Slang Dictionary of the Turf (1823)

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Br JON BEE, Esq.

Editor of the Fancy, Fancy Gazette, Living Picture of London,

and the like of that.

lottDon:

painted for t. hughes, 35, ludg ate-street.

1823.

A DICTIONARY

THE TURF, THE RING, THE CHASE, THE

PIT, OF BON-TON,

AMD THE

VARIETIES OF LIFE,

forming the complete8t and most authentic
hitherto offered to tbi notice of

THE SPORTING WORLD,

For elucidating Words and Phrases that are necessarily, or purposely,
cramp, mutative, and unintelligible, outside their
respective Spheres.

INTBBSfBRSBD WITH

ANECDOTES AND WHIMSIES,

WITH TAUT QUOTATIONS, AVD RUM-ONES ;

"WITH EXAMPLES, PROOFS, AND MONITORY PRECEFfS,
USEFUL AND PROPER FOR

NOVICES, PLATS, AND YOKELS.

LONDON;

PRINTED BY W. I.CTYIB, VIlfCH LAM*.

PREFACE.

Wholly unlike any of its precursors, the present labori-
ous Dictionary claims for its characteristics a good portion
of originality, great utility as to several neglected good old
English sports, much amusement, and recent information,
obtained vivd voce frdm some eschewed walks of life; toge-
ther with a moral inculcation here and there, that shall tell,
where the solemn condone would fail.

Every reader has a right to know his authour's motives for
publishing at all, to be brought acquainted with his means
of performance and his eligibility for the task; and the latter
having likewise his rights to assert, this mutuality begets the
undisputed custom of preface—the more gumptious the bet-
ter. If the writer willeth to add hereto an exposition of his
views on the subject-matter in hand, or to say aught of the
manner of executing his task—either by way of extenuation
or exultingly, he has that right undoubtedly,—let him exer-
cise it at his peril. Neither Grose, nor his editor Dr. H.
Clarke, nor the preux Count de Vaux, have filled the bala-
tronic gap, that is ever widening at the extreme base of the
ancient castle of Lexicography: a chasm exists that the mo-
dern artificers have in vain endeavoured to pass, or cover with
their out-works of counter scarp and covert-way—the fosse
must be entered ere 'tis passed, but the necessity of previ-
ously filling it needs no argument. Captain Grose was much
too gross, even for his day, besides which, his work is become
antiquated, stale, and out of date; the Count's attempts at
the end of his life (2 vols.) were indeed Vaut-rien, as that
life had been; and our friend Dr. Clarke's augmentations,
though evincing him clericus, added to the structure lead,
rather than beauty, or strength. Nat Bailey should not be
forgotten: he ii even older than Grose, and twice as nasty?
the Old Bailey was once a dirty place, and so unhealthily
situate, that folks dropped there suddenly and frequently, and
Nat either gave or received its cognomen—no matter which.

So much for the occasion and the motive for coming otU;

a 2

iy PREFACE.

* What a host of enemies will not this, one little word engender ? How
will every repetition and inflection of slang raise the ire, expand the nos*
trils, and redden the frothy muns. of those who imagine, that because they
may have ascended the montalto of universal erudition, none ©fee* shaft
dare mount the bases of these literacy glaciers over which they I07d.it as
it' they had already conquered posterity; and adpwn which they threaten
to hurl the weaker, more humble, aspirant after fame, to certain inevit-
able destruction 1 But let them be aware: the last family of the gluttons
will not surrender tamely to the first of old-word monopolists. Let Israel
d Israeli of the « new words" coinage.take, care of himself: spacing;
Jemmy still lives, as well as " Ilearsid" Those roonopoles need be told
that the origin of all words introduced since the statute of 86th of Eclw.
Sd. was no other than Slang, " according to Act of Parliament then
passedaid for livmg authority we tell them, So thinks the grav* an*
tkgue Editor of the Gentleman⁹* (vol. 93, p. 520), who further adds, that
it consisted, at first in '< the laborious and recondite, consisting of cant
terms and slang, in cotemporary authors." True, good Urban Niohols,.
—very true; and what beyond the recondite and the laborious doest thou'
detect in these pages? Look to' the Addenda,* Sylvanus, look at it; and'
if thou deign do so—what flndest thou there but the recondike voce** tba
expurgata exuberantia of* cotemporary authours ?" What lopping, and,
pruning, and clipping alike of the weak tendrils and rampant snoots—be-
sides weeding and: trimming down the noxious undergrowth—is not there
visible at every step and every turn ? No longer confine your pities, Syl-
vanus et Sylvius, to the " poor froze-out gardeners," just alluded to;
those Sylvicolee of doubtful mien.

The title we have adopted for the verbal inventions of such " cotempo-
rary authors," viz. Siwvng, is thus borne out, not only by a legal enactment,
but also by the gravest, if not the most learned of cotemporary critits.
We have further reason for being satisfied with the choice thus made,
and the application thereof—which although apparently trivial is neverthe-
less weighty, in a giossarial point of view: 'tis evidently derived from no
ancient language, nor is it" indebted to a Celtic origin," The Latin hav,
ing no word that begins with SI—, (except slavi, properly sclavi,) can- ,
not, therefore, have aught to do with our slang. In this negative we see'
just cause to hope for a long and lasting peace with the more recondite,
of the word pecfyrs (at least)—those who deluge the. republic mtfi up
hill authorities, and pointless quotations from the Scriptores Latini, that'
threatening endless gasp to overwhelm us by their stupendous ponderosity,:

now for an extended view of the melancholy state of this par-
ticular walk of literature, until the present auspicious mo-
ment (May 1823); and chiefly as regards the other walks
and alleys, the lights and shades of the highways and bye-
ways of science and art.

Throughout the whole cirqle of learning, each pursuit had
long to boast its appropriate Dictionary, explicatory of terms
of art, of words and phrases, that seemed necessary or wev&
rendered so by long use. Motherby and Jacob, Richorson
and Mortimer, sat down and exhausted the slangery* of

preface. . v

Medicine as of Law, of Chemistry and of Trade, each making
up his long alphabetical account to the day of publication.
But, alas! to little purpose did those dingy pioneers in the
forest of words work at radix and stem mat a, from stem to
branch, to twig and leaf; vainly did they pursue their still
receding labours, and exhaust by their pertinacity the midnight
oil I Scarcely were the sheets thrown off at press when the
Slangwkangers, each in his degree, set to work and inun-
dated with novelties each separate' science, lest the public
should become as wise as the professors—and these lose their

■ .. .11 II ■ .1 » I I . i I... i Mi ■ II I I I ■ «■ ■............

And make us rather bear Uioae ills we have,
Than Ay to others that we know nought of.

Thrice happy are we, however, that bur dependance for victory over
the simply learned in languages, rests'not upon the defensive position
just now thrown up as a kind of outwork to our actual appui. " Happy,
happy, happy tawttey Moor 1" Proof positive is at hand; i. e. derivate
proof, and this, in equity, must be received as legal proof, according to

* the laws of the republic of word peckers. The definition of the word
"i§ its origin: better and better still. Slangs are the greaves with which

• the legs of convicts are fettered in our prison,* having acquired that
name from the manner in which they were Worn, or borne abou^, by the
several occupants. Those irons being in weight from one to four stone
(from 12 lb. to 50 lb.) each set, required a sling of string [hemp, worsted,
or silk] to support them off the ground, so that the garnished person
might move his pins about from post to pillar, from the ward to the
court, thence to the common room, to the sessions-house, and finally
the press-yard—whereat they usually fell off his legs—and he too fell a
few minutes thereafter—^f( good bye, Jack." In performing those evolu-
tions, as is well known to many—whom we name not—those greaves,
irons, fetters, or darbies—call them what we like—[in fact, call them as
we may, neversomuch, they seldom come, unless we enact some clever
thing or other to get into their good graces]—each movement occasions
a musical clanking or clang, differing from its preceding bar, as the sling
or string may support the appendages more or less tightly; and then each
alternate bar would sound either upon the slack-ened side of the irons or
at the sling side—going " sling slang; sling slang." If the occupant for
the time being, happened, in merry pin, to hop on one leg—as did often
happen, the sound would be all ' sling, sling, sling,' or ' slang, slang,
slang,' according to the leg hopped-on or hopped-off; and, as the string
(of hemp, worsted, or silk,t) already had the name of sling applied to it,

* The information may be of service to literary larceners—book pirates,
that within a few years the same favour was extended to simple culprits
merely; but whether the reformation of Newgate extends to all jails
non-constat.

t True; as is that part of the legend, respecting rogues of the last
century, which tells that certain highwaymen ^€ wore silver fetters'—To
appearance and in effect they were silver: the richer thieves rubbed over
their irons the sohition of grain tin m aqua rigia, which gave these an
evanescent whiteness.

VI PREFACE.

occupation. A new race of Physicians discovered and'dis-
closed the fact, that their predecessors had been but novices
—their patients flats and yokels; the Lawyers practised new
quiddities, and reversed the old pleadings; Chemistry was
completely capsized (including le bouleversment des francais);
and as for Trade, it slept, and had slept on, but for the
lawyer's help: he stepped in, however, officiously, and poor
Trade died within his grasp—at his office, in B. R. or C. B.
New Editors then became necessary for this new state of
things; and Bartholomew Parr, and T. Edlin Tomlins, D*.
Chenevix, and 'Squire Dickinson, repaired the rents which
Time had made, modeoused the antiquated cut of their pre*
decessors habiliments, and introduced the more modern slang
of their respective avocations.*

In the midst of all this redundancy, who took in charge
to elucidate and bring to the standard the all-important
affairs of the Turf⁷. What stagyrite settled those of the
Ring, putting down his thoughts in alphabetic order?—
None. The Chase lay scattered through massy tomes, or
pined in puny manuals to this hour, f The Pit, and its in*
mates, remained in utter darkness as to one order of its
* sports, neither Billy, Charley, Rolfe, or Tim, knowing their
way about, literally;! Old Fleming, or Nash, although taking
the lead as doodle-doo men, neither could or would expound
or explain. Excepting a small tract or two on cocking—all

the irons were the slangs, and the sZan^-wearers' language was of course
slangous, or partaking much, if not wholly, of the slangs. So much for
the derivation of the word Slang : John Nichols hath used it, and so
hath Jon Bee; and both must be wrong—or both right " to a T "

Never did Whitter make out a better Case, in Elymologicon Magnum ;
and, we leave the learned doctor to prove how it happened that the word
Slang was subsequently applied, or misapplied, by many who could read
books, but understood little of the ordinary talk of life; neither of that
language which pertained to the Turf, the Stud, the Chase, or the Ring
—which they equally termed the Slang of each particular species of sport.
However settled, we submit, Domine gratia. *

* Even these last-named are fast passing away, like the' baseless fabric
of a visionand they of the present era will see spring up new mushroom
Editors, who will ' stick to the Author' (like the polecat to the coney,
battening upon its vital fluid) and overlay his matter until he get buried in
emendata et corrigenda.

t What signifies alluding'to Taplin, but to bestow a line upon an
arrant offender; the old anonymous Sportsman's Dictionary (in 4to.) was
never compiled up to the mark of excellency of its own date; and Time
has heaped his dull oblivious years both upon this and that.

% Harlequin Billy, vulgarly called White, Charley Eastup, Jem Rolfe
and Timothy Arrowsmith. Y. Fleming hath relaxed.—See Pit, in Diet.

FfttfACt. vii

regained open to chance, to whim, and vagary, as the tables
might turn, or the thought vegetate. For the language of
Bon-ton, nothing, literally nothing, had been done to reduce
it* language to the standard of excellence, or to fix its beau-
{vies at the point of truth.

_% For the last of our subdivisions, however, much had been
attempted, long ago: the " Varieties of Life," were hereto*
fore enlivened by the wit, or elucidated by the learning or
tfae research of several sapient lexicographers. Nathan
Bttiley led the way in amount as to learning, if not as to
antiquity; the glossary affixed to the memoirs of Mr. Bam-
fylde Moore Carew coming second, and going lowest.* Soon
after this, ordinary life and language received some illustration
from an anonymous hand, entitled " Characterism, or the
Modern Age Displayed; being an attempt to expose the
pretended virtues of both sexes," 12mo. E. Owen, ' Part 1,
Ladies.*—⁴ Part 2, Gentlemen,' na date; but apparently
circa 1750. Next in order, we had G. Parker's " View of
Society and Manners in High and Low Life: Adventures,"
&c. and comprising a history of the Stage, no date; about

1780, J2mo.f

" Encouraged by the sale of his preceding publication, Mr.
Parker issued proposals for publishing a somewhat similar
work, by subscription. It had for title " Life's Painter of
variegated Colours, by G. P. librarian to the college of wit,
mirth, and humour." Motto, ^u The proper study of mankind
is man," 1789, Ridgway, 8vo.| In this volume the voca-
bulary was extended to the utmost pitch of the author's
means, and this might be confined to a mile round Covent
Garden. €apt. Grose's " Literary Olio" and " Provincial Glos-
sary," § proved him adequate to the task of completing " A

* " A new Dictionary of the Taunting Crew," 1 vol. small l2mo. was
also low, very low indeed.

t In this publication was introduced a vocabulary comporting with
the title, in part; Parker being mostly addicted to low lift, the society of
players and that of the ale-shop. See Finish in Diet, where only we
found him, and where he received and expected the adulation of the
finishers; but he had never cut any figure as a player, was not a man of
even ordinary education, though a close observer, acuta and satirically
inclined, with some portion of humour.

X Two thousand three hundred copies were taken off of " Life's
Painter," and Parker is supposed to have realised above two hundred
pounds by tfae adventure.

I A work with the same tide was afterwards produced by the Rev.
Samuel Pegge, and another of the clergy gave us a third volume still
mors recently.

v1u ?R&14C«.

Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue/' 1 vol. small
8vo. thus closing the catalogue of all that had been pre-
viously done for elucidating the language of ordinary sport-
ing life_t the life of fun, frolic, and gig.

Grose's book was reprinted verbatim several times; it had
been part copied, extracted, and gutted, as often,* but each
time more imperfectly, because at every step further and fur-
ther removed from the original. Many articles in the cap-
tain's book a^e finely archaeological, and ought never to be
erased; many more evinced his intimacy with the world, and
will live though the man be forgot. Beyond this a long,
dreary, and extravagant waste of words and phrases, then
little used, often belied, some worthless or worse, and a few
never heard of but when the captain pronounced them, con-
tributed to swell his book. But the public was content;
and year after year passed away, adding annually to the
dilapidation till 1811, when a new and enlarged edition ap-
peared with a grotesque title.

To this' impression Dr. H. Clarke added *' University
Wit" to the " Pickpocket Eloquence" of a professor in that
line, who had been suborned for the purpose, and.cannot be
named, further than the initial P. comes to: " Buckish Slang/¹and* various scraps by several assistants, completed the

* It would be gratifying to a writer of candour were he justified in
making one honourable exception; but the pretensions set up for " A
new Dictionary of all the Cant and Flash languages, used by every class
of offenders, from a Lully Prigger to a High Tober Gloak," ill warrants
the performance of such a wish The aulhour is purported to fjave been
dead at the time of publication, although the dedication to W. Adding ton,
Esq. of Bow-street, is said in a memoir prefixed to have been written by
hinr, yet signed " The Editor!" This little Dictionary, however, is on
one account desirable to the present, and all au(hours who undertake to il-
lustrate the language of commop life, especially to those whose tastes lie in
exposing that of the dishonest variety of life; than which none is more
necessary to be known by those who dwell in town, who feel they f#naot
always stay in -doors, and have property they would not willipgly lose.-—
His argument for the utility of .such publications is peat and forcible,
and would.form our apology, so far, were such course desirable; he is
addressing the chief of Police at Bow-street, aad the magistrate sanctions
the sentiment by his permission. " The danger of depredation is greatly
increased by the circumstance of thieves associating together, and form-
ing by their language a distinct community. Thieves at present, secure
that their jargon is.unintelligible to others, converse with ease and fami-
liarity in the streets, on plans of plunder, &c. but when the meaning of
those mysterious terms is generally disseminated, the honest subject will
be better able to detect and frustrate their designs/'

PREfAC*. IX

editorial pains of this flashy work; and the publisher dished-
up a title conformably thereto, to grace or to sell his books.
" HelUfire Dick's" name, with some others, bore a prominent
feature on the first leaf; Dick Owen, or Vowen, or Vaughan,
had, however, nought whatever to do with " the writing
pert," not being in the habit of penmanship; and he wfrft*
moreover, previously dead and buried. The other names <m
the title were fictitious, or not allowable,—it was, in fact, .a
printer's job; nevertheless, the book contained all that other
pooks of the same profession contained, and much new and
interesting matter, and may be pronounced the best edition
of Grose, and the fartbest-gone thing of the kind ever pro-
duced, or probably that ever will be produced.

A reprint/ of Grose's old edition appeared last year,
with copious extracts from this last-mentioned edition, t
and the introduction of several inventions of the editor's
own manufactured These latter were necessarily imper-
tinent; besides, a man who makes cramp words and invents
arbitrary names in one place for the purpose of giving ex-
planations in a fresh book, does but increase the evil by
creating error and uncertainty. It was but a poor excuse,
that a certain writer of his own memoirs, (Vaux) noticed at
page 3, had added thereto a cant Dictionary, filled with the
tike absurdities.§ To complete the enumeration it is proper
just to notice, that the latter thing-like Dictionary is reprint-
ing (nearly verbatim) by piece-meal, as a make-weight, at the
end of an obscure weekly publication, which has been set up

* This reprint was undertaken in great haste, upon the printer thereof
learning that materials for the present dictionary were in train, (April 28,
1822;) and it appeared in December, a time too short for the research
necessary to such a work. How it has failed a comparison will show.

t Like every other work of the same nature, Clarke's edition of 1811
contained a few misprints or errors of the press. These have been
copied, with Simian servility,^into the publication of last year; thus is
error propagated. In ten minutes, ten such blundering mishaps of the
copyist caught our eye; take for example, 1st. " To Blot the skrip
and Jar it," Edition of 1811; the k in Jark is dropped out, leaving a
white spaee:—the careful editor of 1822 has left it out also! 2d. " Car*
vats ring/' in the edition of 1811, Hans Carvel, is misprinted Ham at
one place—so the new edition of last year.

X Mr. Kgan, we have shewn (with small exertion of critical acumen)
is wholly incapable of undertaking a work requiring grammatical accu-
racy—to say no more here.

$ His Memoirs were suppressed by reason of the vice they inculcated,
and with them ViscouutCollard's Cant went likewise to the trunk-makers.

X PREFACE.

* The glossaries of Spelman, Ducange, Junius, Dr. Whitter, were
visible precedents, as were the Dictionaries of the Academie Francoise,
and of Johnson. But those old worthies required support and the suff-
rage of others still more ancient: sad apology for book-making culprits,
who thus call evidence to character! For the present attempt, on the con-
trary, no such support is requisite, no helping a lame dog over a stile j
whilst our motives rest unimpugned,noimpleader of" Not guilty" can be
put in; nor need we, by naming our acquaintances like those worthies, bla-
zon our learned research; for this must be felt by the reader at every pas.

by the black-legs of St. James's, in defence of their illegal
occupation. It is a 4to., and if we quote the initial, M—,'
the item is not given with any design of aiding the infernal
purpose of its supporters: See Play'•world, in Addenda.

Of the manner of executing the following pages, .some-
thing need be said in explanation; particularly as regards
omitting almost entirely to name the authorities cited, with
numerous examples before our eyes of a contrary and more sa-
tisfactory course of proceeding,* the present departure from
that custom might be considered a retrogradation in Lexi-
cography, but for the circumstance of this work being calcu-
lated to throw light upon the authours so quoted, explaining
* their absurdities, elucidating obscurities, and laying bare
their secrets, rather than receiving light from them, A few
exceptions will be found, however, wherein this rule no-rule
is departed from, without weakening its validness; for, it
would be most absurd t*> say to a man who sets out in life,
or in book-making, upon a wrong plan, " Don't alter," as
some worldlings might then arrive at a bon-ton Cockney's
alter—which has (h) for its initial; but, when we turned
away from wrong-doing, in this respect, we disdained to
erase, through pride, and to show how a vigorous mind
goes on to improve ad finam, like the last gleams of an
expiring taper. And, truly some of our authorities would
be none, as Dogberry might say, not being drawn from
books, or other written documents; but being die tee, aptly
drawn from the mouths of downie coves, phrases over-
heard in the market-place, or slang picked up in the coffee-
panny, around the ring, and at other verbal sources equally
authentic, where the people do not make parade of their deep
reading or facile penmanship, the quoting of names would

redound little to our-purpose. What satisfaction could

be derived from the knowledge that such and such phrases
fell in the super-finest style from the potatoe-traps of Harry

PREFACE.

Lemoine, or Harry Dirasdale, of General or Joe Norton ? What
though we cited to reappear Bill Soames, or Mister G. Pound,
or, indeed, to say no more, of Mr. William Perry,* each, in
his distinct degree, a professor 1 In another walk of life's
varieties, would our readers balance between the preference
to be given, in this respect, to those par nobiles, Bill Gibbons,
Jack Scroggins, or Jack Garter? or those other great ora-
tor*, Jack Atcherlee, Harlequin Billy, or Jack Goodlad?

Come we now to the consideration of those other heads
of our glossarial labours named in the frontispiece; in the
course of which we hope to show, these were not undertaken
impertinently, without previous preparation for the task, nor
without a view to practical utility, and to the character and
manners of the times. Having well cleared away the rubbish,
the elevation proceeds without interruption.

• This person,- as well as Soames, are public characters of no little
moment, on the present occasion, and each deserves a word or two—
' to character.⁹ Having once touted Bill drawing a tattler, without
splitting ;t the fellow in return paid a look of gratitude once a quarter for
twenty years; and, when he had got lagged through the false evidence of
Vaughan, (the traitor-trap,) who was it obtained a revision of his sen-
tence, and consequent pardon, but Jon Bee, Esq.! Bill is, however,
gone again, the herring-pond to scan; done, doubly, for a dingy wipe,
the hapless man!

As for Will. Perry, who " left it off, and went into the service of a
brewer," with him our ratlins have been closer rooved. Will could
twite too, and indite too; qualifications which, backed by hb master's
assurances, recommended him to our consideration, though not to our
endearments. He confessed all, in black and white (in 1818) ; we proved
his veracity in most cases, took his word for the remainder, and, dis-
missing the last thought of concealing a secret, (an impossibility,) pub-
fished all. Perry's " London Guide, or Living Picture of London? a
pocket manual, will receive no puff at these plumed hands—the public
having decided; it was, moreover, about to become the precursor of
another work, modified to " JUving London," undertaken for the pub*
lisher of a stUl life, " Picture of London." But the speculation having
blown off, the circumstance casually came out before another publisher,
in April {mentis ominis,) and not long after appeared the " Life in Lon-
don" of Egan, 1820. In this sort was W ill Perry, a character suspected of
having lost something besides a fin, the first cause of that deluge of low-
life exposition which, for three years, hath floated Town; unless, indeed,
we go back to a higher cause than Perry, even to Soames himself, the
recital of whose unwon suavities brought Perry under notice in such a
way as to excite us to take a handmaid's part in his said confessions.—
Proud lent a hand to Dr. H. Clarke's edition of Grose before noticed.

t The reasons for inaction are assigned in the new Monthly Magazine,
for June 1817, (" Hints on Police Matters") and London Guide, p. 31.

Xii PfiKFACE.

Fitness for an undertaking of this nature is not always to
be found in the aptitude or similarity of an author's previous
pursuits. Some pounce upon and perform (a novelty) a
miracle at once, by a single effort as it were: this is genius ;
but genius is poetical, and belongs not to a critical glossary
or explication, particularly of sporting terms. Hard work,
years of drudgery, and labour upon labour, is his lot who
undertakes the composition of a dictionary; and, notwith-
standing his utmost care, he subsequently reviseth his pages
with a blush for such as seem too positively penned. For
the Chase, (primaeval sport!) and that refinement on its
hippiatric adjunct, the Turf, what has been done by Osbal-
deston, by Taplin, jor by the anonymous " Sportsman'*
Diet." 4to. Robinsons⁷. Mere names these, signifying sound,
with barefaced paltry plagiarism, prepense and afore*
thought. The Ring, abandoned to worse than Cimmerian
darkness, for years lay prostrate at the feet of misintelli-
gence, to call it by no fitter name; misrule ran riot round its
ranks, whilst mishaps and mistakes (buls) misfortunes and
misericordia, with several other misses, followed each other
in mazy wild, until "a.Ring!" could no longer be called
without a mis-fit and many misdeeds.

Paternally refrigerant of those misdoings, the projection
of a fortnightly publication, titled "The Fancy," six months
stemmed the torrent, like unto so many stout Acts of Par-
liament. Its pages inculcated some enlightened views, and
boasted of more accurate reports, than hitherto attempted, on
every topic connected with British sports, particularly those
of the Ring, until the period of its cessation, (Dec 1821 ;*)
when the projection of a greatly enlarged publication, monthly,
entitled the Fancy Gazette and Annals of Sporting,^ much
more room, and a more substantial vehicle, gave hopes of
the realization of those philanthropic wishes. In its progress
hitherto, instruction as much as amusement has been sought

* Sixteen numbers owe to this pen their contents: We are answerable
for every line of 392 pages, and the sale of several thousand copies of
each, expressed the favourable opinion of the public. Hereupon, that
which was done for the historians Henry by Andrews, and Watson by
Thomson, Squire Jones, (the " Actual Life¹* man) undertook to perform
' for us; but he soon declined the plagiary, when several more publications
with the same title, (numbering 17 and onwards,) were produced by a
button-maker's apprentice. But " soft is your horn," Sawney.

t Conceding to an immaterial alteration, the first is now last and the
last first

preface. xtir

for, and a portion of the credit attached thereto, was obtained'
rathe? than profit.* Those characteristics, and unshaken
honesty in drawing conclusions, attracted monthly to
that.print an unexampled degree of public patronage; not
among those of * The Sporting World/ merely, (novices,
adepts, and amateurs,) but those right Old-English gentle*
men, also, men of learning and taste, who see the EngKsfc
character in English sports, and would sustain the former by?
upholding the latter. To some of those, the terms of apt
appropriate to. each respective sport, were unknown, or not
properly appreciated, and the mixed reading of others ne-
cessarily fell into distraction and confusion, in consequence
of the Slangwhangery of the Jargonists;f estate of incer-
titude, and liableness to error and misconception, it became
indispensable should be put an end to, in some manner op
other; and the alphabetic form offering readier means of
reference than the didactic, (which had been awhile pursued,)
that arrangement was therefore adopted. How the design
has been executed may be worth examination.
. Most of the amateurs in one species of sport evince a cer-
tain taste for one other species, at least, some for all; and it is
-not uncommon to find the same gentleman alternately in the

* Very strange, but very true, notwithstanding, on the part of its editor,
at least: very few real Sportsmen look after the bustle, except as if¹contributes to their favourite fancy.

The office of editor, is described under that head in Addenda. He is not,
however, entitled to commendation for every excellent piece that appears
in his publication; nor, by the same token, ought he to attract censure,
for every prosing essay, or fudgeful treatise that may creep into his
publication, any more than the skilful accoucheur is answerable for the
after-follies of a wet-nurse. " More nonsensical essays have followed
(he. word " On," said Sam, Johnson, " than any other word in the
English language." " On Peace, on Marriage, on Dying, &c." and alaold
the stuff that follows.

As to the particular publication spoken of in tfae text, the share its.
literary accoucheur-dad takes in each number, may he drawn from the.
big-letter. words " Fancy Gazbttb" to the end of each, respectively j,
(with one unmarked exception, only, in No. 8,). including all the Annate*
proper, or " Occurrences," together with.an essay or two (or throe) in-
the first division, and the critical revision of such of those essayists as
request that favour j the 9th No. being the only one for which those
oifices pervades every page, the 17th, on .the contrary, having only ©no
such piece at his hand, via. " Memoirs of Thornton.*'

t The reader will of course turn to those words in ike Dictionary f
also, to Bui, Craven stakes, &c. &c. and A la, BoMtNaweeUe, Hutoria*
ajsd Snakqhqaded in the Addenda*

PREFACE.

Cock-Pit, at theChase, in the Ring, orontheTurf,now4lghting
his cross-bred canine, now baiting the badger; occasionally,
he frequents the haunts of Bon-ton, and during the sprees of
Town-life he must see much of those Varieties which alone
render this life supportable. Would it not be strange, then,
if the language, the terms of art, and go-by phrases, used^-"
among one set of sportsmen, were not introduced to, and
grafted upon another set? and thus produce a new series of
combinations in our language, quite worthy of being marked
and exemplified at this day, when many an old English
sport is passing away, to make room for the sleek-headed
age of decrepitude and toad-eating slavery! On the other
hand, where secrecy is sought for a cant language, whose
existence is dangerous, the necessity of disclosure must be
obvious; even when comparatively innocent in its effects,
the investigation of its origin and derivation is at least
curious, if not instructive, for in this we may discern, with
Monboddo, " the origin of languages.⁹*

Many a critic will see, or fancy he can perceive, in the
mode of illustration here adopted, some resemblance to that
of other glossarists: be it so; but the mighty affair must be
referred to some likeness of longer standing than the present
century comes to.* Let him be informed, that collections
were made towards this volume, from the day that Clarke's
edition of Grose first appeared (1811;) and finally, these
pages have been at press from the 6th November to May, as
may be gathered from many a temporary passage; therefore
no modern compiler will please have the arrogance to consider
himself consulted, as to what passeth in the present select

• Talking otlikeneaset, the authour would have put his'n, facing the
frontispiece, for the amusement of his readers, after the example of half
a doxen other great penmen, [via. Sir C. Alldis, the opposing Sir Cooper
Daniel, and Am friend Jack Cole; Mr. Evil Prince, Jemmy Asperoe, and
Parson White,] bat that one Jones, (a fellow not known to the present
quillman from Adam,) hath already forestalled the market in this respect,
and fixed it up in effigie facing a book of Mindman's type, writing thereon
" Shakspbarb," by way of hoax. Vanity! Vanity!! All is vanity.

Furthermore, would the student in Balatronic lore learn aught of the
authour's birth, parentage, and education, his life, character, and aU that
sort of thing, will be not find it all written out at large in the first Book
of Fancies, page 1S8 ? The reading twenty lines of auto-biography, will
not be time thrown away in drawing together more closely the ties that
ought to exist between a reader and his authour. Sam Coleridge drew
upon patience much larger bills than this: Idem⁴ Biograph. IMsrvrim?

PREFACE. XT

♦ That writer is himself indebted to a much older authority for his
manner, probably; the ' Etymological Dictionary,' of his countryman
Menage, (1 vol. folio) having escaped recollection at the moment that
bit'of candour in the test escaped this pen. By the way, Mr. Gassicourt
ia recently dead, so we can say this, or any other scandal, of him, in
perfect security-personal, legal, or literary.

+ Gentleman's Magazine for March, 1823, p. 590, odd. In a
very early volume of this parent-magazine were given a few pages, by
way of sample, of a Slang Vocabulary, then termed Cant. If, as we
suspect, this part of the magasine fell to the share of Dr. Johnson, who
was then its editor, we have to lament that he did not proceed with the
design, or to rejoice at the opportunity this circumstance gave him of
irt reducing even a small portion to his great work. Sam Johnson's
opportunities of picking up midnight slang was, probably, as great
daring the hfe-time of Dick Savage, as that of Jon Bee himself.

company. If a man on his trial may be allowed to speak
thus early, the authour would confess that he imagines
himself indebted for manner to Mr? Cadet-Gassicourt,
whose " Neologism; or new modes of thinking, acting, and
writing," may have served him for outline model. But then
the work of Mr. Gassicourt proves that he was neither up
to the macaronic style here used, nor down to our fustian,
all his stiffening having the appearance of rich brocade
hung over a fine poupce* Pegge has been already noticed,
but not seen by us—and that seems comical: Meantime,
upstarts Mr. Nares, with his " glossary of common words,'⁹very similar to this; but him have we sedulously avoided,
because in the refraction of his reviewer, (Mr. Urban's) quo-
tations,! he plainly appears to have gone to work, upon our
plans.—Hear him:

" To diversify the work, I have not confined it to words,
but have included phrases and proverbial sayings, with
allusions to customs and even to persons, when something of
their history seemed necessary to illustrate my anthours, I
have made it also, occasionally, a vehicle for critical obser-
vations" A clearer case could not be made out, either that
this " one of the clergy" must be a wizard, and so have
fathomed our brains, or, that the present state of our language
and customs, lying betwixt " hawk and buzzard," demands
ample elucidation at this particular conjuncture, when a
deluge of impertinent novelties must be opposed by a deter-
mined antique Neology and attachment to the radix.

Following the example of wiser heads and better pens,
classic writers are here quoted abundantly; acting as props
to the cause in hand, like stout witnesses on a trial at law, or

X*i PREFACE.

Book binders be atfqre:

Ye need not inquire for signature C: it was ever'an ugly sign, so the printer
thought, and he left it oat, with, its twenty-four pages. But the matter is right,
and reads on; so 'tis no matter, though ther printer have his frottc as well as
the .authpur and his reader.

unpaid auxiliaries bearing the brunt of the battle. Homer and
Virgil, in the freest and most sublime translations, Scarron in
rtteedial story, andDibdin, with twenty other'vocalists of
modern times, elucidate obscurities and clear up doubts, as
charcoal (smutty agent!) carries down the empyreuma of
foetid liquids.

How hath the little busy Ben

Improved each shining hour?
H'ath gathered honey all the day

From every opening flower.

Abbreviations, a few will be met with, and must be
explained: t>. stands for verb, whilst (a) prefixed to a word
signifies that that is a noun. These words, with prm. for
pronounced or pronunciation; viz. videlicet, for namely; and
i. e. id est—that is to say, close the list.

Moreover, when the reader finds one hard word explained
by another, he must turn to that other, either in this book
or Johnson's; this course was pursued by way of exercise,
after the example of that great doctor himself.

DICTIONARY

VARIETIES.

y| BA TURES—foiYmg; the sprigs and grass that a Stag
thrusts down in passing out of, or into, cover.

Abbess—lady Abbess, a bawdy-house-keeper, feminine, of
the highflyer sort.

Abbofspriory—the KingVbench prison; ' Abbot's park* be-
ing restricted to the rules: so called after the actual C. J.

A, B₉ C-darian—a Schoolmaster or. Mistress ; or one who
pretends to uppishness in spelling. " My poney eat plum
pudd'n out of a barber's bason/ no one in the room can
spell that—for a guinea, except myself," says the A. B.
C-darian; whereas he himself ever neglects the preterite ate,
cockneyfies pudding, and expects Johnson should be the
rule for basin and pony, in which latter his orthography
is not right. See our ' Poney ;' 'tis a rum one.

Abigail—a lady's waiting-woman. She who shows up at a
bodikin.

Abrac—learning, generally; He who is up to Abrac, being
considered little less than a wizard. Arabic, and the
learning taught in Egypt is understood, as Mathematics,
Astronomy, &c; and yet our strolling gypsies are sup-
posed to have a natural insight of Abrac and futurity, than
whom a less book-taught race never existed. Free Masons
take a taste of Abrac in their ' lectures;' but 'tis of die
naphta (froth) and residuum (sediment) only.

Abrahamers—a lot, or receptacle full of beggars, half naked,
ragged, and dirty. Vagrants.

Abram—naval for being sick; out of condition, naked*

" Sham Abram you may; ah, every day;
Bat you must not sham Abraham Newiapd.**

« She]s all Abram⁹ i. e. quite naked. " What an Abram P
exclaimed of a ragged fellow.

2 A B R—A G E

Abram-men—fellows dressed up in rags and kickshaws, pre-
tending to have been bedlamites. Also, thieves of pocket-
books only.

' Absence, leave of—an order to depart; discharge from an
employment, suddenly.

Academy—a brothel or bawdy-house. Floating Academy—
the hulks, prison-ships. Academy*—*, prison of the hard-
labour sort; thus, the House of Correction is Adkins's aca-
demy, and the pupils or inmates are * Academicians.'

Accommodation-house. The Reader had better consult' Fubbs'
than we explain the minute difference that exists between,
these and a' Dress^house* or a' Bodikin.' Consult 'Aunt*
also.

Acteon—**. Cuckbold. ' There sits my acteon, ignorant and
hornified.' Acteon, the froward son of Phoshus, had a pair
of antlers planted on his brow, for prying into the secrecies
of Diana.

Active Citizen—a Louse.

Adam—a thief's accomplice. Adam Tiler; a fence, or re-
ceiver of stolen goods, who lends.a hand occasionally—
when he can do it safely. Adam's Ale—*Water.

Addenda—Additions; (bon ton; as, a dinner being ordered,
some one orders an addenda of dishes: So have we an
addenda, proper to be consulted of all.

Ad libitum—used in music, for to play or sing as the per-
former's fancy and powers lead him. ' Ad libitum,⁹ a bay
gelding, ran at Aberystwith, 1822. Ad libitum is also high
flash for ' freedom of the Will/ Fine fellows with frog-
buttons, and halfpay-men who affect the high-flights, drink
' ad libitum,* give orders ad libitum, and pay for them—ad
libitum,

A. F.—Across the Flat; a very pretty course for two-year-
olds, of one mile and a quarter, at Newmarket " A. F."
—(turfish), for having' come across a flat/ who has laid his
bets the wrong way.

After-claps are generally abjured: ' Let us have no after-'
claps,¹ i. e. surcharges or mistakes.

Against the grain—contrary to one's feeling; as 'tis when
instead of winning, ive lose by our labour.

Age—That in which We live is reckoned the wisest, though
croakers say lis not the happiest, the preceding age being
deemed ever the best. ' The present is the age of gas, of
steam, and turtle; the last that of liberty, loyalty, and 45.

A I R—A M E

The age of Elizabeth, is considered her ' golden days/
. though freedom lay in fetters till Cromwell's time. Aged
men are esteemed but codgers and fogeys, though aged
horses (full six and a day) are then at their prime, but aged
women are never forty. All-age ■ stakes, or plates,—are
those for which start any horse, mare, or gelding, including
3-year olds; with onus¹ rising by grades from these, capri-
ciously, but with allowances, and sometimes extras, accord-
ing to circumstances.
Air and Exercise—the pillory, revolving; or being flogged at
the cart's tail.

A-la^mode—without further explanation—* beef/ is to be un-
derstood; clods and stickings, stewed to rags and seasoned
high. 'Tis used in throwing off against a person's dress,
talk, &c. ' Some folks are all a-la-mode to-day ;' showy,
frenchified.

All-agog—women are so affected when they expect marriage,
a trip to the fair, or the playhouse; Derived from the gog-
gle of their eyes on such-like occasions.—All aground—
is that man's affairs who has not a bob to bless himself with.
- Alderman—a fat turkey, roasted and hung in chains—of
sausages..

Aldgate Pump—a draft upon this hydraulic, when promised,

is negative payment.
AM my eye~S%e Betty.

Allowances—(turf) mares and geldings running against horse*'
are allowed weight (usually 31bs. each); also, if coming of
untried parents, 31bs* each and either. Fillies always carry
' less than colts 2, 3 or 4, and sometimes 51 bs., but this is
not called by any name. Allowance—Bub and Grub, with

a-, clean shirt, and a guinea, twice a-week, is good

- allowance. See Monkey's allowance.

All-set.—Desperate fellows, ready to start upon any kind of
robbery, or other mischief.-

All sorts, or All Nations—spirits compounded of all the drip-
per&in acellar, and the pewter save-all on a gin-shop counter.

Amateur—applied to frequenters and backers of pugilistic
contests; most of whom sparr a bit, if they be not profi-
cients. See Ring. Musical amateurs also exist.

Ambidexter—having the use of both hands alike; said also of
a lawyer who takes fees from both plaintiff and defendant.

Amen Curler—a parish-clerk, or assistant at any chapel or
conventicle.

b 2

4 A M U*—ATT

A. M.—Anca&ter Mile, at Newmarket, is 1778 yards long.
In another sense: " at 10 o'clock A. M." is ante meridian,
—forenoon.

Amuse (v.)—Co-thieves, who keep in talk or otherwise amuse
persons to be done. Snuff thrown in the eyes, will amuse
the person practised upon, while he is robbed by the amusers.

Anglers.—Thieves who with a hook at the end of a mopstick
drag to them the ends of cloth which may lie exposed* and
so pull out entire pieces. ,

Anikks—those who practise distortions and tricks, to attract
notice and extract brownies.

Apple-cart—To upset any one's apple-cart, is to toss or knock:.
him down, or otherwise harm him,

April-fool—me sent upon a. bootless errand, or to obtain a
nullity on the first of April.

Aqua pumpagine-^-water, cold; pump-water.

Arguefy the topic—* phrase used of boring-matches formerly,
by Captain Tophanx, ... .. _v

Argument—He attains the best of any fcvem argument, who
has the best pair of lungs; whence we are inclined to fall
in with thai; pronunciation of the word which calls it' Hard
gumment.' The next best to him, is he who can offer to lay
very heavy sums that are qptte wweoqerable.

A rk—a boat or wherry. A rk-man—waterman; and ark-ruffs,
ruffians who assist game watermen in robbery * Ark piratefe,
the same. ' Ark and winns;' boat and sculls, or oars.

A—Hang an a-^;' to keep behind, having the back-
side in view. See I$um. Backside* ■

Article—a woman, comeatable; is an article* * The articles^'
an agreement ;_t also, a brace of pistols. < My articles^
my breeches.

Ass—familiarly called Jack* and treated accordingly; he is the
• emblem of patient stupidity, and the men* who enacts*him-
self like Jack, is an Ass, and shoqld be told of his Asinine
conduct. The ass's mode of sitting is his most graceful.
attitude; hence, the name of the sitting part in maa, with
the trivial introduction of. an (r). " 'Tis all my a— in a
band-box/' when asinine stories are batched up.

Attic—the upper story of a house as well as of a person's
bead* Attica was the place in Greece where people were
. most up to wit and learning—head*, well filled. Cockriear-
shire, with all its faults,, is the present Attica of the world .
—Paris a second rater—Lutetia avaunt.

A U T—B AG S

Autem—(from the Latin Auditio) a church, and a clergyman is
Autembawley* Autem cacclers; Methodists,and dissenting
chapels generally, are Autem caccle-tubs: the Autem sneak,
is robbing in churches and chapels. Autem-jet; a parson,
any how. ' Autem quaver tub,' a Quaker's meeting-house.
Autem Mott, or mort, a she-beggar pretending to religious
fervour; and a w-e with the same aspect. ⁱ Autem di-
vers,' pick-pockets, who attend places of religion. Autem
gogglers; conjurors, witche^s, and fortune-tellers, of either
sex. See All-agog.

Aunt—a bawd or old procuress, or hanger-on upon wh—s;

sometimes called Mammy or Mother-. ' My Aunt's?

an accommodation-house, where half-modest women resort,
as to a relative or aunt's.

Babes of grace—sanctified-looking persons, not so. Rogues

in the stocks, are ' Babes in the wood,' and so are persons

in the pillory. Almost out of vogue,
Backgammoner, or Back-doors man or gentleman—a fellow

whose propensities lie out of the natural Order of things in

England.

Backside, of a house which has a front-side; 'tis anopen space,
illustrated by Lord Erskine in the House of Commons,

" There was an old woman who tired at Dundee
And oat of her backside there grew a plum tree."

His lordship meant to pins upon her sitting-place.
* Bacon, to save one^?s,'—-*to escape danger, of hanging, of
the lag, or loss of blunt i^acom face—fat chops, full and
brawney.

Badge Coves—Paupers who wear the livery of their parish.
* Madge Coves,' infamy itself—men-who enact the parts of
women: not to be confounded with^he first in false elision.

Badger (v,)-^-to bully, to confound, perplex, or teaze.

Bad winners.—An exclamation accusatory of the person ad-
dressed. ⁴ Bad manners! cried I, of politeness don't crack!'

Bag*—To give the Bag to anyone; to leave htm suddenly. -

-BagateUe—pIvy upon a board,in which are nine holes, num-
bered, into which as many balls are to be knocked or shoved:
it came up in 1804, wits called .the new French .game, and
the word signifies—-a trifle, Or (thing of small importance.

. B*$9bpe—i* saucy minx; a slut or w»^e« Heavy baggage—
.women and cjwbfen. . - .

6 B A G—B A ft

Bags, Old Bags.—Ld. E—n bad the first name bestowed
on him by his Royal Master, while his daddy and mammy
yet lived at the Crown and Sceptre; old was added by Will.
Hone, and since then the lord has used green bags for hold-
ing his incipient counter-plots, which he lays before the
house, sealed up.

A Baker's dozen; 14, that number of rolls being given as 12. ^

Balsam—money. " Here's Saturday night come and no bal-
sam in the rookery! Here, pop my ticker at my uncle's."

_Ballum-rankum>—a hop or aance _of prostitutes naked.

Bam—a jocular imposition.

Bandogs—bailiff and follower. Iron utensils, still used in

country fire-places, where wood only is burnt.
' Bang—to beat, to excel. Banging; great, big.

Bang-up—quite in fashion, at the top of the mode. All-right.

Bank—some thirty or forty different associations in Town,
and about nine timed as many in the provinces, form those
extensive pawn-shops called Banks. Very convenient and
very dangerous, they resemble much those other Batiks in
the Hells of St. James's, which consist of congregated
black-legs, who club together their numerous trifles and
play against all comers. Strangers stand but a poor chance
at play with such numbers, some of whom do not confine
their hands to shuffling tricks, but rob outright.

Bankrupt cart—an one-horse chaise, of a Sunday. '

Baptised—is the spirit, which has been diluted with water.

Baptist—a pickpocket caught and ducked.

Barber—' That's the barber;⁹ a thing well done. • And ' a
barber's knock' (at a door) double:—the first hard, the se-
cond soft, as if done by accident. Both, however, are be-
coming as obsolete as the barbers themselves. " That is
no news, gemmen ; I heard it from my barber, yesterday."
Vide speech of Sir W. Curtis in H. C.

Barkers.—Fellows placed at the door of Mock Auctions to
invite soft people to get shaved; also bidders and pretended
buyers planted within to entrap the unwary—of both gen-
ders. Barkers also invite vehemently passengers to buy
household goods in Moorfields, and dresses in Cranbourn-
alley. ' ~

Barking creek—persons troubled with a short cough are said

- to have been there, or to Barkshire.

•Barking irons.—Pistols, in allusion to the report on explcfskm.

Barnacles*—-Spectacles of a common kind/ An instrument

B A S—B E A

for controlling unruly horses; and which usually spoils
them.

Basket.—At Cock-fights, when a man bets beyond what he can
pay down, he observes he will go into the basket, or owe so
much. Children nnborn, are said to be in the basket: a
joker says, " I have no children myself, but my wife has
four, besides one in the basket, and two in the grave."
" The old trade of basket-making" alludes to the same kind
of thing. See Addenda*

Baste—to beat, without a chance of opposition; originally
performed with a stick called baston in old French.

Bastille—Coldbath-fields Prison received this name, 1796,
by reason of the close seclusion of its inmates; a discipline
resembling that of the original Bastille recently destroyed
near Paris.

Battle-royal—(Cockpit), several cocks put in the pit together.
Men (Irish mostly) enact the same kind of Pell-mell trick*
at times: Tis ever a scandalous proceeding; and often at-
tended with loss of life.

Baubee—a halfpenny, ftfcptch-bala.

Bawdy-house glass—jtife measure, half-sized, as at the Vine
in Holborn, andjtfer such sleek and.slum shops. Tis a
good mode of Keeping their customers' upper-works in
order, and making the most of a bad .thing.

Bays—Bay-leaves, laurels placed on the heads of poets anci-
ently, and now practised on play-wrights in France; when
successful, the author is called for, and crowned with the
bays before the audience. O'Keefe wore the bays.

Beak—the sitting Magistrate, or indeed one who walks or rides
. abroad, is frequently recognized by his former customers,
as " the beak that quodded me last winter; I hopes he may
" just break his b—-—y neck before he gets home again—
" that's all the harm as I vishes him." Beck, is a Beadle.—
Beak's-man—n Police officer. The clerks and others about
the Police-offices receive the same appellation.

Bear-leader (Bon-ton)-—a travelling tutor; generally one of the
clergy, leading young sprigs of fashion the tour of Europe.

Bears, in the City—are persons who would depress, tread upon,
or keep down, the price of Public Stock. See Bull.

Beau-trap—A loose* stone in the pavement, which in wet
weather soils the hose of our beaux. Beau-nasty, is he
who affects the beau, but is dirty withal. _w

B. C.—The Beacon Course, and the longest at Newmarket (or

8 BEE—BEL

elsewhere), being 4 miles 1 furlong and 138 yards. King's
plates are run for over B. C.; near the termination is a de-
scent. B. M.—Bunbury Mile, at Newmarket; it wants
12 yards of a measured mile, viz. 1748 yards.

itee/*—discovery of persons, an alarm or pursuit. ' In her
beef,' in a woman's secrets.

Beer—a common name for Ale or Porter; the first is made
from pale malt, the naphtha raised by the vinous fermen-
tation being all taken off, produceth a clear .supernatant
liquor (ale). See also Chemistry, and Intire (in addenda)
Porter, fit beverage of Britons, acts as manslaughter upon
a Frenchman, murder on an Italian, and is like a massacre
among the Greeks. " Nottingham ale, London porter, and
_v3erk&hire beer—who shall sing their praises V Among the
ancient Britons 'tis Cooroo dha;—the northern appelled
it here; in Ireland, when good, 'tis * the creature.*
. Beery—from beer, and a litfcte too sauch being taken.

Beeves—a&pjied generally to herds of Deer, of any kind or
sex. * A bevy of Roes' would be a dozen; but those of the
whole park are spoken of as ' beeves'

to~-at' all fours/ is to steal sometimes, or rather cheat,
whiph at cards is considered no sin* * I beg pardon,' is in
the .mouths of frequent offenders, ready to plaster up a
fissure made in your clothes by their umbrellas and sticks;
.also^as salve for the heel of your shpe and the skin of your
hepl, which those beggars alive have trod down with their
hoofs. To ask for one's " Vote and interest," what is It but
begging ? in order that the beggar may sell his constituents
to the best advantage. " At this stage of the fight 5 to 2
went a begging*' i. e. was pressed with earnestness. * Go

, Jbpmcyou beggar:' a man who has been denuded ei his
b&nt» is in a state of beggary, and could not do better.
See Benison.

Beggars' bullets—stones, thrown by a mob, who then get fired
upon, as matter of course.

BeJUigerent.—A fighting party, or crowd at a boxing-match,
is thus termed, after the same epithet as applied to the
.warfare of nations. Belly-gerent is a pun applied to persons
with large paunches, of which the late Mr. Mitchell, the
hanker, was one for certain, and the Duke of Norfolk con-
sidered himself another: when such fat-ones fall away in
size, they may be considered as having made peace with *
guts.; . ...

B E L—B EN 9

Bellows—the lungs; whence⁴ Bellows away/ or¹ Bellows him
well/ is an injunction upon the person spoken to, not to
spare his opponent. Puffing up of the cheeks, or hard
. breathing, or blowing out the tobacco-smoke forcibly, are all
indications of the same wish (upon the sly) on the part of
the performer. Each sentence of a slang discourse has
been considered ' a bellows'—i. e. as a puff of wind from
that machine. Blackwood says, " but hear a few bellows
forwards of this inconsistent Stot." Yet is old Ebony no au-
thority, though a Slang-Whanger.

Belly cheat—an apron, tied on rumly; a pad, resembling
* increase and multiply.*

Belly-go-firster—a blow, bang in the bread-basket, at or be-
fore the commencement of a battle. Street-robbers hit
their victims in the wind, as'first notice of their intentions,
which they effect 'ere the party recovers the action of the
diaphragm.

Belly-timber—substantial fbod" of any sort. To fight for a
bellyful; without stakes, wager, or payment. A woman
with child has a belly full.

Bender—is a sixpence; ' a tizzy' is the dame, and takes its
name from the form, the usual shape, of the old coin, which
were bent, twice, adversely, presenting the appearance at
the edge of the letter (s,) slightly. See Bob.

Bene, pron. Beeny; good—in argument or substance; as
^lBene boose;' good beer. ' Bene, Bene;' what you have
said is right, or good. * Bene feaker/ a maker of bad
screens, or wholesale dealer. Bene, is applied to every
action; as' beneshiply,' worshipfully;' bene-fiz,' good faced*
bene max, beneton, benezonr, &c. Benar? is the comparative
—better. Bon, the superlative.

Ben—to ' stand ben,' to pay the reckoning or treat two or
more; he must be bene, or good for so much.

* Benefit, take the/—of the insolvent debtor's act is meant:

and when thus too briefly spoken of, bodes no good. 'Tis

flippancy itself.
£ewwo&wctf(bon-ton)—ostentation and fear united, with hopes

of retaliation in kind hereafter.
Benison—fa derived from the French Benir, to bless, bennissez

—bless him (or her), and came over with the first Norman.

⁴ The Beggar's Benison' is a jocose toast or sentiment:—

^M May bur p s or purses never fail us."! ' The Devil's

• Benison/ is shocking to relate: 'tis damnatory*

10 BE T—B I L

Bets—Wager*, on any event. They are never laid to be lost;
for if made on the wrong side, they may be laughed off by
queerums; if this will not. do, they can be quarrelled off
easily, or the decision declared unfair—a cross, &c. If
tho. Cove has too much bother and won't stand it, the wager
must be fought off. There is no law for illegal bets—as
fighting, trotting, poney matches, &c.

' Better late than never'—Retort: ' Better never than come in
rags⁹—or, in poverty, i, e. without cash.

Betty, or Bess—a crooked nail to open locks. Several sizes
are carried by cracksmen: they are bent first and hardened
afterwards. ' All Betty,' or ' all Dickey* same as ' all up ;*
pa^t recovery, must die.

Betty Martin.—One would at first sight imagine this to be a
, ^otnan; but upon inquiry she turns out to have been a man,
and a saint of the Romish calendar, to whom a prayer was
offered up of so silly and unmeaning a kind, that now-a-day,

. (and* long before) any gammon or palavering talk, full of
emptiness, is designated as no other than equal to
" All my eye, Betty Martin."

^ This however is but a corruption, by anglicising the first
words of the prayer alluded to—which runs *⁴ Oh, mihi,
beate Martine;" a species of transmutation very easily ac-
t counted for by reason of the carelessness of the vulgar
linguists who take no heed of their cacology. We have got
even different versions of the same very free translation: as
'All my eye and Betty,' the conjunctive (and) being* per-
fectly gratuitous; unless the speaker meant to say that
Miss Martin, or Betty, was all excellence in his eye, i e.
in his estimation. In Scotland they render it " All & mon
6e, &c."

Sever, from Buvez, Buvoir—to drink; an afternoon' drinking,'
or rest from mechanical labour.

Bevy, formerly Bevis or Bevice.—When Quails appear in
numbers, it is then termed a Bevy, among Sportsmen.

Biddy—a duck or other fowl, trussed up. A public-house
servant, tidy-vated off, is * as neat's a biddy;' so is a good
stroke at bagatelle, when the balls pop in die right holes.

Bilk—to take money without performing the required service
for which 'tis given -.—female. Also, to run off after per-
formance, without pay:—male.

Billingsgate—language of the coarse kind; though that place
has lost its character in this respect,—a loss we deplore.

BIN—BLA 11

* A Billingsgate w-e,* might be an expression nearer

truth.

Bingo—a dram of any sort. * Bingo-boy/ BwMjro-mott; dram
drinkers of the two sexes. " B with an I, I with an N, N
with a G, G with an O, and his name was little Bingo."

Bird and Baby—Eagle and- Child public-house.

Bishop a Horse—to burn or carve the hollow mark in a horse's
teeth to make him appear young, after age has filled it up.

Bitch—a woman ill-behaved is ' a bitch about the house;* * a
hot bitch,' she who has been drawing the fire-plug, with or
without a call of' Tinney, O f To bitch a business, to spoil
it, by aukwardness, fear, or want of strength.

