The Slang Dictionary (part 3)

“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 quære (?) 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 quæro, 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 6s. 4d. a stone, P. Y. C., and 6s. 6d. 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, manœuvre, 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 minutiæ 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 rosâ), 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 roué, 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 Æneid, 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.

⁂ 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 δέκα, 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’âne à deux pannières, 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 mêlée.

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, SALVÂ REVERENTIÂ. 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 σλογω 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 à 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 aërated 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 Ægrotat” (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 mediæval 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 2s. 6d. 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 stunningJoe 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, SOUPÇON.

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 depôts.—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 Cyclopædia.

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 TÊTE, 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, déjeûner à 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 (à 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 40l. or 50l. 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 habitués 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 pavé.

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, à 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.

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 manœuvring, 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!”