working." - -~Thimble-twisters~, thieves who rob persons of their watches. - -~Thingumy~, THINGUMBOB, expressions used for the name of a thing which -cannot be recollected at the instant. - -~Thin-skinned~, over-nice, petulant, apt to get a "raw." _See_ that -term. - -~Three-cornered scraper~, a cocked hat.--_Sea._ - -~Three sheets in the wind~, unsteady from drink.--_Sea._ - -~Three-up~, a gambling game played by costers and others of like grade. -Three halfpennies are thrown up by one man to the call of another. If -they do not come all alike, the cry is void, and the calling and tossing -are resumed. When the three coins are all alike they are said to "come -off," and then all bets are decided according to the success or failure -of the caller. When two men toss, they play "up for up," _i.e._, they -toss and cry alternately. When three or more join in, the gathering is -named a school, and one man, who is called a pieman, cries to the -halfpence of the others until he loses, when the winner of the toss -becomes pieman in turn. - -~Through~, finished. In America, where this word is most used in the -sense now given, a guest who has had enough will, when asked to take -more, say, "I'm THROUGH," which is certainly preferable to the other -Americanism, "crammed." - -~Thrummer~, a threepenny bit. - -~Thrums~, threepence. Also, in Coventry, remnants and waste pieces of -silk. - -~Thrups~, threepence. _See_ the preceding, which is more general. - -~Thud~, the dull, dead sound made by the fall of a heavy body, or the -striking of a bullet against any soft, fleshy substance. - -~Thumper~, a magnificently constructed lie, a lie about which there is -no stint of imaginative power. - -~Thumping~, large, fine, or strong. - -~Thunderbomb~, an imaginary ship of vast size. _See_ MERRY DUN OF DOVER. - -~Thunderer~, the _Times_ newspaper, sometimes termed "the THUNDERER of -Printing House Square," from the locality where it is printed. - -~Thundering~, large, extra-sized. - -~Tibbing out~, going out of bounds.--_Charterhouse._ - -~Tibby~, the head. Street slang, with no known etymology. To drop on -one's TIBBY is to frighten or startle any one, to take one unawares. - -~Tib's eve~, "neither before Christmas nor after," an indefinite period; -like the Greek Kalends, TIB'S EVE has a future application; an -indefinite period of past time is sometimes said to be "when Adam was an -oakum-boy in Chatham Dockyard." "The reign of Queen Dick" is another -form of this kind of expression, and is used to indicate either past -time or future. - -~Tick~, credit, trust. Johnson says it is a corruption of -"ticket,"--tradesmen's bills being formerly written on tickets or cards. -On TICK, therefore, is equivalent to on TICKET, or on trust. In use in -1668, and before, as follows:-- - - "No matter upon landing whether you have money or no--you may swim - in twentie of their boats over the river upon TICKET."--_Decker's - Gulls' Hornbook_, 1609. - -~Ticker~, a watch. Formerly cant, now street slang. - -~Ticket~, "that's the TICKET," _i.e._, that's what is wanted, or what is -best. Probable corruption of "that's _etiquette_," or, perhaps, from -TICKET, a bill or invoice. This phrase is sometimes extended into -"that's the TICKET for soup," in allusion to the card given to beggars -for immediate relief at soup kitchens. _See_ TICK. - -~Tickle~, to puzzle; "a reg'lar TICKLER" is a poser. - -~Tiddlywink~, slim, puny; sometimes TILLYWINK. - -~Tidy~, tolerably, or pretty well; "How did you get on to-day?"--"Oh, -TIDY."--_Saxon._ - -~Tie~, a dead heat. A game of any kind, in which the possibility exists, -is said to end in a tie, if the markings are level on each side at the -finish. In racing parlance, all level finishes are called dead-heats. - -~Tied up~, given over, finished; also married, in allusion to the -hymeneal knot, unless a jocose allusion be intended to the "halter" -(altar). _See_ BUCKLED, term in use among costermongers and street folk -generally. - -~Tiff~, a pet, a fit of ill humour. - -~Tiffin~, a breakfast, _djener la fourchette_.--_Anglo-Indian -Slang._ - -~Tiffy~, easily offended, apt to be annoyed. - -~Tiger~, a parasite; also a term for a ferocious woman; a boy employed -to wait on gentlemen--one who waits on ladies is a page. - -~Tiger~, a superlative yell. "Three cheers, and the last in -TIGERS."--_American._ To "fight the TIGER" is also American, and refers -to gambling with professionals--dangerous pastime. - -~Tight~, close, stingy; hard up, short of cash; TIGHT, spruce, strong, -active; "a TIGHT lad," a smart, active young fellow; TIGHT, drunk, or -nearly so, generally the result of "going on the loose;" "TIGHT-laced," -puritanical, over-precise. Money is said to be TIGHT when the public, -from want of confidence in the aspect of affairs, are not inclined to -speculate. - -~Tightener~, a dinner, or hearty meal. _See_ SPITALFIELDS' BREAKFAST. - -~Tike-~, or BUFFER-LURKING, dog-stealing. - -~Tile~, a hat, a covering for the head. - - "I'm a gent, I'm a gent, - In the Regent-Street style,-- - Examine my costume, - And look at my TILE."--_Popular Song._ - -Sometimes used in another sense, "having a TILE loose," _i.e._, being -slightly crazy. _See_ PANTILE. - -~Timber merchant~, or SPUNK FENCER, a lucifer-match seller. - -~Timber-toes~, a wooden-legged man. Also at the East-end one who wears -clogs, _i.e._, wooden soled boots. - -~Time~, cabman's slang for money. If they wish to express 9s. 9d. they -say that "it is a quarter to ten;" if 3s. 6d., half-past three; if 11s. -9d. a quarter to twelve. Cab-drivers can hardly have originated a system -which has been in existence as long as the adage, "Time is money." They -have, however, the full use of the arrangement, which is perhaps the -simplest on record. - -~Time~, TO DO, to work out a sentence of imprisonment. Time is the -generic term for all quantities of incarceration, whether short or long. -Sometimes stir-time (imprisonment in the House of Correction) is -distinguished from the more extended system of punishment which is -called "pinnel (penal) time." - -~Time o' day~, a dodge, the latest aspect of affairs; "that's your TIME -O' DAY," _i.e._, that's well done; to put a person up to the TIME O' -DAY, or let him know "what's o'clock," is to instruct him in the -knowledge needful for him. - -~Tin~, money,--generally applied to silver. - -~Tinge~, the per-centage allowed by drapers and clothiers to their -assistants upon the sale of old-fashioned articles. _See_ SPIFFS. - -~Tinkler~, a bell. "Jerk the TINKLER," ring the bell. Refined or -affected slangists sometimes say, "Agitate the communicator," which, -though it represents "ring the bell," should more properly mean "pull -the cord." - -~Tin-pot~, "he plays a TIN-POT game," _i.e._, a low, mean, or shabby -game. In the _Contes d'Eutrapel_, a French officer at the siege of -Chatillon is ridiculously spoken of as Captain TIN-POT--_Capitaine du -Pot d'Etain_. TIN-POT, as generally used, means worthless. As applied to -billiards and kindred games, it means pretentious and inferior play. - -~Tip~, advice or information respecting anything, but mostly used in -reference to horse-racing, so that the person TIPPED may know how to bet -to the best advantage. The "straight TIP" is the TIP which comes direct -from the owner or trainer of a horse. Of late years a "straight TIP" -means a direct hint on any subject. - -~Tip~, a douceur; "that's the TIP," _i.e._, that's the proper thing to -do. "To miss one's TIP," to fail in a scheme.--_Old Cant._ - -~Tip~, to give, lend, or hand over anything to another person; "come, -TIP up the tin," _i.e._, hand up the money; "TIP the wink," to inform by -winking; "TIP us your fin," _i.e._, give me your hand; "TIP one's boom -off," to make off, or depart. From the seafaring phrase. - -~Tip the double~, to "bolt," or run away from any one. - -~Tip-top~, first-rate, of the best kind. - -~Tip-topper~, a "swell," or dressy man, a "Gorger." - -~Tipper~, a kind of ale brewed at Brighton. Mrs. Gamp preferred the -"Brighton TIPPER." - -~Tipster~, a "turf" agent who collects early and generally special -information of the condition and racing capabilities of horses in the -training districts, and posts the same to his subscribers to guide their -betting. - - "The racing TIPSTERS have much less patronage than formerly, before - "Geoffry Greenhorn" laid a trap for them, and published the tips he - received in _The Life_. Professor Ingledue, M.A., the mesmerist, is - silent; and if their subscribers, 'for whose interests I have - collected my old and able staff, with many additional ones, who are - already at work in the training districts,' could only get a sight - of the 'old and able staff,' they would find it consisting of a man - and a boy, at work in the back room of a London public-house, and - sending different winners for every race to their - subscribers."--_Post and Paddock_, by the "Druid." - -There are, however, whatever non-racing men may think, many "touts" -whose information is valuable to even the "best informed" writers. - -~Tit~, a favourite name for a horse. - - "They scorned the coach, they scorned the rails, - Two spanking tits with streaming tails, - Them swiftly onward drew."--_End of All Things._ - -~Tit for tat~, an equivalent. - -~Titivate~, to put in order, or dress up. Originally TIDY-VATE. - -~Titley~, drink, generally applied to intoxicating beverages. - -~Titter~, a girl; "nark the TITTER," _i.e._, look at the girl.--_Tramp's -term._ - -~Tizzy~, a sixpence. Corruption of TESTER. - -~Toad-in-the-hole~, a kind of pudding, consisting of small pieces of -meat immersed in batter, and baked. Also, a term applied to -perambulating advertising mediums. _See_ SANDWICH. - -~Toasting-fork~, a regulation sword, indicative of the general -uselessness of that weapon. - -~Toby~, the road. The highwayman or swell robber was in old days said to -be on the high TOBY, from the high or main road, while those meaner -fellows, the footpad and the cutpurse, were but "low TOBY-MEN," from -their frequenting the by-ways. - -~To-do~ (pronounced quickly, and as one word), a disturbance, trouble; -"here's a pretty TO-DO," here is an unpleasant difficulty. This exactly -tallies with the _French_, AFFAIRE (_ faire_).--_See Forby's Vocabulary -of East Anglia_. - -~To the nines~, to the dodges of the day. "He's up to the NINES," means -he's up to everything. "Dressed to the NINES," means dressed loudly, or, -as it is more generally known now, "dressed to death." - -~Toddle~, to walk as a child. - -~Toe~, to kick. "I'll TOE your backside." Common in London. - -~Toff~, a dandy, a swell of rank. Corruption probably of TUFT. _See_ -TOFT. - -~Toffer~, a well-dressed "gay" woman. One who deals with TOFFS. - -~Tofficky~, dressy, showy. - -~Toft~, a showy individual, a swell, a person who, in a Yorkshireman's -vocabulary, would be termed "uppish." _See_ TUFT. - -~Tog~, a coat. _Latin_, TOGA.--_Ancient Cant._ - -~Tog~, to dress, or equip with an outfit; "TOGGED out to the nines," -dressed in the first style. - -~Toggery~, clothes, harness, domestic paraphernalia of any kind. - -~Togs~, clothes; "Sunday TOGS," best clothes. One of the oldest cant -words--in use in the time of Henry VIII. _See_ CANT. - -~Toke~, dry bread. Sometimes used to denote a lump of anything. - -~Toko for yam~, a Roland for an Oliver. Possibly from a system of barter -carried on between sailors and aborigines. - -~Tol-lol~, or TOL-LOLLISH, tolerable, or tolerably. - -~Toll-shop~, a Yorkshire correspondent gives this word as denoting in -that county a prison, and also the following verse of a song, popular at -fairs in the East Riding:-- - - "But if ivver he get out agean, - And can but raise a frind, - Oh! the divel may tak' TOLL-SHOP, - At Beverley town-end!" - -This is but a variation of the Scottish TOLBOOTH. - -~Tom~, _e.g._, "after TOM," after the hour at which Big TOM of -Christchurch rings. At its last stroke the gates are closed, and -undergrads entering after have to pay an increasing sum for each hour up -to twelve. To be out after that involves an interview with the -Master.--_Oxford University._ - -~Tom and Jerry shop~, a low drinking shop. Probably some allusion to -Pierce Egan's famous characters in his _Life in London_. Generally -contracted to JERRY SHOP. - -~Tom Toppers~, a waterman, from a popular song, entitled, _Overboard he -vent_. - -~Tom Tug~, a waterman. From the small stage-play. Also rhyming slang for -a flat, or rather a "mug." - -~Tomboy~, a hoyden, a rude romping girl. - -~Tombstone~, a pawn-ticket--"In memory of" whatever has been pawned,--a -well-known slang expression with those Londoners who are in the habit of -following "my uncle." - -~Tomfoolery~, nonsense; trashy, mild, and innocuous literature. - -~Tom-fool's colours~, scarlet and yellow, the ancient motley. -Occasionally, as a rhyme of quality suitable to the subject, - - "Red and yellow, - TOM FOOL'S colour." - -A proposition is said to be TOM FOOL when it is too ridiculous to be -entertained or discussed. - -~Tom-tom~, a street instrument, a kind of small drum beaten with the -fingers, somewhat like the ancient tabor; a performer on this -instrument. "Hark! 'tis the Indian drum." - -~Tommy~, _See_ DICKEY. - -~Tommy~, bread,--food generally. Sometimes applied by workmen to the -supply of food which they carry in a bag or handkerchief as their daily -allowance. TOMMY-BAG is the term for the bag or handkerchief in which -the "daily bread" is carried. - -~Tommy~, truck, barter, the exchange of labour for goods, not money. -Both term and practice, general among English operatives for -half-a-century, are by a current fiction supposed to have been abolished -by Act of Parliament. - -~Tommy Dodd~, in tossing when the odd man either wins or loses, as per -agreement. A phrase in frequent use in London. A music-hall song has -been given with this title and on this subject. - -~Tommy-master~, one who pays his workmen in goods, or gives them tickets -upon tradesmen, with whom he shares the profit. - -~Tommy-shop~, a shop where wages are paid to mechanics or others, who -are expected to "take out" a portion of the money in goods. Also, a -baker's shop. - -~Tongue~, "to TONGUE a person," _i.e._, to talk him down. TONGUED, -talkative. - -~Tony Lumpkin~, a young, clownish country fellow. From _She Stoops to -Conquer_. - -~Tool~, as "a poor TOOL," a bad hand at anything. - -~Tool~, to drive a coach, or any other vehicle. To "handle the ribbons" -in fine style. - -~Tool~, a very little boy employed by burglars to enter at small -apertures, and open doors for the larger thieves outside. - -~Tooler~, a pickpocket. MOLL-TOOLER, a female pickpocket. - -~Tooley Street tailor~, a self-conceited, vainglorious man. The "three -tailors of Tooley Street" are said to have immortalized themselves by -preparing a petition for Parliament--and some say, presenting it--with -only their own signatures thereto, which commenced, "We, the people of -England." - -~Tooth~, "he has cut his eye TOOTH," _i.e._, he is sharp enough, or old -enough, to do so; "old in the TOOTH," far advanced in age,--said often -of old maids. From the stable term for aged horses which have lost the -distinguishing marks in their teeth. - -~Tootsies~, feet, those of ladies and children in particular. In married -life it is said the husband uses this expression for the first six -months; after that he terms them "hoofs." - -~Top~, the signal among tailors and sempstresses for snuffing the -candle; one cries TOP, and all the others follow; he who last pronounces -the word has to snuff the candle. - -~Top-dressing~, in journalism, is the large-type introduction to a -report, generally written by a man of higher literary attainments than -the ordinary reporter who follows with the details. - -~Top-heavy~, drunk. - -~Top-sawyer~, the principal of a party, or profession. "A TOP-SAWYER -signifies a man that is a master-genius in any profession. It is a piece -of Norfolk slang, and took its rise from Norfolk being a great timber -county, where the TOP SAWYERS get double the wages of those beneath -them."--_Randall's Diary_, 1820. - -~Top up~, a finishing drink. "He drank two bottles of claret and one of -port, which he TOPPED UP with half a bottle of brandy." - -~Topped~, hanged, or executed. - -~Topper~, anything or person above the ordinary; a blow on the head. -"Give him a TOPPER and chance it," "Let him have a TOPPER for luck." - -~Topper~, the tobacco which is left in the bottom of a pipe-bowl--_lucus -a non lucendo_; or the stump of a smoked cigar. TOPPER-HUNTERS are men -who pick up cigar ends and odd pieces of stale tobacco, which they mix -and chop up for home consumption or sale. - -~Topsy-turvy~, the bottom upwards. Grose gives an ingenious etymology of -this once cant term, viz., "top-side turf-ways,"--turf being always laid -the wrong side upwards. This is so far ingenious that it creates a fact -for the purpose of arguing from it. Turfs are laid with the grass part -together during carriage; so, anyhow, the definition could be only half -right. In fact, TOPSY-TURVY is but short for "top-side t'other way." - -~To-rights~, excellent, very well, or good.--_Low London slang._ - -~Tormentors~, the large iron flesh-forks used by cooks at sea. - -~Torpids~, the second-class race-boats at Oxford, answering to the -Cambridge "sloggers." - -~Toshers~, men who steal copper from ships' bottoms in the Thames. - -~Toss~, a measure of sprats.--_Billingsgate._ - -~Tot~, a small glass; a "TOT o' whisky" is the smallest quantity sold. - -~Tot-up~, to add together,--as columns of figures, _s._ _d._ From -TOTAL-UP, through the vulgarism TOTTLE. - -~Totting~, bone-picking, either peripatetically or at the dust-heaps. -"TOT" is a bone, but chiffoniers and cinder-hunters generally are called -TOT-PICKERS nowadays. TOTTING also has its votaries on the banks of the -Thames, where all kinds of flotsam and jetsam, from coals to carrion, -are known as TOTS. - -~Touch~, a slang expression in common use in phrases which express the -extent to which a person is interested or affected, "as a fourpenny -TOUCH," _i.e._, a thing costing fourpence. _See_ an example in Mr., -afterwards Sir Erasmus, Philipps's Diary, at Oxford, in 1720. "_Sept. -22._--At night went to the ball at the Angel, a guinea TOUCH." It is also -used at Eton in the sense of a "tip," or present of money; and is -sometimes said of a woman to imply her worthlessness, as, "Only a -half-crown TOUCH." - -~Touch-and-go~, an expression often applied to men with whom business -arrangements should be of the lightest possible character. Thus, "He's a -TOUCH-AND-GO sort of fellow. Be careful of him." - -~Toucher~, "as near as a TOUCHER," as near as possible without actually -touching.--_Coaching term._ The old Jarveys, to show their skill, used -to drive against things so closely as absolutely to touch, yet without -injury. This they called a TOUCHER, or TOUCH-AND-GO, which was hence -applied to anything which was within an ace of ruin. - -~Touchy~, peevish, irritable. Johnson terms it a low word. - -~Tout.~ In sporting phraseology a TOUT signifies an agent in the -training districts, on the look-out for information as to the condition -and capabilities of those horses entering for a coming race. TOUTS often -get into trouble through entering private training-grounds. They, -however, are very highly paid, some making 40_l._ or 50_l._ a week -during the season. Now frequently called horse-watchers. - -~Tout~, to look out, or watch. - -~Touter~, a looker out, one who waits at railway stations and steamboat -piers, and touts for customers; a hotel runner. Term in general use. - -~Touzle~, to romp with or rumple.--_Scotch._ - -~Towel~, to beat or whip. In old English phraseology a cudgel was termed -an oaken TOWEL--whence, perhaps, the verb. - -~Towelling~, a rubbing down with an oaken TOWEL, a beating. - -~Town and Gown.~ The fight which used to come off every 5th of November -between the undergrads and the "cads." The sides used to shout -respectively "TOWN!" and "GOWN!" as war-cries.--_Oxford University._ - -~Town-lout~, a derogatory title at Rugby School for those pupils who -reside with their parents in the town, in contradistinction from those -who live in the boarding-houses. - -~Tow-pows~, grenadiers. From the bearskins, most likely, unless it was -originally TALL-POWS, the grenadiers being the tallest men in the -company. - -~Towzery gang~, swindlers who hire sale-rooms, usually in the suburbs, -for mock auction sales of cheap and worthless goods, and who advertise -their ventures as "Alarming Sacrifices," "Important Sales of Bankrupts' -Stock," &c. The American name for a mock auctioneer is a "Peter Funk." - -~Tracks~, "to make TRACKS," to run away. _See_ STREAK. - -~Tradesman~, one who thoroughly understands his business, whatever it -may be. No better compliment can be passed on an individual, whether his -profession be housebreaking, prizefighting, or that of a handicraftsman, -than the significant "He's a regular TRADESMAN." - -~Translator~, a man who deals in old shoes or clothes, and refits them -for cheap wear. These people generally live in or about Dudley Street, -Seven Dials. - -~Translators~, second-hand boots mended and polished, and sold at a low -price. - -~Trap~, a "fast" term for a carriage of any kind. TRAPS, goods and -chattels of any kind, but especially luggage and personal effects; in -Australia, "swag." - -~Trapesing~, gadding or gossiping about in a slatternly way. Generally -applied to girls and women in low neighbourhoods, who wander from -public-house to public-house, and whose clothes are carelessly fastened, -causing them to trail on the ground. - -~Traveller~, name given by one tramp to another. "A TRAVELLER at her -Majesty's expense," _i.e._, a transported felon, a convict. - -~Tree~, "up a TREE," in temporary difficulties,--out of the way. -American expression, derived from racoon or bear-hunting. When Bruin is -TREED, or is forced up a TREE by the dogs, it means that then the tug of -war begins. _See_ 'COON. Hence when an opponent is fairly run to bay, -and can by no evasion get off, he is said to be TREED. These expressions -originated with Colonel Crockett, of backwoods celebrity. In Scotland -the phrase is "up a close," _i.e._, up a passage with no outlet, a -_cul-de-sac_, therefore suggestive of an unpleasant predicament. - -~Triangles~, a slang term for _delirium tremens_, during a fit of which -everything appears out of the square. - -~Trimmings~, the necessary adjuncts to anything cooked, but specially -applied to a boiled leg of mutton, as turnips, potatoes, bread, beer, -salt, &c. Bets are frequently made for a leg of mutton and TRIMMINGS. Or -one person will forfeit the mutton if another will "stand the -TRIMMINGS." It is generally a supper feast, held in a public-house, and -the rule is for the landlord to charge as TRIMMINGS everything, except -the mutton, placed on the table previous to the removal of the cloth. A -boiled leg o' mutton and TRIMMINGS will be always known as a "swarry" to -admirers of Sam Weller. - -~Tripes~, the bowels. - - "Next morning Miss Dolly complained of her TRIPES, - Drinking cold water had given her gripes." - -~Trollies~, or TROLLY-CARTS, term given by costermongers to a species of -narrow carts, which can either be drawn by a donkey or driven by hand. - -~Trolling~, sauntering or idling, hence TROLL and TROLLOCKS, an idle -slut, a "moll," which _see_. - -~Trollop~, a slatternly woman, a prostitute. - -~Trot~, to "run up," to oppose, to bid against at an auction. Private -buyers at auctions know from experience how general is the opposition -against them from dealers, "knock-outs," and other habitus of sales, -who regard the rooms as their own peculiar domain. "We TROTTED him up -nicely, didn't we?" _i.e._, we made him (the private buyer) pay dearly -for what he bought. - -~Trot out~, to draw out or exploit, to show off the abilities of a -companion; sometimes to roast for the amusement and with the assistance -of an assembled company. - -~Trotter~, a tailor's man who goes round for orders.--_University._ - -~Trotter cases~, shoes. - -~Trotters~, feet. Sheep's TROTTERS, boiled sheep's feet, a favourite -street delicacy. - -~Truck~, a hat--from the cap on the extremity of a mast.--_Sea._ - -~Truck~, to exchange or barter. - -~Trucks~, trousers. - -~Trull~, corruption of "troll" or "trollop," a dirty, slatternly woman, -a prostitute of the lowest class. - -~Trump~, a good fellow; "a regular TRUMP," a jolly or good-natured -person--in allusion to a TRUMP card; "TRUMPS may turn up," _i.e._, -fortune may yet favour me. - -~Trunks~, short trousers worn above hose or tights.--_Theatrical._ - -~Try it on~, to make attempt, generally applied to an effort at -imposition. An extortionate charge or a begging-letter is frequently -described as "a regular TRY-ON." - -~Tub~, the morning bath. To TUB has now become a regular verb, so far as -colloquialism is concerned, though no one uses a TUB as the word was -originally understood. - -~Tub-thumping~, preaching or speech-making, from the old Puritan fashion -of "holding forth" from a tub, or beer barrel, as a mark of their -contempt for decorated pulpits. - -~Tubs~, nickname for a butterman. - -~Tuck~, a schoolboy's term for fruit, pastry, &c. TUCK IN, or TUCK OUT, -a good meal. - -~Tuft-hunter~, a hanger on to persons of quality or wealth--one who -seeks the society of wealthy people. Originally University slang, but -now general. - -~Tufts~, at the University, noblemen, who pay high fees and are -distinguished by golden TUFTS, or tassels, in their caps. - -~Tumble~, to comprehend or understand. A coster was asked what he -thought of _Macbeth_, and he replied, "The witches and the fighting was -all very well, but the other moves I couldn't TUMBLE to exactly; few on -us can TUMBLE to the jaw-breakers; they licks us, they do." - -~Tumble to pieces~, to be safely delivered, as in childbirth. - -~Tune the old cow died of~, an epithet for any ill-played or discordant -piece of music. Originally the name of an old ballad, referred to by -dramatists of Shakspeare's time. - -~Tuns~, a name at Pembroke College, Oxford, for small silver cups, each -containing half a pint. Sometimes a TUN had a handle with a whistle, -which could not be blown till the cup was empty. - -~Turf~, horse-racing, and betting thereon; "on the TURF," one who -occupies himself with race-horse business; said also of a street-walker, -or nymph of the _pav_. - -~Turkey merchants~, dealers in plundered or contraband silk. Poulterers -are sometimes termed TURKEY MERCHANTS in remembrance of Horne Tooke's -answer to the boys at Eton, who wished in an aristocratic way to know -what _his_ father was: "A TURKEY MERCHANT," replied Tooke--his father -was a poulterer. TURKEY MERCHANT, also, was formerly slang for a driver -of turkeys or geese to market. - -~Turnip~, an old-fashioned watch, so called from its general appearance, -if of silver. Also called "a frying-pan." Old-fashioned gold watches are -called "warming-pans." - -~Turn it up~, to quit, change, abscond, or abandon; "Ned has TURNED IT -UP," _i.e._, run away; "I intend TURNING IT UP," _i.e._, leaving my -present abode or employment, or altering my course of life. - -~Turn-out~, personal show or appearance; a man with a showy carriage and -horses is said to have a good TURN-OUT. - -~Turn-over~, an apprentice who finishes with a second master the -indentures he commenced with another, who has died or become bankrupt. - -~Turn up~, a street fight; a sudden leaving, or making off. An -unexpected slice of luck. Among sporting men bookmakers are said to have -a TURN UP when an unbacked horse wins. - -~Turn up~, to appear unexpectedly. Also to happen; "Let's wait, and see -what will TURN UP." - -~Turn up~, to make sick. People are said to be TURNED UP by -sea-sickness, or when they are made ill by excessive smoking or -drinking. - -~Turned over~, remanded by the magistrate or judge for want of evidence. - -~Turned up~, to be stopped and searched by the police. To be discharged -from a police-court or sessions-house; to be acquitted. - -~Turnpike sailors~, beggars who go about dressed as sailors. A sarcastic -reference to the scene of their chief voyages. - -~Tusheroon~, a crown piece, five shillings. Otherwise a bull or -cartwheel. - -~Tussle~, a row, struggle, fight, or argument. - -~Tussle~, to struggle, or argue. - -~Twelve godfathers~, a jury, because they give a name to the crime the -prisoner before them has been guilty of, whether murder or manslaughter, -felony or misdemeanor. Consequently it is a vulgar taunt to say, "You -will be christened by TWELVE GODFATHERS some day before long." - -~Twelver~, a shilling. - -~Twice-laid~, a dish made out of cold fish and potatoes.--_Sea._ Compare -BUBBLE AND SQUEAK, and RESURRECTION PIE. - -~Twig~, style. Prime TWIG, in good order and high spirits. - -~Twig~, to comprehend, as, "Do you TWIG?" Also, "Hop the TWIG," to -decamp. - -~Twist~, brandy and gin mixed. - -~Twist~, capacity for eating, appetite; "He's got a capital TWIST." - -~Twitchety~, nervous, fidgety. - -~Twitter~, "all in a TWITTER," in a fright or fidgety state. - -~Two eighteener~, an Americanism for a man or woman of the fastest -kind--two minutes eighteen seconds, or close thereabouts, being the -fastest time for a mile recorded in connexion with the Transatlantic -national sport, trotting. "Two forty on a plank road," a once favourite -expression with a similar meaning, derived from a feat of the famous -trotting mare Flora Temple, has died out since trotting has become -faster, and courses have been prepared on a different principle. - -~Two-eyed-steak~, a red-herring or bloater. Otherwise "Billingsgate -pheasant." - -~Two-handed~, expert at fisticuffs. Ambidextrous generally. - -~Two-handed game~, a game or proposal in which the chances are fairly -even; as, "I'll punch your head;" "Ah, that's a TWO-HANDED GAME--you'll -get no good at that." - -~Two to one~, the pawnbroker's sign of three balls. So called because it -is supposed by calculating humourists to be TWO TO ONE against the -redemption of a pledged article. - -~Two upon ten~, or TWO PUN' TEN, an expression used by assistants to -each other, in shops, when a customer of suspected honesty makes his -appearance. The phrase refers to "two eyes upon ten fingers," shortened -as a money term to TWO PUN' TEN. When a supposed thief is present, one -shopman asks the other if that TWO PUN' (pound) TEN matter was ever -settled. The man knows at once what is meant, and keeps a careful watch -upon the person being served. If it is not convenient to speak, a piece -of paper is handed to the same assistant, bearing the, to him, very -significant amount of - - _2: 10: 0_ - -_Compare_ SHARP, JOHN ORDERLY. - -~Twopenny~, the head; "tuck in your TWOPENNY," bend down your head. - -~Twopenny-halfpenny~, paltry, insignificant. A TWOPENNY-HALFPENNY -fellow, a not uncommon expression of contempt. - -~Twopenny-hops~, low dancing rooms, the price of admission to which was -formerly twopence. The clog hornpipe, the pipe dance, flash jigs, and -hornpipes in fetters, _ la_ Jack Sheppard, were the favourite -movements, all entered into with great spirit. - -~Twopenny rope~, a lodging-house of the lowest kind, where tramps and -cadgers sleep on sacking stretched by means of ropes. Sleeping at these -places is called having "twopenn'orth of rope." - -~Tyburnia~, the Portman and Grosvenor Square district. It is facetiously -divided by the Londoners into "Tyburnia Felix," "Tyburnia Deserta," and -"Tyburnia Snobbica." The old gallows at Tyburn stood near the N.E. -corner of Hyde Park, at the angle formed by the Edgware Road and the top -of Oxford Street. In 1778 this was two miles out of London. - -~Tyburn tippet~, in the old hanging days, Jack Ketch's rope. - -~Tye~, or TIE, a neckerchief. Proper hosiers' term now, but slang thirty -years ago, and as early as 1718. - -~Tyke~, a Yorkshireman. Term used by themselves, as well as by -Southerners, in reference to them. - -~Typo~, a printer. - -~Ugly~, wicked, malicious, resentful.--_American._ - -~Ullages~, the wine of all sorts left in the bottoms of glasses at a -public dinner. This is emptied into a measure, and drunk behind the -screen or in any convenient place by the waiters, which accounts for -their stony glare and fishy appearance late in the evening. Maybe from -_Lat._ ULLUS, any. - -~Unbleached American~, Yankee term, since the war, for coloured natives -of the United States. - -~Uncle~, the pawnbroker. _See_ MY UNCLE. - -~Under a cloud~, in difficulties. An evident reference to shady -circumstances. - -~Under the rose.~ _See_ ROSE. - -~Understandings~, the feet or boots. Men who wear exceptionally large or -thick boots, are said to possess good UNDERSTANDINGS. - -~Understudy~, to STUDY a part for the stage, not with the view of -playing it at once, but so as to be ready in the event of anything -happening to its present representative. Some actors of position, who -suffer from delicate health, or mental weakness, have always other and -inferior, but more robust, artists UNDERSTUDYING their parts. - -~Unfortunate~, a modern euphuism for a prostitute, derived from Thomas -Hood's beautiful poem of _The Bridge of Sighs_:-- - - "One more UNFORTUNATE, - Weary of breath, - Rashly importunate, - Gone to her death." - -It is almost needless to remark that the poet had no intention of using -the word in any but its widest and most general sense. - -~Unicorn~, a style of driving with two wheelers abreast and one -leader--termed in the United States a "spike team." "Tandem" is one -wheeler and one leader. "Random," three horses in line. "Manchester" -means three horses abreast. _See_ HARUM-SCARUM. - -~Unlicked~, ill-trained, uncouth, rude, and rough; an "UNLICKED cub" is -a loutish youth who has never been taught manners; from the tradition -that a bear's cub, when brought into the world, has no shape or symmetry -until its dam licks it into form with her tongue. Possibly said of a boy -who has been petted, _i.e._, who has been insufficiently thrashed or -licked. Case of spared rod and spoilt child. - -~Unparliamentary~, or UNSCRIPTURAL, language, words unfit for use in -ordinary conversation. - -~Unutterables~, or UNWHISPERABLES, trousers. _See_ INEXPRESSIBLES. - -~Up~, "to be UP to a thing or two," to be knowing, or understanding; "to -put a man UP to a move," to teach him a trick; "it's all UP with him," -_i.e._, it is all over with him; when pronounced U.P., naming the two -letters separately, means settled, or done UP. "UP a tree," _see_ TREE. -"UP to snuff," wide awake, acquainted with the last new move; "UP to -one's gossip," to be a match for one who is trying to take you in; "UP -to slum," proficient in roguery, capable of committing a theft -successfully; "what's UP?" what is the matter? what is the news? - -~U.P.~, United Presbyterian Church of Scotland. - -~Upper Benjamin~, or BENJY, a great coat; originally "Joseph," but, -because of the preponderance of tailors named BENJAMIN, altered in -deference to them. - -~Upper storey~, or UPPER LOFT, a person's head; "his UPPER STOREY is -unfurnished," _i.e._, he does not know very much. "Wrong in his UPPER -STOREY," crazy. _See_ CHUMP. - -~Uppish~, proud, arrogant. - -~Used up~, broken-hearted, bankrupt, fatigued, vanquished. - -~Vakeel~, a barrister.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Vamos~, VAMOUS, or VAMOOSH, to go, or be off. Spanish, VAMOS, "Let us -go!" Probably NAMUS, or NAMOUS, the costermonger's word, was from this. - -~Vamp~, to spout, to leave in pawn. Also to cobble, as, "a VAMPED play," -and "a VAMPED accompaniment," both terms reflecting discredit on the -work, but not necessarily upon the musician. - -~Vamps~, old, or refooted stockings. From VAMP, to piece. - -~Vardo~, to look; "VARDO the carsey," look at the house. VARDO formerly -was old cant for a waggon. This is by low Cockneys generally pronounced -VARDY. - -~Vardy~, verdict, vulgarly used as opinion, thus, "My VARDY on the -matter is the same as yourn." - -~Varmint.~ "You young VARMINT, you!" you bad, or naughty boy. Corruption -of VERMIN. - -~Varnisher~, an utterer of false sovereigns. Generally "snide-pitcher." - -~'Varsity~, either UNIVERSITY--more rarely University College, Oxford. - -~Velvet~, the tongue; especially the tongue of a magsman. Also, men who -have succeeded in their speculations, especially on the turf, are said -to stand on VELVET. - -~Veneer~, the artificiality of society, conventionality. Dickens -expressed his dislike for certain forms of VENEER repeatedly, and -especially by means of his Veneerings in _Our Mutual Friend_. - -~Vet~, colloquial term for VETERINARIAN. - -~Vic~, the Victoria Theatre, London. Also the street abbreviation of the -Christian name of her Majesty the Queen. - -~Village~, or THE VILLAGE, _i.e._, London. Birmingham is called "the -hardware VILLAGE." Also a Cambridge term for a disreputable suburb of -that town, viz., Barnwell, generally styled "the VILLAGE." - -~Ville~, or VILE, a town or village--pronounced PHIAL, or -VIAL.--_French._ - -~Vinnied~, mildewed, or sour.--_Devonshire._ - -~Voker~, to talk; "can you VOKER Romany?" can you speak the canting -language?--_Latin_, VOCARE; _Spanish_, VOCEAR. - -~Vowel.~ "To VOWEL a debt" is to acknowledge with an IOU. - -~Vulpecide~, one who shoots or traps foxes, or destroys them in any way -other than that of hunting. A foxhunter regards a VULPECIDE as rather -worse than an ordinary murderer. - -~Wabble~, or WOBBLE, to move from side to side, to roll about. Johnson -terms it "a low, barbarous word." - -~Walk into~, to overcome, to demolish; "I'll WALK INTO his affections," -_i.e._, I will scold or thrash him. "He WALKED INTO the grub," _i.e._, -he demolished it. WALK INTO also means to get into the debt of any one, -as "He WALKED INTO the affections of all the tradesmen in the -neighbourhood." - -~Walk-over~, a re-election without opposition.--_Parliamentary_, but -derived from the turf, where a horse which has no rivals WALKS OVER the -course. _See_ DEAD HEAT. - -~Walk your chalks~, be off, or run away,--spoken sharply by any one who -wishes to get rid of a troublesome person. _See_ CHALKS. - -~Walker~, a letter-carrier or postman. From an old song, called, -"Walker, the twopenny postman." - -~Walker!~ or HOOKEY WALKER! an ejaculation of incredulity, used when a -person is telling a story which you know to be all gammon, or worse. One -explanation of the phrase is this:--"Years ago there was a person named -Walker, an aquiline-nosed Jew, who exhibited an orrery, which he called -by the erudite name of 'Eidouranion.' He was also a popular lecturer on -astronomy, and often, telescope in hand, invited his pupils to 'take a -sight' at the moon and stars. The lecturer's phrase struck his schoolboy -auditory, who frequently 'took a sight' with that gesture of -outstretched arm and adjustment to nose and eye which was the first -garnish of the popular saying. The next step was to assume phrase and -gesture as the outward and visible mode of knowingness in general." This -has been denied, however, and a statement made that HOOKEY WALKER was a -magistrate of dreaded acuteness and incredulity, whose hooked nose gave -the title of "beak" to all his successors; it is also said, moreover, -that the gesture of applying the thumb to the nose and agitating the -little finger, as an expression of "Don't you wish you may get it?" is -considerably older than the first story would seem to indicate. There -are many and various explanations of the term, given according to the -development of fancy.--_Notes and Queries_, iv. 425. - -~Walking the pegs~, a method of cheating at the game of cribbage, by a -species of legerdemain, the sharper either moving his own pegs forward, -or those of his antagonist backward, according to the state of the game. - -~Wallflower~, a person who goes to a ball and looks on without dancing, -either from choice or through not being able to obtain a partner. From -the position. - -~Wallflowers~, left-off and "regenerated" clothes exposed for sale on -the bunks and shop-boards of Seven Dials. _See_ REACH-ME-DOWNS. - -~Wallabee-track~, Colonial slang for the tramp. When a man in Australia -is "on the road" looking for employment, he is said to be on the -WALLABEE-TRACK. - -~Wallop~, to beat, or thrash. John Gough Nichols derives this word from -an ancestor of the Earl of Portsmouth, one Sir John Wallop, Knight of -the Garter, who in King Henry VIII.'s time distinguished himself by -WALLOPING the French; but it is more probably connected with wheal, a -livid swelling in the skin after a blow. _See_ POT-WALLOPER. - -~Walloping~, a beating or thrashing; sometimes used in an adjective -sense, as big, or very large. - -~Wapping~, or WHOPPING, of a large size, great. - -~Warm~, rich, or well off. - -~Warm~, to thrash or beat; "I'll WARM your jacket." To WARM the wax of -one's ear is to give a severe blow on the side of the head. To WARM is -also to rate or abuse roundly. Also varied, as, "to make it hot" for any -one. - -~Warming-pan~, a large old-fashioned gold watch. A person placed in an -office to hold it for another. _See_ W.P. - -~War-paint~, evening dress. When people go out in full costume they are -often said to have their WAR-PAINT on. Also, military "full-fig." - -~Wash~, "It wont WASH," _i.e._, will not stand investigation, will not -"bear the rub," is not genuine, can't be believed. - -~Waster~, a useless, clumsy, or ill-made person. - -~Watch and seals~, a sheep's head and pluck. - -~Watchmaker~, a pickpocket or stealer of watches. Often called "a -WATCHMAKER in a crowd." - -~Water-bewitched~, very weak tea, the third brew (or the first at some -houses). Sometimes very weak tea is called "husband's tea," in allusion -to the wife taking the first brew, and leaving the rest for her husband. -Also grog much diluted. - -~Water-dogs~, Norfolk dumplings. - -~Water gunner~, a marine artilleryman. - -~Water the dragon~, or WATER ONE'S NAG, a hint for retiring. - -~Waterman~, a blue silk handkerchief. The friends of the Oxford and -Cambridge boats' crews always wear these--light blue for Cambridge, and -a darker shade for Oxford. - -~Wattles~, ears. - -~Wax~, a rage. "Let's get him in a WAX." WAXY, cross, ill-tempered. - -~Wayz-goose~, a printers' annual dinner, the funds for which are -collected by stewards regularly appointed by "the chapel." - -~Weather eye~, the cautious eye. Any one who is supposed to have an -extra good knowledge of things in general, or to be hard to impose on or -cheat, is said to have his WEATHER EYE well open. - -~Weather-headed~, so written by Sir Walter Scott in his _Peveril of the -Peak_, but it is more probably WETHER-HEADED, as applied to a person -having a "sheepish" look. - -~Weaving~, a notorious card-sharping trick, done by keeping certain -cards on the knee, or between the knee and the under side of the table, -and using them when required by changing them for the cards held in the -hand. - -~Weaving leather aprons.~ When a knowing blade is asked what he has been -doing lately, and does not choose to tell, his reply is, that he has -been very busy WEAVING LEATHER APRONS. (From the reports of a celebrated -trial for gold robbery on the South-Western Railway.) Other similar -replies are, "I have been making a trundle for a goose's eye," or a -"whim-wham to bridle a goose." Sometimes a man will describe himself as -"a doll's-eye WEAVER." - -~Wedge~, silver.--_Old Cant._ - -~Wedge-feeder~, a silver spoon. - -~Weed~, a cigar; _the_ WEED, tobacco generally. - -~Weed~, a hatband. - -~Weight-for-age~, a sporting phrase which, applied to a race, -distinguishes it from a handicap or catch-weight event, and informs all -interested that the animals which run carry according to their ages, and -not their abilities. Winners of certain great races generally carry -penalties in addition to WEIGHT-FOR-AGE, for the purpose of equalizing -matters somewhat; but as a rule the results are fairly foreshadowed as -soon as in these races the horses are at the post, or as soon as the -starters are positively known. - -~Wejee~, a chimney-pot. Often applied to any clever invention, as, -"That's a regular WEJEE." - -~Welcher~, a person who makes a bet without the remotest chance of being -able to pay, and, losing it, absconds, or "makes himself scarce." In the -betting ring a WELCHER is often very severely handled upon his swindling -practices being discovered. The Catterick "Clerk of the Course" once -provided some stout labourers and a tar-barrel for the special benefit -of the WELCHERS who might visit that neighbourhood. The word is modern, -but the practice is ancient. - - "One Moore, the unworthy incumbent of the 'Suffolk curacy,' - dedicated a book to 'Duke Humphrey,' and was then entirely lost - sight of by his old college friends, till one of them espied him - slung up in 'the basket,' for not paying his bets at a - cock-pit."--_Post and Paddock._ - -One writer says the term "arose from a fellow who took deposits on -account of Welsh ponies, which he said he was importing, and never -delivered them." It is not unfrequently suggested by irreverent persons -that the word was suggested by the dislike his gracious Majesty George -the Fourth had, when a young man, for settling. Others derive it from -the nursery rhyme, - - "Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief." - -There can be no doubt that, from the days when the stout Earl of -Chester and others were constantly employed in checking and cutting off -the expeditions of their neighbours till comparatively recently, the -term "Welshman" has been hardly one of kindness. It is not hard, -therefore, to imagine its use on the Roodee, and its subsequent -corruption into WELCHER. The spelling of the word, WELCHER or WELSHER, -is optional. - -~Well~, to pocket, to save money. Any one of fair income and miserly -habits is said to "WELL it." - -~Welt~, to thrash with a strap or stick. Probably meaning to raise -wheals. - -~West central~, a water-closet, the initials being the same as those of -the London Postal District. It is said that for this reason very -delicate people refuse to obey Rowland Hill's instructions in this -particular. An old maid, who lived in this district, was particularly -shocked at having W.C. marked on all her letters, and informed the -letter-carrier that she could not think of submitting to such an -indecent fashion. On being informed that the letters would not be -forwarded without the obnoxious initials, she remarked that she would -have them left at the Post-Office. "Then, marm," said the fellow, with a -grin, "they will put P.O. on them, which will be more ondacenter than -the tother." - -~Wet~, a drink, a drain. - -~Wet~, to drink. Low people generally ask an acquaintance to WET any -recently purchased article, _i.e._, to stand treat on the occasion. "WET -(originally WHET, to sharpen,) your whistle," _i.e._, take a drink; "WET -the other eye," _i.e._, take another glass. _See_ SHED A TEAR. - -~Wet Quaker~, a man who pretends to be religious, and is a dram-drinker -on the sly. - -~Wet un~, a diseased cow, unfit for human food, but nevertheless sold to -make into sausages. _Compare_ STAGGERING-BOB. - -~Whack~, a share or lot. "Give me my WHACK," give me my -share.--_Scotch_, SWEG, _or_ SWACK. - -~Whack~, or WHACKING, a blow, or a thrashing. - -~Whack~, to beat. - -~Whacker~, a lie of unusual dimensions, sometimes called a "round un." - -~Whacking~, large, fine, or strong. - -~Whacks~, to go WHACKS, to divide equally; to enter into partnership. - -~Whale~, "very like a WHALE," said of anything that is very improbable. -A speech of Polonius's in _Hamlet_. - -~What d'yecall'em~, a similar expression to "thingumy." - -~Wheeze~, a joke, an anecdote, or dialogue, not strictly connected with -a piece that is being played, but introduced by an actor, sometimes with -the assistance and for the benefit of others. The dialogues which take -place between the songs at nigger entertainments are also known as -WHEEZES. The word actually means a new notion as applied to dialogue. - -~Wherret~, or WORRIT, to scold, trouble, or annoy.--_Old English._ - -~Whid~, a word. Sometimes, a fib, a falsehood, a word too much.--_Modern -Slang_, from the ancient cant. - -~Whiddle~, to enter into a parley, or hesitate with many words, &c.; to -inform, or discover. _See_ WHEEDLE. - -~Whim-wham~, an alliterative term, synonymous with fiddle-faddle, -riff-raff, &c., denoting nonsense, rubbish, &c. - -~Whip~, after the usual allowance of wine is drunk at mess, those who -wish for more put a shilling each into a glass handed round to procure a -further supply. WHIP-ROUND is now a common term for a subscription of a -similar kind to that described. - -~Whip~, to "WHIP anything up," to take it up quickly; from the method of -hoisting heavy goods or horses on board ship by a WHIP, or running -tackle, from the yard-arm. Generally used to express anything -dishonestly taken. - -~Whip~, the member of the House of Commons whose duty it is to collect -and keep together his party to vote at divisions. To give him greater -influence, the ministerial WHIP holds, or is supposed to hold, the minor -patronage of the Treasury. - -~Whipjack~, a sham shipwrecked sailor, called also a turnpike-sailor. - -~Whip the cat~, when an operative works at a private house by the day. -Term used amongst tailors and carpenters. - -~Whipper-snapper~, a waspish, diminutive person. - -~Whisper~, a tip given in secret, a rumour which is spread under the -pretence of its being a secret. To "give the WHISPER," is to give a -quick tip to any one. An owner's final instruction to his jockey is -called "the WHISPER at the post." - -~Whisper~, to borrow money--generally small sums--as, "He WHISPERED me -for a tanner." - -~Whisperer~, a constant borrower. - -~Whistle~, "as clean as a WHISTLE," neatly, or "slickly done," as an -American would say; "To whet (or more vulgarly wet) one's WHISTLE," to -take a drink. This last is a very old expression. Chaucer says of the -Miller of Trumpington's wife (_Canterbury Tales_, 4153)-- - - "So was hir joly WHISTAL well y-wet." - -"To WHISTLE for anything," to stand small chance of getting it, from the -nautical custom of WHISTLING for a wind in a calm, which of course comes -none the sooner for it. "To pay for one's WHISTLE," to pay extravagantly -for any fancy. - -~Whistling-Billy~, or PUFFING-BILLY, a locomotive engine. - -~Whistling-shop~, a place in which spirits are sold without a licence. - -~Whitechapel~ or WESTMINSTER BROUGHAM, a costermonger's donkey-barrow. - -~Whitechapel~, anything mean or paltry. Potting one's opponent at -billiards is often known as "WHITECHAPEL play." - -~Whitechapel~, in tossing, when "two out of three wins." _See_ SUDDEN -DEATH. - -~Whitechapel fortune~, a clean gown and a pair of pattens. - -~White eye~, military slang for a very strong and deleterious kind of -whisky, so called because its potency is believed to turn the eyes round -in the sockets, leaving the whites only visible. - -~White feather~, "to show the WHITE FEATHER," to evince cowardice. In -times when great attention was paid to the breeding of game-cocks, a -white feather in the tail was considered a proof of cross-breeding. - -~White horses~, the foam on the crests of waves, seen before or after a -storm. - - "Now the wild white horses play. - Champ and chafe and toss in the spray. - Children, dear, let us away, - This way, this way."--_Matthew Arnold._ - -~White lie~, a harmless lie, one told to reconcile people at variance. -"Mistress is not at home, sir," is a WHITE LIE often told by servants. - -~White-livered~, or LIVER-FACED, cowardly, much afraid, very mean. - -~White prop~, a diamond pin.--_East London._ - -~White satin~, gin,--term amongst women. _See_ SATIN. - -~White serjeant~, a man's superior officer in the person of his better -half. - -~White tape~, gin,--term used principally by female servants. _See_ -RIBBON. - -~White un~, a silver watch. - -~White wine~, the fashionable term for gin. - - "Jack Randall then impatient rose, - And said, 'Tom's speech were just as fine - If he would call that first of GOES - By that genteeler name--WHITE WINE.'" - - _Randall's Diary_, 1820. - -~Whitewash~, to rehabilitate. A person who took the benefit of the -Insolvent Act was said to have been WHITEWASHED. Now said of a person -who compromises with his creditors. - -~Whitewash~, a glass of sherry as a finale, after drinking port and -claret. - -~Whittle~, to nose or peach.--_Old Cant._ To cut and hack as with a -pocket-knife.--_American._ - -~Whop~, to beat, or hide. Corruption of WHIP; sometimes spelt WAP. - -~Whop-straw~, cant name for a countryman; Johnny WHOP-STRAW, in allusion -to threshing. - -~Whopper~, a big one, a lie. A lie not easily swallowed. - -~Widdle~, to shine. _See_ OLIVER. - -~Wide-awake~, a broad-brimmed felt or stuff hat,--so called because it -never had a nap, and never wants one. - -~Wido~, wide awake, no fool. - -~Wife~, a fetter fixed to one leg.--_Prison._ - -~Wiffle-woffles~, in the dumps, sorrow, stomach-ache. - -~Wig~, move off, go away.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Wigging~, a rebuke before comrades. If the head of a firm calls a clerk -into the parlour, and rebukes him, it is an EARWIGGING; if done before -the other clerks, it is a WIGGING. - -~Wild~, a village.--_Tramps' term._ _See_ VILE. - -~Wild~, vexed, cross, passionate,--said to be from WILLED (SELF-WILLED), -in opposition to "tamed" or "subdued." In the United States the word -"mad" is supplemented with a vulgar meaning similar to our Cockneyism -WILD; and to make a man mad on the other side of the Atlantic is to vex -him, or "rile" his temper--not to render him a raving maniac, or a fit -subject for Bedlam. - -~Wild Irishman~, the train between Euston and Holyhead, in connection -with the Kingstown mail-boats. - -~Wild oats~, youthful pranks. A fast young man is said to be "sowing his -WILD OATS." - -~William~, a bill. The derivation is obvious. - -~Willow~, a cricket-bat. From the material of which it is made. The -great batsman, W. G. Grace, is often called "champion of the WILLOW." - -~Wind~, "to raise the WIND," to procure money; "to slip one's WIND," a -coarse expression, meaning to die. _See_ RAISE. - -~Wind~, "I'll WIND your cotton," _i.e._, I will give you some trouble. -The Byzantine General, Narses, used the same kind of threat to the Greek -Empress,--"I will spin a thread that they shall not be able to unravel." - -~Windows~, the eyes, or "peepers." - -~Winey~, intoxicated. - -~Winged~, hurt, but not dangerously, by a bullet. Originally to be shot -in the arm or shoulder. To slightly wound birds is to WING them. - -~Winkin~, "he went off like WINKIN," _i.e._, very quickly. From WINK, to -shut the eye quickly. - -~Winks~, periwinkles. - -~Winn~, a penny--_Ancient Cant._ _See_ introductory chapter. - -~Wipe~, a pocket-handkerchief.--_Old Cant._ - -~Wipe~, a blow. Frequently sibilated to SWIPE, a cricket-term. - -~Wipe~, to strike; "he fetcht me a WIPE over the knuckles," he struck me -on the knuckles; "to WIPE a person down," to flatter or pacify; "to wipe -off a score," to pay one's debts, in allusion to the slate or chalk -methods of account-keeping; "to WIPE a person's eye," to shoot game -which he has missed; hence to obtain an advantage by superior activity. -With old topers "WIPING one's eye," is equivalent to giving or taking -another drink. - -~Wipe-out~, to kill or utterly destroy. This is an Americanism, but is -in pretty general use here. - -~Wire-in~, a London street phrase in general use, which means to go in -with a will. In its original form of "WIRE-IN, and get your name up," it -was very popular among London professional athletes. The phrase is now -general, and any one who has a hard task before him, knows he must -WIRE-IN to bring matters to a successful issue. - -~Wire-pullers~, powerful political partisans, who do their work from -"behind the scenes." - -~With and without~, words by themselves, supposed to denote the -existence or non-existence of sugar in grog. Generally "warm WITH" and -"cold WITHOUT." - -~Wobble-shop~, a shop where beer is sold without a licence. - -~Wobbler~, a foot soldier, a term of contempt used by cavalrymen. - -~Wobbly~, rickety, unsteady, ill-fitting. - -~Wolf~, to eat greedily. - -~Wooden spoon~, the last junior optime who takes a University -degree; denoting one who is only fit to stay at home, and stir -porridge.--_Cambridge._ The expression is also parliamentary slang, and -is applied to the member of the ministry whose name appears in the -division lists least frequently. At the ministerial dinner annually held -at Greenwich, such member sometimes has a wooden spoon presented to him. - -~Wooden surtout~, a coffin, generally spoken of as a WOODEN SURTOUT with -nails for buttons. - -~Wooden wedge~, the last name in the classical honours' list at -Cambridge. The last in mathematical honours had long been known as the -WOODEN SPOON; but when the classical Tripos was instituted in 1824, it -was debated among the undergraduates what sobriquet should be given to -the last on the examination list. Curiously enough, the name that year -which happened to be last was WEDGEWOOD (a distinguished Wrangler). -Hence the title. - -[Illustration] - -~Wool~, courage, pluck; "you are not half-WOOLED," term of reproach from -one thief to another. - -~Wool~, bravery, pluck. Term much in use among pugilists and their -admirers. The highest praise that can be bestowed on a man of courage in -lower-class circles is that which characterizes him as being "a reg'lar -wooled un," or "a rare WOOL-TOPPED UN." Derived from the great pluck and -perseverance shown by many pugilists of whole or partial colour, from -Molyneux down to Bob Travers. - -~Woolbird~, a lamb; "wing of a WOOLBIRD," a shoulder of lamb. - -~Wool-gathering~, said of any person's wits when they are wandering, or -in a reverie. - -~Wool-hole~, the workhouse. - -~Woolly~, out of temper. - -~Woolly~, a blanket. - -~Work~, to plan, or lay down and execute any course of action, to -perform anything; "to WORK the bulls," _i.e._, to get rid of false crown -pieces; "to work the oracle," to succeed by manoeuvring, to concert a -wily plan, to victimize,--a possible reference to the stratagems and -bribes used to corrupt the Delphic oracle, and cause it to deliver a -favourable response. "To WORK a street or neighbourhood," to try at each -house to sell all one can, or to bawl so that every housewife may know -what is to be sold. The general plan is to drive a donkey-barrow a short -distance, and then stop and cry. The term implies thoroughness; to "WORK -a street well" is a common saying with a coster. "To WORK a benefit" is -to canvass among one's friends and acquaintances. - -~Worm.~ _See_ PUMP. - -~Worm~, a policeman. - -~Worming~, removing the beard of an oyster or mussel. - -~W. P.~, or WARMING-PAN. A clergyman who holds a living _pro tempore_, -under a bond of resignation, is styled a W. P., or WARMING-PAN rector, -because he keeps the place warm for his successor. WARMING-PAN was a -term first popularly applied to a substitute in the reign of James II. - -~Wrinkle~, an idea, or a fancy; an additional piece of knowledge. - -~Write~, as "to WRITE one's name on a joint," to leave the impression of -one's handiwork thereon, to have the first cut at anything; to leave -visible traces of one's presence anywhere. - -~Wylo~, be off.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~X.~, or LETTER X, a method of arrest used by policemen with desperate -ruffians,--by getting a firm grasp on the collar, and drawing the -captive's hand over the holding arm, and pressing the fingers down in a -peculiar way--the captured person's arm in this way can be more easily -broken than extricated. - -~Yack~, a watch; to "church a YACK," to take it out of its case to avoid -detection, otherwise to "christen a YACK." - -~Yaffle~, to eat.--_Old English._ - -~Yahoo~, a person of coarse or degraded habits. Derived from the use of -the word by Swift. - -~Yam~, to eat. This word is used by the lowest class all over the world; -by the Wapping sailor, West Indian negro, or Chinese coolie. When the -fort, called the Dutch Folly, near Canton, was in course of erection by -the Hollanders, under the pretence of being intended for an hospital, -the Chinese observed a box containing muskets among the alleged hospital -stores. "Hy-aw!" exclaimed John Chinaman, "How can sick man YAM gun?" -The Dutch were surprised and massacred the same night. - -~Yappy~, soft, foolish; mostly applied to an over-generous person, from -the fact that it originally meant one who paid for everything. YAP is -back slang for pay, and often when a man is asked to pay more than he -considers correct, he says, "Do you think I'm YAPPY?" do you think I'm -paying mad? Thus slang begets slang. - -~Yard of clay~, a long, old-fashioned tobacco pipe; also called a -churchwarden. - -~Yarmouth capon~, a bloater, or red herring. - -~Yarmouth mittens~, bruised hands.--_Sea._ - -~Yarn~, a long story, or tale; "a tough YARN," a tale hard to be -believed; "spin a YARN," to tell a tale.--_Sea._ - -~Yay-nay~, "a poor YAY-NAY" fellow, one who has no conversational power, -and can only answer YEA or NAY to a question. - -~Yellow-belly~, a native of the fens of Lincolnshire, or the Isle of -Ely--in allusion to the frogs and yellow-bellied eels caught there. - -~Yellow-boy~, a sovereign, or any gold coin. - -~Yellow-gloak~, a jealous man. - -~Yellow-Jack~, the yellow fever prevalent in the West Indies. - -~Yellow-man~, a yellow silk handkerchief. - -~Yellows~, a term of reproach applied to Bluecoat and other charity -school boys. - -~Yid~, or YIT, a Jew. YIDDEN, the Jewish people. The Jews use these -terms very frequently. - -~Yokel~, a countryman. Probably from yoke, representative of his -occupation. Some fancy, however, that the word was originally YOWKEL, in -imitation of the broad tones of country labourers. - -~Yokuff~, a chest, or large box. - -~Yorkshire~, "to YORKSHIRE," or "come YORKSHIRE over any person," to -cheat or cozen him. The proverbial over-reaching of the rustics of this -county has given rise to the phrase, which is sometimes pronounced -Yorshar. To put Yorshar to a man, is to trick or deceive him. This -latter is from a work in the Lancashire dialect, 1757. - -~Yorkshire compliment~, a gift of something useless to the giver. -Sometimes called a North-country compliment. - -~Yorkshire estates;~ "I will do it when I come into my YORKSHIRE -ESTATES,"--meaning if I ever have the money or the means. - -~Yorkshire reckoning~, a reckoning in which every one pays his own -share. - -~Younker~, in street language, a lad or a boy. Term in general use -amongst costermongers, cabmen, and old-fashioned people. Barnefield's -_Affectionate Shepherd_, 1594, has the phrase, "a seemelie YOUNKER." -_Danish_ and _Friesic_, JONKER. In the navy, a naval cadet is usually -termed a YOUNKER. - -~Your nibs~, yourself. _See_ NIBS. - -~Yoxter~, a convict returned from transportation before his time. - -~Ziff~, a juvenile thief. - -~Ziph~, LANGUAGE OF, a way of disguising English in use among the -students at Winchester College. Compare MEDICAL GREEK. De Quincey, in -his _Autobiographic Sketches_, says that he acquired this language as a -boy, from a Dr. Mapleton, who had three sons at Winchester who had -imported it from thence as their sole accomplishment, and that after the -lapse of fifty years he could, and did with Lord Westport, converse in -it with ease and rapidity. It was communicated at Winchester to -new-comers for a fixed fee of half a guinea. The secret is this,--repeat -the vowel or diphthong of every syllable, prefixing to the vowel so -repeated the letter G, and placing the accent on the intercalated -syllable. Thus, for example, "Shall we go away in an hour?" "Shagall -wege gogo agawagay igin agan hougour?" "Three hours we have already -stayed," "Threegee hougours wege hagave agalreageadygy stagayed." De -Quincey could hardly have been considered complimentary to his own -memory if he supposed that he, or for the matter of that any one -possessed of brains, could forget anything so simple; or that, if -forgotten until suddenly recalled, it could not be mastered by any -sensible person in a minute. The language of ZIPH is far inferior to any -of the slangs manufactured by the lower classes. Evidently any consonant -will answer the purpose; F or L would be softer, and so far better. This -ZIPH system is not confined to Winchester College, as it is recorded and -described amongst many other modes of cryptical communication, oral and -visual, spoken, written, and symbolic, in an _Essay towards a Real -Character and a Philosophic Language_ (founded on or suggested by a -treatise published just before, by Geo. Dalgarne), by John Wilkins, -Bishop of Chester, published by order of the Royal Society, fol. 1668, -and as the bishop does not speak of it as a recent invention, it may -probably at that time have been regarded as an antique device for -conducting a conversation in secrecy amongst bystanders--which says very -little for either the designers or the bystanders. - -~Zounds!~ a sudden exclamation--abbreviation of "God's wounds!" - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[57] Since the first edition of this work a great alteration has taken -place in this respect. Though topical ballads are now often sung, the -singers confine themselves to low neighbourhoods, and as soon as a -policeman approaches, if ever he does, they make themselves scarce. The -practice is singular. One man gets as far through a line as he can, and -when his voice cracks his companion takes up. For this reason the -business is as a rule conducted by a man and woman, or sometimes by a -woman and child. The writing of these ditties is generally work of a -character for which even 7_s._ 6_d._ would be a high rate of pay.--ED. - -[58] Eurasian is not a child of mixed race, but one born of European -parents in an Asiatic clime. A similar error exists with regard to the -word creole, which is generally supposed to mean a man or woman in whom -white and black strains are mixed. I need not say how wrong this is, but -the vulgar error is none the less current.--ED. - -[59] There is something so extremely humorous and far-fetched about this -explanation, that though it is utterly unworthy of its place in a -dictionary, I, finding it there, have not the heart to cut it out.--ED. - -[60] Of course by those who don't know the scientific way used in -"canine exhibitions" and dog-fights--of biting their tails till they -turn round to bite the biter.--ED. - - - - -SOME ACCOUNT - -OF - -THE BACK SLANG. - - -The costermongers of London number between thirty and forty thousand. -Like other low tribes, they boast a language, or secret tongue, by which -they hide their designs, movements, and other private affairs. This -costers' speech offers no new fact, or approach to a fact, for -philologists; it is not very remarkable for originality of construction, -neither is it spiced with low humour, as other cant. But the -costermongers boast that it is known only to themselves; that it is far -beyond the Irish, and puzzles the Jews. This is, however, but a poor -fiction; for, as will be seen, the slang current among them is of the -crudest conception, and only difficult to the most ignorant. Any one of -the smallest pretensions to ability could learn back slang--could, in -fact, create it for himself--as far as the costers' vocabulary extends, -in a couple of hours. Since the early editions of this work were -published back slang has become very common; and is now mostly spoken, -mixed however, with various other kinds of slang, in the public -markets--the new dead-meat market being, perhaps, strongest in the way -of pure--if the term may be used--back slang. - -The main principle of this language is spelling the words backwards--or -rather, pronouncing them rudely backwards. Sometimes, for the sake of -harmony, an extra syllable is prefixed or annexed; and occasionally the -word receives quite a different turn, in rendering it backwards, from -what an uninitiated person would have expected. One coster told Mayhew -that he often gave the end of a word "a new turn, just as if he chorused -it with a tol-de-rol." But then costermongers, and more especially those -who confided their joys and sorrows to the gentleman just named, are not -to be relied on. The coster has, of course, his own idea of the proper -way of spelling words, and is not to be convinced but by an overwhelming -show of learning,--and frequently not then, for he is a very headstrong -fellow. By the time a coster has spelt an ordinary word of two or three -syllables in the proper way, and then spelt it backwards, it has become -a tangled knot that no etymologist could unravel. The word "generalize," -for instance, is considered to be "shilling" spelt backwards, while -"genitraf" is supposed to represent farthing. Sometimes slang and cant -words are introduced, and even these, when imagined to be tolerably well -known, are pronounced backwards. Very often, instead of a word being -spelt backwards right through, the syllables retain their original -order; the initial _h_ is pronounced as though _c_ were before it, -"tatch" being back slang for hat, and "flatch" the word supposed to -represent half. Again, the full words are shortened, as "gen" for -"generalize," a shilling; and various other artifices are resorted to, -in the hope of adding to the natural difficulties of back slang. - -This back language, back slang, or "kacab genals," as it is called by -the costermongers themselves, is supposed to be regarded by the rising -generation of street-sellers as a distinct and regular mode of -intercommunication. People who hear this slang for the first time never -refer words, by inverting them, to their originals; and the "yanneps," -"esclops," and "nammows," are looked upon as secret terms. Those who -practise the slang soon obtain a considerable stock vocabulary, so that -they converse rather from the memory than the understanding. Amongst the -senior costermongers, and those who pride themselves on their -proficiency in back slang, a conversation is often sustained for a whole -evening--that is, the chief words are in the back slang--especially if -any "flats" are present whom they wish to astonish or confuse. - -The addition of an _s_ invariably forms the plural, so that this is -another source of complication. For instance, woman in the back slang is -"nammow," and "nammows" is "women." The explorer, then, in undoing the -back slang, and turning the word once more into English, would have a -novel and very extraordinary rendering of women. Where a word is -refractory in submitting to a back rendering, as in the case of "pound," -letters are made to change positions for the sake of harmony; thus we -have "dunop," a pound, instead of "dnuop," which nobody could pleasantly -pronounce. Also all words of one syllable which end with two -consonants--such, for instance, as cold, drunk--become dissyllables when -read backwards, the vowel e being imagined between the then first and -second consonants, as "deloc," "kennurd." Others take the vowel as an -initial, girl being pronounced "elrig." This arrangement, as a -modification to suit circumstances, may remind the reader of the Jews' -"Old clo'! old clo'!" instead of "Old clothes! old clothes!" which it is -supposed would tire the patience of even a Jew to repeat all day. - -The back slang has been in vogue for many years. It is, as before -stated, very easily acquired, and is principally used by the -costermongers and others who practise it (as the specimen Glossary will -show) for communicating the secrets of their street tradings, the cost -of and profit on goods, and for keeping their natural enemies, the -police, in the dark. "Cool the esclop" (look at the police) is often -said among them, when one of the constabulary makes his appearance. It -is only fair to assume, however, that the police know as much or more -about the back slang than do the costers; and every child in a "shy" -neighbourhood knows the meaning of the phrase just quoted. Those who -regard the London costermonger as a fearful being are very much -mistaken,--he is singularly simple-minded and innocent, and has, indeed, -very little to conceal; but he certainly does like to wrap himself up as -in a garment of mystery, and sometimes believes that the few words of -slang he knows, mixed as they are, and troublesome as they have been to -him, form an impenetrable barrier between him and the rest of the world. -He is fond of exhibiting what knowledge he possesses, and so talks slang -in public much more than in private; but at most the slang words used -bear not forty per cent. proportion to the rest of his conversational -structure, even when he exerts himself to the uttermost limits of his -ability and education, and even when he is a leader in his walk of life. - -Perhaps on no subject is the costermonger so silent as on his money -affairs. All costs and profits, he thinks, should be kept profoundly -secret. The back slang, therefore, gives the various small amounts very -minutely, but, as has been before remarked, these words are known -wherever common folk most do congregate, and are peculiar only for their -variations from the original in the way of pronunciation:-- - - ~Flatch~, halfpenny. - ~Yannep~, penny. - ~Owt-yanneps~, twopence. - ~Erth-yanneps~, threepence. - ~Roaf-yanneps~, fourpence. - ~Evif, or ewif-yanneps~, fivepence. - ~Exis-yanneps~, sixpence. - ~Nevis-yanneps~, sevenpence. - ~Teaich, or theg-yanneps~, eightpence. - ~Enin-yanneps~, ninepence. - ~Net-yanneps~, tenpence. - ~Nevel-yanneps~, elevenpence. - ~Evlnet-yanneps~, twelvepence. - ~Generalize~, one shilling. - ~Yannep-flatch~, three-halfpence. - ~Owt-yannep-flatch~, twopence-halfpenny. The word "flatch" - represents the odd halfpenny when added to any number of - "yanneps." - ~Gen, or eno-gen~, one shilling. "Gen" is a contraction of - "generalize." - ~Owt-gens~, two shillings. - ~Erth-gens~, three shillings. - -The "gens" continue in the same sequence as the "yanneps" above; but, as -a rule, the _s_ is left out, and "owt" or "erth gen" represents the -quantity. This is, however, matter of individual taste; and any reader -who is anxious to become proficient need not be afraid of committing a -solecism--that's a good word for back slanging--by giving vent to any -peculiarity that may strike him. Variety is the charm of nature, we are -told; and in this particular, if in no other, back slang and nature -approach each other. So do extremes meet. - - ~Yenork~, a crown piece, or five shillings. - ~Flatch-yenork~, half-a-crown. This is generally slurred into - "flatch-a-nock." The crown in full rarely receives the title - "yenork" nowadays,--it is usually a "wheel" or "evif gen." - ~Flatch a dunop~, ten shillings, _i.e._, half a pound. - -Beyond this amount the slangist reckons after an intricate and -complicated mode. Fifteen shillings would be "erth-evif-gen," or, -literally, three times 5_s._; seventeen and sixpence would be -"erth-yenork-flatch," or three crowns and a half; or, by another mode of -reckoning, "erth-evif-gen flatch-yenork," _i.e._, three times 5_s._, and -half-a-crown. - - ~Dunop~, a pound. Varied by "Dick," back slang for "quid." - -Further than which the costermonger seldom goes in money reckoning. - -In the following Glossary only those words are given which are -continually used,--the terms connected with street traffic, the names -of the different coins, vegetables, fruit, and fish, technicalities of -police courts, &c. The reader might naturally think that a system of -speech so simple as the back slang would require no Glossary; but he -will quickly perceive, from the specimens given, that a great many words -in frequent use in a "back" sense, have become so twisted as to require -a little glossarial explanation. - -This kind of slang, formed by reversing and transposing the letters of a -word, is not peculiar to the London costermongers. Instances of an -exactly similar secret dialect are found in the Spanish "Germania" and -French "Argot." Thus:-- - - _Spanish._ _Germania._ _English._ - - PLATO. TAPLO. PLATE. - DEMIA. MEDIA. STOCKINGS. - - _French._ _Argot._ _English._ - - F'OL. LOFFE. FOOLISH. - LORCEFE. LA FORCE. LA FORCE, the prison of that name. - -The Bazeegars, a wandering tribe of jugglers in India, form a back -slang, on the basis of the Hindustanee, in the following manner:-- - - _Hindustanee._ _Bazeegar._ _English._ - - AG. GA. FIRE. - LAMBA. BALUM. LONG. - DUM. MUDU. BREATH. - - - - -GLOSSARY OF THE BACK SLANG. - -~Birk~, a "crib,"--a house. - -~Cool~, to look. - -~Cool him~, look at him. A phrase frequently used when one costermonger -warns another of the approach of a policeman, or when any person worthy -of notice passes by. When any old lady has been bargaining with a -costermonger, and leaves his barrow without purchasing, the proprietor -of the barrow will call out to the rest, "COOL the delo nammow," which, -though it means literally nothing beyond "Look at the old woman," -conveys to them an intimation that she is, from their point of view, a -nuisance, and should be treated as such. - -~Dab~, bad. - -~Dab tros~, a bad sort. - -~Dabheno~, a bad one, sometimes a bad market. _See_ DOOGHENO. - -~Da-erb~, bread. - -~Deb~, or DAB, a bed; "I'm off to the DEB," I'm going to bed. - -~Delo nammow~, an old woman. - -~Delog~, gold. - -~Doog~, good. - -~Doogheno~, literally "good-one," but implying generally a good market, -a good man, &c. - -~Doogheno hit~, one good hit. A coster remarks to a mate, "Jack made a -DOOGHENO HIT this morning," implying that he did well at market, or sold -out with good profit. Actually a good hit only is intended, but -redundancy has its charms in the back slang as well as in more -pretentious literary efforts. - -~Dunop~, a pound. - -~Edgabac~, cabbage. - -~Edgenaro~, an orange. - -~E-fink~, a knife. - -~Ekame~, a "make," or swindle. - -~Ekom~, a "moke," or donkey. - -~Elrig~, a girl. - -~Emag~, game, "I know your little EMAG." - -~Enif~, fine. - -~Enin gen~, nine shillings. - -~Enin yanneps~, ninepence. - -~Eno~, one. - -~Erif~, fire. - -~Erth~, three. - -~Erth gen~, three shillings. - -~Erth-pu~, three-up, a street game, played with three halfpence. - -~Erth sith-noms~, three months,--a term of imprisonment unfortunately -very familiar to the lower orders. Generally known as a "drag." - -~Erth yanneps~, threepence. - -~Esclop~, police, now used to signify a constable only. ESCLOP is -pronounced "slop" simply, but the _c_ was never sounded. A policeman is -now and then called, by some purist or stickler for etiquette, an -"esclopnam." - -~Es-roch~, a horse. - -~Esuch~, a house. - -~Evif-gen~, a crown, or five shillings. - -~Evif-yanneps~, fivepence. - -~Evlenet-gen~, twelve shillings. - -~Evlenet sith-noms~, twelve months. Generally known as a "stretch." - -~Exis-evif-gen~, six times five shillings, _i.e._, 30_s._ All moneys may -be reckoned in this manner, either with YANNEPS or GENS. It is, however, -rarely or never done. - -~Exis-evif-yanneps~, elevenpence,--literally, "sixpence and fivepence = -elevenpence." This mode of reckoning, distinct from the preceding, is -only made by special arrangement amongst slangites, who wish to confound -their intimates. - -~Exis gen~, six shillings. - -~Exis sith-noms~, six months. - -~Exis yanneps~, sixpence. - -~Fi-heath~, a thief. - -~Flatch~, half, or a halfpenny. - -~Flatch kennurd~, half drunk. - -~Flatch-yenork~, half-a-crown. _See_ preceding remarks. - -~Flatchyannep~, a halfpenny. - -~Gen~, twelvepence, or one shilling. Formerly imagined to be an -abbreviation of argent, cant term for silver. - -~Generalize~, a shilling, almost invariably shortened to GEN. - -~Genitraf~, a farthing. - -~Gen-net~, or NET GEN, ten shillings. - -~Genol~, long. - -~Hel-bat~, a table. } The aspirate is matter of taste. - -~Helpa~, an apple. } - -~Kanitseeno~, a stinking one. KANITS is a stink. - -~Kennurd~, drunk. - -~Kew~ (or more properly KEEU), a week. - -~Kews~, SKEW, or SKEEU, weeks. - -~Kirb~, a brick. - -~Kool~, to look. - -~Lawt~, tall. - -~Ler-ac-am~, mackerel. - -~Mottob~, bottom. - -~Mur~, rum. A "nettock o' MUR" is a quartern of rum. - -~Nair~, rain. - -~Nam~, a man. - -~Nam esclop~, a policeman. _See_ ESCLOP. - -~Nammow~, a woman; DELO NAMMOW, an old woman. - -~Neel~, lean. - -~Neergs~, greens. - -~Net enin gen~, nineteen shillings. - -~Net evif gen~, fifteen shillings. - -~Net exis gen~, sixteen shillings. - -~Net gen~, ten shillings, or half a sovereign. - -~Net nevis gen~, seventeen shillings. - -~Net rith gen~, thirteen shillings. - -~Net roaf gen~, fourteen shillings. It will be seen by the foregoing -that the reckoning is more by tens than by "teens." This is, however, -matter of choice, and any one wishing to be considered accomplished in -this description of slang, must do as he thinks best--must lead and not -be led. - -~Net theg gen~, eighteen shillings. - -~Net yanneps~, tenpence. - -~Nevele gen~, eleven shillings. - -~Nevele yanneps~, elevenpence. - -~Nevis gen~, seven shillings. - -~Nevis stretch~, seven years' penal servitude. - -~Nevis yanneps~, sevenpence. - -~Nig~, gin. - -~Noom~, the moon. - -~Nos-rap~, a parson. - -~Occabot~, tobacco; "tib fo OCCABOT," bit of tobacco. - -~Ogging ot tekram~, going to market. - -~On~, no. - -~On doog~, no good. - -~Owt gen~, two shillings. } OWT is pronounced OAT. - -~Owt yanneps~, twopence. } - -~Pac~, a cap. - -~Pinnurt pots~, turnip tops. - -~Pot~, top. - -~Rape~, a pear. - -~Reeb~, beer. "Top o' REEB," a pot of beer. - -~Rev-lis~, silver. - -~Rof-efil~, for life--sentence of punishment. - -~Roaf-gen~, four shillings. - -~Roaf-yanneps~, fourpence. - -~Rutat~, or RATTAT, a "tatur," or potato. - -~See-otches~, shoes. - -~Sey~, yes. Pronounced SEE. - -~Shif~, fish. - -~Sirretch~, cherries. Very often SIRRETCHES. - -~Sith-nom~, a month. This is because the slang was made from months, not -month. Perhaps because the latter was not easy; perhaps because terms of -imprisonment run longer than a month, and are often enumerated in the -"kacab genals." However it may be, "months" in this mode of speaking has -a double plural as it stands now. - -~Slaoc~, coals. - -~Slop~, a policeman. _See_ ESCLOP. - -~Sneerg~, greens. - -~Spinsrap~, parsnips. } - -~Sret-sio~, oysters. } - -~Sres-wort~, trousers. } - -~Starps~, sprats. } All these will take the _s_, which is now initial, - -~Stoobs~, boots. } after them, if desired, and, as may be seen, some - -~Storrac~, carrots. } take it doubly. - -~Stun~, nuts. } - -~Stunlaw~, walnuts. } - -~Tach~, a hat. - -~Taf~, fat. A TAF ENO is a fat man or woman, literally A FAT ONE. - -~Taoc~, a coat. "Cool the DELO TAOC" means, "Look at the old coat," but -is really intended to apply to the wearer as well, as professors of -mixed slangs might say, "Vardy his nibs in the snide bucket." - -~Taoc-tisaw~, a waistcoat. - -~Teaich-gir~, right, otherwise TADGER. - -~Tenip~, a pint. - -~Theg~ (or TEAICH) gen, eight shillings. - -~Theg~ (or TEAITCH) yanneps, eightpence. - -~Tib~, a bit, or piece. - -~Tol~, lot, stock, or share. - -~Top-yob~, a potboy. - -~Torrac~, a carrot. "Ekat a TORRAC." - -~Trork~, a quart. - -~Trosseno~, literally, "one sort," but professional slangists use it to -imply anything that is bad. TROSS, among costermongers, means anything -bad. It is probably a corruption of trash. Possibly, however, the -constant use of the words "dab-tros" may have led them in their -unthinking way to imagine that the latter word will do by itself. - -~Wedge~, a Jew. This may look strange, but it is exact back slang. - -~Wor-rab~, a barrow. - -~Yad~, a day; YADS, days. - -~Yadnarb~, brandy. - -~Yannep~, a penny. - -~Yannep a time~, a penny each. Costermongers say "a time" for many -things. They say a "bob a time," meaning a shilling each for admission -to a theatre, or any other place, or that certain articles are charged a -shilling each. The context is the only clue to the exact meaning. - -~Yannep-flatch~, three halfpence,--all the halfpence and pennies -continue in the same sequence, as for instance, OWT-YANNEP-FLATCH, -twopence-halfpenny. - -~Yap pu~, pay up. - -~Yeknod~, or JERK-NOD, a donkey. - -~Yenork~, a crown. - -~Yob~, a boy. - -~Zeb~, best. - -From these examples the apt student may fairly judge how to form his own -back slang to his own liking and that of his friends. - - - - -SOME ACCOUNT - -OF - -THE RHYMING SLANG. - - -There exists in London a singular tribe of men, known amongst the -"fraternity of vagabonds" as chaunters and patterers. Both classes are -great talkers. The first sing or chaunt through the public thoroughfares -ballads--political and humorous--carols, dying speeches, and the various -other kinds of gallows and street literature. The second deliver street -orations on grease-removing compounds, plating powders, high-polishing -blacking, and the thousand-and-one wonderful penny-worths that are -retailed to gaping mobs from a London kerb-stone. - -They are quite a distinct tribe from the costermongers; indeed, amongst -tramps, they term themselves the "harristocrats of the streets," and -boast that they live by their intellects. Like the costermongers, -however, they have a secret tongue or cant speech known only to each -other. This cant, which has nothing to do with that spoken by the -costermongers, is known in Seven Dials and elsewhere as the "rhyming -slang," or the substitution of words and sentences which rhyme with -other words intended to be kept secret. The chaunter's cant, therefore, -partakes of his calling, and he transforms and uses up into a rough -speech the various odds and ends of old songs, ballads, and street -nicknames, which are found suitable to his purpose. Unlike nearly all -other systems of cant, the rhyming slang is not founded upon allegory; -unless we except a few rude similes, thus--"I'm afloat" is the rhyming -cant for "boat," "sorrowful tale" is equivalent to "three months in -jail," "artful dodger" signifies a "lodger," and a "snake in the grass" -stands for a "looking-glass"--a meaning that would delight a fat -Chinaman, or a collector of Oriental proverbs. But, as in the case of -the costers' speech and the old gipsy-vagabond cant, the chaunters and -patterers so interlard this rhyming slang with their general remarks, -while their ordinary language is so smothered and subdued, that, unless -when they are professionally engaged, and talking of their wares, they -might almost pass for foreigners. - -From the inquiries I have made of various patterers and "paper-workers," -I learn that the rhyming slang was introduced about twelve or fifteen -years ago.[61] Numbering this class of oratorical and bawling wanderers -at twenty thousand, scattered over Great Britain, including London and -the large provincial towns, we thus see the number of English vagabonds -who converse in rhyme and talk poetry, although their habitations and -mode of life constitute a very unpleasant Arcadia. These nomadic poets, -like the other talkers of cant or secret languages, are stamped with the -vagabond's mark, and are continually on the move. The married men mostly -have lodgings in London, and come and go as occasion may require. A few -never quit London streets, but the greater number tramp to all the large -provincial fairs, and prefer the "monkery" (country) to town life. Some -transact their business in a systematic way, sending a post-office order -to the Seven Dials' printer for a fresh supply of ballads or penny -books, or to the "swag shop," as the case may be, for trinkets and -gewgaws, to be sent on by rail to a given town by the time they shall -arrive there. - -When any dreadful murder, colliery explosion, or frightful railway -accident has happened in a country district, three or four chaunters -are generally on the spot in a day or two after the occurrence, vending -and bawling "A True and Faithful Account," &c., which "true and -faithful account" was concocted purely in the imaginations of -the successors of Catnach and Tommy Pitts,[62] behind the counters -of their printing-shops in Seven Dials. And but few fairs are held -in any part of England without the patterer being punctually at his -post, with his nostrums, or real gold rings (with the story of the wager -laid by the gentleman--_see_ FAWNEY-BOUNCING, in the Dictionary), or -savealls for candlesticks, or paste which, when applied to the strop, -makes the dullest razor keen enough to hack broom handles and sticks, -and after that to have quite enough sharpness left for splitting hairs, -or shaving them off the back of one of the hands of a clodhopper, -looking on in amazement. And Cheap John, too, with his coarse jokes, and -no end of six-bladed knives, and pocket-books, containing information -for everybody, with pockets to hold money, and a pencil to write with -into the bargain, and a van stuffed with the cheap productions of -Sheffield and "Brummagem,"--he, too, is a patterer of the highest order, -and visits fairs, and can hold a conversation in the rhyming slang. - -Such is a rough description of the men who speak this jargon; and simple -and ridiculous as the vulgar scheme of a rhyming slang may appear, it -must always be regarded as a curious fact in linguistic history. In -order that the reader's patience may not be too much taxed, only a -selection of rhyming words has been given in the Glossary,--and these -for the most part, as in the case of the back slang, are the terms of -every-day life, as used by this order of tramps and hucksters. - -It must not be supposed, however, that the chaunter or patterer confines -himself entirely to this slang when conveying secret intelligence. On -the contrary, although he speaks not a "leash of languages," yet is he -master of the beggar's cant, and is thoroughly "up" in street slang. The -following letter, written by a chaunter to a gentleman who took an -interest in his welfare, will show his capabilities in this line:-- - - Dear Friend,[63] - - Excuse the liberty, since i saw you last i have not earned a thick - un, we have had such a Dowry of Parny that it completely Stumped - Drory the Bossman's Patter therefore i am broke up and not having - another friend but you i wish to know if you would lend me the price - of 2 Gross of Tops, Dies, or Croaks, which is 7 shillings, of the - above-mentioned worthy and Sarah Chesham the Essex Burick for the - Poisoning job, they are both to be topped at Springfield Sturaban on - Tuesday next. i hope you will oblige me if you can, for it will be - the means of putting a James in my Clye. i will call at your Carser - on Sunday Evening next for an answer, for i want a Speel on the Drum - as soon as possible. hoping you and the family are All Square, - - I remain Your obedient Servant, - -The numerous allusions in the Glossary to well-known places in London -show that this rude speech was mainly concocted in the metropolis. The -police have made themselves partially acquainted with the back slang, -but they are still profoundly ignorant of the rhyming slang. - - * * * * * - -NOTE. - -Since the foregoing was written, matters have changed considerably, -even, which I much doubt, if they ever were as is stated; for, as I have -already remarked, wherever opportunity has occurred, the costermonger, -the patterer, the chaunter, and the various other itinerants who "work" -London and the provinces, delight in making themselves appear a most -mysterious body; and this, when added to their natural disinclination to -commit themselves to anything like fact so far as their natural -enemies--inquirers, and well-dressed inquirers in particular--are -concerned, has caused all sorts of extraordinary stories to be set -afloat, which have ultimately led to an opinion becoming prevalent, that -the costermonger and his friends form a race of beings differing -entirely from those who mix in the ordinary humdrum routine of -respectable life. Nothing could really be much further from fact. Any -one who has ever been driven by stress of circumstances or curiosity to -take up a permanent or temporary residence in any of the lodging-houses -which abound in St. Giles's, Saffron Hill, Turnmill Street, and in all -parts of the eastern district of the metropolis, will bear me out when I -say that a more commonplace individual, so far as his inner life is -concerned, than the London itinerant cannot possibly exist. Certainly he -is ignorant, and takes a very limited view of things in general, and -religion and politics in particular; but these peculiarities are held in -common with his betters, and so cannot be regarded as the special -prerogative of any class. If you ask him a question he will attempt to -mislead you, because, by your asking the question, he knows you are -ignorant of his way of life; and when he does not mystify from love of -mischief, as it appears he does from all published books I have seen -about him, he does so as a duty he owes his natural enemies, the parish -authorities and the tract distributors, the latter of whom he holds in -special abhorrence. - -If the rhyming slang was ever, during its existence, regarded as a -secret language, its secrecy has long since departed from it. Far easier -of construction than even the back slang, it has been common, especially -in several printing-offices I could name, for many years, while -street-boys are great proficients in its small mysteries. The Glossary -which follows here will explain a good deal of its mechanism; but it -must be borne in mind that the rhymes are all matters of individual -opinion, and that if one man says Allacompain means rain, another is -quite justified in preferring Mary Blane, if his individual fancy lies -in that direction. And now, if there is any secret about the rhyming -slang, it is this--the rhyme is left out. This may at first seem -extraordinary; but on reflection it will be seen that there is no other -way of making the proceedings of its exponents puzzling to ordinarily -sharp ears which have received the slightest clue. Thus, when the first -word of a series only is used, and others in the sentence are made up -from the back, the centre and various slangs, there is some hope of -fogging an intruding listener to a private conversation. When a man is -drunk, the rhyming slang would illustrate that fact by the words -"Elephant's trunk;" but the practised hand confines himself to the -statement that "Bill's Elephants." "Bullock's horn" represents to pawn, -but an article is said to be "Bullocked" only; and so on through the -list, providing always that the curtailment represents two syllables; if -it does not, then the entire rhyme is given. - -I think that this will be sufficient to guide those readers anxious to -become proficient themselves, or to understand others who are themselves -proficient at this item in the world of slang; and so I have nothing -more to say except to call attention to the fact that, in all the other -introductions, I have made my corrections, which have been neither few -nor unimportant, in the text; but that I could see no way of working on -the subject of the rhyming slang fairly and explicitly other than by -means of this note.--EDITOR. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[61] This was written in 1858. - -[62] The famous printers and publishers of sheet songs and last dying -speeches thirty years ago. - -[63] The writer, a street chaunter of ballads and last dying speeches, -alludes in his letter to two celebrated criminals--Thos. Drory, the -murderer of Jael Denny, and Sarah Chesham, who poisoned her husband, -accounts of whose trials and "horrid deeds" he had been selling. Here is -a Glossary of the cant words:-- - -_Thick un_, a sovereign. - -_Dowry of Parny_, a lot of rain. - -_Stumped_, bankrupt. - -_Bossman_, a farmer. - - [Asterism] Drory was a farmer. - -_Patter_, trial. - -_Tops_, last dying speeches. - -_Dies_, _ib._ - -_Croaks_, _ib._ - -_Burick_, a woman. - -_Topped_, hung. - -_Sturaban_, a prison. - -_James_, a sovereign. - -_Clye_, a pocket. - -_Carser_, a house or residence. - -_Speel on the Drum_, to be off to the country. - -_All Square_, all right, or quite well. - - - - -GLOSSARY OF THE RHYMING SLANG. - - -~Abraham's willing~, a shilling. - -~Allacompain~, rain. - -~Any racket~, a penny faggot. - -~Apples and pears~, stairs. - -~Artful dodger~, a lodger. - -~Baby's pap~, a cap. - -~Barnet fair~, hair. - -~Battle of the Nile~, a tile--vulgar term for a hat. "Cool his BATTLE, -Bill." - -~Ben flake~, a steak. - -~Billy Button~, mutton. - -~Birch-broom~, a room. - -~Bird-lime~, time. - -~Bob, my pal~, a gal,--vulgar pronunciation of girl. - -~Bonnets so blue~, Irish stew. - -~Bottle of spruce~, a deuce,--slang for twopence. - -~Bowl the hoop~, soup. - -~Brian o'Linn~, gin. - -~Brown Bess~, yes--the affirmative. - -~Brown Joe~, no--the negative. - -~Bull and cow~, a row. - -~Bucket afloat~, a coat. This is also called I'm AFLOAT, and is -generally contracted to "cool his Imer," or "nark his bucket." There is -no necessity to particularize all contractions. With the key already -given they will be evident. - -~Bullock's horn~, in pawn. - -~Bushy-park~, a lark. - -~Butter flap~, a trap, a light cart. - -~Cain and Abel~, a table. - -~Camden-town~, a brown,--vulgar term for a halfpenny. - -~Castle rag~, a flag,--cant term for fourpence. - -~Cat and mouse~, a house. - -~Chalk farm~, the arm. - -~Charing Cross~, a horse. - -~Charley Lancaster~, a handkercher,--vulgar pronunciation of -handkerchief. - -~Charley Prescott~, a waistcoat. - -~Cherry ripe~, a pipe. - -~Chevy chase~, the face. - -~Chump~ (or CHUNK) ~of wood~, no good. - -~Covent Garden~, a farden,--Cockney pronunciation of farthing. - -~Cow and calf~, to laugh. - -~Cows and kisses~, mistress or missus--referring to the ladies. - -~Currants and plums~, thrums,--slang for threepence. - -~Daisy roots~, a pair of boots. - -~Dan Tucker~, butter. - -~Ding-dong~, a song. - -~Dry land~, you understand. - -~Duke of York~, walk, or talk, according to context. - -~East and south~, the mouth. - -~Eat a fig~, to "crack a crib," to break into a house, or commit a -burglary. - -~Egyptian hall~, a ball. - -~Elephant's trunk~, drunk. - -~Epsom races~, a pair of braces. - -~Everton toffee~, coffee. - -~Field of wheat~, a street. - -~Fillet of veal~, the treadwheel in the house of correction. - -~Finger and thumb~, rum. - -~Flag unfurled~, a man of the world. - -~Flea and louse~, a house. - -~Flounder and dab~ (two kinds of flat fish), a cab. - -~Fly my kite~, a light. - -~Frog and toad~, the main road. - -~Garden gate~, a magistrate. - -~German flutes~, a pair of boots. - -~Girl and boy~, a saveloy,--a penny sausage. - -~Glorious sinner~, a dinner. - -~Gooseberry pudding~ (_vulgo_ PUDDEN), a woman. - -~Harry Bluff~, snuff. - -~Hod of mortar~, a pot of porter. - -~Hounslow Heath~, teeth. - -~I desire~, a fire. - -~I'm afloat~, a boat. This is also used for coat. _See ante._ - -~Isabeller~ (vulgar pronunciation of ISABELLA), an umbrella. - -~Isle of France~, a dance. - -~I suppose~, the nose. - -~Jack-a-dandy~, brandy. - -~Jack Randall~ (a noted pugilist), a candle. - -~Jenny Linder~, a winder,--vulgar pronunciation of window. - -~Joe Savage~, a cabbage. - -~Lath and plaster~, a master. - -~Lean and lurch~, a church. - -~Lean and fat~, a hat. - -~Linendraper~, paper. - -~Live eels~, fields. - -~Load of hay~, a day. - -~Long acre~, a baker. - -~Lord John Russell~, a bustle. - -~Lord Lovel~, a shovel. - -~Lump of coke~, a bloke--vulgar term for a man. - -~Lump of lead~, the head. - -~Macaroni~, a pony. - -~Maids adorning~, the morning. - -~Maidstone jailer~, a tailor. - -~Mince pies~, the eyes. - -~Mother and daughter~, water. - -~Muffin baker~, a Quaker (slang term for excrement). - -~Navigators~, taturs,--vulgar pronunciation of potatoes. - -~Navigator Scot~, baked potatoes all hot. - -~Needle and thread~, bread. - -~Never fear~, beer. - -~Night and day~, the play. - -~Nose and chin~, a winn,--ancient cant for a penny. - -~Noser my knacker~, tobacco. - -~Oats and barley~, Charley. - -~Oats and chaff~, a footpath. - -~Orinoko~ (pronounced ORINOKER), a poker. - -~Over the stile~, sent for trial. - -~Paddy Quick~, thick, or a stick. - -~Pen and ink~, a stink. - -~Pitch and fill~, Bill,--vulgar shortening for William. - -~Plates of meat~, the feet. - -~Plough the deep~, to go to sleep. - -~Pope o' Rome~, home. - -~Read and write~, to fight. - -~River Lea~, tea. - -~Rogue and villain~, a shillin,--common pronunciation of shilling. - -~Roll me in the dirt~, a shirt. - -~Rory o'More~, the floor. Also used to signify a whore. - -~Round the houses~, trousies,--vulgar pronunciation of trousers. - -~Salmon and trout~, the mouth. - -~Scotch Peg~, a leg. - -~Ship in full sail~, a pot of ale. - -~Sir Walter Scott~, a pot,--generally of beer. - -~Snake in the grass~, a looking-glass. - -~Sorrowful tale~, three months in jail. - -~Split asunder~, a costermonger. - -~Steam-packet~, a jacket. - -~St. Martin's-le-Grand~, the hand. - -~Stop thief~, beef. - -~Sugar and honey~, money. - -~Sugar-candy~, brandy. - -~Take a fright~, night. - -~Three-quarters of a peck~, the neck,--in writing, among experts, -expressed by the simple "3/4," as it is pronounced. - -~Tom Tug~, a mug (a fool). - -~Tommy o'Rann~, scran,--vulgar term for food. - -~Tommy Tripe~, to pipe; that is, to observe. "Tommy Tripe his plates of -meat." - -~Top Jint~ (vulgar pronunciation of joint), a pint--of beer. - -~Turtle doves~, a pair of gloves. - -~Two-foot rule~, a fool. - -And so on as occasion requires. - - - - -CENTRE SLANG. - - -Within the past few years the desire to possess a mode of -intercommunication which shall be incomprehensible to those who have not -taken their degrees in vice, has led the dangerous classes--particularly -street-muggers, welchers, skittle-sharps, jerry-hunters, and the various -other gentlemen who turn out every morning, when not in charge of the -powers that be, to look for their livings--to give their attention to -another twist in the English language, and so centre slang has of late -been heard with some degree of frequency by those who penetrate to -places where there is a likelihood of finding anything new, and take -with them sufficient knowledge to comprehend it when, or if, it is -found. As this knowledge can never be acquired in any other way than by -actual observation, and is not to be obtained by hearsay, or second-hand -information, or from books, it is rarely brought to bear upon any -subject of this kind as treated in the newspapers, and the articles on -real low and criminal life which now and again appear, though extremely -amusing, amuse those about whom they are written as much as they do -those for whose information they are produced. So, perhaps, those -writers who have heard centre slang, and have had opportunity of -referring to it, did not know what it was, or certainly, as an -institution unique in its way, it would have received some little -attention. There is not much in it, of course, as its origin shows, the -key being everything towards success in experimentalizing with it. -Centre slang, then, is formed by making the central vowel of a word its -initial letter, and adding vowels and consonants sufficient to make the -sound imposing, or, as cooks say, to flavour palatably. An occasional -infusion of back slang is now and again considered advisable, but the -taste of the speaker must decide how much is requisite. Mug is a common -word to signify a fool or flat; this, in centre slang, becomes Ugmer, or -Hugmer, as the speaker likes, while fool and flat themselves become -Oolerfer and Atfler respectively. The aspirate can be added, if -relished, to any centre slang word. A welcher, by means of the new -slang, becomes an Elcherwer or Elchwer, a thief is an Evethee, and a -sticker-up of skittles is an Ickitser-pu. As the inventors of this slang -are not particular about spelling, phonography is used extensively in -its composition--that is, it would be, if it were possible to write -centre slang to any extent. However, as it is a spoken language only, -and no patent has been taken out for its use, boldness is the chief -essential for any one possessed of a mobile tongue and a desire to -become expert. There is no Glossary of this slang necessary, as it is -only made up of small parcels, as occasion requires, and does not keep -well without guiding sentences attached. - - - - -THE BIBLIOGRAPHY - -OF - -SLANG, CANT, AND VULGAR LANGUAGE: - -A LIST OF THE - -BOOKS CONSULTED IN COMPILING THIS WORK. - - -Slang has a literary history, the same as authorized language. More than -one hundred works have treated upon the subject in one form or other,--a -few devoting but a chapter, whilst many have given up their entire pages -to expounding its history and use. Old Harman, a worthy man, who -interested himself in suppressing and exposing vagabondism in the days -of good Queen Bess, was the first to write upon the subject. Decker -followed fifty years afterwards, but helped himself, evidently, to his -predecessor's labours. Shakspeare, Beaumont and Fletcher, Ben Jonson, -and Brome, each employed beggars' cant as part of the machinery of their -plays. Then came Head (who wrote _The English Rogue_ in 1680) with a -Glossary of cant words "used by the Gipsies." But it was only a reprint -of what Decker had given sixty years before. About this time authorized -dictionaries began to insert vulgar words, labelling them "cant." The -Jack Sheppards and Dick Turpins of the early and middle part of the last -century made cant popular, and many small works were published upon the -subject. But it was Grose, burly, facetious Grose, who, in the year -1785, collected the scattered Glossaries of cant and secret words, and -formed one large work, adding to it all the vulgar words and slang terms -used in his own day. The indelicacy and extreme vulgarity of the work -renders it unfit for ordinary use, still it must be admitted that it is -by far the most important work which has ever appeared on street or -popular language; indeed, from its pages every succeeding work has, up -to the present time, drawn its contents. The great fault of Grose's book -consists in the author not contenting himself with slang and cant terms, -but inserting every "smutty" and offensive word that could be -discovered. However, Harman and Grose are, after all, the only authors -who have as yet treated the subject in an original manner, or who have -written on it from personal inquiry. - - -~Ainsworth's~ (William Harrison) Novels and Ballads. _London_, V.D. - -Some of this author's novels, such as _Rookwood_ and _Jack Sheppard_, -abound in Cant words, placed in the mouths of the highwaymen. The -author's ballads (especially "Nix my dolly, pals, fake away") have long -been popular favourites. - -~Amorous Gallants' Tongue tipp'd with Golden Expressions;~ or the Art of -Courtship refined, being the best and Newest ACADEMY; containing Select -Sentences, forms of Courtship; Choice Letters; Interpretation of Dreams: -to which is added Bills, Bonds, Releases, Letters of Attorney, &c.; -together with _A Canting Academy_, or the PEDLAR'S FRENCH DICTIONARY, -13th edition. London, for C. Hitch and L. Hawes, n.d. [1740], 12mo. - -~A New Dictionary of the Jaunting Crew~, 12mo. N.D. - -Mentioned by John Bee in the Introduction to his _Sportsman's Slang -Dictionary_. - -~Andrews'~ (George) Dictionary of the Slang and Cant Languages, Ancient -and Modern, 12mo. _London_, 1809. - -A sixpenny pamphlet, with a coloured frontispiece representing a -beggar's carnival. - -~Ash's~ (John, LL.D.) New and Complete Dictionary of the English -Language, 2 vols. 8vo. 1775. - -Contains a great number of Cant words and phrases. - -~Bacchus and Venus;~ or, A Select Collection of near Two Hundred of the -most Witty and Diverting Songs and Catches in Love and Gallantry, with -Songs in the Canting Dialect, with a DICTIONARY _explaining all -Burlesque and Canting Terms_, 12mo. 1738. - -Prefixed is a curious woodcut frontispiece of a _Boozing-Ken_. This work -is scarce, and much prized by collectors. The Canting Dictionary -appeared before, about 1710, with the initials B. E. on the title. It -also came out afterwards, in the year 1751, under the title of the -_Scoundrel's Dictionary_,--a mere reprint of the two former impressions. - -~Bailey's~ (Nath.) Etymological English Dictionary, 2 vols. 8vo. 1737. - -Contains a great many Cant and Vulgar Words;--indeed, Bailey does not -appear to have been very particular what words he inserted, so long as -they were actually in use. _A Collection of Ancient and Modern Cant -Words_ appears as an appendix to vol. ii. of this edition (third). - -~Bang-up Dictionary;~ or, the Lounger and Sportsman's Vade-Mecum, -containing a copious and correct Glossary of the Language of the Whips, -illustrated by a great variety of original and curious Anecdotes, -8vo. 1812. - -A vulgar performance, consisting of pilferings from Grose, and made up -with meanings of a degraded character. - -~Bartlett's~ Dictionary of Americanisms; a Glossary of Words and Phrases -colloquially used in the United States, 8vo. _New York_, 1859. - -It is a curious fact connected with slang that a great number of vulgar -words common in England are equally common in the United States; and -when we remember that America began to be peopled two centuries ago, and -that these colloquialisms must have crossed the sea with the first -emigrants, we can form some idea of the antiquity of popular or street -language. Many words, owing to the caprices of fashion or society, have -wholly disappeared in the parent country, whilst in the colonies they -are yet heard. The words "skink," to serve drink in company, and the old -term "miching" or "meeching," skulking or playing truant, for instance, -are still in use in the United States, although nearly obsolete here. - -~Beaumont and Fletcher's~ Comedy of _The Beggar's Bush_, 4to, 1661. - -Contains numerous Cant words. - -~Bee's~ (Jon.) Dictionary of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, the Pit, the -Bon Ton, and the Varieties of Life, forming the completest and most -authentic Lexicon Balatronicum hitherto offered to the notice of the -Sporting World, by John Bee [_i.e._, John Badcock], Editor of the -_Fancy_, _Fancy Gazette_, _Living Picture of London_, and the like of -that, 12mo. 1823. - -This author published books on Stable Economy under the name of Hinds. -He was the sporting rival of Pierce Egan. Professor Wilson, in an -amusing article in _Blackwood's Magazine_, reviewed this work. - -~Bee's~ (Jon.) Living Picture of London for 1828, and Stranger's Guide -through the Streets of the Metropolis; showing the Frauds, the Arts, -Snares, and Wiles of all descriptions of Rogues that everywhere abound, -12mo. 1828. - -Professes to be a guide to society, high and low, in London, and to give -an insight into the language of the streets. - -~Bee's~ (Jon.) Sportsman's Slang; a New Dictionary of Terms used in the -Affairs of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, and the Cockpit; with those of -Bon Ton and the Varieties of Life, forming a _Lexicon Balatronicum et -Macaronicum_, &c., 12mo, PLATE. _For the Author_, 1825. - -The same as the preceding, only with an altered title. Both wretched -performances, filled with miserable attempts at wit. - -~Blackguardiana;~ or, Dictionary of Rogues, Bawds, &c., 8vo, WITH -PORTRAITS [by James Caulfield]. 1795. - -This work, with a long and very vulgar title, is nothing but a reprint -of Grose, with a few anecdotes of pirates, odd persons, &c., and some -curious portraits inserted. It was concocted by Caulfield as a -speculation, and published at _one guinea_ per copy; and, owing to the -remarkable title, and the notification at the bottom that "only a few -copies were printed," soon became scarce. For philological purposes it -is not worth so much as any edition of Grose. - -~Book of Vagabonds.~ _See_ under LIBER VAGATORUM. - -~Boxiana;~ or, Sketches of Modern Pugilism, by Pierce Egan (an account -of the prize-ring), 3 vols. 8vo. 1820. - -Gives more particularly the Cant terms of pugilism, but contains -numerous (what were then styled) "flash" words. - -~Brandon.~ Poverty, Mendicity, and Crime; or, The Facts, Examinations, -&c., upon which the Report was founded, presented to the House of Lords -by W. A. Miles, Esq., to which is added a Dictionary of the Flash or -Cant Language, known to every Thief and Beggar, edited by H. Brandon, -Esq., 8vo. 1839. - -A very wretched performance. - -~Brome's~ (Rich.) Joviall Crew; or, The Merry Beggars. Presented in a -Comedie at the Cockpit, in Drury Lane, in the Year (4to) 1652. - -Contains many Cant words similar to those given by Decker,--from whose -works they were doubtless obtained. - -~Brown's~ (Rev. Hugh Stowell) Lecture on Manliness, 12mo. 1857. - -Contains a few modern Slang words. - -~Brydges'~ (Sir Egerton) British Bibliographer, 4 vols. 8vo. 1810-14. - -Vol. ii. p. 521, gives a list of Cant words. - -~Bulwer's~ (Sir Edward Lytton) Paul Clifford. V.D. - -Contains numerous Cant words. - -~Bulwer's~ (Sir Edward Lytton) Pelham. V.D. - -Contains a few Cant terms. - -~Butler's Hudibras~, with Dr. Grey's Annotations, 3 vols. 8vo. 1819. - -Abounding in colloquial terms and phrases. - -~Cambridge.~ Gradus ad Cantabrigiam; or, a Dictionary of Terms, -Academical and Colloquial, or Cant, which are used at the University, -_with Illustrations_, 12mo. _Camb._, 1803. - -~Canting:~ A Poem, interspersed with Tales and Additional Scraps, post -8vo. 1814. - -A few street words may be gleaned from this rather dull poem. - -~Canting Academy:~ or, Villanies Discovered, wherein are shown the -Mysterious and Villanous Practices of that Wicked Crew--Hectors, -Trapanners, Gilts, &c., with several new Catches and Songs; also -Compleat Canting Dictionary, 12mo, _frontispiece_. 1674. - -Compiled by Richard Head. - -~Canting Dictionary;~ comprehending all the Terms, Antient and Modern, -used in the several Tribes of Gypsies, Beggars, Shoplifters, Highwaymen, -Foot-Pads, and all other Clans of Cheats and Villains, with Proverbs, -Phrases, Figurative Speeches, &c., to which is added a complete -Collection of Songs in the Canting Dialect, 12mo. 1725. - -The title is by far the most interesting part of the work. A mere -make-up of earlier attempts. - -~Carew.~ Life and Adventures of Bamfylde Moore Carew, the King of the -Beggars, _with Canting Dictionary_, _portrait_, 8vo. 1791. - -There are numerous editions of this singular biography. The Canting -Dictionary is nothing more than a filch from earlier books. - -~Characterisms~, or the Modern Age Displayed; being an Attempt to Expose -the Pretended Virtues of Both Sexes, 12mo (part i., Ladies; part ii., -Gentlemen), _E. Owen_. 1750. - -An anonymous work, from which some curious matter may be obtained. - -~Conybeare's~ (Dean) Essay on Church Parties, reprinted from the -_Edinburgh Review_, No. CC., October, 1853, 12mo. 1858. - -Several curious instances of religious or pulpit Slang are given in this -exceedingly interesting little volume. - -~Corcoron~ (Peter.) The Fancy, a Poem, 12mo. 182-. - -Abounding in Slang words and the terms of the prize-ring. Written in -imitation of Moore's _Tom Crib's Memorial_, by one of the authors of -_The Rejected Addresses_. - -~Cotton's~ (Charles) Genuine Poetical Works, 12mo. 1771. - -"Scarronides, or Virgil Travestie, being the first and fourth Books of -Virgil's neis, in English burlesque," 8vo, 1672, and other works by -this author, contain numerous vulgar words now known as Slang. - -~Decker's~ (Thomas) The Bellman of London; bringing to light the most -notorious villanies that are now practised in the Kingdom; 4to, black -letter. _London_, 1608. - -Watt says this is the first book which professes to give an account of -the Canting language of thieves and vagabonds. But this is wrong, as -will have been seen from the remarks on Harman, who collected the words -of the vagabond crew half a century before. - -~Decker's~ (Thomas) Lanthorne and Candle-light, or the Bellman's Second -Night's Walke, in which he brings to light a brood of more strange -villanies than ever were to this year discovered, 4to. _London_, 1608-9. - -This is a continuation of the former work, and contains the _Canter's -Dictionary_, and has a frontispiece of the London Watchman with his -staff broken. - -~Decker's~ (Thomas) Gull's Hornbook, 4to. 1609. - -"This work affords a greater insight into the fashionable follies and -vulgar habits of Queen Elizabeth's day than perhaps any other extant." - -~Decker's~ (Thomas) O per se O, or a new Cryer of Lanthorne and -Candle-light, an Addition of the Bellman's Second Night's Walke, 4to, -black letter. 1612. - -A lively description of London. Contains a Canter's Dictionary, every -word in which appears to have been taken from Harman without -acknowledgment. This is the first work that gives the Canting song, a -verse of which is inserted at page 14 of the Introduction. This Canting -song has since been inserted in nearly all dictionaries of Cant. - -~Decker's~ (Thomas) Villanies discovered by Lanthorne and Candle-light, -and the Helpe of a new Cryer called O per se O, 4to. 1616. - -"With canting songs never before printed." - -~Decker's~ (Thomas) English Villanies, eight several times prest to -Death by the Printers, but still reviving again, are now the eighth time -(as at the first) discovered by Lanthorne and Candle-light, &c., -4to. 1648. - -The eighth edition of the _Lanthorne and Candle-light_. - -~Dictionary~ of all the Cant and Flash Languages, both Ancient and -Modern, 18mo. _Bailey_, 1790. - -~Dictionary~ of all the Cant and Flash Languages, 12mo. _London_, 1797. - -~Dictionary~ of the Canting Crew (Ancient and Modern), of Gypsies, -Beggars, Thieves, &c., 12mo. N.D. [1700.] - -~Dictionnaire~ des Halle, 12mo. _Bruxelles_, 1696. - -This curious Slang dictionary sold in the Stanley sale for 4 16_s._ - -~Ducange Anglicus.~--The Vulgar Tongue: comprising Two Glossaries of -Slang, Cant, and Flash Words and Phrases used in London at the present -day, 12mo. 1857. - -A silly and childish performance, full of blunders and contradictions. - -~Duncombe's~ Flash Dictionary of the Cant Words, Queer Sayings, and -Crack Terms now in use in Flash Cribb Society, 32mo, _coloured -print_. 1820. - -~Dunton's~ Ladies' Dictionary, 8vo. _London_, 1694. - -Contains a few Cant and vulgar words. - -~Egan.~ Grose's Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, with the -addition of numerous Slang Phrases, edited by Pierce Egan, 8vo. 1823. - -The best edition of Grose, with many additions, including a life of this -celebrated antiquary. - -~Egan's~ (Pierce) Life in London, 2 vols. thick 8vo, _with coloured -plates by Geo. Cruikshank, representing high and low life_. 18--. - -Contains numerous Cant, Slang, sporting, and vulgar words, supposed by -the author to form the basis of conversation in life, high and low, in -London. - -~Elwyn's~ (Alfred L.) Glossary of supposed _Americanisms_--Vulgar and -Slang Words used in the United States, small 8vo. 1859. - -~Gentleman's Magazine~, 8vo. N.D. - -"In a very early volume of this parent magazine were given a few pages, -by way of sample, of a Slang vocabulary, then termed Cant. If, as we -suspect, this part of the magazine fell to the share of Dr. Johnson, who -was then its editor, we have to lament that he did not proceed with the -design."--_John Bee, in the Introduction to his Slang Dictionary_, 1825. - -~Gentleman's Magazine~, vol. xcii., p. 520. - -Mention made of Slang. - -~Glossaries~ of County Dialects. V.D. - -Many of these will repay examination, as they contain Cant and Slang -words, wrongly inserted as provincial or old terms. - -~Golden Cabinet~ (The) of Secrets opened for Youth's delightful Pastime, -in 7 parts, the last being the "City and Country Jester;" with a Canting -Dictionary, by Dr. Surman, 12mo. _London_, N.D. (1730.) - -Contains some curious woodcuts. - -~Greene's~ (Robert) Notable Discovery of Coosnage, now daily practised -by sundry lewd persons called Conie-catchers and Crosse-biters. Plainly -laying open those pernitious sleights that hath brought many ignorant -men to confusion. Written for the general benefit of all Gentlemen, -Citizens, Apprentices, Country Farmers, and Yeomen, that may hap to fall -into the company of such coosening companions. With a delightful -discourse of the coosnage of Colliers, 4to, _with woodcuts_. _Printed -by John Wolfe_, 1591. - -_The first edition._ A copy of another edition, supposed to be _unique_, -is dated 1592. It was sold at the Heber sale. - -~Greene's~ (Robert) Groundworke of Conny-catching, the manner of their -pedlers' French, and the meanes to understand the same, with the cunning -sleights of the Counterfeit Cranke. Done by a Justice of the Peace of -great Authoritie, 4to, _with woodcuts_. 1592. - -Usually enumerated among Greene's works, but it is only a reprint, with -variations, of _Harman's Caveat_, and of which Rowland complains in his -Martin Markall. The _second_ and _third_ parts of this curious work were -published in the same year. Two other very rare volumes by Greene were -published--_The Defence of Cony-Catching_, 4to, in 1592, and THE BLACK -BOOKES MESSENGER, in 1595. They both treat on the same subjects. - -~Grose's~ (Francis, generally styled Captain) Classical Dictionary of -the Vulgar Tongue, 8vo. 178-. - -The much-sought-after FIRST EDITION, but containing nothing, as far as I -have examined, which is not to be found in the _second_ and _third_ -editions. As respects indecency, I find all the editions equally -disgraceful. The Museum copy of the _first edition_ is, I suspect, -Grose's own copy, as it contains numerous manuscript additions which -afterwards went to form the second edition. Excepting the obscenities, -it is really an extraordinary book, and displays great industry, if we -cannot speak much of its morality. It is the well from which all the -other authors--Duncombe, Caulfield, Clarke, Egan, &c. &c.--drew their -vulgar outpourings, without in the least purifying what they had stolen. - -~Haggart.~ Life of David Haggart, _alias_ John Wilson, _alias_ Barney -M'Coul, written by himself while under sentence of death, curious -frontispiece of the prisoner in irons, intermixed with all the Slang and -Cant words of the day, to which is added a Glossary of the same, -12mo. 1821. - -~Hall's~ (B.H.) Collection of College Words and Customs, 12mo. -_Cambridge (U.S.)_, 1856. - -Very complete. The illustrative examples are excellent. - -~Halliwell's~ Archaic Dictionary, 2 vols. 8vo. 1855. - -An invaluable work, giving the Cant words used by Decker, Brome, and a -few of those mentioned by Grose. - -~Harlequin~ Jack Shepherd, with a Night Scene in Grotesque Characters, -8vo. (_About_ 1736.) - -Contains Songs in the _Canting_ dialect. - -~Harman's~ (Thomas, Esq.) Caveat or Warening for Common Cursetors, -vulgarly called vagabones, set forth for the utilitie and profit of his -naturall countrey, augmented and inlarged by the first author thereof; -whereunto is added the tale of the second taking of the counterfeit -crank, with the true report of his behaviour and also his punishment for -his so dissembling, most marvellous to the hearer or reader thereof, -newly imprinted, 4to. _Imprinted at London, by H. Middleton_, 1573. - -Contains the earliest Dictionary of the Cant language. Four editions -were printed-- - - William Griffith, 1566 - 1567 - 1567 - Henry Middleton, 1573 - -What _Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue_ was to the authors of the -earlier part of the present century, Harman's was to the Deckers, and -Bromes, and Heads of the seventeenth. - -~Harrison's~ (William) Description of the Island of Britain (prefixed to -_Holinshed's Chronicle_), 2 vols. folio. 1577. - -Contains an account of English vagabonds. - -~Hazlitt's~ (William) Table Talk, 12mo, (vol. ii. contains a chapter on -Familiar Style, with a notice on Slang terms.) - -~Head's~ (Richard) English Rogue, described in the Life of Meriton -Latroon, a Witty Extravagant, 4 vols. 12mo. _Frans. Kirkman_, 1671-80. - -Contains a list of Cant words, evidently copied from Decker. - -~Hell upon earth~, or the most pleasant and delectable History of -Whittington's Colledge, otherwise vulgarly called Newgate, 12mo. 1703. - -~Henley's~ (John, better known as ORATOR HENLEY) Various Sermons and -Orations. 1719-53. - -Contains numerous vulgarisms and Slang phrases. - -[~Hitching's~ (Charles, formerly City Marshal, now a prisoner in -Newgate)] Regulator; or, a Discovery of the Thieves, Thief-Takers, and -Locks, _alias_ Receivers of Stolen Goods in and about the City of -London; also an account of all the flash words now in vogue amongst the -Thieves, &c., 8vo, very rare, _with a curious woodcut_. 1718. - -A violent attack upon Jonathan Wild. - -~Household Words~, No. 183, September 24. - -Gives an interesting article on Slang, with many examples. - -~Johnson's~ (Dr. Samuel) Dictionary (the earlier editions). V.D. - -Contains a great number of words italicized as _Cant_, low, or -barbarous. - -~Jonson's~ (Ben.) Bartholomew Fair, ii. 6. - -Several Cant words are placed in the mouths of the characters. - -~Jonson's~ (Ben.) Masque of the Gipsies Metamorphosed, 4to. 16--. - -Contains numerous Cant words. - -~Kent's~ (E.) Modern Flash Dictionary, containing all the Cant words, -Slang Terms, and Flash Phrases now in Vogue, 18mo, _coloured -frontispiece_. 1825. - -~L'Estrange's~ (Sir Roger) Works (principally translations). V.D. - -Abound in vulgar and Slang phrases. - -~Lexicon~ Balatronicum; a Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, -and Pickpocket Eloquence, by a Member of the Whip Club, assisted by -Hell-fire Dick, 8vo. 1811. - -One of the many reprints of Grose's second edition, put forth under a -fresh, and what was then considered a more attractive title. It was -given out in advertisements, &c., as a piece of puff, that it was edited -by a Dr. H. Clarke, but contains scarcely a line more than Grose. - -~Liber Vagatorum:~ Der Betler Orden, 4to. Translated into English, with -Notes, by John Camden Hotten, as The Book of Vagabonds and Beggars, with -a vocabulary of their Language (_Rotwelsche Sprach_); edited, with -preface, by Martin Luther, in the year 1528, 4to, _with woodcuts_. 1859. - -The first edition of this book appears to have been printed at Augsburg, -by Erhard Oglin, or Ocellus, about 1514,--a small quarto of twelve -leaves. It was frequently reprinted at other places in Germany: and in -1528 there appeared an edition at Wirtemberg, with a preface by Martin -Luther, who says that the "Rotwelsche Sprach," the Cant language of the -beggars, comes from the Jews, as it contains many Hebrew words, as any -one who understands that language may perceive. This book is divided -into three parts, or sections; the first gives a special account of the -several orders of the "Fraternity of Vagabonds;" the second, sundry -"_notabilia_" relating to the different classes of beggars previously -described; and the third consists of a "Rotwelsche Vocabulary," or -"Canting Dictionary." There is a long notice of the "Liber Vagatorum" in -the "Weimarisches Jahrbuch," 10ter Band, 1856. Mayhew, in his _London -Labour_, states that many of our Cant words are derived from the Jew -fences. It is singular that a similar statement should have been made by -Martin Luther more than three centuries before. - -~Life in St. George's Fields;~ or, The Rambles and Adventures of -Disconsolate William, Esq., and his Surrey Friend, Flash Dick, with -Songs and a FLASH DICTIONARY, 8vo. 1821. - -~Maginn~ (Dr.) wrote Slang songs in _Blackwood's Magazine_. 1827. - -~Mayhew's~ (Henry) London Labour and the London Poor, 4 vols. 1851-61. - -An invaluable work to the inquirer into popular or street language. - -~Mayhew's~ (Henry) Great World of London, 8vo. 1857. - -An unfinished work, but containing several examples of the use and -application of Cant and Slang words. - -~Middleton~ (Thomas) and ~Decker's~ (Thomas) Roaring Girl; or Moll Cut -Purse, 4to. 1611. - -The conversation in one scene is entirely in the so-called pedlar's -French. It is given in _Dodsley's Old Plays_. - -~Modern Flash Dictionary~, 48mo. 1825. - -The smallest Slang dictionary ever printed; intended for the -waistcoat-pockets of the "BLOODS" of the Prince Regent's time. - -~Moncrieff's~ Tom and Jerry, or Life in London, a Farce in Three Acts, -12mo. 1820. - -An excellent exponent of the false and forced "high life" which was so -popular during the minority of George IV. The farce had a run of a -hundred nights, or more, and was a general favourite for years. It -abounds in Cant, and the language of "gig," as it was then often termed. - -Mornings at Bow Street, by T. Wright, 12mo, _with Illustrations by -George Cruikshank_. _Tegg_, 1838. - -In this work a few etymologies of Slang words are attempted. - -New Canting Dictionary, 12mo. N.D. - -A copy of this work is described in _Rodd's Catalogue of Elegant -Literature_, 1845, part iv., No. 2128, with manuscript notes and -additions in the autograph of Isaac Reed, price 1. 8_s._ - -~New Dictionary~ of the Terms, Ancient and Modern, of the Canting Crew -in its several tribes of Gypsies, Beggars, Thieves, Cheats, &c., with an -addition of some _Proverbs, Phrases, Figurative Speeches, &c._, by -B.E., GENT., 12mo. N.D. [1710.] - -Afterwards issued under the title of _Bacchus and Venus_, 1737, and in -1754 as the _Scoundrel's Dictionary_. - -~New Dictionary~ of all the Cant and Flash Languages used by every class -of offenders, from a Lully Prigger to a High Tober Gloak, small 8vo, pp. -62. 179-. - -Mentioned by John Bee. - -~Notes and Queries.~ The invaluable Index to this most useful periodical -may be consulted with advantage by the seeker after etymologies of Slang -and Cant words. - -~Parker.~ High and Low Life, A View of Society in, being the Adventures -in England, Ireland, &c., of Mr. G. Parker, _A Stage Itinerant_, 2 vols. -in 1, thick 12mo. _Printed for the Author_, 1781. - -A curious work, containing many Cant words, with 100 orders of rogues -and swindlers. - -~Parker's~ (Geo.) Life's Painter of Variegated Characters, with a -Dictionary of Cant Language and Flash Songs, to which is added a -Dissertation on Freemasonry, _portrait_, 8vo. 1789. - -~Pegge's~ (Samuel) Anecdotes of the English Language, chiefly regarding -the Local Dialect of London and Environs, 8vo. 1803-41. - -~Perry's~ (William) London Guide and Stranger's Safeguard against -Cheats, Swindlers, and Pickpockets, by a Gentleman who has made the -Police of the Metropolis an object of inquiry twenty-two years (no -wonder when the author was in prison a good portion of that time!) 1818. - -Contains a dictionary of Slang and Cant words. - -~Phillip's~ New World of Words, folio. 1696. - -~Pickering's~ (F.) Vocabulary, or Collection of Words and Phrases which -have been supposed to be peculiar to the United States of America, to -which is prefixed an Essay on the present state of the English Language -in the United States, 8vo. _Boston_, 1816. - -The remark made upon _Bartlett's Americanisms_ applies equally to this -work. - -~Picture of the Fancy~, 12mo. 18--. - -Contains numerous Slang terms. - -~Potter's~ (H. T., of _Clay, Worcestershire_) New Dictionary of all the -Cant and Flash Languages, both ancient and modern, 8vo, pp. 62. 1790. - -~Poulter.~ The Discoveries of John Poulter, _alias_ Baxter, 8vo, 48 -pages. (1770?) - -At pages 42, 43, there is an explanation of the "Language of Thieves, -commonly called Cant." - -~Prison-breaker~, The, or the Adventures of John Sheppard, a Farce, -8vo. _London_, 1725. - -Contains a Canting song, &c. - -~Punch~, or the London Charivari. - -Often points out Slang, vulgar, or abused words. It also occasionally -employs them in jokes or sketches of character. - -~Quarterly Review~, vol. x. p. 528. - -Gives a paper on Americanisms and Slang phrases. - -~Randall's~ (Jack, the Pugilist, formerly of the "Hole in the Wall," -Chancery Lane) Diary of Proceedings at the House of Call for Genius, -edited by Mr. Breakwindow, to which are added several of Mr. B.'s minor -pieces, 12mo. 1820. - -Believed to have been written by Thomas Moore. The verses are mostly -parodies of popular authors, and abound in the Slang of pugilism, and -the phraseology of the fast life of the period. - -~Randall~ (Jack), a Few Selections from his Scrap-book; to which are -added Poems on the late Fight for the Championship, 12mo. 1822. - -Frequently quoted by Moore in _Tom Crib's Memorial_. - -~Scoundrel's Dictionary;~ or, an Explanation of the Cant Words used by -Thieves, Housebreakers, Street-robbers, and Pickpockets about Town, with -some curious Dissertations on the Art of Wheedling, &c., the whole -printed from a copy taken on one of their gang, in the late scuffle -between the watchman and a party of them on Clerkenwell Green, -8vo. 1754. - -A reprint of _Bacchus and Venus_, 1737. - -~Sharp~ (Jeremy), The Life of an English Rogue, 12mo. 1740. - -Includes a "Vocabulary of the Gypsies' Cant." - -~Sherwood's~ Gazetteer of Georgia, U.S., 8vo. - -Contains a glossary of words, Slang and vulgar, peculiar to the Southern -States. - -~Smith~ (Capt. Alexander), The Thieves' Grammar, 12mo, p. 28. 17--. - -A copy of this work is in the collection formed by Prince Lucien -Bonaparte. - -~Smith's~ (Capt.) Compleat History of the Lives and Robberies of the -most Notorious Highwaymen, Footpads, Shoplifters, and Cheats, of both -Sexes, in and about London and Westminster, 12mo, vol. i. 1719. - -This volume contains "The Thieves' New Canting Dictionary of the Words, -_Proverbs, &c., used by Thieves_." - -~Smith's~ (Capt.) Thieves' Dictionary, 12mo. 1724. - -~Snowden's~ Magistrate's Assistant, and Constable's Guide, thick small -8vo. 1852. - -Gives a description of the various orders of cadgers, beggars, and -swindlers, together with a Glossary of the Flash Language. - -~Sportsman's Dictionary~, 4to. 17--. - -By an anonymous author. Contains some low sporting terms. - -~Stanley's~ Remedy, or the Way how to Reform Wandring Beggars, Thieves, -&c., wherein is shewed that Sodomes Sin of Idleness is the Poverty and -the Misery of this Kingdome, 4to. 1646. - -This work has an engraving on wood which is said to be the veritable -original of Jim Crow. - -~Swift's~ coarser pieces abound in vulgarities and Slang expressions. - -~The Triumph of Wit~, or Ingenuity displayed in its Perfection, being -the Newest and most Useful Academy, Songs, Art of Love, and the Mystery -and Art of Canting, with Poems, Songs, &c., in the Canting Language, -16mo. _J. Clarke_, 1735. - -What is generally termed a shilling _Chap Book_. - -~The Triumph of Wit~, or the Canting Dictionary, being the Newest and -most Useful Academy, containing the Mystery and art of Canting, with the -original and present management thereof, and the ends to which it serves -and is employed, illustrated with Poems, Songs, and various Intrigues in -the Canting Language, with the Explanations, &c., 12mo. _Dublin_, N.D. - -A Chap Book of 32 pages, _circa_ 1760. - -~The Whole Art Of Thieving~ and Defrauding Discovered: being a Caution -to all Housekeepers, Shopkeepers, Salesmen, and others, to guard against -Robbers of both Sexes, and the best Methods to prevent their Villanies; -to which is added an Explanation of most of the Cant terms in the -Thieving Language, 8vo, pp. 46. 1786. - -~Thomas~ (I.), My Thought Book, 8vo. 1825. - -Contains a chapter on Slang. - -~Tom Crib's~ Memorial to Congress, with a Preface, Notes, and Appendix -by one of the Fancy [Tom Moore, the Poet], 12mo. 1819. - -A humorous poem, abounding in Slang and pugilistic term, with a -burlesque essay on the classic origin of Slang. - -~Vacabondes~, the Fraternatye of, as well as of ruflyng Vacabones, as of -beggerly, of Women as of Men, of Gyrles as of Boyes, with their proper -Names and Qualities, with a Description of the Crafty Company of -Cousoners and Shifters, also the XXV. Orders of Knaves; otherwyse called -a Quartern of Knaves, confirmed by Cocke Lorell, 8vo. Imprinted at -London by John Awdeley, dwellyng in little Britayne strete, without -Aldersgate. 1575. - -It is stated in _Ames' Typog. Antiq._, vol. ii. p. 885, that an edition -bearing the date 1565 is in existence, and that the compiler was no -other than old John Audley, the printer, himself. This conjecture, -however, is very doubtful. As stated by Watt, it is more than probable -that it was written by Harman, or was taken from his works, in MS. or -print. - -~Vaux's~ (Count de, a swindler and pickpocket) Life, written by himself, -2 vols., 12mo, to which is added a Canting Dictionary. 1819. - -These Memoirs were suppressed on account of the scandalous passages -contained in them. - -~Webster's~ (Noah) Letter to the Hon. John Pickering, on the Subject of -his Vocabulary, or Collection of Words and Phrases supposed to be -peculiar to the United States, 8vo, pp. 69. _Boston_, 1817. - -~Wild~ (Jonathan), History of the Lives and Actions of Jonathan Wild, -Thieftaker, Joseph Blake, _alias_ Blueskin, Footpad, and John Sheppard, -Housebreaker; together with a Canting Dictionary by Jonathan Wild, -_woodcuts_, 12mo. 1750. - -~Wilson~ (Professor), contributed various Slang pieces to _Blackwood's -Magazine_; including a Review of Bee's Dictionary. - -~Witherspoon's~ (Dr., of America,) Essays on Americanisms, Perversions -of Language in the United States, Cant phrases, &c., 8vo, in the 4th -vol. of his works. _Philadelphia_, 1801. - -The earliest work on American vulgarisms. Originally published as a -series of Essays, entitled the _Druid_, which appeared in a periodical -in 1761. - - -BALLANTYNE & COMPANY LTD - -TAVISTOCK STREET COVENT GARDEN - -LONDON - - - - -DICTIONARIES - - - THE READER'S HANDBOOK OF ALLUSIONS, REFERENCES, PLOTS, AND STORIES. - By the Rev. E.C. BREWER, LL.D. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s 6d net. - - A DICTIONARY OF MIRACLES: Imitative, Realistic, and Dogmatic. By the - Rev. E.C. BREWER, LL.D. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s 6d net. - - WORDS, FACTS, AND PHRASES: A Dictionary of Curious, Quaint, and Odd - Matters. By ELIEZER EDWARDS. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s 6d. - - FAMILIAR SHORT SAYINGS OF GREAT MEN: with Historical and Explanatory - Notes. By SAMUEL A. BENT, A.M. Crown 8vo, cloth, 7s 6d. - - FAMILIAR ALLUSIONS. By WILLIAM A. and CHARLES J. WHEELER. Demy 8vo, - cloth, 7s 6d net. - - THE SLANG DICTIONARY: Etymological, Historical, and Anecdotal. Crown - 8vo, cloth, 6s 6d. - - A DICTIONARY OF THE DRAMA. By W. DAVENPORT ADAMS. Vol. I (A to G). - Demy 8vo, cloth, 10s 6d net. - -London: CHATTO & WINDUS, 111 St. Martin's Lane, W.C. - - - * * * * * - - -Transcriber's Note: - -An advertisement for dictionaries has been moved from the beginning of -the text to the end. - - -The following are used inconsistently in the text: - -banknote and bank-note - -battles and battells - -big-bird and big bird - -blackguard and black-guard - -boatrace and boat-race - -Boozingken and Boozing-Ken - -bow-Catcher and bowcatcher - -brother-chip and brother-chip - -Bubble-and-Squeak and Bubble and Squeak - -chamberpot and chamber-pot - -cherry-colour and cherry colour - -chuck up and chuck-up - -coalheaver and coal-heaver - -cockshy and cock-shy - -cocoanuts and cocoa-nuts - -comb cut and comb-cut - -coon and 'coon - -corner men and corner-men - -crabshells and crab shells - -cutpurse and cut-purse - -daylights and day-light - -dead-heat and dead heat - -dolly shop and dolly-shop - -dunnyken and dunna-ken - -everyday and every-day - -fagot and faggot - -fawney bouncing and fawney-bouncing - -fyebuck and fye-buck - -halfpence and half-pence - -horse chaunter and horse-chaunter - -housebreaking and house-breaking - -kin-the-lamb and kin the lamb - -knobstick and knob-stick - -lovelock and love-lock - -M. B. and M.B. - -M. T. and M.T. - -Merry Dun of Dover and merry dun of Dover - -mountain pecker and mountain-pecker - -necktie and neck-tie - -newcomers and new-comers - -now-a-days and nowadays - -outdoor and out-door - -overbearing and over-bearing - -overnight and over-night - -overreach and over-reach - -P. P. and P.P. - -parney and parny - -percentages and per-centages - -pillbox and pill-box - -playhouse and play-house - -purseproud and purse-proud - -racehorse and race-horse - -randem and random - -reach me downs and reach-me-downs - -ringdropping and ring-dropping - -schofel and schoful - -schoolboys and school-boys - -seaport and sea-port - -secondhand and second-hand - -signpost and sign-post - -Soft-soap and soft soap - -speechmaking and speech-making - -turncoat and turn-coat - -turnout and turn-out - -W. P. and W.P. - -water-bewitched and water bewitched - -watercloset and water-closet - -wideawake and wide-awake - - -The following errors in the printed text have been corrected: - -advertisement "W.," changed to "W." - -advertisement "A to G)" changed to "(A to G)" - -p. 15 "Bcck" changed to "Beck" - -p. 17 "coined money" changed to "coined money." - -p. 29 "'cribs''" changed to "'cribs'"" - -p. 41 "_Tam O' Shanter_."" changed to "_Tam O' Shanter_." - -p. 68 "on't--" changed to "on't"--" - -p. 74 "appearance" changed to "appearance." - -p. 74 "I Cor." changed to "1 Cor." - -p. 82 "Dr" changed to "Dr." - -p. 83 "under-raduates" changed to "under-graduates" - -p. 88 "BLUHEN" changed to "BLHEN" - -p. 90 "the new police" changed to "the new police." - -p. 91 "belong to you" changed to "belong to you." - -p. 94 "Spit-curl,"" changed to "Spit-curl," - -p. 97 "Rothwalsch" changed to "Rothwlsch" - -p. 97 "good fellow;" changed to "good fellow;"" - -p. 98 "at races" changed to "at races." - -p. 101 "large thick," changed to "large, thick," - -p. 106 "tumble up," changed to "tumble up" - -p. 107 "contruction" changed to "contraction" - -p. 111 "ny temporary" changed to "any temporary" - -p. 114 "pay.