Bite (v.)—to cheat or take in, by roguish tricks, lies, and
false protestations. Selling an unsound horse, or one that
has been bishopped, figged, and pegged, is a Yorkshire bite.

Bitt—money. Queer bitt, bad; rum bit, good or passable
money.

Blab—to let out a secret. " Don't blab;" let not a hint escape.

' A blab/ one who is likely to split, or, to' open like an oyster

'before the tire.'
Black art—that of opening a lock. ' Blacksmith's daughter,'

a key.

' Black and White for it;' written proof or evidence. '.None

can say black is the white of my eye'—cannot prove a-

-blot in my character.

Black coat—a clergyman, generally, shabbily clothed; but
Used also of other professions so togged.

Black Jack—the Recorder for the time being.

Black mummer—an unshaved person, whether he carry a
smutty poll or not.

Blackstrap—Port wine, fastened upon the inferior sorts, so-
phisticated in Jersey, &c. Black legs—See Leg. Black joke
—See Monosyllable.

Black shark—naval, and long-shore, for an Attorney.

Blanket Hornpipe (the)—is danced at the commencement of
every Honey-moon.

Blarney—The attempted suavities of the low Irish are thus
termed. Palaver and Carney may be consulted.

" They talk how they live, hat 'tis blarney and ituff,
For a man when he's hungry can eat last enough,"

Blasted fellow or bitch—one whose character is nullus, and
may be ' blasted⁹ with impunity.

BLE—BLO

Bleaters—sheep; persons to be cheated, or shorn of their bnstle
' by means of Blarney. B lea ting-cull, a sheep-stealer.

Bleed (v.)—to part with money easily. " ,

Blind^-di feint or excuse. One who stands before another while
he robs a third person, is the blvnq] on that occasion.

Blood (a.) —a man of high family connexion, or affecting to be
so, and a liltle spree-ish. George Hanger was the beau-ideal
of Bloodism true; Augustus Barry but his second, Captain
Kelly a third rater.

Blood-money—forty pounds per capital conviction, paid to the
persons taking the convict. Law repealed, word going out
of use. ⁴ Blood for blood*—Tradesmen exchanging one
commodity for another.

Bloodhounds—those who for statutable rewards (now abro-
gated,) or to extort money, accuse wrongfully innocent
persons. Several stood exposed in 1817, viz. Johnson,
Vaughan, Brock, Pelham, Power,—tried, convicted, and
pardoned ! A bloody shame. See Talbot.

mott, at backgammon—is an estopper put upon any move of
the adversary, which prevents his coming out. To * blott
the scrip,' or bail to the sessions; and if the security will
* jark it rum' (swear to any sum,) both parties may ⁴ buy a
brush with a long handle.'

Blow—He who has stolen certain goods has ⁴ hit the blow.⁹^c Blow the Groundsel/ is when the pair lie on the floor
awhile. To ⁴ blow the gaff/ or * gaff the blow/ is to speak
of, or let out the fact.

Blower (the)—-the Dolphin—a public-house.

Blowens, Blowings—Whores; so called with some allusion to
Flame/ a sweetheart honourable. Bloss, or Blossom ab-
breviated, is the same thing.

⁴ Blow my dickey*—Dickey is a smock-frock; and to blow or
expose the circumstance of the speaker having worn such
a thing, would be degrading.

Blow-out—a good dinner will blow-out a man's tripes like
any thing; so will a heavy supper. Either, or any other

v gormandising' meal, is also * a famous tuck-out'—of the
hollow, sometimes. ⁴⁴ You may get a famous blow-out at
the Slambang-shops for ten-pence."

Blow-up—gunpowder as well as steam effect ruination in this
manner too frequently; but much oftener, a disclosure of
secrets and exposure of moral blemishes is a windy blow-

B L U—B 0 B 13

lip, happening in high as well as low-life. Also, to give
one a scolding in loud and forcible terms: ' Moll blew up
the court of Conscience, finely.¹ The disclosure of secret
machinations, is a blow-up of the plot. ' A blow-up* may
be performed by any number, as 2, 3, 4 persons; and then,
when it has proceeded some length of time, it devolves into
a row. See Yapp. ¹ Blown upon,' is any spinster who has
been long exposed to hymeneal offerings; 'tis derived from
the shambles, where the warm air, or the flies, commit incest
upon the flaps and fleshy parts of nice joints and tit-bits.

Blubber headed—thick meaty nob. So * blubber-mouthed'
and ^l. blubber guts.' To blubber, to cry. A fat deep-chested
woman is said to ' sport the blubber,' when she makes an
exhibition of her bosom.

Blue Devils (the)—Horrification. Imaginary flittings over the
brain of unphilosophical persons who cannot stand to their

. misfortunes heroically. Pigeons (plucked) and rogues de-
tected, become ' down upon their luck' and dream awake,
the first of poverty and rags, the other of' the round-about.'
These are Blue Devils.

Blue-pigeon—lead. See Pigeon.

Blue-ruin— gin; and so is blue tape.

Bluffer—See Buffer.

Blunt—Money of any denomination is blunt; and.the term
is extended by most men to every description of property,
a person of large estate, or in good trade, being said to
' possess plenty of blunt.' ' Blunty all over* has the same
meaning. So ' in blunt,' and¹ out of blunt,' are understood
as; indicating- the present state of a .man's pocket (conti-
nent pro contenu). Un-blunted, implies that recent supplies
have been all expended, or lost. Pronounced 'Blont' at
times. Blunt Magazine—the Bank of England, or indeed
any banking house.

Bob—A bald attempt at substituting one sound for another:
.' So help me bob, is an oath to deceive the hearer, doubly;
for a bob is but a shilling, and not a fit thing to swear by. * Tip
us a bob:' hand over a shilling. ' A bob a nob;' a shilling
a head; the price of admission to a place of entertainment
is thus emphaticised. ' A bob and a bender is eighteen-
penee. " I axes three bobs and a bende for that 'ere siv
o' berries," is real Spitalfields for 3s. 6d. a peck for the
commodity named. Much silver, as a dozen, or half score
shillings-worth, has been spoken of as " that f>ale com*

14 BO B—B 0 N

fort of the poor-man's pocket/' A bob-stick is the same.

¹ A bob-tail woman/ is a lewd one.
Bobbish—smart, spruce; also tolerable health.
Bodiers—(Ring) blows upon the belly and ribs,includingbreast.
Bodikin—a contraction of Bawdy-ken.
Body-snatchers—Undertakers' men.

Bog-trotter—an Irishman just arrived; pronounced ' bahg-
throtter⁹ by his countrymen of the Long Town. Also, bog-
lander, for ever.

Bogy, or Bogle—a supposed ghost, a spirit misshapen.

Bolt—(Turf,) a horse which runs out of the course is said to
have bolted, or ' bd/ So a person running away, or leav-
ing without leave-taken, has in like manner bolted. See
Brush-off. ' Bolt,⁹ as a word of command, must come from
a superior. Bolt—to start off quickly, fly like an arrow,
which was formerly called a bolt " I am Bolt in Tun/'
says one who alludes to the tavern in Fleet-street. " Bolt
you beggprs, bolt;" a command issued to the small fry
of society. Rabbits are said to bolt when driven forth of
their holes by the ferrets.

Bone (v.)—to seize, to steal quickly. Boned; apprehended,
arrested. The Bones, dice. Bone-setter—a hard trotting-
horse.

Boniface—a landlord of a Public-house, or Coffee-house.
Derived from * Bon d phiz,⁹ i. e. Fat mazzard, and according
to some ' Bonny⁹ handsome, andpAiz, face, or frontispiece.

Bon-ton—highflier Cyprians, and those who run after them;
from Bon—good, easy—and ton, or tone, the degree of
tact and tension to be employed by modish peopfe; fre-
quently called ' the ton⁹ only. Persons taking up good
portions of their hours in seeking pleasure, are of the Son- _tton, as stage-actors and frequenters of play-houses, visi-
tors at watering-places, officers, &c &c. See Haut-ton.
In Paris they are both called Le bon genre. - "The appella-
tion is much oftener applied than assumed. High life, par-
ticularly ef whoredom: he who does not keep a girl, or part
of one, cannot be of the Bon-ton; when he ceases, let him
cut, Bon ton—is included in haut-ton, and is French for
that part of society who live at their ease-, as to income and
pursuits, whose manners are tonish, and who, like other
divisions of society, employ terms of their own, which
rather sparingly they engraft on the best King's English.
Mascul. et Fern. Terms which denote the ton:• The go, the

B 0 0—B 0 T

mode, or pink of the mode; bang-up, the prime of life, or
. all prime; the thing, the dash, and a dasher; quite the
Varment-—a four-in-hand, a whip, a very jarvy; a swell,
n diamond of the first water.' None can expect to attain
perfection in all these, unless he could obtain the same
assistance that Faustus had, viz. Leviathan; and then he
could not begrudge to meet the same tnn \ \ j
Book—' Brought to book, made to account for a thing. * Bell
book and candle-light,' the publication of Popes' Bulls
(Bulla) or proclamations was done by taper-light and ting-
ling of a bell: the proclamation was considered the book.
¹ Booked;* ring mostly, for any event being already settled
beforehand, as so certain that 'tis already set down in the
book of history. ' The Books'—Cards.
Boosey— drunk with boose or bouse.

Booty, at play—when one's partner, at Billiards, for example,
loses the game purposely, he is said to ' play booty,' or to
* sell his partner.'

Bore, (bon-ton)—" Tis a curst bore to be asked for cash, those
tradesmen are such damned boring fellows;"—" 'tis equally
a bore when one meets none but ugly women." The Thea-
tres in hot weather are almost a bore; the pores opening
well then, exude the aqueous secretions of the inner
surfaces. A silly long-speech fellow; is a bore. 'Tis a
bore when vulgar persons add " wine" when naming Sherry
or Madeira.

Boring-in, (Ring)—when one man hammers away at another,
pressing forward a-/a-Scroggins.

Boronians—pron. Boro-onions—the people of Southwark;
used most during elections of M. P.'s.

' Botanical excursion, gone upon'—the Botany-bay lag.

Botany-bayRotunda of the Bank; the Jobbers and
Brokers there being for the most part those who have been
absolved from the house opposite.

Bother—confounding talk, addressed sharply from one to
another. Or both may open and bellows away, when 'tis
' a pretty piece of botheration* The word came from Ire-
land and is naturalized. Bothered, is evidently derived from
' Both-eared'—talked to by two persons at once, or by one

. who can talk as much as two. Botherum quid:

Patriots say they'll mend the nation,

Pigeons will make pretty pies.
Lawyers deal in botheration,

A goo's too big for shooting flies*

U BO T—B RI

Bottem^-Spuhk or lastingness under fatigue; aij ahorse go*
ing a long and penible journey, or a man-fight most perti-
naeeously maratmned-^show bottom. * Bottomless Pit/ is
.quite anther guess-thing.' See Monosyllable.

Bounce—to call for liquor, or toss up, or play for money,
without having wherewithal to pay. Impudence does it.

Bowled out—discovered, knavery, design exposed.

Box (v.)—Boxer and Boxing. * To box,' to fight; he who
fights is a boxer, and the pair are then boxing. Very inele-
gant when Used in the second person; for ' he boxes' he
fights is substituted. 'Tis * A boxing bout' when two
commoners meet; but' a battle' or * a fight' is adopted for
a manly contest between men of scientific attainment. Also,
a little country-house. A man is ' boxed' when he is put
in prison. Boxiana. See Addenda.

Bex-harry—To go without victuals. Confined truants, at
school, without fire, fought or boxed an old figure nick-
named ' Harry/which hung up in their prison—to keep heat.

Bess-lobby loungers—the ante-room at the Theatres is fre-
quented by persons on the Town of both sexes, who meet
there to make appointments, lounging about.

Brads—money, of the smaller kind; used carpenterialty.
' Plenty of brads, would imply enough for the purpose, as
building a house and pawning the carcass.

Brass-face—an impudent person of either sex, whether with
a red face or not.

Bread—The means of living is a man's bread: ' in bread' in
work, ' out of bread/ no employment. One in trouble is
said to be "in bad bread;" e. g. double-ironed in Newgate,
a man may be safely considered in shocking bad bread.
Those who act contrary to their true interests, do not know'
on which side their bread is buttered; but when slices are
placed face to face the butter is in the middle, and ' bread
and butter fashion' that couple must lie, who inhabit a bed
laree enough for one only. ' Bread-basket/ the stomach;
and a blow upon it discommodes the diaphragm and the
respiration, and sometimes the life of the receiver.

A Breathing—running at half-sr)eed. (Turf and ring.) Used
in training horse or man.

Breeched—having money in the pocket, A woman who holds
the mastery over herhusband, * wears the breeches/

Breeze—a short brisk scolding bout of one or more voices.

Brilliant—bright,spackling. Havingbeon applied to certain ale,

B R I—B R 0 17

sold by one Fulhara in Chandos-street, near St. Martin's-
lane, the name was assumed by a few choice-spirits meeting
there to drink said ale: their sittings were permanent. ' The
Brilliants⁹ had the complete use of their.tongues; and
when, in 1796,' the Gagging-bills,' so called, became law,
clogging liberty of speech and the right of assembling, the'
orators of experience, as well,as those requiring juvenile
trials, joined' the brilliants,⁹ and talked pompously of trifles.
The subjects of debate sprung up on the spur of the occa-
sion, or, if notice of motion were given fronvnigbt! to night, it
was but to attain higher burlesque upon• * -the other houses.⁹in the adjoining parish. On theseltfgpjMtereengrafted much
good and elegant flower oUqpj/jBBuie speakers usually
ran away with the argument for tflR^urpose, and success-
fully ridiculed a law that would stop men's mouths, and
its authors (Pitt and Grenville) got laughed out of conceit
with themselves. At the introduction members paid 9d.
each, the price of' a brilliant' pot of ale; and in 1797 two
thousand names had been inscribed; the admission was in-
creased to half-a-crown when we travelled, and 10,000
members might have been introduced altogether, when it
ceased. See Eccentrics.

Brimstone—female only; one who fires away at the first spark,
throwing forth fine flashes of oratory and scintillss of wit:

faggot, bitch, or w-e, are the usual adjunctives. Brim

and Brimmer—are but abbreviations of the same.

Bring—to obtain, to fetch, or steal. Dogs are said to' bring
well,' when they run into a shop, and bring off to their
owners, goods, which the rogue had previously pointed
out to his too faithful companion. See Thing.—Thieves
are said ' to bring' such things as they may have stolen.

Brisket, or Breast cut—a hit on the breast or collar-bone,
which is showy, but harmless, though it may cause a floorer.

Broads—Cards. See Books.

Broad-ar—' the King's Broad arrow,* H. M. mark on naval
stores, which none are to imitate.

Brogues—primitive shoes of ill-tanned hide, used in Ireland
and Scotland; whence the cadenza of enunciation is figu-
ratively called ' the brogue⁹ of this or that country.

Broom—See ' Brush.' " She carries the broom up" at the
mast-head, [is Long Shore] signifies ' to be sold or hired/
and is applied to females as well as ships, which are like-
wise spoken of in the feminine..

18 BR O—B U F

Brawn bess—a firelock. Brown George, a loaf made of wheat
meal, entire.

Brownies—Copper coin, halfpence and pence. #

Brown study, in a—thoughtful mood: "a penny for your
thought, Sir." A. ' Tis as much as 'tis worth; merely
a brown study.'

Brush—the tail of a fox; and as he turns it up in running off,
so sportsmen say, ' he shows his brush,⁹ when one leaves
a company. Brush, is applied to men going at speed.
Thus ' To buy a brush—with a long handle,' to run away
—and that quickly. « Brush along, brush off⁹—words of
command, signifying—' fly like dust/ ' Broom it,⁹ is the
same thing, but most fairly applicable to old haggard women,
because witches rode on brooms through the air formerly.

Bub—beer. Humming-6t<6; strong beer or ale. Bubbery,
that species of double-tongueing which effects its purpose
by clamour more than sense; one of the proceeds of bibbing
too much good beer. Also, a wordy noise in the streets.
Thieves ' kick up a bubbery⁹ among themselves to cover
their acts.

Bubble-and-squeak—* vulgar but savory kind of omnium ga-
therum dinner of fried scraps, the scrapings of the cupboard.
A bubble, a cheat that lasts but a short time. ' To bar the
bubble⁹—to restrict the decision of a bet to the rules of com-
mon sense. A buck, buck'd-off-—one dressed off sprucely ;
derived, probably, from the buckskin-breeches, worn almost
universally half a century since. Bucks and Bloods are
nearly synonimous.

Buck—male of fallow deer; when full grown he is a Roe-buck;
the latter being most mischievous.
. « Bucket, to kick the'—to die. One Bolsover having hung
himself to a beam while standing on the bottom of a pail, or
bucket, kicked this vessel away in order to pry into futurity,
and it was all up with him from that moment: Finis.

Budge—to stir; as " Come, come, Mann, budge out of my
bait—[Budge-row, probably]—Past eleven o'clock."

Buffers—formerly, men who carried contraband goods for
sale fastened about their persons, and were obliged, in
getting them out, to undress partly and show their skin or
buff. They could not well be honest, and with great pro-
priety became thieves, of that kind who runfor it, or⁽buff-it,⁹i. e. run until the clothes fly off—or nearly so. * In buff,*
stripped to the waist, for a fight, or for work—as whipping

B U G—B U R

coals. An alehouse-keeper is' a buffer;' and he is a' Queer
buffer,' provided he chalks double, or is a sharper. Quere
whether Bluffer is not used quite as often ?

Bug-a-boo—* silly, imposing, talkative, would-be gentleman,
desirous of showing himself off; a hired constable who gives
himself airs—is a Bug-a-boo. One who at the ale-house pre-
tends to know but every thing, is also a⁴ bug~a-boo.' Com- >
pounded in the same manner as Crom-a-600 (D. Leinster's
motto * 111 burn for it') and Orange~6oo-ven (the n being
mute); as these .mean to exalt Crom and the Orange
(family), so do our bugs attempt their own exaltation.

Bui—a blunder; generally ascribed to Irishmen; and one of
them reports in The Weekly Dispatch of the 26th of May,
1822, the notable fact that" the winner of the Derby Stakes,
Moses, was got by Seymour out of Whalebone;" but both
being Stallions, we cannot conceive (being male) how this
could be possible.

Bull—a crown, and 2s. 6d. is half-a-bull. See Ounce. A
crown was formerly * a bulPs-eye,⁹ but the eye is dropped
out of late years. To bullock—to bully, hector, or mal-
treat others. Pron. boloc, in Lancashire, where 'tis prac-
tised among, the Vulgar. He who knows * which way
the Bull ran, is up to snuff' and may be considered as
' one who knows what o'clock 'tis,' and ' on which side his
bread is buttered.' * The Bull m trouble'—the Bull in the
pound, public-house, Spafields.

Bull-beef—he is such who, puffed up by some office, or by
riches, gets meaty about the eyes and overlooks old friends:
usually adopted by Parish-clerks, Beadles, Public-house
men, and fellows of low origin. ifotf-Calf—a clumsy
chap in his teens.

Bulls, on the Stock Exchange—those who would enhance,
raise, toss, or keep up the price of Stock.

Bum, a Bum-bailiff—any Sheriff's officers' follower; derived
from his following behind the officer, or after his bum.

Bumm'd—arrested by a bum-bailiff, or sheriff*s officer.

Bung the Eye—to drink till the ogles are affected.

Burning-thbme—practised upon Bodikins, by the Authorities,
who station a man with a lighted candle day and night,
with the supposed intention of placing it in a socket of a
queer kind, as soon as convenient.

And when she dies, they'll any here lies, a burnt-cut conflagration,
Which like a flaring candle bUuee⁴, and dies) of eqsemtion.«

20 B U E—C A G

BuenaRoti. (Bori-ton)—a light tent wise, sipped byike fair
for the most part.

Burster—a Penny Loaf, or such as are given to prisoners y
ironically applied when corn was high. Burster and Bees
wax—Carpenters' fare: a little loaf and slice of cheese.

Bush-coves—gypsies; from their lodging under hedges, &c.

Bustle—is blunt or money, but collective. If a man is worth a
thousand pounds, 'tis blunt; if as much money be collected
in various sums, 'tis bustle. Should a fellow steal a shop-
keeper's till, 'tis all bmstle; whilst the same sum in one
note would be blunt. Libri) SolidietBenarti, comprise bustle.

So, '< Pounds, shillings, pence, and farthings iVe at my fingers' end,
Acid, how to buy, and how to sell, to borrow, or to lend.*

' Those who have bustle majrride in chaises;
He that has nose m*i«t tramp it, by J—.'

Vide MbndozVs Aphorisms.
' Buy i buy, buy'—the butchers' invitation to customers, of
a Saturday. And " Buy, to sell, to change, to mend/' is
the cry.of an umbrella dealer.

c. •

Cabbage-Nieces purloined from their employers by Taylors
and Sempstresses; the act is * cabbaging.*

Tailors cabbage half your cloth,

Shins of beef are very tough,
flummery is. just like froth, .

Mrs. Clarke is up to snuffs

On the election of a BaUiff at Kidderminster, the inhabitants
assemble in the principal streets to throw cabbage-stalks at
each other—a very immoral proceeding.

Cacafuego—a pretender and braggart* aHrsmoke and fcsces.

Caccle—with reference to alien, to blab .and let out a secret.

. Cacofopy—Undulations in the vernacular tongue of the caeolo-
gist, with slight knots in the throat, like the caccle of an
4Jld hen, and derived from the Greek kakos.

Caddee—pronounced cadjee (from cadet, a younger son), one .
who performs the minor parts in a joint robbery 'is but
a caddee in the business.' Any inferior actor in a thing.
Fellows who canvas customers for stage-coaches, are cad-
dees ; mostly thieves too. Kedger, * to kedge,' probably, is
from the same stock. ' * A cad* is a (passenger taken* atp on
the road; his payment the Jarvy sacks-. See.She~~are~~r.'

Cag, •tbe-~Sulkuae#$, out pf humour. • A * cove who oaaries
the cog,- sp*fiks< ssldotn; .such a¹ man sometimes will take

CAK—CA/R 21

bis Davy not to taste stropg liquor* for agiven period.
mag, is ordinary meat; dead by a visitation; or scraps,
trimmings, &c. He who carries the ca# should eat cdg-mag.

Cake—a silly fellow; cakes being made, like him, of very soft
dough and not over well baked. The animal may have re-
ceived his surname from Cacos, the evil manner of enuncia-
tion cakes fall into,, and given this title to his simile.

Calf's head—a tallow-faced fellow and^neaty. ' Calf's head
ia best hot/ was the apology for one of those who made no
bones of dining with his topper on.

Canary-bird--* Jail-bird. * The bird is flown;' got out of
his jail or hiding-place.

Canister—the head, with a sly allusion to its emptiness.

Canterbury-<a/e-^-a long endless .story—twaddle.

Capers—to cut capers, to lark and run up and down, prac-
tised by young thieves in the streets, when people get hus-
tletl by the urchins and their doxies. See Cut.

Capsize— (naval, but adopted ashore;) to overturn any person
or thing, any plan or resolution.

Careened, Careening—anaval term for physic-taking. See Dock.

Caribbee islands—See Crib, Cribby.

Carney*—Love-tales; also, supplicatory intercession*, whereby
the auditor is made to believe he has several virtuous attri-
butes that he never before dreamt of possessing; some of
these are correlative, as, much riches and great generosity
being combined, means * bestow your charity without
waiting to be asked for it outright/ Tis a word of Irish
-extraction, and first cousin to ' blarney.' " The brewer
who carneys with, or fawns to, a magistrate, will do any
dirty work. Vide London Guide."

" Och! Mr. Barney,
. None of your Carney,

For married be sure we wont be."

Carnigakbody>-~* corruption o$ carnal, by Tom Rees:⁴ what
shall ye do wish your carnigal-body on Monday V * Bring
your carn^a^body down to my tripanionsonTuesday night/

Carriers—Pigeons trained to fly with messages.

Carrots—red-haired persons are so surnamed. See Flatter,
Qinger-

porty^Stud) 'To carry well,' a horse should have his
neck weH set, large in his shoulder; bent, if small-headed,
if ndt'sttaight, but not too long: the tail is concerned in
this animmVs emptying well. To carry high or low; the

n C A S—C A u

head being too much elevated, or somewhat depressed.

The former arises from weak fore-quarters; the latter from

large head and neck too long.

' duties in the air'—imaginary exaltation in life.

" Always since her journey there
Building castles in the air:"

Castor, a hat—Castor is the old name for the beaver, from
whose felt most hats are covered.

' Cat, pussey'—a pert coxcomical little lass, with a round
face, and nose curled up. But ' an old Cat,' is she who
snarls and spits at those around her; and if she takes snuff
without carrying a snotter, she is ' a nasty old Cat.' To
' let the Cat out of the bag,' is said by a certain kind of
ladies when a secret is disclosed; but 'tis quite the con-
trary when one ¹ feeds her pussey-cat.' Then it is the
secrets are put in the sack.

Cat and Dog life—the. marriage-state, stormy. ' A caf is
the. name of the whipping instrument; it is composed of
nine pieces of cord or thong; and hence a cat is said to
have nine lives, there being so many ways of parting with
pussey—1st, Giving her away—2d, Carrying her afar off
—3d, Throwing out at window—4th, Drowning in a river
—in all which cases she comes home safe—5th, Submer-
' sion in a tub—6th, Shooting—7 th, Starvation—8th, Burn-
ing—and 9th, and effectually—hanging.
' Cat's Paw, A'—is one who is pressed forward to perform
disagreeable or dangerous offices for another. 'Cat's sleep,'
is counterfeit sleep; and * whipping the Cat' is said of per-
sons who have no business on hand, or trade. To ' -grin
like a Cheshire Cat,' a thin subject, should show all her
ivory fangs, keeping them close together. ' Cat-a-maran
tricks/ those practical jokes that annoy other persons or
their property.

Cat-call~2L whistle of bone, with a pea inclosed; used at

theatres when a piece is damned, and when not, at times.
To turn * Cat in pan,'—to split, open, disclose.
Catch-weights—(Turf.) Any weights, the first jockies to be met

with—no going to scale.
Cat-lap—Milk originally, but extended to tea-slops.
Caterwauling—Cats' concert on the pantiles; ana applied to

men, who go out nightly in search of adventures.
Cauliflower—any one who wears powder on his head. A

coster-monger from Common Garden, also, had that title

C A W—C HA 23

without powder (which shall be better than ⁴ thief or b—•
all to nothing), by reason of his pertinaceous cry, during
the season, tor thirty years.

Cawch—Cawchery; an irregular mixture of food. See Stew
(Irish), Squad-pie, Colcannon. A left-handed meaning,
not straightforward : hence ' Cowck hand' for the left.

Certificate, Jack Ketch's; ⁴ given under his hand'—a sound
flogging.

Chair. * Call a chair'—appoint a president—at a tavern
party, when discussion ensues.

Challenge—(Chase;) at the finding of game, the good hounds
open or challenge, curs babble. So in ring affairs, some
chaps are ever challenging, never accepted: Tom Shelton
has been four years at this bawl. " Ha, fine Lemmonn,
he shallinge al de voorld," says old Jack Gardolio, the
orange-man, and his pupils.

Chancery—(Ring.) A man whose head is under his antago-
nist's left arm while the right is punishing out his day-lights,
is ⁴ in a Chancery suit,' from which Lord Eldon could not
relieve him, though old Thurlow might.

Changes, in a battle—are those turns which give the odds
now to one side, now to the other.

Chap—any body; said of one below the speaker in his esti~
jnation.

Chapel—an assembly of journeymen printers, debating on

the economy of their trade: ¹ Call a Chapel;' come together.
Charity, (Bon-ton)—the cloak of sin, which even gamblers put

on; like Artemi's priest, they must rob ere they can bestow.
Charley—a watchman. ' A Charley-man no sooner gets on

his coat and rattle, than he becomes choleric, accusatory,

and venal.'

Chase (the)—generally speaking, all hunting or following of
animals with dogs compriseth ' the chase.' Coursing is the
first artificial exception, and formerly they divided the re-
maining species of hunting into Venary, Chase, and War-
ren: in the first are found all red deer of antler, hare, boar
and wolf; in the second buck and doe, fox and martin. So
divided, inasmuch as the first seek for food at night, and
go into coverts by day, the habitude of the second being
quite contrary. .' A chase,' a good portion of open land
with cover for game. See Forest. In France all field-sports
are ' la chasse,' and they describe the kind, as ⁴ la chasse
au fusil,* for shooting, and so on; but the French are not

24 CHA—CHE

sportsmen—in any sense whatever; they shoot the chase
before the dogs (!) &c. &c. In law, landholders selling their
lands mostly reserve' free chase* or right to hunt over them*

Ye sportsmen come forth, quit your slumber and sloth

And join in the musical chase j
Let fops of the Town our diversions cry down,
Yet their sports to ours must give place.

Chatter-box—either masculine or feminine. A talkative per-
son, whose tongue runs fourteen to the dozen. ' A chat-
terer* in ring-affairs—a blow on the teeth.

Chatts —i. e. Chattels, abbreviated—Lice; being the live
stock in trade of beggars. Encamped gypsies lose their
acquisitions of the sordid insect, and replace these by colo-
nies of ants in their hair.

Chaunt—a song and singing. The best conducted chaunt in
London is at the White Hart, Bishopsgate-street; a good
one is ' the Eccentrics' in May's-buildings; glee-singing
by the Harmonics at the Ram, and also at the Globe, in
Titch6eld-street are prime chaunts.

" The men struck up a chaunt, and the beer went round galore,
Till the publican sent word, he wou'dn't trust no more."

Chant—to chant, to praise off, inordinately. Chanting a
horse, is to get one or more independent persons apparently,
to give him a good name, swear to his perfections and make
a bidding—by way of teazer.

Cheapen—to ask the price of a horse, a dog, or other goods
—declare them too dear, and offer little, though probably
more than the cheapener possesses.

Cheek—in the plural, is the sitting part, but when any one be-
comes a greedy guts and sups up all, he ' takes it all to his
own cheek/

Cheerer—a glass of grog, or of punch.

^H Cheese-parings and candle-ends'⁹—Windham's description
of the perquisites of offices of state. See Chise.

Chemistry—Man was inspired with the art divine for the pro-
motion of science and the amelioration of his lot; but the
evil-disposed have perverted its tendencies, and ceculus
tndicus, quackery and gunpowder, loudly proclaim the fact.
Copperas in gin; wine sweetened with lead; puff paste raised
by potassium; snuff and hellebore—lie in ambuscade for
. us after running the gauntlet of the preceding crew and a
hundred of their companions. See Intire (addenda) Porter,

C H E—C H I

Chevy—a. bawling of one, or many. In field-sports, * chevy
is the blast of a horn, the notes whereof are intelligible of
their import to the sportsman.

Cheveaux—pron. Shivaugh by Jack Burdett, who often holds
one at Bill Wendy's, or up at the Popper: Dinner, wine,
song, and uproar, constitute a cheveaux.

Chief muck of the crib—literally, principal lump of dirt; but,
freely, meant to designate a head director in small affairs,
and cannot possibly mean the Governor of the Bank of
England, the Lord President of the Council, &c. since
every one knows that crib implies a single place, as a tap-
room, a drinking-booth, coffee-shop, &c. Yet some there
are who perversely extend the term to the first gentleman
of England, and call that the crib where he presides when
Parliament is opened or shut—and he " Chief,*' Arc.

Chigger—a still, • Working the chigger or jigger;' a private
still. ' Ask my jigger-driver, ye pig,' is the retort upon
any impertinent question. Gigger, is also a door.

* Chiltem hundreds, to accept the' — to vacate a favourable
seat at the alehouse.

Chink—Money. The chink rolls in at Shoulder-of-Mutton

Jack's on Saturday nights.'

" I am happy to think

I have got so much eAmA.**

* Chip (brother)'—one of the same trade, originally confined

to carpenters, who are all' chips.¹

' A Chirruper,⁹—from cheer-up, an additional glass. CAtr-
rwo—said of birds; and a man that sits and quaffs and
talks gaily, and a good deal, is said to chirrup—probably
from the " cheer ups" he has taken.

Chise—a knife, saw, or file. Chise-it—is also a verb inactive,
and means * give over,' whether that be the talk, or some
action, as robbery, Chise is a knife, sometimes called a
chiser, from chisel, a carpenter's sharp instrument: all mean
to cut, to divide, or separate; to cut the string, thread, or
concatenation of a discourse, and to cut or sever the de-
sign from the execution thereof, is to chise it Chiver,
(pron. shiver and shliver or shlivey) is derived from the
same, but a little corrupted. When a certain Trojan chief
visited Venus on Ida's mount, he would, of course,' return
to town' of a morning, like a modern cockney; and 'tis
fair to presume he said to the lady, ⁴1 must get up, dear
Venny, and-chise it;' but she, regretting his absence, and

SO C H I—C H O

repeating his last words, ' and-ckise, an-chise, wherefore
art thou, Anchises ?" Whence the name of him who begat
jEneas on such occasion.

Chitterlings—properly the small guts of a pig, and by resem-
blance the frill of a tulip's shirt.

¹ Choice Spirit*—a high fellow, who enters into the merits of
*the bottle and glass, is always frisky, and drops his blunt
freely.

' Chop upon a Hare*—to come unexpectedly upon and kill
her without a run. Fox-hounds > Chop a hare' at times :
Tis spoiling sport. A chop, is long-shore for a letter, a
newspaper, and an act of parliament.

Qhopper (ring)—a blow, that descends straight down the fea-
tures, the knuckles making fine work thereon. Not a de-
sirable strategic; originating with Dan Mendoza; now little
used.

Chorus—¹ Come, gemmen, bear a hand in the chorus,' says
a chaunter,' and the assembled gobs open like alligators.'
Choruses are of various sorts, and differ in different coun-
tries, [we will not, however, travel]; and they bear some
affinity.to the subject. " Down, down, down derry down"
belongs to plain John Trot narrative ditties. Madrigals
sport their * Lira, Lira, la/ and Roundelays repeat the last
lines and sometimes entire stanzas. Hunting songs and
such-like cheerings of numbers, terminate with ' And a
hunting we will go, we'll go, we'll go,' ' Tantivy, my boys,

. lets away/ ' Tally ho/ and * Hark forward f ' thieves'
chorusses drop plaintively in the gamut, and the words slide
off the tongue flashily; they are long*—" Fol lol de ra,
Fol lol de ray; fol de riddle, diddle diddle i-do :'* ido is a
very common termination, and indicates a do or ' diddle,'
which is generally a' riddle diddle ray/ Soldiers use ⁴ Row
dow dow;" their trade lying in rows and a dow or down.
Politicians< Bow wow wow/ as if they would worry each
other like dogs, as they are. Butchers, and other full-
feeders, emit the last syllable of each verse hard and
loud ' to hammer the sense in' to the thick skulls of their
hearers. Our national songs (Dibdin's) conclude with
the repetition of the last stanza of each verse, or a line or
two, which is itself a repetition that is * brought in, to
make up the sense. He also shook over again the best
meaning phrases in medio, with repetitions at the end of
■each stanza, when the verse consisted of several. The

C H IT—G h A

Irish chorus is fantastic; and the reader who would know
how, must see and sing * Pip.' Scotch chorusses contain
the reason (generally metaphysical) why the song was made
at all: e. g.

" There's nae luck about thcr horns, there's nae rack at a';
There's nae luck about the hqpse, when my good-man's awa." •

Chuckle-head—Heavy supper*eaters, nappers after dinner,
turtle, fish, and venison mangers, who thus supply new
' blood too fast and determine it towards the' head, nor e'er
perspire but by overaction of the lacteals—become mealy
about the nob, throw out carbuncles, * large lumps of fat
impede the brain,' and the tongue chuckles like an old hen
in the poultry-yard. In such an effort, the whole meat
of the head seems to join joyfully, wagging in unison with
the clapper—hence the tetfm.

Chum—A companion or partner in lodgings, chiefly used
among imprisoned debtors.

Circumvendibus—going to a point by a roundabout way-*-
whether that be an argumentative point, or one upon the
highway.

Clack—Woman's talk, incessant* from its resemblance to Me
clack of a grist-mill:

" The Miller he laid down on his back,
Whilst his mill went clicketty clack."

Clank—silver vessels, spoons, candlesticks.

Clapper—the tongue. * Stop your clapper'—i. e. Silence!

Olapper-claw. Domestic prattle in St. Giles's, in which

a woman or two join to tell a third (usually the husband)

a little bit of his own. The performance is carried on in

the manner of a fugue in music, one. party holding on

while the other capers through the gamut, the husband

now and then adding a running-bass; whereupon the

treble weeps, and the counter-voice gets up an octave or

two higher, shakes a Catalina in A in alto, and falls into a

swoon, or goes off—for some gin. Higher folks than they

entertain family discussions occasionally.

—~* had not Vulcan seen 'em,
'Tis two tossne but their'dispute
Had ended in a scratching bout.
J uno, at length, was over-awed,
Or Jove had been well clapper-clawed"

Claret—<ring,) not fit to drink. A softened term for the
stream of life—' blood¹ in a slaughter-house.

i>2

62 CLA-^CLU

Ctotyy—a chimney-sweep, from the colour of hit tag; ⁴ A
dear toad for the ctargy,' in a crowd.

¹ Cleaned out, qaite'-^ledt every farthing-*—at gambling, is
commonly understood. * Wiped out as clean as a whistle,'
means tke tame thing*

CtisiW-a tit, with a small report, as made by a back-hinder
,oo the cheek. " Hereupon Cutaway took Ma'noa attack in
the winker* which ~~grecocd~~ her cleanly.'* * Chdaer/ a shoe-
maker's cutter-out.

CUehes—is used for foxes * in actm eotrW as 'to l»e,' is for
that of dogs. Both teems are applied to all feipedes
(occasionally.

. Clerk qf tke Works—he who takes the lead in minor affaire—
as an ale-house dinner, or wrestling-match.

Clincher—a lie by refraction, or lie for lie. Two oaspeaters,
Ned and Dick, being at high dispute as to which was most
eminent in this department of oratory, left to the decision
of a third person the all-interesting fact. Says Ned, " i
drove a nail into the Moon last August, without the use
of a ladder." " I know you did," replied Dick, "'for on
the first of September, alter sappe^time, I stood hairirid
Ma'am Luna and clenched your nail/'

Close-rubbed—When play m going en* the best «af .two out
of three to be the winner, lie who wins Ifce two firift games,
has close-rubbed his opponent. Mostly applied to .cards*
tossingtiip, and nina-pio*. See Newmarket.

' Clover, to live in'—to eat and drink joyously; Clever be-
ing the food most desired by cattle*

Clout—a clumsy blow, as if given with a dantp cloth, which
is a clout.

Cfcfe~~One of the four suit*, tke coat-cards whereof wear
dark habiliments, dec Any blaek*muzzled man might
'sit for the knave of clubs' to advantage of the pack.

Club-Law*—i& where stieks settle disputes; the Ai^umentum
BaccuUnem, in which a ground-ash is more efficacious than
an act of parliament. ^c A club,' of people, an association,
thus we may have ' a Sick-Chub? not one of the members
whereof are indisposed, ⁴ a Singing-Club,' quite roupy,
and other incongruities. Besides the * King of Clubs'
belonging to the pack alluded to, there is now assembled
a ⁴ Club of Kings* at Verona, not one of whom knows
but heftay pack before the rubber is over. See Free and
Easy.

<? L U—Q OC 53

CK»ff*r«—the rising of birds from the stabtie, &c.

C/ye, clyes—-the purse or pocket, and by an easy transition,
the shining inhabitants thereof: ' no dye;¹ no money*—
¹ empty dues; out of cash, unblunted.

Co—to ⁴ act in Co,' or company; to be leagued together

Coqefc-tuAeekr—large silver coin. ¹ Hind-wheel/ * crown;
* fare* wheel/ half-a-cfown.

Cock, game: a thorough-bred fowl, that never mat away*
Hence any hardy, evergreen, indomptable fellow acquire*
the adjunct (cook) in some shape or other, As a ' hearty
cock/ 'cock of the walk; he may be *coek-a-heop/ at
times, Qr'strut like a cock in a gutter;' and be * a good
old cock¹ for all that; and cock hit eye or his glass, or his
hat awry, or indeed any motion to-show <ms eoekiskmss.
He may be fond of cocking toes but not of a cockatrice ;

* She Kve»asd lies and oriea alone,

Ant her eggs saeiSya

Josta* she imay please,
While the ' ofcl OpcA' pecks at each moan I"

^ woman cannot be a eoek in any sense, even though she
mar * ^ock her eye' ever so prettily. A colour between red
and yellpw is cocWi^e; a feeling of esultsrtion, has been
expressed by ' €ock-a-m*-cary-kee, demtne!' ' Chief cock
of ate walk'-^he who boasts or blusters ever ethers, or
takes the lead-—in pavish-affairs, <fec.
Gockney*--See¹ Cock/ Quer*, * *s he a cock V ' nay'—is the
answer, i. e. not a game one. The tale about the cock crow-
ing and the horse neighing, is not worthy of credit—not
pointed or semblable. Within ' Cockneyshire¹ and ' Cock-
aigne/ lies all that district which is within the sound of Bow-
bells, (Cheapside), and every native is a Cockney—certain;
and the appellation has been extended to Westminster-
born and Boroughonian people. All three together are
. denominated * Cockney shire;' and * the wit of Cock-
aigne,' ' its school of poetry, and school of rhetoric,' have
been spoken of by Blackwood in cauterising terms—
with a political bias. When applied scornfully, 'tis con-
sidered a reproach; but when boasted of, the speaker has
good reason to be proud of being a particle in the popu-
lation of the first of cities. In manners, no two nations
can diner more than the high and the low classes of Cock-
neyshire: the vulgar high, ignorant, sordid, and proud, all
they perform is by imitation; their feeling of richness is

C O C—C 0 C

unbearable, and the recent access of titles among the Cits
(proper) in removing them farther from themselves, discon-
nect them from their neighbours, whilst those with whom
tfyey sojourn in the Western part of' the shire' will not amal-
gamate, and they subside in sediment, or ascend as naphta
does—showy, frothy, and puerile. The low are full of
prejudices, the lowest invariably dishonest: in the centre
{the bulk) the shopkeeper is manifest, the merchant pre-
dominates, intelligence abounds though learning is scanty.
Cock and a Bull—story;' a tale of great length; vapid and
trifling, with endless repetitions and drawling.

Cockney Slang—of several classes follow: 1st. the Dandy-
swell of die Bon-ton. " As to the Jtght, I have been cursedly
disappointed, not to say disgusted, at the entire set of pro-
ceedings : my person has experienced extreme inconve-
nience from the weather and the pressure of the populace;
my stomach has been much deranged at the horrid exhibi-
tion, and I have been •clandestinely deprived of my pro-
perty by some adept at irregular appropriation." 2nd. On
Change. " How is things I vonders! Tallows is back I
knows veil enough." ⁴⁴ Yes, they 're down; but* Rum's
ris." A. " Aye and Sugar's fell—that's rum" 3rd.'Chill
it'—says the Cockney, when he would have -his beer
warmed. * Air it,' say another set, as a hint for placing
the pot near the fire-place. His wife orders the servant
to ' dust the room,' and his neighbour writes up '* eating-*
house,' as if the house ate the customers. The termina-
tion ess, is used to mark the feminine gender, in imitatidn
of French, but very seldom done rightly—always vulgarly.

• Even * lady Mayoress'-is an amplitude, bearable because
of her antiquity; but * Tayloress' for the wife of cross-legs
is intolerable, though not less damnable than Carpentress,
Bakeress, or Bellows to mend-ess. Yet are we compelled
to stand ⁴ Actress* for a female actor, and ' Jewess' for
a She-Jew. Dr. Carey's suggestion, that the ancients
drank Cocagna wine, must be set down to the score of that
learned gentleman's ingenuity. The low-bred Cockneys,
however rich, bring out the r after w final, particularly of
the monosyllables law, jaw, draw: e. g. ' You Jim, jaw~r
him veil, draw-r him if you can, and I'll take the law-r
of him.' See Cry. The same class, however, if familiar
with * the varieties of Life,' drop the final r in hawler, ben-
der, and most dissyllables; even their own father is

C O D—C OL 55

enunciated as ' ould fathey,' although he says a saw is a
earner. A place near Bolton, Lancashire, is called Cock*
. ney Moor.

Codger— usually addressed with the prefix ' old,' to one or
other of those Evergreens who imagine the first syHable

- of their cognomen will never fail them. See Coger.
Coffee-shops—Coffee-houses of the second, third, and fourth

rate: long the nightly resort of thieves and fences and
their wenches, who were * accommodated* in other respects;
they were* regulated by law in 1821, and no longer keep

. open all night: 600 were then going in the metropolis. See
Scrub's Coffee-house: * Coffee-shop' is another of many
appellations bestowed on the Cloacinean receptacle.

Cog—a tooth, die and dice. To ' Cog the die*—is to conceal
or detain it—See Dice. Also, to cdax, manage, or wheedle,
and whatever is obtained, is Cog too. Cogue—a glass of
- ' gin, or rum with sugar in it. Incog, abb. of incognito, a
man who has an assumed name, or is dressed uncommonly.
Incognita is feminine. Cogey-—drunk.

Cogers—a Society instituted in 1756, by some of the people of
the Inner Temple, who imagined their free thoughts or pro-
found cogitations worthy of attention, and charged half-a-

* . crown for the entree. Complete inanition as a society
mark their nightly meetings—unless during elections of
members of the hon. H. C. &c. &c. Meet in Bride-lane.

Colt—a horse, four years old and Under, whether perfect or
emasculate. Colts should not be crossed too early: it
• Tenders them hollow-backed; and, when so put into a
drag, they become roach-backed. Both species of miscon-
forxnation is the harbinger of predisposed ill-health—the
1st, of diseased kidneys; the 2nd, of distorted chest, and
obstructed viscera. ⁶ A colt¹ is he who enters upon a new
avocation, as apprentice, or juryman for the first time.

- ' A coifs tooth in her head'—is said of a woman in years
who retains the lechery of youth. Men show their colt's
teeth, too, at times, and imagine they have a notion to
taste a fancy bit, which as often turns out mere * vanity
and vexation of spirit.'

Colcannen—stewed vegetables, a fine Irish dish, made in
England also. ' She is as soft as a dish of colcannen,'
said of a crummy-lass or fat landlady.

Cole—money.

College—The Fleet Prison. .(New) College of Physicians—

56 CO L—C O B

a society of choice spirits,' not quite extinct, who met in
Newgate-street some years, and ridiculed the old college
by talking dog Latin.

Colour (stud)—the coat or hair of horses, and the manner in
which they may be described, is their ⁴ colour' in common
parlance; and we say (in order) he is either white, cream-
colour, light grey, chesnut, bay, bright bay, blood bay,
browp, iron grey, dark brown, or black. Famous horses
and their feats seem to be connected, in our recollections,
with their colours respectively: a chesnut racer always
reminds us of Eclipse, and that colour sometimes comes out
in his progeny of the third and fourth generation.

'To Come it—to comply with a request, as lending money.
' She's a coming*—she is with child.

* Come it strong, To'—is to pitch lies heavily upon a person

or a circumstance, sometimes done civiHy, at others ad-
versely. _s " How well he comes it!" How well he lies!
' Come it strong as mustard,' to brag of his property; e.
g.' My poney's . the best in all England, and as for my
pointer—never was the like—111 bet a thousand to £500
upon either.'

Commoner—M. P.'s are commoners, so are the Common*.
CGunciJmen of London, &c.—common enough occasionally.
In the ring, * Commoners' are ordinary boxers; bye-com"
moners those who mistakingly presume they know how to
fight, and try it on, when they can get a customer;—* bye
from ' bye-men,' non-regular men.

Common Garden—Covent Garden market-place, or theatre.

Company (to see)—said of a highflyer lass.

Constable, to out-run the—to live beyond* one's income or
allowance. A youth being sent up to town ' to follow the
law/ he so far ' out-run the constable,' that at length the
law followed him.

* Convenient (My*)—a woman open to the speaker; if a land*

lady, her's is ' a very convenient house to call at.'
Conveyancers—pickpockets; and a 022//, is Term-time to them.
Cooped— detained in lock-up-house, or prison. * Cooped-up.'
Copers—fellows who cheat at horse-fairs. < To cope with' is

common parlance, for to contend, contest equal-handed,

* Cope!' an exclamation used as a hint—to be aware of—

disused.

Copy of uneasiness-a copy of writ in any court,

Coriander-seed—coined money.

C O R—C O V^s 67

Cork--* men** cork is said Ito be drawn, when he has received
a bloody nose. ' Draw his cork/

Corinthian^-* man highly togged was so termed, by reason
of the supereminence of that order of architecture. In pro-
cess of time (1761), the term was applied to superlative
articles of dress, when we read ^c The luxury of his Corin-
thian coat was retrenched to the simplicity of the quaker's
own cassock/ Vid. Taylor's Life of Taylor of Hoxton.

'" We would confine the word to nobility and gentry of edu-
cation, who join heartily in the sports of the turf or the ring,
the latterly particularly; but well-dressed prigs assume the
. envied name, or seedy sordid knaves, who have no souls
for those things.—(See Gentleman, Swell, Tulip.)

Corum, or Coorum.—Coram, or sessions, technically wrong
written ' quorum⁹: Justice of the quorum. The Judges at

, Westminster-hall sit ' in coram domiui rege' K. B.

.Costard—the head, a sheep's head; and these being cried
about the streets, formerly begat the term costard-monger
(pron. costermonger) as applied to itinerant venders of any
other eatables whatever.

Cotton—he is the Ordinary of Newgate, and praying by the
suffering malefactors, they are said (by a little stretfch) to
" leave the world with their ears stuffed full of Cotton."

Cove—Any body whatever, masculine; thus we may have a
rich cove, a ' gentry cove/ or a poor one, a tall cove or a
short one; ' the cove's a lawyer/ or ' he's a Writing cove
that takes down die trials, and that' ere' (reporter) means to
show the speaker's low opinion of the person spoken of.
He is, however, understood to be one who frequents the
haunts of low-bred people, or of* seeing life in its varieties/

Covess—Feminine of the preceding, only by indulging the
latter kind of habit she becomes sooner contaminated and
falls faster than the male cove.

€ovent Garden ladies—Those who frequent the upper boxes
or infest the saloon, and show off under the Piazza, were so
denominated, and a descriptive list of them published an -
nually, by one Harris. Glanville, living under the Piazzas,
published " The Fashionable Cypriad" two years, with the
same view.

Coventry.—He is sent thither (ideally), against irfbom a party
turn their backs: " Gone off by the Coventry coach.

Cboer, (field-sports)—a thicket of more or less extent, in which
the game pursued shelters itself. The as&msp is covert,

58 C.OU—COW

(anciently convert,) when secluded, but when he comes
forth he is said to * break cover.⁹

" l*ben haste, haste away, lis the enlivening view hallo,
. See Reynard breaks cover and flies j
The bounds true to. scent, bis track quickly follow,
And loud tally-hoes rend the skies/⁹

' Sportsmen £oing to coyer/ are approaching the place of
concealment in order, to rouse the fox, &c. (anciently it
was covert).

"' Halloo into covert,⁹ old Anthony cries,
And no sooner spoke than he Reynard espies."

Again,

The fox for shelter vainly flies;
Add caverns in the corerls strong,
His cunning vainly tries."

A horse is said to cover a mare when he effects procrea-
tion. * To cover/ in wagering, is to put down as much
money as the opponent. * Put down and I'll cover,⁹ i. e.
produce the like sum for a wager.

Counts-was a term applied to men of wealth who joined hear-
tily in general company. We have known count Fig, count
Calico, and count Carter. All however are extinct, the
last-mentioned count having been absorbed in * MoWy.'
Count Ugly is given to any queer-mugged one who pres-
seth forward much, and was first fastened with truth upon
Heidegger of the Pantheon, by Pope and Swift.

Comter-hit (ring)—when b^th hit from the same side, as a
left-hander for a right. See Return blow.

Countrymen—none are so but what come from Ireland,- in
the opinion of some; all others are ' dirty English/ or
* lousy Scotch.'

Cowpte;?—collars for greyhounds, or hound3, which attach
two together.

Coursing—either hare, fox, or deer; the following in sight
with greyhounds, the first-mentioned in particular; mostly
practised to ascertain the comparative fleetness of the
breeds of the canine, and when for stakes, they meet in a
paddock, or enclosed mile.

Coto—an opprobrium addressed to a fat woman; but if She be
dirty, also, she is ' an old sow.' Cow is the name given
to a revolving chimney-pot, and made of tin. Cow's baby
—a calf, and so is any lubberly kind of a feHow.
Cow (v.)—to cow, to bend down the spirit and coinage of
any one, whence ' coward." - « When Gribb obtained a*

C R A—C R O .59

advantage, his friends' loud plaudits emed Moiineux.
Pancratia, 369.

* Crabs /'—exclaimed after a losing throw to the main at
hazard.

A Crack—House-breaking. Cracksman, a housebreaker or
'burglar. Also, ' To crack* to brag: ' To crack a whid,'

to' give a prisoner a character—good. Crapped—buns.
- Crap—money, and the whole of it that could be obtained.
Crash—is derived from the chase; the din of men, hounds,

dogs^ &c. when the fox breaks cover being a crash*

"-See there—how the murtherer flies!'
How well out of cover the hounds.;
Ye gods! what a. crash tends the skies!.
The scent—how it.burns o'er the ground."

Craven Stakes—smaH sums (as 10 guineas) subscribed to be

> raced for by horses of every age, 2 or 3-year-olds and up-
wards, weight for age. The tirst meeting at Newmarket,
in April, is called the' Craven Meeting/ Derived probably
from an> earl of that name,.who instituted such. They were
then 5-guinea stakes (1771). 'A complete Craven Meeting,
was said jocosely by someone, of a lot of such * AH aged'
running up and down, as at Smithfield, Craven Bui:
Speaking of the Craven Stakes, at Epsom, (1822) the
Spirting Editor of the Weekly Dispatch (May 26,) says
(sapiently,) " If the horses had been nearer, alike, it would
have been a much better race." A. Why ees, measter.
Paddy, only they would not then have been- ' Crajren/

Creature—another name for gin, or other strong drink.

Crib~B, small house; a minor pubticrhouse is a- lush-exib.
To crib—to purloin, in little. « Cribby islands,' said of po-
pulous poor neighbourhoods*

Crinkum crankum—a woman's, misdoings, who is. untrue to

- • her deceased husband. Local, of the' Nywt towns/ in
Devonshire and-Sussex..

Crispin—9l shoe-manufacturer; and hi* full drest is only
complete when in> half-boot*, and white stockings*

Croaker—one who never abstracts himself from the ills of life,
and conjures up imaginary ones. Political, croakers are
feigners of bad news and bad,omens*. To Croak-r-to die.

* Qtook your elbow¹—an oath whereby the juror wishes his
arm may never come, strait, if 'tis a lie.. Much used in

: Spain*—the speaker crying out" Arrievo"

^4dfctta»fe-~a knocked-kneed sptyfiCt, or. one whose shins>
are like cheese-cutters.

W C R O—C ft Y

Cross, or perbaps acros*-—the Jote-fiftger* being so placed in
the rotunda of the Bank, means the parties crossing shall
cheat a third person of one shilling and threepence, the
half or division of an eighth of a pound sterling, which they
between them subtract from the third person upon every
£100 stock transferred.

Cross-men—those who rob persons are so called; and to * live
upon the cross' is to exist by dishonest means. ' A cms*
cove' is applied to a swindler of every degree. 'The cross—
oheatery and robbery; thus, when prize-boxers agree be-
forehand which shall win, 'tis a cross, in order to cheat
third persons out of their wagers. ' Cross-jarvy with a
cross-rattler*—a ,«o-thief driving his hackney-coach.

Gross-built—aukwardness, shown in the gait, ' A cross-bulk
covey' is one whose hips and heels work by inversion, as
regards his shoulders and knees, like the joints of a
pendulum.

Oross-Jmttock (ring, &c.)—when one man can get his hip-bone
hard against his antagonist, equally low down, twisting
him with head and limbs off his balance, any how, the
latter receives a heavy fall or throw on his head—'tis a.
settler for him.

