SLAG. A slack-mettled fellow, one not ready to resent anaffront.
SLAM. A trick; also a game at whist lost without scoringone. To slam to a door; to shut it with violence.
SLAMKIN. A female sloven, one whose clothes seem hungon with a pitch-fork, a careless trapes.
SLANG. A fetter. Double slanged; double ironed. Now double slanged into the cells for a crop he is knocked down; he is double ironed in the condemned cells, and ordered to be hanged.
SLANG. Cant language.
SLAP-BANG SHOP. A petty cook's shop, where there is no credit given, but what is had must be paid DOWN WITH THE READY SLAP-BANG, i.e. immediately. This is a common appellation for a night cellar frequented by thieves, and sometimes for a stage coach or caravan.
SLAPDASH. Immediately, instantly, suddenly.
SLASHER. A bullying, riotous fellow. IRISH.
SLAT. Half a crown. CANT.
SLATE. A sheet. CANT.
SLATER'S PAN. The gaol at Kingston in Jamaica: Slater is the deputy Provost-marshal.
SLATTERN. A woman sluttishly negligent in her dress.
SLEEPING PARTNER. A partner in a trade, or shop, who lends his name and money, for which he receives a share of the profit, without doing any part of the business.
SLEEPY. Much worn: the cloth of your coat must be extremelysleepy, for it has not had a nap this long time.
SLEEVELESS ERRAND. A fool's errand, in search of whatit is impossible to find.
SLICE. To take a slice; to intrigue, particularly with amarried woman, because a slice off a cut loaf is not missed.
SLIPGIBBET. See SCAPEGALLOWS.
SLIPPERY CHAP. One on whom there can be no dependance,a shuffling fellow.
SLIPSLOPS. Tea, water-gruel, or any innocent beveragetaken medicinally.
SLIPSLOPPING. Misnaming and misapplying any hardword; from the character of Mrs. Slipslop, in Fielding'sJoseph Andrews.
SLOP. Tea. How the blowens lush the slop. How thewenches drink tea!
SLOPS. Wearing apparel and bedding used by seamen.
SLOP SELLER. A dealer in those articles, who keeps a slop shop.
SLOUCH. A stooping gait, a negligent slovenly fellow. To slouch; to hang down one's head. A slouched hat: a hat whose brims are let down.
SLUBBER DE GULLION. A dirty nasty fellow.
SLUG. A piece of lead of any shape, to be fired from a blunderbuss. To fire a slug; to drink a dram.
SLUG-A-BED. A drone, one that cannot rise in the morning.
SLUICE YOUR GOB. Take a hearty drink.
SLUR. To slur, is a method of cheating at dice: also tocast a reflection on any one's character, to scandalize.
SLUSH. Greasy dish-water, or the skimmings of a potwhere fat meat has been boiled.
SLUSH BUCKET. A foul feeder, one that eats much greasy food.
SLY BOOTS. A cunning fellow, under the mask of simplicity.
SMABBLED, or SNABBLED. Killed in battle.
TO SMACK. To kiss. I had a smack at her muns: I kissed her mouth. To smack calves skin; to kiss the book, i.e. to take an oath. The queer cuffin bid me smack calves skin, but I only bussed my thumb; the justice bid me kiss the book, but I only kissed my thumb.
SMACKSMOOTH. Level with the surface, every thing cut away.
SMACKING COVE. A coachman.
SMALL CLOTHES. Breeches: a gird at the affected delicacy of the present age; a suit being called coat, waistcoat, and articles, or small clothes.
SMART. Spruce, fine: as smart as a carrot new scraped.
SMART MONEY. Money allowed to soldiers or sailors for the loss of a limb, or other hurt received in the service.
SMASHER. A person who lives by passing base coin. The cove was fined in the steel for smashing; the fellow was ordered to be imprisoned in the house of correction for uttering base coin.
SMASH. Leg of mutton and smash: a leg of mutton andmashed turnips. SEA TERM.