--ED" changed to "pay.--ED." - -p. 115 "CHEESE your barrikin,"" changed to ""CHEESE your barrikin,"" - -p. 116 "Derivation obvious" changed to "Derivation obvious." - -p. 118 "and waistcoat" changed to "and waistcoat." - -p. 120 "first-rate" changed to "first-rate." - -p. 135 "Very often" changed to ""Very often" - -p. 136 "Culloden;*" changed to "Culloden;" - -p. 137 "CUT ONE'S" CHANGED TO ""CUT ONE'S" - -p. 139 "interrupted Julian" changed to "interrupted Julian," - -P. 141 "SO LOOK OUT"" CHANGED TO "SO LOOK OUT."" - -P. 152 "MEDIOCITY" CHANGED TO "MEDIOCRITY" - -P. 161 "O FOURTEEN" CHANGED TO "OF FOURTEEN" - -P. 168 ""OR IN BAD" CHANGED TO "OR "IN BAD" - -P. 171 "FULLY committed for trial." changed to "FULLY committed for -trial."" - -p. 176 "crush hat" changed to "crush hat." - -p. 178 "by schoolboys" changed to "by schoolboys." - -p. 188 "unthinking" changed to "unthinking." - -p. 189 "~Harry-soph~" changed to "~Harry-soph~," - -p. 197 "Umh!" changed to ""Umh!" - -p. 209 "_Gloucestershire_." changed to "_Gloucestershire_," - -p. 217 "of the door,'" changed to "of the door,"" - -p. 219 "nothing five" changed to "nothing: five" - -p. 224 "what a MEASLEY" changed to ""what a MEASLEY" - -p. 229 "bad MOUNT." changed to "bad MOUNT."" - -p. 232 "_Neptune's Triumph_, whch" changed to "_Neptune's Triumph_, -which" - -p. 233 "Shakspear ehas" changed to "Shakspeare has" - -p. 234 "VAMOS."" changed to "VAMOS." - -p. 236 ""Your NIBS," yourself."" changed to ""Your NIBS," yourself." - -p. 237 "~Nix my dolly~once" changed to "~Nix my dolly~, once" - -p. 243 "_i.e._, you" changed to "_i.e._, "you" - -p. 247 "to the PARTY?"" changed to "to the PARTY?" - -p. 247 "_Stephano._" changed to ""_Stephano._" - -p. 250 "drive awa ;" changed to "drive away;" - -p. 251 "Nor yet a single" changed to ""Nor yet a single" - -p. 253 "drob")." changed to "drob)"." - -p. 253 "English word" changed to "English word." - -p. 254 "its purity?" changed to "its purity?"" - -p. 254 "trrdesman" changed to "tradesman" - -p. 256 "100,0000," changed to "100,000," - -p. 258 "~Pops ~,pocket-pistols." changed to "~Pops~, pocket-pistols." - -p. 264 "THICK UN a" changed to "THICK UN, a" - -p. 265 "for the account"" changed to "for the account."" - -p. 275 "in unproductive" changed to "an unproductive" - -p. 285 "improvemennts" changed to "improvements" - -p. 295 "voilently" changed to "violently" - -p. 296 "a good beating," changed to "a good beating." - -p. 297 "Sluieing" changed to "Sluicing" - -p. 297 "tip-top nation." changed to "tip-top nation."" - -p. 299 "SNIDE 'UN."" changed to "SNIDE 'UN." - -p. 304 "a person, to cease" changed to "a person," to cease" - -p. 305 "TEA-SPOON," changed to "TEA-SPOON;" - -p. 306 "prisoners, when," changed to "prisoners, when" - -p. 307 "~Stab-rag~" changed to "~Stab-rag~," - -p. 316 "first six months" changed to "first six months;" - -p. 321 "that term" changed to "that term." - -p. 322 "upon TICKET." changed to "upon TICKET."" - -p. 331 "TWIG,'" changed to "TWIG,"" - -p. 334 "can you" changed to ""can you" - -p. 338 "WORRIT, ro" changed to "or WORRIT," - -p. 334 "igin hougour" changed to "igin agan hougour" - -p. 334 "Romany!" changed to "Romany?" - -p. 340 "WHITE WINE."" changed to "WHITE WINE.'"" - -p. 349 "end with two vowels" changed to "end with two consonants" - -p. 354 "~Exis yanneps~xpence." changed to "~Exis yanneps~, sixpence." - -p. 354 "an apple" changed to "an apple." - -p. 368 "of beer" changed to "of beer." - -p. 369 "centre slang, then," changed to "Centre slang, then," - -p. 372 "_London_, 1809" changed to "_London_, 1809." - -p. 374 "part of the work" changed to "part of the work." - -p. 374 "attemp" changed to "attempts." - -p. 375 "1858" changed to "1858." - -p. 376 "1797" changed to "1797." - -p. 378 "1859" changed to "1859." - -p. 379 "Wiemarisches" changed to "Weimarisches" - -p. 379 "10te" changed to "10ter" - - -Inconsistent use of small capitals and italics has been left as printed. - -On p. 76, "will about win" has been left as printed. - -On p. 121, "_See_ COAL" in the entry for "Coal" has been left as -printed. - -On p. 195, "the blue jackets wont" has been left as printed. - -On p. 379, "Wirtemberg" has been left as printed. - - -The following were not clearly printed and are conjectural: - -Footnote to p. 53 "most objectionable" - -p. 90 full stop in "Bethnal Green Museum." - -p. 94 the letter p in "person who steals" - -p. 94 bracketed text in "swindler[, or a] lie" - -p. 114 bracketed text in "Ch[aw] over" - -p. 158 comma in "unfeminine accomplishment," - -p. 164 letter n and comma in "~Flim-flamn~," - -p. 181 bracketed text in "[tie]d.--_Sea._" - -p. 197 last two digits in "1632." - -p. 207 last two digits in "1820." - -p. 211 bracketed text in "so[lic]ited" - -p. 243 bracketed text in "descripti[on,]" - -p. 248 semi-colon in "POIX);" - -p. 262 "to" in "stratagem to excite" - -p. 295 comma in "into a man," - -p. 337 comma in "WELSHER," - - -There are a number of references to non-existent entries: - -the entry for "Briefs" refers to "Reflectors"; - -the entry for "Bub" refers to "Bibe" - -the entry for "Harum-scarum" refers to "Tandem"; - -the entry for "Lucky" refers to "Strike"; - -the entry for "Man in the moon" refers to "Election Inquiries"; - -the entry for "Random" refers to "Tandem"; - -the entry for "Whiddle" refers to "Wheedle". - - -In some cases entries of that name exist, but appear to be unrelated: - -the entry for "Buz" refers to "Snooks" and "Walker"; - -the entry for "Random" refers to "Sudden Death". - - -The following possible error has been left as printed: - -p. 254 "an ingenious candle-snuffers" - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Slang Dictionary, by John Camden Hotten - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SLANG DICTIONARY *** - -***** This file should be named 42108-8.txt or 42108-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Slang Dictionary - Etymological, Historical and Andecdotal - -Author: John Camden Hotten - -Release Date: February 16, 2013 [EBook #42108] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SLANG DICTIONARY *** - - - - -Produced by Henry Flower, Delphine Lettau and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) - - - - - - -</pre> - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42108 ***</div> <div class="transnote"> Transcriber’s Note: The cover image was produced by the transcriber using a modified illustration from the book, and is placed into the public domain. @@ -24396,386 +24357,6 @@ printed.</p> </div> - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Slang Dictionary, by John Camden Hotten - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SLANG DICTIONARY *** - -***** This file should be named 42108-h.htm or 42108-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/1/0/42108/ - -Produced by Henry Flower, Delphine Lettau and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Slang Dictionary - Etymological, Historical and Andecdotal - -Author: John Camden Hotten - -Release Date: February 16, 2013 [EBook #42108] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SLANG DICTIONARY *** - - - - -Produced by Henry Flower, Delphine Lettau and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Note: - -Superscript text is preceded by a caret symbol, e.g. ^4. - -Symbols in the printed text have been represented by descriptions in -square brackets. - -Italics are indicated by _underscores_, and bold text by ~tildes~. Small -capitals have been converted to upper case. - -Greek text has been transliterated and enclosed in _underscores_. - - - - -[Illustration: A CADGER'S MAP OF A BEGGING DISTRICT. - -EXPLANATION OF THE HIEROGLYPHICS. - -[Cross] ~No good~; too poor, and know too much. - -[Semicircle plus cross] ~Stop~,--if you have what they want, they will -buy. They are pretty "_fly_" (knowing). - -[Forked branch] ~Go in this direction~, it is better than the other -road. Nothing that way. - -[Diamond] ~Bone~ (good). Safe for a "cold tatur," if for nothing else. -"_Cheese your patter_" (don't talk much) here. - -[Triangle pointing down] ~Cooper'd~ (spoilt) by too many tramps calling -there. - -[Square] ~Gammy~ (unfavourable), likely to have you taken up. Mind the -dog. - -[Circle with dot] ~Flummuxed~ (dangerous), sure of a month in "_quod_," -prison. - -[Circle with cross] ~Religious~, but tidy on the whole. ] - - - - - THE - SLANG DICTIONARY - - ETYMOLOGICAL - HISTORICAL AND ANECDOTAL - - [Illustration: "THE WEDGE" AND THE "WOODEN SPOON."] - - A NEW IMPRESSION - - LONDON - CHATTO & WINDUS - 1913 - - - - -PREFACE. - - -Slang, like everything else, changes much in the course of time; and -though but fifteen years have elapsed since this Dictionary was first -introduced to the public, alterations have since then been many and -frequent in the subject of which it treats. The first issue of a work of -this kind is, too, ever beset with difficulties, and the compiler was -always aware that, though under the circumstances of its production the -book was an undoubted success, it necessarily lacked many of the -elements which would make that success lasting, and cause the "Slang -Dictionary" to be regarded as an authority and a work of reference not -merely among the uneducated, but among people of cultivated tastes and -inquiring minds. For though the vulgar use of the word Slang applies to -those words only which are used by the dangerous classes and the lowest -grades of society, the term has in reality, and should have--as every -one who has ever studied the subject knows--a much wider significance. -Bearing this in mind, the original publisher of this Dictionary lost no -opportunity of obtaining information of a useful kind, which could -hardly find place in any other book of reference, with the intention of -eventually bringing out an entirely new edition, in which all former -errors should be corrected and all fresh meanings and new words find a -place. His intention always was to give those words which are familiar -to all conversant with our colloquialisms and locutions, but which have -hitherto been connected with an unwritten tongue, a local habitation, -and to produce a book which, in its way, would be as useful to students -of philology, as well as to lovers of human nature in all its phases, -as any standard work in the English language. The squeamishness which -tries to ignore the existence of slang fails signally, for not only in -the streets and the prisons, but at the bar, on the bench, in the -pulpit, and in the Houses of Parliament, does slang make itself heard, -and, as the shortest and safest means to an end, understood too. - -My predecessor, the original compiler, did not live to see his wish -become an actual fact; and, failing him, it devolved upon me to -undertake the task of revision and addition. How far this has been -accomplished, the curious reader who is possessed of a copy of each -edition can best judge for himself by comparing any couple of pages he -may select. Of my own share in the work I wish to say nothing, as I have -mainly benefited by the labours of others; but I may say that, when I -undertook the position of editor of what, with the smallest possible -stretch of fancy, may now be called a new book, I had no idea that the -alteration would be nearly so large or so manifest. However, as the work -is now done, it will best speak for itself, and, as good wine needs no -bush, I will leave it, in all hope of their tenderness, to those readers -who are best qualified to say how the task has been consummated. - -In conclusion, it is but fair for me to thank, as strongly as weak words -will permit, those gentlemen who have in various ways assisted me. To -two of them, who are well known in the world of literature, and who have -not only aided me with advice, but have placed many new words and -etymologies at my service, I am under particular obligation. With this I -beg to subscribe myself, the reader's most obedient servant, - - The Editor. - - _December 20, 1873._ - - NOTE.--The reader will bear in mind that this is a Dictionary of - _modern_ Slang,--a list of colloquial words and phrases in _present_ - use,--whether of ancient or modern formation. Whenever _Ancient_ is - appended to a word, it means that the expression was in respectable - use in or previous to the reign of Queen Elizabeth. _Old_ or _Old - English_, affixed to a word, signifies that it was in general use as - a proper expression in or previous to the reign of Charles II. _Old - Cant_ indicates that the term was in use as a Cant word during or - before the same reign. - -_The Publishers will be much obliged by the receipt of any cant, slang, -or vulgar words not mentioned in the Dictionary. The probable origin, or -etymology, of any fashionable or unfashionable vulgarism, will also be -received with thanks._ - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - - THE HISTORY OF CANT, OR THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF VAGABONDS 1 - - ACCOUNT OF THE HIEROGLYPHICS USED BY VAGABONDS 27 - - A SHORT HISTORY OF SLANG, OR THE VULGAR LANGUAGE OF FAST LIFE 34 - - DICTIONARY OF MODERN SLANG, CANT, AND VULGAR WORDS 71 - - SOME ACCOUNT OF THE BACK SLANG 347 - - GLOSSARY OF THE BACK SLANG 353 - - SOME ACCOUNT OF THE RHYMING SLANG 358 - - GLOSSARY OF THE RHYMING SLANG 365 - - CENTRE SLANG 369 - - THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SLANG 371 - - - - -"_All ridiculous words make their first entry into a language by -familiar phrases; I dare not answer for these that they will not in time -be looked upon as a part of our tongue._"--SPECTATOR. - -"_Rabble-charming words, which carry so much wild fire wrapt up in -them._"--SOUTH. - -"_Slang derivations are generally indirect, turning upon metaphor and -fanciful allusions, and other than direct etymological connexion. Such -allusions and fancies are essentially temporary or local; they rapidly -pass out of the public mind: the word remains, while the key to its -origin is lost._" - -"_Many of these [slang] words and phrases are but serving their -apprenticeship, and will eventually become the active strength of our -language._"--H. T. BUCKLE. - - - - -THE HISTORY OF CANT, - -OR THE - -SECRET LANGUAGE OF VAGABONDS. - - -Cant and Slang are universal and world-wide. By their means is often -said in a sentence what would otherwise take an hour to express. Nearly -every nation on the face of the globe, polite and barbarous, has its -divisions and subdivisions of various ranks of society. These are -necessarily of many kinds, stationary and wandering, civilized and -uncivilized, respectable and disreputable,--those who have fixed abodes -and avail themselves of the refinements of civilization, and those who -go from place to place picking up a precarious livelihood by petty -sales, begging, or theft. This peculiarity is to be observed amongst the -heathen tribes of the southern hemisphere, as well as in the oldest and -most refined countries of Europe. In South Africa, the naked and -miserable Hottentots are pestered by the still more abject _Sonquas_; -and it may be some satisfaction for us to know that our old enemies at -the Cape, the Kaffirs, are troubled with a tribe of rascals called -_Fingoes_,--the former term, we are informed by travellers, signifying -beggars, and the latter wanderers and outcasts. In South America, and -among the islands of the Pacific, matters are pretty much the same. -Sleek rascals, without much inclination towards honesty, fatten, or -rather fasten, like the insects in the famous epigram, upon other -rascals, who would be equally sleek and fat but for their vagabond -dependents. Luckily for respectable persons, however, vagabonds, both at -home and abroad, generally show certain outward peculiarities which -distinguish them from the great mass of law-abiding people on whom they -subsist. Observation shows that the wandering races are remarkable for -an abnormal development of the bones of the face, as the jaws, -cheek-bones, &c., for high-crowned, stubborn-shaped heads, quick, -restless eyes,[1] and hands nervously itching to be doing; for their -love of gambling; for sensuality of all kinds; and for their use of a -CANT language with which to conceal their designs and plunderings. - -The secret jargon, or rude speech, of the vagabonds who hang upon the -Hottentots is termed Cuze-cat. In Finland, the fellows who steal -seal-skins, pick the pockets of bear-skin overcoats, and talk cant, are -termed Lappes. In France, the secret language of highwaymen, -housebreakers, and pickpockets, is named Argot. The brigands and more -romantic rascals of Spain term their private tongue Germania,[2] or -Robbers' Language. Rothwaelsch,[3] or foreign-beggar-talk, is synonymous -with cant and thieves' talk in Germany. The vulgar dialect of Malta, and -the Scala towns of the Levant--imported into this country and -incorporated with English cant--is known as the Lingua Franca, or -bastard Italian. And the crowds of lazy beggars that infest the streets -of Naples and Rome, as well as the brigands of Pompeii, use a secret -language termed Gergo. In England, as we all know, it is called -Cant--often improperly Slang. - -Most nations, then, possess each a tongue, or series of tongues maybe, -each based on the national language, by which not only thieves, beggars, -and other outcasts communicate, but which is used more or less by all -classes. There is hardly any community in this country, hardly any -profession, but has its slang, and proficiency in this is the greatest -desideratum of an aspirant to the pleasures of Society, or the honours -of literature and art. The formation of these secret tongues varies, of -course, with the circumstances surrounding the speakers. A writer in -_Notes and Queries_ has well remarked that "the investigation of the -origin and principles of cant and slang language opens a curious field -of inquiry, replete with considerable interest to the philologist and -the philosopher. It affords a remarkable instance of lingual -contrivance, which, without the introduction of much arbitrary matter, -has developed a system of communicating ideas, having all the advantages -of a foreign language." - -"The terms Cant and Canting were probably derived from chaunt and -chaunting,--the whining tone, or modulation of voice adopted by -beggars, with intent to coax, wheedle, or cajole by pretensions of -wretchedness."[4] For the origin of the other application of the word -Cant, pulpit hypocrisy, we are indebted to the _Spectator_--"Cant is by -some people derived from one Andrew Cant, who, they say, was a -Presbyterian minister in some illiterate part of Scotland, who, by -exercise and use, had obtained the faculty, alias gift, of talking in -the pulpit in such a dialect that 'tis said he was understood by none -but his own congregation,--and not by all of them. Since Master Cant's -time it has been understood in a larger sense, and signifies all -exclamations, whinings, unusual tones, and, in fine, all praying and -preaching like the unlearned of the Presbyterians." This anecdote is -curious, though it is but fair to assume that the preacher's name was -taken from his practice, rather than that the practice was called after -the preacher. As far as we are concerned, however, in the present -inquiry, Cant was derived from chaunt, a beggar's whine; "chaunting" -being the recognised term amongst beggars to this day for begging -orations and street whinings; and "chaunter," a street talker and tramp, -is still the term used by strollers and patterers. This race is, -however, nearly obsolete. The use of the word Cant, amongst beggars, -must certainly have commenced at a very early date, for we find "To -cante, to speake," in Harman's list of Rogues' Words in the year 1566; -and Harrison about the same time,[5] in speaking of beggars and -Gipsies, says, "they have devised a language among themselves which they -name Canting, but others Pedlars' Frenche." - -Now, the word Cant in its old sense, and Slang[6] in its modern -application, although used by good writers and persons of education as -synonyms, are in reality quite distinct and separate terms. Cant, apart -from religious hypocrisy, refers to the old secret language of Gipsies, -thieves, tramps, and beggars. Slang represents that evanescent language, -ever changing with fashion and taste, which has principally come into -vogue during the last seventy or eighty years, spoken by persons in -every grade of life, rich and poor, honest and dishonest.[7] Cant is -old; Slang is always modern and ever changing. To illustrate the -difference: a thief in Cant language would term a horse a "prancer" or a -"prad;" while in Slang, a man of fashion would speak of it as a "bit of -blood," a "spanker," or a "neat tit." A handkerchief, too, would be a -"billy," a "fogle," or a "Kent rag," in the secret language of low -characters; whilst amongst the modern folk who affect Slang, it would be -called a "stook," a "wipe," a "fogle," or a "clout." Cant was formed for -purposes of secrecy. Slang, though it has a tendency the same way, is -still often indulged in from a mild desire to appear familiar with life, -gaiety, town-humour, and the transient nicknames and street jokes of the -day. Both Cant and Slang, we have before said, are often huddled -together as synonyms; but they are most certainly distinct, and as such -should be used. - -To the Gipsies, beggars and thieves are in great measure indebted for -their Cant language. It is supposed that the Gipsies originally landed -in this country early in the reign of Henry VIII. They were at first -treated as conjurors and magicians,--indeed, they were hailed by the -populace with as much applause as a company of English performers -usually receives on arriving in a distant colony. They came here with -all their old Eastern arts of palmistry and second-sight, with their -factitious power of doubling money by incantation and burial,--shreds of -pagan idolatry; and they brought with them, also, the dishonesty of the -lower-caste Orientals, and the nomadic tastes they had acquired through -centuries of wandering over nearly the whole of the then known globe. -They possessed also a language quite distinct from anything that had -been heard in England up till their advent; they claimed the title of -Egyptians, and as such, when their thievish propensities became a public -nuisance, were cautioned and proscribed in a royal proclamation by Henry -VIII.[8] The Gipsies were not long in the country before they found -native imitators; and indeed the imitation is much more frequently found -nowadays, in the ranks of the so-called Gipsies, than is the genuine -article. Vagabondism is peculiarly catching, and the idle, the vagrant, -and the criminal soon caught the idea from the Gipsies, and learned from -them to tramp, sleep under hedges and trees, tell fortunes, and find -lost property for a consideration--frequently, as the saying runs, -having found it themselves before it was lost. They also learned the -value and application of a secret tongue; indeed, with the Gipsies came -in all the accompaniments of maunding and imposture, except thieving and -begging, which were well known in this country, and perhaps in every -other, long before visitors had an opportunity of teaching them. - -Harman, in 1566, wrote a singular, not to say droll, book, entitled, _A -Caveat for commen Cvrsetors, vulgarly called Vagabones, newly augmented -and inlarged_, wherein the history and various descriptions of rogues -and vagabonds are given, together with their canting tongue. This book, -the earliest of the kind, gives the singular fact that within a dozen -years after the landing of the Gipsies, companies of English vagrants -were formed, places of meeting appointed, districts for plunder and -begging operations marked out, and rules agreed to for their common -management. In some cases Gipsies joined the English gangs; in others, -English vagrants joined the Gipsies. The fellowship was found convenient -and profitable, as both parties were aliens to the laws and customs of -the country, living in a great measure in the open air, apart from the -lawful public, and often meeting each other on the same by-path, or in -the same retired valley; but seldom intermarrying or entirely adopting -each other's habits. The common people, too, soon began to consider them -as of one family,--all rogues, and from Egypt. This superstition must -have been very firmly imbedded, for it is still current. The secret -language spoken by the Gipsies, principally Hindoo, and extremely -barbarous to English ears, was found incomprehensible and very difficult -to learn. The Gipsies naturally found a similar difficulty with the -English language. A rude, rough, and singular, but under the -circumstances not unnatural, compromise was made, and a mixture of -Gipsy, old English, newly-coined words, and cribbings from any foreign, -and therefore secret, language, mixed and jumbled together, formed what -has ever since been known as the Canting Language, or Pedlar's French; -or, during the past century, St. Giles's Greek. - -Such was the origin of Cant; and in illustration of its blending with -the Gipsy or Cingari tongue, we are enabled to give the accompanying -list of Gipsy, and often Hindoo, words, with, in many instances, their -English representatives:-- - - _Gipsy._ _English._ - - ~Bamboozle~, to perplex or mislead ~Bamboozle~, to delude, cheat, - by hiding. _Modern Gipsy._ or make a fool of any one. - - ~Bosh~, rubbish, nonsense, offal. ~Bosh~, stupidity, foolishness. - _Gipsy and Persian._ - - ~Cheese~, thing or article, "That's ~Cheese~, or CHEESY, a - the CHEESE," or thing. _Gipsy and first-rate or very good - Hindoo._ article. - - ~Chive~, the tongue. _Gipsy._ ~Chive~, or CHIVEY, a shout. To - CHIVEY, to hunt down with - shouts. - - ~Cuta~, a gold coin. _Danubian_ ~Couter~, a sovereign, twenty - _Gipsy._ shillings. - - ~Dade~, or DADI, a father. _Gipsy._ ~Daddy~, nursery term for - father.(*) - - ~Distarabin~, a prison. _Gipsy._ ~Sturabin~, a prison. - - ~Gad~, or GADSI, a wife. _Gipsy._ ~Gad~, a female scold; a woman - who tramps over the country - with a beggar or hawker. - - ~Gibberish~, the language of ~Gibberish~, rapid and unmeaning - Gipsies, synonymous with SLANG. speech. - _Gipsy._ - - ~Ischur~, SCHUR, or CHUR, a thief. ~Cur~, a mean or dishonest - _Gipsy and Hindoo._ man.(*) - - ~Lab~, a word. _Gipsy._ ~Lobs~, words. - - ~Lowe~, or LOWR, money. _Gipsy ~Lowre~, money. _Ancient Cant._ - and Wallachian._ - - ~Mami~, a grandmother. _Gipsy._ ~Mammy~, or MAMMA, a mother, - formerly sometimes used for - grandmother.(*) - - ~Mang~, or MAUNG, to beg. _Gipsy ~Maund~, to beg. - and Hindoo._ - - ~Mort~, a free woman,--one for ~Mot~, a prostitute. - common use amongst the male - Gipsies, so appointed by Gipsy - custom. _Gipsy._ - - ~Mu~, the mouth. _Gipsy and Hindoo._ ~Moo~, or MUN, the mouth. - - ~Mull~, to spoil or destroy. _Gipsy._ ~Mull~, to spoil, or bungle.(*) - - ~Pal~, a brother. _Gipsy._ ~Pal~, a partner, or relation. - - ~Pane~, water. _Gipsy._ _Hindoo_, ~Parney~, rain. - PAWNEE. - - ~Rig~, a performance. _Gipsy._ ~Rig~, a frolic, or "spree." - - ~Romany~, speech or language. ~Romany~, the Gipsy language. - _Spanish Gipsy._ - - ~Rome~, or ROMM, a man. _Gipsy ~Rum~, a good man, or thing. In - and Coptic._ the Robbers' language of Spain - (partly Gipsy), RUM signifies - a harlot. - - ~Romee~, a woman. _Gipsy._ ~Rumy~, a good woman or girl. - - ~Slang~, the language spoken by ~Slang~, low, vulgar, - Gipsies. _Gipsy._ unauthorized language. - - ~Tawno~, little. _Gipsy._ ~Tanny~, TEENY, little. - - ~Tschib~, or JIBB, the tongue. ~Jibb~, the tongue; JABBER,[9] - _Gipsy and Hindoo._ quick-tongued, or fast talk. - -[In those instances indicated by a (*), it is doubtful whether we are -indebted to the Gipsies for the terms. Dad, in Welsh, also signifies a -father. Cur is stated to be a mere term of reproach, like Dog, which in -all European languages has been applied in an abusive sense. Objections -may also be raised against Gad, Maund, and many other of these -parallels. We have, however, no wish to present them as infallible; our -idea is merely to call the reader's attention to the undoubted -similarity between both the sound and the sense in most examples.] - -Here, then, we have the remarkable fact of at least a few words of pure -Gipsy origin going the round of Europe, passing into this country before -the Reformation, and coming down to us through numerous generations -purely by the mouths of the people. They have seldom been written or -used in books, and it is simply as vulgarisms that they have reached us. -Only a few are now Cant, and some are household words. The word jockey, -as applied to a dealer or rider of horses, came from the Gipsy, and -means in that language a whip. The word, used as a verb, is an instance -of modern slang grown out of the ancient. Our standard dictionaries -give, of course, none but conjectural etymologies. Another word, -bamboozle, has been a sore difficulty with lexicographers. It is not in -the old dictionaries, although it is extensively used in familiar or -popular language for the last two centuries; and is, in fact, the very -kind of word that such writers as Swift, Butler, L'Estrange, and -Arbuthnot would pick out at once as a telling and most serviceable term. -It is, as we have seen, from the Gipsy; and here we must state that it -was Boucher who first drew attention to the fact, although in his -remarks on the dusky tongue he has made an evident mistake by concluding -it to be identical with its offspring, Cant. Other parallel instances, -with but slight variations from the old Gipsy meanings, might be -mentioned; but sufficient examples have been adduced to show that -Marsden, a great Oriental scholar in the last century, when he declared -before the Society of Antiquaries that the Cant of English thieves and -beggars had nothing to do with the language spoken by the despised -Gipsies, was in error. Had the Gipsy tongue been analysed and committed -to writing three centuries ago, there is every probability that many -scores of words now in common use could be at once traced to its source, -having been adopted as our language has developed towards its present -shape through many varied paths. Instances continually occur nowadays of -street vulgarisms ascending to the drawing-rooms of respectable society. -Who, then, can doubt that the Gipsy-vagabond alliance of three centuries -ago has contributed its quota of common words to popular speech? - -Thomas Moore, in a humorous little book, _Tom Crib's Memorial to -Congress_, 1819, says, "The Gipsy language, with the exception of such -terms as relate to their own peculiar customs, differs but little from -the regular Flash or Cant language." But this was magnifying the -importance of the alliance. Moore, we should think, knew nothing of the -Gipsy tongue other than the few Cant words put into the mouths of the -beggars in Beaumont and Fletcher's _Comedy of the Beggar's Bush_, and -Ben Jonson's _Masque of the Gipsies Metamorphosed_,--hence his -confounding Cant with Gipsy speech, and appealing to the Glossary of -Cant for so-called "Gipsy" words at the end of the _Life of Bamfylde -Moore Carew_, to bear him out in his assertion. Still his remark bears -much truth, and proof of this would have been found long ago if any -scholar had taken the trouble to examine the "barbarous jargon of Cant," -and to have compared it with Gipsy speech. George Borrow, in his -_Account of the Gipsies in Spain_, thus eloquently concludes his second -volume; speaking of the connexion of the Gipsies with Europeans, he -says:--"Yet from this temporary association were produced two results; -European fraud became sharpened by coming into contact with Asiatic -craft; whilst European tongues, by imperceptible degrees, became -recruited with various words (some of them wonderfully expressive), many -of which have long been stumbling-blocks to the philologist, who, whilst -stigmatizing them as words of mere vulgar invention, or of unknown -origin, has been far from dreaming that a little more research or -reflection would have proved their affinity to the Sclavonic, Persian, -or Romaic, or perhaps to the mysterious object of his veneration, the -Sanscrit, the sacred tongue of the palm-covered regions of Ind; words -originally introduced into Europe by objects too miserable to occupy for -a moment his lettered attention--the despised denizens of the tents of -Roma." These words might with very little alteration be ascribed to the -subject of which this volume is supposed--indeed hoped--to be a -handbook. - -But the Gipsies, their speech, their character--bad enough, as all the -world testifies, but yet not devoid of redeeming qualities--their -history, and their religious belief, have been totally disregarded, and -their poor persons buffeted and jostled about until it is a wonder that -any trace of origin or national speech remains. On the Continent they -received better attention at the hands of learned men. Their language -was taken down in writing and examined, their history was traced, and -their extraordinary customs and practice of living in the open air, and -eating raw, and often putrid meat, were explained. They ate reptiles and -told fortunes because they had learnt to do so through their forefathers -centuries back in Hindostan; and they devoured carrion because the -Hindoo proverb--"That which God kills is better than that killed by -man"[10]--was still in their remembrance. This is the sort of proverb, -we should imagine, that would hardly commend itself to any one who had -not an unnatural and ghoule-like tendency anxious for full development. -Grellman, a learned German, was their principal historian, and to him, -and those who have followed him, we are almost entirely indebted for the -little we know of their language. The first European settlement of the -Gipsies was in the provinces adjoining the Danube, Moldau and -Theiss, where M. Cogalniceano, in his _Essai sur les Cigains de la -Moldo-Valachie_, estimates them at 200,000. Not a few of our ancient and -modern Cant and Slang terms are Wallachian and Greek words, picked up by -these wanderers from the East, and added to their common stock. - -Gipsy, then, started, and was partially merged into Cant; and the old -story told by Harrison and others, that the first inventor of canting -was hanged for his pains, would seem to be a humorous invention, for -jargon as it is, it was doubtless of gradual formation, like all other -languages or systems of speech. Most of the modern Gipsies know the old -Cant words as well as their own tongue--or rather what remains of it. As -Borrow says, "The dialect of the English Gipsies is mixed with English -words."[11] Those of the tribe who frequent fairs, and mix with English -tramps, readily learn the new words, as they are adopted by what Harman -calls "the fraternity of vagabonds." Indeed, the old Cant is a common -language to the vagrants of many descriptions and every possible origin -who are scattered over the British Isles. - -English Cant has its mutabilities like every other system of speech, and -is considerably altered since the first dictionary was compiled by -Harman in 1566. A great many words are unknown in the present tramps' -and thieves' vernacular. Some of them, however, still bear their old -definitions, while others have adopted fresh meanings. "Abraham-man" is -yet seen in our modern "sham Abraham," or "play the old -soldier"--_i.e._, to feign sickness or distress. "Autum" is still a -church or chapel amongst Gipsies; and "beck," a constable, is our modern -Cant and Slang "beak," once a policeman, but now a magistrate. "Bene," -or "bone," stands for good in Seven Dials and the back streets of -Westminster; and "bowse" is our modern "booze," to drink or fuddle. A -"bowsing ken" was the old Cant term for a public-house; and "boozing -ken," in modern Cant, has precisely the same meaning. There is little -doubt, though, that the pronunciations were always as they are now, so -far at least as these two instances are concerned. "Cassan" is both old -and modern Cant for cheese; the same may be said of "chattes," or -"chatts," the gallows. "Cofe," or "cove," is still a vulgar synonym for -a man. "Dudes" was Cant for clothes; we now say "duds." "Flag" is still -a fourpenny-piece; and "fylche" means to rob. "Ken" is a house, and -"lick" means to thrash; "prancer" is yet known amongst rogues as a -horse; and to "prig," amongst high and low, is to steal. Three centuries -ago, if one beggar said anything disagreeable to another, the person -annoyed would say, "Stow you," or hold your peace; low people now say, -"Stow it," equivalent to "Be quiet." There is, so far as the Slang goes, -no actual difference in the use of these phrases, the variation being in -the pronouns--in fact, in the direction. "Trine" is still to hang; "wyn" -yet stands for a penny. And many other words, as will be seen in the -Dictionary, still retain their ancient meaning. - -As specimens of those words which have altered their original Cant -signification, may be instanced "chete," now written cheat. "Chete" was -in ancient Cant what _chop_ is in the Canton-Chinese--an almost -inseparable adjunct. Everything was termed a "chete," and qualified by a -substantive-adjective, which showed what kind of a "chete" was meant; -for instance, "crashing-chetes" were teeth; a "moffling-chete," was a -napkin; a "topping-chete," was the gallows, and a "grunting-chete," was -a pig. Cheat nowadays means to cozen or defraud, and lexicographers have -tortured etymology for an original--but without success. _Escheats_ and -_escheatours_ have been named, but with great doubts; indeed, Stevens, -the learned commentator on Shakspeare, acknowledged that he "did not -recollect to have met with the word cheat in our ancient writers."[12] -Cheat, to defraud, then, is no other than an old Cant term somewhat -altered in its meaning,[13] and as such it should be described in the -next etymological dictionary. Another instance of a change in the -meaning of the old Cant, but the retention of the word, is seen in -"cly," formerly to take or steal, now a pocket; and with the remembrance -of a certain class of low characters, a curious connexion between the -two meanings is discovered. "Make" was a halfpenny: we now say -"mag,"--"make" being modern Cant for getting money by any possible -means, their apophthegm being--"Get money the best way you can, but -_make_ it somehow." "Milling" stood for stealing; it ultimately became a -pugilistic term, and then faded into nothingness, "the cove wot loves a -mill," being a thing of the past. "Nab" was a head,--low people now say -"nob," the former meaning, in modern Cant, to steal or seize. "Pek" was -meat,--we still say "peckish," when hungry. "Peckish" is though more -likely to be derived from the action of birds when eating, as all slang -has its origin in metaphor. "Prygges, dronken Tinkers or beastly -people," as old Harman wrote, would scarcely be understood now; a -"prig," in the 19th century, is a pickpocket or thief. He is also a -mean, contemptible little "cuss," who is not, as a rule, found in low -life, but who could be very well spared from that of the middle and -upper classes. "Quier," or "queer," like cheat, was a very common -prefix, and meant bad or wicked,--it now means odd, curious, or strange; -but to the ancient Cant we are possibly indebted for the word, which -etymologists should remember.[14] "Rome," or "rum," formerly meant good, -or of the first quality, and was extensively used like cheat and -queer,--indeed as an adjective it was the opposite of the latter. "Rum" -now means curious, and is synonymous with queer; thus,--"rummy old -bloke," or a "queer old man." Here again we see the origin of an -every-day word, scouted by lexicographers and snubbed by respectable -persons, but still a word of frequent and popular use. "Yannam" meant -bread; "pannum" is the word now. Other instances could be pointed out, -but they will be observed in the Dictionary. - -Several words are entirely obsolete. "Alybbeg" no longer means a bed, -nor "askew" a cup. "Booget,"[15] nowadays, would not be understood for a -basket; neither would "gan" pass current for mouth. "Fullams" was the -old Cant term for false or loaded dice, and although used by Shakspeare -in this sense, is now unknown and obsolete. Indeed, as Moore somewhere -remarks, the present Greeks of St. Giles's themselves would be -thoroughly puzzled by many of the ancient canting songs,--taking, for -example, the first verse of an old favourite-- - - "Bing out, bien Morts, and toure and toure, - Bing out, bien Morts, and toure; - For all your duds are bing'd awast; - The bien cove hath the loure."[16] - -But perhaps we cannot do better than present to the reader at once an -entire copy of the first Canting Dictionary ever compiled. As before -mentioned, it was the work of one Thomas Harman, who lived in the days -of Queen Elizabeth. Some writers have remarked that Decker[17] was the -first to compile a dictionary of the vagabonds' tongue; whilst -Borrow[18] and Moore stated that Richard Head performed that service in -his _Life of an English Rogue_, published in the year 1680. All these -statements are equally incorrect, for the first attempt was made more -than a century before the latter work was issued. The quaint spelling -and old-fashioned phraseology are preserved, and the initiated will -quickly recognise many vulgar street words as old acquaintances dressed -in antique garb.[19] - - ~Abraham-men~ be those that fayn themselves to have beene mad, and - have bene kept either in Bethelem, or in some other pryson a good - time. - - ~Alybbeg~, a bedde. - - ~Askew~, a cuppe. - - ~Autem~, a churche. - - ~Autem mortes~, married women as chaste as a cowe. - - ~Baudye baskets~ bee women who goe with baskets and capcases on - their armes, wherein they have laces, pinnes, nedles, whyte inkel, - and round sylke gyrdels of all colours. - - ~Beck~ [Beak, a magistrate], a constable. - - ~Belly-chete~, apron. - - ~Bene~, good. _Benar_, better. - - ~Benship~, very good. - - ~Bleting chete~, a calfe or sheepe. - - ~Booget~, a travelling tinker's baskete. - - ~Borde~, a shilling. - - ~Boung~, a purse. [_Friesic_, pong; _Wallachian_, punga.] The oldest - form of this word is in Ulphilas, puggs; it exists also in the - _Greek_, _pounge_. - - ~Bowse~, drink. - - ~Bowsing ken~, an alehouse. - - ~Bufe~ [Buffer, a man], a dogge. - - ~Bynge a waste~ [Avast, get out of the way] go you hence. - - ~Cackling chete~, a coke [cock], or capon. - - ~Cassan~ [Cassam], cheese. - - ~Casters~ [Castor, a hat], a cloake. - - ~Cateth~, "the vpright Cofe _cateth_ to the Roge" [probably a - shortening or misprint of _Canteth_]. - - ~Chattes~, the gallowes. - - ~Chete~ [see what has been previously said about this word.] - - ~Cly~ [a pocket], to take, receive, or have. - - ~Cofe~ [cove], a person. - - ~Commission~ [mish], a shirt. - - ~Counterfet cranke~, these that do counterfet the Cranke be yong - knaves and yonge harlots, that deeply dissemble the falling - sickness. - - ~Cranke~ [cranky, foolish], falling evil [or wasting sickness]. - - ~Crashing chetes~, teeth. - - ~Cuffen~, a manne. [A _cuif_ in Northumberland and Scotland - signifies a lout or awkward fellow.] - - ~Darkemans~, the night. - - ~Dell~, a yonge wench. - - ~Dewse a vyle~, the countrey. - - ~Dock~, to deflower. - - ~Doxes~, harlots. - - ~Drawers~, hosen. - - ~Dudes~ [or duds], clothes. - - ~Fambles~, handes. - - ~Fambling chete~, a ring on one's hand. - - ~Flagg~, a groat. - - ~Frater~, a beggar wyth a false paper. - - ~Freshe water mariners~, these kind of caterpillers counterfet great - losses on the sea:--their shippes were drowned in the playne of - Salisbury. - - ~Fylche~, to robbe: Fylch-man, a robber. - - ~Gage~, a quart pot. - - ~Gan~, a mouth. - - ~Gentry cofe~, a noble or gentle man. - - ~Gentry cofes ken~, a noble or gentle man's house. - - ~Gentry mort~, a noble or gentle woman. - - ~Gerry~, excrement. - - ~Glasyers~, eyes. - - ~Glymmar~, fyer. - - ~Grannam~, corne. - - ~Grunting chete~, a pygge. - - ~Gyb~, a writing. - - ~Gyger~ [jigger], a dore. - - ~Hearing chetes~, eares. - - ~Jarke~, a seale. - - ~Jarkeman~, one who makes writings and sets seales for [counterfeit] - licences and passports. - - ~Ken~, a house. - - ~Kynchen co~ [or cove], a young boye trained up like a "Kynching - Morte." [From the German diminutive, _Kindschen_.] - - ~Kynching morte~, is a little gyrle, carried at their mother's backe - in a slate, or sheete, who brings them up sauagely. - - ~Lag~, water. - - ~Lag of dudes~, a bucke [or basket] of clothes. - - ~Lage~, to washe. - - ~Lap~, butter mylke, or whey. - - ~Lightmans~, the day. - - ~Lowing chete~, a cowe. - - ~Lowre~, money. [From the Wallachian Gipsy word LOWE, coined money. - _See_ M. Cogalniceano's _Essai sur les Cigains de la - Moldo-Valachie_.] - - ~Lubbares~,--"sturdy Lubbares," country bumpkins, or men of a low - degree. - - ~Lyb-beg~, a bed. - - ~Lycke~ [lick], to beate. - - ~Lyp~, to lie down. - - ~Lypken~, a house to lye in. - - ~Make~ [mag], a halfpenny. - - ~Margeri prater~, a hen. - - ~Milling~, to steale [by sending a child in at a window]. - - ~Moffling chete~, a napkin. - - ~Mortes~ [mots], harlots. - - ~Myll~, to robbe. - - ~Mynt~, gold. - - ~Nab~ [nob], a heade. - - ~Nabchet~, a hat or cap. - - ~Nase~, dronken. - - ~Nosegent~, a nunne. - - ~Pallyard~, a borne beggar [who counterfeits sickness, or incurable - sores. They are mostly Welshmen, Harman says.] - - ~Param~, mylke. - - ~Patrico~, a priest. - - ~Patricos kinchen~, a pygge. [A satirical hit at the church, PATRICO - meaning a parson or priest, and KINCHEN his little boy or girl.] - - ~Pek~, meat. - - ~Poppelars~, porrage. - - ~Prat~, a buttocke. [This word has its equivalent in modern slang.] - - ~Pratling chete~, a toung. - - ~Prauncer~, a horse. - - ~Prigger of prauncers~ be horse-stealers, for to prigge signifieth - in their language to steale, and a PRAUNCER is a horse, so being put - together, the matter was playn. [Thus writes old Thomas Harman, who - concludes his description of this order of "pryggers," by very - quietly saying, "I had the best gelding stolen out of my pasture, - that I had amongst others, whyle this book was first a-printing."] - - ~Prygges~, dronken tinkers, or beastly people. - - ~Quacking chete~, a drake or duck. - - ~Quaromes~, a body. - - ~Quier~ [queer], badde. [_See ante_.] - - ~Quier cuffin~, the justice of peace. - - ~Quyer crampringes~, boltes or fetters. - - ~Quyer kyn~, a pryson house. - - ~Red shanke~, a drake or ducke. - - ~Roger~, a goose. - - ~Rome~, goode [now curious, noted, or remarkable in any way. _Rum_ - is the modern orthography]. - - ~Rome bouse~ [rum booze], wyne. [A name probably applied by canters - coming on it for the first time, and tasting it suddenly.] - - ~Rome mort~, the Queene [Elizabeth]. - - ~Rome vyle~ [Rum-ville], London. - - ~Ruff peck~, baken [short bread, common in old times at - farm-houses]. - - ~Ruffmans~, the wood or bushes. - - ~Salomon~, an alter or masse. - - ~Skypper~, a barne. - - ~Slate~, a sheete or shetes. - - ~Smelling chete~, a nose. - - ~Smelling chete~, a garden or orchard. - - ~Snowt fayre~ [said of a woman who has a pretty face or is comely]. - - ~Stall~ [to initiate a beggar or rogue into the rights and - privileges of the canting order. Harman relates that when an upright - man, or initiated first-class rogue, "mete any beggar, whether he be - sturdy or impotent, he will demand of him whether ever he was - 'stalled to the roge,' or no. If he say he was, he will know of - whom, and his name yt stalled him. And if he be not learnedly able - to shew him the whole circumstance thereof, he will spoyle him of - his money, either of his best garment, if it be worth any money, and - haue him to the bowsing-ken: which is, to some typling house next - adjoyninge, and layth there to gage the best thing that he hath for - twenty pence or two shillings: this man obeyeth for feare of - beatinge. Then dooth this upright man call for a gage of bowse, - which is a quarte potte of drink, and powres the same vpon his peld - pate, adding these words,--I, _G.P._, do stalle thee, _W.T._, to - the Roge, and that from henceforth it shall be lawfull for thee to - cant, that is, to aske or begge for thi liuing in al places."] - - ~Stampers~, shoes. - - ~Stampes~, legges. - - ~Stauling ken~, a house that will receyue stollen wares. - - ~Stawlinge kens~, tippling-houses. - - ~Stow you~ [stow it], hold your peace. - - ~Strike~, to steale. - - ~Strommell~, strawe. - - ~Swadder~, or PEDLER [a man who hawks goods]. - - ~The high pad~, the highway. - - ~The ruffian cly thee~, the devil take thee. - - ~Togemans~ [tog], cloake. - - ~Togman~, a coate. - - ~To bowse~, to drinke. - - ~To cant~, to speake. - - ~To cly the gerke~, to be whipped. - - ~To couch a hogshead~, to lie down and slepe. - - ~To cut bene whyddes~, to speake or give good words. - - ~To cut benle~, to speak gentle. - - ~To cutte~, to say. - - ~To cutte quyer whyddes~, to giue euil words or euil language. - - ~To dup ye gyger~ [jigger], to open the dore. - - ~To fylche~, to robbe. - - ~To heue a bough~, to robbe or rifle a boweth [booth]. - - ~To maunde~, to aske or require. - - ~To mill a ken~, to robbe a house. - - ~Tonygle~ [coition]. - - ~To nyp a boung~, [nip, to steal], to cut a purse. - - ~To skower the crampringes~, to weare boltes or fetters. - - ~To stall~, to make or ordain. - - ~To the ruffian~, to the Devil. - - ~To towre~, to see. - - ~Tryning~, hanging. - - ~Tyb of the butery~, a goose. - - ~Walking morte~, womene [who pass for widows]. - - ~Wapping~ [coition]. - - ~Whyddes~, wordes. - - ~Wyn~, a penny. [A correspondent of _Notes and Queries_ suggests the - connexion of this word with the Welsh, GWYN, white--_i.e._, the - white silver penny. _See_ other examples under BLUNT, in the - Dictionary; cf. also the Armorican, "GWENNEK," a penny.] - - ~Yannam~, bread. - -Turning attention more to the Cant of modern times, in connexion with -the old, it will be found that words have been drawn into the thieves' -vocabulary from every conceivable source. Hard or infrequent words, -vulgarly termed "crack-jaw," or "jaw-breakers," were very often used and -considered as Cant terms. And here it should be mentioned that at the -present day the most inconsistent and far-fetched terms are often used -for secret purposes, when they are known to be caviare to the million. -It is strange that such words as incongruous, insipid, interloper, -intriguing, indecorum, forestall, equip, hush, grapple, &c., &c., were -current Cant words a century and a half ago, if we are to judge by the -Dictionary of Canting Words at the end of _Bacchus and Venus_,[20] 1737. -It is but fair, however, to assume that the compiler of the dictionary -was but trading on the demand for Cant phrases, and was humbugging his -readers. The terms are inserted not as jokes or squibs, but as -selections from the veritable pocket dictionaries of the Jack Sheppards -and Dick Turpins of the day. If they were safely used as unknown and -cabalistic terms amongst the commonalty, the fact would form a very -curious illustration of the ignorance of our poor ancestors; but it -would be unfair and, indeed, idiotic to assume this without much -stronger proof than the book in question gives of itself. - -Amongst those Cant words which have either altered their meanings, or -have become extinct, may be cited lady, formerly the Cant for "a very -crooked, deformed, and ill-shapen woman;"[21] and Harman, "a pair of -stocks, or a constable." The former is a pleasant piece of sarcasm, -whilst the latter indicates a singular method of revenge, or else of -satire. Harman was the first author who specially wrote against English -vagabonds, and for his trouble his name, we are told, became synonymous -with a pair of stocks, or a policeman of the olden time. - -Apart from the Gipsy element, we find that Cant abounds in terms from -foreign languages, and that it exhibits signs of a growth similar to -that of most recognised and completely-formed tongues,--the gathering of -words from foreign sources. In the reign of Elizabeth and of King James -I., several Dutch, Flemish, and Spanish words were introduced by -soldiers who had served in the Low Countries and sailors who had -returned from the Spanish Main, who, like "mine ancient Pistol," were -fond of garnishing their speech with outlandish phrases. Many of these -were soon picked up and adopted by vagabonds and tramps in their Cant -language. The Anglo-Norman and the Anglo-Saxon, the Scotch, the French, -the Italian, and even the classic languages of ancient Italy and Greece, -besides the various provincial dialects of England, have contributed to -its list of words. Indeed, as has been remarked, English Cant seems to -be formed on the same basis as the Argot of the French and the -Roth-Sprach of the Germans--partly metaphorical, and partly by the -introduction of such corrupted foreign terms as are likely to be unknown -to the society amid which the Cant speakers exist. Argot is the London -thieves' word for their secret language; it is, of course, from the -French, but that matters not, so long as it is incomprehensible to the -police and the mob. "Booze," or "bouse," is supposed to come from the -Dutch _buysen_, though the word has been in use in England for some -hundreds of years. "Domine," a parson, is from the Spanish. "Donna and -feeles," a woman and children, is from the Latin; and "don," a clever -fellow, has been filched from the Lingua Franca, or bastard Italian, -although it sounds like an odd mixture of Spanish and French; whilst -"duds," the vulgar term for clothes, may have been pilfered either from -the Gaelic or the Dutch. "Feele," a daughter, from the French; and -"frow," a girl or wife, from the German--are common tramps' terms. So -are "gent," silver, from the French _argent_; and "vial," a country -town, also from the French. "Horrid-horn," a fool, is believed to be -from the Erse; and "gloak," a man, from the Scotch. As stated before, -the dictionary will supply numerous other instances. - -The Celtic languages have contributed many Cant and vulgar words to our -popular vocabulary. These have come to us through the Gaelic and Irish -languages, so closely allied in their material as to be merely dialects -of a primitive common tongue. This element may arise from the Celtic -portion of our population, which, from its position as slaves or -servants to its ancient conquerors, has contributed so largely to the -lowest class of the community, therefore to our Slang, provincial, or -colloquial words; or it may be an importation from Irish immigrants, who -have contributed their fair proportion to our criminal stock. - -There is one source, however, of secret street terms which in the first -edition of this work was entirely overlooked,--indeed, it was unknown to -the original compiler until pointed out by a correspondent,--the Lingua -Franca, or bastard Italian, spoken at Genoa, Trieste, Malta, -Constantinople, Smyrna, Alexandria, and all Mediterranean seaport towns. -The ingredients of this imported Cant are, as its name denotes, many. -Its foundation is Italian, with a mixture of modern Greek, German (from -the Austrian ports), Spanish, Turkish, and French. It has been -introduced to the notice of the London wandering tribes by the sailors, -foreign and English, who trade to and from the Mediterranean seaports, -but it must not be confounded with the mixture of Irish, English, and -Italian spoken in neighbourhoods like Saffron Hill and Leather Lane, -which are thronged with swarms of organ-grinders from all parts of -Italy, and makers of images from Rome and Florence,--all of whom, in -these dense thoroughfares, mingle with our lower orders. It would occupy -too much space here to give a list of the words used in either of these -Babel-like tongues, especially as the principal of them are noted in the -dictionary. - -"There are several Hebrew terms in our Cant language, obtained, it -would appear, from the intercourse of the thieves with the Jew fences -(receivers of stolen goods); many of the Cant terms, again, are -Sanscrit, got from the Gipsies; many Latin, got by the beggars from the -Catholic prayers before the Reformation; and many again, Italian, got -from the wandering musicians and others; indeed, the showmen have but -lately introduced a number of Italian phrases into their Cant -language."[22] The Hindostanee also contributes several words, and these -have been introduced by the Lascar sailors, who come over here in the -East Indiamen, and often lodge during their stay in the low tramps' -houses at the East-end of London. Speaking of the learned tongues, it -may be mentioned that, precarious and abandoned as the vagabonds' -existence is, many persons of classical or refined education have from -time to time joined the nomadic ranks,--occasionally from inclination, -as in the popular instance of Bamfylde Moore Carew, but generally -through indiscretions, which involve pecuniary difficulty and loss of -character.[23] This will in some measure account for numerous classical -and learned words figuring as Cant terms in the vulgar dictionary. - -In the early part of the last century, when highwaymen and footpads were -plentiful, and when the dangerous classes were in larger proportion to -the bulk of the population than they are now, a great many new words -were added to the canting vocabulary, whilst several old terms fell into -disuse. "Cant," for instance, as applied to thieves' talk, was -supplanted by the word "flash." In the North of England the Cant -employed by tramps and thieves is known as "Gammy." It is mainly from -the old Gipsy corrupted. In the large towns of Ireland and Scotland this -secret language is also spoken, with of course additions peculiar to -each locality. All those words derived from "gammy" are inserted in the -dictionary as from the North country. - -A singular feature, however, in vulgar language is the retention and the -revival of sterling old English words, long since laid up in ancient -manuscripts. Disraeli somewhere says, "The purest source of neology is -in the revival of old words"-- - - "Words that wise Bacon or brave Rawleigh spake;" - -and Dr. Latham remarks that "the thieves of London are the conservators -of Anglo-Saxonisms." A young gentleman from Belgravia, who had lost his -watch or his pocket-handkerchief, would scarcely remark to his mamma -that it had been "boned"--yet "bone," in old times, meant, amongst high -and low, to steal. And a young lady living in the precincts of dingy but -aristocratic Mayfair, although enraptured with a Jenny Lind or a -Ristori, would hardly think of turning back in the box to inform papa -that she (Ristori or Lind) "made no 'bones' of it"--yet the phrase was -most respectable and well-to-do before it met with a change of -circumstances. Possibly fashion, in its journey from east to west, left -certain phrases and metaphors behind, which being annexed by the -newcomers, sank gradually in the social scale until they ultimately -passed out of the written language altogether, and became "flash" or -Slang. "A 'crack' article," however first-rate, would have greatly -displeased Dr. Johnson and Mr. Walker--yet both crack, in the sense of -excellent, and crack up, to boast or praise, were not considered -vulgarisms in the time of Henry VIII. The former term is used frequently -nowadays, as a kind of polite and modified Slang--as a "crack" regiment, -a "crack" shot, &c. "Dodge," a cunning trick, is from the Anglo-Saxon; -and ancient nobles used to "get each other's 'dander' up" before -appealing to their swords,--quite "flabbergasting" (also a respectable -old word) the half-score of lookers-on with the thumps and cuts of their -heavy weapons. "Gallivanting," waiting upon the ladies, was as polite in -expression as in action; whilst a clergyman at Paule's Crosse thought -nothing of bidding a noisy hearer "hold his 'gab,'" or "shut up his -'gob.'" But then the essence of preaching was to indulge in idiomatic -phrases and colloquialisms--a practice now almost peculiar to itinerant -"ranters." "Gadding," roaming about in an idle and vacant manner, was -used in an old translation of the Bible; and "to do anything 'gingerly'" -was to do it with great care. Persons of modern affected tastes will be -shocked to know that the great Lord Bacon spoke of the lower part of a -man's face as his "gills," though the expression is not more -objectionable than the generality of metaphor, and is considerably more -respectable than many words admitted to the genteel--we use the word -advisedly--vocabulary. - -Shakspeare also used many words which are now counted dreadfully vulgar. -"'Clean' gone," in the sense of out of sight, or entirely away; "you -took me all 'a-mort,'" or confounded me; "it wont 'fadge,'" or suit, are -phrases taken at random from the great dramatist's works. These phrases -are the natural outcome of the poet's truth to life in the characters he -portrayed. A London costermonger, or inhabitant of the streets, instead -of saying, "I'll make him yield," or "give in," in a fight or contest, -would say, "I'll make him 'buckle' under." Shakspeare in his _Henry the -Fourth_ (part ii. act i. scene 1), has the word; and Mr. Halliwell, one -of the greatest and most industrious of living antiquaries, informs us -that "the commentators do not supply another example." If Shakspeare was -not a pugilist, he certainly anticipated the terms of the prize-ring--or -they were respectable words before the prize-ring was thought of--for he -has "pay," to beat or thrash, and "pepper," with a similar meaning; also -"fancy," in the sense of pets and favourites,--pugilists are often -termed "the 'fancy.'" The origin of the term, as applied to them, has, -however, never been satisfactorily decided, though Pierce Egan and -others since his time have speculated ingeniously on the subject. The -Cant word "prig," from the Saxon _priccan_, to filch, is also -Shakspearian; so, indeed, is "piece," a contemptuous term for a young -woman. Shakspeare was not the only vulgar dramatist of his time. Ben -Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher, Brome, and other play-writers, -occasionally, and very naturally, put Cant words into the mouths of -their low characters, or employed old words which have since degenerated -into vulgarisms. "Crusty," poor tempered; "two of a kidney," two of a -sort; "lark," a piece of fun; "lug," to pull; "bung," to give or pass; -"pickle," a sad plight; "frump," to mock, are a few specimens casually -picked from the works of the old histrionic writers. - -One old English mode of canting, simple enough, but affected only by the -most miserable impostors, was the inserting a consonant betwixt each -syllable; thus, taking _g_, "How do you do?" would be "How_g_ do_g_ -you_g_ do_g_?" The name very properly given to this disagreeable -nonsense, we are informed by Grose, was gibberish. - -Another slang has been manufactured by transposing the initial letters -of words, so that a mutton chop becomes a _ch_utton _m_op, and a pint of -stout a _st_int of _p_out; but it is satisfactory to know that it has -gained no ground, as it is remarkable for nothing so much as poverty of -resource on the part of its inventors. This is called "Marrowskying," or -"Medical Greek," from its use by medical students at the hospitals. -Albert Smith termed it the "Gower Street Dialect," and referred to it -occasionally in his best-known works. - -The "Language of Ziph," it may be noted, is another rude mode of -disguising English, in use among the students at Winchester College. -Some notices of this method of conveying secret information, with an -extensive Glossary of the Words, Phrases, Customs, &c., peculiar to the -College, may be found in Mr. Mansfield's _School Life at Winchester -College_. It is certainly too puerile a specimen of work to find place -here. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] "Swarms of vagabonds, whose eyes were so sharp as Lynx."--_Bullein's -Simples and Surgery_, 1562. - -[2] Probably from the Gipsies, who were supposed to come from Germany -into Spain. - -[3] From _Roter_, beggar, vagabond, and _waelsch_, foreign. See -Dictionary of Gipsy language in Pott's _Zigeuner in Europa und Asien_, -vol. ii., Halle, 1844. The Italian cant is called Fourbesque, and the -Portuguese Calao. See Francisque-Michel, _Dictionnaire d'Argot_, Paris, -1856. - -[4] Richardson's _Dictionary_. - -[5] _Description of England_, prefixed to Holinshed's _Chronicle_. - -[6] The word Slang, as will be seen in the chapter upon that subject, is -purely a Gipsy term, although nowadays it refers to low or vulgar -language of any kind, other than cant. Slang and Gibberish in the Gipsy -language are synonymous; but, as English adoptions, have meanings very -different from that given to them in their original. - -[7] "The vulgar tongue consists of two parts; the first is the Cant -language; the second, those burlesque phrases, quaint allusions, -and nicknames for persons, things, and places, which, from long -uninterrupted usage, are made classical by prescription."--Grose's -_Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue_, 1st edition, 1785. - -[8] "Outlandish people calling themselves Egyptians."--1530. - -[9] Jabber may be, after all, only another form of GABBER, GAB, very -common in Old English, from the _Anglo-Saxon_, GAEBBAN. - -[10] This very proverb was mentioned by a young Gipsy to Crabb, some -years ago.--_Gipsies' Advocate_, p. 14. - -[11] _Gipsies in Spain_, vol. i. p. 18. - -[12] Shaks. _Henry IV._, part ii. act ii. scene 4. - -[13] It is but fair to imagine that cheat ultimately became synonymous -with "fraud," when we remember that it was one of the most common words -of the greatest class of impostors in the country. - -[14] We are aware that more than one eminent philologist states that the -origin of "queer" is seen in the German _quer_, crooked,--hence strange -and abnormal. While agreeing with this etymology, we have reason to -believe that the word was first used in this country in a Cant sense. - -[15] Booget properly signifies a leathern wallet, and is probably -derived from the _low Latin_, BULGA. A tinker's budget is from the same -source. - -[16] Which, freely translated into modern Slang, might read--especially -to those who know the manners and customs of the Dialites--thus: - - "Good girls, go out, and look about, - Good girls, go out and see; - For every clout is up the spout, - The bloke's gone on the spree." - -[17] Who wrote about the year 1610. - -[18] _Gipsies in Spain_, vol. i. p. 18. Borrow further commits himself -by remarking that "Head's Vocabulary has always been accepted as the -speech of the English Gipsies." Nothing of the kind. Head professed to -have lived with the Gipsies, but in reality filched his words from -Decker and Brome. - -[19] The modern meanings of a few of the old Cant words are given within -brackets. - -[20] This is a curious volume, and is worth from one to two guineas. The -Canting Dictionary was afterwards reprinted, word for word, with the -title of _The Scoundrel's Dictionary_, in 1751. It was originally -published, without date, about the year 1710, by B. E., under the title -of _A Dictionary of the Canting Crew_. - -[21] _Bacchus and Venus._--1737. - -[22] _London Labour and the London Poor._ - -[23] Mayhew (vol. i. p. 217) speaks of a low lodging-house "in which -there were at one time five university men, three surgeons, and several -sorts of broken-down clerks." But old Harman's saying, that "a wylde -Roge is he that is _borne_ a roge," will perhaps explain this seeming -anomaly. There is, whatever may be the reason, no disputing the truth of -this latter statement, as there is not, we venture to say, a common -lodging-house in London without broken-down gentlemen, who have been -gentlemen very often far beyond the conventional application of the term -to any one with a good coat on his back and money in his pocket. - - - - -ACCOUNT - -OF THE - -HIEROGLYPHICS USED BY VAGABONDS. - - -One of the most singular chapters in a history of vagabondism would -certainly be "An Account of the Hieroglyphic Signs used by Tramps and -Thieves," and it certainly would not be the least interesting. The -reader may be startled to know that, in addition to a secret language, -the wandering tribes of this country have private marks and symbols with -which to score their successes, failures, and advice to succeeding -beggars; in fact, there is no doubt that the country is really dotted -over with beggars' finger-posts and guide-stones. The subject was not -long since brought under the attention of the Government by Mr. -Rawlinson.[24] "There is," he says in his report, "a sort of -blackguards' literature, and the initiated understand each other by -Slang [Cant] terms, by pantomimic signs, and by hieroglyphics. The -vagrant's mark may be seen in Havant, on corners of streets, on -door-posts, on house-steps. Simple as these chalk-lines appear, they -inform the succeeding vagrants of all they require to know; and a few -white scratches may say, 'Be importunate,' or 'Pass on.'" - -Another very curious account was taken from a provincial newspaper, -published in 1849, and forwarded to _Notes and Queries_,[25] under the -head of Mendicant Freemasonry. "Persons," remarks the writer, -"indiscreet enough to open their purses to the relief of the beggar -tribe, would do well to take a readily-learned lesson as to the folly of -that misguided benevolence which encourages and perpetuates vagabondism. -Every door or passage is pregnant with instruction as to the error -committed by the patron of beggars; as the beggar-marks show that a -system of freemasonry is followed, by which a beggar knows whether it -will be worth his while to call into a passage or knock at a door. Let -any one examine the entrances to the passages in any town, and there he -will find chalk marks, unintelligible to him, but significant enough to -beggars. If a thousand towns are examined, the same marks will be found -at every passage entrance. The passage mark is a cypher with a twisted -tail; in some cases the tail projects into the passage, in others -outwardly; thus seeming to indicate whether the houses down the passage -are worth calling at or not. Almost every door has its marks; these are -varied. In some cases there is a cross on the brickwork, in others a -cypher; the figures ~1, 2, 3~ are also used. Every person may for -himself test the accuracy of these statements by the examination of the -brickwork near his own doorway--thus demonstrating that mendicity is a -regular trade, carried out upon a system calculated to save time, and -realize the largest profits." These remarks refer mainly to provincial -towns, London being looked upon as the tramps' home, and therefore too -"fly" or experienced to be duped by such means. The title it obtains, -that of "the Start," or first place in everything, is significant of -this. - -Provincial residents, who are more likely to view the foregoing extract -with an eye of suspicion than are those who live in a position -to constantly watch for and profit by evidences of the secret -intercommunication indulged in by the dangerous classes, should note, in -favour of the extract given, how significant is the practice of tramps -and beggars calling in unfrequented localities, and how obvious it is -that they are directed by a code of signals at once complete and -imperious. It is bad for a tramp who is discovered disobeying secret -orders. He is marked out and subjected to all kinds of annoyance by -means of decoy hieroglyphs, until his life becomes a burden to him, and -he is compelled to starve or--most horrible of alternatives--go to work. - -The only other notice of the hieroglyphs of vagabonds worth remarking is -in Mayhew's _London Labour and the London Poor_.[26] Mayhew obtained his -information from two tramps, who stated that hawkers employ these signs -as well as beggars. One tramp thus described the method of "working"[27] -a small town. "Two hawkers ('pals'[27]) go together, but separate when -they enter a village, one taking one side of the road, and selling -different things, and so as to inform each other as to the character of -the people at whose houses they call, they chalk certain marks on their -door-posts." Another informant stated that "if a 'patterer'[27] has been -'crabbed'" (that is, offended by refusal or exposure) "at any of the -'cribs'" (houses), "he mostly chalks a signal at or near the door." -These hawkers were not of the ordinary, but of the tramp, class, who -carried goods more as a blind to their real designs than for the -purposes of sale. They, in fact, represented the worst kinds of the two -classes. The law has comparatively recently improved these nondescript -gentry off the face of the country, and the hawker of the present day is -generally a man more sinned against than sinning. - -Another use is also made of hieroglyphs. Charts of successful begging -neighbourhoods are rudely drawn, and symbolical signs attached to each -house to show whether benevolent or adverse.[28] "In many cases there is -over the kitchen mantelpiece" of a tramps' lodging-house "a map of the -district, dotted here and there with memorandums of failure or success." -A correct facsimile of one of these singular maps is given in this book. -It was obtained from the patterers and tramps who supplied a great many -words for this work, and who were employed by the original publisher in -collecting Old Ballads, Christmas Carols, Dying Speeches, and Last -Lamentations, as materials for a _History of Popular Literature_. The -reader will, no doubt, be amused with the drawing. The locality depicted -is near Maidstone, in Kent; and it was probably sketched by a wandering -Screever[29] in payment for a night's lodging. The English practice of -marking everything, and scratching names on public property, extends -itself to the tribe of vagabonds. On the map, as may be seen in the -left-hand corner, some Traveller[29] has drawn a favourite or noted -female, singularly nicknamed Three-quarter Sarah. What were the peculiar -accomplishments of this lady to demand so uncommon a name, the reader -will be at a loss to discover; but a patterer says it probably refers to -a shuffling dance of that name, common in tramps' lodging-houses, and in -which "3/4 Sarah" may have been a proficient. Above her, three beggars -or hawkers have reckoned their day's earnings, amounting to 13s., and on -the right a tolerably correct sketch of a low hawker, or cadger, is -drawn. "To Dover, the _nigh_ way," is the exact phraseology; and "hup -here," a fair specimen of the self-acquired education of the -draughtsman. No key or explanation to the hieroglyphs was given in the -original, because it would have been superfluous, when every inmate of -the lodging-house knew the marks from his cradle--or rather his mother's -back. - -Should there be no map, in most lodging-houses there is an old man who -is guide to every "walk" in the vicinity, and who can tell on every -round each house that is "good for a cold tatur." The hieroglyphs that -are used are:-- - -[Cross] ~No good~; too poor, and know too much. - -[Semicircle plus cross] ~Stop~,--If you have what they want, they will -buy. They are pretty "fly" (knowing). - -[Forked branch] ~Go in this direction~, it is better than the other -road. Nothing that way. - -[Diamond] ~Bone~ (good). Safe for a "cold tatur," if for nothing else. -"Cheese your patter" (don't talk much) here. - -[Triangle pointing down] ~Cooper'd~ (spoilt), by too many tramps -calling there. - -[Square] ~Gammy~ (unfavourable), like to have you taken up. Mind -the dog. - -[Circle with dot] ~Flummuxed~ (dangerous), sure of a month in "quod" -(prison). - -[Circle with cross] ~Religious~, but tidy on the whole. - -Where did these signs come from? and when were they first used? are -questions which have been asked again and again, and the answers have -been many and various. Knowing the character of the Gipsies, and -ascertaining from a tramp that they are well acquainted with the -hieroglyphs, "and have been as long ago as ever he could remember," -there is little fear of being wrong in ascribing the invention to them. -How strange it would be if some modern Belzoni, or Champollion--say Mr. -George Smith, for instance--discovered in these beggars' marks traces of -ancient Egyptian or Hindoo sign-writing! - -That the Gipsies were in the habit of leaving memorials of the road they -had taken, and the successes that had befallen them, is upon record. In -an old book, _The Triumph of Wit_, 1724, there is a passage which -appears to have been copied from some older work, and it runs -thus:--"The Gipsies set out twice a year, and scatter all over England, -each parcel having their appointed stages, that they may not interfere, -nor hinder each other; and for that purpose, when they set forward in -the country, they stick up boughs in the way of divers kinds, according -as it is agreed among them, that one company may know which way another -is gone, and so take another road." The works of Hoyland and Borrow -supply other instances. - -It would be hardly fair to close this subject without drawing attention -to the extraordinary statement that, actually on the threshold of the -gibbet, the sign of the vagabond was to be met with! "The murderer's -signal is even exhibited from the gallows; as a red handkerchief held in -the hand of the felon about to be executed is a token that he dies -without having betrayed any professional secrets."[30] Private -executions have of course rendered this custom obsolete, even if it -ever existed. - - * * * * * - -Since the first editions of this work were published, the publishers -have received from various parts of England numerous evidences of the -still active use of beggars' marks and mendicant hieroglyphs. One -gentleman writes from Great Yarmouth to say that, whilst residing in -Norwich, he used frequently to see them on the houses and street corners -in the suburbs. Another gentleman, a clergyman, states that he has so -far made himself acquainted with the meanings of the signs employed, -that by himself marking the characters [Square] (gammy) and [Circle with -dot] (flummuxed) on the gate-posts of his parsonage, he enjoys a -singular immunity from alms-seekers and cadgers on the tramp. This hint -may not be lost on many other sufferers from importunate beggars, yet -its publication may lead to the introduction of a new code. - - * * * * * - -In a popular constable's guide,[31] giving the practice of justices in -petty sessions, the following interesting paragraph is found, -corroborating what has just been said on the hieroglyphs used by -vagabonds:-- - - "Gipsies follow their brethren by numerous marks, such as strewing - handfuls of grass in the daytime at a four lane or cross roads; the - grass being strewn down the road the gang have taken; also, by a - cross being made on the ground with a stick or knife--the longest - end of the cross denotes the route taken. In the night-time a cleft - stick is placed in the fence at the cross roads, with an arm - pointing down the road their comrades have taken. The marks are - always placed on the left-hand side, so that the stragglers can - easily and readily find them." - -From the cleft stick here alluded to, we learn the origin and use of -[Forked branch], the third hieroglyph in the vagabond's private list. -And the extract also proves that the "rule of the road" is the same -with tramps as with that body which is morally less but physically -more dangerous, theLondon drivers. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[24] Mr. Rawlinson's _Report to the General Board of Health, Parish of -Havant, Hampshire_. - -[25] Vol. v. p. 210. - -[26] Vol. i. pp. 218 and 247. - -[27] See Dictionary. - -[28] Sometimes, as appears from the following, the names of persons and -houses are written instead. "In almost every one of the padding-kens, or -low lodging-houses in the country, there is a list of walks pasted up -over the kitchen mantelpiece. Now at St. Albans, for instance, at the -----, and at other places, there is a paper stuck up in each of the -kitchens. This paper is headed, 'Walks out of this town' and underneath -it is set down the names of the villages in the neighbourhood at which a -beggar may call when out on his walk, and they are so arranged as to -allow the cadger to make a round of about six miles each day, and return -the same night. In many of these papers there are sometimes twenty walks -set down. No villages that are in any way 'gammy' [bad] are ever -mentioned in these papers, and the cadger, if he feels inclined to stop -for a few days in the town, will be told by the lodging-house keeper, or -the other cadgers that he may meet there, what gentlemen's seats or -private houses are of any account on the walk that he means to take. The -names of the good houses are not set down in the paper, for fear of the -police."--_Mayhew_, vol. i. p. 418. [This business is also much altered -in consequence of the increase in the surveillance of the kens, an -increase which, though nominally for sanitary purposes, has a strong -moral effect. Besides this, Mr. Mayhew's informants seem to have -possessed a fair share of that romance which is inherent among -vagabonds.--ED.] - -[29] See Dictionary. - -[30] Mr. Rawlinson's _Report to the General Board of Health, Parish of -Havant, Hampshire_. - -[31] Snowden's _Magistrate's Assistant_, 1852, p. 444. - - - - -A SHORT HISTORY OF SLANG, - -OR - -THE VULGAR LANGUAGE OF FAST LIFE. - -Slang is the language of street humour, of fast, high, and low life. -Cant, as was stated in the chapter upon that subject, is the vulgar -language of secrecy. It must be admitted, however, that within the past -few years they have become almost indivisible. They are both universal -and ancient, and appear to have been, with certain exceptions, the -offspring of gay, vulgar, or worthless persons in every part of the -world at every period of time. Indeed, if we are to believe implicitly -the saying of the wise man, that "there is nothing new under the sun," -the "bloods" of buried Nineveh, with their knotty and door-matty-looking -beards, may have cracked Slang jokes on the steps of Sennacherib's -palace; while the stocks and stones of ancient Egypt, and the bricks of -venerable and used-up Babylon, may be covered with Slang hieroglyphs, -which, being perfectly unknown to modern antiquaries, have long been -stumbling-blocks to the philologist; so impossible is it at this day to -say what was then authorized, or what vulgar, language. The only -objection that can be raised to this idea is, that Slang was, so far as -can be discovered, traditional, and unwritten, until the appearance of -this volume, a state of things which accounts for its many changes, and -the doubtful orthography of even its best known and most permanent -forms. Slang is almost as old as speech, and must date from the -congregating together of people in cities. It is the result of crowding, -and excitement, and artificial life. We have traces of this as far as we -can refer back. Martial, the epigrammatist, is full of Slang. When an -uninvited guest accompanied his friend, the Slang of the day styled him -his "umbra;" when a man was trussed, neck and heels, it called him -jocosely "quadrupus." Slang is nowadays very often the only vehicle by -which rodomontade may be avoided. It is often full of the most pungent -satire, and is always to the point. Without point Slang has no _raison -d'etre_. - -Old English Slang was coarser, and depended more upon downright -vulgarity than our modern Slang. It was a jesting speech, or humorous -indulgence for the thoughtless moment or the drunken hour, and it acted -as a vent-peg for a fit of temper or irritability; but it did not -interlard and permeate every description of conversation as now. It was -confined to nicknames and improper subjects, and encroached but to a -very small extent upon the domain of authorized speech. Indeed, it was -exceedingly limited when compared with the vast territory of Slang in -such general favour and complete circulation at the present day. Still, -although not an extensive institution, as in our time, Slang certainly -did exist in this country centuries ago, as we may see if we look down -the page of any respectable History of England. Cromwell was familiarly -called "Old Noll,"--in much the same way as Bonaparte was termed -"Boney," and Wellington "Conkey" or "Nosey," only a few years ago.[32] -His Legislature, too, was spoken of in a high-flavoured way as the -"Barebones" or "Rump" Parliament, and his followers were nicknamed -"Roundheads," and the peculiar religious sects of his protectorate were -styled "Puritans" and "Quakers."[33] The Civil War pamphlets, and the -satirical hits of the Cavaliers and the Commonwealth men, originated -numerous Slang words and vulgar similes in full use at the present -moment. Here is a field of inquiry for the Philological Society, indeed -a territory, for there are thirty thousand of these partisan tracts. -Later still, in the court of Charles II., the naughty ladies and the gay -lords, with Rochester at their head, talked Slang; and very naughty -Slang it was too. Fops in those days, when "over head and ears" in debt, -and in continual fear of arrest, termed their enemies, the bailiffs, -"Philistines"[34] or "Moabites." At a later period, when collars were -worn detached from shirts, in order to save the expense of washing--an -object, it would seem, with needy "swells" in all ages--they obtained -the name of "Jacobites." One-half of the coarse wit in Butler's -_Hudibras_ lurks in the vulgar words and phrases which he was so fond of -employing. These Slang phrases contained the marrow of his arguments -stripped of all superfluous matter, and they fell with ponderous weight -and terrible effect upon his opponents. They were more homely and -forcible than the mild and elegant sentences of Cowley, and the people, -therefore, hurrahed them, and pronounced Butler one of themselves,--or, -as we should say, in a joyful moment, "a jolly good fellow." Orator -Henley preached and prayed in Slang, and first charmed and then ruled -the dirty mobs in Lincoln's Inn Fields by vulgarisms. Burly Grose -mentions Henley, with the remark that we owe a great many Slang phrases -to him, though even the worst Slang was refinement itself compared with -many of Henley's most studied oratorical utterances, which proves that -the most blackguard parts of a blackguard speech may be perfectly free -from either Slang or Cant. Swift, and old Sir Roger L'Estrange, and -Arbuthnot, were all fond of vulgar or Slang language; indeed, we may see -from a Slang word used by the latter how curious is the gradual adoption -of vulgar terms in our standard dictionaries. The worthy doctor, in -order to annihilate (or, as we should say, with a fitting respect to the -subject under consideration, to "smash") an opponent, thought proper on -an occasion to use the word "cabbage," not in the ancient sense of a -flatulent vegetable of the kitchen-garden, but in the at once Slang -sense of purloining or cribbing. Johnson soon met with the word, looked -at it, examined it, weighed it, and shook his head, but out of respect -to a brother doctor inserted it in his dictionary, labelling it, -however, prominently "Cant;" whilst Walker and Webster, years after, -when all over England "to cabbage" was to pilfer, placed the term in -their dictionaries as an ancient and very respectable word. Another -Slang term, "gull," to cheat, or delude, sometimes varied to "gully," is -stated to be connected with the Dean of St. Patrick's. "Gull," a dupe, -or a fool, is often used by our old dramatists, and is generally -believed to have given rise to the verb; but a curious little edition of -_Bamfylde Moore Carew_, published in 1827, says that "to gull," or -"gully," is derived from the well-known Gulliver, the hero of the famous -Travels. It may be from the phrase, "You can't come Gulliver over me," -in use while the popularity of the book was hot. How crammed with Slang -are the dramatic works of the last century! The writers of the comedies -and farces in those days must have lived in the streets, and written -their plays in the public-houses, so filled are they with vulgarisms and -unauthorized words. The popular phrases, "I owe you one," "That's one -for his nob," and "Keep moving, dad," arose in this way.[35] The second -of these sayings was, doubtless, taken from the card-table, for at -cribbage the player who holds the knave of the suit turned up counts -"one for his nob," and the dealer who turns up a knave counts "two for -his heels." From a dramatic point of view, the use of these phrases is -perfectly correct, as they were in constant use among the people -supposed to be represented by the author's characters. - -In Mrs. Centlivre's admirable comedy of _A Bold Stroke for a Wife_, we -see the origin of that popular phrase, the real Simon Pure. Simon Pure -is the Quaker name adopted by Colonel Feignwell as a trick to obtain the -hand of Mistress Anne Lovely in marriage. The veritable Quaker, the -"real Simon Pure," recommended by Aminadab Holdfast, of Bristol, as a -fit sojourner with Obadiah Prim, arrives at last, to the discomfiture of -the Colonel, who, to maintain his position and gain time, concocts a -letter in which the real Quaker is spoken of as a housebreaker who had -travelled in the "leather conveniency" from Bristol, and adopted the -garb and name of the western Quaker in order to pass off as the "Real -Simon Pure," but only for the purpose of robbing the house and cutting -the throat of the perplexed Obadiah. The scene in which the two Simon -Pures, the real and the counterfeit, meet, is one of the best in the -comedy. - -Tom Brown, of "facetious memory," as his friends were wont to say, and -Ned Ward, who wrote humorous books, and when tired drew beer for his -customers at his alehouse in Long Acre,[36] were both great producers of -Slang in the last century, and to them we owe many popular current -phrases and household words. - -Written Slang was checked, rather than advanced, by the pens of -Addison, Johnson, and Goldsmith; although Bee, the bottle-holder and -historiographer of the pugilistic band of brothers in the youthful days -of flat-nosed Tom Cribb, has gravely stated that Johnson, when young and -rakish, contributed to an early volume of the _Gentleman's Magazine_ a -few pages, by way of specimen, of a slang dictionary, the result, Mr. -Bee says, "of his midnight ramblings!"[37] This statement is not only -improbable, but an investigation of the venerable magazine, though -strict and searching, produces no evidence in corroboration of Mr. Bee. -Goldsmith, even, certainly coined a few words as occasion required, -although as a rule his pen was pure and graceful, and adverse to -neologisms. The word "fudge," it has been stated, was first used by him -in literary composition, although it probably originated with one -Captain Fudge, a notorious fibber, nearly a century before. Street -phrases, nicknames, and vulgar words were continually being added -to the great stock of popular Slang up to the commencement of -the present century, when it received numerous additions from pugilism, -horse-racing, and "fast" life generally, which suddenly came into great -public favour, and was at its height in the latter part of the reign of -George III., and in the early days of the Regency. Slang in those days -was generally termed "flash" language. It will thus be noted that the -term "flash" has in turn represented both Cant and Slang; now the word -Slang has become perfectly generic. So popular was "flash" with the -"bloods" of high life, that it constituted the best paying literary -capital for certain authors and dramatists. Pierce Egan issued -_Boxiana_, and _Life in London_, six portly octavo volumes, crammed with -Slang; and Moncrieff wrote the most popular farce of the day, _Tom and -Jerry_ (adapted from the latter work), which, to use newspaper Slang, -"took the town by storm," and, with its then fashionable vulgarisms, -made the fortune of the old Adelphi Theatre, and was without exception -the most wonderful instance of a continuous theatrical run in ancient or -modern times. This also was brimful of Slang. Other authors helped to -popularize and extend Slang down to our own time, and it has now taken a -somewhat different turn, dropping many of the Cant and old vulgar words, -and assuming a certain quaint and fashionable phraseology--familiar, -utilitarian, and jovial. There can be no doubt that common speech is -greatly influenced by fashion, fresh manners, and that general change of -ideas which steals over a people once in a generation. But before -proceeding further into the region of Slang, it will be well to say -something on the etymology of the word. - -The word Slang is only mentioned by two lexicographers--Webster and -Ogilvie.[38] Johnson, Walker, and the older compilers of dictionaries -give "slang" as the preterite of "sling," but not a word about Slang in -the sense of low, vulgar, or unrecognised language. The origin of the -word has often been asked for in literary journals and books, but only -one man, until recently, ever hazarded an etymology--Jonathan Bee.[39] -With a recklessness peculiar to ignorance, Bee stated that Slang was -derived from "the _slangs_ or fetters worn by prisoners, having acquired -that name from the manner in which they were worn, as they required a -sling of string to keep them off the ground." Bee had just been nettled -at Pierce Egan's producing a new edition of Grose's _Dictionary of the -Vulgar Tongue_, and was determined to excel in a vulgar dictionary of -his own, which should be more racy, more pugilistic, and more original. -How far he succeeded in this latter particular, his ridiculous etymology -of Slang will show. Slang is not an English word; it is the Gipsy term -for their secret language, and its synonym is Gibberish--another word -which was believed to have had no distinct origin.[40] Grose--stout and -burly Captain Grose--whom we may characterize as the greatest antiquary, -joker, and porter-drinker of his day, was the first lexicographer to -recognise the word "Slang." It occurs in his _Classical Dictionary of -the Vulgar Tongue_, of 1785, with the statement that it implies "Cant or -vulgar language." Grose was a great favourite with Burns, and so pleased -him by his extensive powers of story-telling and grog-imbibing, that the -companionable and humour-loving Scotch bard wrote for his fat -friend--or, to use his own words, "the fine, fat, fodgel wight"--the -immortal poem of _Tam O' Shanter_. - -It is not worth while troubling the reader with a long account of the -transformation into an English term of the word Slang, as it is easily -seen how we obtained it. Hucksters and beggars on tramp, or at fairs and -races, associate and frequently join in any rough enterprise with the -Gipsies. The word would be continually heard by them, and would in this -manner soon become part of their vocabulary,[41] and, when carried by -"fast" or vulgar fashionables from the society of thieves and low -characters to their own drawing-rooms, would as quickly become Slang, -and the representative term for all vulgar language. Modern philologists -give the word Slang as derived from the French _langue_. This is, at all -events, as likely as any other derivative. - -Any sudden excitement or peculiar circumstance is quite sufficient to -originate and set going a score of Slang words. Nearly every election or -public agitation throws out offshoots of excitement, or scintillations -of humour in the shape of Slang terms--vulgar at first, but at length -adopted, if possessing sufficient hold on the public mind, as -semi-respectable from sheer force of habit. There is scarcely a -condition or calling in life that does not possess its own peculiar -Slang. The professions, legal and medical, have each familiar and -unauthorized terms for peculiar circumstances and things, and it is -quite certain that the clerical calling, or "the cloth"--in itself a -Slang term given at a time when the laity were more distinguished by -their gay dress from the clergy than they are now--is not entirely free -from this peculiarity. Every workshop, warehouse, factory, and mill -throughout the country has its Slang, and so have the public schools and -the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Sea Slang constitutes the -principal charm of a sailor's "yarn;" and our soldiers have in turn -their peculiar nicknames and terms for things and subjects, proper and -improper. A writer in _Household Words_ (No. 183) has gone so far as to -remark, that a person "shall not read one single parliamentary debate, -as reported in a first-class newspaper, without meeting scores of Slang -words," and "that from Mr. Speaker in his chair, to the Cabinet -Ministers whispering behind it--from mover to seconder, from true blue -Protectionist to extremest Radical--Mr. Barry's New House echoes and -re-echoes with Slang." This statement is most worthy of notice, as -showing how, with a very small sub-stratum of fact, a plausible, though -not the less gigantic, mis-statement may be built up. - -The universality of Slang is extraordinary. Let any person for a short -time narrowly examine the conversation of his dearest and nearest -friends, or even analyse his own supposed correct talk, and he shall be -amazed at the numerous unauthorized, and what we can only call vulgar, -words in constant use. One peculiarity of the growth of Slang is the -finding of new meanings for old words. Take, for instance, the verbs -"do," "cut," "go," and "take," and see how they are used to express -fresh ideas, and then let us ask ourselves how is it possible for a -Frenchman or German, be he never so well educated, to avoid continually -blundering and floundering amongst our little words when trying to make -himself understood in an ordinary conversation? He may have studied our -language the required time, and have gone through the usual amount of -"grinding," and practised the common allotment of patience, but all to -no purpose as far as accuracy is concerned. As, however, we do not make -our language, nor for the matter of that our Slang, for the convenience -or inconvenience of foreigners, we need not pursue this portion of the -subject further. "Jabber" and "hoax" were Slang and Cant terms in -Swift's time; so, indeed, were "mob" and "sham."[42] Words directly from -the Latin and Greek, framed in accordance with the rules which govern -the construction of the language, are not Slang, but are good English, -if not Saxon,--a term, by the way, which is as much misused as any -unfortunate word that can be remembered just now. Sound contributes many -Slang words--a source that etymologists frequently overlook. Nothing -pleases an ignorant person so much as a high-sounding term, "full of -fury." How melodious and drum-like are those vulgar coruscations -"rumbumptious," "slantingdicular," "splendiferous," "rumbustious," and -"ferricadouzer." What a "pull" the sharp-nosed lodging-house-keeper -thinks she has over her victims if she can but hurl such testimonies of -a liberal education at them when they are disputing her charges, and -threatening to "absquatulate!" In the United States the vulgar-genteel -even excel the poor "stuck-up" Cockneys in their formation of a native -fashionable language. How charming to a refined ear are "abskize," -"catawampously," "exflunctify," "obscute," "keslosh," "kesouse," -"keswollop," and "kewhollux!"[43] It must not be forgotten, however, -that a great many new "Americanisms" are perfectly unknown in America, -and in this respect they resemble the manners and customs of our cousins -as found in books, and in books only. Vulgar words representing action -and brisk movement often owe their origin to sound, as has before been -remarked. Mispronunciation, too, is another great source of vulgar or -Slang words, and of this "ramshackle," "shackly," "nary-one" for neither -or neither one, "ottomy" or "atomy" for anatomy, "rench" for rinse, are -specimens. The commonalty dislike frequently-occurring words difficult -of pronunciation, and so we have the street abridgments of "bimeby" for -by-and-by, "caze" for because, "gin" for given, "hankercher" for -handkerchief, "ruma tiz" for rheumatism, "backer" for tobacco, and many -others, not perhaps Slang, but certainly, all vulgarisms. Whately, in -his _Remains of Bishop Copleston_, has inserted a leaf from the bishop's -note-book on the popular corruption of names, mentioning, among others, -"kickshaws," as from the French _quelques choses_; "beefeater," the -grotesque guardian of royalty in a procession, and the envied devourer -of enormous beefsteaks, as but a vulgar pronunciation of the French -_buffetier_, and "George and Cannon," the sign of a public-house, as -nothing but a corruption (although so soon!) of the popular premier of -the last generation, George Canning.[44] Literature has its Slang terms; -and the desire on the part of writers to say funny and startling things -in a novel and curious way contributes many unauthorized words to the -great stock of Slang. - -Fashionable or Upper-class Slang is of several varieties. There is the -Belgravian, military and naval, parliamentary, dandy, and the reunion -and visiting Slang. English officers, civilians, and their families, -who have resided long in India, have contributed many terms from the -Hindostanee to our language. Several of these, such as "chit," a letter, -and "tiffin," lunch, are fast losing their Slang character, and becoming -regularly-recognised English words. "Jungle," as a term for a forest or -wilderness, is now an English phrase; a few years past, however, it was -merely the Hindostanee "junkul." This, being a perfectly legal -transition, having no other recognised form, can hardly be characterized -as Slang. The extension of trade in China, and the English settlement of -Hong Kong, have introduced among us several examples of Canton jargon, -that exceedingly curious Anglo-Chinese dialect spoken in the seaports of -the Celestial Empire. While these words have been carried as it were -into the families of the upper and middle classes, persons in a humbler -rank of life, through the sailors and soldiers and Lascar and Chinese -beggars that haunt the metropolis, have also adopted many Anglo-Indian -and Anglo-Chinese phrases. As this dictionary would have been incomplete -without them, they are carefully recorded in its pages. Concerning the -Slang of the fashionable world, it has been remarked that it is mostly -imported from France; and that an unmeaning gibberish of Gallicisms runs -through English fashionable conversation and fashionable novels, and -accounts of fashionable parties in the fashionable newspapers. Yet, -ludicrously enough, immediately the fashionable magnates of England -seize on any French idiom, the French themselves not only universally -abandon it to us, but positively repudiate it altogether from their -idiomatic vocabulary. If you were to tell a well-bred Frenchman that -such and such an aristocratic marriage was on the _tapis_, he would -stare with astonishment, and look down on the carpet in the startled -endeavour to find a marriage in so unusual a place. If you were to talk -to him of the _beau monde_, he would imagine you meant the world which -God made, not half-a-dozen streets and squares between Hyde Park Corner -and Chelsea Bun House. The _the dansant_ would be completely -inexplicable to him. If you were to point out to him the Dowager Lady -Grimgriffin acting as _chaperon_ to Lady Amanda Creamville, he would -imagine you were referring to the _petit Chaperon rouge_--to little -Red-Riding Hood. He might just understand what was meant by _vis-a-vis_, -_entremets_, and some others of the flying horde of frivolous little -foreign slangisms hovering about fashionable cookery and fashionable -furniture; but three-fourths of them would seem to him as barbarous -French provincialisms, or, at best, but as antiquated and obsolete -expressions, picked out of the letters of Mademoiselle Scuderi, or the -tales of Crebillon "the younger." Servants, too, appropriate the scraps -of French conversation which fall from their masters' guests at the -dinner table, and forthwith in the world of flunkeydom the word "know" -is disused, and the lady's-maid, in doubt on a particular point, asks -John whether or no he "saveys" it?[45] What, too, can be more abominable -than that heartless piece of fashionable newspaper Slang, regularly -employed when speaking of the successful courtship of young people in -the aristocratic world:-- - - MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE.--We understand that a marriage is ARRANGED (!) - betwixt the Lady, &c. &c., and the Honourable, &c. &c. - -"Arranged!" Is that cold-blooded Smithfield or Mark Lane term for a sale -or a purchase the proper word to express the hopeful, joyous, golden -union of young and trustful hearts? Possibly, though, the word is often -used with a due regard to facts, for marriages, especially amongst our -upper classes, are not always "made in heaven." Which is the proper way -to pronounce the names of great people, and what the correct authority? -Lord Cowper, we are often assured, is Lord _Cooper_--on this principle -Lord Cowley would certainly be Lord _Cooley_--and Mr. Carew, we are -told, should be Mr. _Carey_, Ponsonby should be _Punsunby_, Eyre should -be _Aire_, Cholmondeley should be _Chumley_, St. John _Sinjen_, -Beauchamp should be _Beachem_, Majoribanks _Marshbanks_, and Powell -should always be _Poel_. The pronunciation of proper names has long been -an anomaly in the conversation of the upper classes of this country. -Hodge and Podge, the clodhoppers of Shakspeare's time, talked in their -mug-houses of the great Lords _Darbie_, _Barkelie_, and _Bartie_. In -Pall Mall and May Fair these personages are spoken of in exactly the -same manner at the present day, whilst in the City, and amongst the -_middle_ classes, we only hear of Derby, Berkeley, &c.,--the correct -pronunciations, if the spelling is worth aught. It must not be -forgotten, however, that the pronunciation of the upper classes, as -regards the names of places just mentioned, is a relic of old times when -the orthography was different. The middle-class man is satisfied to take -matters the modern way, but even he, when he wishes to be thought a -swell, alters his style. In fact, the old rule as to proper names being -pronounced according to individual taste, is, and ever will be, of -absolute necessity, not only as regards the upper and middle, but the -lower classes. A costermonger is ignorant of such a place as Birmingham, -but understands you in a moment if you talk of _Brummagem_. Why do not -Pall Mall exquisites join with the costermongers in this pronunciation? -It is the ancient one.[46] - -_Parliamentary Slang_, excepting a few peculiar terms connected with -"_the_ House" (scarcely Slang), is mainly composed of fashionable, -literary, and learned Slang. When members get excited, and wish to be -forcible, they are now and again, but not very often, found guilty of -vulgarisms, and then may be not particular which of the street terms -they select, providing it carries, as good old Dr. South said, plenty of -"wildfire" in it. Lord Cairns when Sir Hugh, and a member of the Lower -House, spoke of "that homely but expressive phrase, 'dodge.'" Out of -"the House," several Slang terms are used in connexion with Parliament -or members of Parliament. If Lord Palmerston was familiar by name to the -tribes of the Caucasus and Asia Minor as a great foreign diplomatist, -when the name of our Queen was unknown to the inhabitants of those -parts--as was once stated in the _Times_--it is worthy of remark that, -amongst the costers and the wild inhabitants of the streets, he was at -that time better known as "Pam." The cabmen on the "ranks" in Piccadilly -have been often heard to call each other's attention to the great -leader of the Opposition in the following expressive manner--"Hollo, -there! de yer see old 'Dizzy' doing a stump?" A "plumper" is a single -vote at an election--not a "split-ticket;" and electors who had occupied -a house, no matter how small, and boiled a pot in it, thus qualifying -themselves for voting, used in the good old days to be termed -"potwallopers." A quiet "walk over" is a re-election without opposition -and much cost; and is obtained from the sporting vocabulary, in which -the term is not Slang. A "caucus" meeting refers to the private -assembling of politicians before an election, when candidates are -chosen, and measures of action agreed upon. The term comes from America, -where caucus means a meeting simply. A "job," in political phraseology, -is a Government office or contract obtained by secret influence or -favouritism; and is not a whit more objectionable in sound than is the -nefarious proceeding offensive to the sense of those who pay but do not -participate. The _Times_ once spoke of "the patriotic member of -Parliament 'potted out' in a dusty little lodging somewhere about Bury -Street." But then the _Times_ was not always the mildly respectable -high-class paper it now is, as a reference to the columns devoted by it -to Macaulay's official career will alone determine. These, which -appeared during the present reign, would be far below the lowest -journalistic taste nowadays; yet they are in keeping with the rest of -the political references made at that time by the now austere and -high-principled "leading journal." The term "quockerwodger," although -referring to a wooden toy figure which jerks its limbs about when pulled -by a string, has been supplemented with a political meaning. A -pseudo-politician, whose strings of action are pulled by somebody else, -is often termed a "quockerwodger." From an early period politics and -partyism have attracted unto themselves quaint Slang terms. Horace -Walpole quotes a party nickname of February, 1742, as a Slang word of -the day:--"The Tories declare against any further prosecution, if Tories -there are, for now one hears of nothing but the 'broad-bottom;' it is -the reigning Cant word, and means the taking all parties and people, -indifferently, into the Ministry." Thus "broad-bottom" in those days was -Slang for "coalition." The term "rat," too, in allusion to rats -deserting vessels about to sink, has long been employed towards those -turncoat politicians who change their party for interest. Who that -occasionally passes near the Houses of Parliament has not often noticed -stout or careful M.P.'s walk briskly through the Hall, and on the -kerb-stone in front, with umbrella or walking-cane uplifted, shout to -the cabmen on the rank, "Four-wheeler!" The term is both useful and -expressive; but it is none the less Slang, though of a better kind than -"growler," used to denominate the same kind of vehicle, or "shoful," the -street term for a hansom cab. - -Military Slang is on a par, and of a character, with dandy Slang. -Inconvenient friends, or elderly and lecturing relatives, are pronounced -"dreadful bores." This affectionate term, like most other Slang phrases -which have their rise in a certain section of society, has spread and -become of general application. Four-wheeled cabs are called "bounders;" -and a member of the Four-in-hand Club, driving to Epsom on the Derby -Day, would, using fashionable phraseology, speak of it as "tooling his -drag down to the Derby." A vehicle, if not a "drag" (or dwag), is a -"trap," or a "cask;" and if the "turn-out" happens to be in other than a -trim condition, it is pronounced at once as not "down the road," unless -the critic should prefer to characterize the equipage as "dickey." Your -City swell would say it is not "up to the mark;" whilst the costermonger -would call it a "wery snide affair." In the army a barrack or military -station is known as a "lobster-box;" to "cram" for an examination is to -"mug-up" (this same term is much in vogue among actors, who regard -mugging-up as one of the fine arts of the profession); to reject from -the examination is to "spin;" and that part of the barrack occupied by -subalterns is frequently spoken of as the "rookery." In dandy or swell -Slang, any celebrity, from the Poet-Laureate to the Pope of Rome, is a -"swell,"--"the old swell" now occupies the place once held by the -"guv'nor." Wrinkled-faced old professors, who hold dress and fashionable -tailors in abhorrence, are called "awful swells,"--if they happen to be -very learned or clever. In this upper-class Slang, a title is termed a -"handle;" trousers, "inexpressibles," and bags, or "howling bags," when -of a large pattern;--a superior appearance, or anything above the common -cut, is styled "extensive;" a four-wheeled cab is called a "birdcage;" a -dance, a "hop;" dining at another man's table, "sitting under his -mahogany;" anything flashy or showy, "loud;" the peculiar make or cut of -a coat, its "build;" full dress, "full fig;" wearing clothes which -represent the very extreme of fashion, "dressing to death;" a dinner or -supper party, a "spread;" a friend (or a "good fellow"), a "trump;" a -difficulty, a "screw loose;" and everything that is unpleasant, "from -bad sherry to a writ from a tailor," "jeuced infernal." The phrase, "to -send a man to Coventry," or permit no person "in the set" to speak to -him, although an ancient saying, must still be considered Slang. - -The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and the great public schools, -are the hotbeds of fashionable Slang. Growing boys and high-spirited -young fellows detest restraint of all kinds, and prefer making a dash at -life in a Slang phraseology of their own to all the set forms and -syntactical rules of _Alma Mater_. Many of the most expressive words in -a common chit-chat, or free-and-easy conversation, are old university -vulgarisms. "Cut," in the sense of dropping an acquaintance, was -originally a Cambridge form of speech; and "hoax," to deceive or -ridicule, we are informed by Grose, was many years since an Oxford term. -Among the words that fast society has borrowed from our great -scholastic--not establishments (they are sacred to linendrapery and -"gentlemanly assistants")--institutions, is found "crib," a house or -apartments; "dead men," empty wine bottles; "drawing teeth,"[47] -wrenching off knockers,--an obsolete amusement; "fizzing," first-rate, -or splendid; "governor," or "relieving-officer," the general term for a -male parent; "plucked," defeated or turned back, now altered to -"plough;" "quiz," to scrutinize, or a prying old fellow; and "row," a -noisy disturbance. The Slang words in use at Oxford and Cambridge would -alone fill a volume. As examples let us take "scout," which at Oxford -refers to an undergraduate's valet, whilst the same menial at Cambridge -is termed a "gyp,"--popularly derived by the Cantabs from the Greek, -_gyps_, a vulture; "skull," the head, or master, of a college; -"battles," the Oxford term for rations, changed at Cambridge into -"commons." The term "dickey," a half-shirt, it is said, originated with -the students of Trinity College, Dublin, who at first styled it a -"tommy," from the Greek _tome_, a section,--the change from "tommy" to -"dickey" requires no explanation. "Crib," a literal translation, is now -universal; "grind" refers to "working up" for an examination, also to a -walk or "constitutional;" "Hivite" is a student of St. Begh's (St. Bee's) -College, Cumberland; to "japan," in this Slang speech, is to ordain; -"mortar board" is a square college cap; "sim," a student of a -Methodistical turn--in allusion to the Rev. Charles Simeon; "sloggers," -at Cambridge, refers to the second division of race-boats, known at -Oxford as "torpids;" "sport" is to show or exhibit; "trotter" is the -jocose term for a tailor's man who goes round for orders; and "tufts" -are privileged students who dine with the "dons," and are distinguished -by golden tufts, or tassels, in their caps. Hence we get the world-wide -Slang term "tuft-hunter," one whose pride it is to be acquainted with -scions of the nobility--a sycophantic race unfortunately not confined -to any particular place or climate, nor peculiar to any age or either -sex. There are many terms in use at Oxford not known at Cambridge; and -such Slang names as "coach," "gulf," "harry-soph," "poker," or -"post-mortem," common enough at Cambridge, are seldom or never heard -at the great sister University. For numerous other examples of college -Slang the reader is referred to the Dictionary. - -Religious Slang, strange as the compound may appear, exists with other -descriptions of vulgar speech at the present day. _Punch_, in one of -those half-humorous, half-serious articles, once so characteristic of -the wits engaged on that paper, who were, as a rule, fond of lecturing -any national abuse or popular folly, remarked--"Slang has long since -penetrated into the Forum, and now we meet it in the Senate, and even -the pulpit itself is no longer free from its intrusion." There is no -wish here, for one moment, to infer that the practice is general. On the -contrary, and in justice to the clergy, it must be said that the -principal disseminators of pure English throughout the country are the -ministers of our Established Church. Yet it cannot be denied that a -great deal of Slang phraseology and expressive vulgarism have gradually -crept into the very pulpits which should give forth as pure speech as -doctrine. This is an error which, however, has only to be noticed, to be -cured. - -Dean Conybeare, in his able "Essay on Church Parties,"[48] has noticed -this addition of Slang to our pulpit speech. As stated in his Essay, the -practice appears to confine itself mainly to the exaggerated forms of -the High and Low Church--the Tractarians and the "Recordites."[49] By -way of illustration, the Dean cites the evening parties, or social -meetings, common amongst the wealthier lay members of the Recordite -churches, where the principal topics discussed--one or more favourite -clergymen being present in a quasi-official manner--are "the merits and -demerits of different preachers, the approaching restoration of the -Jews, the date of the Millennium, the progress of the 'Tractarian -heresy,' and the anticipated 'perversion' of High Church neighbours." -These subjects are canvassed in a dialect differing considerably from -English, as the word is generally understood. The terms "faithful," -"tainted," "acceptable," "decided," "legal," and many others, -are used in a sense different from that given to any of them by the -lexicographers. We hear that Mr. A. has been more "owned" than Mr. B.; -and that Mr. C. has more "seals"[50] than Mr. D. Again, the word -"gracious" is invested with a meaning as extensive as that attached by -young ladies to nice. Thus, we hear of a "gracious sermon," a "gracious -meeting," a "gracious child," and even a "gracious whipping." The word -"dark" has also a new and peculiar usage. It is applied to every person, -book, or place not impregnated with Recordite principles. A ludicrous -misunderstanding resulting from this phraseology is on record (this is -not a joke). "What did you mean," said A. to B., "by telling me that ----- was such a very 'dark' village? I rode over there to-day, and found -the street particularly broad and cheerful, and there is not a tree in -the place." "The gospel is not preached there," was B's. laconic reply. -The conclusion of one of these singular evening parties is generally -marked by an "exposition"--an unseasonable sermon of nearly one hour's -duration, circumscribed by no text, and delivered from the table by one -of the clerical visitors with a view to "improve the occasion." This -same term, "improve the occasion," is of Slang slangy, and is so mouthed -by Stigginses and Chadbands, and their followers, that it has become -peculiarly objectionable to persons of broad views. In the Essay to -which reference has been made, the religious Slang terms for the two -great divisions of the Established Church receive some explanation. The -old-fashioned High Church party--rich and "stagnant," noted for its -"sluggish mediocrity, hatred of zeal, dread of innovation, abuse of -Dissent, blundering and languid utterance"--is called the "high and -dry;" whilst the opposing division, known as the Low Church--equally -stagnant with the former, but poorer, and more lazily inclined (from -absence of education) towards Dissent--receives the nickname of the "low -and slow." These terms are among persons learned in the distinctions -shortened, in ordinary conversation, to the "dry" and the "slow." The -Broad Church, or moderate division, is often spoken of as the "broad -and shallow." - -What can be more objectionable than the irreverent and offensive manner -in which many Dissenting ministers continually pronounce the names of -the Deity--God and Lord? God, instead of pronouncing in the plain and -beautiful simple old English way, "G-o-d," they drawl out into "Gorde" -or "Gaude;" and Lord, instead of speaking in the proper way, they -desecrate into "Loard" or "Loerd,"--lingering on the _u_, or the _r_, as -the case may be, until an honest hearer feels disgusted, and almost -inclined to run the gauntlet of beadles and deacons, and pull the vulgar -preacher from his pulpit. This is, though a Christian impulse, hardly in -accordance with our modern times and tolerant habits. Many young -preachers strive hard to acquire this peculiar pronunciation, in -imitation of the older ministers. What, then, can more properly be -called Slang, or, indeed, the most objectionable of Slang, than this -studious endeavour to pronounce the most sacred names in a uniformly -vulgar and unbecoming manner? If the old-fashioned preacher whistled -Cant through his nose, the modern vulgar reverend whines Slang from the -more natural organ. These vagaries of speech will, perhaps, by an -apologist, be termed "pulpit peculiarities," and the writer may be -impugned for having dared to intermeddle with a subject that is or -should be removed from his criticisms. Honesty of purpose and evident -truthfulness of remark will, however, overcome the most virulent -opposition. The terms used by the mob towards the Church, however -illiberal and satirically vulgar, are fairly within the province of an -inquiry such as the present. A clergyman, in vulgar language, is spoken -of as a "choker," a "cushion-thumper," a "dominie," an "earwig," a -"gospel-grinder," a "grey-coat parson;" a "spouter," a "white-choker," -or a "warming-pan rector," if he only holds the living _pro tempore_. If -he is a lessee of the great tithes, "one in ten;" or if spoken of by an -Anglo-Indian, a "rook." If a Tractarian, his outer garment is rudely -spoken of as a "pygostole," or "M. B. (mark of the beast) coat." His -profession is termed "the cloth" (this item of Slang has been already -referred to), and his practice is called "tub-thumping." This latter -term has of late years been almost peculiarly confined to itinerant -preachers. Should he belong to the Dissenting body, he is probably -styled a "pantiler," or a "psalm smiter," or perhaps, a "swaddler."[51] -His chapel, too, is spoken of as a "schism shop." A Roman Catholic is -coarsely named a "brisket-beater." - -Particular as lawyers generally are about the meanings of words, they -have not prevented an unauthorized phraseology from arising, which may -be termed legal Slang. So forcibly did this truth impress a late writer, -that he wrote in a popular journal, "You may hear Slang every day in -term from barristers in their robes, at every mess-table, at every -bar-mess, at every college commons, and in every club dining-room." -Swift, in his _Art of Polite Conversation_ (p. 15), published a century -and a half ago, states that "vardi" was the Slang in his time for -"verdict." A few of the most common and well-known terms used out of -doors, with reference to legal matters, are "cook," to hash or make up a -balance-sheet; "dipped," mortgaged; "dun" (from a famous writ or -process-server named Dunn), to solicit payment; "fullied," to be "fully -committed for trial;" "land shark," a sailor's definition of a lawyer; -"limb of the law," a milder term for the same "professional;" "monkey -with a long tail," a mortgage; "mouthpiece," the thief's term for his -counsel; "to run through the ring," to take advantage of the Insolvency -Act; "smash," to become bankrupt; "snipe," an attorney with a long bill; -and "whitewash," to take the benefit of the Insolvent Act. Comparatively -recent legislation has rendered many of these terms obsolete, and "in -liquidation" is now the most ominous sound a creditor can hear. Lawyers, -from their connexion with the police courts, and transactions with -persons in every grade of society, have ample opportunities for -acquiring street Slang, of which, in cross-questioning and wrangling, -they frequently avail themselves. - -It has been said there exists a literary Slang, or the Slang of -Criticism--dramatic, artistic, and scientific. This is composed of such -words as "aesthetic," "transcendental," "the harmonies," "the unities," a -"myth;" such phrases as "an exquisite _morceau_ on the big drum," a -"scholarlike rendering of John the Baptist's great toe," "keeping -harmony," "middle distance," "aerial perspective," "delicate handling," -"nervous chiaroscuro," and the like. It is easy to find fault with this -system of doing work, whilst it is not easy to discover another at once -so easily understood by educated readers, and so satisfactory to artists -themselves. Discretion must, of course, always be used, in fact always -is used by the best writers, with regard to the quantity of technical -Slang an article will hold comfortably. Overdone mannerism is always a -mistake, and generally defeats its own end. Properly used, these -technicalities are allowable as the generous inflections and bendings of -a bountiful language, for the purpose of expressing fresh phases of -thought, and ideas not yet provided with representative words.[52] -_Punch_ often employs a Slang term to give point to a joke, or humour to -a line of satire. In his best day he gave an original etymology of the -schoolboy-ism "slog." "Slog," said the classical and then clever -_Punch_, is derived from the Greek word "slogo," to baste, to wallop, to -slaughter. To show his partiality to the subject, he once amused his -readers with two columns on Slang and Sanscrit, from which the following -is taken:-- - - "The allegory which pervades the conversation of all Eastern nations - is the foundation of Western Slang; and the increased number of - students of the Oriental languages, especially since Sanscrit and - Arabic have been made subjects for the Indian Civil Service - examinations, may have contributed to supply the English language - with a large portion of its new dialect. While, however, the spirit - of allegory comes from the East, there is so great a difference - between the brevity of Western expression and the more cumbrous - diction of the Oriental, that the origin of a phrase becomes - difficult to trace. Thus, for instance, whilst the Turkish merchant - might address his friend somewhat as follows--'That which seems good - to my father is to his servant as the perfumed breath of the west - wind in the calm night of the Arabian summer;' the Western - negotiator observes more briefly, 'all serene!'"[53] - -But the vulgar term, "brick," _Punch_ remarks in illustration, - - "must be allowed to be an exception, its Greek derivation being - universally admitted, corresponding so exactly as it does in its - rectangular form and compactness to the perfection of manhood, - according to the views of Plato and Simonides; but any deviation - from the simple expression, in which locality is indicated--as, for - instance, 'a genuine Bath'--decidedly breathes the Oriental spirit." - -It is singular that what _Punch_ says unwittingly and in humour -respecting the Slang expression "bosh," should be quite true. "Bosh," -remarks _Punch_, after speaking of it as belonging to the stock of words -pilfered from the Turks, "is one whose innate force and beauty the -slangographer is reluctantly compelled to admit. It is the only word -which seems a proper appellation for a great deal which we are obliged -to hear and to read every day of our life." "Bosh," nonsense or -stupidity, is derived from the Gipsy and the Persian. The universality -of Slang is proved by its continual use in the pages of _Punch_. Who -ever thinks, unless belonging to a past generation, of asking a friend -to explain the stray vulgar words employed by the _London Charivari_? -Some of the jokes, though, might nowadays be accompanied by explanatory -notes, in similar style to that adopted by youthful artists who write "a -man," "a horse," &c., when rather uncertain as to whether or not their -efforts will meet with due appreciation. - -The _Athenaeum_, the _Saturday Review_, and other kindred "weeklies," -often indulge in Slang words when force of expression or a little humour -is desired, or when the various writers wish to say something which is -better said in Slang, or so-called vulgar speech, than in the authorized -language. Bartlett, the compiler of the _Dictionary of Americanisms_, -continually cites the _Athenaeum_ as using Slang and vulgar expressions; -but the magazine the American refers to is not the literary journal of -the present day,--it was a smaller, and now defunct, "weekly." The -present possessor of the classic title is, though, by no means -behindhand in its devotion to colloquialisms. Many other highly -respectable journals often use Slang words and phrases. The _Times_ (or, -in Slang, the "Thunderer") frequently employs unauthorized terms; and, -following a "leader"[54] of the purest and most eloquent composition, may -sometimes be seen another "article"[54] on a totally different subject, -containing, perhaps, a score or more of exceedingly questionable words. -Among the words and phrases which may be included under the head of -Literary Slang are, "balaam," matter kept constantly in type about -monstrous productions of nature, to fill up spaces in newspapers; -"balaam-box," the term given in _Blackwood_ to the repository for -rejected articles; and "slate," to pelt with abuse, or "cut up" in a -review. "He's the fellow to slate a piece" is often said of dramatic -critics, especially of those who through youth, inexperience, and the -process of unnatural selection which causes them to be critics, imagine -that to abuse all that is above their comprehension is to properly -exercise the critical faculty. This is, however, dangerous ground. The -Slang names given to newspapers are curious;--thus, the _Morning -Advertiser_ is known as the "Tap-tub," the "'Tizer," and was until -recently the "Gin and Gospel Gazette." The _Morning Post_ has obtained -the suggestive sobriquet of "Jeames;" whilst the _Morning Herald_ was -long caricatured as "Mrs. Harris," and the _Standard_ as "Mrs. -Gamp."