Croupier—an attendant on Rouge et Noir parties, who draws
to' him the winnings, pays the losses, and of&erwtse assists
the dealer—he is confidential clerk to the bank, at any
given HelL

Crow (v.)—to exult over another; to threaten, is to crow.
Cowards crow most, and unseasonably—so do coward
chickens. Crows are those about gambling-bouses, whs
crow up the honour of others, or the fairness of the play,
and will attest the truth of any lie. See Rook.

Chummy*— plump, fat, soft in tacio; principally applied ts
females, wta/nay be⁶ Arms fall of joy for Johnny, OS De-
rived from* crumbs,' the fragments of b©& bread. •

Crump—a hump, of hump-backed mam is a crump, «s used

in our old translation of " the Arabian Nights.'' Crumpets

were i»is-sh«pen tea-loaves: to crumple (v.)—>to wrinkle np

heedlessly, as paper.

" Tai» is the Cowmlk the erumphd boa,
That *o4»4 tte Man *U shaven sad shorn," &e»

⁴ €fy,*{gtfeftt) and little Wool'-r-set tMwep'stasnriags* the event

of taking the last fieetee is crowded with^L three,' off ' *hree

times Are*' according to the t*£*e of the dheetwoy. wkfcfc

CUB*-CUR 61

again witt be guided in great measure by the quantity of
v/oel shorn; not so, however, the pompous, inflated grower,
who would make his neighbours to understand and feel his
accession of power (riches) and induceth very much shout-
ing or crying e«t. ' A crying sin'—transgressions well
known, that demand amendment Cries of London; not
always comprehended by*o» obsetvant persons: * Weep!*
cries the dhimney-sweeper; ' Loo f weeps the milkman.
⁴ Green Heestins,' are pease, and ' Sithes thee grind,' ex*
presses a wish to amend the sempstresses* forceps. See

Cubt—' Punishment by the Cubit;' the tread-mill, Cubit be-
ing the inventor's name. See Round+ubout.

CiK»mAertt~taylors; becaase both are ssady^—root and cove*

Cue; properly Queue, a tail—is the strait stick played with
at Billiards and Bagatelle. When puppyism reigned in
the land, the best men wore their hair en queue behind,

. *» toupt* hi front, and curls of two or three tier on each
side. ' The eue,^f is also (among players), the tail or last

. words' ending each speech, and is the signal for the prolo-

. entor so begin his say.

CuU—the meaning has quite changed sides within a sew
years.- Fsgmerly a cuH was a prostitute's favourite;
now, however, 'tis a customer of any sort who pays for
* fkvan secret, sweet, and precious/ Poll Ellis carried a

. great basket-reticule, she said, the better to catch cuils.
Cutty is bet a variation, Minerva says of Hercules, that
he ' her-cull-is,' whence his name.

Cunningberry, also Cunningham—a half-witted fellow.

Cups. * In his cups'—when he has taken one or two more

than usual. A Cup is also a small earthen vessel with

which each person was furnished at the fea&tings of the

olden folk, after a hunt, <fec. and this being repeatedly

filled by the servitor ambulant, was heW up with a cheer or

chevy, whence the terms * good <*heer/ * cheerful,' '&c.

" Then remember, Whereveryotrr gdMet is found,
When a cup to the smile of deer woman goes rotmtf,
Oh remember the mite sat* adorns her si home."

Cwr^-a cur is a coward, whether man or dog. " When they
were on tbe ground, The Sprig of Myrtle again had re-
course to his currish tricks, by biting Stockman's shoulder."
Curls—human teeth obtained by the body-snatchers.
~ "a two-wheel xhaise, with a pole &r driving two

6* CtfS—CYP

horses side by side; derived from ' ChmrirJ to rail, or

from * Coracling,' when the horses do not step out together*
Customer—one cheapening a horse is ⁴ a pretty customer,* if

he offer much less than the animal costs. In the ring, a
' man who is ready to fight any proper-person is' in want of

a customer.* - ■

'Cut.'—Drunk; also, the old name of an engraving. To cut,

to quit and go away—from ' cutting the cable.' Naval..

(See Knife. Ghise.) ^%

' Cut bene*—to talk smoothly.

Cut{y.y~to sever connection with an undesirable acquaintance,.
. neighbour, or old friend. Many degrees of cutting occur
to the mind : if slightly known as a fellow-traveller, the
cutter insists he never was at the place, nor sailed in the
vessel mentioned; and finally denies his own name* This

'. is the cut obtuse. To look an old friend in the face, and affect
not to recollect him; this is the cut direct To look any
where but at him; is the cut modest ot cut indirect* To for-
get names with a good grace; as, instead of Tom, Dick, or
. Harry, to address an old friend with—" Sir_f^v or * Mister—.
What's your name ?" This is the cut courteoH. To dart up
an alley, dash aeross the street, slip into a shop, or do any
thing to avoid the trouble of nodding to sonje one; is the
cut circumbendibus. (See Rump.—:Knife_% it.)

Cut Capers—* fte cut capers for joy,' i. e. danced about.

' The Bristol-man set-to with a caper/ Dancing-masters.

live by cutting capers-; whence the Epitaph, on one, a&.

Prynylls, in Brecknockshire:—.

Man's life's a vapoar,

And f«U of woes;.
t£e cuts a caper,
^ And down he goes.

⁹Cute; sharp, knowing—Acute abbreviated.,

' 'Gad t I was so cute, when the players cont'd down,
I ax'd< How d'ye do P _vof the show-folk."

Cutting-out—in Cocking 'tis usual for one of a brood to be-
taken from the rest and sacrificed to a stronger fowl—or
' cut out,' in order to ascertain the bottom of his brothers.

Cyprians—high flash for whores, derived from. Cyprus, the.
residence of Calypso_h ' th6 first going,' as to era and qua-
lifications.

D A B—D AN 63

Dab—a bed; and sixpence is the price for a dorse. It is not
every ' roosting-ken' where they will let. people lie a bed
all day, nor enter after twelve o'clock in the Darkey.

Dabster—⁴ The Pink of Bow is a dabster at skittles, and so

•" <£nt Joe Mewbut the Matter would not put up with a dab
in the chops from the former.

Dace—two-pence; Deux, pron. slummily. Dace-head—a
silly, mouthing fellow, having leatheih lips and bis teeth
in his throat, like the fish so named.

Daddle, the hand, right—' Tip us your doddle;' shake hands
to confirm a bargain, or make up a quarrel; or previously
to fighting, as if saying, * no deadly animosity exists/

Dairies—woman's breasts.

* Damn a horse if I do'—originally it was (no doubt) damn

me for a horse.

Dandy—an invention of 1816, and applied to persons whose
extravagant dress called forth the sneers of the vulgar;
they were mostly young men who had this designation,
and they were charged with 'wearing stays—a mistake
easily fallen into, their wide web-belts having that ap-
pearance. Men of fashion all became dandy soon after;
having imported-a good deal of French manner in their
gait, lispings, wrinkled foreheads, killing king's English,
wearing immense plaited pantaloons, the opat cut away,
small waistcoat, with cravat and chitterlings immense:
Hat small; hair frizzled and protruding. If one fell down,
he could not rise again without assistance. Yet they assumed
to be a little au militaire, and some wore mustachios. Lord
Petersham was at the head of this sect of mannerists*⁴

Dandyzette—feminine of the preceding: her characteristics
were, a large poked bonnet, short petticoats much flouneed,
and paint. When she walked she kept the step with her

* Dandy, as if they had been drilled together in Birdcage-
walk. Dandy-ism—pertaining to Dandy. ' See Jack o^fDandy. ^ *

Dandymania—the rage or desire to become dandyfied. In
the- reign of Mary I., square-toed shoes were in fashion,
and the Dandies of that day wore them so prodigiously
broad, that a royal proclamation was issued, ordering
that no man should wear his shoes above six inches square:
at the toes*

DAN-DE A

Dandy Horse—Velocipede, or instrument for journeying far •
and faBt: two wheels, one behind the other, supporting a
bar of wood; the.traveller gets across and propels himself
forward, by striking his feet against the ground. Hundreds
of such might be seen in a day; the rage ceased in about
three years, and the word is becoming obsolete.

Darbies—Irons, fetters; not so much used on culprits re-
cently, being restricted in the Newgate regulations to
malefactors, or convicted felons. Formerly, the free in-
tercourse which existed between the outside and the inside
of the jug just named, begat a practice of silvering over
the darbies of big rogues: now disused.

" Come cattle up your darbies."

* The Dafby-roH¹—discharged felons, who have long worn
' the darbies, fancying they are still fettered, acquire a roll

In their gait—not easily overcome.
Darhtrians—a dark lanthorn. Darkey, night. ' Bene darkey,

good night.

Davy*s Locker—the other world; in death's keeping—>

" And if to old Davy I go, my dear Poll,

You never may hear of me more." Disnur.

The word may not, however, be originally naval. When

David Garrick died, his brother George went soon after,

and was said to be ' Gone to Davy ⁹

Day-lights—the eyes; whilst night-lights are lanthorns.

" The hero (Achilles) in his tent they found, }

His day-lights fixed upon the cold, cold ground."

Deadly lively—is one who is half stupid, but pretending to
his wonted activity and nous.

Dead-weight—Merchants and tradesmen talk of their partners
in trade who do not * Push along keep moving/ as * dead
weight* upon the concern. In turf affairs ' dead weight'
is that addition which a light-weight jockey wears about
him, to being him to a certain ponderosity : Tis very in-
convenient sometimes to the jockey.

¹ Deadys, a drop of Gin,—so called after the rectifier's
name in reality, without slangery. Deady is dead, now;
and fchis word mast be transferred to our addenda in (he
next edition.

Dealer, a general'—a species of fence very common m the
City, which sprung up with thp necessities of the war, and
are continued by the influence of the Insolvent Act: tbey

D E E—D B V 6*

bay* at fuarter*e$*t, goods of multifarious kinds—no mat-
ter how obtained. ⁴ A dealer and chapman' is one who
is bui just within the meaning of the bankrupt laws; and
' Dealer in marine stores* placed over the shop (?)~-" in
letters four inches high"—but so slender as to be scarcely
legible, ase rogues * by the first intention/ according to
act Of parliament. A dealer at a Rouge et Noir table; he
who shuffles the card*, and deals destruction upon the
. taettg-cofour men.

Deer—the genus cervi, generally; differing in habitudes on
the same lands, they become more distinct in various
countries, forming the highest species of field-sports every
where. We have the hart and hind, buck and doe, (indi-
genous), and lately imported the rein-deer of Lapland and
Ctrvi WapeU of the Missouri. Oar native deer are those
of antler and the pole—the red and the fallow; the former
come out nearly white, and obtain colour the third or fourth
yout; rod deer (all red) are indigenous of Devon; others,
the face only, brown sides and black striae down the back.

Derby (the)—Sweepstakes so called, after the late Earl Derby,
instituted 1780, are for 3-year-olds, 50 guineas each, held
annually at Epsom, in May. They run a mile and three-
quarters, carrying—_:colts 8 st. 7 lb., fillies 8 st. 2 lb. .53
jhfcses were subscribed for these stakes in 1822, The
second horse in receives £100.

Derby-weights—are those just mentioned. Gentlemen running
matches of 3-year-olds often agree upon' Derby weights/
or, from some trivial circumstances of less age or height,
demand to ' threw off a pound or two of the Derby/

Degrees—a jail-bird is aaid to have taken his degrees who hat
inhabited one of those ' academies' called starts: He is
entered and matriculated by a whipping bout; three months
quod makes him an under-graduate; six months a batche-
tor of arts; twelve months more is the gradu doctoris to-
wards his final promotion.

Demirep—feminine of Buck, Swell, and Corinthian, which see.

Denim—a small walking-stick.

Derry-down triangle-^-B, name bestowed upon Castlereagh,
the Irish member for Londonderry, for his services during
the insurrections of 1796—8, when the Paddies' backs
were tickled at the haJberts, under the auspices of said Irish
secretary.

Devil—He is brought in to aid in every case, thus—⁴ Ai

D IA—D IC

mire as you are there, and I am here, and-God^!s in heaven
and the devil's in Ireland/ Devilish is used as a superla-
tive by many men, who are devilish foolish when they say,
they are either devilish queer or devilish cold, devilish glad

V or devilish sad—the devil being neither of these.

' Diamond-bright*—said in allusion to a man's faculties, when
they are * diamond-bright/ Spoken also of woman's eyes,
sparkling. ' Bright as a ruby;', has the same origin in
things precious, with similar allusion to the state of health
in a horse, a man, &c. Tis

' Diamond cut diamond' when two sharpers meet.

Dib-chick-~VL choice "or favorite cock-chicken, a pet of the
walk, and applied to her fancy-man by Chloris. •

D. /.—Bitch-in course at Newmarket; from the Ditch to-
wards the town, it is 2 miles 97 yards; is a plain, and good
for four-year-olds. The D. M. wants 42 yards of a mile in
length.

Diabohts Regii—the King's Attorney-general; so appalled by
' the great " little Waddington/' radically speaking, in Co?
ram Banco Regis. The Radical used diavolus, which would

* be the same thing—hispanically speaking; and the Time-
rian critic was out, hypercritically out, when he attempted
to alter the nominative into Regius.

Dice, Dies^-nqutLTe pieces of ivory, the six sides whereof are
marked with spots, ascending to that number from one.

. They are made, as the name imports^ of a true die, or
square; but the material (ivory) being harder and heavier,
as it may be cut nearer to the centre of the tooth* one
side of each die will ever be disposed to lie undermost—

' and this is its bias or tendency. To find out this bias, the
proficient Leg spends a day or two in throwing them in
every varied manner; now rolling them out of the box
gently, now rudely, now amongst the men, (in back-
gammon) then against the sides. ' Loaded Dice* is the
most flagrant of the robberies carried on in ' the Hells of

* the metropolis;' a hole being drilled near a corner, lead is
.cast into the cavity, and an ivory screw covers the impos-

' ture. In playing, the leg gets one finger into the box,
placing it upon one or more of the dies, whereby he can
insure a heavy throw nine times out of ten.

Dickey—when made of flannel, His an undermost garment.
feminine. Dickey—half a quarter of a shirt, covering the
breast only (all frill) forming one of the necessaries through-

D I C-D I S 67

Out the French army [old regime] and of two or three regi-
ments in the British. It resembles a ladies'^u Habit-shirt,"

• to which the gentlemanly reader will please to turn. Wag-

foners' frocks, when short, are but Dickeys. ' 'Tik. all
*ickey^? with a man, when he is upset in trade, or ¹ likely
' to swing for it.' * Dickey Gossip,' Dick Suet; and since
*twas all dickey with him, extended to any gossipping per-
- son, who therein makes a fool of himself. ⁴ As tight as
Dick's hat-band;' he certainly drew the band tight, did
Dick Smith. He was a Dorchester Coachman forty-five
years ago, and had an habitual hoarseness; " A hem! said
Dick Smith," when he wanted a dram and pointed to the
bottle.

Dickey-box—the seat at the back of a stage-coach, outside.
Dicky Diaper—a linen-draper. In^France, they acquire the

title of * jeune Calicot/
Diddle—to cheat by sneaking means. To coax or cajole
, a person out of small sums, parasitically. Diddler—he

who diddleth. Vide Jeremy Diddler: " Here is a letter
.. arrived, you haven't such a thing as tenpence about you,
- have you V

l&vgr-to steal by a single effort. * To- ding a castor;' to
. .snatch off.a ^at and run with it: if he throws it away,

the thief considers he has; then dinged it; and the word

would imply—itfledjin both cases. * Going upon the ding.

—-< Ding the tot,' run away with the whole—a* the pot

from tjbe fire, mutton and all.
Dining-room—the mouth. ' Dining-room chairs;' the teeth.
Dirty-butter^-* handsome lass with a thousand or two, is

no dirty butter. "* Adopted out of the Irish; and by them

pron. ' Dtrirty buttraJ
Dished-up—Dinners never undergo this ceremony until they

are done; a horseman is dished whenever he is thrown out

in the chace; and when gamblers have done with a pigeon,

he is dished also.

Dish'd—done for. A culinary idea.

* Mrs. Lobsky begged her company to take whate'er they widh'd;
Says Witt, ' don't wait for platei, if you do, you'll all be diah'd."

Distance (turf)—two hundred and forty yards is a distance,
and horses which are thus far from the winning-post in
one heat are not allowed to start again; such are set down

* as ' distanced.⁹ * Double-distanced* is the same thing, su-
perlatively— farrher off; ' out of sight,' expresses it as
welj.

ft} DOG

Dive (v.), and JDtws (n. s.)—an old term for picking of
pockets, into which the hands of the thieves or divert are
said to dive*

" Ye«camp«, ye pads, and diveis, and aU totn the fey,
* In TothiE-fiekU gay sheep-walks, like lambs who skip tad flay/¹

Do.—' A do' is a cheat in trading, as selling a lame horse for
a sound one. ' A gallows da/ it is wh*n any of the pftrty
may be nippered and split upon. Do is derived from the
chase term: when a head of deer is taken, they say 'Do
him/ L e. cut his throat and chop off his head \ then * he it
done,'

" Ha! dead/ ware dead! whip off
And take especial care;
Dismount with speed and cut his throat,
• JUest tfeey his haunches tear:
He's dons j a*d a hunting wfe will ge,* &*.

Do him, Joey: i. e. let fly and kill Mm.

Dock* 4c is « in<dbck⁹ with a vengeance, wfofr has ooeanioa for
the Mae pill and a spftUng-CRsh; sometimes* however,
brings ate itet earned so fkr: aavat men, from whom we
have the wotd, know that a ship may be h»ve down and
careened (cleansed out), and have her bottom scraped, with*
out going into dock. Butt-dock—a waiting-worn, whera
culprits anatousry look to the moment when {like dry-
safes) they shall change their Jtate to that of convUti.

. Derived probably frocn to dock, to cut off, a* these art—
front society. Dvcked^]* said of a horse which has recently
lost its tail. " My colt, rising tbree->y*ar* old, was so
dock'd and crapr/d and nick'd and trimmed, that I scarcely
knew him again, bat he knew me.*'

Doctor, The~the last throw at play—whether of dice or b«e»
pins. 'Tis also that heterogeneous mixture with which
pubheans doctor their beer, spirits, and wine.

Doodle~doo man—a cock-tighter or breeder.

" 1% race my Jack, o* bait a bell,

Or pit my dood/e~doo ;
Can flash a quid with any cutt, -
And fly the pigeon blue."

Dodge—to follow at a distance, within sight.

Dog—That man is a dog who behaves like one. Thus * nasty
dogs eat dirty pudding/ Habit is second nature; and the
man who is scandalously inclined, talks like a scoundrel of
scandalous people. ' Dog cant eat dogbut dog always
bow-wows about dogs,

DOO—DOW

Dog's aw * Or,, half a pint of beer cold as a tfogr's nose is,
with a glass of brandy mixt, and still it win be no warmer.
This is a dose for a coachman, guard, or any other out-all-
night man, who would preserve his trachea and glottis
from the operation of the cold air.

Jk>tibp~—1he whole sum of money.

Dontino«box~~4he mouth and teeth.

A Am^-at play; he who excels and is lucky. Also, a high-
born person, or seemingly so.

¹ Done, he is'—said of a Hart when his throat is cut. So is
sl man done, when his career is stopped. ⁴ Done brown,⁹a culinary idea, adopted by gamblers who can play no
more, font d'argent.

Dormeken. Ken—a little house, and donnez, give (gift) com-
pose this necessary nomen. See Jacob.

Dorse, sleep—See Dab, Listener. ⁴ Some men are sent to
dorse by the most trivial blow on the right place'—i. a.
upon the jugular or carotid artery.

Dose—a man is supposed to have * Oct his dose⁹ when he has
been well thrashed. Thence probably comes * a douse in
the-chops,' and 'douse, or<4osl bis jacket weti;*

Dover Waggoner, (the)—* Put this reckoning .up to hhrjf&md;-

nounced Owing, 'tis left unpaid.

* Double (ley—-pronounced in French, whence the term
comes, though 'tis good English also; the imitation of
some high bit of blood by a second or third-rate blood, in
dress, manner, gait, and conversation. This was 'carried
no far after the short campaign, that when the principals
returned with the loss of an arm or an eye, their doubles also
slung an arm or patched an eye: lord Anglesey's doubles
became sympathetically stiff in a leg apiece. Most pro-
fessed gamblers pick out some nobleman of their own
height whom to personate, or double. Piercy Roberts is
le double of H. M. Geo. IV., and Bob Roberts formerly
doubled Ld. Percy.

Down and Vp—are used synonymously by some careless ^o-
pie, who disregard etymologies; as mere downey coves,
who Irnow how to pick pockets, or gamble cleverly, or how a
man can ⁴ get off the capital⁹ (i. e. avoid hanging) or being
lagged, bottled, or even stagged-; but who are not up to the
art of writing or that of pricking in the garter, nor can ex-
pound the law of felony or of aison. indeed, the one may

7Q DOW^DRE

be considered as most appropriate to the lower affairs of hie
—whence down; the other to arts, science, philosophy, and
school learning. Thus a Bishop may be up to the classics,
but he is not down to foraging like a soldier* A cobbler
is down upon the most prizeable sorts of leather; but he is
not up to the best mode of tanning it. " I was up to his
slang and down upon his tibi," means a knowledge of the
kids' talk, and of his loco-motions, or what he would be
after, what was to be the effect thereof. •

'Down upon his luck'—a man who is in the mumps by rea-
son of his losses, is said to be down upon his luck; when
his liberty or life is placed at stake by his misfortunes, he
is then ' down upon himself.' A woman who cries bitterly
is equally down, or 'in a gallows-taking fit.' * Downey
coves,' men who are knowing upon ordinary matters; e. g.
" We inquired of Jack Acherley, Jack Watkins, and others,
the most downey coves of the dog-fighting and bull-hanking
system, which way the rum-titum was gone," &c. No
down' among thieves—none know of our doings.

J)rag—any wheeled vehicle drawn by a horse; but a cart is
the radix of drag; any thing inferior, drawn by cat's«-meat
cattle is a thing indeed. Drag's-man, a carman.

' Drain, of gin'—the third person in a quartern of gin, when
the glass is too large for,⁴ three outs.⁹ <

Draw.—' To draw a wjpe,' a tattler, or reader, is to pull
either article from the pocket of a person. ' I drawed the
cove,' I robbed the person alluded to. ' Come, I say,
we're go'en on the draw*—going out to rob. To draw one
in conversation, is to extract his secrets from him. * Draw
the badger' [Pit], is performed thus: an oblong badger-
box being provided, which has its smaller end with a door
to it, the dog is permitted to run in and seize the badger
(in spite of his teeth), which he draws forth by running
backward, or his owner (player) pulls the dog out per
queue. This being repeated as often as may be, until the
dog refuses the badger, constitues the game. See, also,
* Badger-baiting J To draw a bet—is for each to receive
back his stake. A draw in backgammon or draughts, is
that final state of the game when neither party can win. A
huntsman with his terriers and hounds is also found ' upon

' the draw,* occasionally, but then this is of * a covert.'

Dreams—visits paid by the stomach to the brain, by deputa-

. tion of fume and consequent impregnation of folly: those

1> RE-D R O 71

impressions being related shows the fool, or being acted
upon evinceth the dupe; he is ' a dreamer wide awake'
who takes his impressions from the stomach and may be
, said to follow beef, or to be ' led by the nose,' culinasily.

Dress-house—ladies who rely much upon appearances when
they show in the lobbies, repair to dress-houses for loans-of
habits suited to the seasons. They are expected to return
—' body and goods* before morning.'

Drink—beer, or perhaps ale in some districts, is to be under-
stood as meant. * Strong drink,' spirits. 'He's gone a
drinking'—means liquor. 'Drunk, positively;' too much
for a man's reasoning powers. * Drunk as Chloe;' she
must have been an uproarious lass. * Drunk as Davy's
sow;' a heavy swinish departure of the faculties. A thou-
sand other grades of drunkenness might be quoted, but we
cite only one more: * as drunk as a fiddler's bitch/ would
imply, that the patient has the buz of music in his ears and
will not sit quietly, but danceth about. " Dear me! you
are drunk, Mardin,'' said his wife; " what have you been
about ?"—" My dear," replied the old file, " I've been
drinking "

Drinking time—four o'clock, usually, with mechanics and
other labourers.

Drop (the)—Jack Ketch's shop of work. The finishing na-
ture of the thing and the known accuracy of its machinery,
begets many sublime ideas, and the oath or asseveration
' Drop me if I do' is considered much more binding upon
certain persons than swearing by the prophets, or perdi-
tion, because it comes nearer their business and bosoms
who use it; 'tis a thing ever before their eyes, i. e. every
six weeks or so, and towards which all their movements
tend, as regularly as herrings seek the sun.

Drops—glasses of spirits; gin generally. To drop the blunt,
to pay freely. In the ring—a blow by which a man is sent
down on the spot where he stands, like being shot

Drove of Oxen, drove of Sfyeep—so there are droves of peo-
ple/ « There were such droves at Camberwell fair,' means
that the people pushed along in large numbers. Turnpike
tolls are collected upon sheep by the drove, upon oxen by
the score. At Highgate, toll is taken only of Sundays,
but if a bull* be among the drove, it pays separately: Rr-
chards the gate'-honse-keeper, long employed his female
waiter upon this duty, which she exercised with due dis-

D R O—D U M

crimination, nor ever thought have reswott tor

believing.

Drover—a man employed to conduct cattle and sheep in
flmithfield, Ac; regulated by statute and numbered, those
drovers (four or 6re hundred in number), are supposed
to be habitually cruel. They are the subject of many
st pathetic appeal to the Howe by soft-hearted members.
' Duo your mummer'—shut your mouth.
^f jBafrfo^-moncy, of the copper kind. ' Down with your
dabbs,' at cards of small play* or stakes for a subscription
dinner of steaks or cawchery. ' Dub up/ to pay at once.
* Dub at a napping gigger.' A Turnpike man.
• Ducks and Drakes⁹—to make, of his property, a man «e -sup-
posed to kick it and flap it about any how. * Lame ducks⁹at tile Stock Exchange, are those who make bargains to sell
Stock, which they have not, or to buy, without blunt suffi-
cient; the bargains being made for days at a distance—
_ when they ^c waderle out/

Duel—two testy chaps firing at each other, until they are
tired, or one drops, and thus brought about: one tt&cs wd*
^; %rage, practises a bit, sends a letter in a curst stew, gives

no time for reflection or-loses no opportunity, tc&es

aim ("ah, aim] and hits his man. " When I saw Mr. Stuart's
ma rising very steadily up, Iieit anxiously for the fate of
Sir Alexander. - Vide^ fi videnee of the deceasedV second
{Mr. Douglas). The murderous practice has declined
flmch; sensible people new-a~day generally have'recourse
to those arms alone which God sends—Pwgrfism. ©amblers
are all good shots, (must be learnt se defensie) and gene-
rally bring down annually a pigeon or two—apiece—i. e.
—bald-coots.

Duffers—vendors of goods, assuming various characters, who
atop strangers m the streets with well-formed lies of India
goods, of smuggled bargains, and friends arrived from
abroad. * Buffers⁹ was long time their title.

JStofe—serrowful moan, as that made by the Dove; thus an
assembly of these birds, is called * a Bute of Doves/

JSHm (v.)—to haunt debtors for money.

Du~~mmic~~'—B. pocket-book. Dumby—a dumb fellow; three
brothers, Jew pedlars, travel the town, and are called the
three Dumbies.

S BO—EVE

i#o»y~-Black-wood or any other b--. At Edinburgh at

present; up at Attica as soon as he reads ' these few lines

. hopping;' at hammer-and-tongs as soon as he arrives ; at
supper in twenty-four hours after—along with Polonius:
Hie jacet Ebonites. The —- wood may be obtained by
stirring a bog-house with a broomstick (secundam artem)
and one end will thus become Ebony—this is * the sh—n
end of the stick.' " If he (Leigh Hunt) dares to go to
Rome, we shall send over Hog to assassinate him."—Vide
Blackwood's Mag. No. 71, p. 780: N. B. Mr. L. H. was
then at Pisa, or Florence, and would probably go to Rome.

Ear-wigged—one who is addressed in whispers is ear-wigged
by the speaker, who is invariably a fellow of small parts,
not to say a rascal, who is scandalising some one, falsely.

Eccentrics-*an assembly of high fellows, similar to and spring-
ing out of * the Brilliants' (which see). Held at Tom
Rees's, in May's-buildings, St. Martin's-lane, cinta 1800.

Edge. Edge-off—To lay wagers contrary wise; in general,
'tis done to advantage, by taking more odds than are given;
and betting is then' rendered a safe game, no matter which
side wins.

' Elbows, out at'-—(Bon-ton)—one, who has mortgaged every
thing—including his honour.

To Enter, a horse—to inscribe his name for a certain stakes
or plate. To enter a hound—his first essay at the chase.
0.—a circular table, the radius of which is divided into
compartments marked alternately E and O, and people
stake their money on either. On a pivot in the middle
moves a rotatory clock-like hand, and which-ever letter
its point stands at, those players win equal to their stakes;
the others are losers to the Bank. There are also two
barred letters E and O, to either of which should the hand
point, whatever may be staked on the letter is swept into
the Bank. This game was first set up about 1760, by one

C-, at Tunbridge Wells assembly-rooms; two and

a-half per cent, was then paid to the table, and was found
a profitable speculation.

Evergreen—an aged buckish sprig, who pertinaciously resists

. the attacks of old Time in the winter of his days, and is
considered^-by ^fa fine allusion to the Vegetables/that
never sjied their leaves—' an Evergreen.'

E X A—F A N

Exaltation of Larks—is said by bird-fanciers of several larks
when they ascend, in alto, until out of sight, but not out of
bearing. Tw the finest word, so Applied, as is to be found
in any language from the time Babel was deserted to the
day of the publication of this Baiatrenic Lexicon. In poe-
tic language larks are spoken of as songstresses, though
the male only sings.

Extras, (turf)~r-a few pounds weight are put on some horses,
by reason of their having won before, as dibs, for each
plate, or fifty pounds. Sometimes more, if both parents
have been winners; always for age and height in Give and
Take plates, but not now much used. See Allowances.

Exquisite (an)—r.another name for Bandy, but of more refined
or feminine manners. The Ckzoniele says, " It is a mot
than an Exquisite fainted away on Friday, Dec. 20th, in
Bond-street, and was assisted into a shop, where he re-
mained some time before he recovered. Medical aid
being sent for, it was ascertained that his valet had laced
his stays too tight/* Such were * Dandy-prats/ circa 1750.

Eye-water^- Brandy—rmis taken! y used of gin also—■ Wet the
other eye/ take another glass; probably the word should
be whet, from to whet, to sharpen, or brighten up the eyes—
which drams effect awhile. ' AH my-eye*—»an abridged
expression. See Betty Martin.

Facer (ring)—^?a straight blow imparted on the face.

Factotum—mistakenly used for 'facf,' by the Humgumptious.
Rightly it means—one acting for another in all things.

Faddee (Billingsgate)—stale fish,, the film of the eyefc be-
ing dull and loose, they say ' peu Jraddee' for fide, faded.

Fair-weather Friends (bonrton)—those who quit a man in
adversity, real or supposed. •

Fall—a fall of woodcocks, is said of many being discovered
together. In ring affairs, a fall is a throw upon the ground
which one boxer gives another at in-fighting. See Throw.
So in wrestling for ^c the fan.'

Famms¹—the hands. ' His famms are too Cold to frisk.'
- Fanner—a long-slash whip, with whicji to fan off curs.

Fotradiddles—lies of the amusing kind*

FqntaU-boys—dust-men, Fdnfailers—fellows with long-tail
"Coats, which may have been made for much taller men, and
which fly up in the faces of others passing by. -

F A R—F E N

fames; (stud)—an ignorant blockhead without education, a
worker in iron (fer,ferrum), properly ferrier. The worst-
written treatise on this subject now extant is that by one
Clater; which, for excessive ignorance of diseases, and
utter stultification as to mixing of medicines, never was
surpassed: Let it be burnt by Jack Ketch.

Fawney—a ring; and ' the fawney rig* is pretending to find
one of gold, and disposing of it to a by-stander, as such-—
though 'tis but brass.

Fastener—a warrant, or writ.

Feather—to * ride a feather⁹ (turf)—very light jockies; boys
under six stone are said to ' ride a feather,' ' feather
weight' being the lightest that is to be had. Feathers,
Clothes are so called, mostly applied to the women, loosely.
" If I warn't going to church, nurse, I'd. take and pull off
eve^y precious feather from Ma'am Bonish's back." ' Fea-
thered his nest,' got together some property. When a wa-
terman handles his sculls well, he is said to feather them:

^a He feathered his oars with such akHI and dexterity,
Winning each heart and delighting each eye."

To Feague a horse—formerly a live eel was used, ginger be-
ing then dear. See Fig.

Feeder—2l Spoon (of silver). Feeder priggers frequent
coffee-houses.

Felo-de-se—Latin for self-murderer—often misused.

Fein* (ring)—a blow aimed at the head (say) but not sent
home, while the other hand alights on the mark.

Fence—the partition-mark of lands, as hedges, rail, boarding,
&c. In the chase, to leap over these is to fence; the horse
is ' a fencer/ and a good one, if six feet be cleared; but
when the hedge or mound is broad at top, and the pas-
sage is effected by leaping up and off—'tis then a cast.

The Farmer, not^€t by his fierce landlord awed j
But courteous now he levels every fence,
Joins in (he common cry, and hattoos loud,
Chapped with the rattling thumfer of the field."

Fence—-a receiver of stolen goods, stolen Bank-notes, &c.;

firing about 15s. in the pound for the latter, or less for
irger sums, and. small payments for other property; un-
less they be the real fogle. These pests are detectable
easily; lor the most part Jews,* they carry this property
into distant provinces, and frequently to Holland: com-
mon to both genders; and the house is sometimes so de-

e 2

76 F E R—F I G

signated in which the fence dwells. " Long Tom is off
to the fence (or gone a fencing) so let's have in a pint o'
rum, landlord.' ⁴ Fence it; damme, Jack, let us fence it."
A. * I tell you, the fence von't open before two of us at
one time.'

ferret (v.)—to haunt one for money. Pawnbrokers and
Tallymen are ferrets, also.

A Fetch, a heave, and a lifter, would be synonimous, if
they stood without context. Finesse being used to obtain
any man's secrets, is a fetch; \i much labour is employed,
resembling a heaving at the capstan, 'tis a heave; but a
single effort, by which the person operated upon is brought
to think highly of self, is a lifter.

Fib (v.)—to batter the head of an antagonist, (ring.) ^€ To
fib,' to lie.

Fibbing-gloak— a boxer professed* who misapplies his talents.

Fiddle-faddle—marks the conduct of those suitors, who have
not yet made up their minds to the wedding pitch.

Fieldom—Field-lane, Holborn, anciently Fay-lane, so a field -
lane duck is half a sheep's head, baked.

Fig, figged—ginger; little lumps whereof are thrust into the
rectum of horses to give them a short-lived vigour ; they
aje then said to be figged, and carry better while the
stimulus lasts; but horses of any original breeding after-
wards flag in their disposition, as if resentful of the beastly
indignity shewn them. Fellows there are who traverse
Smithfield of Friday evenings seeking for old Jigs.

' Fight in silver;' (cocking) i. e. in silver-spurs. * Fighting
captain,' * fighting-grenadier,' denote quarrelsome perso-
nages, clearly enough. Your fighting-dogs are known
by their aspect; but that man is a cur who won't fight
upon proper occasions. * Man-fights,' may be either
Pugilistic, Milling, Hammering, or mere boxing, all which
the inquisitive reader will please to consult; as also
* Duelling.'

Fighting—' in-fighting' is where the men come close to-
gether ; perhaps lay hold, struggle, try for the chancery
suit, and ultimately fall. It is frequently the termina-
tion of ' off-fighting;' which consists in placing a blow,
parrying it, and-returning with the like hand; or counter
hitting, then recovering the guard, or position, and de-
fending the vital parts as at first. ' Out-fighting a man/
is mostly-applicable to Millers, but may extend to all

F I L—FI R

classes of boxers: when a man repeats his blows more
fast and heavy than his opponent, the latter is ' out-fought/
Lacon, that gumptious fellow, says, ' An Irishman rights

. before he reasons; a Scotchman reasons before he fights;
an Englishman is not particular as to the order of prece-
dence, but will do either, to accommodate his customers!' *

Fillalu, an Irish botheration of many, v

Filly—she-horses under five years old. When fillies run
against colts they are allowed 5 pounds, as in the Derby,
though the Yorkshire, * quite unpolitely,' allow only 21b.
as the Doncaster, (St Leger), at York 31b. generally. In
matches they make especial bargains. * Filly-stakes,'
those wherein no colts do join. ' A pretty filly*.is turfish
for a young lass. * Fillies, running fillies, and entered
fillies,' express the condition of town-girls —usually such as
attend at races and parts adjacent.

Fin—the arm. * Wooden fin; naval, bu£ naturalised ashore.*
♦You little fin; low Cockney for fiend-like, devilish
temper.

- Fine-draw—to get at a secret by finesse.

Finish—(The) nearly obsolete; but connected with many an
early recollection. * Carpenter's coffee-house' in Covent-
garden, opposite Russell-street, is that building; which

- being opened soon after midnight, for the reception of
market-gardeners, admitted. also [not likewise] of other
folks, who might have been keeping it up—at Vauxhall, at
the Go, or else-where. Whence the expression for ' going
the rounds ' of several public places:' the jump, the go, and
the finish, finished me last night.' Carpenter, whose por-
trait even now overlooks the bar, was a lecher; his handy
bar-maid, Mrs. Gibson, a travelled dame, stick-secd-did
Carpenter; her daughter Bob Way wedded, but

Bobby Way, he vent avay
To Southern Africa-y;
And, at the present day,
*Tis kept by Georgey Way.

For about the half century just sketched, Theodore Savage
(an octagenarian) was the presiding genius of the little
ale-room, and often boasted to how many he had shewn
• the road home,⁹ by dint of the potent extract of malt and
hops-^-cwm max* et multis aliis. The Savage was a scholar
and chemist.

Fire-ship—a woman diseased. ' A frigate on fire,' the same.

P I R~ F I V

Fire-plug; ordinary people would imagine (his to be the
F..P. stuck up against many houses, to tetl how many
feet distant water-plugs may be found, in case of fire;
but, by the double, means the otherwise affected young
fellows who may have laid out their money badly in the
flesh-market.

Fishing— as a sport. Every method practised in fresh-
water rivers is so termed; even to dipping out a trout
decoy. Anciently, herring-catching was pursued as a
sport; a whale on the coast entangled among rocks or
flats is a fine treat, occasionally.

Fisgig~yig, or fun, made at or concerning another's phiz,
or face. ' Riz ma nez,⁹ in French; a part for the whole.
' Whizgtg,' as given for name to the duke of Grafton's filly
by Rubens out of Penelope, must have been an etymo-
logical mistake of Mr. RobsWs. See Whiz.

Fiszog^ot Physiog; the face. Used by people .who have
heard of Lavater's great work en physiognomy.

Fist—the hand, when the fingers are closed, or nearly so.
Mutton-fists, are those which have too much muscle for
the quantity of bone. ' Here's a fine hand /" exclaimed
a loo-player—⁴ yes,' rejoined his left hand player, ' His
like a shoulder of mutton/ Jove's fists must have been
most powerful:

He grasped me a* you ttotiM aft apple;
And from his mutton fist when huri'd,
For three long days and nights I Ufrtri'd.

In the ring, they are to be made up with the thumb outside,
covering the first knuckle of the fore-finger, and a little
more of the middle one: he who covers his thumb must
not At*—even a woolpack; he rs then * coney-thumbed.'
Neither does a pugilist quite close his fist until the bfow
is let go; millers and hammermen sk)bf>er-away as they
Hke. Fist is wholly masculine: when a female makes up
a fist, she is no longer a woman, and must be floored like
a man.

Ftf—meant to be the preterite of to fight. ¹ Ben's Wild father
fit him last night/ And see Misfit.

* Five over five*—said of pigeon-toed people, who tread with
toes tamed inward. Fives. * He keeps wis five* a-going*—
he robs constantly; and it applies to picking of pockets
chiefly. ' Bunch of fives,' the hand. See also Saddle
and Irons (thieving.)

F I V—F LA 79

^c Fives-court*—a large font-walled room, against one side of
which a ball being hit up with the pafcfn or fingers, and
the adverse party reherately returning the same, consti-
tutes the game of Fives. The word was once supposed
to be derived from the Jive fingers, played with, or upon
which the reckoning was kept. The game is fifteen at
single play, or threejSver; either {forty failing to get twice
five at the least, paid extra; if one five only, then double.
At the ' Five&court) hi St. Martin's-sfreet, pugilists hold
their sparring exhibitions; a few boxers in like manner
exhibit at the Tennis-court, Windmill-street.

13d£6eroast^d^staggered, whether, physically or mentally.
His colleagues were flabbergasted when they heard of
Castlereagh's sudden death: as the'Slang-whangers and,
Jargonic writers will be when they consult this work.
In ring-atfiarrs, a man may be flabbergasted by a flush hit
between the eyes, whether wkh the gloves'or without them.

Flame—the hymeneal torch barns with a lambent flame;
hence, a sweetheart is spoken of thus i ¹—- is my
Jsaine* ' My flame is a long time coining/ Common to
both genders.

j^/dhaes-Hred-haired peoplfe receive this appellation; but 'tis
mostly confined to wteales, e. g. ' Looking up to the
vomen's vard von day, vho should I fling my precious
ogles upon but Flashes—she as lived at the Blue Posts,
ye know, vhen Jemmy Soft vas tied up.'

Fhm—a lie. 'Flim-flam/ trans flimsy, unsubstantial.

Flannel (warm)—grog, punch, or gin-twist, with a dash of
beer in.

« My titttt oft tifrft <he knowing (Hv*,

When $ea~cr*bk gang uie stroH:
Unlets she did how could we thrive,

And in warm flannel roll.*

FlosA—the language we here explicate is ^c flash lingo,' to be
up to which is the earliest desire of all flashy coves who
may not yet be fly thereto. The acquisition offlash puts
many a man fly to what is going on, adversely or other-
wise. Flash in a blow-up is mainly conducive towards
victory. 'Tis G&k*k : Latin is a fool to it; French all my
eye. Again, the language of persons whose transactions
demand concealment, yet require that they should mix
with those from whom it should be concealed, is flash.
Men who may be unknowing of flash terras or phrases,

80 F L A—F L E

are said not to be flash, or fla—now corrupted to fly,
which see. They were invariably thieves and gamblers
who used flash formerly ; but other kinds of persons,
now-a-day, who may be rippishly inclined, adopt similar
terms and phrases, to evince their uppishness in the affairs
of life; especially those of the less honest part of the
community, who, in this particular, run the risque of being
foiled at their own game by means of this dictionary of
modern flash. Those gentlemen also consider all terms of
art and of science as flash; declare themselves ' not fly to
law,' nor ' flash to physical phrases;' of course, those
words and sayings which are appropriate to the turf, the
ring, and field-sports, are equally considered as flash-bj
them, and the word has been applied (too generally we
allow,) to all this species of quid pro quo lingo. See also
Jargon, Slang. Flash—a liqueur, made with expressed
juice of fruit, and an inspissated juice, preserved with
spirits and spices; 'tis drank warm, and made still more
pleasant by the addition of brandy. Much is taken off near
the drop on hanging mornings. ^c He flashed the blunt,*'
made a show of money to dazzle the spectators. Flash of
lightning; a glass of gin. So £aid, aptly, by reason of the
flashy manner of its flying off—like lightning.

« _But 'ere they homeward pik'd it,
A flash of lightning was sarv'd round
To every one as lik'd it^'

Flash-man.—Derived from his language, and this again has
its appellation ('tis suggested) from the first flash men
being highwaymen—that then greatly abounded (circa
1770.) He is the favourite, or protector, of a prostitute,
whose flash-man he is; and she is called, inversely, his
flash-woman; but, in the lower degrees of misery, they
have it flash ma'arn, or marm.

Flat—one who pays money when he can avoid it, is reckoned
a flat by most people; if he gets done out of any, we also
consider him a flat, and recommend him to take vinegar
that is sharp, to whet up his wits. He may avoid much
evil by studying these pages.

Flea-bite—said of trivial pain or danger, as * losing a tooth
is but [as] a flea-bite.⁹ * I minded not the storm, it was
but a mere flea-bite J Yet, very differently thought an
elegant lady-author [aye, there's the rub]: speaking of
the town of Ath in Flanders, she says,

FLE-FOA 81

" Whoe'er cornea here must hope for little ease.
By day the landlord bites, by night the flecu."

Flesh-market—any walk, or run for females who carry the
broom up, is the flesh-market—so and so, as of the Piazzas,
Cheapside, Strand, &c.

Flight—not used by us for running away: 'tis ⁴ bolted, miz-
zled, made himself scarce, bought a brush/ or, indeed,
any thing but right Johnsonian. Pigeon-fanciers say a
flight of pigeons, for many flying together, or the flight
itself: ' While breakfast is getting ready> I shall go out
on* the top and give my doves, a flight :*—overheard in
Spitalfields. See Dule.

flints—tailors ; and dungs are the same, but work at less
wages or by the garment.

Flip—beer, hot, with brandy and sugar. ' Egg flip,' the
same with this addition.

Flog (v.)—to excel, to beat a* person without resistance:
' I can't fight [scientifically] but I won't be flogged.⁹—
⁴ Veil, so help me Deborah, if that there does not flog all
as ever I know'd.' ⁴ A flogging cull'—an old lecher, not
often heard of.

^% Floorer, (ring)—is a knock-down blow. But a man may be
floored by losing all his blunt,, or having the house burnt
about his ears. * Floored him clean,' a knock down at
full length. See ' to Drop*

Fly—is a corruption of Fla (for flash), and is but one fur-
ther step towards that complete abasement in language
which is always sought after, and is sometimes partially
attained. Already we have itfloi_y from the mouth of the
new Yorkshire bruiser. To be fly to every thing that is.
said, any man, however uppish, must pretend to a great
deal more nous than any one ever did or will possess.

Fly-by^night—run-aways who leave empty bouses. Look;
at <• Moon-light.'

Flying-horse, (in wrestling)—a manoeuvre taught by old
Parkins, for throwing the opponent ov.er one's head..

Flummery—deceptious talk.. See Cabbage.

Mush—in money. Also a ⁴flush hit,'—a* straight hit, which
catcheth the adversary as.he comes on, in boxing.

Foal—a young horse whether male or female, and is confined
to the period of lactation or sucking. In-foat, a mare.
enceinte; or big with young: buta cow in-calf,' ' a sbeep»
in-lamb,,' is said of actual.breeders.of these species,

F O G—F O R

Fog—smoke; Fogo, the same with a stench, rromFjttgfo,
Spanish. See Cacafuego.

Fogram—an old fusty fellow, still itching after the thing.
The fogramites—a supposed crab of nhbeeiles.

Fogle—a handkerchief, generally understood to be made of
silk. Common cotton goods, and sometimes the undoubted
fogle, are derided as wipes. ' Drawing a fogle'—picking
a pocket. Fogle-hunters—fellows whose highest flight
ascends to no nobler objects than pocket-handkerchiefs.
Q. 'Where's Teddy?' A. 'He's out a/o^fe-hunting.'
Sometimes 'tis said ' drawing fogies,' and *yb<jrfe-drawing.'

Foil—the dung (particularly) which the objects of the chase
leave behind them, but applied also to every other token,
(See Abatures,) and collectively termed foiling*

" Yon crowding flocks, that at a distance graze,
Have haply foiled the turf.

Somervile must here have used the word in its more gene-
ral sense; for he is singing of the hare's wiles, she having
just passed through a flock of sheep.
Fool—that man is a fool who believes every thing that is
said, without examination. He is equally so if dull of

tive; the following shall be fool positive. If he chatters
senselessly he is a/ooZ; if he minds not rebuke, but per-
sists, he is ' a fool and a half good weight' He who'
meddles with others' affairs is a ⁴ Tom fool.'

" Prithee, Tern Fool, why wttt thou meddling be,
In other's business that concerns not thee ?"

'Tom fooleries;' ridiculous efforts at distinction; and are
either domestic, as citizen Clio Rick man's uniform dress:
—trade foolery, as Asperne*s sign, ¹ bible, constitution,
and crown/ i. e. two wooden books and a bauble; or
state-foolery, as bowing and scraping in certain houses at
Westminster.—Mummery.

Foot—' To put one's foot in it/ to make a blunder on the
wrong side ; to get into a scrape by speaking.

' Foot*s horse, Mr. to travel by'—is to walk.

Foraging—stealing articles of life, as fowls, apples, garden-
stuff, hay, turnip-tops, &c.

Foreign parts, gone to—transportation generally.

Forest—2llarge domain, with franchises, having its verde-
rors, regardors, foresters, Sec. It would be ' a chase¹ but

compreh

of mind; those are fools nega

FOR—FRE

tor these etrcimstaBce*; but if a chase be planted greatly
it ahangeth so much of its nature, though acquiring, no
new privileges, and 'tis appelled * forest c* beasts of venety
are proper occupants of Ae forest^ as those of the chase
would leave the planted part as the change Aright be ef-
fected. Legally, there is ' free chase' in a forest. See Park.

force-meat bills—% rape, or any other compulsory measure;
as, going to prison* or going abroad, ' as the act directs;'
also an order of affiliation, with a forced-meat marriage—
going without gin, for want of the bustle—is forced-meat.

Forks—the middle and fore-finger, being both of a length,
are those with which pickpockets fork out the contents of
pockets, &c.

Form—a hare's seat, where she repose tk.

jftnerfeen-penn'ortb of it—he who has sentence of fourteen
years transportation passed upon him.

Fortification—a Welch definition concluded it must be twice
twenty-ncation—fica being Qymrw for defiance; thus,
, Flewellyn give* mine ancient * A fica for you, master
Pistol,'

Four-An-hand-*-driving,. stage-ceaeh*fashion, without a pos-
tillion. ⁴ Four-in>*hand crab,' an association of high fellows,,
elegant, unsophisticated, and truly British; about twelve
in number, ' all prime/ mostly best blood, ' colour n*
object.'

"With Burton bit, bridoon so trim, three chesnuts atid a grey,
Well coupled op my leaders then, ye hip! we bowl sway.
Some push along wtfchfcrar-m»ha^,. white others drive at random,
Inwhisky, buggy, gig, or dog-cart, curricle, or tandem.
Prime of life to go it, where's a pktpe like London ?
Four-in-hand to-day!, the nest we may be.undone."

#wft«#-^iritrapping>, shooting from the perch, as well as on.
the wing; stalking,, netting, snaring, &c. very common;
formerly, n6w called poachipg: not allowed*

Frammaaem⁹d—hanged* or otherwise disposed of..

Free ana Easy—an occasional or stated' meeting of jolly,
fellows, who sing and recite in turn, (having a chairman
and a depttty-chair,) call for what they like, and go as.
freely as they come. Twenty-seven years ago,, the cards
of invitation to that at the Pled Horse, in Moorrlelds, had.
the notable *N. B._% Fighting allowed.'* See BriUiants_KEccentrics, Rum-ones. Freeman⁹s Q«ay—Drink gratis,..

French lepve—going off without notice...

F RE—6AB

Fresh—abbreviation of refreshed—overmuch—drunk, hila-
riously go. '

Frisk—to frisk a man, or the premises, is to examine all
over for the object sought after. A bum-bailiff is said to
frisk a house, who enters the front door without cere*
mony, and pushes up-stairsto the chamber of the required
defendant, and from bed to bed—commonly termed ⁽from
post to pillar/ Persons are usually rubbed down in the
streets preparatory to robbery; this is to frisk.

Froglanders—Dutchmen.

Frontispiece—' the face is the frontispiece to a man's mind.'
The title of a book should be its frontispiece; but the
picture which faceth it has that name, improperly; from
the French, probably, ' espece de front.⁹ Hogarth placed
one to his book, and titled it' Front-is-p—ss;' it repre-
sented a genius bestriding the world, which it enlivened
with a shower—saline.

F. R. S.—not a • Fellow of the Royal Society,' as the learned
might imagine, but a ' fellow remarkably stupid/ A. Hogg.

Fry—small fry: children, boys in the streets.

FubbSf Mrs.—any lady who's home is ' an accommodation*

to persons whose desire of seclusion is temporary^jand no

bodikin. ' Mrs. Fubbs's front parlour [vide Tom JRees,] is

not to be mistaken for any part of any building. A lady

who possesses some degree of em-bon-point is necessary to

constitute a Mrs, Fubbs. Mrs. B-1, of Silver-street, is

the beau ideal of the Fubbs' family.

" With manners debonnaire, and a leering eye,
Pronounce her one ot the Fubbs's family.

Fuddle—Drink. ' Out upon the fuddle; said by the wife of

a drinking cobler.
Fudge—ridiculous talk is all fudge: used by Mr; Burchell

in the Vicar of Wakefield.
Funk—sne must be in a dreadful funk whose husband recog-

nizes her at the theatre in company with a suspected rival;

so is the tradesman, when he first dishonours a bill: 'tis

nothing afterwards, noting.
Furmert—aldermen. See Beaks and Hartnanbeck,

Gab—slack-jaw; and * the gift of gab,' a readiness of reply,,
and power of persuasion. Ulysses is reported to have,
had great experience, good sense, and a ready wit.

G A D—G A M

Gad—a huntsman's whip,—long thong, handle crooked.

Gaff* (v.)—to toss up for liquor, &c. A fair is a gaff, as
well as all the transactions enacted there.

Gag—a grand imposition upon the public; as a mountebank's
professions, his cures, and his lottery-bags are so many
broad gags. A showman cries * Walk in, ladies and gen-
tlemen, they're all alive,' but the spectators soon perceive
'tis all stuff, reproach Mr. Merryman, and he, in excuse,
swears he said ' they were* and not * are alive.' He thus
gags the public.

Gala—a rout, or assembly of the haul ton. ' Madam Fig's
gala,' the same of vulgar citizens.

Galavant—a nest of whores; when a man goes into such a
living flesh-market he is said to be ' gone to galavant J
' Galavanting tricks,' romping, ogling, &c. with an ulti-
mate meaning that way.

" Says Mrs. Lobsky, I'm sure you ar'n't,
You brute, you 're going to galavant.*⁹

Galimaufry—revelry, an odd mixture of scraps, and derived
from Gallimatia. See Amelia, b. vii. ch. 4.

Gaily, (v.)—to frighten or alarm by hideous means; proba-
bly derived from the Gauls—Gaullois, or Normans.

Gambadoes—loose, boot-like cases, for covering the legs of
old horsemen, and suspended at the saddle* GeofTry
Gambado, Esq. was the name assumed by H. Bunbury, in
his ironical treatise on horsemanship.

Game—any play; and its termination or ]the number to be
won is, in like manner, the game. All those animals pro-
vided for by the game-laws, 9 Henry III. &c. are gatoie^
' Game coachmen/ (hackney) * game watermen,' those
who would assist at carrying off stolen property, or help
themselves, sohis. ' Game women,* prostitutes of the
highflyer sort. Game publicans,—those who deal in
stolen goods, or wink at the misdeeds of their customers.
He is said to * die game' who shews'no contrition..

Gammocks—running up and down, as in a fair, rolling among

the hay, or flaunting at VauxhaH; these are gammocks

truly. « The boot was placed on the other leg/ however,

upon a similar occasion, when the proprietor (who it seems

was, as they say, the proper-rioter) would stand no gam-..

mocks. For

" Vhen they got up to dance, about fifteen or more,
Some could hardly stand uj», while some fell on the floo* >.

86 GAM—GET

Till daylight put an end to Mrs. Ldbsky's rout.
And those that vou'dn't go, vhy, Vfll, he kickt 'em out.?¹

With his tol de to], &c.