TO SMASH. To break; also to kick down stairs. CANT.To smash. To pass counterfeit money.
SMEAR. A plasterer.
SMEAR GELT. A bribe. GERMAN.
SMELLER. A nose. Smellers: a cat's whiskers.
SMELLING CHEAT. An orchard, or garden; also a nosegay.CANT.
SMELTS. Half guineas. CANT.
SMICKET. A smock, or woman's shift.
SMIRK. A finical spruce fellow. To smirk; to smile, orlook pleasantly.
SMITER. An arm. To smite one's tutor; to get moneyfrom him. ACADEMIC TERM.
SMITHFIELD BARGAIN. A bargain whereby the purchaser is taken in. This is likewise frequently used to express matches or marriages contracted solely on the score of interest, on one or both sides, where the fair sex are bought and sold like cattle in Smithfield.
SMOCK-FACED. Fair faced.
TO SMOKE. To observe, to suspect.
SMOKER. A tobacconist.
SMOKY. Curious, suspicious, inquisitive.
SMOUCH. Dried leaves of the ash tree, used by the smugglers for adulterating the black or bohea teas.
SMOUS. A German Jew.
SMUG. A nick name for a blacksmith; also neat and spruce.
SMUG LAY. Persons who pretend to be smugglers of lace and valuable articles; these men borrow money of publicans by depositing these goods in their hands; they shortly decamp, and the publican discovers too late that he has been duped; and on opening the pretended treasure, he finds trifling articles of no value.
SMUGGLING KEN. A bawdy-house.
TO SMUSH. To snatch, or seize suddenly.
SMUT. Bawdy. Smutty story; an indecent story.
SMUT. A copper. A grate. Old iron. The cove was lagged for a smut: the fellow was transported for stealing a copper.
SNACK. A share. To go snacks; to be partners.
TO SNABBLE. To rifle or plunder; also to kill.
SNAFFLER. A highwayman. Snaffler of prances; a horsestealer.
TO SNAFFLE. To steal. To snaffle any ones poll; tosteal his wig.
SNAGGS. Large teeth; also snails.
SNAKESMAN. See LITTLE SNAKESMAN.
SNAP DRAGON. A Christmas gambol: raisins and almonds being put into a bowl of brandy, and the candles extinguished, the spirit is set on fire, and the company scramble for the raisins.
TO SNAP THE GLAZE. To break shop windows or show glasses.
SNAPPERS. Pistols.
SNAPT. Taken, caught.
SNATCH CLY. A thief who snatches women's pockets.
SNEAK. A pilferer. Morning sneak; one who pilfers early in the morning, before it is light. Evening sneak; an evening pilferer. Upright sneak: one who steals pewter pots from the alehouse boys employed to collect them. To go upon the sneak; to steal into houses whose doors are carelessly left open. CANT.
SNEAKER. A small bowl.
SNEAKING BUDGE. One that robs alone.
SNEAKSBY. A mean-spirited fellow, a sneaking cur.
SNEERING. Jeering, flickering, laughing in scorn.
SNICKER. A glandered horse.
TO SNICKER, or SNIGGER. To laugh privately, or in one'ssleeve.
TO SNILCH. To eye, or look at any thing attentively: thecull snilches. CANT.
SNIP. A taylor.
SNITCH. To turn snitch, or snitcher; to turn informer.
TO SNITE. To wipe, or slap. Snite his snitch; wipe his nose, i.e. give him a good knock.
TO SNIVEL. To cry, to throw the snot or snivel about. Snivelling; crying. A snivelling fellow; one that whines or complains.
TO SNOACH. To speak through the nose, to snuffle.
SNOB. A nick name for a shoemaker.
TO SNOOZE, or SNOODGE. To sleep. To snooze with a mort; to sleep with a wench. CANT.
SNOOZING KEN. A brothel. The swell was spiced in a snoozing ken of his screens; the gentleman was robbed of his bank notes in a brothel.