[55] - -The _Stage_, of course, has its Slang--"both before and behind the -curtain," as a journalist remarks. The stage-manager is familiarly -termed "daddy;" and an actor by profession, or a "professional," is -called a "pro." It is amusing at times to hear a young actor--who struts -about padded with copies of all newspapers that have mentioned his -name--talking, in a mixed company, of the stage as _the_ profession. -This is after all but natural, for to him "all the world's a stage." A -man who is occasionally hired at a trifling remuneration to come upon -the stage as one of a crowd, or when a number of actors are wanted to -give effect, is named a "supe,"--an abbreviation of "supernumerary." A -"surf" is a third-rate actor, who frequently pursues another calling; -and the band, or orchestra between the pit and the stage, is generally -spoken of as the "menagerie." A "ben" is a benefit; and "sal" is the -Slang abbreviation of "salary." Should no money be forthcoming on the -Saturday night, it is said that the "ghost doesn't walk;" or else the -statement goes abroad that there is "no treasury," as though the coffers -themselves had departed. The travelling or provincial theatricals, who -perform in any large room that can be rented in a country village, are -called "barn-stormers." A "length" is forty-two lines of any dramatic -composition; and a "run" is the continuous term of a piece's -performance. A "saddle" is the additional charge made by a manager to an -actor or actress upon his or her benefit night. To "mug up" is to paint -one's face, or arrange the person, to represent a particular character; -to "corpse," or to "stick," is to balk, or put the other actors out in -their parts by forgetting yours. A performance is spoken of as either a -"gooser" or a "screamer," should it be a failure or a great success;--if -the latter, it is not infrequently termed a "hit." To "goose" a -performance is to hiss it; and continued "goosing" generally ends, or -did end before managers refused to accept the verdict of audiences, in -the play or the players being "damned." To "star it" is to perform as -the centre of attraction, with your name in large type, and none but -subordinates and indifferent actors in the same performance. The -expressive term "clap-trap," high-sounding nonsense, is nothing but an -ancient theatrical term, and signified a "trap" to catch a "clap" by way -of applause. "Up amongst the 'gods,'" refers to being among the -spectators in the gallery,--termed in French Slang "paradis." - -There exists, too, in the great territory of vulgar speech what may not -inappropriately be termed Civic Slang. It consists of mercantile and -Stock Exchange terms, and the Slang of good living and wealth. A turkey -hung with sausages is facetiously styled an "alderman in chains,"--a -term which has spread from the City and become general; and a -half-crown, perhaps from its rotundity, is often termed an "alderman." A -"bear" is a speculator on the Exchange; and a "bull," although of an -opposite order, follows a like profession. There is something very -humorous and applicable in the Slang term "lame duck," a defaulter in -stock-jobbing speculations. The allusion to his "waddling out of the -Alley," as they say, is excellent. "Breaking shins," in City Slang, is -borrowing money; a rotten or unsound scheme is spoken of as "fishy;" -"rigging the market" means playing tricks with it; and "stag" was a -common term during the railway mania for a speculator without capital, a -seller of "scrip" in "Diddlesex Junction" and other equally safe lines. -At Tattersall's a "monkey" is 500_l._, and in the City a "plum" is -100,000_l._, and a "marygold" is one million sterling. But before -proceeding further in a sketch of the different kinds of Slang, it may -be as well to speak here of the extraordinary number of Cant and Slang -terms in use to represent money--from farthings to bank-notes the value -of fortunes. Her Majesty's coin, collectively or in the piece, is known -by more than one hundred and thirty distinct Slang words, from the -humble "brown" (a halfpenny) to "flimsies," or "long-tailed ones" -(bank-notes). - -"Money," it has been well remarked, "the bare, simple word itself, has a -sonorous, significant ring in its sound," and might have sufficed, one -would have imagined, for all ordinary purposes, excepting, of course, -those demanded by direct reference to specific sums. But a vulgar or -"fast" society has thought differently; and so we have the Slang -synonyms--"beans," "blunt" (_i.e._, specie,--not soft or rags, -bank-notes), "brads," "brass," "bustle," "coppers" (copper money, or -mixed pence), "chink," "chinkers," "chips," "corks," "dibbs," "dinarly," -"dimmock," "dust," "feathers," "gent" (silver,--from argent), "haddock" -(a purse of money), "horse nails," "huckster," "loaver," "lour" (the -oldest Cant term for money), "mopusses," "needful," "nobbings" (money -collected in a hat by street-performers), "ochre" (gold), "pewter," -"palm oil," "pieces," "posh," "queen's pictures," "quids," "rags" -(bank-notes), "ready," or "ready gilt," "redge" (gold), "rhino," -"rowdy," "shiners" (sovereigns), "skin" (a purse of money), "stiff" -(checks, or bills of acceptance), "stuff," "stumpy," "tin" (silver), -"wedge" (silver), and "yellow-boys" (sovereigns);--just forty-three -vulgar equivalents for the simple word money. So attentive is Slang -speech to financial matters, that there are seven terms for bad, or -"bogus," coin (as our friends the Americans call it): a "case" is a -counterfeit five-shilling piece; "half a case" represents half that sum; -"grays" are halfpence made specially for unfair gambling purposes; -"queer-soft" is counterfeit or lead coin; "schofel" refers to coated or -spurious coin; "sheen" is bad money of any description; and "sinkers" -bears the same and not inappropriate meaning. "Snide" is now the generic -term for all bad money, whether coined or in notes; and "snide-pitching" -or "schoful-tossing" is the term in use among the professors of that -pursuit for what is more generally known as "smashing." "Flying the -kite," or obtaining money on bills and promissory-notes, is closely -connected with the allegorical expression of "raising the wind," which -is a well-known phrase for procuring money by immediate sale, pledging, -or by a forced loan. In winter or in summer any elderly gentleman who -may have prospered in life is pronounced "warm;" whilst an equivalent is -immediately at hand in the phrase "his pockets are well lined," or "he -is well breeched." Each separate piece of money has its own Slang term, -and often half a score of synonyms. To begin with that extremely humble -coin, a farthing: first we have "fadge," then "fiddler;" then "gig," and -lastly "quartereen." A halfpenny is a "brown" or a "madzer (pronounced -'medzer') saltee" (Cant), or a "mag," or a "posh," or a "rap,"--whence -the popular phrase, "I don't care a rap." The useful and universal penny -has for Slang equivalents a "copper," a "saltee" (Cant), and a "winn." -Twopence is a "deuce," and threepence is either "thrums" or "thrups." -"Thrums" has a special peculiarity; for while "thrums-buskin" represents -threepence-halfpenny, the term "buskin" is not used in connexion with -any other number of pence. Fourpence, or a groat, may in vulgar speech -be termed a "bit," a "flag," or a "joey." Sixpence is well represented -in street talk, and some of the slangisms are very comical--for -instance, "bandy," "bender," "cripple," and "downer;" then we have -"buck," "fye-b'ck," "half a hog," "kick" (thus "two and a 'kick,'" or -2_s._ 6_d._), "lord of the manor,"[56] "pig," "pot" (the price of a pot -of ale--thus half-a-crown is a "five 'pot' piece"), "snid," "sprat," -"sow's baby," "tanner," "tester," "tizzy,"--seventeen vulgar words to -one coin. Sevenpence being an uncommon amount has only one Slang -synonym, "setter." The same remark applies to eightpence and ninepence, -the former being only represented by "otter," and the latter by the -Cant phrase "nobba-saltee." Tenpence is "dacha-saltee," and elevenpence -"dacha-one,"--both Cant expressions. It is noticeable that coined -pieces, and sums which from their smallness or otherwise are mostly in -use, receive a commensurate amount of attention from promoters of Slang. -One shilling boasts eleven Slang equivalents; thus we have "beong," -"bob," "breaky-leg," "deener," "gen" (from the back Slang), "hog," -"levy," "peg," "stag," "teviss," and "twelver." One shilling and -sixpence is a "kye," now and then an "eighteener." It is noticeable that -so far the florin has escaped, and only receives the shilling titles -with the required numeral adjective prefixed. Half-a-crown is known as -an "alderman," "half a bull," "half a wheel," "half a tusheroon," and a -"madza (medzer) caroon;" whilst a crown piece, or five shillings, may be -called either a "bull," a "caroon," a "cartwheel," or a "coachwheel," -or, more generally than either, a "wheel" or a "tusheroon." The word -"dollar" is in general use among costermongers and their customers, and -signifies exactly five shillings. Any term representing this amount -"takes in two," and represents the half-crown by the addition of the -usual prefix. The next advance in Slang money is ten shillings, or -half-a-sovereign, which may be either pronounced as "half a bean," "half -a couter," "a madza poona," "half a quid," or "half a thick 'un." A -sovereign, or twenty shillings, is a "bean," "canary," "couter," -"foont," "goldfinch," "James" (from Jacobus), "poona," "portrait," -"quid," "thick-un," or "yellow-boy." Guineas are nearly obsolete, yet -the terms "neds" and "half neds" are still in use. Bank-notes are -"flimsies," "long-tailed ones," or "soft." A "fin," or a "finnuf," is a -five-pound note. Twenty-five pounds is a "pony," and a hundred a -"century." One hundred pounds (or any other "round sum"), quietly handed -over as payment for services performed, is curiously termed "a 'cool' -hundred." Thus ends, with several necessary omissions, this long list of -Slang terms for the coins of the realm which, for copiousness, it is not -too much to say, is not equalled by any other vulgar or unauthorized -language in Europe. - -The antiquity of many of these Slang names is remarkable. "Winn" was the -vulgar term for a penny in the days of Queen Elizabeth; and "tester," a -sixpence (formerly a shilling), was the correct name in the days of -Henry VIII. The reader, too, will have remarked the frequency of -animals' names as Slang terms for money. Little, as a modern writer has -remarked, do the persons using these phrases know of their remote and -somewhat classical origin, which may, indeed, be traced to a period -anterior to that when monarchs monopolized the surface of coined money -with their own images and superscriptions. They are identical with the -very name of money among the early Romans, which was _pecunia_, from -_pecus_, a flock. The collections of coin-dealers amply show that the -figure of a "hog" was anciently placed on a small silver coin; and that -that of a "bull" decorated larger ones of the same metal. These coins -were frequently deeply crossed on the reverse; this was for the -convenience of easily breaking them into two or more pieces, should the -bargain for which they were employed require it, and the parties making -it had no smaller change handy to complete the transaction. Thus we find -that the "half bull" of the itinerant street-seller, or "traveller," so -far from being a phrase of modern invention, as is generally supposed, -is in point of fact referable to an era extremely remote. This remark -will safely apply to most descriptions of money; and it must not be -forgotten that farthing is but a corruption of fourthing, or, literally, -fourth part of a penny. The representative coin of the realm was often -in olden times made to break up,--but this by the way. It is a reminder, -however, that the word "smash," as used by the classes that speak Slang -from motives other than those of affectation, has nothing whatever to do -with base coin, as is generally supposed. It simply means to give -change. Thus:--"Can you smash a thick 'un for me?" means simply, "Can -you give me change for a sovereign?" We learn from Erizzo, in his -_Discorso_, a further illustration of the proverb "that there is nothing -new under the sun;" for he says that the Roman boys at the time of -Hadrian tossed up their coppers and cried, "Head or ship;" of which -tradition our "heads or tails," and "man or woman," or "a tanner I heads -'em," is certainly a less refined version. We thence gather, however, -that the prow of a vessel would appear to have been the more ordinary -device of the reverse of the brass coin of that ancient period. There -are many other Cant words directly from a classic source, as will be -seen in the dictionary. - -Shopkeepers' Slang is perhaps the most offensive of all Slang, though -this is not intended to imply that shopkeepers are perhaps the most -offensive of people. This kind of Slang is not a casual eyesore, as -newspaper Slang, neither is it an occasional discomfort to the ear, as -in the case of some vulgar byword of the street; but it is a perpetual -nuisance, and stares you in the face on tradesmen's invoices, on labels -in the shop-windows, and placards on the hoardings, in posters against -the house next to your own--if it happen to be empty for a few -weeks--and in bills thrust into your hand, as you peaceably walk through -the streets. Under your door, and down your area, Slang handbills are -dropped by some "pushing" tradesman; and for the thousandth time you are -called upon to learn that an "alarming sacrifice" is taking place in the -next street; that prices are "down again;" that, in consequence of some -other tradesman not "driving a roaring trade," being in fact, "sold up," -and for the time being a resident in "Burdon's Hotel" (Whitecross-Street -Prison), the "pushing" tradesman wishes to sell out at "awfully low -prices," to "the kind patrons, and numerous customers," &c. &c., "that -have on every occasion," &c. &c. These are, though, very venial -offenders compared with those ghouls, the advertising undertakers, who -employ boys, loaded with ghastly little books, to follow up the parish -doctor, and leave their horrible wares wherever he calls. But what can -be expected of ignorant undertakers when a London newspaper of large -circulation actually takes out the death records from the _Times_, and -sends a circular to each address therein, informing the bereaved persons -that the "----" charges so much per line for similar notices, and that -its circulation is most extensive? Surely the typical "death-hunter," -hardened though he may be, is hardly down to that level. In shopkeeping -Slang any occupation or calling is termed a "line,"--thus, the "building -line." A tailor usurps to himself a good deal of Slang. Amongst -operatives he is called a "snip," a "steel-bar driver," a "cabbage -contractor," or a "goose persuader;" by the world, a "ninth part of a -man;" and by the young collegian, or "fast" man, a "sufferer." If he -takes army contracts, it is "sank work;" if he is a "slop" tailor, he is -a "springer up," and his garments are "blown together." Perquisites with -him are "spiffs," and remnants of cloth "peaking, or cabbage." The -per-centage he allows to his assistants (or "counter jumpers") on the -sale of old-fashioned articles is termed "tinge." If he pays his workmen -in goods, or gives them tickets upon other tradesmen, with whom he -shares the profit, he is soon known as a "tommy master." If his business -succeeds, it "takes;" if neglected, it becomes "shaky," and "goes to -pot;" if he is deceived by a debtor (a by no means unusual -circumstance), he is "let in," or, as it is sometimes varied, "taken -in." It need scarcely be remarked that any credit he may give is termed -"tick." - -Operatives' or workmen's Slang, in quality, is but slightly removed from -tradesmen's Slang. When belonging to the same shop or factory, they -"graft" there, and are "brother chips." Among printers the favourite -term is "comps,"--not compositors, though the same contraction is used -for that word,--but companions, whether so in actual fact, or as members -of the same "companionship." A companionship is the number of men -engaged on any one work, and this is in turn reduced to "ship:" -sometimes it is a "'stab ship," _i.e._, paid by the week, therefore on -the establishment; sometimes it is "on the piece," and anyhow it is an -extremely critical organization, so perhaps it would be better to -broaden the subject. Workmen generally dine at "slap-bang shops," and -are often paid at "tommy shops." At the nearest "pub," or public-house, -they generally have a "score chalked up" against them, which has to be -"wiped off" regularly on the Saturday night. This is often known as a -"light." When credit is bad the "light" is said to be out. When out of -work, they describe themselves as being "out of collar." They term each -other "flints" and "dungs," if they are "society" or "non-society" men. -Their salary is a "screw," and to be discharged is to "get the sack," -varied by the expression "get the bullet," the connexion of which with -discharge is obvious, as the small lecturers--those at the Polytechnic -for instance--say, to the meanest capacity. When they quit work, they -"knock off;" and when out of employ, they ask if any "hands" are, or any -assistance is, wanted. "Fat" is the vulgar synonym for perquisites; -"elbow grease" signifies labour; and "Saint Monday" is the favourite day -of the week. Names of animals figure plentifully in the workman's -vocabulary; thus we have "goose," a tailor's smoothing-iron; -"sheep's-foot," an iron hammer; "sow," a receptacle for molten iron, -whilst the metal poured from it is termed "pig." Many of the Slang terms -for money may have originally come from the workshop, thus--"brads," -from the ironmonger; "chips," from the carpenter; "dust," from the -goldsmith; "feathers," from the upholsterer; "horse-nails," from the -farrier; "haddock," from the fishmonger; and "tanner and skin" from the -leather-dresser. - -If society, as has been remarked, is a sham, from the vulgar foundation -of commonalty to the crowning summit of royalty, then do we perceive the -justness of the remark in that most peculiar of peculiarities, the Slang -of makeshifts for oaths, and sham exclamations for passion and temper. -These apologies for feeling are an addition to our vernacular, and -though some argue that they are a disgrace, for the reason that no man -should pretend to swear or curse who does not do so, it is some -satisfaction to know that they serve the purpose of reducing the stock -of national profanity. "You be blowed," or "I'll be blowed if," &c., is -an exclamation often heard in the streets. "Blazes," or "like blazes," -came probably from the army, unless, indeed, it came from the original -metaphor, afterwards corrupted, to serve all turns, "to smoke like -blazes." "Blast," too, although in general vulgar use, may have had an -engineering or military origin, and the phrase, "I wish I may be shot, -if," smacks much of powder. "Blow me tight" is a very windy and common -exclamation. The same may be said of "strike me lucky," "never trust -me," and "so help me Davy;" the latter being evidently derived from the -truer old phrase, "I'll take my Davy on't"--_i.e._, my affidavit, -"Davy," and sometimes "Alfred Davy," being a corruption of that word. -"By Golly," "Gol darn it," and "so help"--generally pronounced "selp" or -"swelp"--"me Bob," are evident shams for profane oaths. "Tarnation" is -but a softening of damnation; and "od," whether used in "od drat it," or -"od's blood," is but an apology for the name of the Deity. "Marry," a -term of asseveration in common use, was originally, in Popish times, a -mode of swearing by the Virgin Mary;--so also "marrow-bones," for the -knees. "I'll bring him down upon his marrow-bones,"--_i.e._, I'll make -him bend his knees as he does to the Virgin Mary. The Irish phrase, "Bad -scran to yer!" is equivalent to wishing a person bad food. "I'm -sniggered if you will," and "I'm jiggered," are other mild forms of -swearing among men fearful of committing an open profanity, yet slily -nibbling at the sin. Maybe, some day one of these adventurers will meet -with the object of his desires, and then when fairly "jiggered," -whatever it may ultimately turn out to be, it is to be hoped he will -prove a fearful example to all persons with the will, but not the pluck, -to swear fierce oaths. Both "deuce" and "dickens" are vulgar old -synonyms for the devil; and "zounds" is an abbreviation of "God's -wounds,"--a very ancient oath. - -In a casual survey of the territory of Slang, it is curious to observe -how well represented are the familiar wants and failings of life. First, -there is money, with one hundred and odd Slang terms and synonyms; then -comes drink, from small beer to champagne; and next as a very natural -sequence, intoxication, and fuddlement generally, with some half a -hundred vulgar terms, graduating the scale of drunkenness, from a slight -inebriation to the soaky state which leads to the gutter, sometimes to -the stretcher, the station-house, the fine, and, most terrible of all, -the "caution." The Slang synonyms for mild intoxication are certainly -very choice,--they are "beery," "bemused," "boozy," "bosky," "buffy," -"corned," "foggy," "fou," "fresh," "hazy," "elevated," "kisky," "lushy," -"moony," "muggy," "muzzy," "on," "screwed," "stewed," "tight," and -"winey." A higher or more intense state of beastliness is represented by -the expressions, "podgy," "beargered," "blued," "cut," "primed," -"lumpy," "ploughed," "muddled," "obfuscated," "swipey," "three sheets in -the wind," and "top-heavy." But the climax of fuddlement is only -obtained when the "disguised" individual "can't see a hole in a ladder," -or when he is all "mops and brooms," or "off his nut," or with his -"main-brace well spliced," or with the "sun in his eyes," or when he -has "lapped the gutter," and got the "gravel rash," or is on the -"ran-tan," or on the "ree-raw," or when "sewed up," and regularly -"scammered,"--then, and not till then, is he entitled, in vulgar -society, to the title of "lushington," or recommended to "put in the -pin," _i.e._, the linch-pin, to keep his legs steady. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[32] An outgrowth of this latter peculiarity consisted in anyone with a -high or prominent nose being, a few years back, called by the street -boys "Duke." - -[33] This term, with a singular literal downrightness, which would be -remarkable in any other people than the French, is translated by them as -the sect of _Trembleurs_. - -[34] Swift alludes to this term in his _Art of Polite Conversation_, p. -14, 1738. - -[35] See _Notes and Queries_, vol. i. p. 185. 1850. - -[36] He afterwards kept a tavern at Wapping, mentioned by Pope in the -_Dunciad_. - -[37] _Sportsman's Dictionary_, 1825, p. 15. - -[38] This introduction was written in 1859, before the new edition of -_Worcester_, and Nuttall's recent work, were published. - -[39] Introduction to Bee's _Sportsman's Dictionary_, 1825. - -[40] The Gipsies use the word Slang as the Anglican synonym for Romany, -the Continental (or rather Spanish) term for the Cingari or Gipsy -tongue. Crabb, who wrote the _Gipsies' Advocate_ in 1831, thus mentions -the word:--"This language [Gipsy] _called by themselves_ Slang, or -Gibberish, invented, as they think, by their forefathers for secret -purposes, is not merely the language of one or a few of these wandering -tribes, which are found in the European nations, but is adopted by the -vast numbers who inhabit the earth." - -[41] The word Slang assumed various meanings amongst costermongers, -beggars, and vagabonds of all orders. It was, and is still, used to -express "cheating by false weights," "a raree show," "retiring by a back -door," "a watch-chain," their "secret language," &c. - -[42] North, in his _Examen_, p. 574, says, "I may note that the rabble -first changed their title, and were called the "mob" in the assemblies -of this [Green Ribbon] club. It was their beasts of burden, and called -first _mobile vulgus_, but fell naturally into the contraction of one -syllable, and ever since is become proper English." In the same work, p. -231, the disgraceful origin of SHAM is given. - -[43] I am afraid my predecessor was of a somewhat satirical turn of -mind, or else he had peculiar notions of melody.--ED. - -[44] This latter is, as I take it, an error, as the sign was originally -intended to represent the king's head and cross guns, and may still be -seen in parts of the country.--ED. - -[45] Savez-vous cela?--[I fancy this is from the Spanish _sabe_. The -word is in great use in the Pacific States of America, and is obtained -through constant intercourse with the original settlers.--ED.] - -[46] At page 24 of a curious old Civil War tract, entitled, _The Oxonian -Antippodes_, by I. B., Gent., 1644, the town is called Brummidgham, and -this was the general rendering in the printed literature of the -seventeenth century.--[This must have been the first known step towards -the present vulgar style of spelling, for properly the word is -Bromwich-ham, which has been corrupted into Brummagem, a term used to -express worthless or inferior goods, from the spurious jewellery, plate, -&c., manufactured there expressly for "duffers."--ED.] - -[47] This was more especially an amusement with medical students, -after the modern Mohocks had discarded it. The students are now a -comparatively mild and quiet race, with very little of the style of a -generation ago about them. - -[48] _Edinburgh Review_, October, 1853. - -[49] A term derived from the _Record_ newspaper, the exponent of this -singular section of the Low, or so-called Evangelical Church. - -[50] A preacher is said, in this phraseology, to be "owned" when he -makes many converts, and his converts are called his "seals." This is -Cant in its most objectionable form. - -[51] "Swaddler" is also a phrase by which the low Irish Roman Catholics -denominate those of their body who in winter become Protestants, _pro -tem._, for the sake of the blankets, coals, &c., given by proselytizing -Protestants. It is hard to say which are the worse, those who refuse to -give unless the objects of their charity become converted, or those who -sham conversion to save themselves from starving, or the tender mercies -of the relieving officer. I am much afraid my sympathies are with the -"swaddlers," who are also called "soupers."--ED. - -[52] "All our newspapers contain more or less colloquial words; in fact, -there seems no other way of expressing certain ideas connected with -passing events of every-day life with the requisite force and piquancy. -In the English newspapers the same thing is observable, and certain of -them contain more of the class denominated Slang words than our -own."--_Bartlett's Americanisms_, p. 10, edit. 1859. - -[53] When this appeared, "all serene" was one of those street phrases -which periodically spring up, have their rage, and depart as suddenly as -they come into popularity. These sayings are generally of a most idiotic -nature, as their latest specimens, "I'll warm yer," "All serene," and -"I'll 'ave your hi"--used without any premonitory notice or regard to -context, and screeched out at the top of the voice--will testify. I -suppose we shall soon have another of these "ebullitions of popular -feeling."--ED. - -[54] The terms "leader" and "article" can scarcely be called Slang, yet -it would be desirable to know upon what authority they were first -employed in their present peculiar sense. - -[55] The _Morning Herald_ was called "Mrs. Harris," because it was said -that no one ever saw it, a peculiarity which, in common with its general -disregard for veracity, made it uncommonly like "Mrs. Gamp's" invisible -friend as portrayed by Dickens. But the _Herald_ has long since departed -this life, and with it has gone the title of "Mrs. Gamp," as applied to -the _Standard_, which is, though, as impulsive and Conservative as -ever.--ED. - -[56] This is rhyming slang, and is corrupted into "lord" only. -"Touch-me," a common term for a shilling, is also derived from the same -source, it being short for "touch-me-on-the-nob," which is rhyming slang -for "bob" or shilling. - - - - -THE - -SLANG DICTIONARY. - - -~A 1~, first-rate, the very best; "she's a prime girl, she is; she is -A 1."--_Sam Slick_. The highest classification of ships at Lloyd's; common -term in the United States; also at Liverpool and other English seaports. -Another, even more intensitive form is "first-class, letter A, No. 1." -Some people choose to say A I, for no reason, however, beyond that of -being different from others. - -~Abigail~, a lady's-maid; perhaps obtained from old comedies. Used in an -uncomplimentary sense. Some think the term is derived from Abigail Hill -(Mrs. Masham), lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne, and a typical ABIGAIL in -the way of intrigue. - -~About Right~, "to do the thing ABOUT RIGHT," _i.e._, to do it -properly, soundly, correctly; "he guv it 'im ABOUT RIGHT," _i.e._, he -beat him severely. - -~Abraham-man~, a vagabond, such as were driven to beg about the country -after the dissolution of the monasteries.--_See_ BESS O' BEDLAM, -_infra_. They are well described under the title of _Bedlam -Beggars_.--_Shakspeare's K. Lear_, ii. 3. - - "And these, what name or title e'er they bear, - Jarkman, or Patrico, Cranke, or Clapper-dudgeon, - Frater, or ABRAM-MAN; I speak to all - That stand in fair election for the title - Of king of beggars."--_Beaumont and Fletcher's Begg. Bush._ II. 1. - -It appears to have been the practice in former days to allow certain -inmates of Bethlehem Hospital to have fixed days "to go begging:" hence -impostors were said to "SHAM ABRAHAM" (the Abraham Ward in Bedlam having -for its inmates these mendicant lunatics) when they pretended they were -licensed beggars in behalf of the hospital. - -~Abraham-sham~, or SHAM ABRAHAM, to feign sickness or distress. From -ABRAHAM-MAN, the _ancient Cant_ term for a begging impostor, or one who -pretended to have been mad.--_Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy_, vol. i. -p. 360. When Abraham Newland was Cashier to the Bank of England, and -signed their notes, it was sung:-- - - "I have heard people say - That SHAM ABRAHAM you may, - But you mustn't SHAM ABRAHAM Newland." - -~Absquatulate~, to run away, or abscond; a hybrid _American_ expression, -from the Latin _ab_, and "squat" to settle. - -~Acres~, a coward. From Bob Acres, in Sheridan's _Rivals_. - -~Adam's Ale~, water.--_English._ The _Scotch_ term is ADAM'S WINE. - -~Added to the List~, a euphuism current among sporting writers implying -that a horse has been gelded. As, "Sabinus has been ADDED TO THE LIST." -Another form of expression in reference to this matter is that "the -knife has been brought into requisition." "ADDED TO THE LIST" is simply -a contraction for "added to the list of geldings in training." - -~Addlepate~, a foolish fellow, a dullard. - -~Admiral of the Red~, a person whose very red face evinces a fondness -for strong potations. - -~Affygraphy.~ "It fits to an AFFYGRAPHY," _i.e._, to a nicety--to a _T_. - -~Afternoon Farmer~, one who wastes his best opportunity, and drives off -the large end of his work to the little end of his time. - -~Against the Grain~, in opposition to the wish. "It went AGAINST THE -GRAIN to do it, but I knew I must," is a common expression. - -~Aggerawators~ (corruption of _Aggravators_), the greasy locks of hair -in vogue among costermongers and other street folk, worn twisted from -the temple back towards the ear. They are also, from a supposed -resemblance in form, termed NEWGATE KNOCKERS, and sometimes NUMBER -SIXES. This style of adorning the head is, however, fast dying out, and -the everyday costermonger or street thief has his hair cut like any one -else. The yearly militia drill may have had a good deal to do with this -alteration. - -~Akeybo~, a slang phrase used in the following manner:--"He beats -AKEYBO, and AKEYBO beat the devil." - -~Albertopolis~, a facetious appellation given by the Londoners to the -Kensington Gore district. Now obsolete. - -~Alderman~, a half-crown--possibly from its rotundity. Also a long pipe. - -~Alderman~, a turkey; "ALDERMAN IN CHAINS," a turkey hung with sausages. - -~All of a Hugh!~ all on one side; falling with a thump; the word HUGH -being pronounced with a grunt.--_Suffolk._ - -~All my Eye~, a remark of incredulity made in reference to an improbable -story; condensation of "ALL MY EYE AND BETTY MARTIN," a vulgar phrase -constructed from the commencement of a Roman Catholic prayer to St. -Martin, "Oh, mihi, beate Martine," which in common with many another -fell into discredit and ridicule after the Reformation. - -~All out~, by far;--"he was ALL OUT the best of the lot." -_Old_--frequently used by Burton in his _Anatomy of Melancholy_. - -~All-overish~, neither sick nor well; the premonitory symptoms of -illness. Also the feeling which comes over a man at a critical moment, -say just when he is about to "pop the question." Sometimes this is -called, "feeling all over alike, and touching nowhere." - -~All-rounder~, a shirt collar going all round the neck and meeting in -front. Once fashionable, but little worn now. - -~All Serene~, an ejaculation of acquiescence. Some years back a popular -street cry. With or without application to actual fact, the words ALL -SERENE were bawled from morning to night without any reference to the -serenity of the unfortunate hearers.--_See_ SERENE. - -~Alls~, tap-droppings, refuse spirits sold at a cheap rate in -gin-palaces. - -~All There~, in strict fashion, first-rate, "up to the mark;" a vulgar -person would speak of a handsome, well-dressed woman as being ALL THERE. -An artisan would use the same phrase to express the capabilities of a -skillful fellow-workman. Sometimes ALL THE WAY THERE. Always used as a -term of encomium. - -~All to Pieces~, utterly, excessively; "he beat him ALL TO PIECES," -_i.e._, excelled or surpassed him exceedingly. Also a term much in use -among sporting men and expressing want of form, or decadence. A boat's -crew are said to "go ALL TO PIECES" when they through distress lose -their regularity. A woman is vulgarly said to "fall to pieces," or -"tumble to pieces," when she is confined. - -~All to Smash~, or "GONE ALL TO PIECES," bankrupt, ruined. - -~Almighty Dollar~, an _American_ expression representing the manner in -which money is worshipped. Modernly introduced by Washington Irving in -1837. The _idea_ of this phrase is, however, far older than the time of -_Irving_. _Ben Jonson's Epistle to Elizabeth, Countess of Rutland_, -commences thus-- - - "Whilst that for which all virtue now is sold, - And almost every vice, _almightie gold_." - -It seems almost obvious that the term must have been applied, not to -dollars certainly, but to money, long before the time of Irving. - -~American Tweezers~, an instrument used by an hotel-sneak which nips the -wards end of a key, and enables him to open a door from the opposite -side to that on which it has been locked. - -~Andrew Millar~, a ship of war.--_Sea._ - -~Ain't~, the vulgar abbreviation of "am not," "are not," or "is not." - -~Anointed~, _i.e._, eminent; used to express great rascality in any one; -"an ANOINTED scoundrel," king among scoundrels.--_Irish._ - -~Anointing~, a good beating. A case for the application of salve. - -~Anonyma~, a lady of the _demi-monde_, or worse; a "pretty -horsebreaker." INCOGNITA was the term at first. Product of the -squeamishness of the age which tries to thrust away fact by the use of -fine words. - -~Antiscriptural~, oaths, foul language. Anything unfit for ordinary -society conversation. - -~Apartments to Let~, a term used in reference to one who has a somewhat -empty head. As, "He's got APARTMENTS TO LET." - -~Apostle's Grove~, the London district known as St. John's Wood. Also -called GROVE OF THE EVANGELIST. - -~Apostles~, THE TWELVE, the last twelve names on the Poll, or "Ordinary -Degree" List at the Cambridge Examinations, when it was arranged in -order of merit, and not alphabetically, and in classes, as at present; -so called from their being _post alios_, after the others.--_See_ POLL. -The last of all was called ST. PAUL (or Saint Poll), as being the least -of the apostles, and "not meet to be called an apostle" (_see_ 1 Cor. -xv. 9). As in the "Honour" list (_see_ GULF), students who had failed -only slightly in one or more subjects were occasionally allowed their -degrees, and these were termed ELEGANT EXTRACTS.--_Camb. Univ. Slang._ - -~Apple-pie Bed~, a trick played at schools on new comers, or on any boy -disliked by the rest. One of the sheets is removed, and the other is -doubled in the middle, so that both edges are brought to the top, and -look as if both sheets were there; but the unhappy occupant is prevented -getting more than half-way down, and he has to remake his bed as best he -can. This trick is sometimes played by children of a larger growth. - -~Apple-Cart~, the human structure, so far as the phrases with which it -is connected are concerned. As "I'll upset your APPLE-CART," "down with -his APPLE-CART." - -~Apple-pie Order~, in exact or very nice order. - -~Appro~, contraction of approbation, a word much in use among jewellers. -Most of the extensive show of chains, watches, and trinkets in a shop -window is obtained "ON APPRO," _i.e._, "on sale or return." - -~Area Sneak~, a thief who commits depredations upon kitchens and -cellars. - -~Argol-bargol~, to bandy words.--_Scotch._ - -~Article~, derisive term for a weak or insignificant specimen of -humanity. - -~Atomy~, a diminutive or deformed person. From ANATOMY, or ATOM. - -~Attack~, to carve, or commence operations; "ATTACK that beef, and -oblige!" - -~Attic~, the head; "queer in the ATTIC," intoxicated or weak-minded. -Sometimes ATTIC is varied by "upper story." - -~Attic Salt~, wit, humour, pleasantry. Partly a reference to a -suggestive portion of Grecian literature, and partly a sly hit at the -well-known poverty of many writers. - -~Auctioneer~, to "tip him the AUCTIONEER," is to knock a man down. Tom -Sayers's right hand was known to pugilistic fame as the AUCTIONEER. - -~Audit Ale~, extra strong ale supposed to be drunk when the accounts are -audited.--_Camb. Univ._ - -~Auld-Reekie~, an affectionate term for the old town of Edinburgh. -Derived from its dingy appearance. - -~Aunt Sally~, a favourite figure on racecourses and at fairs, consisting -of a wooden head mounted on a stick, firmly fixed in the ground; in the -nose of which, or rather where the nose should be, a tobacco-pipe is -inserted. The fun consists in standing at a distance and demolishing -AUNT SALLY'S pipe-clay projection with short bludgeons, very similar to -the halves of broom-handles. The Duke of Beaufort is a "crack hand" at -smashing pipe noses; and his performances some years ago on Brighton -racecourse, which brought the game into notoriety, are yet fresh in -remembrance. AUNT SALLY has, however, had her day, and once again the -inevitable "three shies a penny!" is chief among our outdoor amusements. - -~Avast~, a sailor's phrase for stop, shut up, go away,--apparently -connected with the _old Cant_, BYNGE A WASTE; or from the _Italian_, -BASTA, hold! enough. - -~Awake~, or FLY, knowing, thoroughly understanding. "I'm awake," _i.e._, -I know all. The phrase WIDE-AWAKE carries a similar meaning in ordinary -conversation, but has a more general reference. - -~Awful~, a senseless expletive, used to intensify a description of -anything good or bad; "what an AWFUL fine woman!" "awfully jolly," -"awfully sorry," &c. The phrase is not confined to any section of -society. - -~Ax~, to ask. Sometimes pronounced arks. - -~Babes~, the lowest order of KNOCK-OUTS (which _see_), who are prevailed -upon not to give opposing biddings at auctions, in consideration of -their receiving a small sum (from one shilling to half-a-crown), and a -certain quantity of beer. They can, however, even after this agreement, -be secured on the other side for a little longer price. There is no -honour among thieves--at all events not among auction thieves--nowadays. - -~Back~, to support by means of money, on the turf or otherwise.--_See_ -LAY. - -~Back~, "to get one's BACK UP," to annoy or enrage. Probably from the -action of a cat when preparing to give battle to an enemy. - -~Back-end~, that portion of the year which commences with October. This -phrase is peculiar to the turf, and has its origin in the fact that -October was actually, and is now nearly, the finishing portion of the -racing season. Towards BACK-END the punters and "little men" generally -begin to look forward with anxiety to their winter prospects, and "going -for the gloves" is not only a frequent phrase, but a frequently -recurring practice. - -~Back Out~, to retreat from a difficulty; reverse of GO AHEAD. Metaphor -borrowed from the stables. - -~Back Slang It~, to go out the back way. Equivalent to "Sling your hook -out of the back-door," _i.e._, get away quickly. - -~Backslums~, the byeways and disreputable portions of a town. - -~Back-Hander~, a blow on the face with the back of the hand, a -back-handed tip. Also a drink out of turn, as when a greedy person -delays the decanter to get a second glass. Anything done slyly or -secretly is said to be done in a back-handed manner. - -~Backer~, one who places his money on a particular man or animal; a -supporter of one side in a contest. The great body of betting men is -divided into BOOKMAKERS and BACKERS. - -~Back Jump~, a back window.--_Prison term._ - -~Bacon~, the body, "to save one's BACON," to escape. - -~Bad~, "to go to the bad," to deteriorate in character, to be ruined. -_Virgil_ has an almost similar phrase, _in pejus ruere_, which means, by -the way, to go to the worse. - -~Bad~, hard, difficult. Word in use among sporting men who say, "He will -be BAD to beat," when they mean that the man or horse to whom they refer -will about win. - -~Bad Egg~, a scoundrel or rascal. - -~Badger~, to tease, to annoy by "chaffing." Suggestive of drawing a -badger. - -~Bad Lot~, a term derived from auctioneering slang, and now generally -used to describe a man or woman of indifferent morals. - -~Badminton~, blood,--properly a peculiar kind of claret-cup invented at -the Duke of Beaufort's seat of that name. BADMINTON proper is made of -claret, sugar, spice, cucumber peel, and ice, and was sometimes used by -the patrons of the Prize Ring as a synonym for blood. - -~Bad Words~, words not always bad of themselves but unpleasant to "ears -polite," from their vulgar associations. - -~Baffaty~, calico. Term used in the drapery trade. - -~Bag~, to seize or steal, equivalent to "collar." - -~Bagman~, a commercial traveller. This word is used more in reference to -the old style of commercial travellers than to the present. - -~Bags~, trousers. Trousers of an extensive pattern, or exaggerated -fashion, have sometimes been termed HOWLING-BAGS, but only when the -style has been very "loud." The word is probably an abbreviation of -bumbags. "To have the BAGS off," to be of age and one's own master, to -have plenty of money. BAGS OF MYSTERY is another phrase in frequent use, -and refers to sausages and saveloys. BAG OF TRICKS, refers to the whole -of a means towards a result. "That's the whole bag of tricks." - -~Baked~, seasoned, "he's only HALF-BAKED," _i.e._, soft, inexperienced. - -~Baker's Dozen~, thirteen. Originally the London bakers supplied the -retailers, _i.e._, chandlers' shopkeepers and itinerants, with thirteen -loaves to the dozen, so as to make up what is known as the overweight, -the surplus number, called the _inbread_, being thrown in for fear of -incurring a penalty for short weight. To "give a man a BAKER'S DOZEN," -in a slang sense, sometimes means to give him an extra good beating or -pummelling. - -~Balaam~, printers' slang for matter kept in type about monstrous -productions of nature, &c., to fill up spaces in newspapers that would -otherwise be vacant. The term BALAAM-BOX has often been used as the name -of a depository for rejected articles. Evidently from Scripture, and -referring to the "speech of an ass." - -~Bald-Faced Stag~, a term of derision applied to a person with a bald -head. Also, still more coarsely, "BLADDER-OF-LARD." - -~Bale up~, an Australian term equivalent to our "Shell out." A demand -for instantaneous payment. - -~Ballambangjang.~ The Straits of BALLAMBANGJANG, 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 account of the -monkey's tails getting jammed into, and choking up, the brace -blocks.--_Sea._ - -~Ballast~, money. A rich man is said to be well-ballasted. If not proud -and over-bearing he is said to carry his ballast well. - -~Balmy~, weak-minded or idiotic (not insane). - -~Balmy~, sleep; "have a dose of the BALMY." - -~Bamboozle~, to deceive, make fun of, or cheat a person; abbreviated to -BAM, which is sometimes used also as a substantive--a deception, a sham, -a "sell." _Swift_ says BAMBOOZLE was invented by a nobleman in the reign -of Charles II.; but this is very likely an error. The probability is -that a nobleman then first _used_ it in polite society. The term is -derived from the _Gipsies_. - -~Bandannah~, originally a peculiar kind of silk pocket-handkerchief, now -slang used to denote all sorts of "stooks," "wipes," and "fogles," and -in fact the generic term for a kerchief, whether neck or pocket. - -~Banded~, hungry. From the habit hungry folks have of tying themselves -tight round the middle. - -~Bandy~, or CRIPPLE, a sixpence, so called from this coin being -generally bent or crooked; old term for flimsy or bad cloth, temp. Q. -Elizabeth. - -~Bang~, to excel or surpass; BANGING, great or thumping. - -~Bang-up~, first-rate, in the best possible style. - -~Bank~, to put in a place of safety. "BANK the rag," _i.e._, secure the -note. Also "to bank" is to go shares. - -~Bank~, the total amount possessed by any one, "How's the BANK?" "Not -very strong; about one and a buck." - -~Bantling~, a child; stated in _Bacchus and Venus_, 1737, and by -_Grose_, to be a cant term. This is hardly slang now-a-days, and modern -etymologists give its origin as that of bands or swaddling clothes. - -~Banyan-Day~, a day on which no meat is served out for rations; probably -derived from the BANIANS, a Hindoo caste, who abstain from animal food. -Quite as probably from the sanitary arrangements which have in hot -climates counselled the eating of BANYANS and other fruits in preference -to meat on certain days.--_Sea._ - -~Bar~, or BARRING, excepting; in common use in the betting-ring; "Two to -one bar one," _i.e._, two to one against any horse with the exception of -one. The Irish use of BARRIN' is very similar, and the words BAR and -BARRING may now be regarded as general. - -~Barber's Cat~, a half-starved sickly-looking person. Term used in -connexion with an expression too coarse to print. - -~Barber's Clerk~, an overdressed shopboy who apes the manners of, and -tries to pass himself off as, a gentleman; a term of reproach applied -not to an artisan but to one of those who, being below, assume airs of -superiority over, handicraftsmen. - -~Barge~, a term used among printers (compositors) to denote a case in -which there is an undue proportion of some letters and a corresponding -shortness of those which are most valuable. - -~Bark~, an Irish person of either sex. From this term, much in use among -the London lower orders, but for which no etymology can be found, -Ireland is now and then playfully called Barkshire. - -~Barker~, a man employed to cry at the doors of "gaffs," shows, and -puffing shops, to entice people inside. Among touting photographers he -is called a doorsman. - -~Barking-Iron~, or BARKER, a pistol. Term used by footpads and thieves -generally. - -~Barnacles~, spectacles; possibly a corruption of binoculi; but derived -by some from the barnacle (_Lepas Anatifera_), a kind of conical shell -adhering to ships' bottoms. Hence a marine term for goggles, which they -resemble in shape, and for which they are used by sailors in case of -ophthalmic derangement. - -~Barney~, an unfair race of any kind: a sell or cross. Also a lark, -jollification, or outing. The word BARNEY is sometimes applied to a -swindle unconnected with the sporting world. - -~Barn Stormers~, theatrical performers who travel the country and act in -barns, selecting short and tragic pieces to suit the rustic taste. - -~Barrikin~, jargon, speech, or discourse; "We can't tumble to that -BARRIKIN," _i.e._, we don't understand what he says. "Cheese your -BARRIKIN," shut up. _Miege_ calls it "a sort of stuff;" _Old French_, -BARACAN. - -~Bash~, to beat, thrash; "BASHING a dona," beating a woman; originally a -provincial word, applied to the practice of beating walnut trees, when -in bud, with long poles, to increase their productiveness. Hence the -West country proverb-- - - "A woman, a whelp, and a walnut tree, - The more you BASH 'em, the better they be." - -The word BASH, among thieves, signifies to flog with the cat or birch. -The worst that can happen to a brutal ruffian is to receive "a BASHING -in, and a BASHING out,"--a flogging at the commencement and another at -the close of his term of enforced virtue. - -~Baste~, to beat, properly to pour gravy on roasting meat to keep it -from burning, and add to its flavour. Also a sewing term. - -~Bastile~, the workhouse. General name for "the Union" amongst the lower -orders of the _North_. Formerly used to denote a prison, or "lock-up;" -but its abbreviated form, STEEL, is now the favourite expression with -the dangerous classes, some of whom have never heard of BASTILE, -familiar as they are with "steel." - -~Bat~, "on his own BAT," on his own account. Evident modification of the -cricket term, "off his own bat," though not connected therewith.--_See_ -HOOK. - -~Bat~, to take an innings at cricket. To "carry out one's BAT" is to be -last in, _i.e._, to be "not out." A man's individual score is said to be -made "off his own BAT." - -~Bat~, pace at walking or running. As, "He went off at a good BAT." - -~Bats~, a pair of bad boots. - -~Battells~, the weekly bills at Oxford. Probably originally wooden -tallies, and so a diminutive of baton.--_University._ - -~Batter~, wear and tear; "can't stand the BATTER," _i.e._, not equal to -the task; "on the BATTER," "on the streets," "on the town," or given up -to roystering and debauchery. - -~Batty~, wages, perquisites. Derived from BATTA, an extra pay given to -soldiers while serving in _India_. - -~Batty-Fang~, to beat; BATTY-FANGING, a beating; also BATTER-FANG. Used -metaphorically as early as 1630. - - "So _batter-fanged_ and belabour'd with tongue mettle, that he was - weary of his life."--_Taylor's Works._ - -~Beach-Comber~, a fellow who prowls about the sea-shore to plunder -wrecks, and pick up waifs and strays of any kind.--_Sea._ - -~Beak~, originally a magistrate, judge, or policeman; now a magistrate -only; "to baffle the BEAK," to get remanded. _Ancient Cant_, BECK. -_Saxon_, BEAG, a necklace or gold collar--emblem of authority. Sir John -Fielding was called the BLIND-BEAK in the last century. Maybe connected -with the Italian BECCO, which means a (bird's) _beak_, and also a -_blockhead_.--_See_ WALKER. - -~Beaker-Hunter~, or BEAK-HUNTER, a stealer of poultry. - -~Beans~, money; "a haddock of BEANS," a purse of money; formerly, BEAN -meant a guinea; _French_, BIENS, property. - -~Bear~, one who contracts to deliver or sell a certain quantity of stock -in the public funds on a forthcoming day at a stated place, but who does -not possess it, trusting to a decline in public securities to enable him -to fulfil the agreement and realize a profit.--_See_ BULL. Both words -are slang terms on the Stock Exchange, and are frequently used in the -business columns of newspapers. - - "He who sells that of which he is not possessed is proverbially said - to sell the skin before he has caught the BEAR. It was the practice - of stock-jobbers, in the year 1720, to enter into a contract for - transferring South Sea stock at a future time for a certain price; - but he who contracted to sell had frequently no stock to transfer, - nor did he who bought intend to receive any in consequence of his - bargain; the seller was, therefore, called a BEAR, in allusion to - the proverb, and the buyer a BULL, perhaps only as a similar - distinction. The contract was merely a wager, to be determined by - the rise or fall of stock; if it rose, the seller paid the - difference to the buyer, proportioned to the sum determined by the - same computation to the seller."--_Dr. Warton on Pope._ - -These arrangements are nowadays called "time bargains," and are as -fairly (or unfairly) gambling as any transactions at the Victoria Club -or Tattersall's, or any of the doings which call for the intervention of -the police and the protestations of pompous City magistrates, who, -during their terms of office, try to be virtuous and make their names -immortal. Certainly BULLING and BEARING are as productive of bankruptcy -and misery as are BACKING and LAYING. - -~Be-argered~, drunk. (The word is divided here simply to convey the -pronunciation.) - -~Bear-Leader~, a tutor in a private family. In the old days of the -"grand tour" the term was much more in use and of course more -significant than it is now. - -~Bear-up~ and ~Bearer-up~.--_See_ BONNET. - -~Beat~, the allotted range traversed by a policeman on duty. - -~Beat~, or BEAT-HOLLOW, to surpass or excel; also "BEAT into fits," and -"BEAT badly." - -~Beat~, "DEAD-BEAT," wholly worn out, done up. - -~Beater-Cases~, boots. _Nearly obsolete._ TROTTER CASES is the term -nowadays. - -~Beaver~, old street term for a hat; GOSS is the modern word, BEAVER, -except in the country, having fallen into disuse. - -~Bebee~, a lady.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Be-Blowed~, a derisive instruction never carried into effect, as, "You -BE-BLOWED." Used similarly to the old "Go to." _See_ BLOW ME. - -~Bed-Fagot~, a contemptuous term for a woman; generally applied to a -prostitute.--_See_ FAGOT. - -~Bed-Post~, "in the twinkling of a BED-POST," in a moment, or very -quickly. Originally BED-STAFF, a stick placed vertically in the frame of -a bed to keep the bedding in its place, and used sometimes as a -defensive weapon. - -~Bee~, "to have a BEE in one's bonnet," _i.e._, to be not exactly sane; -to have a craze in one particular direction. Several otherwise sensible -and excellent M.P.'s are distinguished by the "BEE in his bonnet" each -carries. - -~Beef-Headed~, stupid, fat-headed, dull. - -~Beefy~, unduly thick or fat, commonly said of women's ankles; also -rich, juicy, plenteous. To take the whole pool at loo, or to have any -particular run of luck at cards generally is said by players to be "very -BEEFY." - -~Beeline~, the straightest possible line of route to a given point. When -a bee is well laden, it makes a straight flight for home. Originally an -Americanism, but now general. - -~Beery~, intoxicated, or fuddled with beer. - -~Beeswax~, poor, soft cheese. Sometimes called "sweaty-toe cheese." - -~Beeswing~, the film which forms on the sides of bottles which contain -good old port wine. This breaks up into small pieces in the process of -decanting, and looks like BEES' WINGS. Hence the term. - -~Beetle-Crusher~, or SQUASHER, a large flat foot. The expression was -made popular by being once used by Leech. - -~Beetle-Sticker~, an entomologist. - -~Beggars' Velvet~, downy particles which accumulate under furniture from -the negligence of housemaids. Otherwise called SLUTS'-WOOL. - -~Belcher~, a blue bird's-eye handkerchief.--_See_ BILLY. - -~Bell~, a song. Tramps' term. Simply diminutive of BELLOW. - -~Bellows~, the lungs. BELLOWSER, a blow in the "wind," or pit of the -stomach, taking one's breath away. - -~Bellowsed~, or LAGGED, transported. - -~Bellows to Mend~, a person out of breath; especially a pugilist is said -to be "BELLOWS TO MEND" when winded. With the P.R., the word has fallen -into desuetude. - -~Belly-Timber~, food, or "grub." - -~Belly-Vengeance~, small sour beer, apt to cause gastralgia. - -~Bemuse~, to fuddle one's self with drink, "BEMUSING himself with beer," -&c. - -~Ben~, a benefit.--_Theatrical._ - -~Ben Cull~, a friend, or "pal." Expression used by thieves. - -~Bend~, "that's above my bend," _i.e._, beyond my power, too expensive or -too difficult for me to perform. - -~Bender~, a sixpence. Probably from its liability to bend. In the days -when the term was most in use sixpences were not kept in the excellent -state of preservation peculiar to the currency of the present day. - -~Bender~, the arm; "over the BENDER," synonymous with "over the -left."--_See_ OVER. - -~Bendigo~, a rough fur cap worn in the midland counties, called after a -noted pugilist of that name. "Hard Punchers" are caps worn by London -roughs and formerly by men in training. They are a modification of the -common Scotch cap, and have peaks. - -~Bene~, good.--_Ancient Cant_; BENAR was the comparative.--_See_ BONE. -_Latin._ - -~Benedick~, a married man. _Shakspeare._ - -~Benjamin~, coat. Formerly termed a JOSEPH, in allusion, perhaps, to -Joseph's coat of many colours.--_See_ UPPER-BENJAMIN. - -~Ben Joltram~, brown bread and skimmed milk; a Norfolk term for a -ploughboy's breakfast. - -~Benjy~, a waistcoat, diminutive of BENJAMIN. - -~Beong~, a shilling.--_See_ SALTEE.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Bess-o'-Bedlam~, a lunatic vagrant.--_Norfolk._ - -~Best~, to get the better or BEST of a man in any way--not necessarily -to cheat--to have the best of a bargain. BESTED, taken in, or defrauded, -in reality worsted. BESTER, a low betting cheat, a fraudulent bookmaker. - -~Better~, more; "how far is it to town?" "Oh, BETTER 'n a mile."--_Saxon_ -and _Old English_, now a vulgarism. - -~Betting Round~, laying fairly and equally against nearly all the horses -in a race so that no great risk can be run. Commonly called getting -round. _See_ BOOK, and BOOKMAKING. - -~Betty~, a skeleton key, or picklock.--_Old Prison Cant._ - -~B Flats~, bugs.--_Compare_ F SHARPS. - -~Bible-Carrier~, a person who sells songs without singing them.--_Seven -Dials._ - -~Biddy~, a general name applied to Irish stallwomen and milkmaids, in -the same manner that Mike is given to the labouring men. A big red-faced -Irish servant girl is known as a Bridget. - -~Big~, "to look BIG," to assume an inflated air or manner; "to talk -BIG," _i.e._, boastingly. - -~Big-Bird~, TO GET THE, _i.e._, to be hissed, as actors occasionally are -by the "gods." BIG-BIRD is simply a metaphor for goose.--_Theat. Slang._ - -~Big House~, or LARGE HOUSE, the workhouse,--a phrase used by the very -poor. - -~Big-wig~, a person in authority or office. Exchangeable with "GREAT -GUN." - -~Bilbo~, a sword; abbrev. of "BILBAO blade." Spanish swords were -anciently very celebrated, especially those of Toledo, Bilbao, &c. - -~Bilk~, a cheat, or a swindler. Formerly in general use, now confined to -the streets, where it is common, and mostly used in reference to -prostitutes. _Gothic_, BILAICAN. - -~Bilk~, to defraud, or obtain goods, &c., without paying for them; "to -BILK the schoolmaster," to get information or experience without paying -for it. - -~Billingsgate~ (when applied to speech), foul and coarse language. Many -years since people used to visit Thames Street to hear the Billingsgate -fishwomen abuse each other. The anecdote of Dr. Johnson and the -Billingsgate virago is well known. - -~Billingsgate Pheasant~, a red herring or bloater. This is also called a -"two-eyed steak." - -~Billy~, a silk pocket-handkerchief.--_Scotch._--_See_ WIPE. - -[Asterism] A list of slang terms descriptive of the various patterns of -handkerchiefs, pocket and neck, is here subjoined:-- - - 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 popular - amongst "the fancy." - - BIRD'S-EYE WIPE, a handkerchief of any colour, containing white - spots. The blue bird's-eye is similar to the Belcher except in the - centre. Sometimes a BIRD'S-EYE WIPE has a white ground and blue - spots. - - BLOOD-RED FANCY, red. - - BLUE BILLY, blue ground, generally with white figures. - - CREAM FANCY, any pattern on a white ground. - - KING'S MAN, yellow pattern on a green ground. - - RANDAL'S MAN, green, with white spots; named after the favourite - colours of Jack Randal, pugilist. - - WATER'S MAN, sky coloured. - - YELLOW FANCY, yellow, with white spots. - - YELLOW MAN, all yellow. - -~Billy~, a policeman's staff. Also stolen metal of any kind. -BILLY-HUNTING is buying old metal. A BILLY-FENCER is a marine-store -dealer. - -~Billy-Barlow~, a street clown; sometimes termed a JIM CROW, or -SALTIMBANCO,--so called 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. - -~Billy-Cock~, a soft felt hat of the Jim Crow or "wide-awake" -description. - -~Bingo~, brandy.--_Old Cant._ - -~Bingy~, a term largely used in the butter trade to denote bad, ropy -butter; nearly equivalent to VINNIED. - -~Bird-Cage~, a four-wheeled cab. - -~Birthday Suit~, the suit in which Adam and Eve first saw each other, -and "were not ashamed." - -~Bishop~, a warm drink composed of materials similar to those used in -the manufacture of "flip" and "purl." - -~Bit~, fourpence; in America a 12-1/2 cent piece is called a BIT, and a -defaced 20 cent piece is termed a LONG BIT. A BIT is the smallest coin -in Jamaica, equal to 6d. BIT usually means the smallest silver coin in -circulation; also a piece of money of any kind. Charles Bannister, the -witty singer and actor, one day meeting a Bow Street runner with a man -in custody, asked what the prisoner had done; and being told that he had -stolen a bridle, and had been detected in the act of selling it, said, -"Ah, then, he wanted to touch the BIT." - -~Bitch~, tea; "a BITCH party," a tea-drinking. Probably because -undergraduates consider tea only fit for old women.--_Oxford._ - -~Bite~, a cheat; "a Yorkshire BITE," a cheating fellow from that county. -The term BITE is also applied to a hard bargainer.--_North_; also _old -slang_--used by _Pope_. Swift says it originated with a nobleman in his -day. - -~Bite~, to cheat; "to be BITTEN," to be taken in or imposed upon. -Originally a Gipsy term. CROSS-BITER, for a cheat, continually -occurs in writers of the sixteenth century. Bailey has CROSS-BITE, a -disappointment, probably the primary sense; and BITE is very probably a -contraction of this. - -~Bit-Faker~, or TURNER OUT, a coiner of bad money. - -~Bit-of-Stuff~, overdressed man; a man with full confidence in his -appearance and abilities; a young woman, who is also called a BIT OF -MUSLIN. - -~Bitter~, diminutive of bitter beer; "to do a BITTER," to drink -beer.--Originally _Oxford_, but now general. - -~Bittock~, a distance of very undecided length. If a North countryman be -asked the distance to a place, he will most probably reply, "a mile and -a BITTOCK." The latter may be considered any distance from one hundred -yards to ten miles. - -~Bivvy~, or GATTER, beer; "shant of BIVVY," a pot or quart of beer. In -Suffolk the afternoon refreshment of reapers is called BEVER. It is also -an old English term. - - "He is none of those same ordinary eaters, that will devour three - breakfasts, and as many dinners, without any prejudice to their - BEVERS, drinkings, or suppers."--_Beaumont and Fletcher's Woman - Hater_, i. 3. - -Both words are probably from the _Italian_, BEVERE, BERE. _Latin_, -BIBERE. _English_, BEVERAGE. - -~Biz~, contraction of the word business; a phrase much used in America -in writing as well as in conversation. - -~B. K. S.~ Military officers in _mufti_, when out on a spree, and not -wishing their profession to be known, speak of their barracks as the -B. K. S. - -~Black and White~, handwriting or print. "Let's have it in BLACK AND -WHITE," is often said with regard to an agreement when it is to the -advantage of one or both that it should be written. - -~Black-a-vised~, having a very dark complexion. - -~Blackberry-Swagger~, a person who hawks tapes, boot-laces, &c. - -~Blackbirding~, slave-catching. Term most applied nowadays to the -Polynesian coolie traffic. - -~Black Diamonds~, coals; talented persons of dingy or unpolished -exterior; rough jewels. - -~Blackguard~, a low or dirty fellow; a rough or a hulking fellow, -capable of any meanness or cowardice. - - "A cant word amongst the vulgar, by which is implied a dirty fellow - of the meanest kind, Dr. Johnson says, and he cites only the modern - authority of Swift. But the introduction of this word into our - language belongs not to the vulgar, and is more than a century prior - to the time of Swift. Mr. Malone agrees with me in exhibiting the - two first of the following examples:--The _black-guard_ is evidently - designed to imply a fit attendant on the devil. Mr. Gifford, - however, in his late edition of Ben Jonson's works, assigns an - origin of the name different from what the old examples which I have - cited seem to countenance. It has been formed, he says, from those - 'mean and dirty dependants, in great houses, who were selected to - carry coals to the kitchen, halls, &c. To this smutty regiment, who - attended the progresses, and rode in the carts with the pots and - kettles, which, with every other article of furniture, were then - moved from palace to palace, the people, in derision, gave the name - of _black guards_; a term since become sufficiently familiar, and - never properly explained.'"--_Todd's Johnson's Dictionary._ - -Blackguard as an adjective is very powerful. - -~Blackleg~, a rascal, swindler, or card cheat. The derivation of this -term was solemnly argued before the full Court of Queen's Bench upon a -motion for a new trial for libel, but was not decided by the learned -tribunal. Probably it is from the custom of sporting and turf men -wearing black _top-boots_. Hence BLACKLEG came to be the phrase for a -professional sporting man, and thence for a professional sporting cheat. -The word is now in its worst sense diminished to "leg." - -~Black Maria~, the sombre van in which prisoners are conveyed from the -police court to prison. - -~Black Monday~, the Monday on which boys return to school after the -holidays. Also a low term for the Monday on which an execution took -place. - -~Black Sheep~, a "bad lot," "_mauvais sujet_;" sometimes "scabby sheep;" -also a workman who refuses to join in a strike. - -~Black Strap~, port wine; especially that which is thick and sweet. - -~Blackwork~, undertaking. The waiters met at public dinners are often -employed during the day as mutes, etc. Omnibus and cab drivers regard -BLACKWORK as a _dernier ressort_. - -~Bladder-of-Lard~, a coarse, satirical nickname for a bald-headed -person. From similarity of appearance. - -~Blade~, a man--in ancient times the term for a soldier; "knowing -BLADE," a wide-awake, sharp, or cunning man. - -~Blarney~, flattery, powers of persuasion. A castle in the county of -Cork. It is said that whoever kisses a certain stone in this castle will -be able to persuade others of whatever he or she pleases. The name of -the castle is derived from BLADH, a blossom, _i.e._, the flowery or -fertile demesne. BLADH is also flattery; hence the connexion. A more -than ordinarily persuasive Irishman is said to have "kissed the BLARNEY -stone." - -~Blast~, to curse. Originally a _Military_ expression. - -~Blaze~, to leave trace purposely of one's way in a forest or unknown -path by marking trees or other objects. - -~Blazes~, a low synonym for the infernal regions, and now almost for -anything. "Like BLAZES" is a phrase of intensification applied without -any reference to the original meaning. Also applied to the brilliant -habiliments of flunkeys, since the episode of Sam Weller and the -"swarry." - -~Bleed~, to victimize, or extract money from a person, to sponge on, to -make suffer vindictively. - -~Blest~, a vow; "BLEST if I'll do it," _i.e._, I am determined not to do -it; euphemism for CURST. - -~Blether~, to bother, to annoy, to pester. "A BLETHERING old nuisance" -is a common expression for a garrulous old person. - -~Blew~, or BLOW, to inform, or peach, to lose or spend money. - -~Blewed~, a man who has lost or spent all his money is said to have -BLEWED it. Also used in cases of robbery from the person, as, "He's -BLEWED his red 'un," _i.e._, he's been eased of his watch. - -~Blewed~, got rid of, disposed of, spent. - -~Blind~, a pretence, or make-believe. - -~Blind-Half-Hundred~, the Fiftieth Regiment of Foot; so called through -their great sufferings from ophthalmia when serving in Egypt. - -~Blind-Hookey~, a game at cards which has no recommendation beyond the -rapidity with which money can be won and lost at it; called also WILFUL -MURDER. - -~Blind-Man's-Holiday~, night, darkness. Sometimes applied to the period -"between the lights." - -~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 the BLIND MONKEYS to evacuate. -Another form this elegant conversation takes, 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 wont want no physic -when they sees your mug." - -~Blinker~, a blackened eye.--_Norwich._ Also a hard blow in the eye. -BLINKERS, spectacles. - -~Blink-Fencer~, a person who sells spectacles. - -~Bloated Aristocrat~, a street term for any decently dressed person. -From the persistent abuse lavished on a "bloated and parasitical -aristocracy" by Hyde Park demagogues and a certain unpleasant portion of -the weekly press. - -~Bloater.~--_See_ MILD. - -~Blob~ (from BLAB), to talk. Beggars are of two kinds--those who SCREEVE -(introducing themselves with a FAKEMENT, or false document) and those -who BLOB, or state their case in their own truly "unvarnished" language. - -~Block~, the head. "To BLOCK a hat," is to knock a man's hat down over -his eyes.--_See_ BONNET. Also a street obstruction. - -~Block Ornaments~, the small dark-coloured and sometimes stinking pieces -of meat which used to be exposed on the cheap butchers' blocks or -counters; matters of interest to all the sharp-visaged women in poor -neighbourhoods. Since the great rise in the price of meat there has been -little necessity for butchers to make block ornaments of their odds and -ends. They are bespoke beforehand. - -~Bloke~, a man; "the BLOKE with the jasey," the man with the wig, -_i.e._, the Judge. _Gipsy_ and _Hindoo_, LOKE. _North_, BLOACHER, any -large animal. - -~Blood~, a fast or high-mettled man. Nearly obsolete, but much used in -George the Fourth's time. - -~Blood-money~, the money that used to be paid to any one who by -information or evidence led to a conviction for a capital offence. -Nowadays applied to all sums received by informers. - -~Blood-Red Fancy~, a particular kind of handkerchief sometimes worn by -pugilists and frequenters of prize fights.--_See_ BILLY and COLOUR. - -~Bloody~, an expletive used, without reference to meaning, as an -adjective and an adverb, simply for intensification. - -~Bloody Jemmy~, an uncooked sheep's head.--_See_ SANGUINARY JAMES. Also -MOUNTAIN PECKER. - -~Blow~, to expose, or inform; "BLOW the gaff," to inform against a -person. - - "'As for that,' says Will, 'I could tell it well enough, if I had - it, but I must not be seen anywhere among my old acquaintances, for - I am BLOWN, and they will all betray me.'"--_History of Colonel - Jack_, 1723. - -The expression would seem to have arisen from the belief that a flower -might be blighted if "BLOWN upon" by a foul wind or a corrupted breath. -See the condition of the flowers on a dinner-table by the time the -company rise. In _America_, "to BLOW" is slang for to lie in a boasting -manner, to brag or "gas" unduly. - -~Blow a Cloud~, to smoke a cigar or pipe--a phrase used two centuries -ago. Most likely in use as long as tobacco here--an almost evident -conclusion. - -~Blow Me~, or BLOW ME TIGHT, a vow, a ridiculous and unmeaning -ejaculation, inferring an appeal to the ejaculator; "I'm BLOWED if you -will" is a common expression among the lower orders; "BLOW ME UP" was -the term a century ago.--_See Parker's Adventures_, 1781.--The -expression BE-BLOWED is now more general. Thomas Hood used to tell a -story:-- - - "I was once asked to contribute to a new journal, not exactly - gratuitously, but at a very small advance upon nothing--and avowedly - because the work had been planned according to that estimate. - However, I accepted the terms conditionally--that is to say, - provided the principle could be properly carried out. Accordingly, I - wrote to my butcher, baker, and other tradesmen, informing them that - it was necessary, for the sake of cheap literature and the interest - of the reading public, that they should furnish me with their - several commodities at a very trifling per-centage above cost price. - It will be sufficient to quote the answer of the - butcher:--'Sir,--Respectin' your note, Cheap literater BE BLOWED! - Butchers must live as well as other pepel--and if so be you or the - readin' publick wants to have meat at prime cost, you must buy your - own beastesses, and kill yourselves.--I remane, etc. - - "'JOHN STOKES.'" - -~Blow Out~, or TUCK IN, a feast. Sometimes the expression is, "BLOW OUT -your bags." A BLOW OUT is often called a tightener. - -~Blow Up~, to make a noise, or scold; formerly a cant expression used -among thieves, now a recognised and respectable phrase. BLOWING UP, a -jobation, a scolding. - -~Blowen~, originally a showy or flaunting female, now a prostitute only. -In _Wilts_, a BLOWEN is a blossom. _Germ._ BLUeHEN, to bloom. In -_German_, also, BUHLEN is to court, and BUHLE, a sweetheart. - - "O du _bluehende_ Maedchen, viel schoene Willkomm!"--_German Song._ - -Possibly, however, the street term BLOWEN may mean one whose reputation -has been BLOWN UPON or damaged. - -~Blower~, a girl; a contemptuous name in opposition to JOMER.--_Gipsy._ - -~Blowsey~, a word applied to a rough wench, or coarse woman. - -~Bludger~, a low thief, who does not hesitate to use violence, literally -one who will use a bludgeon. - -~Blue~, said of talk that is smutty or indecent. Probably from the -French, "Bibliotheque Bleu." When the conversation has assumed an -entirely opposite character, it is then said to be BROWN or Quakerish. - -~Blue~, a policeman; otherwise BLUE BOTTLE. From the colour of his -uniform. - -~Blue~, or BLEW, to pawn or pledge. Actually to get rid of. - -~Blue~, confounded or surprised; "to look BLUE," to look astonished, -annoyed, or disappointed. - -~Blue Bellies~, a term applied by the Confederate soldiers during the -civil war in America to the Federals, the name being suggested by the -skyblue gaberdines worn by the Northern soldiers. On the other hand, the -"filthy BLUE BELLIES," as the full title ran, dubbed the Confederates -"Greybacks," the epithet cutting both ways, as the Southern soldiers not -only wore grey uniforms, but "greyback" is American as well as English -for a louse. - -~Blue Billy~, the handkerchief (blue ground with white spots) sometimes -worn and used as a colour at prize-fights. Also, the refuse ammoniacal -lime from gas factories. - -~Blue Blanket~, a rough overcoat made of coarse pilot cloth. - -~Blue Bottle~, a policeman. This well-known slang term for a London -constable is used by _Shakspeare_. In Part ii. of _King Henry IV._, act -v. scene 4, Doll Tearsheet calls the beadle, who is dragging her in, a -"thin man in a censer, a BLUE-BOTTLE rogue." This may at first seem -singular, but the reason is obvious. The beadles of Bridewell whose duty -it was to whip the women prisoners were clad in blue. - -~Blue Butter~, mercurial ointment used for the destruction of parasites. - -~Blued~, or BLEWED, tipsy, or drunk. Now given way to SLEWED. - -~Blue Devils~, the apparitions supposed to be seen by habitual -drunkards. Form of _del. trem._ - -~Blue Moon~, an unlimited period. "Once in a blue moon." - -~Blue Murders.~ Probably from desperate or alarming cries. A term used -more to describe cries of terror or alarm than for any other purpose. -As, "I heard her calling BLUE MURDERS."--MORBLEU. - -~Blue-Pigeon-Flyer~, sometimes a journeyman plumber, glazier, or other -workman, who, 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 applied to the man -who steals the lead in pursuance of his vocation as a thief, than to him -who takes it because it comes in the way of his work. - -~Blue Ruin~, gin. - -~Blues~, a fit of despondency.--_See_ BLUE DEVILS. - -~Blues~, the police. Sometimes called the Royal Regiment of Foot-guards -BLUE. - -~Bluey~, lead.--German, BLEI. Most likely, though, from the colour, as -the term is of the very lowest slang. - -~Bluff~, an excuse; also the game at cards known as euchre in America. - -~Bluff~, to turn aside, stop, or excuse. - -~Blunt~, money. It has been said that this term is from the _French_ -BLOND, sandy or golden colour, and that a parallel may be found in BROWN -or BROWNS, the slang for half-pence. Far-fetched as this etymology -seems, it may be correct, as it is borne out by the analogy of similar -expressions. Cf. BLANQUILLO, a word used in Morocco and Southern Spain -for a small Moorish coin. The "asper" (_aspron_) of Constantinople is -called by the Turks AKCHEH, _i.e._, "little white." - -~Blurt Out~, to speak from impulse, and without reflection, to let out -suddenly.--_Shakspeare._ - -~B.N.C.~, for Brasenose, initials of Brazen Nose College. In spite of -the nose over the gate the probability is the real name was Brasinium. -It is still famous for its beer.--_University._ - -~Board-of-Green-Cloth~, a facetious synonym for a card or billiard -table. - -~Boat~, originally to transport; the term is now applied to penal -servitude. To "get the BOAT," or to "be BOATED," is to be sentenced to a -long term of imprisonment equivalent to transportation under the old -system. - -~Bob~, a shilling. Formerly BOBSTICK, which may have been the original. -BOB-A-NOB, a shilling a-head. - -~Bob~, "s'help me BOB," a street oath, equivalent to "so help me God." -Other words are used in street language for a similarly evasive purpose, -_i.e._, CAT, GREENS, TATUR, &c., all equally ridiculous. Ignorant people -have a singular habit of saying "so help _my_," instead of "_me_," -whatever the following words may be. This shows how little they think of -the meanings of the phrases most in use among them. The words "so help" -are almost invariably pronounced "swelp." - -~Bobbery~, a squabble, tumult.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Bobbish~, very well, clever, spruce. "How are you doing?" "Oh! pretty -BOBBISH."--_Old._ - -~Bobby~, a policeman: both BOBBY and PEELER were nicknames given to the -new police, in allusion to the Christian name and surname of the late -_Sir Robert Peel_, who was the prime mover in effecting their -introduction and improvement. The term BOBBY is, however, older than the -introduction of the new police. The official square-keeper, who is -always armed with a cane to drive away idle and disorderly urchins, has, -time out of mind, been called by the said urchins, "BOBBY the beadle." - -~Bodkin~, any one sitting between two others in a carriage, is said "to -ride BODKIN." Amongst sporting men, applied to a person who takes his -turn between the sheets on alternate nights, when the hotel has twice as -many visitors as it can comfortably lodge; as, for instance, during a -race-week. - -~Body-Snatcher~, a bailiff or runner: SNATCH, the trick by which the -bailiff captures the delinquent. These terms are now almost obsolete, so -far as the pursuits mentioned are concerned. - -~Bog~, or BOG-HOUSE, a privy, as distinguished from a water-closet. -Originally printers' slang, but now very common, and not applied to any -particular form of _cabinet d'aisance_. "To BOG" is to ease oneself by -evacuation. - -~Bog-Oranges~, potatoes. A phrase perhaps derived from the term "Irish -fruit," which, by some strange peculiarity has been applied to potatoes; -for even the most ignorant Cockney could hardly believe that potatoes -grow in a bog. As, however, the majority of the lower classes of London -do believe that potatoes were indigenous to, and were first brought from -the soil of Ireland, which is also in some parts supposed to be capable -of growing nothing else, they may even believe that potatoes are -actually BOG-ORANGES. - -~Bog-Trotter~, satirical name for an Irishman.--_Miege._ _Camden_, -however, speaking of the "debateable land" on the borders of England and -Scotland, says, "both these dales breed notable BOG-TROTTERS." - -~Bogus~, an American term for anything pretending to be that which it is -not--such as BOGUS degrees, BOGUS titles, &c. - -~Boilers~, or BROMPTON BOILERS, a name originally given to the New -Kensington Museum and School of Art, in allusion to the peculiar form of -the buildings, and the fact of their being mainly composed of, and -covered with, sheet iron. This has been changed since the extensive -alterations in the building, or rather pile of buildings, and the words -are now the property of the Bethnal Green Museum.--_See_ PEPPER-BOXES. - -~Boko~, the nose. Originally pugilistic slang, but now general. - -~Bolt~, to run away, decamp, or abscond. Also to swallow without -chewing. To eat greedily. - -~Bolus~, an apothecary. Origin evident. - -~Bombay Ducks;~ in the East India Company's army the Bombay regiments -were so designated. The name is now given to a dried fish (_bummelow_), -much eaten by natives and Europeans in Western India.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Bone~, to steal or appropriate what does not belong to you. BONED, -seized, apprehended.--_Old._ - -~Bone~, good, excellent. [Diamond], the vagabonds' hieroglyphic for -BONE, or good, chalked by them on houses and street corners as a hint -to succeeding beggars.--_French_, BON. - -~Bone-Grubber~, a person who hunts dust-holes, gutters, and all likely -spots for refuse bones, which he sells at the rag-shops, or to the -bone-grinders. The term was also applied to a resurrectionist. Cobbett -was therefore called "a BONE GRUBBER," because he brought the remains of -Tom Paine from America. - -~Bone-Picker~, a footman. - -~Bones~, to rattle the BONES, to play at dice: also called St. Hugh's -BONES. - -~Bones~, "he made no BONES of it," he did not hesitate, _i.e._, -undertook and finished the work without difficulty, "found no BONES in -the jelly."--_Ancient, vide Cotgrave._ - -~Boniface~, landlord of a tavern or inn. - -~Bonnet~, or BONNETER, a gambling cheat. 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 their stakes. Bonneting is often done in much better society -than that to be found in the ordinary gaming rooms. A man who persuades -another to buy an article on which he receives commission or per-centage -is said to BONNET or bear-up for the seller. Also, a pretence, or -make-believe, a sham bidder at auctions, one who metaphorically blinds -or BONNETS others. - -~Bonnet~, to strike a man's cap or hat over his eyes. Also to "bear-up" -for another. - -~Booby-Trap~, a favourite amusement of boys at school. It consists in -placing a pitcher of water on the top of a door set ajar for the -purpose; the person whom they wish to drench is then made to pass -through the door, and receives the pitcher and its contents on his -unlucky head. Books are sometimes used. - -~Book~, an arrangement of bets against certain horses marked in a -pocket-book made for that purpose. "Making a BOOK upon it," is a common -phrase to denote that a man is prepared to lay the odds against the -horses in a race. "That does not suit my BOOK," _i.e._, does not accord -with my other arrangements. The principle of making a BOOK, or betting -round, as it is sometimes termed, is to lay a previously-determined sum -against every horse in the race, or as many horses as possible; and -should the bookmaker "get round," _i.e._, succeed in laying against as -many horses as will more than balance the odds laid, he is certain to be -a winner. The BOOKMAKER is distinguished from the backer by its being -his particular business to bet against horses, or to lay, while the -backer, who is also often a professional gambler, stands by the chance -of a horse, or the chances of a set of horses about which he supposes -himself to be possessed of special information. A bookmaker rarely backs -horses for his own particular fancy--he may indeed put a sovereign or a -fiver on an animal about which he has been told something, but as a rule -if he specially fancies a horse, the bookmaker lets him "run for the -BOOK," _i.e._, does not lay against him. When a bookmaker backs a horse -in the course of his regular business, it is because he has laid too -much against him, and finds it convenient to share the danger with other -bookmakers. - -~Booked~, caught, fixed, disposed of.--Term in _Book-keeping_. - -~Bookmaker's Pocket~, a breast-pocket made inside the waistcoat, for -notes of large amount. - -~Books~, a pack of cards. Term used by professional card-players.--_See_ -DEVIL'S BOOKS. - -~Boom~, "to top one's BOOM off," to be off or start in a certain -direction.--_Sea._ - -~Boom-Passenger~, a sailor's slang term for a convict on board ship. -Derived from the circumstance that prisoners on board convict ships were -chained to, or were made to crawl along or stand on the booms for -exercise or punishment. - -~Boon-Companion~, a comrade in a drinking bout. BOON evidently -corruption of BON. - -~Booze~, drink. _Ancient Cant_, BOWSE. BOOZE, or SUCK-CASA, a -public-house. - -~Booze~, to drink, or more properly, to use another slang term, to -"lush," viz., to drink continually, until drunk, or nearly so. The term -is an old one. _Harman_, in Queen Elizabeth's days, speaks of "BOUSING -(or boozing) and belly-cheere." _Massinger_ also speaks of BOUSE. The -term was good English in the fourteenth century, and came from the -_Dutch_, BUYZEN, to tipple. - -~Boozing-Ken~, a beer-shop, a low public-house.--_Ancient._ - -~Boozy~, intoxicated or fuddled. - -~Bore~, a troublesome friend or acquaintance, perhaps so called from his -unvaried and pertinacious pushing; a nuisance; anything which wearies or -annoys. The _Gradus ad Cantabrigiam_ suggests the derivation of BORE -from the _Greek_ _Baros_, a burden. _Shakspeare_ uses it, _King Henry -VIII._, i. 1-- - - "----at this instant - He BORES me with some trick." - -_Grose_ speaks of this word as being much in fashion about the year -1780-81, and states that it vanished of a sudden without leaving a trace -behind. That this was not so, the constant use of the word nowadays will -prove. The late Prince Consort spoke as follows on the subject of BORES -in his address to the British Association, at Aberdeen, September 14, -1859-- - - "I will not weary you by further examples, with which most of you - are better acquainted than I am myself, but merely express my - satisfaction that there should exist bodies of men who will bring - the well-considered and understood wants of science before the - public and the Government, who will even hand round the begging-box, - and expose themselves to refusals and rebuffs, to which all beggars - are liable, with the certainty besides of being considered great - BORES. Please to recollect that this species of BORE is a most - useful animal, well adapted for the ends for which nature intended - him. He alone, by constantly returning to the charge, and repeating - the same truths and the same requests, succeeds in awakening - attention to the cause which he advocates, and obtains that hearing - which is granted him at last for self-protection, as the minor evil - compared to his importunity, but which is requisite to make his - cause understood." - -~Bore~ (_Pugilistic_), to press a man to the ropes of the ring by -superior weight. In the world of athletics to BORE is to push an -opponent out of his course. This is a most heinous crime among rowers, -as it very often prevents a man having the full use of the tide, or -compels him to foul, in which case the decision of the race is left to -individual judgment, at times, of necessity, erroneous. - -~Bosh~, nonsense, stupidity.--_Gipsy_ and _Persian_. Also pure -_Turkish_, BOSH LAKERDI, empty talk. The term was used in this country -as early as 1760, and may be found in the _Student_, vol. ii. p. 217. It -has been suggested, with what reason the reader must judge for himself, -that this colloquial expression is from the _German_ BOSH, or BOSSCH, -answering to our word "swipes." - -~Bosh~, a fiddle. This is a _Gipsy_ term, and so the exclamations -"Bosh!" and "Fiddle-de-dee!" may have some remote connexion. - -~Bosh-Faker~, a violin player. Term principally used by itinerants. - -~Bos-Ken~, a farmhouse. _Ancient._--_See_ KEN. - -~Bosky~, inebriated. Not much in use now. - -~Bosman~, a farmer: "faking a BOSMAN on the main toby," robbing a farmer -on the highway. BOSS, a master.--_American._ Both terms from the -_Dutch_, BOSCH-MAN, one who lives in the woods; otherwise _Boschjeman_, -or _Bushman_. - -~Boss-Eyed~, said of a person with one eye, or rather with one eye -injured, a person with an obliquity of vision. In this sense sometimes -varied by the term "swivel-eyed." - -~Bostruchyzer~, a small kind of comb for curling the whiskers.--_Oxford -University._ - -~Botany Bay~, Worcester Coll. Oxon., so called from its remote -situation. - -~Bother~, trouble or annoyance. Any one oppressed with business cares is -said to be BOTHERED. "Don't BOTHER," is a common expression. BLOTHER, an -old word, signifying to chatter idly. - -~Botheration!~ trouble, annoyance; "BOTHERATION to it!" "confound it!" -or "deuce take it!"--an exclamation when irritated. - -~Bottle-Holder~, originally a term in prize ring parlance for the second -who took charge of the water-bottle, which was an essential feature in -all pugilistic arrangements. This second used to hold the combatant on -his knee between the rounds, while the other or principal second -sponged, instructed, and advised; an abettor; also the bridegroom's man -at a wedding. Slang term for Lord Palmerston, derived from a speech he -made some years ago when foreign secretary, in which he described -himself as acting the part of a judicious BOTTLE-HOLDER among the -foreign powers. - -~Bottom~, stamina in a horse or man. Power to stand fatigue; endurance -to receive a good beating and still fight on. "A fellow of pluck, sound -wind, and good BOTTOM is fit to fight anything." This was an old axiom -among prize fighters. Pierce Egan was very fond of the word. - -~Bottom~, spirit placed in a glass before aerated water is poured in. -As, "a soda and a BOTTOM of brandy," "soda and dark BOTTOM," is American -for soda and brown brandy. - - "BOTTOMED well with brandy."--_Bon Gaultier Ballads._ - -~Botts~, the colic or bellyache.--_Stable Slang._ _Burns_ uses it. _See -Death and Dr. Hornbook._ - -~Botty~, conceited, swaggering.--_Stable._ An infant's -posteriors.--_Nursery._ - -~Bounce~, impudence, cheek. A showy swindler, a bully. - -~Bounce~, to boast, cheat, or bully.--_Old Cant._ Also to lie. - -~Bounceable~, prone to bouncing or boasting. - -~Bouncer~, a person who steals whilst bargaining with a tradesman, a -swindler, or a lie of more than ordinary dimensions. - -~Bounder~, a four-wheeled cab. Because of its jumping motion over the -stones. Also a University term for a TRAP, which generally has a very -rough time of it on the country roads. - -~Bow-Catcher~, or KISS-CURL, a small curl which a few years back used to -be, and probably will be again some day, twisted on the cheeks or -temples of young--and often old--girls, adhering to the face as if -gummed or pasted. Evidently a corruption of BEAU-CATCHER. In old times -this was called a lovelock, when it was the mark at which all the -Puritan and ranting preachers levelled their pulpit pop-guns, loaded -with sharp and virulent abuse. Hall and Prynne looked upon all women as -strumpets who dared to let the hair depart from a straight line -upon their cheeks. The French prettily termed these adornments -_accroche-coeurs_, whilst in the United States they were plainly and -unpleasantly called "spit-curls." Bartlett says: "Spit-curl, a detached -lock of hair curled upon the temple; probably from having been at first -plastered into shape by the saliva." It is now understood that the -mucilage of quince seed is used by the ladies for this purpose. When men -twist the hair on each side of their faces into ropes they are sometimes -called "bell-ropes," as being wherewith to _draw the belles_. Whether -BELL-ROPES or BOW-CATCHERS, it is singular they should form part of a -prisoner's adornment, and that a jaunty little kiss-curl should, of all -things in the world, ornament a jail dock; yet such was formerly the -case. Hunt, "the accomplice after the fact and King's evidence against" -the murderer of Weare, on his trial appeared at the bar with a highly -pomatumed love-lock sticking tight to his forehead. In the days of the -Civil Wars, the very last thing a Cavalier would part with was his -love-lock. - -~Bowdlerization~, a term used in literary circles to signify undue -strictness of treatment caused by over-modesty in editing a classic. To -BOWDLERIZE is to emasculate through squeamishness. From the name -(Bowdler) of one of Shakspeare's "purifiers." - -~Bowlas~, round tarts made of sugar, apple, and bread, sold in the -streets, especially at the East-end of London. - -~Bowles~, shoes. - -~Bowl Out~, to put out of the game, to remove out of one's way, to -detect.--Originally a _Cricketing term_, but now general. - -~Box-Harry~, a term with bagmen or commercial travellers, implying -dinner and tea at one meal; also dining with "Duke Humphrey," _i.e._, -going without--which _see_. - -~Box the Compass~, to repeat the thirty-two points of the compass either -in succession or irregularly. The method used at sea to teach boys the -points of the mariner's compass.--_Sea._ - -~Boy~, a hump on a man's back. In low circles it is usual to speak of a -humpbacked man as two persons--"him and his BOY," and from this much -coarse fun and personality are at times evolved. - -~Bracelets~, handcuffs. - -~Brace up~, to pawn stolen goods. - -~Brads~, money. Properly a small kind of nails used by -cobblers.--_Compare_ HORSE NAILS. - -~Brain-Pan~, the skull, and BRAIN-CANISTER, the head. Both pugilistic -and exchangeable terms. - -~Bramble-Gelder~, a derisive appellation for an -agriculturist.--_Suffolk._ - -~Brandy Pawnee~, brandy and water.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Brandy Smash~, one of the 365 American drinks, made of brandy and -crushed ice. - -~Bran-New~, quite new. Properly _Brent_, BRAND or _Fire new_, _i.e._, -fresh from the anvil, or fresh with the manufacturer's brand upon it. - -~Brass~, money. "Tin" is also used, and so are most forms of metal. - -~Brass~, impudence. In 1803 some artillerymen stationed at Norwich were -directed to prove some brass ordnance belonging to the city. To the -report delivered to the corporation was appended this note:--"_N.B._--It -is customary for the corporal to have the old metal when any of the -pieces burst." _Answer._--"The corporation is of opinion that the -corporal does not want BRASS." - -~Brass-Knocker~, broken victuals. Used by tramps and cadgers. - -~Brat~, a child of either sex. Generally used in an offensive sense. - -~Brazen-Faced~, impudent, shameless. From BRASS. Such a person is -sometimes said "to have rubbed his face with a brass candlestick." - -~Brazil~, a hard red wood; "HARD AS BRAZIL," a common expression. -_Quarles_ in his _Emblems_ says-- - - "Thou know'st my brittle temper's prone to break. - Are my bones BRAZIL or my flesh of oak?" - -~Bread-Bags~, a nickname given in the army and navy to any one connected -with the victualling department, as a purser or purveyor in the -Commissariat. - -~Bread Basket~, DUMPLING-DEPOT, VICTUALLING-OFFICE, &c., were terms -which in the old pugilistic days were given by the "Fancy" to the -digestive organs. Blows in this region were called "porridge -disturbers," and other fancy names, which were supposed to rob them of -their hardness--to those who did not receive them. - -~Break-Down~, a noisy dance, almost violent enough to break the floor -down; a jovial, social gathering, a "flare up;" in Ireland, a -wedding--_American_ so far as the dance is concerned. - -~Break One's Back~, a figurative expression, implying bankruptcy, or the -crippling of a person's means. - - "A story is current of a fashionable author answering a late and - rather violent knock at his door one evening. A coal-heaver wanted - to know if the gentleman would like a cheap ton of coals; he was - sorry for troubling him so late, but 'the party as had a-ordered the - two ton and a-half couldn't be found,' although he had driven his - 'waggon for six blessed hours up and down the neighbourhood. - Five-and-twenty is the price, but yer shall have them for 20s.' Our - author was not to be tempted, he had heard of the trick before; so - bidding the man go away from his house, he shut the door. The man, - however, lingered there, expatiating on the quality of his - coals--'Acterly givin' 'em away, and the gent wont have 'em,' said - he, addressing the neighbourhood in a loud voice: and the last that - was heard of him was his anything but sweet voice whistling through - the keyhole, 'Will eighteen _bob_ BREAK YER BACK?'" - -~Break Shins~, to borrow money. Probably from an older slang phrase, -"kick," to ask for drink-money. - -~Break the Ice~, to make a commencement, to plunge _in medias res_. - -~Break Up~, the conclusion of a performance of any kind--originally a -school term. - -~Breaky-Leg~, strong drink; "he's been to Bungay fair, and broke both -his legs," _i.e._, got drunk. In the ancient Egyptian language the -determinative character in the hieroglyphic verb "to be drank," has the -significant form of the leg of a man being amputated. "Tangle Leg" is -the name given to New England rum. - -[Illustration] - -~Breeched~, or TO HAVE THE BAGS OFF, to have plenty of money; "to be -well BREECHED," to be in good circumstances. Also among schoolboys to be -well flogged. - -~Breeches~, "to wear the BREECHES," said of a wife who usurps the -husband's prerogative. Equivalent to the remark that "the grey mare is -the better horse." - -~Breeching~, a flogging. Term in use among boys at several private -schools. - -~Breef~, probably identical with BRIEF, a shortened card used for -cheating purposes; thus described in an old book of games of about -1720-- - - "Take a pack of cards and open them, then take out all the honours - ... and cut 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 him an - honour, because the cards at the ends are all of a length. Thus you - may make breefs end-ways as well as sideways." - -Modern card-players of a certain kind have considerably improved on -this. - -~Breeks~, breeches.--_Scotch_, now common. - -~Brick~, a "jolly good fellow;" "a regular BRICK," a staunch fellow. -About the highest compliment that in one word can be paid one man. Said -to be derived from an expression of Aristotle's--_tetragonos aner_. - -~Bridge~, a cheating trick at cards, by which any particular card is cut -by previously curving it by the pressure of the hand. Used in France as -well as in England, and termed in the _Parisian Argot_ FAIRE LE PONT. - -~Brief~, a pawnbroker's duplicate; a raffle card, or a ticket of any -kind. - -~Briefs~, cards constructed on a cheating principle. See BRIDGE, -CONCAVES and CONVEXES, LONGS, and SHORTS, REFLECTORS, &c. From the -_German_, BRIEFE, which Baron Heinecken says was the name given to the -cards manufactured at Ulm. BRIEF is also the synonym for a card in the -German _Rothwaelsch_ dialect, and BRIEFEN to play at cards. "Item--beware -of the Joners, (gamblers,) who practice Beseflery with the BRIEF, -(cheating at cards,) who deal falsely and cut one for the other, cheat -with Boglein and spies, pick one BRIEF from the ground, and another from -a cupboard," &c.--_Liber Vagatorum_, ed. by Martin Luther, in 1529. -English translation, by J. C. Hotten, 1860, p. 47. _See_ BREEF. - -~Brim~, a violent irascible woman, as inflammable and unpleasant as -brimstone, from which the word is contracted. - -~Briney~, the sea. A "dip in the BRINEY" once a year is a great -attraction to Cockney excursionists. A story is told of one excursionist -saying to another, as they stripped in a double machine, "Why, 'Arry, -what dirty feet you've got!" "'Ave I; well yer see I wasn't down last -year." - -~Bring-up~, or BRING-TO, to stop suddenly, as a team of horses or a -vessel. To BRING-UP also means to feed, clothe, and educate a child. To -BRING-UP by hand is to bring up a newly-born child or animal without -assistance from the natural fount. - -~Brisket-Beater~, a Roman Catholic. - -~Broad and Shallow~, an epithet applied to the so-called "Broad Church," -in contradistinction to the "High" and "Low" Churches. _See_ HIGH and -DRY. - -~Broad-Brim~, originally applied to a Quaker only, but now used in -reference to all quiet, sedate, respectable old men. - -~Broad-Cooper~, a person employed by brewers to negotiate with -publicans. - -~Broad-Faking~, playing at cards. Generally used to denote "work" of the -three-card and kindred descriptions. - -~Broad-Fencer~, a "k'rect card" seller at races. - -~Broads~, cards. BROADSMAN, a card-sharper. _See_ BROAD-FAKING. - -~Broadway Swell~, a New York term for a great dandy, Broadway being the -principal promenade in the "Empire City." - -~Broady~, cloth. Evidently a corruption of broadcloth. BROADY workers -are men who go round selling vile shoddy stuff under the pretence that -it is excellent material, which has been "got on the cross," _i.e._ -stolen. - -~Brolly~, an umbrella. Term used at both Oxford and Cambridge -Universities. - -~Brosier~, a bankrupt.--_Cheshire._ BROSIER-MY-DAME, school term, -implying a clearing of the housekeeper's larder of provisions, in -revenge for stinginess.--_Eton._ - -~Brother-Chip~, originally fellow carpenter. Almost general now as -brother tradesman of any kind. Also, BROTHER-WHIP, a fellow coachman; -and BROTHER-BLADE, of the same occupation or calling--originally a -fellow-soldier. - -~Brother-Smut~, a term of familiarity. "Ditto, BROTHER SMUT," _tu -quoque_. - -~Broth of a Boy~, an Irish term for a jolly good fellow. - -~Brown~, a halfpenny.--_See_ BLUNT. - -~Brown~, "to do BROWN," to do well or completely, "doing it BROWN," -prolonging the frolic, or exceeding sober bounds; "done BROWN," taken -in, deceived, or surprised. - -~Brown Bess~, the old Government regulation musket; a musket with a -browned barrel; also BLACK BESS. A suggestion has been made that BESS -may be from the _German_ BUSCHE, or BOSCHE, a barrel. It is much more -likely, however, that the phrase is derived from the fact that "the -soldier is wedded to his weapon." - -~Brown-papermen~, low gamblers. - -~Brown Study~, a reverie. Very common even in educated society, but -hardly admissible in writing, and therefore considered a vulgarism. It -is derived, by a writer in _Notes and Queries_, from BROW STUDY, and he -cites the old German BRAUN, or AUG-BRAUN, an eye-brow.--_Ben Jonson._ - -~Brown Talk~, conversation of an exceedingly proper character, -Quakerish. Compare BLUE. - -~Brown to~, to understand, to comprehend. - -~Bruiser~, a fighting man, a pugilist. _Shakspeare_ uses the word -BRUISING in a similar sense. - -~Brum~, a counterfeit coin. _Nearly obsolete._ Corruption of -_Brummagem_, for meaning of which _see_ Introductory Chapter. - -~Brush~, a fox's tail, a house-painter. Also a scrimmage. - -~Brush~, or BRUSH-OFF, to run away, or move on quickly.--_Old Cant._ - -~Bub~, drink of any kind.--_See_ GRUB. _Middleton_, the dramatist, -mentions BUBBER, a great drinker. - -~Bub~, a teat, woman's breast, plural BUBBIES; no doubt from BIBE. _See_ -_ante_. - -~Bubble~, to over-reach, deceive, to tempt by means of false -promises.--_Old._ (_Acta Regia_, ii. 248, 1726.) - -~Bubble-and-Squeak~, a dish composed of pieces of cold roast or boiled -meat and greens, afterwards fried, which have thus first BUBBLED in the -_pot_, and then SQUEAKED or hissed in the _pan_. - -~Bubble-Company~, a swindling association. - -~Buckled~, to be married. Also to be taken in custody. Both uses of the -word common and exchangeable among the London lower classes. - -~Bubbley-Jock~, a turkey, or silly boasting fellow; a prig.--_Scottish._ -In the north of England the bird is called a BOBBLE-COCK. Both names, no -doubt, from its cry, which is supposed by imaginative persons to consist -of the two words exactly. - -~Buck~, a gay or smart man; an unlicensed cabman; also a large marble -used by schoolboys. - -~Buck~, sixpence. The word is rarely used by itself, but generally -denotes the sixpence attached to shillings in reference to cost, as, -"three and a BUCK," three shillings and sixpence. Probably a corruption -of Fyebuck. - -~Buckhorse~, a smart blow or box on the ear; derived from the name of a -celebrated "bruiser" of that name. Buckhorse was a man who either -possessed or professed insensibility to pain, and who would for a small -sum allow anyone to strike him with the utmost force on the side of the -face. - -~Buckle~, to bend; "I can't BUCKLE to that." I don't understand it; to -yield or give in to a person. _Shakspeare_ uses the word in the latter -sense, _Henry IV._, i. 1; and _Halliwell_ says that "the commentators do -not supply another example." - -~Buckle-Beggar~, a COUPLE-BEGGAR, which _see_. - -~Buckle-to~, to bend to one's work, to begin at once, and with great -energy--from buckling-to one's armour before a combat, or fastening on a -bundle. - -~Buckley~, "Who struck BUCKLEY?" a common phrase used to irritate -Irishmen. The story is that an Englishman having struck an Irishman -named Buckley, the latter made a great outcry, and one of his friends -rushed forth screaming, "Who struck Buckley?" "I did," said the -Englishman, preparing for the apparently inevitable combat. "Then," said -the ferocious Hibernian, after a careful investigation of the other's -thews and sinews, "then, sarve him right." - -~Buckra~, a white man. The original of this term is a "flogging man," -from the Hebrew, and the application of it to the whites by the West -Indian negroes is, therefore, rather interesting. They probably first -learned it from a missionary. - -~Buckshish~, BUCKSHEESH or BACKSHEESH, a present of money. Over all -India, and the East generally, the natives lose no opportunity of asking -for BUCKSHISH. The usage is such a complete nuisance that the word is -sometimes answered by a blow; this is termed BAMBOO BUCKSHISH. BUCKSHISH -has taken up a very firm residence in Europe--may, in fact, on a much -larger scale than that of Asia, be said to have always had an existence -here. BUCKSHISH is a very important item in the revenues of officials -who hold positions of considerable importance, as well as in those of -their humbler brethren. During the recent visit of the Shah of Persia, -that potentate discovered that BUCKSHISH was by no means peculiar to the -East. - -~Budge~, to move, to "make tracks." - -~Budge~, strong drink; BUDGY, drunk; BUDGING-KEN, a public-house; "cove -of the BUDGING-KEN," the landlord. Probably a corruption of BOOZE. -Probably also, on the lucus a non lucendo principle, because its use -made one incapable of budging. - -~Buff~, the bare skin; "stripped to the BUFF." - -~Buff~, to swear to, or accuse; generally used in reference to a -wrongful accusation, as, "Oh, BUFF it on to him." _Old_ word for -boasting, 1582. - -~Buffer~, a navy term for a boatswain's mate, one of whose duties it -is--or was--to administer the "cat." - -~Buffer~, a familiar expression for a jolly acquaintance, probably from -the _French_ BOUFFARD, a fool or clown; a "jolly old BUFFER," said of a -good-humoured or liberal old man. In 1737, a BUFFER was a "rogue that -killed good sound horses for the sake of their skins, by running a long -wire into them."--_Bacchus and Venus._ The term was once applied to -those who took false oaths for a consideration; but though the word has -fallen into disuse there is no particular reason for imagining that the -practice has. - -~Buffer~, a woman employed in a Sheffield warehouse to give the final -polish to goods previously to their being plated. - -~Buffer~, a dog. Dogs' skins were formerly in great request--hence the -term BUFF, meaning in old English _to skin_. It is still used in the -ring, BUFFED meaning stripped naked, though the term BUFF, as applied to -the skin, is most likely due to its resemblance to the leather so -called. "Stripped to the BUFF," cannot have any reference to dog -skinning, though it may have originally referred to the BUFF jerkins -worn under defensive armour. In Irish cant, BUFFER is a _boxer_. The -BUFFER of a railway-carriage doubtless received its very appropriate -name from the old pugilistic application of this term. - -~Buffle-Head~, a stupid or obtuse person.--_Miege._ _German_, -BUFFELHAUPT, buffalo-headed. Occurs in _Plautus' Comedies made English_, -1694. - -~Buffs~, the Third Regiment of Foot in the British army. From their -facings. - -~Buffy~, intoxicated. - -~Buggy~, a gig, or light chaise. Common term in America and in India, as -well as in England. - -~Bug-Hunter~, a low wretch who plunders drunken men. - -~Bug-Walk~, a coarse term for a bed. - -~Build~, applied in fashionable slang to the make or style of dress, &c. -"It's a tidy BUILD, who made it?" A tailor is sometimes called a -"trousers' BUILDER." - -~Bulger~, large; synonymous with BUSTER. - -~Bulky~, a constable.--_North._ - -~Bull~, one who agrees to purchase stock at a future day, at a stated -price, but who simply speculates for a rise in public securities to -render the transaction a profitable one. Should stocks fall, the BULL is -then called upon to pay the difference. _See_ BEAR, who is the opposite -of a BULL, the former selling, the latter purchasing--the one operating -for a _fall_, the other for a _rise_. - -~Bull~, a crown-piece, formerly BULL'S EYE. _See_ WORK. - -~Bull~, term amongst prisoners for the meat served to them in jail. Also -very frequently used instead of the word beef. The costermonger often -speaks of his dinner, when he has beef, as a "bit o' BULL," without any -reference to its being either tough or tender, but he never speaks of -mutton as "sheep." - -~Bull-Beef~, a term of contempt; "as ugly as BULL-BEEF," "go to the -billy-fencer, and sell yourself for BULL-BEEF." Sometimes used to -indicate full size of anything. "There was he, as big as BULL-BEEF." - -~Bulldogs~, the runners who accompany the proctor in his perambulations, -and give chase to runaways.--_University._ - -~Bullet~, to discharge from a situation. To shake the BULLET at anyone, -is to threaten him with "the sack," but not to give him actual notice to -leave. To get the BULLET is to get notice, while to get the instant -BULLET is to be discharged upon the spot. The use of the term is most -probably derived from a fancied connexion between it and the word -discharge. - -~Bullfinch~, a hunting term for a large, thick, quickset hedge, -difficult alike to "top" or burst through. Probably a corruption of -BULL-FENCE, a fence made to prevent cattle straying either in or out. - -~Bull the Cask~, to pour hot water into an empty rum puncheon, and let -it stand until it extracts the spirit from the wood. The mixture is -drunk by sailors in default of something stronger.--_Sea._ - -~Bully~, a braggart; in the language of the streets, a man of the most -degraded morals, who protects fallen females, and lives off their -miserable earnings.--_Shakspeare_, in _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, uses -the word in its old form, as a term of endearment. This epithet is often -applied in a commendable sense among the vulgar; thus--a good fellow or -a good horse will be termed "a BULLY fellow," "a BULLY horse;" and "a -BULLY woman" signifies a right, good motherly old soul. Among Americans, -"BULLY for you," is a commendatory phrase, and "that's BULLY" is a -highly eulogistic term. - -~Bullyrag~, to abuse or scold vehemently; to swindle one out of money by -intimidation and sheer abuse. - -~Bum~, the part on which we sit.--_Shakspeare._ BUMBAGS, trousers; -_Gael._ BUN, a base or bottom; _Welsh_, BON, the lowest or worst part of -anything. - -~Bum-Bailiff~, a sheriff's-officer--a term, some say, derived from the -proximity which this gentleman generally maintains to his victims. -Blackstone says it is a corruption of "bound bailiff." A BUM-BAILIFF was -generally called "bummy." - -~Bumble~, to muffle. BUMBLE-FOOTED, club-footed, or awkward in the gait. - -~Bumble~, a beadle. Adopted from _Dickens's_ character in _Oliver -Twist_. This and "BUMBLEDOM" are now common. - -~Bumble-Puppy~, a game played in public-houses on a large stone, placed -in a slanting direction, on the lower end of which holes are excavated, -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 _Troule-in-madame_. - -~Bumbles~, coverings for the eyes of horses that shy in harness. - -~Bumbrusher~, an usher at a school. - -~Bumclink~, in the Midland counties the inferior beer brewed for -haymakers and harvest labourers. Derivation obvious. - -~Bum-Curtain~, an old name for academical gowns when they were worn -scant and short, especially those of the students of St. John's -College.--_Camb. Univ._ Any ragged or short academical gown. - -~Bummarees~, a term given to a class of speculating salesmen at -Billingsgate market, not recognised as such by the trade, but who get a -living by buying large quantities of fish from the salesmen and -re-selling them to smaller buyers. The word has been used in the -statutes and bye-laws of the market for upwards of 200 years. It has -been variously derived. Some persons think it may be from the _French_ -BONNE MAREE, good fresh fish! "Maree signifie toute sorte de poisson de -mer qui n'est pas sale; bonne maree--_maree fraiche_, vendeur de -maree."--_Dict. de l'Acad. Franc._ The BUMMAREES are accused of many -trade tricks. One of them is to blow up codfish with a pipe until they -look double their actual size. Of course when the fish come to table -they are flabby, sunken, and half dwindled away. In Norwich, to BUMMAREE -one is to run up a score at a public-house just open, and is equivalent -to "running into debt with one." One of the advertisements issued by Hy. -Robinson's "Office," over against Threadneedle Street, was this:-- - - "Touching Advice from the OFFICE, you are desired to give and take - notice as followeth:-- - - "OF Monies to be taken up, or delivered on _Botto-maria_, commonly - called _Bomarie_. - - "OF money to be put out or taken upon interest," &c. - - --_The Publick Intelligencer_, numb. 17, 25th June, 1660. - -~Bummer~, literally one who sits or idles about; a loafer; one who -sponges upon his acquaintances. In California, men who profess to be -journalists, and so obtain free dinners and drinks, are called "literary -BUMMERS." Although the term is not much in use in this country, the -profession of bumming, both literary and otherwise, is freely practised. - -~Bumper~, according to Johnson from "bump," but probably from _French_ -BON PERE, the fixed toast in monastic life of old, now used for "full -measure." A match at quoits, bowls, &c., may end in a "BUMPER game," if -the play and score be all on one side. BUMPER is used in sporting and -theatrical circles to denote a benefit which is one in reality as well -as in name. - -~Bumptious~, arrogant, self-sufficient. One on very good terms with -himself is said to be BUMPTIOUS. - -~Bunce~, costermongers' perquisites; the money obtained by giving light -weight, &c.; costermongers' goods sold by boys on commission. In fact -anything which is clear profit or gain is said to be "all BUNCE." -Probably a corruption of _bonus_; BONE, or BONER, being the slang for -good. BUNCE, _Grose_ gives as the cant word for money. - -~Bunch-of-Fives~, the hand, or fist. - -~Bundle~, "to BUNDLE a person off," _i.e._, to pack him off, send him -flying. - -~Bundling~, men and women sleeping together, where the divisions of the -house will not permit of better or more decent accommodation, with all -their clothes on. BUNDLING was originally courting done in bed, the -lovers being tied or bundled up to prevent undue familiarities. The -practice still obtains in some parts of Wales. - -~Bung~, the landlord of a public-house. Much in use among sporting men. - -~Bung~, to give, pass, hand over, drink, or to perform almost any -action. BUNG up, to close up, as the eyes.--_Pugilistic._ "BUNG over the -rag," hand over the money.--_Old_, used by _Beaumont_ and _Fletcher_, -and _Shakspeare_. Also, to deceive one by a lie, to CRAM, which _see_. - -~Bunk~, to decamp. "BUNK it!" _i.e._, be off. - -~Bunker~, beer. - -~Bunkum~, an American importation, denoting false sentiments in -speaking, pretended enthusiasm, &c. The expression arose from a speech -made by a North Carolina senator named Buncombe. - -~Bunter~, a prostitute, a street-walking female thief. - -~Burdon's Hotel~, Whitecross Street Prison, of which the Governor was a -Mr. Burdon. Almost every prison has a nickname of this kind, either from -the name of the Governor, or from some local circumstance. The Queen's -Bench has also an immense number of names--SPIKE PARK, &c.; and every -Chief-Justice stands godfather to it. - -~Burerk~, a lady, a showily-dressed woman. - -~Burke~, to kill, to murder, secretly and without noise, by means of -strangulation. From Burke, the notorious Edinburgh murderer, who, with -an accomplice named Hare, used to decoy people into the den he -inhabited, kill them, and sell their bodies for dissection. The wretches -having been apprehended and tried, Burke was executed, while Hare, -having turned king's evidence, was released. Bishop and Williams were -their London imitators. The term BURKE is now usually applied to any -project that is quietly stopped or stifled--as "the question has been -BURKED." A book suppressed before publication is said to be BURKED. - -~Burra~, great; as BURRA SAIB, a great man; BURRA KHANAII, a great -dinner.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Bury a Moll~, to run away from a mistress. - -~Bus~, or BUSS, an abbreviation of "omnibus," a public carriage. Also, a -kiss, abbreviation of _Fr._ BAISER. A Mr. Shillibeer started the first -BUS in London. A shillibeer is now a hearse and mourning coach all in -one, used by the very poorest mourners and shabbiest undertakers. - - Why is Temple Bar like a lady's veil? Because it wants to be removed - to make way for the BUSSES. - -~Bus~, business (of which it is a contraction) or action on the stage, -so written, but pronounced BIZ.--_Theatrical._ _See_ BIZ. - -~Business~, the action which accompanies dialogue. "His BUSINESS was -good." Generally applied to byplay.--_Theatrical._ - -~Busk~, to sell obscene songs and books at the bars and in the tap-rooms -of public-houses. Sometimes it implies selling other articles. Also to -"work" public-houses and certain spots as an itinerant musician or -vocalist. - -~Busker~, a man who sings or performs in a public-house; an itinerant. - -~Bust~, or BURST, to tell tales, to SPLIT, to inform. BUSTING, informing -against accomplices when in custody. - -~Buster~ (BURSTER), a small new loaf; "twopenny BUSTER," a twopenny -loaf. "A penn'orth o' BEES-WAX (cheese) and a penny BUSTER," a common -snack at beershops. A halfpenny loaf is called a "starver." - -~Buster~, an extra size; "what a BUSTER," _i.e._, what a large one; "in -for a BUSTER," determined on an extensive frolic or spree. _Scotch_, -BUSTUOUS; _Icelandic_, BOSTRA. - -~Bustle~, money; "to draw the BUSTLE." - -~Busy-Sack~, a carpet-bag. - -~Butcha~, a Hindoo word in use among Englishmen for the young of any -animal. In England we ask after the children; in India the health of the -BUTCHAS is tenderly inquired for. - -~Butcher~, the king in playing-cards. When card-playing in public houses -was common, the kings were called butchers, the queens bitches, and the -knaves jacks. The latter term is now in general use. - -~Butcher's Mourning~, a white hat with a black mourning hatband. -Probably because, under any circumstances, a butcher would rather not -wear a black hat. White hats and black bands have, however, become -genteel ever since the late Prince Consort patronized them, though they -retain a deal of the old sporting leaven. - -~Butter~, or BATTER, praise or flattery. To BUTTER, to flatter, cajole. -Same as "soft soap" and "soft sawder." Soft words generally. Maybe from -the old proverb, "Fine words butter no parsneps." - -~Butter-Fingered~, apt to let things fall; greasy or slippery-fingered. - -~Button~, a decoy, sham purchaser, &c. At any mock or sham auction seedy -specimens may be seen. Probably from the connexion of buttons with -Brummagem, which is often used as a synonym for a sham.--_See_ BONNET. - -~Buttoner~, a man who entices another to play. - -~Buttons~, a page,--from the rows of gilt buttons which adorn his -jacket. - -~Buttons~, "not to have all one's BUTTONS;" to be deficient in -intellect. To "make BUTTONS" means for some occult reason to look sorry -and sad. "He was making BUTTONS," _i.e._, he was looking sorrowful. -Perhaps because button-making is a sorry occupation. - -~Butty~, a word used in the mining districts to denote a kind of -overseer. Also used by the Royal Marines in the sense of comrade; a -policeman's assistant, one of the staff in a _melee_. - -~Buz~, to share equally the last of a bottle of wine, when there is not -enough for a full glass to each of the party. - -~Buz~, a well-known public-house game, played as follows:--"The chairman -commences 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, 17, 21, 27, 28, &c., must not be mentioned, but -"BUZ" instead. Whoever breaks the rule pays a fine, which is thrown on -the table, and the accumulation expended in drink for the company. _See_ -"SNOOKS and WALKER" for more complicated varieties of a similar game. -These "parlour pastimes" are often not only funny, but positively -ingenious. But the Licensing Act and a zealous police are fast clearing -them all out. - -~Buz~, to pick pockets; BUZZING or BUZ-FAKING, robbing. - -~Buz-Bloke~, a pickpocket who principally confines his attention to -purses and loose cash. _Grose_ gives BUZ-GLOAK, an ancient cant word. -GLOAK was old cant for a man. BUZ-NAPPER, a young pickpocket. - -~Buz-man~, an informer; from BUZ, to whisper, but more generally a -thief. - -~Buz-napper's Academy~, a school in which young thieves were trained. -Figures were dressed up, and experienced tutors stood in various -difficult attitudes for the boys to practise upon. When clever enough -they were sent on the streets. Dickens gives full particulars of this -old style of business in _Oliver Twist_. - -~Buzzer~, a pickpocket. _Grose_ gives BUZ-COVE and, as above mentioned, -BUZ-GLOAK. - -~Byblow~, an illegitimate child. - -~By George~, an exclamation similar to BY JOVE. The term is older than -is frequently imagined--vide _Bacchus and Venus_ (p. 117), 1737. "'Fore -(or by) GEORGE, I'd knock him down." Originally in reference to Saint -George, the patron saint of England, or possibly to the House of -Hanover. - -~By Golly~, an ejaculation, or oath; a compromise for "by God." BY GUM -is another oblique oath. In the United States, small boys are permitted -by their guardians to say GOL DARN anything, but they are on no account -allowed to commit the profanity of G--d d----n anything. A manner of -"sailing close to the wind" which is objectionable to the honest mind. A -specimen ejaculation and moral waste-pipe for interior passion or wrath -is seen in the exclamation--BY THE EVER-LIVING JUMPING-MOSES--a harmless -and ridiculous phrase, that from its length is supposed to expend a -considerable quantity of fiery anger. - -~By Jingo~, an oath or exclamation having no particular meaning, and no -positive etymology, though it is believed by some that JINGO is derived -from the Basque _jenco_, the devil. - -~Cab~, in statutory language, "a hackney carriage drawn by one horse." -Abbreviated from the _French_ CABRIOLET; originally meaning "a light low -chaise." The wags of Paris playing upon the word (quasi _cabri_ au lait) -used to call a superior turn-out of the kind a _cabri au creme_. Our -abbreviation, which certainly smacks of slang, has been stamped with the -authority of the Legislature, and has been honoured by universal custom. - -~Cab~, to stick together, to muck, or tumble up.--_Devonshire._ - -~Cabbage~, pieces of cloth said to be purloined by tailors. Any small -profits in the way of material. - -~Cabbage~, to pilfer or purloin. Termed by _Johnson_ a "cant word," but -adopted by later lexicographers as a respectable term. Said to have been -first used in the above sense by _Arbuthnot_. - -~Cabbage-Head~, a soft-headed person. - -~Cabby~, popular name for the driver of a cab. This title has almost -supplanted the more ancient one of jarvey. - -~Caboose~, the galley or cook-house of a ship; a term used by tramps to -indicate a kitchen. - -~Cackle-Tub~, a pulpit. - -~Cackling-Cove~, an actor. Also called a MUMMERY-COVE.--_Theatrical._ - -~Cad~, or CADGER (from which it is shortened), a mean or vulgar fellow; -a beggar; one who would rather live on other people than work for -himself; a man who tries to worm something out of another, either money -or information. _Johnson_ uses the word, and gives _huckster_ as the -meaning, in which sense it was originally used. Apparently from CAGER, -or GAGER, the _old Cant_ term for a man. The exclusives at the English -Universities apply the term CAD to all non-members. It has also been -suggested that the word may be a contraction of the _French_ CADET. - -~Cad~, an omnibus conductor. Of late years the term has been generically -applied to the objectionable class immortalized by Thackeray under the -title of snob. A great deal of caddism is, however, perpetrated by those -who profess to have the greatest horror of it--the upper classes--a fact -which goes far to prove that it is impossible to fairly ascribe a -distinctive feature to any grade of society. - -~Cadge~, to beg in an artful, wheedling manner.--_North._ In Scotland to -CADGE is to wander, to go astray. _See_ under CODGER. - -~Cadging~, begging, generally with an eye to pilfering when an -opportunity occurs. To be "on the cadge" is almost synonymous with "on -the make." - -~Cag~, to irritate, affront, anger. Schoolboy slang. - -~Cage~, a minor kind of prison. A country lock-up which contained no -offices. - -~Cagmag~, bad food, scraps, odds and ends; or that which no one could -relish. _Grose_ give CAGG MAGGS, old and tough Lincolnshire geese, sent -to London to feast the poor cockneys. _Gael._, _French_, and _Welsh_, -CAC, and MAGN. A correspondent at Trinity College, Dublin, considers -this as originally a University slang term for a _bad cook_, _kakos -mageiros_. There is also a _Latin_ word used by Pliny, MAGMA, denoting -dregs or dross. - -~Cake~, a "flat;" a soft or doughy person, a fool. - -~Cakey-Pannum-Fencer~, or PANNUM-FENCER, a man who sells street pastry. - -~Calaboose~, a prison.--_Sea_ slang, from the Spanish. - -~Calculate~, a word much in use among the inhabitants of the Western -States U.S., as "I CALCULATE you are a stranger here." New Englanders -use the word "guess" instead of CALCULATE, while the Virginians prefer -to say "reckon." - -~Caleb Quotem~, a parish clerk; a jack of all trades. From a character -in _The Wags of Windsor_. - -~California~, or CALIFORNIANS, money. Term generally applied to gold -only. Derivation very obvious. - -~Call~, a notice of rehearsal, or any other occasion requiring the -company's presence, posted up in a theatre. "We're CALLED for eleven -to-morrow morning." - -~Call-a-Go~, in street "patter," is to leave off trying to sell anything -and to remove to another spot, to desist. Also to give in, yield, at any -game or business. Probably from the "GO" call in cribbage. - -~Cameronians~, THE, the Twenty-sixth Regiment of Foot in the British -Army. - -~Camesa~, shirt or chemise.--_Span._ _See_ its abbreviated form, MISH, -from the _ancient Cant_, COMMISSION. Probably re-introduced by the -remains of De Lacy Evans's Spanish Legion on their return. _See_ -Somerville's account of the Span. Leg., for the curious facility with -which the lower classes in England adopt foreign words as slang and cant -terms. _Italian_, CAMICIA. This latter is the more likely etymology, as -anyone who visits the various quarters where Irish, Italians, and a -mongrel mixture of half-a-dozen races congregate and pig together, will -admit. - -~Camister~, a preacher, clergyman, or master. - -~Canary~, a sovereign. From the colour. Very old slang indeed. - -~Canister~, the head.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Canister-Cap~, a hat. - -~Cannibals~, the training boats for the Cambridge freshmen, _i.e._, -"CANNOT-PULLS." The term is applied both to boats and rowers.--_See_ -SLOGGERS. Torpids is the usual term for the races in which these men and -machines figure. - -~Cannikin~, a small can, similar to PANNIKIN. "And let the CANNIKIN -clink." - -~Cant~, a blow or toss; "a CANT over the kisser," a blow on the mouth; -"a CANT over the buttock," a throw or toss in wrestling. - -~Cantab~, a student at Cambridge. - -~Cantankerous~, litigious, bad-tempered. An American corruption probably -of contentious. A reviewer of an early edition of this book derives it -from the _Anglo-Norman_ CONTEK, litigation or strife. Others have -suggested "cankerous" as the origin. _Bailey_ has CONTEKE, contention as -a Spenserian word, and there is the _O.E._ CONTEKORS, quarrelsome -persons. - -~Cant of Togs~, a gift of clothes. - -~Canvasseens~, sailors' canvas trousers. - -~Cap~, a false cover to a tossing coin. The term and the instrument are -both nearly obsolete. _See_ COVER-DOWN. - -~Cap~, "to set her CAP." A woman is said to set her CAP at a man when -she makes overt love to him. - -~Cap~, to outdo or add to, as in capping jokes. - -~Cape Cod Turkey~, salt fish. - -~Caper-Merchant~, a dancing-master. Sometimes a hop-merchant. - -~Capers~, dancing, frolicking; "to cut CAPER-SAUCE," _i.e._, to dance -upon nothing--be hanged. Old thieves' talk. - -~Capper-Clawing~, female encounter, where caps are torn and nails freely -used. Sometimes it is pronounced CLAPPER-CLAW. The word occurs in -_Shakspeare_, _Troilus and Cressida_, act v. sc. 4. - -~Caravan~, a railway train, especially a train expressly chartered to -convey people to a prize fight. - -~Caravansera~, a railway station. In pugilistic phraseology a tip for -the starting point might have been given thus. "The SCRATCH must be TOED -at sharp five, so the CARAVAN will start at four from the CARAVANSERA." - -~Carboy~, a general term in most parts of the world for a very large -glass or earthenware bottle. - -~Card~, a character. "A queer CARD," _i.e._, an odd fish. - -~Cardinal~, a lady's red cloak. A cloak with this name was in fashion in -the year 1760. It received its title from its similarity in shape to one -of the vestments of a cardinal. Also mulled red wine. - -~Cardwell's Men~, officers promoted in pursuance of the new system of -non-purchase. - -~Carney~, soft hypocritical language. Also, to flatter, wheedle, or -insinuate oneself.--_Prov._ - -~Carnish~, meat, from the _Ital._ CARNE, flesh; a _Lingua Franca_ -importation; CARNISH-KEN, a thieves' eating-house; "cove of the -CARNISH-KEN," the keeper thereof.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Caroon~, five shillings. _French_, COURONNE; _Gipsy_, COURNA; -_Spanish_, CORONA. - -~Carpet~, "upon the CARPET," any subject or matter that is uppermost for -discussion or conversation. Frequently quoted as _sur le tapis_, or more -generally "on the _tapis_," but it does not seem to be at all known in -France. Also servants' slang. When a domestic is summoned by the master -or mistress to receive a warning or reprimand, he or she is said to be -CARPETED. The corresponding term in commercial establishments is a -WIGGING. - -~Carpet-Knight~, an habitue of drawing-rooms, a "ladies' man." - -~Carrier-Pigeon~, a swindler, one who formerly used to cheat -lottery-office keepers. Now used among betting men to describe one who -runs from place to place with "commissions." - -~Carriwitchet~, a hoaxing, puzzling question, not admitting of a -satisfactory answer, as--"How far is it from the first of July to London -Bridge?" "If a bushel of apples cost ten shillings, how long will it -take for an oyster to eat its way through a barrel of soap?" - -~Carrot.~ "Take a CARROT!" a vulgar insulting phrase. - -~Carrots~, the coarse and satirical term for red hair. An epigram gives -an illustration of the use of this term:-- - - "Why scorn red hair? The Greeks, we know, - (I note it here in charity) - Had taste in beauty, and with them - The graces were all _Charitai_!" - -Of late years CARROTY hair in all its shades has been voted beautiful, -_i.e._, fashionable. - -~Carry Corn~, to bear success well and equally. It is said of a man who -breaks down under a sudden access of wealth--as successful horse-racing -men and unexpected legatees often do--or who becomes affected and -intolerant, that "he doesn't CARRY CORN well." - -~Carry me Out!~ an exclamation of pretended astonishment on hearing news -too good to be true, or a story too marvellous to be believed. Sometimes -varied by "Let me die," _i.e._, I can't survive that. Profanely derived -from the _Nunc dimittis_ (Luke xi. 29). The Irish say, "CARRY ME OUT, -and bury me decently." - -~Carry-on~, to joke a person to excess, to CARRY ON a "spree" too far; -"how we CARRIED ON, to be sure!" _i.e._, what fun we had. _Nautical -term_--from carrying on sail. - -~Carts~, a pair of shoes. In Norfolk the carapace of a crab is called a -_crab cart_; hence CARTS would be synonymous with CRAB SHELLS, which -_see_. - -~Cart-wheel~, a five-shilling piece. Generally condensed to "WHEEL." - -~Ca-sa~, a writ of _capias ad satisfaciendam_.--_Legal slang._ - -~Casa~, or CASE, a house, respectable or otherwise. Probably from the -Italian CASA.--_Old Cant._ The Dutch use the word KAST in a vulgar sense -for a house, _i.e._, MOTTEKAST, a brothel. CASE sometimes means a -water-closet, but is in general applied to a "house of accommodation." -CASA is generally pronounced _carzey_. - -~Cascade~, to vomit. - -~Case.~ Some years ago the term CASE was applied generally to persons or -things; "what a CASE he is," _i.e._, what a curious person; "a rum CASE -that," or "you are a CASE," both synonymous with the phrase "odd fish," -common half a century ago. This would seem to have been originally a -"case" for the police-court; drunkenness, &c. Among young ladies at -boarding-schools a CASE means a love-affair. CASE now means any -unfortunate matter. "I'm afraid it's a CASE with him." - -~Case~, a bad crown-piece. HALF-A-CASE, a counterfeit half-crown. There -are two sources, either of which may have contributed this slang term. -CASER is the Hebrew word for a crown; and silver coin is frequently -counterfeited by coating or CASING pewter or iron imitations with -silver. Possibly from its being "a CASE" with the unfortunate owner. - -~Cask~, fashionable slang for a brougham, or other private carriage. Not -very general. "PILLBOX" is the more usual term. - -~Cassam~, cheese--not CAFFAN, which Egan, in his edition of _Grose_, has -ridiculously inserted.--_Ancient Cant._ _Latin_, CASEUS. _Gael._ and -_Irish_, CAISE. - -~Cast~, to assist by lightening labour. Men in small boats who want to -be towed behind steamers or sailing vessels, say "Give us a CAST." Also -used by waggoners and others, who sometimes vary the performance by -asking, when stuck on a hill, for a pound, possibly a pound of flesh, -horse or human. - -~Cast up Accounts~, to vomit.--_Old._ - -~Castor~, a hat. Mostly used in pugilistic circles. Indeed many -hangers-on of the P.R. have considered that the term arose from the -custom of casting the hat into the ring, before entering oneself. CASTOR -was the _Latin_ name for the animal now known as the BEAVER; and, -strange to add, BEAVER was the slang for CASTOR, or hat, many years ago, -before gossamer came into fashion. - -~Cat~, a lady's muff; "to free a CAT," _i.e._, steal a muff. - -~Cat~, to vomit like a cat. Perhaps from CATARACT; but _see_ SHOOT THE -CAT. - -~Cat~--CAT O' NINE TAILS, a whip with that number of lashes used to -punish refractory sailors.--_Sea._ The "cat" is now a recognised term -for the punishmental whip. - -~Catamaran~, a disagreeable old woman.--_Thackeray._ - -~Cat and Kitten Sneaking~, stealing pint and quart pots and small pewter -spirit measures from public-houses. - -~Cataract~, once a black satin scarf arranged for the display of -jewellery, much in vogue among "commercial gents." Now quite out of -date. - -~Catchbet~, a bet made for the purpose of entrapping the unwary by means -of a paltry subterfuge. _See_ CHERRY COLOUR. - -~Catch-'em-Alive~, a humane trap; also a small-tooth comb. A piece of -paper smeared with a sweet sticky substance which is spread about where -flies most abound, and in this sense not particularly humane. The -CATCH-'EM-ALIVE trap for rats and other such animals is humane compared -with the gin trap. - -~Catch-penny~, any temporary contrivance to obtain money from the -public; penny shows, or cheap exhibitions. Also descriptions of murders -which have never taken place. - -~Catchy~ (similar formation to _touchy_), inclined to take an undue -advantage. - -~Caterwauling~, applied derisively to inharmonious singing; also -love-making, from the noise of cats similarly engaged. - -~Catever~, a queer, or singular affair; anything poor, or very bad. From -the _Lingua Franca_, and _Italian_, CATTIVO, bad. Variously spelled by -the lower orders.--_See_ KERTEVER. - -~Cat-faced~, a vulgar and very common expression of contempt in the -North of England. - -~Catgut-Scraper~, a fiddler. - -~Cat-in-the-Pan~, a traitor, a turncoat--derived by some from the -_Greek_, _katapan_, altogether; or--and more likely--from _cake in -pan_, a pan-cake, which is frequently turned from side to side. - -~Cat-lap~, a contemptuous expression for weak drink. Anything a cat will -drink is very innocuous. - -~Cats and Dogs.~ It is said to rain cats and dogs when a shower is -exceptionally heavy. Probably in ridicule of the remarkable showers -which used to find their way into the papers during the "silly season." - -~Cat's-meat~, a coarse term for the lungs--the "lights" or lungs of -animals being usually sold to feed cats. - -~Cat's-paw~, a dupe or tool. From the old story of the monkey who used -the cat's-paw to remove his roast chestnuts from the fire. A sea term, -meaning light and occasional breezes occurring in calm weather. - -~Cat's-water~, "old Tom," or gin. - -~Cattle~, a term of contempt applied to the mob, or to a lot of lazy, -helpless servants. - -~Caucus~, a private meeting held for the purpose of concerting measures, -agreeing upon candidates for office before an election, &c. This is an -American term, and a corruption of CAULKER'S MEETING, being derived from -an association of the shipping interest at Boston, previous to the War -of Independence, who were very active in getting up opposition to -England.--_See Pickering's Vocabulary._ - -~Caulk~, to take a surreptitious nap; sleep generally, from the ordinary -meaning of the term; stopping leaks, repairing damages, so as to come -out as good as new.--_Sea term._ - -~Caulker~, a dram. The term "caulker" is usually applied to a stiff -glass of grog--preferably brandy--finishing the potations of the -evening. _See_ WHITEWASH. - -~Caulker~, a too marvellous story, a lie. CHOKER has the same sense. - -~Caution~, anything out of the common way. "He's a CAUTION," is said of -an obdurate or argumentative man. The phrase is also used in many ways -in reference to places and things. - -~Cavaulting~, a vulgar phrase equivalent to "horsing." The _Italian_ -CAVALLINO, signifies a rake or debauchee.--_Lingua Franca_, CAVOLTA. -From this comes the Americanism "cavorting," running or riding round in -a heedless or purposeless manner. - -~Cave~, or CAVE IN, to submit, shut up.--_American._ Metaphor taken from -the sinking of an abandoned mining shaft. - -~Chaff~, to gammon, joke, quiz, or praise ironically. Originally "to -queer" represented our modern word "CHAFF." CHAFF-bone, the -jaw-bone.--_Yorkshire._ CHAFF, jesting. In _Anglo-Saxon_, CEAF is chaff; -and CEAFL, bill, beak, or jaw. In the _Ancren Riwle_, A.D. 1221, CEAFLE -is used in the sense of idle discourse. - -~Chaffer~, the mouth; "moisten your CHAFFER," _i.e._, take something to -drink. - -~Chal~, old Romany term for a man; CHIE was the name for a woman. - -~Chalk out~, or CHALK DOWN, to mark out a line of conduct or action; to -make a rule or order. Phrase derived from the _Workshop_. - -~Chalk up~, to credit, make entry in account books of indebtedness; "I -can't pay you now, but you can CHALK IT UP," _i.e._, charge me with the -article in your day-book. From the old practice of chalking one's score -for drink behind the bar-doors of public-houses. - -~Chalks~, "to walk one's CHALKS," to move off, or run away. An ordeal -for drunkenness used on board ship, to see whether the suspected person -can walk on a chalked line without overstepping it on either side. - -~Chalks~, degrees, marks; so called from being made by a piece of chalk; -"to beat by long CHALKS," _i.e._, to be superior by many degrees. -"Making CHALKS" is a term connected with the punishment of boys on board -ship, and in the Naval School at Greenwich. Two chalk lines are drawn -wide apart on the deck or floor, and the boy to be punished places a -foot on each of these lines, and stoops, thereby presenting a convenient -portion of his person to the boatswain or master. - -~Chance the Ducks~, an expression signifying come what may. "I'll do it, -and CHANCE THE DUCKS." - -~Chancery~, a pugilistic phrase for difficulties; "to get a man's head -into CHANCERY," _i.e._, to get an opponent's head firmly under one's -arm, where it can be pommelled with immense power, and without any -possibility of immediate extrication. From the helplessness of a suitor -in Chancery. This opportunity was of very rare occurrence when the -combatants were at all evenly matched. - -~Change~, small money. The overplus returned after paying for a thing in -a round sum. Hence a slang expression used when a person receives a -"settler" in the shape of either a repartee or a blow--"Take your CHANGE -out of that!" - -~Chap~, a fellow, a boy; "a low CHAP," a low fellow--abbreviation of -CHAPMAN, a huckster. Used by _Byron_ in his _Critical Remarks_. - -~Chapel~, a printers' assembly, held for the purpose of discussing -differences between employer and workmen, trade regulations, or other -matters. The term is scarcely slang, but some "comps" ask its insertion -in this work. - -~Chapel.~ An undergrad is expected to attend seven out of the fourteen -services in chapel each week, and to let four or five be morning -chapels. Occasionally a Don--the Dean as a rule--will "CHAPEL" him, that -is, order him to attend to worship his Creator twice daily. The Bible -clerk "pricks the list," _i.e._, marks down the names of all -present.--_Univ._ - -~Chapel-of-ease.~ _French_, CABINET D'AISANCE, a house of office. - -~Chariot-buzzing~, picking pockets in an omnibus. - -~Charley~, a watchman, a beadle. Almost obsolete now. - -~Charley-pitcher~, a low, cheating gambler. - -~Charlies~, a woman's breasts. Also called dairies and bubbies. - -~Chats~, lice, or body vermin. _Prov._, any small things of the same -kind. - -~Chatter-basket~, common term for a prattling child amongst nurses. - -~Chatter-box~, an incessant talker or chatterer. - -~Chatty~, a filthy person, one whose clothes are not free from vermin; -CHATTY DOSS, a lousy bed. A CHATTY DOSSER or a CRUMMY DOSSER is a filthy -tramp or houseless wanderer. - -~Chaunt~, to sing the contents of any paper in the streets. CANT, as -applied to vulgar language, may have been derived from CHAUNT. - -~Chaunt~, "to CHAUNT the play," to explain the tricks and manoeuvres of -thieves. - -~Chaunter-culls~, a singular body of men who used to haunt certain -well-known public-houses, and write satirical or libellous ballads on -any person, or body of persons, for a consideration. 7_s._ 6_d._ was the -usual fee, and in three hours the ballad might be heard in St. Paul's -Churchyard, or other public spot. Strange as it may appear, there are -actually two men in London at the present day who gain their living in -this way. Very recently they were singing before the establishment of a -fashionable tailor in Regent Street; and not long since they were -bawling their doggrel rhymes outside the mansion of a Norfolk M.P., in -Belgravia.[57] - -~Chaunters~, those street sellers of ballads, last copies of verses, and -other broadsheets, who sang or bawled the contents of their papers. They -often termed themselves PAPER WORKERS. Cheap evening papers and private -executions have together combined to improve these folks' occupations -off the face of the earth. _See_ HORSE-CHAUNTERS. - -~Chaw~, to chew; CHAW UP, to get the better of one, finish him up; -CHAWED UP, utterly done for. - -~Chaw-bacon~, a rustic. Derived from the popular idea that a countryman -lives entirely on bread and fat bacon. A country clown, a joskin, a -yokel, a clodcrusher. These terms are all exchangeable. - -~Chaw over~, to repeat one's words with a view to ridicule. - -~Cheap~, "doing it on the CHEAP," living economically, or keeping up a -showy appearance with very little means. - -~Cheap Jacks~, or JOHNS, oratorical hucksters and patterers of hardware, -who put an article up at a high price, and then cheapen it by degrees, -indulging all the time in volleys of coarse wit, until it becomes to all -appearance a bargain, and as such it is bought by one of the crowd. The -popular idea is that the inverse method of auctioneering saves them -paying for the auction licence.--_See_ DUTCH AUCTION. - -~Checks~, counters used in games at cards. In the Pacific States of -America a man who is dead is said to have handed (or passed) in his -checks. The gamblers there are responsible for many of the -colloquialisms current. - -~Chee-Chee~, this word is used in a rather offensive manner to denote -Eurasians,[58] or children by an English father and native mother. It -takes its origin in a very common expression of half-caste females, -"CHEE-CHEE," equivalent to our Oh, fie!--Nonsense!--For -shame!--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Cheek~, share or portion; "where's my CHEEK?" where is my allowance? -"All to his own CHEEK," all to himself. - -~Cheek~, impudence, assurance; CHEEKY, saucy or forward. - -~Cheek~, to irritate by impudence, to accuse. - -~Cheek by Jowl~, side by side--said often of persons in such close -confabulation that their faces almost touch. - -~Cheese~, anything good, first-rate in quality, genuine, pleasant, or -advantageous, is termed the CHEESE. The _London Guide_, 1818, says it -was from some young fellows translating "c'est une autre CHOSE" into -"that is another CHEESE." But the expression CHEESE may be found in the -Gipsy vocabulary, and in the Hindostanee and Persian languages. In the -last CHIZ means a thing--that is the thing, _i.e._, the CHEESE. - -~Cheese~, or CHEESE IT (evidently a corruption of _cease_), leave off, -or have done; "CHEESE your barrikin," hold your noise. Term very common. - -~Cheesecutter~, a prominent and aquiline nose. Also a large square peak -to a cap. Caps fitted with square peaks are called cheesecutter caps. - -~Cheesemongers~, once a popular name for the First Lifeguards. Until the -Peninsular War the First Lifeguards, from their almost exclusive service -at home, were nicknamed CHEESEMONGERS. This term then fell into -desuetude; but at Waterloo the commanding officer of the regiment had -not forgotten it, and when leading his men to the charge, called out, -"Come on, you damned CHEESEMONGERS!" an invitation complied with so -readily, that the title was restored, with the difference that it was no -longer a word of reproach. - -~Cheesy~, fine or showy. The opposite of "dusty." - -~Cherry-bums~, or CHERUBIMS, a nickname given to the 11th Hussars, from -their crimson trousers. - -~Cherry-colour~, either red or black, as you wish; a term used in a -cheating trick at cards. When the cards are being dealt, a knowing one -offers 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, leaving -his victim a wiser man, it is to be hoped, and not a _better_ for the -future. It may be as well for the habitually unfortunate to know that -wagers of this kind are not recoverable even according to the sporting -code, which disacknowledges all kinds of catch-bets. - -~Cherry-merry~, a present of money. CHERRY-MERRY-BAMBOO, a -beating.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Cherubs~, or still more vulgarly, CHERUBIMS, the chorister boys who -chaunt in the services at the abbeys and cathedrals. Possibly because in -some places their heads alone are visible. - -~Cheshire Cat~, to grin like a CHESHIRE CAT, to display the teeth and -gums when laughing. Formerly the phrase was "to grin like a CHESHIRE CAT -eating cheese." A hardly satisfactory explanation has been given of this -phrase--that Cheshire is a county palatine, and the cats, when they -think of it, are so tickled with the notion that they can't help -grinning.[59] - -~Chicken~, a term applied to anything young, small, or insignificant; -CHICKEN STAKES, small paltry stakes; "she's no CHICKEN," said of an old -maid. - -~Chicken-hearted~, cowardly, fearful. With about the amount of pluck a -chicken in a fright might be supposed to possess. - -~Chi-ike~, to hail in a rough though friendly manner; to support by -means of vociferation. - -~Chi-ike~, a hail; a good loud word of hearty praise; term used by the -costermongers, who assist the sale of each other's goods by a little -friendly, although noisy, commendation. - -~Children's Shoes~ (to make), to be made nought of.--_See_ SHOES. - -~Chill~, to warm, as beer. This at first seems like reversing the order -of things, but it is only a contraction of "take the CHILL off." - -~Chimney-Sweep~, the aperient mixture commonly called a _black draught_. - -~Chin-chin~, a salutation, a compliment.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Chink~, or CHINKERS, money.--_Ancient._ Derivation obvious. - -~Chin-wag~, officious impertinence. - -~Chip of the Old Block~, a child which physically or morally resembles -its father. BROTHER CHIP, one of the same trade or profession. -Originally brother carpenter, now general. - -~Chips~, money; also a nickname for a carpenter.--_Sea._ - -~Chirp~, to give information, to "peach." - -~Chisel~, to cheat, to take a slice off anything. Hence the old -conundrum: "Why is a carpenter like a swindler?--Because he chisels a -deal." - -~Chit~, a letter; corruption of a _Hindoo_ word.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Chitterlings~, the shirt frills once fashionable and worn still by -ancient beaux; properly the _entrails of a pig_, to which they are -supposed to bear some resemblance. _Belgian_ SCHYTERLINGH. - -~Chivalry~, coition. Probably a corruption from the _Lingua Franca_. -Perhaps from CHEVAULCHER. - -~Chive~, or CHIVEY, a shout, a halloo, or cheer; loud tongued. Probably -from CHEVY-CHASE, a boy's game, in which the word CHEVY is bawled aloud. -Dickens uses the word CHIVEY in _Bleak House_ rather freely, but there -it is from the other phase of CHEVY-CHASE which follows. - -~Chive~, a knife; also used as a verb, to knife. In all these cases the -word is pronounced as though written CHIV or CHIVVY. - -~Chive-Fencer~, a street hawker of cutlery. - -~Chivey~, to chase round, or hunt about. Apparently from -CHEVY-CHASE.