Gammon—-deceitful talk, between fun and falsehood; while
⁽ pitching his gammon,⁹ a silly fellow oft-times thinks him-
self clever, when no one else can do so. To ' pitch gam-
mon' well, a man should, at least, have a good delivery, or
* gift of the gab,' some small share of sense—high or low
—both commixed form pungent wit. Gammon, in back-
gammon-playing—the loser of two games following is.
said to be gammoned.

Gentility—affectation to something above the pretender's,
actual state; it begets a desire to behave genteelly, and to
contract great expenses, and attain ' the dish up.⁹ The
word is in the. mouth of all society—except the highest;
genteel dress, and a genteel set-out, genteel company, and
gentility of strut, do not compose the gentleman. Beggars,
ape gentility, and carmen talk of gtiiteel behaviour, when,
they imitate waggoners*

"To go to sarve a gemman so,

Who to his treat had ask'd ye,.
And in his ken to breed a row,

Why, if 'tis gmtd₉ b-me."

Cfctt{Ze»mtt-<~gambierg denominate themselves gent, if not:
£$q. even when detected and had up;, but the bills of
indictment dub them labourers,.every man; yea,.labourers,
at the tread-mill. . Tailors are the most blameable of all
tradesfolk: 'tis they who transform blackguards into,
gentlemen. Gentleman—he only is one,, and ' a real gentle-
man,⁹ who spends his money, upon those who bestow the
distinction upon him;. otherwise he must be so undeniably
such an one, that none think of questioning the issue;
none can be considered a true English gentleman by us,,
who has not stored his mind with English lore, spells,
every word rightly* and is capable of forming a' sane off-

>> s hand judgment upon every subject that may come upon,
the carpet. See Swell, Tulip,, Corinthian,.

^et—to ' get a watch' is: to steal it. , * What did you get,⁹ is.
used when one has, been to the fences with stolen pro-
perty ; he always reports a Ue₉ which can never be dis-
covered, unless he himself opens. Get, (turf)r—a horse's,
get is his progeny. * The get of Whalebone, of Rubens,*"
is the son or daughtei; of. Whalebone, ox of. Rubens..

G E W—G I N

' Ah, that foal is of a good get_f and 'twill tarn out a
goer/

Gew-gaws — showy articles, a watch>chdin, seals, rings,
brooches, &c.

Giant—any thing or subject that is great, mighty, or terri-
ble : a ' giant in literature,' is the Quarterly Review; Can-
ning is a giant in politics ; and our Levant merchants talk
of the ⁴ giant typhon'—a dreadful tornado, common in the
Mediterranean sea*-

Gibberish—applied to the first efforts at language of little
children. In advanced life it devolves into ' Slum,⁹ which
06e*

Gibes—taunts thrown out against another. Gib, or gibe,

does a horse that shrinks from the collar, and is restive.
Gig—frolic and fun revolve themselves iritd gig. " FuU of

his gig;" ripe with laughter, and with mischief, probably.

Thieves frequently have a little gig with each other and

their girls in the street, and then rob in sport—usually

practised near their homes.
Gtiliflovber—none can be a giU^hwtr_f who does not wear a

canary or belcher fogle round his twist: if he put up

many more colours, he becomes a tulip.
Gf^—cheeks, (derived from fish) and a GU is he who pokes

in his noBe unasked, as if authoritatively. Gil Gill, was

a beadle of Farringdon-within.
Gimblet-eye—Cock-eyed, squinting,

" Gimblet eye, sausage nose,
Hips awry, bandy toes."

" Much gofed may it do you—as the old woman said to.
her pig, wfceft she found he had swallowed a gimblet"—
said to one who has got a bad bargain after much pains—
as, a pandered horse.

Gin—-a very vulgar expression, indeed; consult Old Tom,
Max, and Juniper, three own brothers. Gin~buds—Tu-
mours, with pus, on the face, thrown out by the heat of gin,
mostly acting upon the prima via. Gin-spinner, a dis-
tiller or rectifier, or vendor.

Gin-twist—'hot water and gin, with sugar and lemon-juice,
or orange ditto.

Ginger^-another name for red-haired persons, and ' ginger^
whiskers' is an appellation for such men as use yellow
soap; or otherwise discolour their whiskers: 'tis a regi-
mental mark with some coinmanders* Among grooms.

G I V—G O B

and horse-dealers, they obtain the description ' chesnut.*
Gingery—(stud) hot, distempered; applied to horses,
whether they have been figged or not. So, at a flash-
house, ⁴ how gingery is Cow-cross Billy to-day; b-y

eend, if he han't had a quarrel vith all on us: I suppose
he'll fight, and I vish he may nap.

Give and take—plates, turf-weight according to inches; the
standard being 9 stone for 14 hands, but carrying 14oz.
extra for every eighth of an inch above, and allowing the
same for every eighth less: thus 12 hands would carry
5 stone, 15 hands 11 stone.

Glaze—windows; and, ' to mill the glaze/ the miller may
adopt a stick or otherwise, as seems most convenient.

Glint—or candle, abbreviated from Glimmer. *■ They douced
the glims, and frisked the Cove of all his bustle.' Glim*
stick—a candlestick.

GUm-fendors—hand-cuffs, or wrist manacles.

Go—a half quartern of gin is * a go of Max* for mixing at the
parlour of the Queen's head, in Duke's court, Bow-street;
whence that house formerly had the surname of ⁴ the go *
' All the go*—the fashion in dress. " Put up the pins ; ,
'tis my go and tip,** says one; another exclaims—" HereV
a h—1 of a-go, Saal, I've lost my vhite bitch, the best
von as ever pinn'd a bull: vot a go this is, surelye;
as for, she had herself full of pups." ' Little go? a
private lottery, not depending upon state-lottery or insur
ranees; both are illegal. The £. O. table is also a
* little go.^f

Go along Bob—Bob Bussicks was a notorious sheep-drover
in St. John-street, and the word of command ' when flock
follows dock in quick succession moving/ was naturally
enough extended to all who might engage in the same
^occupation. ' Come along Bob/ had the same origin*
Bob died of old age some thirty years ago, but his tomb-
stone (if his mortality had such a thing,) would not con-
tain the foregoing surname, which was. appliedto the shape
of his legs, that were of this form () or some thicker part of
his body; derived from the compound bi and sex or section,,
or bi-section which his lower members described in walk-
ing, or else'the double (bi) sex which Robert was supposed
to enjoy. Either Hybrid or Hermaphroditical, Bob's choler
could not be excited by all the girls in Cow-cross.

Go6—the mouth. « Gob fuU of. claret;* bleeding; at, thp^
mouth. See Gab.

GO—GO 89

• .1

Go~by—in coursing, a ' go-by,⁹ or bearing the hare, is reck-
oned equivalent to' two turns. On the road when one
vehicle passes another, the latter has the go-by. 'The
cut-away Jarvy- received an intimation of the intended
go-by with glee, and reined up a moment/ Any thing
super-excellent, gives all others the go-by. £. g. Our
friend Ted Blower, calls ⁴ the Annals of Sporting'—the
Sporting ' go-by.' So—" the go-by he gave to his houses
and lands," said of one who lived too fast for his income.

Gods—the gallery of a theatre contains nothing but gods,
when tmpty they are sylphs of darkness who inhabit those
woods (timbers). Jem Bowden called Drury ' a wilder-
ness.* Goddesses there are none (as Dogberry would
say); this sex being left out in all addresses oral or
written: they are supposed to have the power of damning
—plays, which constitutes their Godhead; no one believes
it, however, ' the Pit* in darkness does the deed, the gods
of the gallery only growl assent.' ¹ O, ye gods and little,
fishes!' Likewise * Wooden godsdraughts: two stupids
bending over, and studying the moves, seem like devotees
—at prayer.

Good woman—one who spares her tongue, gives her husband's
ears a holiday, or, more pointedly, a silent woman.

^H A silent woman," sir, you said!
Pray, was she drawn without a head?
Yes, sir, she was: you never read on
A silent woman with a head on.

Hence it was, that an oil-man in High-street, St. Giles's,
was induced to place over his door a well-painted sign-
board of " a good woman,":—one without a head. In this
shop, Capt. Grose would lounge of a morning, and he it
was that suggested this piece of waggery* The Capt.
lodged not far off with Mammy Hooper, who was also
his publisheress, the sempstress of his antiquities, his
laundress, bed-makeress, et-aeteris.
Goggle-eyes—staring on no fixed object, as o'ercome by the
other senses—;feeling particularly: Juno jealous, is thus
represented:

The goddess with the goggle eyes
RoB'd them about, and thus replies.

Go it—proceed with the affair; whether that be of street
robbery, or of jawbation. * Go it,' is the precursor of
'Do him⁹ and 'finish the Cove.⁹ ⁴ Does she go itV said
of a doubtful whore.

90 G O N—O R A

Gong—* mixed-metel-vesseMrokkig piece of music, beat*
upon with a six-pound shot tied up in a clout, its vibrations
grate upon the ear like something mixed up of a dying
pig's groans, and a distant crack'd bell. Used at the '
oriental raree-shows of Covent-gafden and Drury-ktne.

Goose—single women thus designate dying-swains, who make
love sillily. Tis applied also to the formless iron with
which taylors smooth down their seams*

Rigfet fat de riddle del,
A yard of pudding's not an ell,
Not forgetting didderum di,
A tailor's goose can never fly.

We eat goose at Michaelmas in commemoration of the
defeat of the Spanish armada (1588;) Queen Elizabeth
receiving the news thereof whilst she was breakfasting
upon goose. At Alphinton (Devon) the day and eve is
devoted to .goose-eating, and many thousand gastronomies
gormandize greedily, on the foolish bird,' which is too big
for one of them, and too little for two.'

Gooseberry, to play-up; children romping about the house,
or the parent rating them over. Gooseberry-eyes—grey ones.

4 Gorge—a tuck-out, or bellyful, up as high as the throat
or gorge—French.

" And l said, if a- gorge is to be found in this world,
A man that is hungry might hope for it here." .

Gorse—is a thick-, briery, rank-grass spot, a few acres in
extent, for the most part made frttrposely to serve as a
cover for foxes-.

Go out-^ot going-out; to rob in the streets, is understood.
" I don't go out, n©w," said by a reformed rogue, or by
one who would have this believed of him, " Come-, I say
who's a goiavg^mtt Autern is over," i. e. the church being
about to. emit its contents, 'tis time to go and rob the
audience.

Grab, (v.)—To snatch; from grabble, probably, to take into
custody.

Grab-ooujh -modern practice of gambling, adopted by the'
losers, thus the person cheated, or done, takes his oppor-
tunity, makes a dash at the depository of money, or such
as may be down for the play, and grabs as much as pos-
sible, pockets the proceeds, and fights his way out of the
house. The many-headed grab-coup is performed by
several persons fighting their way into a hell, flooring the
inmates, and seizing the bank, or collection of money.

G R A—G R U 91

<* He seised a rake, be laid about,

And put to flight the rebel rout.
He hit once more; again, again;
Glass and decanters flew amain;
What now they lo*t was no man's gain.
Candelabras, fine chandeliers
That lights sustain in tapering tiers,
AH went to wreck: one broken head
The banker dropped—he lay for dead."

See Anmak of Spotting, 484.

Gtadus ad Parnassum—the tread-wheel, when trod by a
pupil of school attainments—he is then ' scanning,' 'tis
supposed.

* Grossed neatiy*-~(ring) is a prettier expression than floored,

when the act is performed on ' Nature's natural garb !*
Gratitude—hath been defined " the memory of the heart."
It is found in every body's mouth, but should no where be
expected in the great world; and when it is paid, so seldom
does this happen, that people apprehend the old trick is
then playing off, of getting further into debt.
Grease—a bonus given to promote the cause of any one, as
Grease to a cart-wheel. * Deer of grease*—those whicii
are fat; they are conscious of the fact, and run cowardiy.
Greek—Irishmen call themselves Greeks— none else follow
the same track to the east; throughout this land, many
unruly districts are termed Grecian. * It's all greek to
me,' says one who cannot well comprehend what is said.

* Gricks—as merry as;' crickets, probably; those little in-

mates of the fire-place evincing much sprightliness.
Grig—or grick; a farthing.

Griffin—a grinning booby, who hath lost a tooth or two at
top, and the same at bottom. John Dennis, the literary
Mohock, had the name christened upon him by Pope.

Grog—-spirits and cold water, in the proportion of 2 td 1,
introduced at sea by admiral Vernon, who wore a grogram
cloak, whence the name.

Groper—a blind man. Gfopereas, a Woman blind.

Gropus—the coat-pocket—from the manner of groping for
its lesser contents.

Grub—meat of any sort. ' Going to grub,' about to take a
meal. ⁴ A ^rubbery,' a cook's-shop. * Grubby/ dirty-

-faced, as if the slobberer had just dined. ' Bub and grub,
a dab, and two bull a week:' meat, drink, and lodging,
with 1*3*. wages. 'In grub;* in work, and the means of
buying victuals.

G R U—H A L

* Grub-street—is applied to badly printed, or ill-composed
writings, as the Weekly Papers, Dispatch and Advertiser;
and to Maittaire's new editions of the Classics: "that
place was formerly noted for its authors, printers, and
scurvy journals.''

Guineas—when laid on Turf-events, are to be paid in pounds,
from May 1822.

Guinea-trade, (the)—is practised by persons who having
resided a certain season at the university, and got M. D.
tacked to their names, obtain guinea fees from the sick
and valetudinary, for advice about the tendency of their
disorders', and the exhibition of chemicals—without know*
ing aught of chemistry, or of the cause and progress of
disease. Aut Oxon aut Cantab. See Quackery. _t

Gutter-lane—the throat.

Gumption—general uppishness to things, and being down to
most ordinary transactions in life, is gumption; and he
who thus knows what the world would be at, is gumptious*
See Humgumption.

Guy, a—an ugly mug, or queerly-togged eld-one, like the
effigies of Guy Fawkes on the fifth of November.

Guts—' Greedy-guts,' who will eat all the world up. Gut-
scraper—a fiddler. Grumble-guts—discontent; or

" My great guts and my small,
They cry out one and all,

Hark away all together, my brave boys." _t

Habit-skirt—a sham plea put in (on) to save appearances.

Worn by the ladies; but gentlemen should ' look well to't,'

as Hamlet says, or it will be all Dickey.
Had—taken up; in the Compter or jail. See Tapp'd.
Had-up—police examination.

Hail, to—to greet or welcome any one; thus Somerville ;

" Hail, gentle Dawn! mild blushing goddess hail,"

• - -»

Hail him—call him. Hail the boat—to call to the persons
in the vessej. To kail, to accost, to excite attention.

"■Hail, Macbeth, who shall be thane of Cawldor."

' Hail fellows well met,' all alike or upon a footing.
Halter—& horse's night-cap; many will get a present of suoh
if they alter not their conduct.

H A L—H A R

Halfpence—a tailor's wages for less than a whole day.' Come
come/ says the flint to his employer, when a dung enters
the shop,—' Come, hand over the halfpence, I smell dung
in your shop: hand over; I'm off.'

Hammer.(ring)—when a man hits very hard, chiefly with a
favourite hand, his blows are said to ' fall like those of a
sledge-hammer: Such boxers are hammering fighters, that
do not defend their own vitals, cannot make sure of a blow,
and are termed hammerers and hammermen. They are not
Pugilists, which see, also Millers.

Hammering boxers—are great country loobies* who possess
no one quality for the exercise but strength, the conscious-
ness whereof gives them pluck. These hammer away for
an hour or two, hearken not to the call of ' time/ and
turn a deaf ear to ' enough/ always act most unfairly in
other respects, and sometimes commit murder!—for which
they deserve the halter.

Handicap stakes—certain horses being named beforehand,
with their weights—for age and height, for inches, and for
performances; on the day of running those who accept (or
subscribe) meet, one of them makes a memorandum oPthe
terms on which they shall run, and this is put into a cap
with the sums subscribed. These sums (or**takes) are
usually small—say ten to twenty-five guineas, with fre-
quently a larger sum . added:—except at Newmarket,
where they usually reach to 100/. When the parties have
read the articles, they signify assent or dissent by drawing
a hand from their pocket, if with money they run, if with-
out, they decline.

Hang-dog—a fellow whose _tlooks betray the gallows. Such
an one once accused is half-hung already.

Hangman's wages—thirteen-pence halfpenny, being the sum
anciently paid to the jury convicting, viz. one penny each
for eleven, and twopence-halfpenny to the foreman,, who
then found the rope. Totally different now-a-day.

Harman—a constable; Harman-beck, a beadle. Harmans,
the stocks.

Harp—the arms of Ireland, placed on the reverse of their
copper coin, whereby halfpence get that denomination.

Harping—on a certain topic, is that sort of recurrence which
marks insane persons and fools, and usually turns on the
cause of their ills. Wiseacres do the same occasionally,
e. g. Mr. Vansittart is ever harping upon the income of

94 HAR—HE A

the state: Mr. Aberoethy always harps upon die stomach
and the blue pill remedy;

Harridan (old) a worn-out strumpet.

Hart-royal—one that has been hunted by a monarch, and
got away. He is not a hart unless six years old.

Hard+bahed—-*, dog when constipated is hard-baked.

Hatchet—he who lies roundly,' throws the hatchet.'

Havidge, vel Havage—an assemblage or family of dishonest
or doubtful characters. Thus, William Habberfieid, Esq.
and family, composed a pretty havidge in Willow-walk:
this alias Slender Billy was hung at Newgate, and got
lauded by Blackwood for not splitting upon his pal in the
flimsey-screen trade: it was his own daughter.

Haut-ton—the highest orders of society, who see life; they
are so denominated by the bon-ton and bon*genre, and are
all of high breeding and large fortune. Money alone does
not confer the ha&t-titre, nor giving a ball in a fine house; *
nor commanding a play, nor driving four-in-hand, but
these together may constitute haut-ton with very little
trouble.

Hawks—gamblers, who are particularly destructive of their
victims; pouncing upon them mercilessly, or following

them from afar—as Pollet did Mr. S-from Brighton

to London and back.

Head (turf)—' won by a head,' or * half-a-htad;' or indeed,
' a neck,' is by so much that one horse comes in before
another. * Gave away his head,⁹ (ring)—said of a boxer,
who to place a favourite body-blow, exposes his head as
the sacrifice: e. g. Dutch Sam and Scroggins ; Nosworthy
felt for the head of Sam as Turner did for Scroggins's.

* Heaps of people'—Cockney, for a crowd, or great numbers.
* Struck all of aheap,'—flabbergasted, astonished, or con-
founded.

Heat—a race or run for a prize. One heat a-day while the
horse is training, is good to bring him in order for run-
ning. * The heat⁹ is the first of a series, with short inter-
vals, the horse which comes in being declared the winner
of the heat. Heats—are repetitions of the same, and are
called the first, second, and third, as the case may be.
' The best in three heats,' is mostly gone into disuse; at
Newmarket entirely. When run, one horse must win two
heats to carry off the prize. * Dead heat,' is when two
winners come in nose to nose.

HE A—HEL 95

Heave on—push along. «A heave f an endeavour to induce
another to believe or to do something. ' A dead heave;⁹a more flagrant attempt Heaver; the breast.

Heavy—heavy wet, or brown—porter.

Hebrews—Jews are so called from the language spoken, and
they are treated as a distinct nation, though 'tis evident a
Jew may be an Irishman or an Englishman. ' You may as
well talk Hebrew,' said of jargon; because the Hebrew
(so called) spoken by the Jews is of the German dialectic ;
the character of which also differs from that of the sacred,
as both do from the Rabbinical. *

Heels—in cocking; artificial spurs,made of steel or of sHver,
fastened on to the natural, and cocks are then said to be
' heeled.⁹

Hell—the receptacle of tailors' clippings and cabbagings.
Hell's delights—much mental pain. * I had hell's delights
all the vhile I vas in quod, a-thinking about my old mo-
ther ; as for I know'd sh'd be in a b-taking about my

liberty.' ' Kicking up hell's delights,⁹ & scolding, a quarrel,
or domestic battle; capsizing the crockery and upsetting
the sticks. Hell-pains—

« The pains of hell shall be a delight,
To the kick in the 111 give her."

Hell—' Gambling-houses are thus politely denominated,
by reason of the colours tar* an4 in the regiones infernales
being the same, (viz. red and black, or rouge ei noir,)
—barring the cinders.' Vide Fancy Gazette, p. 424.
The keepers are» of the lowest dregs of society, but
attaching to themselves some of better original cha-
racter and education, to attract, entrap, and ruin the
unwary, which they effect daily. Many combine together
in cash, (see Sank. Leg* Duel.) and this association
acquire and spend and share Jarge sums of money, and
fee the police. They will fight too, with fists as well
as pistols; talk of their honour, and appear serious.

* Mostly situated in St. James's parish, and many close to
the palace-gates, they seem to upbraid the first authority
jn the land, with numerous cases of murder, shootin%,felo
de se, lunacy, melancholy, poverty, and starvation. Rob-
bery is common-r-not merely by loaded dice, but forcibly
taking from the person, and then a gentle jet down the

. stairs. Hell-rhellish.' Go to hell vrd ye,' is the cutting reply
to moralists who would open upon the mischiefs attend-

H E L—H I N

ant upon robbery, or the danger of cutting throats; and
indeed, our opinion is, that a good sort of person might
as well take a journey to that distant region, as expend
his time in talking to fellows whose hearts are case-hard-
ened in sin, for whose bodies the gallows groans., and the
rloggard-cart now waits'in the portal. ' I'll go to hell if I
do,* is not binding, because the parties using it do not
believe in a future state of rewards and punishments.
' Hellish hot/ and' hellish cold,' ace convertible terms, and
well understood, however apparently dissonant. ' A hell
of a row,' 4 a hellish breeze,' ' a hell-fire large bunch of ,
onions/ (i. e. watch-seals) are used. x

* Hell-fire Dick⁹— Owen, the Cambridge coachman.

Help himself-—a turnpike-man who pockets the toll helps
himself; but he, or any one, in prison, cannot kelp it or '
himself either. Many a hackneyman has helped himself to
more than the coachmaster gets.

⁴ Hemp (the) is growing for the villain ;* he is deserving a
halter and will get his deserts. Hempen habeas—a halter.
* He'll get over it by a hempen liabeas? ¹ Hempen widow;'
one whose husband has lost his life in a horse's nightcap.

Hen—a woman, who hath produced.

" In Black-boy alley I've a ken,

A tyke and fighting cock;
A saucy tip-slang moon-eyed hen,

Who is oft mill-do!) at block."

Herring-pond—the sea, the Atlantic; and he who is gone
across it is said to be lagged, or gone a Botanizing. Fair
Helen, when lamenting her connection with Paris, tells
Hector,

" I wish to God we'd both been drowned,
When first we cross'd the herring-pond."

High-toby—gloak, a highway-robber, well mounted.

High-flyers—women of the town, in keeping, who job a
coach, or keep a couple of saddle-horses at least.

High-lows—shoes which reach to the ancles: they have a
thievish aspect, always worn at Haggerstone, but are
esteemed on Tothil-down also—four miles off.

High tide—plenty of the possibles; whilst ' low-water' im-
plies empty clies.

Hittites—boxers and ring-goers assembled.

.Hint—one of those many indications upon the sly given by,
one party to another, that are to be found in this Vol. as

H O B^H O M 97

" Beef, beef I", to a thief. Says Paddy to Duggin, " Some
body has stolen my shanavest, and by the Powers you have
got it on; there's a hint for you."

⁴ Hobbady-hoy—twixt a man and a boy/ said of a youth
—15 to 20. See Hop,&c.

Hobby-horse—a man's fancy for certain pursuits, is called
his hobby-horse. Dressing and dancing are queer hobby-
horses, both abasing the mind. See Dandy.

Hob-nob—Hobber-nob. Two persons pledging each other
in a glass, nob to nob, are said to be hob-nobbing. Hob
or ob, observe my nob, that is oovious. *

^a With a hob-nob, and a merry go-round,

Well pull in ere reason fail;
For the stoutest man in the kingdom found,

Must knock under to humming ale.

Hobson's cAotce—that or nothing. He is reported to nave
been a most abrupt shopkeeper.

Hocus, or Aoctt*-/wc««—conjuration or witchcraft, in common
acceptation; but practised (adversely) upon those who
undergo great exertions for large stakes, as horse-jockies,
boxers, &c. A deleterious drug mixed with wine, &c.
which enfeebles the person acted upon. Horses, too, are
kocussed, at times: Dawson was hanged for hocussing
Sailor, because it died.

Hog-* a. shilling. Half-a-hog—sixpence.

Hogo—a stink; from haut-gout, French, corrupted by the
Cockneys; a stinking fog is fogo.

Holla-halloo—continuous noise, of tongues. ¹ Cease your
holla-ballooy said by a mother to her children. " A pretty
holla-baloo in Type-court:" a falling out of the Irish and
the farriers there. Derived from ' Halloo'or ' Hail-o* and
⁴ bala ignorant lingo, or corrupted language. Quere,
' All-o, bawl-o.'

Hollow—fowls, served up at table, whether ducks, geese,.
partridges, &c. are described as * plenty of the hollow.'

Holt—a species of covert for otters, composed of osiers, reeds,
or bulrushes, in clumps—thus Somervile:

* through reedy pools
Rustling they work their way; no holt escapes
Their curious search.¹'

Home-^at playing the nine chalks, he who has got 7 or 8
. pi them* is said to be at home, when the adverse party
is far behind ;• whose score is then termed ' the comb/

§8 ROTM—HOO

which H mock resembles. In like imanner, «rftemge~
players are nil to play tbe next deal • at home/ when
they may reasonably reckon open winning—though noting
of the kind can be safely reckoned mpen as certain. * Gone
home' is said of any one sent to a debtor's prison, but ge-
nerally of him who's speculations may have long tended
that way—*ome of which kind are never happy or easy
when/row home. ⁴1 am going home f said by some such
swindler when about to take the benefit of the insolvent
debtor's act, tinder circumstances of a dark-ootaired
nature. 'fiome is home be it never so tKM»eJy*-~is a
good phrase, used by persons after a fatiguing march, or
who may have been entertained by the stiff affected
grandeur of pompons friends. * Gme home/ dead.

Homme comme-il-faut—a man as he ought to be: he must

-' have 32 teeth, thick curly hair, and calves 6 inches dia-
meter each; around both ancles placed acres* should mea-
sure the same. In easy circumstances, of the bon+ton.

Honey-fall—a piece of good fortune, quite unexpected—
a present, a legacy, a sinecure.

Honour—'tis no where to be founds pure: those who have
it most upon the tongue possessing least at heart; fervent
and ready protestations are small security. Puppies,

dandies—* declare 'pon honour' to ~~w.....~~s> and on other

trifling occasions—how base! With Patkadets, ' I rive
yen my honour/ is a pawn that is seldom redeemed. Ine
saying, ' There is honour among thieves, but none among
gamblers/ is very well antkhettcskUy spoken, but not true
in foot: none are more disjointed than are those gongs,
inter se, and upon this chord should our police regulations
ever thrum.

' Hoed—two faces under a'; to act two ways at once, acting
fairly to opposite parties: an election squib ha»itthtf8:

May the man be d——d and sever gTbw fet,
Who carries two faces under one hat

Hook and snivvy^practised by soldier* in quarters, when
they obtain grub for near, by connivance with the ttavey, or
her mistress—or, indeed, the pot-boys, and other waiters.
A man who orders in a steak or joint tor one, and makes
it serve for two, is at hook and snitivy. So, two travellers
-in Essex, dining off a goose, one of ttfetn forked the car*
ease into-the apron of a beggnress Who plfed at *he win-
' 4»yr with her brats: ⁽We bate Jtmtfked- the goose, waiter,

HOO-H.W

Mid you. must charge it/ said one* 'Very well/ replied
Thomas, ⁴ hut I am sorry you should out the bones, for
there is ajbu ttock' of beef coming W
Hookey_f Hookey Walker—and * wtiJi a kook_f' usually aceom-
panied by a significant upliftment of the hand and offtok-
ing of the fore-finger, implying that what is said is a lie*
or is to be taken contrary-wise. One teUs a long-yarn-
story that asks for the disbelief of his auditory; whereupon
another cries out 'Hookey Walker!' having previously
shewn the sign above described, or another more elabo-
rate, still, which may be looked upon as a counter-sign,
viz. spread the fingers of both hands wide open* apply one
thumb to the tip of the nose, and the other to the poutt of
the little finger of the first hand—this signifies a clincher.
History: John Walker was an out-door clerk at Longman*
Clementi, and Co.'s in Cheapside, where a-great number of
persons were employed, and ' old Jack,' who had a crooked
or hook nose, occupied also the post of spy upon their
aberrations (which were manifold). Of course, it was for
the interests of the surveillants, to throw discredit upon
all Jack's reports to the nobs of the firm, and numbers
. could attest that those reports were fabrications, however
true; Jack was constantly out-voted, his evidence overlaid*
and of course disbelieved, when his occupation ceased*
but mot so the fame of ' Hookey Walker.'
Hoot-Balloot—or Balloo. Irish for decrying an action, as
'murder (in Irish;') the hoot may be made terrific,accord-
ing to the energy >and lungs of the hooter. He inflates
his lungs to the utmost, then presses out the wind with
all his mighty as if he would rend the epiglottis: the teeth
being nearly closed, the wind rattles all round the cavity
of the mouth ere it escapes. He that has not heard the
Irish hoot, has a pleasure to come: the hods-man who has
not acquired the hoot in perfection, may be safely set
down as a fellow of unfinished education. Bailout—to
bawUout, is nearly the same thing, commixed with words*
laments, or execrations—an Irish wedding, a funeral, and
the production of a new paddy, is accompanied by the
Balhot. See Holla-Balloo.
ffep+merckant—a dancing-master* See Capers.
lfqp-*-a «mtra-dance of ordinary persons and prnmiscuoua
.jempany is ⁴a him/ and 'a penoy-Jiop* from the price *

' Hop and He;/ the ' hop*

100 H 0 R—H 0 U

and-a-hey' manner most thorough-breds of the Cockneys
walk, as if hung upon wires; it lasts some of them to the
second grand climacteric, unless they hop into their graves
'ere then, upon which occasions the relatives hop after
them to the cemetery, and hop into their fortunes. By
corruption the last cited phrase is become ⁴ Hobbadyhoy'
—an evident abasement.

Horney—a nose; one that resounds in expectoration.

Horse's night-cap—a halter, in which many die, as many
more^will, unless they alter their conduct.

Hoorah—an exclamation or shout of many, and used in
warfare, as in popular expressions of approbation. See
Whirr.

Hotel—ironically used of a mean lodging-house, and ex-
tended to prisons—with the keepers⁹ names prefixed.

Hots—provincial for coverings to cocks' heels.

Hounds—there are several breeds for various pursuits—as

* the' grey-hound, or long-dog_y for coursing; stag-hounds,
' tall,' strong, and quick of scent, ravenous of the blood of
their victim; fox-hounds, faster of foot, many-coloured,
shorter of body and limb, they are less tractable than the
last, requiring strict discipline; and rf they once chop a
hare, or stray lawlessly, may ever after be doubted.
Talbot was the old nafme of the stag-hound; he should be
20 inches high at least, be liver-colour and white (as
snow;) much of the former about the head, across -the
back or ribs, a sheet of white—nose fine and ductile.
Crossed by the mastiff and mountain shepherd dog, deep-
flewed, comes out the blood-hound, colour fallow; once
lain on the trail of man, he is ever after a dangerous cus-
tomer to meet with by that kind of man—as poachers, rag-
amuffins, blacks, &c. Harriers are small hounds, stand-
ing sixteen or eighteen inches high, with fine nose, and
hunting low; the-hare is their only ehase.

House—⁴ The house/ The—par excellence, the House of Com-
mons—or H. C.; ⁴ the other house/ is so termed for

^: shortness, ⁴ the lords' -house⁹ being understood. The
• players, those diverting vagabonds, think of nothing less
than parliament when ⁴ the house⁹ is mentioned: with them
it means'Covent-garden or Drury-lane, or indeed any

^v ctfher; theatre, * A full-house,' and ⁴ half-a-hduse/ indi-

^J cate the state of the receipts or number of the audience.

. • i ....

h I) at—h u 101.

ttum-r-*. whispered lie, and he is a humbug who has recourse
to the meanness; he wishes to be a bug^a-boo_f or.njost
exalted fool. A knowing sort of hqmbug is Humgump-
tious. See Gumption.

Humbk-cum-dumble—-jokers use this phrase; when they
should say ' your obedient humble servant/ they adopt
' your humble-cum-dumblesuch men wind up a pala-
vering letter with—• I'm sir, yr. hum. ser.*—which may be
true enough: they are too proud to use plainly a common-
place civil expression. One would expect better manners
from people of learning; but neither Minerva, or her guests,
can prevent the insolence of others' familiarities:

Madam, says Phoebus, I'm your humble
And most obedient sum dumbte j
By Vulcan's horns I vow and swear,
I little thought to find you here.

Hum-box—a pulpit. Hums; the congregation departing.

Humbug—' to hum? to whisper, and' burg-a-boo' abbreviated,
' a precious humbug.¹ E. g. Safety coaches were found to
be a humbug when they upset; ' a great humbug* is the fo-

. reign loan trade in the city: and ' a state humbug' is the,
sinking-fund. Humbug—he who holds along and senseless
harangue is a humbug; or he who in public company has
something of imaginary importance to communicate, in
vociferated whispers, is humbugging his neighbour. A

. jack in office is a humbug, and so is doctor Eady when
he is chalking the walls of the metropolis, as well as when
he is not. A sleep or awake, Huntingdon was a serious
humbug.

Humbugging—⁴ Who is to stand humbugging here all day V
That ordinary persons should humbug the public ought to
surprise no one; but when greater minds and abler pens.
than ordinary—[teacher*] stoop to the meanness, what
heart-alive does not lament it, even to the core ? In .his
number of Aug. 31,1822, the editor of the Literary Gazette
humbugged his readers with the falsehood that he was
about to start off on a shooting excursion, and would not
publish during the month .of September; but, whatever
truth might be* in the first intimation, [we believe none]
none attended the latter. He had long before talked of
having in his office,' a ton or more of rejected manuscripts
, —poetry / whereas his office is but a little box> without a
stair, on the spot where Walter Stapyldon lost his life,

lOt HUM-4AC

(1396) die admeasurement whereof is only (by estimate)
«S ft loaf, 7 ft. high, 4 ft. deep, which the shipping reader is
aware wil scarcely measure a too, including the editor, his

Sublisher, news-boy, fittings-up, and stock in trade. Yet
oes he iterate the same notion, February 1, 1B&3, by an-
nouncing his intention of publishing these non-existent
manuscripts to a forthcoming paper, to be entitled " The
Refuge for the Destitute," which never wilt appear.
Hummums—two taverns in Covent-garden (the old and the
new; with superior accommodations; so called probably
from the ¹ hum⁹ of many voices, chastened to a buz, and
even this almost * mum.* * Hum* (imperative) whisper,
and ' be mum* or quite silent; of the same family as slum.
Hunt-races—meetings instituted by the members of certain
hunts, who subscribe for plates—or add sums to stakes
for farmers⁹ horses, and run their own actual hunters.
Hunters' stakes—small sums, 3gs. 5gs. or 7gs. respectively.
Hunter-weights—il stone at the least, but augmented
•according to circumstances* as to previous performances,
, consanguinity, or breed.

Hustling—forcible robbery, by two or more thieves seizing
their victim round the body, or at the collar.

Jack-o^-Dandy—* Jack, (a common name for any body) of
Dandy* manners; foolish, proud, and choleric as a turkey
or dindon (the (n) being mute) whence by easy transition
to dandy.

" Handy, spsndj, Jack a' Dandy*

LovM plum-cake and sugar-candy;

He bought some at a grocer's shop,

And well pteasM went «ff win a hop-—hop, hep.

Vide frontispiece to the life of Giles Ginger-bread, wherein
Jack is depicted hopping like a modern dandy.

Jack-an-apes—Jack with the tricks of apes.

Jack and JiU—the male snipe is called a Jack, and, of
course, the hen is his jiH—hence the phrase for pairing
⁴ every jack has got his Jill/ A pike is a jack when a male.

Jack the Jew, or Jew-Jack—an Israelite who acquires the
nickery of Jack, is either a thief or a receiver of stolen
goods—of the lowest order. No Jew parent would think
fif naming his child after the Baptist or the £vjuige£tsi

J AC—JAR 10t

John; *et*eoilier body, therefore, most have appHed the
ojepropri«m, and who but the Slang~wkamgers ?
Jem ***ty-face—a 4irty fellow, seldom seen; but * going up
Holhoru-hill, the 2d day of October, a lady from St Bar-
tholomew's took a lee-lurch, aad threw a ground-summerset
backwards,, when all might plainly discern Jack inter*-
lineavit?

Jaebey~~aue of the many names of gin.

Jacob—a ladder, by reason of a celebrated dream. One
being stolen from the tail of a donneken cart while doing.
Aw**** at nudoight, it was talked about as a mean do*
"to prig the Jacob from a dooneken-drag V

Jargemc-writers--~thQ%e who adopt a style of their own,
whiah is either not grammatical, atfected, or vulgarly
phroeolegteal: 'tis a good North-American term, (natu-
ralised here) for what ire of Ae old world cell " slang-
whangecy." A * Western Lumiuafy,* cias Ass fine passage
<—«' Our rWer Exe, winding her serpentine course down
. her beautiful rallies, was so dilated by the rains, as, every
here and there, to extend her Jus after her banks. Sea-
ipeps, mingHng with her swans, were seen floating, &c."
Another says-r-"A Phillip is about to be given to the book-
selling trade, by the publication of a Methodical Cyclo*
©^afca."—Vide Globe, Nov. 18. N. B. This advertisement,
eo luminously drawn up, is meant to be a .pun upon fillip,
which * the Trade' did not experience, as none perceived
the intended wit: said publisher also punned his own
work in some (so called) Evangelical prints—styling it
the " Me&odisiical Cyclopedia." Blackwood revels in
Jargonie, at times—like a drunken schoolmaster, who
knows better, but has lost self-costroL But above all
persons who ever held a pen in the service of die public,
none surpassed Ike j^ri*a#«c£aar of the Weekly Dispatch?
from numerous instances take the latest date, Dec 15,
1822, page 8, col. 2. * Had Shehon have been a younger
man, it might have been a different dung." [To be sure!]
*" Had Hudson have proved the conqueror; it «rae said fo
iave been the intention of his fiwmds to have backed him
Against'Gas." Gat, however, was dead! And the sportful
voter knew-it—" but," (says he) he was as dead as a
house to their endeavours." For this same man again,
see Bui. Craven. During the administration of Lord

.. £astlefeagh_# JrUk-JSnplieh was introduced into state**

104 J A IU-J I G

affairs: whereupon the Morning Chronicle observes,
" With the appointment of Mr. Canning, the vernacular
tongue will be restored to * the Foreign Office,' the busi-
ness of which long time has been carried on in a jargon*
that must needs have puzzled the interpreters."

Jark-it—to run away, afar off—as out to sea, or by water;
derived from ' I ark it'—or take water. See Ark.

Jarvy—a coach-driver, principally applied to Hackneymen.
* The fighting Jarvy*—was Bill Wood.

Jaw—a portion of the head, which being wagged up and
down, causes modulation of the breath after it has escaped
the action of the glottis; the sound is then called a mere
jaw, as " hold your jaw;" whence the verb to jaut-r.
' Jaw r him veil, my dear.' ' Civil jaw,' high senseless talk,
' without harm being meant in all the wersal vorld.'
' Slack jaw;' not to the point; loose and disorderly.

Jawbation—a set-to of several. See Clapper-claw.

« Jee-whoop f—called at draught-horses as command to
proceed. ' It vont Jee /' is objected to an attempted de-
ception,—that it will not succeed—'tis negatived.

Jemmy (bloody)—a sheep's head; so called from a great
- dealer in these delicious morceaux, Jemmy Lincomb, who
lived near Scotland-yard, and who, from his occupation,
would necessarily be bedaubed with blood. His custo-
mers mostly addressed him with ' £-Jemmy, bring us

a b-y head, and lend us von o' your b-shlivers,—

mine's at my uncle's.' Jemmy. ⁴ Now, gem men, there
you are, in a pigs vhisper, if you vants it viping, vhy
there's the bitch ye know.' And the legend adds, that a
she-dog's shaggy back served for knife-cloth to his dainty
guests. We never saw it done, though there was the ca-
nine means of cleanliness.

Jerry- waejrs—half-drunken, half-foolish fellows, mostly bump-
kins, newly town-rigged, seeking for a spree. 'Jerry Wag
shops*-* coffee shops, the resort of such wags.

Jew-bail—is * queer bail,' which see. These come ' finely ,
togg'd,' or 'flash the blunt to queer the coram/ A Jew
with laced clothes, according to the fashion of the day,
offering himself as bail before Judge Pratt, was questioned
• severely as to his responsibility, when the judge observed,
' Brother, I think he must pass-—he'll bum for as much/

Jigger-dubber—a jigger is a key, and with the adjunct
dubber, means turnkey to a prison. * The Jigger,' is a
private still.

J1L—J OH IftS.

Jttf—a woman mated; and Jack is the man. 'A gill, of
. max'—a quartern of gin. A Jilt—%. she-deceiver,
.//%tti»iaf«---couuterfeit sovereigns; and, similarly, forgeries

of the gold coin—sovereigns and half-sovereigns, jthe

latter being then * young illegitimates*'
In-cog—a man drunk is incog. See Cog.
Infant—not a child, but ironically applied to a very big

person. ' I know the beautiful savage you mean, he's an

infant: Tom Rees. • •

Inrfoal—See Stinted. In-pup—any bitch breeding. In-cub

—a she-fox breeding.
In tl—-concerned in or making part of a gang, or lot.
Inguns—Cockney for onions; ' Beef-steaks an' in guns for .

dinner/—in common garden.
* Inkle-weavers, as thick as'—persons who are unaccountably

friendly, are said to be as great, or as thick, or as

kind, as inkle-weavers; sex no matter.

«-Juno—

" She now puts on her best behaviours,
« And now they're As kind as inkle-weavers."

tnnings—at play ; as racquet, fives, cricket, or nine-pins;

whichever party begins has the innings and the advantage.

Cricket has but two innings, in the others the number of

innings are indefinite*
Jobbernoul'—the head, and a thick one, too.

«-At Troy—

" Axylus then, an honest soul,
Got a great knock o' th' jobbernoul.

John Bull—the people of England, typified by a fat bull or
ox. The name is assumed by any impudent-and-ignorant
'knave, who behaves astonishing rude, and then exeuses
his crimes under the plea that ' he is plain John Bull/
John's chief characteristic is—great gullibility, which
leaves him an easy prey to .impostors, quacks, and para-
sites. Hearken to one of these—an American traveller:
* England is truly the queen of isles, the empire and citadel
of Neptune, and, at the same time, the Peru of Europe, .
the kingdom of Bacchus, the school of Epicurus, the aca-
demy of Venus, the country of Mars, the residence of
Minerva, the bulwark of Holland, the castigator of France,
the purgatory of the friends of tyranny, and, in a word,
the paradise of liberty. Ilcr fair sex⁷ are very handsome;
valour is natural to the males. Their talents are as great

as thoie of any other people, perhaps greater. Hie ferdhVh
idiom Mai more energy** dee. &c. Enough! enough! 1 PoU-
ticians improperly assume the name, when they ~~presume~~
to apeak «he voice of the country.

" What then ? Wb&t there¹! life, there it hope:

Though JMst BeU torn htf back

9n tbeadfetMl peek.
Yen K&y f$Lg* P«t 8*U frem the P^fe." £*i»/*M*t4.

deification—being jolly, metro-making. The first three

_k rowels change places strangely in some mouths, when the
(cJ) is doubled, and the meaning too. *

Journeymen-parsons—those who work by <he job, and had
recently a house of call, at the King's Head, near St.
Paul's, now removed.

-Jordan—an urinal, whether of pewter or earthen-ware*

Irish wedding—a necessary emptying <of a bog*house, de-
rived from the similarity df fogo at such celebrations.One
with a black eye is said to nave been⁴ at an Irish wedding,
where they give black eyes for bride-favours/

Ironing—Irony; e.g. * Bill Noon, you are one of the
best in all England, for nollidje and for laming/ Neon.
*Nay, nay, my Coney, now you're ironing me—atfefown
the back.' Blackwood was ironing when, speaking of
Egan's boxing reports, be said, * the historian of the prize-
ring excels in language, and his learning is conspicuous*;'
many fools took in this, and much more, as meant straight
forward; whereas that writer 'excels only in meagre thread-
bare language, and his want of common learning is con-
spicuous in every page:' Blackwood meant this. Irony
confessed, or modesty prepense, is exemplified under itfo*
desty ; see its also Jargonic.

irons—' in irons,'* nrifli'gveaves on. ' Heavy ironed,' to de-
note the degree of guilt. * Thieving irons,⁹ the hands of
rogues; and the forefinger should be as long as the middle
one. With this purpose in view, they puH their forefingers
daily and "hourly, and let the nan* grow long.

ticnlander — a Scotchman.

//fern—a hint, wink, or Ay notice. ' Tt was 1 gave the item
that the traps were a coming?

JNcdges—there are a few more than the twelve whom "die king
nominates; many men appointing themselves: 'Did you
think you were a catching of flats? No, no; I can tell ye*

. $m too good a Judge,' " You a judge4 Why you look

fratlfc aindeed ouatomer by hall'¹ He't a goodjtyfet
of horseflesh, is Joe Robson.'

jTf~~tfn~~^Qn.a olumay oar unwieldy fellow. ' Go it, my jumbo/
said to an ugly wallupping chap* Watermen to nackney~
-coaches, market-porters and others, who wear heavy
patched-up habiliments are addressed with ' My Jumbo.⁹derived distinctly from Mr. Park, who relates (Travels in
JJHe*,) that a scolding <wife of a certain nabon (of blacks)
-pa* corrected by a being huddled up and clumsily 4**»

guis*4, applying a tremendous birch ti her bare-• He

took for name * Mumbo Jumbo/ Wt is sjxrewdly suspected
(by ns) <rf being the hen-pecked husband himself.

.JwnQle-shaps—appearing much like pawnbrokers; whera
various incongruous articles are.e*hibitad, and marked in-
variably at high prices.

*;X**9r~"tbe jUack Jack tavern, m Portugal-street, was tha
jimp, into ihe {protecting <window whereof Ned Shuter
- JHM*d from a bac&ney-cGoach, and at fits return jumped
hack again; upon which occasion the Jaxvy mistook Ned

. for tha devil, for he ha4 in tha .meantime opened the coach
and found it empty.

,/i^f^r—the geuaral nam* of gin.

^Q^Ier-4oosA<tft—accidental excrematising, or adventitious
accession of gastrodorsed compounds, digested and
hastily excissed.

Hfedger^he is a beggar "who does not ask for alms outright,

- tart performs -some trivial office, aad expects a fee, or
-casts himself in the way of being offered one. ' To iiva
upon the kedge/ is said of those who pester soft-hearted
people with petitions containing exaggerated statements
of distress. ⁴ KedgerV coffee-house;' the daily resort of
every kind of beggars. * Kedger's hotel,' the same nightly.
See Dab, Caddee.

Keeping, in—maintenance of a prostitute, who is foolishly
supposed to be solely attached to her keeper; but men
frequently receive the like support from high-flyer women.
Sam Hayward was a most notable example of this, lately;
but the it interfered. Homer, speaking of Venus, thus
seings:

" Though her concerns I scarrn to peep is,
3Ut Mars hat hud her long tf t keeping/⁹

108 K^B—KET

Keephig Late touts'and much boozing, night alter
night, is the way to do it.- '

Kennel*—the*residence of hounds, called 'dog kennel,' tin-
sportsmanlike _; •' * '

^a First; let the 'kennel be Ihe huntsman's care,
Upon some fltde eminence erect,
And fronting to tae imddy dawn-***-""

ken is an abbreviation, and means lesser than kennel, and
- its brevity is''.descriptive of a place of mere refbge..
' * Roosting-ken,* a lodging-house. ' A bawdy ken,* (pro-
nounced bodikin,)'a house of AUfame, whether that be a
regular bawdy-house, or merely a house of accommodation.
Kennedy—a stick of substance, a poker. ^M Run up, boys,

* Sfoerrabulah*! Here's mad Myke, with a Kennedy coming.'
See Dennis, Rabbit Pole.

Kicfrsees—shoes, also highlows. * Why, you Jack Hurley,
what'have you got there? A.- Thin kicksees to be sure,

* thai I may bolt the better when I gets hold of any thing/
' * Jerry'Aver shaw, when he came within sight of the gal-
lows, threw off his kicksees among the crowd,' July 1795..

Kicks—breeches. ' ^;"

* Kick, boloc, and bite*—Lancashire brutality, which they caH
fighting, but we ' won't have it at any price!' They kick
at any vital part; boloc, or ramp like a bullock; and when
down, the brute uppermost bites off the ear, the thumb, or
^ose of the brute below. Purr and boloc, we apprehend
to be synonymous. See Purr. ¹ Tummy's a Dickeys a
Harry's, where's ton bin ? t' Bolton V ⁽A* Eagh, marry
lad, Fse bin o'er and fcught'n. l'se got a piece o'n in ma
pocket,'—-producing the bloody thumb of his adversary.

Ketch (Jack)—the familiar of John applies to any .one, of
whose trade, character, or occupation, the speaker thinks
. lightly—or as not quite so respectable as his own. This
gentleman is sometimes spoken of as, an esquire, being
very intimate (too much so) with the sheriffs, many of whom
are knights, or may become so if they choose. We have
heard him addressed as ' mister' and (oddly enough) with
' my dear, O my dear dear John;' John, in order that the
supplicant might ingratiate himself wi|h Mr. K. who was
at the time paying his respects with much assiduity to the
addresser's bare back. ⁴ Sentence of death' rattles upon
the tympan of his listeners, like 'roast-beef with the gravy
in;' ⁴ the pillory' is to him an hour of exultation, and he

'bteakfr-faat overfly back* of a-dozen; or fcw©< customers
with a smack and gusto not^{to be excelled. 'Catting
down the bodies' ants like a'cosmetic;»but he looksupon
sentence of transportation as a 'tradesman looks'Upon a
bad dfebtl i'Gallows Ketch (catch) ye,' is wish not
always intended to be realise^ a*d we shrewdly suspect
gave rise to the^: appellation. Jack has been spoken of
truly as ' the Jtn&ker of the law.* The present officer** an-
tecessor had sore eyes, which although inconvenient to
him, added to his gravity, and Seemed to tell'haw much
interest he took m the business ;<he> however, became a
monopolist of trades, tried an- action thereon with his
master's master, (Rex) and was* cast in damages-three
months quod: his successor, Jemmy Sotting, a native of
Brighton, now lives there re-tfreri,[limping his right leg—
a paralytic. The present Mrs.* K. also does a little: hav-
ing found a watch in a Cloacinean receptacle, early in the
year 22, she argufied the matter in Worship-street, and
put in a plea of non assumpsit. ' Precept and Example
In August, the son of Burrows, the hangman of Chester
and the West circuits, was committed to Chester Castle,
for stealing ducks; on the following day his father executed
the convict Lewis Owen, at Caernarvon, for the atrocious
highway-robbery near. Llaarwst*'

Kid, Kiddy, and Kidltng—implies youth; but an old ever-
< green chap may be dressed kiddily, i. e. knowingly, with
his* hat on one side, shirt-collar up on high, coat bat away
in the skirts, or outside breast-pockets, a yellow, bird's-
eye-blue,^ror Belcher fogle, circling his squeeze, and a
chitterling shirt of great magnitude protruding on the
sight, and wagging as its wearer walks. These compounded
compose the kiddy; and if father and son come it in the

* same style, the latter is a kidling. People who imagine
that all kids are thieves—carry the joke too'far.

Killed off-~those of a large party who may have taken quan-
tum suff. to send them away from the table. Borrowed
from a phrase used of our brave defenders by Mr. Wind-*
ham,minister-at-war; he meant—'offfrom the books⁹

Kindled—hares, and rabbits, going with young.

King's English—as 'tis written. ' To clip King's English,' to
lisp, or cut it short; to * murder it,' is quite as bad.

King's p/ate—King s hundred. * His majesty's plate.'—A
hundred pounds were given by Charles II. to be run for

lit XlT-tWO

at Jlewefluw§m|» tlm twit of tknse &MMQMle haetay4Rf£»
<eejrytng twelve sto**. He afterwards extended the boms
to several ether courses, end the number now amounts te
4we»tj-three in Greet Britain* and sixteen in Ireland. Ike
stewards give a certificate of the race, and the master of
the hone pays by an order on the treasury: there the

' teller* take their toil off, and Ike balance is them about
ninety-five pounds. Heats are disused, horses of all ages
sow run for 'the king** hundred,* and weights as low as
8 at. 41b. are carried; at Edinburgh less.

K~~ito~~'fi~~vmg~~ s~~aid~~ of a truant husband, who makes away to
the Jew's-harp-fields, or those of Rushy-freen, to '4ry his
Idle' or Kate, la belaud, * flying the kite' is employed to
describe * raiswg 3te wind;' but many a fee thought ex-
ported henoe, gets ingulphei in the mid-channel of St.
t3eorge; and even Fiunkettill-explained, when he informed
the chancellor (Redesdale) that 'in England tke wind
raised the kite* but in Ireland the late raised the wind.'

Knifi <*—is a figure for' te cut/ which see. * Knife it; se-
parate, 4ivide, discontinue it, or go away.

Knighthood— about ninety pounds worth of vanity, which
any person of tolerable Address mayttbtatn -any eoui4>dey;
and two lietghbour-ouacks received the henour in 1821—
surreptitiously; but never baring been gaoetted as such,
♦are thus benighted with * the ebon wand of darkness' taa-
gible. Consult Quackery,—Sir Ch. AHdiss and Sir Cooper
I>a*iels. P, Pindar-, describing a royal visit, (1790) says,

^m Then did najesjy, m .polite,
JUk Mr. Whkbread if he'd be * knight?
To which the brewer bowing made reply,
No indeed, Sire, not 1,1,4, t."

Ml sheriffs going up with petitions are so asked, but not
allpoi isess the sense of what is befitting their stations, like
old Sam Whitbread.

&a*c&-*tt**-<an illegal amotion. See Rig-

Know~nn abbreviation of knowledge; a man's know is his
judgment, and the means of corning to a safe conclusion
on a given question. Know-me-all, generally preceded bf
Mister;' eaid of .one*who pretends to book-learning, and
shows it off. He -calls for the newspaper, and occasion*
ally looks abont-him critically through the crevice betwixt
attend his hat, for whom he may find tripping m grammar,
^^^jphy, &c If a &e<^,lie4ur«^iXin^i^tic^ujpon

LAC-LEG 111

m&tefhrjfa, ****ake_f and tb* fee tad of #t*th»<L If
an Irishman, he Insists *3»at fte <kfa Tartai*irve in the
argnes that Indian 4nk, India glue, and India
pickle, are synonimous; and swears thai the EnfHtk Is
best spoken m the Ireland.

Laehryma C^tf^wine, modi U&edvflry thahssHHten, as
being drank in kaly: derived from snonkjtfh impiety.

iaito/^v%e-4^^ either kmd, who congregate
mt certain apots.

Zaggod—vhtn* wmfeUowV*re Uansfftrted they arelagged.

* Latin for jgossn - a dramu

Zasu^tbe time allowed to a fox or deer to * get away' 4*
termed« give hkn few;' i. e. about five minutes. But few,
;as applied to man, aUo*s him no chance at aH of' getting
~away* from its nlntehe* In ring affair*, there is no fa*
but fisticuffs; ha who talks about recovering stakes or
wtigers by captitm>\% a needle.

re—the lodg*eg-piace of deer or «ther fuadmpeds of
chase-; also of beasts travailing the road to market or few.
Spelt * Lair' by Somervile:

** Piefe* hom^hmimr, spriagtdbitfc theapeckkfl pet*,
Shutting far blood, and eager to destroy.

Unharbonred now the royal star forsakes
His wonted lair; he shakes liis dappled sifies,
And tosses high his beamy bead —.