--_See_ above. - -~Choakee~, or CHOKEY, the black hole.--_Military Anglo-Indian._ Chokey -is also very vulgar slang for prison. - -~Chock-Full~, full till the scale comes down with a shock. Originally -CHOKE-FULL, and used in reference to theatres and places of amusement. - -~Choke Off~, to get rid of. Bulldogs can only be made to loose their -hold by choking them.[60] Suggestively to get rid of a man by saying -something to him which "sticks in his gizzard." - -~Choker~, a cravat, a neckerchief. WHITE-CHOKER, the white neckerchief -worn by mutes at a funeral, waiters at a tavern, and gentlemen in -evening costume. Clergymen and Exeter Hallites are frequently termed -WHITE-CHOKERS. - -~Choker~, or WIND-STOPPER, a garotter. - -~Chonkeys~, a kind of mincemeat, baked in a crust, and sold in the -streets. - -~Choops~, a corruption of CHOOPRAHO, keep silence.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Chootah~, small, insignificant.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Chop~, in the Canton jargon of _Anglo-Chinese_, this word has several -significations. It means an official seal, a permit, a boat load of -teas. FIRST CHOP signifies first quality; and CHOP-CHOP, to make haste. - -~Chop~, to exchange, to "swop." To CHOP and change, to be as variable as -the wind. - -~Chops~, properly CHAPS, the mouth, or cheeks; "down in the CHOPS," or -"down in the mouth," _i.e._, sad or melancholy. - -~Chouse~, to cheat out of one's share or portion. _Hackluyt_, CHAUS; -_Massinger_, CHIAUS. From the _Turkish_, in which language it signifies -an interpreter. _Gifford_ gives a curious story as to its origin:-- - - "In the year 1609 there was attached to the Turkish embassy in - England an Interpreter, or CHIAOUS, who, by cunning, aided by his - official position, managed to cheat the Turkish and Persian - merchants, then in London, out of the large sum of L4000, then - deemed an enormous amount. From the notoriety which attended the - fraud, and the magnitude of the swindle, any one who cheated or - defrauded was said to _chiaous_, or _chause_, or CHOUSE; to do, that - is, as this _Chiaous_ had done."--_See Trench, Eng. Past and - Present._ - -CHIAUS, according to _Sandys_ (_Travels_, p. 48), is "one who goes on -embassies, executes commandments," &c. The particular Chiaus in question -is alluded to in _Ben Jonson's Alchymist_, 1610. - - "_D._ What do you think of me? - That I am a CHIAUS? - _Face._ What's that? - _D._ The Turk [who] was here. - As one would say, do you think I am a Turk?" - -~Chout~, an entertainment.--_East-end of London._ - -~Chovey~, a shop.--_Costermonger._ - -~Chow-Chow~, a mixture, food of any kind. Also chit-chat and -gossip.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Chowdar~, a fool.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Christening~, erasing the name of the maker, the number, or any other -mark, from a stolen watch, and inserting a fictitious one in its place. - -~Chubby~, round-faced, plump. Probably from the same derivative as CHUB, -which means literally a fish with a big head. - -~Chuck~, bread or meat; in fact, anything to eat. Also a particular kind -of beefsteak. - -~Chuck~, a schoolboy's treat.--_Westminster School._ Provision for an -entertainment. Hard CHUCK is sea biscuit. - -~Chuck~, to throw or pitch. - -~Chuck a Jolly~, to bear up or bonnet, as when a costermonger praises -the inferior article his mate or partner is trying to sell. _See_ -CHI-IKE. - -~Chuck a Stall~, to attract a person's attention while a confederate -picks his pockets, or otherwise robs him. - -~Chuck in~, to challenge--from the pugilistic custom of throwing a hat -into the ring; a modern version of "throwing down the gauntlet." This -term seems to have gone out of fashion with the custom which gave rise -to it. - -~Chuckle-head~, much the same as "buffle head," "cabbage head," "chowder -head," "cod's head,"--all signifying that large abnormal form of skull -generally supposed to accompany stupidity and weakness of intellect; as -the Scotch proverb, "muckle head and little wit."--Originally -Devonshire, but now general. - -~Chucks!~ Schoolboy's signal on the master's approach. - -~Chuck up~, to surrender, give in--from the custom of throwing up the -sponge at a prize-fight in token of yielding. This is very often -corrupted into "jack up." - -~Chuff it~, _i.e._, be off, or take it away, in answer to a street -seller who is importuning you to purchase. _Halliwell_ mentions CHUFF as -a "term of reproach," surly, &c. - -~Chull~, make haste. An abbreviation of the _Hindostanee_ CHULLO, -signifying "go along." CHULL is very commonly used to accelerate the -motions of a servant, driver, or palanquin-bearer. - -~Chum~, an intimate acquaintance. A recognised term, but in such -frequent use with slangists that it almost demands a place here. Stated -to be from the _Anglo-Saxon_, CUMA, a guest. - -~Chum~, to occupy a joint lodging with another person. _Latin_, CUM. - -~Chumming-up~, an old custom amongst prisoners before the present -regulations were in vogue, and before imprisonment for debt was -abolished; when a fresh man was admitted to their number, rough music -was made with pokers, tongs, sticks, and saucepans. For this ovation the -initiated prisoner had to pay, or "fork over," half-a-crown--or submit -to a loss of coat and waistcoat. - -~Chummy~, a chimney-sweep--probably connected with _chimney_; also a -low-crowned felt hat. Sometimes, but rarely, a sweep is called a -clergyman--from his colour. - -~Chump~, the head or face. Also one end of a loin of mutton. A -half-idiotic or daft person is said to be off his chump. - -~Chunk~, a thick or dumpy piece of any substance, as a CHUNK of bread or -meat.--_Kentish._ - -~Church a yack~ (or watch), to take the works of a watch from its -original case, and put them into another one, to avoid detection.--_See_ -CHRISTEN. - -~Churchwarden~, a long pipe, "a yard of clay;" probably so called from -the dignity which seems to hedge the smoker of a churchwarden, and the -responsibility attached to its use. Sometimes called an Alderman. - -~Cinder~, any liquor used in connexion with soda-water, as to "take a -soda with a CINDER in it." The cinder may be sherry, brandy, or any -other liquor. - -~Circumbendibus~, a roundabout way, a long-winded story. - -~Clack-box~, a garrulous person, so called from the rattle formerly used -by vagrants to make a rattling noise and attract attention.--_Norfolk._ - -[Asterism] A common proverb in this county is, "your tongue goes like -A BAKER'S CLAP-DISH," which is evidently a modern corruption of the -beggars' CLAP or CLACK-DISH mentioned in _Measure for Measure_. It was -a wooden dish with a movable cover. - -~Claggum~, boiled treacle in a hardened state, hardbake.--_See_ CLIGGY. - -~Clam, or clem~, to starve.--_North._ - -~Clap~, to place; "do you think you can CLAP your hand on him?" _i.e._, -find him out. CLAP is also a well-known form of a contagious disease. - -~Clapper~, the tongue. Said of an over-talkative person, to be hung in -the middle and to sound with both ends. - -~Clap-trap~, high-sounding nonsense. An ancient theatrical term for a -"TRAP to catch a CLAP by way of applause from the spectators at a -play."--_Bailey's Dictionary._ - -~Claret~, blood.--_Pugilistic._ Otherwise Badminton--which _see_. - -~Clashy~, a low fellow, a labourer.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Class~, the highest quality or combination of highest qualities among -athletes. "He's not CLASS enough," _i.e._, not good enough. "There's a -deal of CLASS about him," _i.e._, a deal of quality. The term as used -this way obtains to a certain extent among turfites. - -~Clawhammer coat~, an American term for a tail-coat used in evening -costume. Also known as a steel-pen coat. - -~Clean~, quite, or entirely; "CLEAN gone," entirely out of sight, or -away.--_Old_, see Cotgrave and Shakspeare. CLEAN CONTRARY, quite -different, opposite. - -~Clean out~, to ruin, or make bankrupt any one; to take all he has got, -by purchase, chicane, or force. De Quincey, in his article on Richard -Bentley, speaking of the lawsuit between that great scholar and Dr. -Colbatch, remarks that the latter "must have been pretty well CLEANED -OUT." The term is very general. - -~Click~, a knock or blow. CLICK-HANDED, left-handed.--_Cornish._ A term -in Cumberland and Westmoreland wrestling for a peculiar kind of throw, -as "an inside CLICK," or "an outside CLICK." - -~Click~, to snatch, to pull away something that belongs to another. - -~Clicker~, a female touter at a bonnet shop. In Northamptonshire, the -cutter out in a shoemaking establishment. In the _Dictionary of the -Terms, Ancient and Modern, of the Canting Crew_, Lond. n. d. (but prior -to 1700), the CLICKER is described as "the shoemaker's journeyman or -servant, that cutts out all the work, and stands at or walks before the -door, and saies--'What d'ye lack, sir? what d'ye buy, madam?'" In a -printing-office, a man who makes up the pages, and who takes work and -receives money for himself and companions. - -~Clift~, to steal. - -~Cliggy~, or CLIDGY, sticky.--_Anglo-Saxon_, CLAEG, clay.--_See_ -CLAGGUM. - -~Clinch~ (to get the), to be locked up in jail. - -~Clincher~, that which rivets or confirms an argument, an -incontrovertible position. Also a lie which cannot be surpassed, a -stopper-up, said to be derived as follows:--Two notorious liars were -backed to outlie each other. "I drove a nail through the moon once," -said the first. "Right," said the other; "I recollect the circumstance -well, for I went round to the back part of the moon and _clinched_ -it"--hence CLINCHER. - -~Cling-rig~, stealing tankards from public-houses, &c. - -~Clipper~, a fine fast-sailing vessel. Applied also as a term of -encomium to a handsome woman. - -~Clipping~, excellent, very good. CLIPPER, anything showy or first-rate. - -~Clock~, a watch. Watches are also distinguished by the terms "red -clock," a gold watch, and "white clock," a silver watch. Generally -modified into "red'un" and "white'un." - -~Clock~, "to know what's O'CLOCK," to be "up, down, fly and awake," to -know everything about everything--a definition of knowingness in -general.--_See_ TIME O' DAY. - -~Clod-hopper~, a country clown. - -~Cloud~, TO BE UNDER A, to be in difficulties, disgrace or disrepute; in -fact, to be in shady circumstances. - -~Clout~, or RAG, a cotton pocket-handkerchief.--_Old Cant._ Now -"_clouts_" means a woman's under-clothes, from the waist downwards, -_i.e._, petticoats when they are on the person; but the term is extended -to mean the whole unworn wardrobe. Probably St. Giles's satire, having -reference to the fact that few women there possess a second gown. - -~Clout~, an intentional heavy blow. - -~Clover~, happiness, luck, a delightful position--from the supposed -extra enjoyment which attends cattle when they suddenly find their -quarters changed from a barren field to a meadow of clover. Among -betting men he who has arranged his wagerings so satisfactorily before -an event that he cannot possibly lose, and may win a good deal, is said -to be in clover, a phrase which is sometimes varied by the remark that -"he stands on velvet." Any one who is provided for, so that he can look -forward to a term of ease and enjoyment for the rest of his life, is -also said to be in clover. - -~Club~, in manoeuvring troops, so to blunder in giving the word of -command that the soldiers get into a position from which they cannot -extricate themselves by ordinary tactical means. Young officers -frequently "CLUB" their men, and get consequently "wigged" by the -inspecting general. - -~Clump~, to strike, to beat.--_Prov._ - -~Cly~, a pocket.--_Old Cant_ for to steal. A correspondent derives this -word from the _Old English_, CLEYES, claws; _Anglo-Saxon_, CLEA. This -pronunciation is still retained in Norfolk; thus, to CLY would mean to -pounce upon, to snatch.--_See_ FRISK. _Gael._, CLIAH (pronounced CLEE), -a basket. - -~Cly-faker~, a pickpocket. - -~Coach~, a private tutor. Originally University, but now general. Any -man who now trains or teaches another, or others, is called a coach. To -coach is to instruct as regards either physical or mental acquirements. -A private tutor is sometimes termed a RURAL COACH when he is not -connected with a college. At Rugby a flogging is termed a "coaching." - -~Coach-wheel~, or TUSHEROON, a crown-piece, or five shillings. - -~Coal~, money; "post the COAL," put down the money. The phrase was used -by Mr. Buckstone at the Theatrical Fund Dinner of 1863. From this is -derived the theatrical term COALING, profitable, very good, which an -actor will use if his part is full of good and telling speeches--thus, -"my part is full of COALING lines." This term was used in the sporting -world long anterior to Mr. Buckstone's speech. _See_ COAL. - -~Coals~, "to haul (or pull) over the COALS," to take to task, to scold. -Supposed by Jamieson to refer to the ordeal by fire. To "take one's -coals in," is a term used by sailors to express their having caught the -venereal disease. It means that they have gotten that which will keep -them hot for a good many months. - -~Cobbing~, a punishment inflicted by sailors and soldiers among -themselves. _See_ Grose and Captain Marryat's novels. A hand-saw is the -general instrument of punishment. - -~Cock~, a familiar term of address; "jolly old COCK," a jovial fellow, -"how are you, old COCK?" Frequently rendered nowadays, COCK-E-E, a -vulgar street salutation--probably a corruption of COCK-EYE. The latter -is frequently heard as a shout or street cry after a man or boy. - -~Cock~, a smoking term; "COCKING a Broseley," _i.e._, smoking a pipe. -Broseley in Shropshire is famous for "churchwardens." A "COCK" is an -apocryphal story, generally, of a murder or elopement bawled about the -streets by the Seven Dials' "patterers." - -~Cock~, a pugilistic term for a man who is knocked out of time. "Knocked -him a reg'lar COCK." Sometimes used to signify knocked out of shape, as, -"Knocked him A-COCK," probably connected with "cocked-hat shape." A -horse who has been backed by the public, but who does not run, or, -running, does not persevere. - -~Cock~, "to COCK your eye," to shut or wink one eye, to make -"sheep's-eyes." - -~Cock-a-hoop~, in high spirits. Possibly the idea is from the fact that, -if a cock wins a fight, he will mount on anything near, and crow lustily -and jubilantly. It is noticeable that under these circumstances a cock -always gets off the ground-level if he can. - -~Cockalorum~, or COCKYLORUM, amplification of cock or cocky. - -~Cock and bull story~, a long, rambling anecdote.--_See_ Peroration to -_Tristram Shandy_. - -~Cock-and-hen-club~, a free and easy gathering, or "sing-song," where -females are admitted as well as males. - -~Cock-and-pinch~, the old-fashioned beaver hat, affected by "swells" and -"sporting gents" forty years ago--COCKED back and front, and PINCHED up -at the sides. - -~Cock-a-wax~, an amplification of the simple term COCK, sometimes "Lad -of WAX," originally applied to a cobbler, but now general. - -~Cocked-hat-club~, the principal clique amongst the members of the -Society of Antiquaries, who virtually decide whether any person proposed -shall be admitted or not. The term comes from the "cocked-hat" placed -before the president at the sittings. There was another cocked-hat club -in London not many years back, which had nothing peculiar about it -beyond the fact that every member wore during club sittings, a -"fore-and-aft" cocked-hat. Otherwise the proceedings were of the most -ordinary kind. - -~Cocked-hat-shaped~, shapeless: Anything which has been altered beyond -recognition, or any man who has been put completely _hors de combat_, is -said to have been knocked into a COCKED-HAT. - -~Cocker~, "It is all right, according to Cocker," meaning that -everything has been done in accordance with the present system of -figures. The phrase refers to the celebrated writing-master of Charles -II.'s time, whose Arithmetic, Dictionary, &c., were long the standard -authorities. The Arithmetic was first published in 1677-8, and, though -it reached more than sixty editions, is considered a very scarce book. -Professor de Morgan says that the main goodness of Cocker's _Tutor_ -consists in his adopting the abbreviated system of division; and -suggests that it became a proverbial representative of arithmetic from -Murphy's farce of _The Apprentice_, 1756, in which the strong point of -the old merchant, Wingate, is his extreme reverence for Cocker and his -arithmetic. A curious fact may here be mentioned in connexion with this -saying. It has been stated, and very well proved, that many words -popular in Shakspeare's time, and now obsolete in this country, are -still in every-day use in the older English settlements of North -America. The original compiler of this work was surprised, when -travelling through Western Canada, to find that, instead of the renowned -Cocker, the people appealed to another and more learned authority. -"According to Gunter," is a phrase in continual Transatlantic use. This -scientific worthy invented the sector in 1606; and in 1623, about the -time of the great Puritan exodus to North America, he brought out his -famous _Rule of Proportion_. This was popularly known as Gunter's -Proportion, or _Gunter's Line_, and the term soon became a vulgar -standard of appeal in cases of doubt or dispute. - -~Cock-eye~, a term of opprobrium often applied to one that squints. - -~Cockles~, "to rejoice the COCKLES of one's heart," a vulgar phrase -implying great pleasure. Also, to "warm one's COCKLES," said of any hot, -well-spiced drink, taken in cold weather. COCKLES altogether seem to be -an imaginary portion--of great importance--in the internal economy of -the human frame. - -~Cockney~, a native of London. Originally, a spoilt or effeminate boy, -derived from COCKERING, or foolishly petting a person, rendering him of -soft and luxurious manners. Halliwell states, in his admirable essay -upon the word, that "some writers trace the word with much probability -to the imaginary land of COCKAYGNE, the lubber land of the olden times." -Grose gives Minsheu's absurd but comical derivation:--A citizen of -London being in the country, and hearing a horse neigh, exclaimed, -"Lord! how that horse laughs!" A bystander informed him that the noise -was called neighing. The next morning when the cock crowed, the citizen, -to show that he had not forgotten what was told him, cried out, "Do you -hear how the COCK NEIGHS?"--_See_ MARE'S NEST. - -~Cock of the walk~, a master spirit, head of a party. Places where -poultry are fed are called WALKS, and the barn door cocks invariably -fight for the supremacy till one has obtained it. At schools where this -phrase was originally much used, it has been diminished to "COCK" only. - -~Cock one's toes~, to die. Otherwise "turn-up one's toes." - -~Cock-robin shop~, a small printing-office, where cheap and nasty work -is done and low wages are paid. - -~Cocks~, fictitious narratives, in verse or prose, of murders, fires, -and terrible accidents, sold in the streets as true accounts. The man -who hawks them, a patterer, often changes the scene of the awful event -to suit the taste of the neighbourhood he is trying to delude. Possibly -a corruption of _cook_, a cooked statement, or maybe "the story of a -cock and a bull" may have had something to do with the term. -Improvements in newspapers, especially in those published in the -evening, and increased scepticism on the part of the public, have -destroyed this branch of a once-flourishing business. - -~Cockshy~, a game at fairs and races, where trinkets are set upon -sticks, and for one penny three throws at them are accorded, the thrower -keeping whatever he knocks off. From the ancient game of throwing or -"shying" at live cocks. Any prominent person abused in the newspapers is -said to be a common COCKSHY. - -~Cocksure~, certain. - -~Cocky~, pert, saucy. - -~Cocoa-nut~, the head. A pugilistic term. Also, when anything is -explained to a man for the first time, it is not unusual for him to say, -"Ah, that accounts for the milk in the cocoa-nut"--a remark which has -its origin in a clever but not very moral story. - -~Cocum~, shrewdness, ability, luck; "Jack's got COCUM, he's safe to get -on, he is,"--viz., he starts under favourable circumstances; "to fight -COCUM" is to be wily and cautious. Allied perhaps to the Scottish KEEK, -_German_, GUCKEN, to peep or pry into. - -~Cod~, to hoax, to take a "rise" out of one. Used as a noun, a fool. - -~Coddam~, a public-house game, much affected by medical students and -cabmen, generally three on each side. The game is "simplicity itself," -but requires a great amount of low cunning and peculiar mental -ingenuity. It consists in guessing in which of the six hands displayed -on the table, a small piece of marked money lies hid. If the guesser -"brings it home," his side takes the "piece," and the centre man "works" -it. If the guess is wrong, a chalk is taken to the holders, who again -secrete the coin. Great fun is to be obtained from this game when it is -properly played. - -~Codds~, the "poor brethren" of the Charter House. In _The Newcomes_, -Thackeray writes, "The Cistercian lads call these old gentlemen CODDS; I -know not wherefore." A probable abbreviation of CODGER. - -~Codger~, or COGER, an old man; "a rum old CODGER," a curious old -fellow. CODGER is sometimes used as synonymous with CADGER, and then -signifies a person who gets his living in a questionable manner. -"COGERS," the name of a debating society, formerly held in Shoe Lane, -Fleet Street, and still in existence. The term is probably a corruption -of COGITATORS. - -~Coffee-Shop~, a watercloset, or house of office. - -~Cog~, to cheat at dice.--_Shakspeare._ Also, to agree with, as one -cog-wheel does with another, to crib from another's book, as schoolboys -often do. This is called "cogging over." - -~Cogged~, loaded like false dice. Any one who has been hocussed or -cheated is sometimes said to have been COGGED. - -~Coin~, "to post the COIN"--sometimes "post the coal"--a sporting phrase -meaning to make a deposit of money for a match of any kind. - -~Cold blood~, a house licensed for the sale of beer "NOT to be drunk on -the premises." - -~Cold coffee~, misfortune; sometimes varied to COLD GRUEL. An unpleasant -return for a proffered kindness is sometimes called COLD COFFEE.--_Sea._ - -~Cold coffee~, an Oxford synonym for a "sell," which _see_. - -~Cold cook~, an undertaker. Cold cook's shop, an undertaker's. - -~Cold meat~, a corpse. COLD-MEAT BOX, a coffin. - -~Cold meat train~, the last train at night by which officers can reach -Aldershot per South Western Railway. So called because by this train -corpses are often conveyed on account of the Necropolis Company to -Woking. - -~Cold shoulder~, "to show or give any one the COLD SHOULDER" is to "cut" -in a modified form, to assume a distant manner towards anybody, to -evince a desire to cease acquaintanceship. Sometimes termed "COLD -SHOULDER of mutton." - -~Colfabias~, a Latinized Irish phrase signifying the closet of decency, -applied as a slang term to a place of resort in Trinity College, Dublin. - -~Collar~, "out of COLLAR," _i.e._, out of place, no work. Probably a -variation of the metaphorical expressions, "in, or out of harness," -_i.e._, in or out of work--the horse being in collar when harnessed for -his work. COLLAR work is any very hard work, from the expression among -drivers. Any uphill journey is said to be all "COLLAR work" for the -horses. - -~Collar~, to seize, to lay hold of. Thieves' slang, _i.e._, to steal. - -~Collar and elbow~, a term for a peculiar style of wrestling--the -Cornwall and Devon style. - -~Collections~, the College examinations at the end of each term, when -undergraduates wear white ties and bands, and are trotted through the -subjects of the term's lecture. These are the occasions when the dons -administer reproof or advice on the conduct of each individual -undergrad.--_Oxford University._ - -~Collogue~, to conspire, talk mysteriously together in low tones, plot -mischief. Connected with "colloquy" or "colleague." Maybe mixture of -both. - -~Colly-wobbles~, the stomach-ache, a person's bowels,--supposed by many -to be the seat of feeling and nutrition.--_Devonshire._ - -~Colour~, complexion, tint; "I've not seen the COLOUR of his money," -_i.e._, he has never paid me any. In fortune-telling by cards, a -_diamond colour_ is the fairest; _heart-colour_, fair, but not so fair -as the last; _club colour_, rather dark; _spade colour_, an extremely -swarthy complexion. - -~Colour~, a handkerchief worn by each of the supporters of a -professional athlete on the day of a match, so as to distinguish them -from the partizans of the other side. The professional chooses his -colours, and his backers, and as many of the general public as can be -persuaded to do so, take one each to wear on the eventful day, the -understanding being that the man is to be paid, say, a guinea if he -wins, and nothing if he loses. Some of these handkerchiefs used to be, -in the palmy days of pugilism and professional rowing on the Thames, -very fine specimens of work; but as their purveyors expected to be paid -whether they won or lost, and as the price was generally about four -times the intrinsic value, colours are rather shyly dealt with now. The -custom is, however, a very ancient one, and such men as Tom Sayers, Tom -King, Harry Kelley, and Bob Chambers have, even in these degenerate -days, received very large sums for their winning colours. - -~Colt~, a murderous weapon, formed by slinging a small shot to the end -of a rather stiff piece of rope. It is the original of the misnamed -"life-preserver." - -~Colt~, a person who sits as juryman for the first time. In Cork an -operative baker who does not belong to the union. - -~Colt~, a professional cricketer during his first season. From the best -colts in the annual match are selected new county players. - -~Colt~, to fine a new juryman a sum to be spent in drink, by way of -"wetting" his office; to make a person free of a new place, which is -done by his standing treat, and submitting to be struck on the sole of -the foot with a piece of board. - -~Colt's tooth~, elderly persons of juvenile tastes are said to have a -COLT'S TOOTH, _i.e._, a desire to shed their teeth once more, to see -life over again. - -~Comb-cut~, mortified, disgraced, "down on one's luck."--_See_ CUT. - -~Come~, a slang verb used in many phrases; "Aint he COMING IT?" _i.e._, -is he not proceeding at a great rate? "Don't COME TRICKS here," "don't -COME THE OLD SOLDIER over me," _i.e._, we are aware of your practices, -and "twig" your manoeuvre. COMING IT STRONG, exaggerating, going ahead, -the opposite of "drawing it mild." COMING IT also means informing or -disclosing. Also, in pugilistic phraseology, to COME IT means to show -fear; and in this respect, as well as in that of giving information, the -expression "COME IT" is best known to the lower and most dangerous -classes. - -~Come down~, to pay down. - -~Commemoration~, the end of Lent term at Oxford, when honorary degrees -are conferred and certain prizes given, and when men have friends "up." - -~Commission~, a shirt.--_Ancient Cant._ _Italian_, CAMICIA. - - "As from our beds, we doe oft cast our eyes, - Cleane linnen yeelds a shirt before we rise, - Which is a garment _shifting_ in condition; - And in the _canting tongue_ is a COMMISSION. - In weale or woe, in joy or dangerous drifts, - A _shirt_ will put a man unto his _shifts_." - - --_Taylor's Works_, 1630. - -For further particulars, _see_ CAMESA. - -~Commister~, a chaplain or clergyman.--Originally _Old Cant_. - -~Common sewer~, a DRAIN,--vulgar equivalent for a drink. - -~Commons~, the allowance of anything sent out of the buttery or kitchen. -"A COMMONS of bread," or "of cheese," for instance.--_University._ SHORT -COMMONS (derived from the University slang term), a scanty meal, a -scarcity. - -~Competition wallah~, one who entered the Indian Civil Service by -passing a competitive examination.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Compo~, a sailor's term for his monthly advance of wages. - -~Comprador~, a purveyor, an agent.--_Originally Spanish, now -Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Concaves and convexes~, a pack of cards contrived for cheating, by -cutting all the cards from the two to the seven concave, and all from -the eight to the king convex. Then by cutting the pack breadthwise a -convex card is cut, and by cutting it lengthwise a concave is -secured.--_See_ LONGS AND SHORTS. - -[Illustration] - -~Conjee~, a kind of gruel made of rice.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Conk~, a nose. Possibly from the _Latin_, CONCHA, a shell. _Greek_, -_konche_--hence anything hollow. Somewhat of a parallel may be found -in the _Latin_, TESTA, an earthenware pot, a shell, and in later -_Latin_, a _skull_; from whence the _French_ TESTE, or TETE, head. -CONKY, having a projecting or remarkable nose. The first Duke of -Wellington was frequently termed "Old CONKY" in satirical papers -and caricatures. - -~Connaught Rangers~, the Eighty-eighth Regiment of Foot in the British -Army. - -~Conshun's price~, fair terms, without extortion. Probably conscience -price.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Constable~, "to overrun the CONSTABLE," to exceed one's income, or get -deep in debt. The origin of this phrase is unknown, but its use is very -general. - -~Constitutional~, a walk, or other exercise taken for the benefit of the -health. - -~Consumah~, a butler.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Contango~, among stockbrokers and jobbers, is a certain sum paid for -accommodating a buyer or seller, by carrying the engagement to pay money -or deliver shares over to the next account day. - -~Continuations~, coverings for the legs, whether trousers or breeches. A -word belonging to the same squeamish, affected family as unmentionables, -inexpressibles, &c. - -~Convey~, to steal; "CONVEY, the wise it call." - -~Conveyancer~, a pickpocket. Shakspeare uses the cant expression -CONVEYER, a thief. The same term is also French slang. - -~Cooey~, the Australian bush-call, now not unfrequently heard in the -streets of London. - -~Cook~, a term well known in the Bankruptcy Courts, in reference to -accounts that have been meddled with, or COOKED, by the bankrupt; also -to form a balance-sheet from general trade inferences; stated by a -correspondent to have been first used in reference to the celebrated -alteration of the accounts of the Eastern Counties Railway, by George -Hudson, the Railway King. Any unfair statements of accounts or reports -are now said to be COOKED. - -~Cook~, in artistic circles, to dodge up a picture. Artists say that a -picture will not COOK when it is excellent and unconventional, and -beyond specious imitation. - -~Cook one's goose~, to kill or ruin a person.--_North._ - -~Cooler~, a glass of porter as a wind up, after drinking spirits and -water. This form of drinking is sometimes called "putting the beggar on -the gentleman." - -~Coolie~, a soldier, in allusion to the Hindoo COOLIES, or day -labourers. - -~Coon~, abbreviation of racoon.--_American._ A GONE COON--_ditto_, one -in an awful fix, past praying for. This expression is said to have -originated in the first American war with a spy, who dressed himself in -a racoon skin, and ensconced himself in a tree. An English rifleman -taking him for a veritable coon, levelled his piece at him, upon which -he exclaimed, "Don't shoot, I'll come down of myself, I know I'm a GONE -COON." The Yankees say the Britisher was so "flummuxed," that he flung -down his rifle and "made tracks" for home. The phrase is pretty general -in England. [There is one difficulty about this story--How big was the -man who dressed himself in a racoon skin?] - -~Cooper~, "stout half-and-half," _i.e._, half stout and half porter. -Derived from the coopers at breweries being allowed so much stout and so -much porter a day, which they take mixed. - -~Cooper~, to destroy, spoil, settle, or finish. COOPERED, spoilt, "done -up," synonymous with the Americanism caved in, fallen in, ruined. The -vagabonds' hieroglyph [Triangle pointing down], chalked by them on gate -posts and houses, signifies that the place has been spoilt by too many -tramps calling there. - -~Cooper~, to forge, or imitate in writing; "COOPER a monniker," to forge -a signature. - -~Cooter~, "a sovereign."--_See_ COUTER. Gipsy, CUTA. - -~Cop~, to seize or lay hold of anything unpleasant; used in a similar -sense to _catch_ in the phrase "to COP (or catch) a beating." "To get -COPT," is to be taken by the police. Probable contraction of Lat. -_capere_. - -~Cop~, beware, take care. A contraction of COPRADOR.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Coper~, properly HORSE-COUPER, a Scotch horse-dealer,--used to denote a -dishonest one. COPING, like jockeying, is suggestive of all kinds of -trickery. - -~Copper~, a policeman, _i.e._, one who COPS, which _see_. - -~Copper~, a halfpenny. COPPERS, mixed pence. - -~Coppernose~, a nose which is supposed to show a partiality on its -owner's part for strong drink. Synonymous with "jolly nose." -Grog-blossoms are the jewels often set in a jolly nose. - -~Copus~, a Cambridge drink, consisting of ale combined with spices, and -varied by spirits, wines, &c. Corruption of HIPPOCRAS. - -~Corduroy roads~, an American term for the rough roads made by simply -laying logs along a clearing. - -~Corinthianism~, a term derived from the classics, much in vogue some -years ago, implying pugilism, high life, "sprees," roystering, -&c.--Shakspeare, 1 _Hen. IV._ ii. 4. The immorality of _Corinth_ was -proverbial in Greece. _Korinthiaz esthai_, to _Corinthianize_, indulge -in the company of courtezans, was a Greek slang expression. Hence the -proverb-- - - _Ou pantos andros eis Korinthon esth o plous_; - -and _Horace_, Epist. lib. 1, xvii. 36-- - - "Non cuivis hommi contingit adire Corinthum," - -in allusion to the spoliation practised by the "hetaerae" on those who -visited them. Pierce Egan, in his _Life in London_, is responsible for a -deal of the modern use of this word; and after him _Bell's Life_, as the -oracle of Corinthian sport, was not idle. - -~Cork~, a broken man, a bankrupt. Probably intended to refer to his -lightness, as being without "ballast." - -~Cork~, "to draw a CORK," to give a bloody nose.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Corkage~, money charged when persons at an hotel provide their own -wine--sixpence being charged for each "cork" drawn. - -~Corked~, said of wine which tastes of cork, from being badly decanted, -or which has lost flavour from various other obvious causes. - -~Corker~, "that's a CORKER," _i.e._, that settles the question, or -closes the discussion. - -~Corks~, a butler. Derivation very obvious. - -~Corks~, money; "how are you off for CORKS?" a sailors' term of a very -expressive kind, denoting the means of "keeping afloat." - -~Corned~, drunk or intoxicated. Possibly from soaking or pickling -oneself like CORNED beef. - -~Corner~, "the CORNER," Tattersall's famous horse repository and betting -rooms, so called from the fact of its situation, which was at Hyde Park -Corner. Though Tattersall's has been removed some distance, to Albert -Gate, it is still known to the older habitues of the Subscription Room -as "the CORNER." - -~Cornered~, hemmed in a corner, placed in a position from which there is -no escape. - -~Corner-man~, the end singer of a corps of Ethiopian or nigger -minstrels. There are two corner men, one generally plays the bones and -the other the tambourine. Corner-men are the grotesques of a minstrel -company. - -~Corn in Egypt~, a popular expression which means a plentiful supply of -materials for a dinner, &c., or a good supply of money. Its origin is of -course Biblical. - -~Corporation~, the protuberant front of an obese person. Probably from -the old announcements which used to be made, and are made now in some -towns where improvements are made by the municipal authorities, "Widened -at the expense of the CORPORATION." - -~Corpse~, to stick fast in the dialogue; to confuse, or put out the -actors by making a mistake.--_Theatrical._ - -~Cosh~, a neddy, a life-preserver; any short, loaded bludgeon. - -~Cossack~, a policeman. - -~Costard~, the head. A very old word, generally used in connexion with -"cracked." - -~Coster~, the short and slang rendering of "costermonger," or -"costardmonger," who was originally an apple-seller. COSTERING, _i.e._, -costermongering, acting as a costermonger would. - -~Costermonger~, a street seller of fish, fruit, vegetables, poultry, -&c. The London costermongers number more than 30,000. They form a -distinct class, occupying whole neighbourhoods, and were at one time cut -off from the rest of metropolitan society by their low habits, general -improvidence, pugnacity, love of gambling, total want of education, -disregard for lawful marriage ceremonies, and their use of a peculiar -slang language. They have changed a good deal of this, though, now. -COSTERMONGER _aliter_ COSTARDMONGER, _i.e._, an apple-seller. In Nares's -_Glossary_ (Ed. H. & W.) they are said to have been frequently Irish. -So, Ben Jonson-- - - "Her father was an Irish COSTAR-MONGER." - - _Alchym._, iv. x. - - "In England, sir, troth I ever laugh when I think on 't, - ----Why, sir, there all the COSTER-MONGERS are Irish." - - _2 P. Hen. IV., O. Pl._, iii. 375. - -Their noisy manners are alluded to in Beaumont and Fletcher's _Scornful -Lady_, iv. I. - - "And then he'll rail like a rude COSTER-MONGER - That school-boys had couzened of his apples, - As loud and senseless." - -~Cotton~, to like, adhere to, or agree with any person; "to COTTON on to -a man," to attach yourself to him, or fancy him, literally, to stick to -him as cotton would. _Vide_ Bartlett, who claims it as an Americanism, -and Halliwell, who terms it an archaism; also _Bacchus and Venus_, 1737. - - "Her heart's as hard as taxes, and as bad; - She does not even COTTON to her dad." - - _Halliday and Lawrance_, _Kenilworth Burlesque_. - -~Cotton Lord~, a Manchester manufacturer. - -~Cottonopolis~, Manchester. A term much in use among the reporters of -the sporting press engaged in that locality. - -~Council-of-ten~, the toes of a man who turns his feet inward. - -~Counter~, to hit back, to exchange blows. A cross COUNTER is a blow -with the right hand given in exchange for one with the left, the -counterer preferring to strike rather than to "stop" the -blow.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Counter-jumper~, a shopman, a draper's assistant. - -~Country-captain~, a spatch-cocked fowl, sprinkled with curry-powder. A -favourite breakfast dish with the captains of country-ships.--_Indian._ - -~Country-ship~, a ship belonging to the East Indies, and trading from -port to port in that country. - -~County-crop~ (_i.e._, COUNTY-PRISON CROP), haircut close and round, as -if guided by a basin--an indication of having been in prison. Since -short hair has become fashionable the expression has fallen somewhat -into disuse. In the times when long hair was worn, a man with his hair -cut as described was said to have had it done with a knife and fork. - -~Couple-beggar~, a degraded person, who officiated as a clergyman in -performing marriages in the Fleet Prison. - -~Couter~, a sovereign. HALF-A-COUTER, half-a-sovereign. From the -Danubian-gipsy word CUTA, a gold coin. - -~Cove~, or COVEY, a boy or man of any age or station. A term generally -preceded by an expressive adjective, thus a "flash COVE," a "rum COVE," -a "downy COVE," &c. The feminine, COVESS, was once popular, but it has -fallen into disuse. Originally ancient cant (temp. Henry VII.), COFE, or -CUFFIN, altered in Decker's time to COVE. _See Witts' Recreations_, -1654: "there's a gentry-COVE here," _i.e._, a gentleman. Probably -connected with CUIF, which, in the North of England, signifies a lout or -awkward fellow. Amongst Negroes, CUFFEE. - -~Coventry~, "to send a man to COVENTRY," not to speak to or notice him. -Coventry was one of those towns in which the privilege of practising -most trades was anciently confined to certain privileged persons, as the -freemen, &c. Hence a stranger stood little chance of custom, or -countenance, and "to send a man to COVENTRY" came to be equivalent to -putting him out of the pale of society. - -~Cover-down~, a tossing coin with a false cover, enabling either head or -tail to be shown, according as the cover is left on or taken off. The -cover is more generally called a CAP. This style of cheating is now -obsolete. A man who cannot manage to cheat at tossing without machinery -is a sorry rogue. - -~Cowan~, a sneak, an inquisitive or prying person. _Greek_, _kyon_, a -dog. Term given by Freemasons to all uninitiated persons. Used in -Anderson's _Constitutions_, edit. 1769, p. 97. If derived from _kyon_, -its use was probably suggested by such passages in the N. T. as Matt. -vii. 6, and Phil. iii. 2. The Moslems apply dog in a similar manner. It -is probably Oriental. Other authorities say it is from COWAN, or KIRWAN, -a Scottish word signifying a man who builds rough stone walls without -mortar--a man who, though he builds, is not a practical mason. - -~Cow-cow~, to be very angry, to scold or reprimand -violently.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Cow-hocked~, clumsy about the ankles; with large or awkward feet. - -~Cow-lick~, the term given to the lock of hair which costermongers and -tramps usually twist forward from the ear; a large greasy curl upon the -cheek, seemingly licked into shape. These locks are also called NUMBER -SIXES, from their usual shape. The opposite of NEWGATE-KNOCKER, which -_see_. - -~Cow's grease~, butter. - -~Coxy-loxy~, good-tempered, drunk.--_Norfolk._ - -~Crab~, a disagreeable old person. Name of a wild and sour fruit. - -~Crab~, "to catch a CRAB," to fall backwards by missing a stroke in -rowing. From the crab-like or sprawling appearance of the man when in -the bottom of the boat. - -~Crab~, to offend, or insult; to expose or defeat a robbery, to inform -against. CRAB, in the sense of "to offend," is _Old English_. - - "If I think one thing and speak another, - I will both CRAB Christ and our Ladie His mother." - - _Packman's Paternoster._ - -~Crabs~, in dicing, a pair of aces. - -~Crabshells~, or TROTTER-CASES, shoes.--_See_ CARTS. - -~Crack~, the favourite horse in a race. Steeplechase and hunting CRACKS -have been made the subjects of well-known pictures, and "the gallops of -the CRACKS" is a prominent line in the sporting papers. - -~Crack~, first-rate, excellent; "a CRACK HAND," an adept; a "CRACK -article," a good one. "A CRACK regiment," a fashionable one.--_Old._ - -~Crack~, dry firewood.--_Modern Gipsy._ - -~Crack~, "in a CRACK (of the finger and thumb)," in a moment. - -~Crack~, to break into a house; "CRACK A CRIB," to commit burglary. - -~Crack a bottle~, to drink. Shakspeare uses CRUSH in the same slang -sense. - -~Cracked up~, penniless or ruined. - -~Cracking a crust~, rubbing along in the world. CRACKING A TIDY CRUST, -means doing very well. This is a very common expression among the lower -orders. - -~Crackle~, or CRACKLING, the scored rind on a roast leg or loin of pork; -hence applied to the velvet bars on the gowns of the students at St. -John's College, Cambridge, long called "Hogs," and the covered bridge -which connects one of the courts with the grounds, Isthmus of Suez -(SUES, _Lat._ SUS, a swine). - -~Cracksman~, a burglar, _i.e._, the man who CRACKS. - -~Crack up~, to boast or praise.--_Ancient English._ - -~Cram~, to lie or deceive, implying to fill up or CRAM a person with -false stories; to impart or acquire learning quickly, to "grind" or -prepare for an examination. - -~Crammer~, one skilled in rapidly preparing others for an examination. -One in the habit of telling lies. - -~Crammer~, a lie. - -~Cranky~, foolish, idiotic, rickety, capricious (not confined to -persons). _Ancient cant_, CRANKE, simulated sickness. _German_, KRANK, -sickly. A CRANK or CRANKY vessel is one which pitches very much. - -~Crap~, to ease oneself by evacuation. - -~Crapping case~, or KEN, the water-closet. Generally called -CRAPPING-CASTLE. - -~Crawler~, a mean, contemptible, sycophantic fellow. Also a cab which is -driven slowly along while its driver looks out for a fare. Crawling is -by recent statute a punishable offence. - -~Crawly mawly~, in an ailing, weakly, or sickly state. - -~Craw thumper~, a Roman Catholic. Compare BRISKET-BEATER. - -~Cream of the valley~, gin; as opposed to or distinguished from -"mountain dew," whisky. - -~Crib~, house, public or otherwise; lodgings, apartments; a situation. -Very general in the latter sense. - -~Crib~, to steal or purloin; to appropriate small things. - -~Crib~, a literal translation of a classic author.--_University._ - -~Crib biter~, an inveterate grumbler; properly said of a horse which has -this habit, a sign of its bad digestion. - -~Cribbage-faced~, marked with the small-pox, full of holes like a -cribbage-board. Otherwise crumpet-face. - -~Crikey~, profane exclamation of astonishment; "Oh, CRIKEY, you don't -say so!" corruption of "O Christ!" Sometimes varied by "O crimes!" - -~Cripple~, a bent sixpence. - -~Cripple~, an awkward or clumsy person. Also one of dull wits. - -~Croak~, to die--from the gurgling sound a person makes when the breath -of life is departing. - -~Croaker~, one who takes a desponding view of everything, a misanthrope; -an alarmist. From the croaking of a raven.--_Ben Jonson._ - -~Croaker~, a beggar. - -~Croaker~, a dying person beyond hope; a corpse. The latter is generally -called a "stiff'un." - -~Croaks~, last dying speeches, and murderers' confessions. - -~Crocodiles' tears~, the tears of a hypocrite. An ancient phrase, -introduced into this country by Mandeville, or other early English -traveller, who believed that the crocodile made a weeping noise to -attract travellers, and then devoured them. See Shakspeare's use of the -term in _Othello_. - -~Crocus~, or CROAKUS, a quack or travelling doctor; CROCUS-CHOVEY, a -chemist's shop. - -~Crone~, a termagant or malicious old woman. CRONY, an intimate friend. - -~Crooked~, a term used among dog-stealers and the "fancy" generally, to -denote anything stolen. "Got on the CROOK" is exchangeable with "Got on -the cross," CROOK and cross generally being synonymous. - -~Crooky~, to hang on to, to lead, to walk arm-in-arm; to court or pay -addresses to a girl. - -~Cropped~, hanged. Sometimes topped. "May I be topped." - -~Cropper~, a heavy fall, a decided failure. Term originally used in the -hunting-field, but now general, and not at all confined to physical -matters. - -~Cropper~, "to go a CROPPER," or "to come a CROPPER," _i.e._, to fail -badly. - -~Croppie~, a person who has had his hair cut, or CROPPED, in prison. -Formerly those who had been CROPPED (_i.e._, had their ears cut off and -their noses slit) by the public executioner were called CROPPIES, then -the Puritans received the reversion of the title. - -~Crop up~, to turn up in the course of conversation. "It CROPPED UP -while we were speaking." - -~Cross~, a deception--two persons pretending hostility or indifference -to each other, being all the while in concert for the purpose of -deceiving a third. In the sporting world a CROSS is an arrangement made -between two men that one shall win without reference to relative merits. -This is sometimes done with the backer's consent for the public benefit, -at other times a backer is himself the sufferer, the men having "put -some one in to lay," according to instructions.--_See_ DOUBLE CROSS. - -~Cross~, a general term amongst thieves expressive of their plundering -profession, the opposite of square. "To get anything on the CROSS" is to -obtain it surreptitiously. "CROSS-FANNING in a crowd," robbing persons -of their scarf-pins, so called from the peculiar position of the arms. -This style of thieving is not confined to the conveying of scarf-pins. -CROSSMAN, a thief, or one who lives by dishonest practices. - -~Cross.~--For not paying his term bills to the bursar (treasurer), or -for cutting chapels, or lectures, or other offences, the undergrad can -be "CROSSED" at the buttery, 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. Of -course it is easy to get one's buttery commons out in some one else's -name, and to order dinner in from the confectioner's. The porter is -supposed to allow no dinners to be sent in, but, between his winking and -a little disguise, it is possible. As another instance, a barrel of beer -will not be admitted; but if it is in a hamper it will pass!--_Oxford -University._ - -~Cross-buttock~, an unexpected fling down or repulse; from a peculiar -throw practised by wrestlers. - -~Cross cove and molisher~, a man and woman who live by thieving. - -~Cross-crib~, a house frequented by thieves. - -~Crossed~, prohibited from taking food from the buttery.--_University._ - -~Crow~, or COCK-CROW, to exult over another's abasement, as a -fighting-cock does over his vanquished adversary. - -~Crow~, "a regular CROW," a success, a stroke of luck,--equivalent to a -FLUKE. - -~Crow~, one who watches whilst another commits a theft, a confederate in -a robbery. The CROW looks to see that the way is clear, whilst the -SNEAK, his partner, commits the depredation. - -~Crow~, "I have a CROW to pick with you," _i.e._, an explanation to -demand, a disagreeable matter to settle. Sometimes the article picked is -supposed to be a bone. - -~Crowsfeet~, wrinkles which gather in the corners of the eyes of old or -dissipated people. - -~Crug~, food. Christ's Hospital boys apply it only to bread. - -~Crumbs~, "to pick up one's CRUMBS," to begin to have an appetite after -an illness; to improve in health, circumstances, &c., after a loss -thereof. - -~Crummy~, fat, plump.--_North._ In London street slang, lousy. - -~Crummy-doss~, a lousy or filthy bed. - -~Crumpet-face~, a face pitted with small-pox marks. - -~Crunch~, to crush. Perhaps from the sound of teeth grinding against -each other. - -~Crush~, to run or decamp rapidly. CRUSH DOWN SIDES, run to a place of -safety, or the appointed rendezvous.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Crusher~, a policeman. - -~Crushing~, excellent, first-rate. - -~Crusty~, ill-tempered, petulant, morose.--_Old_, said to be a -corruption of the _Anglo-Norman_ CORUSEUX. - -~Cub~, a mannerless uncouth lout.--_See_ UNLICKED. - -~Cubitopolis~, an appellation, originally given by Londoners to the -Warwick and Eccleston Square districts. From the name of the builders. - -~Cue~, properly the last word spoken by one actor, it being the CUE for -the other to reply. "Very often an actor knows nothing of a piece beyond -his own lines and the CUES." - -~Cull~, a man or boy.--_Old Cant._ RUM CULL, the manager of a theatre. - -~Cullet~, broken glass. _French_, CUEILLETTE, a gathering or collection. - -~Culling~, or CULING, stealing from the carriages at racecourses. - -~Cully gorger~, a companion, a brother actor.--_Theatrical._ _See_ -GORGER. - -~Culver-headed~, weak and stupid. - -~Cummer~, a gossip or acquaintance. - -~Cumshaw~, a present or bribe.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Cupboard-headed~, an expressive designation of one whose head is both -wooden and hollow.--_Norfolk._ - -~Cupboard-love~, affection arising from interested motives. - - "A CUPBOARD LOVE is seldom true; - A love sincere is found in few."--_Poor Robin._ - -Cupboard is the fount-spring of the love supposed to exist among -policemen for the cooks upon their beats. - -~Cup-tosser~, a person who professes to tell fortunes by examining the -grounds in tea or coffee cups. A cup or goblet, however, is the old -mystic symbol of a juggler. _French_, JOUEUR DE GOBELET. - -~Cure~, an odd person; a contemptuous term, abridged from CURIOSITY, -which was formerly the favourite expression. The word cure, as -originally applied, was London street slang, and was, as just stated, an -abbreviation of curiosity, or, more correctly, of curious or queer -fellow. Of late years it has, however, been used to denote a funny, -humorous person, who can give and receive chaff. - -~Curios~, a corruption of "curiosities;" any articles of vertu brought -from abroad. Used by naval and military travellers and others. - -~Currency~, persons born in Australia are there termed CURRENCY, while -natives of England are termed STERLING. The allusion is to the -difference between colonial and imperial moneys, which it may be as well -to remark have no difference so far as actual value is concerned. - -~Curse~, anything worthless. Corruption of the _Old English_ word KERSE, -a small sour wild cherry; _French_, CERISE; _German_, KIRSCH. _Vision of -Piers Ploughman_:-- - - "Wisdom and witt nowe is _not worth_ a KERSE, - But if it be carded with cootis as clothers - Kembe their woole." - -The expression "not worth a CURSE," used frequently nowadays, is -therefore not properly profane, though it is frequently intensified by a -profane expletive. Horne Tooke says from KERSE, or CRESS. The expression -"not worth a tinker's CURSE," may or may not have arisen from -misapplication of the word's origin, though as now used it certainly -means curse in its usual sense. Tinkers do curse, unfortunately, and it -will take a good deal of school-board work to educate them out of it, as -well as a fair amount of time. The phrase "not worth a tinker's damn," -is evidently a variation of this, unless indeed it should be spelt -"dam," and used as a reference to the general worthlessness of the wives -and mothers of tinkers. This latter is merely offered to those who are -speculative in such matters, and is not advanced as an opinion. - -~Curse of Scotland~, the Nine of Diamonds. Various hypotheses have been -set up as to this appellation--that it was the card on which the -"Butcher Duke" wrote a cruel order with respect to the rebels after the -battle of Culloden; that the diamonds are the nine lozenges in the arms -of Dalrymple, Earl of Stair, detested for his share in the Massacre of -Glencoe; that it is a corruption of Cross of Scotland, the nine diamonds -being arranged somewhat after the fashion of a St. Andrew's Cross. The -first supposition is evidently erroneous, for in Dr. Houston's Memoirs -of his own Lifetime, 1747, p. 92, the Jacobite ladies are stated to have -nicknamed the Nine of Diamonds "the Justice Clerk," after the rebellion -of 1715, in allusion to the Lord Justice-Clerk Ormistone, who, for his -severity in suppressing it, was called the Curse of Scotland. Gules a -cross of lozenges were also the arms of Colonel Packer, who attended -Charles I. on the scaffold, and commanded in Scotland afterwards with -great severity.--_See_ Chatto on the _Origin and History of Playing -Cards_, p. 267. The most probable explanation is, that in the game of -Pope Joan the nine of diamonds is the POPE, of whom the Scotch have an -especial horror. - -~Curtail~, to cut off. Originally a Cant word--vide _Hudibras_, and -_Bacchus and Venus_, 1737. Evidently derived from the French _court -tailler_. - -~Cushion~, to hide or conceal. - -~Cushion-smiter~, polite rendering of tub-thumper, a clergyman, a -preacher. - -~Cushmawaunee~, never mind. Sailors and soldiers who have been in India -frequently say-- - - "CUSHMAWAUNEE, - If we cannot get arrack, - We must drink pawnee." - - _Anglo-Indian._ - -~Customer~, synonymous with CHAP, a fellow; "a rum CUSTOMER," _i.e._, a -man likely to turn the tables on any one who attacked him, and therefore -better be let alone, or very warily proceeded with; an "odd fish," or -curious person.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Customhouse-officer~, an aperient pill. - -~Cut~, to run away, move off quickly; to cease doing anything; CUT AND -RUN, to quit work, or occupation, and start off at once--_Sea_ phrase, -"CUT the cable and RUN before the wind;" to CUT DIDOES, synonymous with -to CUT CAPERS; CUT A DASH, make a show; CUT A CAPER, to dance or show -off in a strange manner; CUT A FIGURE, to make either a good or bad -appearance; CUT IT, desist, be quiet, go away, leave what you are doing -and run; CUT IT SHORT, cease being prolix, "make short work" of what you -have in hand; CUT OUT, to excel, thus in affairs of gallantry one Adonis -is said to CUT the other out in the affections of the wished-for -lady--_Sea_ phrase, from CUTTING out a ship from the enemy's port. CUT -THAT! be quiet, or stop; CUT OUT OF, done out of; CUT OF ONE'S JIB, the -expression or cast of his countenance [_see_ JIB]; TO CUT ONE'S COMB, to -take down a conceited person, from the practice of cutting the combs of -capons [_see_ COMB CUT]; CUT AND COME AGAIN, plenty, if one cut does not -suffice, plenty remains to come at again; CUT UP, to mortify, to -criticise severely, or expose; CUT UP SHINES, to play tricks; CUT ONE'S -STICK, to be off quickly, _i.e._, to be in readiness for a journey, -further elaborated into AMPUTATE YOUR MAHOGANY [_see_ STICK]; CUT IT -FAT, to exaggerate or show off in an extensive manner; to CUT UP FAT, or -CUT UP WELL, to die, leaving a large property; CUT UNDER, to undersell; -CUT YOUR LUCKY, to run off; CUT ONE'S CART, to expose unfair tricks; CUT -AN ACQUAINTANCE, to cease friendly intercourse with him; "CUT UP ROUGH," -to become obstreperous and dangerous; to have "CUT ONE'S EYE-TEETH," -_i.e._, to be wide awake, knowing; to DRAW CUTS, to cast lots with -papers of unequal lengths. - -~Cut~, to take cards from a pack, with a view to decide by comparison -which persons shall be partners, or which players shall deal. Not less -than four cards must be picked up by the cutter, and the bottom one is -the CUT. When cutting for a "turn-up," the residuum is called the CUT. - -~Cut~, in theatrical language, means to strike out portions of a -dramatic piece, so as to render it shorter for representation. A late -treasurer of one of the so-called Patent Theatres when asked his opinion -of a new play, always gave utterance to the brief but safe piece of -criticism, "Wants cutting." - -~Cut~, tipsy.--_Old._ - -~Cut~, to compete in business; "a CUTTING trade," one conducted on -competitive principles, where the profits are very closely shaved. - -~Cut-throat~, a butcher, a cattle-slaughterer; a ruffian. - -~Cute~, sharp, cunning. Abbreviation of ACUTE. - -~Cutter~, a ruffian, a cut-purse. Of Robin Hood it was said-- - - "So being outlaw'd (as 'tis told), - He with a crew went forth - Of lusty CUTTERS, bold and strong, - And robbed in the north." - -CUTTER, a swashbuckler--_balaffreux taillebras, fendeur de -naseaux._--_Cotgrave._ - - "He's out of cash, and thou know'st by CUTTER'S LAW, - We are bound to relieve one another." - - _Match at Midn._, O. Pl., vii. 553. - -This ancient cant word now survives in the phrase, "to swear like a -CUTTER." - -~Cutting-shop~, a place where cheap rough goods are sold. - -~Cutty-pipe~, a short clay pipe. _Scotch_, CUTTY, short. - -~Cutty-sark~, a short chemise.--_Scotch._ A scantily-draped lady is so -called by Burns. - - "'Weel done, CUTTY-SARK!' - And in an instant all was dark." - -~Dab~, or DABSTER, an expert person. Most probably derived from the -Latin _adeptus_. - -~Dab~, street term for small flat fish of any kind.--_Old._ - -~Dacha-saltee~, tenpence. Probably from the _Lingua Franca_. _Modern -Greek_, _deka_; _Italian_, DIECI SOLDI, tenpence; _Gipsy_, DIK, ten. So -also DACHA-ONE (oney), _i.e._, _dieci uno_, elevenpence.--_See_ SALTEE. - -~Daddle~, the hand; "tip us your DADDLE," _i.e._, shake hands. - -~Daddy~, a stage manager.--_Theatrical._ Also the person who gives away -the bride at a wedding. - -~Daddy;~ at mock raffles, lotteries, &c., the DADDY is an accomplice, -most commonly the getter-up of the swindle, and in all cases the person -that has been previously selected to win the prize. - -~Daddy~, the old man in charge--generally an aged pauper--at casual -wards. Most people will remember "kind old DADDY." - -~Daffy~, gin. A term with monthly nurses, who are always extolling the -virtues of Daffy's Elixir, and who occasionally comfort themselves with -a stronger medicine under Daffy's name. Of late years the term has been -altered to "soothing syrup." - -~Dags~, feat or performance; "I'll do your DAGS," _i.e._, I will do -something that you cannot do. Corruption of DARINGS. - -~Dairies~, a woman's breasts, which are also called CHARLIES. - -~Daisy-cutter~, a horse that trots or gallops without lifting its feet -much from the ground. - -~Daisy-kicker~, the name ostlers at large inns used to give each other, -now nearly obsolete. DAISY-KICKER, or GROGHAM, was likewise the cant -term for a horse. The DAISY-KICKERS were sad rogues in the old posting -days; frequently the landlords rented the stables to them, as the only -plan to make them return a profit. - -~Damage~, in the sense of recompense; "what's the DAMAGE?" _i.e._, what -is to pay? or actually, what is the DAMAGE to my pocket? - -~Damper~, a shop till; to DRAW A DAMPER, _i.e._, rob a till. A till is -more modernly called a "lob," and stealing from tills is known as -"lob-sneaking." - -~Dancer, or dancing-master~, a thief who prowls about the roofs of -houses, and effects an entrance by attic windows, &c. Called also a -"garreter." - -~Dance upon nothing~, to be hanged. - -~Dander~, passion or temper; "to get one's DANDER up," to rouse his -passion.--_Old_, but now much used in America. - -~Dando~, a great eater, who cheats at hotels, eating shops, -oyster-cellars, &c., from a person of that name who lived many years -ago, and who was an enormous oyster-eater. According to the stories -related of him, Dando would visit an oyster-room, devour an almost -fabulous quantity of bivalves, with porter and bread and butter to -match, and then calmly state that he had no money. - -~Dandy~, a fop, or fashionable nondescript. This word, in the sense of a -fop, is of modern origin. Egan says it was first used in 1820, and Bee -in 1816. Johnson does not mention it, although it is to be found in all -late dictionaries. DANDIES wore stays, studied a feminine style, and -tried to undo their manhood by all manner of affectations which were not -actually immoral. Lord Petersham headed them. At the present day dandies -of this stamp have almost entirely disappeared, but the new school of -muscular Christians is not altogether faultless. The feminine of DANDY -was DANDIZETTE, but the term only lived for a short season. - -~Dandy~, a small glass of whisky.--_Irish._ "Dimidium cyathi vero apud -Metropolitanos Hibernicos dicitur DANDY."--_Father Tom and the Pope_, in -_Blackwood's Magazine_ for May 1838. - -~Dandy~, a boatman.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Dandypratt~, a funny little fellow, a mannikin; originally a -half-farthing of the time of Henry VII. - -~Danna~, human ordure; DANNA DRAG, a nightman's or dustman's cart; -hence DUNNA-KEN, which _see_. - -~Darbies~, handcuffs.--_Old Cant._--_See_ JOHNNY DARBIES. Sir Walter -Scott mentions these, in the sense of fetters, in his _Peveril of the -Peak_-- - - "'Hark ye! Jem Clink will fetch you the DARBIES.' 'Derby!' - interrupted Julian, 'has the Earl or Countess'"---- - -Had Sir Walter known of any connexion between them and this family he -would undoubtedly have mentioned it. The mistake of Julian is corrected -in the next paragraph. It is said that handcuffs were, when used to keep -two prisoners together, called DARBIES and JOANS--a term which would -soon be shortened as a natural consequence. - -~Darble~, the devil. _French_, DIABLE. - -~Dark~, "keep it DARK," _i.e._, secret. A DARK horse is, in racing -phraseology, a horse of whom nothing positive is known, but who is -generally supposed to have claims to the consideration of all -interested, whether bookmakers or backers. - -~Darky~, twilight; also a negro. DARKMANS, the night. - -~Darn~, vulgar corruption of DAMN.--_American._ - -~Dash~, to jot down suddenly. "Things I have DASHED off at a moment's -notice." - -~Dash~, fire, vigour, manliness. Literary and artistic work is often -said to be full of DASH. - -~Dash~, an ejaculation, as "DASH my wig!" "DASH my buttons!" A relic of -the attempts made, when cursing was fashionable, to be in the mode -without using "bad words." - -~Dashing~, showy, fast. - -~Daub~, in low language, an artist. Also a badly painted picture. - -~David's sow~, "as drunk as DAVID'S sow," _i.e._, beastly drunk. _See_ -origin of the phrase in Grose's _Dictionary_. - -~Davy~, "on my DAVY," on my affidavit, of which it is a vulgar -corruption. Latterly DAVY has become synonymous in street language with -the name of the Deity; "so help me DAVY," generally rendered, "swelp my -DAVY." Slang version of the conclusion of the oath usually exacted of -witnesses. - -~Davy's locker~, or DAVY JONES'S LOCKER, the sea, the common receptacle -for all things thrown overboard;--a nautical phrase for death, is "gone -to DAVY JONES'S LOCKER," which there means the other world.--_See_ -DUFFY. - -~Dawdle~, to loiter, or fritter away time. - -~Dawk~, the post.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Daylights~, eyes; "to darken his DAYLIGHTS," to give a person black -eyes. Also the spaces left in glasses between the liquor and the -brim,--not allowed when bumpers are drunk. The toast-master in such -cases cries "no DAYLIGHTS or heeltaps!" - -~Daze~, to confound or bewilder; an ancient form of dazzle used by -Spenser, Drayton, &c. This is more obsolete English than slang, though -its use nowadays might fairly bring it within the latter category. - -~Dead-against~, decidedly opposed to. - -~Dead-alive~, stupid, dull. - -~Dead-amiss~, said of a horse that from illness is utterly unable to run -for a prize. - -~Dead-beat~, utterly exhausted, utterly "done up." - -~Dead-heat~, when two horses run home so exactly equal that the judge -cannot place one before the other; consequently, a DEAD-HEAT is a heat -which counts for nothing, so far as the even runners are concerned, as -it has to be run over again. When a race between dead-heaters has been -unusually severe, or when the stake is sufficiently good to bear -division, it is usual to let one of the animals walk over the course so -as to make a deciding heat, and to divide the money. In such case all -bets are divided. Sometimes, however, when no arrangement can be made, -an owner will withdraw his horse, in which case the animal that walks -over wins the whole of the stake, and his backers the whole of their -money. Where the course is short and the money of small amount, the -DEAD-HEAT is run off, the second essay being called the decider, though -on certain occasions even the decider has resulted in a -DEAD-HEAT.--_See_ NECK AND NECK. - -~Dead-horse~, "to draw the DEAD-HORSE;" DEAD-HORSE work--working for -wages already paid; also any thankless or unassisted service. - -~Dead-letter~, an action of no value or weight; an article, owing to -some mistake in its production, rendered utterly valueless,--often -applied to any instrument in writing, which by some apparently trivial -omission, becomes useless. At the general and large district -post-offices, there is a department for letters which have been -erroneously addressed, or for which, from many and various causes, there -are no receivers. These are called DEAD-LETTERS, and the office in -connexion with them is known as the DEAD-LETTER office. - -~Dead-lock~, a permanent standstill, an inextricable entanglement. - -~Dead-lurk~, entering a dwelling-house during divine service. - -~Dead-man~, a baker. Properly speaking, it is an extra loaf smuggled -into the basket by the man who carries it out, to the loss of the -master. Sometimes the DEAD-MAN is charged to a customer, though never -delivered. Among London thieves and low people generally a "dead'un" is -a half-quartern loaf. - -~Dead-men~, the term for wine bottles after they are emptied of their -contents.--_Old._--_See_ MARINES. - -~Dead-men's shoes~, property which cannot be claimed until after decease -of present holder. "To wait for a pair of DEAD-MEN'S SHOES," is -considered a wearisome affair. It is used by Fletcher:-- - - "And 'tis a general shrift, that most men use, - But yet 'tis tedious waiting DEAD MEN'S SHOES." - - _Fletcher's Poems_, p. 256. - -~Dead-set~, a pointed and persistent attack on a person. - -~Dead'un~, a horse which will not run or will not try in a race, and -against which money may be betted with safety.--_See_ SAFE UN. - -~Deaner~, a shilling. From DENIER. - -~Death~, "to dress to DEATH," _i.e._, to the very extreme of fashion, -perhaps so as to be killing. - -~Death-hunter~, a running patterer, who vends last dying speeches and -confessions. More modernly the term is supposed to mean an undertaker, -or any one engaged in or concerned with burials. - -~Deck~, a pack of cards. Used by Shakspeare, 3 _K. Hen. VI._, v. 1. -Probably because of DECKING or arranging the table for a game at cards. -General in the United States. - -~Dee~, a pocket-book; term used by tramps.--_Gipsy._ DEE (properly D), a -detective policeman. "The DEES are about, so look out." - -~Delicate~, a false subscription-book carried by a LURKER. - -~Demirep~ (or DEMIRIP), a courtezan. Contraction of DEMI-REPUTATION, -which is, in turn, a contraction for _demi-monde_ reputation. - -~Derby-dog~, a masterless animal, who is sure to appear as soon as the -Epsom course is cleared for the great race of the season. No year passes -without a dog running between the two dense lines of spectators and -searching in vain for an outlet, and he is almost as eagerly looked for -as are the "preliminary canters." It is said that when no DERBY-DOG -appears on the course between Tattenham Corner and the judge's box, just -before the start, a dead-heat will take place between all the placed -horses. - -~Derrick~, an apparatus for raising sunken ships, &c. The term is -curiously derived from a hangman of that name frequently mentioned in -Old Plays, as in the _Bellman of London_, 1616. - - "He rides circuit with the devil, and DERRICK must be his host, and - Tyborne the inn at which he will light." - -The term is now almost general for all cranes used in loading ships, or -doing similar work of a heavy nature. - -~Despatchers~, false dice with two sets of numbers, and, of course, no -low pips. So called because they bring the matter to a speedy issue. -Great skill in palming is necessary for their successful use. - -~Deuce~, the devil.--_Old._ Stated by _Junius_ and others to be from -DEUS or ZEUS. - -~Deuce~, twopence; DEUCE at cards or dice, one with two pips or spots. - -~Devil~, among barristers, to get up the facts of a case for a leader; -to arrange everything in the most comprehensive form, so that the Q.C. -or Serjeant can absorb the question without much trouble. DEVILLING is -juniors' work, but much depends on it, and on the ability with which it -is done. - -~Devil~, a printer's youngest apprentice, an errand-boy in a -printing-office. - -~Devil dodger~, a clergyman; also a person who goes sometimes to church -and sometimes to meeting. - -~Devil-may-care~, reckless, rash. - -~Devil's bed-posts~, the four of clubs. Otherwise Old Gentleman's -BED-POSTS. - -~Devil's books~, a pack of playing-cards; a phrase of Presbyterian -origin.--_See_ FOUR KINGS. - -~Devil's delight~, a noise or row of any description. Generally used -thus:--"They kicked up the DEVIL'S DELIGHT." - -~Devil's dung~, the fetid drug assafoetida. - -~Devil's dust~, a term used in the manufacturing districts of Yorkshire -to denote shreds of old cloth torn up to re-manufacture; also called -SHODDY. Mr. Ferrand, in his speech in the House, March 4, 1842, produced -a piece of cloth made chiefly from DEVIL'S DUST, and tore it into shreds -to prove its worthlessness.--_See Hansard's Parliamentary Debates_, -third series, vol. lxi. p. 140. - -~Devil-scolder~, a clergyman. - -~Devil's livery~, black and yellow. From the mourning and quarantine -uses of the colours. - -~Devil's teeth~, or DEVIL'S BONES, dice. - -~Devotional habits~, horses weak in the knees, and apt to stumble and -fall, are said to have these.--_Stable._ - -~Dew-beaters~, feet; "hold out your DEW-BEATERS till I take off the -darbies."--_Peveril of the Peak._ Forby says the word is used in Norfolk -for heavy shoes to resist wet. - -~Dew-drink~, a morning draught, such as is served out to labourers in -harvest time before commencing work. - -~Dewskitch~, a good thrashing, perhaps from catching one's due. - -~Dibbs~, money; so called from the huckle bones of sheep, which have -been used from the earliest times for gambling purposes when money was -not obtainable--in one particular game being thrown up five at a time -and caught on the back of the hand like halfpence. - -~Dick~, a riding whip; gold-headed DICK, one so ornamented. - -~Dick~, abbreviation of "Dictionary," but often euphemistically rendered -"Richard,"--fine language, long words. A man who uses fine words without -much judgment is said to have "swallowed the DICK." - -~Dickens~, synonymous with devil; "what the DICKENS are you after?" what -the devil are you doing? Used by Shakspeare in the _Merry Wives of -Windsor_. In many old stories his Satanic Majesty is called the DICKENS, -and by no other name, while in some others the word is spelt "diconce." - -~Dickey~, bad, sorry, or foolish; food or lodging is pronounced DICKEY -when of a poor description; "very DICKEY", very inferior; "it's all -DICKEY with him," _i.e._, all over with him. - -~Dickey~, formerly the cant for a worn-out shirt, but nowadays used for -a front or half-shirt. DICKEY was originally "tommy" (from the Greek, -_tome_, a section), a name which was formerly used in Trinity College, -Dublin. The students are said to have invented the term, and love of -change and circumlocution soon changed it to DICKEY, in which dress it -is supposed to have been imported into England. - -~Dickey~, a donkey.--_Norfolk._ - -~Dickey Sam~, a native of Liverpool. - -~Dicking;~ "look! the bulky is DICKING," _i.e._, the constable has his -eye on you.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Diddle~, old cant word for geneva, or gin. - -~Diddle~, to cheat, or defraud.--_Old._ In _German_, DUDELN is to play -on the bagpipe; and the ideas of piping and cheating seem to have been -much connected. "Do you think I am easier played on than a pipe?" occurs -in _Hamlet_. - -~Diddler~, or JEREMY DIDDLER, an artful swindler. A diddler is generally -one who borrows money without any intention of ever repaying it; the -sort of man who, having asked for half-a-crown and received only a -shilling, would consider that eighteenpence was owing to him.--From -_Raising the Wind_. - -~Diddling~, cheating or swindling. Borrowing money without any intention -of repaying it. Edgar Allan Poe wrote a very amusing article once on -DIDDLING, which he seemed to regard as a rather high art. - -~Didoes~, pranks or capers; "to cut up DIDOES," to make pranks. - -~Dig~, a hard blow. Generally in pugilistic circles applied to a -straight "left-hander," delivered under the guard on the "mark." - -~Diggers~, spurs; also the spades on cards. - -~Diggings~, lodgings, apartments, residence; an expression probably -imported from California, or Australia, with reference to the gold -diggings. It is very common nowadays for a man moving in very decent -society to call his abode or his office, or anyplace to which he -frequently resorts, his "DIGGINGS." - -~Dilly~, originally a coach, from _diligence_. Now a night-cart. - -~Dilly-dally~, to trifle. - -~Dimber~, neat or pretty.--_Worcestershire_, but old cant. - -~Dimber-damber~, very pretty; a clever rogue who excels his fellows; -chief of a gang. _Old Cant_ in the latter sense. - -~Dimmock~, money; "how are you off for DIMMOCK?" diminutive of DIME, a -small foreign silver coin, in the United States 10 cents. - -~Dinarly~, money; "NANTEE DINARLY," I have no money, corrupted from the -_Lingua Franca_, "NIENTE DINARO," not a penny. _Turkish_, DINARI; -_Spanish_, DINERO; _Latin_, DENARIUS. - -~Dine out~, to go without dinner. "I DINED OUT to-day," would express -the same among the very lower classes that "dining with Duke Humphrey" -expresses among the middle and upper. - -~Ding~, to strike; to throw away, or get rid of anything; to pass to a -confederate by throwing. _Old_, used in old plays. - - "The butcher's axe (like great Alcides' bat) - _Dings_ deadly downe ten thousand thousand flat." - - _Taylor's Works_, 1630. - -~Dingy~, a small boat. Generally the smallest boat carried by a ship. -The _g_ in this is pronounced hard. - -~Dipped~, mortgaged. - -~Dirt~, TO EAT, an expression derived from the East, nearly the same as -"to eat humble (_Umble_) pie," to put up with a mortification or insult. - -~Dirty Half-hundred~, a nickname given to the 50th Regiment on account -of their tattered and soiled appearance during the Peninsular War. A -term to be proud of, as it implies much work and little reward. - -~Disguised~, intoxicated. A very old term is that of "DISGUISED in -drink." - - "Some say drinking does DISGUISE men."--_Old Song._ - - "The saylers and the shipmen all, - Through foul excesse of wine, - Were so DISGUISED that at the sea - They shew'd themselves like swine." - - _Thos. Deloney's Strange Histories_, p. 14. - -~Dish~, to stop, to do away with, to suppress; DISHED, done for, -floored, beaten, or silenced. To "do brown" and to "DISH," both verbs -with very similar meanings, have an evident connexion so far as origin -is concerned, and most likely were both first used in the kitchen as -synonymous with "done for." The late Lord Derby made the word "DISH" -famous by his latest public act, that of "DISHING the Whigs." - -~Dithers~, nervous or cold shiverings; "it gave me the DITHERS." - -~Dittoes~, A SUIT OF, coat, waistcoat, and trousers of the same -material.--_Tailor's term._ - -~Ditty-bag~, the bag or huswife in which sailors keep needles, thread, -buttons, &c., for mending their clothes. - -~Diver~, a pickpocket. Also applied to fingers, no doubt from a similar -reason. To DIVE is to pick pockets. - -~Do~, this useful and industrious verb has for many years done service -as a slang term. To DO a person is to cheat him. Sometimes another tense -is employed, such as "I DONE him," meaning, I cheated or "paid him out;" -this is only used in the lowest grades of society. DONE BROWN, cheated -thoroughly, befooled; DONE OVER, upset, cheated, knocked down, ruined. -Among thieves DONE OVER means that a man's pockets have been all quietly -searched; the term also means among low people seduced; DONE UP, used -up, finished, or quieted. DONE also means convicted, or sentenced; so -does DONE-FOR. To DO a person in pugilism is to beat him. Humphreys, who -fought Mendoza, a Jew, wrote this laconic note to his supporter--"I have -DONE the Jew, and am in good health.--Rich. Humphreys." Tourists use the -expression, "I have DONE France and Italy," meaning I have been through -those countries. - -~Dobie~, an Indian washerman; and though women wash clothes in this -country, Anglo-Indians speak of a washerwoman as a DOBIE. - -~Doctor~, to adulterate or drug liquor; to poison, to hocus; also to -falsify accounts. A publican who sells bad liquors is said to keep the -DOCTOR in his cellars. On board ship the cook is always termed "the -DOCTOR."--_See_ COOK. - -~Doddy~, a term applied in Norfolk to any person of low stature. -Sometimes HODMANDOD and "HODDY-DODDY, all head and no body." DODMAN in -the same dialect denotes a garden snail. - -~Dodge~, a cunning trick. "DODGE, that homely but expressive -phrase."--Sir Hugh Cairns on the Reform Bill, 2nd March, 1859. -_Anglo-Saxon_, DEOGIAN, to colour, to conceal. The TIDY DODGE, as it is -called by street-folk, consists in dressing up a family clean and tidy, -and parading in the streets to excite compassion and obtain alms. - -~Dodger~, a dram. In Kent, a DODGER signifies a nightcap; which name is -often given to the last dram at night. - -~Dodger~, a tricky person, or one who, to use the popular phrase, "knows -too much." Also one who knows all phases of London life, and profits by -such knowledge. - -~Dogberry~, a foolish constable.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Dog cheap~, or DOG-FOOLISH, very or singularly cheap, or foolish. -Latham, in his _English Language_, says:--"This has nothing to do with -dogs. The first syllable is god = _good_, transposed, and the second, -the ch--p, is chapman, merchant: compare EASTCHEAP."--_Old term._ - -~Doggery~, nonsense, transparent attempts to cheat. - -~Dog gone~, a form of mild swearing used by boys. - -~Dog in a blanket~, a kind of pudding, made of preserved fruit spread on -thin dough, and then rolled up and boiled. This pudding is also called -"rolly-polly" and "stocking." - -~Dog in the manger~, a scurvy, ill-conditioned, selfish fellow. From the -fable of that title. - -~Dog Latin~, barbarous Latin, such as was formerly used by lawyers in -their pleadings. Now applied to medical Latin. - -~Dogs~, TO GO TO THE, to be commercially or socially ruined. Originally -a stable term applied to old or worthless horses, sold to feed hounds. - -~Dog's body~, a kind of pease pudding.--_Sea._ - -~Dog's ears~, the curled corners of the leaves of books, which have been -carelessly treated. The use of this term is so common that it is hardly -to be considered slang. - -~Dog's nose~, gin and beer, so called from the mixture being _cold_, -like a dog's nose. - -~Dog stealer~, a DOG DEALER. There is sometimes less difference between -the two trades than between "d" and "st." - -~Doing time~, working out a sentence in prison. "He's done time," is a -slang phrase used in reference to a man who is known to have been in -gaol. - -~Doldrums~, difficulties, low spirits, dumps.--_Sea._ - -~Dollop~, a lump or portion.--_Norfolk._ _Anglo-Saxon_, DALE, _dole_. - -~Dollop~, to _dole up_, to give up a share.--_Ibid._ - -~Dolly~, a very mild gambling contrivance, generally used in sweetmeat -and other child's-ware shops, until stopped by the authorities a few -years back, and consisting of a round board and the figure of an old man -or "DOLLY," down which was a spiral hole. A marble dropped "down the -DOLLY," would stop in one of the small holes or pits (numbered) on the -board. The bet was decided according as the marble stopped on a high or -low figure. _See_ DOLLY-SHOP. - -~Dollymop~, a tawdrily-dressed maid-servant, a semi-professional -street-walker. - -~Dolly shop~, an illegal pawnshop,--where goods, or stolen property, not -good enough for the pawnbroker, are received, and charged at so much per -day. If not redeemed the third day the goods are forfeited. Originally -these shops were rag shops as well, and were represented by the _black -doll_, the usual sign of a rag shop. Twenty years ago, a DOLLY SHOP was, -among boys, a small sweetstuff and fruit shop where a hollow wooden -figure, of the kind described above, was kept. A wager was made, and the -customer got double quantity for his money, or nothing. A paternal -legislature, and a police system worthy of the task, have long since -wiped this blot from a nation's face. The amount at stake was generally -a halfpenny, sometimes less. - -~Dominie~, a parson, or master at a grammar school. - -~Domino~, a common ejaculation of soldiers and sailors when they receive -the last lash of a flogging. The allusion may be understood from the -game of dominoes. A DOMINO means either a blow, or the last of a series -of things, whether pleasant or otherwise, so the ejaculation savours -somewhat of wit. - -~Dominoes~, the teeth. - -~Don~, a clever fellow, the opposite of a muff; a person of distinction -in his line or walk. At the English Universities, the Masters and -Fellows are the DONS. DON is also used as an adjective, "a DON hand at a -knife and fork," _i.e._, a first-rate feeder at a dinner-table. - -~Dona and feeles~, a woman and children. _Italian_ or _Lingua Franca_, -DONNE E FIGLIE. The word DONA is usually pronounced DONER. - -~Done!~ the expression used when a bet is accepted. To be DONE, is to be -considerably worsted.--_See_ also DO. - -~Done up~, an equivalent expression to "dead beat." - -~Donkey~, "tuppence more and up goes the DONKEY," a vulgar street phrase -for extracting as much money as possible before performing any task. The -phrase had its origin with a travelling showman, the finale of whose -performance was the hoisting of a DONKEY on a pole or ladder; but this -consummation was never arrived at unless the required amount was first -paid up, and "tuppence more" was generally the sum demanded. - -~Donkey~, in printers' slang, means a compositor. In the days before -steam machinery was invented, the men who worked at press--the -pressmen--were so dirty and drunken a body that they earned the name of -pigs. In revenge, and for no reason that can be discovered, they -christened the compositors DONKEYS. - -~Don Pedro~, a game at cards. It is a compound of All Fours, and the -Irish game variously termed All Fives, Five and Ten, Fifteen, -Forty-five, &c. It was probably invented by the mixed English and Irish -rabble who fought in Portugal in 1832-3. - -~Dookin~, fortune-telling. _Gipsy_, DUKKERIN. - -~Dose~, three months' imprisonment with hard labour. - -~Doss~, a bed. Probably from DOZE, though quite as likely from DORSE, -the back. Least likely of all, as any one who knows aught about the -surrounding circumstances of those who use the term will admit, is it -from the Norman, DOSSEL, a hanging or bed canopy, from which some have -professed to derive it. - -~Doss~, to sleep, formerly spelt DORSE. _Gael._, DOSAL, slumber. In the -old pugilistic days a man knocked down, or out of time, was said to be -"sent to DORSE," but whether because he was senseless, or because he lay -on his back, is not known, though most likely the latter. - -~Dossing-ken~, a lodging-house. - -~Dot and go one~, a lame or limping man. - -~Do the high~, to walk up and down High Street on Sunday evenings, -especially just after Church.--_Oxford University._ - -~Double~, "to tip (or give) the DOUBLE," to run away from any person; to -double back, turn short round upon one's pursuers, and so escape, as a -hare does.--_Sporting._ - -~Double cross~, a CROSS in which a man who has engaged to lose breaks -his engagement, and "goes straight" at the last moment. This proceeding -is called "doubling" or "putting the double on," and is often productive -of much excitement in athletic circles.--_See_ CROSS. - -~Double lines~, ship casualties. So called at Lloyd's from the manner of -entering in books kept for the purpose. - -~Double-shuffle~, a low, shuffling, noisy dance, common amongst -costermongers. Sometimes called "cellar flap," from its being danced by -the impecunious on the cellar-flaps of public-houses, outside which they -must perforce remain. - -~Doublet~, a spurious diamond, made up of two smaller stones for pawning -or duffing purposes. These articles are cleverly manufactured and -excellently set, and a practised eye can alone detect the -imposition.--_See_ MOSKENEER. - -~Double up~, to pair off, or "chum" with another man; to beat severely, -so as to leave the sufferer "all of a heap." - -~Doughy~, a sufficiently obvious nickname for a baker. - -~Douse~, to put out; "DOUSE that glim," put out that candle. In Norfolk -this expression is DOUT, which is clearly for DO OUT. Sometimes DOUSE -means to rinse; and sometimes to throw water, clean or dirty, over any -one, is to "DOUSE it." - -~Dovercourt~, a noisy assemblage; "all talkers and no hearers, like -DOVERCOURT." At Dovercourt, in Essex, a court is annually held; and as -the members principally consist of rude fishermen, the irregularity -noticed in the proverbial saying frequently prevails. Bramston in his -_Art of Politics_ says:-- - - "Those who would captivate the well-bred throng, - Should not too often speak, nor speak too long; - Church, nor church matters, ever turn to sport, - Nor make St. Stephen's Chapel DOVER COURT." - -This would seem to be more properly applied to a Court of Dover people, -a DOVER COURT, not a DOVERCOURT COURT. - -~Dove-tart~, a pigeon pie. A snake tart is an eel pie. - -~Dowd~, a woman's nightcap.--_Devonshire_: also an American term; -possibly from DOWDY, a slatternly woman. - -~Dowlas~, a linendraper. DOWLAS is a sort of towelling. - -~Down~, to be aware of, or awake to, any move--in this meaning, -exchangeable with UP; "DOWN upon one's luck," unfortunate; "DOWN in the -mouth," disconsolate; "to be DOWN on one," to treat him harshly or -suspiciously, to pounce upon him, or detect his tricks. - -~Downer~, a sixpence; apparently the Gipsy word, TAWNO, "little one," in -course of metamorphosis into the more usual "tanner." - -~Downs~, Tothill Fields' Prison. - -~Down the road~, stylish, showy, after the fashion. - -~Down to the ground~, an American rendering of the word entirely; as, -"that suits me DOWN TO THE GROUND." - -~Downy~, knowing or cunning; "a DOWNY COVE," a knowing or experienced -sharper. Literally, a DOWNY person is one who is "DOWN to every move on -the board." In Norfolk, however, it means low-spirited, _i.e._, DOWN in -the mouth. - -~Dowry~, a lot, a great deal; "DOWRY of parny," lot of rain or -water.--_See_ PARNY. Probably from the Gipsy. - -~Dowsers~, men who profess to tell fortunes, and who, by the use of the -divining rod, pretend to be able to discover treasure-trove.--_Cornish._ - -~Doxy~, the female companion of a tramp or beggar. In the West of -England, the women frequently call their little girls DOXIES, in a -familiar or endearing sense. _Orthodoxy_ has been described as being a -man's own DOXY, and _heterodoxy_ another man's DOXY.--_Ancient Cant._ - -~Drab~, a vulgar or low woman.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Drab~, poison.--_Romany._ - -~Draft on Aldgate Pump~, an old mercantile phrase for a fictitious -banknote or fraudulent bill. - -~Drag~, a cart of any kind, term generally used to denote any -particularly well-appointed turnout, drawn by a pair or four horses, -especially at race meetings. - -~Drag~, feminine attire worn by men. A recent notorious impersonation -case led to the publication of the word in that sense. - -~Drag~, a street, or road; BACK-DRAG, back street. - -~Drag~, or THREE MOON, three months in prison. - -~Drag~, THE, a favourite pursuit with fast-hunting sets; as, THE DRAG -can be trailed over very stiff country. - -~Dragging~, robbing carts, &c., by means of a light trap which follows -behind laden vehicles. Cabs are sometimes eased of trunks in this way, -though it is hard to say whether with or without the complicity of the -cabmen. - -~Dragging time~, the evening of a country fair day, when the young -fellows begin pulling the wenches about. - -~Draggletail~, a dirty, dissipated woman; a prostitute of the lowest -class. - -~Drain~, a drink; "to do a DRAIN," to take a friendly drink--"do a wet;" -sometimes called a "common sewer." - -~Draw~, used in several senses:--1, of a theatre, new piece or -exhibition, when it attracts the public and succeeds; 2, to induce--as, -"DRAW him on;" 3, of pocket-picking--as, "DRAW his wipe," "DRAW his -ticker." In sporting parlance it is used with an ellipsis of "trigger," -"I DREW on it as it rose." In America to "DRAW on a man" is to produce -knife or pistol, and to use it as well. Where lethal weapons are used in -the States, no man raises his weapon till he means to use it, and a -celebrated American writer has recently given a dissertation on the -relative advantages of cocking and firing a pistol by an almost -simultaneous action as it is raised, and of cocking as the instrument is -raised, and of then dropping the muzzle slightly as the trigger is -pulled. The former way is more speedy, the latter more effective. "Come, -DRAW it mild!" _i.e._, don't exaggerate; opposite of "come it strong," -from the phraseology of the bar (of a "public"), where customers desire -the beer to be "drawn mild." - -~Draw-boy~, a cunning device used by puffing tradesmen. A really good -article is advertised or ticketed and exposed for sale in the shop -window at a very low price, with a view of drawing in customers to -purchase other and inferior articles at high prices. These gentry have -fortunately found to their cost, on one or two occasions, by means of -magisterial decisions, that DRAW-BOYS have drawn for their owners -something other than profit. - -~Drawers~, formerly the ancient cant name for very long stockings. - -~Drawing teeth~, wrenching off knockers.--_Medical Student slang._ - -~Drawlatch~, a loiterer. - -~Draw off~, to throw back the body to give impetus to a blow; "he DREW -OFF, and delivered on the left drum."--_Pugilistic._ A sailor would say, -"he hauled off and slipped in." - -~Draw the long bow~, to tell extravagant stories, to exaggerate -overmuch; same as "throw the hatchet." From the extremely wonderful -stories which used to be told of the Norman archers, and more -subsequently of Indians' skill with the tomahawk. - -~Dress a hat~, TO, to rob in a manner very difficult of detection. The -business is managed by two or more servants or shopmen of different -employers, exchanging their master's goods; as, for instance, a -shoemaker's shopman receives shirts or other articles from a hosier's, -in return for a pair of boots. Another very ingenious method may be -witnessed about eleven o'clock in the forenoon in any of the suburban -districts of London. A butcher's boy, with a bit of steak filched from -his master's shop, or from a customer, falls in with a neighbouring -baker's man, who has a loaf obtained in a similar manner. Their mutual -friend, the potboy, in full expectation of their visit, has the tap-room -fire bright and clear, and not only cooks the steak, but again, by means -of collusion, this time with the barman or barmaid, "stands a shant of -gatter" as his share. So a capital luncheon is improvised for the three, -without the necessity of paying for it; and this practical communistic -operation is styled DRESSING A HAT. Most likely from the fact that a hat -receives the attention of three or four people before it is properly fit -for wear. - -~Dripping~, a cook. - -~Drive~, a term used by tradesmen in speaking of business; "he's DRIVING -a roaring trade," _i.e._, a very good one; hence, to succeed in a -bargain, "I DROVE a good bargain," _i.e._, got the best end of it. To -"LET DRIVE at one," to strike out. A man snoring hard is said to be -"DRIVING his pigs to market." - -~Drive at~, to aim at; "what is he DRIVING AT?" "what does he intend to -imply?" a phrase often used when a circuitous line of argument is -adopted by a barrister, or a strange set of questions asked, the purport -of which is not very evident. - -~Driz~, lace. In a low lodging-house this singular autograph inscription -appeared over the mantelpiece. "Scotch Mary, with DRIZ [lace], bound to -Dover and back, please God." It is a common thing for ignorant or -superstitious people to make some mark or sign before going on a -journey, and then to wonder whether it will be there when they return. - -~Driz-fencer~, a person who sells lace. - -~Drop~, "to DROP an acquaintance," to relinquish a connexion, is very -polite slang. DROPPING is distinguished from cutting by being done -gradually and almost imperceptibly, whereas cutting has outward and -visible signs which may be unpleasantly resented. To "DROP money" at any -form of speculation or gambling, is to lose it. - -~Drop~, to quit, go off, or turn aside; "DROP the main Toby," go off the -main road. - -~Drop~, "to DROP a man," to knock him down; "to DROP into a person," to -give him a thrashing. _See_ SLIP and WALK. "To DROP on a man," to accuse -or rebuke him suddenly. - -~Drop it~, synonymous with "cut it" or "cheese it." Probably from the -signal given in the good old hanging days by the culprit, who used -generally to drop a handkerchief when he was ready for the cart to be -moved from under him. - -~Drum~, a house, a lodging, a street; HAZARD-DRUM, a gambling-house; -FLASH-DRUM, a house of ill-fame. - -~Drum~, the ear.--_Pugilistic._ An example of slang synecdoche. - -~Drum~, as applied to the road, is doubtless from the Wallachian gipsy -word "DRUMRI," derived from the _Greek_, _dromos_. - -~Drum~, old slang for a ball or rout; afterwards called a hop. - -~Drummer~, a robber who first makes his victims insensible by drugs or -violence, and then plunders them. - -~Drumsticks~, legs; DRUMSTICK CASES, trousers. The leg of a fowl is -generally called a DRUMSTICK. - -~Dryasdust~, an antiquary. From Scott. - -~Dry lodging~, sleeping and sitting accommodation only, without board. -This is lodging-house keepers' slang, and is generally used in reference -to rooms let to lodgers who take their meals at their clubs, or in the -City, according to their social positions. - -~Dry nurse~, when an inferior officer on board ship carries on the duty, -on account of the captain's ignorance of seamanship, the junior officer -is said to DRY-NURSE his captain. Majors and adjutants in the army also -not unfrequently DRY-NURSE the colonels of their regiments in a similar -manner. The sergeant who coaches very young officers, is called a "wet -nurse." The abolition of purchase has, however, considerably modified -all this. - -~D.T.~, a popular abbreviation of delirium tremens; sometimes written -and pronounced _del. trem._ D.T. also often represents the _Daily -Telegraph_. - -~Dub~, to pay or give; "DUB UP," pay up. - -~Dubash~, a general agent.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Dubber~, the mouth or tongue; "mum your DUBBER," hold your tongue. - -~Dubsman~, or SCREW, a turnkey.--_Old Cant._ - -~Ducats~, money.--_Theatrical Slang._ - -~Duck~, a bundle of bits of the "stickings" of beef sold for food to the -London poor.--_See_ FAGGOT. - -~Ducket~, a ticket of any kind. Generally applied to pawnbroker's -duplicates and raffle cards. Probably from DOCKET. - -~Ducks~, trousers. _Sea_ term. The expression most in use on land is -"white DUCKS," _i.e._, white pantaloons or trousers. - -~Ducks and Drakes~, "to make DUCKS AND DRAKES of one's money," to throw -it away childishly--derived from children "shying" flat stones on the -surface of a pool, which they call DUCKS AND DRAKES, according to the -number of skips they make. - -~Dudder~, or DUDSMAN, a person who formerly travelled the country as a -pedlar, selling gown-pieces, silk waistcoats, &c., to countrymen. In -selling a waistcoat-piece, which cost him perhaps five shillings, for -thirty shillings or two pounds, he would show great fear of the revenue -officer, and beg the purchasing clodhopper to kneel down in a puddle of -water, crook his arm, and swear that it might never become straight if -he told an exciseman, or even his own wife. The term and practice are -nearly obsolete. In Liverpool, however, and at the East-end of London, -men dressed up as sailors, with pretended silk handkerchiefs and cigars -"only just smuggled from the Indies," are still to be plentifully found. - -~Dudeen~, or DUDHEEN, a short tobacco-pipe. Common term in Ireland and -the Irish quarters of London. - -~Duds~, clothes, or personal property. _Gaelic_, DUD; _Ancient Cant_; -also _Dutch_. - -~Duff~, to cheat, to sell spurious goods, often under pretence of their -being stolen or smuggled. - -~Duff~, pudding; vulgar pronunciation of dough.--_Sea._ - -~Duffer~, a hawker of "Brummagem" or sham jewellery, or of shams of any -kind, a fool, a worthless person. DUFFER was formerly synonymous with -DUDDER, and was a general term given to pedlars. It is mentioned in the -_Frauds of London_ (1760) as a word in frequent use in the last century -to express cheats of all kinds. - -~Duffer~, anything of no merit. A term applied by artists to a picture -below mediocrity, and by dealers in jewellery to any spurious article. -It is now general in its application to a worthless fellow. - -~Duffing~, false, counterfeit, worthless. - -~Duffy~, a term for a ghost or spirit among the West Indian negroes. In -all probability the DAVY JONES of sailors, and a contraction thereof -originally. - -~Duke~, gin, a term amongst livery servants. - -~Duke Humphrey.~ "To dine with DUKE HUMPHREY" is a euphuism for dining -not at all. Many reasons have been given for the saying, and the one -most worthy of credence is this:--Some visitors were inspecting the -abbey where the remains of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester lie, and one of -them was unfortunately shut in, and remained there _solus_ while his -companions were feasting at a neighbouring hostelry. He was afterwards -said to have dined with DUKE HUMPHREY, and the saying eventually passed -into a proverb. - -~Dukes~, or DOOKS, the hands, originally modification of the rhyming -slang, "Duke of Yorks," forks = fingers, hands--a long way round, but -quite true. The word is in very common use among low folk. "Put up your -DOOKS" is a kind invitation to fight. - -~Dukey~, or DOOKEY, a penny gaff, which _see_. - -~Dumbfound~, to perplex, to beat soundly till not able to speak. -Originally a cant word. Johnson cites the _Spectator_ for the earliest -use. _Scotch_, DUMBFOUNDER. - -~Dummacker~, a knowing or acute person. - -~Dummies~, empty bottles, and drawers in an apothecary's shop, labelled -so as to give the idea of an extensive stock. Chandlers' shop keepers -and small general dealers use dummies largely, half-tubs of butter, -bladders of lard, hams, cheeses, &c., being specially manufactured for -them. Dummies in libraries generally take the form of "Hume and -Smollett's History of England" and other works not likely to tempt the -general reader. - -~Dummy~, a deaf-and-dumb person; a clumsy, awkward fellow; any one -unusually thick-witted. - -~Dummy~, in three-handed whist the person who holds two hands plays -DUMMY. - -~Dummy~, a pocket-book. In this word the derivation is obvious, being -connected with DUMB, _i.e._, that which makes no sound. As a thieves' -term for a pocket-book, it is peculiarly applicable, for the contents of -pocket-books, bank-notes and papers, make no noise, while the money in a -purse may betray its presence by chinking. - -~Dump fencer~, a man who sells buttons. - -~Dumpish~, sullen or gloomy. - -~Dumpy~, short and stout. - -~Dun~, to solicit payment.--_Old Cant_, from the French DONNEZ, give; or -from JOE DIN, or DUN, a famous bailiff; or simply a corruption of DIN, -from the _Anglo-Saxon_ DUNAN, to clamour. - -~Dunderhead~, a blockhead. - -~Dundreary~, an empty swell. - -~Dung~, an operative who works for an employer who does not give full or -"society" wages. - -~Dungaree~, low, common, coarse, vulgar.--_Anglo-Indian._ DUNGAREE is -the name of a disreputable suburb of Bombay, and also of a coarse blue -cloth worn by sailors. - - "As smart a young fellow as ever you'd see, - In jacket and trousers of blue DUNGAREE." - -~Dunkhorned~, sneaking, shabby. DUNKHORN in Norfolk is the short, blunt -horn of a beast, and the adjective is applied to a cuckold who has not -spirit to resist his disgrace. - -~Dunnage~, baggage, clothes. Also, a sea term for wood or loose faggots -laid at the bottom of ships, upon which is placed the cargo. - -~Dunnyken~, originally DANNAKEN, a watercloset.--From DANNA and KEN, -which _see_. - -~Durrynacking~, offering lace or any other article as an introduction to -fortune-telling; generally practised by women. - -~Dust~, money; "down with the DUST," put down the money.--_Ancient._ -Dean Swift once took for his text, "He who giveth to the poor lendeth to -the Lord." His sermon was short. "Now, my brethren," said he, "if you -are satisfied with the security, down with the DUST." - -~Dust~, a disturbance, or noise, "to raise a DUST," to make a row. - -~Dust~, to beat; "DUST one's jacket," _i.e._, give him a beating. - -~Dust-hole~, Sidney Sussex College at Cambridge.--_Univ. Slang._ - -~Dust-hole~, the Queen's Theatre, Tottenham Court Road, was so called -until comparatively recently, when it was entirely renovated and -renamed, and now, as the Prince of Wales's, it is one of the most -fortunate and fashionable theatres in London. - -~Dustoorie~, commission, douceur, bribe.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Dusty~, a phrase used in answering a question where one expects -approbation. "What do you think of this?" "Well, it's not so DUSTY," -_i.e._, not so bad; sometimes varied to "none so DUSTY." - -~Dutch~, or DOUBLE DUTCH, gibberish, or any foreign tongue. "To talk -DOUBLE DUTCH backwards on a Sunday" is a humorous locution for -extraordinary linguistic facility. - -~Dutch auction~, a method of selling goods, adopted by "CHEAP JOHNS," to -evade the penalties for selling without a licence. The article is -offered all round at a high price, which is then dropped until it is -taken. DUTCH AUCTIONS need not be illegitimate transactions, and their -economy (as likewise that of puffing) will be found minutely explained -in Sugden (Lord St. Leonards) "On Vendors and Purchasers." - -~Dutch concert~, where each performer plays a different tune. Sometimes -called a DUTCH MEDLEY when vocal efforts only are used. - -~Dutch consolation~, "thank God it is no worse." "It might have been -worse," said a man whom the devil was carrying to hell. "How?" asked a -neighbour. "Well, he's carrying me--he might have made me carry him." - -~Dutch courage~, false courage, generally excited by drink--pot-valour. - -~Dutch feast~, where the host gets drunk before his guest. - -~Dutch uncle~, a personage often introduced in conversation, but -exceedingly difficult to describe; "I'll talk to him like a DUTCH -UNCLE!" conveys the notion of anything but a desirable relation. - -~Earl of Cork~, the ace of diamonds.--_Hibernicism._ - - "'What do you mean by the Earl of Cork?' asked Mr. Squander. 'The - ace of diamonds, your honour. It's the worst ace, and the poorest - card in the pack, and is called the EARL OF CORK, because he's the - poorest nobleman in Ireland.'"--_Carleton's Traits and Stories of - the Irish Peasantry._ - -~Early~, "to get up EARLY," to prepare for a difficult task. "You'll -have to get up very EARLY in the morning to beat that." Early rising and -ability seem also closely connected by certain modifications of this -expression. Possibly the belief is that a man who rises early for early -rising's sake deserves to be clever. Perhaps the greatest enjoyment a -day labourer--whose work commences at six in the winter mornings, and -who may have to rise at half-past four and trudge off--can have, is a -"quiet snooze" after the usual time of rising. The early rising in "the -steel" is the chief terror of that institution in the minds of habitual -criminals. - -~Earwig~, a clergyman, also one who prompts another maliciously and -privately. - -~Earwigging~, a private conversation; a rebuke in private; an attempt to -defame another unfairly, and without chance of appeal; a WIGGING is more -public. - -~Ease~, to rob; "EASING a bloke," robbing a man. - -~Eat his head off.~ A horse who is kept idle in the stable is said to -EAT HIS HEAD OFF. Of late the phrase has been applied to servants who -have little to do but constantly "dip their noses in the manger." - -~Eavesdropper~, a listener. The name is derived from the punishment -which, according to Oliver, was directed in the Lectures, at the revival -of Masonry in 1717, to be inflicted on a detected Cowan [g. v.], and -which was - - "To be placed under the eaves of the house in rainy weather, till - the water runs in at his shoulders and out at his heels."--_Mackey's - Lexicon of Freemasonry._ - -~Efter~, a thief who frequents theatres. - -~Egg~, or EGG ON, to excite, stimulate, or provoke one person to quarrel -with another, &c. From the Anglo-Saxon _eggian_; or possibly a -corruption of EDGE, or EDGE ON, or even from _agere_, to -drive.--_Ancient._ - -~Egg-flip~, or EGG-HOT, a drink made after the manner of purl and -bishop, with beer, eggs, and spirits made hot and sweetened. - -~Elbow~, "to shake one's ELBOW," to play with dice; "to crook one's -ELBOW," to drink. - -~Elbow grease~, labour, or industry. Anything that is rusty, or in -household work dirty or dingy, is said to require ELBOW GREASE. - -~Elegant extracts~, a Cambridge University title for those students who -having failed only slightly in some one subject, and being "plucked" -accordingly, were allowed their degrees. This applied to the "Poll" -list, as the "Gulf" did to the "Honours." - -~Elephant~, "to have seen the ELEPHANT," to be "_up_ to the latest -move," or "_down_ to the last new trick;" to be knowing, and not -"green," &c. Possibly a metaphor taken from the travelling menageries, -where the ELEPHANT is the finale of the exhibition.--Originally an -Americanism. Bartlett gives conflicting examples. General now, however. -A modification of this is "having seen the king." When a man becomes -aware that he has been cheated or imposed on, and does not mean to stand -it any longer, he is said to have seen the king, _i.e._, to have seen -his adversary's best card, and to be prepared for it. - -~Elevated~, intoxicated. ELEVATION is the name of a drug-mixture much -used in the fen-counties for keeping up the spirits and preventing ague. -It consists mainly of opium. - -~Enemy~, time, a clock, the ruthless enemy and tell-tale of idleness and -of mankind generally; "what says the ENEMY?" _i.e._, how goes the time? - -~Essex lion~, a calf. A calf is probably the only lively animal to be -seen in a journey through Essex. - -~Essex stile~, a ditch. A jocular allusion to the peculiarities of the -"low county." - -~Evaporate~, to go, or run away. - -~Everlasting shoes~, the feet. The barefooted children about the Seven -Dials, and other low quarters of London, are said to wear EVERLASTING -SHOES and stockings. Another expression in connexion with this want is, -"the shoes and stockings their mothers gave them." - -~Everlasting staircase~, the treadmill. Sometimes, but very rarely now -called "Colonel Chesterton's EVERLASTING STAIRCASE," from the gallant -inventor or improver. Also known as "the STEPPER." - -~Exasperate~, to over-aspirate the letter H, or to aspirate it whenever -it commences a word, as is commonly done by under-educated people who -wish to show off their breeding. EXASPERATION does not refer to an -omission of the aspirate. - -~Exes~, expenses. "Just enough to clear our exes." - -~Extensive~, frequently applied in a slang sense to a person's -appearance or talk; "rather EXTENSIVE that!" intimating that the person -alluded to is showing off, or "cutting it fat." - -~Extracted~, placed on the list of "ELEGANT EXTRACTS."--_Camb. Univ._ - -~Eye teeth~, supposed evidences of sharpness. A man is said to have, or -have not, cut his EYE TEETH, according to possession or want of -shrewdness. - -~Eye water~, gin. Term principally used by printers. - -~Face~, credit at a public-house, impudence, confidence, brass; thus a -BRAZEN-FACE. "To run one's FACE," is to obtain credit in a bounceable -manner. "He's got some FACE," _i.e._, he has got lots of impudence. - -~Face entry~, the entree to a theatre. From the FACE being known, as -distinguished from free-list entry. - -~Facer~, a blow on the face. In Ireland, a dram. - -~Facer~, a tumbler of whisky-punch. Possibly from the suffusion of blood -to the face caused by it. - -~Fad~, a hobby, a favourite pursuit. - -~Fadge~, a farthing. - -~Fadge~, a flat loaf.--_North._ - -~Fadge~, to suit or fit; "it wont FADGE," it will not do. Used by -Shakspeare, but now heard only in the streets. - -~Fadger~, a glazier's frame. Otherwise called a "frail," perhaps in -reference to the fragile nature of its contents. - -~Fag~, a schoolboy who performs a servant's offices to a superior -schoolmate. From FAG, to become weary or tired out. _Low German_, FAKK, -wearied. - -~Fag~, to beat. - -~Faggot~, a bundle of bits of the "stickings" (hence probably its name) -sold for food to the London poor. It is sometimes called a duck. In -appearance it resembles a Scotch "haggis," without, however, being -nearly so good as that fragrant article. Probably the FAG-END of a -thing, the inferior or remaining part, the refuse. - -~Faggot~, a term of opprobrium used by low people to children and women; -"you little FAGGOT, you!" FAGGOT was originally a term of contempt for a -dry shrivelled old woman, whose bones were like a bundle of sticks, only -fit to burn.--Compare the French expression for a heretic, _sentir le -fagot_. - -~Faggot briefs~, bundles of worthless papers tied up with red tape, -carried by unemployed barristers in the back rows of the courts to -simulate briefs. - -~Faggot vote~, a phrase which belongs to the slang of politics, and -which was applied to a class of votes, by no means extinct even now, -though not so common as in the days preceding the first Reform Bill, -when constituencies were smaller, and individual votes were consequently -more valuable. FAGGOT VOTES were thus created:--A large landowner who -was blessed with, say, seven sons and seven brothers, and had also on -his estate fourteen labourers' cottages worth about a shilling a week -each, would go through the form of sale of one cottage to each son and -each brother, it being perfectly understood that the title-deeds would -be returned when the occasion for their use was at an end. And thus the -squire would command fifteen votes instead of one. In a famous election -for the West Riding of Yorkshire during the third decade of the present -century, which cost upwards of half a million sterling, and ruined the -successful candidate, it was said that six hundred FAGGOT VOTES were -created by three noble lords. The origin of the term has been variously -explained. One ingenious writer has suggested that as a FAGGOT may be -split into a bundle of sticks, so was one estate thus split into a -bundle of votes. It is, however, more reasonable to suppose that it was -derived from the old word "FAGGOT," which was used to describe a -"nominal soldier," one, that is, whose name appeared on the muster-roll, -and for whom the colonel drew pay, but who was never to be found in the -ranks. The connexion is evident enough. - -~Fake~, in the sporting world, means to hocus or poison. Fake is also a -mixture supposed to be used for purposes of "making safe." - -~Fake~, to cheat, or swindle; to do anything; to go on, or continue; to -make or construct; to steal or rob,--a verb variously used. FAKED, done, -or done for; "FAKE away, there's no down;" go on, there is nobody -looking. From the _Latin_ FACERE. - -~Fakement~, a false begging petition, any act of robbery, swindling, or -deception. FAKEMENT is a word of most general application among the -lower classes. Any things strange, and most things not strange, are -called FAKEMENTS, particularly if there is anything peculiar or artistic -in their production. - -~Fakement Charley~, the owner's private mark. FAKER, is one who makes or -FAKES anything. To "fake a cly," is to pick a pocket. - -~Fal-lals~, trumpery ornaments, gewgaws. Forby suggests as a derivation -the _Latin_ PHALERAE, horse trappings. - -~Fambles~, or FAMMS, the hands.--_Ancient Cant._ _German_, FANGEN. - -~Family men~, or PEOPLE, thieves, or burglars. - -~Fan~, a waistcoat.--_Houndsditch term._ - -~Fancy~, the favourite sports, pets, or pastime of a person, the ton of -low life. Pugilists are sometimes termed the FANCY. Shakspeare uses the -word in the sense of a favourite or pet; and the paramour of a -prostitute is still called her FANCY MAN. - -~Fancy bloak~, a fancy or sporting man. - -~Fanning~, a beating. FANNING is also stealing; CROSS-FANNING is -stealing with the arms crossed so as to distract attention, as in -stealing breast-pins, &c. - -~Fanqui~, a European, literally foreign devil.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Fantail~, a dustman's or coalheaver's hat. So called from the shape. - -~Farm~, to contract, after the manner of those who engage to feed and -lodge children belonging to the parish, at so much a head; a fruitful -cause of starvation and misery. _See Oliver Twist._ The baby farmings, -unconnected with the parishes in which they occurred, which ultimately -resulted in the trial and execution of Margaret Waters, on the 11th -October, 1870, have caused the word FARM as applied to any dealings with -children, parish or private, to be one of obloquy and reproach. - -~Farmer.~ In Suffolk this term is applied to the eldest son of the -occupier of the farm. In London it is used derisively of a countryman, -and denotes a farm-labourer or clodpole. Both senses are different from -the proper meaning. - -~Fast~, gay, spreeish, unsteady, thoughtless,--an Americanism that has -of late ascended from the streets to the drawing-room. The word has -certainly now a distinct meaning, which it had not thirty years ago. -QUICK is the synonym for FAST, but a QUICK MAN would not convey the -meaning of a FAST MAN,--a person who, by late hours, gaiety, and -continual rounds of pleasure, lives too fast, and wears himself out. In -polite society a FAST young lady is one who affects mannish habits, or -makes herself conspicuous by some unfeminine accomplishment,--talks -slang, drives about in London, smokes cigarettes, is knowing in dogs, -horses, &c. An amusing anecdote is told of a fast young lady, the -daughter of a right reverend prelate, who was an adept in horseflesh. -Being desirous of ascertaining the opinion of a candidate for -ordination, who had the look of a bird of the same feather, as to the -merits of some cattle just brought to her father's palace for her to -select from, she was assured by him they were utterly unfit for a lady's -use. With a knowing look at the horses' points, she gave her decision in -these choice words, "Well, I agree with you; they _are_ a rum lot, as -the devil said of the ten commandments." Charles Dickens once said that -"fast," when applied to a young man, was only another word for loose, as -he understood the term; and a fast girl has been defined as a woman who -has lost her respect for men, and for whom men have lost their respect. - -~Fast~, embarrassed, wanting money, tied up. Sometimes synonymous with -"hard up."--_Yorkshire._ - -~Fast and loose~, to play FAST AND LOOSE with a man, is to treat him as -a fast friend in the days while he is useful, and to cast him loose -when he is no longer necessary; also, to equivocate or vacillate. In old -days it was the name of a vulgar pastime. _See_ PRICK THE GARTER. - -~Fat~, a printer's term signifying the void spaces on a page, for which -he is paid at the same rate as for full or unbroken pages. Occasionally -called "grease," and applied variously, but always as showing some undue -or uncommon amount of advantage. - -~Fat~, rich, abundant, &c.; "a FAT lot;" "to cut it FAT," to exaggerate, -to show off in an extensive or grand manner, to assume undue importance; -"cut up FAT," see under CUT. As a theatrical term, a part with plenty of -FAT in it is one which affords the actor an opportunity of effective -display. - -~Father~, or FENCE, a buyer of stolen property. - -~Favourite~, the horse that has the lowest odds laid against it in the -betting list. When the FAVOURITE wins, the public or backers of horses -generally are the gainers. When an outsider wins, the ring, that is to -say, the persons who make a business of laying against the chances of -horses, are the gainers. - -~Fawney~, a finger ring. _Irish_, FAINEE, a ring. - -~Fawney bouncing~, selling rings for a pretended wager. This practice is -founded upon the old tale of a gentleman laying a wager that if he were -to offer "real gold sovereigns" at a penny a-piece at the foot of London -Bridge, the English public would be too incredulous to buy. The story -states that the gentleman stationed himself with sovereigns on a -tea-tray, and sold only two within the hour, thus winning the bet. This -tale the FAWNEY BOUNCERS tell the public, only offering brass, -double-gilt rings, instead of sovereigns. - -~Fawney rig~, the ring-dropping trick. A few years ago this practice was -very common. A fellow purposely dropped a ring, or a pocket-book with -some little articles of jewellery, &c., in it, and when he saw any -person pick it up, ran to claim half. The ring found, the question of -how the booty was to be divided had then to be decided. The sharper -says, "If you will give me eight or nine shillings for my share, the -things are yours." This the "flat" thinks very fair. The ring of course -is valueless, and the swallower of the bait discovers the trick too -late. For another way of doing this trick, _see_ RING-DROPPING. - -~Feathers~, money, wealth; "in full FEATHER," rich. FEATHERS is also a -term applied to dress; "in full FEATHER," means very often in full -costume. It also means, at times, in high spirits. - -~Feed~, a meal, generally a dinner. Originally stable slang, now pretty -general. - -~Feele~, a daughter, or child.--Corrupted _French_. - -~Fellow-commoner~, uncomplimentary epithet used at Cambridge for an -empty bottle. - -~Felt~, a hat.--_Old term_, in use in the sixteenth century. - -~Fence~, a purchaser or receiver of stolen goods; also, the shop or -warehouse of a FENCER.--_Old Cant._ - -~Fen-nightingales~, toads and frogs, from their continued croaking at -night. - -~Feringee~, a European--that is, a Frank.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Ferricadouzer~, a knock-down blow, a good thrashing. Probably derived, -through the _Lingua Franca_, from the _Italian_, "far' cader' douser," -to knock down. "Far' cader' morto," is to knock down dead. - -~Few~, used to signify the reverse, thus:--"Don't you call this -considerably jolly?" "I believe you, my bo-o-oy, A FEW." Sometimes the -reply is, "just a FEW." Another expression of the same kind is RATHER, -which _see_. - -~Fib~, to beat or strike.--_Old Cant._ - -~Fib~, to lie, to romance. - -~Fibbing~, a series of blows delivered quickly, and at a short -distance.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Fiddle~, a sharper, "a street mugger." In America, a swindle or an -imposture. - -~Fiddle~, "to play second FIDDLE," to act subordinately, or follow the -lead of another. From the orchestral practice. - -~Fiddle-face~, a person with a wizened countenance. - -~Fiddle-faddle~, twaddle, or trifling discourse.--_Old Cant._ - -~Fiddler~, a sharper, a cheat; also a careless, negligent, or dilatory -person. On board some ocean steamers the FIDDLER is the capstan-house, -the only place on board where passengers are permitted to smoke. The -term FIDDLER is easily traceable to the fact that, while the seamen are -working the capstan-bars, a man sometimes plays on the fiddle to cheer -them at their toil. - -~Fiddler~, a sixpence. Fiddler's money is small money; generally from -the old custom of each couple at a dance paying the fiddler sixpence. - -~Fiddler~, or FADGE, a farthing. - -~Fiddlers' green~, the place where sailors expect to go when they die. -It is a place of fiddling, dancing, rum, and tobacco, and is undoubtedly -the "Land of Cocaigne," mentioned in mediaeval manuscripts. A story is -told of a drunken sailor who heard a street preacher threatening all -listeners with eternal damnation, and who went up and asked where he -(the sailor) was going after death. "To hell, of course," replied the -preacher. "No, you lubberly son of a sea-cook!" shouted the seaman, -knocking the itinerant down; "I'm going to FIDDLER'S GREEN; and if you -say I'm not, I'll throttle you." Under compulsion, the preacher admitted -the existence of FIDDLER'S GREEN, _pro tempore_. - -~Fiddles~, transverse pieces of wood used on shipboard to protect the -dishes at table during stormy weather. Swing tables obviate the use of -FIDDLES. - -~Fiddle-sticks!~ an exclamation signifying nonsense. Sometimes -"Fiddle-de-dee." - -~Fiddling~, doing any odd jobs in the streets, holding horses, carrying -parcels, &c., for a living. Among the middle classes, FIDDLING means -idling away time, or trifling, and amongst sharpers it means gambling. - -~Fid-fad~, a game similar to chequers, or drafts, played in the West of -England. - -~Field~, the whole of the runners in a race of any kind. "A FIELD of -fourteen runners was placed in care of the starter." In betting -phraseology the FIELD represents the bulk of the horses, as opposed to -the favourite. "The FIELD for a pony," means that the offerer will lay -25_l._ against the favourite, preferring the chances of a winner turning -up amongst the others. "Ten to one on the FIELD," means that the price -named can be obtained about any horse in the race, that being the lowest -figure or favourite's price. Laying against favourites is called -FIELDING, and bookmakers are often known as FIELDERS. - -~Field~, "to look out," at cricket. In the outings of an eleven the -FIELDERS are those who stand away from the wickets with a view to -checking the progress of the ball. FIELDING is a great essential to -cricket, and to be "a good FIELD" is no slight honour. Also to lay -against favourites in the betting. - -~Field-lane duck~, a baked sheep's head. Field Lane was a low London -thoroughfare leading from the foot of Holborn Hill to the purlieus of -Clerkenwell. It was formerly the market for stolen pocket-handkerchiefs. -Holborn Viaduct improved all but a small portion of Field Lane off the -face of the earth. There is but the smallest vestige of this famous (or -infamous) thoroughfare left. The neighbourhood has received an upheaval -within the past few years, and from one end the pedestrian must descend -to the remains of Field Lane by means of a flight of steps. - -~Fieri-facias.~ A red-faced man is often jocularly said to have been -served with a writ of FIERI-FACIAS. - -~Fi-fa~, a writ of Fieri-Facias.--_Legal._ - -~Fi-fi~, Thackeray's term for Paul de Kock's novels, and similar modern -French literature. - -~Fig~, "in full FIG," _i.e._, full-dress costume, "extensively got up." -Possibly an allusion to the dress assumed by our first parents after -they were naked and not ashamed, or else an abbreviation of figure, in -the references to plates in books of fashions. - -~Fig~, "to FIG a horse," to play improper tricks with one in order to -make him lively. The FIG is a piece of wet ginger placed under a horse's -tail for the purpose of making him appear lively, and enhance his price. - -~Figaro~, a barber; from _Le Nozze di Figaro_. - -~Fig-leaf~, a small apron worn by ladies. - -~Figure~, "to cut a good or bad FIGURE," to make good or indifferent -appearance; "what's the FIGURE?" how much is to pay? FIGURE-HEAD, a -person's face.--_Sea term._ - -~Filch~, to steal, or purloin. Originally a cant word, derived from the -FILCHES, or hooks, thieves used to carry, to hook clothes, or any -portable articles from open windows.--_Vide_ Decker. It was considered a -cant or gipsy term up to the beginning of the last century. Harman has -"FYLCHE, to robbe." Probably from "FILICHI," Romany for a handkerchief. - -~File~, a deep or artful man, a jocose name for a cunning person. -Originally a term for a pickpocket, when to FILE was to cheat or rob. -FILE, an artful man, was used in the thirteenth and fourteenth -centuries. To deal with an artful man is sometimes said to be like -biting a FILE. - -~Filibuster~, an American adventurer, who, if successful, helps to -extend the boundaries of the United States, becomes a General, and -receives high honours, but who remains a FILIBUSTER, and is despised as -such, if he fails. The Texan, Nicaraguan, and kindred expeditions were -of a FILIBUSTERING order. - -~Fillibrush~, to flatter, praise ironically. - -~Fimble-famble~, a lame, prevaricating excuse.--_Scandinavian._ - -~Fin~, a hand; "come, tip us your FIN," viz., let us shake -hands.--_Sea._ - -~Finder~, one who FINDS bacon and meat at the market before they are -lost, _i.e._, steals them. - -~Finnuf~, a five-pound note. DOUBLE FINNUF, a ten-pound note.--_German_, -FUNF, five. - -~Fire-eater~, a quarrelsome man, a braggadocio or turbulent person who -is always ready to fight. - -~Firkytoodle~, to cuddle or fondle. - -~First flight~, the first lot to finish in a foot or horse race, in a -fox hunt, &c. - -~Fish~, a person; "a queer FISH," "a loose FISH." Term never used except -in doubtful cases, as those quoted. - -~Fishfag~, originally a Billingsgate fishwife; now any scolding, -vixenish, foul-mouthed woman. - -~Fishy~, doubtful, unsound, rotten; used to denote a suspicion of a -"screw being loose," or "something rotten in the state of Denmark," in -referring to any proposed speculation. - -~Fit~, an Americanism denoting the preterite of the verb to fight. A -Yankee once came upon the words _nihil fit_, and he immediately wrote -off to the editor of the paper to which he subscribed to know "Who was -Nihil, who he fit, what amount he fit for, and if he won." - -~Five fingers~, the five of trumps, at the game of Five-cards, or Don. - -~Fives~, "bunch of FIVES," the fist. - -~Fix~, a predicament, or dilemma; "an awful FIX," a terrible position; -"to FIX one's flint for him," _i.e._, to "settle his hash," to "put a -spoke in his wheel." - -~Fixings~, an Americanism, equivalent to our word "trimmings," which -_see_. - -~Fiz~, champagne; any sparkling wine. - -~Fizzing~, first-rate, very good, excellent; synonymous with "stunning." - -~Flabbergast~, or FLABBERGHAST, to astonish, or strike with wonder; -literally, to strike aghast.--_Old._ - -~Flag~, a groat, or 4_d._--_Ancient Cant._ - -~Flag~, an apron. People who wear their aprons when not at work, are -called "flag-flashers." - -~Flag of distress~, any overt sign of poverty; the end of a person's -shirt when it protrudes through his trousers. - -~Flam~, nonsense, blarney, a lie, humbug. "A regular FLAM," a tale -devoid of truth. - -~Flame~, a sweetheart. - -~Flannel~, or HOT FLANNEL, the old term for gin and beer, drunk hot, -with nutmeg, sugar, &c.; a play on the old name "lambswool." Also called -"flip." There is an anecdote told of Goldsmith helping to drink a quart -of FLANNEL in a night-house, in company with George Parker, Ned Shuter, -and a demure, grave-looking gentleman, who continually introduced the -words "crap," "stretch," "scrag," and "swing." Upon the Doctor asking -who this strange person might be, and being told his profession, he -rushed from the place in a frenzy, exclaiming, "Good God! and have I -been sitting all this while with a hangman!" - -~Flap~, lead used for the coverings of roofs. - -~Flapper~, or FLIPPER, the hand. - -~Flare up~, a jovial social gathering, a "breakdown," a "row." - -~Flash~, showy, smart, knowing; a word with various meanings. A person -is said to be dressed FLASH when his garb is showy, and after a fashion, -but without taste. A person is said to be FLASH when he apes the -appearance or manners of his betters, or when he is trying to be -superior to his friends and relations. FLASH also means "fast," roguish, -and sometimes infers counterfeit or deceptive--and this, perhaps, is its -general signification. As it is used by those who best understand it -nowadays, the word means that which is not what it appears to -be--anything spurious, as jewellery and shoddy clothes. "FLASH, my young -friend, or slang, as others call it, is the classical language of the -Holy Land; in other words, St. Giles's Greek."--_Tom and Jerry_, by -Moncreiff. Vulgar language was first termed FLASH in the year 1718, by -Hitchin, author of "_The Regulator of Thieves, &c., with account of -flash words_." "FLASH" is sometimes exchangeable with "fancy." - - "My FLASH man's in quod, - And I'm the gal that's willin, - So I'll turn out to-night, - And earn an honest shillin'. - - "Tooral, looral la, - What are wealth's possessions? - Bless the man we love, - And blow the b---- Sessions."--_Lyra Flagitiosa._ - -~Flash it~, show it--said when any bargain is offered. - -~Flash o' lightning~, the gold band on an officer's cap.--_Sea._ Also in -street slang, a glass of gin. - -~Flat~, a fool, a silly or "soft" person; the opposite of "sharp." The -terms appear to be shortenings for "sharp-witted" and "flat-witted." Or, -maybe, from musical notes. - -~Flat-feet~, the battalion companies in the Foot Guards. - -~Flats~, playing cards; sometimes called "broads." Also the storeys of -large houses, built on the "independent" principle, each flat having -its separate and peculiar offices, street-door, &c. - -~Flatty~, a rustic, or uninitiated person. - -~Flatty-ken~, a public-house the landlord of which is ignorant of the -practices of the thieves and tramps who frequent it. - -~Flay the fox~, to vomit. Now replaced by the more popular "shoot the -cat." - -~Flemish account.~--_Old._ Still used by sailors for a tangled and -unsatisfactory account or reckoning. - -~Flesh and blood~, brandy and port in equal quantities. - -~Flesh bag~, a shirt. American humourists call a white shirt a "clean -biled rag." In the mining camps, and rough parts generally, a white -shirt is called a "biled shirt" to distinguish it from the usual woollen -garment, which cannot be boiled. - -~Flick~, or OLD FLICK, a comical old chap or fellow. Term of endearment -among low people. - -~Flick~, or FLIG, to whip by striking, and drawing the lash back at the -same time, which causes a stinging blow. A flicking is often -administered by schoolboys with a damp towel or pocket-handkerchief. - -~Flies~, trickery, nonsense. "There are no FLIES about me, sir." -Softening of lies. - -~Flim-flamn~, idle story.--_Beaumont and Fletcher._ - -~Flimp~, to hustle, or rob. - -~Flimsy~, a bank-note. Bank of Elegance notes are sometimes called soft -flimsies. In this particular case two good terms make a bad one, as both -"soft" and "flimsies" used separately refer to good notes. - -~Flimsy~, the thin prepared copying-paper used by newspaper reporters -and "penny-a-liners" for making several copies at once, which enables -them to supply different papers with the same article without loss of -time. - -~Flint~, an operative who works for a "society" master, _i.e._, for full -wages. - -~Flip~, corruption of FILLIP, a light blow. Also a hot drink. _See_ -FLANNEL. - -~Flip-flap~, a peculiar rollicking dance indulged in by costermongers -when merry or excited--better described, perhaps, as the "double-shuffle" -danced with an air of extreme _abandon_. Also, a kind of somersault, -in which the performer throws himself over on his hands and feet -alternately. - -~Flipper~, the hand; "give us your FLIPPER," give me your hand.--_Sea._ -Metaphor taken from the flipper or paddle of a turtle. - -~Floater~, a small suet dumpling put into soup.--_Whitechapel._ - -~Floating academy~, the hulks. - -~Flog~, to whip. Cited both by Grose and the author of _Bacchus and -Venus_ as a cant word. Many efforts have been made to ascertain the -earliest use; Richardson cites Lord Chesterfield. From _Flagellum_. -"Flawged," for whipped, occurs in "The Presbyterian Lash, or Nockhoff's -Maid Whipt," published in 1663. Nockhoff was the anagram for the name -of the Rev. Zachary Crofton, who had scandalized the town by subjecting -his servant-maid to the discipline of the nursery. There is a good story -on the proper orthography of the convertible term for castigation -related in a newspaper of 1841. A county magistrate, who had sentenced a -boy to be birched, wrote in his warrant that the boy was to be "floged." -The scrupulous gaoler hesitated to inflict the punishment, and sent back -the warrant to the justice for amendment, who thereupon drew his pen -through "floged," and ordered the boy to be "wiped." - -~Flogger~, a whip.--_Almost obsolete._ FLOGGER is still the term applied -to a number of strips of cloth attached to a handle, and used in -theatrical painting rooms to beat off the dust of the charcoal used in -sketching a scene. - -~Flogster~, one addicted to flogging. William IV., who was accused of -unduly and excessively punishing the sailors whom he commanded when in -the navy, was nicknamed in the newspapers "Prince William Henry -FLOGSTER." - -~Floor~, to knock down.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Floored~, when a picture is hung on the lowest row at the Exhibition of -the Royal Academy, it is, in artistic slang, said to be FLOORED, in -contradistinction to "skyed," which _see_. - -~Floorer~, a blow sufficiently strong to knock a man down, or bring him -to the floor. Often used in reference to sudden and unpleasant news. - -~Flop~, to plump; "to go FLOP down," to fall suddenly, with violence and -noise. - -~Flowery~, lodging, or house entertainment; "square the omee for the -FLOWERY," pay the master for the lodging.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Flue-faker~, a chimney-sweep. - -~Fluff it~, a term of disapprobation, implying "take it away, I don't -want it." - -~Fluff~, railway ticket clerks' slang for short change given by them. -The profits thus accruing are called "fluffings," and the practice is -known as "fluffing." - -~Fluke~, at billiards, playing for one thing and getting another. Hence, -generally what one gets accidentally, as an unexpected advantage, "more -by luck than judgment." - -~Flummery~, flattery, gammon, genteel nonsense. In American ships a -peculiar kind of light sweet pudding. - -~Flummux~, to perplex or hinder. - -~Flummuxed~, done up, sure of a month in quod, or prison. In mendicant -freemasonry, the sign chalked by rogues and tramps upon a gate-post or -house corner, to express to succeeding vagabonds that it is unsafe for -them to call there, is known as [Circle with dot], or FLUMMUXED, which -signifies that the only thing they would be likely to get upon applying -for relief would be a "month in quod."--_See_ QUOD. - -~Flunkey~, a footman or other man-servant. - -~Flunkeyism~, blind worship of rank, birth, or riches, or of all three; -toadyism. - -~Flush~, the opposite of "hard up," in possession of money, not -poverty-stricken.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Flush~, to whip; "FLUSHED on the horse," to be privately whipped in -gaol; to deluge with water, as in "FLUSHING the sewers;" to come upon -suddenly and completely,--"I came FLUSH upon him." - -~Flush~, a term in cribbage, signifying a hand of cards composed -entirely of one suit. - -~Flutter~, to try hard in defence or pursuit of an object. "I'll have a -FLUTTER for it," means I'll have a good try for it. Also to toss for -anything. Probably from the spinning of the coin. - -~Fly~, knowing, wide-awake, fully understanding another's meaning. - -~Fly~, TO BE ON THE, to be out for a day's drink or pleasure. - -~Fly~, to lift, toss, or raise; "FLY the mags," _i.e._, toss up the -halfpence; "to FLY a window," _i.e._, to lift one for the purpose of -stealing. - -~Fly-boys~, men employed to clear the printed copies from the Hoe -machines, on which daily papers are "worked." So called to distinguish -them from the "machine boys," a superior grade of labourers who "lay on" -the sheets. - -~Flying mare~, a throw in wrestling. - -~Flying mess~, "to be in FLYING MESS" is a soldier's phrase for being -hungry and having to mess where he can. - -~Flying stationer~, a paper-worker, hawker of penny ballads; "Printed -for the Flying Stationers" is the _imprimatur_ on hundreds of penny -histories and sheet songs of the last and present centuries. - -~Flymy~, knowing, cunning, roguish.--_Seven Dials and Low Life._ - -~Fly the kite~, or RAISE THE WIND, to obtain money on bills, whether -good or bad, probably in allusion to tossing paper about as children do -kites. - -~Fly the kite~, to evacuate from a window,--term used in padding-kens, -or low lodging-houses. - -~Fobbed~, old slang for robbed. From FOB, the ancient breeches-pocket -for the watch. - -~Fogey~, or OLD FOGEY, a dullard, an old-fashioned or singular person. -Grose says it is a nickname for an invalid soldier, from the French -_fougueux_, fierce or fiery, but it has lost this signification now. - -~Fogger~, old word for a huckster. - -~Fogger~, a farm servant who feeds cattle. Probably a corruption of -fodderer. - -~Foggy~, tipsy. - -~Fogle~, a silk handkerchief,--not a clout, which is of cotton. It has -been hinted that this may have come from the German _Vogel_, a bird, -from the bird's-eye spots on some handkerchiefs, but a more probable -derivation is the Italian slang (_Fourbesque_), FOGLIA, a pocket, or -purse; or from the French Argot, FOUILLE, also a pocket. - -~Fogus~, tobacco.