Head Towels—pistols: nearly ^gone out of use, along with
the practice of highway^robbery, except in the aong of
George Barnwell; where it^says,

Make Nu&ky surnmder%i* dibs,
Rob his pate with a pair of lead toweh,
Or stick a knife into his ribs,
TH warrant heU then Jhow sosm bowes*.

&lary--'fly, or up to a thing or manoeuvre.

iLeg*—i.e. blacklegs* The monosyllable is, however, nsoit
elegant, as 4t leaves something to be guessed at. They
are well dressed, sometimes well educated, -sharpers at
rgambling^honse* or race-couwes, &c; but legs appear in
private parties 'frequently, assuming much the surface of
^antUityw Animal courage thew possess, nine pair haw V

lit i.RQMal/C.

fQBght4uels id the year 1822, and'they possess skill tod>
every ope having missed manslaughter. " Oh, my leg !^His a hint to* a discharged convict; and gave name proba-
< bly to the lege..

Leger (St.) Stakes—are a payment <of 25 guineas each, by
the owners of 3-year olds, (horses and mares) to be run
for over a. course of about 2 miles, more or less; the
winner takes or sweeps on all—whence * sweepstakes.'
Colts carry 8st. fclbs; fillies 8st. They were begun at
Doncaster in 1776, before which time, the fashion of
running 3 yr^oldswas limited; the application of names
to the several stakes, as Derby, Craven, and<<St. Leger,

• began soon after then—Lajere is Preach for light weights.
In 1822, 73 horses were named, and 23 started.

-Let loose—=thatpart of the ring at a bull-bait, where the dogs
are slipped, or let loose. * The let-loose,' or * let-out,*-
of prison, occurs at thrde months, she months, &c. alter
the conclusion of each session respectively, about noon:
the man who would see * life in its varieties,' and at New-
gate in particular, would-do well to watch the movements
of the discharged persons for an hour or two.

Levanter—one who does not pay his losses upon turf-bets
but flies off, is a Levanter, and by comparison, pari passu
.on similar bets. Derived doubtlessly from the Levant
wind in the Mediterranean, which coming on suddenly,
detaches single ships from their squadron, and drives
them the lord knows whither.

A Lewis Cornaro—any old water-drinker, or suspected.

Lexicon —bon-ton for a dictionary, even of the most ordinary
kind, as En tick's; or ' reach me Sam Jansons Lexicon,
vol. toe.'

Liberal Education —boii-ton; Latin and Greek, with an
opportunity of bringing those to some account—but neg-
lected. In the mouths of tradesmen and manufacturers,
reading, writing, and arithmetic, equal to a ' National
Schoolian,' and subscription to the village library, during
his apprenticeship.

Liberal Principles—freedom from controul, human or divine;
with proselytism by the press. Liberty-hall—to drink as
you list. •

Lick (a)—a hit, not returned; and a licking, a beating not
resisted. Hence, ⁴1 can't Jight, but I von't be licked'
' He got a sound licking he was beat like a child—no
chance. ' I knows I shall be veil licked when I gets home.'

LI C—hi G 113*

Lickspittle—one who fawns or teaks another's favour in a
dastardly manner, and would, if desired, lick his spittle
like a dog. See Toad-eater.

Life—to live joyously, is ' life.' * Seeing life,' is said of the
boarding-school miss, when she is first introduced to a
ball-room. ' Going up to town, to see« bit of life,' is a
common expression with those who come up to visit the
theatres, piazzas, and.shows. * Life in its varieties/ high
and low life, but chiefly'a softened expression for the latter.
⁴ High.life,-' is properly—living among the great and titled
ones. ' A bit of high life,' would be a visit to Almack's
or the masquerade, and taking a stroll into—a hell.
⁴ Low life*—Billingsgate is not so bad as it, though St. Giles's
below stairs might do. White-cross street, of a Satur-
day night, is low, and so is Petticoat-lane of a Sunday
morning, and Kent-street all day. * Life and fun,' may
be seen at fairs, but the term is mostly applicable to street
business. Thus Dibdin's 'Jolly Dick the lamplighter r*

But father's not the Kkes of I

For seeing ' life and fun/ ■
For I strange tricks and fancies spy,

Folks seldom show the sun.

Few people generalise their ideas so far as to visit every
variety of life.' The writer of these sheets has seen all,
except being presented at court, and feeling the delights
of a prison. No two pursuits can differ more than ' Liie*
in the several classes of society: with the haut-ton, routs,
cards, and up-all-night, constitute ' life i whereas the
cobbler's wife considers no higher enjoyment of life exists,
. than taking a drop of heavy-wet on a St. Monday with her
dear Mr. Lapstone, while he plays at skitUes and blows
a cloud. He who is acquainted with the various cheats
about town, is said to ' know life:⁹ " Where do you UveV
asks an old acquaintance. Ans. " I do not live now; I

• have left life and vegetate in the country."

* Light, to strike a⁹—to open an account, of the minor sort,

generally applied to ale-house scores. . Tis an invention

of the working printers in their chapel.
Light weight—In affairs connected with the ring, persons of
' 11 stone and under are light weights^ and if of nine or less,

they receive the appellation of little-ones. A jockey of

9 at. is nc£ considered a ' light weight:' boys of 6 st 4 lb,

being sometime.s required, seldom less*

U4 LI LOO

Umbo—any plate to which one's particulars nay be-coav-
fined; so this explicatory volume may be considered the
author's ' Limbo of Oddities.' ⁴ Cast into limbo'—****
to a prison.

A prison is a- house of case,

A place where none can thrive*
A touchstone true to try a Ulead,

A grave lor one alive,
flometintes a place ef right,

Sometimes apmce of wrong,
Sometime* a place of rogues and thieves,

With honest men among. Mynshull.

£ta#v-a string. A man is in a line when? he is made tbe
fool or butt of another; when of the entire company, he
is ' in a string.' To be in the line was some time meant
a dealer iu forged bank-notes, but became obsolete by the
reissue of gold: those passers were also termed mashers
{improperly), who retailed but a few, singly. ' In the liu*
of lib —to live dishonestly; a w— who does not rob,
is not yet got into tlte line or manner of doing it—she is
only in the way of life.

Lingo—* Damn his hngo? eaid of a parson, ev admonishing
justice* * Vhat pretty hngo Tom Owen does patter
surelye,' hi the ring.

' And my timbers, what hngo heM coil and belay!
TwasaJljastasoneashtgfc Dnlcb, JNsds*.

Listener—the ear. * Gas now planted his favourite hit under
the left listener of his antagonist, which sent him to dorse.⁹Vide Fancy Gazette*

Literary pursuits—subscription to a library aad access to
talking company; the production of a scrap or two occa-
sionally in a favourite paper, busy intercourse (monthly)
with a magazine, and the announcement of a volume once
in ten years. Of such quacks and their admirers we find
there are two classes, ' those who have erudition without
genius, and those who have volubility without research;'
we shall obtain second-hand sense from the one, and
original nonsense from the other.

Little Chancery—a court of requests, or of eonseienee.

Little-ease—the name of a -certain city-prison.

Za$—a shopkeeper's till. Lob's-pound—* prison, dark and -
drear.

Lobster—a soldier* By inversion a lobster is also called a

soldier* when boied, as is a red-herring.
Logier—a pocket-book, it is Jewish—DuXcJbu

LO N—LU R II*

Longshore L&wyers—are ⁴ Black Sharks/ which see.

Long-town—London is so spoken of by the Irish.

•1st*—nothing: to fight for love, or play for it, is noughts-
no such thing in existence among the lege; hence the
term.

Low—any unexpected salty from one of a party acting like
gentiefeiks, is denounced low: and he is ' low company/
who of a St. Monday, or during a Sunday ramble, should
come out with sexual, stuff—or infamous dirty allusions—
Yet is not such conduct confined to dustmen and mere
donaeken dabblers, but pervades all highflyer society.

JLmd—4no species of Lud, differing tote ceelo in tbeir habi-
tudes, are now before our vif imagination: the one may
be spoken to, the other only spoken of; the one is visible,
the other kind only felt, or are heard of occasionally,
without being sees. The first kind may amount to about
a deoen (a baker** -doeon) at any one time; of the second,
as many hundreds or thousands go out at a time; that
* town-bred/ this kind * confined to the country/ Yet are
the fewer the best off ia respect to gallows affairs, as these
.never * go to the drop/ but commit tha more numerous
kind of Luds to the finishing care of John Ketch, the
* uoper. The mast populous take individually the name
-of Ned; among the pars paucere they had among them
•only one Ned (via, Edward EUenbro' die.) and he no one
dared call Ned, except Will Hone, and even he called
turn ' Lad* for the most part: " My Lud I my Lud!! it is
/ that am to be tried, and not youJJf The ' three Luds
in the Minories/ so much written of by the Slang- wbangers
at one time, never did exist: but ' the three Lords' may
be found there —once a sporting-house,

Lumber (live)—men and woman over-loading a cart-—no
matter the age or condition. Lumbered—taken-up on
suspicion, supposed in irons.

Lumber-troop—a society of jolly-ones, citizens of the mid-
dle rank, assuming military distinctions, as commander,
colonel, captain, &c. with insignia, forms, and cannon.

Zumpy—heavy. " Here they are, lumping penn'orths," of
fruit at the stalls*

* 1, Lumpy ftuned, Mendosa Ktik.
Tm up to all and quite the kick."

Lurcher—a thief-dog, trained by poachers, being got out of
the worst of two or three species; e. g.—a mastiff asd boll*

116

LUS-rM.AL

dog, then the fiercest of the produce upon a lawless stag**
hound; let the gestation and litter be in the woods or
glens, far from home. Also, the greyhound and tanned
terrier cross. Law lurcher—a bum-bailiff.

Lush—drink of any sort—beer principally. Thus we have
' Tom Cribb's lush-crib.' 'Lush-out;' a drinking bout.
* Lushington,' or ' dealing with Lushington,' taking too

• much drink.

Ma'am—abbreviated from Madam, a term of respect used
in addressing ladies of respectability; but among fish-fags
and prostitutes, 'tis taken ironically, considered as-an
insult, and resented accordingly. Marm_f is but a further
corruption of the first.

Macaroni stakes—those ridden by gentlemen, not jockies.

Mace—the broad-pointed instrument used for playing the
Safe game at billiards. The mace-cove is he who will
cheat, take in, or swindle, as often as may be.

Mad-cap—a frisky wild lass, full of fun.

Mag, magging—monotonous endless talk; ' Stow magging,⁹cease talking. Mag—a halfpenny.

Maiden-plate—a racing prize, for which untried horses and
mares alone are allowed to start; or, if any do start surrep-
titiously and win the race, the prize is withheld. These
plates are generally fifties.

Main (a)—with dice-players, is the averages of the number
to be thrown.

Then Ajax grasps his clumsy fist,
And gives the box a devilish twist.
Out pop the dice; cried Nestor—seven
'S the main y a nick, by Jove'. eleven.
Another throw then Ajax tries:
Now eight's the mam, sly Nestor cries;
Resolv'd this jobbernoul to cozen,
Roars out, another nicA.' a dozen.

Main—in cock-fighting; he who wins the advantage on a
series of battles, wins the main.
* MaUeting—a horse.' Two horse-dealers appear, the one as
a buyer, the other assists the seller in making sale of his
horse; they try him, and dispose of the animal to a fourth
person, pocketing the proceeds, and sometimes fight which
shall have it; when ' honest men come to know who the
rogues are.' This last is a malletting bout, which differs
a little from Hammering. Vide Old * Fancy J p. 98.

MAL—MAW 117

Malt—the chief ingredient of beer, has been used figura-
tively for the beer itself. " A shovel of malt,** is a pot of
porter; and is a good expression of Tom Rees's, as it
reminds the person addressed not to forget the main
article. ' Malty;' drunk, with beer/or drunkish any how,
stupidly so.

Mannikin—i. e. a-kin to man; men's manners in a boy
renders him a mannikin, as 'tis written, or to * man-a-kin.'

" Mannikin, cannikin, good meat and drink,
And true from the head to the shoe-tie."

Mark—(ring). The pit of the stomach is termed ' tke mark;
and ' Broughton's mark.' It was Bill Warr's favourite
hit; also, had been Dick Humphries's.

Marriage Act—of 1822; the laughing-stock of all.sound
moralists, the harbinger of unlegal attachments, and the
quarterly annoyance of the religiously disposed, when it
was read instead of a sermon. On one such occasion, a
pious Devonian addressed his dumpling-head congrega-
tion thus:

" 1 shall preach bo sermon this morning, as yon will see:
Bat shall read what will tire both yon and me."

Martingale—at play, to double stakes constantly, until luck

taking one turn only, repays the adventurer all.
Massacree—unlettered pronunciation for massacre.
Match—persons nearly of a size are said to ' make a good
match,' (ring). Horses* match consists in colour and size.
A two-horses' race, is a match, when specially agreed
upon. The agreement for a man-fight, is 'making a
match.⁹ Young folks are said to ' make a match of it,'
when they marry; they do the same when they do not
wed frequently, but bring gybiets together, sans ceremonie.
Match-makers—old men and women there are, who having
tasted wedlock-joys themselves, and their appetites fail-
ing, they prepare tit-bits for their young friends—male
and female. Tis a droll occupation; and fails often of
entire success. Jew-King opened a match-making office
in Old Bond-street, about 1797.
Maunders—beggars using much lament.
Maw-wa1lup~ compounded of maw, another name for the
' stornach,-and to wallup, or eat up without discrimination,
- anypreparatioir however incongruous, having the appear-

119 MAW—HER

ance of victuals, but usually understood to be of the lee*

solid kind, e. g.

Then here a** nice sheeps' heads to rait each dainty maw,
lt'« very true, says Will, bat then, there's too much jaw.

Maw ley _y mawlies—the hands; from to mawl, to beat. Pro-
nounced by thorough-bred cockneys ' Maw'r les,' and
written by some fancy jargonic^writers—' morleysJ We
have ' the right mawley of Jem Wines met Warteei's left
mawley, and smash'd it/

Max—gin, originally of the best sort, abbreviated from
Maxime; but now, any kind of ' the juniper' is Max, Old
Tom, the Creature, Eye-water, or Jackey; afl meaning
⁴ Blue-nrin.'

Maze—a labyrinth properly—as * maze-pond, Boro/ the
maze at Hampton-court,and that at Marlborough;' mazed,*
mad; a labyrinth of ideas or notions, is a state of mad-
ness, and the word, though local, is good.

Mazzard—the face, or perhaps the whole head. Tis Irish,
and mostly confined to Dublin. < Toss up the coppers
now Thady,' ' head or harp?' ⁴ Harp!* cried Paddy,' and
down came three bfctek mazzards/ ' Chop his mazzard,'
a cut in the face. " There sits my dirty spalpleen, musha
gra! with a pipe Steele in his sate mazzard, see/'

Mealy-mouthed—backwardness of speech; one who talks
as if he held a spoonful of flour 'twist his dming^rooia
chairs*

Meg—* I am without a meg/ i. e* no money—<not a half-.
penny in pocket. Megging—ebtstkmng the meg*, thus:
two or more fellows, pretending to be utter strangers,
conspire to eheat a third by laying wagers, or otherwise
do him cut of his bustle: provincial of Yorkshire. When
employed on horse-flesh, it acquires the term MaHettmg.

MeUing—%. sound drubbing, all one way. A meker is he
who punisheth, and the thing administered is a we&tegr—
a corruption «rf inaHettmg.

Men of CewA—gamblers ia lack:

" l*m opto affyotfr knawhfg rigs,

Ye biddies queer and Dash ;
Tm company ibrac+aip*and<prJ9B»

Sometimes for men of cash /" b. tmuoa*

Merits—high flash far the extreme of a thing, used nega-
tively in general; as* 'Sit, you da mi enter wlo the
merits of—the wine, the joke/ dse»

MEW—MiX

fltoa—tfce seat of a hare; her resort:

Now gentry ptit her off: see how direct
To her own *ww see flits! SombbvibjS.

lr%Z~»Jewish pronunciation for wt'M; the Cockneys come
k vid.

Miles⁹* boy—* Who told you ? I thought uo one knew/
Ans. * I had it from Miles's boy/ In one of the suburbs
of London, lived a tax-gatherer named Miles t who kept
a boy, or man, walking about to discover people who
might be taking flight without payment. This Janus-like
mode of proceeding, however, is continued, and so is the
saying, notwithstanding the boy must be long since dead

Mill-doll—a prison, that part of it which is appropriated to

working, hemp-beating, treading the wheel, &c.
Millers (ring)—second-rate boxers, whose arms run round
in rapid succession, not always falling very hard, or with
determinate object; and they seldom win against equal
Strength in a scientific opponent—but by accident. Gas
was a miller; the Hudson* were nothing else—but Josh,
improves. Shelton is a reformed miller: Scroggins, an
incorrigible one.
Minikin—small, little, "what a minikin mouth she has!"
" His store contained every thing, from a minikin pin to a
sheet-anchor."

' Mischief—in her eye;* which must be black, sparkling, and
with a tittle leer, for its owner to be so spoken of. ' Ran-
dal's fists now shivered as he squared at Martin,, clearly
meaning mischief." F. G.

Jfw/flfc-*--clothes which do not suit the wearer's shape*
Hence, ' 'tis a misfit,' when a story, or some endeavour
tails of its effect, then * ft von't fit;

Misforttmate—properly miss-fortunate, used of women who
may have missed their way in warkmg along the undulat-
ing paths of life; which are laid with the pebbles of vice,
having one border composed of the briars of misrule,
thistles ef grief, and nettles of mishap, the other border
being sKghtly fringed with the flowering myrtle and gaudy
moss-rose, that sweeten the breeze that cools our anguish,
and seduce the malaria of our repose.

AHx <4fibtet9~-to mtermarry—naturally or legally.

to Miieh up—^to agree secretly how the parties shall make
up a tale, or colour a transaction in order to cheat or de-

130 MIZ—MOO

ceive another party, as in ease of a justice-hearing, of a
law-suit, or a crow in a boxing-match for money.
Mizzle—when any number. of the light-fingered tribe con-
3 gregate in the streets, they disperse incontinently different
ways at the sight of a trap or two; they are then said to
mizzle.

Mock-auctions— one of the baleful products of a generally
bad tra.de; every species of cheat is practised at them:
some are held more ostensibly genuine, but are nevertheless
rank impostures. See Barkers.
Modesty—like other negative virtues, 'tis most insisted upon
by those who have least of it. Wh—s swear by their
modesty, and often declare 'tis hurt by expression of free
thoughts, whence some have concluded the modesty they
speak of is a substance, resembling probably an old hair
trunk. Take an example of Scotch modesty from Black-
wood's Scotch Mag.: " A loftier and a wiser people (than
the Scotch) are not to be found now upon the earth, nor
do the records of any such survive." Petrarch thought
otherwise: he placed them the lowest save none: " Of all
the barbarous nations, none is more cowardly and igno-
rant than the English, excepting only the rascally Scotch."
Molls—are the female companions of low thieves, at bed,

board, and business.
Monkey's allowance—more kicks than half-pence.
Monosyllable— (the); feminine only, and described by Nat
Bailey as pudenda muliebris. Of all the thousand mono-
syllables in our language, this one only is designated by
the definite article—the monosyllable; therefore do some
men call it the article/ ⁱ my article,' and ' her article,'
as the case may be. Certes, 'tis neither yes nor no, (those
uprights and downrights of civil life)—but it lies some-
thing between the two when first used—never after.
.Monstrous—excessive positive. A bon-ton reply renders it

a superlative: ⁴ a very pretty girl is that miss-* oh !

my dear sir, monstrous pretty little creature inde-e-d."
Monster-ous large would do better; _:but dandy cares not:
he has it ' monstrous hot in the house, and devilish cold
out:' ',1 was monstrously affected,' he concludes; yes,
affected, monster-like.
* Moonlightrr~wa.n$qrex*i ,, or ' fly-by-night' > persons, ■ who
_t pheatt tHeir tan<Uords',a^dfrun away by,, night;; when 'tis

M 0 T—M U C

* Moonshine, gilded⁹—sham hills of exchange: ^r no effects.'

' Mother Cary's chickens⁹—to fare alike and pay the same.

' Mother of Masons'—a toast—not among their secrets in
lodge, whatever it be at home.

Mot—a young woman, desirable for a sweetheart. Dimber
Mot—a pretty lass. Mort or Mott—a woman, wrapped
up. Mort is death; and the term should imply that the
speaker would love her till death. Again, a pall is called
a mort cloth, in some parts of the country; and an Egyp-
tian traveller (Dr. Richardson, the wit) speaking of the
women of Cairo, when riding on asses and muffled up,
(as is the custom) compares them to ' a coffin mounted
erect, covered with a mort-cloth*

Morrice-dancing—it differs from the contra-dance, reel, and.
waltz, &c. inasmuch as men only perform the morrice-
dance, having bells attached to the arms, knees, &c.
" Morrice off"—an order to depart, meaning ' dance off.'

At such a time,
While to wild melody fantastic dreams
Dance their gay morrice in the midmost air.

Mouth (a)—a silly fellow, one easily duped. ' I've a mouth
at the Mint, as brings me out plenty o' gold blanks. See!
here be two and thirty!!' ,

Move (a)—a removal of public-house-keepers. ' A precious
move,⁹—or motion, to do something disadvantageous, as
'tis to lose a fire-side seat in winter. Land-rails, &c. are
said to be ' moved,⁹ when the sportsman disturbs them.

Moulder—a lumbering boxer, one who fights as if he were
moulding clay. ' Go along, moulder,' i. e. fight on.

Muck—dirt; and money is derided as muck, when in posses-
sion of a miserly fellow, who is then a muckworm. Some-
times mucks; in Devon ' mucks-a-drowd* is dust, or pilm;
in Yorkshire,' muck-orts' are the leavings of a dinner, or
ill-favoured scraps, and by easy transition—dirty female
persons are the same. Muck, is used differently on the
Malabar coast and islands : madmen running about the
streets there, reckless of life, are denounced as ' running a
muck,' and get hunted down like beasts of prey. Dryden
evidently knew the country whence the word is derived,
when, speaking of some Blackwood of his time, he says,

" Frontless and satire-proof he scours the streets,
And runs an Indian muck at all he meets."

122 M U D—M U N

Mud—a stupid twaddling fellow. * And his name is mud V
ejaculated upon the conclusion of a silly oration, or of a
leader in the Courier.

Mud-larks—fellows who scratch about in gutters for horse-
nails, and other fragments of scrap-iron; also women who
go into the Thames, at low-water, to pick from the mud bits
of coal, which are spilled from the barges along-shore. .

Muffin-faced—one who has large protruding muscles on his
phiz, which is pale withal, is ⁽ a muffin-faced son of a

-;' mostly cooks, idle gourmands, &c who delight in

fat, soups, and slip-slops, evolve mutton-faced.

Mufflers—gloves with wool stuffed upon the knuckles, for
boxers to sparr withal, and not hurt each other too much:
claret comes sometimes.

Mug—a man's face. When applied to a woman it seems to
imply that she has a masculine visage, or is ugly—God
forgive us for so speaking of the female face divine!
' Please send §. crate-full of ugly-mugs? vide an order to
the potteries for jugs or mugs which exhibit on their lips,
or in their entire form, the greatest distortions of the hu-
man face. These were recently much in vogue, and were
intended, no doubt, to alarm the drunkard when he should
have descended so far into his cups as to see blue devils
in the air.

Mulligatawney—soup, made of unborn calves' meat (vulgo
slips) and still-born foeta*, in imitation of the Chinese
' chow, chow? or stewed puppy-dogs.

Mulligrubs—sickness, intestinal or nervous, or of tardy cir-
culation. Hector suggested that if he went not to the
battle, the Trojan dames would

* Cry,' Bless us! what is come to Hector,
He used to maul the Grecian scrubs:
Pray, has he got the mulligrub$S"

Muns—the mouth; but sometimes (improperly) extended to
the whole face; though this may, probably, be allowed
when the portal of sustenance extends far over the counte-
nance. Derived from mange, (indie, of manger, French) the
difficulty is soon solved; and is better than mug, because
this latter is a more comprehensive name for the whole
-set of features. Vide Bath Cries on a Good Friday:

" One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns,

If you have no daughters give them to your sons:

Jf you have no sons, stuff them in your own mwis"

M U T—N AN 123

Whereas the man who has not capacious muns might stick
those buns in patches upon his mug. and so become muf-
fin-faced.

Mutton—a woman. Also,'laced mutton* ' Mutton-mon-
ger/ a follower of females.

Muzzier (ring)—a blow, slanting upwards, placed on the
upper lip or tip of the nose; the latter is most effectually
conducive towards victory of any blow whatever,—'tis a
puzzler too.

' My a- in a bandbox⁹—it is so indeed, when a lamey

story and a lying one is stiffened up with pompous no-
things. ¹ M'ars in her band-box* is another version of the
same: 'tis said that Jupiter having dispatched Mercury to
seek after Venus and Mars, who absented themselves from
Olympus, the messenger-thief found them-, and re-
turned the foregoing account of his mission.

My lord—any one with a hump on his back. Bad nurses
cause these humps; let the lords curse them all their lives.

. Presiding judges are addressed as Me-lud.

Myrtle—men used formerly to walk about with bits of myrtle
stuck. between their teeth, knowingly. Jerry Avershaw
had a bit in his mouth as he took his last sad airing at
Kennington-common. The address ' Ah, my myrtle/ is
rather gone out of use since that black affair; Jerry having
thereupon dangled at Wimbledon several moons after-
wards. Ned Brown, the younger, a costermonger, is the
present' sprig of myrtle.' Ned is a tulip too. Jack Ketch
(circa 1790) wore a sprig of myrtle in his business hours.

Nabs—a coxcomical fellow is spoken of as * his nabs.* ¹ My-
self and his nabs here, grub at Dolly's to-day.' Queer
Nabs—shabby genteel.

Nafrb'd—the arrest of any one who has been long sought
after, whence perhaps ' nippered' for criminals.

Nail—a cheat, who runs into debt without intending to pay,
is a nail; and he who lays sharping wagers, or tosses up
unfairly, is a dead nail. The man is nailed who is laid
hands upon.

' Namby-Pamby—verse, ill-composed, unmeaning.
Nantz—' right Nantz,' brandy. ' Cool Nantz,' the same.
' Nancy, ask my*—a very vulgar recommendation, seeing
that it is a mute.

124 NAP—NEW

Nap, Nap it—to get the worst of a coatesWf at fistycufiV is
understood, * To nap toco for yapv' to ®et. more beating
than is given.

Nashed-^-gone, or run away.

Natives—silly people, generally; the untravelled population
of any town, wrapt up in incipient simplicity axe natives.

Native cavalry—the u«broke horses of countrymen, when
they resort to races, fairs, fights, &e.

Natty—neat, tidy, spruce, going to a fair, or hop-r-of either
sex.

Near-side—of a horse or other cattle, the left^He_f by which
horsemen mount. Postillions ride on the. near horse in
England—the Russians drive on the off-horse. The left
kidney being nearer the heart than the right one, is culled
* the near,* the melt interposing between it and. the ribs.

Neck and crop—⁽turn him out neck and crop*' is to push one
forth all of a heap,, down some steps or stairs being under-
stood, so that the patient may pitch upon his neck (or
head.) ' to wash the Neck;—to swallow liquids.

Neddy—-sometimes ' ass-neger,' other names for jackass—
the living emblem of patience and long suffering.

Newcome, Johnny—any man recently arrived*

Newgate—a house of entertainment for rogues of every de-
scription, detained for trial at the Old Bailey, London and
Middlesex sessions,—or for ultimate transportation. The
name has itself been transported to, and naturalised in,
Dublin, as also in Manchester, where the sessions-house
is modernized into New Bailey. The old building so ap-
pelled, stood across the entrance to Newgate-street; and
probably had its name from the circumstance of its having
been the newest of all the gates that then choked up the
accesses to the metropolis. See 'Start.⁹ < Newgate seize
me if I do, there now!' is an asseveration of the most bind-
ing nature, when both parties may be following the same
course of life. ' As black as Newgate,' is said of a street
lady's lowering countenance, or of her muslin-dress, when
either is changed from the natural serene. 'Newgjate drop,*
see ' Drop.' ' Debtors' door o' Newgate,' is still used in
the London cries of last dying speeches; but it no longer
exists—that stain upon our laws, of confining within the
same walls, felons and unavoidable misfortunates, being
taken away, by incarcerating offenders of the latter descrip-
tion in the ' At home,' of Whitecross-street. See * Home;

N E W—N I M 125

* Newgate-Steps,' figurative for a low or thievish origin.
Before 17&Q, these steps, ascending to the chief door, were
large and much frequented by rogues and w-s con-
nected with the inmates of that place: some might be said
$o have received their education there, if not their birth;
such a thing has happened

^<f At Newgate-steps Jack Chance was found,
They brought him up near St. Giles's pound ;
He soon was taught to swear and fight,
And every thing but read or write;
He Could a purse or gold watch bring*
And swaggering Jack was just the thing.!'

Newmmrket—a place for racing and coursing, having the
finest turf of any extant. ' Newmarket; best two in
three, ' as a phrase is erroneous; races are not decided
there by the beat in three, as prevails elsewhere. See
' -Cfose rub, King's Plate, Round Betting, Turf.⁹

Kibble (v.)—stealing or cheating for trifles is nibbling. ^ll only
nibbled half-a«4>ull for my regulars.' * There, now I feel
you nibbling; said by thieves when they are teaching each
other to pick pockets.

N*ck—+6Mt Nick; the evil being, who interposes finally in the
nick of time between a resolve and its performance. Tis

a softened expression for d-1; always masculine. Thus,

a nicked horse carries his tail devilish handsome after he
has had a nick or gash in the leaders, and the cure is com-
plete ; a mare should not be nicked; it would appear so!
Nick-names are derived from old Nick. Nickeries are the
same applied to actions and things, or quid pro quo. So
many names have been bestowed upon the great enemy of
mankind, that we are much disposed to believe Nick was
added to all the rest to denote the fiend upon whom all
₍ nickery had been exhausted, and therefore he ' the nick of
all nicknames.⁹ The story of St. Nicholas having flogged
him, and thus, under his own hand, conferred his familiar
Nick upon old Nick—we reject as apocryphal. ' You are
arrived in the nick of time,' is addressed to one who comes
* in the critical minute/ ' To nick/ is a verb, derived from
the noun, and means ' to cheat'—of money, of chattels,
cr of life,

Ni.n (v.)—to pick out', ^tnim a wipe or reader.'
ffmrod^wxy sportsman fond of hunting.

126

N I N—N O B

" From the shades could Mmrod, that hunter of old,

Be permitted to view our domain;
Our horses, our hounds, and huntsmen so bold,
He'd wish to pass life o'er again,

So he would."

Nincum Noodle—see Noodle. Nincum is a contraction of no
income, i. e. not enough, or poverty. Nincum-poop, a term
of derision, applied by a young lass to her lover, who
presses not his suit with vigour enough.

Nine winks—a few minutes' of sleep in the day, assuming to
be for the space of time which would be occupied in wink-
ing the eye nine times. After he is roused, the doser pre-
pares to take 'nine corns more⁹ of tobacco, and 'nine
whiffs' at his pipe. ⁶-Nine tailors make a man; and four
journeymen with an apprentice make half a man/ Sam
Foote dining with the Court of Assistants at Merchant-
Taylors' Hall, took leave of them at a late hour, with
' Gentlemen, I wish you both .a good night.' There were
just eighteen.

Ninny'hammer—one who speaks without sufficient strength
of intellect: nma, small, weak.

Nippered—caught, taken up. ' What d'ye think ? My eyes,
if Bill Soames warn't nippered only for "a fogU little better
than a wipe;' he was thereupon transported, 1823. Nip-
pered, or Kneppered—is derived from kneppers, the knees,
which are hampered or hempered, when the rogue is either
tied a-horseback, or has got on the greaves. Diomede
being wounded, called to his coachman,—

" Hark ye, sirrah,
Come here, and lug me out this arrow;'
And then the buUy on his bare
Kneppers knelt down and roar'd a prayer."

Not only the Greeks but the Trojans used it in the same
sense:-— .

^u I go to bid our grandames alt,
And old maids on their kneppert fall!
The prayers they mumble will, no doubt,
Help us to thrash the Greeks this bout.

Nix—nothing. ' Nix deberr,' no my friend. Borrowed of
the Russians who lay in the Medway, 1810. ' Nix my dol₉'
—nothing at all.

Nob—the head. A head man, or chief person, is also ' a~
nob.' ' The nobs' house at Westminster,' the H. C. and

NOB—NOT

127

Lords house. * The nobs* nob ;' George IV.—none better*
Used also in ring-affairs: * Josh, paid his respects pretty
plentifully to the Yokel's nob,' vide Fancy Gazette. ' His
nob was pinked all over/ i. e. marked in sundry places.
It differs from swell, inasmuch as the latter makes a show
of his finery; whereas the nob relying upon intrinsic worth,
or bona-fide property, or intellectual ability, is clad in
. plainness.

* Nobody—is in every body's house.' When any article be

missing, nobody can tell where 'tis; and when the house-
maid proves enceinte, ' nobody did it,' until she has con-
sulted ⁶ how to work the oracle.'

Nolens Volens—by force, against the will of the persons
practised upon.

Nonconformist—a discontented person, who will think and
act differently from all others.

Nonplush—non plus; no more, no farther, not to be exceeded:
used liberally—' I was struck all of a nonplush.⁹

Noodle-—a fool, who may have been suckled too long; or a
seven months' child, who has been catlapped all his life-
time. A secretary-of-state who may be a noodle, does
things by halves, or else acts with a vigour beyond the
law; a tradesman-noodle never soars beyond his counter,
nor rides farther, than Rotten-row or Mile-end. Very few
females are noodles. * The house of noodles,' the upper
nob's house at Palace-yard, Westminster.

Nose—the verb signifies to pry into and worm out the secrets
(generally dishonest) of another; he who performs this dis-
graceful office assuming to be co-rogue with the person
nosed. In France, these are employed by the Police, sent
into prisons as if committed there, and afterwards appear
as evidence against the felons:—those noses are termed
' chien-tnouton,* dog-sheep, i. e. wolf in sheep's-clothing.
When Coleridge and his friend Lamb retired from politics,
they frequently engaged in literary disputes, like radicals ;
and when he apostatized he found among the Tory archives
of espionage, an account of a conversation held by the
twain respecting Spinosa, the philosopher; but which their
nose construed into spy-nosey, and he imagining himself to
be meant, wrote to his employers that he was blown upon,
and wished for his recall; vide Biog. Lit. by S. T. C--e.

* Nothing—to speak of;' scarcely worth notice. ' Nothing is

as good as it; any thing [whatever] is better! 'Pray

128

N O V—0 D D

George, what is Robert about there?' A.Nothing ^ Sir.⁹

Q. * And what are you doing?' A. ⁽ Helping Robert, Sir/
Novice—one not initiated in the affairs of town; a new or

untried boxer, is a novice: all inexperienced persons are

novices, until they peruse this Volume.
Nous—uppishness ; * to be up,' is to be nous; but this latter

is chiefly confined to the gambling-houses—hells.
No. 9—Fleet-market; the Fleet prison. "You'll find him

always at home, at No. 9."
Nutty—sweet, amatory; bestowed by bucks upon buxom

landladies, and spruce bar-maids.
Nymetting—[West-country,] See Crinkum-crankum, of

which it is the participle. Mary Tracey is the woman on

the black ram in the Spectator: Eustace Budgell did

wrong, geographically, in leading posterity to believe

those Nymet-towns lay any where but in Devonshire.

Mary, probably, was Budgell's own ancestor, though we

cannot trace the fact.

Oak stake?—same as the Derby, (which see,) except (hat
these are for fillies only, carrying 8 st. 4 lbs. and were
begun in 1779.

Obstacle (the)—it stands in St. George's Fields, and com-
memorates the ' No. 45' men, and is written ' obelisk/ Old
Calvert, when he began the rot-gut trade, grinded his malt
by horse-power, and being in the habit of riding out one of
these rotatory animals, when ' the pair of 'em' arrived at
this monument to liberty, 'My horse,' said the brewer,
' vent round and round die obstacle till he vas tired, and
me too/

Odds-^tho$e chances in wagering which give the advantage
• to either side, are the odds in favour of that Side: two
playing at billiards, the odds are against him who drinks
most liqueurs; a tall man and strong has the advantage
(and the odds) of a small weak one: in either ease, some
degree of skill would reduce the odds. It is worthy of
remark, that in man-fights, and all decisions left to the
honour of low-bred fellows—* the odds-men* do not win
so often as they lose; and that those who maybe town-

- residents—connected with the chaffers, are invariably
estimated at from 20 to 33 per cent, too high. When

OPF—OIL 129

turf-wagers are laid upon races approaching (for stakes)
odds lie against any given: horse winning, in the ratio of
the number of horses to Start against the number laid
upon; so that 30 horses being entered to run, 'tis 30 to 1
against any given one winning; unless as generally hap-
pened, some part of the lot come from a bad or equivocal
stock, and then the odds may rise up to 20 to 1, 10 to 1,
or even 5 to 1 upon the favourite, as it frequently does
before starting. See Round Betting.
Off—run away. * Pm off,'—«I am going;' also «0 double f/
or ' offish,' or ' off the ramparts/ all signify that the speaker
is about to take leave of absence; the latter, that he will do
s6 at all hazards. So we have ' turned off/—hung; and

* a turned-off mistress,'—a discarded strumpet. < It's all
off betwixt us/ i. e. the wager or the argument is null.

* Now they are off/ said of horse-racing, on those courses
where the jockeys are cheatingly permitted to make three,
four, five, or more false starts. See Start. * I'm off with
my sweet set-to/ said by a frblicksome Ma'am, when she
sallies forth seeking whom she may devour. 'Off she
goes/ announces the beginning of a contra-dance, during
the delightful days Of Bartholomew-tide: a certain dance
of six figures was thus entitled late in the last century.

* Ofl>and-on/ with intervals. ' Be off/—a command not to
be mistaken nor resisted; 'tis terse, and includes an un-
derstood threat if you do not.

Office (the)—intelligence, 6r information of any kind being
conveyed to one, is to ' give' him the office.' * It was I gave
the coves the office that the traps were a searching for us.'
To perform a service for another, is to * do the office for him.

Ogles—the eyes. * Queer ogled ;* squinting. • Rum oglen/
(query,¹ orfed-one?*) bright, piercing eyes.

¹ Ok my leg r«-thrown off before one recently liberated from
goal, as a rebuff for his misfortunes. The wearers of "
greaves afterwards obtain a certain loll in their gait, as if
they missed the ballast of their fetters ; so do bur seamen'
ashore feel in vain tor the heel of the vessel, and acquire
the roll of the sea, in the same manner as ploughmen and
gardeners imagine their shoes still clogged with earth.

Oils (stud)—a commixture of two destructive spirits and one
oil, used by ignorant farriers upon several discordant occa-

i sions, always highly destructive, and never required in
any case. ' The Oils/ or lies, ought to be expunged,

a 5

130 OLD—OPE

Old lady—* common address to those out of condition-.. The
⁽old lady of Threadneedle-street,'—the bank of England.

Old Tom-—he is of the feminine gender in most other nations
than this : 'tis a cask or barrel, containing strong gin, and
thence by a natural transition from the thing containing to
that contained—the liquor itself.

Old woman—sl term of reproach to men who think and-net-
* sillily—as old women do. Most fellows talk of their wives,
as ' my old woman' at home, though younger probably
than the speaker.

Oliver—the moon; when up, he is 'in town.' •

Omnium—the whole; applied to the funds. See Scrip.
Omnium gatherum—a mixture of all sorts: mixed com-
pany ; all the varieties of life at one view.

One-two (ring)—when both hands are applied to the antago-
nist quickly, he is said to have ' napt one—two'— three,
sometimes; a saying created at Bristol and brought up/to
London.

' One day*—is said of a circumstance the precise chronology
- of which signifies little. * Old May, he died one day,'—no

matter when to a nicety.
Onions—seals. ' My eye, what a bunch of onions is there I
Joey, my kid, let's make a grab.' 'Amateurs who wear
onions to their tattlers should come, to fights with a stiff
stick a-piece.' Fancy Gazette. They were formerly worn
fastened to a ribband, and tied about the wrist; and a si-
milar custom prevailed with miniatures, for in The Newer,
No. 8, Jan. 21,1663-4, we find advertised as lost," a gold
enamelled bracelet, with a small blue picture case at the
end of it/*

0. P. and P^ S.—in theatricals, prompter's side—and op-*
posite prompter's side; directions as to the entry and exit
of the players. Thence, those initials were transferred by
Joe Finch to certain dinners, and at length to his public-
house in Russell-court. Tke 6. P. r.ow*—a riot of many
weeks duration at the theatres against N. JP. or new
prices (1809.)

Opaque—an intelligent improvement upon ' Flat,.' as regards
the state of the speaker s understanding. Egg-shells are
opaque.

Open (to)—upon any one; a volley of abuse. See Bellows
When hounds quest for the chase, they open upon finding
it; and if the voice be recognised as coming from a good

O R A—P AD 131

hound, the hunters cheer on and declare his name aloud,
and he replies « deeper and deeper still"—
So Somervile:

Twas Bellman that open'd, so sure the fox dies.

But when an unaccredited babbler opens without coming
upon scent, he gets flogged for his impertinence;

' the vain babbler shun,
Ever loquacious, ever in the wrong.
His foolish offspring shall offend thy ears
With false alarms, and loud impertinence.'

Oracle—(working the). Men who understand how to over-
reach others, or to manage money concerns marvellously,
are said to " work the oracle well." The same is said of
the insolvent, who cheats his creditors; as well as he who
practises round betting, or edges off his bets, advanta-
geously. •

* Over the water⁹—in the king's-bench prison.

' Poll could not cross the water.' Holman*

Ounce-—so much silver is understood, or five shillings—same
as bull; " Til bet ye an ounce of it."

Out of town—out of cash: locked up for debt.

Out-and-outer—he who engages in any matter, and sticks to
it like a trump, is an out-and-outer. Ned Turner was
long time ' nothing but an out-and-outer :⁹ (ring).

Pack (the)—assembled hounds, are the pack, par excellence*

Each straggling hound
Strains o'er the lawn to reach the distant pack;
Tis triumph all and joy.

Similarly we say a pack of cards, and a pack of scoundrels;.
whence the verb fq pack a jury, and pack off! i. e. "fly,
like hounds.** The latter well-marked phrase, however,,
has been sadly corrupted in the mouths of the vulgar, who,
"pike-\t_%* instead.

So, 1 pikes-it off to sea:
And, says I to sweet-heart Poll,

If ever 1 comes back,
Well laugh, and sing tol de rol lol

If not—remember Jack.

Pad (the)—highway-robbery, forcibly. Foot-pads—dis-
mounted highwaymen.. Pads—are also street-robbers

J32 PAD-«.?AIt

Paddock—a small park. without its clumps, rJaatatiaas, ⁹

water, or vistas—a large plain field, about a mile long,
and as wide as the house and homestead* Also, an m-
closure for coursing-matches.

Paddy—the familiar of Patrick; common to all Ireland is
Paddy Bull. <A Paddy-row/ more jackets off than blows
struck, where sticks supply the place of fists. A Pat-
lander—any Irishman.

Pal—a companion on a tour, or in any small expedition, as
robbery, fornication, &c«; either masc. or fern, but mostly
_% the former. Derived from Palfrey—a lady's curvetting
horse; and she being timid, would be attended by a run-
ning servitor, or palfrey-man, who by abbreviation became
her pal, if he and the horse were not the pals.

Palaver—soothing talk, generally of the high-flown kind,
by a travelled swindler, or a gin-bibber, half seas over,
who means to show off. Of Sunday mornings numerous
palavers are held at every corner of St. Giles's, in Kent-
street, and Petticoat-lane rookeries, usually at the ends
of courts where the parties ordinarily go to roost. When-
ever it happens that two palavering parties wish to be
cock of the walk, the^ come to blows, which produce a.
Paddy-row.

Pom—at loo, the knave of clubs takes the ace of trumps.

Pandemonium—learned gamblers use this word for a gaming-
house, instead of " hell;" whither the reader is desired
to go, in search of farther intelligence.

Panny—a small house, or low apartment; a dwelling-shed,
or gipsey building without stairs.

Panum—bread. " Mat de dem div, me Middery V asks the
gipsey child. Ans. Npnarem panum; i.e. 'What did
they give you* mammy?' Ans. * nothing but bread/

Parenthesis (a)—it is this thing, itself ( ); and when a man's
nose, or any prominent part of him, may get irrevocably
between the thing—he is in a bad way r some few novices ,
have died of it.

Park—an inclosed space, having game; an immense field

. with plantations: individual exclusive property, and the
third in degree after forest (1) and chase (2), warren
being the fourth and last of ' free-chase' divisions. The
Park is also the rules or privileged circuit round the
king's-bench or fleet. ⁽ The park is well stocked/ when
many prisoners have obtained the rules*

PAR-PAY

133

Parlour—may be a room as. well as some other thing. Mrs.
Fubbs's front parlour is no part of any building; yet have
we got ' sky-p arlour,⁹ for the attic garret.'

" My lodging is in Leather-lane,
In a parlour that's next to the sky;

It admits both the wind and the rain,
But the rain and the wind I defy."

she who is said to ' let out her parlour and lie backward,'
cannot be supposed to repose with her face downwards.

Parry—(ring) to prevent blows, descending on the body,
whereupon the receiver should return with the same hand.
See Stop, Guard, Counter-kit.
- Patrician order—the nobility.

Passion—bon-ton—a taste for any given pursuit. ' Our Fred,
has a great passion for grey horses;' another has * a pas-
sion for skating,' and a third, a ' passion for full frills,
pudding cravats, and plaited pantallions,' whilst ' Maria
drives slowly along Rotan-row, that she may indulge her
passion for quizzing the men-calves in the Mall.' '

Patter—small-talk and flashy. Derived from the French

patois, or vulgar long-shore dialect; it comes to us, navally,

per sea, our tars using it for persuasive language. Thus

our incomparable Dibdin the elder:

^u Go patter to lubbers and swabs do you see

About danger and fear and the like—" '

Beggars are said to ' patter well,' when they deliver a
good moving tale. So hawkers of small wares use it;
' a good pattereri and * no patterer,⁹ showing the degree
of qualification a man may possess in praising off his
goods. * Tom Kinnersley was the very best book-patterer
in all England;' but' Jemmy Speers, now, is the best von
for pattering off his brushes.' Tom Tag and Bob Sanders
. are rival patterers in rostra; the Bathotic chaos of book-
learning. The Patter is also Trial at the Old Bailey:
speaking of a discharged culprit, the song-smith says,

' He stood the patter,
But that's no matter,

A man may be dried who has been in the water —*
He a pardon receiv'd from a gracious king,
And swaggering Jack was just the thing.

Pay-away—(ring); when one man gets disabled, by a stun-
ning blow or otherwise, the other «sarves him out,* fast and
quick, by paying away at his jolly-nob, ribs, and bread-
baskets

134

P E C—P IE

Peck and boose—meat and drink. See Boosey.

A saucy rolling blade ami,

My name is Donkey-Dick,
Through London streets my wares I cry,

Up peck and boose to pick.

Peckkam (going to)—dinner. * All holiday at Peckham*—
no appetite. ' No Peckham for Ben, he s been to Clap-
ham,' i. e. is indisposed, in a certain way. Peckish—
hungry.

To Peg a horse—to drive a bit of wood between the hoof
and shoe on one foot, to superinduce lameness, when he
is already lame of the corresponding leg: punishable bar*
barity.

Pen, ink, and paper—a piece of chalk and of board, on
which to keep a milk-score, or the nine chalks of low
gamblers.

Peristaltic persuaders—Dr. Kitchener's relief balls for gour-
mands, much in request every 10th November, and at
every cabinet dinner—where they swallow "cheese parings,
and candle-ends"—the nasty rogues. Abernethey's ' blue
pill,* or *• R. Pil. Hydrargyri Gr. iij de diem in diem.

J. A. Ckirurg."

Person—young women are designated as 'young persons
wanting situations/ Bill Noon addressed the more dan-
dified part of his customers (male) with 'how is your
small person to-day V See ' Carnigal body/ of Rees.
_ Peter—a box or portmanteau. Petermen—those who follow
coaches and waggons to cut off packages.

Philistines—sheriffs* officers and their followers; revenue-
officers ; the press-gang, and police-officers.

Physicking—winning a man's blunt at cards, or other wagers,
is ' giving him a physicking/ ' The physicking system'
was put in force at the Doncaster St. Leger, 1822; and in
the + battles between Josh. Hudson and the Caulker, as
well as at Lashbroke and Parrish's ditto. '

* Piazzas, to walk the'—is the first indication of a girl's turning
loose upon the wide world: a-while 'tis all sunshine, but
* briars and brambles soon spring up. See ' Flesh-market.⁹

To Pick in wrestling—provincial of the North, to throw a
man.

Piece—a soldier calls his musket his piece, and so he calls,
his trull; but high-flyers are so termed—behind their'
backs. Agamemnon, in the council of war, said,, speak-
ing of Chryseis-;

PIG—PIN 135

From this dear loving wench M part.
The only comfort of my heart;
But since I must resign for Greece,
. I shall expect as good a piece.

Pig—a. man charged with being one is supposed to have
dirty piggish habits: some selfish fellows of fortune bear
about the title all their lives. ' Pig's whisper;' is brief-
ness itself, 'tis a grunt. What would you have of a pig but
a grunt ? To buy * a pig in a poke,' or bag; a blind bar-
gain, without taking a sight of the thing bought * Cold
P*g;' goods returned upon tradesmen's hands instead
of money, is an unsavoury thing, and so is cold pig. * A
learned pig,' is he who repeats often and with display,
the same Latin distich, or employs metaphysical argu-
ments. A man who talks mathematically and knows no
more of science ' than an unshaved pig,⁹ is in a poor way;
the remark is offensive; but if he be so piggish as not to
know this beforehand, he deserves no other treatment.
'To stuff a fat pig in the tail,' to give unnecessarily.
Thus Peter Pindar (John, Wolcot)

" And then for why, the folk do rail;
To stuff an old (at pig i' uY tail,—
Old gripus of Long-Leat."

Pigeon—see Flight. * Pigeon-fancier,' a breeder—as Lord
Torrington. Some, however, fancy the killing of pigeons,
as the Ashton club in Oxfordshire, and the Midghnm,
Surrey, pigeonites. To ⁶ pigeon the hews/ is to send
information by the carrier-pigeon. So fellows who ran- or
rode with news surreptitiously obtained, received the name
of pigeons, from their occupation. ' Pigeon,' and ' blue
pigeon,' is another name for lead. ' To fly the pigeon,' to
steal lead. ' A pigeon' may also be a man, and is gene-
rally a young one, who parts with his blunt freely at
gambling, and is rooked; older persons also stay and get
plucked sometimes, until they have not a feather to fly
with; this is the case with * the greatest captain of the
age,' as well as with ¹ the royal commander-in-chief/ i. e.
the Messrs. Marshals. Such men, after the plucking,
become bald-coots.

Pimple—the head of man or woman. Such a tumour-like
nomen shows how low the speaker's opinion is of the thing
, -spoken of. See Canister, Nob.

Pinkt—one above the common run of mankind in his manful

136

exertions, is <t pink. " Such d pink at skittles is Jem Bunn,
he is the pink of all Bow f i. e. the best player at skittles
in the town of Bow. ' My bitch beat the best among
them to-night; she is the pink of the pit so far.' ' Now,
be a pink for once,⁹ said to a combatant to keep up his
spirits. ' I feit myself suddenly" pinked all over, like the
man in the almanack; no blow of finishing importance to
be sure, but all conducing toward victory:⁹ vide Jack
Purby's account of his battle with Belcher. ' Meddle
with my affairs and 111 pink your eye out f a common-
place rebuff. * In this round the baker's eye shewed pinky.⁹The wearing of pinks in the mouth or coat button-hole
was formerly much practised: if one roan pulled but
another's pink from coat or mouth, a fight was the conse-
quence.

Pin-drop—the negative is understood: ' let not a pin drop/
while a song is*going on, or some favourite speaker is
trying' to make himself understood.
Pins—tne legs. * Get up on your jri»s, and speak out/
Pip—an Irishman, in his extacies, interlards nis expressions
with a number of drolleries—all carrying something of
their meaning in the sound, and many drawn from the
Celtic, though seeming like Tom fooleries to ^%the torn
.English:

" With a hey, pip, and a drimendoo, whack /
Small brains in the hat where my head chancM to be,
And sm« to my coat I had only one back." Coleman*

Sing whack! diHy-doolIy, sing pip. Moneys.

Piss-quick—gin and water; hot acts the quickest.

——A gen—AWelchman's pun upon a prize-fight reporter's re-
ports. Vide [Old] Fancy, No. 15, p. 368. Cowards, terror-
struck persons, and departing subjects, contract the fundus
of their bladders, when so affected, by way of' Vale, Vale_%benedicite,' and so deluge their inexpressibles: the sphincter
does not always relax upon such occasions, but the con-
trary. Patroclus adviseth Achilles, thus:

^ Let's leave this mighty man of pleasure*
To kiss his doxies at his leisure:
When Hector comes, well then be mist;
When Hector comes, he'll be. be-p-1."

The Pit—means the area in which dogs are pitted against
each other, and is extended to the whole building gene-
rally, as, the Duck-lane pit, the Tufton-street, and (to

PIT-PLE 137

Jjomplete the eattmeration) the Harper*street pit—Jem
^Bolfe's pit, in Tottenham-court-road—Harlequin Billy's
and Jack Goodlad's, both in West-street, city—or Jack
Nailham's, in the Mint. Tim Smith's pit nigh the latter
place is measly extinguished, 1822: the Paddington pit,
not now frequented. Sometimes the company assembled
are called ' the pit:' e. g. " Til bet the pit all round as my
dog stays the valleation of a quartern of ah hour;" in hni-
tatiea of fhe language of the playhoaee—" the pit with one
yoke damn'd the whole performance." Not only dbg-
fights, but bears and badgers are baited at those places, and
these latter are also drawn; together with other animal
sports occasionally, as baiting the monkey, kilting rats, •
&c. Cockpit is nearly the same. See Cock.
~? Pitch, and toss-up'—a game played with money, thus: a
jack being placed at a distance, often at fifteen yards, the
parties pitch their eoin at it, and he whose money is
nearest takes up all the pieces, shakes and throws them
up, when as many as come heads uppermost fall to hie
share; the next person near the jack does the same, and
sp on until the blunt is all divided. To ' pitch the bar/
is throwing a heavy iron to great distances; so ' pitching
the ring,' or horse-shoes, is heavy play, very becoming in
blacksmiths. ' Pitch him to the devil,' though never per-
haps executed to the full extent, is sufficiently indicative
of the speaker's wiph, and might cost a man his life before
he .could get half-way to the presence just named. ' Pitch
it into him/ strike him bodily without notice. See Belly-
go-Jirster. ' Pitching his gammon/ telling fibs with strong
assumption of voraciousness.

Placed—turf; the horses that come in, so that the judge
'can assign to them the order in which they appear. ⁶ Not
placed/ is of course the contrary. See Distance.

Plate—turf; a piece of plate, or the amount in money—
501. being called ' silver/ 80/. or 100/,' gold/ to be run for
on conditions specified; and ftiey are either * king's plate/
' maiden-plate,' or the plate given by certain persons; as
' ladies plate/ ' members' plate/

Plated-butter—that which has a good article outside; in the
middle, lard and scrapings.

P/ay—gambling of any sort, but chiefly understood of
hazard, rouge-et-noir, and la roulette.

Pleasure—What is it? One believes it to lie in bustle, noise,

138

P L E—P O P

and strife,—a bull-bait, a boxing-match, or worse than
either, a stormy debate in the hon. H. C.; another seeks
solitude and the muses, converses with antiquity/ and
reclines on the tranquil couch of bienseance. A third
seeks the hind, or follows the fox; his neighbour takes
pleasure in watching the minnow-bite, and tugging at the
pike; whilst his wife murders private character, cuts up
rural happiness, and consigns disbelievers to the flames.
Those are inveterate habits, and last some of them to the
grave; other pleasures there are which cure themselves, and
run off (like syphilis) leaving the patient dilapidated: the
gamester becomes poor in pocket as in soul, the debau-
chee weak in the loins, the drunkard nauseates wine or
goes mad.

Plebs—a tonish designation of the lower orders; coming
from ' plebeians' among the Romans.

" I mount on my box, my elbows I square;
I handle my reins, the plebs they all stare."

Plumb—in the city, proper—a hundred thousand legitimates.

Poaching—hunting or shooting other men's game; formerly
called fowling, snaring, stalking, and practised at will.

* Pogey-aqua'—long-shore for—make the grog strong. Pro-
bably derived from Poco aqua, Spanish for little of the
water.

Poney—a little horse, (stud) and also wagers of twenty-five
guineas, (turf) the one being derived from the other. Poene
is a Latin word for pain, or painfulness, and all the little
wild horses being mal-formed, so as to give one an idea
that they walk in pain, (or Poene) thence comes poney.
Dr. Johnson knew no more of a poney or of a horse, than
a horse knew of him. ' Post the poney'—put down money.

Pontic*—accounts which are not intended to be paid, are
' upon tick,' abbreviated—short in the sound, long in the
term, lasting some to extreme old age, and beyond, even*
post mortem.

Poor-creatures-^potatoes. Cockney mark of despication
for the very best of all edible roots: high-treason against
the prince of esculents.

Popp'ri— put into pawn: * 1*11 pop my tog for a bull to drink
upon.' « Popp'd out of the way,' of the bailiffs. * Popp'd
off,⁹ ran away. Some persons are easily offended at trifles;
they are then said to be ' popp'd/ or to take tiff. ' To pop,*
to fire a shot. A Popper—a gun—pistols are the popperK

P O R—P R I

139

Porter—beer, so called by reason of this class of workmen
carrying off large quantities of. their favourite beverage.
Made of brown or high-dried malt and coarse hops; the
yeast on the surface is beat in with new. birch-brooms, and
the beer subsequently ' fined down.' See Beer, Chemistry
Intire, (in Addenda.)

Possibles*—money. Tis wholly impossible to live without;
every thing is possible with him who has it.

Post—(turf.) ' Wrong side of the post,* meaning—of the
winning-post, having betted upon the losing side. ' Poet
the poney/ or ' post down the cole/ put down the money.

Post-obits—bonds given by spendthrift heirs, and expectants
positively, at.ruinous rates; to be paid post-mortem of
some old dad or nunky, with chances of survivorship.

Pot—' gone to pot,* dead. ' Put in the pot/ is said of a man
who is let into a certain loss—of a wager, of his liberty,
or life. * I shall put on the pot at the July meeting/ sig-
nifies that the speaker will bet very high, (at races) or up
to thousands.' Pot S-o*s,' the name of a race-horse, mean-
ing 80,0001. or guineas. Lord Abingdon once declared
¹1 will put on the pot to-day,' and he did s§>£itth a ven-
geance—his groom, Jack Oakly, put him in the pot.

Potatoe-trap—the mouth. ' Shut your potatoe-trap.' * She's
got the use of her potatoe-trap,'—a scold. A wide mouth
has been described as * a beautiful potatoe-trap.'

' Pots and pans—to make/ of his property; a man must
knock it about and spend all freely—then beg.

Poverty-basket—a wicker cradle: .allusion untrue. A Mal-
thusian doctrine.

Pound it—to lay pounds in a wager, or. to increase*|uich from
shillings to pounds; to post the blunt, to im-pound it.

Prods—are riding-horses of any description, ponies included,
but a doubt exists as to considering the jackass as a prod;
because the word is evidently derived from prado, Espag-
nol for a gravelled walk, (the inside of a fortification,)
whence conies the.verb to walk; md as no Neddy can
walk, or do any thing else in style, he is no prod

Premium—a gift, profit, Or advance upon the cost price of a
thing, as a house of trade—a loan to the government, &c.
'Tis understood, though not expressed, usually in the
latter ease; ' How is omnium V A. 'Doing at 1£/ u e,
1/. 10s. premium per cent.

< Price—a m m's/—-the amount for which he may be brought

140 PR I—P U P

10 aet dishonourably* < Not at any price,'—eat absolute '
negation: put upon an inadmissible proposition. * I won't
take m your story at any price/ ' He shall not make one
of our party—no, not at any price/ So radical Hunt, * I'
will net dine in a mshvheuse in November, at any price/

Prickers, yeomen—whippers-in of the royal hunt; so called
because they earned rods with a prick or nail at the end,
in order to prick up lazy or lagging hounds, before whips
came into fashion. Formerly a prieker's-plate (50/.) was
run for <anamHy, at Ascot; 'tis now converted into a
ewoepstakes, sailed tke Wmkfield,⁹ from the lodge so -
named, and Joyal kennel there. * PwcsAag a hare'—runs
niag her down by her track on the snow. About four or
five miles chase will bring the pricker upon puss. '

Prig—its pteeeut meaning is a thief} in a more confined
sense pickpockets -are prigs; so also those who-would rob
shop-windows, .coaches, and the like, may be considered
as priggishly inclined. Thus we have the burden cf a
song, * And a prigging we will go/ Formerly, however, a

. iormeataiwaa called ⁴ a prig,' being a mere corruption of
another ntord, differing from it only in the last letter.

Prime—chief, well togg'd, any thing performed capitally.
'He's all prime; or 'a prime one for that/ 'That's a

jWHNS fin.

Prodigious J—kaa-tam; but net predigiems elsewhere. See
Afottssrota.

Produce—the young of any given horse or mare is its produce,
whether cobs or fillies; but, in a wider eense of the word,
would imply any of that get, however old. Thus, Hapha-
zard's fweduce won forty-one prises in the season 1521*.
* Produce etakes; are those engagements which are entered

. into as soon as the mares may be in foal, to run the pro-
duce when yearlings, or two or three year-olds, as the
agreement may be-—-but very injudiciously made. Post
produce, is die same, but agreed upon soon after covering,
and three mares are mentioned, but one product only is
brought to isbe post.

Property—goods, a man's wife, his horse, &c. are claimed
as * my property.' * To make a property of a man,* is to
extraet money from him.

JPtt6/tc4iouse lawyers—those who frequent such to pick up
business, or to set friends by the ears.

Pu^(ring3—the last round Jemmy had received a hit

PUG—PUN 141

on the left ogle, which now puffed it up.' A puff of tike
breath is the eloquent reply of many, (particularly Welch-
men) to a laboured attempt at imposing apea them Kn-
guaJJy. « To paff off/ is to. praise inordinately an article
intended for sale, or the character ef any one: the greater
the cheatery the more puffing it requires; a good are stands
in no need of the bellows. ' Sir Henry HaUbrd insisted
upon the patient's continuing the arsenical preparation
until his face became puffed,'—& a consultation otM.. D.'s,
Pugilism—the art and practice ef manual defence. Derived
from pugUes the nets, and pugnandum fighting. Straight
hitting from the shoulder; to parry and counter-hit; to
throw the adversary when an, to get out from hie clutches*
or drop from his grasp out of a chancery-suit—are charac-
teristics of the Bristol, or native school of pugilism.
Pulled—had up for crime before the magistrate.
Pully-hawlsy—abbreviated from ' pull-away, haul-away,'—
apparently the action and cheering at finishing a first-rate
cable. In ring affairs, two novices getting hold of each
other, pully-kawley for the throw.
Pullet—in common life, a female>barn-door fowl, which has
not yet produced eggs. Young women are so denominated,
Occasionally; and sometimes we have ' virgin-pullet* who
though often trod has never laid.'
Pulling the long bow—lying; derived from the surprising
feats told of the Irish archers (see Addenda) formerly.
Those sharp-shooters made nothing of killing at five miles
off, or so, a mile or two being (literally) no object upon
such occasions.
Punch—brandy and rum, equal quantities, added to as much
hot-water, sweetened with loaf-sugar; the juice of lemons
and limes should be previously mixed in, and some of the
sugar rubbed on the outside of the lemons. Derived from
punish, as it does the heads of all sapsculls.

«——Tbeehiefe
" Can punith every'sneaking faave,
'And with good pumh reward the brave."

Puns—the lowest species of wit; in which, however, many ,
of the greatest wits have indulged. Jonathan Swift was
the most incorrigible punster since James I.; but before
the mighty Sam Johnson, pun dared not show his nose.
Throughout Cockaigne they are punsters to a man, or in-
deed, to a woman. Of one of these, it was lately said,' As

142 P U N—Q U A

long as he can clinch a word, or raise a laugh, he does
not care how old, or how bad, his pun is: he will call any
one singing in a garret ¹ an attic warbler/ He calls a
friend an unit-harian, because be has bnt one hair on his
head. He addresses a shoemaker, * O sovereign of the
willing Bole.⁹ If you are a Templar, he hopes you may
turn your gas into Coke. He is indefatigable in chasing
down his pun. He reads only to find out resem-
blances, and listens only to bring in his pun. His brain
is lull of⁴ eggs of bon-mots and specks of repartees/ If
a person is in a dilemma, and asks what steps should be
taken, he recommends the library steps. If he is asked
to ring the bell, he, with great solemnity, puts a ring on
the finger cf some pretty girl. If one objects to him that
his coat is too short, he replies' it will be long enough
before he gets another.' A gentleman offered his friend a
pinch of snuff out of his box, which he said he much re-
garded, having been in his family a hundred years: his
friend thanking him, replied, ' I am not in the habit of
taking snuff, but as a curiosity must have a pinch out of
your cent⁹ry box'

To Punt—to put down money for the play at rouge et noir,
or la roulette—games that by their names show their
origin. See Grab-coup, Martingale, Hook.

Purr (ring)—the rushing-in, Lancashire fashion, with the
head against opponent's guts: inefficacious. See Rush.

Puss—a cat; also applied to a hare. ' Ma'am Puss, a pert
lass, bar-maid at a tavern; or one suspected of loose prac-
tices, with a saucy tongue, is a Ma'am Puss.

Put in the hole—among thieves, he who is left out in sharing
the booty—or regulars—is said to be ' put in the hole.'

Put* up—is when a thief is instructed where he may rob,
safely and to advantage—'tis then ' a put-up robbery,'—
generally a crack. So, when one rogue splits upon ano-
ther, this is also ' a put-up.'

Putty—a name for a painter. ' Poor Putty 1' Grimaldi.

Pye—nobbing with the ferula upon boys, and with the thim-
ble upon the heads of girls. Pye, in a printing-office, is
not fit to eat: 'tis type tumbled all of a heap.

Quacks—humbugs.

Quackery—the bane of British welfare; pretence far beyond

Q U A—Q U E 143

the reality, (or at total variance with it) that exists in every
ramification of society, and (worse than all) is believed of
nearly all. Political quackery—' taxation ho oppression^
and the six acts a blessing'. Moral quacks—the bible as-
sociations, and vice-suppressionists. Religious quacks—
the theosophists of the three-legged stool. Lastly, Medical
quacks—These are, 1st. All who puff themselves off in print,
or super-induce others to perform the like dirty work for
them. 2nd. All who prescribe one grand specific in various
and opposite cases. 3rd. All who have taken up tkeprofes-
sion needily, without previous education. 4th. All who
decry others' practice without shewing reasons at every
step. Reece is the most allowable of the fourth class, but
he belongs to the second also, as is proved by his Col-

chicum Autumnale; his-and other Nostrumo-copoejas.

Tis strange! but true, HbaXEady follows closely said M.D.;
only hearken to the barber of Dean-street: * There are not
a few at this time making a great noise in the world—who
are speculative monsters in human shape.' Good; and
when the doctor finds himself foiled—with a pox to him!
he applies to a surgeon regular for farther advice. [Let
Nesbit speak out.] He quotes Horace and cites Greek to
prove his (second-hand) learning—the impostor! Yet is
he more bearable than that other plural barber, Daniels,
(cum aliis Monro, Cooper, and Co.—one of whom is a
black man, another a hairy man,) who got himself knighted
surreptitiously. Next Halford and arsenic, Abernethy and
Pil. hydrargyri, ' Cash, Calomel, Currey,' always in a
hurry, to what class besides the second do these belong ?
' Sir Asdey and his many friends' are consigned by the
same token to the first.
Quarry—in hawking, a bird pursued by a hawk is his
quarry.

Quean—a flaunting woman of loose morals, if not of practices. '

" Here's to the maid of bashful fifteen,

Likewise to the widow of n\ty,
Here's to the wild and extravagant quean,

And also to her who is thrifty,"

„ Queer—not right, not good. * Queer in his attic,' mad. ^€ A
queer story,* * Queer money⁹ counterfeit. ' Veil, I queered
the beak/—told the magistrate a falsified tale.
Queer-bail—same as Jew-bail. Fallacious security for a
debt; deeeptious, queer in court as in pocket: perjury

144 Q U E—R A D

does it. See Stag-bail* A Queer-looking chap—one who
squints, has the features awry, or indeed the limbs. So
the poet tells,

How Sands, in sense and person queer,
Jnmp'd from a patriot to a peer,

No mortal yet knows why *

Queer'em—the gallows or drop. Queer-rums—literally ⁴ bad
good/ or robbing smooth and rough; confounding talk.
' Queer-street, to live in,'—to be badly off as to income.

Quest (to)—dogs seeking up and down for scent.

Quid—a guinea. Quid-nunc— a political quack of the
alehouse.

^tf Ye qukUnuncs so queer, who through politics trudge it,
And pin all your faith on the minister's budget."

Quid pro quo—one thing for another.

Quiz (to)—to notice sarcastically, to grin at one, is to quiz
him; he is then quizzed by the quiz. Quoz—a quiz upon
the public, when it was formerly chalked all about town.

Quod—imprisonment. ' Gone to quod,' [quoad hoc] im-
prisoned.

Quota—vulgo ⁴ kotey,' share or dividend of a reckoning, or
of booty, plunder, <fec.

Quotations—from Shakespeare and others, are fashionable
among the semi-learned, half-taught witlings, and demi-
brained writers, of the present day; especially those of
the fancy, ring, and spree-going recreations, but seldom
in point, without explanation. See Spout-Billy.

Rabbit-pole—the point d'appui of an Irishman's * valour,
when he is opposed to Dennis and Kennedy:' here, Judy,
bring out the rabbit-pole; Til soon make dem smell mutton
from lamb.'

,* Racket—to stand the,' when one of a set stands forward to
bear all the blame.

Radical—politically speaking, -one who would erase the
present constitution root and branch; most bitter against
the whigs, because their object is to amend, and not de-
stroy ; thus characterized-Cobbett for matter, Hunt for
manner, Wooller for volubility, Leigh Hunt for quantity,
Cartwright for simplicity, Bentham for pertinacity, and
Phillips for Bonapartery. Professed radicals have no

R A G-^R A J 145

fixed principles, nor any notions in common, but levelling
ones, and to these they adhere not in private. He is a
radical (radix) who is turbulent in company, and kicks up
a rumpus in the club-room; in this respect * Vot ariddekal
is that there Jim Jinnivay, surelye !'

Rag—the tongue is a red rag. ' To rag⁹ a person, is to scold
him or her plainly; but to bala-rag him, (vulgo, bully-rag)
is to use such balatronic words and phrases as render this
book necessary. ' Jack Carter, being in that state when
he neither can or will Jiold his tongue, let loose his
bully-ragr at Oliver.' * Rag, tag, and bobtail;' a crew of
worthless rips. Ragamuffin, one who may carry flesh but
not clothes. Rag-fair, any frippery of left-ofF clothes,
and Rosemary-lane in particular. The rag, is paper-money
—from the materials (rags) used in paper-making.

Rake—the instrument with which the groom at a hell draws
the money of the losers towards himself. See Grab-coup.

Ramp (to)—to steal forcibly from the person. Ramping—
participle of to ramp, is thus performed: a person in the
company, who has money in his pocket that it is desirable
to come at, but who sits too close, and is buttoned up too
tight, to admit of their attempts, is indueed to join in a
bit of lark, by others being shoved against him; else,
pipes or other missiles are shied at each other with the
tame - intention; sometimes they all get up and dance
about, when the object is attained by shoving and pulling
about the victim until he is unbuttoned and robbed. Pro-
bably the word is a corruption of' romping,' and ' singing
rum-ti-iddy-ti-ido.' Ramping-mad—uproariously drunk.

Ram—one who butts the old ewes and wedder-lambs of the
village; for which reason, widows,copyholders of theNymet
towns, did penance on the back of a ram, black.

Rantum Scantum—a mutual blow-up with hard names.

" Jove and his queen have had their quantum
Of jaw, and such like rantum scantum"

Rascal—rascally crew; ail fallow deer and stags emasculate,
are rascals;. and are shunned by perfect deer of antler,
unless while these are shed, and being renovated. Verm .
applied to mankind also, as opera*singers, sopranos, &c.

Raising the wind—spendthrifts are frequently at a loss for
funds,—they then borrow upon the security of their own
stiff, upon bonds, post-obits, reversions, goods, &c. &c.
these are so many ways of ' raising the wind.' The most

146

H A It E 6

mortifying, and generally dernier restart, is selling the ;
prad from under one. See Kite-flying.
Rate (to)—to scold, to chide and beat, as the huntsman does
his hounds, when they lag, - are thrown out, or otherwise
offend.

Ratiocination—(among the learned.) Ex. gr. ⁴ Is the news
true, doctor?* A. 'Why, according to the best of my
knowledge and belief, agreeably to all I ever have heard,
seen, or read of, and as far as / am a judge, I don't know/

Ratting—an usage of parliament: when the minister far the
time being is likely to be out-voted and ousted, place-
hunting members stroll into the lobby, as if griped; and,
when they return, forget -their bow and -then' previous
places, and turn upon the right, as if by accident; or walk
up-stairs, and there He, in petto, until the division is
called for.

Rattler—a coach. Rattling cove, the coachman.

Haw—Johnny Raw; one who is unused to the ways of town,
or a fool ab initio.

R. C.—Round course, and the second in length at New-
market, so called by -infra-distinction, since most courses
are round or ovole-wise; it measures three mires and three
quarters, good. R. M.—rowley^mile^ is one yard longer
than its denomination*

Header—a pocket-book* The reaefy~~cash in hand/

Recheat (chase)—a blast upon the horn to call or'keep the
hunters together. There are eight sorts (at least) each
indicating the business in hand. See Tantaron.

Referees—persons to whom is referred any dispute to be *
settled, amicably, te prevent law-suits; there are always
two—one on each side: when the subject is referred by
both sides to one person only—he is then the umpire be-
tween the persons referring. This is the legal sense, and
common sense, of the two words; but both are shamefully
perverted in ring-affairs, owing to the utter stultification
of the reporters on those affairs. See the glowing blunders
of the Dispatch for Nov. 17,1822, p. 8* col. 2, lines 33-36.

* Refreshed nature overmuch'—boozy, reeling drunk.

Regulars—or quota.. Thieves generally divide their ill-gotten
pelf, mutually, a few shillings being doled out to Jack,
Tom, Dick, and Harry. ' I shall expect my regulars] or

. share in the booty, is said by one thief to another who is
going out upon the scamp. Nothing can be more kregu-

i
t
t

R B N~R t D 147

larly distributed than these regulars, gome among them
being regularly ' put in the hole.'

Bent—to collect the, is to obtain money upon the highway.
' Rent collectors/ are robbers of money only. Thus, ' we
have collected the rent* cannot be misunderstood for goods,
however valuable. See Blunt

Reporters—some three or four hundred persons, boys and
men, who are employed, 1st. In collecting scraps of intel-
ligence for the newspapers, as to fires, accidents, and coro-
ners⁹ inquests. 2nd. Another set procure the initial ex.
animations of culprits at the police-offices, (who are some-
times the clerks in those offices,) also, of trotting-matches
aquatic excursions, &c. 3rd. Gentlemen of learning, with
habits of industry, take short notes of debates in parlia-
ment, of law proceedings, and judgments in civil law.
These invariably write better stuff than is spoken: the
former exaggerate invariably, in order to make their arti-
cles read welt See Two-pence a line.

Republic of letters—the post-office.

Resurrection-men—those who raise the dead— bodies of our
churchy-yards.

Return-blow (ring)—one having planted a hit, the other
within a colon-pause, returns with the like hand.

Revoke—at cards, when one refuseth to play to suite, though
holding that suite, is to revoke—-feminine, mostly. To
Renigue—is the same, from niguer, to deny or refuse, again.

Reward (kennel)—dog's or hound's supper; also the blood
and entrails of the objects of chase, hot and hot. On one
occasion a * suitable reward⁹ being offered for the restora-
tion of a lost five-pound note, Tom Rees defined it to
mean a kick as hard as the rewarder was able, upon the
third person in a suit of clothes.

Rhino—coined money, though extended to paper.

" Jack gave all his rhino to lessen their woe,
And steer them from poverty's rock."

Ribbons—-reins for guiding horses; four-in-hand.

Riddlesworth stakes (the)—-are the largest in England, being
for200g8. each, positive; sixteen having entered forthe first
class (colts) in 1821, and eighteen (fillies) for the second
class, next day. They are run at Newmarket Craven
meeting, are of nine or ten years standing, and carry—fillies
8 st. 2 lbs. colts 8 st. 4 lbs. adding 3 lb. each for parent*
winners.

Ride (v.)—a thing every one can do, in some way or other;

148 R I D—R I N

few welL Grooms ride belter than esouires, rough riders
than captains, stable-boys than horse-dealers.

" New, Sin, ckom your beds and sit back;

Oh, pray drop your bands and don't poll!
If this be call'd riding, good lack!

What can we expect from John Bull!!"

Riding to hounds seldom done by novices, who generally
go over as much ground again as the old hands, or get
thrown out. Keep the hounds in view to the last, and
when the chase takes a circle, or any segment thereof,
ride inside it, or diametrically across towards the chase's *
favourite gorse or cover.
Rig—he who has ' the rig run upon him,' has to undergo a
great number of fake imputations. One may run his rig,
however, impersonally, or upon all of the company without
much offence. ' To rig,' to dress out anew. ' The rig ;
in auction sales, the dealers agree not to bid against each
other, buy low, and afterwards re-sell the same, by a
mhnick auction—called * knock out/
Ring—Huntsmen are said to make a ring, when they cast
about a wood or gorse. ' Ring-walks,⁹ the rounds in
which springs were set for the stag.
The Ring—the roped space within which pugilists display
' their science or their hardihood: usually about 24 feet
each way, and by an easy transition, applied to those who
look on, or take delight in the manly, peaceful contests
there exhibited. " I leave it to the ring." " Not a voice
was heard all round the ring." They are divided into
amateurs (persons of property) and ' the men,' or boxers,
part of whom only are pugilists. The word is derived
from a certain circular space inclosed with rails in Hyde
park, by command of George II. having a large oak in
the middle; the area is now planted with young limes and
the railing is decayed; going strait up from Grosvenor-gate,
the ring lies about 550 steps tnto the park. " A ring, a ring!"
⁴ Call a ring/ is the necessary preliminary to a regular
fijrht. In America, a justice of the peace being fatigued
with the wordy disputes of his applicants, called ' a ring/
at which the constables, barristers, and other applicants
assisted—and saw fair play.
Ring-dropping—is practised occasionally by fellows who
pretend to chop upon a gold ring, and confer half the pro-
- perty upon a by-stander, in order to sell him the other
half—'tis brass-faced cheatery.

RI N-RO L 149

' JRt.t^ the changes'—changing of good money for bad, by
hackney-coachmen, Jews in the streets, die.

Riot—is an uproar and misdoing by several; five according

to the old law, but modernly they are enacted ¹ riotous'

though decorous! The law of common sense says No;

and with common parlance must soon put the law in

abeyance. In Ireland, a single person may make a riot,

if he or she have good lungs: says Murdoch Delaney to

Jenny O'Donelly—

1 pray you be quiet,
And breed no more riot,
But kiss me——"

In the business of the chase, when stag-hounds run among
the herd, they are said to ' run riot' Then, all whips to
work, or the pack is spoiled in ten minutes.

Ripe—drunk. First cousin to mellow.

⁴ M. N.—Mornings 12 to 4: evenings ,1 to 12 at—Pall-
Mail/ Cards so inscribed are handed about as invitations
to rouge et noire in the hells about St. James's. Some are
distributed from Cleveland-row, others from Jermyn-
street, Bennet-street, &c. /

* Rogues in grain'—corn-factors and jobbers.

Roley-poley—Running down Greenwich-park hills, and its
consequent tumble and roll to the bottom, when the parties
embrace, is one way of making love among the young
folks of Cockney-shire. A newly introduced French
game, which they call' une, deux, cinque,' has been Angli-
cised into roley-poley, from the tumbling about of the
ball, which is many-sided;, each flat surface is marked
with black, red, or blue spots, and the colour which re-
mains uppermost when the ball rests, is successful for
those of the players who may have put down their money
upon that particular colour on the table: the monies down
upon the other two colours are then lost by the players
who have chosen them, to &e roulette-keeper or groom, he
covering the stakes when black wins, paying double when
'tis red, and five times when blue. Of course, the number
of blue spots are but a fifth that of the black, and the red
twice as many. When these proportions are faithfully
observed, the play is two to one against the punters.

Roll—in the gait; rolling-sailor. See ' Oh my Leg!'

My mammy sent me to the well,

To get some water for my tea,
My foot it slipp'd and in I fell,

The rolling sailor top of me.

160 ROL—ROU

Roils—dough-baked small bread, eaten by low-bred cockneys
for the most part, and come out for delivery at eight o'clock
a. u. " Ah, Mister Gallus (gallows) I tell ye vhat, I shall
see you come ettf, along vid de roles one of these here •
mornings,⁰—eight being also the hour of hanging male-
factors. By a poor pun, * Master of the &oUs'—i& any
baker, * if he can box any.' Jack Martin is the actual M. R.

Rookery—courts and alleys with a full population, are aptly
termed rookeries, from the manner of assembling, the croak-
ings, and dark colour of the two sets of inhabitants—with
several other veri-similitudes.

Rooks—those fellows about gambling-houses who are em-
ployed in plucking well-fledged pigeons. They are of
every quality, from the thorough-paced gent down to the
.marker, and may be engaged either in actual play, in
acting the confederate, in procuring loans, in forcible rob-
bery, in breaking the pigeon's neck down-stairs, or, finally,
fighting him with pistols, by way of finish.

Roost—bed. * Gone to roost, is Doughey;' the baker is abed.

Rotan—* carriage of any sort, originally meaning the cart
only. Hence—* Rotan-towJ the ride m Hyde-park, now
mis-spelt Rotten-tow:

⁹ Rotten-row, my Sunday ride;

Tottledom, bey! Tumbledown, ho!
Ptooey eigbteen-pence aside,

Wmdgail, gl*odermn_rho.

Rot-gut—swipes of the'third running off the wort, or porter
after being doctored by the publican. Jemmy Lee had a
saying of the three runnings—that the first was * merry-
go-down,* the second, * must-be-swallowed/ but the third
is * rot-gut/

Round-about—female thief's pocket, which encircles her body
and reaches down to the kneels, with two apertures; it will
stand a common search undetected; a watch, spoons, or
money, sliding round from side to side; and if the wearer
be bulky, much larger articles pass undiscovered.

Round-about—the tread-mill recently invented for the em-
ployment of convicts in prison, is thus denominated by
them. ' About she goes,' said when at work. This inven-
tion of Mr. Cubit's, we find anticipated by Sam. Butler,
who having endeavoured to describe a turnspit—from
hearsay probably—missed his mark, and hit off the con-
trivance of 1821, to a tee 2

R O U—R © U Ifill

" Just as a dog, that turns a spit,

Bestirs himself; and plies his feet
To climb the wheel; but all in rain,
His own weight brings fiinv dowa> again;
And still he's in the selfsame place
Where at his setting oat he was."

Rou*d-betting-r~(Tuxf.) Those who bet upon or against
several horses that are entered for any given stakes, are
said to ' bet round.' A taker in revising his betting-book,
should sit down coolly and estimate his losses upon each
individual horse of jiis taking, supposing it should be the
winner, ancf he may make a safe thing of his entire series;
but the best game is to give the odds upon a series of ten
horses (a few* more or less) rejecting the favourite, which
seldom wins, particularly the Doncaster St. Lege*, be-
cause there several riders usually combine to * shut him
put¹ from the start. The results of this mode of betting
are found uniformly successful, under the management of
a keen sportsman—such as was the inventor, Mr. Robert
Wardell; nor indeed could he well fail, seeing that when
the sportsman lays his bets 10 to 1 against any one horse,
and gives the same odds on. ten horses round, he not only
restores the balance of his entire bets upon the ten horses
named, but takes his chance that some few of these may
be withdrawn; as well as that some five, six, seven, or more
horses besides the remanet of those ten named, may start,
and one of those ' outside horses' carry off the stakes. To
gentlemen who would push to extremities their inquiries
respecting the * Doctrine- of Chances,' the information
may be acceptable, that Mr. Thomas Simpson has written
a Treatise oh the "Nature and Laws of Chance/' and our

. celebrated Dr. Hutton some curious observations on this
abstract science. A celebrated German (Jacob Bernoulli)
has written, in Latin, " De Arte Conjee tan di;" and Con*
dorcjet, a Frenqhman, has produced a small Tract on the
same interesting subject.
-Roulette—(La). See Roley-poley, Grab, Punt,

Rounds— (ring.) When boxers set-to, they fight till down,
and that is a round; the next round begins not until half
orminute, at least, has expired. Any deviation, attended
with fatal consequences, is an act constituting man-
slaughter, on the. part of the assistants* The Round of
. hons vivans. Some men make a series of calls every day
tft certain boQzing-houeea, which constitute their rounds

162 R O W—R U M

respectively. The most celebrated of these were formerly
the Jump, the Go, and the Finish: at the first, supper and
wine, the second, max or punch, with an intervening call
over at a Mrs. Fubbss; lastly, ale and more grog—cups

of coffee and home, or-

Row (a)—When people congregate in the streets, and hold
a bother or fight a little pell-mellish, 'tis a row; so, if a
man and his wife quarrel, though she may not scratch his
smeller, nor tear out his ogles, 'tis equally a row, though

wanting those finishing requisites of a bl-y row. To

rote; in the boat—to partake in the adventure, as robbery,
gambling, Ac.

Row (the)—the birth-place of literature, where dwell some
forty or fifty wet-nurses of rhetoric; who when they begin
to breed themselves (seldom though it be) always leave
the spot. Geographically speaking, 'tis situated near St.
Paul's, and the last day of every month, they run up and
down like Bedlamites—this is the monthly row.

Rowland (a) for an Oliver—to give a man as good as he
brings; a confounding repartee in speech or in writing.
Tis * tit for tat,' in low life:

Who knows but Menelaus may,
On this, or hap some other day
Get, though he make such fiiss and stir,
^e A Rowland for his Oliver.'

Rubicund—a red face, mostly masculinam genus.

Rule of thumb—the performing a scientific operation, with-
out knowing aught of science—merely by tact—in fact,
no rule at all.

Ruffles—hand-irons or wrist manacles. ^

Rum—any thing large, good, strong, is * a rum-one;' a * rum-
beak,' a mild justice of the peace; rum-ogles, big eyes.
' Rum-clank,' a large silver tankard. It is the opposite
of queer. Rum—besides the extract of sugar-cane, it
means * out-of-the-way,' comical, as when a man is funnily
drunk. * Come it rum*—to talk oddly.

Rum-one—a hit which 'settles the hash,' is described as
* such a rum-one!' pron. rum-mun. A set of ' the rum-
ones* meet at the Blue-posts, Haymarket: we have tried
them on, and they merit the title they have taken.

Rump—a certain part of the body, and thence-the part of
any body (remaining) behind, is deemed the rump. ' The
long (sitting) parliament' wore away, leaving few members

ft U M—R U S 153

behind—these were ⁴ the rump (of that) parliament;⁹ and
were likened by Butler to the rump of Taliocothus, whose
sitting-place remained on his seat, when he was so rudely
tweaked off, as 'tis said.
Rump and dozen—a wager oftener proposed than accepted;
and, when settled, not so soon adjusted. Before argu-
ment stood instead of fact, ' either way' did for ⁴ either
party/ and ' settle it as you like/ was the order of the
day, nothing being meant beyond a rump of beef [cut into
steaks] and a dozen of wine; now, however, the words
* for all the party present' being added, a sip nor a scrap
would fall to the lot of one half, but for the munificence
of the loser: he sometimes gives the devil-and-all of a
dinner and wine, and flabbergasts the whole company
by ringing the bell for more.
Humping—showing the rump of one to the person to be
rumped: 'tis the cut visible, and an invention we owe to
Carlton-house. It's master, having occasion to show his
displeasure, looks well at the subject to be rumped, and
when the latter approaches near the person, he perceives
the sitting part most prominent. This mode of enacting
a painful but necessary duty, is described as very tasteful
and elegant; it is moreover far preferable to his papa's
method, which showed itself thus—* Robinson you are a
scoundrel'—* Cunningham, you are a villain'—and the first
mentioned hung, the second drowned for it.
Rum-ti-tum—a bull with horns tipped to be baited. Thus
we have * Pritchard's rum-ti-tum/ and ⁴ Jem Rolfe's
rum-ti-tum—will be out for the spree on Monday/
Run—the track of a hare, or the line of march she adopts
in going to feed (at nights) is her run; at her return in the
morning, she will walk backward a short space, and leap
into her seat in order to elude pursuit, home. A Run—
a fox-chase, &c. is described as a fine run, a long run,
&c. and so is coursing, as so many runs.
Rush—(ring;) when a milling-cove runs in at his opponent,
hitting away hard and sharp, his head is more or less low.
(See Purr). Such must be received by sharp right and
left nobbers, continuing to retreat; and tis fair and safe
to tumble over the ropes, or drop, as if from the blows.
Russian hotel—the Bear tavern or public-house, whether
bruin be white, brown, or black.

h 5

154

■SAC-*SAY

Sack it—to appropriate things to oneself, put {hem into the
pocket or sac. • Bill Richmond sacked the purse at Don-
caster (1822) which two men were to contend for/ ' Got
the sactf—a discharge from a regiment or employment.

Salmagundy—2L mixture of scraps^ dressed up highly to
deceive the taste or palate, mental and physical.

Sand-boy —all rags and all happiness; the urchins who drive
the sand-laden neddies through our streets, are envied by
the capon-eating turtle-loving epicures of these cities. * As
jolly as a sand-boy/ designates a merry fellow who has
tasted a drop.

Sapskull—one whose softness retains not the news of the

day, nor the art of spelling always alike.
Sandwich (a)—an apology for treating the stomach—cold

meat between bread and butter.
Sarvice, sarve out—(ring); see pay-away, which being done

effectually, is a sarvice, i. e. of some service towards

victory.

Satchell-a—sed fellow—a satehell is a bag, and some chaps
put on certain habiliments in a very bag-like manner.
For ' fellow/ they sometimes substitute the appellation,
* son of a whore/

Satisfaction—to demand of any man satisfaction, is an in-
vitation to fight. See Duel, Fight

Satraps—a radical sarcasm on ministers of state, in allusion
to the governors among the eastern nations.

Saturday-night—is ¹ kept up* throughout the London district,
with ruinous regularity by the heedless and the dissolute—
by women and children as well as men. No wonder if
the family separate drunk for the night, nor that this
brings them to water-drinking next day, nor that they feel
compunctious throbbings against the ribs; (see Blue-
devils) this is the moral of the following stanzas:

£*ast Saturday-night lloit my wife;

Where do you think I found her?—
At Aldgate-pump, scratching her ramp.

And the deril was dancing round her.

Say—⁴ TTiave no say in the business;' no power, one way or
the other. ' 'Tis true upon my say-so's, species of
affirmation. * What Sir William is trying to say in the

$CA~*C!t 166

i Worn* tight after night, no one fciowe'—EWto, ' nor
' himeetf either/ *

So#mp~-to go upon the scamp, scamping tricks. A general
term for thieves who confine not their abilities to^:one kind
of game. Beggars, who would turn their hands to any
thing occasionally, without inquiring in whom the thing
vested, are said to 'go upon the scamp/ • Fellows who
f pilfer in markets, from slaHs or orchards, who snatch off
hats, cheat publicans out of liquor, or to$s up cheatingly
-—commit scamping tricks.

Scape—or skip; said to a painter who is supposed to neg-
lect his brush.

Scarce—⁴ my time is up, I shall make myself scarce*

Schliver— pron. Shliver; a clasp-knife of some length, not
meant to lie inoffensively, when the owner is grabb'd.

.Sconce (a)—⁴ she ^fs got a pretty little sconce/ said of a girl,
a she-ass, or other animal. ⁴ I'll crack your sconce if you
shy this vaiy, master Bill Villis; 111 that in von minnit/

To iSeonce—to discontinue, surcease. * Sconce his diet,'
give less victuals. * Sconce the reckoning,! to go no
farther in debt, but bolt.

Score—an ale-house reckoning, which is kept in chalk-scores.
* Score it np high landlord,' is said by one who would not
have it rubbed out by accident; when the personage has
scored thence down as low as most men's shoulders, he
⁴ goes no farther for fear of accidents/ ⁴ Set off at score,
a road phrase for a horse gone off full tilt, perhaps at
20 miles an hour; sometimes applied to racers, to pedes*
trians, &c.

Scot—a butcher's designation of a fractious man, the small
Scots oxen coming to their doom with little resignation to
fate: indeed, all animals try harder to retain life than man.

Scratch—a wig, natural, resembling the wearer's own shocky

locks, guess.

"Spruce was the barber's shop;
Wigs decorated every block,
From Scratch to Tybum«tep,"

The last mentioned, however, is becoming obsolete.
Scratch—(ring). ⁴ Not a scratch? the ,skin not broke in
sight ^A The scratch,' is a mark made in die middle of a
stage, room, or ring, in which men may be fighting, and
up to which, as to a centre, the men are to be brought at
the commencement of each round; if one lannot come

156

S C R—S E T

to this mark (real or supposed, for 'tis not always distinct)
in time, he is pronounced the loser. ⁽ Fight them at the
scratch,' [pit] means to bring the dogs up at short interval*
and set them on again, when they see each other, and he
who has fight in him continues the turmoil; him without
it, runs away.

Screens—vel screeves; forged notes of the Bank of England.

Scrip—on the stock exchange; a written engagement for a
"loan to government, on which 10 per cent, is commonly
paid down and remainder at intervals; soon, however, it
becomes omnium, when the bargain has been calculated
upon two or more species of property, with bonus, and the
contractors transfer omnium, or the whole interest of their
bargain to others.

Scrub—a shabby fellow whose conduct suits his appearance.
One who pays not his whack at the tavern.

Scrub's Coffee-house—Reed's saloop-shop in Fleet-street,
Was the resort of second-rate gents: there is now a very
respectable room, au dedans; the scrubs being.restricted to
the front slum. Great numbers of such shops sprung up
about the year 1812, when the duty on coffee had been
reduced. See Coffee-shops.

Scuddick—is used negatively; ⁴ not a scuddick'—not any
brads, not a whinn, empty dies. * Every scuddick gone;
she gets not a scuddick from me,' does not amend the
matter by repetition.

Scut—the tail of a coney or hare. To scud, to run, or
sneak off, (among rogues) like those animals.

Sea-crabs—sailors. See Flannel.

Seal—the marks by which the recesses of the otter are found
—his goose-foot, &c. being similar to foiling in stags, cVc.

Ah! on that yielding sag-bed, see, once more
His seal I view.

Seedy—shabby dress, without money. Seedy-cove—thread-
bare, dirty, unshaven, or ragged.

Segar— tobacco-leaves rolled up, tubular-wise; so called
after Sir William Segar, garter principal king at arms- .

Set out—(a) which may be « & pretty set-out,' or a charminm
one, a handsome, or a rum set-out—of chaise and horse;
'tis also applied to a side-board, decked out, or a dinner
table, set out.

Setter^—dmy dog whatever (chiefly the land spaniel) which

S E V—S H O

157

has been educated to $et> or make a dead point, at coming
near to his game.

Seven-penn'orth—transportation for seven years.

Shades (the)—at London-bridge are under Fishmongers⁹hall. Sound wine out of the wood, reasonable and tolera-
bly good, are characteristics of this establishment. The
Shades at Spring-gardens, is a subterranean ale-shop.

Shake-bag match—in cocking; the fighting adventitiously,
or guessing at weights and pairing, while the fowls are
still in their respective bags* ' A Shake-bag fellow/ if he
be no pick-pocket, is at least a seedy cove.

Shamrock—trefoil, or rank grass of three leaves, employed
by St. Patrick in demonstrating the doctrine of the Trinity
to the earliest converts in Ireland; before which time the
country was so infested with bad spirits, that it was called
* the devil's own island.'

⁴ Skanks's mare—to ride onto go a-foot.

Sharp, Sharper—a man may look about him sharply without
being a sharper. This latter is a leg, a wagering-luddy,
a swindler.

Shave—to sltave a mail, is to obtain his money, honestly or
not so, as the case may be. * I have been close shaved/
would signify emptied clies. Shaver—-owe who cuts close.
' Holloa, you shaver;' addressed to a sharp-looking fellow.
' He's a shaver; said of one who charges high for his
goods.

Sheriff—See Ketch (Jack.)

Shindy—a riot. ⁴ To kick up a shindy/ or general row,
resembles very much an Irish paddy-row, and is derived
from shins, no doubt, which sutler many a loose kick:
'a pretty shindy in St. Giles's/ and ¹ there was such a
gallows shindy at West-end fair 1'

' Shiver—his fist* (ring;) when a boxer means mischief and
' nothing else/ he shakes his hand, and generally let's fly
with it. This happens early in the battle, usually; but 'tis
a symptom of gayness that leaves a man, as the contest
approaches towards ' finis/

Shopping—among women, going about from shop to shop,
buying little articles perhaps, perhaps not, but always
pulling about great quantities of goods.

Shot—a public-house reckoning. ⁴ Landlord, what** the
shot?' is the signal that some of the party are going to
mizzle; the remainder commence de novo, and these ' boys

158 S H 0-S L A

of the second reckoning' leok upon themselves as the

choicest of men. One of these dying one day, bequeathed •
his property among those of the ¹ eld boys' who should
remain to the second shot or reckoning, da the evening of
his funeral. Till that moment arrived the executors con-
cealed the circumstance; the will was then read, and they
lighted their pipes once more, and filled glasses again.
Shouldering—to take up a load on the shoulder, or back;
but among stage-coachmen, to shoulder, is to take up pas-
sengers on own account, without consulting the pro-
prietors.

Shy—to be shy of a person or neighbourhood; to avoid

such. To shy at any one—to throw missiles at him, as

stones, tobacco-pipes, oyster-shells, &c.
Sight (a)—a great quantity. * What a precious sight of old^

women!' ' You seldom see such a sight o' pigeons/
Sinner—public-house keepers (publicans) are sinners.
Skin-flint—one who would perform that operation, were it

possible.

Skittish—mares in-heat caper about, and appear shy; they
are then said to be skittish. The term is applied to horses,
too, when they are full of corn and frisky. So is a lass

- skittish when she cuts capers before the men, or indeed
behind them, as when she slaps the buckskin inexpressibles
of a post-chaise boy, or nods from her chamber-window
at passers-by : both are broad hints.

' Skool! a skoolf—the cry all along the-southern coast when
the herrings appear first for the season.' We had it from
the Bergen fishermen; in English 'tis shoal. Herrings
swim with their heads turned S. S. W. and drift tail-in, 6r
sideways, to those inlets which stand differently.

Sky-parlour—the attic story. See Parlour.

Slab—a mile-stone. * The rum-ti-tum turns out for the spree
to-morrow near*the nine-mile slab:* i.e. A bull-baiting
at the place indicated.

* Slam-bang shops'—places where gourmands of the fourth
rate regale; so called, probably, from the mal-adroit
manner of serving up the viands to their customers, or the
' slam-banging' of the doors, plates, and tools.

Slang—language, words, phrases, invented by doctors and
boxers, lawyers, thieves, sportsmen and whores, necessa-
rily or purposely to convey their meaning secretly to eeA
other; but all which (and much .more) is here exposed Jo

SLA—SLA

109

the uninitiated, and illustrated for the use of adepts.' Sfte-
cimens of several kinds not hitherto expounded follow.
1st. Court slang. ¹ We observe by the court circular, that
since the duke's return from a certain excursion, his Royal
Highness's visits to a great personage have been often
repeated/ 2nd. Learned slang. *" A woman meeting a
learned doctor in a certain square, asked him where she
might find a shopkeeper whom she named, whereupon
the doctor gave the following directions—* Move your
pedestrian digits along the diagonal of this rectangle, in
a line perpendicular to the earth's equator, till you arrive at
the junction of the two sides. Diverge then to the dexter,
at right angles—Perge for about fifty paces in that qua-
drangle, and you will have ocular demonstration of him,
standing in an orifice made in an edifice for the purpose
of illumination/ " 3rd. The slang of periodical literature.
* There are a set of blockheads who pretend to think that
tfie sale of Byron's works has been knocked down/ &c. &c.
' But this is mere humbug. The public curiosity is always
stimulated to an astonishing degree, by clever blackguard'
ism; and a book of real wickedness, and real talent, although
it may not always be exhibited in the boudoir, is pretty sure
to find its way into every house that has any pretensions to
be * comme-il-faut.'" Blackwood's Mag. for Jan. 1823.
Doubtless the writer sat facing a mirror, and drew the
likeness inconsciously: murder mill out. See Ebony, Jar-
conic, Modesty. 4th. Slang of the Daily. ¹ The addresses
presented to the king at Edinburgh would have done
honour to the land of blarney, and present some fine speci-
mens of the flummery style. 5th. The radicals have a
slang of their own—so says the Quarterly Review, No. 55,
p. 213: ' All that the revolutionist has had to do has been
. * to assume the name of the whigs, to tread in their footsteps,
and to translate into his own slang what they expressed in
more decent phraseology/ See Cockney Slang.
Siang-whangers—fellows who pretend to talk superiorly fine
English at the expence of grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
Likewise, those who having access to the press, would in-
troduce, neck and heels, slang phrases inappropriate to
their subjects, or words that possess novreconunendation
but freshness and impertinence: even naivete of expres-
sion, which is sometimes attained by such adoptions,
seldom excuseth the invention. When borrowed: from

160 SLA—SLA

foreigners, who maybe in the dark as to the things spokeh
of, 'tis seldom bearable; as, when the French is brought to
bear upon the ring, the chase, or the turf, of all which
Monsieur is utterly ignorant (see ' a la} in Addenda); or
when barbarous languages, (as Welch, Irish, Scotch,) are
employed in elegant literature. For example: Blackwood
uses * anent for about, concerning, (and many other such)
which never can be naturalized here; he also says, at p.
790, No. for Jan. 1823, * Sidney Smith turned the laugh
against the bishop [of Peterborough] most triumphantly
and gaffawinglyj This word is derived from nothing on
earth: see Gaff. The slang wkangery of commercial cor-
respondence is equally to be reprobated with the meagre
style; both, however, have their advantages and disad-
vantages,—the one evincing.the gentleman and scholar,
yet placeth his correspondents at too great a distance; the
other shews the plodding cit, who not unfrequently kept
copies of letters full of set phrases ready penned, which
served several occasions—and they got laughed at; but
the foreigner had little more to do than scent out the drift
of the writers, and the translation was already finished.
But Dr. Birch (' Aristarchus,' p. 142,) gives a curious il-
lustration of meagre slangery, in the power of the mono-
syllabic verb * to get:' he says, * all events from the birth
of time may be detailed in the English language without
the use of a single verb, the omnipotent get excepted:'
'1 got on horseback within ten minutes after I got your
letter. When I got to Canterbury, I got a chaise for
town; but I had got wet through before I got to Canter-
bury, and I got such a cold as I shall not be able to get
rid of in a hurry. I got to the Treasury about three; but
first of all I got shaved and drest. As soon as I got back
to my inn, 1 got my supper, and getting sleepy, shortly
after got to bed: it was not long before I got asleep. When
I got up in the morning, I got my breakfast, and then got
myself drest, that I might get out in time to get an answer
from the treasury.'
Slap—a hit, with the open hand, usually. ' A slap in the
face,' may, however, be a tart reply, abashing to the re-
ceiver; as, ' You an honest man 1 Yes, I know you are,
Johnny; as for you, you got discharged from ClerkenveU
only this here precious morning.*
Slap-bang—a blow from each hand. See One-two*

• SLA—SNA 1«I

Slap-up—used for ' bang-up/ Tis northern*

Slashing Jighter—he who throws about his arms without
judgment, but heavily*

Slavey—*.* servant of all-work at a little bodikin :' A bob to
the ken, a bender for the slavey, Marro Puss, nix/

Sleek an,d slum shop—* public-house, or tavern where * single
men and their wives resort:' Fountain, Key, Bath-hotel,
Haddock's; also, at obe oyster-shop, one cofiee-shop, one
eating-house, one female-servants'-office, one lodging-
house/-7-or more.

Sht^r(in stag-hunting,) the tract of any deer, including the
scent, foot-marks, and aewelljng, or tearing the brambles.

Slum-t-loQ&e, ridiculous talk, is ⁴ all slum. ⁴ None of your
slum⁹ is said by a girl to a blarneying chap who would
soothe her unintelligibly. The gipsey language, or cant,
is slum; so would it fare with slang, if not well and dis?
tinctly applied to its proper objects. Dutch Sam excelled

. in flummery, beyond any man of his day. or since : e. g.
⁴ Willus youvus givibus glasso ginibus.' ⁽A. Slum} is also
the room in which persons meet who: talk in that style;
thus we may have ' the little slum} or ⁴ the great slum.;⁹* a dirty slum} or ⁴ a pretty slum;⁹⁴ the back slum} and ' a
slum in front.' Derived from slumber, to sleep; the molls

. and coves ⁴ napping nine'winks' at those places, and then
their discourse is slumberous, [slummily] as if they still

. slept and dreamt, and delivered their drowsy oracles.

⁴ upon the,' secretly.

Smashed—broken, as glass or other brittle materials. An
oath comes to us Out of Staffordshire, &c.: ⁴ I'm smask'd if
I do-a.' In the ring we hear ⁴ Barlow got smash jd in the
very first round.'⁴ Jack Ford smash'd his fist upon Weston's
hard sconce.' F. Gaz. Smashers—passers of bad money
were so called, during the pest of the old smooth coin.
The term was soon extended to bad notes of the Bank of
England; and their occupation was called ⁴ smashing,'
from the resemblance each bore the other in morals. See

, Ringing.

Smeller—the nose is a man's smeller, (and a woman's too,)

and a blow upon either is a smeller also.
Smell-powder—a duellist, whether a good shot or not. .
Smoke $0)—to fathom a secret, to come out with a lot of

such against a man to his face.
£»acfo~-shares in an adventure, as a wager, kjind, or trea-

1«* SNA-SOP

sure-trove, also in a dinner or luncheon. These latter,

when the supply is small, hare each the term sitae*; to

' take a snack of a tit-bit/ is one mouthful.
Snavcl—to steal, by snatching, probably, or concealing any

small property by piece-meal.
⁴ Sneak—to go upon the,' to walk about, undefinedly, to see

what may be picked up, and what houses stand exposed

to the neat evening's depredation.
Sneeze—the nose; and a hit upon it is also a sneezer, when

the patient sniffs the claret. ⁴ A handsome girl with a few

thousands tacked to her , is not to be sneezed at.'
Snigger—ill-suppressed laughter. Provincial for fun in a

cottage, or at the farmer's fire-aide, when dame is in the

way.

Snip, Sniplouse—a tailor's shears work with a clickettmg
snip; this explains the first word; and, for the second,
they, no doubt, were furnished with an insect a-piece to
snip, when, like other mechanics, they wore powder and
pomatum in the louse-gorse.

⁴ Snitch—to turn/ to lodge information, to betray.

Snob's-cat (like a)—full of p— and tantarums.

Snoozin^-ken—a lodging-house. To snooze, to sleep, a-bed
or sitting up.

Snotter ■ ~~magg~~ed, dirty kerchief. See Wipe. When Mon-
sieur Lalorente stole the zodiac from the church at
Denderah, he hoisted his white snotter at the main-top-
g'ant of his ark, and the English authorities on the Nile
recognized it for the seal Bourbon flag—by the nasal signs
impressed thereon.

Snuffy—drunk, with a nasal delivery. Snuffy—drunk in the
feminine application, and applied but seldom to puling
fellows.

Soap-suds—gin and water, hot, with lemon and lump sugar.

Society (the)—the vice-society, or vice-suppression society.
Annual subscriptions put into the hands of a lawyer, to
defray the expences of entering abortive actions, which
ruin the defendant by their exorbitancy—though no guilt
be proven or moveable.

Socketting—is alluded to under* Burning shame.⁹

Soft one, or soft cove—a fool easily imposed upon. Soft is
your horn—you make a mistake. An Irishman in his cups,
thought he saw a bull, but upon taking him by the horn,
Paddy found it was a Jack-ass's ears; * soft it jour horn,
honey/ cried he.

SOL—SPI 163

Soldier—a dried, or red herring; also a boiled lobster.
Sou of a gun—a soldier'a bastard.

Sow—an appellation due to Jewish ingenuity; it is cast op-
probriouslv without discrimination at any fall-grown lady
of the apple-stall, or old clothes' shop. See Cow.

Sparr (to)—fighting demonstrated : lessons in the art. Game
chickens are said to sparr, when they fight for the mastery,
which it is desirable one or the other should obtain soon,
to prevent everlasting rows in the walk. Pugilists learn
the art of personal defence, with gloves on, that are stuffed
upon the knuckles; this is sparring; if they would learn
the mode of attack, let them begin early the actual set-to.
Dr. Johnson spelt the word with one (r) only; but, saving
his prescience, he knew nothing at all about sparring, he
being but a single-fight man, having once floored Tom
Osborn, tine bibliopolian. His ' spar' is a long fir pole,
used on board ships; and a fine piece of fun it would have
been to see the old gent riding like a bear astride one
of these up Streatham-hill where was his den. He gives
no etymology, but simply says, " Spar, v. n. to fight with
prelusive strokes/' whereas, every cocker and pugilist
knows right well, that 'tis any thing but fighting: it comes

• from the verb to spare, which in the gerund takes an ad-
ditional [r], and keeps it when we return to the infinitive
again; for the earliest use of the word,which is in Froissart's
Chronicles, the distinction was drawn to a great nicety:
he says, ' The Englishmen on one parte, and the Scottes
on the other, be goode men of warre; for when they doe
mete, there is a hard fighte, without sparynge."

Speak-softly-shop—the house of a smuggler.

Spec~speculation, abbreviated. * To join a bank" in a hell,
is to ' go upon the spec.'

Spice-islands—hiiy filthy stinking neighbourhood.

Spice of luck—to win a small stake, or small share in a lot-
tery prize. From ⁴ espece de bonne fortune,' French,

Spiflicate (v. a.)—to spiflicate a thief is to spill him, or be-
tray the subject of his roguery. A man is deserving of
spiflication who cannot hold his tongue, but will speak to
harm a fellow-mortal, whose opinions are of that primitive
kind which maintains the doctrine that, all goods belong
to all men.

Spill (to)—to capsize, overturn, or betray a person. One who
is suspended at the drop is spilled completely.

164

S P I—S T A

Spinsters—unmarried women: the greater part do spin, but
not thread. This is one of the Jictiones leges that are still
retained in our law proceedings in the face of fact. It
seems that, among our industrious and frugal forefathers,
it was a maxim that a young woman should never be
married until she had spun herself a set of body, bed, and
table-linen. From this custom, all unmarried women were
and are termed spinsters.

Spittoon—an utensil mostly used in public-houses for {he
reception of smokers' expectorations.

Split-Jig—any or every grocer. See Count.

Spoon, spooney—a natural fool is no spooney; but he who
acts sillily, too junior for his years, is a spoon; and if one
suffers imposition, he is (according to the Hebrews,) * so
help ma lifes, a great pig spooney.⁹ Horn spoons, by their
ineffectiveness on warm occasions, are finely admonitory to
soup-eaters.