--_Ancient Cant._ FOGO, old word for stench. - -~Follow-me-lads~, curls hanging over a lady's shoulder. - -~Foont~, a sovereign, or 20_s._ Probably a corruption of vingt. - -~Footing~, "to pay FOOTING." _See_ SHOE. - -~Forakers~, the closet of decency, or house of office. Term used by the -boys at Winchester School. Very likely from "four acres," the original -necessary having been in all likelihood a field behind the school. - -~Force the voucher~, a term in use among sporting tricksters, who -advertise to send certain winners, and on receipt of letters enclose -vouchers similar to those sent out by respectable commission agents, but -with double or treble the current odds marked thereon, in reference to -the horse named. A plausible letter is sent with the voucher, and the -victim is informed that on account of early investments made by the -firm, which has of course a high-sounding title, the extra odds can be -laid by them, and a remittance to the amount named, or part of it, is -requested. Of course the firm "dries up" when claims become heavy, and, -with a new name and new address, appears in the next week's advertising -columns. FORCING THE VOUCHER was a fine game when it was first started, -but it was soon overdone, as it required no particular ingenuity, and -offered special immunities, theft of this kind being rather favoured -than otherwise by the authorities. Certainly the law that punishes -honest betting men seems powerless with regard to these plunderers, -otherwise we should hardly be treated as often as we are to the -spectacle of one man being fined for honest dealing, while another -escapes simply because he is not a betting man, but a welcher. - -~Fork out~, to bring out one's money, to pay the bill, to "stand for" or -treat a friend; to hand over what does not belong to you--old cant term -for picking pockets, and very curious in its origin. In the early part -of the last century, a little book was published on purloining, and of -course it had to give the latest modes. FORKING was the newest mode, and -it consisted in thrusting the fingers stiff and open into the pocket, -and then quickly closing them and extracting any article thus caught. - -~Forks~, or GRAPPLING-IRONS, fingers. Costermongers and other clumsy -feeders have a proverb which seems to justify their taking bones and -choice morsels in their hands during the progress of a meal. It is, -"Fingers were the first FORKS;" sometimes varied to "Fingers were made -before FORKS." - -~Form~, condition, training. "In good FORM" or "in bad FORM" refers to a -man's or horse's state of being in the sporting world. FORM has also had -a moral significance of late years, and with the qualifying adjectives -attached as occasion requires, is extensively used in general -conversation. As, "It was bad FORM of Brown to do that." "That article -was bad FORM." In the latter cases the word "in" rarely appears. - -~Forty foot~, a derisive appellation for a very short person. - -~Forty guts~, vulgar term for a fat man. - -~Forty-twa~, the common place of retirement on a well-known French plan -at Edinburgh, so called from its accommodating that number of persons at -once. - -~Forty winks~, a short sleep or nap. - -~Fou~, rather more than slightly intoxicated.--_Scotch._ - - "We are na' FOU, we are na' FOU." - -~Foul~, to jostle or bore unfairly in a race. _See_ BORE. To touch any -foreign substance during a race--particularly a boat-race--is to FOUL -it. - -~Foul~, a touch, no matter how slight, of bodies or machinery in a race -of any kind. FOULS in boat-racing are often inevitable, and are not -always the result of boring or any other malicious practice. - -~Foul riding~, riding which after a horse-race is made the subject of -complaint, such as refusing to let a competitor pass, boring him against -the rails, &c. Some jockeys are great adepts at this work, and are -invaluable to a confederacy as a means, not so much of attaining victory -themselves, as of preventing its attainment in others. Of course unless -proof of jostling can be given, or evidence of malicious intent shown, -jockeyship of this kind is not considered foul riding. - -~Four-and-nine~, or FOUR-AND-NINEPENNY GOSS, a cheap hat, so called from -4_s._ 9_d._, the price at which a once noted advertising hat-maker sold -his hats-- - - "Whene'er to slumber you incline, - Take a short nap at 4 and 9." - -~Four-eyes~, a man or woman who habitually wears spectacles. - -~Four kings~, HISTORY OF THE, an old name for a pack of playing cards. -_See_ Sir Thomas Urquhart's _Translation of Rabelais_. In _Argot_, LIVRE -DES QUATRE ROIS. - -~Fourth~, or FOURTH COURT, the court appropriated to the waterclosets at -Cambridge; from its really being No. 4 at Trinity College. A man leaving -his room to go to the FOURTH COURT, writes on his door, in algebraic -notation, GONE^4, which expresses the Cambridge slang phrase, "gone to -the FOURTH." - -~Fourth estate~, the complete body of journalists of all descriptions. -This term is much in use among "liners." - -~Fox~, to cheat or rob.--_Eton College._ In London to watch closely and -narrowly. - -~Foxed~, a term used by print and book collectors to denote the brown -spotted appearance produced by damp on paper. - -~Foxing~, when one actor criticises another's -performance.--_Theatrical._ Also in street slang FOXING means watching -slyly. - -~Fox's Sleep~, or FOXING, a purposely assumed indifference to what is -going on. A fox, as well as a weasel, is said to sleep with one eye -open. - -~Foxy~, rank, tainted, from the odour of the animal.--_Lincolnshire._ - -~Foxy~, said also of a red-haired person. - -~Frapping~, a beating. _French_, FRAPPER. - -~Free-and-easy~, a club held at a low public-house, the members of which -meet in the tap-room or parlour for the purpose of drinking, smoking, -and hearing each other sing. These gatherings are generally called -harmonic meetings by the landlord, but FREE-AND-EASY best indicates the -character of the proceedings. - -~Free fight~, a fight conducted on the Irishman's principle--"Sure, -wherever you see a head, hit it." The term is, however, American, so the -practice may be considered fairly general. - -~Freeman's quay~, "drinking at FREEMAN'S QUAY," _i.e._, at another's -cost. This quay was formerly a celebrated wharf near London Bridge, and -the saying arose from the beer which was given gratis to porters and -carmen who went there on business. - -~French cream~, brandy. - -~French gout~, a certain disease, which is also known as "ladies' -fever." - -~French leave~, TO TAKE, to leave or depart slyly, without saying -anything; or obtaining permission. - -~Fresh~, said of a person slightly intoxicated. - -~Freshman~, a University man during his first year. The official -appellation for the students until they have passed the Previous or -First Cambridge Examination, otherwise called the Smalls or Little Go, -is Junior Sophs or Sophisters. After this they are Senior Sophs until -their last term, when they are Questionists, or preparing "_ad -respondendum quaestioni_." At Oxford the title FRESHMAN lasts for the -first term. - -~Friday-face~, a gloomy-looking man. Most likely from FRIDAY being a day -of meagre fare among Catholics and High Church Protestants. - -~Frisk~, to search; FRISKED, searched by a constable or other officer. - -~Frisk a cly~, to empty a pocket. - -~Frog~, a policeman. Because, by a popular delusion, he is supposed to -pounce suddenly on delinquents. - -~Frog's march~, the manner in which four or more policemen carry a -drunken or turbulent man to the station-house. The victim is held face -downwards, one constable being at each shoulder, while the others hold -on above the knees. Often there is another active and intelligent -officer who beats time to the march on the recalcitrant hero's -posteriors. - -~Frontispiece~, the face. - -~Frow~, a girl, or wife. _German_, FRAU; _Dutch_, VROUW. - -~Frummagemmed~, annihilated, strangled, garrotted, or spoilt.--_Old -Cant._ - -~Frump~, a slatternly woman, a gossip.--_Ancient._ In modern slang it is -the feminine of FOGEY, and means a prim old lady, who is generally -termed "a regular old FRUMP." - -~Frump~, to mock or insult.--_Beaumont and Fletcher._ - -~F sharps~, fleas. Compare B FLATS. - -~Fudge~, nonsense, stupidity. Todd and Richardson only trace the word to -Goldsmith. Disraeli, however, gives the origin to a Captain Fudge, a -great fibber, who told monstrous stories, which made his crew say in -answer to any improbability, "You FUDGE it!"--_See Remarks on the Navy_, -1700. At page 87 of a collection of some papers of William Crouch (8vo, -1712), the Quaker, we find a mention of this Captain. Degory Marshall -informed Crouch that-- - - "In the year 1664 we were sentenced for banishment to Jamaica by - Judges Hyde and Twisden, and our number was 55. We were put on board - the ship Black Eagle; the master's name was FUDGE, by some called - LYING FUDGE." - -Some persons believe that the word comes from the _Gaelic_, FFUG, -deception. - -~Fuggies~, hot rolls.--_School._ - -~Full against~, opposed to. As, "I'm FULL AGAINST him," I decidedly -object to, or dislike him, or I am opposed to him. The term originated -with the bookmakers; who, when they have laid all their money against a -certain horse, put a mark against his name, and reply to all inquiries, -"FULL AGAINST him." This grew to "FULL AGAINST his winning," and was -thus taken, when shortened, to express feeling the reverse of friendly. - -~Fullams~, false dice, which always turn up high.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Full blast~, a term evidently borrowed from the technology of the -engine-room, and now frequently used to express the heyday or apogee of -anything. As, "By the middle of the day matters were in FULL BLAST, and -proceedings generally were very satisfactory." - -~Full feather~, good condition, high spirits. Also any one gaily dressed -is said to be in FULL FEATHER. - -~Full fig~, full costume, male or female uniform or evening dress. - -~Full of beans~, arrogant, purseproud. A person whom sudden prosperity -has made offensive and conceited, is said to be too "FULL OF BEANS." -Originally stable slang. - -~Fully~, "to be FULLIED," to be committed for trial. Term in general use -among thieves. Possibly from the reports which, in the slang of the -penny-a-liner, say "the prisoner was FULLY committed for trial." The -magistrates often say FULLY committed also, whatever that may mean. - -~Funk~, trepidation, nervousness, cowardice. To FUNK, to be afraid or -nervous. - -~Funk~, to smoke out, or terrify. - -~Funking the cobbler~, a bold schoolboy trick, performed with assafoetida -and cotton stuffed into a hollow tube or cow's horn. The cotton being -lighted, the smoke is blown in through the keyhole of a door, or the -crannies of a cobbler's stall. A funny song, much in vogue some years -back, gave all the agonies of a drunken cobbler, who believed the devil -had come for him, with all sorts of accessories, till - - "He was told by a shout - That 'twas only some boys who'd been FUNKING him out." - -~Funny~, a rowing boat with both ends pointed and out of the water. - -~Funny-bone~, the extremity of the elbow--or rather, the muscle which -passes round it between the two bones, a blow on which causes painful -tingling in the fingers. Facetiously derived, from its being the -extremity of the _humerus_ (humorous). - -~Fye-buck~, a sixpence.--_Nearly obsolete._ - -~Gab~, GABBER or GABBLE, talk; "gift of the GAB," loquacity, or natural -talent for speech-making.--_Anglo-Norman_; GAB is also found in the -_Danish_ and _Old Norse_. - -~Gaby~, a simpleton, a country bumpkin. Probably from gape. - -~Gad~, a trapesing slatternly woman.--_Gipsy._ _Anglo-Saxon_, GAEDELING. - -~Gadding the hoof~, going without shoes. GADDING, roaming about, -although used in an old translation of the Bible, is now only heard -amongst the lower orders. - -~Gaff~, a penny play-house, in which talking is not permitted on the -stage. _See_ PENNY GAFF. - -~Gaffer~, a master, or employer; term used by "navvies," and general in -Lancashire and North of England. Early English for an old man. _See_ -"BLOW THE GAFF." - -~Gaffing~, tossing halfpence, or counters.--_North_, where it means -tossing up three halfpennies. One man tosses, and another calls. -Sometimes the coins are tossed from a stick, and the tosser keeps those -which fall heads uppermost. - -~Gag~, a lie; "a GAG he told to the beak."--_Thieves' Cant._ - -~Gag~, language introduced by an actor into his part. In certain pieces -this is allowed by custom, and these are called GAG-PIECES. _The Critic, -or a Tragedy Rehearsed_, is chief among these. Many actors, however, -take French leave in this respect with most pieces.--_Theatrical slang._ - - MR. ROBSON AT BELFAST.--We (_Northern Whig_) suspected a little bit - of what is professionally termed GAG in Mr. Robson's _Daddy - Hardacre_ last night. He had occasion to say that one of the - characters in the piece "understands me well enough," to which he - added--"I wish some other people did the same," with an expressive - glance at the pit; which we interpreted as having special reference - to those appreciative persons in the audience whom we have already - mentioned, who think it absolutely needful to roar with laughter at - every sentence Mr. Robson utters, without the least regard to - whether it be humorous or pathetic--only because Mr. Robson has fame - as a comic actor. - -When another Robson shall arise, no one will object to his GAGGING a -little. The public could afford that to such a man in these days of -"creations." - -~Gag~, to hoax, "take a rise" out of one; to "cod." - -~Gage~, a small quantity of anything; as "a GAGE of tobacco," meaning a -pipeful; "a GAGE of gin," a glassful. GAGE was, in the last century, a -chamber utensil. - -~Galeny~, old cant term for a fowl of any kind; now a respectable word -in the West of England, signifying a Guinea fowl.--_Vide_ Grose. -_Latin_, GALLINA. - -~Gallanty show~, an exhibition in which black figures are shown on a -white sheet to accompanying dialogue. Generally given at night by "Punch -and Judy" men. - -~Gallimaufry~, a kind of stew, made up of scraps of various kinds. Sea -term, and probably meaning the galley scraps. - -~Gallipot~, an apothecary. - -~Gallivant~, to wait upon the ladies.--_Old._ - -~Gallows~, or GALLUS, very, or exceedingly--an unpleasant exclamation; -"GALLOWS poor," very poor. Term originally applied to anything bad -enough to deserve hanging. - -~Gallows bird~, an incorrigible thief; often applied to denote a -ruffian-like appearance. - -~Gallowses~, in the North of England a pair of braces. - -~Gally-yarn~, a sailor's term for a hoaxing story. He expresses -disbelief by saying only "G. Y." - -~Galoot.~--_See_ GEELOOT. - -~Galore~, abundance. _Irish_, GO LEOR, in plenty. - -~Gamb~, a leg. Still used as an heraldic term, as well as by thieves, -who probably get it from the _Lingua Franca_. _Italian_, GAMBA; -_French_, JAMBE, a leg. - -~Game~, a term variously applied; "are you GAME?" have you courage -enough? "what's your little GAME?" what are you going to do? "come, none -of your GAMES," be quiet, don't annoy me; "on the GAME," out thieving. -To "play the GAME" is among sporting men to do a thing thoroughly and -properly. - -~Game leg~, a lame or wounded leg. - -~Gameness~, pluck, endurance, courage generally. - -~Gammon~, deceit, humbug, a false and ridiculous story. _Anglo-Saxon_, -GAMEN, game, sport. - -~Gammon~, to hoax, to deceive merrily, to laugh at a person, to tell an -untrue but plausible story, to make game of, or, in the provincial -dialect, to make GAME on;--"who's thou makin' thy GAM' on?" _i.e._, of -whom are you making a fool?--_Yorkshire._ - -~Gammy~, bad, unfavourable, poor tempered. Those householders who are -known enemies to the street folk and tramps are pronounced by them to be -GAMMY. GAMMY sometimes means forged, as "GAMMY-MONNIKER," a forged -signature; GAMMY STUFF, spurious medicine; GAMMY LOWR, counterfeit coin. -_Hants_, GAMY, dirty. The hieroglyphic used by beggars and cadgers to -intimate to those of the tribe coming after that things are not very -favourable is known as [Square], or GAMMY. _Gaelic_, _Welsh_, and -_Irish_, CAM (GAM), crooked. - -~Gammy-vial~ (Ville), a town where the police will not let persons hawk. - -~Gander Month~, the period when the monthly nurse is in the ascendant, -and the husband has to shift for himself. Probably from the open choice -he has during that period. - -~Ganger~, the person who superintends the work of a gang, or a number of -navigators. - -~Gape~, to stare about in an astonished manner. "GAPING about like a -country bumpkin." Sometimes pronounced GARP. There is no reference in -the use of this phrase by Cockneys to GAPE in its correct sense. - -~Gape-seed~, something to look at, cause for astonishment; a lazy -fellow, unmindful of his work, is said to be "looking for GAPE-SEED." -Rustics are said to find plenty of "GAPE-SEED" in London streets. - -~Gar~, euphuistic rendering of the title of the Deity; "be GAR, you -don't say so!"--_Franco-English._ - -~Garden~, among tradesmen signifies Covent GARDEN Market; among -theatrical performers, Covent GARDEN Theatre. - -~Gardener~, an awkward coachman; an insinuation that he is both coachman -and gardener, and understands the latter branch of service better than -the first; "get on, GARDENER," is a most insulting expression from a -cabby to a real coachman. Men who in small families do the coach, -garden, and general work, are sometimes called "teakettle grooms," or -"teakettle coachmen." - -~Gargle~, medical-student slang for drinkables. - -~Garnish~, the douceur or fee which, before the time of Howard the -philanthropist, was openly exacted by the keepers of gaols from their -unfortunate prisoners for extra comforts. The practice of garnishing is -by no means so defunct as some folk seem to think, and its influence may -often be traced by those who wish. - -~Garnish~, footing money.--_Yorkshire._ - -~Garreter~, a thief who crawls over the tops of houses, and enters -garret-windows. Called also a "dancer," or "dancing-master," from the -light and airy nature of his occupation. - -~Garrotte~, a system of robbery with violence much practised on dark -winter nights by ruffians who during summer infest racecourses and -fairs. Their victims are generally weak men and delicate women. From the -Spanish GARROTTE, because the practice generally commences with a -throttling attack. Procedure is, however, various, these gentlemen being -possessed of much ingenuity in the way of torture. "The cat" has within -the past year or so done much to modify this offensive state of things, -but the sympathetic appeals of certain tenderhearted M.P.'s and other -philanthropists, who are not themselves likely to be garrotted, on -behalf of the garrotters, will probably before long result in a -withdrawal of the _lex talionis_, and a natural resumption of the -garrotte system, with new adornments. - -~Garrotting~, a mode of cheating practised amongst card-sharpers, by -concealing certain cards at the back of the neck. - -~Gas~, to give off superfluous conceit, to bounce or brag; "his game is -GAS." "To give a person GAS," is to scold him or give him a good -beating. Synonymous with "to give him Jessie." - -~Gassy~, or GASEOUS, liable to "flare up" at any offence. - -~Gate~, THE, Billingsgate. Sometimes Newgate, according to the -occupation and condition of the speaker. In the same way Paternoster Row -is by publishers known as "the Row." - -~Gate~, to order an undergrad not to pass beyond the college GATE. As a -rule, the GATE begins after hall, but in extreme cases the offender is -GATED for the whole day.--_University._ - -~Gate-race~, among pedestrians a mock race, got up not so much for the -best runner to win, as for the money taken from spectators, at the gate. -This sort of business is not peculiar to pedestrians; there are such -things as gate-money meetings at horse-racing. - -~Gatter~, beer; "shant of GATTER," a pot of beer. A curious slang street -melody, known in Seven Dials as _Bet the Coaley's Daughter_, thus -mentions the word in a favourite verse:-- - - "But when I strove my flame to tell, - Says she, 'Come, stow that patter, - If you're a cove wot likes a gal, - Vy don't you stand some GATTER?' - In course I instantly complied-- - Two brimming quarts of porter, - With sev'ral goes of gin beside, - Drain'd Bet the Coaley's daughter." - -~Gaudy~, the annual dinner of the Fellows of a College, in memory of -founders and benefactors. From GAUDEAMUS.--_Oxford University._ - -~Gawfs~, cheap red-skinned apples, a favourite fruit with costermongers, -who rub them well with a piece of cloth, and find ready purchasers. - -~Gawky~, a lanky, or awkward person; a fool. _Saxon_, GEAK; _Scotch_, -GOWK. - -~Gay~, loose, dissipated; "GAY woman," a kept mistress or prostitute. -Many people will remember Leech's celebrated caricature of two wretched -females on an equally wretched night, and the question asked by one -woman of the other, "How long have you been GAY?" - -~Gay tyke boy~, a dog-fancier. - -~Gee~, to agree with, or be congenial to a person. - -~Geeloot~, or GALOOT, a recruit, or awkward soldier. A clumsy person, -also a term of contempt in America. - -~Gen~, a shilling. _See_ back-slang article. - -~Gent~, a contraction of "gentleman,"--in more senses than one. A -dressy, showy, foppish man, with a little mind, who vulgarizes the -prevailing fashion. - -~Gent~, silver. From the _French_, ARGENT. - -~Gentleman of four outs;~ in Ireland when a vulgar, blustering fellow -asserts that he is a gentleman, the retort generally is, "Yes, a -GENTLEMAN OF FOUR OUTS"--that is, without wit, without money, without -credit, and without manners. - -~Gentleman of three ins~,--that is, in debt, in danger, and in poverty. - -~Geordie~, general term in Northumberland and Durham for a pitman, or -coal-miner. From the _Greek_, GEORGE meaning one who works the earth, -originally a cultivator; the term has been in use more than a century. - -~German Duck~, a sheep's-head stewed with onions; a favourite dish among -the German sugar-bakers in the East-end of London. - -~German Ducks~, bugs.--_Yorkshire._ - -~Get up~, a person's appearance or general arrangements. Probably -derived from the decorations of a play. - - "There's so much GETTING UP to please the town, - It takes a precious deal of coming down." - - _Planche's Mr. Buckstone's Ascent of Parnassus._ - -~Ghost~, "the GHOST doesn't walk," a theatrical term which implies that -there is no money about, and that there will be no "treasury." - -~Gibberish~, unmeaning jargon; the language of the gipsies, synonymous -with SLANG, another Gipsy word. Somner says, "_French_, GABBER; _Dutch_, -GABBEREN; and our own GAB, GABBER; hence also, I take it, our GIBBERISH, -a kind of canting language used by a sort of rogues we vulgarly call -gipsies, a gibble-gabble understood only among themselves." _See -Introduction._ The GIBBERISH of schoolboys is formed by placing a -consonant between each syllable of a word, and is called the GIBBERISH -of the letter inserted. Thus, if F were the letter, it would be termed -the F GIBBERISH; if L, the L GIBBERISH--as in the sentence, "How do you -do?--_Howl dol youl dol?_" A GIBBERISH is sometimes formed by adding -_vis_ to each word, in which the previous sentence would be--"_Howvis -dovis youvis dovis?_" These things are worthy of schoolboys, as they are -in ability far below the rhyming, the back, or the centre slang, each of -which is constructed by people possessing no claim to literary -excellence whatever. Schoolboys in France form a GIBBERISH, in a -somewhat similar manner, by elongating their words two syllables, in the -first of which an _r_, in the second a _g_, predominates. Thus the words -_vous etes un fou_ are spoken, _vousdregue esdregue undregue foudregue_. -Fast persons in Paris, of both sexes, frequently adopt terminations of -this kind, from some popular song, actor, exhibition, or political -event. In 1830, the favourite termination was _mar_, saying _epicemar_ -for epicier, _cafemar_ for cafe. In 1823, when the diorama created a -sensation in Paris, the people spoke in _rama_ (_on parlait en rama_.) -In Balzac's beautiful tale, _Le Pere Goriot_, the young painter at the -boarding-house dinner-table mystifies the landlady by saying, "What a -beautiful _soupeaurama_!" To which the old woman replies, to the great -laughter of the company, "I beg your pardon, sir, it is _une soupe a -choux_." These adaptations can hardly be called slang, or we shall have -everybody making a slang of his own, and refusing to believe in any -one's else--a sort of secondhand edition of the Tower of Babel. - -~Gib-face~, a heavy, ugly face; GIB is properly the lower lip of a -horse; "to hang one's GIB," to pout the lower lip, to be angry or -sullen. - -~Gibus~, an opera hat. From the inventor of the crush hat. - -~Giffle-gaffle~, or GIBBLE-GABBLE, nonsense. _See_ CHAFF. _Icelandic_, -GAFLA. - -~Gig~, a farthing. Formerly GRIG. - -~Gig~, fun, frolic, a spree. _Old French_, GIGUE, a jig, a romp. - - "In search of lark, or some delicious GIG, - The mind delights on, when 'tis in prime twig." - - _Randall's Diary_, 1820. - - "'No heirs have I,' said mournful Matt; - But Tom, still fond of GIG, - Cried out, 'No hairs? don't fret at that, - When you can buy a wig.'" - -~Gig lamps~, spectacles; also a person who wears spectacles is often -called GIG-LAMPS. Connexion obvious. This term has been in use probably -as long as GIG-LAMPS themselves--if GIG-LAMPS were invented after -spectacles. - -~Gill~, or JILL, a homely woman; "Jack and Gill," &c. - -~Gills~, the lower part of the face.--_Bacon._ "To grease one's GILLS," -"to have a good feed," or make a hearty meal. A man suffering from the -effects of a previous night's debauch, is said to "look queer about the -gills." - -~Gills~, overlarge shirt collars. - -~Gilt~, money. _German_, GELD; _Dutch_, GELT. - -~Gimcrack~, a bijou, a slim piece of mechanism. Old slang for "a spruce -wench."--_New Bailey._ Any things which are gaudy and easily breakable, -are known now as GIMCRACKS. - -~Ginger~, a showy, fast horse--as if he had been figged with GINGER -under his tail; a red-haired man. Term commonly used in depreciation of -a person's appearance. - -~Ginger hackled~, having flaxen, light yellow hair. Term originally used -to describe a certain colour or colours in game-cocks.--_See_ HACKLE. - -~Gingerly~, to do anything with great care.--_Cotgrave._ - -~Gingham~, an umbrella. Term very common in London. - -~Gingumbob~, a bauble. - -~Gin-spinner~, a distiller, or rectifier of gin. - -~Give~, to strike, to scold; "I'll GIVE it to you," _i.e._, I will -thrash you. To lead to, in the sense of directions. Thus, in one of the -Christmas numbers of _All the Year Round_ we are told that "a side -portal and a passage, dark at noon, GAVE upon Paradise Alley." This -usage of the word, from the French idiomatic use of _donner_, is -becoming by no means uncommon. - -~Give in~, to admit oneself defeated, to "throw up the sponge," or -"strike one's flag." - -~Give it mouth~, a rude request to an actor or orator, which means, -speak up. Low folk can fancy nothing higher in the way of encomium on an -actor than, "He's the cove to GIVE IT MOUTH--rather!" - -~Gladstone~, cheap claret. GLADSTONE reduced the duty on French wines. - -~Glasgow magistrate~, a salt herring. When George IV. visited Scotland, -a wag placed some salt herrings on the iron guard of the carriage -belonging to a well-known GLASGOW MAGISTRATE, who made one of a -deputation to receive his Majesty. - -~Glaze~, glass; generally applied to windows. To "star the GLAZE" is to -break a window. - -~Glib~, a tongue; "slacken your GLIB," _i.e._, "loosen your tongue." - -~Glim~, a light, a lamp; "dowse the GLIM," put out the candle. _Sea and -Old Cant._ GLIMS, spectacles. _Gaelic_, GLINN, light. _German_ -(provincial), GLIMM, a spark. - -~Glim lurk~, a begging paper, giving a circumstantial account of a -dreadful fire--which never happened. - -~Gloak~, a man. Term much used in old thieves' cant. - -~Glum~, sulky, stem; "to look GLUM," to appear annoyed or disconcerted. - -~Glump~, to sulk. - -~Glumpish~, of a stubborn, sulky temper. - -~Go~, a GO of gin, a quartern of that liquor. (This word, as applied to -a measure of liquor, is stated to have arisen from the following -circumstance:--Two well-known actors once met at the bar of a tavern to -have a "wet" together. "One more glass and then we'll GO," was repeated -so often on either hand, that in the end GO was out of the question with -both of them, and so the word passed into a saying.) GO is also -synonymous with circumstance or occurrence; "a rummy GO," and "a great -GO," signify curious and remarkable occurrences; "all the GO," when -anything creates unusual interest, "no GO," no good; "here's a pretty -GO!" here's a trouble; GO, a term in the game of cribbage; "to GO the -jump," to enter a house by the window.--_See_ LITTLE GO; also -CALL-A-GO. - - "Gemmen (says he), you all well know - The joy there is whene'er we meet; - It's what I call the primest GO, - And rightly named, 'tis--'quite a treat,'" - - _Jack Randall's Diary_, 1820. - -~Go along~, a fool, a cully, one of the most contemptuous terms in a -thieves' vocabulary. - -~Gob~ or GOBBET, a portion. Generally applied to meat by schoolboys. - -~Gob~, the mouth, as in pugilistic slang "a spank on the GOB, drawing -the gravy." Also mucus, or saliva. Sometimes used for GAB, talk-- - - "There was a man called Job, - Dwelt in the land of Uz; - He had a good gift of the GOB; - The same case happen us." - - ZACH. BOYD. - -_Gaelic_--GAB and GOB, a mouth. _See_ GAB. - -~God bless the Duke Of Argyle!~ a Scottish insinuation made when one -shrugs his shoulders, of its being caused by parasites or cutaneous -affections.--_See_ SCOTCH FIDDLE, SCOTCH GREYS. It is said to have been -originally the thankful exclamation of the Glasgow folk, at finding a -certain row of iron posts, erected by his grace in that city to mark the -division of his property, very convenient to rub against. Some say the -posts were put up purposely for the benefit of the good folk of Glasgow, -who were at the time suffering from the "Scotch fiddle." This is, -however, but a Southern scandal. - -~Gods~, the people in the upper gallery of a theatre; "up amongst the -GODS," a seat amongst the persons in the gallery--so named from the high -position of that part, and the blue sky generally painted on the ceiling -of the theatre; termed by the French, "paradis." - -~Gods~, the quadrats used by printers in throwing on the imposing stone, -similar to the movement in casting dice.--_Printers' term._ - -~Go due north~, to become bankrupt, to go to Whitecross Street.--_Nearly -obsolete._ - -~Go for the gloves~, to lay against a horse on the chance of its losing, -without having the wherewithal to pay if it wins. Probably from the -custom of ladies who bet GLOVES, and expect, as the racing men say, to -"stand them to nothing," _i.e._, to be paid if they win, but not to pay -if they lose. This is a last resource of the bankrupt turfite; -and the big handicaps at the end of the year, the Cesarewitch and -Cambridgeshire, offer both temptation and opportunity to those who can -only hope to recoup themselves for their previous losses by "GLOVING IT" -successfully. When, in the sporting papers it is stated that a settling -at Tattersall's was more than usually unsatisfactory, it may be fairly -assumed that the GLOVES have not been won by those who most desired -them. - -~Go in~, to enter for, to apply oneself in pursuit of. Men at the -Universities are said to GO IN for honours, aquatics, or whatever their -chief desire or employment may be. The expression is now general. - -~Go it~, a term of encouragement, implying, "keep it up!" Sometimes -amplified to "GO IT, ye cripples;" said to have been a facetious -rendering of the last line of Virgil's _Eclogues_-- - - "Ite domum saturae, venit Hesperus, _ite capellae_;" - -or, "GO IT, ye cripples, crutches are cheap." - -~Goldbacked uns~, body lice. Sometimes called greybacked uns. - -~Goldfinches~, sovereigns. Similar to Canaries. - -~Gold-mine~, any profitable investment, from a fried-fish shop to a -remunerative speculation involving millions. - -~Golgotha~, a hat, "place of a skull." Hence the "Don's gallery," at St. -Mary's, Cambridge, and that part of the theatre at Oxford where the -heads of houses sit. - -~Gol-mol~, noise, commotion.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Golopshus~, splendid, delicious, luscious.--_Norwich._ - -~Gonnof~, an expert thief, a master of his craft; one of the greatest -compliments a London pickpocket can pay another is to say, "he's a -reglar GONNOF."--_See_ GUN. The word GONNOF is very old. During Kett's -rebellion in Norfolk, in the reign of Edward VI., a song was sung by the -insurgents in which the term occurs-- - - "The country GNOFFES, Hob, Dick, and Hick, - With clubbes and clouted shoon, - Shall fill up Dussyn dale - With slaughter'd bodies soone." - -~Good people~, the name given by country folk, evidently from fear of -offending by any less decided term, to fairies, brownies, pixies, &c. -Mothers often say to querulous children, "I wish the GOOD PEOPLE would -run away with you." - -~Goods~, in the sporting world, men or horses. A horse or man of -exceptionable quality is called "good GOODS," and a backer will speak of -either as being in his opinion "best GOODS," as compared with others in -the race. - -~Good time~, an expressive phrase, which means all earthly bliss to the -American mind. The finest reminiscence a Yankee can have is that of a -GOOD TIME, wherever it may have been spent. No moderate amount of -happiness is ever recorded in the register which denotes how often its -possessor has "had a GOOD TIME." - -~Good woman~, a not uncommon public-house sign, representing a woman -without a head,--the ungallant allusion is that she cannot scold. Maybe, -the publican does not think that it means also that she cannot drink. -The Honest Lawyer, another sign, is depicted in the same manner. - -~Goose~, a tailor's pressing iron. Originally a slang term, but now in -most dictionaries. - -~Goose;~ "Paddy's GOOSE," _i.e._, the White Swan, a celebrated -public-house in Ratcliff Highway. - -~Goose~, "to cook his GOOSE," to kill him; the same as "to give him his -gruel," or "settle his hash." - -~Goose~, "to get the GOOSE," "to be GOOSED," signifies to be hissed -while on the stage. The big-bird, the terror of actors. _See_ BIG -BIRD.--_Theatrical._ - -~Goose~, to ruin, or spoil; to hiss a play.--_Theatrical._ To be "sound -on the GOOSE" is in America to be orthodox in one's political creed. - -~Gooseberry~, to "play up old GOOSEBERRY" with any one, to defeat or -silence a person in a quick or summary manner. - -~Gooseberry-pickers~, sharp children, who are ostensibly placed in -charge of their elder sisters, when the latter go out shopping, but who -are in reality a check on any chance of flirtation. - -~Goosecap~, a simpleton, a booby, or noodle.--_Devonshire._ - -~Gooser~, a settler, or finishing blow. - -~Go over~, in clerical slang, signifies to join the Church of Rome. - -~Gorge~, to eat in a ravenous manner. "Rotten GORGERS" are those hungry -lads who hang about Covent Garden Market, and devour the discarded -fruit. - -~Gorger~, a swell, a well-dressed, or gorgeous man--probably derived -from the latter adjective. Sometimes used to denote an employer, or -principal, as the manager of a theatre. - -~Gormed~, a Norfolk corruption of a profane oath. So used by Mr. -Peggotty in _David Copperfield_. - -~Gospel grinder~, a City missionary, or tract-distributor. - -~Gospel Shop~, an irreverent term for a church or chapel of any -denomination. Mostly in use among sailors. - -~Goss~, a hat--from the gossamer silk of which modern hats are made. - -~Goss~, "to give a man GOSS," to requite an injury, to beat, or kill. -This is an Americanism, and is applied variously. A steamboat captain on -the Mississippi, determined to pass his rival, called out, so the story -goes, to the fireman, "Give her GOSS and let her rip, as I mean to pass -that boat, or bust." - -~Goth~, an uncultivated person. One who is ignorant of the ways of -society. - -~Go the whole pile~, to put all one's bank on a solitary chance. An -Americanism which had its origin in the PILES of gold dust used as -circulating medium by gambling miners. - -~Gourock ham~, a salt herring. GOUROCK, on the Clyde, about twenty-five -miles from Glasgow, was formerly a great fishing village.--_Scotch._ - -~Government sign-post~, the gallows. This is necessarily almost -obsolete. - -~Governor~, a father, a master or superior person, an elder; "which way, -GUV'NER, to Cheapside?" - -~Gowler~, a dog.--_North Country Cant._ _Query_, GROWLER. - -~Gownsman~, a student at one of the universities, as distinguished from -a TOWNSMAN. - -~Grab~, to clutch, or seize; GRABBED, caught, apprehended. - -~Grace-card~, the six of hearts, so termed in Ireland. A Kilkenny -gentleman, named GRACE, being solicited, with promises of royal favour, -to espouse the cause of William III., gave the following answer, written -on the back of the six of hearts, to an emissary of Marshal Schomberg's, -who had been commissioned to make the proposal to him:--"Tell your -master I despise his offer; and that honour and conscience are dearer to -a gentleman than all the wealth and titles a prince can bestow." This -would have been a much better story had James II. been a better King, -and had he not earned for himself, even among Catholic Irishmen, a -disgraceful name, through his craven conduct at the Battle of the Boyne. - -~Graft~, work; "where are you GRAFTING?" _i.e._, where do you work? -"What GRAFT are you at?" what are you doing? Perhaps derived from -gardening phraseology; or a variation of _craft_. - -~Granny~, a knot which will not hold, from its being wrongly and -clumsily tied.--_Sea._ - -~Granny~, to know, or recognise; "do ye GRANNY the bloke?" do you know -the man? - -~Grappling irons~, fingers.--_Sea._ - -~Grass~, "gone to GRASS," dead,--a coarse allusion to burial; absconded, -or disappeared suddenly; also, gone to waste; it is said of wasted limbs -that they have "gone to GRASS;" "oh, go to GRASS," a common answer to a -troublesome or inquisitive person,--possibly a corruption of "go to -GRACE," meaning, of course, a directly opposite fate. - -~Grass~, to knock down. Also to throw in a wrestling-match. "He GRASSED -his man with a heavy righthander," or "He brought his man to GRASS by -means of a swinging hipe." - -~Grass-comber~, a country fellow, a haymaker. - -~Grasshopper~, a waiter at a tea-garden. - -~Grass widow~, an unmarried mother; a deserted mistress. In the United -States, during the gold fever in California, it was common for an -adventurer to put both his wife (termed in his absence a GRASS-WIDOW) -and his children to school during his absence. Also a married woman, -resident in England, whose husband is in India or the colonies. - -~Gravel~, to confound, to bother; "I'm GRAVELLED," _i.e._, perplexed or -confused.--_Old._ Also, to prostrate, to beat to the ground. - -~Gravel-rash~, a scratched face,--telling its tale of a drunken fall. A -person subject to this is called a GRAVEL-GRINDER. - -~Gravesend sweetmeats~, shrimps. GRAVESEND TWINS are solid particles of -sewage. - -~Gray~, a halfpenny, with either two "heads" or two "tails"--both sides -alike. They are used for cheating the unwary at "Tommy Dodd," or pitch -and toss. They are often "rung in" with a victim's own money, so that -the caller of "heads" or "tails" cannot lose. Thus if A has to call, he -or a confederate manages to mix the selected GRAYS with B's tossing -halfpence. There are various and almost obvious uses for them. - -~Gray-coat parson~, a lay impropriator, or lessee of great tithes. - -~Gray mare~, a wife who "wears the breeches." From an old story in which -the point is to show that the "GRAY MARE," the wife's choice, "is the -better horse," and by parity of reasoning that the wife is superior to -the husband. - -~Grays~, or SCOTCH GRAYS, lice. These pretty little things are called by -many names, among others by those of GRAY-BACKS, and GOLD-BACKED UNS, -which are popular among those who have most interest in the matter. - -~Grease spot~, a minute remnant, humorously the only distinguishable -remains of an antagonist after a terrific contest. - -~Greasing~, bribing. Sometimes called "GREASING the palm" of a man's -hand. - -~Grecian bend~, modern milliner slang for an exaggerated bustle, the -effect of which is generally assisted by unnaturally high-heeled boots. - -~Greek~, a wide-awake fellow, a sharper. - -~Greek kalends~, an expression signifying an indefinite period; never. -Term used in making promises never intended to be carried out. The -Greeks had no KALENDS. - -~Greeks~, the low Irish. St. Giles's GREEK, slang or cant language. -Cotgrave gives merrie GREEK as a definition for a roystering fellow, a -drunkard. The GREEKS have always been regarded as a jolly, luxurious -race; so much so, that the Latins employed the verb _Graecari_ (lit. to -play the GREEK) to designate fine living and free potations, a sense in -which Horace frequently uses it; while Shakspeare often mentions the -merry GREEKS; and "as merry as a grig" (or GREEK) was long a favourite -allusion in old English authors. It is said by some that grig is in this -sense intended to represent the small eel of that name which from its -lively movements is supposed to be always merry; while others incline to -the belief that the cricket, which is also in some parts of the -provinces known as a grig, is meant. Readers may take their choice. - -~Green~, ignorant, not wide-awake, inexperienced.--_Shakspeare._ "Do you -see any GREEN in my eye?" ironical question in a dispute. - -~Greenbacks~, the paper money issued in the United States during the -war. The term was at first applied only to the notes for small amounts, -which were backed with green, but eventually the one word represented -all descriptions of what is now known in America as "currency." - -~Green-horn~, a fresh, simple, or uninitiated person. - -~Greenlander~, an inexperienced person, a spoon. Sometimes an Irishman. - -~Greenwich goose~, a pensioner of the Naval Hospital. - -~Griddler~, a person who sings in the streets without a printed copy of -the words.--_Seven Dials._ - -~Gridiron~, a County Court summons. Originally a summons to the Court of -Westminster only; from the GRIDIRON arms. The Grafton Club is nearly -always known as the GRID or GRIDIRON, that instrument being brought into -requisition whenever possible in the cuisine. - -~Gridiron and dough boys~, the flag of the United States, in allusion to -the stars and stripes.--_Sea._ - -~Grief~, "to come to GRIEF," to meet with an accident, to be ruined. - -~Griffin~, in India, a newly-arrived cadet; general for an inexperienced -youngster. - -~Grind~, "to take a GRIND," _i.e._, a walk, or constitutional. The daily -grind is a term representing employment containing much routine. At -Oxford college sports are called sometimes the GRIND. - -~Grind~, to work up for an examination, to cram by oneself, or with a -private tutor. - -~Grinder~, private tutor, a coach.--_University._ - -~Grinder~, a tooth. - -~Grindoff~, a miller. From _The Miller and his Men_. - -~Gripes~, the stomach-ache. _See_ TRIPES. - -~Grist to the mill~, money to the pocket, food to the family; anything -which is supposed to add to a man's immediate prospects, to his income, -or to his benefit in any way, is said to "bring GRIST TO THE MILL." - -~Grizzle~, to fret or cry continuously. - -~Grog blossoms~, pimples on the face, caused by hard drinking. Of such a -person it is often said, "He bears his blushing honours thick upon him." - -~Grog-fight~, a drinking party.--_Military._ - -~Groggy~, tipsy; when a prize-fighter becomes "weak on his pins," and -nearly beaten, he is said to be GROGGY. The same term is applied to -horses that are overworked and unsteady. From similarity of appearance -to the peculiarity of gait consequent on imbibing too much GROG. - -~Grove of the Evangelist~, a facetious name for St. John's Wood. - -~Growler~, a four-wheeled cab. It is generally supposed that drivers of -these vehicles take a less favourable view of life than do their Hansom -brethren. - -~Grub and bub~, victuals and drink of any kind,--GRUB signifying food, -and BUB, drink. - -~Grubbing ken~, or SPINIKIN, a workhouse; a cook-shop. - -~Grubby~, musty, or old-fashioned.--_Devonshire._ - -~Gruel~, "to give a person his GRUEL," to kill him. An expression in all -probability derived from the report of a trial for poisoning, or from -the easiest manner of administering a dose of poison. In the old days a -similar phrase was "to drug a posset." Compare "to settle his hash," and -"cook his goose." - -~Guardevine~, a cellaret.--_Scotch._ - -~Guinea pigs~, habitual directors of public companies; special jurymen; -and engineer officers doing civil duty at the War Office, and paid a -GUINEA per diem. - -~Guinea to a goose~, a sporting phrase, meaning long odds in favour of, -or against, anything under notice. In the City this state of things is -represented by the phrase, Lombard Street to a China orange. There are -also other colloquialisms on this subject, but their power is, as a -rule, mainly dependent upon their indecency. - -~Gulfed~, originally a Cambridge term, denoting that a man is unable -to enter for the classical examination from having failed in the -mathematical. These men's names appeared in the list of "Degrees -Allowed." The name GULF for this list is said to have arisen from the -boast of a former "wooden spoon." "I would have you to know there is a -great GULF between _me_ and the captain of the poll." Candidates for -classical honours were compelled to go in for both examinations. From -the alteration of the arrangements, the term as thus applied is now -obsolete. The expression is common now in Oxford as descriptive of a man -who goes in for honours, and only gets a pass. An Honorary Fourth is -when a candidate who only tries for a pass does so well that he is -raised to the honours' list. - -~Gull~, to cheat, to deceive; also one easily cheated. From the easy -manner in which the bird of that name is deceived. - -~Gullyfluff~, the waste--coagulated dust, crumbs, and hair--which -accumulates imperceptibly in the pockets of schoolboys. - -~Gully rakers~, cattle thieves in Australia, the cattle being stolen out -of almost inaccessible valleys, there termed GULLIES. - -~Gulpin~, a weak, credulous fellow, who will GULP down anything. - -~Gummy~, thick, fat--generally applied to a woman's ankles, or to a man -whose flabby person betokens him a drunkard. - -~Gumption~, or RUMGUMPTION, comprehension, capacity. From GAUM, to -comprehend; "I canna gauge it, and I canna GAUM it," as a Yorkshire -exciseman said of a hedgehog. - -~Gun~, a magsman or street thief. Diminutive of gonnuf or gunnof. A -GUN'S practice is known as GUNOVING. - -~Gunner's daughter~, a term facetiously applied to the method of -punishing boys in the Royal Navy by tying them securely to the breech of -a cannon, so as to present the proper part convenient for the cat, and -flogging them. This is called "marrying" or "kissing" the GUNNER'S -DAUGHTER. - -~Gup~, gossip.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Gurrawaun~, a coachman, a native Indian corruption of the English word -coachman. For another curious corruption of a similar kind, _see_ -SIMPKIN.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Gusher~, one overflowing with sentiment, a rhapsodizer. Romance-reading -young ladies are generally described as GUSHING, and of late years the -word GUSH has done duty as representing the newspaper work necessary for -a continuance of the "largest circulation." - -~Gut scraper~, a fiddler. - -~Gutter blood~, a low or vulgar man.--_Scotch._ - -~Gutter lane~, the throat. Probably from GUTTUR. - -~Guttle~, _see_ GUZZLE. - -~Guy~, a fright, a dowdy, an ill-dressed person. Derived from the effigy -of Guy Fawkes carried about by boys on Nov. 5. "Hollo, boys, another -GUY!" - -~Guy~, to get away. Same as HEDGE in street phraseology, which _see_. - -~Guzzle~, to eat or drink to excess; to eat loudly, hastily, and -clumsily. - -~Gyp~, an undergraduate's servant at Cambridge. Popularly derived by -Cantabs from the _Greek_, GYPS, _gyps_, a vulture, from the dishonest -rapacity peculiar to GYPS. At Oxford servants are called scouts. - -~Hackle~, pluck; "to show HACKLE," to be willing to fight. HACKLES are -the long feathers on the back of a cock's neck, which he erects when -angry,--hence the metaphor. - -~Hackslaver~, to stammer in one's speech, like a dunce at his lesson. - -~Haddock~, a purse.--_See_ BEANS. - -~Hair of the dog~, a "modest quencher," taken the morning following a -debauch. Originally a "HAIR OF THE DOG that bit you." This is very old, -and seems to show that homoeopathy is by no means new, so far as topers, -at all events, are concerned. - -~Half-a-bean~, half-a-sovereign. - -~Half-a-bull~, two shillings and sixpence. - -~Half-a-couter~, half-a-sovereign. - -~Half-a-hog~, sixpence; sometimes termed HALF-A-GRUNTER. - -~Half-and-half~, a mixture of ale and porter, much affected by medical -students; occasionally Latinized into "dimidium dimidiumque." Cooper is -HALF-AND-HALF, made of stout and porter. The term of HALF-AND-HALF is -also applied to the issue of marriages between gipsies and "white -people." - -~Half-a-stretch~, six months in prison. - -~Half-a-tusheroon~, half-a-crown. - -~Half-baked~, soft, doughy, half-witted, silly. HALF-ROCKED has a -similar meaning. - -~Half-foolish~, ridiculous; means often wholly foolish. - -~Half Jack.~ _See_ JACKS. - -~Half-mourning~, to have a black eye from a blow. As distinguished from -"whole-mourning," two black eyes. - -~Half-rocked~, silly, half-witted. Derived from a vulgar idea that in -the Westcountry children are nursed in a peculiar manner, which in -afterlife affects their wits. They are said to be nursed bottom upwards, -so as to sleep without much rocking. If this is inconsequent it is the -fault of the saying and not of the dictionary. Compare HALF-BAKED. - -~Half-seas-over~, reeling drunk.--_Sea._ Used by Swift. - -~Hall~, THE, Leadenhall Market, among folk who get their livings there, -in the same way as "The Garden" refers to Covent Garden. - -~Hand~, a workman or helper, a person. "A cool HAND," explained by Sir -Thomas Overbury to be "one who accounts bashfulness the wickedest thing -in the world, and therefore studies impudence." - -~Hander~, a second, or assistant. At some schools blows on the hand -administered with a cane are so called. - -~Handicap~, an arrangement by which, in any description of sport, every -competitor in a race is supposed to have a chance of winning equal to -the chances of his opponents. HANDICAPPING, in horse-racing signifies -the adjudgment of various weights to horses differing in age, power, and -speed, so as to place them as much as possible on an equality. At other -sports this equalization is managed by means of starts. - -The old game of HANDICAP (hand i' the cap) is a very different affair; -and, as it is now almost obsolete, being only played by gentlemen in -Ireland, after hunting and racing dinners, when the wine has circulated -pretty freely, merits a description here. It is played by three persons, -in the following manner:--A wishes to obtain some article belonging to -B, say a horse; and offers to "challenge" his watch against it. B -agrees; and C is chosen as HANDICAPPER to "make the award"--that is, to -name the sum of money that the owner of the article of lesser value -shall give with it, in exchange for the more valuable one. The three -parties, A, B, and C, put down a certain stake each, and then the -HANDICAPPER makes his award. If A and B are both satisfied with the -award, the exchange is made between the horse and watch, and the -HANDICAPPER wins, and takes up the stakes. Or if neither be satisfied -with the award, the HANDICAPPER takes the stakes; but if A be satisfied -and B not, or _vice versa_, the party who declares himself satisfied -gets the stakes. It is consequently the object of the HANDICAPPER to -make such award as will cause the challenger and challenged to be of the -same mind; and considerable ingenuity is required and exhibited on his -part. The challenge having been made, as stated, between A's watch and -B's horse, each party puts his HAND into a CAP or hat [or into his -pocket] while C makes the award, which he purposely does in as rapid and -complex a manner as possible. Thus, after humorously exaggerating the -various excellences of the articles, he may say--"The owner of the -superior gold lever watch shall give to the owner of the beautiful -thoroughbred bay horse, called Flyaway, the watch and fifteen -half-crowns, seven crowns, eighteen half-guineas, one hundred and forty -groats, thirteen sovereigns, fifty-nine pence, seventeen shillings and -sixty-three farthings. Draw, gentlemen!" A and B must instantly then -draw out and open their hands. If money appears in both, they are -agreed, and the award stands good; if money be in neither hand, they are -also agreed, but the award is rejected. If money be only in one hand, -they are not agreed, the award is off, and the stakes go as already -stated. Very frequently, neither A nor B is sufficiently quick in his -mental calculation to follow the HANDICAPPER, and not knowing on the -instant the total of the various sums in the award, prefers being "off," -and, therefore, "draws" no money. As in this event the HANDICAPPER gets -the stakes, the reason for the complex nature of his award is obvious. - -When HANDICAPPING has once commenced in a convivial party, it is -considered unsportsmanlike to refuse a challenge. So when the small -hours draw on, and the fun becomes fast and furious, coats, boots, -waistcoats, even shirts are challenged, HANDICAPPED, and exchanged, -amidst an almost indescribable scene of good humoured joviality and -stentorian laughter. This is the true HANDICAP. The application of the -term to horse-racing has arisen from one or more persons being chosen to -make the award between persons, who put down equal sums of money, on -entering horses unequal in power and speed for the same race. So that -the HANDICAP has ultimately come to be regarded as an arrangement of a -purely business-like nature, by which means affairs, no matter how much -they may differ in degree, may be arranged satisfactorily by all -parties. The use of the word is spreading rapidly, and it has already a -sense beyond that of mere sporting. - -~Handicap~, to make even, as a Roland for an Oliver. Not long since in a -pedestrian enclosure, a pugilist who had been specially retained on one -side struck a member of the other party, who not being a fighting-man -received the blow with apparent contentment. The injured person had, -however, determined on being revenged, and about an hour afterwards he -knocked the professional down with a big stick, using the words at the -same time, "that HANDICAPS us" (that makes us even). The word is often -used thus also: A man finding himself inferior to another at fisticuffs -will, seizing a weapon, exclaim, "I'll HANDICAP you," _i.e._, I'll bring -you to my level (or "level myself up") with this. - -~Handle~, a nose; the title appended to a person's name; also a term in -boxing, "to HANDLE one's fists," to use them against an adversary. - -~Handling~, a method of concealing certain cards in the palm of the -hand, or in fashionable long wristbands; one of the many modes of -cheating practised by sharpers. - -~Hand-me-downs~, second-hand clothes. _See_ REACH-ME-DOWNS. - -~Hand-saw~, or CHIVE FENCER, a man who sells razors and knives in the -streets. - -~Handseller~, or CHEAP JACK, a street or open-air seller, a man who -carries goods to his customers, instead of waiting for his customers to -visit him. - -~Hanging~, in difficulties. A man who is in great straits, and who is, -therefore, prepared to do anything desperate to retrieve his fortunes, -is said, among sporting men, to be "a man HANGING," _i.e._, a man to -whom any change must be for the better. - -~Hangman's wages~, thirteenpence halfpenny.--_Old. 17th century._ - - "'Sfoot, what a witty rogue was this to leave this fair - thirteenpence halfpenny, and this old halter," intimating aptly-- - - "Had the hangman met us there, by these presages - Here had been his work, and here his wages." - - _Match at Midnight._ - -The clothes of the culprit were also the hangman's wages. See one of -Lord Bacon's aphorisms, beginning "A cursed page." - -~Hang out~, to reside,--in allusion to the ancient custom of hanging out -signs. - -~Hang up~, to rob with violence, to garrotte. Most likely from -throttling associations in connexion with the practice of garrotting. - -~Hannah~, "that's the man as married HANNAH," a Salopian phrase to -express a matter begun or ended satisfactorily. Meaning actually, -"that's the thing." - -~Hansel~, or HANDSEL, the lucky money, or first money taken in the -morning by a pedlar.--_Cocker's Dictionary_, 1724. "Legs of mutton -(street term for sheep's trotters, or feet) two for a penny; who'll give -me a HANSEL? who'll give me a HANSEL?" Hence, earnest money, -first-fruits, &c. In Norfolk, HANSELLING a thing is using it for the -first time, as wearing a new coat, taking seisin of it, as it were. -Danish, HANDSEL; _Anglo-Saxon_, HANDSELEN. - -~Ha'porth o' coppers~, Habeas Corpus.--_Legal slang._ - -~Ha'porth o' liveliness~, the music at a low concert, or theatre. Also a -dilatory person. - -~Happy-go-lucky~, careless, indifferent as to the favours or reverses of -fortune. - -~Haramzadeh~, a very general Indian term of contempt, signifying -base-born.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Hard lines~, hardship, difficulty. Soldiers' term for hard duty on the -lines in front of the enemy. LINES was formerly synonymous with _Lot_, -_see_ Ps. xvi. 6.--_Bible version_--"The LINES are fallen unto me in -pleasant places;" _Prayer-Book do._--"The LOT is fallen unto me in a -fair ground." - -~Hard mouthed un~, any one difficult to deal with, a sharp bargainer, an -obstinate person. Derivation obvious. - -~Hard tack~, ship biscuits. This is a term used by sailors to -distinguish their ordinary sea-bread from that obtained on shore, which -is called soft TACK, or soft tommy. HARD TACK is also a phrase used by -the London lower classes to signify coarse or insufficient food. - -~Hard-up~, a cigar-end finder, who collects the refuse pieces of smoked -cigars from the gutter, and having dried them, smokes them, or sells -them as tobacco to the very poor. _See_ TOPPER. - -~Hard-up~, in distress, poverty-stricken.--_Sea._ - -~Hardy~, a stone.--_North._ - -~Harebrained~, reckless, unthinking. - -~Harry~, or OLD HARRY, (_i.e._, Old Hairy?) the Devil; "to play OLD -HARRY with one," _i.e._, ruin or annoy him. - -~Harry-soph~, _erisophos_, very wise indeed), a student of law or physic -at Cambridge who, being of the same standing as the students in arts in -his year, is allowed to wear a full-sleeved gown when they assume their -B.A. gowns, though he does not obtain his actual degree so soon. An -undergraduate in his last year is a Senior Soph, in his last term a -Questionist. - -~Harum-scarum~, wild, dissipated, reckless; four horses driven in a -line. This is also called SUICIDE. _See_ TANDEM, RANDEM, UNICORN, &c. - -~Hash~, a mess, confusion; "a pretty HASH he made of it;" to HASH UP, to -jumble together without order or regularity. The term also occurs in the -phrase "to settle his HASH," which is equivalent to "give him his -gruel," or "cook his goose," _i.e._, to kill him. - -~Hatchet~, "to throw the HATCHET," to tell lies. Same as "to draw the -long bow." - -~Hatchet~, "to sling the HATCHET," to skulk.--_Sea._ - -~Hawbuck~, a vulgar, ignorant, country fellow, but one remove from the -clodpole. - -~Hawse holes~, the apertures in a ship's bows through which the cables -pass; "he has crept in through the HAWSE-HOLES," said of an officer who -has risen from the grade of an ordinary seaman, whose original position -in the vessel was forward--before the mast.--_Navy._ - -~Hay bag~, a woman. - -~Haymarket Hectors~, bullies who, in the interest of prostitutes, affect -the neighbourhood of Leicester Square and the Haymarket. - -~Haze~, to confuse and annoy a subordinate by contradictory, -unnecessary, and perplexing orders. - -~Hazy~, intoxicated, also dull and stupid. - -~Head-beetler~, the bully of the workshop, who lords it over his -fellow-workmen by reason of superior strength, skill in fighting, &c. -Sometimes applied to the foreman. - -~Header~, a plunge head foremost into water, or a fall in the same -posture from accident. Nowadays a theatrical expression for any -supposedly daring jump of hero or heroine in sensational dramas. - -~Head or tail~, "I can't make HEAD OR TAIL of it," _i.e._, cannot make -it out. Originally a gambling phrase. - -~Head-rails~, the teeth.--_Sea._ - -~Head-serag~, a master, overseer, or other important personage; from -SERANG, a boatswain.--_Bengalee_, and _Sea_. - -~Heap~, "a HEAP of people," a crowd; "struck all of a HEAP," suddenly -astonished. - -~Heat~, a bout, or turn, in horse or foot racing. By means of heats the -field is gradually reduced. - -~Heavy dragoons~, bugs, in contradistinction from fleas, which are -"light infantry."--_Oxford University._ - -~Heavy wet~, malt liquor--because the more a man drinks of it, the -heavier and more stupid he becomes. - -~Hedge~, to get away from any dangerous spot. "We saw the slop coming, -and HEDGED at once." - -~Hedge~, to secure oneself from loss over one bet by making others. -HEDGING, as a system of betting, is entirely dependent upon what happens -in the market after a horse has been backed. From information, or good -judgment, a backer selects, say, three horses, A, B, and C, whom he -thinks likely to advance in the betting, and takes 50 to 1--say L1000 to -L20--against each of them. As the race-day approaches the horse A may -fall out of the betting, from accident or other cause, and have to be -written off as a dead loss of L20. But the other two horses, as -anticipated, improve in public favour, and the backer, who now becomes a -HEDGER, succeeds in laying 5 to 1--say L500 to L100--against B, and 2 to -1--say 500 to L250--against C. The account then stands thus:--A is a -certain loss of L20; but if B wins, the HEDGER will receive L1000 and -pay L500; balance in favour, L500. If B loses, the HEDGER will receive -L100 and pay L20; balance in favour, L80. If C wins, the hedger will -receive L1000 and pay L500; balance in favour, L500. If C loses, the -HEDGER will receive L250 and pay L20; balance in favour, L230. -Deducting, then, the loss of L20 on A, the HEDGER'S winnings will be -considerable; and he cannot lose, providing his information or judgment -lead to the required result. It must be borne in mind that very often a -man who feels inclined to go in for a HEDGING speculation, may back half -a dozen horses, not one of which sees a short price or goes to the post; -besides which it must never be forgotten, that, however well turf -speculations may look on paper, they are subject to the contingency of -the bets being honourably paid on settling-day--the Monday after a -race--when unfortunately there are often more "receivers" than "payers" -at the clubs. However, turf transactions are among professionals -conducted at least as honourably as are any other business matters; and -it is only the fledgling swell, to whom the Legislature gives special -opportunities of losing his money, who is generally _non est_ when -paytime comes. "The Druid" in _Post and Paddock_ has remarked:-- - - "The term HEDGING has been quite superseded by "laying off;" and we - had, in fact, quite forgotten it till we saw it stated in the papers - lately, by a clergyman, who did not answer a question on doctrine as - the Bishop of Exeter exactly liked, that his lordship addressed him - to this effect: 'You are HEDGING, sir; you are HEDGING!'" - -Usually correct as "The Druid" was, he seems to have fallen into an -error here, as HEDGING, and "laying off," have been exchangeable terms, -as far as the oldest turfite can say. It should be remembered that -HEDGING is generally done with the man who has originally laid the odds; -for as a natural consequence, when the backer finds it convenient to -hedge, the layer finds it equally so to back the horse back,--the first -loss being considered always the best by bookmakers who _are_ -bookmakers. Besides which, the layer has generally a lot of "dead -money"--money to the good over horses he has laid against, which have -since been struck out--and this he profitably expends in backing certain -horses back for the purpose of levelling up the book. - -~Hedge-popping~, shooting small birds about the hedges, as boys do; -unsportsmanlike kind of shooting. - -~Heel-tap~, the small quantity of wine or other beverage left in the -bottom of a glass, considered as a sign that the liquor is not liked, -and therefore unfriendly and unsocial to the host and the company. _See_ -DAY-LIGHT. - -~Heigh-ho!~ a cant term for stolen yarn, from the expression used to -apprize the dishonest shopkeeper that the speaker had stolen yarn to -sell.--_Norwich Cant._ - -~Hell~, a fashionable gambling-house. Small places of this kind are -called "silver hells." Reason obvious. - -~Hell and Tommy~, utter destruction. - -~Helter-skelter~, anyhow, without regard to order or precedence. - -~Hempen cravat~, the hangman's noose. - -~Hen and Chickens~, large and small pewter pots. - -~Hen-pecked~, said of one whose wife "wears the breeches." From the -action of the hen in paired cage-birds. - -~Herring-pond~, the sea; "to be sent across the HERRING-POND," to be -transported. - -~Hiding~, a thrashing. Webster gives this word, but not its root, HIDE, -to beat, to flay by whipping. Most likely from the part attacked. The -threat of thrashing is sometimes conveyed thus:--"I'll tan (or dress) -your HIDE." - -~Higgledy-piggledy~, confusedly, all together,--as pigs lie. - -~High and dry~, an epithet applied to the _soi-disant_ "orthodox" clergy -of the last century, for whom, while ill-paid curates did the work, the -comforts of the Establishment were its greatest charms. - - "Wherein are various ranks, and due degrees, - The Bench for honour, and the Stall for ease." - -Though often confounded with, they are utterly dissimilar to, the modern -High Church or Anglo-Catholic party, who now receive the title at times; -while their opponents receive the corresponding appellation of "Low and -Slow," and the so-called "Broad Church" is defined with equal felicity as -the "Broad and Shallow." Humourists have divided these three portions of -one Church into Attitudinarians, Platitudinarians, and Latitudinarians. - -~High Church~, term used in contradistinction from "Low Church." - -~Highfalutin'~, showy, affected, tinselled, affecting certain pompous or -fashionable airs, stuck up; "come, none of yer HIGHFALUTIN' games," -_i.e._, you must not show off or imitate the swell here.--_American_ -slang, now common in Liverpool and the East-end of London. From the -_Dutch_, VERLOOTEN. Used generally now in the sense of fustian, -high-sounding, unmeaning eloquence, bombast. - -~High-flier~, anything above the common order. Apt students, fast -coaches, and special trains are sufficient instances of the extreme -openness of the qualification. - -~High-fly~, "ON THE HIGH-FLY," on the genteel or letter-bearing begging -system. - -~High-flyer~, a genteel beggar or swindler. A begging-letter impostor. - -~High-flyer~, a large swing, in frames, at fairs and races. The first -fast coaches were called high-flyers on account of their desperate -speed. - -~High jinks~, "ON THE HIGH JINKS," taking up an arrogant position, -assuming an undue superiority. Scott explains this game in _Guy -Mannering_. Nowadays HIGH JINKS is often used to mean a jollification. - -~High-lows~, laced boots reaching a trifle higher than ankle-jacks. - -~High-strikes~, corruption of _Hysterics_. - -~Hipped~, bored, offended, crossed, low-spirited, &c. This may have been -originally hypped, and have had some connexion with hypochondriacal -affections. - -~Hitched~, an Americanism for married. From the word HITCH, used in -America in the sense of to harness. - -~Hittite~, a facetious sporting term for a prize-fighter. Derived from -the Bible. - -~Hivite~, a student of St. Begh's College, Cumberland, which is -pronounced and generally written St. Bee's. Literally, Hive-ite. - -~Hoax~, to deceive, or ridicule,--Grose says this was originally a -University cant word. Corruption of HOCUS, to cheat. - -~Hob and nob~, to act in concert with another; to lay "heads together;" -to touch glasses in drinking; to fraternize in a convivial meeting or -merry-making. Originally meaning "foot and head,"--the touching of the -top of one glass with the bottom of another, and then reversing the -order. Nowadays it means simply to clink glasses together as a -salutation before imbibing. - -~Hobbadehoy~, a youth who has ceased to regard himself as a boy, and is -not yet regarded as a man. - -~Hobble~, trouble of any kind. A man is said to be in a HOBBLE when he -has offended the proprieties in any way, "from pitch and toss to -manslaughter." - -~Hobbled~, committed for trial; properly said of animals fed by the -wayside, with their forelegs fastened together. Hence people who gather -burdens about them are said to get into HOBBLES. - -~Hob Collingwood~, according to Brockett, a north country term for the -four of hearts, considered an unlucky card. - -~Hobson's choice~, "this or none." Hobson was a carrier at Cambridge, -and also a letter-out of horses for hire; and is said to have always -compelled his customers to take the horse that stood in the stall next -the stable-door or none at all. He was a benefactor to the town, and -Hobson's Conduit still stands as a memorial of him. - -~Hock-dockies~, shoes. - -~Hocks~, the feet and ankles; CURBY HOCKS, round or clumsy feet and -ankles. Term originating with horsey men. - -~Hocus~, to drug a person for purposes of robbery. The potion generally -consists of snuff and beer among rogues of the lowest class, and is by -them called "snuffing a bloke;" or sometimes, when the drug is -administered to a woman for purposes other than those of robbery, -"snuffing a blowen." - -~Hocus pocus~, gipsy words of magic, similar to the modern "presto fly." -The gipsies pronounce "_Habeas Corpus_," HAWCUS PACCUS (_see_ Crabb's -_Gipsies' Advocate_, p. 18); can this have anything to do with the -origin of HOCUS POCUS? Turner gives OCHUS BOCHUS, an old demon. Pegge, -however, states that it is a burlesque rendering of the words of the -Roman Catholic Church service at the delivery of the host, HOC EST -CORPUS, which the early Protestants considered as a species of -conjuring, and ridiculed accordingly. - -~Hodge~, a countryman or provincial clown. Most country districts in -England have one or more families in the name of HODGE; indeed, GILES -and HODGE appear to be the favourite hobnail nomenclature. HODGE is said -to be simply an abbreviation of Roger. - -~Hog~, a shilling.--_Old Cant._ - -~Hog~, "to go the whole HOG;" "the whole HOG or none," to do anything -with a person's entire strength, not "by halves;" realized by the phrase -"in for a penny in for a pound." Bartlett claims this to be a pure -American phrase; whilst Ker, of course, gives it a Dutch origin.--_Old._ -"To go the whole HOG" is frequently altered by those people who believe -there is wit in circumlocution, into "the entire animal," or "the -complete swine!" - -~Hoga~, do. "That wont HOGA," _i.e._, that wont do, is one of the very -commonest of the Anglo-Indian slang phrases. - -~Hogmagundy~, the process by which the population is increased. - - "There's many a job that day begun - That ends in Hogmagundy."--_Burns._ - -~Hogmany night~, New Year's Eve, when presents are solicited by the -young folk.--_Scotch._ - -~Hogo~, a tremendous stench. From _haut gout_. Now often pronounced -FOGO. - -~Hoisting~, shoplifting. - -~Hold hard~, an exclamation made when a sudden stoppage is desired. -Originally an expression used in riding or driving, now general. - -~Hollow~, "to beat HOLLOW," to excel. - -~Holy Joe~, a sea-term for a parson. - -~Holy Land~, a very old term for the Seven Dials,--where St. Giles's -Greek is spoken. - -~Homo~, a man. _Lingua Franca_; but _see_ OMEE, the more usual Cockney -pronunciation. - -~Hondey~, a Manchester name for an omnibus, and the abbreviation of -HONDEYBUSH, the original Lancashire pronunciation of the word. - -~Honest Shilling~, a shilling earned by a process actually immoral, but -not positively illegal. The money earned by a prostitute is said to be -honest, as distinguished from that obtained by a thief. Probably from -the story of the converted burglar, who determined to sin no more -himself, and who lectured against dishonesty, but sent his wife out -regularly every evening with instructions to earn an HONEST SHILLING. - -~Honey blobs~, a Scotch term for large ripe, yellow gooseberries. - -~Honour bright~, an asseveration which means literally, "by my honour, -which is bright and unsullied." It is often still further curtailed to -"HONOUR!" only. - -~Hook~, an expression at Oxford, implying doubt, either connected with -Hookey Walker, or with a note of interrogation (?) "Yes, with a HOOK at -the end of it!" _i.e._, with some reservation, generally that of doubt, -by the speaker. - -~Hook~, to steal or rob. _See_ the following. - -~Hook or by crook~, by fair means or foul--in allusion to the hook with -which footpads used to steal from open windows, &c., and from which -HOOK, to take or steal, has been derived. Mentioned in _Hudibras_ as a -cant term. - -~Hook it~, "get out of the way," or "be off about your business;" -generally varied by "take your HOOK." "To HOOK it," to run away, to -decamp; "on one's own HOOK," dependent upon one's own exertions. -Originally connected with the preceding, but now perfectly "on its own -HOOK." - -~Hookey walker!~ ejaculation of incredulity, usually shortened to -WALKER!--which _see_. - -~Hooks~, "dropped off the HOOKS," said of a deceased person--possibly -derived from the ancient practice of suspending on hooks the quarters of -a traitor or felon sentenced by the old law to be hung, drawn, and -quartered, which dropped off the hooks as they decayed. - -~Hook um snivey~ (formerly "HOOK and SNIVEY"), a low expression, meaning -to cheat by feigning sickness or other means. Also a piece of thick iron -wire crooked at one end, and fastened into a wooden handle, for the -purpose of undoing from the outside the wooden bolt of a door. Sometimes -used as an irrelevant answer by street boys. As, "who did that?"--"HOOK -UM SNIVEY"--actually no one. - -~Hop~, a dance.--_Fashionable slang._ - -~Hop merchant~, a dancing master. - -~Hop o' my thumb~, an undersized person. From the story of that name. -Portion of a set of phrases established for the benefit of the small, in -which Tomtit, Little Breeches, Daniel Lambert, Sixfoot, Twentystun, &c., -play a prominent part. - -~Hopping Giles~, a cripple. St. AEgidius or Giles, himself similarly -afflicted, was the patron saint of lazars and cripples. The ancient -lazar houses were dedicated to him. - -~Hoppo~, custom-house officer, or custom-house. Almost anything -connected with custom-house business.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Hop the twig~, to run away; also, a flippant expression meaning to die. -Many similar phrases are used by the thoughtless and jocose, as "laying -down one's knife and fork," "pegging out," from the game of cribbage, -and "snuffing it." A new form of this phraseology is to say that a man -has "given up" or "given in." - -~Hornswoggle~, nonsense, humbug. Believed to be of American origin. - -~Horrors~, the low spirits, or "blue devils," which follow intoxication. -Incipient _del. trem._ - -~Horse~, contraction of Horsemonger-Lane Gaol, also a slang term for a -five-pound note. - -~Horse~, to flog. From the old wooden horse or flogging-stool. - -~Horsebreaker.~ _See_ PRETTY HORSEBREAKER. - -~Horse chaunter~, a dealer who takes worthless horses to country fairs -and disposes of them by artifice. He is generally an unprincipled -fellow, and will put in a glass eye, fill a beast with shot, plug him -with ginger, or in fact do anything so that he sells to advantage. _See_ -COPER. - -~Horse marine~, an awkward person. In ancient times the "jollies," or -Royal Marines, were the butts of the sailors, from their ignorance of -seamanship. "Tell that to the MARINES, the blue jackets wont believe -it!" was a common rejoinder to a "stiff yarn." A HORSE MARINE (an -impossibility) was used to denote one more awkward even than an ordinary -"jolly." Nowadays the MARINES are deservedly appreciated as one of the -finest regiments in the service. - -~Horse nails.~ At the game of cribbage, when a player finds it his -policy to keep his antagonist back, rather than push himself forward, -and plays accordingly, he is sometimes said "to feed his opponent on -HORSE NAILS." - -~Horse nails~, money.--_Compare_ BRADS. - -~Horse's nightcap~, a halter; "to die in a HORSE'S NIGHTCAP," to be -hanged. - -~Horsey~, like a groom or jockey. Applied also to persons who affect the -turf in dress or conversation. - -~Hot coppers~, the feverish sensations experienced in the morning by -those who have been drunk over-night. - -~Hot tiger~, an Oxford mixture of hot-spiced ale and sherry. - -~House of Commons~, a humorous term for the closet of decency. - -~Houses;~ "safe as HOUSES," an expression to satisfy a doubting person; -"Oh! it's as safe as HOUSES," _i.e._, perfectly safe, apparently in -allusion to the paying character of house property as an investment. It -is said the phrase originated when the railway bubbles began to burst, -and when people began to turn their attention to the more ancient forms -of speculation, which though slow were sure. - -~Housewarming~, the first friendly gathering in a new or -freshly-occupied house. - -~How-came-you-so?~ intoxicated. - -~How much?~ A facetious way of asking for an explanation of any -difficult or pedantic expression. "Why don't you cook your potatoes in -an anhydrohepsaterion?" A waggish listener might be excused for asking, -"An anhydro--HOW MUCH!" - -~How's your poor feet?~ an idiotic street cry with no meaning, much in -vogue a few years back. - -~Hoxter~, an inside pocket.--_Old English_, OXTER. Probably the low -slang word HUXTER, money, is derived from this. OXTER is, among the -Irish, an armpit. - -~Hubble bubble~, the Indian pipe termed a hookah is thus designated, -from the noise it makes when being smoked. - -~Huey~, a town or village.--_Tramps' term._ - -~Huff~, a dodge or trick; "don't try that HUFF on me," or "that HUFF -wont do." Also a term in the game of draughts,--the penalty for failing -to take an opponent's piece when an opportunity occurs. - -~Huff~, to vex, to offend; a poor temper. HUFFY, easily offended. -HUFFED, annoyed, offended. Some folk are tersely and truly described as -easily HUFFED. - -~Hugger-mugger~, underhand, sneaking. Also, "in a state of -HUGGER-MUGGER" means to be muddled. - -~Hulk~, to hang about in hopes of an invitation. _See_ MOOCH. - -~Hulky~, extra-sized.--_Shropshire._ From this and from hulk we probably -get our adjective HULKING, as applied to the great lazy ruffians who -infest low neighbourhoods. - -~Hum and haw~, to hesitate, or raise objections.--_Old English._ - -~Humble pie~, to "eat HUMBLE PIE," to knock under, to be submissive. The -UMBLES, or entrails, and other unprime parts of a deer, were anciently -made into a dish for servants, while their masters feasted off the -haunch. - -~Hum-box~, a pulpit. This is a very old term. - -~Humbug~, an imposition, or a person who imposes upon others. A very -expressive but slang word, synonymous at one time with HUM AND HAW. -Lexicographers for a long time objected to the adoption of this term. -Richardson uses it frequently to express the meaning of other words, -but, strange to say, omits it in the alphabetical arrangement as -unworthy of recognition! In the first edition of this work, 1785 was -given as the earliest date at which the word could be found in a printed -book. Since then HUMBUG has been traced half a century further back, on -the title-page of a singular old jest-book--"_The Universal Jester_; or -a pocket companion for the Wits: being a choice collection of merry -conceits, facetious drolleries, &c., clenchers, closers, closures, -bon-mots, and HUMBUGS," by Ferdinando Killigrew. London, about 1735-40. - -The notorious Orator Henley was known to the mob as ORATOR HUMBUG. The -fact may be learned from an illustration in that exceedingly curious -little collection of _Caricatures_, published in 1757, many of which -were sketched by Lord Bolingbroke--Horace Walpole filling in the names -and explanations. Halliwell describes HUMBUG as "a person who hums," and -cites Dean Milles's MS., which was written about 1760. In the last -century, the game now known as double-dummy was termed HUMBUG. Lookup, a -notorious gambler, was struck down by apoplexy when playing at this -game. On the circumstance being reported to Foote, the wit said--"Ah, I -always thought he would be HUMBUGGED out of the world at last!" It has -been stated that the word is a corruption of Hamburgh, from which town -so many false bulletins and reports came during the war in the last -century. "Oh, that is _Hamburgh_ [or HUMBUG]," was the answer to any -fresh piece of news which smacked of improbability. Grose mentions it in -his Dictionary, 1785; and in a little printed squib, published in 1808, -entitled _Bath Characters_, by T. Goosequill, HUMBUG is thus mentioned -in a comical couplet on the title-page:-- - - "Wee Thre Bath Deities bee, - HUMBUG, Follie, and Varietee." - -Gradually from this time the word began to assume a place in periodical -literature, and in novels written by not over-precise authors. In the -preface to a flat, and most likely unprofitable poem, entitled, _The -Reign of HUMBUG, a Satire_, 8vo, 1836, the author thus apologizes for -the use of the word:--"I have used the term HUMBUG to designate this -principle [wretched sophistry of life generally], considering that, it -is now adopted into our language as much as the words dunce, jockey, -cheat, swindler, &c., which were formerly only colloquial terms." A -correspondent, who in a number of _Adversaria_ ingeniously traced -bombast to the inflated Doctor Paracelsus Bombast, considers that HUMBUG -may, in like manner, be derived from Homberg, the distinguished chemist -of the court of the Duke of Orleans, who, according to the following -passage from Bishop Berkeley's _Siris_, was an ardent and successful -seeker after the philosopher's stone! - - "Sec.194.--Of this there cannot be a better proof than the experiment - of Monsieur Homberg, who made gold of mercury by introducing light - into its pores, but at such trouble and expense that, I suppose, - nobody will try the experiment for profit. By this injunction of - light and mercury, both bodies became fixed, and produced a - third different to either, to wit, real gold. For the truth - of which fact I refer to the memoirs of the French Academy of - Sciences."--_Berkeley's Works_, vol ii. p. 366 (Wright's edition). - -Another derivation suggested is that of AMBAGE, a Latin word adopted -into the English language _temp._ Charles I. (_see_ May's translation -of Lucan's _Pharsalia_), and meaning conduct the reverse of -straightforward. Again, in the (burlesque) _Loves of Hero and Leander_ -(date 1642), we find "MUM-BUG, quoth he, 'twas known of yore," a cant -expression, no doubt, commanding a person to "shut up," or hold his -tongue, and evidently derived from the game of _mum-budget_ or -_silence_, upon which Halliwell (_Dict. Arch_.) has descanted. - - AMBAGE is also used in the sense of "circumlocution." "Without any - long studie or tedious AMBAGE."--_Puttenham_, _Art of Poesie_. - - "Umh! y' are full of AMBAGE."--_Decker's Whore of Babylon_, 1607. - - "Thus from her cell Cumaean Sibyl sings - Ambiguous AMBAGES, the cloyster rings - With the shrill sound thereof, in most dark strains." - - _Vicar's Virgil_, 1632. - -De Quincey thus discourses upon the word:-- - - "The word HUMBUG, for instance, rests upon a rich and comprehensive - basis; it cannot be rendered adequately either by German or by - Greek, the two richest of human languages; and without this - expressive word we should all be disarmed for one great case, - continually recurrent, of social enormity. A vast mass of villany, - that cannot otherwise be reached by legal penalties, or brought - within the rhetoric of scorn, would go at large with absolute - impunity were it not through the stern Rhadamanthean aid of this - virtuous and inexorable word."--_Article on "Language."_ - -The original collater of these notes purchased the collection of essays -known as the _Connoisseur_ at the sale of Thackeray's library. At the -end of vol. i. he found a memorandum in the great humourist's -handwriting--"p. 108, 'HUMBUG,' a new-coined expression." On referring -to that page (in the 3rd edition, 1757) this paragraph was noted:-- - - "The same conduct of keeping close to their ranks was observed at - table, where the ladies seated themselves together. Their - conversation was here also confined wholly to themselves, and seemed - like the mysteries of the _Bona Dea_, in which men were forbidden to - have any share. It was a continued laugh and whisper from the - beginning to the end of dinner. A whole sentence was scarce ever - spoken aloud. Single words, indeed, now and then broke forth; such - as, odious, horrible, detestable, shocking, HUMBUG. This last - new-coined expression, which is only to be found in the nonsensical - vocabulary, sounds absurd and disagreeable whenever it is - pronounced; but from the mouth of a lady it is 'shocking,' - 'detestable,' 'horrible,' and 'odious.'" - -The use of this term is almost universal; in California there is a town -called Humbug Flat--a name which gives a significant hint of the -acuteness of the first settler. - -~Humdrum~, monotonous, tedious, tiresome, boring; "a society of -gentlemen who used to meet near the Charter House, and at the King's -Head, St. John's Street, Clerkenwell. They were characterized by less -mystery and more pleasantry than the Freemasons."--_Bacchus and Venus_, -1737. In the West the term applies to a low cart. - -~Humming~, strong as applied to drink. Extra strong ale is often -characterized as "HUMMING October." Maybe from its effect on heads not -quite so strong. - -~Hump~, low spirits. A costermonger who was annoyed or distressed about -anything would describe himself as having "the HUMP." - -~Hump~, to botch, or spoil. - -~Hump up~, "to have one's HUMP UP," to be cross or ill-tempered--like a -cat with its back set up. _See_ BACK and MONKEY. - -~Humpty-dumpty~, short and thick; all of a heap; all together, like an -egg. - - "HUMPTY-DUMPTY sat on a wall." - -Also a hunchback. HUMPTY is an abbreviated form of the expression. - -~Hunch~, to shove, or jostle. - -~Hunks~, a miserly fellow, a curmudgeon. - -~Hunky~, an American term which means good, jolly, &c. As, "a HUNKY -boy," a good jovial fellow; and "everything went off HUNKY." - -~Hunter pitching~, the game of cockshies--three throws a penny.--_See_ -COCKSHY. - -~Hurdy-gurdy~, a droning musical instrument shaped like a large fiddle, -and turned by a crank, used by Savoyards and other itinerant foreign -musicians in England, now nearly superseded by the hand-organ. From the -peculiar noise made by the instrument, which in Italy is called "viola." - -~Hurkaru~, a messenger.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Husbands' boat~, the Saturday afternoon packet to Margate during the -summer season. So called for obvious reasons. The passengers by this -boat come in for an unusual share of attention from the cads peculiar to -this watering-place. - -~Husbands' tea~, very weak tea. _See_ WATER BEWITCHED. - -~Hush-money~, a sum given to quash a prosecution or stay evidence. Money -given to any one for the purpose of quieting him. - -~Hush-shop~, or CRIB, a shop where beer and spirits are sold "on the -quiet"--no licence being paid. - -~Huxter~, money. Term much in use among costermongers and low sharpers. -Probably from OXTER or HOXTER. - -~Hyps~, or HYPO, the blue devils. From HYPOCHONDRIASIS.--_Swift._ - -~Hy-yaw!~ an interjectional exclamation of -astonishment.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Ikey~, a Jew "fence." Corruption of Isaac, a common Hebrew name. - -~Imperence~, servant-girl currency for impudence or impertinence. "Now, -then, Mr. IMPERENCE, leave off now, do," seems, however, to have faded -away with Greenwich, Bartlemy, and kindred fairs. - -~Improve the occasion~, a slang term much in use among Chadbands and -Stigginses, who never lose an opportunity of IMPROVING the condition of -either pockets or stomachs at the expense of the credulous. - -~In~, "to be IN with a person," to be even with, or up to him; also, to -be on intimate terms, or in partnership, with him. - -~Inexpressibles~, UNUTTERABLES, UNMENTIONABLES, UNWHISPERABLES, or SIT -UPONS, trousers, the nether garments. All affected terms, having their -origin in a most unpleasant squeamishness. - -~Infantry~, nursery term for children; LIGHT INFANTRY, fleas. - -~In for it~, in trouble or difficulty of any kind. As, "You're IN FOR -IT, I wouldn't stand in your shoes for a trifle." - -~In for patter~, waiting for trial, referring to the speeches of -counsel, the statements of witnesses, the summing up of the judge, -&c.,--the fuss of which the prisoner sets down as "all so much PATTER." - -~Innings~, earnings, good fortune; "he's had a long INNINGS," _i.e._, a -good run of luck, with plenty of cash flowing in. From the distinction -between INNINGS and outings at cricket and kindred games. - -~Inside lining~, dinner, &c. - -~Interesting~, "to be in an INTERESTING situation," applied to females -when _enceinte_. - -~Interview~, to inspect privately with a view to obtaining information -which shall be afterwards published. Both the verb and its use have -their origin with our Transatlantic cousins, and "interviewing" by means -of special reporters, who question most minutely, is of frequent -occurrence,--of occurrence whenever opportunity offers. Should a man be -found guilty of murder, or start as a candidate for the Presidency, he -will be INTERVIEWED by "our special correspondent," and there are -already signs of this objectionable form of newspaper work finding its -way here. Should a visitor of importance arrive in New York, the -conversation which passes, or is supposed to pass, between him and the -reporter will be found minutely described, with an elaborate -introduction. It is but fair to Americans, however, to say that the -gentleman to whom the credit, or discredit, of the invention of this -system belongs was a native of Great Britain, who invented many other -startling Americanisms during his residence in New York. - -~Into~, "hold my hat, Jim, I'll be INTO him," _i.e._, I will fight him. -In this sense equivalent to pitch INTO, or slip INTO. - -~Invite~, an invitation--a corruption used by stuck-up people of -mushroom origin. Often used, also, by people who know better, from their -desire for slang of any kind. - -~Ipsal dixal~, Cockney corruption of _ipse dixit_--said of one's simple -uncorroborated assertion. - -~Irish American~, an Irishman who has been for some time resident in the -States; sometimes a man born in America of Irish parents. The Irish -American body is a power in the United States, and is the fount-spring -as well as the maintaining power of all Fenianism. - -~Irish apricots~, potatoes. - -~Irish Cockney~, a child born of Irish parents in any part of the -southern counties of England. It is a singular fact that Irishmen born -profess great abhorrence of IRISH COCKNEYS, while the latter despise all -Irish, and use the word as one of reproach. IRISH COCKNEYS were -originally only Cockneys born of an Irish strain, but the term has -proved very elastic, and threatens soon to mean any English-born person -whose descent is Hibernian. Liverpool will, however, always prove an -exception to the rule, as the name "Liverpool Irishmen" is given to -those who would in any southern part be called Cockneys. - -~Irish theatre~, the temporary prison, guard-room, or lock-up in a -barracks. The fond fancy of the soldier supplies it with other -figurative appellations, as "the mill," "the jigger," "the house that -Jack built." In Edinburgh Castle it is termed "the dryroom." - -~Irons in the fire~, a man is said to have too many IRONS IN THE FIRE -when he turns his attention to too many occupations or enterprises at -once. - -~Isthmus of Suez~, the covered bridge at St. John's College, Cambridge, -which connects the college with its grounds on the other side of the -river.--_See_ CRACKLE. - -~Ivories~, teeth; "a box of IVORIES," a set of teeth, the mouth; "wash -your IVORIES," _i.e._, "drink." The word is also used to denote dice. - -~Jabber~, to talk, or chatter. A cant word in Swift's time. Probably -from GIBBER. - -~Jack~, the knave of trumps, at the game of all-fours. - -~Jack-at-a-pinch~, one whose assistance is only sought on an emergency. -Jack-in-the-water, an attendant at the watermen's stairs on the river -and sea-port towns, who does not mind wetting his feet for a customer's -convenience, in consideration of a douceur. - -~Jacked-up~, ruined, done for. To JACK-UP is to leave off doing anything -suddenly. _See_ CHUCK-UP. - -~Jacket~, the skin of a potato which has not been pared before cooking. -In Ireland potatoes are generally served "with their JACKETS on." - -~Jacketing~, a thrashing. Similar term to leathering, cowhiding, &c. - -~Jackey~, gin. _Seven Dials_ originally. Nearly general now. - -~Jack-in-the-box~, a small but powerful kind of screw, used by burglars -to break open safes. - -~Jack Ketch~, the public hangman.--_See_ KETCH. - -~Jack Nasty-face~, a sailor.--_Sea._ NASTY-FACE is a term applied often -in London streets to an ugly or unpleasant-looking person. - -~Jacks~, AND HALF-JACKS, card counters, resembling in size and -appearance sovereigns and half-sovereigns, for which they are -occasionally passed to simple persons. In large gambling establishments -the "heaps of gold" are frequently composed of JACKS. JACKS are not, as -they are sometimes supposed to be, counterfeit coins; they are simply -little medals, and so "magsmen" and "street muggers" carry them with -less concern than they would feel were their pockets loaded with -spurious money. - -~Jack Sprat~, a diminutive boy or man. - -~Jack Tar~, a sailor. - -~Jacob~, a ladder. Grose says, from Jacob's dream.--_Old Cant._ - -~Jacob's ladder~, a longitudinal flaw in the leg of a ballet-girl's -tights. - -~Jagger~, a gentleman. _German_, JAGER, a sportsman. - -~Jail-bird~, a prisoner, one who has been in jail. - -~James~, a sovereign, or twenty shillings. From JACOBUS, the James II. -guinea. - -~Jannock~, sociable, fair dealing.--_Norfolk._ Generally now JONNICK, -which _see_. - -~Japan~, to ordain. Having evident reference to the black clothes which -follow ordination.--_University._ - -~Jark~, a "safe-conduct" pass.--_Oxford._ Old cant for a seal. - -~Jarvey~, the driver of a hackney-coach; "JARVEY'S upper Benjamin," a -coachman's overcoat, with many capes. An ingenious etymology has been -found for JARVEY, thus:--JARVEY, vernacular for Geoffrey, which was -often written Geo. (gee-ho), hence JARVEY. This is open to considerable -objection, as George is shortened in similar manner to that shown above. -Still it is worthy of record, independently of its ingenuity, being as -exact as many accepted derivations. - -~Jaw~, speech, or talk; "hold your JAW," don't speak any more; "what are -you JAWING about?" _i.e._, what are you making a noise about? - -~Jaw~, to talk without cessation, to scold vehemently. - -~Jawbone~, credit. - - "We have a few persons whose pockets are to let--men who have more - complaints than dollars--individuals who, in digger's parlance, live - on JAWBONE (credit), and are always to be found at saloons; a class - of men who, when they are here, wish themselves yonder, and when - yonder, wish themselves back."--_Times Correspondent, San Francisco, - Oct. 21, 1862._ - -~Jaw-breaker~, a hard or excessively long word. Also, in pugilistic -sense, a hard blow on the side of the face. - -~Jaw-twister~, a hard or many-syllabled word. Elaboration of preceding. - -~Jazey~, a wig. A corruption of JERSEY, the name for flax prepared in a -peculiar manner, of which common wigs were formerly made; "the cove with -the JAZEY," _i.e._, the judge. - -~Jeames~ (a generic for "flunkeys"), the _Morning Post_ newspaper--the -organ of Belgravia and the "Haristocracy." - -~Jehu~, old slang term for a coachman, or one fond of -driving.--_Biblical._ - -~Jeminy O!~ a vulgar expression of surprise. - -~Jemmy~, a sheep's-head.--_See_ SANGUINARY JAMES. - -~Jemmy~, a short crowbar, which generally takes to pieces, for the -convenience of housebreakers. - -~Jemmy ducks~, the man whose business it is to look after the poultry on -board a ship.--_Sea._ - -~Jemmy Jessamy~, a dandy. - -~Jemmy-John~, a jar for holding liquor; probably a corruption of -demi-gallon, by means of DEMI-JOHN. - -~Jeremiad~, a lament; derived, of course, from the Book of Lamentations, -written by the Prophet Jeremiah. - -~Jeremy Diddler~, an adept at raising the wind, _i.e._, at borrowing, -especially at borrowing with no intention of repaying. _See_ the farce -of _Raising the Wind_. - -~Jericho~, an improper quarter of Oxford. A lady visitor once writing -her name down in the visitors' book at the Bodleian or elsewhere, for a -joke put down her residence as "Jericho," to the no small disgust of her -undergraduate friend.--_University._ - -~Jerry~, a chamber utensil; abbreviation of JEROBOAM.--_Swift._ - -~Jerry~, a watch. "JERRY nicking" or "JERRY sneaking" is watch-stealing, -which is a distinct form of street robbery, and requires both courage -and dexterity; for it is done, as the thieves say, "right afore a -bloke's face." - -~Jerry~, to jibe or chaff cruelly. Development of jeer. - -~Jerry-go-nimble~, the diarrhoea. Derivation apparent. - -~Jerry Lynch~, a pig's head pickled. Term usually applied to the long -Irish heads which are sent over here for sale in the poorer districts of -London, and which are vastly different from the heads of "dairy-fed" -porkers. - -~Jerry shop~, a beer-house. Contraction of "Tom and Jerry." - -~Jerry Sneak~, a hen-pecked husband,--a character in the _Mayor of -Garret_. Also, a stealer of watches. - -~Jerusalem pony~, a donkey. - -~Jessie~, "to give a person JESSIE," to beat him soundly. _See_ GAS. - -~Jew fencer~, a Jew street salesman. - -~Jew's eye~, a popular simile for anything valuable. Probably a -corruption of the _Italian_, GIOJE; _French_, JOAILLE, a jewel. In -ancient times, when a king was short of cash, he generally issued orders -for so many JEWS' EYES, or equivalent sums of money. The Jews preferred -paying the ransom, although often very heavy. It is notorious that in -this country the order often went forth to draw Jews' teeth in the -event of their refusing to contribute so much to the Exchequer. A -probable idea is, that as a Jew's teeth brought in so much money, the -value of a JEW'S EYE must be something fabulous. Possibly, also, from -the _lex talionis_ so strongly believed in by Jews,--an eye for an eye, -and nothing less. The term is used by Shakspeare. - -~Jezebel~, a showily-dressed woman of suspected character; derived, of -course, from 2 Kings ix. 30, but applied in this sense from the time of -the Puritans. Also, a hot-tempered female. - -~Jib~, a first-year man.--_Dublin University._ - -~Jib~, or JIBBER, a horse that starts or shrinks. Shakspeare uses it in -the sense of a worn-out horse. - -~Jib~, the face, or a person's expression; "the cut of his JIB," _i.e._, -his peculiar appearance. That sail of a ship, which in position and -shape, corresponds to the nose on a person's face.--_Sea._ A vessel is -often known by the cut of the JIB sail; hence the popular phrase, "to -know a man by the cut of his JIB." - -~Jibb~, the tongue.--_Gipsy_ and _Hindoo_. (Tramps' term.) Thence -extended to mean language. - -~Jiffy~, "in a JIFFY," in a moment. - -~Jigger~, a door; "dub the JIGGER," shut the door. _Ancient cant_, -GYGER. In billiards, the bridge or rest is often termed the JIGGER. -Also, the curtain of a theatre. JIGGER has many meanings, the word being -applied to any small mechanical contrivance. Printers use the word for a -little machine which guides the eye when copy is minute. - -~Jigger~, a secret still for the manufacture of illicit spirits. - -~Jigger~, "I'm JIGGERED if you will," a common form of mild swearing. -_See_ SNIGGER. - -~Jigger-dubber~, a term applied to a gaoler or turnkey. - -~Jiggot o' mutton~, a leg of mutton. From _Fr._ GIGOT. - -~Jilt~, a crowbar or house-breaking implement. - -~Jingo~, "by JINGO," a common form of oath, said to be a corruption of -ST. GINGOULPH. _Vide_ Halliwell. - -~Jo~, Scotticism for a man or lover. As "John Anderson, my JO, John." - -~Job~, "a JOB lot," otherwise called a "sporting lot," any miscellaneous -goods purchased at a cheap rate, or to be sold a bargain. Frequently -used to conceal the fact of their being stolen, or otherwise dishonestly -obtained. - -~Job~, a short piece of work, a prospect of employment. Johnson -describes JOB as a low word, without etymology. It is, and was, however, -a cant word; and a JOB, two centuries ago, was an arranged robbery. Even -at the present day it is mainly confined to the streets, in the sense of -employment for a short time. Amongst undertakers a JOB signifies a -funeral; "to do a JOB," conduct any one's funeral; "by the JOB," _i.e._, -piece-work, as opposed to time-work. A JOB in political phraseology is a -Government office or contract, obtained by secret influence or -favouritism. Any unfair arrangement is now called a JOB. - -~Job~, a sudden blow, as "a JOB in the eye." Also used as a verb, "I'll -JOB this here knife in your ribs." - -~Jobation~, a chiding, a reprimand, a trial of the hearer's patience. - -~Jobbery~, the arrangement of jobs, or unfair business proceedings. - -~Job's comfort~, reproof instead of consolation. - -~Job's comforter~, one who brings news of additional misfortunes. Both -these words are of Biblical origin. - -~Job's turkey~, "as poor as JOB'S TURKEY," as thin and as badly fed as -that ill-conditioned and imaginary bird. - -~Jocteleg~, a shut-up knife. Corruption of Jacques de Liege, a famous -cutler. - -~Joe~, a too marvellous tale, a lie, or a stale joke. Abbreviated from -JOE MILLER. The full name is occasionally used, as in the phrase "I -don't see the JOE MILLER of it," _i.e._, I don't perceive the wit you -intend, or I don't see the fun of doing it,--whatever may have been the -request. - -~Joey~, a fourpenny piece. The term is derived (like BOBBY from Sir -Robert Peel) from Joseph Hume. The explanation is thus given in -Hawkins's _History of the Silver Coinage of England_:-- - - "These pieces are said to have owed their existence to the pressing - instance of Mr. Hume, from whence they, for some time, bore the - nickname of JOEYS. As they were very convenient to pay short cab - fares, the hon. M.P. was extremely unpopular with the drivers, who - frequently received only a groat where otherwise they would have - received a sixpence without any demand for change." - -The term, therefore, was originated by the London cabmen, who have -invented many other popular phrases. Fancy offering a modern hansom -cabman a JOEY! - -~Jog-trot~, a slow but regular trot, or pace. - -~Jogul~, to play up, at cards or other game. _Spanish_, JUGAR. - -~John Blunt~, a straightforward, honest, outspoken man. - -~Johnny~, half-a-glass of whisky.--_Irish._ - -~Johnny Darbies~, a nickname for policemen, an evident corruption of the -_French_ GENSDARMES. Also, a term applied to handcuffs.--_See_ DARBIES. - -~Johnny Raw~, a newly-enlisted soldier. - -~John Orderly~, the signal to shorten the performance at a show. -Whenever the master, who remains on the platform outside to take the -money and regulate the performance, desires to refill the booth, he -pokes his head inside and shouts, "Is JOHN ORDERLY there?" The actors -instantly cut the piece short, the curtain falls, and the spectators are -bundled out at the back, to make room for the fresh audience. According -to tradition, JOHN ORDERLY was a noted showman, who taught this move to -the no less noted Richardson. This is like the old story of the publican -who used to call out to his waiter, "A pot of ale, Robert," when he -wished his customers to be served with the best; but "A pot of ale, -Bob," when they had been drinking long enough not to distinguish good -stuff from the bad the latter order meant. One day after calling for Bob -many times, he reluctantly, at the request of a visitor, tasted the ale, -and found it was the best. Rushing out immediately afterwards, and -calling for Bob with all his voice, he was answered by his wife, who -said, "Why, Bob's been out these three hours." - -~John Thomas~, a generic for "flunkeys,"--more especially footmen with -large calves and fine bushy whiskers. - -~Jolly~, a Royal Marine.--_See_ HORSE MARINE. - -~Jolly~, a word of praise, or favourable notice; "chuck Harry a JOLLY, -Bill," _i.e._, go and praise up his goods, or buy of him, and speak well -of the article, that the crowd standing around his stall may think it a -good opportunity for laying out their money. This is called JOLLYING. -"Chuck a JOLLY," lit. translated, is, throw "a shout" or "good word." - -~Jolly~, to abuse or vituperate, sometimes to "bear up" or "bonnet." To -JOLLY a man often means to give him a piece of one's mind. To JOLLY -"for" any one is another phase of the business mentioned in the -foregoing paragraph. - -~Jomer~, a sweetheart, or favourite girl. _See_ BLOWER. - -~Jonnick~, right, correct, proper. Said of a person or thing. - -~Jordan~, a chamberpot. To throw the contents of a chamberpot over any -one is to christen him. - -~Jorum~, a capacious vessel from which food is eaten, as broth or stew. - -~Joskin~, a countryman. - -~Jossop~, the syrup or juice in a fruit pie or pudding. Also, sauce or -gravy.--_School._ - -~Jow~, be off, be gone immediately. If the word Jehanum be added, it -forms a peremptory order to go to a place unmentionable to ears -polite.--_Anglo-Indian._ Our phrase, "Go to Jericho," is probably a -modification of the Jehanum business. - -~Judas~, a deceitful person; JUDAS-HAIRED, red-haired, deceitful. It is -generally believed that JUDAS ISCARIOT was red-haired. Painters seem to -have accepted this idea, with modifications as to the exact amount of -colour. - -~Jug~, a prison of any kind. Contraction of "stone jug." - -~Julep~, one of a set of drinks peculiar to America. Generally prepared -with mint, and called a MINT-JULEP. Originally JULEP was a pleasant -liquid, in which nauseous medicines were taken. Its literal meaning is -rosewater, and it is derived from the Arabic. - -~Jump~, to seize, or rob; to "JUMP a man," to pounce upon him, and -either rob or maltreat him; "to JUMP a house," to rob it. - -~Jumped-up~, conceited, arrogant, setting full value on oneself. - -~Jump-up-behind~, to endorse an accommodation-bill. - -~Juniper~, gin. Derivation obvious. - -~Junk~, salt beef.--_See_ OLD HORSE. - -~Juwaub~, literally, in Hindostanee, an answer; but in Anglo-Indian -slang signifying a refusal. If an officer asks for leave and is refused, -he is said to be JUWAUBED; if a gentleman unsuccessfully proposes for -the hand of a lady, he is said to have got the JUWAUB.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Karibat~, food, literally rice and curry; the staple dish of both -natives and Europeans in India.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Keel-hauling~, a good thrashing or mauling, rough treatment,--from the -old nautical custom of punishing offenders by throwing them overboard -with a rope attached, and hauling them up from under the ship's keel. -See full description of this barbarous practice in Marryat's -_Snarleyyow_. - -~Keep a pig~, an Oxford University phrase, which means to have a lodger. -A man whose rooms contain two bedchambers has sometimes, when his -college is full, to allow the use of one of them to a Freshman, who is -called under these circumstances a PIG. The original occupier is then -said to KEEP A PIG. - -~Keep it up~, to prolong a debauch, or the occasion of a rejoicing,--a -metaphor drawn from the game of shuttlecock. People suffering from the -effects of drink are said to have been KEEPING IT UP.--_Grose._ - -~Kelter~, coin, money. Probably from GELT. - -~Ken~, a house.--_Ancient cant._ KHAN, _Gipsy_ and _Oriental_. - -[Asterism] All slang and cant words which end in KEN, such as SPIELKEN, -SPINIKEN, or BOOZINGKEN, refer to houses, and are mainly of Gipsy -origin. - -~Kennedy~, a poker; to "give KENNEDY" is to strike or kill with a poker. -A St. Giles's term, so given from a man of that name being killed by a -poker. - -~Kent rag~, or CLOUT, a cotton handkerchief. - -~Kervorten~, a Cockneyism for QUARTERN or quarter-pint measure. -"KERVORTEN and three houts," a quartern of liquor and glasses, each -holding a third of the quantity. - -~Ketch~, or JACK KETCH, the popular name for a public hangman; derived -from a person of that name who officiated in the reign of Charles -II.--_See Macaulay's History of England._ - -~Kettle of fish~, a mess or muddle of any kind. As, "Here's a pretty -KETTLE OF FISH!" - -~Key of the street~, an imaginary instrument said to be possessed by any -one locked out of doors. - -~Kibosh~, nonsense, stuff, humbug; "it's all KIBOSH," _i.e._, palaver or -nonsense; to "put on the KIBOSH," to run down, slander, degrade, &c. To -put the KIBOSH on anything is, latterly, to put an effectual end or stop -to it. - -~Kick~, a moment; "I'll be there in a KICK," _i.e._, in a moment. - -~Kick~, a pocket; _Gaelic_, CUACH, a bowl, a nest; _Scotch_, QUAIGH. - -~Kick~, a sixpence; "two and a KICK," two shillings and sixpence. - -~Kick the bucket~, to die.--_Norfolk._ According to Forby, a metaphor -taken from the descent of a well or mine, which is of course absurd. The -Rev. E. S. Taylor supplies the following note from his MS. additions to -the work of the East-Anglian lexicographer:-- - - "The allusion is to the way in which a slaughtered pig is hung - up--viz., by passing the ends of a bent piece of wood behind the - tendons of the hind legs, and so suspending it to a hook in a beam - above. This piece of wood is locally termed a BUCKET, and so by a - coarse metaphor the phrase came to signify to die." - -Another correspondent says the real signification of this phrase is to -commit suicide by hanging, from a method planned and carried out by an -ostler at an inn on the Great North Road. Standing on a bucket, he tied -himself up to a beam in the stable; he then KICKED THE BUCKET away from -under his feet, and in a few seconds was dead. The natives of the West -Indies have converted the expression into "kickeraboo." - -~Kick over the traces~, to be over-extravagant. Any one who has come to -grief by fast living is said to have KICKED OVER THE TRACES. - -~Kick up~, a noise or disturbance. - -~Kick up~, "to KICK UP a row," to create a tumult. - -~Kickeraboo~, dead. A West Indian negro's phrase. _See_ KICK THE BUCKET, -of which phrase it is a corruption. - -~Kickseys~, or KICKSIES, trousers. - -~Kickshaws~, trifles; made, or French dishes--not English or -substantial. Anything of a fancy description now. Corruption of the -_French_ QUELQUES CHOSES. - -~Kicksy~, troublesome, disagreeable. _German_, KECK, bold. - -~Kid~, an infant, or child. From the German _kind_; or possibly from the -name for the young of a goat. Also, a shallow dish in which sailors -receive their portions of food. - -~Kid~, to joke, to quiz, to hoax anybody. "No KID, now?" is a question -often asked by a man who thinks he is being hoaxed. - -~Kidden~, or KIDKEN, a low lodging-house for boys. - -~Kiddier~, a pork-butcher. - -~Kiddily~, fashionably or showily; "KIDDILY togg'd," showily dressed. - -~Kiddleywink~, a small shop where are retailed the commodities of a -village store. Originally KIDDLE-A-WINK, from the offer made, with a -wink, to give you something out of the kettle or kiddle. In the west -country an alehouse. Also, a woman of unsteady habits. - -~Kiddy~, a man, or boy. Formerly a low thief. - -~Kiddyish~, frolicsome, jovial. - - "Think, on the KIDDYISH spree we had on such a day." - - _Randall's Diary, 1820._ - -~Kidment~, humbug, coarse chaff or jocularity. - -~Kidnapper~, originally one who stole children. Now applied without -reference to the age or sex of those stolen. From "kid," a child, and -"nab" (corrupted to "nap"), to steal, or seize. - -~Kidney~, "of that KIDNEY," of such a stamp; "strange KIDNEY," odd -humour; "two of a KIDNEY," two persons of a sort, or as like as two -peas, _i.e._, resembling each other like two kidneys in a bunch.--_Old._ -"Attempt to put their hair out of KIDNEY."--_Terrae Filius_, 1763. - -~Kid-on~, to entice or incite a person to the perpetration of an act. - -~Kidsman~, one who trains boys to thieve and pick pockets successfully. - -~Kilkenny cat~, a popular simile for a voracious or desperate animal or -person, from the story of the two cats in that county, who are said to -have fought and bitten each other until a small portion of the tail of -one of them alone remained. - -~Killing~, bewitching, fascinating. The term is akin to the phrase -"dressing to death." - -~Kilt~, an Irishism for badly beaten, but by no means equivalent with -killed. - -~Kimbo~, or A-KIMBO, holding the arms in a bent position from the body, -and resting the hands upon the hips, in a bullying attitude. Said to be -from A SCHIMBO, bandy-legged, crooked, _Italian_; but more probably from -KIMBAW, the old cant for beating or bullying. _See Grose._ _Celtic_, -CAM, crooked. - -~Kimmer~, a gossip, an acquaintance, same as CUMMER.--_Scotch._ - - "What's a' the steer, KIMMER?" - -~Kinchin~, a child.--_Old Cant._ From the _German_ diminutive, KINDCHEN, -a baby. - -~Kinchin cove~, a man who robs children; a little man.--Ancient Cant. - -~Kincob~, uniform, fine clothes, richly embroidered dresses. Really, -cloth of gold or silver.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Kingsman~, a handkerchief with yellow patterns upon a green ground, the -favourite coloured neckerchief of the costermongers. The women sometimes -wear KINGSMAN kerchiefs thrown over their shoulders. A coster will often -imagine his caste, or position, is at stake, if his KINGSMAN is not of -the most approved pattern. When he fights, his KINGSMAN is tied around -his waist as a belt. This partiality for a peculiar-coloured neckcloth -is part of the fondness for gaudy colours which at all times and in all -countries has been shown by the uncultivated. A strange similarity of -taste for certain colours exists amongst the Hindoos, Gipsies, and -London lower classes. Red and yellow (or orange) are the great -favourites, and in these hues the Hindoo selects his turban and his -robe; the gipsy his breeches, and his wife her shawl or gown; and the -costermonger, his plush waistcoat and favourite KINGSMAN. Among either -class, when a fight takes place, the greatest regard is paid to the -favourite coloured article of dress. The Hindoo lays aside his turban, -the gipsy folds up his fancy breeches or coat, whilst the pugilistic -costermonger of Covent Garden or Billingsgate removes his favourite -neckerchief to a part of his body, by the rules of the "ring," -comparatively out of danger. - -~King's pictures~ (now, of course, QUEEN'S PICTURES), money. - -~Kisky~, drunk, fuddled. - -~Kiss-curl~, a small curl twisted on the temple. _See_ BOWCATCHER. - -~Kisser~, the mouth.--_Pugilistic term._ - -~Kissing-crust~, the soft crust which marks where one loaf has been -broken from another. - -~Kiss-me-quick~, the name given to the very small bonnets which have of -late years become fashionable. - -~Kit~, a person's baggage. Also, a collection of anything, "the whole -KIT of 'em," the entire lot. _Anglo-Saxon_, KYTH.--_North._ - -~Kite~,--_see_ FLY THE KITE. - -~Kitmegur~, an under-butler, a footman.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Kitna~, how much?--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Knacker~, an old horse; a horse-slaughterer. Originally -_Gloucestershire_, but now general. - -~Knap~, _i.q._, NAP, to break.--_Old English_, but nearly obsolete. _See -Ps_. xlvi. 9 (Prayer-book version), "He breaketh the bow, and KNAPPETH -the spear in sunder;" probably sibilated into "snap." - -~Knap~, to receive, to take. Generally applied to the receipt of -punishments; "oh, my! wont he just KNAP it when he gets home!" - -~Knap~, to steal.--_Prison Cant._ - -~Knapping-jigger~, a turnpike gate; "to dub at the KNAPPING-JIGGER," to -pay money at the turnpike. - -~Knark~, a hard-hearted or savage person. The word is now usually spelt -NARK, and is applied to the lowest class of informers. - -~Knife~, "to KNIFE a person," to stab; an un-English custom, but a very -common expression. - -~Knife-board~, the seat running along the roof of an omnibus. - - "On 'busses' KNIFEBOARDS stretch'd, - The City clerks all tongue-protruded lay." - - _A Summer Idyll, by Arthur Smith._ - -~Knife it~, "cut it," cease, stop, don't proceed. - -~Knight~, a common and ironical prefix to a man's calling--thus, "KNIGHT -of the whip," a coachman; "KNIGHT of the thimble," a tailor. - -~Knobstick~, a non-society workman. One who takes work under price. - -~Knock about the bub~, to hand or pass about the drink. BUB is a very -old cant term for drink. - -~Knock-down~, or KNOCK-ME-DOWN, strong ale. - -~Knocked-up~, tired, jaded, used up, done for. In the United States, -amongst females, the phrase is equivalent to being _enceinte_, so that -Englishmen often unconsciously commit themselves when amongst our Yankee -cousins. - -~Knock-'em-downs~, the game of skittles. - -~Knocker~, "up to the KNOCKER," means finely or showily dressed, in the -height of fashion; proficient, equal to the task. - -~Knocker-face~, an ugly face, _i.e._, like an old-fashioned -door-knocker. - -~Knock-in~, the game of loo. - -~Knocking-in~, coming into college after time. A habit of KNOCKING-IN -late generally leads to some unpleasantness.--_Oxford University._ - -~Knocking-out.~ All visitors, on leaving a college after time, have to -state in whose rooms they have been, that his gate-bill may be scored up -for them. When a rackety party takes place, the visitors, or "out -college men," are generally supplied with a list of the names of the -quietest men in college, so that the whereabouts of the party may not be -betrayed.--_Oxford University._ - -~Knock-it-down~, to show, in the "free and easy" style, approval of a -song or toast, by hammering with pot or glass on the table. - -~Knock off~, to give over, or abandon. A saying used by workmen in -reference to dinner or other meal times, for upwards of two centuries. - -~Knock out~, in racing parlance, to drive out of the quotations; as a -KNOCKED-OUT favourite. Also to make bankrupt; as a KNOCKED-OUT backer or -bookmaker. When a man cannot meet his engagements on the turf, he is -said to be KNOCKED OUT. - -~Knock-outs~, or KNOCK-INS, disreputable persons who visit auction rooms -and unite to purchase the articles at their own prices. One of their -number is instructed to buy for the rest, and after a few small bids as -blinds to the auctioneer and bystanders, the lot is knocked down to the -KNOCK-OUT bidders, at a nominal price--the competition to result from an -auction being thus frustrated and set aside. At the conclusion of the -sale the goods are paid for, and carried to a neighbouring public-house, -where they are re-sold or KNOCKED-OUT among the confederates, and the -difference between the first purchase and the second--or tap-room -KNOCK-OUT--is divided amongst the gang. As generally happens with -ill-gotten gains, the money soon finds its way to the landlord's pocket, -and the KNOCK-OUT is rewarded with a red nose and a bloated face. -Cunning tradesmen join the KNOCK-OUTS when an opportunity for -money-making presents itself. The lowest description of KNOCK-OUTS, -fellows with more tongue than capital, are termed BABES. Within the past -few years a few respectable auctioneers, assisted much by one or two -just and admirable magisterial decisions, have succeeded in considerably -limiting the efforts of the KNOCK-OUT fraternity. - -~Knock-under~, to submit. - -~Knowing~, sharp, shrewd, artful; "a KNOWING codger," or "a KNOWING -blade," one who can take you in, or cheat you, in any transaction you -may have with him. It implies also deep cunning and foresight, and -generally signifies dishonesty. - - "Who, on a spree with black-eyed Sal, his blowen, - So swell, so prime, so nutty, and so KNOWING?"--_Don Juan._ - -KNOW, in this sense, enters into several slang phrases. "I KNOW -something," expresses that I am not to be taken in by any shallow -device. "He KNOWS a thing or two," _i.e._, he is a cunning fellow. - -~Knowledge-box~, the head.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Knuckle~, to fight with fists, to pommel. - -~Knuckle-duster~, a large, heavy, or over-gaudy ring; a ring which -attracts attention from its size. - -~Knuckle-duster~, an iron or brass instrument which covers the knuckles -so as to protect them from injury when striking a blow, adding force to -it at the same time. Sometimes a KNUCKLE-DUSTER has knobs or points -projecting, so as to mutilate and disfigure the person struck. This -brutal invention is American, but has been made familiar here. - -~Knuckle to~, or KNUCKLE UNDER, to yield or submit. - -~Knuller~, old term for a chimney-sweep, who solicited jobs by ringing a -bell. From the _Saxon_, CNYLLAN, to knell, or sound a bell. _See_ -QUERIER. - -~Kootee~, a house.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Kotoo~, to bow down before, to cringe, to flatter. From a Chinese -ceremony. - -~Kubber~, news.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Kudos~, praise; KUDIZED, praised. _Greek_, _kudos_.--_University._ - -~Kye~, eighteenpence. - -~Kypsey~, a basket. A term generally used by gipsies. - -~La!~ a euphuistic rendering of LORD! common amongst females and very -precise persons; imagined by many to be a corruption of LOOK! but this -is a mistake. Sometimes pronounced LAW, or LAWKS. - -~Lac~, one hundred thousand.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Laced~, strengthened with ardent spirits. Tea or coffee in which brandy -is poured is said to be LACED. - -~Lacing~, a beating. From the phrase, "I'll lace your -jacket."--_L'Estrange._ Perhaps to give a beating with a lace or lash. -Perhaps, also, a figurative phrase for ornamenting the article in -question with stripes. - -~Ladder~, "can't see a hole in a LADDER," said of any one who is -intoxicated. It was once said that a man was never properly drunk until -he could not lie down without holding, could not see a hole through a -LADDER, or went to the pump to light his pipe. - -~Ladies' mile~, that part of Hyde Park where the feminine beauty, rank, -and fashion most do congregate during the airing hours of the London -season. - -~Lag~, a returned transport, or ticket-of-leave convict. - -~Lag~, to void urine.--_Ancient Cant._ In modern slang to transport, as -regards bearing witness, and not in reference to the action of judge or -jury. - -~Lagged~, imprisoned, apprehended, or transported for a crime. From the -Old Norse, LAGDA, "laid,"--laid by the leg. - -~Lagger~, a sailor. Also, one who gives evidence; an informer. - -~Lagging gage~, a chamber-pot.--_Ancient Cant._ - -~Lambasting~, a beating. Perhaps LUMB-BASTING, from the lumbar-regions. - -~Lamb's wool~, spiced ale, of which the butler at Brasenose every Shrove -Tuesday supplies as much as is required at Hall, with a copy of verses -on the subject, generally written by a Brasenose man. One of these poems -began:-- - - Antiquum et vetus est {Ale AEn Nas} dicere laudes. - {alienas } - - _Oxford University._ - -LAMB'S WOOL is also a hot drink, well known to the community for -centuries. Supposed by some to be derived from Lammas, at which time it -was drunk, and by others to be derived from the similarity between the -foam of the drink and the white wool obtained from lambs. - -~Lame duck~, a stockjobber who speculates beyond his capital, and cannot -pay his losses. Upon retiring from the Exchange he is said to "waddle -out of the Alley." - -~Lamming~, a beating.--_Old English_, LAM; used by Beaumont and -Fletcher. Not as Sir Walter Scott supposed, from one Dr. Lamb, but from -the _Old Norse_, LAM, the hand; also, _Gaelic_. - -~Lammy~, a blanket. - -~Land-lubber~, sea term for "a landsman." _See_ LOAFER. - -~Land-shark~, a sailor's definition of a lawyer. - -~Lane~, a familiar term for Drury Lane Theatre, just as Covent Garden -Theatre is constantly spoken of as "the Garden." - -~Lap~, liquor, drink. LAP is the term invariably used in the ballet -girls' dressing-room for gin. - -~Lap~, one circuit of a pedestrian enclosure. In running a race of any -distance one man is said to LAP another when he is one entire circuit in -front. - -~Lap.~ LAP THE GUTTER, to get beastly and helplessly drunk. LAP means to -drink. LAP THE GATTER, to drink up the beer; a "rare LAPPER," a hard -drinker. - -~Lark~, a frolic, a joke; "let's have a jolly good LARK," let us have a -piece of fun.--_Anglo-Saxon_, LAC, sport; but more probably from the -nautical term SKYLARKING, _i.e._, mounting to the highest yards and -sliding down the ropes for amusement, which is allowed on certain -occasions. - -~Lark~, to sport boisterously, to show a disposition for "going on the -spree." - -~Larrence~, an imaginary being, supposed by the Scottish peasantry to -have power over indolent persons. Hence laziness is often called -LARRENCE. - -~Larrup~, to beat or thrash. - -~Larruping~, a good beating or hiding.--_Irish._ - -~Lashins~, large quantities; as, "LASHINS of whisky." An Irishism in -common use. - -~Latchpan~, the lower lip--properly a dripping-pan; "to hang one's -LATCHPAN," to pout, be sulky.--_Norfolk._ - -~Lavender~, "to be laid up in LAVENDER;" to be in pawn; to be out of the -way for an especial purpose. From the practice among housewives of -placing LAVENDER in drawers in which linen and clothes are to be kept -for any period. - -~Law~, "to give LAW to an animal" is a sporting term signifying to give -the hare or stag a chance of escaping, by not setting on the hounds till -the quarry has run some distance. Also, used for giving any one a chance -of succeeding in a difficult undertaking by allowing him so much grace -or preliminary notice. - -~Lay~, a pursuit or practice, a dodge. Term in this sense much used by -thieves. - -~Lay~, in wagering, to bet against a man or animal. Betters are divided -in racing slang into layers and takers; they are otherwise known as -bookmakers and backers. - -~Lay~, some, a piece. "Tip me a LAY of pannum," _i.e._, give me a slice -of bread.--_North._ - -~Lay~, to watch; "on the LAY," on the look-out.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Lay down the knife and fork~, to die. Compare PEGGING-OUT, HOPPING THE -TWIG, and similar flippancies. - -~Lead~, or FRIENDLY LEAD, a gathering at a low public-house, for the -purpose of assisting some one who is "in trouble" (in these cases -trouble always means imprisonment), who has just "come out of trouble," -or who is in want of a "mouthpiece." A LEAD is different from a raffle, -inasmuch as no article is put up or thrown for, but in the course of the -evening some friend of the troubled one LEADS OFF by putting a certain -sum in a plate, and the remainder of the party follow the LEAD with -whatever they can spare. Sometimes people pay as they enter the room, -but this does not alter the title or character of the meeting. In every -other respect a LEAD is similar to a raffle; songs, dances, drinking, -and a general desire to increase the bastardy averages being the most -conspicuous features of the entertainment. Irish LEADS and raffles are -characterized by less vice and more quarrelling than those of the lower -orders of English people. - -~Leary~, flash, knowing, artful, sly. - -~Leary bloke~, a clever or artful person. - -~Leather~, to beat or thrash. Probably from allusion to the skin, which -is often called LEATHER. Some think the term is from the LEATHER belts -worn by soldiers, which are often used as weapons in street rows. Most -likely from there being "nothing like LEATHER" with which to administer -a thrashing. - -~Leathern conveniency~, a carriage. A Quaker being reprimanded by the -Society of Friends for keeping a carriage, "contrary to the ancient -testimonies," said, "it is not a carriage I keep, but merely a -LEATHERN-CONVENIENCY." _See_ under SIMON PURE, in the Introduction. - -~Leaving shop~, or DOLLY SHOP, an unlicensed house where goods are taken -into pawn at exorbitant rates of interest. - -~Led captain~, a fashionable spunger, a "swell" who by artifice -ingratiates himself into the favours of the master of the house, and -lives at his table. Probably from the fact that a real captain leads, -but that a sham one is led--to the dinner-table. - -~Leer~, empty.--_Oxfordshire._ Pure _German_, as is nearly so the next -word. - -~Leer~, print, newspaper. _German_, LEHREN, to instruct; hence _Old -English_, LERE, "spelt in the LEER." _See_ SPELL.--_Old Cant._ - -~Leg~, a part of a game. In some old games there are so many LEGS to the -chalk, and so many chalks to the game. Sometimes the LEGS are called -chalks, and the chalks LEGS--one word is as good as another, provided an -agreement is made beforehand. - -~Leg~, or BLACKLEG, a disreputable sporting character and racecourse -_habitue_; that is, one who is disreputable among sporting men. - -~Leg-and-leg~, the state of a game when each player has won a LEG. In -Ireland a LEG is termed a horse, LEG-AND-LEG being there termed -"horse-and-horse." - -~Leg bail~, the bail or security given by absence. To give LEG BAIL is -to run away. - -~Leg it~, to run; "to give a LEG," to assist, as when one mounts a -horse; "making a LEG," a countryman's bow,--projecting the LEG from -behind as a balance to the head bent forward.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Leg-of-mutton~, humorous street term for a sheep's trotter, or foot. - -~Leg of mutton fist~, a large, muscular or bony hand. - -~Length~, forty-two lines of a dramatic composition.--_Theatrical._ - -~Length~, six months' imprisonment. _See_ STRETCH. - -~Let alone~, an expression which signifies "much less" as used in -comparative statement or argument. "I cannot afford five shillings, LET -ALONE five pounds." Barham, in one of the Ingoldsby Legends, says:-- - - "I have not had, this livelong day, one drop to cheer my heart, - Nor brown to buy a bit of bread with--LET ALONE a tart." - -~Let drive~, to strike at, or attack with vigour. - -~Let in~, to cheat or victimize. "He let me in heavily." - -~Let on~, to give an intimation of having some knowledge of a subject. -Ramsay employs the phrase in the _Gentle Shepherd_. Common in Scotland. - -~Let the cat out~, or LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG, a common phrase, which -implies that a secret is to be or has been let out. - -~Letty~, a bed. _Italian_, LETTO.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Levanter~, a card-sharper, or defaulting gambler. It was formerly the -custom to give out to the creditors, when a person was in pecuniary -difficulties, and it was convenient for him to keep away, that he was -gone to the East, or the LEVANT; hence, when one loses a bet, and -decamps without settling, he is said to LEVANT. The LEVANT was also a -notorious place for queer customers, who would do anything rather than -pay. Its reputation is not particularly odorous even now. - -~Levy~, a shilling.--_Liverpool._ Among labourers a LEVY is a sum -obtained before it is due, something to keep a man going till -Saturday-night comes, or his task is finished. - -~Liberty~, ground let in parts of Yorkshire for shooting purposes. - -~Lick~, a blow; LICKING, a beating; "to put in big LICKS," a curious and -common phrase, meaning that great exertions are being made.--_Dryden_; -_North_. - -~Lick~, to excel, or overcome; "if you ain't sharp, he'll LICK you," -_i.e._, be finished first. Signifies, also, to whip, chastise, or -conquer. _Ancient cant_, LYCKE. _Welsh_, LLACHIO, to strike. - -~Lickspittle~, a coarse but singularly expressive term for a parasite, -who puts up with indignities for the sake of advantages. - -~Lifer~, a convict who is sentenced to imprisonment for life. - -~Lift~, to steal, pick pockets; "there's a clock been LIFTED," said when -a watch has been stolen. The word is as old as the Border forays, and is -used by Shakspeare. SHOPLIFTER is a recognised term. _Old Gothic_, -LLIFAN, to steal; _Lower Rhenish_, LOeFTEN. - -~Lig~, a lie, a falsehood.--_Lancashire._ In old ballads the word "lie" -is often spelt "LIG." In old Saxon, LIG is to lie, but to lie as in a -bed. - -~Light~, credit, trust; "to get a LIGHT at a house" is to get credit. -When a man's credit is stopped, his LIGHT is said to be put out. LIGHT -also means life. "I'll put your LIGHT out" is a murderous threat. - -~Light Bob~, a light infantry soldier.--_Military._ - -~Light Feeder~, a silver spoon. - -~Lightning~, gin; "flash o' LIGHTNING," a glass of gin. - -~Lights~, a worthless piece of meat; applied metaphorically to a fool, a -soft or stupid person. - -~Lights~, the eyes. Also, the lungs; animals' lungs are always so -called. - -~Lil~, a book, generally a pocket-book.--_Gipsy._ - -~Lily Benjamin~, a great white coat. _See_ BENJAMIN. - -~Limb~, a troublesome or precocious child. - -~Limb of the law~, a lawyer, or clerk articled to that profession. - -~Limbo~, a prison, from LIMBUS or LIMBUS PATRUM, a mediaeval theological -term for purgatory. The Catholic Church teaches that LIMBO was that part -of hell where holy people who died before the Redemption were kept. - -~Line~, a hoax, a fool-trap; as, "to get him in a LINE," _i.e._, to get -some sport out of him. - -~Line~, calling, trade, profession; "what LINE are you in?" "the -building LINE." - -~Liner~, a casual reporter, paid by the line. Diminutive of -"penny-a-liner." - -~Lingo~, talk, or language. Slang is termed LINGO amongst the lower -orders. _Italian_, LINGUA.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Lint-scraper~, a young surgeon. Thackeray, in _Lovel the Widower_, -uses the phrase, and gives, also, the words "AEsculapius," -"Pestle-grinder," and "Vaccinator," for the same character. - -~Lionesses~, ladies visiting an Oxford man, especially at -"Commemoration," which is the chief time for receiving feminine visitors -at the University. - -~Lion-hunter~, one who hunts up, and has a devout veneration for, small -celebrities. Mrs. Leo Hunter, in _Pickwick_, is a splendid specimen of -this unpleasant creature. - -~Lionize~, to make much of any visitor with small or moderate claims to -distinction; to conduct a stranger round the principal objects of -attraction in a place; to act as cicerone. - -~Lions~, notabilities, either persons or sights worthy of inspection; an -expression dating from the times when the royal lions at the Tower, -before the existence of Zoological Gardens and travelling menageries, -were a London wonder, to visit which country cousins and strangers of -eminence were constantly taken. Visitors taken round at Cambridge to see -the sights are, or were, called LIONS. The origin of the Tower -collection was the three leopards sent by the Emperor Frederic to Henry -III., as a living illustration of the royal arms of England. In the roll -of John de Cravebeadell, constable of the Tower (_B. M. Top. -Collections_, iii. p. 153), is a charge of 3_d._ per day "in support of -the leopard of our lord the king." Edward III., when Prince of Wales, -appears to have taken great interest in the animals; and after he became -king, there was not only the old leopard, but "one lion, one lioness, -and two cat-lions," says Stowe, "in the said Tower, committed to the -custody of Robert, son of John Bowre." The menagerie was only abolished -in 1834; and the practice was to allow any person to enter gratis who -brought with him a little dog to be thrown to the lions!--_Dr. Doran's -Princes of Wales._ - -~Lip~, talk, bounce, impudence; "come, none o' yer LIP!" - -~Lip~, to sing; "LIP us a chant," sing a song. - -~Liquor~, or LIQUOR UP, to drink drams.--_Americanism._ In LIQUOR, -tipsy, or drunk. - -~Little go~, the old term for the examination now called SMALLS. - -~Little snakes-man~, a little thief, who is generally passed through a -small aperture to open a door and let in the rest of the gang. - -~Liverpool Irishman~, any man born in Liverpool of Irish parents. See -IRISH COCKNEY. - -~Liverpudlian~, a native of Liverpool. - -~Live-stock~, vermin of the insect kind, especially of that more than -usually unpleasant kind found on tramps, &c. - -~Loafer~, a lazy vagabond. Generally considered an Americanism. LOPER, -or LOAFER, however, was in general use as a cant term in the early part -of the last century. LANDLOPER was a vagabond who begged in the attire -of a sailor; and the sea-phrase, LAND-LUBBER, was doubtless synonymous. - -~Loaver~, money. _See_ LOUR.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Lob~, a till, or money-drawer. - -~Lob-sneaking~, stealing money from tills; occasionally stealing tills -and all. - -~Lobb~, the head.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Loblolly~, gruel.--_Old_: used by Markham as a sea-term for grit gruel, -or hasty pudding. - -~Loblolly boy~, a derisive term for a surgeon's mate in the navy. - - "LOB-LOLLY-BOY is a person who on board of a man-of-war attends the - surgeon and his mates, and one who knows just as much of the - business of a seaman as the author of this poem."--_The Patent, a - Poem_, 4to, 1776. - -~Lobs!~ schoolboys' signal on the master's approach. Also, an assistant -watcher, an under gamekeeper. - -~Lobs~, words, talk.--_Gipsy._ - -~Lobscouse~, a dish made of potatoes, meat, and biscuits, boiled -together. - -~Lobster~, a soldier. A policeman, from the colour of his coat, is -styled an unboiled, or raw LOBSTER. - -~Lobster-box~, a barrack, or military station. - -~Loggerheads~, "to come to LOGGERHEADS," to come to blows. - -~Logie~, theatrical jewellery, made mostly of tin. - -~Loll~, to lie about lazily. "He would LOLL upon the handle of the -door," said of an incorrigibly lazy fellow. - -~Lolly~, the head. _See_ LOBB.--_Pugilistic._ - -~London ordinary~, the beach at Brighton, where the -"eight-hours-at-the-sea-side" excursionists dine in the open-air. - -~Long-bow.~ _See_ DRAW THE LONG BOW. - -~Long firm~, a gang of swindlers who obtain goods by false pretences. -They generally advertise or answer advertisements. The word LONG is -supposed to be from a playful allusion made by one of the firm to the -length of their credit. - -~Long-ghost~, a tall, thin, awkward person. Sometimes called -"lamp-post." - -~Long-headed~, far-seeing, clever, calculating. - -~Long-hundred~, a Billingsgate expression for 120 fresh herrings, or -other small fish, the long-hundred being six score. - -~Long-odds~, the odds which denote that the man or animal laid against -has, or is supposed to have, little or no chance. - -~Long-shore butcher~, a coast-guardsman.--_Sea._ All people who get -their livings by the side of the Thames below bridge are called -LONG-SHORE folk. - -~Long-tailed beggar~, a cat. The tale that hangs thereby runs thus:--A -boy, during his first very short voyage to sea, had become so entirely a -seaman, that on his return he had forgotten the name of the cat, and was -obliged, pointing to puss, to ask his mother "what she called that 'ere -LONG-TAILED BEGGAR?" Accordingly, sailors, when they hear a freshwater -tar discoursing too largely on nautical matters, are very apt to say, -"But how, mate, about that 'ere LONG-TAILED BEGGAR?" - -~Long-tailed-one~, a bank-note or "flimsy" for a large amount. - -~Long-tails~, among shooters, are pheasants; among coursers and -dog-fanciers they are greyhounds. - -~Longs~, the latrine at Brasenose, so called because built by LADY -LONG.--_Oxford University._ - -~Longs-and-shorts~, cards made for cheating. - -~Looking-glass~, a facetious synonym for a _pot de chambre_. This is -very old. The term arose from the fact that in ancient times this -utensil was the object of very frequent examination by the medical -fraternity. There is an old story of a lady who called at an inn, and -called for a LOOKING-GLASS to arrange her hair, and who was presented -with a chamber utensil. - -~Loony~, a silly fellow, a natural. Corruption of LOONEY TICK (lunatic). -Sometimes corrupted to LOOBY. - -~Loose.~ _See_ ON THE LOOSE. - -~Loose-box~, a brougham or other vehicle kept for the use of a _dame de -compagnie_. A more vulgar appellation is "mot-cart," the contemptuous -sobriquet applied by the envious mob to a one-horse covered carriage. - -~Loose-box~, a stable in which a horse is not tethered, but remains -loose. - -~Loot~, swag or plunder; also used as a verb. The word came much into -vogue during the latest Chinese campaign. - -~Lope~, this old form of leap is often heard in the streets. To LOPE is -also to steal. _German_, LAUFEN. - -~Lop-sided~, uneven, one side larger than the other. _See Jacob -Faithful._ - -~Lord~, a humpbacked man. _See_ MY LORD. - -~Lord~, "drunk as a LORD," a common saying, probably referring to the -facilities a man of fortune has for such a gratification; perhaps a sly -sarcasm at the supposed habits of the aristocracy. This phrase had its -origin in the old hard drinking days, when it was almost compulsory on a -man of fashion to get drunk regularly after dinner. - -~Lord-mayor's-fool~, an imaginary personage who likes everything that is -good, and plenty of it. - -~Lothario~, a "gay" deceiver; generally a heartless, brainless villain. - -~Loud~, flashy, showy, as applied to dress or manner. _See_ BAGS. - -~Lour~, or LOWR, money; "gammy LOWR," bad money. From the Wallachian -Gipsy word, LOWE, coined money. Possibly connected with the French, -LOUER, to hire.--_Ancient Cant_ and _Gipsy_. - -~Louse-trap~, a small-tooth comb.--_Old Cant._ _See_ CATCH-'EM-ALIVE. - -~Love~, at billiards, rackets, and many other games, nothing: five -points to none would be "five LOVE,"--a LOVE game being when one player -does not score at all. The term is also used at whist, "six LOVE," "four -LOVE," when one side has marked up six, four, or any other number, and -the other none. A writer in the _Gentleman's Magazine_ for July, 1780, -derives it either from LUFF, an old Scotch word for the hand, or from -the _Dutch_, LOEF, the LOOF, weather-gauge (_Sewell's Dutch Dictionary_, -4to, 1754); but it more probably, from the sense of the following, -denotes something done without reciprocity. - -~Love~, "to do a thing for LOVE," _i.e._, for nothing. A man is said to -marry for LOVE when he gets nothing with his wife; and an Irishman, with -the bitterest animosity against his antagonist, will fight him for LOVE, -_i.e._, for the mere satisfaction of beating him, and not for a stake. - -~Loveage~, tap droppings, a mixture of stale spirits, sweetened and sold -to habitual dram-drinkers, principally females. Called also "alls." - -~Low-water~, but little money in pocket, when the finances are at a low -ebb. - -~Lubber~, a clown, or fool.--_Ancient Cant_, LUBBARE. Among seamen an -awkward fellow, a landsman. - -~Lubber's hole~, an aperture in the maintop of a ship, by which a timid -climber may avoid the difficulties of the "futtock shrouds;" hence as a -sea-term the LUBBER'S HOLE represents any cowardly way of evading duty. - -~Luck~, "down on one's LUCK," wanting money, or in difficulty. - -~Lucky~, "to cut one's LUCKY," to go away quickly. _See_ STRIKE. - -~Ludlam's dog.~ An indolent, inactive person is often said to be "as -lazy as LUDLAM'S DOG, which leaned its head against the wall to bark." -Sailors say "as lazy as Joe the Marine, who laid down his musket to -sneeze." - -~Lug~, "my togs are in LUG," _i.e._, in pawn. - -~Lug~, to pull, or slake thirst.--_Old._ - -~Lug chovey~, a pawnbroker's shop. - -~Luke~, nothing.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Lully~, a shirt. - -~Lully prigger~, a rogue who steals wet clothes hung on lines to dry. - -~Lumber~, to pawn or pledge. Probably from LOMBARD. - -~Lumbered~, pawned; sometimes imprisoned. - -~Lummy~, jolly, first-rate. - -~Lump~, anything exceptionally large, "as a LUMP of a man," "a great -LUMP of a fellow," &c. - -~Lump~, the workhouse; also called the Pan. - -~Lump it~, to dislike it; "if you don't like it, you may LUMP IT;" -sometimes varied to, "if you don't like it, you may do the other thing." -Probably from the fact that, in bulk or in lump, the good has to be -taken with the bad. What you don't like must be reckoned with the LUMP. -To LUMP IT is also to take off at a draught, as medicine or a dram. "He -LUMPED IT down at once." - -~Lump the lighter~, to be transported. - -~Lump work~, work contracted for, or taken by the LUMP. - -~Lumper~, a contractor. On the river more especially a person who -contracts to deliver a ship laden with timber. - -~Lumper~, a low thief who haunts wharves and docks, and robs vessels, -also a person who sells old goods as new. - -~Lumpy~, intoxicated. Also used to signify _enceinte_. - -~Lunan~, a girl.--_Gipsy._ - -~Lurch~, a term at the game of cribbage. A is said to LURCH B when the -former attains the end, or sixty-first hole, of the board before the -latter has pegged his thirty-first hole; or, in more familiar words, -before B has turned the corner. A LURCH sometimes, and then only by -agreement, counts as a double game or rub. - -~Lurk~, a sham, swindle, or representation of feigned distress. An -imposition of any kind is a LURK. - -~Lurker~, an impostor who travels the country with false certificates of -fires, shipwrecks, &c. Also, termed a SILVER BEGGAR, which _see_. - -~Lush~, intoxicating drinks of all kinds, but generally used for beer. -It is generally allowed, as has been stated, that LUSH and its -derivatives claim Lushington, the brewer, as sponsor. - -~Lush~, to drink, or get drunk. - -~Lush-crib~, a public-house. - -~Lushington~, a drunkard, or one who continually soaks himself with -lush. Some years since there was a LUSHINGTON CLUB in Bow Street, Covent -Garden. - -~Lushy~, intoxicated. Johnson says, "opposite to pale," so red with -drink. He must, however, have been wrong, as the foregoing derivation -shows. - -~Lylo~, come hither.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Lynch-law~, summary punishment. From an American judge famous for -hanging first and trying afterwards. - -~Mab~, a cab, or hackney-coach. - -~Mace~, to sponge, swindle, or beg, in a polite way: "give it him (a -shopkeeper) on the MACE," _i.e._, obtain goods on credit and never pay -for them; also termed "striking the MACE." - -~Mace~, to welsh, to obtain money without any expectation of being able -to pay or intention of paying. - -~Maceman~, or MACER, a welcher, magsman, or general swindler; a -"street-mugger." - -~Madza~, half. _Italian_, MEZZA. This word enters into combination with -various cant phrases, mainly taken from the _Lingua Franca_, as MADZA -CAROON, half-a-crown, two-and-sixpence; MADZA SALTEE, a halfpenny [_see_ -SALTEE]; MADZA POONA, half-a-sovereign; MADZA ROUND THE BULL, half a -pound of steak, &c. This word is, in street phraseology, invariably -pronounced MEDZER. - -~Mag~, a halfpenny.--_Ancient Cant_, MAKE. MEGS were formerly -guineas.--_B. M. Carew._ MAKE, the old form, is still used by schoolboys -in Scotland. "Not a blessed MAG!" would be the phrase of a cadger down -on his luck to express his penniless state. - -~Mag~, literary and printers' slang for magazine. - -~Mag~, to talk; hence MAGPIE. To MAG in thieves' slang is to talk well -and persuasively. - -~Maggoty~, fanciful, fidgety. Whims and fancies were formerly termed -MAGGOTS, from the popular belief that a maggot in the brain was the -cause of any odd notion or caprice a person might exhibit. Deer are -sometimes found to have maggots in their brains, which, perhaps, -accounts for the origin of the term. - -~Magsman~, a street swindler, who watches for countrymen and "gullible" -persons, and persuades them out of their possessions. MAGSMEN are -wonderful actors. Their work is done in broad daylight, without any -stage accessories; and often a wink, a look, or a slip of the tongue -would betray their confederacy. Their ability and perseverance are truly -worthy of a better cause. MAGSMEN are very often men of superior -education. Those who "work" the tidal trains and boats are often -faultlessly dressed and highly accomplished. - -~Mahcheen~, a merchant. Chinese pronunciation of the English -word.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Mahogany~, "to have one's feet under another man's MAHOGANY," to sit at -his table, be supported on other than one's own resources; "amputate -your MAHOGANY," _i.e._, go away, elaboration of "cut your stick." - -~Mahogany flat~, a bug. - -~Mail~, to post a letter; "this screeve is mailed by a sure hand." - -~Main-toby~, the highway, or the main road. _See_ TOBY. - -~Make~, any one is said to be "on the MAKE" who asks too high a price -for his goods, or endeavours in any way to overreach. - -~Make~, to steal, a successful theft or swindle. A man on the look-out -for swindling opportunities is said to be "on the MAKE." - -~Make tracks~, an Americanism synonymous with skedaddle; to make oneself -scarce. - -~Make-up~, personal appearance.--_Theatrical._ - -~Makings~, materials. A man is often said to have the MAKINGS of a good -politician (or whatever he may aspire to be) in him, if they were but -properly applied. - -~Malapropism~, an ignorant, vulgar misapplication of language, so named -from Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Sheridan's famous comedy of the -_Rivals_. Mrs. Partington afterwards succeeded to the mantle of Mrs. -Malaprop; but the phrase Partingtonism is as yet uncoined, for the -simple reason that Mrs. Malaprop was the original, Mrs. Partington the -imitation. - -~Malley~, a gardener.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Manablins~, broken victuals. - -~Man a-hanging~, a man in difficulties. _See_ HANGING. - -~Mandozy~, a term of endearment among East-end Jews; probably from the -valiant fighter named Mendoza. - -~Mang~, to talk.--_Scotch._ - -~Man-handle~, to use a person roughly, as to take him prisoner, turn him -out of a room, or give him a beating. - -~Man in the moon~, the gentleman who is supposed to find the "pieces" to -pay election expenditure and electors' expenses, so long as the latter -vote his way. _See_ ELECTION INQUIRIES. - -~Marbles~, furniture, movables; "money and MARBLES," cash and personal -effects. - -~Marchioness~, a little, dirty, old-fashioned maid-of-all-work; a title -now in regular use, but derived from the remarkable character in the -_Old Curiosity Shop_. - -~Mare's nest~, a supposed discovery of marvels, which turn out no -marvels at all; from a story similar to that about the cock neighing. -Three Cockneys, out ruralizing, had determined to find out something -about nests. Accordingly, when they ultimately came upon a dungheap, -they judged by the signs therein that it must be a MARE'S NEST, -especially as they could see the mare close handy. An old preacher in -Cornwall up to very lately employed a different simile, as, "It's like a -cow calving up in a tree." - -~Marine~, or MARINE RECRUIT, an empty bottle. This expression having -once been used in the presence of an officer of marines, he was at first -inclined to take it as an insult, until some one adroitly appeased his -wrath by remarking that no offence could be meant, as all that it could -possibly imply was, "one who had done his duty, and was ready to do it -again." - -~Mark~, to make one's MARK is to achieve a success literary, artistic, -or otherwise. Men of eminence are said to leave their MARKS on the -earth's surface. An American poet has described this ambitious, albeit -somewhat rare, proceeding as leaving "footprints on the sands of time." - -~Marketeer~, a betting man who devotes himself, by means of special -information, to the study of favourites, and the diseases incident to -that condition of equine life. The MARKETEER is the principal agent in -all milking and knocking-out arrangements. - -~Market-horse~, a horse simply kept in the betting-lists for the purpose -of being betted against. - -~Marplot~, an officious bungler, who spoils everything he interferes -with. - -~Marriage lines~, a marriage certificate.--_Provincial._ - -~Marrow~, a mate, a fellow-workman, a pitman who works in a "shift" with -another.--_Northumberland and Durham._ - -~Marrow-bones~, the knees; "I'll bring him down upon his MARROW BONES," -_i.e._, I'll make him bend his knees as he does to the Virgin Mary. -Supposed to be from Mary Bones, an objectionable term used by the first -Protestants in reference to the supposed adoration of the Virgin Mary by -Catholics. - -~Marrowskying.~ _See_ MEDICAL GREEK. - -~Marry~, a very old term of asseveration, originally (in Popish times) a -mode of swearing by the Virgin Mary; _q.d._, by Mary. - -~Martingale~, a gambling term, which means the doubling of a stake every -time you lose; so that when you win once you win back all that you have -lost. So called from the fact that, as in all fair games you must win -once, you have a safe hold of fortune. The difficulty is to obtain a -bank large enough to do this effectively, or having the bank to find any -one who will follow you far enough, in a fair game. - -~Mary Ann~, the title of the dea ex machina evolved from trades-unionism -at Sheffield, to the utter destruction of recalcitrant grinders. She is -supposed to do all the "blow-ups," steal all the bands, and otherwise -terrorize over victims of the union. - -~Marygold~, one million sterling. _See_ PLUM. - -~Maskee~, never mind, no consequence.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Massacre of the innocents~, when the leader of the House of Commons -goes through the doleful operation of devoting to extinction a number of -useful measures at the end of the session, for want of time to pass -them. _Vide Times_, 20th July, 1859: Mr. C. Foster, on altering the time -of the legislative sessions.--_Parliamentary Slang._ - -~Master of the Mint~, a gardener. - -~Master of the Rolls~, a baker. - -~Mate~, the term a coster or low person applies to a friend, partner, or -companion; "me and my MATE did so and so," is a common phrase with a low -Londoner. Originally a _sea term_. - -~Matey~, a labourer in one of Her Majesty's dockyards. Common -elaboration of the word MATE. - -~Maudlin~, Magdalen College, Oxford. This is the old English -pronunciation of the word. - -~Mauley~, a fist, that with which one strikes as with a -mall.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Mauley~, a signature, from MAULEY, a fist; "put your fist to it," is -sometimes said by a tradesman when desiring a fellow-trader to put his -signature to a bill or note. - -~Maund~, to beg; "MAUNDERING on the fly," begging of people in the -streets.--_Old Cant._ MAUNG, to beg, is a term in use amongst the -gipsies, and may also be found in the Hindoo vocabulary. MAUND, however, -is pure Anglo-Saxon, from MAND, a basket. Compare BEG, which is derived -from BAG--a curious parallel. - -~Maw~, the mouth; "hold your MAW," cease talking. - -~Mawworm~, a hypocrite of the most unpleasant kind. From Bickerstaff's -play of _The Hypocrite_. Originally a MAWWORM was a worm in the -stomach, the thread worm. - -~Max~, gin; MAX upon tick, gin obtained upon credit. - -~Mazarine~, the platform beneath the stage in large theatres. Probably -corruption of _Italian_, MEZZANINO. - -~M. B. coat~, (_i.e._, Mark of the Beast,) a name given to the long -surtout worn by some of the clergy,--a modern Puritan form of abuse, -said to have been accidentally disclosed to a High Church customer by a -tailor's orders to his foreman. - -~Mealy-mouthed~, soft-spoken, plausible, deceitful. A specious liar is -said to be MEALY-MOUTHED. - -~Mean white~, a term of contempt among negroes, in the old slavery days, -for white men without landed property. A white man in the Southern -States had no _locus standi_ unless he possessed property, and the -blackest of niggers would have felt insulted at any "poor white trash" -claiming to be "a man and brother." - -~Measley~, mean, miserable-looking, "seedy;" "what a MEASLEY-looking -man!" _i.e._, what a wretched, unhappy fellow. - -~Medical Greek~, the slang used by medical students at the hospitals. At -the London University they have a way of disguising English, described -by Albert Smith as the Gower Street Dialect, which consists in -transposing the initials of words, _e.g._, "poke a smipe"--smoke a pipe; -"flutter-by"--butterfly, &c. This disagreeable nonsense, which has not -even the recommendation of a little ability in its composition, is often -termed Marrowskying. _See_ GREEK, ST. GILES'S GREEK, or the "_AEgidiac_" -dialect, Language of ZIPH, &c. - -~Meisensang~, a missionary, Chinese pronunciation of the English -word.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Menagerie~, the orchestra of a theatre.--_Theatrical._ - -~Menavelings~, odd money remaining after the daily accounts are made up -at a railway booking-office,--usually divided among the clerks. _See_ -OVERS and SHORTS. - -~Men of Kent~, men born in that portion of the "garden of England" which -lies east of the Medway, as distinguished from Kentish men born the -other side. The MEN OF KENT are entitled to the benefit of the old laws -of the county, that of gavelkind particularly. - -~Merkin~, a term usually applied to a woman's privities. Originally -false hair for those parts. - -~Merry Dun of Dover~, a large ship figuring in sailors' yarns. She was -so large that when passing through the Straits of Dover her flying -jib-boom knocked down Calais steeple; while, at the same time, the fly -of her ensign swept a flock of sheep off Dover cliffs. She was so lofty -that a boy who attempted to go to her mast-head found himself a grey old -man when he reached the deck again. This yarn is founded on a story in -the Scandinavian mythology. There is also a legend among sailors of the -gallant Thunderbomb, which had "ninety-nine decks and no bottom." - -~Mesopotamia~, a name given to Eaton Square and neighbourhood when first -built. This part was also called Cubitopolis.--_Fashionable slang._ - -~Mess~, to interfere unduly. Costermongers refer to police supervision -as MESSING. Among sailors, a dead man is said to have lost the number of -his MESS. - -~Metallician~, a racing bookmaker. Bookmakers use metallic books and -pencils. - -~Middy~, abbreviation of midshipman.--_Naval._ - -~Midge net~, a lady's veil. - -~Mike~, an Irish hodman, or general labourer. - -~Mike~, to loiter; or "lazy about." The term probably originated in St. -Giles's, which is thronged with Irish labourers, who rarely or never -labour (MIKE being so common a term with them as to become a generic -appellation for Irishmen), and who loiter and lean against the -public-houses in the "Dials." It has been said that the term is Old -English, MICHE, to skulk, to loiter; Old Norse, MAK, leisure, idleness. - - "Shall the blessed sun of heaven prove a MICHER?" - - _Shakspeare's Hen. IV._, ii. 4. - -Whatever may have been its origin, there can be now no doubt that the -word is supposed to have particular reference to the habits of the Irish -MIKES, or labourers, though now and again it is borrowed in the -interests of others. - -~Mild~, second-rate, inferior. _See_ DRAW IT MILD. Also feeble, -inefficient, as "a MILD attempt." Weak young men who keep bulldogs, and -dress in a "loud" stable style, from a belief that it is very becoming, -are sometimes called "MILD bloaters." - -~Milk~, a term used in connexion with racing; when a horse is entered in -a race for which his owner does not intend him to run, or at all events -in which he does not intend him to win, and bets against him, the animal -is said to "be MILKED." MILKING, is keeping a horse a favourite, at -short odds, for a race in which he has no chance whatever, or in which -he will not be allowed to try, for the purpose of laying against him. - -~Milky ones~, white linen rags. - -~Mill~, a fight, or set to. _Ancient Cant_, MYLL, to rob. Probably -from the special opportunities afforded to pickpockets when the ring was -a "national institution." - -~Mill~, to fight or beat. - -~Mill~, the old Insolvent Debtors' Court. "To go through the MILL" was -equivalent to being "whitewashed." - -~Mill~, the tread-MILL. - -~Miller.~ To drown the MILLER is to put too much water in anything. The -phrase was originally "to drown the MILLER'S thumb," or go over the -specified mark, _i.e._, the thumb-mark, in adding water to ardent -spirits. - -~Miller.~ "To give the MILLER" is to engage a person in conversation of -an apparently friendly character, when all at once the bystanders -surround and pelt him with flour, grease, and filth of various kinds, -flour predominating. This mode of punishing spies, informers, and other -obnoxious individuals, is used by cabmen, omnibus conductors, _et hoc -genus omne_. Eggs are useful missiles in an engagement of this -description. If rotten eggs are not obtainable, ordinary ones will do. - -~Miller.~ This word is frequently called out when a person relates a -stale joke. _See_ JOE. - -~Milvader~, to beat. - -~Mish~, a shirt, or chemise. From COMMISSION, the ancient cant for a -shirt, afterwards shortened to K'MISH or SMISH, and then to MISH. -_French_, CHEMISE; _Italian_, CAMICIA. - - "With his snowy CAMESE and his shaggy capote."--_Byron._ - -~Mitey~, a cheesemonger. - -~Mitten.~ "To get the MITTEN" is, in Canadian slang, to be jilted. - -~Mittens~, the boxing gloves. - -~Mizzle~, a frequentative form of MIST in both senses; as applied to -weather, it is used by John Gadbury in his _Ephemeris_ in 1695--MISTY -and MIZZLING--to come down as mist; while the other sense may be -expressed as to fade away like a mist. - -~Mizzle~, to run away, or decamp; to disappear as in a mist. From -MIZZLE, a drizzling rain; a Scotch mist. - - "And then one MIZZLING Michaelmas night, - The Count he MIZZLED too."--_Hood._ - -~Mizzler~, or RUM-MIZZLER, a person who is clever at effecting an -escape, or getting out of a difficulty. - -~Moab~, a name applied to the turban-shaped hat which was some -few years back fashionable among ladies, and ladylike swells of -the other sex. From the Scripture phrase, "MOAB is my washpot" -(Ps. lx. 8), which latter article the hat in question was supposed -to resemble.--_University._ - -~Mob.~ Swift informs us, in his _Art of Polite Conversation_, that MOB -was, in his time, the slang abbreviation of "mobility," just as NOB is -of "nobility," at the present day. _See_ SCHOOL. - - "It is perhaps this humour of speaking no more words than we needs - must which has so miserably curtailed some of our words, that in - familiar writings and conversation they often lose all but their - first syllables, as in MOB., red., pos., incog., and the - like."--_Addison's Spectator._ - -~Mob~, a thief's immediate companions, as,--"our own MOB;" MOBSMAN, a -dressy swindler or pickpocket. - -~Mob~, to hustle, crowd round, and annoy, necessarily the action of a -large party against a smaller one, or an individual. Mobbing is -generally a concomitant of street robbery. - -~Mobility~, the populace; or, according to Burke, the "great unwashed." -Johnson calls it a cant term, although Swift notices it as a proper -expression. - -~Mockered~, holey, marked unpleasantly. A ragged handkerchief and a -blotched or pitted face are both said to be MOCKERED. - -~Modest quencher~, a glass of spirits and water. Dick Swiveller was fond -of a MODEST QUENCHER. - -~Moey~, the mouth.--_Gipsy_ and _Hindoo_. Shakspeare has MOE, to make -mouths. - -~Mofussilite~, an inhabitant of an up-country district.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Moisten your chaffer~, a slang phrase equivalent to "take something to -drink." Also "moisten your clay," originally applied to smokers, now -general, and supposed to have reference to the human clay. - -~Moke~, a donkey.--_Gipsy_, but now general to all the lower orders. A -"coster" and his "moke" are almost inseparable terms. Probably derived -originally from the Arabic _al mocreve_, a carrier. - -~Moko~, a name given by sportsmen to pheasants killed by mistake during -September, before the pheasant-shooting comes in. They pull out their -tails, and roundly assert that they are no pheasants at all, but MOKOS. - -~Moll~, a girl; nickname for Mary.--_Old Cant._ - -~Molled~, followed, or accompanied by a woman. When a costermonger sees -a friend walking with a woman he does not know, he says on the first -opportunity afterwards, "I see yer the other night when yer was MOLLED -up and too proud to speak." - -~Mollisher~, a low girl or woman; generally a female cohabiting with a -man who gets his living by thieving. - -~Mollsack~, a reticule, or market basket. - -~Moll Thomson's mark~, that is, M. T.--empty; as, "Take away this -bottle, it has MOLL THOMSON'S MARK on it." _See_ M. T. - -~Moll-tooler~, a female pickpocket. - -~Mollycoddle~, an effeminate man; one who "coddles" amongst the women, -or does their work. - -~Mollygrubs~, or MULLIGRUBS, stomach ache, or sorrow--which to the -costermonger is much the same, as he believes, like the ancients, that -the viscera is the seat of all feeling. Costermongers are not alone, -even in the present day, in this belief. - -~Molrowing~, "out on the spree," in company with so-called "gay women." -In allusion to the amatory serenadings of the London cats. Another form -of this is, "out on the tiles." - -~Mondayish~, or Mondayfied, disinclined for work. "St. Monday" is a -great institution among artizans and small tradesmen. - -~Monk~, a term of contempt; probably an abbreviation of MONKEY. - -~Monkey~, spirit or ill temper; "to get one's MONKEY up," to rouse his -passion. A man is said to have his MONKEY up or the MONKEY on his back, -when he is "riled," or out of temper; this is old, and was probably in -allusion originally to the evil spirit which was supposed to be always -present with a man; also under similar circumstances a man is said to -have his back or hump up. - -~Monkey~, the instrument which drives a rocket.--_Army._ - -~Monkey~, 500_l._-_-Sporting Slang._ - -~Monkey~, the vessel in which a mess receives its full allowance of -grog.--_Sea._ - -~Monkey-board~, the place or step attached to an omnibus, on which the -conductor stands. - -~Monkey-boat~, a peculiar, long, narrow, canal boat. - -~Monkey with a long tail~, a mortgage.--_Legal._ - -~Monkey's allowance~, to get blows instead of alms, more kicks than -halfpence. - -~Monkery~, the country, or rural districts. Originally an old word for a -quiet or monastic life.--_Hall._ - -~Monniker~, a person's name or signature. - -~Month of Sundays~, an indefinite period, a long time. - -~Mooch~, to sponge; to obtrude oneself upon friends just when they are -about to sit down to dinner, or other lucky time--of course quite -accidentally. Compare HULK. To slink away, and allow your friend to pay -for the entertainment. In Wiltshire, TO MOOCH is to shuffle. _See_ the -following. - -~Mooching~, or ON THE MOOCH, on the look-out for any articles or -circumstances which may be turned to a profitable account; watching in -the streets for odd jobs, horses to hold, &c.; also scraps of food, -drinks, old clothes, &c. - -~Moon~, a month; generally used to express the length of time a person -has been sentenced by the magistrate; thus "one MOON" is one month of -four weeks. A calendar month is known as a "callingder" or long MOON. A -"lunar MOON," ridiculous as the phrase may seem, is of constant use -among those who affect slang of this description. - -~Mooney~, intoxicated, a name for a silly fellow. - -~Mooning~, loitering, wandering about in a purposeless manner. - -~Moonlight~, or MOONSHINE, smuggled spirits. From the night-work of -smugglers. - -~Moon-raker~, a native of Wiltshire; because it is said that some men of -that county, seeing the reflection of the moon in a pond, took it to be -a cheese, and endeavoured to pull it out with a rake. - -~Moonshee~, a learned man, professor, or teacher.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Moonshine~, palaver, deception, humbug. - -~Mop~, a hiring place (or fair) for servants. Steps are often "about to -be taken" to put down these assemblies, which have been proved to be -greatly detrimental to the morality of the poor. They are supposed to -contribute largely to the bastardy percentages. - -~Mop~, an habitual drunkard. Also a period of intoxication. "To be on -the MOP" is to be on the drink from day to day--to be perpetually -"stale drunk." - -~Mop up~, to drink, or empty a glass.--_Old Sea term._ - -~Mops and brooms~, intoxicated. Supposed by an imaginative person to be -the appearance presented by the world to a very drunken man. Possibly -the term was first used to express sea-sickness. - -~Mopusses~, money; "MOPUSSES ran taper," money ran short. - -~Moral~, a forthcoming result which appears certain--originally MORAL -certainty. This is racing slang, as, "The race is a MORAL for Cremorne." -These MORALS are often, however, of very uncertain tenure. - -~More-ish.~ When there is scarcely enough of an eatable or drinkable, it -is said to taste MORE-ISH; as, "This wine is very good, but it has a -slight MORE-ISH flavour." - -~Morris~, to decamp, be off. Probably from the ancient MORESCO, of -MORRIS-DANCE. _See Shakspeare._ - -~Mortar-board~, a square college cap. - -~Mortgage-deed~, a pawnbroker's duplicate. - -~Moskeneer~, to pawn with a view to obtaining more than the actual value -of an article. There are, in various parts of the country, men who make -MOSKENEERING a profession--that is, they buy jewellery which, though -fairly good, is not so good as it seems, and pawn it as opportunity -occurs. It is notorious that some men can obtain a much larger sum -on a given article than others can; though the smallest of these -professionals generally manage to get good livings, which does not say -much for the judgment of those constant inspectors of personal -property--pawnbrokers' assistants. - -~Mot~, a girl of indifferent character. Formerly, _Mort_. _Dutch_, -MOTT-KAST, a harlotry. MOT-CART, _see_ LOOSE-BOX. - -~Mouchey~, a Jew. - -~Mouldy~, grey-headed. Servants wearing hair-powder are usually termed -MOULDY-PATES by street boys. - -~Mouldy-grubs~, travelling showmen, mountebanks who perform in the open -air without tent or covering. Doing this is called MOULDY-GRUBBING. - -~Mount~, a saddle-horse. According to quality, "a good MOUNT," or "a bad -MOUNT." - -~Mount~, in theatrical parlance, to prepare for production on the stage. -"The piece was excellently MOUNTED." - -~Mounter~, a false swearer. Derived from the borrowed clothes men used -to MOUNT, or dress in, when going to swear for a consideration. - -~Mountain-dew~, whisky, advertised as from the Highlands. - -~Mountain-pecker~, a sheep's head. _See_ JEMMY. - -~Mourning~, "a full suit of MOURNING," two black eyes; HALF-MOURNING, -one black eye. - -~Mouse~, a black eye. By a facon de parler, any one with "a MOUSE" is -supposed to have been to Blackwall. - -~Mouth-almighty~, a noisy, talkative person. - -~Mouthpiece~, a lawyer, or counsel. Thieves and their associates always -speak of a counsel as a MOUTHPIECE. - -~Move~, a "dodge," or cunning trick; "up to a MOVE or two," acquainted -with tricks. Probably derived from the game of chess. - -~M.P.~, member of the police, one of the slang titles of the Force. - -~Mrs. Grundy~, the representative of the censorious world, "What will -MRS. GRUNDY say?" Originally a character in the comedy of _Speed the -Plough_. - -~Mrs. Harris~ and ~Mrs. Gamp~, nicknames of the _Morning Herald_ and -_Standard_ newspapers, while united under the proprietorship of Mr. -Baldwin. MRS. GAMP, a monthly nurse, was a character in Charles -Dickens's popular novel of _Martin Chuzzlewit_, who continually quoted -an imaginary MRS. HARRIS in attestation of the superiority of her -qualifications, and the infallibility of her opinions; and thus afforded -a parallel to the two newspapers, which appealed to each other as -independent authorities, being all the while the production of the same -editorial staff. _See_ introductory article. - -~Mrs. Jones~, the house of office, a water-closet. - -~M.T.~, railway slang used by porters and pointsmen for empties, or -empty carriages. _See_ MOLL THOMSON'S MARK. - -~Much of a muchness~, alike, very much the same thing. - -~Muck~, to beat, or excel. "It's no use, his luck's dead in; he'd MUCK a -thousand;" "he MUCKED me clean out," &c. To RUN A MUCK, or GO A MUCKER, -to rush headlong into certain ruin. From a certain religious frenzy, or -intoxication caused by bhang, which is common among the Malays, and -which now and again causes an enthusiast, kreese in hand, to dash into a -crowd and devote every one he meets to death until he is himself killed, -or falls from exhaustion.--_Malay_, AMOK, slaughter. - -~Muckender~, or MUCKENGER, a pocket-handkerchief.--_Old._ _Cf._ -SNOTTINGER. The original name of the "Neckinger" in Bermondsey was "the -Devil's Neck-handkerchief." There is still a Neckinger Road and Messrs. -Bevington and Sons' tannery in Bermondsey bears the name of the -Neckinger Mills. - -~Mucker~, TO GO A, to go to grief, to ruin one's prospects.--_Oxford -Univ._ - -~Muck-out~, to clean out; often applied to one utterly ruining an -adversary in gambling. - -~Muck-snipe~, one who has been "MUCKED OUT," or beggared, at gambling. -_See_ MUCK. - -~Mud-crusher~, a word of contempt, used by the cavalry in reference to -the infantry. - -~Mudfog~, "The British Association for the Advancement of Science." Term -first used by Charles Dickens in _Bentley's Miscellany_, about 1836. - -~Mud-lark~, a man or woman who, with clothes tucked above the knee, -grovels through the mud on the banks of the Thames, when the tide is -low, for silver or pewter spoons, old bottles, pieces of iron, coal, or -any articles of the least value, deposited by the retiring tide, either -from passing ships or the sewers. Occasionally applied to those men who -cleanse the sewers, and who wear great boots and sou'-wester hats. Those -who are employed in banks and counting-houses, in collecting and other -out-door duties, have also this appellation. - -~Mud-student~, a farming pupil. The name given to the students at the -Agricultural College, Cirencester. - -~Muff~, a silly or weak-minded person, a duffer; MUFF has been defined -to be "a soft thing that holds a lady's hand without squeezing it." - -~Muffin-cap~, a cap similar to that worn by a charity-boy. - -~Muffin-face~, a white, soft, delicate, or whiskerless face. - -~Muffin-worry~, an old lady's tea party. - -~Mufti~, the civilian dress of a naval or military officer when off -duty.--_Anglo-Indian._ From an Eastern word signifying a clergyman or -priest. - -~Mug~, the mouth, or face.--_Old._ - - "'GOBLET AND MUG.'--Topers should bear in mind that what they quaff - from the goblet afterwards appears in the MUG." - -~Mug~, to strike in the face, or fight. Also, to rob or swindle. -_Gaelic_, MUIG, to suffocate, oppress; _Irish_, MUGAIM, to kill, -destroy. - -~Mug~, "to MUG oneself," to get tipsy. - -~Mugging~, a thrashing,--synonymous with "slogging," both terms of the -"ring," and frequently used by fighting men. - -~Muggy~, drunk. Also, as applied to weather, stifling, oppressive. - -~Mug-up~, to paint one's face, or dress specially with a view to -impersonation.--_Theatrical._ To "cram" for an examination.--_Army._ - -~Mull~, "to make a MULL of it," to spoil anything, or make a fool of -oneself. - -~Mulligrubs.~ _Vide_ MOLLYGRUBS. - -~Mullingar heifer~, a girl with thick ankles.--_Irish._ The story goes -that a traveller, passing through Mullingar, was so struck with this -local peculiarity in the women, that he determined to accost the next -one he met. "May I ask," said he, "if you wear hay in your shoes?" -"Faith an' I do," said the girl; "and what then?" "Because," says the -traveller, "that accounts for the calves of your legs coming down to -feed on it." - -~Multee kertever~, very bad. _Italian_, MOLTO CATTIVO. Generally used -with the affix of bloke when referring to a man. Phrase much used by -circus riders. - -~Mum~, "to keep MUM," to hold one's peace. Hence "MUM'S the word,"--a -phrase which implies to all hearers that the matter to which it refers -must remain secret. - -~Mummer~, a performer at a travelling theatre.--_Ancient._ Rustic -performers at Christmas in the West of England. - -~Mump~, to beg. In Lincolnshire, Boxing-day is known as MUMPING DAY. - -~Mumper~, a beggar. A collector of holiday tribute. - -~Mumps~, the miserables. To feel MUMPISH is to be heavy, dull, and -stupid. - -~Mundungus~, trashy, coarse tobacco. Sometimes used to represent -the half-soddened, half-calcined residuum at the bottom of an -all-but-smoked-out pipe, which, when knocked out, is vulgarly called the -TOPPER, _q.v. Spanish_, MONDONGO, black pudding. - -~Mungarly~, bread, food. MUNG is an old word for mixed food, but -MUNGARLY is doubtless derived from the _Lingua Franca_, MANGIAR, to eat. -_See_ the following. - -~Mungarly casa~, a baker's shop; evidently a corruption of a Lingua -Franca phrase for an eating-house. The well-known "Nix Mangiare" stairs -at Malta derive their name from the endless beggars who lie there and -shout, "Nix mangiare," _i.e._, "Nothing to eat," to excite the -compassion of the English who land there,--an expression which exhibits -remarkably the mongrel composition of the _Lingua Franca_, MANGIARE -being Italian, and _Nix_ (_German_, NICHTS), an evident importation from -Trieste, or other Austrian seaport. - -~Munging~, or MOUNGING, whining, begging, muttering.--_North._ - -~Muns~, the mouth. _German_, MUND.--_Old Cant._ - -~Murerk~, the mistress of the house. _See_ BURERK. - -~Murkarker~, a monkey,--vulgar Cockney pronunciation of MACAUCO, a -species of monkey. Jacko Macauco, or Maccacco, as he was mostly called, -was the name of a famous fighting monkey, who used nearly fifty years -ago to display his prowess at the Westminster pit, where, after having -killed many dogs, he was at last "chawed up" by a bull terrier. - -~Murphy~, a potato. Probably from the Irish national liking for -potatoes, MURPHY being a surname common amongst the Irish. MURPHIES -(edible) are sometimes called DONOVANS. - -~Murphy~, "in the arms of MURPHY," _i.e._, fast asleep. Corruption of -MORPHEUS. - -~Mush~, an umbrella. Contraction of MUSHROOM. - -~Mush~ (or MUSHROOM) ~faker~, an itinerant mender of umbrellas. - -~Mushroom~, a hat, shaped like the fungus from which it takes its name, -often worn by demure ladies. - -~Muslin~, a woman or girl; "he picked up a bit of MUSLIN." - -~Musta~, or MUSTER, a pattern, one of a sort. Anglo-Indian term used in -describing the make or pattern of anything. A sample of any kind of -merchandize. This word is very generally used in commercial transactions -all over the world. - -~Mutton~, a contemptuous term for a woman of bad character; sometimes -varied to LACED MUTTON. The expression was used as a cant term for a -"wild duck" in the reign of James I. As a slang term it was employed by -Ben Jonson in his masque of _Neptune's Triumph_, which was written for -display at Court on Twelfth Night, 1623; "a fine LACED MUTTON or two," -are the words applied to wantons. Shakspeare has the term. In that class -of English society which does not lay any claim to refinement, a fond -lover is often spoken of as being "fond of his MUTTON," which, by the -way, in this place does not mean the woman so much as something else. - -~Mutton chops~, a sheep's-head. A man who has dined off sheep's-head -dignifies his meal by calling it MUTTON CHOPS (chaps). - -~Mutton-fist~, an uncomplimentary title for any one having a large and -muscular, bony, or coarse hand. - -~Mutton-walk~, the saloon at Drury Lane Theatre. A vulgar appellation -applied to this place early in the last century, still in use in the -neighbourhood of Covent Garden, which was formerly the great resort for -the gay and giddy of both sexes. - -~Muzzle~, the mouth. - -~Muzzle~, to fight or thrash; to throttle or garrotte. - -~Muzzler~, a blow in the mouth; a dram of spirits. - -~Muzzy~, intoxicated. - -~My aunt~, AUNT JONES, or MRS. JONES, the closet of decency, or house of -office. - -~My lord~, a nickname given to a hunchback. - -~My tulip~, a term of endearment used by the lower orders to persons and -animals; "'Kim up, MY TULIP,' as the coster said to his donkey when -thrashing him with an ash stick." - -~My uncle~, the pawnbroker,--generally used when any person questions -the whereabouts of a domestic article. "Oh! only at MY UNCLE'S" is the -reply. "Up the spout" has the same meaning. It is worthy of remark that -the French call this useful relative "ma tante," my aunt. - -~Nab~, to catch, to seize; "NAB the rust," to take offence.--_Ancient_, -fourteenth century. _See_ NAP. - -~Nab the rust~, to take offence. - -~Nabob~, an Eastern prince, a retired Indian official,--hence a slang -term for a capitalist. From Nawaub. - -~Nabs~, self; my NABS, myself; his NABS, himself.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Nag~, to persistently talk in a scolding manner, after the manner of -Mrs. Caudle. NAGGING is supposed to be persistent, persevering, -passionless scolding. - -~Nail~, to steal, or capture; "paid on the NAIL," _i.e._, paid ready -money; NAILED, taken up, or caught,--probably in allusion to the -practice of NAILING bad money to the counter. We say, "as dead as a -door-NAIL;" most possibly because of "apt alliteration." Shakspeare has -the expression in _Henry IV._-- - - "_Falstaff._ What! is the old king dead? - - _Pistol._ As NAIL in door." - -Dickens, in that marvellous little book, _A Christmas Carol_, says:-- - - "Old Marley was as dead as a DOOR-NAIL. - - "Mind! I don't mean to say that I know of my own knowledge what - there is particularly dead about a DOOR-NAIL. I might have been - inclined myself to regard a COFFIN-NAIL as the deadest piece of - ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the - simile: and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the - country's done for. You will, therefore, permit me to repeat, - emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a DOOR-NAIL." - -~Nail in one's coffin~, a dram, "a drop o' summat' short," a jocular, -but disrespectful phrase, used by the lower orders to each other at the -moment of lifting a glass of spirits to their lips. "Well, good luck! -here's another NAIL IN MY COFFIN." This is probably in ridicule of -teetotal or temperance preachers, and the arguments adduced by them. -Another phrase with old topers is "shedding a tear," also "wiping an -eye." - -~Namby-pamby~, particular, over-nice, effeminate. This was possibly of -Pope's invention, and first applied by him to the affected short-lined -verses addressed by Ambrose Phillips to Lord Carteret's infant children. -_See Johnson's Life of Pope._ - -~Nammus~, or NAMOUS, to be off, to get away; "let's NAMMUS, somebody's -coming." _See_ VAMOS. - -~Nanny-shop~, a disreputable house. - -~Nantee~, not any, or "I have none." NANTEE also means "shut up!" or -"leave off!" _Italian_, NIENTE, nothing. _See_ DINARLY.--_Lingua -Franca._ - -~Nantee palaver~, no conversation, _i.e._, hold your tongue. Very often -in this sense also shortened to NANTEE only. Originally _Lingua Franca_, -but now general. - -~Nap~, or NAB, to take, steal, or receive; "you'll NAP it," _i.e._, you -will catch a beating.--_North_; also _Old Cant_. - -~Nap~, to break, or rap with a hammer. _See_ KNAP.--_North._ - -~Nap~, or NAPPER, a hat. From "nab," a hat, cap, or head.--_Old Cant._ - -~Nap nix~, a person who works at his trade, and occasionally goes on the -stage to act minor parts without receiving any pay. The derivation is -obvious. _See_ NAP and NIX, _i.e._, NICHTS. - -~Nap one's bib~, to cry, shed tears, or carry one's point. - -~Nap the regulars~, to divide the booty. - -~Nap the teaze~, to be privately whipped in prison. - -~Nark~, a person in the pay of the police; a common informer; one who -gets his living by laying traps for publicans, &c. Sometimes called a -"nose." - -~Nark~, to watch, or look after; "NARK the titter," watch the girl. - -~Narp~, a shirt.--_Scotch._ - -~Narrow~, mean, sordid.--_Scotch._ In common slang, dull of -comprehension, as distinguished from wide awake. - -~Nasty~, ill-tempered, cross-grained. "He was very NASTY," _i.e._, he -was ill-humoured. - -~Nation~, or TARNATION, very, or exceedingly. Corruption of damnation. - -~Natty~, pretty, neat, tidy.--_Old._ - -~Natural~, an idiot, a simpleton. Sometimes HALF-NATURAL. - -~Navvy~, an excavator employed in making railways, canals, &c. -Originally slang, but now a recognised term. Short for navigator, a term -humorously applied to excavators when their chief work was that of -cutting and banking canals, making dykes to rivers, &c. - -~N. C.~, "enough said," being the initials of NUF CED. A certain -theatrical manager spells, it is said, in this style. - -~Near~, mean and stingy. - -~Neardy~, a person in authority over another; master, parent, or -foreman.--_North._ - -~Neat~, unmixed with water. "Two half goes of gin, one NEAT, the other -cold," meaning one as drawn, the other diluted with cold water. The -Americans use the word "straight" instead of NEAT: "I'll take mine -straight." - -~Neck~, to swallow. Neck-oil, drink of any kind. - -~Neck and crop~, entirely, completely; "he chuck'd him NECK AND CROP out -of window." - -~Neck and neck.~ Horses run NECK AND NECK in a race when they are so -perfectly equal that one cannot be said to be before the other. - -~Neck or nothing~, desperate. Originally a steeplechase phrase. - -~Neck beef~, a synonym for coarseness. "As coarse as neck ends of beef." - -~Neckinger~, a cravat. _See_ MUCKENGER. - -~Ned~, a guinea. HALF-NED, half-a-guinea. - -~Neddy~, a considerable quantity, as "a NEDDY of fruit," "a NEDDY of -fish," &c.--_Irish slang._ - -~Neddy~, a donkey. On Sunday, when a costermonger, if at all well to do, -takes his family out for an airing in his "shallow," the donkey is -called "Eddard." - -~Neddy~, a life preserver. Possibly contraction of Kennedy, the name of -the first man, it is said in St. Giles's, who had his head broken by a -poker. - -~Ned Stokes~, the four of spades.--_North Hants._ _See Gentleman's -Magazine_ for 1791, p. 141. - -~Needful~, money, cash; the "one thing NEEDFUL" for the accomplishment -of most pet designs. - -~Needle~, to annoy. To "cop the NEEDLE" is to become vexed or annoyed. - -~Needy mizzler~, a shabby person; a tramp who runs away without paying -for his lodging. - -~Never trust me~, an ordinary phrase with low Londoners, and common in -Shakspeare's time, _vide Twelfth Night_. It is generally used instead of -an oath, calling vengeance on the asseverator, if such-and-such does -not come to pass. - -~Newgate fringe~, or FRILL, the collar of beard worn under the chin; so -called from its occupying the position of the rope when Jack Ketch -operates. Another name for it is a TYBURN COLLAR. - -~Newgate Knocker~, the term given to the lock of hair which -costermongers and thieves usually twist back towards the ear. The shape -is supposed to resemble the knocker on the prisoners' door at Newgate--a -resemblance that carries a rather unpleasant suggestion to the wearer. -Sometimes termed a COBBLER'S KNOT, or COW-LICK. - -~Newmarket~, in tossing, when the game is "two out of three," that is, -when he who gains the first two tosses wins. When the first toss is -decisive, the game is termed "sudden death." - -~Nibble~, to take, or steal. NIBBLER, a petty thief. - -~Nib-cove~, a gentleman. NIBSOMEST CRIBS, best or gentlemen's -houses.--_Beggar's Cant._ - -~Nib-like~, gentlemanly. - -~Nibs~, self. His NIBS, means any one who may be referred to. As, "I -told his NIBS," or "stag his NIBS." "Your NIBS," yourself. - -~Nick~, or OLD NICK, the devil.--_Scandinavian_, KNICKAR, one of the -names of Odin, as the destroying or evil principle. - -~Nick~, to hit the mark; "he's NICKED it," _i.e._, won his point. Also -to steal. To be "out on the NICK," is to be out thieving. Sometimes -described as being "on the pinch." - -~Nick-nack~, a trifle.--Originally _Cant_. - -~Niggling~, trifling, or idling; taking short steps in -walking.--_North._ - -~Nightcap~, a glass of "warm with" taken the last thing at night. - -~Night-hunter~, a poacher.--_North._ Also a London prostitute. Sometimes -in the latter capacity varied to night-hawk. - -~Nil~, half; half profits, &c. - -~Nilly-willy~, _i.e._, NILL YE, WILL YE, whether you will or no; a -familiar version of the _Latin_, NOLENS VOLENS. Generally written now, -WILLY-NILLY. - -~Nimming~, stealing. _Old English_, NIM, to take. Motherwell, the Scotch -poet, thought the old word NIM (to snatch or pick up) was derived from -_nam, nam_, the tiny words or cries of an infant, when eating anything -which pleases its little palate. A negro proverb has the word:-- - - "Buckra man NAM crab, - Cram NAM buckra man." - -Or, in the buckra man's language-- - - "White man eat [or steal] the crab, - And then crab eat the white man." - - -Shakspeare evidently had the word NIM in his head when he portrayed Nym. - -~Nincompoop~, a fool, a hen-pecked husband, a "Jerry Sneak."--Corruption -of _non compos mentis_. - -~Nine corns~, a pipeful of tobacco. - -~Ninepence~, "nice as NINEPENCE," all right, right to a nicety. A -correspondent says:--"This most undoubtedly should be NINE-PINS. For at -the game of that name, in fairness to both parties, the nine pins must -always be set up with great accuracy. There is no nicety in NINEPENCE!" -Evidently this correspondent does not know how nice it is to have -ninepence, after being without money. At all events the phrase _is_ -"nice as NINEPENCE." - -~Nines~, "dressed up to the NINES," in a showy or _recherche_ manner. Up -to the NINES, up to the dodges and "wrinkles" of life. - -~Nine Shillings~, cool audacity; most probably derived from the -_French_, NONCHALANCE. - -~Ning-nang~, horse-coupers' term for a worthless thoroughbred. - -~Ninnyhammer~, a foolish, ignorant person. Generally shortened to NINNY. -NINNY is also short for nincompoop. - -~Nip~, to steal, to take up quickly. _See_ NAP and NIB. - -~Nipcheese~, a purser.--_Old Sea Slang._ - -~Nipper~, a sharp lad. Originally a superior grade among cut-purses. - -~Nix~, nothing. _German_, NICHTS. _See_ MUNGARLY. - -~Nix!~ the signal word of schoolboys and workpeople to each other that -the master, or other person in authority, is approaching. - -~Nix my dolly~, once a very popular slang song, beginning-- - - "In a box of a stone jug I was born, - Of a hempen widow all forlorn; - And my old dad, as I've heard say, - Was a famous merchant in capers gay; - NIX MY DOLLY, pals, fake away!" - -"Capers" of course here refers to the mode of the old gentleman's -decease. - -~Niz-priz~, a writ of nisi-prius.--_Legal._ - -~Nizzie~, a fool, a coxcomb.--_Old Cant, vide Triumph of Wit_. - -~Nob~, the head.--_Pugilistic_; "bob a NOB," a shilling a head. _Ancient -Cant_, NEB. NOB is an early English word, and is used in the romance of -_Kynge Alinaunder_ (thirteenth century) for a head; originally, no -doubt, the same as _knob_. - -~Nob~, a person of high position, a "swell," a NOBleman,--of which word -it may be an abbreviation, or of NOBILIS. _See_ SNOB. - -~Nob.~ When the knave of trumps is held at the game of cribbage, the -holder counts "one for his NOB." - -~Nobba~, nine. _Italian_, NOVE; _Spanish_, NOVA,--the _b_ and _v_ being -interchangeable, as in sa_b_e and sa_vv_ey. Slang introduced by the -"organ-grinders" from Italy. - -~Nobba saltee~, ninepence. _Lingua Franca_, NOVE SOLDI. - -~Nobbing cheat~, the gallows.--_Old Cant._ - -~Nobbing~, collecting money; "what NOBBINGS?" _i.e._, how much have you -got or collected from the crowd? This term is much used by "buskers." - -~Nobble~, to cheat, to overreach; to discover. In the racing world, to -"NOBBLE" a horse, is to "get at," and lame or poison him. - -~Nobbler~, a blow on the NOB, a finishing stroke; "that's a NOBBLER for -him," _i.e._, a settler.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Nobbler~, a confederate of thimble-riggers and card-sharpers, who plays -earnestly, as if a stranger to the "rig," and thus draws unsuspecting -persons into a game. The same as a "bonnet" or "bearer-up." In the North -of England, a low, cunning lawyer. - -~Nobby~, or NOBBISH, fine or showy; NOBBILY, showily. _See_ SNOB for -derivation. - -~No flies~, an emphatic addition made to an assertion for the purpose of -giving it weight. It really means "no error" or "no mistake." Both of -them popular; as, "A jolly fine girl, and NO FLIES!" - -~No-fly~, artful, designing. Term much used among printers, who shorten -it to "N.F." - -~Noli-me-tangere~, the Scotch fiddle, or other contagious disease. - -~Non-com~, a non-commissioned officer in the army. - -~No odds~, no matter, of no consequence.--_Latimer's Sermon before -Edward VI._ - -~Nooning~, an interval for rest and refreshment, taken at midday by -travellers in hot countries. - -~Norfolk-Howards~, bugs; a person named Ephraim Bug some few years back -advertised, that for the future he would call himself by the more -aristocratic appellation of NORFOLK HOWARD. - -~North~, cunning. The inhabitants of Yorkshire and the Northern counties -are supposed, like the canny Scots, to get the better of other people in -dealing; hence the phrase, "He's too far NORTH for me," _i.e._, too -cunning for me to deal with. - -~North country compliment~, to give or offer anything that is not wanted -by either giver or receiver is to pass a NORTH COUNTRY COMPLIMENT. - -~Norwicher~, more than one's share; said of a person who leaves less -than half the contents of a tankard for his companion. In what way the -term originated, or why Norwich was selected before any other city is -not known. Most likely from the slanders which the inhabitants of one -town are always inventing about their neighbours. - -~Nose~, a thief who turns informer; a paid spy; generally called a -policeman's NOSE; "on the NOSE," on the look-out. - -~Nose~, to give information to the police, to turn approver. - -~Nose~, "to pay through the NOSE," to pay an extravagant price. - -~Nose-bag~, a visitor at a watering-place, or house of refreshment, who -carries his own victuals. Term applied by waiters. - -~Nose 'em~, or FOGUS, tobacco. NOSE 'EM is but a contraction of the -rhyming slang, which _see_. - -~Nose-ender~, a straight blow delivered full on the nasal promontory. - -~Nose in the manger~, TO PUT ONE'S, to sit down to eat. To "put on the -nose-bag" is to eat hurriedly, or to eat while continuing at work. - -~Nose out of joint~, TO PUT ONE'S; to supplant, supersede, or mortify a -person by excelling him. - -~Noser~, a hard blow, leading to a bloody or contused nose.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Notional~, imaginative, full of ideas. Used in America to express a -wife's imaginations with regard to her husband's doings. - -~Nouse~, comprehension, perception.--_Old_, apparently from the _Greek_, -_nous_. _Gaelic_ and _Irish_, NOS, knowledge, perception. - -~Nowhere~, horses not placed in a race--that are neither first, second, -nor third--are said to be NOWHERE, especially when this lack of position -happens to favourites. - -~Number of his mess~, when a man dies in the army or navy, he is said to -"lose the NUMBER OF HIS MESS." - -~Nurse~, a curious term applied to competition in omnibuses. Two -omnibuses are placed on the road to NURSE, or take care of, each -opposition "bus," one before, the other behind. Of course the central or -NURSED bus has very little chance, unless it happens to be a favourite -with the public. Recent legislation and tramways have done much to do -away with NURSING. NURSE also means to cheat or swindle; trustees are -sometimes said to NURSE property, _i.e._, gradually eat it up -themselves. - -~Nut~, the head, in pugilistic slang. Used as an exclamation at a fight, -it means to strike on the head. In tossing it is a direction to hide the -head; to be "off one's NUT," to be crazed or idiotic. - -~Nut-cut~, roguish, mischievous. A good-natured term of -reproach.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Nuts~, to be NUTS on anything or person is to be pleased with or fond -of it or him; a self-satisfied man is said to be NUTS on himself. -NUTTED, taken in by a man who professed to be NUTS on you. - -~Nux~, the "plant," or object in view. "Stoll up to the NUX?" "Do you -fully comprehend what is wanted?"--_North Country Cant._ - -~Oaf~, a lumbering, awkward fellow. - -~Oak~, the outer door of college rooms; to "sport one's OAK," to be "not -at home" to visitors. _See_ SPORT.--_University._ - -[Illustration: A "Sporting Door," or "Oak."] - -~Oar~, "to put in an OAR," to interfere. - - "I put my OAR in no man's boat."--_Thackeray._ - -~Oat~, an atom. Probable corruption of iota, or perhaps from the small -size of an oat. "I never got an OAT of it," I never received the -smallest portion. - -~Oat-stealer~, an ostler. - -~Obfuscated~, intoxicated. - -~Obliquitous~, oblivious of distinction between right and -wrong.--_American._ - -~Obstropolous~, Cockney corruption of obstreperous. - -~Ochre~, money, generally applied to gold, for a very obvious reason. - -~O'clock~, "like ONE O'CLOCK," a favourite comparison with the lower -orders, implying briskness; otherwise "like winkin'." "To know what's -O'CLOCK" is to be wide-awake, sharp, and experienced. - -~Odd man out~, a street or public-house game at tossing. The number of -players is three or more. Each tosses up a coin, and if two come down -head, and one comes tail, or _vice versa_, the ODD MAN loses or wins, as -may have been agreed upon. Frequently used to victimize a "flat." If all -be alike, then the toss goes for nothing, and the coppers are again -"skied." It is easy for two men to arrange matters beforehand at this -game, and so swindle a third. - -~Odd man~, a man who trains in company with a boat's crew, so that in -the event of any one falling ill the seat will be fairly occupied. - -~Odds~, a phrase equivalent to "consequence;" "what's the ODDS?" _i.e._, -what is the expected result? "It's no ODDS," _i.e._, of no consequence. -ODDS, in sporting phraseology, refers to the proportions or differences -of a bet. One bookmaker will lay ODDS of "six to one" against such a -horse winning; whilst another, more speculative, or in the receipt of a -first-rate "tip" (information about the horse in question) will lay -"eight," or even "ten to one." - -~Od rot it~ (_Colman's Broad Grins_), DRAT IT, OD'S BLOOD, and all other -exclamations commencing with OD, are nothing but softened or suppressed -oaths. OD is a corruption of GOD, and DRAT of ROT. - -~Off and on~, vacillating; "an OFF AND ON kind of a chap," one who is -always undecided. - -~Off at the head~, crazy.--_Oxfordshire._ - -~Off one's chump.~ To be crazy is to be OFF ONE'S CHUMP; this is varied -by the word CHUMPY. A mild kind of lunatic is also said to be "off his -head," which means of course exactly the same as the first phrase. - -~Off one's feed.~ To be unable to eat is to be OFF ONE'S FEED. -Originally stable slang. - -~Off the horn~, a term used in reference to very hard steak, which is -fancifully said to be OFF THE HORN. - -~Office~, "to give the OFFICE," to give a hint dishonestly to a -confederate, thereby enabling him to win a game or bet, the profits -being shared. Also in sporting phraseology to give any information worth -having. - -~Offish~, distant, not familiar. Corruption of STAND-OFFISH. - -~Ogle~, to look, or reconnoitre. - -~Ogles~, eyes.--_Old Cant. French_, OEIL. - -~Oil of palms~, or PALM OIL, money. - -~Ointment~, medical student slang for butter. - -~O. K.~, a matter to be O. K. (OLL KORRECT, _i.e._, all correct), must -be on the "square," and perfectly in order. This is an Americanism, and -is derived from the initials O. K., said to have been marked on a -document by an official to signify that all was right and proper. - -~Old boots~, a simile as general in its application as it is irrelevant. -"Like OLD BOOTS" means like anything. "As cheeky as OLD BOOTS;" "As -quick as OLD BOOTS," seem a little more reasonable, new boots being -somewhat unfavourable to speedy locomotion. - -~Old dog~, a knowing blade, an experienced person. Butler uses the -phrase, _Hudibras_, part ii. canto iii. 208, where it was said of -Sidrophel, "And was OLD DOG at physiology." An Irish proverb says, "OLD -DOG for hard road," meaning that it requires an experienced person to -execute a difficult undertaking. - -~Old gentleman~, the devil. Also a card almost imperceptibly longer than -the rest of the pack, used by sharpers for the purpose of cheating. - -~Old gooseberry~ (_see_ GOOSEBERRY), OLD HARRY (_Old Hairy_), OLD -SCRATCH, all synonyms for the devil. - -~Old gown~, smuggled tea. - -~Old horse~, salt junk, or beef.--_Sea._ - -~Old hoss~, a term of endearment, originally an Americanism, but now in -common use here among friends. - -~Old Lady in Threadneedle Street~, the Bank of England. - -~Old man~, in American merchant ships, the master. The phrase is -becoming common in English ships. - -~Old salt~, a thorough sailor. - -~Old Tom~, extra strong gin; sometimes termed CAT'S WATER. Various -reasons are given for the use of the words OLD TOM. The distillers have -the sign of a tom cat on their illuminated placards. The origin of the -phrase is, however, in the fact that the managing clerk of a once -celebrated "gin-spinning" firm, who was known as OLD TOM, used to keep a -special bottle of extra good stuff with which to regale customers when -they settled their accounts. To get a drink of OLD TOM'S was then a -great favour. Gradually the title became popular as representing very -good strong gin. - -~Oliver~, the moon; "OLIVER don't widdle," _i.e._, the moon does not -shine. _Nearly obsolete._ - -~Ollapod~, a country apothecary. From George Coleman's comedy of _The -Poor Gentleman_. - -~Omee~, a master or landlord; "the OMEE of the carsey's a nark on the -pitch," the master of the house will not let us perform. _Italian_, -UOMO, a man; "UOMO DELLA CASA," the master of the house. _Latin_, -HOMO.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Omnium gatherum~, an indiscriminate collection of articles; a numerous -and by no means select assemblage. - -~On~, "to be ON," in public-house or vulgar parlance, is synonymous with -getting "tight" or tipsy; "it's St. Monday with him, I see he's ON -again," _i.e._, drunk as usual, or on the road to it. "I'm ON" also -expresses a person's acceptance of an offered bet. To GET ON a horse or -a man is to make bets on it or him. "Try it ON," a defiant challenge to -a person. - -~On the fly~, getting one's living by thieving or other illegitimate -means; the phrase is applied to men the same as "on the loose" is to -women. ON THE FLY also means on the drink. - -~On the loose~, obtaining a living by prostitution; in reality, on the -streets. The term is applied to females only, excepting in the case of -"sprees," when men carousing are sometimes said to be ON THE LOOSE. - -~On the nose~, on the watch or look-out. _See_ NOSE. - -~On the shelf~, transported. With old maids it has another and very -different meaning. - -~On the tiles~, out all night "on the spree," or carousing,--in allusion -to the London cats on their amatory excursions. _See_ CATERWAULING. - -~One-er~, that which stands for ONE, a blow that requires no repeating. -In _The Old Curiosity Shop_, the "Marchioness" tells Dick Swiveller that -"her missus is a ONE-ER"--there a variation of "stunner." - -~One in ten~, a parson. In allusion to the tithing system. - -~Onion~, a watch-seal. - -~O. P.~ Publishers' reply to an inquiry for a book or paper that is OUT -OF PRINT. - -~Open the ball~, to commence anything. - -~Oracle~, "to work the ORACLE," to plan, manoeuvre, to succeed by a wily -stratagem. - -~Orate~, an Americanism, which means, to speak in public, or make an -oration. - -~Organ-grinder~, an itinerant who is supposed to "GRIND" music out of a -barrel-organ. - -~Originator~, an inventor of plans for the formation of joint-stock -companies. The originator submits his schemes to the promoter, who -accepts or rejects them. - -~Otter~, eightpence. _Italian_, OTTO, eight.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Ottomy~, a thin man, a skeleton, a dwarf. Vulgar pronunciation of -ANATOMY. Shakspeare has ATOMY. - -~Out~, a dram glass. These glasses are two-OUT (half-quartern), -three-OUT, and four-OUT. An _habitue_ of a gin-shop, desirous of -treating a brace of friends, calls for "a quartern of gin and three -OUTS," by which he means three glasses which will exactly contain the -quartern. Really, the word glasses is understood. The man actually -means, and one or more three-OUT glasses. - -~Out~, in round games, where several play, and there can be but one -loser, the winners in succession STAND OUT, while the others PLAY OFF. - -~Out and out~, prime, excellent, of the first quality; beyond measure. -OUT-AND-OUTER, one who is of an OUT-AND-OUT description, "up" to -anything. - -An ancient MS. has this couplet, which shows the antiquity of the -phrase:-- - - "The Kyng was good alle aboute, - And she was wycked OUTE AND OUTE." - -~Outcry~, an auction.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Outing~, a day's holiday. The Oxford and Cambridge boatrace, the Derby, -and other events of a like character, are each said to be simply excuses -to the Cockneys for a day's OUTING. - -~Out of collar~, out of place,--in allusion to servants. When in place, -the term is IN COLLAR. Most likely from "head in the COLLAR," said of -horses when hard at work. - -~Out on the loose~, "on the spree," in search of adventures. _See_ ON -THE LOOSE. - -~Out on the pickaroon.~ PICARONE is Spanish for a thief, but this phrase -does not necessarily mean anything dishonest, but is often used to mean -readiness for anything in the way of excitement. It also means to be in -search of anything profitable, without much care as to honesty or -otherwise. - -~Outsider~, a person who does not habitually bet, or is not admitted to -the "ring," a duffer or good-for-nothing fellow. Also, a horse whose -name does not appear among the "favourites."--_Sporting._ - -~Over!~ or OVER THE LEFT, _i.e._, the left shoulder--a common -exclamation of disbelief in what is being narrated,--sometimes implying -that the results of a proposed plan will be OVER THE LEFT, _i.e._, in -the wrong direction, loss instead of gain. - -~Over~, generally used in connexion with come, as, "He came it rather -strong OVER me," _i.e._, tried to intimidate or compel me. The same -phrase would also be used to imply that an excess of flattery or praise -was being employed for a similar purpose, but that the adulation was -being "laid on a little too thick" to be considered genuine. Also used -thus sometimes: "You mustn't come Shakspeare OVER me," _i.e._, "you -mustn't assume an air of immeasurable literary superiority OVER me." -"You mustn't come Rothschild OVER me," &c. - -~Over~, in cricket, four balls delivered from one end to another. After -an OVER has been bowled, the fielders, wicket-keepers, &c., change ends, -and the bowling goes on from the recent batting wicket. A MAIDEN-OVER is -an OVER from which no runs are obtained. Four balls is the regulation -number to an OVER in all important matches; but little clubs and -practice elevens suit their own convenience. - -~Overs~, the odd money remaining after the daily accounts are made up at -a banking-house,--usually divided amongst the clerks. _See_ MENAVELINGS -and SHORTS. - -~Owned~, a slang expression used by the ultra-Evangelicals when a -popular preacher makes many converts. The converts themselves are called -his "seals." - -~P. P.~, an expression much in use among racing men, which means play or -pay, _i.e._, either go on with the arrangement or forfeit the money. The -following is a law of the turf on the subject:-- - - The following races shall be considered "play or pay":--The Derby - and Oaks at Epsom, the St. Leger at Doncaster, the Two Thousand - Guineas, the One Thousand Guineas, the Cesarewitch and - Cambridgeshire, at Newmarket, the Ascot, Goodwood, and Doncaster - Cups, and all handicaps above 200 sovs. value with two forfeits, the - minor of which shall not be less than 5 sovs.; and the Committees of - Tattersall's, and of the Subscription Room at Newmarket, will take - no cognisance of any disputes respecting "play or pay" bets on any - other races, or of any bets made upon handicap races before the - weights are published. - -This is the exact law on the subject, but as a rule all bets on -horse-racing are considered P. P. unless otherwise arranged. In all -matches, though, whether turf, pedestrian, aquatic, or otherwise, a run -is given for the money in ordinary betting transactions. - -~P's and q's~, particular points, precise behaviour; "mind your P'S and -Q'S," be very careful. Originating, according to some, from the -similarity of P'S and Q'S in the hornbook alphabet, and therefore the -warning of an old dame to her pupils, or, according to others, of a -French dancing-master to his pupils, to mind their _pieds_ (feet) and -_queues_ (wigs) when bowing. - -~Pack~, to go away; "now, then, PACK off there," _i.e._, be off, don't -stop here any longer.--_Old._ "Make speede to flee, be PACKING -awaie."--_Baret's Alvearie_, 1580. Contraction of "PACK up and be off." -Sometimes the term "sent PACKING" is used to indicate a sudden -discharge, as of a servant or mistress. - -~Packets~, hoaxing lies. Sometimes used as an exclamation of -incredulity.--_North._ - -~Pad~, "to stand PAD," to beg with a small piece of paper pinned on the -breast, inscribed, "I am starving." - -~Pad~, the highway; also a tramp or itinerant musician. - -~Pad the hoof~, to walk; "PADDING THE HOOF, on the high toby," tramping -or walking on the high road. - - "Trudge, plod away o' the HOOF."--_Merry Wives_, i. 3. - -~Padding~, the light articles in the monthly magazines, of which the -serial stories are the main attraction. Publishers of magazines seem to -think that if they get a serial story from a popular novelist they can -pack any amount of rubbish into the remaining pages. This is not so in -America, as magazines like the _Atlantic Monthly_ and the _Overland -Monthly_ show. - -~Padding-ken~, or CRIB, tramps' and boys' lodging-house. - -~Paddle~, to go or run away.--_American._ - -~Paddy~, PAT, or PADDY WHACK, an Irishman. A nickname of PATRICK. - - "I'm PADDY WHACK, from Ballyhack, - Not long ago turn'd soldier; - In storm and sack, in front attack, - None other can be boulder."--_Irish Song._ - -~Paddy's goose~, the sign of the White Swan, a noted flash public-house -in the east of London, supposed to be Paddy's idea of a GOOSE. - -~Paddy's land~, "ould Ireland." - -~Padre~, a clergyman. From the Portuguese. - -~Pal~, a partner, acquaintance, friend, an accomplice. _Gipsy_, a -brother. - -~Palampo~, a quilt or bed-cover. Probably from PALANPORE, a town in -India, renowned for its manufacture of chintz -counterpanes.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Palaver~, to ask, or talk--deceitfully or otherwise, as occasion -requires; "PALAVER to his nibs for a shant of bivvy," ask the master for -a pot of beer. NANTEE PALAVER (pronounced PERLARVER), cease talking. In -this sense used by tramps. Derived from the Portuguese. - -~Pall~, to stop; "PALL that," spoken authoritatively, means, cease what -you are doing. From PALL, a small instrument which is used to stop the -windlass or capstan at sea. When a man says, "I am PALLED," he -means he cannot or dare not say any more. A sailor, on receiving any -extraordinary intelligence, will say, "You PALL me," _i.e._, you -confound me. Most likely from the order frequently given on board ship, -"Ease and PALL." - -~Palm~, to impose upon. "You can't PALM that off upon me," is said when -an intending purchaser is suspicious of the quality of the article -offered. - -~Palm oil~, or PALM SOAP, money; also, a bribe. - -~Palmer~, a swindler who used to visit shops under the pretence of -collecting harp halfpence. To induce shopkeepers to search for them, he -offered thirteenpence for one shilling's-worth, when many persons were -silly enough to empty a large quantity of copper on their counters. The -PALMER, a proficient with his fingers, generally contrived to conceal -some before he left the shop. - -~Palming~, robbing shops by pairs--one thief bargaining with apparent -intent to purchase, whilst the other watches his opportunity to steal. -The following anecdote will give an idea of their _modus operandi_. A -man once entered a "ready-made" boot and shoe shop, and desired to be -shown a pair of boots--his companion staying outside and amusing himself -by looking in at the window. The one who required to be fresh shod was -apparently of a humble and deferential turn, for he placed his hat on -the floor directly he stepped into the shop. Boot after boot was tried -on until at last a fit was obtained, when in rushed a man, snatched up -the customer's hat left near the door, and ran down the street as fast -as his legs could carry him. Away went the customer after his hat, and -Crispin, standing at the door, clapped his hands, and shouted, "Go it, -you'll catch him!"--little thinking that it was a concerted trick, and -that neither his boots nor the customer would ever return. Instances of -this kind of work frequently occur. PALMING sometimes refers to -secreting money or rings in the hand, as well as to bribing. PALMING is -also the generic term for all that kind of conjuring which depends on -manual dexterity, and which is totally distinct from the -mechanical-contrivance department. - -~Pam~, the knave of clubs at the game of loo; or, in street phraseology, -while the "Judicious Bottleholder" was alive, Lord Palmerston. - -~Pannikin~, a small pan. - -~Pannum~, food, bread.--_Lingua Franca_, PANNEN; _Latin_, PANIS; -_Ancient Cant_, YANNAM. - -~Pannum-bound~, said of a pauper or prisoner when his food is stopped. -PANNUM-STRUCK, very hungry, starving. - -~Panny~, a house--public or otherwise; "flash PANNY," a public-house -used by thieves; PANNY-MEN, housebreakers. PANNY, in thieves' cant, also -signifies a burglary. - -~Pantalettes~, the drawers worn in America by little girls. - -~Pantile~, a hat. The term PANTILE is properly applied to the mould into -which the sugar is poured which is afterwards known as "loaf sugar." -Thus, PANTILE, from whence comes the phrase, "a sugar-loaf hat," -originally signified a tall, conical hat, in shape similar to that -usually represented as the head-gear of a bandit. From PANTILE the more -modern slang term TILE has been derived. Halliwell gives PANTILE SHOP, a -meeting-house, from the steeple-crowned or PANTILE hats of its -frequenters. PANTILE also means a flat cake with jam on it, given to -boys at boarding-schools instead of pudding. - -~Pantiler~, a Dissenting preacher. Probably from the practice of the -Quakers, and many Dissenters, of not removing their hats in a place of -worship; or from the sugar-loaf hats originally worn by Puritans. -Another derivation is from the earthen tiles, technically PANTILES -(tiles hollowed in the middle, as distinguished from "pintiles," the -older sort, which are flat, smaller, and pinned or nailed to the -rafters), with which meeting-houses of Dissenters are usually covered; -hence the meeting-house came to be called a PANTILE, and its frequenters -PANTILERS. - -~Pants~, American term for trousers. Here used to represent the long -drawers worn underneath. - -~Panupetaston~, a loose overcoat with wide sleeves, now out of -fashion.--_Oxford University._ - -~Paper-maker~, a rag-gatherer, or gutter-raker--similar to the -chiffonnier of Paris. Also, a man who tramps through the country, and -collects rags on the pretence that he is an agent to a paper mill. - -~Paper-Worker~, a wandering vendor of street literature; one who sells -ballads, dying speeches, and confessions, sometimes termed a "running -stationer." - -~Parachute~, a parasol. - -~Paradise~, French slang for the gallery of a theatre, "up amongst the -GODS," which _see_. - -~Parish lantern~, the moon. - -~Parish prig~, or PARISH BULL, a parson.--_Thieves' cant._ - -~Parney~, rain; "dowry of PARNEY," a quantity of rain. _Anglo-Indian_ -slang from the _Hindoo_, PANI, water; _Gipsy_, PANE. Old Indian officers -always call brandy-and-water "brandy PAWNEE." - -~Parson~, a signpost. Common term in the north, where they say that the -PARSON points, but does not lead. This is given, as the lawyers say, -"without prejudice." - -~Parson Trulliber~, a rude, vulgar, country clergyman, devoted to -agricultural pursuits; the race is most probably now extinct. From the -pig-feeding and pig-headed parson in _Joseph Andrews_. - -~Parson's nose~, the hind part of a goose--a savoury mouthful. Sometimes -called the POPE'S NOSE. - -~Part~, to pay, restore, or give up; "he's a right un, he is; I know'd -he'd PART," _i.e._, he is a liberal (or punctual) person, and pays his -debts, or bestows gratuities. The term is in general use in sporting -circles, and is very commonly employed when speaking of the settlement -of bets after a race. It is probably derived from the very common -reference to stingy people, who are described as not liking to PART with -their money. - -~Parter~, a free, liberal person. Sometimes called a "good PARTER." Any -one who looks twice at his money, or who doesn't pay it at all, is -called a "bad PARTER." - -~Party~, a person--term in very general use, similar in application to -the German pronoun, MAN, a person, people; "where's the PARTY as 'ad a' -orter be lookin' after this 'ere 'oss?" policeman's inquiry of the wrong -cabman; "old PARTY," an elderly person. The term is said to have arisen -in our old justice courts, where, to save "his worship" and the clerk of -the court any trouble in exercising their memories with the names of the -different plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses, the word PARTY was -generally employed. Dean Alford remarked:-- - - "The word PARTY for a man is especially offensive. Strange to say, - the use is not altogether modern. It occurs in the English version - of the Apocryphal book of Tobit, vi. 7. 'If an evil spirit trouble - any, one must make a smoke thereof before the man or the woman, and - the PARTY shall be no more vexed.'" - -In Shakspeare we find the term:-- - - "_Stephano._ How now shall this be compassed? Canst thou bring me to - the PARTY?"--_Tempest_, iii. 2. - -This is not the only instance of the word being used by the immortal -bard. "I once heard," said the Dean just quoted, "a venerable dignitary -pointed out by a railway porter as an old PARTY in a shovel." The last -word is the vulgar term applied to the peculiar hat worn by clerical -dignitaries. - -~Pash~, to strike; now corrupted to BASH, which _see_.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Paste~, to beat, to thrash vigorously. - -~Pasteboard~, a visiting card; "to PASTEBOARD a person," to drop a card -at an absent person's house. - -~Paste-horn~, the nose. Shoemakers nickname any shopmate with a large -nose "old PASTE-HORN," from the shape of the horn in which they keep -their paste. - -~Pasty~, a bookbinder. - -~Patch.~ This old English term of reproach, long obsolete in polite -language, may yet occasionally be heard in sentences like these:--"Why, -he's not a PATCH upon him," _i.e._, he is not to be compared with him; -"one's not a PATCH on the other," &c. Shakspeare uses the word in the -sense of a paltry fellow:-- - - "What a pied ninny's this? thou scurvy PATCH!" - -In old English PATCH meant a fool, a wearer of patched clothes of -motley. - -~Patent coats~, the first coat, with the pockets inside the skirt, were -so termed. - -~Patter~, a speech or discourse, a pompous street oration, a judge's -summing up, a trial. Ancient word for muttering. Probably from the -_Latin_, PATERNOSTER, or Lord's Prayer. This was said, before the -Reformation, in a "low voice" by the priest, until he came to "and lead -us not into temptation," to which the choir responded, "but deliver us -from evil." In the reformed Prayer Book this was altered, and the Lord's -Prayer directed to be said "with a _loud voice_." Dr. Pusey takes this -view of the derivation in his _Letter to the Bishop of London_, p. 78, -1851. Scott uses the word twice, in _Ivanhoe_ and the _Bride of -Lammermoor_. - -~Patter~, to talk. PATTER FLASH, to speak the language of thieves, talk -cant. - -~Patteran~, a gipsy trail, made by throwing down a handful of grass -occasionally, especially where they have turned off from the main road. - -~Patter-crib~, a flash house. - -~Patterer~, one of a race now nearly defunct, who cried last dying -speeches, &c., in the streets. The term is also applied to those who -help off their wares by long harangues in the public thoroughfares. -These men, to use their own term, "are the aristocracy of the street -sellers," and despise the costermongers for their ignorance, boasting -that they live by their intellect, which, as they do not live -wonderfully well, is no particularly wise boast. - -~Pattern~, a common vulgar phrase for "patent." - -~Paul Pry~, an inquisitive person. From the well-known comedy. - -~Paw~, the hand. PAW-CASES, gloves. Boots are in some parts of Ireland -called "gloves for the feet." - -~Pay~, to beat a person, or "serve him out." Originally a nautical term, -meaning to stop the seams of a vessel with pitch (_French_, POIX); -"here's the d----l to PAY, and no pitch hot," said when any catastrophe -occurs which there is no means of averting; "to PAY over face and eyes, -as the cat did the monkey;" "to PAY through the nose," to give a -ridiculous price,--an expressive phrase of which no one seems to know -the origin. Shakspeare uses PAY in the sense of to beat or thrash. - -~Pay~, to deliver. "PAY that letter to Mr. So-and-so" is a very common -direction to a Chinese servant.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Pay-away~, "go on with your story, or discourse." From the nautical -phrase PAY-AWAY, meaning to allow a rope to run out of a vessel. When -the hearer considers the story quite long enough, he, carrying out the -same metaphor, exclaims "hold on." - -~Peach~, an informer against omnibus conductors and drivers, one -especially hired by the proprietors to count passengers and stoppages. -The term is in frequent use amongst omnibus-men. This is about the only -instance known of the verb being used as a substantive. - -~Peach~, to inform against or betray. Webster states that the word -"impeach" is now mostly used, and that PEACH is confined principally to -the conversation of thieves and the lower orders. The word was -originally "impeach," though it was never until lately used in the same -way as its abridgment. - -~Peacock horse~, amongst undertakers, is one with a showy tail and mane, -which holds its head up well. PEACOCKY refers to an objectionable high -action among racehorses. - -~Peaking~, remnants of cloth. Term amongst drapers and cloth -warehousemen. - -~Peaky~, sickly, delicate. - -~Pec~, a term used by the Eton boys for money, an abbreviation, of -course, of the _Latin_ PECUNIA. - -~Peck~, food; "PECK and boose," meat and drink.--_Lincolnshire._ -_Ancient Cant_, PEK, meat. - -~Peck~, to eat voraciously. A hearty eater is generally called "a rare -PECKER." Originally PECK was to eat delicately, "but we have changed all -that now." - -~Peck-alley~, the throat. - -~Pecker~, "keep your PECKER up," _i.e._, don't get down in the -mouth,--literally, keep your beak or head well up, "never say die!" - -~Peckham~, a facetious usage of the name of this district, implying a -dinner; "all holiday at PECKHAM," _i.e._, nothing to eat. - -~Peckish~, hungry. _Old Cant_, PECKIDGE, meat. - -~Peel~, to strip, or disrobe.--_Sporting._ - -~Peeler~, a policeman; so called from Sir Robert Peel (_see_ BOBBY); -properly applied to the Irish Constabulary rather than the Metropolitan -Police, the former force having been established by Sir Robert Peel. - -~Peepers~, eyes; "painted PEEPERS," eyes bruised or blackened from a -blow.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Peery~, suspicious, or inquisitive. - -~Peg~, brandy and soda-water. A PEG by which to pull oneself up again. -Also, a shilling.--_Scotch._ - -~Peg~, "to PEG away," to strike, run, or drive away; "PEG a hack," to -drive a cab; "to take him down a PEG or two," to check an arrogant or -conceited person,--possibly derived from the use of PEG tankards. _See_ -PIN. - -~Peg~, to drink frequently; generally used in reference to devotees of -"S. and B." - -~Peggers~, people who constantly stimulate themselves by means of brandy -and soda-water. - -~Pegtops~, the loose trousers in fashion some years back, small at the -ankle and swelling upwards, in imitation of the Zouave costume. - -~Penang-lawyer~, a long cane, sometimes carried by a footman. -PENANG-LAWYERS are also bludgeons which are carried by all classes in -Singapore. - -~Pencil-fever~, a supposititious disease among racehorses, the -preliminary symptoms of which show that an animal has been pretty -considerably "milked." PENCIL-FEVER sets in when, despite the efforts of -the "marketeers," a horse can no longer be kept at a short price in the -lists, through his actual condition being discovered, and when every -layer of odds is anxious to write his name down. This disorder is also -called "milk-fever," "market-fever," and other suggestive names. - -~Penny-a-liner~, a contributor of local news, accidents, fires, and -scandals to a newspaper; a man not regularly "on the paper;" one who is -popularly believed to be paid for each contribution at the rate of a -penny a line, and whose interest is, therefore, that his articles should -be stuffed with fine words and long sentences. This wonderful person, to -whom so much is daily attributed, is now generally called a LINER. - -~Penny dreadfuls~, an expressive term for those penny publications which -depend more upon sensationalism than upon merit, artistic or literary, -for success. - -~Penny gaff~, a shop turned into a temporary theatre (admission one -penny), at which dancing and singing take place every night. Sometimes -rude pictures of the performers are arranged outside to give the front a -gaudy and attractive look, and at night-time coloured lamps and -transparencies are displayed to draw an audience. Zest is given to these -entertainments by the fact that now and again the police make raids upon -the houses, and carry off both actors and spectators. These places are -also called "dukeys," for no reason that can be discovered. _See_ GAFF. - -~Penny starver~, a penny roll. _See_ BUSTER. - -~Pen'orth~, value for money; as, "I'll have my PEN'ORTH,"--given -irrespective of the actual amount. - -~Pensioner~, a man of the most degraded condition who lives off the -miserable earnings of a prostitute. There is an unmentionable prefix to -the word PENSIONER. _See_ PONCE. - -~Pepper~, to thrash, or strike.--_Pugilistic_, but used by -Shakspeare.--_Eastern Counties._ - -~Pepper-boxes~, the buildings of the Royal Academy and National Gallery -in Trafalgar Square. The name was first given by a wag, in allusion to -the cupolas erected by Wilkins, the architect, upon the roof, which, -from their form and awkward appearance, at a distance suggest to the -stranger the fact of their being enlarged PEPPER-BOXES. _See_ BOILERS. - -~Perch~, or ROOST, a resting-place; "I'm off to PERCH," _i.e._, I am -going to bed. - - "Nor yet a single perch, for which my lucky stars to thank, - Except the _perch_ I've taken on this damp rheumatic bank." - - _Lay of the Unsuccessful Angler._ - -~Perform~, to carry out a design, generally a dishonest one. To "PERFORM -on a flat" is to cozen a fool. - -~Perkin~, beer. Dandy or affected shortening of the widely-known firm, -Barclay and Perkins. - -~Perpendicular~, a lunch taken standing-up at a tavern bar. It is usual -to call it lunch, often as the PERPENDICULAR may take the place of -dinner. - -~Persuaders~, spurs. - -~Pesky~, an intensitive expression, implying annoyance; as, "A PESKY, -troublesome fellow." Corruption of PESTILENT; or, _Irish_, PEASGACH, -rough, rugged. PESKY has now become more American than English. _Pesky -Ike_ is the name of a popular American drama. - -~Peter~, a partridge.--_Poacher's term._ - -~Peter~, a bundle, or valise. Also, a cash-box. - -~Peter~, to run short, or give out.--_American._ - -~Peter Funk~, an American term for a spurious auction or "knock-out." - -~Peter Grievous~, a miserable, melancholy fellow; a croaker. - -~Petticoat~, a woman. - -~Pewter~, money, like "tin," used generally to signify silver; also a -tankard. "Let me have my beer in the PEWTER," is a common request to -waiters, made by "City" men, and others who affect habits of rude -health. The pots for which rowing men contend are often called PEWTERS. - -~Philadelphia-lawyer~, a Transatlantic limb of the law considered to be -the very acme of acuteness. Sailors relate many stories of his artful -abilities, none, however, short enough to find a place here. The phrase, -"Enough to puzzle a PHILADELPHIA-LAWYER," means, enough to puzzle the -sharpest man in the world. - -~Philander~, to ramble on incoherently; to write discursively and -weakly. - -~Philip~, a policeman. The word is loudly given as a signal that the -police are approaching. - -~Philiper~, a thief's accomplice, one who stands by and looks out for -the police while the others commit a robbery, and who calls out -"Philip!" when any one approaches. - -~Philistine~, a policeman. The German students call all townspeople not -of their body "Philister," as ours say "cads." The departing student -says, mournfully, in one of the Burschenlieder-- - - "Muss selber nun PHILISTER sein!" - -_i.e._, "I must now myself PHILISTINE be!" Also, a man who is of a set -opposed to one's own. Society is supposed to regard all outside its -bounds as belonging to the PHILISTINE world. Bohemians regard all -cleanly, orderly people who conform to conventionality as PHILISTINES. - -~Physog~, or PHIZ, the face. Swift uses the latter word. Corruption of -PHYSIOGNOMY. - -~Picaroon~, a pirate or buccaneer originally; now an ordinary thief. - -~Piccadilly butchers~, a satirical name applied by the crowd to the -regiment of Horse Guards, known as the "Royal Blues," from their savage -onslaught upon the crowd on the occasion of the arrest of Sir Francis -Burdett at his house in Piccadilly, by order of the Speaker of the House -of Commons. _See_ CHEESEMONGERS. - -~Piccadilly weepers~, long carefully combed-out whiskers of the -Dundreary fashion. - -~Pick~, "to PICK oneself up," to recover after a beating or illness, -sometimes varied to "PICK up one's crumbs;" "to PICK a man up," "to do," -or cheat him. - -~Pickaninny~, a young child is thus styled by the West Indian negroes. -The word is now completely naturalized among sailors and water-side -people in England. - -~Pickers~, the hands.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Pickle~, a miserable or comical position; "he is in a sad PICKLE," said -of any one who has fallen into the gutter, or got besmeared. "A PICKLE -herring," a comical fellow, a merry-andrew.--_Old._ Also, a mischievous -boy; "what a PICKLE he is, to be sure!" Derived from his always getting -into a PICKLE, or mess. - -~Pickles!~ gammon; also a jeering and insulting exclamation. - -~Pick-me-up~, a revivifying drink taken after a debauch; a tonic. - -~Piece~, a contemptuous term for a woman; a strumpet.--_Shakspeare._ Not -always objectionable nowadays. A "barber's clerk" does not object to -hear his sweetheart or wife called "a nice PIECE;" and gentlemen of the -counter-jumping fraternity describe their "young ladies" as "nice PIECES -of goods." - -~Pieman.~ In tossing, the man who cries is called the PIEMAN. In the old -days when the itinerant PIEMAN'S duty was to toss or sell, and his call -was, "Hot pies, toss or buy, toss or buy," he was always supposed to be -entitled to the cry, the intending eater "skying the copper." An active -and efficient police have, however, improved tossing--so far, at all -events, as PIEMEN and poor people are concerned--off the face of the -earth, and gaming of all descriptions is now a luxury confined to the -rich. - -~Pig~, a mass of metal,--so called from its being poured in a fluid -state from a SOW, which _see_.--_Workman's term._ - -~Pig~, a policeman; an informer. The word is now almost exclusively -applied by London thieves to a plain-clothes man, or a "nose." - -~Pig~, a pressman in a printing office. _See_ DONKEY. - -~Pig~, or SOW'S BABY, a sixpence. - -~Pig~, to live in a crowded, filthy manner. The lower orders of Irish -are said to PIG together. A suggestive, if not elegant, expression. - -~Pig and Tinder-box~, the vulgar rendering of the well-known tavern -sign, "Elephant and Castle." - -~Pigeon~, a gullible or soft person. The _French_ cant, or _Argot_, has -the word PIGEON, dupe--"PECHON, PESCHON DE RUBY, apprenti gueux, enfant -(sans doute derobe)". The vagabonds and brigands of Spain also used the -word in their _Germania_, or robbers' language, PALOMO (PIGEON), -ignorant, simple. In the sporting world sharps and flats are often -called "rooks and PIGEONS" respectively--sometimes "spiders and flies." - -~Pigeon~, business, simply the Chinese pronunciation of the English -word.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Pigeon-English~, the English spoken by the natives of Canton and other -parts of China. - -~Pigeon-flying~, or BLUEY CRACKING, breaking into empty houses and -stealing lead. - -~Pigeon's milk~, an imaginary fluid for which boys and simpletons are -frequently sent on the 1st of April. - -~Pig-headed~, obstinate. - -~Pig's eye~, the ace of diamonds in cards. - -~Pig's whisper~, a low or inaudible whisper; also a short space of time, -synonymous with "cockstride," _i.e._, cock's tread. - -~Pike~, a turnpike; "to bilk a PIKE," to cheat the keeper of the -toll-gate. Mr. Tony Weller makes many amusing remarks on PIKES and -PIKE-keepers. Since the first edition of this work was published, PIKES -and PIKE-keepers have departed from amongst us, so far as London and its -immediate vicinity are concerned. - -~Pike~, to run, to be off with speed. - -~Pike it~, is said as a hasty and contemptuous, if not angry, dismissal, -"if you don't like it, take a short stick and PIKE it." This is but a -form of the attempts at rhyming smartness common in London. - - "Joe quickly his sand had sold, sir, - And Bess got a basket of rags; - Then up to St. Giles's they roll'd, sir; - To every bunter Bess brags. - Then unto the gin-shop they PIKE IT, - And Bess was admitted, we hear; - For none of the crew dare but like it, - As Joey, her kiddy, was there," - - _The Sand-man's Wedding_, a Cantata. - - "'Twas not our fault, dear Jack; we saw the watch going into the - house the moment we came there, and we thought it proper to PIKE - OFF."--_The Prison Breaker_, a Farce. - -~Pikey~, a tramp or gipsy. A PIKEY-cart is in various parts of the -country one of those habitable vehicles suggestive of a wandering life. -Possibly the term has reference to one who constantly uses the PIKE, or -turnpike road. - -~Pile~, a sum of money; generally the whole of a man's private means. A -term originally peculiar to Californian miners, in reference to their -accumulated dust and nuggets. American gamblers speak of "putting all -the PILE on" when they fancy anything very much. "To go the whole PILE" -runs level with our sporting phrase, "To go a raker." - -~Pill~, a doctor.--_Military._ PILL-DRIVER, a peddling apothecary. - -~Pill~, to blackball a man at a club. Sometimes a man who is blackballed -is described as having received too much medicine. - -~Pill-box~, a doctor's carriage. - -~Pin~, "to put in the PIN," to refrain from drinking. From the ancient -peg tankard, which was furnished with a row of PINS, or pegs, to -regulate the amount which each person was to drink. Drunken people are -often requested to "put in the PIN," from some remote connexion between -their unsteadiness and that of a carriage wheel which has lost its -linch-PIN. The popular cry, "Put in the PIN," can have no connexion with -the drinking PIN or peg now, whatever it may originally have had. A -MERRY PIN, a roysterer. _See_ PEG. - -~Pinch~, to steal or cheat; also, to catch, or apprehend. - -~Pinchbeck~, inferior, deteriorated. Anything pretending to more than -its proper value is said to be PINCHBECK. - - "Where, in these PINCHBECK days, can we hope to find the old - agricultural virtue in all its purity?"--_Framley Parsonage._ - -PINCHBECK was an inferior metal, compounded of copper and zinc, to -resemble gold. It was very fashionable in the last century, and derived -its name from a Mr. PINCHBECK, a well-known London tradesman, who -manufactured watches, buckles, and other articles out of it. PINCHBECK -first obtained his notoriety by the invention of an ingenious -candle-snuffers, which the author of _The Heroic Epistle to Sir William -Chambers_ made the vehicle of a facetious Ode that went through eight -editions. The title of this _jeu d'esprit_ ran thus:-- - - "_Ode to Mr. Pinchbeck, upon his Newly-invented Candle-Snuffers, by_ - MALCOLM M'GREGOR, Esq., 1776. - - "Illustrious PINCHBECK! condescend, - Thou well-beloved, and best king's friend, - These lyric lines to view; - Oh, may they prompt thee, ere too late, - To snuff the candle of the State, - That burns a little blue!" - -PINCHBECK published a poetical reply, and the two pamphlets were for a -long time the talk of the town. - -~Pink~, the acme of perfection. The scarlet garb worn in the -hunting-field. - -~Pink~, to stab, or pierce. In the days of rapier-wearing a professed -duellist was said to be "a regular PINKER and driller." - -~Pinnel~, or PENNEL,--corruption of penal servitude. As, "four-year -PINNEL." - -~Pinner-up~, a seller of old songs, pinned against a wall or framed -canvas. Formerly many of these street salesmen carried on their little -"paper trade" in London. There are but one or two now left. - -~Pins~, legs. - -~Pipe~, to follow or dog a person; to watch, to notice. - -~Pipe~, to shed tears, or bewail; "PIPE one's eye."--_Sea term._ - - "He first began to eye his pipe. - And then to PIPE his eye."--_Hood._ - -Metaphor from the boatswain's pipe, which calls to duty. - -~Pipe~, "to put one's PIPE out," to traverse his plans, "to take a rise" -out of him. When any one meets with a rebuff or a sharp answer, he is -often told to "put that in his PIPE and smoke it," _i.e._, to digest it -carefully. - -~Piper~, a person employed by an omnibus proprietor to act as a spy on -the conductor. - -~Piper~, a broken-winded hack horse. - -~Pipkin~, the stomach,--properly, an earthen round-bottomed -pot--_Norwich._ - -~Pips~, the marks, no matter of what suit, on playing cards. The ace is -often called "single PIP." - -~Pit~, a breast-pocket. - -~Pitch~, a fixed locality where a patterer can hold forth to a gaping -multitude for at least some few minutes continuously; "to do a PITCH in -the drag," to perform in the street. An itinerant is said to "make a -PITCH" whenever he attempts to do any business. - -~Pitch~, to utter base coin. Smashers are known to themselves and their -friends, the rest of the dangerous classes, as "snide PITCHERS." The -confederacy is divided into makers, buyers, holders, and pitchers. The -maker probably never sees the actual passers of base money, the buyer -being generally the intercommunicating medium. The holder is generally a -man who carries the bulk of the "snides," and waits about; while the -pitcher, often a woman--indeed, more often than not--runs the actual -risk. - -~Pitch~, to go to bed for less than the ordinary period. Journeymen -bakers, and others whose work is disjointed, call any short interval of -sleep a PITCH. Probably from the action. - -~Pitch into~, to fight; "PITCH INTO him, Bill," _i.e._, give him a -thrashing. - -~Pitch the fork~, to tell a pitiful tale. - -~Pitch the nob~, PRICK THE GARTER, which _see_. - -~Place~, to name the first three horses in a race. This is the duty of -the judge, who sees nothing of the race but the finish. Sometimes an -official will place more than the first three, but this in no way -interferes with the meaning of the word as generally received. To run -"nowhere" is to be unplaced. - -~Place~, first, second, or third position in a race. Sometimes a PLACE -is called a "situation" or a "shop." - -~Plant~, a dodge, a preconcerted swindle; a position in the street to -sell from. All bearings-up, bonnetings, and such like arrangements, are -the results of preconcerted schemes or PLANTS. - -~Plant~, to mark a person out for plunder or robbery; to conceal or hide -money, &c.--_Old Cant._ In the sense of conceal, there is a similar word -in _Argot_, PLANQUER. - -~Plant~, a hidden store of money or variables. To "spring a PLANT" is to -unearth another person's hoard. - -~Platform~, a standpoint in an argument, a statement of political or -general opinion. "Home rule's my PLATFORM!" Originally _American_, but -now general. - -~Play~, to strike for higher wages, to be out of work.--_North._ - -~Plebs~, a term used to stigmatize a tradesman's son at Westminster -School. _Latin_, PLEBS, the vulgar. - -~Plough.~ To be PLOUGHED is to fail to pass an examination. About -twenty years ago "pluck," the word then used, began to be superseded -by PLOUGH. It is said to have arisen from a man who could not supply -the examiner with any quotation from Scripture, until at last he -blurted out, "And the ploughers ploughed on my back, and made long -furrows."--_University._ - -~Ploughed~, drunk. - -~Pluck~, the heart, liver, and lungs of an animal,--all that is PLUCKED -away in connexion with the windpipe, from the chest of a sheep or hog. - -~Pluck~, to turn back at a University examination. The supposed origin -of PLUCK is, that when, on degree day, the proctor, after having read -the name of a candidate for a degree, walks down the hall and back, it -is to give any creditor the opportunity of plucking his sleeve, and -informing him of the candidate's being in debt. - -~Pluck~, courage, valour, stoutness. _See following._ - -~Plucked un~, a stout or brave fellow; "he's a rare PLUCKED UN," _i.e._, -he dares face anything. - -During the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny PLUCKY, signifying -courageous, became a favourite term even among ladies; and the term -British PLUCK will probably live--slangy as is its origin--as long as -the language into which it has been adopted, for the history of the -deeds with which it is associated can never die, while, indeed, a -history remains to this country. The word met with great disfavour at -first from the "genteel," but of course they followed when aristocracy -deigned to use it. - -~Plum~, L100,000, usually applied to the dowry of a rich heiress, to a -legacy, or to a sum made in business or by a lucky speculation. - -~Plum-cash~, prime cost.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Plummy~, round, sleek, jolly, or fat; excellent, very good, first-rate. - -~Plumper~, a single vote at an election, not a "split ticket." - -~Plunder~, a common word in the horse trade to express profit. Also an -American term for baggage, luggage. In Lower Canada the French packmen -call luggage "butin." - -~Plunger~, a heavy cavalry-man.--_Military slang._ - -~Plutocracy~, the wealthy classes. The Manchester merchants are often -termed a millocracy, and words of a similar character are mobocracy and -moneyocracy. - -~Pocket~, to put up with. A man who does not resent an affront is said -to POCKET it. - -~Pocket-pistol~, a dram-flask. - -~Podgy~, drunk; dumpy, short, and fat. - -~Pogram~, a Dissenter, a fanatic, formalist, or humbug. So called from a -well-known enthusiast of this name. - -~Poke~, a bag, or sack; "to buy a pig in a POKE," to purchase anything -without seeing it. POKE was originally a pocket. Shakspeare says-- - - "And then he pulled a dial from his POKE." - -~Poke.~ "Come, none of your POKING fun at me," _i.e._, you must not -laugh at me. - -~Poker.~ "By the holy POKER and the tumbling Tom!" an Irish oath. - -~Pokers~, or SILVER POKERS, the Bedels of the Vice-Chancellor, who carry -silver maces, and accompany him through the streets. They are also -officers of his court.--_University._ - - "Around, around, all, all around. - On seats with velvet lined, - Sat Heads of Houses in a row, - And Deans and College Dons below, - With a POKER or two behind." - - _Rime of the New-made Baccalere_, 1841. - -~Poky~, confined or cramped; "that corner is POKY and narrow." -Housewives describe a small uncomfortable room as "a POKY hole." -_Saxon_, POKE, a sack. - -~Policeman~, a fly--more especially the kind known as "blue bottle." -Also, among the dangerous classes, a man who is unworthy of confidence, -a sneak or mean fellow. - -~Polish off~, to finish off anything quickly--a dinner, for instance; -also to finish off an adversary.--_Pugilistic._ - -~Poll~, at Cambridge, the "ordinary degree" candidates for the B.A. -Examination, who do not aspire to the "Honours" list. From the _Greek_, -_hoi polloi_, "the many." - -~Poll~, to beat or distance, as in a race; to utterly vanquish in -competition. Term much used by printers. - -~Poll~, a female of unsteady character; "POLLED up," means living with a -woman in a state of unmarried impropriety. Also, if a costermonger sees -one of his friends walking with a strange woman, he will say to him on -the earliest opportunity, "I saw yer when yer was POLLED up." - -~Poll~, or POLLING, one thief robbing another of part of the booty. In -use in ancient times, _vide Hall's Union_, 1548. - -~Poll parrot~, a talkative, gossiping woman. A term much used about -Ratcliff Highway. - -~Polony~, Cockney shortening and vulgar pronunciation of Bologna -(sausage). The sausages which are sold under the name of POLONIES have, -however, no nearer connexion with Bologna sausages than that of the -word's derivation. - -~Pompadours~, the Fifty-sixth Regiment of Foot in the British army. - -~Ponce~, a degraded man who lives upon a woman's prostitution. Low-class -East-end thieves even will "draw the line" at PONCES, and object to -their presence in the boozing-kens. - -~Pond~, or HERRING-POND, the sea; so called by those who were sent -across it at the national expense. - -~Ponge~, or PONGELOW, beer, half-and-half; the term is also used as a -verb, as in the Cockney phrase, "let's PONGELOW, shall we?" - -~Pony~, twenty-five pounds.--_Sporting._ - -~Poona~, a sovereign. Corruption of "pound;" or from the _Lingua -Franca_. - -~Pop~, to pawn or pledge; "to POP up the spout," to pledge at the -pawnbroker's,--an allusion to the spout up which the brokers send the -ticketed articles until such times as they shall be redeemed. The spout -runs from the ground-floor to the wareroom at the top of the house. -Ginger-beer is also known as POP. - -~Pop the question~, to make an offer of marriage. - -~Pope's-eye~, a peculiar little part in a leg of mutton, much esteemed -by lovers of that joint. - -~Pope's nose~, the extremity of the rump of a roast fowl, sometimes -devilled as a dainty for epicures. Also known as "the parson's NOSE." - -~Pops~, pocket-pistols. - -~Porterhouse steak~, an American term for a steak which contains a small -bone. In the States, tender-loin steaks are much eaten. These are from -what we call the undercut of the sirloin. - -~Portrait~, a sovereign. Modification of "Queen's picture." - -~Posa~, a treasurer. A corruption of "purser," the name given -to the treasurer in the large Anglo-Chinese mercantile -establishments.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Posh~, a halfpenny, or trifling coin. Also a generic term for money. - -~Post~, to pay down; "POST the pony" signifies to place the stakes -played for on the table. - -~Post-horn~, the nose. _See_ PASTE-HORN. - -~Post-mortem~, at Cambridge, the second examination which men who have -been "plucked" have to undergo.--_University._ - -~Posted up~, well acquainted with the subject in question, "up to the -mark,"--metaphor drawn from the counting-house. - -~Pot~, a favourite in the betting for a race. Probably so called because -it is usual to say that a heavily-backed horse carries "a POT of money." -When a favourite is beaten the POT is said to be upset. - -~Pot~, a sixpence, _i.e._, the price of a POT or quart of half-and-half. -A half-crown, in medical student slang, is a FIVE-POT piece. - -~Pot~, TO GO TO POT, to die; from the classic custom of putting the -ashes of the dead in an urn; also, to be ruined or broken up,--often -applied to tradesmen who fail in business. "Go to POT!" _i.e._, go and -hang yourself, shut up and be quiet.--_L'Estrange._ "To put the POT on," -to overcharge or exaggerate. "To go to POT" most probably means to go -out of all shape, as metal in the melting-pot. - -~Pot~, to finish; "don't POT me," term used at billiards, when a player -holes his adversary's ball--generally considered shabby play. This word -was much used by our soldiers in the Crimea in reference to shots from a -hole or ambush. These were called POT-SHOTS. The term is still used to -denote a shot taken sitting or at ease. - -~Pot-boiler~, a picture hurriedly painted for the purpose of "keeping -the POT BOILING."--_Artistic slang._ - -~Pot-faker~, a hawker of crockery and general earthenware. - -~Pot-hat~, a low-crowned hat, as distinguished from the soft wideawake -and the stove-pipe. - -~Pot-hunter~, a sportsman who shoots anything he comes across, having -more regard to filling his bag than to the rules which regulate the -sport. A man who fires at anything, regardless of the rules which govern -true sportsmen. - -~Pot-hunter~, a man who gives his time up to rowing or punting, or -any sort of match in order to win the "pewters" which are given as -prizes.--_University._ The term is now much used in aquatic and athletic -circles; and is applied, in a derogatory sense, to men of good quality -who enter themselves in small races they are almost sure to win, and -thus deprive the juniors of small trophies which should be above the -attention of champions, though valuable to beginners. Also an unwelcome -guest, who manages to be just in time for dinner. - -~Pot-luck~, just as it comes; to take POT-LUCK, _i.e._, one's chance of -a dinner, or of what there is for dinner. A hearty term, used to signify -that whatever the pot contains the visitor is welcome to. - -~Pot-valiant~, courageous through application to the bottle. Possessed -of Dutch courage. - -~Pot-walloper~, an elector in certain boroughs before the passing -of the first Reform Bill, whose qualification consisted in being a -housekeeper,--to establish which it was only necessary to boil a pot -within the limits of the borough, by the aid of any temporary erection. -This implied that he was able to provide for himself, and not -necessitated to apply for parochial relief. Honiton, Tregoney, -Ilchester, Old Sarum, &c., had this privilege before the passing of the -first Reform Bill. Also, a scullion. - -~Potato-trap~, the mouth.--Originally a Hibernicism. - -~Potheen~, whisky made in an illicit still, once a favourite drink in -Ireland, now almost unattainable. People resident in England who read of -the charms of POTHEEN would be rather astonished if they were to taste -it. It is real "fire-water" flavoured with peat-smoke. - -~Potted~, or POTTED OUT, cabined, confined, figurative of crammed into a -garden-pot. Also applied to burial,--a horticultural allusion. - -~Potter~, to meddle without much judgment. Application various. A -gentleman may describe himself as "POTTERING about in his garden," and -think the phrase pleasant. The gardener, who has to do the work all over -again, may, however, use the word in quite a different sense. - -~Power~, a large quantity; "a POWER of money."--_Irish_ at first, but -now general. - -~Pow-wow~, a conference. Originally an Indian term. - -~Prad~, a horse. PRAD-NAPPING was horse-stealing. Both these terms are -old cant. - -~Prancer~, a horse.--_Ancient Cant._ In modern slang an officer of -cavalry. - -~Praties~, potatoes.--_Irish._ - -~Precious~, used, in a slang sense, like very or exceeding; "a PRECIOUS -little of that," _i.e._, a very little indeed; a PRECIOUS humbug, -rascal, &c., _i.e._, an eminent one. - -~Pretty horsebreakers~, a phrase adopted some years back, in deference -to common squeamishness, to denote the _demi-monde_, who dress so well -and ride so daintily. Really, pretty heartbreakers. - -~Prial~, a corruption of PAIR-ROYAL, a term at the game of cribbage, -meaning three cards of a similar description. Often used metaphorically -for three persons or things of a kind. DOUBLE-PRIAL, a corruption of -DOUBLE PAIR-ROYAL, means four cards, persons, or things of a similar -description. - -~Prick the garter~, or PITCH THE NOB, a gambling and cheating game -common at fairs, and generally practised by thimble-riggers. It consists -of a GARTER or a piece of list doubled, and then folded up tight. The -bet is made upon your asserting that you can, with a pin, PRICK the -point at which the garter is doubled. The garter is then unfolded, and -nine times out of ten you will find that you have been deceived, and -that one of the false folds has been pricked. The owner of the GARTER -holds the ends tightly with one hand, and there is little doubt that he -can make the "flat" lose and the "bonnet" win at pleasure. This was, -doubtless, originally a gipsy game, and we are informed by Brand that it -was much practised by the gipsies in the time of Shakspeare. In those -days it was termed PRICKING AT THE BELT, or FAST AND LOOSE. - -~Prig~, a thief. Used by Addison in the sense of a coxcomb.--_Ancient -Cant_, probably from the _Saxon_, PRICC-AN, to filch, &c.--_Shakspeare._ -PRIG, to steal or rob. PRIGGING, thieving. In Scotland the term PRIG is -used in a different sense from what it is in England. In Glasgow, or at -Aberdeen, "to PRIG a salmon" would be to cheapen it, or seek for an -abatement in the price. A story is told of two Scotchmen, visitors to -London, who got into sad trouble a few years ago by announcing their -intention of "PRIGGING a hat" which they had espied in a fashionable -manufacturer's window, and which one of them thought he would like to -possess. - -~Prig~, a conceited, stuck-up, over-knowing person; one who appropriates -or adopts a manner or costume not suited to him. - -~Priggish~, conceited. - -~Primed~, said of a person in that state of incipient intoxication that -if he took more drink it would become evident. Also, crammed for an -examination. - -~Pro~, a professional.--_Theatrical._ - -~Pro~, the proproctor, or second in command in the proctorial police. -The two proctors generally appoint a certain number of proproctors -each.--_Oxford University._ - -~Proctorized~, TO BE, to be stopped by the Proctor, and told to call on -him.--_University._ - -~Prog~, meat, food, &c. Johnson calls it "a low word." He was fond of -"prog," however. - -~Proof~, the best ale at Magdalen College, Oxford. - -~Prop~, a blow. As, "a PROP on the nose,"--more street slang than -pugilistic. - -~Prop~, a scarf pin. - -~Prop-nailer~, a man who "sneaks," or rather snatches, pins from -gentlemen's scarves. - -~Proper~, very, exceedingly, sometimes used ironically; "you are a -PROPER nice fellow," meaning a great scamp. A "PROPER man" generally -means a perfect man, as far as can be known. - -~Props~, crutches. - -~Props~, stage properties.--_Theatrical._ - -~Pros~, a water-closet. Abbreviated form of _pros tina topon_. Some say, -_pros ton topon_.--_Oxford University._ - -~Pross~, to break in or instruct a stage-infatuated youth. Also, to -spunge upon a comrade or stranger for drink. In this latter capacity the -word is in connexion with prostitute, a PROSSER being considered a most -degraded being, and the word being supposed by many to represent a man -who lives on a woman's prostitution. - -~Psalm-smiter~, a "Ranter," one who sings at a conventicle. _See_ -BRISKET-BEATER. - -~Pub~, or PUBLIC, a public-house; "what PUB do you use?" _i.e._, which -inn or public-house do you frequent? - -~Public patterers~, swell mobsmen who pretend to be Dissenting -preachers, and harangue in the open air to attract a crowd for their -confederates to rob. - -~Pucker~, poor or bad temper, difficulty, _deshabille_. PUCKER UP, to -get in a bad temper. - -~Puckering~, talking privately. - -~Puckerow~, to seize, to take hold of. From the _Hindostanee_, -PUCKERNA.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Pudding-snammer~, one who robs a cook-shop. - -~Puff~, to blow up, or swell with praise; declared by a writer in the -_Weekly Register_, as far back as 1732, to be illegitimate. - - "PUFF has become a cant word, signifying the applause set forth by - writers, &c. to increase the reputation and sale of a book, and is - an excellent stratagem to excite the curiosity of gentle readers." - -Lord Bacon, however, used the word in a similar sense a century before. -Sheridan also seems to have remembered the use of the word, _vide_ Mr. -PUFF. - -~Pug~, a fighting man's idea of the contracted word to be produced from -pugilist. - -~Pull~, an advantage, or hold upon another; "I've the PULL over (or of) -you," _i.e._, you are in my power--perhaps an oblique allusion to the -judicial sense. See the following. - -~Pull~, to have one apprehended; "to be PULLED up," or more recently "to -be PULLED" only, to be taken before a magistrate. The police are -constantly "pulling" loitering, furiously driving, or drunken cabmen. - -~Pull~, to drink; "come, take a PULL at it," _i.e._, drink up. - -~Pull~, to prevent a horse from winning, that is, so far as the rider's -action is concerned. - -~Pullet~, a young girl. Filly is an exchangeable term. - -~Pummel~, to thrash,--from POMMEL. - -~Pump~, to extract information by roundabout questioning. - -~Pundit~, a person who assumes to be very grave and -learned.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Punkah~, a fan, usually a fan of very large size, worked with a string, -and used to ventilate rooms.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Punt~, to gamble; PUNTING-SHOP, a gambling-house. Common in ancient -writers, but now disused. The word seems confined to playing for -"chicken stakes." PUNT means now in the sporting world to back horses -for small stakes. - -~Punter~, a small professional backer of horses. - -~Pup and ringer~, _i.e._, the "Dog and Bell," the sign of a flash -public-house. - -~Purdah~, a curtain.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Pure finders~, street-collectors of dogs' dung.--_Humorous._ - -~Purl~, to spill; PURLED is a hunting and steeplechasing term synonymous -with "foaled," or "spilt" (thrown); "he'll get PURLED at the rails." - -~Purl~, a mixture of hot ale and sugar, with wormwood infused in it, a -favourite morning drink to produce an appetite; sometimes with gin and -spice added:-- - - "Two penn'orth o' PURL-- - Good 'early PURL,' - 'Gin all the world - To put your hair into a curl, - When you feel yourself queer of a mornin'." - -~Purler~, a heavy fall from a horse in the hunting or steeplechasing -field. - -~Push~, a robbery or swindle. "I'm in this PUSH," the notice given by -one magsman to another that he means to "stand in." - -~Push~, a crowd.--_Old Cant._ - -~Pussey-cats~, corruption of Puseyites, a name constantly, but -improperly, given to the Tractarian party in the Church, from the Oxford -Regius Professor of Hebrew, who by no means approved of the Romanizing -tendencies of some of its leaders. The name still sticks, however, to -this day. - -~Put~, a game at cards, once fashionable, but now played among thieves -and costermongers only. - -~Put~, an obsolete slang term representing the modern "bloke" or "cove." -It was generally applied to elderly persons. - -~Put on~, to promise another money or valuables in the event of an -anticipated success. "You're ON a quid if Kaiser wins," might often have -been heard before last St. Leger. Many hangers-on of the turf live -almost entirely by what they are PUT ON, by bookmakers and backers for -whom they do odd work. - -~Put that in your pipe and smoke it~, said of a blow or repartee, and -equivalent to take that and think over it, or digest it, or let it be a -warning to you. - -~Put the pot on~, to put too much money upon one horse.--_Sporting._ - -~Put up~, to suggest, to incite, "he PUT me UP to it;" he prompted me to -do it. PUT UP, to stop at an hotel or a tavern for entertainment. - -~Put up~, to inspect or plan out with a view of robbery. To obtain full -particulars with regard to a house and its occupants, so that danger -shall be reduced to a minimum, and the chances of success enlarged. - -~Put upon~, cheated, victimized, oppressed. - -~Putter up~, a man who travels about for the purpose of obtaining -information useful to professional burglars. A man of this description -will assume many characters, sometimes ingratiating himself with the -master of a house, sometimes with the servants, but all to one end, that -of robbery. He rarely or never joins in the actual burglary, his work -being simply to obtain full particulars as to how, when, and where, for -which he receives his full share of the "swag." - -~Puttun~, regiment.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Pyah~, weak, useless, paltry. This word, much in use among sailors, is -evidently derived from the Indian term PARIAH, signifying the lowest -caste of Hindoos. Thus the Pariah dogs in India are termed PYAH dogs; -and the Pariah descendants of the old Portuguese settlers are called -PYAH Portuguese. Sailors term the natives of St. Helena--a -wretched-looking set of individuals--PYAH Englishmen. - -~Pygostole~, the least irreverent of names for the peculiar M. B. coats -worn by Tractarian curates:-- - - "It is true that the wicked make sport - Of our PYGOSTOLES, as we go by; - And one gownsman, in Trinity Court, - Went so far as to call me a 'Guy.'" - -_See_ M. B. - -~Pyjands~, a kind of drawers or loose pantaloons.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Quad.~ _See_ QUOD. - -~Quaker~, a lump of excrement. - -~Quality~, gentry, the upper classes. - -~Quandary~, described in the dictionaries as a "low word," may fittingly -be given here. It illustrates, like "hocus-pocus," and other compound -colloquialisms, the singular origin of slang expressions. QUANDARY, a -dilemma, a doubt, a difficulty, is from the French, QU'EN -DIRAI-JE?--_Skinner._ - -~Quartereen~, a farthing.--_Gibraltar term._ _Italian_, QUATTRINO. - -~Quaver~, a musician. - -~Quean~, a strumpet. In Scotland, a lower-class woman. _Saxon_, CWEAN, a -barren old cow. - -~Queen Bess~, the Queen of Clubs,--perhaps because that queen, history -says, was of a swarthy complexion.--_North Hants._ _See Gentleman's -Magazine for 1791_, p. 141. - -~Queen's tobacco-pipe~, the kiln in which all contraband tobacco seized -by the Custom-house officers is burned. - -~Queer~, an old cant word, once in continual use as a prefix, signifying -base, roguish, or worthless,--the opposite of RUM, which signified good -and genuine. QUEER, in all probability, is immediately derived from the -cant language. It has been mooted that it came into use from a _quaere_ -(?) being set before a man's name; but it is more than probable that it -was brought into this country, by the gipsies, from Germany, where QUER -signifies "cross" or "crooked." At all events it is believed to have -been first used in England as a cant word. - -~Queer~, "to QUEER a flat," to puzzle or confound a "gull," or silly -fellow. - - "Who in a row like Tom could lead the van, - Booze in the ken, or at the spellken hustle? - Who QUEER a flat," &c.--_Don Juan_, xi. 19. - -~Queer bail~, worthless persons who for a consideration formerly stood -bail for any one in court. Insolvent Jews generally performed this -office, which gave rise to the term JEW-BAIL, otherwise STRAW BAIL. - -~Queer-bit-makers~, coiners. - -~Queer cuffen~, a justice of the peace, or magistrate,--a very ancient -term, mentioned in the earliest slang dictionary. In this sense, as well -as in that of the verb just given, the term is evidently derived from -_quaero_, to inquire, to question. Quiz and _quis?_ have also an -undoubted connexion. - -~Queer-soft~, bad notes. - -~Queer-street~, "in QUEER STREET," in difficulty or in want. - -~Querier~, a chimney-sweep who calls from house to house soliciting -employment,--formerly termed KNULLER, which _see_. - -~Qui-hi~, an English resident at Calcutta.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Quick sticks~, in a hurry, rapidly; "to cut QUICK STICKS," to start off -hurriedly, or without more ado. _See_ CUT ONE'S STICK. - -~Quid~, or THICK UN, a sovereign; "half a QUID," half a sovereign; -QUIDS, money generally; "QUID for a QUOD," one good turn for another. -The word is used by old French writers:-- - - "Des testamens qu'on dit le maistre - De mon fait n'aura QUID ne QUOD." - - _Grand testament de Villon._ - -~Quid~, a small piece of tobacco--one mouthful. _Quid est hoc?_ asked -one, tapping the swelled cheek of another; _Hoc est quid_, promptly -replied the other, exhibiting at the same time a "chaw" of the weed. CUD -is probably a corruption. Derivation, _O. F._, or _Norman_, QUIDER, to -ruminate. - -~Quid-nunc~, an inquisitive person, always seeking for news. The words -translated simply signify, "What now?" - -~Quiet~, "on the QUIET," clandestinely, so as to avoid observation, -"under the rose." - -~Quill-driver~, a scrivener, a clerk,--satirical phrase similar to -"steel bar driver," a tailor. - -~Quiller~, a parasite, a person who sucks neatly through a quill. _See_ -SUCK UP. - -~Quilt~, to thrash, or beat. - -~Quisby~, bankrupt, poverty-stricken. Amplification of QUEER. - -~Quisi~, roguish, low, obscene.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Qui-tam~, a solicitor. _He who_, _i.e._, "he who, as much for himself -as for the King," seeks a conviction, the penalty for which goes half to -the informer and half to the Crown. The term would, therefore, with -greater propriety, be applied to a spy than to a solicitor. - -~Quiz~, a prying person, an odd fellow. Originally Oxford slang, but now -general, and lately admitted into some dictionaries. _See_ QUEER CUFFEN. - -~Quiz~, to pry, or joke; to hoax. - -~Quizzical~, jocose, humorous. - -~Quizzing-glass~, an eyeglass. This was applied to the old single -eyeglass, which was not stuck in the eye, as now, but was held in the -hand. - -~Quockerwodger~, a wooden toy figure which, when pulled by a string, -jerks its limbs about. The term is used in a slang sense, to signify a -pseudo-politician, one whose strings of action are pulled by somebody -else. - -~Quod~, a prison, a lock-up; QUODDED, put in prison. QUOD is really a -shortening of quadrangle; so to be QUODDED is to be within four walls. -The expression is, however, seldom used now except to mean in prison. At -Oxford, where it is spelt QUAD, the word has its original signification. - -~Quodger~, a contraction, or corruption rather, of the _Latin_ law -phrase, QUO JURE? by what law?--_Legal._ - -~R. M. D.~, cash down, immediate payment. The initial letters of READY -MONEY DOWN. Another version of this is P. Y. C. (pay your cash), often -seen in the market quotations,--as, "Meat fetched 6_s._ 4_d._ a stone, -P. Y. C., and 6_s._ 6_d._ for the account." - -~Rabbit~, when a person gets the worst of a bargain, he is said "to have -bought the RABBIT." From an old story about a man selling a cat to a -foreigner for a rabbit. - -~Racket~, a dodge, manoeuvre, exhibition; a disturbance. - -~Rackety~, wild or noisy. - -~Racks~, the bones of a dead horse. Term used by horse-slaughterers. - -~Raclan~, a married woman. Originally Gipsy, but now a term with English -tramps. - -~Rafe~, or RALPH, a pawnbroker's duplicate.--_Norwich._ - -~Raff~, a dirty, dissipated fellow; RAFFISH, looking like a RAFF. - -~Rag~, to divide or share; "let's RAG IT," or "go RAGS," _i.e._, share -it equally between us.--_Norwich._ - -~Rag~, a bank-note. - -~Rag and Famish~, the Army and Navy Club. From Ensign RAG and Captain -FAMISH, imaginary characters, out of whom Leech some years back obtained -much amusement. - -~Rag-shop~, a bank. - -~Rag-splawger~, a rich man. - -~Ragamuffin~, an ill-clad vagabond, a tatterdemalion. - -~Rain napper~, an umbrella. - -~Raise the wind~, to obtain credit, or money,--generally by pawning or -selling property, but not unusually by borrowing. Sometimes varied to -WHISTLE UP THE BREEZE. - -~Raker~, TO GO A, is, in racing parlance, to put more money than usual -on a certain horse. "Going a RAKER" often leads to "coming a cropper." - -~Ramp~, to hustle, to rob with violence, to levy blackmail in a -ferocious manner; to extort by means of threats. RAMPING is generally -done in gangs. - -~Rampage~, TO BE ON THE, on the drink, on the loose. Dickens, in _Great -Expectations_, refers to Mrs. Jo as being on the RAMPAGE when she is -worse tempered than usual. - -~Ramper~, a ruffian of the most brutal description, who infests -racecourses and similar places on welching expeditions during summer, -and finds pleasure and profit in garrotte robberies during winter. - -~Ramshackle~, queer, rickety, knocked about, as standing corn is after a -high wind. Corrupted from RAM-SHATTER, or possibly from RANSACK. - -~Rancho~, originally a Spanish-American word, signifying a -hunting-lodge, or cattle-station, in a wood or desert far from the -haunts of men. A hunting or fishing station in the Highlands or -elsewhere. In Washington, with their accustomed ingenuity in corrupting -words and meanings, the Americans use the appellation for a place of -evil report. The word is generally pronounced RANCH now. - -~Randals-man.~ _See_ BILLY. - -~Randan~, a boat impelled by three rowers, the midship man sculling, and -the bowman and strokesman rowing with oars. - -~Random~, three horses driven in line. _See_ TANDEM, SUDDEN DEATH, -HARUM-SCARUM. - -~Randy~, rampant, violent, warm.--_North._ RANDY-BEGGAR, a gipsy tinker. - -~Rank~, to cheat. Modification of RAMP. - -~Ranker~, a commissioned officer in the army who has risen from the -ranks. Usually employed in a disparaging sense. Purely military. Also, -among street folk, a corruption of RANK DUFFER. - -~Ran-tan~, "on the RAN-TAN," drunk. - -~Rantipoll~, a noisy rude girl, a madcap. - -~Rap~, a halfpenny; frequently used generically for money, thus:--"I -haven't a RAP," _i.e._, I have no money whatever; "I don't care a RAP," -&c. Originally a species of counterfeit coin used for small change in -Ireland, against the use of which a proclamation was issued, 5th May, -1737. Small copper or base metal coins are still called RAPPEN in the -Swiss cantons. Irish robbers were formerly termed RAPPAREES. - -~Rap~, to utter rapidly and vehemently; "he RAPPED out a volley of -oaths." - -~Rapping~, enormous; "a RAPPING big lie." - -~Rapscallion~, a low tattered wretch--not worth a RAP. - -~Raree-show~, a collection of curiosities. - -~Rat~, a sneak, an informer, a turn-coat, one who changes his party for -interest. The late Sir Robert Peel was called the RAT, or the TAMWORTH -RATCATCHER, for altering his views on the Roman Catholic question. From -RATS deserting vessels about to sink. The term is often used amongst -printers to denote one who works under price. Old cant for a clergyman. - -~Rat~, TO SMELL A, to suspect something, to guess that there is -something amiss. - -~Rather!~ a ridiculous street exclamation synonymous with yes; "Do you -like fried chickens?" "RATHER!" "Are you going out of town?" "RATHER!" -Very often pronounced "RAYTHER!" - -~Rattening~, the punishment inflicted on non-unionists by Sheffield -grinders, through the instrumentality of "Mary Ann." _See_ Parliamentary -Inquiry Report on the subject. - -~Rattlecap~, an unsteady, volatile person. Generally applied to girls. - -~Rattler~, a cab, coach, or cart.--_Old Cant._ - -~Rattletrap~, the mouth. Anything shaky and mean, but pretentious and -vulgar, is said to belong to the RATTLETRAP order of things. - -~Rattling~, jolly, pleasant, well-appointed. "A RATTLING good spread" -means an excellent repast, while a true friend is said to be a "RATTLING -good fellow." - -~Raw~, a tender point, or foible; "to touch a man upon the RAW," is to -irritate one by alluding to, or joking him on, anything on which he is -peculiarly susceptible or "thin-skinned." Originally stable slang. - - "Liver and bacon, kidneys, ten pounds one! - He thinks me RAW. I think I'm rather DONE." - - _Phantom Barber._ - -~Raw~, uninitiated; a novice.--_Old._ Frequently JOHNNY RAW. - -~Reach me downs~, or HAND ME DOWNS, clothes bought at secondhand shops. -From "REACH ME DOWN that, and let's see if it fits." In Houndsditch and -other celebrated old clothes' marts, the goods are kept hanging on pegs -so as to be well within view of intending buyers. - -~Reader~, a pocket-book; "Touch him for his READER," _i.e._, rob him of -his pocket-book. - -~Ready~, or READY GILT (maybe GELT), money. Used by Arbuthnot--"Lord -Strut was not very flush in READY." - -~Ready-reckoners~, the Highland regiments of the British army. - -~Real jam~, a sporting phrase, meaning anything exceptionally good. It -is said to be REAL JAM for those who back a horse at a long price, when -the animal wins, or comes to a short figure. - -~Recent incision~, the busy thoroughfare on the Surrey side of the -Thames, known to sober people as the New Cut. Even this latter name has -now been changed--if indeed the place ever was so called properly. -Although to the general public the street which runs from opposite -Rowland Hill's Chapel to Westminster Bridge Road is known as the New -Cut, its name to the Board of Works is Lower Marsh. - -~Redge~, gold. - -~Red herring~, a soldier. The terms are exchangeable, the fish being -often called a "soldier." - -~Red lane~, the throat. - -~Red liner~, an officer of the Mendicity Society. - -~Red rag~, the tongue. - -~Red un~, a gold watch. - -~Redtape~, official routine. A term which was much in vogue during the -Crimean campaign, so famous for War Office blunderings. - -~Regulars~, a thief's fair share of plunder. - -~Reliever~, a coat worn in turn by any party of poor devils whose -wardrobes are in pawn. - -~Relieving Officer~, a significant term for a father.--_University._ - -~Renage~, to revoke, a word used in Ireland at the game of five-card. - -~Rench~, vulgar pronunciation of RINSE. "(W)RENCH your mouth out," said -a fashionable dentist one day. - -~Re-raw~, "on the RE-RAW," tipsy or drunk. - -~Resurrection pie~, once a school but now a common phrase, used in -reference to a pie supposed to be made of the scraps and leavings that -have appeared before. - -~Ret~, an abbreviation of the word REITERATION, used to denote the forme -which, in a printing-office, backs or perfects paper already printed on -one side. - -~Rhino~, ready money.--_Old._ - - "Some as I know, - Have parted with their ready RINO." - - _The Seaman's Adieu_, Old Ballad, 1670. - -~Rhinoceral~, rich, wealthy, abounding in RHINO. At first sound it would -seem as though it meant a man abounding in rhinoceroses. - -~Rib~, a wife. Derivation, of course, Biblical. - -~Ribbon~, gin, or other spirits. Modification of white satin. - -~Ribbons~, the reins. "To handle the RIBBONS," to drive. - -~Ribroast~, to beat till the ribs are sore.--_Old_; but still in use:-- - - "And he departs, not meanly boasting - Of his magnificent RIBROASTING."--_Hudibras._ - -~Rich~, spicy; also used in the sense of "too much of a good thing;" "a -RICH idea," one too absurd or unreasonable to be adopted. - -~Richard~, a dictionary. _See_ DICK. - -~Ride~, "to RIDE the high horse," or "RIDE roughshod over one," to be -overbearing or oppressive; "to RIDE the black donkey," to be in an ill -humour. - -~Rider~, in a University examination, a problem or question appended to -another, as directly arising from or dependent on it;--beginning to be -generally used for any corollary or position which naturally arises from -any previous statement or evidence. - -~Rider~, a supplementary clause in a document. - -~Riff-raff~, low, vulgar rabble. - -~Rig~, or trick, "spree," or performance; "run a RIG," to play a -trick.--_See_ JOHN GILPIN. "RIG the market," in reality to play tricks -with it,--a mercantile slang phrase often used in the newspapers. - -~Rigged~, "well RIGGED," well dressed.--_Old Slang_, in use in 1736. -_See Bailey's Dictionary.--Sea._ - -~Rigging~, a process well known in connexion with sales by auction, by -which articles are secured at prices considerably below their real -value. _See_ KNOCK-OUTS. To RIG the market is to do similar business on -a larger scale for the purpose of affecting the supplies, and thereby -increasing the profits on an original purchase of the goods thus made -scarce. - -~Right as ninepence~, or NICE AS NINEPENCE (possible corruption of -NINE-PINS), quite right, exactly right, comfortable. _See_ NINEPENCE. - -~Right you are~, a phrase implying entire acquiescence in what has been -said or done. The expression is singularly frequent and general amongst -the lower and middle classes of the metropolis. - -~Rights~, "to have one to RIGHTS," to be even with him, to serve him out -properly. "TO RIGHTS" is also an ejaculation signifying satisfaction of -the highest order. - -~Rigmarole~, a prolix story. - -~Rile~, to offend, to render very cross, irritated, or vexed. Properly, -to render liquor turbid. - -~Ring~, to change; "RINGING castors," changing hats; "to RING the -changes," in low life means to change bad money for good; in -respectable society the phrase is sometimes employed to denote that the -aggressor has been paid back in his own coin, as in practical joking, -when the laugh is turned against the jester. The expression originally -came from the belfry. - -~Ring~, a generic term given to horse-racing and pugilism,--the latter -was sometimes termed the PRIZE-RING. From the rings used for betting and -fighting in, respectively. - -~Ring~, formerly "to go through the RING," to take advantage of the -Insolvency Act, or be "whitewashed." Now obsolete. - -~Ring~, the open space in front of a racecourse stand, which is used for -betting purposes. Betting men are nowadays known as members of the ring, -especially if they are in the habit of attending race-meetings. RING, in -America, is a combination of speculators whose object is to force the -market for their own especial benefit without any regard to order or -decency. We have similar arrangements here, but hitherto no one word has -fairly described them. - -~Ringdropping~, is a pursuit to which London "magsmen" and -"street-muggers" are prone. A ring or other spurious article is supposed -to be found just in front of a "soft-looking party," and he or she is -tempted to buy it at less than half its supposed value. - -~Rip~, a rake, "an old RIP," an old libertine, or a debauchee. -Corruption of REPROBATE. - -~Rip~, to go at a rare pace. This is an American term, and often means -to burst up. "Let her RIP, I'm insured." - -~Ripper~, a first-rate man or article.--_Provincial._ - -~Ripping~, excellent, very good. Equivalent to "stunning." - -~Rise~, "to take a RISE out of a person." A metaphor from fly-fishing, -the silly fish RISING to be caught by an artificial fly; to mortify, -outwit, or cheat him, by superior cunning. - - "There is only one thing, unfortunately, of which Oxford men are - economical, and that is, their University experience. They not only - think it fair that Freshmen should go through their ordeal unaided, - but many have a sweet satisfaction in their distresses, and even - busy themselves in obtaining elevations, or, as it is vulgarly - termed, in 'getting RISES out of them.'"--_Hints to Freshmen_, - Oxford, 1843. - -~Rise, or raise, a Barney~, to collect a mob; term used by patterers and -"schwassle-box" (Punch and Judy) men. - -~Roarer~, a broken-winded horse; or, in the more polite speech of the -stable, "a high blower." ROARING, as applied to horses, is often termed -"talking" by turf-men. It is often said delicately by sporting writers, -when speaking of a broken-winded racehorse, that "he makes a noise." - -~Roaring trade~, a very successful business.--_Shopkeepers' Slang._ - -~Roast~, to expose a person to a running fire of jokes for the -amusement and with the assistance of a whole company. A performance not -indulged in by gentlemen. QUIZZING is done by a single person only. - -~Robin redbreast~, the ancient Bow Street runner. So called from the -colour of his waistcoat. - -~Rock-a-low~, an overcoat. Corruption of the _French_, ROQUELAURE. - -~Rocked~, "he's only HALF-ROCKED," _i.e._, half-witted. _See_ -HALF-ROCKED. - -~Rogue's yarn~, a thread of red or blue worsted, worked into the ropes -manufactured in the Government dockyards, to identify them if stolen. -Also a blue thread worked into canvas, for the same purpose. - -~Roll of snow~, a piece of linen, or bundle of underclothing. - -~Romany~, a gipsy, or the gipsy language; the speech of the Roma or -Zincali.--_Spanish Gipsy._ "Can you patter ROMANY?" _i.e._, can you talk -"black," or gipsy lingo? - -~Rook~, a cheat, or tricky gambler; the opposite of "pigeon." - -~Rook~, to cheat, to play "rook" to another's "pigeon." - -~Rook~, a clergyman, not only from his black attire, but also, perhaps, -from the old nursery favourite, the _History of Cock Robin_. - - "I, says the ROOK, - With my little book, - I'll be the parson." - -~Rookery~, a low neighbourhood inhabited by dirty Irish and thieves--as -St. Giles's ROOKERY.--_Old._ In military slang that part of the barracks -occupied by subalterns, often by no means a pattern of good order. - -~Rooky~, rascally, rakish, scampish. - -~Roost~, synonymous with PERCH, which _see_. - -~Rooster~, a cock, whether bantam, game, barndoor, or of any other kind. -This is an Americanism which obtains full currency on the other side of -the Atlantic, though its use would infer that hens do not roost. As the -outcome of transpontine delicacy it must, however, be respected. - -~Rooter~, anything good, or of a prime quality; "that is a ROOTER," -_i.e._, a first-rate one of the sort. - -~Rope~, to lose a race of any kind purposely, to swindle one's backers -or the public by means of a "cross" or pre-arranged race, in which the -best man or best horse is made to ROPE, or run behind. - -~Roper~, MISTRESS, "to marry MRS. ROPER" is to enlist in the Royal -Marines. - -~Ropes~, the ways of London lower life. "To know the ROPES," is to be -conversant with the minutiae of metropolitan dodges, as regards both the -streets and the sporting world. - -~Roping~, the act of pulling or restraining a horse, by its rider, to -prevent its winning a race--a trick not unfrequently practised on the -turf. Also when a pedestrian or other athlete loses where he should have -won, according to his backer's calculations, he is accused of ROPING. - -~Rose~, "under the rose" (frequently used in its _Latin_ form, _sub -rosa_), _i.e._, under the obligation of silence and secrecy, of which -the rose was anciently an emblem, perhaps, as Sir Thomas Browne remarks, -from the closeness with which its petals are enfolded in the bud. The -Rose of Venus was given, says the classic legend, to Harpocrates, the -God of Silence, by Cupid, as a bribe to keep silent about the goddess's -amours. It was commonly sculptured on the ceilings of banqueting rooms, -as a sign that what was said in free conversation there was not -afterwards to be divulged; and about 1526 was placed over the Roman -confessionals as an emblem of secrecy. The White Rose was also an emblem -of the Pretender, whose health, as king, his secret adherents used to -drink "under the ROSE." - -~Rosin~, beer or other drink given to musicians at a dancing party. - -~Rosin-the-bow~, a fiddler. From a famous old song of that name. - -~Rot~, nonsense, anything bad, disagreeable, or useless. - -~Rot-gut~, bad, small beer. _See_ BUMCLINK. In America, cheap whisky. - -~Rough~, bad; "ROUGH fish," bad or stinking fish.