Spout—to make a speech. * To spout Billy,⁹ (v.) to recite
passages out of Shakespeare, in a pompous mouthing man-
ner. Many there are, who go about from club to club,
and from Free and Easy to midnight,⁴ spouting Billy/ to
gaping mechanics, ground-rent bricklayers, and lucky-
escape shop-clerks. A spout, is a contrivance in pawn-
brokers' shops to keep up communication with the store-
rooms, by passing up and down tfee things required. * Put
it up the spout'—pawn the articles. ⁴ Knight of the spout,⁹a pawnbroker, or his man. * Tom is up the spout⁹—he is
imprisoned,—at the hospital,—or otherwise reduced' in
life.

Spree (a)—fun, lark, A bullock-hunt, a battle of women, or
any tquarrel of blows; * a bit of a spree in the streets/ is
also knocking down persons and robbing them ;—which
terminates in < crossing the herring-pond/ or worser.

Squad pie— (prov. Devon.) Seasoned meat-pie, which has
apples and onions; and though seemingly droll upon
paper, it smacks well on the palate.

Square—to 'walk round Grosvenor-square/ or any other,
is a very common expression in Cockaigne, though any
carpenter could demonstrate its utter impossibility. To
square, (ring) .to present the fists for attack or defence.
* Square your elbows/ in driving four-in-hand:

Stakes—money put down to be contended for at a horse-race,
boxing-match, &c.

S T A—S T I 16*

Stag, Staggard—red deer, male, of full size, is called a stag
usually, but the latter term is limited to the fourth year:
though hart in the sixth year, yet most do still call him
stag. Queer bail are ' stag:' those men who being hired
at a guinea or two per oath, to swear they are worth vast
sums, stand about the judges' chambers in term-time,
giving out cards of address, which are commonly their
whole stock in trade. Never a shirt on; the cravat stand"
ing responsible for that superfluity in the habiliments of a
stae. ' To stag' a thief, to look on, and spoil his sport:
'What's that cove a stagging there for? Down him,
Billy.' A young game cock—is a stag.
- Stamps—the legs, and stampers, are shoes of the stout kind;
⁴ kicksees* being lighter ones.

Stand (turf)—a house for accommodating the spectators at
horse-races. * Stand up to him'—(ring); do not flinch
from the blows. To Stand, is also the position of pointers
when they perceive their game.

" My' pointers stand •*
How beautiful they look! with oulstretch'd tails,
With heads immoveable, and eyes fast fixed,
One fore-leg raised and bent, the other firm
Advancing forward pressing on the ground.*⁹

Start (the)—Newgate is thus termed, par excellence. But
every felon-prison would be equally a start, with an ex-
pletive word or two, as * a country start/ a county goal;

⁴ the b-y start' (House of Correction); 'the west

country start;' (Tolhill-fields) &c. Start at a horse-race,
is the setting out of the horses; a matter that is very ill
conducted in Yorkshire: we should start with surprise if
the Doncaster St. Leger were run for till half-a-dozen
false starts had bothered the best and most anxious of the
colts and fillies.

' Stash—the matter/ or ' he stash'd it altogether,' set it at
rest, made it to cease. ' Stash the glim'—to put out lights,
or to place an extinguisher on the candle.

Steamer—a pipe. ' Keep up the steam or steamer/ to smoke
rndefatigably. To ' blow a cloud/ and to ' burn tobacco/
are the same but with less pertinacity.

Stick (a)—a fellow clumsy at any profession—as ' a stick
of an artist/ should not be an exhibitioner.

Sticks—household goods. 'The tax-gatherer sold Tom's
sticks,⁹ i. e. sold his furniture. ' I lost all my sticks by
that 'ere fire at Stepney/

186 STI—STR

A^^poniistotf notes and bills of exchange receive this
familiar appellation, when suspicion may hang about the
certainty of their being honourably paid—though not
always so. Tis used in contradistinction to flimsy—a
bank-note. Probably, a bond for money may ber consi-
dered stiff. Stiff-dealer—a dealer in stiff \ a pseudo-mer-
chant, or trader in moonshine paper. In the ring, 'tis

• eatted ¹ a stiff fight? when the men stand up well to each
other, giving and taking.

aMarav-a sharp and rapid hit, generally understood to be

. .placed upon the 'upper works/ is described as—'My
eyes, what a stinger f

Minted—a mare which has received a horse is said to be
stinted to him; as pregnancy advances, she is then consi-
dered m-foal.

Stir—bestir, move, be in action. ' I will not stir for the
king/ i. e* on no account. * I von't stir a peg,' i. e. not a
leg, which is a peg. I vish as I may never stir if I do/
* Stir 'em up;\ said to one who would set folks together
by the ears; and J stir 'em up with a long pole, as the
fellow does with the beestes/ alludes to the bellowings of
these latter. Stereo, abbreviated from stereotype; one of
the cheap-and-nasty manufactures in this country, the

. pages being Usually left incorrect and blunderous, in pur-

- euance of the saving plan which first suggested easting
tkem in stereo. Originally done by Glasgow FouKs.

iSkme—horseman's weight, 141bs. and is so understood ge-

.• neraliy. Butcher's-meat, bacon, and cheese (in London,)
are sold by 81b. stones.

Stone-jug—sl prison. Giltspur-street Compter is most com-
monly considered as the jug, in which ' poor fellows' get
bottled in the intervals of their examinations.

Stoop—the attack of a hawk when he drops from on high,
and strikes bis game.

♦

" Then mark the swift hawk, see him now spake his stom.
Ah ! down goes the £ame; call him in then, la leup! la leapt"

Slot ■ on ox which never can have progeny, and the term
has been applied by Ebony to writers of the miik-and-

- water genus.

Stow, stow it, sndstowmarkeU-**** synonymous for toceass;
and ' Atow-magguig' for held your tongue, is bat an am-
plification of the first word, which is of nautical origin.

¹ Straw— fighting in/ is when game ehioken have woollen

3TR-SWA

or leather fattened upon their sport, to fight for the mu-
ter*'. ⁴ Man of straw—-a bill-acoeptor, without property
—' no assets/

Strike hand$—bargains in Smithfield ate confirmed by the
striking of hands—the palms together* So in Ike provinces.

String—of horses. Dealers fasten the halter of one horse to
the halter and tail of another, aad so on to the amount of
sixteen, twenty, or more, and either is a string. ⁴ Several
strings of good horses entered Smithfield to-day/ ⁴ Got
him in a tirmg/ is when a man is made to believe one
thing, several others follow as matter of course—mostly
lies; this is to be in a string, or line. See Line.
- Stuff-^mosxey. * Hand over the stuff/ give the money. See

. Blunt, Bustle. ⁴ All stuff and nonsense/ designates ridi-

• colons or deceitful talk. If meant to harm another, then

<1isbl-J stuff: « She hearkened to his stuff, aad got

ruinated by him, the willian f Bawdry is stuff, that's
certain.

iSWcter—young whales are so termed; and sometimes come
into shoal water, on the SL and E. parts of England. *Hs
fine sport. Sucker—a baby, or older children that stick
by their mothers. Sucking oarraferf--those who are
wrtkootbriers: still in the childhood of the profession.

Suk~~ey^n~~ tea-kettle.⁴ Put over the Sukey/ set the tea-kettle
on the fire; or, ' Molly put the kettle on, well all have
tea.'

Supernaculum—any article of consumption unusually good
—as, a superior pinch of snuff [viz. Maeouba, or Prince's
mixture,] ⁴ a drop of brandy like a nosegay/ or ' port
vintage, 1816/

Suspicious—h^s been slang-whangered beyond all suspicion.
If a suspectful person sees a poor man, he declares him
a * suspicious character;' though the dinnerless poor devil
suspectetk nothing less than starvation must be his lot.

* Surveyor of the pavements'—a pilloried person, who fills

that high office for an hour.

Swag (the)—store of money. ' Tke swag lies up-stairs, in a
chest of drawers. ⁴ A fireman once found the swag amid
the fames/ * Rum swag—a good deal of it •

'Swans (his) are all geese*—said of one who brags inordi-
nately. It was said (or sung) of the French people:

"Thay may talk of their wooden at long as they please,
% Saint Patmk thsii smmi areatt nothing but geese."

m 8 WW AS

Sweet (to be)—to talk kind, conciliating, to the other #er.

Sweepstakes—are .the subseription-of three or mdre, which
only one of the parties can sweep off, or. carry away, by
winning the race:—the joint stakes being put down
by several subscribers to be run for, the horse » first
coming in wins all. The Oaks, nor the. Derby, are
' sweepstakes,' the second horse in both cases, having 100/.

Swell—a man highly dressed, in white upper tog and lilly
shallow, (for example,) is a swell, however circumstanced
in pocket; but to keep up the name he must lay out his
blunt freely; bet, and swear' damme, Sir.' If he does not
fight, at least he ought to .know how, and take lessons—
or. rive them. No fighting man by profession can be a
twell; he is d tulip, if he dresses thereafter, add looks
awellish:—'tis esteemed the first grade towards Corintbia-
niam, which he never can reach by any possibility whatever.
No man who ever performed any duty or service for hire
(except doctors, lawyers, parsons, and statesmen) can
possibly be a real swell, certainly not.a'Gentleman, moat
: indubitably not a Corinthian. Try back, reader;, Under

' those heads of information,

.Swindler—one who orders to a neighbcruring'-bouse a pot of
ale and change for a guinea, sjtu&mizaks with either, is a
low swindler; he who takes furnished, lodgings land orders
. in fine goods, with which,he bolts, is a genteel, swindler I
but the wholesale dealer is he, or they, who open, ware-

' house or office, assume the airs of tradesmen, and. order
. goods from manufacturers and others, which, are; sold at a
loss, but not paid fot^-after the first lot* . i>;.

Swop, swap—to exchange goods or chattels. Horse-dealers

. . practise, much this species of bargain..

T. ,

Take vn-^o, cheat, when the ostensible and the real are
expensively dissimilar. Taking cheating* or idupery.
.Also, on the Stock Exchange, the pawning of scrip to the

' persons * taking it in,' until a future day named, with
liberty to sell then, unless redeemed. Formerly, this irans-

- action was termed <tke Rescou'nters;' it is ruinous-to the
pledger when a fall.takes plaee of five per cent., or "more.
' Take it as, you like?,'—be offended or not, juatras you
choose. ⁱ TakeM out of that,' accompanied by showing

TAG—TAN

169

the elbow, and patting it: now right away. * I cannot
take it in*—not swallow a lie. To ' take it out of him'—to
beat one enough to counterbalance his offence. A good
scolding effects the same purpose, occasionally. ' Och, the
mordering Jews ! Ah-—h—gh—k!' exclaimed a Munster
lady of the apple-stall, * I always takes it out of dem:' vky,
my dear? * why don't vou know how ill they used the poor
cratur as com'd to us V She allowed nothing for the lapse ~
of 1822 years.

Tag-rag-—fellows ill-drest, in parties, are the tag-rag part
of a crowd; so named by the kiddies, tulips, and swells
of the procession, because their clothes (or rags) are but
just tacked or stitched together. * Tag_rrag and bobtail'—
the latter are females, and a bob is the extreme value of
each tail.

Talbot—the original of our present race of hounds ; he is
' aaid to have been while about the time of the Norman
kings J but, more recently, black and white, with tan over
the eyes. His nose very good, voice sonorous but mel-
low ; large long ears, deep flewed: pace tardy but lasting.
So called from the Talbot family, who had the keeping of
the king's hounds. This variety hath merged into the
stag-hound, fox-hound, harrier, and blood-hound.

" The deep-flewed hound, strong, heavy, slow, but rare,
Whose ears down-hanging from his thick round head,
Shall sweep the morning dew; whose clanging voice
_m Awake the mountain-echo in ber cell,

And shake the forest.¹* [See Hound.

Tally-man—he who sells his goods to be satisfied by instal-
ments, as Is., 2s. 6d., or 6s. per week or month: at each
payment a split stick, kept by either party, is put together,
and a notch being cut in both at once, they must then
tally or agree. Though profitable, it is a mean mode
of doing business, notwithstanding government manage
their exchequer-issues by the same wooden tally.

Tandem—one horse before another in a single horse-chaise
hi one too muck in. length, i. e. Tandem.

Tantwy—~M a word, is an invitation to the field.

" While health gives new charms to the sports of the field,
Tantivy, my boys! let's away."

Likewise an answer to all cavil, and to all objections:

170

TAP—TEA

Cries Jane, " dear John, avoid the snare

That lurks in yonder field 1"
Yoicks! Tantivy, soho!
^u Ah, John," cries Jane, ^a if life's your care,

Of Tantivy, O beware!"

Properly, certain notes upon the horn, called ton-taron,
thus.marked—ton o, fat?on 6; very frequently employed
in the recheat, and upon the deaths of animals. See
Ton tar on.

Tapp'd (ring)—* tapp'd his claret,' gave a bloody nose.
' Tapp'd on the shoulder,* arrested on a civil process—
* had for a hundred/

Tap-tub (the)—Morning Advertiser; so surnamed after the
tubs placed under the taps of each proprietor—whether
licensed victualler or gin-spinner; because that print
catcheth the drippings of yesterday's news, and disheth
it up anew.

' Tare-and-tret, my boy/ (city bon-ton for)—a Rowland for

an Oliver, no matter the juxtaposition of the two matters.

To give as good as is brought
Tartar—an aaept in any game is a tartar at H. To ' catch

a Tartar'—to encounter one who is superiorly gifted, and

get done.

Tattler—a watch. ¹ Why, Doughey drew a gold tattler, and
got but two p'nd ten of the fence for it; so my regulars is
ten bob—I'll split else.'

TYitfs—dice. The saying ' tit for tat,' as good as is brought,
means literally, a horse for a tooth—dice being made of
teeth. So, if one knock another's tooth out, he must give
his horse in compensation.

Team—a flight of wild ducks.

Teaster—a sixpence, which is also tizzy, &c. Teaster is the
most classical name for sixpence we have got, and is also
the most ancient. Derived from teste, the head (French);' .
and the (s) having been dropped nearly two centuries
(now tete) the word must be so old at the very least.

Tea turn-out—a seedy kind of invitation to ' take tea,- and
as soon as over the party break up. * Tea and cards/
includes a sandwich at least, if not a supper—*kot in
the city.

Teazer—a. hit on some queer point, as on the tip of the nose.
Also, 1st. A summons to little chancery. 2nd. A talking
fellow who haunts another. 3rd. An old horse belonging

TEE—THI

17)

to a breeding-stud—* though devoid of fun himself, he is
the cause of it in others/

⁴ Tee—done to a,* meat roasted to a turn, or T.

Tee-totum—a juvenile instrument of play, and marked P. T.
H. N.-; being spun round for the stakes, the player who
brought P, put down a stake; he who had N, neither put
down or took up; H won half the money down; T takes
all, or totum.

Teeth—the masticatores have been called «dining-room
chairs,' ' grinders,' &c. ' Tis of no use to show your
teeth, unless you can [venture to] bite;' persons need not
show their anger if they are powerless. * In spite of your
teeth;' notwithstanding all your threats and endeavours:
'tis a canine notion. * Nothing is certain in this life; not
even that you will swallow the meat upon your plate; nor
that after its descent into the cavum corporis, it may not
offend or be offended, and return in spite of your teeth.'
Vide Fancy.

Telling the law— (in cocking;) counting forty deliberately,
with a semicolon pause—thus: one; two; three; &c. this
occurs when the cocks leave off fighting through fatigue;
at the word " forty," the setters-to pit them anew, beak to
beak. See Told-out.

Thief—* name never assumed, but applied by others; and
when used, he of whom 'tis spoken calls it beef. Sly ones
and peculators inveigh with most asperity against the
small-scale public ones, as these do bawl out * stop beef!'
when pursued ;•—both seeding to avoid detection. See
Honour.

Thick-head—he whose understanding is deeply entrenched
'against instruction behind great lumps of fat.

Thimble—a watch. Thimbled—laid hold of.

Thing (res, rem, re)—is applied to every thing of every kind.
⁴ A thing of a man/ is he who has not much sense or spunk
in him; and a mere thing in her hands (whatever he may
be in her arms,) is the man who suffers a woman to rule
the roost. ' A thing, of a horse/ should be rode by a
• scapegrace runagate only; such a horse as can neither
walk, trot, or gallop, but makes up for those deficiencies
by the accession of broken knees and a staring coat, is a
thing. Buggies, curricles, chaise-carts, gigs, and tandems,
when altered, amended, re-mended, and patohed, are
things, and nothing else. ' A tking,⁹ is an animal of doubt-

172 T H 1—T H O

ful gender* i. e. no-thing. Tls a sad thing for a gentleman

to be guodded, who has hitherto been ⁴ quite the thing;*
as per exemple*

" My name's Tippy-bob,

I've a watch in each fob,
View me round on each tide and the top;

I know I'm the thing_y

And I wish I may swi»g,
If I aro't now a nice natty crop.*⁹

⁴ The things} in the eye of a matron, (or in her eyes if she
have more than one,) are the articles of housekeeping:
such have ⁴ a pretty little thing} occasionally, of a baby;
and, 'tis ⁴ such a thing ! to keep it quiet at night/ when
papa is rocky; and⁴ a horrid thing} when 'tis tumbled out
of bed. Gamblers call cards or dice * the things} in soft-
ened tones; and so are fetters ' comical things.* Tippy+btb,
aforesaid, might be ⁴ every thing⁹ in die eye of some pretty
woman, if his egotism and self-love did not conspire, to
render him a no-thing at all sort of a chap. A man's actions,
or one single act of his life, may render him a thing to the
end of his days in the opinion of all—-even of a horse, or
of dogs; for, what would a kennel of hungry hounds think
of a whipper-in walking into their dining-room, without a
whip. What thought the calendrer's nag, when Mr. Gilpin
(that sage horseman) stooped down and seised the beast
round the neck ? Why,

" His hone who never in that sort

Had treated been before,
What thing upon his back had got

Did wonder more and more."

•

A poor, weak, but pretending mortal, is a thing, whether
his defect be of mind or body. * You fight! Why you are or
thing.⁹ ¹ Never was exhibited, perhaps, so thing-like a mind
as this young lawyer's.' Vide Fancy. Thing (on the road)-^-
a poor drag, poorly horsed. According to Cobbett, ⁴ the
thing⁹ political, is the corruption of the state working out
a reform of the state. ' All that sort of thing}—bon-ton,
a common kind of addenda to any dandy-speech.

Thing-um-bob*—thing-um-bee, and thing-a-merry, names of
things, or thing-like persons, not worthy of being more
distinguishedly marked. Mostly used by females: the
first was applied to the man who would stand only a bob
for the thing under treaty.

Thought (a)—a single operation of the mind. ' Who would

.... - 1

THR—THR 173 |

have thought it?* when something uncommon takes place.
Yet, * I thought it would happen so/ says the silly part of
the creation, who cannot foresee a shower of rain, nor
reckon upon a minnow-bite. ' The thinking nation/ is the
English; and persons capable of great thoughts and ac-
curate, are the thinking part of the nation; the remainder
being the soft part, or, ** those whose brains are thin and
pulpy, of a consistency lying between water-gruel and
stuvabout"—-as Mr. Abernethy has it.

Three times three—shouting in exultation, greeting after the
British fashion, some patron, the donor of a feast, the
king, &c. Three is the mystical number; firm as a tripod
ia mechanics, and its triplicate implies something more;
but those who greet with four times four, because George
IV. is the person greeted, are noodles of the fourth class
—weak in cause and effect.

Through-stitchs. tailorV expression for finishing any thing
once begun.

⁰ To go through-stitch wont be amiss*

Said Btnck, then ga?e miss Doe a ktas i
Bat ~~1.....~~-d! his wife poppM in oa this.

And caught them cooing->"

Your fbx-hunters are the beings for going through-stitch.

" We drove him, many a mile^
O'er hedge and ditch we got through *£fe\
And hit oft many a, foil,,"

Throw (ring)—-when boxers are tired at ⁴ in-fighting/ they
struggle to get each other down, and the throw is some*
times rendered so hard as to win the battle* especially
when an adroit tumble upon the opponent's wind is added
thereto. See Fall,. Floorer, &c. A throw over the knee,
is effected similarly to a cross-buttock, but is not half so
effectual* unless the thrower punisheth as the adversary is
going down.

Throwing*off~-t^/sSk about any one in his presence, always
adversely, and generally in the third person. * They that
don't like Cold Bath-fields,, vhy, let them try Horsemon-
ger-lane/ Reply. * Veil, I'm sure! ha'n't he forgot the

start! My mother vos no b-to bring forth puppies,

howsomdever, as goes mid dere own-Rejoinder.

¹ My father werVt lagged for being a •-; our old man

Kves down in Vhitechagel now, and yarns his five-and-
twenty quidl a-weejk/

174 THR—TIM

.To Throw-off the hounds—to uncouple and set them'to
quest for the object of chase:

Here, on this verdant spot,
Where flowers autumnal spring, and the rank mead

Affords the wandering hares a rich repast,
Throw off thy ready pack.

Thrums—threepence, used by low bidders, at low auctions.

Tick—credit in small quantities; usually scored up with
chalk, (called ink ironically,) which being done with a
sound resembling ' tick, tick, tick/ gives the appellation.
* Going to tick/ ' tick it up/ * my tick is out/ ' no more tick/
Vide Pontic, and see what it amounts to.

Ticker—a watch, A tick-tack—derived from the ticking of a
watch; 'tis the shortest space of time—* done in a tick-tack/

Tiddyvated—i. e. made tidy, or neat; derived from Nitida,
neat, tidy, spruce, genteel, prim, gay. Used by barbers and
friseurs for a drest head formerly; but now confined to
lasses and dandies who may have emerged from a recent
state of filth, after adonising their persons an hour or two.

' Tie up in the wind' (ring)—a blow on the mark will do it for
any one. ' Tie yourself up'r—to bind oneself negatively; .
either not to play, to fight, to lay bets, &c. for a certain
period, usually to the and of time; but seldom kept. ' My
opinion is, Tom Cribb may safely tie-up from this time/
Vide Soares's speech. ' A certain hell-keeper tied himself
up before the magistrates, never to touch a card, or handle
a rake again, during his natural life.' Vide Police Report.
But what are oaths or bonds to him, or any of his kind ?

Tiff—* a tiff/ is to take offence at small cause, or none at
all; these are sulky hounds and proud ones.

Tilbury*—a sixpence, which has, moreover, several other
names, as tizzy, bender, fiddler's money, teaster.

Time of day—very oppositely applied at various points: the
pass-word for civilly accosting another, at one place; a
knock-down-blow at another. In the island (Wight) every
good joke is * the time o' day/ *

Times—' 'tis all owing to the times/ said a mechanic to his
wife, as an apology for getting drunky; wishing to make
the state of politics answerable for his aberrations. The
Times paper might, also, have some share in his sottish-
ness, by reason of its lengthy columns and close para-
graphs requiring much orthographising, and numerous
drowthy expositions.

(

T I N—T O A

175

Tt*p---small, little. Mostly applied to mankind; as, a tiny .

chick—tiny mort, but used also of a small ken, and ' a
tiny drop of gin/ when the cove can only muster a penny
towards a quartern of three outs.

Pray, butcher, please to moderate the rancour of your tongue,
Why flash those sparks of fury from your eyes ?

Remember I'm a tiny man and you are very strong, v
A taylor why should you despise.

Tinney—a conflagration of houses—a fire; derived from
Tinnitus —the ringing of the town-bell (tocsin) when such
accidents do happen; practised every where but in London.
Each * call to a tinney/ is 5s. for every fireman.

* To Tip*—to give; a noun as well as verb. * To tip,⁹ is to
. pay. * How much is tke tip?¹ What is the payment? as,

the fare of a coach, toll at a turnpike, &c ' Come,
come, tip the bustle/ said by a highwayman when he would
rob the traveller. * Tip us none of your jaw.'—* There's
tke tip, Marm, now send in the max.* ' The tip' at skittles
and Dutch-pin playing, when the player plays fronuhis
ball after having bowled, or close up to the frame, called
⁴ bowl and tip.' * Tip the wink/ a hint. * Tip him a good
deal of the blarney.' Tipytiwitchett, a senseless elf. ' 1
tip'd him the double,* ran away, ' Tip us your daddle/
or thieving-irons, to shake hands.
Tits—horses, mostly applied to those in stage-coaches.
Derived from the latin titubo, to trip, stumble, and stagger;

• the tits of our day should be lame a little, if not foot-
foundered ¹ past all condemption' (as Dan has it); they
cannot otherwise be titubans, nor perform a stage titu-
banter. Titt-up—a canter, scarcely made out. ^x '

Tit-bits—favourite cuts of meats preferred by epicures. In
town they choose * a bit of the brown:' turn up a shoulder
of mutton, and the lean corner which comes next the neck
is ' the cuckold's tit-bit;' 'tis soft and juicy. Term ap-
plied to live females also.
Toad-eaters—sycophants, who would swallow poison and

well was toad-eater to Sam Johnson. Turtle feasters
were appelled toad-eaters by David Garrick:

For want of turtle he might soon eat me:
So I left toad-eater.

Rich persons, without heirs, attract myriads of toad-eaters.

patrons. Jamie Bos

Who knows, says he,

176

T O B—T.O N

Toby-lay—robbery in road or street. Low toby-fay—foot-
pad robbery. See High-toby.

To-by—' To be or not to be?' (Shakspeare) means, shall the
proposal take place ? as, more wine; or spoken hypotheti-
cally—' is this to be a drunken night, or no ? * On the
Bigh-toby'—high fellows who spend much money, but
care little how * tis got/ generally gamblers.

7bco for Yam—Yams are food for negroes in the West-
Indies, (resembling potatoes) and if, instead of receiv-
ing his proper ration of these, Blackee gets a whip (toco)
about his back, why ' he has caught toco' instead of yam.

Toddy—spirits and water, hot with sugar,
v Tog,—clothes; derived from toga, the official gown or upper
garment worn by the Roman nobs, and our own gownsmen.

Toggery— dress, generally. ¹ White upper tog¹—the great
coat, white. * VfeM-togg'dso dressed, a-la-mode*

Togamans—a gown or cloak, for either sex.

Told-out—in the language of the cock-pit; when a cock has
refused fighting ten several times, counting ten delibe-
rately between each set-to and refusal, he loseth the battle
—and generally gets scragg'd by his enraged owner. So,
when a gambler is unblunted, he is said to be told out;
and so is the debauchee when he can't come again, and
the drunkard, when the burnt-up power of secretion brings
about scjiirrous liver, adhesion of the pleura, and dis-
ordered respiration, with hectic.—Mrs. Mary Ann Clarke
was told out, when she was tumed-up by the faded ever-
green. See Telling the law.

Tontaron—pron. Tantaran by the red-stag hunters of the
West country, and frequently without the final (n). Either
gives pretty nearly the sound of a huntsman s notes on
his horn, which being variously modified, convey his wishes
and intelligence to the hearers; it is a corruption of ton-
tavon, the repetition of the last syllable—' tavon, tavon,
tavon'—quickly, being the call away; a change this which
hath been effected within a century past by the warblers,
for sake of the liquid (r):

But vain is his speed—

They faster proceed,
In hopes to o'ertake him anon;

While echo around

With the horn and the hound,
Responsive replies Taron-ton.

They have gone farther (see Tantivy) and made an addi-

TOO-TOP 177

tion also—viz. after three repetitions of ' tontara, tontara,
tontara,' they add a ' ton-tay;' their toy being of the
same length as tone, which terminated almost every re-
cheat Tara would seem the- feminine of taron, when
used substantively; probably the lady and lord of the
mansion in which the hunters caroused:.

For, no joys can compare
To hunting of the hare;

Sing Thru,"
Esho, in menMQ voce—" and Tontaroa."

" Sing Tarn*— Echo, « and Tontaron,"
Both voices aloud,

^u Sing Tara, my brave boys, and Tontaron.^w

The tara, however, may have been older than /aron,.or
tavon, in some' parts of the empire of G. 8.: among the
Celts of Ireland, Tara was the baronial castle, or seat;
and the large hall was, in like manner* Tara, where the lord
or petty king, gave audience, settled disputes, awarded
justice (in aula regia) caroused his retainers after hunting, ,
and heard music;

The harp that once through Tara'* halls

The soul of music shed.
Now hangs as mute on Tara's walls

As if that soul had fled.

Here, of course, the horn was heard in every variety of
modulation* with ita * ton* ton, ton, tara"; tontara, ton-
tara— tone.' Rory, king of Connaught, and Brian B'ru,
had their assemblages, of chiefs,, called Tara—a council,,
or parliament. Tom Moore sings—

No more-to chiefs and ladies bright

The harp of Tara swells*
The chord alone that breaks at night

Its tale-of ruin tells..

Tools-—housebreaking implements, or otherwise*

¹ Too much—of one thing is good for nothing,' is understand-
able ; but Paddy has turned the latter word into ' some-
thing,' by which he means a ' grate big bating.'

Topper (a)—ring;. a flush hit high on the upper works; ap-
plied also* to a blow with a stick on .the head; so ' give
nun a topper for luck* and another for me/

Topping—the upper covering; and a topper is a hat, the
head sometimes* andthe roof of a house always* ' Topping:
wit* is Attical, and ' a topping number' at a printings
office, is that quantity which the printer takes, off to his.
own cheeky surreptitiously. ₄

178

T O R—T R A

Tories—b. political party, originally attached to the exiled
family, and the principle of governing single-handed, or
corruptly: intolerant of sectarians, lovers of tythes and
bell-ringing, of pageants, and pluralities—ubiquity itself.

" Come all ye tory citizens,

Ye radicals and whigs;
Join all your famous companies,

And merry be as grigs."

Supposed to be a corruption of' tow-row/ a soldier of the
guards or grenadiers—of whom, in Marlborough's time,
a song was sung with this burden:

Sing Tow, row, row, row, row, row,
The British grenadiers; £

Tot—the whole; from totius (Latin). By amplification 'tis
said, ' I'll take the whole tot.' Mr. Hook says,

" There's Hume, with his tot* and his vots
Gafter Grey-"

Tout—(v.) to watch. Touting—is eying the women gene-
rally, or spoiling an amour, platonicaUy. Tis extended
to * stagging,' also.

Town—London is * Town,' without tke article, and is in
fact, three towns, viz. London (the city proper) West-
minster, and the borough of Southwark, or Tripoli—
without taking in to estimate the out-lying parishes. This
is the district for seeing life in its varieties, as the present
work attests. A man ' in town,' is in cash—* out of town,*
without blunt.

Trade. Swindlers of goods, inquire about' the state of trade
to-day?* very much like regular paying persons. ' What
trade are you doing?' ' I have a prospect of doing some-
thing, or have a thing in hand,' is the slangery of this
species of rogue. Free-trade—smuggling; and so is
Fair-trade. Thus called from that space, which was
marked out in war-time, by the French in certain ports, for
our smugglers' resort and purchase of contraband goods,
and called la foire, or fair-ground.

Trail—(chase;) scent laid upon the ground. A dead hare
being dragged along leaves trail for harriers. The scent
of the living hare is likewise trail. Oleum Origanum
(vulgo, oil of rignum) makes a good artificial scent, or
drag—and is good for entering young hounds.

If tome staunch hotted with bis authentic voice
Avow the recent Wail, the jostling tribe
Attend his calL

T R A—T R A 1*9

7 .

Training—animals that are pretty much exposed to excesses
in their manner of living, require to be put in training
when they are about to take strong exercise. Men, horses,
and dogs are trained .before fighting or running. Bleed-
ing (if feverish) purging, and sweating, get rid of the
surplus which overcharges the system, and impair its
functions. Generous, but not heating food is to follow;
no flatulent drink; all being given at regular intervals.
Regular exercise, running a heat every morning, and a
breathing in the evening, rubbing down the body and limbs
. much—the horse with the hand and wisps of hay, the man
with cloths. The latter must fight his trainer at jioon,
twice at least, with the gloves; the former must be tried
against other horses, and if the actual race is to be in the
north country, he must be taught ' the false starts,' usual
to those parts. N. B. Little sleep and much moderation;
even training may be carried to excess. The good effects
of training are soon visible on the cuticle; horses showing
a fine coat, men fair skin without scorbutic spots, having
thrown off the hair which those spots engender. Herd
living, and a cold country, 'tis known, produce hair upon
the body, which pugilists lose by training. One of Black-
wood's people (No. 72. p. 87.) says he was 'covered with
the long hair tha,t boys come home with at the Christmas
holidays, from a Yorkshire cheap academy.*

Trained*off—~ weakness of body, inefficient athletic: an animal
without sufficient stamina to bear hard training, gets worse
for the above-prescribed mode of living and trains off.

Training upwards~~-\% done, when the subject is already too
low in habit, by means of - nutricious diet: avoid bleeding
and sweating; let the exercise be little,, steady, and con-
genial. The fighting men stand in need of training up,
as often as they do the contrary.

Tramp—(the); travelling a-foot. ⁴ 111 tramp it for trade'—
¹ Out upon the tramp.' Said of mechanics who go from
town to town for employment.

Transmogrify—to alter, to change. A Transmogrifier i one
who so charigeth the works and the cases of watches,, that
the real owners cannot recognise their property.

Traps—hired constables; probably an abbreviation of to*
intrap, to ensnare. See Nose.

To Travel—to go, or be sent, beyond sea, he is on his travels.
Tbehijh-gobontonian says, < declare I must travvil_howox'

ISO T R E—T R Y

Tread-mill—an invention we owe to the Chinese, who raise
water' by this means, and it is now adopted in these
realms for the amusement of such philanthropic ' lads of
the village/ as undertake the disposition of other people's
effects, without leave. See Cubit, Round-about. The
Radicals declare it to have been set up " on Rot-a-Tory
principles/'

Trente une apres—at rouge et neir; the advantage taken by
the bank of the punters, for profit, and as sett-ofT for the
refreshments, &c. It looks like three per cent, upon the
winnings,butiss'n fact about seven—arithmetically proven.

Trick—at cards; the play round at whist, for example; and
the odd trick occurs the thirteenth time of so playing round.
A Trick—a cbeatery. ' Tricks on cards'—in cutting and
shufBing dexterously, so as to produce certain results.
* Tricks upon travellers/ cannot be practised safely, they
being usually up to snuff. * Tricks of youth/ leave us in
old age, though every Senex pretends that he has left the
tricks. Nestoe sagely observed,

Age, with a pox will come apaov;
But dear experience can't be gotten,
TiH we 're with tricks of youth half rotten.

Triponions—a small lot of persons fond of cows' stomachs*
and the most pungent of edible roots; who take an occa-
sional snap at Tom Rees's corTee-panny in the Strand.—
Card of invitation: " The Triponions congregate to masti-
cate, to vocalise, and fumigate;

Thomas Rees,
At his ease,
A fine treat,
About eight,
Nought gaudy but neat."

Trudjon—Trew-john, a Trojan. A hardy indomptable per-
son ; alluding to the twelve years' siege of Troy.

Trull—the lowest state of prostitution.

Trump—he is one who sticks by a poor friend in distress,
who scorns dirty actions and littleness of spirit, who dif-
fuseth happiness around, maugre the difficulty of execu-
tion. In ring affairs, he is a trump who stands up to his

- man like a Trudjon.

Try-back—m order or command given to a dog, to go over
the same ground again, for game, as in beating a gorse
for a fox. Try-back—is said to a talkative person who
may be flinging the hatchet a little.

TR Y—TFR

181

Try-on—and trying it on. An essay or endeavour to do a
thing. * Here's a queer shilling; I'll try it on with the
landlord/ ' VeU, my customer, you tried it on tolerably

Tuck-out—plenteous fare at dinner or supper. See Blow-Out.
Tulip—fine habiliments of various colours a/>d strong ones^
compose the tulip. ' Jack Cooper* evolved ex carcera a
tulip of no common colour/ vide Fancy Gaz. 117. * Ah!
Jack Atcherley, how are e my tulip V Tulips compared to
Swells, are what gilt gingerbread is to a gilded sign-board \.
the one fades toon, the other is at least intelligent to the
last. See Corinthian, Gentleman, SwelL
Tumbler—sl cart. ⁴ To shove the tumbler;* to be whipped

at the cart's-tail.
Turf—(the). That species of sport which consists in run*
nmg horses against each other, as trial of their speed or
bottom; and these races are either matches (of two) or
for sweepstakes of three or more. It is an improvement,
or rather a refinement, upon the runs experienced in the
chase; * hunters stakes/ by their full weights and lengthy
courses, assimilating nearest to that earliest sport of the
field. Name derived from the verdure* turf; that at New-
market being the finest, most extended, and various in the
island-empire—which is the mother-country of turf -sports*
of large stakes and great matches, and the only residence
of round-betting.

Races are held in France, of royal horses mostly; but
devoid of emulation,, except in the animals alone—spunk-
less. Occasionally, at Petttaburgh, as in most of the
British ultra-marine possessions, and, before the dis-unien^
in North-America. Proceeding upwards hi the enumera-
tion, Ireland comes next in importance, their stakes being
.minor imitations of those in England ; yet they there dis-
pense with sixteen king's plates* whilst all England has
only twenty-one, and but two are given in Scotland. This
last mentioned portion of the kingdom stands forward
next in order as to spirit, amount, and execution, though
less in number than Ireland; whilst York is interior only
to Newmarket, Epsom next after York as to totality of
sums run for; and Ascot, for great resort, and the attend-
ance of royalty, has acquired the appellation of royal
races. Doubtless to these latter, Somervile alludes in
his didactic Poem, The Chase. Book II.

183

T U R—T W 0

Oh, bear me, tome kind power invisible!
To that extended lawn, where the gay court
View the swift racers stretching to the goal;
Games more renown'd, and a for nobler train,
Than proud Elean fields could boast of old.

See Round-betting, Stakes, $c.
Turf abbreviatures—Those short and pithy literals that un-
explained lead the uninitiated into certain loss; yet again
some there are which signify little—nothing: ' p. p.' play
or pay, post the poney, put down pounds, or pay poundage,
h. ft. half-forfeit, i. e. half the stake is to be paid certain,
by the party who does not choose to run for the whole:
forfeits are limited to very small sums occasionally. List,
oh, Rst I b. bay* br. brown, bl. black, c. colt, ch. chesnut,
d. dun, dis. distanced-(240 yards off, at least) dr. drawn,
f. filly, g. gelding, gr. grey, gs. guineas, h. horse, lb.
pounds, nu mare, pd. paid, p. poney, p. p. play or pay,

* positive/ must be done, dead or alive, ro. roan, st. stone,
(141b.) yr. year; the figures 1, 2, 3, the first, second, or
third horses in, at the winning post

Tumed-up—ruined, in any way* A kept mistress is ' turn'd
up,'when ' her occupation's gone;' she is then said to have
got ' turnips⁹—[turn-ups.]

Turnip—a watch; and if silver, the more vraisemblable.
Turnip-tops—watch-chain and seals:' cutting turnip-tops
on the autem sneak'—is the taking-off those appendages
of the congregation by means of short strong forceps.

Turn-out (a)—an equipage, including horses, carriage,
servants, self, and liveries. Superior to Set-out.

Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee—(bon-ton) musicians: two
signiors (fiddlers) at Bath, were thus nicked, circa 1780>
on occasion of a quarrel and duel on Lansdown. In the
Album at the pump-room, one wrote-—(before the fight)

" Pity such difference e'er should be •»
Twixt tweedledum and iweedfedee."

After the battle had been declared harmless, he added,

Surely, nq[ danger e'er can come
To tweedtedee or tweedledum.

v ; Twig—to notice, to remark upon a thing or person. ^c Did
you twig the old cock V ^c I twig'd him a touting on us.*

* I do not twig your meaning.* ' In twig.,' well dressed;

* out of twig/ shabbily clad, or in undress.
Two-penny men—u e. two-pence per line for fabricating

articles of intelligence for the newspapers, paid to men

two—vag m

calling themselves reporter* [qu. porterers? carriers] for-
sooth. When the type used for such minor purposes ceases
to be minion (e mignon, little) and devolves into bourgeois
(or commonalty letter)—into brevier, or short letter—then
three half-pence is the digne payment per line. Sometimes
called * penny-a-line-menbut this applies only to such
as work at under price—dungs; an invidious kind of gene*
ralising. Consult Caddee and Kedger, without prejudice;
and see Putin, who characterises the whole race of news-
scribes as ' kominem genus audaeissimum mendacissimum
avidioissimum⁹ See Reporters.

Two-a-penny—London cry for oranges, pronounced t⁹wa-
pinny, when probably the ware is two-pence a-piece. The
Jews only come it thus rumly.

Two-to-one—(ring.) This trick is carried sometimes to 3 to 1,
when so many fall foul of one. ' Mister Two-to-one'—
a pawn-broker; that being the advantage he takes of
his customers* necessities: the method of suspending
his golden-balls—two above, one below, seems to tell
this plainly. - •

Tyburn—formerly the place of execution of criminals, but
changed about the year '80, for the new-drop. ' Tyburn/
is figurative of hanging, as is * the drop.' The plaoe or
situation of the destructive and sanguinary instrument,
was across the Edgeware-road, about 150 paces from the
corner of Oxford-road, near the corner of Upper Seymour-
street, west; two or three instruments were set up occa-
sionally, for the better dispatch of business,

Tye—a neckcloth; also the neck itself occasionally*

Ty'e-O!—is the call of one patrol to others, about Clerken*
well, that they may look out for the rogues.

Vagabonds-one who journeyeth from place to place for*a
precarious living. Ergo—the actor-men and women were
vagabonds, without the aid of an act of parliament. The
lower Irish accuse each other of this crime [' as by law
established'] with a Spanish pronunciation: 'get along
ye Bagavond; nearly approaching to Bag-o-bones, in the
plural. This application of the word is illegitimate, inas-
much as those * countrymen,⁹ though they may be employed
⁴ here to-day and there to-morrow/ yet is their living not
precarious; scarcely a man but earns his three bob a*day«

184 VA G—VRK

Vagary—indulgence of a whim or notion out of the common
way; called Figgary formerly,, vide ⁴ Scotch Figgaries, a
Tragedy/ 1649. Figario, a Spaniard of whimsical habits;
he should be active on his pins as if he were figged;

Vampets—stockings.

Varju*--verjuice; sourness. ¹ Oh, the varjus 1' an exclama-
tion, which shows the utterer's utter astonishment.

Varment--applied to badgers, polecats, and the otter; in
common parlance,, 'tis spelled ' vermin;' but no fox-
hunter holds a fox to be a varment, however true in fact.
Not many years since, (20) several gentlemen, associated
lor four-in-hand amusements, took the title of ' the Var-
ment Club.' See Bon-ton, Four-in-hand.

Vastly—bon-ton; one of the prodigious fine words so much
mis-used by the dandies; who apply it to every thing but
Ae heavens, which alone are vast; though it is extended
naturally to the ocean, when the two seem to touch. We
should like it vastly, if the reader would turn to ' mon-
strous/ and * prodigious;' but our city-aldermen' get mon-
strous eross, when they become vastly fat,' so say their
wives and families all. * A-vast heaving/ is derived from^
the heaving up of an anchor.

* U. D. C. * Mornings 12 to 4.—Evenings 7 to 12.—No—
Cleveland-row, St. James's.'¹ Some Frenchmen, from
the Palais-royal, thus introduce this game to the notice of
gentlemen, at coffee-houses, in the streets, and parks. The
place of address is * a Hell' upon earth; so termed to deter
conscientious persons from ruining their fortunes. Roley-
poley is the more vulgar name for une-deux-cinque.

Ib Vegetate—mere existence; haut-ton for retirement. See
⁴ Life;

Veighty-von—a fat landlady, who has a good run of custom,,
is a weighty one in both senses of the word.

Velocipede—or Bicipede. See Dandy-horse. We have also
had the tricipede, or three-wheeled foot vehicle; more
recently, and mope utilely, we have the aquatic tripod or
tricipede, for traversing shallow waters after wild-fowl.
See Badcock*s Philosophical Recreations, Vol "2.

Velvet—the tongue. To 'tip the velvet/^to gfre out the
tongue, by either sex. To scold.

Venison—flesh of red deer; modernly used of trie whole race,,
indefinitely: * whoever has venison en his chase/ vide
Game-laws: again, < Caprwhcs, the roe, is no venison

VS-N—UMP 195

unless hunted.' Beasts of Venary (five in number) are
venison: Buck is not one. See Chase, Forest, Park.
To Vent—to breathe—said of otters, when at length they
come to the surface to respire:

Ah, there once more he vents!
•See, that boW hound has seiz'd him; down they sink, *
Together lost

Again he vents;
Again the crowd attack: that spear has pierc'd his neck.

Fiesta^—ironically said of an incontinent woman.

Ugly-mug—he who has queer features and variolous.

Vicar of Bray-^one who acts now with this party now that.
Bray lies near Putney, and one of its incumbents (circa
1660) changed to opinions most diametrical, repeatedly.

Victualling-office—the stomach, and sometimes the cup-board;
at others, a man's means of subsistence are alluded to
as his victualling-office.

Vi»et-armis—(bon-ton); by force and arms: * you shall dine,
egad George you shall; if you don't oome we'll fetch ye,
vi-et-armis, as they served the new speaker t'other day,'in
the Mouse.⁹ This was an allusion to the shoving of the
speaker, Mr. Addington, into the chair of the H. C.—
according to ancient practice. -

Virago—derived from vir, Latin for mankind, and acu sharp:
The lady virago (as we now spell her name) is a scold,
whose voice fills the domicile of her good man, Cornuto;
and the noise she makes is intended to drown her own
reproaches of conscience, for the horns she is planting.
But should she be virtuous, as regards the intercourse au
double, if she drink, rob his till, or amasses, virago scolds
her husband, as a cover to her keroical misdeeds.

Vixen—a bitch-fox with cubs in her hole, and quarrelsome.

Umpire—he to whom the referees of disputed points appeal
as the last resort, when those arbitrators cannot agree.
In most legal adjustments, the arbitration bond has a rule
of umpirage attached thereto. See Referee, and note,
also, the subsequent * articles of-agreement to fight, made
between Neat and Spring, for May 28, 1823, drawn uf> at
" the Castle," and countersigned, with a ^IC witness P. E."
meaning (we are told) the Sporting Editor of the Weekly
Dispatch paper—Pierce Egan. In this published docu-
ment, the same blunder is thus again attempted to be per*

186 UN C-UP

petuated, and thus stands exposed the author of those
ignoramuses we have noticed under the word Referee.
Uncle (my)—the pawn-broker. Q. ' Whereabout is your
mammy, my dear?' A. ' She is gone to tny uncle*a Mann,
at the corner of the alley/ .

• Who dwells at yonder three gold balls,

Where poverty so often calls,
Guarding her offerings in his walls ?

My Uncle.

Unguentum aureum—among the literati—when a bookseller
advanceth money to needy authors, he is then said to
apply this * salve for all sores'—money.

Unhid—ugly, awkward, (prov. of Bucks) thus we have ' an
unkid or onkid house.' A man knock-kneed, with long
toes and visage, must be onkyd, exceedingly.

Up or U. P.—may be taken and used in various significa-
tions, in one or two of which contradiction may be visible
to an hypercritic, or one who is not soon pleased; but we,
on the contrary, firmly believe in the natural affinity of all
things on earth—some coming closer together than others.
* Tis all up,' and ' 'tis U. P. with him,' is said of a poor
fellow who may not have a leg to stand upon, or in other
words (meaning the same thing)—nothing on which to
place his leg, as in the case of suspension at the drop,
as well as suspension of payment, or ruin coming upon a
man's commercial concerns. * The game is up with him,⁹is said very properly of a gambler recently unblunted;
but, after poverty has long attached itself to his pocket
and person, he must be considered as no other than a
seedy cove, whose holy pocket is neither likely to be visited
by, nor capable of containing, that pale comfort of the
poor man's pocket—coined silver. When a pugilistic
contest approaches its termination, 'tis said to be all up,
or U. P. on the part of the losing man and his backers-.
See Down.

Up—as regards either house of parliament, means that the
house has been sitting, but that the sitting is over and the
members up—on their legs, and off. A man who knows
a little how things are going on in the world, is said to be
uppish; when he makes a display of this knowledge, this
is uppishness; but, if he pretends to be aware of more
than he knows, and gets bowled out, he is not to be con-
sidered as up at all. Scout the rip.

UPfl-WAD

187

J7pA#/s—loaded dice, that throw high.

Uphill-work—it is, when a cove's Moll is in kid.

Upon the town—street-walkers, persons who live about at
this place and that, and every where, whether men or
women, (the latter particularly) with loose habits—sex-
ually or otherwise.

Upper-crust—-one who lords it over others, is Mister Upper-
crust.

Upperworks—the head and parts adjacent, in boxing. ' Gas
paid serious attention to Tom's upper-works.'

* Upset—his apple-cartruin his whole pecuniary concern :
a costermonger's idea.

* Upstairs, going*—in fair way to the tread-mill.

¹ Up to snuff¹—worldly knowledge, however pungent or errhi-'
uical. See Cabbage. A girl who is so up is no virgin*

Used-up—one who, by his labours or his irregularities, is no
longer the active clever person he was wont to be.

Useful men—beggars alive, though they ask no alms. Cock-
ney-breds, who hang about, along-shore in the east, and
at the West end of town, to show strangers the sights-*-a
sort of Ciceroni. Another kind of usefiil men, are little
jobbers, small brokers, who effect sales of goods for needy
manufacturers and traders upon the go. in number not
above two hundred; they are all country-born, and their
resorts are to the north of St. Paul's.

Vulgar behaviour—the mode of conducting civil life of those
immediately below the speaker. See Gentility.

Wobbler (a)—a boiled leg of mutton, alluding to the noise
made in dressing it. Hence ' Pot-wobblers'—the qualifi-
cation for some borough-votes; proving, that they are
house-keepers, dressing their own victuals—boiling a pot.

To Waddle-out—of the Stock-exchange. Jobbers, usually
brokers, who cannot make good their engagements for the
delivery of stock, or run short in funds to pay for what
they have bought, or those who fail to complete the instal-
ments on loans—equally become lame ducks and waddle
out. They then retire to the rotunda opposite, or cease
their gambling tricks altogether, and turn honest shop-
keepers, or black shoes—or vegetate afar off—according
to their savings. See Botany-bay, Duck, Taking-in,

188

W A G—W A K

Wag-—one who turns serious matters to jokes; sometimes
applied practically, when they become no jokes, and recoil
upon the waggish spree-hunting perpetrator.
Wagers—some men settle all disputes by offering excessive
bets that troth is falsehood, &nd vice versa; these are
* wagering kiddies'—or fellows who lay quirking bets on
equivocal subjects, and out-vote the persons to be done.
See A. B. C^-darian, Bets, Bubble (bar the.)
Wake—-from awake. Very differently used in England,
Scotland, and Ireland, maugre ⁴ the acts of union/ The
Scot considers no man awake, or wakeful, who is not alive
to his own interests; at Bristol, one eye is ever upon the
wake while the other nappeth: hence the question,' are ye
awake V ' are ye up?* Such an one ' is always awake, or
a*4y;' the (a) being nearly mute in most cases; very
unlike Milton's ' Awake, arise, or be for ever fallen/
Wakes—in most parts of England, are merry-makings,
held once a~year in each parish, on the day preceding (or
eve of) the patron-saint's day to whom the church may be
dedicated: as St. Bartholomew (Sept 3); St. David
(March 1); St. Nicholas (Dec. 6); a custom introduced
by Augustin, first bishop of Canterbury, at the request of
his earthly master, Gregory of Nazianzen, Pontifex Max.
about A. D. 600. ⁴ Let your flocks get drunk with their
pastors,' said the pope; * Drink all night* O be joyful,*
added the pye house bishop,' the better to meet your saint
in the morning/ * If you do you'll be d—«^d, rejoined
the modern Methodists; and these new saints got the
parliament to sanction their anathema,, by fining every

extra refresher, which is ' to be d——d indeed/

To 'wake a poor fellow—an Irish custom,practised by
those people every where, and is intended to answer two or
three purposes at once: 1st. Lamentation for the loss-
society has sustained. 2nd.. A funeral oration on the
virtues of the deceased, in which his love of gin and of pota-
toes are lauded. 3rd. To raise the wind for defraying the
enpenses, or to put something in the pocket* of the sur-
vivors, in order to invite further marriage alliance, or to
procure- grab. In England, the body is sometimes placed
- in a coffin; i* Ireland, seldom so, the waking being usually
. called for the purpose of procuring one. The deceased is
dressed up as in life, with hat, wig, &c. the body is set,

man who did as the

W AL-WAL

189

upright, and partakes a sup or two of spirits with the com- ,
pany at parting, and the whole then issue! a repeated
howl, or balloot, in which the voices of some two or three
hired women-weepers are conspicuous,—tbey are adepts.
This would wake or awake the deceased, one would ima-
gine, if any thing on earth could do so; and the legend

' speaks confidently of several corpses having been restored
to life by this kind of last sip of their favorite beverage.
Name, time, and place, however, are wanting to confirm
the accuracy of such statement—with one exception.

, Early in the 16th century, at Shute, in Devon, lived Sir
John Acland, a Bart, very fond of brandy. He, also, * died
one day,' so they say, and his ever-faithful groom watched
the body during the night. That he might perform this
duty fearlessly^ the brandy-bottle was replenished as if
Sir John still lived. * Hang it!' exclaimed the groom to
his companion of the watch,' Sir John used to like a drap
out of this bottle, and I ordain he shall have a drap sow,
by my truly; Vath, ha lookth as if ha was a little a-dry.
There, there, there!' ended the groom as he poured the
last drain of a bumper into the mouth of his deceased
master. Hereupon arose a throttling noise in the throat
of the corpse; it articulated * more brandy/ and thefaithtful
groom supplied its wishes, while his co-watchman ran
tumbling down-stairs, awoke the doctor, who that night '
slept at Shute; and Sir John Acland rose again, took sup-
per, and lived several years afterwards, to the great an-
noyance of the disbelievers in miracles, and the lasting .
edification of all the old women in East Devon.

Walk (in cocking)—the ground for keeping them. Among
Cyprians, it means the district where she plies for game.
* To walk over' another, is to domineer or assume the up-
per hand, swellishly; also, to set him at naught, as a
racer which is so vastly superior to other cattle that none
dare start, and he walks over the course. ⁴ To walk the
chalk¹—a military manoeuvre to discover which is drunkest.

Wall-chalkers—fellows who, having received due qualifica-
tion at the charity-school, scrawl balderdash upon garden
walls, empty houses, and builders' hoards, to prove to their
benefactresses (in particular) that ' a little learning is a
dangerous thing/ unless it teach respect for the feefingi
of all others, and not for a party only. When they reach
maturity, they chalk up Quoz—B. C. Y. or ——, and in

190 W A L-W A R

process of time reach Tyburn-tree, or cross the herring-
pond. Others chalk up their trades—as * try Warren's
blacking;' ' Qui-hi,' a book-advertisement;* ⁴ Bonassus,*
a beast; or, • try Dr. Eady'—and these fellows, though
they may amass money, are nevertheless low souled rips,
despised of all that is worthy in society.
Wallup—a random hit, any where. ' A good wallupping⁹cannot be mistaken for plum-pudding. ' A walluping sort
of fellow,' one whose walk, or gait, is of the aukward kind,
rolling, knock-kneed, unhid, and difficult. 'A walluping
bout/ a fight without skill.
Wan-horse-chaise (a)—lean cattle; a Hyde-park corner joke

upon an one-horsed vehicle.
Wdp—a species of slap, resounding, as if imparted by a wet
dishclout, So, a man may tumble down, wap, in battle,
when he gets grassed by the first intention, Wa'pped and
licked are nearly synonimous, as regards the patient. Wap-
per-eyed—heavy-eyed, drunk, so that the eyelids lose the
retractile function, occasionally. A wapper—a big one,
whether man, woman, or thing. A stiff stick is a mapping
one, capable of administering a good wap.
Wapeti—the largest species of deer extant, serving the dou-
bie purpose of roadster and the chase. Imported here
1820, from the back settlements of North America.
Warblers— singers who go about to ⁴ free and easy' meetings,
to chaunt for pay, for grog, or for the purpose of putting
off benefit-tickets. Some of them dish up a song, now
and then, and are dubbed poets (agrah!); others * spout
Billy,' and are thought ⁴ great actors,' * fair Orators,' ⁴ up
to snuff,' and * all that sort of thing.*
Ware-haunch—in stag-hunting; ill-taught hounds, afraid of
the stag's horns,fasten upon the hind-quartersof their prey;
whereupon the people up, cry ⁴ Ware-haunch! Ware-
haunch, ye scoundrels f and whip off the canine as soon
as the chase is pulled down. Play these babblers with
the antlers as soon as the face is cut off; let them lick it
for reward, dab their head with the croches, and, finally,
throw the head among them; they will thus learn to fight
at the head fearlesslv. See Do. Ware-hawk, derived
from the last, is used among poachers and rogues, when
their pursuers would make prey of them, as hawks are
wont to do when they pounce upon small birds.
Warmjlannel—spirits, mixed; hot,perhaps.