--_Billingsgate._ - -~Rough-it~, to put up with chance entertainment, to take pot-luck and -what accommodation "turns up," without sighing for better. - -~Roughs~, coarse, or vulgar men. By many thought to be RUFF, corruption -of RUFFIAN. - -~Rouleau~, a packet of sovereigns.--_Gaming._ - -~Round~, to tell tales, to SPLIT, which _see_; "to ROUND on a man," to -swear to him as being the person, &c. Synonymous with BUFF, which _see_. -Also to turn round upon and abuse or rate. Shakspeare has ROUNDING, -whispering. - -~Round~, "ROUND dealing," honest trading; "ROUND sum," a large sum. -Synonymous also, in a slang sense, with SQUARE, which _see_. - -~Round~ (in the language of the street), the beat or usual walk of a -costermonger to sell his stock. A term used by street folk generally. - - "Watchmen, sometimes they made their sallies, - And walk'd their ROUNDS through streets and allies." - - _Ned Ward's Vulgus Britannicus_, 1710. - -The word "beat" has, so far as our modern guardians are concerned, -deposed "round." - -~Round robin~, a petition, or paper of remonstrance, with the signatures -written in a circle,--to prevent the first signer, or ringleader, from -being discovered. - -~Round un~, an unblushingly given and well-proportioned lie. Sometimes -known as a "whacker." - -~Roundabout~, a large swing with four compartments, each the size, and -very much the shape, of the body of a cart, capable of seating six or -eight boys and girls, erected in a high frame, and turned round by men -at a windlass. Fairs and merry-makings generally abound with these -swings. The frames take to pieces, and are carried in vans from fair to -fair by miserable horses. - -~Roundem~, a button. - -~Row~, "the ROW," _i.e._, Paternoster Row. The notorious Holywell Street -is now called by its denizens "Bookseller's Row." - -~Row~, a noisy disturbance, tumult, or trouble. Originally Cambridge, -now universal. Seventy years ago it was written ROUE, which would almost -indicate a French origin, from _roue_, a profligate or disturber of the -peace.--_Vide_ George Parker's _Life's Painter_, 1789, p. 122. This is, -however, very unlikely, as the derivation of the French word shows. - -~Rowdy~, money. In America, a ruffian, a brawler, a "rough." Rowdyism is -the state of being of New York roughs and loafers. - -~Rowdy-dow~, low, vulgar "not the CHEESE," or thing. - -~Rub~, a quarrel or impediment; "there's the RUB," _i.e._, that is the -difficulty.--_Shakspeare and L'Estrange._ - -~Rubbed out~, dead,--a melancholy expression, of late frequently used in -fashionable novels. RUBBED OUT is synonymous with WIPED OUT, which -_see_. - -~Rubber~, a term at whist, &c., the best of three games. - -~Ruck~, the undistinguished crowd; "to come in with the RUCK," to arrive -at the winning-post among the thick of the unplaced horses.--_Racing -term._ - -~Ruction~, an Irish row. A faction fight. - -~Ruggy~, fusty, frowsy. - -~Rule.~ "To run the RULE over," is, among thieves, to try all a person's -pockets quietly, as done by themselves, or to search any one thoroughly, -as at the police-station. - -~Rule the roast~, to be at the head of affairs, to be "cock of the -walk." - -~Rum~, like its opposite, QUEER, was formerly a much-used prefix, -signifying fine, good, gallant, or valuable; perhaps in some -way connected with ROME. Nowadays it means indifferent, bad, or -questionable, and we often hear even persons in polite society use such -a phrase as, "What a RUM fellow he is, to be sure," in speaking of a man -of singular habits or appearance. The term, from its frequent use, long -since claimed a place in our dictionaries; but, with the exception of -Johnson, who says RUM, a cant word for a clergyman(!), no lexicographer -has deigned to notice it. - - "Thus RUMLY floor'd, the kind Acestes ran, - And pitying, raised from earth the game old man." - - _Virgil's AEneid_, book v., Translation _by Thomas Moore_. - -~Rum cull~, the manager of a theatre, generally the master of a -travelling troop. - -~Rumbler~, a four-wheeled cab. Not so common as BOUNDER. _See_ GROWLER. - -~Rumbowling~, anything inferior or adulterated.--_Sea._ - -~Rumbumptious~, haughty, pugilistic. - -~Rumbustious~, or RUMBUSTICAL, pompous, haughty, boisterous, careless of -the comfort of others. - -~Rumgumption~, or GUMPTION, knowledge, capacity, capability,--hence, -RUMGUMPTIOUS, knowing, wide-awake, forward, positive, pert, blunt. - -~Rum-mizzler~, Seven Dials cant for a person who is clever at making his -escape, or getting out of a difficulty. - -~Rump~, to turn the back upon any one. A still more decided "cut direct" -than the "cold shoulder." - -~Rumpus~, a noise, disturbance, a "row." - -~Rum-slim~, or RUM SLING, rum punch. - -~Rumy~, a good woman or girl.--_Gipsy Cant._ In the Continental _Gipsy_, -ROMI, a woman, a wife, is the feminine of RO, a man. - -~Run~ (good or bad), the success or duration of a piece's -performance.--_Theatrical._ - -~Run~, to comprehend, &c.; "I don't RUN to it," _i.e._, I can't do it, I -don't understand; also not money enough, as, "I should like to, but it -wont RUN to it." - -~Run~, "to get the RUN upon any person," to have the upper hand, or be -able to laugh at him. RUN down, to abuse or backbite any one; to "lord -it," or "drive over" him. Originally stable slang. - -~Run for the money~, TO HAVE A, to have a start given in with a bet. As -20 to 1 against Doncaster, with a RUN given. _See_ P.P. To have a RUN -FOR ONE'S MONEY is also to have a good determined struggle for anything. - -~Run-in~, to lock up in the station-house. The police are very fond of -threatening to RUN-IN any person to whom they may take exception, and, -as recent revelations have shown, are by no means averse from putting -their threats into execution. - -~Running patterer~, a street seller who runs or moves briskly along, -calling aloud his wares. - -~Running stationer~, a hawker of books, ballads, dying speeches, and -newspapers. Persons of this class formerly used to run with newspapers, -blowing a horn, when they were sometimes termed FLYING STATIONERS. -Nowadays, in the event of any political or social disturbance, the -miserable relics of these peripatetic newsmen bawl the heads of the -telegram or information in quiet London thoroughfares, to the -disturbance of the residents. The race is very nearly extinct, the -evening-paper boys having run them to earth. - -~Rush~, to come upon suddenly, generally for the purpose of borrowing. -To "give a man the RUSH," is to spunge upon him all day, and then borrow -money at the finish, or pursue some such similar mode of procedure. - -~Rush~, "doing it on the RUSH," running away, or making off. - -~Rust~, "to nab the RUST," to take offence. RUSTY, cross, ill-tempered, -morose; not able to go through life like a person of easy and "polished" -manners. - -~Rustication~, the sending of an offender from the University for one -term or more, thus hindering his qualifying for a degree. - -~Rusty guts~, a blunt, rough, old fellow. Corruption of RUSTICUS. - -~Rye.~ Gipsy term for a young man. In the same parlance "rawnie" is a -young woman. - -~Sack~, to "get the SACK," to be discharged by an employer. Varied in -the North of England to "get the BAG." In London it is sometimes spoken -of as "getting the EMPTY." It is common now to speak of "getting the -BULLET," an evident play on the word discharge. - -~Sad dog~, a merry fellow, a joker, a "gay" or "fast" man. - -~Saddle~, an additional charge made by the manager to a performer upon -his benefit night.--_Theatrical._ - -~Safe~, trusty, worthy of confidence. A SAFE card is a man who knows -"what's o'clock." A SAFE man among betters is one who is sure to fulfil -his engagements. - -~Safe un~, a horse which will not run, or will not try, in a race. The -bookmakers in London have the information sent them by the touts in -their pay, and lay against the SAFE UN, who is also called a "stiff un," -a "dead un," or a "shtumer," as often as they can, irrespective of the -state of their books. Sometimes a SAFE UN will win, owing to the owner -or trainer having, for various reasons, altered his mind. Such a result -then goes to prove the "glorious uncertainty of the turf," a phrase in -very common use among sporting writers whenever a favourite is beaten, -or whenever a horse runs slow one day and loses, and very fast the next -day and wins. - -~Sails~, nickname for the sail-maker on board ship. - -~St. Martin's lace~, imitation gold lace; stage tinsel. - -~Saint Monday~, a holiday most religiously observed by journeymen -shoemakers and other mechanics. An Irishman observed that this saint's -anniversary happened every week. In some parts of the country Monday is -termed Cobblers' Sunday. - -~Sal~, a salary.--_Theatrical._ - -~Salaam~, a compliment or salutation.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Salamander~, a street acrobat and juggler who eats fire. - -~Saloop~, SALEP, or SALOP, a greasy-looking beverage, formerly sold on -stalls at early morning, prepared from a powder made of the root of the -_Orchis mascula_, or Red-handed Orchis. Coffee-stands have superseded -SALOOP stalls; but, in addition to other writers, Charles Lamb, in one -of his papers, has left some account of this drinkable, which he says -was of all preparations the most grateful to the stomachs of young -chimney-sweeps. The present generation has no knowledge of this drink, -except that derived from books. The word "slops"--as applied to weak, -warm drink--is very likely derived from the Cockney pronunciation of -SALOOP. - -~Salt~, a sailor. - -~Salt~, "it's rather too SALT," said of an extravagant hotel bill. Also, -a sort of black mail or tribute levied on visitors or travellers by the -Eton boys, at their triennial festival called the "Montem," by ancient -custom and privileges. It is now abolished. A periodical published at -Eton many years ago for circulation amongst the boys was called "_The -SALT-box_." When a person about to sell a business connexion makes -fictitious entries in the books of accounts, to simulate that a much -more profitable trade is carried on than there really is, he is said to -SALT the books--SALTING and COOKING being somewhat similar operations. -At the gold diggings of Australia, miners sometimes SALT an unproductive -hole by sprinkling a few grains of gold-dust over it, and thus obtain a -good price from a "green hand." Unpromising speculations are frequently -thus SALTED to entrap the unwary, the wildest ideas being rendered -palatable _cum grano salis_. And though old birds are not readily caught -by chaff, the efficacy of SALT in bird-catching, so far as the young are -concerned, is proverbial. - -~Salt-box~, the condemned cell in Newgate. - -~Salt junk~, navy salt beef. _See_ OLD HORSE. - -~Saltee~, a penny. Pence, &c., are thus reckoned:-- - - ONEY SALTEE, a penny, from the _Italian_, UNO SOLDO. - DOOE SALTEE, twopence DUE SOLDI. - TRAY SALTEE, threepence TRE SOLDI. - QUARTERER SALTEE, fourpence QUATTRO SOLDI. - CHINKER SALTEE, fivepence CINQUE SOLDI. - SAY SALTEE, sixpence SEI SOLDI. - SAY ONEY SALTEE, or SETTER SALTEE, sevenpence SETTE SOLDI. - SAY DOOE SALTEE, or OTTER SALTEE, eightpence OTTO SOLDI. - SAY TRAY SALTEE, or NOBBA SALTEE, ninepence NOVE SOLDI. - SAY QUARTERER SALTEE, or DACHA SALTEE, tenpence DIECI SOLDI. - SAY CHINKER SALTEE, or DACHA ONEY SALTEE, elevenpence DIECI UNO SOLDI, &c. - ONEY BEONG, one shilling. - A BEONG SAY SALTEE, one shilling and sixpence. - DOOE BEONG SAY SALTEE, or MADZA CAROON, half-a-crown, or two - shillings and sixpence. - -[Asterism] This curious list of numerals in use among the London street -folk is, strange as it may seem, derived from the _Lingua Franca_, or -bastard _Italian_, of the Mediterranean seaports, of which other -examples may be found in the pages of this Dictionary. SALTEE, the cant -term used by the costermongers and others for a penny, is no other than -the _Italian_, SOLDO (plural, SOLDI), and the numerals--as may be seen -by the _Italian_ equivalents--are a tolerably close imitation of the -originals. After the number six, a curious variation occurs, which -is peculiar to the London cant, seven being reckoned as SAY ONEY, -_six-one_, SAY DOOE, _six-two_ = 8, and so on. DACHA is perhaps from the -_Greek_ _deka_, ten, which, in the Constantinopolitan _Lingua Franca_, -is likely enough to have been substituted for the _Italian_. MADZA is -clearly the _Italian_ MEZZA. The origin of BEONG has not yet been -discovered, unless it be the _French_ BIEN, the application of which to -a shilling is not so evident; but amongst costermongers and other street -folk it is quite immaterial what foreign tongue contributes to their -secret language. Providing the terms are unknown to the police and the -public generally, they care not a rush whether the polite French, the -gay Spaniards, or the cloudy Germans help to swell their vocabulary. The -numbers of low foreigners, however, dragging out a miserable existence -in our crowded neighbourhoods, organ grinders and image sellers, foreign -seamen from the vessels in the river, and our own connexion with Malta -and the Ionian Isles, may explain, to a certain extent, the phenomenon -of these Southern phrases in the mouths of costers and tramps. Professor -Ascoli, in his _Studj Critici_, absurdly enough derives these words from -the ancient commercial importance of Italian settlers in England, when -they gave a name to Lombard Street! - -~Salve~, praise, flattery, chaff. - -~Sam~, _i.e._, DICKY-SAM, a native of Liverpool. - -~Sam~, to "stand SAM," to pay for refreshment or drink, to stand -paymaster for anything. An Americanism, originating in the letters U.S. -on the knapsacks of the United States' soldiers, which letters were -jocularly said to be the initials of Uncle Sam (the Government), who -pays for all. In use in this country as early as 1827. - -~Sammy~, a stupid fellow. - -~Sampan~, a small boat.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Samshoo~, a fiery, noxious spirit, distilled from rice. Spirits -generally.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Samson and Abel~, a group of wrestlers in the centre of Brasenose -quadrangle. Some said it represented Samson killing a Philistine; others -Cain killing Abel. So the matter was compromised as above.--_Oxford -University._ - -~Sandwich~, a human advertising medium, placed between two boards -strapped, one on his breast the other on his shoulders. A "toad in the -hole" is the term applied to the same individual when his person is -confined by a four-sided box. A gentleman with a lady on each arm is -sometimes called a SANDWICH. The French phrase for this kind of -SANDWICH, _l'ane a deux pannieres_, is expressive. - -~Sanguinary James~, a raw sheep's-head. _See_ BLOODY JEMMY. - -~Sank work~, tailors' phrase for soldiers' clothes. Perhaps from the -_Norman_ SANC, blood,--in allusion either to the soldier's calling, or -the colour of his coat. - -~Sap~, or SAPSCULL, a poor green simpleton, with no heart for work. - -~Sappy~, soft, foolish, namby-pamby, milk-and-watery. "It's such a SAPPY -book." - -~Satin~, gin; "a yard of SATIN," a glass of gin. Term used by females on -make-believe errands, when the real object of their departure from home -is to replenish the private bottle. With servants the words "tape" and -"ribbon" are more common, the purchase of these feminine requirements -being the general excuse for asking to "run out for a little while." -_See_ WHITE SATIN. - -~Saucebox~, a pert young person. In low life it also signifies the -mouth. - -~Save~, to give part of one bet for part of another. A. and B. have -backed different horses, and they agree that in the event of either one -winning he shall give the other, say, L5. This is called "SAVING a -fiver," and generally is done when scratchings and knockings-out have -left the field so that one of the two speculators must be a winner. The -practice also obtains much in competitions decided in heats or rounds, -in the course of which backers and layers comparing their prospects -often "SAVE a bit" with each other. Saving is, therefore, a form of -hedging. - -~Saveloy~, a sausage of bread and chopped beef smoked, a minor kind of -POLONY, which _see_. - -~Savvey~, to know; "do you SAVVEY that?" _Spanish_, SABE. In the nigger -and _Anglo-Chinese patois_, this is SABBY, "me no SABBY." It is a -general word among the lower classes all over the world. It also means -acuteness or cleverness; as, "That fellow has plenty of SAVVEY." - -~Saw~, a term at whist. A SAW is established when two partners -alternately trump a suit, played to each other for the express purpose. - -~Saw your timber~, "be off!" equivalent to "cut your stick." -Occasionally varied, with mock refinement, to "amputate your mahogany." -_See_ CUT. - -~Sawbones~, a surgeon. - -~Sawney~, or SANDY, a Scotchman. Corruption of Alexander. - -~Sawney~, a simpleton; a gaping, awkward lout. - -~Sawney~, bacon. SAWNEY HUNTER, one who steals bacon. - -~Scab~, a worthless person.--_Old._ Shakspeare uses "scald" in a similar -sense. - -~Scab-raiser~, a drummer in the army, so called from one of the duties -formerly pertaining to that office, viz., inflicting corporal punishment -on the soldiers.--_Military._ - -~Scabby neck~, a native of Denmark.--_Sea._ - -~Scabby-sheep~, epithet applied by the vulgar to a person who has been -in questionable society, or under unholy influence, and become tainted. -Also a mean disreputable fellow. - -~Scaldrum dodge~, a dodge in use among begging impostors of burning the -body with a mixture of acids and gunpowder, so as to suit the hues and -complexions of any accident to be deplored by a confiding public. - -~Scaly~, shabby, or mean. Perhaps anything which betokens the presence -of the "Old Serpent," or it may be a variation of "fishy." - -~Scamander~, to wander about without a settled purpose;--possibly in -allusion to the winding course of the Homeric river of that name. - -~Scammered~, drunk. - -~Scamp~, a graceless fellow, a rascal; a wandering vagabond; scamping -was formerly the cant term for plundering and thieving. A ROYAL-SCAMP -was a highwayman, whilst a FOOT-SCAMP was an ordinary thief with nothing -but his legs to trust to in case of an attempt at capture. Some have -derived SCAMP from _qui ex campo exit_, one who leaves the field, a -deserter. - -~Scamp~, to give short measure or quantity; applied to dishonest -contractors. Also to hurry through a task in a way which precludes the -possibility of its being done well. Probably the same as SKIMP and -SCRIMP. - -~Scandal-water~, tea; from old maids' tea-parties being generally a -focus for scandal. - -~Scaramouch~, properly a tumbler, or SALTIMBANCO. Also a disreputable -fellow. - -~Scarborough-warning~, a warning given too late to be taken advantage -of. When a person is driven over, and then told to keep out of the way, -he receives SCARBOROUGH-WARNING. Fuller says the proverb alludes to an -event which happened at that place in 1557, when Thomas Stafford seized -upon Scarborough Castle before the townsmen had the least notice of his -approach. - -~Scarce~, TO MAKE ONESELF; to be off; to decamp. - -~Scarlet fever~, the desire felt by young ladies to flirt with officers -in preference to civilians. - -~Scarlet-town~, Reading, in Berkshire. As the name of this place is -pronounced Redding, SCARLET-TOWN is probably a rude pun upon it. - -~Scarper~, to run away; _Spanish_, ESCAPAR, to escape, make off; -_Italian_, SCAPPARE. "SCARPER with the feeley of the donna of the -carzey," to run away with the daughter of the landlady of the house; -almost pure _Italian_, "SCAPPARE COLLA FIGLIA DELLA DONNA DELLA -CASA."--_Seven Dials and Prison Cant_, from the _Lingua Franca_. - -~Schism-shop~, a Dissenters' meeting-house.--_University._ - -~Schofel~, bad money. _See_ SHOFUL. - -~School~, a knot of men or boys; generally a body of idlers or street -gamblers. Also, two or more "patterers" working together in the streets. - -~Schroff~, a banker, treasurer, or confidential clerk.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Schwassle box~, the street arrangement for Punch and Judy. _See_ -SWATCHEL-COVE. - -~Sconce~, the head; judgment, sense.--_Dutch._ - -~Sconce~, to fine. Used by Dons as well as undergrads. The Dons fined or -SCONCED for small offences; _e.g._, five shillings for wearing a -coloured coat in hall at dinner-time. Among undergrads a pun, or an -oath, or an indecent remark, was SCONCED by the head of the table. If -the offender could, however, floor the tankard of beer which he was -SCONCED, he could retort on his SCONCER to the extent of twice the -amount he was SCONCED in.--_Oxford University._ - -~Score~, a reckoning, "to run up a SCORE at a public-house," to obtain -credit there until pay-day, or a fixed time, when the debt must be -"wiped off." From the old practice of scoring a tippler's indebtedness -on the inside of a public-house door. - -~Scorf~, to eat voraciously. - -~Scot~, a quantity of anything, a lot, a share.--_Anglo-Saxon_, SCEAT, -pronounced SHOT. - -~Scot~, temper, or passion,--from the irascible temperament of the -Scotch; "Oh! what a SCOT he was in," _i.e._, what temper he showed. - -~Scotch coffee~, biscuits toasted and boiled in water. A gross calumny -on the much-enduring Scotians; a supposed joke on their -parsimony.--_Sea._ - -~Scotch fiddle~, the itch; "to play the SCOTCH FIDDLE," to work the -index finger of the right hand like a fiddlestick between the index and -middle finger of the left. This provokes a Scotchman in the highest -degree, as it implies that he is afflicted with the itch. It is supposed -that a continuous oatmeal diet is productive of cutaneous affection. - -~Scotch greys~, lice. Our northern neighbours were calumniously -reported, in the "good old times" of ignorance and prejudice, to be -peculiarly liable to cutaneous eruptions and parasites. - -~Scotches~, the legs; also synonymous with notches. - -~Scout~, a college valet, or waiter.--_Oxford._ _See_ GYP. - -~Scout~, the male servant, who generally has a staircase under his -charge, and waits on the men in each set of rooms. The female servant -(not unfrequently his wife or daughter) is the bedmaker.--_University._ - -~Scrag~, the neck.--_Old Cant._ _Scotch_, CRAIG. Still used by butchers. -Hence, SCRAG, to hang by the neck, and SCRAGGING, an execution,--also -_Old Cant_. - -~Scran~, pieces of meat, broken victuals. Formerly the reckoning at a -public-house. SCRANNING, or "out on the SCRAN," begging for broken -victuals. Also, an Irish malediction of a mild sort, "Bad SCRAN to yer!" -_i.e._, bad food to you. - -~Scran-bag~, a soldier's haversack.--_Military Slang._ - -~Scrap~, to fight. Also used as a substantive. Prize-fighters are often -known as SCRAPPERS. - -~Scrape~, a difficulty; SCRAPE, low wit for a shave. - -~Scrape~, cheap butter; also butter laid on bread in the thinnest -possible manner, as though it had been laid on and scraped off again. -"Bread and SCRAPE," the bread and butter issued to schoolboys,--so -called from the manner in which the butter is laid on. - -~Scratch~, an imaginary meeting-point in a fight, or verbal contest; -"coming up to the SCRATCH," preparing to fight--literally approaching -the line which used to be chalked on the ground to divide the ring. -According to the rules of the prize ring, the toe should be placed at -the SCRATCH, so the phrase often is "toeing the SCRATCH." - -~Scratch~, "no great SCRATCH," of little worth. - -~Scratch~, to strike a horse's name out of the list of runners in a -particular race. "Tomboy was SCRATCHED for the Derby at 10 a.m. on -Wednesday, from which period all bets made in reference to him are -void." _See_ P.P.--_Turf._ One of Boz's characters asks whether horses -are "really made more lively by being SCRATCHED." - -~Scratch-race~ (on the turf), a race at which the horses run at catch -weights, a race without restrictions. In boating, a race in which the -crew are picked up anyhow. A SCRATCH crew is a crew of all sorts. - -~Screaming~, first-rate, splendid. Believed to have been first used in -the Adelphi play-bills; "a SCREAMING farce," one calculated to make the -audience scream with laughter. Now a general expression. - -~Screed~, an illogical or badly-written article or paper upon any -subject. - -~Screeve~, a letter, a begging petition. - -~Screeve~, to write, or devise; "to SCREEVE a fakement," to concoct, or -write, a begging letter, or other impostor's document. From the -_Dutch_, SCHRYVEN; _German_, SCHREIBEN, to write. - -~Screever~, a man who draws with coloured chalks on the pavement figures -of our Saviour crowned with thorns, specimens of elaborate writing, -thunderstorms, ships on fire, &c. The men who attend these pavement -chalkings, and receive halfpence and sixpences from the admirers of -street art, are not always the draughtsmen. The artist or SCREEVER -draws, perhaps, in half-a-dozen places in the course of a morning, and -rents the spots out to as many cadaverous-looking men, who, when any one -looks hard at them, will commence to dabble clumsily with the short -pieces of chalks they always keep at hand. There are impostors of this -kind in higher walks of art. - -~Screw~, an unsound or broken-down horse, that requires both whip and -spur to get him along. So called from the screw-like manner in which his -ribs generally show through the skin. - -~Screw~, a mean or stingy person. - -~Screw~, salary, or wages. - -~Screw~, "to put on the SCREW," to limit one's credit, to be more exact -and precise; "to put under the SCREW;" to compel, to coerce, to -influence by strong pressure. - -~Screw~, a small packet of tobacco. A "twist" of the "weed." - -~Screw~, a key--skeleton, or otherwise. - -~Screw~, a turnkey. - -~Screw loose.~ When friends become cold and distant towards each other, -it is said there is a SCREW LOOSE betwixt them; the same phrase is also -used when anything goes wrong with a person's credit or reputation. - -~Screwed~, intoxicated or drunk. - -~Scrimmage~, or SCRUMMAGE, a disturbance or row.--_Ancient._ Probably a -corruption of SKIRMISH. - -~Scrimshaw.~ Anything made by sailors for themselves in their leisure -hours at sea is termed SCRIMSHAW-WORK. - -~Scrouge~, to crowd or squeeze.--_Wiltshire._ - -~Scruff~, the back part of the neck seized by the adversary in an -encounter. "I seized him by the SCRUFF of the neck, and chucked him -out." Originally SCURF. - -~Scrumptious~, nice, particular, beautiful. - -~Scufter~, a policeman.--_North Country._ - -~Scull~, or SKULL, the head, or master of a college.--_University_, but -nearly obsolete; the gallery, however, in St. Mary's (the Oxford -University church), where the "Heads of Houses" sit in solemn state, is -still nicknamed the "Golgotha" by the undergraduates. - -~Scurf~, a mean fellow. Literally a scurvy fellow. - -~Sea-connie~, the steersman of an Indian ship. By the insurance laws he -must be either a PYAH Portuguese, a European, or a Manilla man,--Lascars -not being allowed to be helmsmen. - -~Sea-cook~, "son of a SEA-COOK," an opprobrious phrase used on board -ship, differing from "son of a gun," which is generally used admiringly -or approvingly. - -~Seals~, a religious slang term for converts. Also a Mormon term for -wives. _See_ OWNED. - -~See.~ Like "go" and "do," this useful verb has long been supplemented -with a slang or unauthorized meaning. In street parlance, "to SEE" is to -know or believe; "I don't SEE that," _i.e._, "I don't put faith in what -you offer, or I know what you say to be untrue." - -~See it out~, to stay out late or early, and see the gas put out. Also -to complete an undertaking. - -~See the king.~ _See_ ELEPHANT. - -~Seedy~, worn-out, poverty-stricken, used-up, shabby. Metaphorical -expression from the appearance of flowers when off bloom and running to -SEED; hence said of one who wears clothes until they crack and become -shabby. "How seedy he looks," said of any man whose clothes are worn -threadbare, with greasy facings, and hat brightened up by perspiration -and continual polishing and wetting. When a man's coat begins to look -worn-out and shabby he is said to look SEEDY and ready for cutting. This -term has been in common use for nearly two centuries, and latterly has -found its way into most dictionaries. Formerly slang, it is now a -recognised word, and one of the most expressive in the English language. -The French are always amused with it, they having no similar term. - - "Oh, let my hat be e'er sae brown, - My coat be e'er sae SEEDY, O! - My whole turn-out scarce worth a crown, - Like gents well-bred, but needy, O!" - - _Fisher's Garland for 1835._ - -~Seeley's pigs~, blocks of iron in Government dockyards. Mr. Seeley, -M.P., was the first to call attention in the House of Commons to the -scandalous waste of pig-iron in the dockyards. Some of the yards were -found to be half paved with blocks of metal, which were thence called -"SEELEY'S PIGS." - -~Sell~, a deception, or disappointment; also a lying joke. - -~Sell~, to deceive, swindle, or play a practical joke upon a person. A -sham is a SELL in street parlance. "SOLD again, and got the money," a -patterer cries after having successfully deceived somebody. Shakspeare -uses SELLING in a similar sense, viz., blinding or deceiving. - -~Sensation~, a quartern of gin. - -~Serene~, all right; "it's all SERENE," a street phrase of very modern -adoption, the burden of a song. SERENE, ALL SERENE! from the _Spanish_ -SERENO, equivalent to the English "all's well;" a countersign of -sentinels, supposed to have been acquired by some filibusters who were -imprisoned in Cuba, and liberated by the intercession of the British -ambassador. The Sereno, the Spanish night watchman, cries out, with the -hour, the state of the atmosphere. He was called the Sereno (clear), -from his announcing the usual fine (sereno) night--quite different from -the work of our old "Charlies," whose usual call was one of foul -weather. - -~Serve out~, to punish, or be revenged on any one. - -~Setter~, sevenpence. _Italian_, SETTE. _See_ SALTEE.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Setter~, a person employed by the vendor at an auction to run the -bidding up; to bid against _bona-fide_ bidders. Also the man who takes -the box at hazard, and "sets a go." - -~Setting jewels~, taking the best portions of a clever book not much -known to the general public, and incorporating them quietly with a new -work by a thoroughly original author. The credit of this term belongs to -Mr. Charles Reade, who explained that the process is accountable for the -presence of some writing by one Jonathan Swift, in a story published at -Christmas, 1872, and called _The Wandering Heir_. - -~Settle~, to kill, ruin, or effectually quiet a person. - -~Settled~, transported, or sent to penal servitude for life; sometimes -spoken of as WINDED-SETTLED. - -~Set-to~, a sparring match, a fight; "a DEAD SET" is a determined -opposition in argument, or in movement. - -~Sevendible~, a very curious word, used only in the North of Ireland, to -denote something particularly severe, strong, or sound. It is, no doubt, -derived from sevendouble--that is, sevenfold--and is applied to linen -cloth, a heavy beating, a harsh reprimand, &c. - -~Seven-pennorth~, transportation for seven years. - -~Seven-sided animal~, a one-eyed man, as he has an inside, outside, left -side, right side, foreside, backside, and blind side. - -~Seven-up~, the game of all-fours, when played for seven chalks--that -is, when seven points or chalks have to be made to win the game. - -~Sewed-up~, done up, used up, intoxicated. _Dutch_, SEEUWT, sick. - -~Sewn-up~, quite worn-out, or "dead beat." - -~Shack~, a "chevalier d'industrie." A scamp, a -blackguard.--_Nottingham._ - -~Shack-per-swaw~, every one for himself,--a phrase in use amongst the -lower orders at the East-end of London, derived apparently from the -_French_, CHACUN POUR SOI. - -~Shackly~, loose, rickety.--_Devonshire._ - -~Shady~, an expression implying decadence. On "the SHADY side of forty" -implies that a person is considerably older than forty. SHADY also means -inferiority in other senses. A "shady trick" is either a shabby one, -mean or trumpery, or else it is one contemptible from the want of -ability displayed. The SHADY side of a question is, and fairly enough -too, that which has no brightness to recommend it. - -~Shake~, a disreputable man or woman.--_North._ In London a SHAKE is a -prostitute. - -~Shake-down~, an improvised bed. - -~Shake-lurk~, a false paper carried by an impostor, giving an account of -a "dreadful shipwreck." - -~Shake the elbow~, TO, a roundabout expression for dice-playing. To -"crook the ELBOW" is an Americanism for "to drink." - -~Shaker~, a shirt. - -~Shakers~, a Puritanical sect, almost peculiar to America, and not -similar to our Quakers, as is generally believed. They have very strange -notions on things in general, and especially on marriage and the -connexion of the sexes. - -~Shakes~, a bad bargain is said to be "no great SHAKES;" "pretty fair -SHAKES" is anything good or favourable.--_Byron._ In America, a fair -SHAKE is a fair trade or a good bargain. - -~Shakes~, "in a brace of SHAKES," _i.e._, in an instant. - -~Shakester~, or SHICKSTER, a female. Amongst costermongers this term is -invariably applied to ladies, or the wives of tradesmen, and females -generally, of the classes immediately above them. Amongst Jews the word -signifies a woman of shady antecedents. Supposed to be derived from the -_Hebrew_, SHIKTZA. It is generally pronounced "shickser." - -~Shaky~, said of a person of questionable health, integrity, or -solvency; at the Universities, of one not likely to pass his -examination. - -~Shaler~, a girl. Corrupt form of _Gaelic_, CAILLE, a young woman. - -~Shalley-gonahey~, a smock-frock.--_Cornish._ - -~Shallow~, the peculiar barrow used by costermongers. - -~Shallow~, a weak-minded country justice of the peace.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Shallow-cove~, a begging rascal, who goes about the country half naked, -with the most limited amount of rags upon his person, wearing neither -shoes, stockings, nor hat. - -~Shallow-mot~, a ragged woman,--the frequent companion of the -SHALLOW-COVE. - -~Shallows~, "to go on the SHALLOWS," to go half naked. - -~Sham~, contraction of champagne. In general use among the lower class -of sporting men. Sometimes extended to SHAMMY. - -~Sham Abraham~, to feign sickness. _See_ ABRAHAM. - -~Shandrydan~, an old-fashioned or rickety conveyance of the "shay" -order. - -~Shandy-gaff~, ale and gingerbeer. Origin unknown, but use very common. - -~Shanks~, legs. - -~Shanks's mare~, "to ride SHANK'S MARE," to go on foot. - -~Shant~, a pot or quart; "SHANT of bivvy," a quart of beer. - -~Shanty~, a rude, temporary habitation. The word is principally employed -to designate the huts inhabited by navigators, when constructing large -lines of railway far distant from towns. It is derived from the _French_ -CHANTIER, used by the Canadians for a log hut, and has travelled from -thence, by way of the United States, to England. - -~Shanty~, a song. A term in use among sailors. From CHANTER. - -~Shapes~, "to cut up" or "show SHAPES," to exhibit pranks, or -flightiness. - -~Shark~, a sharper, a swindler. Bow Street term in 1785, now in most -dictionaries.--_Friesic_ and _Danish_, SCHURK. _See_ LAND-SHARK. - -~Sharp~, or SHARPER, a cunning cheat, a rogue,--the opposite of FLAT. - -~Sharp~, a similar expression to "TWO PUN' TEN" (which _see_), used by -assistants in shops to signify that a customer of suspected honesty is -amongst them. The shopman in this case would ask one of the assistants, -in a voice loud enough to be generally heard, "Has Mr. SHARP come in -yet?" "No," would probably be the reply; "but he is expected every -minute." The signal is at once understood, and a general look-out kept -upon the suspected party. - -~Sharp's-alley blood-worms~, beef sausages and black puddings. Sharp's -Alley was, until City improvements caused it to be destroyed, a noted -slaughtering-place near Smithfield. - -~Shave~, a false alarm, a hoax, a sell. This term was much in vogue in -the Crimea during the Russian campaign,--that is, though much used by -the military before then, the term did not, until that period, become -known to the general public. - -~Shave~, a narrow escape. At Cambridge, "just SHAVING through," or -"making a SHAVE," is just escaping a "pluck" by coming out at the bottom -of the list. - - "My terms are anything but dear, - Then read with me, and never fear; - The examiners we're sure to queer, - And get through, if you make a SHAVE on't." - - _The Private Tutor._ - -~Shave;~ "to SHAVE a customer," charge him more for an article than the -marked price. Used in the drapery trade. When the master sees an -opportunity of doing this, he strokes his chin, as a signal to his -assistant who is serving the customer. - -~Shaver~, a sharp fellow; there are young and old SHAVERS.--_Sea._ - -~Shebeen~, an unlicensed place where spirituous liquors are illegally -sold. A word almost peculiar to Ireland. - -~Shed a tear~, to take a dram, or glass of neat spirits; jocular phrase -used, with a sort of grim earnestness, by old topers to each other. "Now -then, old fellow, come and SHED A TEAR!" an invitation to take "summat -short." The origin may have been that ardent spirits, taken neat by -younger persons, usually bring water to their eyes. With confirmed -drinkers, however, the phrase is used with an air of mingled humour and -regret at their own position. A still more pathetic phrase is--"putting -a NAIL IN ONE'S COFFIN," which _see_. The term SHED A TEAR is probably -derived from "eye-water." - -~Sheen~, bad money.--_Scotch._ - -~Sheeny~, a Jew. This word is used by both Jew and Gentile at the -East-end of London, and is not considered objectionable on either side. - -~Sheep's eyes~, loving looks, "to make SHEEP'S EYES at a person," to -cast amorous glances towards one on the sly. - - "But he, the beast, was casting SHEEP'S EYES at her - Out of his bullock head." - - _Colman, Broad Grins._ - -~Shelf~, "on the SHELF," not yet disposed of; young ladies are said to -be so situated when they cannot meet with husbands. "On the SHELF" also -means pawned, or laid by in trust. - -~Shell out~, to pay or count out money. Also a game played on a billiard -table, a variation of pool. - -~Shepherd~, to look after carefully, to place under police surveillance. - -~Shice~, nothing; "to do anything for SHICE," to get no payment. The -term was first used by the Jews in the last century. Grose gives the -phrase CHICE-AM-A-TRICE, which has a synonymous meaning. _Spanish_, -CHICO, little; _Anglo-Saxon_, CHICHE, niggardly; or perhaps connected -with the _German_, SCHEISSEN. - -~Shicer~, a mean man, a humbug, a "duffer,"--a worthless person, one who -will not work. This is the worst term one Jew can use to another. At the -diggings it means a hole which yields nothing. - -~Shickery~, shabby, bad. From SHAKY, SHAKERY. - -~Shickster~, a lady. _See_ SHAKESTER. - -~Shickster-crabs~, ladies' shoes.--_Tramps' term._ - -~Shigs~, money, silver.--_East London._ - -~Shikaree~, a hunter, a sportsman.--_Anglo-Indian._ An English sportsman -who has seen many ups and downs in jungles of the East styles himself -"an OLD SHIKAREE."--_Anglo-Indian._ Also spelt SHEKARRY. - -~Shilly-shally~, to trifle or fritter away time; to be irresolute. -Corruption of "Shall I, shall I?" - -~Shin~, an Americanism for walking. "I'm tired of SHINNING around." - -~Shindy~, a row, or noise. A SHINDY generally means a regular melee. - -~Shine~, a row, or disturbance. - -~Shine~, "to take the SHINE out of a person," to surpass or excel him. - -~Shiners~, sovereigns, or money. - -~Shiney rag~, "to win the SHINEY RAG," to be ruined,--said in gambling, -when any one continues betting after "luck has set in against him." - -~Shin-plaster~, a bank-note. Originally an Americanism. - -~Shins.~ "To break one's SHINS," figurative expression meaning to borrow -money. - -~Ship-shape~, proper, in good order; sometimes the phrase is varied to -"SHIP-SHAPE and Bristol fashion."--_Sea._ The latter portion of the -expression went out with Bristol's fame as a seaport. - -~Shirty~, ill-tempered, or cross. When one person makes another in an -ill-humour he is said to have "got his SHIRT out." - -~Shivering Jemmy~, the name given by street-folk to any cadger who -exposes himself, half naked, on a cold day, to obtain alms. The "game" -is unpleasant, but was, before exposure of a different kind spoilt it, -exceedingly lucrative. - -~Shockhead~, a head of long, unkempt, and rough hair. - -~Shoddy~, old cloth worked up into new; made from soldiers' and -policemen's coats. The old cloth is pulled to pieces, the yarn -unravelled and carded over again. This produces shoddy, which is very -short in the fibre, and from it are produced, on again twisting and -weaving, cloth fabrics used for ladies' mantles, &c. Also, a term of -derision applied to workmen in woollen factories.--_Yorkshire._ - -~Shoddy~, the plutocracy created out of bogus contracts during the civil -war in the United States. The SHODDYITES enriched themselves at the -expense of their country in the most shameless manner, having most -likely studied under those contractors who should have supplied our -soldiers with necessaries during the Crimean War. - -~Shoe~, to free or initiate a person,--a practice common in most trades -to a new-comer. The SHOEING consists in paying for beer, or other -liquor, which is drunk by the older hands. The cans emptied, and the -bill paid, the stranger is considered properly SHOD. SHOEING is a -variation of "paying one's footing." - -~Shoe leather!~ a thief's warning cry when he hears footsteps. This -exclamation is used in the spirit which animated the friend who, when he -suspected treachery towards Bruce at King Edward's court, in 1306, sent -him a purse and a pair of spurs, as a sign that he should use them in -making his escape. - -~Shoes~, "to die in one's SHOES," to be hanged. In the old hanging days -a highwayman would often kick off his shoes when the rope was round his -neck, so as--oh, vain and impotent attempt!--to defeat the prophecy that -had foreshadowed his present position. - -~Shoes, children's, to make~, to suffer oneself to be made sport of, or -depreciated. Commonly used in Norfolk.--_Cf._ Mrs. Behn's comedy, _The -Roundheads_. - - _Hews._ "Who, pox! shall we stand MAKING CHILDREN'S SHOES all the - year? No: let's begin to settle the nation, I say, and go - through-stitch with our work." - -~Shoful~, a Hansom cab. This favourite carriage was the invention of a -Mr. Hansom, afterwards connected with the _Builder_ newspaper. It has -been asserted that the term SHOFUL was derived from "shovel," the -earliest slang term applied to Hansoms by other cab-drivers, who -conceived their shape to be after the fashion of a scoop or shovel. A -logical friend of the present Editor's argues thus:--SHOFUL, full of -show, _ergo_, beautiful--handsome--Hansom. This is clever, but it -certainly never entered into the heads of those who gave the name of -SHOFUL to the Hansom cabs. - -~Shoful~, bad or counterfeit money. Perhaps, as some think, from the -_Danish_, SKUFFE, to shove, to deceive, cheat; _Saxon_, SCUFAN,--whence -the _English_, SHOVE. The term, however, is possibly one of the many -street words from the _Hebrew_ (through the low Jews); SHEPHEL, in that -language, signifying a low or debased estate. _Chaldee_, SHAPHAL.--_See_ -Psalm cxxxvi. 23, "in our low estate." A correspondent suggests a very -probable derivation, from the _German_, SCHOFEL, trash, rubbish,--the -_German_ adjective, SCHOFELIG, being the nearest possible translation -of our shabby. SHOFUL means anything mock, as SHOFUL jewellery. A SHOFUL -is also a humbug, an impostor. - -~Shoful-pitcher~, a passer of bad money. SHOFUL-PITCHING, passing bad -money. "Snide-pitcher" and "Snide-pitching" are terms exchangeable with -the preceding. - -~Shoful pullet~, a "gay" or unsteady woman, especially a young woman. - -~Sholl~, to bonnet one, or crush a person's hat over his eyes.--_North._ - -~Shool~, to saunter idly, to become a vagabond, to beg rather than -work.--_Smollett's Roderick Random_, vol. i., p. 262. - -~Shool~, Jews' term for their synagogue. - -~Shoot the cat~, to vomit. From a story of a man being sick in the back -yard, and suffocating a cat and all her kittens. - -~Shoot the moon~, to remove furniture from a house in the night without -paying the landlord. - -~Shop.~ In racing slang, to secure first, second, or third position in a -race, is to get a SHOP. This is also known as a place, and as a -situation. _See_ PLACE. - -~Shop~, a house. "How are they all at your SHOP?" is a common question -among small tradesmen. - -~Shop~, the House of Commons. The only instance we have met with of the -use of this word in literature occurs in Mr. Trollope's _Framley -Parsonage:_-- - - "'If we are merely to do as we are bid, and have no voice of our - own, I don't see what's the good of our going to the SHOP at all,' - said Mr. Sowerby." - -~Shop~, to discharge a shopman. In military slang, to SHOP an officer is -to put him under arrest in the guard-room. In pugilistic slang, to -punish a man severely is "to knock him all over the SHOP," _i.e._, the -ring, the place in which the work is done. - -~Shop-bouncer~, or SHOP-LIFTER, a person generally respectably attired, -who, while being served with a small article at a shop, steals one of -more value. Shakspeare has the word LIFTER, a thief. - -~Shop-walker~, a person employed to walk up and down a shop, to hand -seats to customers, and see that they are properly served. Contracted -also to WALKER. - -~Shopping~, purchasing at shops. Termed by Todd a slang word, but used -by Cowper and Byron. - -~Shoppy~, to be full of nothing but one's own calling or profession; "to -talk SHOP," to converse of nothing but professional subjects. - -~Short~, when spirit is drunk without any admixture of water, it is said -to be taken "SHORT;" "summat SHORT," a dram. A similar phrase is used at -the counters of banks; upon presenting a cheque, the clerk asks, "How -will you take it?" _i.e._, in gold, or notes. If in notes, long or -short? Should it be desired to receive it in notes for the largest -possible amount, the answer is, SHORT. A conductor of an omnibus, or any -other servant, is said to be SHORT when he does not give all the money -he receives to his master. - -~Short~, hard-up; a polite term for impecuniosity used in clubs and -among military men. - -~Short commons~, short allowance of food. _See_ COMMONS. - -~Shorter~, one who makes a dishonest profit by reducing the coin of the -realm by clipping and filing. From a crown-piece a SHORTER could gain -5d. Another way was by chemical means: a guinea laid in aquafortis -would, in twelve hours, precipitate 9d.-worth of sediment; in -twenty-four, 1s. 6d.-worth.--_Rommany Rye._ - -~Shot~, from the modern sense of the word to SHOOT,--a guess, a random -conjecture; "to make a bad SHOT," to expose one's ignorance by making a -wrong guess, or random answer, without knowing whether it is right or -wrong. - -~Shot~, from the once general, but now provincial word, to SHOOT, to -subscribe, contribute in fair proportion;--a share, from the -_Anglo-Saxon_ word, SCEAT; "to pay one's SHOT," _i.e._, share of the -reckoning, &c. - - "Yet still while I have got - Enough to pay the SHOT - Of Boniface, both gruff and greedy O!" - - _Fisher's Garland_ for 1835. - -~Shot~, "I wish I may be SHOT, if," &c., a common form of mild swearing. - -~Shot~, a term used among horse chaunters. To SHOT a horse, is to give -him a lot of small shot, which will for a short time effectually "open -his pipes," and make him appear sound in wind. - -~Shot in the locker~, money in pocket, resource of any kind in -store.--_Navy._ - -~Shoulder~, when a servant embezzles his master's money, he is said to -SHOULDER his employer. - -~Shout~, to pay for drink round. "It's my SHOUT," says he who pays. -Possibly because the payer originally SHOUTED to the bar-keeper of an -hotel to score the drink to him.--_Australian_, but now general. - -~Shove-halfpenny~, a gambling pot-house pastime, played on a table. A -very old game, originally called push-penny. - -~Shove in the mouth~, a glass of spirits, which is taken off quickly and -at once. - -~Shovel~, a term applied by the vulgar crowd to the inelegant twisted -hats worn by the dignitaries of the Church. Dean Alford says, "I once -heard a venerable dignitary pointed out by a railway porter as "an old -party in a SHOVEL."--_Queen's English._ - -~Shrimp~, a diminutive person.--_Chaucer._ - -~Shtumer~, a horse against which money may be laid without risk. _See_ -SAFE UN. - -~Shunt~, to avoid, to turn aside from. From the railway term. - -~Shut of~, or SHOT OF, _i.e._, rid of. A very common expression amongst -the London lower orders. One costermonger will say to another:--"Well, -Ike, did yer get SHUT O' them there gawfs [apples]?" _i.e._, did you -sell them all? - -~Shut up!~ be quiet, don't make a noise; to stop short, to cease in a -summary manner, to silence effectually. The following is from a literary -paper:--"Only the other day we heard of a preacher who, speaking of the -scene with the doctors in the Temple, remarked that the Divine disputant -completely SHUT THEM UP!" SHUT UP, utterly exhausted, done for. - -~Shy~, a throw. _See_ the following:-- - -~Shy~, to fling; COCK-SHY, a game at fairs, consisting of throwing short -sticks at trinkets or cocoanuts set upon other sticks,--both name and -practice derived from the old game of throwing or SHYING at live cocks. -This game is best known to the London public as "three shies a penny." - -~Shy.~ "To fight SHY of a person," to avoid his society either from -dislike, fear, or other reason. SHY has also the sense of flighty, -unsteady, untrustworthy. - -~Shy~, to stop suddenly, or turn off, as a horse does when frightened. - -~Shyster~, a duffer, a vagabond. Variation of "shicer." - -~Sices~, or SIZES, a throw of sixes at dice. - -~Sick as a horse~, a popular simile,--curious, because a horse never -vomits. - -~Sickener~, a dose too much of anything. Too much of even a good thing -will make a man sick. - -~Side~, an affirmative expression in the cant language of the northern -towns. "Do you stoll the gammy?" (Do you understand cant?) "SIDE, cove" -(yes, mate). - -~Side-boards~, or STICK-UPS, shirt collars. Name applied some years ago, -before the present style of collars came into fashion. - -~Sift~, to embezzle small coins, those which might pass through a -sieve--as threepennies and fourpennies--and which are, therefore, not -likely to be missed. - -~Sight~, "to take a SIGHT at a person," a vulgar action employed by boys -and others to denote incredulity, or contempt for authority, by placing -the thumb against the nose and extending the fingers, which are agitated -in token of derision. - - "The sacristan he says no word that indicates a doubt, - But he puts his finger to his nose, and spreads his fingers out." - - _Nell Cook._ - -~Silly season~, the period when nobody is supposed to be in London, when -there are no parliamentary debates to publish, and when editors are at -their wits'-ends to fill their papers with readable matter. All kinds of -crazes on political and social subjects are then ventilated, gigantic -gooseberries, monstrous births, and strange showers then become -plentiful, columns are devoted to matters which would not at any other -time receive consideration, and, so far as the newspapers are concerned, -silliness is at a premium. - -~Silver beggar~, or LURKER, a vagabond who travels through the country -with "briefs" containing false statements of losses by fire, shipwrecks, -accidents, &c. Forged documents are exhibited with signatures of -magistrates and clergymen. Accompanying these are sham subscription -books. The former, in beggar parlance, is termed "a sham," whilst the -latter is denominated "a delicate." - -~Sim~, one of a Methodistical turn in religion; a Low Churchman; -originally a follower of the late Rev. Charles Simeon.--_Cambridge._ - -~Simon~, a sixpenny-piece. - -~Simon~, or SIMPLE SIMON, a credulous, gullible person. A character in a -song, but now common. - -~Simon Pure~, "the real SIMON PURE," the genuine article. Those who have -witnessed Mr. Charles Mathews's performance in Mrs. Centlivre's -admirable comedy of _A Bold Stroke for a Wife_, and the laughable -coolness with which he, the false SIMON PURE, assuming the Quaker dress -and character of the real one, elbows that worthy out of his expected -entertainment, will at once perceive the origin of this phrase.--_See_ -act v. scene i. - -~Simpkin~, or SIMKIN, champagne.--_Anglo-Indian._ Derived from the -manner in which native servants pronounce champagne. - -~Simpson~, water used in the dilution of milk. Term in use among -cow-keepers. From this the parish pump has been called Mrs. SIMPSON. - -~Sing out~, to call aloud.--_Sea._ - -~Sing small~, to lessen one's boasting, and turn arrogance into -humility. - -~Sing-song~, a harmonic meeting at a pot-house, a free-and-easy. - -~Sinkers~, bad money,--affording a man but little assistance in "keeping -afloat." - -~Sinks~, a throw of fives at dice. _French_, CINQ. - -~Si quis~, a candidate for "orders." From the notification commencing SI -QUIS--if any one. - -~Sir Harry~, a close stool. - -~Sir Reverence~, a corruption of the old phrase, SAVE YOUR REVERENCE, a -sort of apology for alluding to anything likely to shock one's sense of -decency. _Latin_, SALVA REVERENTIA. _See_ Shakspeare's _Romeo and -Juliet_, act i. scene iv. From this it came to mean the thing -itself--human ordure generally, but sometimes other indecencies. - -~Siserara~, a hard blow.--_Suffolk._ Many derive this term from the -story of Sisera in the Old Testament, but it is probably a corruption of -CERTIORARI, a Chancery writ reciting a complaint of hard usage. - -~Sit under~, a term employed in Dissenters' meeting-houses, to denote -attendance on the ministry of any particular preacher. - -~Sit upon~, to overcome or rebuke, to express contempt for a man in a -marked manner. Also, to chaff or "roast" a man consumedly. - -~Sit-upons~, trousers. _See_ INEXPRESSIBLES. - -~Sivvy~, "'pon my SIVVY," _i.e._, upon my soul or honour. Corruption of -"asseveration," like DAVY, which is an abridgment of "affidavit." - -~Sixes and sevens~, articles in confusion are said to be all SIXES AND -SEVENS. The Deity is mentioned in the _Towneley Mysteries_ as He that -"set all on seven," _i.e._, set or appointed everything in seven days. A -similar phrase at this early date implied confusion and disorder, and -from these, Halliwell thinks, has been derived the phrase "to be at -SIXES AND SEVENS." A Scotch correspondent, however, states that the -phrase probably came from the workshop, and that amongst needle-makers, -when the points and eyes are "heads and tails" ("heeds and thraws"), or -in confusion, they are said to be SIXES AND SEVENS, because those -numbers are the sizes most generally used, and in the course of -manufacture have frequently to be distinguished. - -~Sixty~, "to go along like SIXTY," _i.e._, at a good rate, briskly. - -~Sixty-per-cent~, a bill-discounter. From the rate of interest generally -charged. If bill-discounters profess to do the business for less, they -generally make up the level sixty by extras. - -~Six-water grog~, a sea-term for the weakest grog possible--six portions -of water to one of rum--hardly enough spirit to "swear by." - -~Size~, to order extras over and above the usual commons at the dinner -in college halls. Soup, pastry, &c., are SIZINGS, and are paid for at -a certain specified rate per SIZE, or portion, to the college cook. -Peculiar to Cambridge. Minsheu says, "SIZE, a farthing which schollers -in Cambridge have at the buttery, noted with the letter _s_." - -~Sizers~, or SIZARS, certain poor scholars at Cambridge, annually -elected, who got their dinners (including "sizings") from what was left -at the upper, or Fellows' table, free, or nearly so. They paid rent of -rooms, and some other fees, on a lower scale than the "Pensioners" or -ordinary students, and were equal with the "battlers" and "servitors" at -Oxford. - -~Sizings.~ _See_ SIZE. - -~Skedaddle~, to go off in a hurry. The American war introduced this new -and amusing word. A Northerner who retreated "retired upon his -supports," but a Southerner was said to SKEDADDLE. The _Times_ remarked -on the word, and Lord Hill wrote to prove that it was excellent Scotch. -The Americans only misapply the word, which means, in Dumfries, "to -spill"--milkmaids, for example, saying, "You are SKEDADDLING all that -milk." The Yankees therefore adopted the term, and altered the -application. - -~Skid~, a sovereign. Fashionable slang. Occasionally SKIV. - -~Skid~, or SKIDPAN, an instrument for locking the wheel of a coach when -going down hill. It is often said that a talkative person might put the -SKID on, with advantage to his listeners, if not to himself. - -~Skied~, or SKYED, thrown upwards, as "coppers" in tossing. - -~Skied.~ Artists say that a picture is SKIED when it is hung on the -upper line at the Exhibition of the Royal Academy. _See_ FLOORED. - -~Skilligolee~, prison gruel. Also sailors' soup of many ingredients. The -term is occasionally used in London workhouses. - -~Skilly~, abbreviation of SKILLIGOLEE. - -~Skimmery~, St. Mary Hall, Oxford.--_University._ - -~Skin~, a purse. This term is mostly in use among thieves. - -~Skin~, to abate, or lower the value of anything; "thin-SKINNED," -sensitive, touchy, liable to be "raw" on certain subjects. - -~Skin-the-lamb~, a game at cards, a very expressive corruption of the -term "lansquenet," also a racing term. When a non-favourite wins a race, -bookmakers are said to SKIN THE LAMB, under the supposition that they -win all their bets, no person having backed the winner. This has been -corrupted into SKINNER. - -~Skinflint~, an old and popular simile for a "close-fisted," stingy -person. Sternberg, in his _Northamptonshire Glossary_, says the Eastern -languages have the same expression. Abdul-Malek, one of the Ommeyade -Khaliphs, noted for his extreme avarice, was surnamed Raschal-Hegiarah, -literally, "the SKINNER of a FLINT." - -~Skinner~, a term among bookmakers. "May we have a SKINNER," _i.e._, may -we SKIN THE LAMB, which _see_. - -~Skipper~, the master of a vessel. _Germ._, SCHIFFER, from SCHIFF, a -ship; sometimes used as synonymous with "governor." - -~Skipper~, a barn.--_Ancient Cant._ From the _Welsh_, YSGUBOR, -pronounced SCYBOR, or SCIBOR, the proper word in that language for a -barn. - -~Skipper-birds~, or KEYHOLE-WHISTLERS, persons who sleep in barns or -outhouses from necessity or in preference to sleeping in lodging-houses. - -~Skipper-it~, to sleep in the open air, or in a rough way. - -~Skit~, a joke, a squib. Term generally used in reference to any pungent -or pointed political allusion. - -~Skittles~, a game similar to that of Ten Pins, which, when interdicted -by the Government, was altered to Nine Pins, or SKITTLES. The pins are -set up in an alley, and thrown (not bowled) at with a round piece of -hard wood, shaped like a small flat cheese. The costers used to consider -themselves the best players in London, but they have been frequently -undeceived. SKITTLES has within the past few years received an awful -blow--quite a floorer--from "the powers that be." - -~Skow-banker~, a fellow who loiters about the premises of any one -willing to support him, and who objects to the necessity of working for -his living; a rogue, a rascal. Common in Melbourne, Australia. - -~Skrouge~, to push or squeeze.--_North._ - -~Skull-thatcher~, a straw-bonnet-maker,--sometimes called "a -bonnet-BUILDER." - -~Skunk~, a mean or paltry fellow, one whose name stinks. - -~Sky~, a disagreeable person, an enemy.--_Westminster School._ The word -derived its origin from a corruption of the last syllable of the word -"VOLSCI:" Westminster boys being of course understood to be the Romans. - -~Sky~, to toss up towards the SKY. Term used in tossing with halfpence; -"It's all right, Jim SKIED the browns," _i.e._, threw them up, a proof -that there could have been no collusion or cheating. - -~Sky-blue~, London milk much diluted with water, or from which the cream -has been too closely skimmed. - - "Hence, Suffolk dairy wives run mad for cream, - And leave their milk with nothing but the name; - Its name derision and reproach pursue, - And strangers tell of three-times-skimm'd--SKY-BLUE." - - _Bloomfield's Farmer's Boy._ - -The recent Adulteration Act has done away with SKY-BLUE, and made -Simpson a relic of the past. SKY-BLUE formerly meant gin. - -~Sky-lark.~ _See under_ LARK. - -~Sky-parlour~, the garret. - -~Sky-scraper~, a tall man; "Are you cold up there, old SKY-SCRAPER?" -Properly a sea-term. The light sails, which some adventurous skippers -set above the royals in calm latitudes, are termed SKY-SCRAPERS and -MOON-RAKERS. - -~Sky-wannocking~, unsteady frolicking.--_Norfolk._ - -~Slab~, thick, as gruel, porridge, &c. - -~Slack~, "to hold on the SLACK," to skulk; a slack rope not requiring to -be held.--_Sea._ - -~Slam~, a term at the game of whist. When two partners gain the whole -thirteen tricks, they win a SLAM, which is considered equal to a -rubber. - -~Slam~, to talk fluently. "He's the bloke to SLAM." From a term in use -among birdsingers at the East-end, by which they denote a certain style -of note in chaffinches. - -~Slammock~, a slattern or awkward person.--_West_, and _Norfolk_. - -~Slang~, low, vulgar, unwritten, or unauthorized language. _Gipsy_, -SLANG, the secret language of the gipsies, synonymous with GIBBERISH, -another gipsy word. The word is only to be found in the dictionaries of -Webster and Ogilvie. It is given, however, by Grose, in his _Dictionary -of the Vulgar Tongue_, 1785. SLANG, since it has been adopted as an -English word, generally implies vulgar language not known or recognised -as CANT; and latterly, when applied to speech, it has superseded the -word FLASH. Latterly, however, SLANG has become the generic term for all -unauthorized language. The earliest instance of the use of the word that -can be found, is the following:-- - - "Let proper nurses be assigned, to take care of these babes of - grace, [young thieves].... The master who teaches them should be a - man well versed in the cant language commonly called the SLANG - patter, in which they should by all means excel."--_Jonathan Wild's - Advice to his Successor._ LONDON, _J. Scott_, 1758. - -~Slang~, a travelling show. - -~Slang~, to cheat, to abuse in foul language. - -~Slang~, counterfeit or short weights and measures. A SLANG quart is a -pint and a half. SLANG measures are lent out at 2d. per day to street -salesmen. The term is used principally by costermongers. - -~Slang~, a watch-chain. SUPER and SLANG, a watch and chain. - -~Slang~, "out on the SLANG," _i.e._, to travel with a hawker's licence. - -~Slang-whanger~, a long-winded speaker.--_Parliamentary._ - -~Slangy~, flashy, vulgar; loud in dress, manner, and conversation. - -~Slantingdicular~, oblique, awry,--as opposed to PERPENDICULAR. -Originally an Americanism, now a part of the vocabulary of London "high -life below stairs." - -~Slap~, paint for the face, rouge. - -~Slap~, exactly, precisely; "SLAP in the wind's eye," _i.e._, exactly to -windward. - -~Slap-bang~, suddenly, violently. From the strike of a ball being felt -before the report reaches the ear,--the SLAP first, the BANG afterwards. - -~Slap-bang-shops~, originally low eating-houses where the ready-money -was paid down with a SLAP-BANG.--_Grose._ A SLAP-BANG-SHOP is now a very -pretentious eating-house. - -~Slap-dash~, immediately, or quickly; at a great rate. - -~Slap-up~, first-rate, excellent, very good. - -~Slasher~, a powerful roysterer, a game and clever pugilist. - -~Slashers~, the Twenty-eighth Regiment of Foot in the British army. - -~Slate~, "he has a SLATE loose," _i.e._, he is slightly crazy. - -~Slate~, to pelt with abuse, to beat, to "lick;" or, in the language of -the reviewers, to "cut up." Also, among bettors, to lay heavily against -a particular man or animal in a race. - -~Slate~, to knock the hat over one's eyes, to bonnet.--_North._ - -~Slavey~, a maid-servant. - -~Slawmineyeux~, a Dutchman. Probably a corruption of the Dutch, _ja, -mynheer_; or German, _ja, mein Herr_.--_Sea._ - -~Sleepless-hats~, those of a napless character, better known as -WIDE-AWAKES. - -~Slender~, a simple country gentleman.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Slewed~, drunk, or intoxicated.--_Sea term._ When a vessel changes the -tack, she, as it were, staggers, the sails flap, she gradually heels -over, and the wind catching the waiting canvas, she glides off at -another angle. The course pursued by an intoxicated, or SLEWED, man, is -supposed to be analogous to that of the ship. - -~Slick~, an Americanism, very prevalent in England since the publication -of Judge Haliburton's facetious stories, which means rapidly, -effectually, utterly. - -~Slick~, smooth, unctuous; abbreviation of sleek. - -~Sling~, a drink peculiar to Americans, generally composed of gin, -soda-water, ice, and slices of lemon. At some houses in London -GIN-SLINGS may be obtained. - -~Sling~, to pass from one person to another. To blow the nose with the -naked fingers. - -~Sling your hook~, a polite invitation to move-on. "Sling your Daniel" -has the same meaning. The pronouns may be altered to suit the context. - -~Slip~, "to give the SLIP," to run away, or elude pursuit. Shakspeare -has, "You gave me the counterfeit," in _Romeo and Juliet_. Giving the -SLIP, however, is a sea phrase, and refers to fastening an anchor and -chain cable to a floating buoy, or water-cask, until a time arrives when -it is convenient to return and take them on board. In fastening the -cable, the home end is SLIPPED through the hawse-pipe. Weighing anchor -is a noisy task, so that giving the SLIP infers leaving quietly. - -~Slip~, or let SLIP; "to SLIP into a man," to give him a sound beating, -"to let SLIP at a cove," to rush violently upon him, and assault with -vigour. - -~Slipping~, a trick of card-sharpers, in the performance of which, by -dexterous manipulation, they place the cut card on the top, instead of -at the bottom of the pack. It is the _faire sauter la coupe_ of the -French. In pugilistic parlance, "to SLIP a man," is to "duck and get -away" with great dexterity. - -~Slips~, the sides of the gallery in a theatre are generally so called. - -~Slog~, to beat or baste, to fight. _German_, SCHLACHTEN; or perhaps -from some connexion with the _Gaelic_ SLOGAN. The pretended _Greek_ -derivation from _slogo_ is humbug, there being no such word in the -language. - -~Slogdollager~, an Americanism, meaning the same as our STOCKDOLLAGER, -which _see_. - -~Sloggers~, _i.e._, SLOW-GOERS, the second division of race-boats at -Cambridge. At Oxford they are called TORPIDS.--_University._ A hard -hitter at cricket is termed a SLOGGER; so is a pugilist. - -~Slogging~, a good beating. - -~Slop~, a policeman. At first back slang, but now modified for general -use. - -~Slop~, cheap, or ready-made, as applied to clothing, is generally -supposed to be a modern appropriation; but it was used in this sense in -1691, by Maydman, in his _Naval Speculations_; and by Chaucer two -centuries before that. SLOPS properly signify sailors' working clothes, -which are of a very cheap and inexpensive character. - -~Slope~, to decamp, to run, or rather slip away. Some persons think it -came originally from LOPE, to make off; and that the _s_ probably became -affixed as a portion of the preceding word, as in the case of "Let's -lope," let us run. It is purely an Americanism, and is possibly but an -emendation of our own word elope. Lope, leap, and elope are kindred. A -humorous correspondent says that Tennyson is decidedly partial to slang, -and instances amongst other proofs a passage from the laureate's famous -_Locksley Hall_:-- - - "Many a night, from yonder ivied casement, ere I went to rest, - Did I look on great Orion SLOPING slowly to the west." - -Though this correspondent may not have intended it, his joke has given -the key to the situation, and has shown how our cousins most probably -came to use the word in its present sense. "The sun is SLOPING fast." - -~Slops~, any weak, wet, and warm mixture. Hard drinkers regard all -effeminate beverages as SLOPS. - -~Slops~, chests or packages of tea; "he shook a slum of SLOPS," _i.e._, -stole a chest of tea. Also ready-made clothes--the substantive of SLOP. - -~Slops~, liquid house-refuse. - -~Slopshop~, a tailor's shop where inferior work is done, and where cheap -goods are sold. - -~Slour~, to lock, or fasten.--_Prison Cant._ - -~Sloured~, buttoned up; SLOURED HOXTER, an inside pocket buttoned up. - -~Slowcoach~, a lumbering, dull person; one slow of comprehension. - -~Slowed~, to be locked up (in prison). - -~Slubberdegullion~, a paltry, dirty, sorry wretch. - - "Quoth she, although thou hast deserved, - Base SLUBBERDEGULLION, to be served - As thou didst vow to deal with me, - If thou hadst got the victory"---- - - _Hudibras._ - -~Sluicery~, a gin-shop or public-house. - -~Sluicing one's bolt~, drinking. - -~Slum~, a chest, or package. _See_ SLOPS. - -~Slum~, a letter.--_Prison Cant._ - -~Slum~, an insinuation, a discreditable innuendo. - -~Slum~, gammon, "up to SLUM," wide awake, knowing. - - "And this, without more SLUM began, - Over a flowing pot-house can, - To settle, without botheration, - The rigs of this here tip-top nation." - - _Jack Randall's Diary_, 1820. - -~Slum~, or BACK SLUM, a dark retreat, a low neighbourhood; as -Westminster and East-end SLUMS, favourite haunts for thieves. - -~Slum~, to hide, to pass to a confederate. - -~Slum~, to saunter about, with a suspicion, perhaps, of immoral -pursuits.--_Cambridge University Slang_. - -~Slum the gorger~, to cheat on the sly, to be an eye-servant. SLUM in -this sense is old cant. - -~Slumgullion~, any cheap, nasty, washy beverage. An Americanism best -known in the Pacific States. - -~Slumming~, passing bad money. - -~Slush~, the grease obtained from boiling the salt pork eaten by seamen, -and generally the cook's perquisite. - -~Slushy~, a ship's cook. - -~Sluter~, butter.--_North._ - -~Smack smooth~, even, level with the surface, quickly. - -~Small-beer;~ "he doesn't think SMALL-BEER of himself," _i.e._, he has a -great opinion of his own importance. SMALL COALS is also used in the -same sense. - -~Small hours~, the early hours after midnight. - -~Small potatoes~, a term of contempt. "He's very SMALL POTATOES," he's a -nobody. Yet no one thinks of calling an important personage "large -POTATOES." - -~Smalls~, a University term for the first general examination of the -student. It is used at Cambridge, but properly belongs to Oxford. The -Cambridge term is "little go." - -~Smash~, to become bankrupt, or worthless; "to go all to SMASH," to -break, "go to the dogs," or fall in pieces. - -~Smash~, to pass counterfeit money. - -~Smasher~, one who passes bad coin, or forged notes. - -~Smashfeeder~, a Britannia-metal spoon,--the best imitation shillings -are made from this metal. - -~Smash-man-Geordie~, a pitman's oath.--_Durham_ and _Northumberland._ _See_ -GEORDIE. - -~Smeller~, the nose; "a blow on the SMELLER" is often to be found in -pugilistic records. Otherwise a NOSE-ENDER. - -~Smish~, a shirt, or chemise. - -~Smithers~, or SMITHEREENS; "all to SMITHEREENS," all to smash, SMITHER -is a Lincolnshire word for a fragment. - -~Smock-face~, a white delicate face,--a face without whiskers. - -~Smoke~, London. From the peculiar dense cloud which overhangs London. -The metropolis is by no means so smoky as Sheffield, Birmingham, &c.; -yet country-people, when going to London, frequently say they are on -their way to the SMOKE; and Londoners, when leaving for the country, say -they are going out of the SMOKE. - -~Smoke~, to detect, or penetrate an artifice. Originally used by London -detectives, probably on account of their clouded intellects. - -~Smudge~, to smear, obliterate, daub. Corruption of SMUTCH. - -~Smug~, smuggling.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~Smug~, extremely neat, after the fashion, in order. - -~Smug~, sleek, comfortable. Term often applied to a seemingly pious -humbug, more of the Chadband than the Stiggins. - -~Smuggings~, snatchings, or purloinings,--shouted out by boys, when -snatching the tops, or small play property, of other lads, and then -running off at full speed. - - "Tops are in; spin 'em agin. - Tops are out; SMUGGING'S about." - -~Smut~, a copper boiler. Also, the "blacks" from a furnace. - -~Smutty~, obscene,--vulgar as applied to conversation. Variation of -dirty. - -~Snack~, a share or division of plunder. To "go SNACKS," to divide -equally. Also, a light repast.--_Old Cant_ and _Gipsy term_. - -~Snack~, to quiz or chaff with regard to a particular weakness or recent -transaction. As a substantive in this sense SNACK means an innuendo. - -~Snaffle~, conversation on professional or private subjects which the -rest of the company cannot appreciate. In _East Anglia_, to SNAFFLE is -to talk foolishly. - -~Snaffled~, arrested, "pulled up,"--so termed from a kind of horse's -bit called a SNAFFLE. - -~Snaggle teeth~, those that are uneven, and unpleasant looking.--_West._ - -~Snaggling~, angling after geese with a hook and line, the bait being a -worm or snail. The goose swallows the bait, and is quietly landed and -bagged. See Seymour's _Sketches_. - -~Snaggy~, cross, crotchety, malicious. - -~Snam~, to snatch, or rob from the person. Mostly used to describe that -kind of theft which consists in picking up anything lying about, and -making off with it rapidly. - -~Snaps~, share, portion; any articles or circumstances out of which -money may be made; "looking out for SNAPS," waiting for windfalls, or -odd jobs.--_Old._ _Scotch_, CHITS, term also used for "coppers," or -halfpence. - -~Snapps~, spirits. _Dutch_, SCHNAPPS. The word, as originally -pronounced, is used by East-end Jews to describe any kind of spirits, -and the Gentiles get as near as they can. - -~Sneaksman~, a shoplifter; a petty, cowardly thief. - -~Sneeze-lurker~, a thief who throws snuff in a person's face, and then -robs him. - -~Sneezer~, a snuff-box; a pocket-handkerchief. - -~Snell-fencer~, a street salesman of needles. SNELLS are needles. - -~Snick-ersnee~, a knife.--_Sea._ Thackeray uses the term in his humorous -ballad of _Little Billee_. - -~Snicker~, a drinking-cup. A HORN-SNICKER, a drinking-horn. - -~Snid~, a sixpence.--_Scotch._ - -~Snide~, bad, spurious, contemptible. As, "a SNIDE fellow," "SNIDE -coin," &c. Also used as a substantive, as, "He's a SNIDE," though this -seems but a contraction of SNIDE 'UN. - -~Snigger~, to laugh in a covert manner. Also a mild form of -swearing,--"I'm SNIGGERED if you will." Another form of this latter is -JIGGERED. - -~Sniggering~, laughing to oneself.--_East._ - -~Snip~, a tailor,--apparently from SNIPES, a pair of scissors, or from -the snipping sound made by scissors in cutting up anything. - -~Snipe~, a long bill or account; also a term for attorneys,--a race with -a remarkable propensity for long bills. - -~Snipes~, "a pair of SNIPES," a pair of scissors. They are occasionally -made in the form of a snipe. - -~Snitch~, to give information to the police, to turn approver. SNITCHING -is synonymous in thieves' slang with "nosing" and "peaching." - -~Snitchers~, persons who turn Queen's evidence, or who tell tales. In -_Scotland_, SNITCHERS signify handcuffs. - -~Snob~, a low, vulgar, or affected person. Supposed to be from the -nickname usually applied to a cobbler or maker of shoes; but believed -by many in its later sense to be a contraction of the _Latin_, SINE -OBOLO. Others go to work for an etymology thus:--They assume that NOBS, -_i.e._, _nobiles_, was appended in lists to the names of persons of -gentle birth, whilst those who had not that distinction were marked down -as S NOB, _i.e._, _sine nobilitate_, without marks of gentility,--thus, -by a simple transposition, quite reversing the meaning. Others, again, -remark that, as at college sons of noblemen wrote after their names in -the admission lists, _fil. nob._, son of a lord, and hence all young -noblemen were called NOBS, and what they did NOBBY, so those who -imitated them would be called _quasi-nobs_, "like a nob," which by a -process of contraction would be shortened to _si-nob_, and then SNOB, -one who pretends to be what he is not, and apes his betters. The short -and expressive terms which many think fitly represent the three great -estates of the realm--NOB, SNOB, and MOB--were all originally slang -words. The last has safely passed through the vulgar ordeal of the -streets, and found respectable quarters in the standard dictionaries. -For fuller particulars of the genus SNOB, in all its ramifications, the -reader cannot do better than apply to the general works of that great -master of the subject, William Makepeace Thackeray, though it may be as -well to remark that the SNOB for whom the novelist had such an aversion -is now very widely known as "cad." - -~Snobbish~, stuck up, proud, make-believe. - -~Snob-Stick~, a workman who refuses to join in strikes, or trade-unions. -Amplification of KNOB-STICK. - -~Snooks~, an imaginary personage often brought forward as the answer to -an idle question, or as the perpetrator of a senseless joke. Said to be -simply a shortening or abbreviation of "Sevenoaks," the Kentish village. - -~Snooze~, or SNOODGE (vulgar pronunciation), to sleep or doze. - -~Snooze-case~, a pillow-slip. - -~Snorter~, a blow on the nose. A hurry is sometimes called a "reg'lar -SNORTER." - -~Snot~, a term of reproach applied to persons by the vulgar when vexed -or annoyed, meaning really a person of the vilest description and -meanest capacity. In a Westminster school vocabulary for boys, published -in the last century, the term is curiously applied. Its proper meaning -is the glandular mucus discharged through the nose. - -~Snot~, a small bream, a slimy kind of flat fish.--_Norwich._ - -~Snotter~, or WIPE-HAULER, a pickpocket whose chief fancy is for -gentlemen's pocket-handkerchiefs.--_North._ - -~Snottinger~, a coarse word for a pocket-handkerchief. The German -_Schnupftuch_ is, however, nearly as plain. A handkerchief was also -anciently called a "muckinger" or "muckender," and from that a -neckerchief was called a "neckinger." - -~Snow~, wet linen, or linen hung out to dry.--_Old Cant._ - -~Snow-gatherer~, or SNOW-DROPPER, a rogue who steals linen from hedges -and drying-grounds. - -~Snuff~, "up to SNUFF," knowing and sharp; "to take SNUFF," to be -offended. Shakspeare uses SNUFF in the sense of anger, or passion. - -~Snuff it~, to die. Term very common among the lower orders of London. A -fanciful variation of "putting one's light out," and used simply in -reference to the action of the person dying. Thus any one threatening to -murder another says, "I'll put your light out," or any one committing -suicide is said to "put his own light out;" but to "SNUFF IT" is always -to die from disease or accident. To "lay down one's knife and fork," to -"peg out," or "give up," are variations of this form of euphemism. - -~Snuffy~, tipsy, drunk. - -~Snuggle~, to lie closely and cosily. - -~Snyder~, a tailor. _German_, SCHNEIDER. - -~Soaker~, an habitual drunkard. - -~Soap~, flattery. _See_ SOFT SOAP. - -~Sober-water~, a jocular allusion to the uses of soda-water. - -~Social evil~, a name for some years applied to our street-walking -system, in consequence of the articles in the newspapers which treat on -the evils of prostitution being so headed. A good story has been often -told on this subject, which will bear repeating:--"A well-known divine -and philanthropist was walking in a crowded street at night in order to -distribute tracts to promising subjects. A young woman was walking up -and down, and he accosted her. He pointed out to her the error of her -ways, implored her to reform, and tendered her a tract with fervent -entreaties to go home and read it. The girl stared at him for a moment -or two in sheer bewilderment; at last it dawned on her what he meant, -and for what he took her, and looking up in his face with simple -amazement, she exclaimed, 'Lor' bless you, sir, I ain't a SOCIAL EVIL; -I'm waitin' for the 'bus!'" The enthusiasm which was felt in this -direction a few years back has received considerable modification, as it -has been proved that the efforts of the promoters of midnight meetings -and other arrangements of a similar nature, praiseworthy though they -are, have little or no effect; and that the early-closing movement in -the Haymarket has done more to stamp out the SOCIAL EVIL than years of -preaching, even when accompanied by tea and buns, could ever have done. - -~Sock~, the Eton College term for a treat, synonymous with "chuck" used -at Westminster and other schools. Believed to be derived from the -monkish word SOKE. An old writer speaks of a pious man "who did not SOKE -for three days," meaning that he fasted. The word is still used by the -boys of Heriot's Hospital School at Edinburgh, and signifies a -sweetmeat; being derived from the same source as sugar, _suck_, SUCRE, -&c. - -~Sock~, credit. As, "He gets his goods on SOCK, while I pay ready." - -~Sock into him~, _i.e._, give him a good drubbing; "give him SOCK," -_i.e._, thrash him well. - -~Sockdolager.~ _See_ STOCKDOLLAGER. - -~Socket-money~, money extorted by threats of exposure. To be applied to -for SOCKET-MONEY is perhaps one of the most terrible inflictions that -can befall a respectable man. SOCKETERS, as the applicants are called, -should be punished with the utmost possible severity. - -~Sodom~, a nickname for Wadham, due to the similarity of the -sounds.--_Oxford University._ - -~Soft~, foolish, inexperienced. A term for bank-notes. - -~Soft-horn~, a simpleton; literally a donkey, whose ears, the -substitutes of horns, are soft. - -~Soft-sawder~, flattery easily laid on or received. Probably introduced -by Sam Slick. - -~Soft-soap~, or soft-sawder, flattery, ironical praise. - -~Soft-tack~, bread.--_Sea._ - -~Soft-tommy~, loaf-bread, in contradistinction to hard biscuit. - -~Soiled doves~, the "Midnight Meeting" term for prostitutes and "gay" -ladies generally. - -~Sold~, "SOLD again! and got the money," gulled, deceived. _Vide_ SELL. - -~Sold up~, or OUT, broken down, bankrupt. - -~Soldier~, a red herring. Common term in seaport towns, where exchange -is made, a soldier being called by the fishy title. - -~Something damp~, a dram, a drink. - -~Son of a gun~, a familiar term for a man. Sometimes applied -eulogistically, never contemptuously. Generally said of an artful -person, and perhaps, originally, son of a "gun," (or "gonnof"). In the -army it is sometimes applied to an artilleryman. - -~Sonkey~, a clumsy, awkward fellow. - -~Soor~, an abusive term. _Hindostanee_, a pig.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Soot-bag~, a reticule. - -~Sop~, a soft or foolish man. Abbreviation of MILKSOP. - -~Soph~ (abbreviation of "sophister"), a title peculiar to the University -of Cambridge. Undergraduates are junior SOPHS before passing their -"Little Go," or first University examination,--senior SOPHS after that. - -~Sort~, used in a slang sense thus--"That's your SORT," as a term of -approbation. "Pitch it into him, that's your SORT," _i.e._, that is the -proper kind of plan to adopt. - -~So-so~, not particularly reputable. "A very SO-SO sort of a person," a -person whom it is no advantage to know. "It was very SO-SO" (said of a -piece of work or an entertainment), it was neither good nor bad. - -~Sound~, to pump, or draw information from a person in an artful manner. - -~Souper~, an Irish Roman Catholic who pretends conversion--or -perversion--so as to obtain a share of the soup and blankets provided -for Protestants only by Christian missionaries. These recalcitrants are -also called "swaddlers." - -~Sou'-wester~, a hat with a projection behind. Much worn at sea in -"dirty" weather. A hat similar to that of a dustman or coalheaver, which -is called a "fantail." - -~Sov~, contraction of sovereign; much used in sporting parlance to -denote the amount of entrance money, forfeit, and added coin in -connexion with a race. In the published conditions of a race the word -SOVS is almost invariably used in preference to pounds, though in -reckoning the net value of a big stake, after its decision, the common L -is used. - -~Sow~, the receptacle into which the liquid iron is poured in a -gun-foundry. The melted metal poured from it is termed PIG. - -~Sow's baby~, a pig; sixpence. - -~Spanish~, money. Probably a relic of buccaneering days. - - "Save its synonyms SPANISH, blunt, stumpy, and rowdy."--_Barham._ - -~Spank~, a smack, or hard slap. - -~Spank~, to move along quickly; hence a fast horse or vessel is said to -be "a SPANKER to go." - -~Spanking~, large, fine, or strong; _e.g._, a SPANKING pace, a SPANKING -breeze, a SPANKING fellow. - -~Sparks~, diamonds. Term much in use among the lower orders, and -generally applied to stones in rings and pins. - -~Specklebellies~, Dissenters. A term used in Worcester and the North, -though the etymology seems unknown in either place. - -~Specks~, damaged oranges.--_Costermonger's term._ - -~Speech~, a tip or wrinkle on any subject. On the turf a man will wait -before investing on a horse until he "gets the SPEECH," as to whether it -is going to try, or whether it has a good chance. To "give the SPEECH," -is to communicate any special information of a private nature. - -~Speel~, to run away, make off; "SPEEL the drum," to go off with stolen -property.--_North._ - -~Spell~, a turn of work, an interval of time. "Take a SPELL at the -capstern."--_Sea._ "He took a long SPELL at that tankard." "After a long -SPELL." - -~Spell~, "to SPELL for a thing," to hanker after it, to desire -possession. - -~Spell~, to advertise, to put into print. "SPELT in the leer," _i.e._, -advertised in the newspaper. - -~Spell~, contracted from SPELLKEN. "Precious rum squeeze at the SPELL," -_i.e._, a good evening's work at the theatre, might be the remark of a -successful pickpocket. - -~Spellken~, or SPEELKEN, a playhouse. German, SPIELEN. _See_ KEN.--_Don -Juan._ - -~Spick and span~, applied to anything that is quite new and -fresh.--_Hudibras._ - -~Spidireen~, the name of an imaginary ship, sometimes mentioned by -sailors. If a sailor be asked what ship he belongs to, and does not wish -to tell, he will most probably reply--"The SPIDIREEN frigate, with nine -decks, and ne'er a bottom." _See_ MERRY DUN OF DOVER. - -~Spierized~, to have your hair cut and shampooed, from the shop of -Spiers in High Street.--_Oxford University._ - -~Spiff~, a well-dressed man, a "swell." - -~Spiffed~, slightly intoxicated.--_Scotch Slang._ - -~Spiffs~, the per-centages allowed by drapers to their young men when -they effect a sale of old-fashioned or undesirable stock. - -~Spiffy~, spruce, well-dressed, _tout a la mode_. - -~Spifflicate~, to confound, silence, annihilate, or stifle. A corruption -of the last word, or of "suffocate." - -~Spike Park~, the Queen's Bench Prison. _See_ BURDON'S HOTEL. - -~Spill~, to throw from a horse or chaise. _See_ PURL. - -~Spin~, to reject from an examination.--_Army._ - -~Spindleshanks~, a nickname for any one who has thin legs. - -~Spin-'em rounds~, a street game consisting of a piece of brass, wood, -or iron, balanced on a pin, and turned quickly round on a board, when -the point, arrow-shaped, stops at a number, and decides the bet one way -or the other. The contrivance very much resembles a sea compass, and was -formerly the gambling accompaniment of London piemen. The apparatus then -was placed on the tin lids of their pie-cans, and the bets were -ostensibly for pies, but were frequently for "coppers," or for beer when -two or three apprentices or porters happened to meet. An active and -efficient police have, however, changed all that now. - -~Spiniken~, St. Giles's Workhouse. "Lump," Marylebone Workhouse. "Pan," -St. Pancras. "Pan" and "Lump" are now terms applied to all workhouses by -tramps and costers. - -~Spinning-house~, the place in Cambridge where street-walkers are locked -up, if found out after a certain time at night. - -~Spirt~, or SPURT, "to put on a SPIRT," to make an increased exertion -for a brief space, to attain one's end; a nervous effort. Abbreviation -or shortening of SPIRIT, or allusion to a SPIRT of water, which dies -away as suddenly as it rises. - - "So here for a man to run well for a SPURT, and then to give over - ... is enough to annul all his former proceedings, and to make him - in no better estate than if he had never set foot into the good - waies of God."--_Gataker's Spirituall Watch_, 4to. 1619, p. 10. - -~Spitalfields' breakfast.~ At the East-end of London this is understood -as consisting of a tight necktie and a short pipe. Amongst workmen it is -usual to tighten the apron string when no dinner is at hand. Hunters and -trappers always take in their belts when supplies are short. "An -Irishman's dinner" is a low East-end term, and means a smoke and a visit -to the urinal. Sometimes the phrase is, "I'll go out and count the -railings," _i.e._, the park or area railings, mental instead of -maxillary exercise. - -~Spitfire~, a passionate person. - -~Splash~, complexion powder used by ladies to whiten their necks and -faces. The finest rice flour, termed in France _poudre de riz_, is -generally employed. _See_ SLAP. - -~Splendiferous~, sumptuous, first-rate. SPLENDACIOUS sometimes used with -similar meanings. - -~Splice~, to marry; "and the two shall become one flesh."--_Sea._ Also, -a wife. - -~Splice the main brace~, to take a drink.--_Sea._ - -~Split~, to inform against one's companions, to tell tales. "To SPLIT -with a person," to cease acquaintanceship; to quarrel. Also to divide a -bottle of aerated water; as, "two brandies and a soda SPLIT;" in which -case "to SPLIT with" a person has a very different meaning from that -just given. - -~Split up~, long in the legs. Among athletes, a man with good length of -limb is said to be "well SPLIT UP." - -~Splodger~, a lout, an awkward countryman. - -~Spoffy~, a bustling busybody is said to be SPOFFY. - -~Sponge~, "to throw up the SPONGE," to submit, to give over the -struggle,--from the practice of throwing up the SPONGE used to cleanse a -combatant's face at a prize-fight, as a signal that the side on which -that particular SPONGE has been used has had enough--that the SPONGE is -no longer required. - -~Spoon~, synonymous with SPOONEY. A SPOON has been defined to be "a -thing that touches a lady's lips without kissing them." - -~Spooney~, a weak-minded and foolish person, effeminate or fond; "to be -SPOONEY on a girl," to be foolishly attached to one. - -~Spoons~, the condition of two persons who SPOON on each other, who are -deeply in love. "I see, it's a case of SPOONS with them," is a common -phrase when lovers are mentioned. - -~Spoons~, a method of designating large sums of money, disclosed at the -Bankruptcy Court during the examination of the great leather failures of -Streatfield and Laurence in 1860-61. The origin of the phrase was stated -to be the reply of the bankrupt Laurence to an offer of accommodating -him with L5000,--"Oh, you are feeding me with a TEA-SPOON." Hence, L5000 -came to be known in the firm as a TEA-SPOON; L10,000, a DESSERT-SPOON; -L15,000, a TABLE-SPOON; and L20,000, as a GRAVY-SPOON. The public were -amused at this TEA-SPOON phraseology, but were disgusted that such -levity should cover a gigantic swindle of the kind. It came out in -evidence, however, that it was not the ordinary slang of the discount -world, but it may not improbably become so. To "take it with a SPOON," -is to take anything in small quantities. The counsel for the defence in -the Tichborne perjury case was reminded a short time back by one of the -judges that he was using a TEA-SPOON instead of a shovel, to clear -through the evidence. - -~Sport~, to exhibit, to wear, &c.,--a word which is made to do duty in a -variety of senses, especially at the Universities.--_See_ the _Gradus ad -Cantabrigiam_. "To SPORT a new tile;" "to SPORT an _AEgrotat_" (_i.e._, a -permission from the Dons to abstain from lectures, &c., on account of -illness); "to SPORT one's oak," to shut the outer door and exclude the -public,--especially duns and boring acquaintances. Common also in the -Inns of Court. _See Notes and Queries_, 2nd series, vol. viii. p. 492, -and _Gentleman's Magazine_, December, 1794. - -~Sport~, an American term for a gambler or turfite--more akin to our -sporting man than to our sportsman. - -~Sporting door~, the outer door of chambers, also called the OAK. _See_ -under SPORT.--_University._ - -~Spot~, to mark, to recognise. Originally an Americanism, but now -general. "I SPOTTED him (or it) at once." - -~Spotted~, to be known or marked by the police. - -~Spout~, "up the SPOUT," at the pawnbroker's; SPOUTING, pawning. _See_ -POP for origin. - -~Spout~, to preach, or make speeches; SPOUTER, a preacher or lecturer. - -~Sprat~, sixpence. - -~Spread~, butter. Term with workmen and schoolboys. _See_ SCRAPE. - -~Spread~, a lady's shawl, an entertainment, a display of good things. - -~Spread~, a meal. Sporting term for a dinner. A sporting man often -challenges another to compete with him at any athletic pursuit or -pastime, for so much wine and a SPREAD of large or small proportions. - -~Spree~, a boisterous piece of merriment; "going on the SPREE," starting -out with intent to have a frolic. _French_, ESPRIT. In the _Dutch_ -language, SPREEUW is a jester. - -~Springer-up~, a tailor who sells low-priced ready-made clothing, and -gives starvation wages to the poor men and women who "make up" for him. -The clothes are said to be SPRUNG-UP, or "blown together." - -~Sprint race~, a short-distance race, ran at the topmost speed -throughout. SPRINT is in the North synonymous with SPURT, and hence the -name. - -~Sprung~, inebriated sufficiently to become boisterous. - -~Spry~, active, strong, manly. Much used in America, but originally -English. - -~Spuddy~, a seller of bad potatoes. In lower life, a SPUD is a raw -potato; and roasted SPUDS are those cooked in the cinders with their -skins on. - -~Spun~, when a man has failed in his examination at Woolwich, he is said -to be SPUN; as at the Universities he is said to be "plucked" or -"ploughed." - -~Spunge~, a mean, paltry fellow, sometimes called a SPUNGER. - -~Spunge~, to live at another's expense in a mean and paltry manner. - -~Spunging-house~, the sheriff's officer's house, where prisoners, when -arrested for debt, used to be taken. As extortionate charges were made -there for accommodation, the name was far from inappropriate. - -~Spunk~, spirit, fire, courage, mettle, good humour. - - "In that snug room, where any man of SPUNK - Would find it a hard matter to get drunk." - - _Peter Pindar_, i. 245. - -Common in America, and much used in some parts of Scotland. - -~Spunk-fencer~, a lucifer-match seller. - -~Spunks~, lucifer-matches.--_Herefordshire_; _Scotland_. SPUNK, says Urry, -in his MS. notes to Ray, "is the excrescency of some tree, of which they -make a sort of tinder to light their pipes with." - -~Spurt.~--_Old._ _See_ SPIRT. - -~Squabby~, flat, short and thick. From SQUAB, a sofa. - -~Square~, honest; "on the SQUARE," _i.e._, fair and strictly honest; "to -turn SQUARE," to reform, and get one's living in an honest manner,--the -opposite of "cross." The expression is, in all probability, derived from -the well-known masonic emblem the SQUARE, the symbol of evenness and -rectitude. - - "You must keep within the compass, and act upon the square with all - mankind, for your masonry is but a dead letter if you do not - habitually perform its reiterated injunctions."--_Oliver's Lectures - on Signs and Symbols_, p. 190. - -~Square~, "to be SQUARE with a man," to be even with him, or to be -revenged; "to SQUARE up to a man," to offer to fight him. Shakspeare -uses SQUARE in the sense of to quarrel. - -~Square cove~, an honest man, as distinguished from "cross cove." - -~Square moll~, an honest woman, one who does not "batter." - -~Squaring his nibs~, giving a policeman, or any official, money for an -immoral or unlawful purpose. The term HIS NIBS has no reference to any -functionary, as the words mean simply "him," and may be applied to any -one. - -~Square rigged~, well dressed.--_Sea._ - -~Square up~, to settle, to pay a debt. - -~Squarum~, a cobbler's lapstone. - -~Squash~, to crush; "to go SQUASH," to collapse. - -~Squeak~, an escape. Generally used with regard to the avoidance of -casualties. Among thieves, too, a prisoner acquitted after a hard trial -is said to have had "a narrow SQUEAK for it." - -~Squeak on a person~, to inform against, to peach. - -~Squeal~, to inform, to peach. A North country variation of squeak; -SQUEALER, an informer, also an illegitimate baby. - -~Squeeze~, silk; also, by a very significant figure, a thief's term for -the neck. - -~Squib~, a _jeu d'esprit_, which, like the firework of that -denomination, sparkles, bounces, stinks, and vanishes.--_Grose._ -Generally used in reference to political and electioneering attacks of a -smart kind, which sting for a moment and are then forgotten. - -~Squibs~, paint-brushes. - -~Squiffy~, slightly inebriated. - -~Squinny-eyed~, said of one given to squinting.--_Shakspeare._ - -~Squirt~, a doctor, or chemist. - -~Squish~, common term among University men for marmalade. - -~Stab~, "STAB yourself and pass the dagger," help yourself and pass the -bottle.--_Theatrical Slang._ - -~Stab~, "on the STAB," _i.e._, paid by regular weekly wages on the -"establishment," of which word STAB is an abridgment.--_Printer's term._ - -~Stab-rag~, a regimental tailor.--_Military Slang._ - -~Stag~, a shilling. - -~Stag~, a term applied during the railway mania to a speculator without -capital, who took "scrip" in proposed lines, got the shares up to a -premium, and then sold out. Caricaturists represented the house of -Hudson, "the Railway King," at Albert Gate, with a STAG on it, in -allusion to this term. - -~Stag~, to see, discover, or watch,--like a STAG at gaze; "STAG the -push," look at the crowd. Also, to dun, or demand payment; to beg. - -~Stage-whisper~, one loud enough to be heard. From the stage "asides." - -~Stagger~, to surprise. "He quite STAGGERED me with the information." - -~Stagger~, one who looks out, or watches. - -~Staggering-bob~, an animal to whom the knife only just anticipates -death from natural disease or accident,--said of meat on that account -unfit for human food. Also a newly-born calf. - -~Stale drunk~, unevaporated fumes of liquor. A man is said to be STALE -DRUNK when he has been drunk overnight, and has doctored himself with -stimulants a little too much in the morning--when he has tried too many -of the "hairs of the dog that bit him." If this state of things is long -continued, it is often called "same OLD DRUNK," from a well-known nigger -story. The nigger was cautioned by his master for being too often drunk -within a given period, when the "cullud pusson" replied, "Same old -drunk, massa--same old drunk." - -~Stalking-horse~, originally a horse covered with loose trappings, under -which the mediaeval sportsman concealed himself with his bow, so as to -approach his game unobserved. Subsequently a canvas figure, made light, -so as to be easily moved with one hand. Now used to represent any -bugbear persistently paraded; any constant and unpleasant reference to -the possible consequences of an act. - -~Stall~, to lodge, or put up at a public-house. Also, to act a -part.--_Theatrical._ - -~Stall~, to frighten or discourage. In the days of dog-fighting and -pugilism, a dog or man who had originally shown great pluck would, after -a hard battle or two, show signs of cowardice. In such case he was said -to have been STALLED by his previous encounters. A STALL is a spurious -excuse or an imposition, a dodge, &c. - -~Stall-off~, to put off by means of a device, to misdirect purposely. - -~Stall off~, to blind, excuse, hide, to screen a robbery during the -perpetration of it by an accomplice. - -~Stall your mug~, go away; spoken sharply by any one who wishes to get -rid of a troublesome or inconvenient person. - -~Stallsman~, sometimes STALL, an accomplice. - -~Stampers~, shoes.--_Ancient Cant._ - -~Stand~, "to STAND treat," to pay for a friend's entertainment; to bear -expense; to put up with treatment, good or ill, as, "Will you STAND -that?" a question often asked when a man has been struck or insulted. -Also in the sense of aggregate cost, as, "This house STOOD me in L1000;" -_i.e._, cost that sum; "to STAND pad," to beg on the kerb with a small -piece of paper pinned on the breast, inscribed, "I am starving." - -~Stand in~, to make one of a party in a bet or other speculation; to -take a side in a dispute. - -~Standing~, the position at a street corner, or on the kerb of a market -street, regularly occupied by a costermonger, or street seller. - -~Standing patterers~, men who take a stand on the kerb of a public -thoroughfare, and deliver prepared speeches to effect a sale of any -articles they have to vend. _See_ PATTERER. - -~Stangey~, a tailor, a person under petticoat government,--derived from -the custom of "riding the STANG," mentioned in _Hudibras_:-- - - "It is a custom used of course - Where the grey mare is the better horse." - -~Star~, a common abbreviation of the name of the well-known STAR AND -GARTER Inn at Richmond. Clever people, who delight in altering names, -call this hostelry the "Gar and Starter." - -~Star it~, to perform as the centre of attraction, with inferior -subordinates to set off one's abilities.--_Theatrical._ - -~Star the glaze~, to break a window. Among thieves it means to break the -window or show-glass of a jeweller or other tradesman, take any valuable -articles, and run away. Sometimes the glass is cut with a diamond, and a -strip of leather fastened to the piece of glass cut out to keep it from -falling in and making a noise. Another plan is to cut the sash. - -~Starchy~, stuck-up, high-notioned, showily dressed, stiff and unbending -in demeanour. - -~Stark-naked~, originally STRIP-ME-NAKED, _vide Randall's Diary_, 1820, -raw gin. - -~Start~, "the START," London,--the great starting-point for beggars and -tramps. This is a term also used by many of superior station to those -mentioned. - -~Start~, a proceeding of any kind; "a rum START," an odd circumstance; -"to get the START of a person," to anticipate or overreach him. - -~Starvation~, though now a recognised word, was originally slang. Its -derivation is composite, and it was first introduced into the English -language by Mr. Dundas, in a debate in the House of Commons on American -affairs, in 1775. "I shall not," he said, "wait for the advent of -STARVATION from Edinburgh to settle my judgment." From this he was -always afterwards called STARVATION Dundas.--_Horace Walpole's Letters._ - -~Starve'em~, ~Rob'em~, and ~Cheat'em~, the adjoining towns of Stroud, -Rochester, and Chatham are so designated by soldiers and sailors; from -some fancied peculiarities of the inhabitants. - -~Stash~, to cease doing anything, to refrain, be quiet, leave off; -"STASH it, there, you sir!" _i.e._, be quiet, sir; to give over a lewd -or intemperate course of life is to STASH it. - -~Stay~, to exhibit powers of endurance at walking, running, rowing, &c. - -~Stayer~, one likely to persevere, one not easily discouraged. It is -usual for _laudatores temporis acti_ connected with the turf to deplore -the want of staying power which, according to their statements, -characterizes the modern British racehorse; while others, connected and -disconnected with sport, make similar remarks with reference to the -modern British man. So far, however, both descriptions of old gentlemen -have failed signally in endeavouring to make out a good case. - -~Steam-engine~, potato-pie at Manchester is so termed. - -~Steel~, the House of Correction in London, formerly named the Bastile, -but since shortened to STEEL. _See_ BASTILE. - -~Steel-bar drivers~, or FLINGERS, journeymen tailors. - -~Stems~, the legs. - -~Step it~, to run away, or make off. - -~Stepper~, the treadmill; the "everlasting staircase." - -~Stick~, a derogatory expression for a person; "a rum, or odd, STICK," a -curious man. More generally a "poor STICK."--_Provincial._ - -~Stick~, "cut your STICK," be off, or go away; either simply equivalent -to a recommendation to prepare a walking staff in readiness for a -journey--in allusion to the Eastern custom of cutting a STICK before -setting out--or from the ancient mode of reckoning by notches or tallies -on a STICK. In Cornwall the peasantry tally sheaves of corn by cuts in a -STICK, reckoning by the score. "Cut your STICK" in this sense may mean -to make your mark and pass on--and so realize the meaning of the phrase, -"in the nick (or notch) of time." Sir J. Emerson Tennent considers the -phrase equivalent to "cutting the connexion," and suggests a possible -origin in the prophet's breaking the staves of "Beauty" and -"Bands,"--_vide_ Zech. xi. 10, 14. - -~Stick~, to cheat; "he got STUCK," he was taken in; "I'm STUCK," a -common phrase to express that the speaker has spent or lost all his -money, and can neither play nor pay any longer. STICK, to forget one's -part in a performance.--_Theatrical._ STICK up, to place in an account; -"STICK it up to me," _i.e._, give me credit for it; STICK on, to -overcharge or defraud; STICK up for, to defend a person, especially when -slandered in his absence; STICK up to, to persevere in courting or -attacking, whether in fisticuffs or argument; "to STICK in one's -gizzard," to rankle in one's heart; "to STICK to a person," to adhere to -one, to be his friend through adverse circumstances,--to "cotton" to -him; "to STICK one's spoon in the wall," to die. - -~Stick-up~, to keep any one waiting at an appointed place or time. To -leave a friend or acquaintance to pay the whole or an undue share of a -tavern bill. - -~Stick-ups~, or GILLS, shirt collars. - -~Sticker~, one not likely to be easily shaken off, a stayer. - -~Stickings~, coarse, bruised, or damaged meat sold to sausage-makers and -penny pie-shops. - -~Sticks~, furniture, or household chattels; "pick up your STICKS and -cut!" summary advice to a person to take himself and furniture away. - -~Sticky~, wax. - -~Stiff~, paper, a bill of acceptance, &c.; "how did you get it, STIFF or -hard?" _i.e._, did he pay you cash or give a bill? "To do a bit of -STIFF," to accept a bill. _See_ KITE. - -~Stiff-fencer~, a street-seller of writing paper. - -~Stiff un~, a corpse. Term used by undertakers. - -~Stills~, undertakers' slang term for STILL-BORN children. The fee paid -by nurses and others for their disposal is usually 2_s._ 6_d._ A -separate coffin is never given; the STILLS are quietly introduced into -one containing an adult about to be buried. STILLS are allowed to -accumulate at an undertaker's until they sometimes number as many as a -dozen. Some little time back a very bulky coffin was opened, and found -to contain a large quantity of small corpses packed carefully round a -large corpse. This caused a little excitement, but nothing was done in -the matter. - -~Stilton~, "that's the STILTON," or "it's not the STILTON," _i.e._, that -is quite the thing, or that is not quite the thing;--affected rendering -of "that is not the CHEESE," which _see_. - -~Stingo~, strong liquor.--_Yorkshire._ - -~Stink~, a disagreeable exposure. "To stir up a STINK" is to make a -disclosure which is generally unpleasant in its effect. - -~Stinkomalee~, a name given to the then New London University by -Theodore Hook. Probably because some cow-houses and dunghills stood on -the original site. Some question about Trincomalee was agitated at the -same time. It is still applied by the students of the old Universities, -who regard it with disfavour from its admitting all denominations. - -~Stipe~, a stipendiary magistrate.--_Provincial._ - -~Stir~, a prison, a lock-up; "in STIR," in gaol. _Anglo-Saxon_, STYR, -correction, punishment. - -~Stir-up Sunday~, the Sunday next before Advent, the collect for that -day commencing with the words, "Stir up." Schoolboys, growing excited at -the prospect of the vacation, irreverently commemorate it by stirring -up--pushing and poking each other. "Crib-crust Monday" and "tug-button -Tuesday" are distinguished by similar tricks; while on "pay-off -Wednesday" they retaliate small grudges in a playful facetious way. -Forby says good housewives in Norfolk consider themselves reminded by -the name to mix the ingredients for their Christmas mince-pies. - -~Stock.~ "To STOCK cards" is to arrange cards in a certain manner for -cheating purposes. - -~Stock~, "to take STOCK of one," to scrutinize narrowly one whom you -have reason to suspect, or one with whom you are likely to have business -transactions; taken from the tradesmen's term for the annual examination -and valuation of their stock of goods. - -~Stockdollager~, a heavy blow, a "finisher." _Italian_, STOCCADO, -a fencing term. Also (in a general sense), a disastrous -event.--_Americanism._ - -~Stodge~, to surfeit, gorge, or clog with food. STODGE is in some places -bread and milk. - -~Stoll~, to understand.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Stomach~, to bear with, to be partial to. Mostly used in a negative -character,--as, "I can't STOMACH that." - -~Stone-jug~, a prison. - - "In a box of the stone-jug I was born." - -~Stook~, a pocket-handkerchief. A STOOK-HAULER, or "buzzer," is a thief -who takes pocket-handkerchiefs. - -~Story~, a falsehood,--the soft synonym for a lie, allowed in family -circles and boarding-schools. A Puritanism that came into fashion with -the tirade against romances, all novels and stories being considered as -dangerous and false. - -~Stot~, a young bullock. In Northumberland the term STOT means to -rebound. - -~Stotor~, a heavy blow, a settler.--_Old Cant._ - -~Stow~, to leave off, or have done; "STOW it, the gorger's leary." Leave -off, the person is looking. _See_ STASH, with which it is -synonymous.--_Ancient Cant._ - -~Stow~, to put away, to hide. A hungry man is said to STOW his food -rapidly. He is also said to hide it. - -~Stow faking!~ leave off there, be quiet! FAKING means anything that may -be going on. - -~Straight~, an American phrase peculiar to dram-drinkers; similar to our -word NEAT, which _see_. - -~Strap~, a barber. From _Roderick Random_. - -~Straw.~ Married ladies are said to be "in the STRAW" at their -accouchements. The phrase is a coarse metaphor, and has reference to -farmyard animals in a similar condition. It may have originally been -suggested to the inquiring mind by the Nativity. - -~Strawing~, "selling" straws in the streets (generally for a penny), and -"giving" the purchaser a paper (indecent or political) or a gold (!) -ring,--neither of which, the patterer states, he is allowed by Act of -Parliament to sell. - -~Streak~, to decamp, run away.--_Saxon._ In America the phrase is "to -make STREAKS," or "make TRACKS." - -~Streaky~, irritated, ill-tempered. Said of a short-tempered man who has -his good and bad times in STREAK. - -~Street-pitchers~, negro minstrels, ballad-singers, long-song men, men -"working a board" on which have been painted various exciting scenes in -some terrible drama, the details of which the STREET PITCHER is bawling -out, and selling in a little book or broadsheet (price one penny); or -any persons who make a stand--_i.e._, a pitch--in the streets, and sell -articles or contribute entertainments for a living. - -~Stretch~, a walk.--_University._ - -~Stretch~, abbreviation of "STRETCH one's neck," to hang, to be executed -as a malefactor. As, "The night before Larry was STRETCHED." - -~Stretch~, twelve months,--generally used to intimate the time any one -has been sentenced by the judge or magistrate. One STRETCH is twelve -months' imprisonment, two STRETCH is two years, three STRETCH is three -years, and so on. - -~Stretcher~, a falsehood; one that requires a STRETCH of imagination or -comprehension. - -~Stretcher~, a contrivance with handles, used by the police to carry off -persons who are violent or drunk. - -~Stretcher-fencer~, one who sells braces. - -~Stretching match~, an execution. Often called a "hanging match." - -~Strike a jigger~, to pick a lock, or break open a door. - -~Strike me lucky!~ an expression used by the lower orders when making a -bargain, derived from the old custom of striking hands together, leaving -in that of the seller a LUCK PENNY as an earnest that the bargain is -concluded. In Ireland, at cattle markets, &c., a penny, or other small -coin, is always given by the buyer to the seller to ratify the -bargain.--_Hudibras._ Anciently this was called a "God's penny." - - "With that he cast him a God's penny."--_Heir of Linne._ - -The origin of the phrase being lost sight of, like that of many others, -it is often used as a modification of "Strike me blind!" and is now and -again corrupted into "Strike me silly!" A foolish variation of this is -"Strike me up a gum-tree!" - -~Strills~, cheating lies.--_North Country Cant._ - -~String~, to hoax, to "get in a line." - -~Stroke~, the captain of a crew, the man who sets the pace, and is -generally the leading spirit in the boat. The coxswain usually looks -after University men when they are in training, so that they may not -fall into excesses, the STROKE having quite enough to do to attend to -his own training. Of late years University crews have placed themselves -under the guidance and tuition of "coaches," generally ex-University men -of great ability and experience. - -~Strommel~, straw.--_Ancient Cant._ Halliwell says that in Norfolk -STRUMMEL is a name for hair. - -~Strong~, "to come it STRONG." _See_ COME. - -~Stuck~, moneyless. _See_ STICK. - -~Stuck-up~, purse-proud--a form of snobbishness very common in those who -have risen in the world, especially among those who have risen rather -suddenly. Albert Smith wrote some amusing papers on the _Natural History -of STUCK-UP People_. - -~Stuff~, money. - -~Stuff~, to make false but plausible statements, to praise ironically, -to make game of a person,--literally, to STUFF or cram him with gammon -or falsehood. - -~Stump~, to go on foot. - -~Stump~, to go about speechmaking on politics or other subjects. -Originally an Americanism applied to the lowest class of candidates for -legislatorial honours, probably because they stood on a STUMP to address -their audiences. Maybe, also, because their utterances were short and -pithy. This latter reason would, however, hardly apply to our -representatives of the STUMP class, "the Leaguers," who are, as a rule, -as long-winded as they are illogical. - -~Stump up~, to give one's share, to pay the reckoning, to bring forth -the money reluctantly. - -~Stumped~, bowled out, done for, bankrupt, poverty-stricken. From the -cricketing term. - -~Stumps~, legs, or feet. - -~Stumpy~, money. - -~Stun~, to astonish. - -~Stunner~, a first-rate person or article. - -~Stunners~, feelings of great astonishment; "it put the STUNNERS on me," -_i.e._, it confounded me. - -~Stunning~, first-rate, very good, really, astonishing. Costermongers -call anything extra good, STUNNING. Sometimes amplified to STUNNING JOE -BANKS! when the expression is supposed to be in its most intense form. -Joe Banks was a noted character in the last generation. He was the -proprietor of a public-house in Dyott Street, Seven Dials, and -afterwards, on the demolition of the Rookery, of another in Cranbourn -Alley. His houses became well-known from their being the resort of the -worst characters, while at the same time the strictest decorum was -always maintained in them. Joe Banks also acquired a remarkable -notoriety by acting as a medium betwixt thieves and their victims. Upon -the proper payment to Joe, a watch or a snuff-box would at any time be -restored to its lawful owner--"no questions in any case being asked." -The most daring depredators in London placed the fullest confidence in -Joe, and it is believed (although the _Biographie Universelle_ is quiet -upon this point) that he never, in any instance, "sold" them. He was of -the middle height, stout, and strongly made, and was always noted for a -showy pin and a remarkably STUNNING neck-tie. It was this peculiarity in -the costume of Mr. Banks, coupled with those true and tried qualities as -a friend for which he was famous, that led his customers to proclaim him -as STUNNING JOE BANKS! The Marquis of Douro, Colonel Chatterley, and men -of their stamp, were accustomed to resort to a private-room at his -house, when too late (or too early) to gain admittance to the clubs or -more aristocratic establishments. - -~Sub~, a subaltern officer in the army. - -~Sub~, all.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Sub~, to draw money in advance; a term in use among workmen generally, -and those with casual employment in particular. Most likely from -subsidize. - -~Sublime rascal~, a lawyer. - -~Suck~, a parasite, a flatterer of the "nobs."--_University._ - -~Suck~, to pump, or draw information from a person. - -~Suck-casa~, a public-house.--_Lingua Franca._ - -~Suck the mop~, to be the victim of an omnibus nursing exploit. When an -omnibus is being nursed, the driver of the hindmost vehicle keeps so -close to his opponent that the horses get their heads almost into the -doorway. The nursed omnibus is then said to SUCK THE MOP. Nursing is, -thanks to tramways and the Metropolis Streets Act, almost a thing of the -past. At the East-end, however, it still goes merrily on. - -~Suck the monkey~, to rob a cask of liquor by inserting a straw through -a gimlet-hole, and sucking a portion of the contents. Originally, as -Captain Marryatt states, to SUCK THE MONKEY, was to suck rum from -cocoa-nuts, which spirit had been inserted in place of the milk, for the -private use of the sailors. _See_ TAP THE ADMIRAL. - -~Suck up~, "to SUCK UP to a person," to insinuate oneself into his good -graces. - -~Sudden death.~ In tossing, to be decided by the first call is to "GO -SUDDEN DEATH," as distinguished from the longer forms of "best two out -of three," and "first three." At the Universities a crumpet, or Sally -Lunn, is so called. - -~Sufferer~, a tailor; the loser at any game. - -~Sugar~, money. - -~Suicide~, four horses driven in a line. _See_ HARUM-SCARUM. - -~Sulky~, a one-horse chaise, having only room for one person. Used -nowadays only in trotting matches. - -~Sumsy~, an action of _assumpsit_.--_Legal Slang._ - -~Sun in the eyes~, too much drink. A person who is tipsy is said to have -the SUN IN HIS EYES. He is also said to have been "standing too long in -the SUN." - -~Supe~, or super, abbreviation of SUPERNUMERARY.--_Theatrical._ - -~Super~, a watch; SUPER-SCREWING, stealing watches. - -~Surat~, an adulterated article of inferior quality. This word affords a -remarkable instance of the manner in which slang phrases are coined. In -the report of an action for libel in the _Times_, some few years back, -it was stated "that, since the American civil war, it has been not -unusual for manufacturers to mix American cotton with surat, and, the -latter being an inferior article, the people in Lancashire have begun to -apply the term SURAT to any article of inferior or adulterated quality. -The plaintiffs were brewers, and the action was brought to recover -special damages resulting from the publication of an advertisement in -these words:--'All in want of beerhouses must beware of Beaumont and -White, the SURAT brewers.'" - -~Surf~, an actor who frequently pursues another calling.--_Theatrical._ -SURF, or SERF, is also a term much in use among the lower orders to -denote a crawling or sycophantic wretch. - -~Suspicion~, a scarcely perceptible flavour; as, "There was just a -SUSPICION of oil in the mixture." _French_, SOUPCON. - -~Swab~, an epaulet.--_Sea._ - -~Swack-up~, a falsehood. - -~Swaddler~, a Wesleyan Methodist; a name originally given to members of -that body by the Irish mob; said to have originated with an ignorant -Romanist, to whom the words of the English Bible were a novelty, and -who, hearing one of John Wesley's preachers mention the swaddling -clothes of the Holy Infant, in a sermon on Christmas-day at Dublin, -shouted out in derision, "A SWADDLER! a SWADDLER!" as if the whole story -were the preacher's invention.--_Southey's Life of Wesley_, vol. ii. p. -109. _See_ introductory article. - -~Swaddler~, _see_ SOUPER. - -~Swaddy~, or COOLIE, a soldier. The former was originally applied to a -discharged soldier, and perhaps came from SHODDY, which is made from -soldiers' and policemen's worn-out coats. The term was one of -opprobrium, and was probably the result of a long peace, for it became -obsolete as soon as the Crimean War commenced. - -~Swag~, a lot or plenty of anything, a portion or division of property. -In Australia the term is used for the luggage carried by diggers. -_Scotch_, SWEG, or SWACK; _German_, SWEIG, a flock. Old cant for a shop. - -~Swag-shop~, a warehouse where "Brummagem" and general wares, fancy -trinkets, plated goods, &c., are sold. Jews are the general proprietors; -and the goods are very low-priced, trashy, and showy. SWAG-SHOPS were -formerly plunder depots.--_Old Cant._ - -~Swagsman~, one who carries the booty after a burglary. - -~Swank~, to boast or "gas" unduly. - -~Swankey~, cheap or small beer. Any weak fermented beverage. - -~Swap~, to exchange. Grose says it is Irish cant, but the term is now -included in most dictionaries as an allowed vulgarism. - -~Swarry~, a boiled leg of mutton and trimmings. Sam Weller's adventure -with the Bath footmen originated the term. _See_ TRIMMINGS. - -~Swatchel-cove~, the master of a Punch-and-Judy exhibition who "fakes -the slum," and does the necessary squeak for the amusement of the -bystanders. _See_ SCHWASSLE BOX. The orthography of many of these -colloquial expressions differs. It was thought best to give the various -renderings as collected. - -~Sweat~, to extract money from a person, to "bleed." Also, to squander -riches.--_Bulwer._ - -~Sweat~, to violently shake up a lot of guineas or sovereigns in a -leathern bag for the purpose of benefiting by the perspiration. - -~Sweater~, common term for a "cutting" or "grinding" employer,--one who -SWEATS his workpeople. A cheap tailor, who pays starvation wages. - -~Sweep~, a contemptuous term for a low or shabby man. - -~Sweet~, loving or fond; "how SWEET he was upon the moll," _i.e._, what -marked attention he paid the girl. - -~Sweetener~, a person who runs up the prices of articles at an auction. -_See_ JOLLYING, BONNET, &c. - -~Swell~, a man of importance; a person with a showy, jaunty exterior, "a -rank SWELL," a very flashily dressed person, a man who by excessive -dress apes a higher position than he actually occupies. Any one -occupying a superior position in society is by the mob called a SWELL. -Anything is said to be SWELL or SWELLISH that looks showy, or is many -coloured, or is of a desirable quality. Dickens and Thackeray were -termed great SWELLS in literature, and so are the first persons in the -learned professions SWELLS in their way. - -~Swell hung in chains~, said of a showy man in the habit of wearing much -jewellery. - -~Swell street~, the West-end of London. - -~Swig~, a hearty drink. - -~Swig~, to drink. _Saxon_, SWIGAN. - -~Swill~, to drink inordinately. SWILL, hog-wash. From which the verb has -possibly been derived.--_Norfolk._ - -~Swim~, "a good SWIM," a good run of luck, a long time out of the -policeman's clutches.--_Thieves' term._ Among anglers "a good SWIM" is a -good pitch for a part where fish are plentiful--that is, because a lot -of fish keeping together are called a SWIM. Thus one who is in luck, is -well connected, or is doing a good business, is said to be in a good -SWIM. - -~Swindler~, although a recognised word in standard dictionaries, -commenced service as a slang term. It was used as such by the poor -Londoners against the German Jews who set up in London about the year -1762, also by our soldiers in the German war about that time. -SCHWINDELN, in _German_, signifies to cheat. - -~Swing.~ To have one's SWING is to have a full turn at anything. - -~Swing~, to be hanged; "if you don't do what's right, I'll SWING for -you," _i.e._, take your life,--a common threat in low neighbourhoods. - -~Swingeing~, large, huge, powerful. As a SWINGEING blow, SWINGEING -damages, &c. - -~Swipe~, at cricket, to hit hard with a full swing of the bat. Most -probably a condensation of "wipe swingeing" or "swinging wipe." - -~Swipes~, sour or small beer. SWIPE, to drink.--_Sea._ - -~Swipey~ (from SWIPES), intoxicated. - -~Swish~, to flog, derived perhaps from the sound. Maybe, a corruption of -SWITCH. - -~Swished~, or SWITCHED, married. - -~Swivel-eye~, a squinting eye. - -~Swizzle~, small beer, drink. - -~Swot~, mathematics; also, a mathematician; as a verb, to work hard for -an examination, to be diligent in one's studies.--_Army._ - -This word originated at the great slang manufactory for the army, the -Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in the broad Scotch pronunciation by -Dr. Wallace, one of the Professors, of the word sweat. It has since -become fashionable at the Universities. - -~Syce~, a groom.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~T~, "to suit to a T," to fit to a nicety.--_Old._ Perhaps from the -T-square of carpenters, by which the accuracy of work is tested. - -~Tabby party~, a party consisting entirely of women, a tea and tattle -gathering. In America, a gathering of men only is called a "stag party." - -~Tabooed~, forbidden. This word, now very common, is derived from a -custom of the South-Sea islanders, first noticed in _Cook's Voyages_. - -~Tack~, a taste foreign to what was intended; a barrel may get a TACK -upon it, either permanently mouldy, sour, or otherwise. - -~Tacked~, tied down. When a man has another vanquished, or for certain -reasons bound to his service, he is said to have "got him TACKED." - -~Tackle~, clothes.--_Sea._ Also to encounter a person in argument. - -~Taffy~ (corruption of David), a Welshman. Compare Sawney (from -Alexander), a Scotchman; Paddy (from Patrick), an Irishman; and Johnny -(from John Bull), an Englishman. - -~Tag-rag-and-bobtail~, a mixed crowd of low people, the lower orders -generally. - -~Tail-block~, a watch.--_Sea._ - -~Tail-buzzer~, a thief who picks coat-pockets. - -~Tail-down~, "to get the TAIL DOWN," generally means to lose courage. -When a professional at any game loses heart in a match he is said to get -his TAIL DOWN. "His TAIL was quite DOWN, and it was all over." The -origin is obvious. - -~Take~, to succeed, or be patronized. "Do you think the new opera will -TAKE?" "No, because the same company TOOK so badly under the old -management." "To TAKE on," to grieve; Shakspeare uses the word TAKING in -this sense. To "TAKE up for any one," to protect or defend a person; "to -TAKE off," to mimic; "to TAKE heart," to have courage; "to TAKE down a -peg or two," to humiliate, or tame; "to TAKE up," to reprove; "to TAKE -after," to resemble; "to TAKE in," to cheat or defraud, probably from -the lower class lodging-house-keepers' advertisements, "Single men TAKEN -in and done for,"--an engagement which is as frequently performed in a -bad as a good sense; in reference to this performance, Scripture is -often quoted: "I was a stranger and ye TOOK me in." "To TAKE the field," -when said of a general, to commence operations against the enemy. When a -racing man TAKES the field he stakes his money against the favourite, -that is, he takes the chances of the field against the chance of one -horse. - -~Take beef~, to run away. - -~Take in~, a cheating or swindling transaction,--sometimes termed "a -dead TAKE IN." Shakspeare has TAKE IN in the sense of conquering. To be -"had," or to be "spoken to," were formerly synonymous phrases with to be -TAKEN IN. - -~Take it out~, to obtain value for money, labour, &c. A rich man is said -to "TAKE IT (_i.e._, his money) OUT in fine footmen, fine feeding," &c. -A poor man "TAKES IT (_i.e._, his trouble) OUT in drink." - -~Talking~, a stable term, of a milder kind, applied to those horses -which are addicted to ROARING. _See_ the latter expression. - -~Talk shop~, to intrude oneself or one's private business too freely -into conversation. Any one who does this is said to be shoppy. - -~Tall~, extensive, exaggerated,--generally applied to conversation, as -"loud" is to dress, or personal appearance; "TALL talk that," _i.e._, -conversation too boastful or high-flown to be true. Among pedestrians a -great rate of speed is spoken of as TALL. - -~Tally~, five dozen bunches of turnips.--_Costermongers' term._ - -~Tally~, "to live TALLY," to live in a state of unmarried impropriety; -TALLY-WIFE, a woman who cohabits with a man to whom she is not married. - -~Tallyman~, an accommodating salesman who takes payment by instalments -to suit the convenience of the purchaser, but who is anything but -accommodating when payments are irregular. TALLYMEN are the cause of -much misfortune to the working classes, from their high and exorbitant -rates, and the temptations they offer to weak-minded women, who purchase -in haste and repent at leisure. - -~Tan~, to beat or thrash; "I'll TAN your hide," _i.e._, I'll give you a -good beating. - -~Tan~, an order to pull.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Tanner~, a sixpence. Perhaps _Gipsy_, TAWNO, little, or _Latin_, TENER, -slender. - -~Tanny~, or TEENY, little. _Gipsy_, TAWNO, little. - -~Tantrems~, pranks, capers, frolicking; from the _Tarantula_ dance. -_See_ account of the involuntary frenzy and motions caused by the bite -of the tarantula in Italy.--_Penny Cyclopaedia._ - -~Tantrums~, ill-tempers. "He's in his TANTRUMS this morning," is often -said of a peevish, querulous man. They are not peculiar to the one sex, -however. - -~Tap the Admiral~, to suck liquor from a cask by means of a straw, said -to have been done with the rum-cask in which Lord Nelson's body was -brought to England, to such an extent as to leave the gallant Admiral -dry. - -~Tap-tub~, the _Morning Advertiser_,--so called by vulgar people from -the fact that this daily newspaper is the principal organ of the London -brewers and publicans. Sometimes termed the _Gin and Gospel Gazette_, -though this title is fast fading out since the paper has been in the -hands of its present editor. - -~Tape~, gin,--term with female servants. Also, a military term used in -barracks when no spirits are allowed. _See_ RIBBON. - -~Taper~, to give over gradually, to run short. - -~Taradiddle~, a falsehood. - -~Tar-brush~, a person whose complexion indicates a mixture of negro -blood, is said to have had a lick of the TAR-BRUSH. Sometimes a man of -this description is said to have been dipped in the black-pot, and he is -often reminded that "another dip would have done it," _i.e._, another -dip would have made a negro of him. - -~Tar-out~, to punish, to serve out. - -~Tarpaulin~, a sailor. - -~Tartar~, a savage fellow, an "ugly customer." To "catch a TARTAR," is -to discover somewhat unpleasantly that a person is by no means so mild -or good-tempered as he or she at first appeared. - -~Tat-box~, a dice-box. - -~Tater~, "s'elp my TATER," an evasion of a profane oath, sometimes -varied by "s'elp my greens." - -~Tatler~, a watch; "nimming a TATLER," stealing a watch. - -~Tats~, dice. - -~Tats~, old rags; milky TATS, white rags. - -~Tatterdemalion~, a ragged fellow. - -~Tatting~, gathering old rags. - -~Tattoo~, a pony.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Taw~, a large or principal marble; "I'll be one on your TAW," I will -pay you out, or be even with you,--a simile taken from boys aiming -always at winning the TAW when playing at marbles. - -~Tea-fight~, an evening party, alias a "muffin-worry." - -~Tea-spoon~, five thousand pounds. _See_ SPOONS. - -~Teagueland~, Ireland. From the national character of the name TEAGUE. - -~Teeth~, "he has cut his eye TEETH," _i.e._, is old and 'cute enough. - -~Teeth-drawing~, wrenching off knockers. Medical students' term. - -~Teddy Hall~, St. Edmund Hall.--_Oxford University._ - -~Teetotaller~, a total abstainer from alcoholic drinks. The origin of -this term is not known. It is said to be from the expression of a -fanatical and stuttering enthusiast in the cause of total abstinence. It -has nothing to do with tea. - -~Teetotally~, amplification of TOTALLY. - -~Te-he~, to titter, "Upon this I TE-HE'D."--_Madame d'Arblay._ As an -interjection it is as old as Chaucer. _See Miller's Tale_:-- - - "TE-HE, quod she, and clapt the window to." - -~Tell on~, to tell about, to talk of, to inform against. (This is formed -by a simple misuse of the preposition.) - -~Ten commandments~, a virago's fingers, or nails. Often heard in a -female street disturbance. "I'll leave the TEN COMMANDMENTS marked on -his chump," shows that the term may be applied to either the fingers or -the scratchings. It would be a strange hand, however, that, with the -best opportunity, could made five marks simultaneously. - -~Tench~, the Penitentiary, of which it is a contraction. _See_ STEEL. - -~Tenpence to the shilling~, a vulgar phrase denoting a deficiency in -intellect. - -~Testamur~, the slip of paper on which the examiners testify -(testari) to the fact that the candidate has satisfied their -requirements.--_University._ - -~Tester~, sixpence. From TESTONE, a shilling in the reign of Henry -VIII., but a sixpence in the time of Queen Elizabeth.--_Shakspeare._ -_French_, TESTE, or TETE, the head of the monarch on the coin. - -~Teviss~, a shilling. Costermongers' and tramps' term. - -~Thatch~, the human hair. "He's well THATCHED," is said of a man with a -good head of hair. - -~The Tavern~, New Inn Hall.--_Oxford University._ - -~The thing~, the style, the proper proportion. Application varied. A -good appearance, a decent dinner, or a fair bottle of wine, is said to -be "the THING," sometimes "the correct THING." - -~Thick~, intimate, familiar. The Scotch use the word "chief" in this -sense, as, "the two are very chief now." - -~Thick;~ "to lay it on THICK," to flatter unduly, to surfeit with praise -or adulation. - -~Thick un~, a sovereign; originally a crown piece, or five shillings. - -~Thimble~, or YACK, a watch.--_Prison Cant._ - -~Thimble-rig~, a noted cheating game some years back, played at fairs -and places of great public thronging, consisting of two or three -thimbles rapidly and dexterously placed over a pea. The THIMBLE-RIGGER, -suddenly ceasing, asks under which thimble the pea is to be found. Any -one not a practised hand would lose nine times out of ten any bet he -might happen to make with him. The pea is generally concealed under his -nail. THIMBLE-RIGGING has of late years given way to "broad-working." - -~Thimble-twisters~, thieves who rob persons of their watches. - -~Thingumy~, THINGUMBOB, expressions used for the name of a thing which -cannot be recollected at the instant. - -~Thin-skinned~, over-nice, petulant, apt to get a "raw." _See_ that -term. - -~Three-cornered scraper~, a cocked hat.--_Sea._ - -~Three sheets in the wind~, unsteady from drink.--_Sea._ - -~Three-up~, a gambling game played by costers and others of like grade. -Three halfpennies are thrown up by one man to the call of another. If -they do not come all alike, the cry is void, and the calling and tossing -are resumed. When the three coins are all alike they are said to "come -off," and then all bets are decided according to the success or failure -of the caller. When two men toss, they play "up for up," _i.e._, they -toss and cry alternately. When three or more join in, the gathering is -named a school, and one man, who is called a pieman, cries to the -halfpence of the others until he loses, when the winner of the toss -becomes pieman in turn. - -~Through~, finished. In America, where this word is most used in the -sense now given, a guest who has had enough will, when asked to take -more, say, "I'm THROUGH," which is certainly preferable to the other -Americanism, "crammed." - -~Thrummer~, a threepenny bit. - -~Thrums~, threepence. Also, in Coventry, remnants and waste pieces of -silk. - -~Thrups~, threepence. _See_ the preceding, which is more general. - -~Thud~, the dull, dead sound made by the fall of a heavy body, or the -striking of a bullet against any soft, fleshy substance. - -~Thumper~, a magnificently constructed lie, a lie about which there is -no stint of imaginative power. - -~Thumping~, large, fine, or strong. - -~Thunderbomb~, an imaginary ship of vast size. _See_ MERRY DUN OF DOVER. - -~Thunderer~, the _Times_ newspaper, sometimes termed "the THUNDERER of -Printing House Square," from the locality where it is printed. - -~Thundering~, large, extra-sized. - -~Tibbing out~, going out of bounds.--_Charterhouse._ - -~Tibby~, the head. Street slang, with no known etymology. To drop on -one's TIBBY is to frighten or startle any one, to take one unawares. - -~Tib's eve~, "neither before Christmas nor after," an indefinite period; -like the Greek Kalends, TIB'S EVE has a future application; an -indefinite period of past time is sometimes said to be "when Adam was an -oakum-boy in Chatham Dockyard." "The reign of Queen Dick" is another -form of this kind of expression, and is used to indicate either past -time or future. - -~Tick~, credit, trust. Johnson says it is a corruption of -"ticket,"--tradesmen's bills being formerly written on tickets or cards. -On TICK, therefore, is equivalent to on TICKET, or on trust. In use in -1668, and before, as follows:-- - - "No matter upon landing whether you have money or no--you may swim - in twentie of their boats over the river upon TICKET."--_Decker's - Gulls' Hornbook_, 1609. - -~Ticker~, a watch. Formerly cant, now street slang. - -~Ticket~, "that's the TICKET," _i.e._, that's what is wanted, or what is -best. Probable corruption of "that's _etiquette_," or, perhaps, from -TICKET, a bill or invoice. This phrase is sometimes extended into -"that's the TICKET for soup," in allusion to the card given to beggars -for immediate relief at soup kitchens. _See_ TICK. - -~Tickle~, to puzzle; "a reg'lar TICKLER" is a poser. - -~Tiddlywink~, slim, puny; sometimes TILLYWINK. - -~Tidy~, tolerably, or pretty well; "How did you get on to-day?"--"Oh, -TIDY."--_Saxon._ - -~Tie~, a dead heat. A game of any kind, in which the possibility exists, -is said to end in a tie, if the markings are level on each side at the -finish. In racing parlance, all level finishes are called dead-heats. - -~Tied up~, given over, finished; also married, in allusion to the -hymeneal knot, unless a jocose allusion be intended to the "halter" -(altar). _See_ BUCKLED, term in use among costermongers and street folk -generally. - -~Tiff~, a pet, a fit of ill humour. - -~Tiffin~, a breakfast, _dejeuner a la fourchette_.--_Anglo-Indian -Slang._ - -~Tiffy~, easily offended, apt to be annoyed. - -~Tiger~, a parasite; also a term for a ferocious woman; a boy employed -to wait on gentlemen--one who waits on ladies is a page. - -~Tiger~, a superlative yell. "Three cheers, and the last in -TIGERS."--_American._ To "fight the TIGER" is also American, and refers -to gambling with professionals--dangerous pastime. - -~Tight~, close, stingy; hard up, short of cash; TIGHT, spruce, strong, -active; "a TIGHT lad," a smart, active young fellow; TIGHT, drunk, or -nearly so, generally the result of "going on the loose;" "TIGHT-laced," -puritanical, over-precise. Money is said to be TIGHT when the public, -from want of confidence in the aspect of affairs, are not inclined to -speculate. - -~Tightener~, a dinner, or hearty meal. _See_ SPITALFIELDS' BREAKFAST. - -~Tike-~, or BUFFER-LURKING, dog-stealing. - -~Tile~, a hat, a covering for the head. - - "I'm a gent, I'm a gent, - In the Regent-Street style,-- - Examine my costume, - And look at my TILE."--_Popular Song._ - -Sometimes used in another sense, "having a TILE loose," _i.e._, being -slightly crazy. _See_ PANTILE. - -~Timber merchant~, or SPUNK FENCER, a lucifer-match seller. - -~Timber-toes~, a wooden-legged man. Also at the East-end one who wears -clogs, _i.e._, wooden soled boots. - -~Time~, cabman's slang for money. If they wish to express 9s. 9d. they -say that "it is a quarter to ten;" if 3s. 6d., half-past three; if 11s. -9d. a quarter to twelve. Cab-drivers can hardly have originated a system -which has been in existence as long as the adage, "Time is money." They -have, however, the full use of the arrangement, which is perhaps the -simplest on record. - -~Time~, TO DO, to work out a sentence of imprisonment. Time is the -generic term for all quantities of incarceration, whether short or long. -Sometimes stir-time (imprisonment in the House of Correction) is -distinguished from the more extended system of punishment which is -called "pinnel (penal) time." - -~Time o' day~, a dodge, the latest aspect of affairs; "that's your TIME -O' DAY," _i.e._, that's well done; to put a person up to the TIME O' -DAY, or let him know "what's o'clock," is to instruct him in the -knowledge needful for him. - -~Tin~, money,--generally applied to silver. - -~Tinge~, the per-centage allowed by drapers and clothiers to their -assistants upon the sale of old-fashioned articles. _See_ SPIFFS. - -~Tinkler~, a bell. "Jerk the TINKLER," ring the bell. Refined or -affected slangists sometimes say, "Agitate the communicator," which, -though it represents "ring the bell," should more properly mean "pull -the cord." - -~Tin-pot~, "he plays a TIN-POT game," _i.e._, a low, mean, or shabby -game. In the _Contes d'Eutrapel_, a French officer at the siege of -Chatillon is ridiculously spoken of as Captain TIN-POT--_Capitaine du -Pot d'Etain_. TIN-POT, as generally used, means worthless. As applied to -billiards and kindred games, it means pretentious and inferior play. - -~Tip~, advice or information respecting anything, but mostly used in -reference to horse-racing, so that the person TIPPED may know how to bet -to the best advantage. The "straight TIP" is the TIP which comes direct -from the owner or trainer of a horse. Of late years a "straight TIP" -means a direct hint on any subject. - -~Tip~, a douceur; "that's the TIP," _i.e._, that's the proper thing to -do. "To miss one's TIP," to fail in a scheme.--_Old Cant._ - -~Tip~, to give, lend, or hand over anything to another person; "come, -TIP up the tin," _i.e._, hand up the money; "TIP the wink," to inform by -winking; "TIP us your fin," _i.e._, give me your hand; "TIP one's boom -off," to make off, or depart. From the seafaring phrase. - -~Tip the double~, to "bolt," or run away from any one. - -~Tip-top~, first-rate, of the best kind. - -~Tip-topper~, a "swell," or dressy man, a "Gorger." - -~Tipper~, a kind of ale brewed at Brighton. Mrs. Gamp preferred the -"Brighton TIPPER." - -~Tipster~, a "turf" agent who collects early and generally special -information of the condition and racing capabilities of horses in the -training districts, and posts the same to his subscribers to guide their -betting. - - "The racing TIPSTERS have much less patronage than formerly, before - "Geoffry Greenhorn" laid a trap for them, and published the tips he - received in _The Life_. Professor Ingledue, M.A., the mesmerist, is - silent; and if their subscribers, 'for whose interests I have - collected my old and able staff, with many additional ones, who are - already at work in the training districts,' could only get a sight - of the 'old and able staff,' they would find it consisting of a man - and a boy, at work in the back room of a London public-house, and - sending different winners for every race to their - subscribers."--_Post and Paddock_, by the "Druid." - -There are, however, whatever non-racing men may think, many "touts" -whose information is valuable to even the "best informed" writers. - -~Tit~, a favourite name for a horse. - - "They scorned the coach, they scorned the rails, - Two spanking tits with streaming tails, - Them swiftly onward drew."--_End of All Things._ - -~Tit for tat~, an equivalent. - -~Titivate~, to put in order, or dress up. Originally TIDY-VATE. - -~Titley~, drink, generally applied to intoxicating beverages. - -~Titter~, a girl; "nark the TITTER," _i.e._, look at the girl.--_Tramp's -term._ - -~Tizzy~, a sixpence. Corruption of TESTER. - -~Toad-in-the-hole~, a kind of pudding, consisting of small pieces of -meat immersed in batter, and baked. Also, a term applied to -perambulating advertising mediums. _See_ SANDWICH. - -~Toasting-fork~, a regulation sword, indicative of the general -uselessness of that weapon. - -~Toby~, the road. The highwayman or swell robber was in old days said to -be on the high TOBY, from the high or main road, while those meaner -fellows, the footpad and the cutpurse, were but "low TOBY-MEN," from -their frequenting the by-ways. - -~To-do~ (pronounced quickly, and as one word), a disturbance, trouble; -"here's a pretty TO-DO," here is an unpleasant difficulty. This exactly -tallies with the _French_, AFFAIRE (_a faire_).--_See Forby's Vocabulary -of East Anglia_. - -~To the nines~, to the dodges of the day. "He's up to the NINES," means -he's up to everything. "Dressed to the NINES," means dressed loudly, or, -as it is more generally known now, "dressed to death." - -~Toddle~, to walk as a child. - -~Toe~, to kick. "I'll TOE your backside." Common in London. - -~Toff~, a dandy, a swell of rank. Corruption probably of TUFT. _See_ -TOFT. - -~Toffer~, a well-dressed "gay" woman. One who deals with TOFFS. - -~Tofficky~, dressy, showy. - -~Toft~, a showy individual, a swell, a person who, in a Yorkshireman's -vocabulary, would be termed "uppish." _See_ TUFT. - -~Tog~, a coat. _Latin_, TOGA.--_Ancient Cant._ - -~Tog~, to dress, or equip with an outfit; "TOGGED out to the nines," -dressed in the first style. - -~Toggery~, clothes, harness, domestic paraphernalia of any kind. - -~Togs~, clothes; "Sunday TOGS," best clothes. One of the oldest cant -words--in use in the time of Henry VIII. _See_ CANT. - -~Toke~, dry bread. Sometimes used to denote a lump of anything. - -~Toko for yam~, a Roland for an Oliver. Possibly from a system of barter -carried on between sailors and aborigines. - -~Tol-lol~, or TOL-LOLLISH, tolerable, or tolerably. - -~Toll-shop~, a Yorkshire correspondent gives this word as denoting in -that county a prison, and also the following verse of a song, popular at -fairs in the East Riding:-- - - "But if ivver he get out agean, - And can but raise a frind, - Oh! the divel may tak' TOLL-SHOP, - At Beverley town-end!" - -This is but a variation of the Scottish TOLBOOTH. - -~Tom~, _e.g._, "after TOM," after the hour at which Big TOM of -Christchurch rings. At its last stroke the gates are closed, and -undergrads entering after have to pay an increasing sum for each hour up -to twelve. To be out after that involves an interview with the -Master.--_Oxford University._ - -~Tom and Jerry shop~, a low drinking shop. Probably some allusion to -Pierce Egan's famous characters in his _Life in London_. Generally -contracted to JERRY SHOP. - -~Tom Toppers~, a waterman, from a popular song, entitled, _Overboard he -vent_. - -~Tom Tug~, a waterman. From the small stage-play. Also rhyming slang for -a flat, or rather a "mug." - -~Tomboy~, a hoyden, a rude romping girl. - -~Tombstone~, a pawn-ticket--"In memory of" whatever has been pawned,--a -well-known slang expression with those Londoners who are in the habit of -following "my uncle." - -~Tomfoolery~, nonsense; trashy, mild, and innocuous literature. - -~Tom-fool's colours~, scarlet and yellow, the ancient motley. -Occasionally, as a rhyme of quality suitable to the subject, - - "Red and yellow, - TOM FOOL'S colour." - -A proposition is said to be TOM FOOL when it is too ridiculous to be -entertained or discussed. - -~Tom-tom~, a street instrument, a kind of small drum beaten with the -fingers, somewhat like the ancient tabor; a performer on this -instrument. "Hark! 'tis the Indian drum." - -~Tommy~, _See_ DICKEY. - -~Tommy~, bread,--food generally. Sometimes applied by workmen to the -supply of food which they carry in a bag or handkerchief as their daily -allowance. TOMMY-BAG is the term for the bag or handkerchief in which -the "daily bread" is carried. - -~Tommy~, truck, barter, the exchange of labour for goods, not money. -Both term and practice, general among English operatives for -half-a-century, are by a current fiction supposed to have been abolished -by Act of Parliament. - -~Tommy Dodd~, in tossing when the odd man either wins or loses, as per -agreement. A phrase in frequent use in London. A music-hall song has -been given with this title and on this subject. - -~Tommy-master~, one who pays his workmen in goods, or gives them tickets -upon tradesmen, with whom he shares the profit. - -~Tommy-shop~, a shop where wages are paid to mechanics or others, who -are expected to "take out" a portion of the money in goods. Also, a -baker's shop. - -~Tongue~, "to TONGUE a person," _i.e._, to talk him down. TONGUED, -talkative. - -~Tony Lumpkin~, a young, clownish country fellow. From _She Stoops to -Conquer_. - -~Tool~, as "a poor TOOL," a bad hand at anything. - -~Tool~, to drive a coach, or any other vehicle. To "handle the ribbons" -in fine style. - -~Tool~, a very little boy employed by burglars to enter at small -apertures, and open doors for the larger thieves outside. - -~Tooler~, a pickpocket. MOLL-TOOLER, a female pickpocket. - -~Tooley Street tailor~, a self-conceited, vainglorious man. The "three -tailors of Tooley Street" are said to have immortalized themselves by -preparing a petition for Parliament--and some say, presenting it--with -only their own signatures thereto, which commenced, "We, the people of -England." - -~Tooth~, "he has cut his eye TOOTH," _i.e._, he is sharp enough, or old -enough, to do so; "old in the TOOTH," far advanced in age,--said often -of old maids. From the stable term for aged horses which have lost the -distinguishing marks in their teeth. - -~Tootsies~, feet, those of ladies and children in particular. In married -life it is said the husband uses this expression for the first six -months; after that he terms them "hoofs." - -~Top~, the signal among tailors and sempstresses for snuffing the -candle; one cries TOP, and all the others follow; he who last pronounces -the word has to snuff the candle. - -~Top-dressing~, in journalism, is the large-type introduction to a -report, generally written by a man of higher literary attainments than -the ordinary reporter who follows with the details. - -~Top-heavy~, drunk. - -~Top-sawyer~, the principal of a party, or profession. "A TOP-SAWYER -signifies a man that is a master-genius in any profession. It is a piece -of Norfolk slang, and took its rise from Norfolk being a great timber -county, where the TOP SAWYERS get double the wages of those beneath -them."--_Randall's Diary_, 1820. - -~Top up~, a finishing drink. "He drank two bottles of claret and one of -port, which he TOPPED UP with half a bottle of brandy." - -~Topped~, hanged, or executed. - -~Topper~, anything or person above the ordinary; a blow on the head. -"Give him a TOPPER and chance it," "Let him have a TOPPER for luck." - -~Topper~, the tobacco which is left in the bottom of a pipe-bowl--_lucus -a non lucendo_; or the stump of a smoked cigar. TOPPER-HUNTERS are men -who pick up cigar ends and odd pieces of stale tobacco, which they mix -and chop up for home consumption or sale. - -~Topsy-turvy~, the bottom upwards. Grose gives an ingenious etymology of -this once cant term, viz., "top-side turf-ways,"--turf being always laid -the wrong side upwards. This is so far ingenious that it creates a fact -for the purpose of arguing from it. Turfs are laid with the grass part -together during carriage; so, anyhow, the definition could be only half -right. In fact, TOPSY-TURVY is but short for "top-side t'other way." - -~To-rights~, excellent, very well, or good.--_Low London slang._ - -~Tormentors~, the large iron flesh-forks used by cooks at sea. - -~Torpids~, the second-class race-boats at Oxford, answering to the -Cambridge "sloggers." - -~Toshers~, men who steal copper from ships' bottoms in the Thames. - -~Toss~, a measure of sprats.--_Billingsgate._ - -~Tot~, a small glass; a "TOT o' whisky" is the smallest quantity sold. - -~Tot-up~, to add together,--as columns of figures, L _s._ _d._ From -TOTAL-UP, through the vulgarism TOTTLE. - -~Totting~, bone-picking, either peripatetically or at the dust-heaps. -"TOT" is a bone, but chiffoniers and cinder-hunters generally are called -TOT-PICKERS nowadays. TOTTING also has its votaries on the banks of the -Thames, where all kinds of flotsam and jetsam, from coals to carrion, -are known as TOTS. - -~Touch~, a slang expression in common use in phrases which express the -extent to which a person is interested or affected, "as a fourpenny -TOUCH," _i.e._, a thing costing fourpence. _See_ an example in Mr., -afterwards Sir Erasmus, Philipps's Diary, at Oxford, in 1720. "_Sept. -22._--At night went to the ball at the Angel, a guinea TOUCH." It is also -used at Eton in the sense of a "tip," or present of money; and is -sometimes said of a woman to imply her worthlessness, as, "Only a -half-crown TOUCH." - -~Touch-and-go~, an expression often applied to men with whom business -arrangements should be of the lightest possible character. Thus, "He's a -TOUCH-AND-GO sort of fellow. Be careful of him." - -~Toucher~, "as near as a TOUCHER," as near as possible without actually -touching.--_Coaching term._ The old Jarveys, to show their skill, used -to drive against things so closely as absolutely to touch, yet without -injury. This they called a TOUCHER, or TOUCH-AND-GO, which was hence -applied to anything which was within an ace of ruin. - -~Touchy~, peevish, irritable. Johnson terms it a low word. - -~Tout.~ In sporting phraseology a TOUT signifies an agent in the -training districts, on the look-out for information as to the condition -and capabilities of those horses entering for a coming race. TOUTS often -get into trouble through entering private training-grounds. They, -however, are very highly paid, some making 40_l._ or 50_l._ a week -during the season. Now frequently called horse-watchers. - -~Tout~, to look out, or watch. - -~Touter~, a looker out, one who waits at railway stations and steamboat -piers, and touts for customers; a hotel runner. Term in general use. - -~Touzle~, to romp with or rumple.--_Scotch._ - -~Towel~, to beat or whip. In old English phraseology a cudgel was termed -an oaken TOWEL--whence, perhaps, the verb. - -~Towelling~, a rubbing down with an oaken TOWEL, a beating. - -~Town and Gown.~ The fight which used to come off every 5th of November -between the undergrads and the "cads." The sides used to shout -respectively "TOWN!" and "GOWN!" as war-cries.--_Oxford University._ - -~Town-lout~, a derogatory title at Rugby School for those pupils who -reside with their parents in the town, in contradistinction from those -who live in the boarding-houses. - -~Tow-pows~, grenadiers. From the bearskins, most likely, unless it was -originally TALL-POWS, the grenadiers being the tallest men in the -company. - -~Towzery gang~, swindlers who hire sale-rooms, usually in the suburbs, -for mock auction sales of cheap and worthless goods, and who advertise -their ventures as "Alarming Sacrifices," "Important Sales of Bankrupts' -Stock," &c. The American name for a mock auctioneer is a "Peter Funk." - -~Tracks~, "to make TRACKS," to run away. _See_ STREAK. - -~Tradesman~, one who thoroughly understands his business, whatever it -may be. No better compliment can be passed on an individual, whether his -profession be housebreaking, prizefighting, or that of a handicraftsman, -than the significant "He's a regular TRADESMAN." - -~Translator~, a man who deals in old shoes or clothes, and refits them -for cheap wear. These people generally live in or about Dudley Street, -Seven Dials. - -~Translators~, second-hand boots mended and polished, and sold at a low -price. - -~Trap~, a "fast" term for a carriage of any kind. TRAPS, goods and -chattels of any kind, but especially luggage and personal effects; in -Australia, "swag." - -~Trapesing~, gadding or gossiping about in a slatternly way. Generally -applied to girls and women in low neighbourhoods, who wander from -public-house to public-house, and whose clothes are carelessly fastened, -causing them to trail on the ground. - -~Traveller~, name given by one tramp to another. "A TRAVELLER at her -Majesty's expense," _i.e._, a transported felon, a convict. - -~Tree~, "up a TREE," in temporary difficulties,--out of the way. -American expression, derived from racoon or bear-hunting. When Bruin is -TREED, or is forced up a TREE by the dogs, it means that then the tug of -war begins. _See_ 'COON. Hence when an opponent is fairly run to bay, -and can by no evasion get off, he is said to be TREED. These expressions -originated with Colonel Crockett, of backwoods celebrity. In Scotland -the phrase is "up a close," _i.e._, up a passage with no outlet, a -_cul-de-sac_, therefore suggestive of an unpleasant predicament. - -~Triangles~, a slang term for _delirium tremens_, during a fit of which -everything appears out of the square. - -~Trimmings~, the necessary adjuncts to anything cooked, but specially -applied to a boiled leg of mutton, as turnips, potatoes, bread, beer, -salt, &c. Bets are frequently made for a leg of mutton and TRIMMINGS. Or -one person will forfeit the mutton if another will "stand the -TRIMMINGS." It is generally a supper feast, held in a public-house, and -the rule is for the landlord to charge as TRIMMINGS everything, except -the mutton, placed on the table previous to the removal of the cloth. A -boiled leg o' mutton and TRIMMINGS will be always known as a "swarry" to -admirers of Sam Weller. - -~Tripes~, the bowels. - - "Next morning Miss Dolly complained of her TRIPES, - Drinking cold water had given her gripes." - -~Trollies~, or TROLLY-CARTS, term given by costermongers to a species of -narrow carts, which can either be drawn by a donkey or driven by hand. - -~Trolling~, sauntering or idling, hence TROLL and TROLLOCKS, an idle -slut, a "moll," which _see_. - -~Trollop~, a slatternly woman, a prostitute. - -~Trot~, to "run up," to oppose, to bid against at an auction. Private -buyers at auctions know from experience how general is the opposition -against them from dealers, "knock-outs," and other habitues of sales, -who regard the rooms as their own peculiar domain. "We TROTTED him up -nicely, didn't we?" _i.e._, we made him (the private buyer) pay dearly -for what he bought. - -~Trot out~, to draw out or exploit, to show off the abilities of a -companion; sometimes to roast for the amusement and with the assistance -of an assembled company. - -~Trotter~, a tailor's man who goes round for orders.--_University._ - -~Trotter cases~, shoes. - -~Trotters~, feet. Sheep's TROTTERS, boiled sheep's feet, a favourite -street delicacy. - -~Truck~, a hat--from the cap on the extremity of a mast.--_Sea._ - -~Truck~, to exchange or barter. - -~Trucks~, trousers. - -~Trull~, corruption of "troll" or "trollop," a dirty, slatternly woman, -a prostitute of the lowest class. - -~Trump~, a good fellow; "a regular TRUMP," a jolly or good-natured -person--in allusion to a TRUMP card; "TRUMPS may turn up," _i.e._, -fortune may yet favour me. - -~Trunks~, short trousers worn above hose or tights.--_Theatrical._ - -~Try it on~, to make attempt, generally applied to an effort at -imposition. An extortionate charge or a begging-letter is frequently -described as "a regular TRY-ON." - -~Tub~, the morning bath. To TUB has now become a regular verb, so far as -colloquialism is concerned, though no one uses a TUB as the word was -originally understood. - -~Tub-thumping~, preaching or speech-making, from the old Puritan fashion -of "holding forth" from a tub, or beer barrel, as a mark of their -contempt for decorated pulpits. - -~Tubs~, nickname for a butterman. - -~Tuck~, a schoolboy's term for fruit, pastry, &c. TUCK IN, or TUCK OUT, -a good meal. - -~Tuft-hunter~, a hanger on to persons of quality or wealth--one who -seeks the society of wealthy people. Originally University slang, but -now general. - -~Tufts~, at the University, noblemen, who pay high fees and are -distinguished by golden TUFTS, or tassels, in their caps. - -~Tumble~, to comprehend or understand. A coster was asked what he -thought of _Macbeth_, and he replied, "The witches and the fighting was -all very well, but the other moves I couldn't TUMBLE to exactly; few on -us can TUMBLE to the jaw-breakers; they licks us, they do." - -~Tumble to pieces~, to be safely delivered, as in childbirth. - -~Tune the old cow died of~, an epithet for any ill-played or discordant -piece of music. Originally the name of an old ballad, referred to by -dramatists of Shakspeare's time. - -~Tuns~, a name at Pembroke College, Oxford, for small silver cups, each -containing half a pint. Sometimes a TUN had a handle with a whistle, -which could not be blown till the cup was empty. - -~Turf~, horse-racing, and betting thereon; "on the TURF," one who -occupies himself with race-horse business; said also of a street-walker, -or nymph of the _pave_. - -~Turkey merchants~, dealers in plundered or contraband silk. Poulterers -are sometimes termed TURKEY MERCHANTS in remembrance of Horne Tooke's -answer to the boys at Eton, who wished in an aristocratic way to know -what _his_ father was: "A TURKEY MERCHANT," replied Tooke--his father -was a poulterer. TURKEY MERCHANT, also, was formerly slang for a driver -of turkeys or geese to market. - -~Turnip~, an old-fashioned watch, so called from its general appearance, -if of silver. Also called "a frying-pan." Old-fashioned gold watches are -called "warming-pans." - -~Turn it up~, to quit, change, abscond, or abandon; "Ned has TURNED IT -UP," _i.e._, run away; "I intend TURNING IT UP," _i.e._, leaving my -present abode or employment, or altering my course of life. - -~Turn-out~, personal show or appearance; a man with a showy carriage and -horses is said to have a good TURN-OUT. - -~Turn-over~, an apprentice who finishes with a second master the -indentures he commenced with another, who has died or become bankrupt. - -~Turn up~, a street fight; a sudden leaving, or making off. An -unexpected slice of luck. Among sporting men bookmakers are said to have -a TURN UP when an unbacked horse wins. - -~Turn up~, to appear unexpectedly. Also to happen; "Let's wait, and see -what will TURN UP." - -~Turn up~, to make sick. People are said to be TURNED UP by -sea-sickness, or when they are made ill by excessive smoking or -drinking. - -~Turned over~, remanded by the magistrate or judge for want of evidence. - -~Turned up~, to be stopped and searched by the police. To be discharged -from a police-court or sessions-house; to be acquitted. - -~Turnpike sailors~, beggars who go about dressed as sailors. A sarcastic -reference to the scene of their chief voyages. - -~Tusheroon~, a crown piece, five shillings. Otherwise a bull or -cartwheel. - -~Tussle~, a row, struggle, fight, or argument. - -~Tussle~, to struggle, or argue. - -~Twelve godfathers~, a jury, because they give a name to the crime the -prisoner before them has been guilty of, whether murder or manslaughter, -felony or misdemeanor. Consequently it is a vulgar taunt to say, "You -will be christened by TWELVE GODFATHERS some day before long." - -~Twelver~, a shilling. - -~Twice-laid~, a dish made out of cold fish and potatoes.--_Sea._ Compare -BUBBLE AND SQUEAK, and RESURRECTION PIE. - -~Twig~, style. Prime TWIG, in good order and high spirits. - -~Twig~, to comprehend, as, "Do you TWIG?" Also, "Hop the TWIG," to -decamp. - -~Twist~, brandy and gin mixed. - -~Twist~, capacity for eating, appetite; "He's got a capital TWIST." - -~Twitchety~, nervous, fidgety. - -~Twitter~, "all in a TWITTER," in a fright or fidgety state. - -~Two eighteener~, an Americanism for a man or woman of the fastest -kind--two minutes eighteen seconds, or close thereabouts, being the -fastest time for a mile recorded in connexion with the Transatlantic -national sport, trotting. "Two forty on a plank road," a once favourite -expression with a similar meaning, derived from a feat of the famous -trotting mare Flora Temple, has died out since trotting has become -faster, and courses have been prepared on a different principle. - -~Two-eyed-steak~, a red-herring or bloater. Otherwise "Billingsgate -pheasant." - -~Two-handed~, expert at fisticuffs. Ambidextrous generally. - -~Two-handed game~, a game or proposal in which the chances are fairly -even; as, "I'll punch your head;" "Ah, that's a TWO-HANDED GAME--you'll -get no good at that." - -~Two to one~, the pawnbroker's sign of three balls. So called because it -is supposed by calculating humourists to be TWO TO ONE against the -redemption of a pledged article. - -~Two upon ten~, or TWO PUN' TEN, an expression used by assistants to -each other, in shops, when a customer of suspected honesty makes his -appearance. The phrase refers to "two eyes upon ten fingers," shortened -as a money term to TWO PUN' TEN. When a supposed thief is present, one -shopman asks the other if that TWO PUN' (pound) TEN matter was ever -settled. The man knows at once what is meant, and keeps a careful watch -upon the person being served. If it is not convenient to speak, a piece -of paper is handed to the same assistant, bearing the, to him, very -significant amount of - - _L2: 10: 0_ - -_Compare_ SHARP, JOHN ORDERLY. - -~Twopenny~, the head; "tuck in your TWOPENNY," bend down your head. - -~Twopenny-halfpenny~, paltry, insignificant. A TWOPENNY-HALFPENNY -fellow, a not uncommon expression of contempt. - -~Twopenny-hops~, low dancing rooms, the price of admission to which was -formerly twopence. The clog hornpipe, the pipe dance, flash jigs, and -hornpipes in fetters, _a la_ Jack Sheppard, were the favourite -movements, all entered into with great spirit. - -~Twopenny rope~, a lodging-house of the lowest kind, where tramps and -cadgers sleep on sacking stretched by means of ropes. Sleeping at these -places is called having "twopenn'orth of rope." - -~Tyburnia~, the Portman and Grosvenor Square district. It is facetiously -divided by the Londoners into "Tyburnia Felix," "Tyburnia Deserta," and -"Tyburnia Snobbica." The old gallows at Tyburn stood near the N.E. -corner of Hyde Park, at the angle formed by the Edgware Road and the top -of Oxford Street. In 1778 this was two miles out of London. - -~Tyburn tippet~, in the old hanging days, Jack Ketch's rope. - -~Tye~, or TIE, a neckerchief. Proper hosiers' term now, but slang thirty -years ago, and as early as 1718. - -~Tyke~, a Yorkshireman. Term used by themselves, as well as by -Southerners, in reference to them. - -~Typo~, a printer. - -~Ugly~, wicked, malicious, resentful.--_American._ - -~Ullages~, the wine of all sorts left in the bottoms of glasses at a -public dinner. This is emptied into a measure, and drunk behind the -screen or in any convenient place by the waiters, which accounts for -their stony glare and fishy appearance late in the evening. Maybe from -_Lat._ ULLUS, any. - -~Unbleached American~, Yankee term, since the war, for coloured natives -of the United States. - -~Uncle~, the pawnbroker. _See_ MY UNCLE. - -~Under a cloud~, in difficulties. An evident reference to shady -circumstances. - -~Under the rose.~ _See_ ROSE. - -~Understandings~, the feet or boots. Men who wear exceptionally large or -thick boots, are said to possess good UNDERSTANDINGS. - -~Understudy~, to STUDY a part for the stage, not with the view of -playing it at once, but so as to be ready in the event of anything -happening to its present representative. Some actors of position, who -suffer from delicate health, or mental weakness, have always other and -inferior, but more robust, artists UNDERSTUDYING their parts. - -~Unfortunate~, a modern euphuism for a prostitute, derived from Thomas -Hood's beautiful poem of _The Bridge of Sighs_:-- - - "One more UNFORTUNATE, - Weary of breath, - Rashly importunate, - Gone to her death." - -It is almost needless to remark that the poet had no intention of using -the word in any but its widest and most general sense. - -~Unicorn~, a style of driving with two wheelers abreast and one -leader--termed in the United States a "spike team." "Tandem" is one -wheeler and one leader. "Random," three horses in line. "Manchester" -means three horses abreast. _See_ HARUM-SCARUM. - -~Unlicked~, ill-trained, uncouth, rude, and rough; an "UNLICKED cub" is -a loutish youth who has never been taught manners; from the tradition -that a bear's cub, when brought into the world, has no shape or symmetry -until its dam licks it into form with her tongue. Possibly said of a boy -who has been petted, _i.e._, who has been insufficiently thrashed or -licked. Case of spared rod and spoilt child. - -~Unparliamentary~, or UNSCRIPTURAL, language, words unfit for use in -ordinary conversation. - -~Unutterables~, or UNWHISPERABLES, trousers. _See_ INEXPRESSIBLES. - -~Up~, "to be UP to a thing or two," to be knowing, or understanding; "to -put a man UP to a move," to teach him a trick; "it's all UP with him," -_i.e._, it is all over with him; when pronounced U.P., naming the two -letters separately, means settled, or done UP. "UP a tree," _see_ TREE. -"UP to snuff," wide awake, acquainted with the last new move; "UP to -one's gossip," to be a match for one who is trying to take you in; "UP -to slum," proficient in roguery, capable of committing a theft -successfully; "what's UP?" what is the matter? what is the news? - -~U.P.~, United Presbyterian Church of Scotland. - -~Upper Benjamin~, or BENJY, a great coat; originally "Joseph," but, -because of the preponderance of tailors named BENJAMIN, altered in -deference to them. - -~Upper storey~, or UPPER LOFT, a person's head; "his UPPER STOREY is -unfurnished," _i.e._, he does not know very much. "Wrong in his UPPER -STOREY," crazy. _See_ CHUMP. - -~Uppish~, proud, arrogant. - -~Used up~, broken-hearted, bankrupt, fatigued, vanquished. - -~Vakeel~, a barrister.--_Anglo-Indian._ - -~Vamos~, VAMOUS, or VAMOOSH, to go, or be off. Spanish, VAMOS, "Let us -go!" Probably NAMUS, or NAMOUS, the costermonger's word, was from this. - -~Vamp~, to spout, to leave in pawn. Also to cobble, as, "a VAMPED play," -and "a VAMPED accompaniment," both terms reflecting discredit on the -work, but not necessarily upon the musician. - -~Vamps~, old, or refooted stockings. From VAMP, to piece. - -~Vardo~, to look; "VARDO the carsey," look at the house. VARDO formerly -was old cant for a waggon. This is by low Cockneys generally pronounced -VARDY. - -~Vardy~, verdict, vulgarly used as opinion, thus, "My VARDY on the -matter is the same as yourn." - -~Varmint.~ "You young VARMINT, you!" you bad, or naughty boy. Corruption -of VERMIN. - -~Varnisher~, an utterer of false sovereigns. Generally "snide-pitcher." - -~'Varsity~, either UNIVERSITY--more rarely University College, Oxford. - -~Velvet~, the tongue; especially the tongue of a magsman. Also, men who -have succeeded in their speculations, especially on the turf, are said -to stand on VELVET. - -~Veneer~, the artificiality of society, conventionality. Dickens -expressed his dislike for certain forms of VENEER repeatedly, and -especially by means of his Veneerings in _Our Mutual Friend_. - -~Vet~, colloquial term for VETERINARIAN. - -~Vic~, the Victoria Theatre, London. Also the street abbreviation of the -Christian name of her Majesty the Queen. - -~Village~, or THE VILLAGE, _i.e._, London. Birmingham is called "the -hardware VILLAGE." Also a Cambridge term for a disreputable suburb of -that town, viz., Barnwell, generally styled "the VILLAGE." - -~Ville~, or VILE, a town or village--pronounced PHIAL, or -VIAL.--_French._ - -~Vinnied~, mildewed, or sour.--_Devonshire._ - -~Voker~, to talk; "can you VOKER Romany?" can you speak the canting -language?--_Latin_, VOCARE; _Spanish_, VOCEAR. - -~Vowel.~ "To VOWEL a debt" is to acknowledge with an I O U. - -~Vulpecide~, one who shoots or traps foxes, or destroys them in any way -other than that of hunting. A foxhunter regards a VULPECIDE as rather -worse than an ordinary murderer. - -~Wabble~, or WOBBLE, to move from side to side, to roll about. Johnson -terms it "a low, barbarous word." - -~Walk into~, to overcome, to demolish; "I'll WALK INTO his affections," -_i.e._, I will scold or thrash him. "He WALKED INTO the grub," _i.e._, -he demolished it. WALK INTO also means to get into the debt of any one, -as "He WALKED INTO the affections of all the tradesmen in the -neighbourhood." - -~Walk-over~, a re-election without opposition.--_Parliamentary_, but -derived from the turf, where a horse which has no rivals WALKS OVER the -course. _See_ DEAD HEAT. - -~Walk your chalks~, be off, or run away,--spoken sharply by any one who -wishes to get rid of a troublesome person. _See_ CHALKS. - -~Walker~, a letter-carrier or postman. From an old song, called, -"Walker, the twopenny postman." - -~Walker!~ or HOOKEY WALKER! an ejaculation of incredulity, used when a -person is telling a story which you know to be all gammon, or worse. One -explanation of the phrase is this:--"Years ago there was a person named -Walker, an aquiline-nosed Jew, who exhibited an orrery, which he called -by the erudite name of 'Eidouranion.' He was also a popular lecturer on -astronomy, and often, telescope in hand, invited his pupils to 'take a -sight' at the moon and stars. The lecturer's phrase struck his schoolboy -auditory, who frequently 'took a sight' with that gesture of -outstretched arm and adjustment to nose and eye which was the first -garnish of the popular saying. The next step was to assume phrase and -gesture as the outward and visible mode of knowingness in general." This -has been denied, however, and a statement made that HOOKEY WALKER was a -magistrate of dreaded acuteness and incredulity, whose hooked nose gave -the title of "beak" to all his successors; it is also said, moreover, -that the gesture of applying the thumb to the nose and agitating the -little finger, as an expression of "Don't you wish you may get it?" is -considerably older than the first story would seem to indicate. There -are many and various explanations of the term, given according to the -development of fancy.--_Notes and Queries_, iv. 425. - -~Walking the pegs~, a method of cheating at the game of cribbage, by a -species of legerdemain, the sharper either moving his own pegs forward, -or those of his antagonist backward, according to the state of the game. - -~Wallflower~, a person who goes to a ball and looks on without dancing, -either from choice or through not being able to obtain a partner. From -the position. - -~Wallflowers~, left-off and "regenerated" clothes exposed for sale on -the bunks and shop-boards of Seven Dials. _See_ REACH-ME-DOWNS. - -~Wallabee-track~, Colonial slang for the tramp. When a man in Australia -is "on the road" looking for employment, he is said to be on the -WALLABEE-TRACK. - -~Wallop~, to beat, or thrash. John Gough Nichols derives this word from -an ancestor of the Earl of Portsmouth, one Sir John Wallop, Knight of -the Garter, who in King Henry VIII.'s time distinguished himself by -WALLOPING the French; but it is more probably connected with wheal, a -livid swelling in the skin after a blow. _See_ POT-WALLOPER. - -~Walloping~, a beating or thrashing; sometimes used in an adjective -sense, as big, or very large. - -~Wapping~, or WHOPPING, of a large size, great. - -~Warm~, rich, or well off. - -~Warm~, to thrash or beat; "I'll WARM your jacket." To WARM the wax of -one's ear is to give a severe blow on the side of the head. To WARM is -also to rate or abuse roundly. Also varied, as, "to make it hot" for any -one. - -~Warming-pan~, a large old-fashioned gold watch. A person placed in an -office to hold it for another. _See_ W.P. - -~War-paint~, evening dress. When people go out in full costume they are -often said to have their WAR-PAINT on. Also, military "full-fig." - -~Wash~, "It wont WASH," _i.e._, will not stand investigation, will not -"bear the rub," is not genuine, can't be believed. - -~Waster~, a useless, clumsy, or ill-made person. - -~Watch and seals~, a sheep's head and pluck. - -~Watchmaker~, a pickpocket or stealer of watches. Often called "a -WATCHMAKER in a crowd." - -~Water-bewitched~, very weak tea, the third brew (or the first at some -houses). Sometimes very weak tea is called "husband's tea," in allusion -to the wife taking the first brew, and leaving the rest for her husband. -Also grog much diluted. - -~Water-dogs~, Norfolk dumplings. - -~Water gunner~, a marine artilleryman. - -~Water the dragon~, or WATER ONE'S NAG, a hint for retiring. - -~Waterman~, a blue silk handkerchief. The friends of the Oxford and -Cambridge boats' crews always wear these--light blue for Cambridge, and -a darker shade for Oxford. - -~Wattles~, ears. - -~Wax~, a rage. "Let's get him in a WAX." WAXY, cross, ill-tempered. - -~Wayz-goose~, a printers' annual dinner, the funds for which are -collected by stewards regularly appointed by "the chapel." - -~Weather eye~, the cautious eye. Any one who is supposed to have an -extra good knowledge of things in general, or to be hard to impose on or -cheat, is said to have his WEATHER EYE well open. - -~Weather-headed~, so written by Sir Walter Scott in his _Peveril of the -Peak_, but it is more probably WETHER-HEADED, as applied to a person -having a "sheepish" look. - -~Weaving~, a notorious card-sharping trick, done by keeping certain -cards on the knee, or between the knee and the under side of the table, -and using them when required by changing them for the cards held in the -hand. - -~Weaving leather aprons.~ When a knowing blade is asked what he has been -doing lately, and does not choose to tell, his reply is, that he has -been very busy WEAVING LEATHER APRONS. (From the reports of a celebrated -trial for gold robbery on the South-Western Railway.) Other similar -replies are, "I have been making a trundle for a goose's eye," or a -"whim-wham to bridle a goose." Sometimes a man will describe himself as -"a doll's-eye WEAVER." - -~Wedge~, silver.--_Old Cant._ - -~Wedge-feeder~, a silver spoon. - -~Weed~, a cigar; _the_ WEED, tobacco generally. - -~Weed~, a hatband. - -~Weight-for-age~, a sporting phrase which, applied to a race, -distinguishes it from a handicap or catch-weight event, and informs all -interested that the animals which run carry according to their ages, and -not their abilities. Winners of certain great races generally carry -penalties in addition to WEIGHT-FOR-AGE, for the purpose of equalizing -matters somewhat; but as a rule the results are fairly foreshadowed as -soon as in these races the horses are at the post, or as soon as the -starters are positively known. - -~Wejee~, a chimney-pot. Often applied to any clever invention, as, -"That's a regular WEJEE." - -~Welcher~, a person who makes a bet without the remotest chance of being -able to pay, and, losing it, absconds, or "makes himself scarce." In the -betting ring a WELCHER is often very severely handled upon his swindling -practices being discovered. The Catterick "Clerk of the Course" once -provided some stout labourers and a tar-barrel for the special benefit -of the WELCHERS who might visit that neighbourhood. The word is modern, -but the practice is ancient. - - "One Moore, the unworthy incumbent of the 'Suffolk curacy,' - dedicated a book to 'Duke Humphrey,' and was then entirely lost - sight of by his old college friends, till one of them espied him - slung up in 'the basket,' for not paying his bets at a - cock-pit."--_Post and Paddock._ - -One writer says the term "arose from a fellow who took deposits on -account of Welsh ponies, which he said he was importing, and never -delivered them." It is not unfrequently suggested by irreverent persons -that the word was suggested by the dislike his gracious Majesty George -the Fourth had, when a young man, for settling. Others derive it from -the nursery rhyme, - - "Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief." - -There can be no doubt that, from the days when the stout Earl of -Chester and others were constantly employed in checking and cutting off -the expeditions of their neighbours till comparatively recently, the -term "Welshman" has been hardly one of kindness. It is not hard, -therefore, to imagine its use on the Roodee, and its subsequent -corruption into WELCHER. The spelling of the word, WELCHER or WELSHER, -is optional. - -~Well~, to pocket, to save money. Any one of fair income and miserly -habits is said to "WELL it." - -~Welt~, to thrash with a strap or stick. Probably meaning to raise -wheals. - -~West central~, a water-closet, the initials being the same as those of -the London Postal District. It is said that for this reason very -delicate people refuse to obey Rowland Hill's instructions in this -particular. An old maid, who lived in this district, was particularly -shocked at having W.C. marked on all her letters, and informed the -letter-carrier that she could not think of submitting to such an -indecent fashion. On being informed that the letters would not be -forwarded without the obnoxious initials, she remarked that she would -have them left at the Post-Office. "Then, marm," said the fellow, with a -grin, "they will put P.O. on them, which will be more ondacenter than -the tother." - -~Wet~, a drink, a drain. - -~Wet~, to drink. Low people generally ask an acquaintance to WET any -recently purchased article, _i.e._, to stand treat on the occasion. "WET -(originally WHET, to sharpen,) your whistle," _i.e._, take a drink; "WET -the other eye," _i.e._, take another glass. _See_ SHED A TEAR. - -~Wet Quaker~, a man who pretends to be religious, and is a dram-drinker -on the sly. - -~Wet un~, a diseased cow, unfit for human food, but nevertheless sold to -make into sausages. _Compare_ STAGGERING-BOB. - -~Whack~, a share or lot. "Give me my WHACK," give me my -share.--_Scotch_, SWEG, _or_ SWACK. - -~Whack~, or WHACKING, a blow, or a thrashing. - -~Whack~, to beat. - -~Whacker~, a lie of unusual dimensions, sometimes called a "round un." - -~Whacking~, large, fine, or strong. - -~Whacks~, to go WHACKS, to divide equally; to enter into partnership. - -~Whale~, "very like a WHALE," said of anything that is very improbable. -A speech of Polonius's in _Hamlet_. - -~What d'yecall'em~, a similar expression to "thingumy." - -~Wheeze~, a joke, an anecdote, or dialogue, not strictly connected with -a piece that is being played, but introduced by an actor, sometimes with -the assistance and for the benefit of others. The dialogues which take -place between the songs at nigger entertainments are also known as -WHEEZES. The word actually means a new notion as applied to dialogue. - -~Wherret~, or WORRIT, to scold, trouble, or annoy.--_Old English._ - -~Whid~, a word. Sometimes, a fib, a falsehood, a word too much.--_Modern -Slang_, from the ancient cant. - -~Whiddle~, to enter into a parley, or hesitate with many words, &c.; to -inform, or discover. _See_ WHEEDLE. - -~Whim-wham~, an alliterative term, synonymous with fiddle-faddle, -riff-raff, &c., denoting nonsense, rubbish, &c. - -~Whip~, after the usual allowance of wine is drunk at mess, those who -wish for more put a shilling each into a glass handed round to procure a -further supply. WHIP-ROUND is now a common term for a subscription of a -similar kind to that described. - -~Whip~, to "WHIP anything up," to take it up quickly; from the method of -hoisting heavy goods or horses on board ship by a WHIP, or running -tackle, from the yard-arm. Generally used to express anything -dishonestly taken. - -~Whip~, the member of the House of Commons whose duty it is to collect -and keep together his party to vote at divisions. To give him greater -influence, the ministerial WHIP holds, or is supposed to hold, the minor -patronage of the Treasury. - -~Whipjack~, a sham shipwrecked sailor, called also a turnpike-sailor. - -~Whip the cat~, when an operative works at a private house by the day. -Term used amongst tailors and carpenters. - -~Whipper-snapper~, a waspish, diminutive person. - -~Whisper~, a tip given in secret, a rumour which is spread under the -pretence of its being a secret. To "give the WHISPER," is to give a -quick tip to any one. An owner's final instruction to his jockey is -called "the WHISPER at the post." - -~Whisper~, to borrow money--generally small sums--as, "He WHISPERED me -for a tanner." - -~Whisperer~, a constant borrower. - -~Whistle~, "as clean as a WHISTLE," neatly, or "slickly done," as an -American would say; "To whet (or more vulgarly wet) one's WHISTLE," to -take a drink. This last is a very old expression. Chaucer says of the -Miller of Trumpington's wife (_Canterbury Tales_, 4153)-- - - "So was hir joly WHISTAL well y-wet." - -"To WHISTLE for anything," to stand small chance of getting it, from the -nautical custom of WHISTLING for a wind in a calm, which of course comes -none the sooner for it. "To pay for one's WHISTLE," to pay extravagantly -for any fancy. - -~Whistling-Billy~, or PUFFING-BILLY, a locomotive engine. - -~Whistling-shop~, a place in which spirits are sold without a licence. - -~Whitechapel~ or WESTMINSTER BROUGHAM, a costermonger's donkey-barrow. - -~Whitechapel~, anything mean or paltry. Potting one's opponent at -billiards is often known as "WHITECHAPEL play." - -~Whitechapel~, in tossing, when "two out of three wins." _See_ SUDDEN -DEATH. - -~Whitechapel fortune~, a clean gown and a pair of pattens. - -~White eye~, military slang for a very strong and deleterious kind of -whisky, so called because its potency is believed to turn the eyes round -in the sockets, leaving the whites only visible. - -~White feather~, "to show the WHITE FEATHER," to evince cowardice. In -times when great attention was paid to the breeding of game-cocks, a -white feather in the tail was considered a proof of cross-breeding. - -~White horses~, the foam on the crests of waves, seen before or after a -storm. - - "Now the wild white horses play. - Champ and chafe and toss in the spray. - Children, dear, let us away, - This way, this way."--_Matthew Arnold._ - -~White lie~, a harmless lie, one told to reconcile people at variance. -"Mistress is not at home, sir," is a WHITE LIE often told by servants. - -~White-livered~, or LIVER-FACED, cowardly, much afraid, very mean. - -~White prop~, a diamond pin.--_East London._ - -~White satin~, gin,--term amongst women. _See_ SATIN. - -~White serjeant~, a man's superior officer in the person of his better -half. - -~White tape~, gin,--term used principally by female servants. _See_ -RIBBON. - -~White un~, a silver watch. - -~White wine~, the fashionable term for gin. - - "Jack Randall then impatient rose, - And said, 'Tom's speech were just as fine - If he would call that first of GOES - By that genteeler name--WHITE WINE.'" - - _Randall's Diary_, 1820. - -~Whitewash~, to rehabilitate. A person who took the benefit of the -Insolvent Act was said to have been WHITEWASHED. Now said of a person -who compromises with his creditors. - -~Whitewash~, a glass of sherry as a finale, after drinking port and -claret. - -~Whittle~, to nose or peach.--_Old Cant._ To cut and hack as with a -pocket-knife.--_American._ - -~Whop~, to beat, or hide. Corruption of WHIP; sometimes spelt WAP. - -~Whop-straw~, cant name for a countryman; Johnny WHOP-STRAW, in allusion -to threshing. - -~Whopper~, a big one, a lie. A lie not easily swallowed. - -~Widdle~, to shine. _See_ OLIVER. - -~Wide-awake~, a broad-brimmed felt or stuff hat,--so called because it -never had a nap, and never wants one. - -~Wido~, wide awake, no fool. - -~Wife~, a fetter fixed to one leg.--_Prison._ - -~Wiffle-woffles~, in the dumps, sorrow, stomach-ache. - -~Wig~, move off, go away.--_North Country Cant._ - -~Wigging~, a rebuke before comrades. If the head of a firm calls a clerk -into the parlour, and rebukes him, it is an EARWIGGING; if done before -the other clerks, it is a WIGGING. - -~Wild~, a village.--_Tramps' term._ _See_ VILE. - -~Wild~, vexed, cross, passionate,--said to be from WILLED (SELF-WILLED), -in opposition to "tamed" or "subdued." In the United States the word -"mad" is supplemented with a vulgar meaning similar to our Cockneyism -WILD; and to make a man mad on the other side of the Atlantic is to vex -him, or "rile" his temper--not to render him a raving maniac, or a fit -subject for Bedlam. - -~Wild Irishman~, the train between Euston and Holyhead, in connection -with the Kingstown mail-boats. - -~Wild oats~, youthful pranks. A fast young man is said to be "sowing his -WILD OATS." - -~William~, a bill. The derivation is obvious. - -~Willow~, a cricket-bat. From the material of which it is made. The -great batsman, W. G. Grace, is often called "champion of the WILLOW." - -~Wind~, "to raise the WIND," to procure money; "to slip one's WIND," a -coarse expression, meaning to die. _See_ RAISE. - -~Wind~, "I'll WIND your cotton," _i.e._, I will give you some trouble. -The Byzantine General, Narses, used the same kind of threat to the Greek -Empress,--"I will spin a thread that they shall not be able to unravel." - -~Windows~, the eyes, or "peepers." - -~Winey~, intoxicated. - -~Winged~, hurt, but not dangerously, by a bullet. Originally to be shot -in the arm or shoulder. To slightly wound birds is to WING them. - -~Winkin~, "he went off like WINKIN," _i.e._, very quickly. From WINK, to -shut the eye quickly. - -~Winks~, periwinkles. - -~Winn~, a penny--_Ancient Cant._ _See_ introductory chapter. - -~Wipe~, a pocket-handkerchief.--_Old Cant._ - -~Wipe~, a blow. Frequently sibilated to SWIPE, a cricket-term. - -~Wipe~, to strike; "he fetcht me a WIPE over the knuckles," he struck me -on the knuckles; "to WIPE a person down," to flatter or pacify; "to wipe -off a score," to pay one's debts, in allusion to the slate or chalk -methods of account-keeping; "to WIPE a person's eye," to shoot game -which he has missed; hence to obtain an advantage by superior activity. -With old topers "WIPING one's eye," is equivalent to giving or taking -another drink. - -~Wipe-out~, to kill or utterly destroy. This is an Americanism, but is -in pretty general use here. - -~Wire-in~, a London street phrase in general use, which means to go in -with a will. In its original form of "WIRE-IN, and get your name up," it -was very popular among London professional athletes. The phrase is now -general, and any one who has a hard task before him, knows he must -WIRE-IN to bring matters to a successful issue. - -~Wire-pullers~, powerful political partisans, who do their work from -"behind the scenes." - -~With and without~, words by themselves, supposed to denote the -existence or non-existence of sugar in grog. Generally "warm WITH" and -"cold WITHOUT." - -~Wobble-shop~, a shop where beer is sold without a licence. - -~Wobbler~, a foot soldier, a term of contempt used by cavalrymen. - -~Wobbly~, rickety, unsteady, ill-fitting. - -~Wolf~, to eat greedily. - -~Wooden spoon~, the last junior optime who takes a University -degree; denoting one who is only fit to stay at home, and stir -porridge.--_Cambridge._ The expression is also parliamentary slang, and -is applied to the member of the ministry whose name appears in the -division lists least frequently. At the ministerial dinner annually held -at Greenwich, such member sometimes has a wooden spoon presented to him. - -~Wooden surtout~, a coffin, generally spoken of as a WOODEN SURTOUT with -nails for buttons. - -~Wooden wedge~, the last name in the classical honours' list at -Cambridge. The last in mathematical honours had long been known as the -WOODEN SPOON; but when the classical Tripos was instituted in 1824, it -was debated among the undergraduates what sobriquet should be given to -the last on the examination list. Curiously enough, the name that year -which happened to be last was WEDGEWOOD (a distinguished Wrangler). -Hence the title. - -[Illustration] - -~Wool~, courage, pluck; "you are not half-WOOLED," term of reproach from -one thief to another. - -~Wool~, bravery, pluck. Term much in use among pugilists and their -admirers. The highest praise that can be bestowed on a man of courage in -lower-class circles is that which characterizes him as being "a reg'lar -wooled un," or "a rare WOOL-TOPPED UN." Derived from the great pluck and -perseverance shown by many pugilists of whole or partial colour, from -Molyneux down to Bob Travers. - -~Woolbird~, a lamb; "wing of a WOOLBIRD," a shoulder of lamb. - -~Wool-gathering~, said of any person's wits when they are wandering, or -in a reverie. - -~Wool-hole~, the workhouse. - -~Woolly~, out of temper. - -~Woolly~, a blanket. - -~Work~, to plan, or lay down and execute any course of action, to -perform anything; "to WORK the bulls," _i.e._, to get rid of false crown -pieces; "to work the oracle," to succeed by manoeuvring, to concert a -wily plan, to victimize,--a possible reference to the stratagems and -bribes used to corrupt the Delphic oracle, and cause it to deliver a -favourable response. "To WORK a street or neighbourhood," to try at each -house to sell all one can, or to bawl so that every housewife may know -what is to be sold. The general plan is to drive a donkey-barrow a short -distance, and then stop and cry. The term implies thoroughness; to "WORK -a street well" is a common saying with a coster. "To WORK a benefit" is -to canvass among one's friends and acquaintances. - -~Worm.~ _See_ PUMP. - -~Worm~, a policeman. - -~Worming~, removing the beard of an oyster or mussel. - -~W. P.~, or WARMING-PAN. A clergyman who holds a living _pro tempore_, -under a bond of resignation, is styled a W. P., or WARMING-PAN rector, -because he keeps the place warm for his successor. WARMING-PAN was a -term first popularly applied to a substitute in the reign of James II. - -~Wrinkle~, an idea, or a fancy; an additional piece of knowledge. - -~Write~, as "to WRITE one's name on a joint," to leave the impression of -one's handiwork thereon, to have the first cut at anything; to leave -visible traces of one's presence anywhere. - -~Wylo~, be off.--_Anglo-Chinese._ - -~X.~, or LETTER X, a method of arrest used by policemen with desperate -ruffians,--by getting a firm grasp on the collar, and drawing the -captive's hand over the holding arm, and pressing the fingers down in a -peculiar way--the captured person's arm in this way can be more easily -broken than extricated. - -~Yack~, a watch; to "church a YACK," to take it out of its case to avoid -detection, otherwise to "christen a YACK." - -~Yaffle~, to eat.--_Old English._ - -~Yahoo~, a person of coarse or degraded habits. Derived from the use of -the word by Swift. - -~Yam~, to eat. This word is used by the lowest class all over the world; -by the Wapping sailor, West Indian negro, or Chinese coolie. When the -fort, called the Dutch Folly, near Canton, was in course of erection by -the Hollanders, under the pretence of being intended for an hospital, -the Chinese observed a box containing muskets among the alleged hospital -stores. "Hy-aw!" exclaimed John Chinaman, "How can sick man YAM gun?" -The Dutch were surprised and massacred the same night. - -~Yappy~, soft, foolish; mostly applied to an over-generous person, from -the fact that it originally meant one who paid for everything. YAP is -back slang for pay, and often when a man is asked to pay more than he -considers correct, he says, "Do you think I'm YAPPY?" do you think I'm -paying mad? Thus slang begets slang. - -~Yard of clay~, a long, old-fashioned tobacco pipe; also called a -churchwarden. - -~Yarmouth capon~, a bloater, or red herring. - -~Yarmouth mittens~, bruised hands.--_Sea._ - -~Yarn~, a long story, or tale; "a tough YARN," a tale hard to be -believed; "spin a YARN," to tell a tale.--_Sea._ - -~Yay-nay~, "a poor YAY-NAY" fellow, one who has no conversational power, -and can only answer YEA or NAY to a question. - -~Yellow-belly~, a native of the fens of Lincolnshire, or the Isle of -Ely--in allusion to the frogs and yellow-bellied eels caught there. - -~Yellow-boy~, a sovereign, or any gold coin. - -~Yellow-gloak~, a jealous man. - -~Yellow-Jack~, the yellow fever prevalent in the West Indies. - -~Yellow-man~, a yellow silk handkerchief. - -~Yellows~, a term of reproach applied to Bluecoat and other charity -school boys. - -~Yid~, or YIT, a Jew. YIDDEN, the Jewish people. The Jews use these -terms very frequently. - -~Yokel~, a countryman. Probably from yoke, representative of his -occupation. Some fancy, however, that the word was originally YOWKEL, in -imitation of the broad tones of country labourers. - -~Yokuff~, a chest, or large box. - -~Yorkshire~, "to YORKSHIRE," or "come YORKSHIRE over any person," to -cheat or cozen him. The proverbial over-reaching of the rustics of this -county has given rise to the phrase, which is sometimes pronounced -Yorshar. To put Yorshar to a man, is to trick or deceive him. This -latter is from a work in the Lancashire dialect, 1757. - -~Yorkshire compliment~, a gift of something useless to the giver. -Sometimes called a North-country compliment. - -~Yorkshire estates;~ "I will do it when I come into my YORKSHIRE -ESTATES,"--meaning if I ever have the money or the means. - -~Yorkshire reckoning~, a reckoning in which every one pays his own -share. - -~Younker~, in street language, a lad or a boy. Term in general use -amongst costermongers, cabmen, and old-fashioned people. Barnefield's -_Affectionate Shepherd_, 1594, has the phrase, "a seemelie YOUNKER." -_Danish_ and _Friesic_, JONKER. In the navy, a naval cadet is usually -termed a YOUNKER. - -~Your nibs~, yourself. _See_ NIBS. - -~Yoxter~, a convict returned from transportation before his time. - -~Ziff~, a juvenile thief. - -~Ziph~, LANGUAGE OF, a way of disguising English in use among the -students at Winchester College. Compare MEDICAL GREEK. De Quincey, in -his _Autobiographic Sketches_, says that he acquired this language as a -boy, from a Dr. Mapleton, who had three sons at Winchester who had -imported it from thence as their sole accomplishment, and that after the -lapse of fifty years he could, and did with Lord Westport, converse in -it with ease and rapidity. It was communicated at Winchester to -new-comers for a fixed fee of half a guinea. The secret is this,--repeat -the vowel or diphthong of every syllable, prefixing to the vowel so -repeated the letter G, and placing the accent on the intercalated -syllable. Thus, for example, "Shall we go away in an hour?" "Shagall -wege gogo agawagay igin agan hougour?" "Three hours we have already -stayed," "Threegee hougours wege hagave agalreageadygy stagayed." De -Quincey could hardly have been considered complimentary to his own -memory if he supposed that he, or for the matter of that any one -possessed of brains, could forget anything so simple; or that, if -forgotten until suddenly recalled, it could not be mastered by any -sensible person in a minute. The language of ZIPH is far inferior to any -of the slangs manufactured by the lower classes. Evidently any consonant -will answer the purpose; F or L would be softer, and so far better. This -ZIPH system is not confined to Winchester College, as it is recorded and -described amongst many other modes of cryptical communication, oral and -visual, spoken, written, and symbolic, in an _Essay towards a Real -Character and a Philosophic Language_ (founded on or suggested by a -treatise published just before, by Geo. Dalgarne), by John Wilkins, -Bishop of Chester, published by order of the Royal Society, fol. 1668, -and as the bishop does not speak of it as a recent invention, it may -probably at that time have been regarded as an antique device for -conducting a conversation in secrecy amongst bystanders--which says very -little for either the designers or the bystanders. - -~Zounds!~ a sudden exclamation--abbreviation of "God's wounds!" - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[57] Since the first edition of this work a great alteration has taken -place in this respect. Though topical ballads are now often sung, the -singers confine themselves to low neighbourhoods, and as soon as a -policeman approaches, if ever he does, they make themselves scarce. The -practice is singular. One man gets as far through a line as he can, and -when his voice cracks his companion takes up. For this reason the -business is as a rule conducted by a man and woman, or sometimes by a -woman and child. The writing of these ditties is generally work of a -character for which even 7_s._ 6_d._ would be a high rate of pay.--ED. - -[58] Eurasian is not a child of mixed race, but one born of European -parents in an Asiatic clime. A similar error exists with regard to the -word creole, which is generally supposed to mean a man or woman in whom -white and black strains are mixed. I need not say how wrong this is, but -the vulgar error is none the less current.--ED. - -[59] There is something so extremely humorous and far-fetched about this -explanation, that though it is utterly unworthy of its place in a -dictionary, I, finding it there, have not the heart to cut it out.--ED. - -[60] Of course by those who don't know the scientific way used in -"canine exhibitions" and dog-fights--of biting their tails till they -turn round to bite the biter.--ED. - - - - -SOME ACCOUNT - -OF - -THE BACK SLANG. - - -The costermongers of London number between thirty and forty thousand. -Like other low tribes, they boast a language, or secret tongue, by which -they hide their designs, movements, and other private affairs. This -costers' speech offers no new fact, or approach to a fact, for -philologists; it is not very remarkable for originality of construction, -neither is it spiced with low humour, as other cant. But the -costermongers boast that it is known only to themselves; that it is far -beyond the Irish, and puzzles the Jews. This is, however, but a poor -fiction; for, as will be seen, the slang current among them is of the -crudest conception, and only difficult to the most ignorant. Any one of -the smallest pretensions to ability could learn back slang--could, in -fact, create it for himself--as far as the costers' vocabulary extends, -in a couple of hours. Since the early editions of this work were -published back slang has become very common; and is now mostly spoken, -mixed however, with various other kinds of slang, in the public -markets--the new dead-meat market being, perhaps, strongest in the way -of pure--if the term may be used--back slang. - -The main principle of this language is spelling the words backwards--or -rather, pronouncing them rudely backwards. Sometimes, for the sake of -harmony, an extra syllable is prefixed or annexed; and occasionally the -word receives quite a different turn, in rendering it backwards, from -what an uninitiated person would have expected. One coster told Mayhew -that he often gave the end of a word "a new turn, just as if he chorused -it with a tol-de-rol." But then costermongers, and more especially those -who confided their joys and sorrows to the gentleman just named, are not -to be relied on. The coster has, of course, his own idea of the proper -way of spelling words, and is not to be convinced but by an overwhelming -show of learning,--and frequently not then, for he is a very headstrong -fellow. By the time a coster has spelt an ordinary word of two or three -syllables in the proper way, and then spelt it backwards, it has become -a tangled knot that no etymologist could unravel. The word "generalize," -for instance, is considered to be "shilling" spelt backwards, while -"genitraf" is supposed to represent farthing. Sometimes slang and cant -words are introduced, and even these, when imagined to be tolerably well -known, are pronounced backwards. Very often, instead of a word being -spelt backwards right through, the syllables retain their original -order; the initial _h_ is pronounced as though _c_ were before it, -"tatch" being back slang for hat, and "flatch" the word supposed to -represent half. Again, the full words are shortened, as "gen" for -"generalize," a shilling; and various other artifices are resorted to, -in the hope of adding to the natural difficulties of back slang. - -This back language, back slang, or "kacab genals," as it is called by -the costermongers themselves, is supposed to be regarded by the rising -generation of street-sellers as a distinct and regular mode of -intercommunication. People who hear this slang for the first time never -refer words, by inverting them, to their originals; and the "yanneps," -"esclops," and "nammows," are looked upon as secret terms. Those who -practise the slang soon obtain a considerable stock vocabulary, so that -they converse rather from the memory than the understanding. Amongst the -senior costermongers, and those who pride themselves on their -proficiency in back slang, a conversation is often sustained for a whole -evening--that is, the chief words are in the back slang--especially if -any "flats" are present whom they wish to astonish or confuse. - -The addition of an _s_ invariably forms the plural, so that this is -another source of complication. For instance, woman in the back slang is -"nammow," and "nammows" is "women." The explorer, then, in undoing the -back slang, and turning the word once more into English, would have a -novel and very extraordinary rendering of women. Where a word is -refractory in submitting to a back rendering, as in the case of "pound," -letters are made to change positions for the sake of harmony; thus we -have "dunop," a pound, instead of "dnuop," which nobody could pleasantly -pronounce. Also all words of one syllable which end with two -consonants--such, for instance, as cold, drunk--become dissyllables when -read backwards, the vowel e being imagined between the then first and -second consonants, as "deloc," "kennurd." Others take the vowel as an -initial, girl being pronounced "elrig." This arrangement, as a -modification to suit circumstances, may remind the reader of the Jews' -"Old clo'! old clo'!" instead of "Old clothes! old clothes!" which it is -supposed would tire the patience of even a Jew to repeat all day. - -The back slang has been in vogue for many years. It is, as before -stated, very easily acquired, and is principally used by the -costermongers and others who practise it (as the specimen Glossary will -show) for communicating the secrets of their street tradings, the cost -of and profit on goods, and for keeping their natural enemies, the -police, in the dark. "Cool the esclop" (look at the police) is often -said among them, when one of the constabulary makes his appearance. It -is only fair to assume, however, that the police know as much or more -about the back slang than do the costers; and every child in a "shy" -neighbourhood knows the meaning of the phrase just quoted. Those who -regard the London costermonger as a fearful being are very much -mistaken,--he is singularly simple-minded and innocent, and has, indeed, -very little to conceal; but he certainly does like to wrap himself up as -in a garment of mystery, and sometimes believes that the few words of -slang he knows, mixed as they are, and troublesome as they have been to -him, form an impenetrable barrier between him and the rest of the world. -He is fond of exhibiting what knowledge he possesses, and so talks slang -in public much more than in private; but at most the slang words used -bear not forty per cent. proportion to the rest of his conversational -structure, even when he exerts himself to the uttermost limits of his -ability and education, and even when he is a leader in his walk of life. - -Perhaps on no subject is the costermonger so silent as on his money -affairs. All costs and profits, he thinks, should be kept profoundly -secret. The back slang, therefore, gives the various small amounts very -minutely, but, as has been before remarked, these words are known -wherever common folk most do congregate, and are peculiar only for their -variations from the original in the way of pronunciation:-- - - ~Flatch~, halfpenny. - ~Yannep~, penny. - ~Owt-yanneps~, twopence. - ~Erth-yanneps~, threepence. - ~Roaf-yanneps~, fourpence. - ~Evif, or ewif-yanneps~, fivepence. - ~Exis-yanneps~, sixpence. - ~Nevis-yanneps~, sevenpence. - ~Teaich, or theg-yanneps~, eightpence. - ~Enin-yanneps~, ninepence. - ~Net-yanneps~, tenpence. - ~Nevele-yanneps~, elevenpence. - ~Evlenet-yanneps~, twelvepence. - ~Generalize~, one shilling. - ~Yannep-flatch~, three-halfpence. - ~Owt-yannep-flatch~, twopence-halfpenny. The word "flatch" - represents the odd halfpenny when added to any number of - "yanneps." - ~Gen, or eno-gen~, one shilling. "Gen" is a contraction of - "generalize." - ~Owt-gens~, two shillings. - ~Erth-gens~, three shillings. - -The "gens" continue in the same sequence as the "yanneps" above; but, as -a rule, the _s_ is left out, and "owt" or "erth gen" represents the -quantity. This is, however, matter of individual taste; and any reader -who is anxious to become proficient need not be afraid of committing a -solecism--that's a good word for back slanging--by giving vent to any -peculiarity that may strike him. Variety is the charm of nature, we are -told; and in this particular, if in no other, back slang and nature -approach each other. So do extremes meet. - - ~Yenork~, a crown piece, or five shillings. - ~Flatch-yenork~, half-a-crown. This is generally slurred into - "flatch-a-nock." The crown in full rarely receives the title - "yenork" nowadays,--it is usually a "wheel" or "evif gen." - ~Flatch a dunop~, ten shillings, _i.e._, half a pound. - -Beyond this amount the slangist reckons after an intricate and -complicated mode. Fifteen shillings would be "erth-evif-gen," or, -literally, three times 5_s._; seventeen and sixpence would be -"erth-yenork-flatch," or three crowns and a half; or, by another mode of -reckoning, "erth-evif-gen flatch-yenork," _i.e._, three times 5_s._, and -half-a-crown. - - ~Dunop~, a pound. Varied by "Dick," back slang for "quid." - -Further than which the costermonger seldom goes in money reckoning. - -In the following Glossary only those words are given which are -continually used,--the terms connected with street traffic, the names -of the different coins, vegetables, fruit, and fish, technicalities of -police courts, &c. The reader might naturally think that a system of -speech so simple as the back slang would require no Glossary; but he -will quickly perceive, from the specimens given, that a great many words -in frequent use in a "back" sense, have become so twisted as to require -a little glossarial explanation. - -This kind of slang, formed by reversing and transposing the letters of a -word, is not peculiar to the London costermongers. Instances of an -exactly similar secret dialect are found in the Spanish "Germania" and -French "Argot." Thus:-- - - _Spanish._ _Germania._ _English._ - - PLATO. TAPLO. PLATE. - DEMIA. MEDIA. STOCKINGS. - - _French._ _Argot._ _English._ - - F'OL. LOFFE. FOOLISH. - LORCEFE. LA FORCE. LA FORCE, the prison of that name. - -The Bazeegars, a wandering tribe of jugglers in India, form a back -slang, on the basis of the Hindustanee, in the following manner:-- - - _Hindustanee._ _Bazeegar._ _English._ - - AG. GA. FIRE. - LAMBA. BALUM. LONG. - DUM. MUDU. BREATH. - - - - -GLOSSARY OF THE BACK SLANG. - -~Birk~, a "crib,"--a house. - -~Cool~, to look. - -~Cool him~, look at him. A phrase frequently used when one costermonger -warns another of the approach of a policeman, or when any person worthy -of notice passes by. When any old lady has been bargaining with a -costermonger, and leaves his barrow without purchasing, the proprietor -of the barrow will call out to the rest, "COOL the delo nammow," which, -though it means literally nothing beyond "Look at the old woman," -conveys to them an intimation that she is, from their point of view, a -nuisance, and should be treated as such. - -~Dab~, bad. - -~Dab tros~, a bad sort. - -~Dabheno~, a bad one, sometimes a bad market. _See_ DOOGHENO. - -~Da-erb~, bread. - -~Deb~, or DAB, a bed; "I'm off to the DEB," I'm going to bed. - -~Delo nammow~, an old woman. - -~Delog~, gold. - -~Doog~, good. - -~Doogheno~, literally "good-one," but implying generally a good market, -a good man, &c. - -~Doogheno hit~, one good hit. A coster remarks to a mate, "Jack made a -DOOGHENO HIT this morning," implying that he did well at market, or sold -out with good profit. Actually a good hit only is intended, but -redundancy has its charms in the back slang as well as in more -pretentious literary efforts. - -~Dunop~, a pound. - -~Edgabac~, cabbage. - -~Edgenaro~, an orange. - -~E-fink~, a knife. - -~Ekame~, a "make," or swindle. - -~Ekom~, a "moke," or donkey. - -~Elrig~, a girl. - -~Emag~, game, "I know your little EMAG." - -~Enif~, fine. - -~Enin gen~, nine shillings. - -~Enin yanneps~, ninepence. - -~Eno~, one. - -~Erif~, fire. - -~Erth~, three. - -~Erth gen~, three shillings. - -~Erth-pu~, three-up, a street game, played with three halfpence. - -~Erth sith-noms~, three months,--a term of imprisonment unfortunately -very familiar to the lower orders. Generally known as a "drag." - -~Erth yanneps~, threepence. - -~Esclop~, police, now used to signify a constable only. ESCLOP is -pronounced "slop" simply, but the _c_ was never sounded. A policeman is -now and then called, by some purist or stickler for etiquette, an -"esclopnam." - -~Es-roch~, a horse. - -~Esuch~, a house. - -~Evif-gen~, a crown, or five shillings. - -~Evif-yanneps~, fivepence. - -~Evlenet-gen~, twelve shillings. - -~Evlenet sith-noms~, twelve months. Generally known as a "stretch." - -~Exis-evif-gen~, six times five shillings, _i.e._, 30_s._ All moneys may -be reckoned in this manner, either with YANNEPS or GENS. It is, however, -rarely or never done. - -~Exis-evif-yanneps~, elevenpence,--literally, "sixpence and fivepence = -elevenpence." This mode of reckoning, distinct from the preceding, is -only made by special arrangement amongst slangites, who wish to confound -their intimates. - -~Exis gen~, six shillings. - -~Exis sith-noms~, six months. - -~Exis yanneps~, sixpence. - -~Fi-heath~, a thief. - -~Flatch~, half, or a halfpenny. - -~Flatch kennurd~, half drunk. - -~Flatch-yenork~, half-a-crown. _See_ preceding remarks. - -~Flatchyannep~, a halfpenny. - -~Gen~, twelvepence, or one shilling. Formerly imagined to be an -abbreviation of argent, cant term for silver. - -~Generalize~, a shilling, almost invariably shortened to GEN. - -~Genitraf~, a farthing. - -~Gen-net~, or NET GEN, ten shillings. - -~Genol~, long. - -~Hel-bat~, a table. } The aspirate is matter of taste. - -~Helpa~, an apple. } - -~Kanitseeno~, a stinking one. KANITS is a stink. - -~Kennurd~, drunk. - -~Kew~ (or more properly KEEU), a week. - -~Kews~, SKEW, or SKEEU, weeks. - -~Kirb~, a brick. - -~Kool~, to look. - -~Lawt~, tall. - -~Ler-ac-am~, mackerel. - -~Mottob~, bottom. - -~Mur~, rum. A "nettock o' MUR" is a quartern of rum. - -~Nair~, rain. - -~Nam~, a man. - -~Nam esclop~, a policeman. _See_ ESCLOP. - -~Nammow~, a woman; DELO NAMMOW, an old woman. - -~Neel~, lean. - -~Neergs~, greens. - -~Net enin gen~, nineteen shillings. - -~Net evif gen~, fifteen shillings. - -~Net exis gen~, sixteen shillings. - -~Net gen~, ten shillings, or half a sovereign. - -~Net nevis gen~, seventeen shillings. - -~Net rith gen~, thirteen shillings. - -~Net roaf gen~, fourteen shillings. It will be seen by the foregoing -that the reckoning is more by tens than by "teens." This is, however, -matter of choice, and any one wishing to be considered accomplished in -this description of slang, must do as he thinks best--must lead and not -be led. - -~Net theg gen~, eighteen shillings. - -~Net yanneps~, tenpence. - -~Nevele gen~, eleven shillings. - -~Nevele yanneps~, elevenpence. - -~Nevis gen~, seven shillings. - -~Nevis stretch~, seven years' penal servitude. - -~Nevis yanneps~, sevenpence. - -~Nig~, gin. - -~Noom~, the moon. - -~Nos-rap~, a parson. - -~Occabot~, tobacco; "tib fo OCCABOT," bit of tobacco. - -~Ogging ot tekram~, going to market. - -~On~, no. - -~On doog~, no good. - -~Owt gen~, two shillings. } OWT is pronounced OAT. - -~Owt yanneps~, twopence. } - -~Pac~, a cap. - -~Pinnurt pots~, turnip tops. - -~Pot~, top. - -~Rape~, a pear. - -~Reeb~, beer. "Top o' REEB," a pot of beer. - -~Rev-lis~, silver. - -~Rof-efil~, for life--sentence of punishment. - -~Roaf-gen~, four shillings. - -~Roaf-yanneps~, fourpence. - -~Rutat~, or RATTAT, a "tatur," or potato. - -~See-otches~, shoes. - -~Sey~, yes. Pronounced SEE. - -~Shif~, fish. - -~Sirretch~, cherries. Very often SIRRETCHES. - -~Sith-nom~, a month. This is because the slang was made from months, not -month. Perhaps because the latter was not easy; perhaps because terms of -imprisonment run longer than a month, and are often enumerated in the -"kacab genals." However it may be, "months" in this mode of speaking has -a double plural as it stands now. - -~Slaoc~, coals. - -~Slop~, a policeman. _See_ ESCLOP. - -~Sneerg~, greens. - -~Spinsrap~, parsnips. } - -~Sret-sio~, oysters. } - -~Sres-wort~, trousers. } - -~Starps~, sprats. } All these will take the _s_, which is now initial, - -~Stoobs~, boots. } after them, if desired, and, as may be seen, some - -~Storrac~, carrots. } take it doubly. - -~Stun~, nuts. } - -~Stunlaw~, walnuts. } - -~Tach~, a hat. - -~Taf~, fat. A TAF ENO is a fat man or woman, literally A FAT ONE. - -~Taoc~, a coat. "Cool the DELO TAOC" means, "Look at the old coat," but -is really intended to apply to the wearer as well, as professors of -mixed slangs might say, "Vardy his nibs in the snide bucket." - -~Taoc-tisaw~, a waistcoat. - -~Teaich-gir~, right, otherwise TADGER. - -~Tenip~, a pint. - -~Theg~ (or TEAICH) gen, eight shillings. - -~Theg~ (or TEAITCH) yanneps, eightpence. - -~Tib~, a bit, or piece. - -~Tol~, lot, stock, or share. - -~Top-yob~, a potboy. - -~Torrac~, a carrot. "Ekat a TORRAC." - -~Trork~, a quart. - -~Trosseno~, literally, "one sort," but professional slangists use it to -imply anything that is bad. TROSS, among costermongers, means anything -bad. It is probably a corruption of trash. Possibly, however, the -constant use of the words "dab-tros" may have led them in their -unthinking way to imagine that the latter word will do by itself. - -~Wedge~, a Jew. This may look strange, but it is exact back slang. - -~Wor-rab~, a barrow. - -~Yad~, a day; YADS, days. - -~Yadnarb~, brandy. - -~Yannep~, a penny. - -~Yannep a time~, a penny each. Costermongers say "a time" for many -things. They say a "bob a time," meaning a shilling each for admission -to a theatre, or any other place, or that certain articles are charged a -shilling each. The context is the only clue to the exact meaning. - -~Yannep-flatch~, three halfpence,--all the halfpence and pennies -continue in the same sequence, as for instance, OWT-YANNEP-FLATCH, -twopence-halfpenny. - -~Yap pu~, pay up. - -~Yeknod~, or JERK-NOD, a donkey. - -~Yenork~, a crown. - -~Yob~, a boy. - -~Zeb~, best. - -From these examples the apt student may fairly judge how to form his own -back slang to his own liking and that of his friends. - - - - -SOME ACCOUNT - -OF - -THE RHYMING SLANG. - - -There exists in London a singular tribe of men, known amongst the -"fraternity of vagabonds" as chaunters and patterers. Both classes are -great talkers. The first sing or chaunt through the public thoroughfares -ballads--political and humorous--carols, dying speeches, and the various -other kinds of gallows and street literature. The second deliver street -orations on grease-removing compounds, plating powders, high-polishing -blacking, and the thousand-and-one wonderful penny-worths that are -retailed to gaping mobs from a London kerb-stone. - -They are quite a distinct tribe from the costermongers; indeed, amongst -tramps, they term themselves the "harristocrats of the streets," and -boast that they live by their intellects. Like the costermongers, -however, they have a secret tongue or cant speech known only to each -other. This cant, which has nothing to do with that spoken by the -costermongers, is known in Seven Dials and elsewhere as the "rhyming -slang," or the substitution of words and sentences which rhyme with -other words intended to be kept secret. The chaunter's cant, therefore, -partakes of his calling, and he transforms and uses up into a rough -speech the various odds and ends of old songs, ballads, and street -nicknames, which are found suitable to his purpose. Unlike nearly all -other systems of cant, the rhyming slang is not founded upon allegory; -unless we except a few rude similes, thus--"I'm afloat" is the rhyming -cant for "boat," "sorrowful tale" is equivalent to "three months in -jail," "artful dodger" signifies a "lodger," and a "snake in the grass" -stands for a "looking-glass"--a meaning that would delight a fat -Chinaman, or a collector of Oriental proverbs. But, as in the case of -the costers' speech and the old gipsy-vagabond cant, the chaunters and -patterers so interlard this rhyming slang with their general remarks, -while their ordinary language is so smothered and subdued, that, unless -when they are professionally engaged, and talking of their wares, they -might almost pass for foreigners. - -From the inquiries I have made of various patterers and "paper-workers," -I learn that the rhyming slang was introduced about twelve or fifteen -years ago.[61] Numbering this class of oratorical and bawling wanderers -at twenty thousand, scattered over Great Britain, including London and -the large provincial towns, we thus see the number of English vagabonds -who converse in rhyme and talk poetry, although their habitations and -mode of life constitute a very unpleasant Arcadia. These nomadic poets, -like the other talkers of cant or secret languages, are stamped with the -vagabond's mark, and are continually on the move. The married men mostly -have lodgings in London, and come and go as occasion may require. A few -never quit London streets, but the greater number tramp to all the large -provincial fairs, and prefer the "monkery" (country) to town life. Some -transact their business in a systematic way, sending a post-office order -to the Seven Dials' printer for a fresh supply of ballads or penny -books, or to the "swag shop," as the case may be, for trinkets and -gewgaws, to be sent on by rail to a given town by the time they shall -arrive there. - -When any dreadful murder, colliery explosion, or frightful railway -accident has happened in a country district, three or four chaunters -are generally on the spot in a day or two after the occurrence, vending -and bawling "A True and Faithful Account," &c., which "true and -faithful account" was concocted purely in the imaginations of -the successors of Catnach and Tommy Pitts,[62] behind the counters -of their printing-shops in Seven Dials. And but few fairs are held -in any part of England without the patterer being punctually at his -post, with his nostrums, or real gold rings (with the story of the wager -laid by the gentleman--_see_ FAWNEY-BOUNCING, in the Dictionary), or -savealls for candlesticks, or paste which, when applied to the strop, -makes the dullest razor keen enough to hack broom handles and sticks, -and after that to have quite enough sharpness left for splitting hairs, -or shaving them off the back of one of the hands of a clodhopper, -looking on in amazement. And Cheap John, too, with his coarse jokes, and -no end of six-bladed knives, and pocket-books, containing information -for everybody, with pockets to hold money, and a pencil to write with -into the bargain, and a van stuffed with the cheap productions of -Sheffield and "Brummagem,"--he, too, is a patterer of the highest order, -and visits fairs, and can hold a conversation in the rhyming slang. - -Such is a rough description of the men who speak this jargon; and simple -and ridiculous as the vulgar scheme of a rhyming slang may appear, it -must always be regarded as a curious fact in linguistic history. In -order that the reader's patience may not be too much taxed, only a -selection of rhyming words has been given in the Glossary,--and these -for the most part, as in the case of the back slang, are the terms of -every-day life, as used by this order of tramps and hucksters. - -It must not be supposed, however, that the chaunter or patterer confines -himself entirely to this slang when conveying secret intelligence. On -the contrary, although he speaks not a "leash of languages," yet is he -master of the beggar's cant, and is thoroughly "up" in street slang. The -following letter, written by a chaunter to a gentleman who took an -interest in his welfare, will show his capabilities in this line:-- - - Dear Friend,[63] - - Excuse the liberty, since i saw you last i have not earned a thick - un, we have had such a Dowry of Parny that it completely Stumped - Drory the Bossman's Patter therefore i am broke up and not having - another friend but you i wish to know if you would lend me the price - of 2 Gross of Tops, Dies, or Croaks, which is 7 shillings, of the - above-mentioned worthy and Sarah Chesham the Essex Burick for the - Poisoning job, they are both to be topped at Springfield Sturaban on - Tuesday next. i hope you will oblige me if you can, for it will be - the means of putting a James in my Clye. i will call at your Carser - on Sunday Evening next for an answer, for i want a Speel on the Drum - as soon as possible. hoping you and the family are All Square, - - I remain Your obedient Servant, - -The numerous allusions in the Glossary to well-known places in London -show that this rude speech was mainly concocted in the metropolis. The -police have made themselves partially acquainted with the back slang, -but they are still profoundly ignorant of the rhyming slang. - - * * * * * - -NOTE. - -Since the foregoing was written, matters have changed considerably, -even, which I much doubt, if they ever were as is stated; for, as I have -already remarked, wherever opportunity has occurred, the costermonger, -the patterer, the chaunter, and the various other itinerants who "work" -London and the provinces, delight in making themselves appear a most -mysterious body; and this, when added to their natural disinclination to -commit themselves to anything like fact so far as their natural -enemies--inquirers, and well-dressed inquirers in particular--are -concerned, has caused all sorts of extraordinary stories to be set -afloat, which have ultimately led to an opinion becoming prevalent, that -the costermonger and his friends form a race of beings differing -entirely from those who mix in the ordinary humdrum routine of -respectable life. Nothing could really be much further from fact. Any -one who has ever been driven by stress of circumstances or curiosity to -take up a permanent or temporary residence in any of the lodging-houses -which abound in St. Giles's, Saffron Hill, Turnmill Street, and in all -parts of the eastern district of the metropolis, will bear me out when I -say that a more commonplace individual, so far as his inner life is -concerned, than the London itinerant cannot possibly exist. Certainly he -is ignorant, and takes a very limited view of things in general, and -religion and politics in particular; but these peculiarities are held in -common with his betters, and so cannot be regarded as the special -prerogative of any class. If you ask him a question he will attempt to -mislead you, because, by your asking the question, he knows you are -ignorant of his way of life; and when he does not mystify from love of -mischief, as it appears he does from all published books I have seen -about him, he does so as a duty he owes his natural enemies, the parish -authorities and the tract distributors, the latter of whom he holds in -special abhorrence. - -If the rhyming slang was ever, during its existence, regarded as a -secret language, its secrecy has long since departed from it. Far easier -of construction than even the back slang, it has been common, especially -in several printing-offices I could name, for many years, while -street-boys are great proficients in its small mysteries. The Glossary -which follows here will explain a good deal of its mechanism; but it -must be borne in mind that the rhymes are all matters of individual -opinion, and that if one man says Allacompain means rain, another is -quite justified in preferring Mary Blane, if his individual fancy lies -in that direction. And now, if there is any secret about the rhyming -slang, it is this--the rhyme is left out. This may at first seem -extraordinary; but on reflection it will be seen that there is no other -way of making the proceedings of its exponents puzzling to ordinarily -sharp ears which have received the slightest clue. Thus, when the first -word of a series only is used, and others in the sentence are made up -from the back, the centre and various slangs, there is some hope of -fogging an intruding listener to a private conversation. When a man is -drunk, the rhyming slang would illustrate that fact by the words -"Elephant's trunk;" but the practised hand confines himself to the -statement that "Bill's Elephants." "Bullock's horn" represents to pawn, -but an article is said to be "Bullocked" only; and so on through the -list, providing always that the curtailment represents two syllables; if -it does not, then the entire rhyme is given. - -I think that this will be sufficient to guide those readers anxious to -become proficient themselves, or to understand others who are themselves -proficient at this item in the world of slang; and so I have nothing -more to say except to call attention to the fact that, in all the other -introductions, I have made my corrections, which have been neither few -nor unimportant, in the text; but that I could see no way of working on -the subject of the rhyming slang fairly and explicitly other than by -means of this note.--EDITOR. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[61] This was written in 1858. - -[62] The famous printers and publishers of sheet songs and last dying -speeches thirty years ago. - -[63] The writer, a street chaunter of ballads and last dying speeches, -alludes in his letter to two celebrated criminals--Thos. Drory, the -murderer of Jael Denny, and Sarah Chesham, who poisoned her husband, -accounts of whose trials and "horrid deeds" he had been selling. Here is -a Glossary of the cant words:-- - -_Thick un_, a sovereign. - -_Dowry of Parny_, a lot of rain. - -_Stumped_, bankrupt. - -_Bossman_, a farmer. - - [Asterism] Drory was a farmer. - -_Patter_, trial. - -_Tops_, last dying speeches. - -_Dies_, _ib._ - -_Croaks_, _ib._ - -_Burick_, a woman. - -_Topped_, hung. - -_Sturaban_, a prison. - -_James_, a sovereign. - -_Clye_, a pocket. - -_Carser_, a house or residence. - -_Speel on the Drum_, to be off to the country. - -_All Square_, all right, or quite well. - - - - -GLOSSARY OF THE RHYMING SLANG. - - -~Abraham's willing~, a shilling. - -~Allacompain~, rain. - -~Any racket~, a penny faggot. - -~Apples and pears~, stairs. - -~Artful dodger~, a lodger. - -~Baby's pap~, a cap. - -~Barnet fair~, hair. - -~Battle of the Nile~, a tile--vulgar term for a hat. "Cool his BATTLE, -Bill." - -~Ben flake~, a steak. - -~Billy Button~, mutton. - -~Birch-broom~, a room. - -~Bird-lime~, time. - -~Bob, my pal~, a gal,--vulgar pronunciation of girl. - -~Bonnets so blue~, Irish stew. - -~Bottle of spruce~, a deuce,--slang for twopence. - -~Bowl the hoop~, soup. - -~Brian o'Linn~, gin. - -~Brown Bess~, yes--the affirmative. - -~Brown Joe~, no--the negative. - -~Bull and cow~, a row. - -~Bucket afloat~, a coat. This is also called I'm AFLOAT, and is -generally contracted to "cool his Imer," or "nark his bucket." There is -no necessity to particularize all contractions. With the key already -given they will be evident. - -~Bullock's horn~, in pawn. - -~Bushy-park~, a lark. - -~Butter flap~, a trap, a light cart. - -~Cain and Abel~, a table. - -~Camden-town~, a brown,--vulgar term for a halfpenny. - -~Castle rag~, a flag,--cant term for fourpence. - -~Cat and mouse~, a house. - -~Chalk farm~, the arm. - -~Charing Cross~, a horse. - -~Charley Lancaster~, a handkercher,--vulgar pronunciation of -handkerchief. - -~Charley Prescott~, a waistcoat. - -~Cherry ripe~, a pipe. - -~Chevy chase~, the face. - -~Chump~ (or CHUNK) ~of wood~, no good. - -~Covent Garden~, a farden,--Cockney pronunciation of farthing. - -~Cow and calf~, to laugh. - -~Cows and kisses~, mistress or missus--referring to the ladies. - -~Currants and plums~, thrums,--slang for threepence. - -~Daisy roots~, a pair of boots. - -~Dan Tucker~, butter. - -~Ding-dong~, a song. - -~Dry land~, you understand. - -~Duke of York~, walk, or talk, according to context. - -~East and south~, the mouth. - -~Eat a fig~, to "crack a crib," to break into a house, or commit a -burglary. - -~Egyptian hall~, a ball. - -~Elephant's trunk~, drunk. - -~Epsom races~, a pair of braces. - -~Everton toffee~, coffee. - -~Field of wheat~, a street. - -~Fillet of veal~, the treadwheel in the house of correction. - -~Finger and thumb~, rum. - -~Flag unfurled~, a man of the world. - -~Flea and louse~, a house. - -~Flounder and dab~ (two kinds of flat fish), a cab. - -~Fly my kite~, a light. - -~Frog and toad~, the main road. - -~Garden gate~, a magistrate. - -~German flutes~, a pair of boots. - -~Girl and boy~, a saveloy,--a penny sausage. - -~Glorious sinner~, a dinner. - -~Gooseberry pudding~ (_vulgo_ PUDDEN), a woman. - -~Harry Bluff~, snuff. - -~Hod of mortar~, a pot of porter. - -~Hounslow Heath~, teeth. - -~I desire~, a fire. - -~I'm afloat~, a boat. This is also used for coat. _See ante._ - -~Isabeller~ (vulgar pronunciation of ISABELLA), an umbrella. - -~Isle of France~, a dance. - -~I suppose~, the nose. - -~Jack-a-dandy~, brandy. - -~Jack Randall~ (a noted pugilist), a candle. - -~Jenny Linder~, a winder,--vulgar pronunciation of window. - -~Joe Savage~, a cabbage. - -~Lath and plaster~, a master. - -~Lean and lurch~, a church. - -~Lean and fat~, a hat. - -~Linendraper~, paper. - -~Live eels~, fields. - -~Load of hay~, a day. - -~Long acre~, a baker. - -~Lord John Russell~, a bustle. - -~Lord Lovel~, a shovel. - -~Lump of coke~, a bloke--vulgar term for a man. - -~Lump of lead~, the head. - -~Macaroni~, a pony. - -~Maids adorning~, the morning. - -~Maidstone jailer~, a tailor. - -~Mince pies~, the eyes. - -~Mother and daughter~, water. - -~Muffin baker~, a Quaker (slang term for excrement). - -~Navigators~, taturs,--vulgar pronunciation of potatoes. - -~Navigator Scot~, baked potatoes all hot. - -~Needle and thread~, bread. - -~Never fear~, beer. - -~Night and day~, the play. - -~Nose and chin~, a winn,--ancient cant for a penny. - -~Noser my knacker~, tobacco. - -~Oats and barley~, Charley. - -~Oats and chaff~, a footpath. - -~Orinoko~ (pronounced ORINOKER), a poker. - -~Over the stile~, sent for trial. - -~Paddy Quick~, thick, or a stick. - -~Pen and ink~, a stink. - -~Pitch and fill~, Bill,--vulgar shortening for William. - -~Plates of meat~, the feet. - -~Plough the deep~, to go to sleep. - -~Pope o' Rome~, home. - -~Read and write~, to fight. - -~River Lea~, tea. - -~Rogue and villain~, a shillin,--common pronunciation of shilling. - -~Roll me in the dirt~, a shirt. - -~Rory o'More~, the floor. Also used to signify a whore. - -~Round the houses~, trousies,--vulgar pronunciation of trousers. - -~Salmon and trout~, the mouth. - -~Scotch Peg~, a leg. - -~Ship in full sail~, a pot of ale. - -~Sir Walter Scott~, a pot,--generally of beer. - -~Snake in the grass~, a looking-glass. - -~Sorrowful tale~, three months in jail. - -~Split asunder~, a costermonger. - -~Steam-packet~, a jacket. - -~St. Martin's-le-Grand~, the hand. - -~Stop thief~, beef. - -~Sugar and honey~, money. - -~Sugar-candy~, brandy. - -~Take a fright~, night. - -~Three-quarters of a peck~, the neck,--in writing, among experts, -expressed by the simple "3/4," as it is pronounced. - -~Tom Tug~, a mug (a fool). - -~Tommy o'Rann~, scran,--vulgar term for food. - -~Tommy Tripe~, to pipe; that is, to observe. "Tommy Tripe his plates of -meat." - -~Top Jint~ (vulgar pronunciation of joint), a pint--of beer. - -~Turtle doves~, a pair of gloves. - -~Two-foot rule~, a fool. - -And so on as occasion requires. - - - - -CENTRE SLANG. - - -Within the past few years the desire to possess a mode of -intercommunication which shall be incomprehensible to those who have not -taken their degrees in vice, has led the dangerous classes--particularly -street-muggers, welchers, skittle-sharps, jerry-hunters, and the various -other gentlemen who turn out every morning, when not in charge of the -powers that be, to look for their livings--to give their attention to -another twist in the English language, and so centre slang has of late -been heard with some degree of frequency by those who penetrate to -places where there is a likelihood of finding anything new, and take -with them sufficient knowledge to comprehend it when, or if, it is -found. As this knowledge can never be acquired in any other way than by -actual observation, and is not to be obtained by hearsay, or second-hand -information, or from books, it is rarely brought to bear upon any -subject of this kind as treated in the newspapers, and the articles on -real low and criminal life which now and again appear, though extremely -amusing, amuse those about whom they are written as much as they do -those for whose information they are produced. So, perhaps, those -writers who have heard centre slang, and have had opportunity of -referring to it, did not know what it was, or certainly, as an -institution unique in its way, it would have received some little -attention. There is not much in it, of course, as its origin shows, the -key being everything towards success in experimentalizing with it. -Centre slang, then, is formed by making the central vowel of a word its -initial letter, and adding vowels and consonants sufficient to make the -sound imposing, or, as cooks say, to flavour palatably. An occasional -infusion of back slang is now and again considered advisable, but the -taste of the speaker must decide how much is requisite. Mug is a common -word to signify a fool or flat; this, in centre slang, becomes Ugmer, or -Hugmer, as the speaker likes, while fool and flat themselves become -Oolerfer and Atfler respectively. The aspirate can be added, if -relished, to any centre slang word. A welcher, by means of the new -slang, becomes an Elcherwer or Elchwer, a thief is an Evethee, and a -sticker-up of skittles is an Ickitser-pu. As the inventors of this slang -are not particular about spelling, phonography is used extensively in -its composition--that is, it would be, if it were possible to write -centre slang to any extent. However, as it is a spoken language only, -and no patent has been taken out for its use, boldness is the chief -essential for any one possessed of a mobile tongue and a desire to -become expert. There is no Glossary of this slang necessary, as it is -only made up of small parcels, as occasion requires, and does not keep -well without guiding sentences attached. - - - - -THE BIBLIOGRAPHY - -OF - -SLANG, CANT, AND VULGAR LANGUAGE: - -A LIST OF THE - -BOOKS CONSULTED IN COMPILING THIS WORK. - - -Slang has a literary history, the same as authorized language. More than -one hundred works have treated upon the subject in one form or other,--a -few devoting but a chapter, whilst many have given up their entire pages -to expounding its history and use. Old Harman, a worthy man, who -interested himself in suppressing and exposing vagabondism in the days -of good Queen Bess, was the first to write upon the subject. Decker -followed fifty years afterwards, but helped himself, evidently, to his -predecessor's labours. Shakspeare, Beaumont and Fletcher, Ben Jonson, -and Brome, each employed beggars' cant as part of the machinery of their -plays. Then came Head (who wrote _The English Rogue_ in 1680) with a -Glossary of cant words "used by the Gipsies." But it was only a reprint -of what Decker had given sixty years before. About this time authorized -dictionaries began to insert vulgar words, labelling them "cant." The -Jack Sheppards and Dick Turpins of the early and middle part of the last -century made cant popular, and many small works were published upon the -subject. But it was Grose, burly, facetious Grose, who, in the year -1785, collected the scattered Glossaries of cant and secret words, and -formed one large work, adding to it all the vulgar words and slang terms -used in his own day. The indelicacy and extreme vulgarity of the work -renders it unfit for ordinary use, still it must be admitted that it is -by far the most important work which has ever appeared on street or -popular language; indeed, from its pages every succeeding work has, up -to the present time, drawn its contents. The great fault of Grose's book -consists in the author not contenting himself with slang and cant terms, -but inserting every "smutty" and offensive word that could be -discovered. However, Harman and Grose are, after all, the only authors -who have as yet treated the subject in an original manner, or who have -written on it from personal inquiry. - - -~Ainsworth's~ (William Harrison) Novels and Ballads. _London_, V. D. - -Some of this author's novels, such as _Rookwood_ and _Jack Sheppard_, -abound in Cant words, placed in the mouths of the highwaymen. The -author's ballads (especially "Nix my dolly, pals, fake away") have long -been popular favourites. - -~Amorous Gallants' Tongue tipp'd with Golden Expressions;~ or the Art of -Courtship refined, being the best and Newest ACADEMY; containing Select -Sentences, forms of Courtship; Choice Letters; Interpretation of Dreams: -to which is added Bills, Bonds, Releases, Letters of Attorney, &c.; -together with _A Canting Academy_, or the PEDLAR'S FRENCH DICTIONARY, -13th edition. London, for C. Hitch and L. Hawes, n. d. [1740], 12mo. - -~A New Dictionary of the Jaunting Crew~, 12mo. N. D. - -Mentioned by John Bee in the Introduction to his _Sportsman's Slang -Dictionary_. - -~Andrews'~ (George) Dictionary of the Slang and Cant Languages, Ancient -and Modern, 12mo. _London_, 1809. - -A sixpenny pamphlet, with a coloured frontispiece representing a -beggar's carnival. - -~Ash's~ (John, LL.D.) New and Complete Dictionary of the English -Language, 2 vols. 8vo. 1775. - -Contains a great number of Cant words and phrases. - -~Bacchus and Venus;~ or, A Select Collection of near Two Hundred of the -most Witty and Diverting Songs and Catches in Love and Gallantry, with -Songs in the Canting Dialect, with a DICTIONARY _explaining all -Burlesque and Canting Terms_, 12mo. 1738. - -Prefixed is a curious woodcut frontispiece of a _Boozing-Ken_. This work -is scarce, and much prized by collectors. The Canting Dictionary -appeared before, about 1710, with the initials B. E. on the title. It -also came out afterwards, in the year 1751, under the title of the -_Scoundrel's Dictionary_,--a mere reprint of the two former impressions. - -~Bailey's~ (Nath.) Etymological English Dictionary, 2 vols. 8vo. 1737. - -Contains a great many Cant and Vulgar Words;--indeed, Bailey does not -appear to have been very particular what words he inserted, so long as -they were actually in use. _A Collection of Ancient and Modern Cant -Words_ appears as an appendix to vol. ii. of this edition (third). - -~Bang-up Dictionary;~ or, the Lounger and Sportsman's Vade-Mecum, -containing a copious and correct Glossary of the Language of the Whips, -illustrated by a great variety of original and curious Anecdotes, -8vo. 1812. - -A vulgar performance, consisting of pilferings from Grose, and made up -with meanings of a degraded character. - -~Bartlett's~ Dictionary of Americanisms; a Glossary of Words and Phrases -colloquially used in the United States, 8vo. _New York_, 1859. - -It is a curious fact connected with slang that a great number of vulgar -words common in England are equally common in the United States; and -when we remember that America began to be peopled two centuries ago, and -that these colloquialisms must have crossed the sea with the first -emigrants, we can form some idea of the antiquity of popular or street -language. Many words, owing to the caprices of fashion or society, have -wholly disappeared in the parent country, whilst in the colonies they -are yet heard. The words "skink," to serve drink in company, and the old -term "miching" or "meeching," skulking or playing truant, for instance, -are still in use in the United States, although nearly obsolete here. - -~Beaumont and Fletcher's~ Comedy of _The Beggar's Bush_, 4to, 1661. - -Contains numerous Cant words. - -~Bee's~ (Jon.) Dictionary of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, the Pit, the -Bon Ton, and the Varieties of Life, forming the completest and most -authentic Lexicon Balatronicum hitherto offered to the notice of the -Sporting World, by John Bee [_i.e._, John Badcock], Editor of the -_Fancy_, _Fancy Gazette_, _Living Picture of London_, and the like of -that, 12mo. 1823. - -This author published books on Stable Economy under the name of Hinds. -He was the sporting rival of Pierce Egan. Professor Wilson, in an -amusing article in _Blackwood's Magazine_, reviewed this work. - -~Bee's~ (Jon.) Living Picture of London for 1828, and Stranger's Guide -through the Streets of the Metropolis; showing the Frauds, the Arts, -Snares, and Wiles of all descriptions of Rogues that everywhere abound, -12mo. 1828. - -Professes to be a guide to society, high and low, in London, and to give -an insight into the language of the streets. - -~Bee's~ (Jon.) Sportsman's Slang; a New Dictionary of Terms used in the -Affairs of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, and the Cockpit; with those of -Bon Ton and the Varieties of Life, forming a _Lexicon Balatronicum et -Macaronicum_, &c., 12mo, PLATE. _For the Author_, 1825. - -The same as the preceding, only with an altered title. Both wretched -performances, filled with miserable attempts at wit. - -~Blackguardiana;~ or, Dictionary of Rogues, Bawds, &c., 8vo, WITH -PORTRAITS [by James Caulfield]. 1795. - -This work, with a long and very vulgar title, is nothing but a reprint -of Grose, with a few anecdotes of pirates, odd persons, &c., and some -curious portraits inserted. It was concocted by Caulfield as a -speculation, and published at _one guinea_ per copy; and, owing to the -remarkable title, and the notification at the bottom that "only a few -copies were printed," soon became scarce. For philological purposes it -is not worth so much as any edition of Grose. - -~Book of Vagabonds.~ _See_ under LIBER VAGATORUM. - -~Boxiana;~ or, Sketches of Modern Pugilism, by Pierce Egan (an account -of the prize-ring), 3 vols. 8vo. 1820. - -Gives more particularly the Cant terms of pugilism, but contains -numerous (what were then styled) "flash" words. - -~Brandon.~ Poverty, Mendicity, and Crime; or, The Facts, Examinations, -&c., upon which the Report was founded, presented to the House of Lords -by W. A. Miles, Esq., to which is added a Dictionary of the Flash or -Cant Language, known to every Thief and Beggar, edited by H. Brandon, -Esq., 8vo. 1839. - -A very wretched performance. - -~Brome's~ (Rich.) Joviall Crew; or, The Merry Beggars. Presented in a -Comedie at the Cockpit, in Drury Lane, in the Year (4to) 1652. - -Contains many Cant words similar to those given by Decker,--from whose -works they were doubtless obtained. - -~Brown's~ (Rev. Hugh Stowell) Lecture on Manliness, 12mo. 1857. - -Contains a few modern Slang words. - -~Brydges'~ (Sir Egerton) British Bibliographer, 4 vols. 8vo. 1810-14. - -Vol. ii. p. 521, gives a list of Cant words. - -~Bulwer's~ (Sir Edward Lytton) Paul Clifford. V. D. - -Contains numerous Cant words. - -~Bulwer's~ (Sir Edward Lytton) Pelham. V. D. - -Contains a few Cant terms. - -~Butler's Hudibras~, with Dr. Grey's Annotations, 3 vols. 8vo. 1819. - -Abounding in colloquial terms and phrases. - -~Cambridge.~ Gradus ad Cantabrigiam; or, a Dictionary of Terms, -Academical and Colloquial, or Cant, which are used at the University, -_with Illustrations_, 12mo. _Camb._, 1803. - -~Canting:~ A Poem, interspersed with Tales and Additional Scraps, post -8vo. 1814. - -A few street words may be gleaned from this rather dull poem. - -~Canting Academy:~ or, Villanies Discovered, wherein are shown the -Mysterious and Villanous Practices of that Wicked Crew--Hectors, -Trapanners, Gilts, &c., with several new Catches and Songs; also -Compleat Canting Dictionary, 12mo, _frontispiece_. 1674. - -Compiled by Richard Head. - -~Canting Dictionary;~ comprehending all the Terms, Antient and Modern, -used in the several Tribes of Gypsies, Beggars, Shoplifters, Highwaymen, -Foot-Pads, and all other Clans of Cheats and Villains, with Proverbs, -Phrases, Figurative Speeches, &c., to which is added a complete -Collection of Songs in the Canting Dialect, 12mo. 1725. - -The title is by far the most interesting part of the work. A mere -make-up of earlier attempts. - -~Carew.~ Life and Adventures of Bamfylde Moore Carew, the King of the -Beggars, _with Canting Dictionary_, _portrait_, 8vo. 1791. - -There are numerous editions of this singular biography. The Canting -Dictionary is nothing more than a filch from earlier books. - -~Characterisms~, or the Modern Age Displayed; being an Attempt to Expose -the Pretended Virtues of Both Sexes, 12mo (part i., Ladies; part ii., -Gentlemen), _E. Owen_. 1750. - -An anonymous work, from which some curious matter may be obtained. - -~Conybeare's~ (Dean) Essay on Church Parties, reprinted from the -_Edinburgh Review_, No. CC., October, 1853, 12mo. 1858. - -Several curious instances of religious or pulpit Slang are given in this -exceedingly interesting little volume. - -~Corcoron~ (Peter.) The Fancy, a Poem, 12mo. 182-. - -Abounding in Slang words and the terms of the prize-ring. Written in -imitation of Moore's _Tom Crib's Memorial_, by one of the authors of -_The Rejected Addresses_. - -~Cotton's~ (Charles) Genuine Poetical Works, 12mo. 1771. - -"Scarronides, or Virgil Travestie, being the first and fourth Books of -Virgil's AEneis, in English burlesque," 8vo, 1672, and other works by -this author, contain numerous vulgar words now known as Slang. - -~Decker's~ (Thomas) The Bellman of London; bringing to light the most -notorious villanies that are now practised in the Kingdom; 4to, black -letter. _London_, 1608. - -Watt says this is the first book which professes to give an account of -the Canting language of thieves and vagabonds. But this is wrong, as -will have been seen from the remarks on Harman, who collected the words -of the vagabond crew half a century before. - -~Decker's~ (Thomas) Lanthorne and Candle-light, or the Bellman's Second -Night's Walke, in which he brings to light a brood of more strange -villanies than ever were to this year discovered, 4to. _London_, 1608-9. - -This is a continuation of the former work, and contains the _Canter's -Dictionary_, and has a frontispiece of the London Watchman with his -staff broken. - -~Decker's~ (Thomas) Gull's Hornbook, 4to. 1609. - -"This work affords a greater insight into the fashionable follies and -vulgar habits of Queen Elizabeth's day than perhaps any other extant." - -~Decker's~ (Thomas) O per se O, or a new Cryer of Lanthorne and -Candle-light, an Addition of the Bellman's Second Night's Walke, 4to, -black letter. 1612. - -A lively description of London. Contains a Canter's Dictionary, every -word in which appears to have been taken from Harman without -acknowledgment. This is the first work that gives the Canting song, a -verse of which is inserted at page 14 of the Introduction. This Canting -song has since been inserted in nearly all dictionaries of Cant. - -~Decker's~ (Thomas) Villanies discovered by Lanthorne and Candle-light, -and the Helpe of a new Cryer called O per se O, 4to. 1616. - -"With canting songs never before printed." - -~Decker's~ (Thomas) English Villanies, eight several times prest to -Death by the Printers, but still reviving again, are now the eighth time -(as at the first) discovered by Lanthorne and Candle-light, &c., -4to. 1648. - -The eighth edition of the _Lanthorne and Candle-light_. - -~Dictionary~ of all the Cant and Flash Languages, both Ancient and -Modern, 18mo. _Bailey_, 1790. - -~Dictionary~ of all the Cant and Flash Languages, 12mo. _London_, 1797. - -~Dictionary~ of the Canting Crew (Ancient and Modern), of Gypsies, -Beggars, Thieves, &c., 12mo. N. D. [1700.] - -~Dictionnaire~ des Halle, 12mo. _Bruxelles_, 1696. - -This curious Slang dictionary sold in the Stanley sale for L4 16_s._ - -~Ducange Anglicus.~--The Vulgar Tongue: comprising Two Glossaries of -Slang, Cant, and Flash Words and Phrases used in London at the present -day, 12mo. 1857. - -A silly and childish performance, full of blunders and contradictions. - -~Duncombe's~ Flash Dictionary of the Cant Words, Queer Sayings, and -Crack Terms now in use in Flash Cribb Society, 32mo, _coloured -print_. 1820. - -~Dunton's~ Ladies' Dictionary, 8vo. _London_, 1694. - -Contains a few Cant and vulgar words. - -~Egan.~ Grose's Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, with the -addition of numerous Slang Phrases, edited by Pierce Egan, 8vo. 1823. - -The best edition of Grose, with many additions, including a life of this -celebrated antiquary. - -~Egan's~ (Pierce) Life in London, 2 vols. thick 8vo, _with coloured -plates by Geo. Cruikshank, representing high and low life_. 18--. - -Contains numerous Cant, Slang, sporting, and vulgar words, supposed by -the author to form the basis of conversation in life, high and low, in -London. - -~Elwyn's~ (Alfred L.) Glossary of supposed _Americanisms_--Vulgar and -Slang Words used in the United States, small 8vo. 1859. - -~Gentleman's Magazine~, 8vo. N. D. - -"In a very early volume of this parent magazine were given a few pages, -by way of sample, of a Slang vocabulary, then termed Cant. If, as we -suspect, this part of the magazine fell to the share of Dr. Johnson, who -was then its editor, we have to lament that he did not proceed with the -design."--_John Bee, in the Introduction to his Slang Dictionary_, 1825. - -~Gentleman's Magazine~, vol. xcii., p. 520. - -Mention made of Slang. - -~Glossaries~ of County Dialects. V. D. - -Many of these will repay examination, as they contain Cant and Slang -words, wrongly inserted as provincial or old terms. - -~Golden Cabinet~ (The) of Secrets opened for Youth's delightful Pastime, -in 7 parts, the last being the "City and Country Jester;" with a Canting -Dictionary, by Dr. Surman, 12mo. _London_, N. D. (1730.) - -Contains some curious woodcuts. - -~Greene's~ (Robert) Notable Discovery of Coosnage, now daily practised -by sundry lewd persons called Conie-catchers and Crosse-biters. Plainly -laying open those pernitious sleights that hath brought many ignorant -men to confusion. Written for the general benefit of all Gentlemen, -Citizens, Apprentices, Country Farmers, and Yeomen, that may hap to fall -into the company of such coosening companions. With a delightful -discourse of the coosnage of Colliers, 4to, _with woodcuts_. _Printed -by John Wolfe_, 1591. - -_The first edition._ A copy of another edition, supposed to be _unique_, -is dated 1592. It was sold at the Heber sale. - -~Greene's~ (Robert) Groundworke of Conny-catching, the manner of their -pedlers' French, and the meanes to understand the same, with the cunning -sleights of the Counterfeit Cranke. Done by a Justice of the Peace of -great Authoritie, 4to, _with woodcuts_. 1592. - -Usually enumerated among Greene's works, but it is only a reprint, with -variations, of _Harman's Caveat_, and of which Rowland complains in his -Martin Markall. The _second_ and _third_ parts of this curious work were -published in the same year. Two other very rare volumes by Greene were -published--_The Defence of Cony-Catching_, 4to, in 1592, and THE BLACK -BOOKES MESSENGER, in 1595. They both treat on the same subjects. - -~Grose's~ (Francis, generally styled Captain) Classical Dictionary of -the Vulgar Tongue, 8vo. 178-. - -The much-sought-after FIRST EDITION, but containing nothing, as far as I -have examined, which is not to be found in the _second_ and _third_ -editions. As respects indecency, I find all the editions equally -disgraceful. The Museum copy of the _first edition_ is, I suspect, -Grose's own copy, as it contains numerous manuscript additions which -afterwards went to form the second edition. Excepting the obscenities, -it is really an extraordinary book, and displays great industry, if we -cannot speak much of its morality. It is the well from which all the -other authors--Duncombe, Caulfield, Clarke, Egan, &c. &c.--drew their -vulgar outpourings, without in the least purifying what they had stolen. - -~Haggart.~ Life of David Haggart, _alias_ John Wilson, _alias_ Barney -M'Coul, written by himself while under sentence of death, curious -frontispiece of the prisoner in irons, intermixed with all the Slang and -Cant words of the day, to which is added a Glossary of the same, -12mo. 1821. - -~Hall's~ (B.H.) Collection of College Words and Customs, 12mo. -_Cambridge (U.S.)_, 1856. - -Very complete. The illustrative examples are excellent. - -~Halliwell's~ Archaic Dictionary, 2 vols. 8vo. 1855. - -An invaluable work, giving the Cant words used by Decker, Brome, and a -few of those mentioned by Grose. - -~Harlequin~ Jack Shepherd, with a Night Scene in Grotesque Characters, -8vo. (_About_ 1736.) - -Contains Songs in the _Canting_ dialect. - -~Harman's~ (Thomas, Esq.) Caveat or Warening for Common Cursetors, -vulgarly called vagabones, set forth for the utilitie and profit of his -naturall countrey, augmented and inlarged by the first author thereof; -whereunto is added the tale of the second taking of the counterfeit -crank, with the true report of his behaviour and also his punishment for -his so dissembling, most marvellous to the hearer or reader thereof, -newly imprinted, 4to. _Imprinted at London, by H. Middleton_, 1573. - -Contains the earliest Dictionary of the Cant language. Four editions -were printed-- - - William Griffith, 1566 - 1567 - 1567 - Henry Middleton, 1573 - -What _Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue_ was to the authors of the -earlier part of the present century, Harman's was to the Deckers, and -Bromes, and Heads of the seventeenth. - -~Harrison's~ (William) Description of the Island of Britain (prefixed to -_Holinshed's Chronicle_), 2 vols. folio. 1577. - -Contains an account of English vagabonds. - -~Hazlitt's~ (William) Table Talk, 12mo, (vol. ii. contains a chapter on -Familiar Style, with a notice on Slang terms.) - -~Head's~ (Richard) English Rogue, described in the Life of Meriton -Latroon, a Witty Extravagant, 4 vols. 12mo. _Frans. Kirkman_, 1671-80. - -Contains a list of Cant words, evidently copied from Decker. - -~Hell upon earth~, or the most pleasant and delectable History of -Whittington's Colledge, otherwise vulgarly called Newgate, 12mo. 1703. - -~Henley's~ (John, better known as ORATOR HENLEY) Various Sermons and -Orations. 1719-53. - -Contains numerous vulgarisms and Slang phrases. - -[~Hitching's~ (Charles, formerly City Marshal, now a prisoner in -Newgate)] Regulator; or, a Discovery of the Thieves, Thief-Takers, and -Locks, _alias_ Receivers of Stolen Goods in and about the City of -London; also an account of all the flash words now in vogue amongst the -Thieves, &c., 8vo, very rare, _with a curious woodcut_. 1718. - -A violent attack upon Jonathan Wild. - -~Household Words~, No. 183, September 24. - -Gives an interesting article on Slang, with many examples. - -~Johnson's~ (Dr. Samuel) Dictionary (the earlier editions). V. D. - -Contains a great number of words italicized as _Cant_, low, or -barbarous. - -~Jonson's~ (Ben.) Bartholomew Fair, ii. 6. - -Several Cant words are placed in the mouths of the characters. - -~Jonson's~ (Ben.) Masque of the Gipsies Metamorphosed, 4to. 16--. - -Contains numerous Cant words. - -~Kent's~ (E.) Modern Flash Dictionary, containing all the Cant words, -Slang Terms, and Flash Phrases now in Vogue, 18mo, _coloured -frontispiece_. 1825. - -~L'Estrange's~ (Sir Roger) Works (principally translations). V.D. - -Abound in vulgar and Slang phrases. - -~Lexicon~ Balatronicum; a Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, -and Pickpocket Eloquence, by a Member of the Whip Club, assisted by -Hell-fire Dick, 8vo. 1811. - -One of the many reprints of Grose's second edition, put forth under a -fresh, and what was then considered a more attractive title. It was -given out in advertisements, &c., as a piece of puff, that it was edited -by a Dr. H. Clarke, but contains scarcely a line more than Grose. - -~Liber Vagatorum:~ Der Betler Orden, 4to. Translated into English, with -Notes, by John Camden Hotten, as The Book of Vagabonds and Beggars, with -a vocabulary of their Language (_Rotwelsche Sprach_); edited, with -preface, by Martin Luther, in the year 1528, 4to, _with woodcuts_. 1859. - -The first edition of this book appears to have been printed at Augsburg, -by Erhard Oglin, or Ocellus, about 1514,--a small quarto of twelve -leaves. It was frequently reprinted at other places in Germany: and in -1528 there appeared an edition at Wirtemberg, with a preface by Martin -Luther, who says that the "Rotwelsche Sprach," the Cant language of the -beggars, comes from the Jews, as it contains many Hebrew words, as any -one who understands that language may perceive. This book is divided -into three parts, or sections; the first gives a special account of the -several orders of the "Fraternity of Vagabonds;" the second, sundry -"_notabilia_" relating to the different classes of beggars previously -described; and the third consists of a "Rotwelsche Vocabulary," or -"Canting Dictionary." There is a long notice of the "Liber Vagatorum" in -the "Weimarisches Jahrbuch," 10ter Band, 1856. Mayhew, in his _London -Labour_, states that many of our Cant words are derived from the Jew -fences. It is singular that a similar statement should have been made by -Martin Luther more than three centuries before. - -~Life in St. George's Fields;~ or, The Rambles and Adventures of -Disconsolate William, Esq., and his Surrey Friend, Flash Dick, with -Songs and a FLASH DICTIONARY, 8vo. 1821. - -~Maginn~ (Dr.) wrote Slang songs in _Blackwood's Magazine_. 1827. - -~Mayhew's~ (Henry) London Labour and the London Poor, 4 vols. 1851-61. - -An invaluable work to the inquirer into popular or street language. - -~Mayhew's~ (Henry) Great World of London, 8vo. 1857. - -An unfinished work, but containing several examples of the use and -application of Cant and Slang words. - -~Middleton~ (Thomas) and ~Decker's~ (Thomas) Roaring Girl; or Moll Cut -Purse, 4to. 1611. - -The conversation in one scene is entirely in the so-called pedlar's -French. It is given in _Dodsley's Old Plays_. - -~Modern Flash Dictionary~, 48mo. 1825. - -The smallest Slang dictionary ever printed; intended for the -waistcoat-pockets of the "BLOODS" of the Prince Regent's time. - -~Moncrieff's~ Tom and Jerry, or Life in London, a Farce in Three Acts, -12mo. 1820. - -An excellent exponent of the false and forced "high life" which was so -popular during the minority of George IV. The farce had a run of a -hundred nights, or more, and was a general favourite for years. It -abounds in Cant, and the language of "gig," as it was then often termed. - -Mornings at Bow Street, by T. Wright, 12mo, _with Illustrations by -George Cruikshank_. _Tegg_, 1838. - -In this work a few etymologies of Slang words are attempted. - -New Canting Dictionary, 12mo. N. D. - -A copy of this work is described in _Rodd's Catalogue of Elegant -Literature_, 1845, part iv., No. 2128, with manuscript notes and -additions in the autograph of Isaac Reed, price L1. 8_s._ - -~New Dictionary~ of the Terms, Ancient and Modern, of the Canting Crew -in its several tribes of Gypsies, Beggars, Thieves, Cheats, &c., with an -addition of some _Proverbs, Phrases, Figurative Speeches, &c._, by -B. E., GENT., 12mo. N. D. [1710.] - -Afterwards issued under the title of _Bacchus and Venus_, 1737, and in -1754 as the _Scoundrel's Dictionary_. - -~New Dictionary~ of all the Cant and Flash Languages used by every class -of offenders, from a Lully Prigger to a High Tober Gloak, small 8vo, pp. -62. 179-. - -Mentioned by John Bee. - -~Notes and Queries.~ The invaluable Index to this most useful periodical -may be consulted with advantage by the seeker after etymologies of Slang -and Cant words. - -~Parker.~ High and Low Life, A View of Society in, being the Adventures -in England, Ireland, &c., of Mr. G. Parker, _A Stage Itinerant_, 2 vols. -in 1, thick 12mo. _Printed for the Author_, 1781. - -A curious work, containing many Cant words, with 100 orders of rogues -and swindlers. - -~Parker's~ (Geo.) Life's Painter of Variegated Characters, with a -Dictionary of Cant Language and Flash Songs, to which is added a -Dissertation on Freemasonry, _portrait_, 8vo. 1789. - -~Pegge's~ (Samuel) Anecdotes of the English Language, chiefly regarding -the Local Dialect of London and Environs, 8vo. 1803-41. - -~Perry's~ (William) London Guide and Stranger's Safeguard against -Cheats, Swindlers, and Pickpockets, by a Gentleman who has made the -Police of the Metropolis an object of inquiry twenty-two years (no -wonder when the author was in prison a good portion of that time!) 1818. - -Contains a dictionary of Slang and Cant words. - -~Phillip's~ New World of Words, folio. 1696. - -~Pickering's~ (F.) Vocabulary, or Collection of Words and Phrases which -have been supposed to be peculiar to the United States of America, to -which is prefixed an Essay on the present state of the English Language -in the United States, 8vo. _Boston_, 1816. - -The remark made upon _Bartlett's Americanisms_ applies equally to this -work. - -~Picture of the Fancy~, 12mo. 18--. - -Contains numerous Slang terms. - -~Potter's~ (H. T., of _Clay, Worcestershire_) New Dictionary of all the -Cant and Flash Languages, both ancient and modern, 8vo, pp. 62. 1790. - -~Poulter.~ The Discoveries of John Poulter, _alias_ Baxter, 8vo, 48 -pages. (1770?) - -At pages 42, 43, there is an explanation of the "Language of Thieves, -commonly called Cant." - -~Prison-breaker~, The, or the Adventures of John Sheppard, a Farce, -8vo. _London_, 1725. - -Contains a Canting song, &c. - -~Punch~, or the London Charivari. - -Often points out Slang, vulgar, or abused words. It also occasionally -employs them in jokes or sketches of character. - -~Quarterly Review~, vol. x. p. 528. - -Gives a paper on Americanisms and Slang phrases. - -~Randall's~ (Jack, the Pugilist, formerly of the "Hole in the Wall," -Chancery Lane) Diary of Proceedings at the House of Call for Genius, -edited by Mr. Breakwindow, to which are added several of Mr. B.'s minor -pieces, 12mo. 1820. - -Believed to have been written by Thomas Moore. The verses are mostly -parodies of popular authors, and abound in the Slang of pugilism, and -the phraseology of the fast life of the period. - -~Randall~ (Jack), a Few Selections from his Scrap-book; to which are -added Poems on the late Fight for the Championship, 12mo. 1822. - -Frequently quoted by Moore in _Tom Crib's Memorial_. - -~Scoundrel's Dictionary;~ or, an Explanation of the Cant Words used by -Thieves, Housebreakers, Street-robbers, and Pickpockets about Town, with -some curious Dissertations on the Art of Wheedling, &c., the whole -printed from a copy taken on one of their gang, in the late scuffle -between the watchman and a party of them on Clerkenwell Green, -8vo. 1754. - -A reprint of _Bacchus and Venus_, 1737. - -~Sharp~ (Jeremy), The Life of an English Rogue, 12mo. 1740. - -Includes a "Vocabulary of the Gypsies' Cant." - -~Sherwood's~ Gazetteer of Georgia, U.S., 8vo. - -Contains a glossary of words, Slang and vulgar, peculiar to the Southern -States. - -~Smith~ (Capt. Alexander), The Thieves' Grammar, 12mo, p. 28. 17--. - -A copy of this work is in the collection formed by Prince Lucien -Bonaparte. - -~Smith's~ (Capt.) Compleat History of the Lives and Robberies of the -most Notorious Highwaymen, Footpads, Shoplifters, and Cheats, of both -Sexes, in and about London and Westminster, 12mo, vol. i. 1719. - -This volume contains "The Thieves' New Canting Dictionary of the Words, -_Proverbs, &c., used by Thieves_." - -~Smith's~ (Capt.) Thieves' Dictionary, 12mo. 1724. - -~Snowden's~ Magistrate's Assistant, and Constable's Guide, thick small -8vo. 1852. - -Gives a description of the various orders of cadgers, beggars, and -swindlers, together with a Glossary of the Flash Language. - -~Sportsman's Dictionary~, 4to. 17--. - -By an anonymous author. Contains some low sporting terms. - -~Stanley's~ Remedy, or the Way how to Reform Wandring Beggars, Thieves, -&c., wherein is shewed that Sodomes Sin of Idleness is the Poverty and -the Misery of this Kingdome, 4to. 1646. - -This work has an engraving on wood which is said to be the veritable -original of Jim Crow. - -~Swift's~ coarser pieces abound in vulgarities and Slang expressions. - -~The Triumph of Wit~, or Ingenuity displayed in its Perfection, being -the Newest and most Useful Academy, Songs, Art of Love, and the Mystery -and Art of Canting, with Poems, Songs, &c., in the Canting Language, -16mo. _J. Clarke_, 1735. - -What is generally termed a shilling _Chap Book_. - -~The Triumph of Wit~, or the Canting Dictionary, being the Newest and -most Useful Academy, containing the Mystery and art of Canting, with the -original and present management thereof, and the ends to which it serves -and is employed, illustrated with Poems, Songs, and various Intrigues in -the Canting Language, with the Explanations, &c., 12mo. _Dublin_, N. D. - -A Chap Book of 32 pages, _circa_ 1760. - -~The Whole Art Of Thieving~ and Defrauding Discovered: being a Caution -to all Housekeepers, Shopkeepers, Salesmen, and others, to guard against -Robbers of both Sexes, and the best Methods to prevent their Villanies; -to which is added an Explanation of most of the Cant terms in the -Thieving Language, 8vo, pp. 46. 1786. - -~Thomas~ (I.), My Thought Book, 8vo. 1825. - -Contains a chapter on Slang. - -~Tom Crib's~ Memorial to Congress, with a Preface, Notes, and Appendix -by one of the Fancy [Tom Moore, the Poet], 12mo. 1819. - -A humorous poem, abounding in Slang and pugilistic term, with a -burlesque essay on the classic origin of Slang. - -~Vacabondes~, the Fraternatye of, as well as of ruflyng Vacabones, as of -beggerly, of Women as of Men, of Gyrles as of Boyes, with their proper -Names and Qualities, with a Description of the Crafty Company of -Cousoners and Shifters, also the XXV. Orders of Knaves; otherwyse called -a Quartern of Knaves, confirmed by Cocke Lorell, 8vo. Imprinted at -London by John Awdeley, dwellyng in little Britayne strete, without -Aldersgate. 1575. - -It is stated in _Ames' Typog. Antiq._, vol. ii. p. 885, that an edition -bearing the date 1565 is in existence, and that the compiler was no -other than old John Audley, the printer, himself. This conjecture, -however, is very doubtful. As stated by Watt, it is more than probable -that it was written by Harman, or was taken from his works, in MS. or -print. - -~Vaux's~ (Count de, a swindler and pickpocket) Life, written by himself, -2 vols., 12mo, to which is added a Canting Dictionary. 1819. - -These Memoirs were suppressed on account of the scandalous passages -contained in them. - -~Webster's~ (Noah) Letter to the Hon. John Pickering, on the Subject of -his Vocabulary, or Collection of Words and Phrases supposed to be -peculiar to the United States, 8vo, pp. 69. _Boston_, 1817. - -~Wild~ (Jonathan), History of the Lives and Actions of Jonathan Wild, -Thieftaker, Joseph Blake, _alias_ Blueskin, Footpad, and John Sheppard, -Housebreaker; together with a Canting Dictionary by Jonathan Wild, -_woodcuts_, 12mo. 1750. - -~Wilson~ (Professor), contributed various Slang pieces to _Blackwood's -Magazine_; including a Review of Bee's Dictionary. - -~Witherspoon's~ (Dr., of America,) Essays on Americanisms, Perversions -of Language in the United States, Cant phrases, &c., 8vo, in the 4th -vol. of his works. _Philadelphia_, 1801. - -The earliest work on American vulgarisms. Originally published as a -series of Essays, entitled the _Druid_, which appeared in a periodical -in 1761. - - -BALLANTYNE & COMPANY LTD - -TAVISTOCK STREET COVENT GARDEN - -LONDON - - - - -DICTIONARIES - - - THE READER'S HANDBOOK OF ALLUSIONS, REFERENCES, PLOTS, AND STORIES. - By the Rev. E. C. BREWER, LL.D. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s 6d net. - - A DICTIONARY OF MIRACLES: Imitative, Realistic, and Dogmatic. By the - Rev. E. C. BREWER, LL.D. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s 6d net. - - WORDS, FACTS, AND PHRASES: A Dictionary of Curious, Quaint, and Odd - Matters. By ELIEZER EDWARDS. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s 6d. - - FAMILIAR SHORT SAYINGS OF GREAT MEN: with Historical and Explanatory - Notes. By SAMUEL A. BENT, A.M. Crown 8vo, cloth, 7s 6d. - - FAMILIAR ALLUSIONS. By WILLIAM A. and CHARLES J. WHEELER. Demy 8vo, - cloth, 7s 6d net. - - THE SLANG DICTIONARY: Etymological, Historical, and Anecdotal. Crown - 8vo, cloth, 6s 6d. - - A DICTIONARY OF THE DRAMA. By W. DAVENPORT ADAMS. Vol. I (A to G). - Demy 8vo, cloth, 10s 6d net. - -London: CHATTO & WINDUS, 111 St. Martin's Lane, W.C. - - - * * * * * - - -Transcriber's Note: - -An advertisement for dictionaries has been moved from the beginning of -the text to the end. - - -The following are used inconsistently in the text: - -banknote and bank-note - -battles and battells - -big-bird and big bird - -blackguard and black-guard - -boatrace and boat-race - -Boozingken and Boozing-Ken - -bow-Catcher and bowcatcher - -brother-chip and brother-chip - -Bubble-and-Squeak and Bubble and Squeak - -chamberpot and chamber-pot - -cherry-colour and cherry colour - -chuck up and chuck-up - -coalheaver and coal-heaver - -cockshy and cock-shy - -cocoanuts and cocoa-nuts - -comb cut and comb-cut - -coon and 'coon - -corner men and corner-men - -crabshells and crab shells - -cutpurse and cut-purse - -daylights and day-light - -dead-heat and dead heat - -dolly shop and dolly-shop - -dunnyken and dunna-ken - -everyday and every-day - -fagot and faggot - -fawney bouncing and fawney-bouncing - -fyebuck and fye-buck - -halfpence and half-pence - -horse chaunter and horse-chaunter - -housebreaking and house-breaking - -kin-the-lamb and kin the lamb - -knobstick and knob-stick - -lovelock and love-lock - -M. B. and M.B. - -M. T. and M.T. - -Merry Dun of Dover and merry dun of Dover - -mountain pecker and mountain-pecker - -necktie and neck-tie - -newcomers and new-comers - -now-a-days and nowadays - -outdoor and out-door - -overbearing and over-bearing - -overnight and over-night - -overreach and over-reach - -P. P. and P.P. - -parney and parny - -percentages and per-centages - -pillbox and pill-box - -playhouse and play-house - -purseproud and purse-proud - -racehorse and race-horse - -randem and random - -reach me downs and reach-me-downs - -ringdropping and ring-dropping - -schofel and schoful - -schoolboys and school-boys - -seaport and sea-port - -secondhand and second-hand - -signpost and sign-post - -Soft-soap and soft soap - -speechmaking and speech-making - -turncoat and turn-coat - -turnout and turn-out - -W. P. and W.P. - -water-bewitched and water bewitched - -watercloset and water-closet - -wideawake and wide-awake - - -The following errors in the printed text have been corrected: - -advertisement "W.," changed to "W." - -advertisement "A to G)" changed to "(A to G)" - -p. 15 "Bcck" changed to "Beck" - -p. 17 "coined money" changed to "coined money." - -p. 29 "'cribs''" changed to "'cribs'"" - -p. 41 "_Tam O' Shanter_."" changed to "_Tam O' Shanter_." - -p. 68 "on't--" changed to "on't"--" - -p. 74 "appearance" changed to "appearance." - -p. 74 "I Cor." changed to "1 Cor." - -p. 82 "Dr" changed to "Dr." - -p. 83 "under-raduates" changed to "under-graduates" - -p. 88 "BLUHEN" changed to "BLUeHEN" - -p. 90 "the new police" changed to "the new police." - -p. 91 "belong to you" changed to "belong to you." - -p. 94 "Spit-curl,"" changed to "Spit-curl," - -p. 97 "Rothwalsch" changed to "Rothwaelsch" - -p. 97 "good fellow;" changed to "good fellow;"" - -p. 98 "at races" changed to "at races." - -p. 101 "large thick," changed to "large, thick," - -p. 106 "tumble up," changed to "tumble up" - -p. 107 "contruction" changed to "contraction" - -p. 111 "ny temporary" changed to "any temporary" - -p. 114 "pay.--ED" changed to "pay.--ED." - -p. 115 "CHEESE your barrikin,"" changed to ""CHEESE your barrikin,"" - -p. 116 "Derivation obvious" changed to "Derivation obvious." - -p. 118 "and waistcoat" changed to "and waistcoat." - -p. 120 "first-rate" changed to "first-rate." - -p. 135 "Very often" changed to ""Very often" - -p. 136 "Culloden;*" changed to "Culloden;" - -p. 137 "CUT ONE'S" CHANGED TO ""CUT ONE'S" - -p. 139 "interrupted Julian" changed to "interrupted Julian," - -P. 141 "SO LOOK OUT"" CHANGED TO "SO LOOK OUT."" - -P. 152 "MEDIOCITY" CHANGED TO "MEDIOCRITY" - -P. 161 "O FOURTEEN" CHANGED TO "OF FOURTEEN" - -P. 168 ""OR IN BAD" CHANGED TO "OR "IN BAD" - -P. 171 "FULLY committed for trial." changed to "FULLY committed for -trial."" - -p. 176 "crush hat" changed to "crush hat." - -p. 178 "by schoolboys" changed to "by schoolboys." - -p. 188 "unthinking" changed to "unthinking." - -p. 189 "~Harry-soph~" changed to "~Harry-soph~," - -p. 197 "Umh!" changed to ""Umh!" - -p. 209 "_Gloucestershire_." changed to "_Gloucestershire_," - -p. 217 "of the door,'" changed to "of the door,"" - -p. 219 "nothing five" changed to "nothing: five" - -p. 224 "what a MEASLEY" changed to ""what a MEASLEY" - -p. 229 "bad MOUNT." changed to "bad MOUNT."" - -p. 232 "_Neptune's Triumph_, whch" changed to "_Neptune's Triumph_, -which" - -p. 233 "Shakspear ehas" changed to "Shakspeare has" - -p. 234 "VAMOS."" changed to "VAMOS." - -p. 236 ""Your NIBS," yourself."" changed to ""Your NIBS," yourself." - -p. 237 "~Nix my dolly~once" changed to "~Nix my dolly~, once" - -p. 243 "_i.e._, you" changed to "_i.e._, "you" - -p. 247 "to the PARTY?"" changed to "to the PARTY?" - -p. 247 "_Stephano._" changed to ""_Stephano._" - -p. 250 "drive awa ;" changed to "drive away;" - -p. 251 "Nor yet a single" changed to ""Nor yet a single" - -p. 253 "derobe")." changed to "derobe)"." - -p. 253 "English word" changed to "English word." - -p. 254 "its purity?" changed to "its purity?"" - -p. 254 "trrdesman" changed to "tradesman" - -p. 256 "L100,0000," changed to "L100,000," - -p. 258 "~Pops ~,pocket-pistols." changed to "~Pops~, pocket-pistols." - -p. 264 "THICK UN a" changed to "THICK UN, a" - -p. 265 "for the account"" changed to "for the account."" - -p. 275 "in unproductive" changed to "an unproductive" - -p. 285 "improvemennts" changed to "improvements" - -p. 295 "voilently" changed to "violently" - -p. 296 "a good beating," changed to "a good beating." - -p. 297 "Sluieing" changed to "Sluicing" - -p. 297 "tip-top nation." changed to "tip-top nation."" - -p. 299 "SNIDE 'UN."" changed to "SNIDE 'UN." - -p. 304 "a person, to cease" changed to "a person," to cease" - -p. 305 "TEA-SPOON," changed to "TEA-SPOON;" - -p. 306 "prisoners, when," changed to "prisoners, when" - -p. 307 "~Stab-rag~" changed to "~Stab-rag~," - -p. 316 "first six months" changed to "first six months;" - -p. 321 "that term" changed to "that term." - -p. 322 "upon TICKET." changed to "upon TICKET."" - -p. 331 "TWIG,'" changed to "TWIG,"" - -p. 334 "can you" changed to ""can you" - -p. 338 "WORRIT, ro" changed to "or WORRIT," - -p. 334 "igin hougour" changed to "igin agan hougour" - -p. 334 "Romany!" changed to "Romany?" - -p. 340 "WHITE WINE."" changed to "WHITE WINE.'"" - -p. 349 "end with two vowels" changed to "end with two consonants" - -p. 354 "~Exis yanneps~xpence." changed to "~Exis yanneps~, sixpence." - -p. 354 "an apple" changed to "an apple." - -p. 368 "of beer" changed to "of beer." - -p. 369 "centre slang, then," changed to "Centre slang, then," - -p. 372 "_London_, 1809" changed to "_London_, 1809." - -p. 374 "part of the work" changed to "part of the work." - -p. 374 "attemp" changed to "attempts." - -p. 375 "1858" changed to "1858." - -p. 376 "1797" changed to "1797." - -p. 378 "1859" changed to "1859." - -p. 379 "Wiemarisches" changed to "Weimarisches" - -p. 379 "10te" changed to "10ter" - - -Inconsistent use of small capitals and italics has been left as printed. - -On p. 76, "will about win" has been left as printed. - -On p. 121, "_See_ COAL" in the entry for "Coal" has been left as -printed. - -On p. 195, "the blue jackets wont" has been left as printed. - -On p. 379, "Wirtemberg" has been left as printed. - - -The following were not clearly printed and are conjectural: - -Footnote to p. 53 "most objectionable" - -p. 90 full stop in "Bethnal Green Museum." - -p. 94 the letter p in "person who steals" - -p. 94 bracketed text in "swindler[, or a] lie" - -p. 114 bracketed text in "Ch[aw] over" - -p. 158 comma in "unfeminine accomplishment," - -p. 164 letter n and comma in "~Flim-flamn~," - -p. 181 bracketed text in "[tie]d.--_Sea._" - -p. 197 last two digits in "1632." - -p. 207 last two digits in "1820." - -p. 211 bracketed text in "so[lic]ited" - -p. 243 bracketed text in "descripti[on,]" - -p. 248 semi-colon in "POIX);" - -p. 262 "to" in "stratagem to excite" - -p. 295 comma in "into a man," - -p. 337 comma in "WELSHER," - - -There are a number of references to non-existent entries: - -the entry for "Briefs" refers to "Reflectors"; - -the entry for "Bub" refers to "Bibe" - -the entry for "Harum-scarum" refers to "Tandem"; - -the entry for "Lucky" refers to "Strike"; - -the entry for "Man in the moon" refers to "Election Inquiries"; - -the entry for "Random" refers to "Tandem"; - -the entry for "Whiddle" refers to "Wheedle". - - -In some cases entries of that name exist, but appear to be unrelated: - -the entry for "Buz" refers to "Snooks" and "Walker"; - -the entry for "Random" refers to "Sudden Death". - - -The following possible error has been left as printed: - -p. 254 "an ingenious candle-snuffers" - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Slang Dictionary, by John Camden Hotten - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SLANG DICTIONARY *** - -***** This file should be named 42108.txt or 42108.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - 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