W A T—W E I

191

Watch-*the instrument for marking the egress of time is
never so named but by flats, or persons not up to the things
that be. It is a tattler, a thimble, a ticker, or turnip. ⁴ A
watch of nightingales,* expresses the presence of several of
those ⁴ sweet songstresses of the night,' as the saying goes,
though the cock-bird alone sings—the female never. He
also assists in hatching the young.

Water bewitched —grog too weak, or tea fit only for husbands
to sip. Watery chops, hath he or she who long for a thing
that is uncomeatable. A watery head hath the wife, whose
nob, like Niobe's, is all tears; sometimes termed ' the New
River head,' after an elevated back-water near Islington.

Wax—persons who receive impressions easily, are said to
have ' a nose of wax.' ^c Ah, my cock of wax!' is a shoe-
maker's salutation. Some bootmakers of Cockaigne, when
a customer forgets to pay his account, they insert a ball of
wax at the toe, which renders the boot a fixture. Waxy—a,
cobbler or shoemaker; sometimes he is dubbed * lad of
wax;' at others, 'ball o' wax:' this latter is frequently con-
tracted into two syllables, by dropping the w; the former
is well illustrated by Atrides, when speaking of Diomed's
father:

" Tis known he was a' lad of war/

Let bellum be the word out pax :
He was, indeed, of stature small,
But then in valour he was tall."

⁴ Way of life* (the)—-a state of prostitution. To the question
⁴ What are you, young woman V a prisoner replied,"' I am
in the vay of life, your vorship/

Weapons—in cocking, the spurs appearing on hens or young
cocks. The foils,in fencing, are also denominated weapons.

Weather—the changeableness of our climate, gives nse to
many remarks, inquiries, and opinions on the state of the
weather. ' Fine day, this ;*—' Rather cold, though ;'—
' The sun shines bright;'—⁴ It snowed this morning ;*—
⁴ But the stars were out last night;'—and other most evw
dent statements, are nothing in comparison to the charge
brought by some persons, drunk, who assert that⁴ 'tis all
owing to the weather/

Weed (the)—tobacco. To weed—to steal part only.

Weights—(turf) These differ on different courses, as well as
for various kinds of prizes. See Catch, Give-and-take,
Kings-plate, Stone, Turf, Whim. But a horse needs no

m WEL—WHI

certificate, whose owner will put upon him the highest
weight required by the rules of any particular race.
• Weights, in post-stakes, &ose for which the ages merelyare
entered in the articles; and upon coming to the post, you
. rnn either of those named, or any other of the same age.

Welch rabbit—cheese and bread, both toasted. Those so-
called rabbits (quere rare-bits?) seldom bolt, upon any oc-
casion, in greater numbers than braces and treys ; but a
certain book-knight, entertaining a large party of book-
people at⁴ the London/ pompously ordered up ^c a couple
of dozen of Welch rabbits,' which naturally raised tke grin ;
hereupon the knight rung again boisterously, and in great
stew commanded ' five dozen of rabbits'—and they ap-
peared accordingly, but without legs. N. B. The real
coney is a great favorite with all the book-men.

* Wet, a hide—somewhat drunky; but ¹ a wet soul/ is he
who gets drunk ' a little and often.* See Heavy.

Whack—share vn any concern or thing; also an Irish excla-
- Motion, meaning something like a smack—of the hand.
' Jem and Harry vhacked the blunt a-tween them two/ * I
shall have my vhack of the booty; I'll open eke.' Paddy-
whack —any Irishman.

" With a whack t for my sweet Kitty Grogan,
The delight of her dear Darby Logan,
And whibt I've a tongue with the brogue on, *

Oh! Ill bother the world with her praise." See Pip.

Whelp—a boy with dog's-tricks. Those ladies who would
call him dog must wait until he is full grown; when aged
he will be an old dog; and if he mag too much he is a yap-
ping old dog—and all the ladies his sisters b—— s. When
Pallas would stay the regicide arm of Achilles, she

— ^u swift descending down,
Lent him a knock upon the crown;
Then roared as loud as she could yelp,
Lugging his ears, 'tis 1 you whelp?

Whid— talk. ¹ Hold your whid/ is to stow magging. ' The
whidd&e*—trial, or police-examination. To wheedle—to
. soothe, cajole, or coax. ,'

Whigs—a political party; oligarchs, that do not worship the
episcopacy; civil liberty on their lips, the crown in their
teeth, philanthropy on their tongues, with tough lungs
and piping trachese, * the sacred duty of insurrection* is
ever at heart. Colour—blue and buff; but, when Pitt threw

WHI 193

Tiff the chrysaUd, and butterflied it among the tories, he .
⁴ carried on the war' under the same colours*

Whiggamores—din expanded scholia of whigs;⁹ the political
.party upon whose principles the present family were se-
cured in the succession to the throne. The Scotch deri-
vation runs thus, ' Not from sour milk, as is somewhere
-alleged, but from the cry of the West-country horse-deal-
ers to their trains of horses. To whig, is to make haste.
•Hence * whig away,' and * whig a more' was the usual
cry of those country Jocki^s, who bequeathed their name
to a numerous political party;' 40 says Sir W, Scott.
- Whip-hand—{he right, or that which you give to persons
met on the-road. 'To have the whip-hand of One,* to
Tiave the best, or take advantage in a bargain of horses,
&c. The left is the bridle-hand. ⁴ Brother whip,⁹ a stage-
coach driver; also the four-in-hand club, who were all
** prime whips? To ⁴ whip out the ring,' ten or twelve pu-
gilists, with whips, clear a large space round the roped ring;
and the spectators then form the personal ring, or outer
ring; the whippers' pay 5s. each.

* yOiivper-in (the) of the House of Commons'—the ministe-
rial Jackal, formerly called ⁴ the manager⁹ of the Mandarin
members. He who, in the chase, flogs up lagging hounds.

Whipper-snipper Jack—a thin, active underling, togged high.

Whipping—-most men of any school attainments. know its
import; the learning that is driven in at the bottom must
be fundamentally good, upon which the upper works may'
draw at will, or rest at leisure. * Whip me the man with-
out understanding*—'fools live ye upon lack-wit. ⁴ To eat
wkip syllabub? or ¹ whip out the cove's ticker,' is not half
such hard work as ' cod\-whipping, at which the whippers,
-six or eight in number, buff-it; then, by cunning up steps
and throwing themselves off, they whip out a large mea-
sure of coals (by means of a snatch-block) from brigs to
barges. ⁴ Whipping the cat*—mechanics idling their time.
Derived from the practice of tpicklayers' men, who, when
repairing the pantiles, sneak into adjacent gutters, &c.
pretending to be in pursuit of, and ⁴ whipping the Tom
cats and their moll-rows f

Whir, whirra—the noise made by large birds at rising, as
pheasants, wild-fowl, &c. which astounds the young fowler,

194

W H.I—WHO

" The sportsman finds a zest

Which all others can outvie,
With his lightning to arrest
, Pheasants whirring through the sky."

Whistling-shops-r-iho&e rooms in a prison where spirits aire *
sold, contrary to the regulations.

Whites— in the language of smashers, ' small whites' are
shillings,' large whites' half-crowns, which are also * half-
bull whites/ He who is said to carry a white feather, has
the mark of a coward set upon him; in cocking, white is
eschewed as indicating a runaway cock. A white swelling
—a good dollop of silver. Women with child, are also

• said to have the white swelling.

White serjeant—the wife of a mechanic, or other man, who

would drill him into certain observances.
Whiz—buz, or noise, interruption of tongues. * Hould your

whiz there in the shilling gallery, you sixpenny half-price

marms/

Who-bawl~~a. milk-woman, calling to her cows; and, by re-
fraction, she herself.
Whoop and halloo—the calling and hallooing on of the ca-

• nine, particularly harriers, has been employed to describe

• the whole chase—chiefly of the hare.

* Now each god and goddess
Assumed human bodies,
With whoop and halloo, boys, after the bare."

The phrase is frequently spelled hoop and hollow by care*

less persons, (song-smiths and such-like,) who have no

regard for orthography or the dignity of the sporting'cha-

racter, King Arthur, speaking of his queen s vagaries,

gave out the chaunt thus :

" When we husbands dp give away
Unto our wives the precious sway,
We for our breeches the next day
May go whoop and halloo?

"-The hunter;

O'er gap and gate he leaps elate^
The vaulting stag to follow,
And at the death has scarcely breath
To give the whoop and halloo t See H*U+~Ch**y.

*Whore^ys-bird—a bastard, a despicable fellow. So Juno»
speaking of Hector, to her husband:

- " Perhaps, you'll take the whores-bird's side,
And thrash my Grecians back and hide."

WIG—W 0R , 195

Wiggins—Mr.; any mannerist of small brains and showy
feather. ' The three Mr. Wigginses,' portrayed by Digh-
ton, were 'habited alike from top to toe,''and kept the
step of the bird-cage walk, in their Sunday ambulations:

- Here's to you Mister Wiggins,
And to you Mr. Figgins,
So push the bowl about. - Aspeme^s Song.

Jtfin—abbreviation of Winchester—a half-penny: two far-
things are not a uiinr Sometimes spelled whinn.

Winkers—sparkling eyes—female; also, the appendages of
leather, placed near the eyes of horses given to shying.
' To tip the wink—a signal; when 'tis found ' a nod is as
good as a wink to a blind horse/

Wipe—a pocket-handkerchief, of the cotton kind, though a
silk one would be thus termed, as well as fogle. When
this kind of article is in the last stages of consumption,
they scoff at it, as ' a snotter.⁹ ' Gas now entered the
ring with a blue'bird's eye wipe tied round his squeeze.*
Vide Fancy &at. No. I.

Women of Pteasttre—-have beeti spoken of as ' ladies of ex-
pansive sensibility;' and the man of pleasure, as ⁴ an old
goat*—a very satyr.

Wood—money. « Hand over the wood? said Wallis, in Me
Shades, and* silence my customers fbr a song/

Wooden+gads—the men of a draught-board, so named after
the pagan worship. Thus Alcides rebukes the priest
Chalchas:

A pretty fellow, thou! to teach
Our men to murmur at thy speechj
Tell lies as thick as thou can pack 'em,
And -bring your wooden gods to back 'em.

Wooden-Kabeas—a coffin for an imprisoned debtor.
Wooden-ruff—the pillory. ' Taking the air for an hour/
Word-pecker—a critic upon words, a punster, or one that plays

with words. The author of this Vol. is one, for certain.
Worthy—commonly applied to magistrates of police, when
they * act with a vigour beyond the law/ The scrap-news
reporters use it once a week at least, lest they attract
censure and lose their bread; 'tis usually set down with a
grin—worthy of the police,' is police worthiness (vaut-
rien.) When Home Sumner committed poor Joyce for
not telling his name, he too was a worthy magister—rate'.
Like-wise Sir William C. ' I shall send you to Bridewell

196

W R A—Y A11

for a month, said the worthy alderman, where you wilt
_x- have bread and water sufficient to keep soul and body
together, and light enough to let you know there's a god
•in heaven/ Sublime and true; • therefore hot worthy.
Wrangle— (ring;) is that state of a battle, wherem the spec-
tators,- losers, try to make a drawn battle by jawbation,
as in the case of Warren and Curtis. See Bets.
Wranglers*-hall—Westminster-hall, filled by Discord, who

When born, though smaller than a fly.
In half an hour shell grow so high
Her head will almost touch the sky.
Too oft she drags both great and small
In heat of blood to Wrangler? Halt,
Where half their blunt is from them higg^?d,
Before they find themselves humbugged.

Xor,Xi the sign of cheatery, or Cross, which see.

Xantippe—a scold, who applies her prattle chiefly to het
husband. ~ Socrates, the moral philosopher, was bound
by the marriage-act of Greece to the first Xantippe—who
was a ' tip-slang hen/"

X, Y,Z— pron. rapidly as exquisite, would give the sound of
that word. Supposed to be derived ex ¹ quiz—it," by
reason of these fine fellows wearing an eye-glass, with
which they quiz the ladies'—it.

Yaro-^a long story. Naval, from ¹ to spin yarn' in the
dock-yard for rooving-in with king's-store ropes. ' To
yarn a sttm of money, is Cockney for to earn it.

Yam—(v); to eat heartily, * how he yams/ See TVco.

Yapp—to bark; in the language of the pif, when dogs fight
silently they are mute; if they make a noise, they are said
to open; when a dog barks a little, he yapps, and is con-
sidered a cur., So a man with a snarling manner, or
replete with short testy replies—yappeth; if his talk be
smooth, monotonous, and nonsensical, 'tis, twaddle; if
boisterous and accusatory, with or without oaths and
asseverations—tnis is a blow-up.

Yarmouth-capon—& red herring, or soldier.

----,-------- ----— k -

YE L—TE IX 19T

YeUow-man—the silk fogle or canary, tied round the neat
squeeze of our pugilists. John Gully introduced the
yellowman.

Yelper—a town-crier. Also, a discontented cove, who is
forward to complain of his woes, and the imaginary evils
of life. Covesses yelp most.

Yoick—the cheer used by hunters at the death, or any other
notable exploit. Yoicks—tantivy, a call to the hounds
to keep them together, or to excite attention.. Hoick is
nearly the same kind of cheering, singly:

" She turns and she doubles in vain,

And hoicf she now loses breath;
Huzza., she is flat on the plain,

We'll revel my boys o'er her death."

Yokel—or Youkel. A countryman, or newly-arrived person,
easily cheated by the tricksters of the town.

* Yule*—the noise made by pigeons in their cote, sometimes
called* cooing* when the dove is concerned. Yule is also
the name of a pagan festival, which has passed into most

. European languages—and thus we have the French Noel,
for the Easter holidays..

Zealand—name slang-whanged by Capt. Grose, upon the
Western counties—Gloucester, Somerset, and Devon,
where the letter z is commonly substituted for s. When
the captain was among them sketching for his antiquities_yhe demanded of a nurse, whether her children were then

- laughing or crying ? " Zinging zur," zaid zhe. Foreigners
long-complained of the letter (s) that ran hissing through-
out our rich language—(rick in variety) like ' anguis in
herbathe Zedlanders, therefore, did well to amend that
objection. In this laudable endeavour they are mainly
supported by the typographers of Cockaigne, to a man;
who,, when any word which has an (s) in its inflections
sounded hard like (z) is sent them to print, they fol-

. low the Zedlanderz' practice by practizing the izzard;
which they idolize while they temporize or harmonize it,

_t and may ere long rnisuze and abuze, until they capsize.the-
genius of the English tongue.

OBSOLETE AND FAR-FETCHED

tBBotft* ami l$roe0*

A B S—A LL

Absolute Wisdom—interference of a third party in the nego-
tiations of two great ones, cannot be the effect of absolute
wisdom. Coined by Brougham, 1820, as regarded Wood
(not timber,) negatively, in the case of the queen ; though
the counsellor himself did not evince absolute wisdom, when
subsequently ' overlooking some accounts,' instead of
* looking them over,⁹ he was mortified at being set right by
an Italian Trastagano. ⁴ Absolute ignorance' is modestly
avowed by Miss Hawkins at the set out of her Anecdotes.

Adonise (to) bon-ton—to dress a-la Dandy. Derived from
Adonis, die supposed minion of Venus ; a cyprian by hirth.

A-la (ring, mostly, but bon-ton also)—an importation from
France, and applied by the jargonic writers to ring-affairs,
as a-la Belcher, a-la Cribb, a-la Mendoza; whereas, 'tis as
well known that the French are no boxers, as it is, that
those who thus express themselves concerning what is
only and truly British in a foreign lingo, must be fools by
the first intention. ⁴ We have turned to, and served out
chaps who were insolent—a4a Belcher⁹ Vide Edinburgh
Magazine. We can forgive scribes like Kent and Egan
for using such far-fetched foolish stuff, but, for Blackwood
and Wilson—Oh fie! See Nouvelle.

Album—a faire booke, compact in per gam, for that wittie
personnes therein doth aye write doune their cogitations:'
at watering-places, the pump-rooms were thus furnished
with the means of visitors making known their arrival, and
showing their wit—always of the watery kind.

Alligators—fellows who open wide their potatoe-traps while
chaunting.

Archery—a neglected fine old sport; the oldest missile
known, next to David's sling. At Troy, Pandarus, a Ly-
cian by birth,, and a famous shot at the long-bow, was
foiled in his aims by Minerva, whereupon he exclaimed!

A RG-BA C

199'

** With this damn'd bow, a,plague confound 'eov
I only scratch but cannot wound 'em ;
I could, as sure as I was born,
Find in my heart to break the horn.**
/Eneas answers: " Fie, for shame!
Pray don't vour bows aod arrows blame,
They're Phoebus' gift: with these you may
At,distance ducks and wildgeese-slay;
They have their uses, let me tell ye,
When timber's wanting for the belly.'

Thus does the Trojan point out the bow as the ready in-
strument of field-sports as of warfare; and this particular
bow, we are told, was made of a stag's horns, six feet
long, fastened in the middle. From Ireland we.now hear
of no ' bow-meeting' whatever; that country which derives
its name from Yr, the Runic for a bow, whose inhabitants
were so expert in ' pulling the long-bow/ now never think
of the thing, unless, mayhap, when any hyperbolise the
land of Yr.

⁴Argument, the' (ring)—a battle; and, * to arguefy the topic/
—a boxing-bout. These were bastardly creations of Capt.
Topham, a prize-fight reporter, 1780—1796; this was the
writer who gave the present tone to the literary part of
ring-affairs, and who, for the sake of the figure alliteration,
said (contrary to fact,) ' Big Ben (Brian) is a big black-
guard/ -Whereas, a more inoffensive fellow never left
Bristol; though he had constitutional hoarseness and
rough voice, this could not reasonably be construed into
blackguardism.

Babblers—ill-bred hounds. See Open. When "the pack
is questing, the babblers open frequently without cause—

' senselessly ; let them be well flogged, and soon after find-
ing they may be seen headmost in the chase: at fault,
they are loudest when most wrong; so do fools and ' old
women* babble most pertinaciously when their errors are
rankest—let these be flogged, likewise, and if a convert to
Truth be brought over, he becomes her most active parti-
san, whilst she blusheth whenever he opens wide.

Bala—low, mean, or senseless talk; derived from Balare,
(Lat.) the bleating of sheep. The French washerwomen
are termed Baylayer, from the rum stuff they talk while
at work; hence, also, Balandran, the cloke worn by those
washerwomen.

Backed (laid on the'back)—dead. Meagre.

200

B A S—B O X

Bas-bleu—literally, blue stockings; the obsolete name given
to a club or assembly of dames scavantes (circa 1778) Bath
and London. Mesds. Moore, Carter, Montagu, led the
way; Mesds. Hurst, Warrens, Mashams, closed the vagary:
name obnoxious to the survivors. Their aversions were
manifold: 1st. The ascendancy of males. 2nd. Crim-con.
3rd. Man-milliners and all male shopkeepers. 4th. Sub-
jection in the marriage-state* 5th. The dance, theatricals,
and opera. 6th. All scandal not of their own making;
ergo, parson Bate, soldier Topham, counsellor Boremq.
Jack Bell—his sister, and the Della-Cruscans..

Bazaar—a market-place in the eastern countries; imported
here, 1815, and applied by a host of speculators to certain
uninhabitable houses, fitted up with myriads of .yard-long
shops for little dealers, like nests of Dutch pill-boxes—
parvorum succubit magno. The tumour absorbed in three
years.

Bean—a guinea, but this coin being abrogated, so must bean

be as its surname.
Belch—malt-liquor, beer, ale.

Bilboa—a sword. Bilboes—the stocks, or irons — navaL
Derived from Bilbao, a Spanish port, wheuee, in the 16th
century, issued immense privateers, the piratical crews
whereof confined their prisoners thus, in pairs, treys, &c*

Box, to—is * derived from the noun,' a box; six pieces of
wood fastened together, or a snuff-box—Johnson knows
not which. Indeed, how should he ? Nor does he amend
the matter by telling us, that " boxing is fighting with the
Jist" whereas nothing can be less true, neither one fist or
two fists would constitute Jighting, unless they belonged
to different persons, as in the case of two one-armed men.
See Lick, Fighting. In support of his definition, the
doctor adduceth for authorities, L'Estrange and Grew,
one of whom says, ' the ass stood quietly by, whilst they
boxed each other a-weary;'—the other, still better, tells
that ' the leopard boxes with his paws like a cat.' These
extracts boxes the doctor's derivation a-weary; Sox a man
is only boxed when put in prison, and then "tis the incar-
cerator who boxes him. Unfortunately, for most inquiries
respecting the oddities of our language, when old Johnson
is but adverted to, all persons are struck dumb,—flabber-
gasted, put down and done for; notwithstanding the old

BOX 201

boy might happen not to know an atomy of the subject
he was expounding—as in the present case. For example:
this Johnson (Sam) a lexicographer by trade, having to
fight Tom Osborne who lived at the sign of the folio, be-
hind Belcher's back-door, instead of turning out fairly,
Sam took up a thundering large vol. and floored Tom in a
pig's whisker, so that he could not come again. In fine,
the name of Johnson has been the bug-a-boo to frighten
cowards with for half a century. If the verb Ho Box,'is
to be retained at all—and really we feel no hopes of eras-
ing it, by reason of the great preponderance of fools to be-
found in the world,—why then, in the names of Harry
Stephens, old Ainsworth, and Stemmata Salmon, let us
carry hoc verbum to its extreme cases. Then will Boxology
mean the knowledge of boxing and boxers, as taught in
these -pages4 Boxosophy—t\\e philosophy of boxing, as
exhibited monthly in' The Annals of Sporting;' Boximania
■—is the passion or desire to behold manful exertions, at.
fisty-cufis; but more finely exalted-by another denomina-
tion, viz. 'Th« Fancy;—to satisfy which passion we
publish monthly details, of such occurrences, with scru-
pulous regard to truth, and the exactitude of the Gazette.
Box (v.)—to right with the. fists, but without science. As
jpugilism. is the highest species.of man-fight, so is boxing
the lowest. Several, intermediate degrees of fighting ca-
pabilities are described in the foregoing pages,/of which,
milling and* hammering are most distinctly marked; the>
latter including those who slash away as if they were mow-
ing, and wallop their antagonists- about the carcase or
maw (whence ¹ maw-wallop,' and the term ⁽ great wallop-
Jug chap,' for a big country booby); the preceding terms
comprise those who rush in, roley-poley-fashion, alike
uncertain of what is. to become of themselves or their
blows. Refer back to both terms. A ' boxing-bout,' and
'boxing-match,' is said properly of boy-fights, or the con-
tests of boobies, ploughmen, and navigators.
Boxiana—pron. Box-hanny on the frontiers of Cockaigne, and;
Box-eye-knee by the canaille of' Bristol, Birmingham, &c.
The word is compounded, of the verb to box—as .above;
and ana, trivial remains, scraps, or forgotten trifles, left by
learned men. " Boxiana, or sketches of pugilism," is the
title of three vols, on those subjects, the first of which is,
alone entitled taour regards h^re; it was compiled in 18.11,,

302 B TJ M—C H A

and 12, by old John Smeeton, (the sixpenny Mae#na$ of
our earliest flights,) upon the basis of BH1 Gxberry's Pan-
cratia ; the second and third by Egan. This publication
is the only work of so in neb bulk in the market; it contains
numerous details and, many good portraits. Whoever
possesses either of those works, and would correct its
errors, fill up its omissions, and see every right at a glance,
should add thereto, a compressed tract, entitled Fancy
Chronology; a history of 700 battles; by John Bee, Esq/
the fancy writer, and present quill-man. See Pancratia-

Bummarree-men—at Billingsgate; those who, as the clock
strikes eight, matinly, take the places of the salesmen there,
and generally buy the last lot. Derived from the Latin
mare—sea, to which most of them have been addicted,
and bttm, a thing which, like one's faults, is never seen by
one's self. See Hump and Backside.

Butter (to)—to praiee, laud, commend inordinately,

Callot— originally call-out, velpotius, bawl-out; a scolding,
family talk, or civil jaw. So Vulcan used it:

" Mother, you know not what you 're doing;
To quU<$ thiui will be your ruin.^:'

Cam-cu-lanhee—green peas ;⁴ here they ace, cam-a-lankee.*

Canomvre— a low mancduwe or essay at deception. Quere,
whether made from * Can you- maiwztrore.'

Casuals—twopenpy lodgers for the night, in the rookeries.

Casualty (*)—an over-driven ox or sheep—one beat to death
or worried out of existence by hankers, dogs, &c.

Cast, a (chase)—a mud wall, or bank, upon which the hunter
leaps on and off. To give any one * a cast to town'—to
take him up in one's chaise. Cast horses, those which are
turned out of a regiment, or stud—thus, Eclipse was cast
by the D. Cumberland fbshis ugliness.

* Catch cold (to) at a thing¹—to have the worst of be£tiag,rOf
a bargain, or contest—ruination sometimes.

Catch-poM^—b. bailiff, or serjesns at maee.

Champion (ring)—not a reality, though the best man of his
day. is hailed-as such. The honour, real oe supposed, has
been obtained surreptitiously, ns in the sale by Darts to
Corcoran; or, when the actual champion was worn out, as
in the oase of Jem Belcher to Cribb, The latter, however,
was universally hailed as such on defeating Motiaeuoc, and
received for presents a laigesifojgr vase, aad a curious

€ H E—C O G 203

•

belt, but neither is transferable. No emolument ever

arose from this honour, but casual presents often, and the

acclaim of all the Fancy.
Cheese-toaster—midshipmen's dirks — and the swords of

greater men. Pallas did not hesitate so to call the death-
■ 'dealing instrument of Achilles:

^ft Sheathe thy cheese-toatter in its case,
But cat! him scoundrel to his face."

Chickendom—Chick-lane, alias West-street, is merged ftt
Saffroh-down-derry—which see.

Civil jaw—Jawbation of two or more, in the course of which,
each gives the ojher a decent sort of character. Ex. gr.
1st. 'Why don't you pay your tailor?' 2nd. 'Your face
is like a jail-dbor, dotted all over, and your nose stands
for the knocker/ Again, 3rd. ' You are a thief and mur-
derer; as for you, you have killed a monkey, and run away
with his fissog.'

Cognomen—a surname, a travelling name, or fighting name;
the name by which persons choose to be known when pur-
suing some favourite sport. Fighting-men most commonly
take cognomen, or it has been put upon them by the slang-
whang reporters, who, when a new man appears, inquire
' what name he will go by T These are a few: Death, [S..
Oliver,) /fe Ruffian, (Symonds,) the game chicken, (Pearce,)
the Out-and-outer, (Turner,) Nonpareil, (Randall,) Bristol
boy and youth* and youths from other places. The Gas*,
man, the Wheeler^ Black Diamond, Master of the Rolls^
■Colonel, Blackee, Mass a, and African—comprise a fair
specimen. Even potentates assume such, occasionally, to
avoid the tsedium of state-observances, or for the better
worming out the secrets, of their subjects, as is illustrated,
with a vengeance,.in the * Arabian Nights! Entertainment.'
Henry IV. of France, however, assumed tincognito with a
totally different aim, he having in this manner wormed
himself into the secrets of the peasant's fair daughter: our
own Alfred was harper to the Danes; Peter-of Russia be-
came an apprentice to a Dutchman asPeterkin; Gustavus
of Sweden is but count Gustavson ; whilst* the story of an
carl 6f.Exeter, choosing a wife far from the blandishments
-of high-life, under the name of mister Cecil, is tolerably
well known. Even the author of this highly valuable
Dictionary, underwent; cognominans chiefly on account of;
the sweetness of his disposition, his industrious habits,.

204

C O M—D A M

and stinging capabilities; which have enabled him-to kill
several drones of this particular hive, to amass the sweets
of lingo in adamantine waxation, and to dispose the same
FanCY-full-y to the edification of the present generation:
his family, though generally esteemed of the foem. gen.
(kmc apis,) are, nevertheless, well assorted, and he him-
self vir-apis (velpotius, man-bee). See Nick, Surnames.

Commander-in-chief (ring)—John Jackson, to whom is often
confided the arrangements towards pugilistic fighting.

Commissary-general—Bill Gibbon, in whom centres the news
as to where fights are to take place, he having the care of
the P. C. ropes, stakes, and whips, for making a ring. His
pay, three quid.

Cooler (a)—any occurrence that reduceth the animation of
one's pursuit; as, when a skater mergeth in six-foot water.
So, also, a hit on the jugular is a cooler for a boxer; twelve
months at the tread-mill for a leg; and a wipe-out clean
will cool the ardour of a wagering kiddy.

Country (chase)—that district which one set of hunters
abandon to another, so that their sporting may not clash.
In like manner, we have high country, (hilly,) low coun-
try, a Leicester country, (not much inclosed,) as well as
. lord Bulkeley's country, Sir Thomas Mostyn's country, &c.
—District would do better for these.

Cousin-betty—a travelling prostitute, frequenting fairs,
races, &c.

Crimp—persons employed in procuring seamen for the
merchants during war: mostly Jews, and invariably cheats.
None employed for the army, since 1796.

Cyprian—(bon-ton) any native of the island of Cyprus,
where Venus played Telemachus such slippery tricks that
his bear-leader (old Mentor) was obliged to jump him into
the sea, by way of cooler: solely applied to ladies, who
, comport themselves like she in the accusative of the last
member.

Daffy (s)—a quartern of gin; and you must toss up who's
to pay. See Drain. D. C.—Daffy-club, and P. D. C—-
Jem Soares, President.

Damnd souls—merchant's clerks, whose business lay at the
custom-house in clearing goods, &c. and who commenced
business, with swearing that they would not make a single
true affidavit in that house. Practice going.down with
the accent of the Society. One of these souls being once

D A M~JB D I 405

very particular as to some packages, was reproved by his
employer, but he excused this apparent dereliction, saying
he ⁽was only careful lest he might by accident swear cor-
rectly, and thus incur the penalty of his major affidavit.*
Damper (o.)—a wet blanket thrown on a fire will damp it
. nicely. In like manner a tinney in a ball-room would
damp the spirits of the company, and surcease their * fun-
ning.' Dumplings were doled out a*, dampers to their
customers at Dolly's beef-steak-house, formerly; she ap-
pelled them * naked boys.' ⁴ A damper/ and ' a whet/are
antipodean.

Dandy—has been applied to finely-built clinker cutters in
tjie smuggling trade.

Davy-r-raffidavit abbreviated; not solemn, or binding.

Dilrdol—an article generally supposed to have been manu-
factured and used, formerly, but we do not find any one
who has ever seen the thing* Discredited.

D. 7. 0.—(bon-ton) Damme I'm off.

Doug hey (a)—a baker; but some of that fraternity are ill de-
serving the name, they being of crusty manners.

Eatoners—-walkers; used of those who attend mills about
town, and choose to walk it. Derived from one Eaton, a
book-hawker, who performed a long pull match against
time: he was no great shakes, nor the term either.

* Edition, second'—a hoax upon the public, practised pretty
much in war time, at the western extremity of Cockney-
shire, by hoarse-bawling newsmen with horns. When
truly a reprint or new edition, the new information is usu-
ally unimportant: in 1812, the Observer had for * second
edition/ a slip, the size of one's thumb, announcing
that a suggested probability, thrown out by the editor that
morning had been verified; the paper itself, without alter-
ation, was given also. Peter Pindar's poetry seldom at-
tained a second edition (in 4to.) after his suppression of
the Lonsdale castigation; but the doctor counteracted this
evil, apparently, by printing a thousand in number with
''second* and' third' edition on the same day : of some, the
first edition never appeared! Lloyd's Thesaurus Ecclesi-
asticus—was printed but once, though the title underwent
five editions, as the books changed hands. ' Edition of a
story/ or piece of news, is substituted vulgarly for version*

Editor—of a book, he who looks after the errors and omis*

E G T—G O T

eioss of hi* autber, and amends or explains them, points
Out his beauties, and if he be an unfledged one, licks him
into form. Editor of a periodical—he who is answerable
for all that appears in his publication, a leading-proprie-
tor, or a party, inserting any libel, or nonsense, at will.
Egyptian charger—* jackass: nickery of oriental travellers,
Everlasting-*-*, coarse doth used by tailors for starring the

in small scraps or slips. * Whereabout are you, Roberto V
demands the ntntn of a man; ⁴ Here am I,' replies an
eighteenth, 'here, in hell, Sir, seeking for everlasting/

Family (the)—the whole race of thieves were thus termed by
a few actor-men meeting in Russell-street, and an expla-
nation attempted by the preux count de Vaux; but it
would not gee. Jem Moore, charged up with ' being one
of the family/and therefore not fit company for the chargers
[diverting vagabonds!] declared himself only the drop-
pings of a deceased w-~—, and that his wife was hanged
in his own potatoe shop, by (nobody knew, but) himself.

Fieldsmen (turf),—those who make it a rule to give odds
against the favorite, or any particular horse; they are con-
sidered very knowing.

Flimsy—a Bank-note, from the light texture of the paper of
which they were made: mostly one and two pourids.

Frippery—tawdry dress of misfits and half-worn garments ;\'
custom and nomen derived from the FrenchyW/wm. * AH
frippery and fallals'—women and dandies stuffed and
bolstered.

Gaffawing —triumphing; used adverbially by Ebony. Not
legitimate; arbitrary, not derivable.

Gingling-cart— (ring.) The commissary-general's tumbril, in
which he carries down the P. C. traps,—arbitrary.

Glimms—the eyes, from the glimmer of light.

Qothamites-—fools active, who may have been reared too
lactarially—derived immediately from a place in Essex,
alias calfj&hire, called Gotham-hall, of whose inhabitants,
it was sweetly sang, by Timothy Ticklepitcher. [1 Vol,
32mo. NewberyJ

Three wUe men of -Gatb&Ui 'went to sea in &,bo*j;
Had the bo*l been stronger,
Mj song nsd hem io»jgwv

GUI—GUI

20*

Antiquarians, however, insist the derivation should be
sought farther back, among the Scandinavians, yclept Goth
or Gothic; part of whom set up, in Germany, an university
of noodle-professorships, and called it Gotha. Gotham-
hall, alone, is undeserving the distinction thus conferred

snail (nigh 2Jrai»-tree) a little town, of whose inhabitants*
deficit of ⁴ absolute wisdom,¹* many tales are told. 1. A
mad dog, driven from JBrawi-tree, haying bitten a wheel-
barrow, the machine was tied to a pump-handle, that its
earliest indications of loathing might be made manifest.
During a dark windy night the watchmen saw nothing,
but at dawn the head moved round, and the wheelbarrow
was burnt exemplarily. 2. in 1800,43 volunteers turned
out—41 insisted upon being made officers, one man died,
and one filled the ranks. 3. The summer following was
unpropitious to ⁽their favourite beverage/ and they lighted
up several hundred fires in chaffing-dishes to ripen the
SfuiX—walnuts. Yet is not this curious kind of philosophy
confined to Essex; it may be discovered in Ireland; and in
Nottinghamshire (written Snottitijghamshire in Doomsday
Book) a little town is also called Gotham* of which many
pleasant tales are told. See Noodle.

Grin—this is not an indicative of English feeling: 'tis native
of France, and betokens servility, conceit, or contempt,
as the ivories may be shown more or less. At any rate it
is a smile spoiled; none grin, to show their merriment;
nor will any one who can laugh outright* adopt the ex-*
otic grin* ⁴ To have the grin of any one'—what is it, but
to contemn his want of foresight, when the grimier has,
obtained the best of the grianee? ⁿ To * repay grin for
grin'—is retaliatory contempt.

Grumbler (a)—four pennyworth of grog; sordid landlords-,
usually grumbling when their customers so economise, or
' leave off drinking in great measure/

Guineas—they had long been proved ' an incumbrance oh
commerce," but were retained to the last moment in the
ideas of sportsmen, until ⁴ the ghost of a guinea,' was ex-
orcised in form by the Jockey Club, and was laid formally
at the Epsom meeting, 1822. They were of a round form,
yellow, (gold for the moat part) and milled at the edge;
5 penny-weights 8 grams in weight, with the king's head
on one aide and his arms on the other, they ⁴ gave leg-

208

H E A—L A U

bail' in 1796, to the body politic of this paperised nation.
Yet are they still spoken of historically, or to prove a lie
is true; and ' I'll bet you a guinea 'tis true,' ' twenty-five
guineas, or a roleau, upon an event,' is most common; but
a law of the Jockey-club enacts all such to be ' con-
sidered as made in pounds only.'

Hear! hear!—in the hon. H. C. the celebrated * hear! hear!⁹is commonly intended to interrupt the member on his
legs; it is then delivered sharply and often, and if set up
by the ministerial manager, all the mandarin members of
that side chime in with him, until the balloot becomes
general. Sometimes, though seldom, hear, hear! is per-
suasive, means ' pay attention,' and hints at the superior
reasoning then used, or * answer that if you can.' It swells,
upon the ear like the prattle of bounds upon finding a fox,
or outlying deer.

Our British Commons sometimes cry/' hear! hear!"
A Gallic senate hath more mouth than ear.

* Historian of the prize-ring'—all Judge; no such thing; He
of whom it was said being incapable of history, as we
have shewn in ' this here book/ Spoken ironically by
the Blackwood.

Hedge—obsolete. Sec fence; though hedge is evidently best. _t

/it/ire—falsely written over every public-house within the
bills of mortality; the beer, received from the brewers be-
ing dashed with new rivet, coloured with the brown powder,
which increaseth those bills, thereby adding te mortality..
Sometimes spelled Entire. See Chemistry, Porter.

Irish brigade—a knot of black-legs from Erin. So named ₁

by the gamblers'weekly apologist (W-1), because the_v

brigade have outwitted the patrons of the weekly.

Jerusalem poney—an ass, in allusion to ' the entry/

⁴ Lammy'—\. e. companion, pal;or friend; used by the tan-,
tail lads: * Ya, beep-ee! Lammy!!; Dust-ho!! V Qu,.
L'ami—friend ?

Laugh (v)—to evince right English merriment aloud, at some
good thing or other, said or dene by another: he whb
laughs at his own conceit is a puppy; women laugh and.
cry by prescription?. They calrit * tee-whopping* in north
Devon, when a man makes his sweet-heart laugh outright;
but then she * laughs on the wrong side of the mouth;*

L E A—M EL 209

in the course of a few months —nine years' according to
my-tord Portsmouth! The horse-laugh is not graceful;
the performer throwing back his head and body, as if he
■cared nought what became of either; if he laugh in peals,
he is an ass- for his pains. Every man has his peculiar
laugh: Sam Johnson's laugh was a good-humoured growl;
Tom Davies, the bookseller, ill-naturedly called it ' the
rhinoceros' laugh.' Alexander's laugh was a continuous
expiration, without articulation, and might be termed a
goose-laugh. Peter Pindar (Wolcot's) was a horse-laugh,
but then it was that of a perfect one, out of the season;
in a very pretty antithesis, he- says:

Care in our coffin drives its nails no doubt,
Whilst every laugh so merry draws one oufc.

Leader—' leading article;' that paragraph or two in our
daily prints, wherein the whole nodd'e of the editor is
spread forth, wherein he showeth his patriotism or his ser-
vility^ and into which he throws the span-new secrets of
his party, or throws doubts over the statements of the ad-
verse party. Sometimes, however, 'tis mere milk-and-
water stuff—as in the hebdomadal publications, when it
may only be distinguished by being wide-spaced and
leaded, and thus, probably, mis-lead the reader.

Legitimates—a good word for sovereigns—the coins; came
into use since the early part of this Dictionary was printed/

Loaves and fishes—the good things of this life, easily ob-
tained ; as are sinecures and government offices. Coined
in 1782, as regarded Pitt: ⁴ Here is a boy among you,
who hath two loaves and three small fishes, but what are*
they among so many V

Mandarin-members—those honourable M. V.\ who do not
question any question before the house, but nod assent, and
bow submiss, like the Lycurgii of China, whose vera effi-
gies keep * nod, nod, nodding,' in our tea-men's shop-
windows.

Master of the Ceremonies—(ring); he who at the Fives'-court,
or other sparring exhibition, shows up and: aunounceth
the^mbatants, and ties on the gloves. Joe Norton was
long time M. C. and died in office; his pay, 8s. Sd. per
diem; The Colonel (Lennox) was occasionally vice ould
Joe, as he is also, of Paddington Jones—the actual M. C,

MelUsh, or Miel-ish—a sovereign. Probably from Miel,
honey, i. e, a ' sweetener of life.'

210 M E W—P A N

Mew—a. hare's seat, as well as the layre of all beasts of ve-
nary. Meuse—a thicket where hares, rabbits, &c. resort
and hide. Mews—residence of horses, in series.

Mistress Jones—house-keeper of the water-closet; sitting in
the Cloacean portal, she was found somewhat venal at the
tea-gardens of the metropolis; now, however, the gpor-4ice
and society-men watch her water, well.

Moabites—bailiffs and their followers.

Morley—mawley, the hand, mis-spelt by the slang-whangers,
after the false pronunciation of the Cockneys.

Mother Comyns—to win at play by small numbers, as by
two's and three's, at La Bagatelle: she is said to have
done things by driblets.

Mountain-dew-r-wh\*k&y contraband, usually drawn from
malt among the hills.

A Muff, or Moph—whether derived from the muff worn by
ladies, for the most part, or hermaphrodite abbreviated, is
uncertain; but he who fails in an endeavour, is said to
' make a moph of it,' and if he is commonly guilty of
failure, he is himself / a proper moph.' Capt. Morris had
a song titled ' the Muff:' its burthen,

Oh, the naff! the joHj, jolly muff,

Give me of muff great store;
Bad, black, or brown, divinely rough,

I honour and adore. •

The Captain was not himself a moph.

Nouvelle—style, and " quite nouvelle manner of flooring his
man, the John Bull boxer, &c." The word means new;
but the impropriety, the silliness of introducing this and
a thousand such French words, to explain transactions
that are purely English, must strike every one (except 'the
historian⁹) that 'tis a bul confessed. See A-la.

Old Aaf—nearly worn out. See Monosyllable.

Pancratium—a place of boxing at Rome. But they knew
nothing of the ars pugnandi, as now practised: their wrists
circled with iron, their knuckles defended by bullocks'
hide, they larupped away incontinently, and two or three-
score proud Romans were thus murdered annually. Hence
derived we have' Pancratia,⁹ which is the title of a 'History
of Pugilism/ partly done by Bill Oxberry in 1811, the

P A it—P 0,L 211

first fifty pages by Another band. (Out of .this vol. Smee-
ton, aprinter, dished up * Sketches of Pugilism/ being a
copy essentially, but a .vulgarised one, of the comedian's
book; for which piece of djs-service the latter vowed ven-
geance, inefficiently, f<*^r poor Smeeton was burnt with his
premises and family in the interim. :See Boxiana.
Pardie (bon-ton)—a small oath, not binding: originally ⁶par
Dieu.'

Pic Nic Society—no'society' at all; but an understanding,
centering in Mr. F. Greville, tbat eecfc of several noble
and honourable personages should furnish some one or
other requisite towards a general assembly—with a ball.
It was an elegant, a sociable, select, and very desirable
„fts$emhlage $f the higher classes,—notwithstanding the
sneers of the daily press. Mr. .G. never would bribe the
varlets. See Reporters, Twopenny-men.

Pins—a game at bowling, or knocking down nine-pins; there
are several modes of doing this. See Bowl, Tip. ¹ In a
merry pin,'Jocularly drunk; derived from an old Saxon
practice of driving pegs (or pins) into the sides of drink-
ing horns, and the parties undertook to take draughts so
as to nick certain pins, or pay forfeit. Anno 1102, at the
Synod of Westminster, Priests were forefended drinking
at pins with their parishioners.

Play-world—a softened phrase for those gamblers, black
legs, cheats, and consequent duellists, who infest the me-
tropolis, and possess revenue sufficient to bribe their pro-
secutors, and to buy over and maintain a weekly apolo-
gist. W-tt might brag of his origin, and may again

boast of the paucity of cereviony observed by bis parents,
he can whine about the number of his literary bantlings
without legitimate contradiction, but he must not hope by
many words to make a straw stand upright: ' Play-world"
was introduced and used nine times in twice as many
lines by said periodical-monger, on the 4th Jan. 1823*

Pograms—a silly set of beer-drinking Horselydown <44 fel-
lows—never merry, but always noisy.
efcerians—at Westminster, a stupid landlord permits no
gentleman to poke his £re_;; they therefore retired opposite
and exalted a poker, as insignia qf the event, and left
foolish Boniface to pcjce the fire by himself. 4

Police—police-magistrates and poUce-officers^-no such re-
cognised in law—written or oral; an invention made for

212 P O M—S C O

ui by Patrick Colquhoim in his fabulated' Treatise' on this

non-existent subject about1794; called/Kwr-/tce,giggishly.
Pompelr—{ring,) provincial of Oxfordshire; compounded of

pommelf to beat, and to impel. Not good.
Par/—-hot porter, having an infusion of wormwood. It waa

anciently a winter-morning drink—dashed with gin.

Relieved—from a troublesome customer, is any woman who
miscarries; but the advertising ¹ Mr. White, at the blue
lamp,' till within a few years, acted professionally in this
ingenious line. He is evanished from St. Paul's.

Ribbon, or ribben—money.

Ring*—the word was applied by the city-officers to that con--
nexion, circle, or secret understanding which is supposed
to exist among the caddees of stage-coaches who are upon
the lay—or kedge; and in this sense of a ring represent-
ing a circle, round, or connexion, better heads than their's
concur.

" That various tastes and tempers may be found
In our small circle as the world's large round."

Roleau—fifty guineas, done up in paper, and pasted close,,
passing from hand to hand at hazard, E. O., &c. formerly,,
—but commonly one piece short, often two, and we have
found the mistake a trifle worser for the actual holder.
Howsomdever the discovery is not to be disclose^, unless
laughingly, if the holder value his neck or collar-bone,
[see Neck and crop,] or doubts the utility of the cold steel
application at his ribs, or is anocryphal concerning the
final efficacy of cranial perforation by the legs. See Lead
towels* Guineas once avaunt! not practised upon sove-~
reigns, parceque lejeu de grab-coup.

Roper—the hangman—obsolete. * If I do* then damme the
roper/ is not now used.

Saffron-doum-derry—Saffron-hill and its beautiful vicinage ^
Caroline-court was, not long since, the sole rookery of
Derry-men, their Shelahs and shelalahs.

Scotch fiddle—the itch. No where to be found, 'tis inculcated,
since the Bute ascendancy; all the Scotch being now too
genteel, though, as Dr. Gregory, (himself a Scot,) lectured
" it is engendered by the climate, it pervades every person ef.

f every age and every condition/ the present company
always excepted/¹

SCft—SOB fill

Scrag-fair—a hanging-bout. The procession to Tyburn re-
sembled going to a fair. Cock-feeders, when they twist
the necks of their dungs, call it scragging them.

Second (ring)—(seldom performed completely) he who aids
with advice the actual pugilist, or, indeed, boxer; who,
when his principal is down, raiseth him up, bodily, sup-
ports him on his knee, gives advice as to the opponent's
weak points, admonisheth him if neglectful—cheers him
up—moisteneth his lips with water or orange, and, as the
contest is protracted, with brandy diluted,—who, if an ac-
cident happens, takes prompt means of alleviation. He
must be furnished with a lancet, to let Out the extravasated
blood below the puff; and never desert his man on account
of reverse of luck*

Shaking-hands— the last ceremony preceding a well-regu-
lated man-fight; and with some it marks the commence-
ment of the battle, the shaking and the thwacking having
. no interval: shaking of hands, then, is but falseness,
deceit.

Shallow—a hat; term acquired when the crown was worn
shallow, and continued in the face of feet.

Slow-top-^-(ch&se) said of a person who, to all appearances,

, --cannot ride to hounds : the cut of his coat, or wearing a
three-chisselled wig, or his horse a martingale, tells
plainly enough he will never do the thing.

Snake-headed (ring)—one of the many blunders of the jargo-
nic writers is; that the best fighters, or finest-bottomed
men, are long-visaged, vel ¹ snake-headed,' as they slang-
whang the matter; whereas, no truth lies in the pretended
craniological position, as may be proved upon the nobs of
Hen. Pearce, John Gully, and others,—but the fact is,
those jargonics reason from effect to cause, and because
qome men who have been hammered much about the jaw-
bones, &c. so that their features become long, possessed
courage, this must necessarily indicate a priori those
qualities.

Sobriquets—avant names, such as were at first given accord*
ing to individual circumstances. These began about the
•time of the conquest—the conqueror himself being nick-
named ' William Bastard;* his son was called' Carrots,* in
French, by reason of his nob being all * flames;' Henry II.
stuck to his learning, and was therefore called Beauclerk $
-and then-about all persons obtained such surnames, which

814 SON—ST O

shortly became sire-names. One landholder was called
Simon Wotfsface, several Hog, many Bull, numbers Hare,
and multitudes Cocks; whence proceeded'(respectively)
Hogsfiesh and Hogard, Bulier and Bulfeel, Hartop and
Herman, Cockshut and Hitchcock. Mr. White designated
a pale face, whilst a dark muzzle had Mr. Black; Grey

. alluded to the hair, and Long, Short, Broad, to the stature
or built, our Edward I. being king Long shanks.

Song-smith—one who hammers out a chaunt occasionally; as

. Tom Durfey did, so did squire Fitzgerald, and so will the
Bullers and: Stebbings, and the Fogo tribes of this day—

. who are, after all, mere ' gatherers' of scrap-iron? or mud-
larks prepense. Dibdin the younger called himself ' a
song-smith;' but he was a poet too, and, it should seem,

. modest likewise.

Steetnn—money, coined ; and of stiver is understood.

Stop a blow, (ring)—to prevent its alighting on the part
intended, by means of the guard, or position of defence,
i. e. the fore-arm or elbow. But this was effected differ-
ently by the several schools: the Broughtonian caught the
coming blow on the perpendicular arm, which enabled them
to make a quick return, cutting downwards* Mendoza's
consisted in throwing up theartn from the elbow, catch-
ing the adversary at the wrist or higher, which disabled
the muscle, andspe&ri that am awhile,—when he chopped.

- The Bristolian tactique is to hit past the intended blow,
: lengthwise, inside the arm (if possible), when the arm

- must be thrown away, and the man stopping be well in ;
but he gets himself to off-fighting again, if desirable, by
hitting the ribs with the other hand—this springs htm

. back, though he has the option of htfigkting, if, instead
thereof, he lets fly at the neck, throat, and upper works.

. Hanner's guard (a square one) for the head, or rather his
eyes, would inevitably cost him a broken arm {when fight-
ing"] were he a shorter man. The sloping gukxrd_f against
an antagonist's main arm, who ruffians in, is a good one
and effectual, as exemplified in the celebrated battle of
Neat and Hickman. We said, "If Neat can be induced
to fight upon the retreating system* knocking away at the
nob of his antagonist, as he comes on, with an almost

. straight' left-handed guard, while hitting away with the
right—he may pocket the brads, and realise the odds that

. are now so freely laid upon the invincible gas-man/' Tide
[Old] Fancy, for Nov. 4, 1821.

SUB—TO Mi «5^r

Sukcripiion-house^a. species of tavern^ open to-subscribers"
only, and their friends, each'peculiarly regulated, gam-
bling being allowed in all, and in a few it is carried to a
great, extent. By a recent blow-up of their transactions.,
one of these was found to have been robbing its frequenters*
of. immense sums—Piccadilly to wit.

< ifi—course of proceeding in any afihir, ' What' suite aje
you after now r i. e. what game, or species of robbery
does he follow. Derived from the legal slang for a suit
at law, which robs: the clients, of the speaker.

Sukey-tawdry^- a slatternly, female in fine fVippery.

Surname, or undername-** such astaretaken* or applied >' under
certain circumstances/. Sirnames, are names derived'from
the sire or ancestor, and were originally nicknames, ex-
cept those pending in son,. or beginning; w*th.jRt&y. winch'
show that about the time of rfenry IL, when those nicte-
eries, or sobriquets we now bear, were applied generally,
the wearers were worthy of* no other note thari what they
derived from their parents. The family of O's come foorn
the squeals of their mothers, except one let,, the O^Drn-
nelly, who may place their O at least nine months earlier
than'any other Q' family, when theirsxrewheedled their dam
with « O* do Nelly V The Ondinots of Flanders, and Hod-
dinots of north-England, are derived from the reply to the
supplication just quoted, which was ' O, do not!' See
Sobriquet.

Swaddle—to baste with stick pr sword. Thus, Hudibras,

« Great on the bench, great ift-the saddle,
He could as well bind o'er as swaddle.¹'

System—a word misused for every course of proceedings—.
as the fighting system, eating system, system of robbery.
< The Bonifaces on the road practised the old system of
double charges and baptising their max/

Three-sheets in the wind.—Naval, but naturalized ashore,
and means drunk, but capable of going along—like a ship
which has three sheets braced—main, mizen, and fore-
sail.

Tin tin a-metre—matronical scolding; when .she letteth loose
her red-rag like the clapper of a bell, perturbed by a
frightened campagnologist. See Tinney.

Tom Owen's Stop—(ring;) the left-hand open, scrawling over
the antagonist's face, Service with the right. "

216 , TtiS^-VAR

Tost, the (ringV-one of the preliminaries to a regular fight \
he who wins the tots placing, his. hack towards the sun at
each setting-to. At Blenheim fight the Bavarian had his
face towards the sun, and got diddled by Marlborough*.

Trade—any means of getting money, robbery not excepted:
Q.« What tr^e is this Tom Bedford V A.< Vhy, ye see,
he vos a carver, yarning his three quid a week, but now
lie lives vith a voman as valks the City-road/

Tyburn-top—the hair combed over the forehead, with a curl
betwixt the eye and the ear; up underneath the former the
cuticle is pushed, wrinkling (sure sign of fear,) in order to
smoothen the muscle which the consciousness of crime en*
genders about the eyes. Name disused; practice continued.

Vagabonds (diverting)—players are so, according to the Act.

Variety—that change in oar occupations or pleasures which
. alone renders Itfe supportable. *1 pity the man that can
travel all the way from Dan to Beersheba, and say 'tis all
barren/ Sterne was of opinion, that a man's happiness
depended mostly on his own desire to be pleased: variety
performs this operation upon our minds; so sung Morris*

To no one subject I'm confin'd, about I mean to range, sir,
Most folk* like variety—you may be fond of change, sir,

Bow, wow, wow; fol lal de iddy oddy.
Vardo—a waggon, is derived from nothing—never was worth
any thing, and is gone to the nothings.

F t n X s.

shortly will appear,

A work wanted many a-year, which will render full accounts and tteat,
as regards history of the fancy for fighting; price small, but cannot
fix, precisely—not much more than nix (or pretium or prix), of Squire
Bee's own writing and inditing—videlicit .*

FANCY CHRONOLOGY; a History of Pugilism in Bri*
tain, being a brief Chronological Account of all the Prize
Fights, Milling Matches, and Hammering Bouts, which
have occurred during the last One Hundred Years. Af-
fording a clear and perspicuous view Of above Seven
Hundred Contests of nsty-cuffs, with the leading inct*
dents and remarkable circumstances attending each.

,w. wwis, riiRTii, Timm-iA**, cornea ill*