SNOW. Linen hung out to dry or bleach. Spice the snow; to steal the linen.
SNOUT. A hogshead. CANT.
SNOWBALL. A jeering appellation for a negro.
TO SNUB. To check, or rebuke.
SNUB DEVIL. A parson.
SNUB NOSE. A short nose turned up at the end.
SNUDGE. A thief who hides himself under a bed, in Order to rob the house.
SNUFF. To take snuff; to be offended.
TO SNUFFLE. To speak through the nose.
SNUFFLES. A cold in the head, attended with a running at the nose.
SNUG. All's snug; all's quiet.
TO SOAK. To drink. An old soaker; a drunkard, one thatmoistens his clay to make it stick together.
SOCKET MONEY. A whore's fee, or hire: also money paidfor a treat, by a married man caught in an intrigue.
SOLDIER'S BOTTLE. A large one.
SOLDIER'S MAWND. A pretended soldier, begging with a counterfeit wound, which he pretends to have received at some famous siege or battle.
SOLDIER'S POMATUM. A piece of tallow candle.
SOLDIER. A red herring.
SOLFA. A parish clerk.
SOLO PLAYER. A miserable performer on any instrument, who always plays alone, because no one will stay in the room to hear him.
SOLOMON. The mass. CANT.
SON OF PRATTLEMENT. A lawyer.
SONG. He changed his song; he altered his account or evidence. It was bought for an old song, i.e. very cheap. His morning and his evening song do not agree; he tells a different story.
SOOTERKIN. A joke upon the Dutch women, supposing that, by their constant use of stoves, which they place under their petticoats, they breed a kind of small animal in their bodies, called a sooterkin, of the size of a mouse, which when mature slips out.
SOP. A bribe. A sop for Cerberus; a bribe for a porter, turnkey, or gaoler.
SOPH. (Cambridge) An undergraduate in his second year.
SORREL. A yellowish red. Sorrel pate; one having red hair.
SORROW SHALL BE HIS SOPS. He shall repent this. Sorrow go by me; a common expletive used by presbyterians in Ireland.
SORRY. Vile, mean, worthless. A sorry fellow, or hussy; a worthless man or woman.
SOT WEED. Tobacco.
SOUL CASE. The body. He made a hole in his soul case; he wounded him.
SOUL DOCTOR, or DRIVER. A parson.
SOUNDERS. A herd of swine.
SOUSE. Not a souse; not a penny. FRENCH.
SOW. A fat woman. He has got the wrong sow by the ear, he mistakes his man. Drunk as David's sow; see DAVID'S SOW.
SOW'S BABY. A sucking pig.
SOW CHILD. A female child.
SPADO. A sword. SPANISH.
SPANGLE. A seven shilling piece.
SPANK. (WHIP) To run neatly along, beteen a trot and gallop. The tits spanked it to town; the horses went merrily along all the way to town.
SPANISH. The spanish; ready money.
SPANISH COIN. Fair words and compliments.
SPANISH FAGGOT. The sun.
SPANISH GOUT. The pox.
SPANISH PADLOCK. A kind of girdle contrived by jealous husbands of that nation, to secure the chastity of their wives.
SPANISH, or KING OF SPAIN'S TRUMPETER. An asswhen braying.
SPANISH WORM. A nail: so called by carpenters when theymeet with one in a board they are sawing.
SPANKS, or SPANKERS. Money; also blows with the openhand.
SPANKING. Large.
SPARK. A spruce, trim, or smart fellow. A man that is always thirsty, is said to have a spark in his throat.
SPARKISH. Fine, gay.
SPARKING BLOWS. Blows given by cocks before they close, or, as the term is, mouth it: used figuratively for words previous to a quarrel.
SPARROW. Mumbling a sparrow; a cruel sport frequently practised at wakes and fairs: for a small premium, a booby having his hands tied behind him, has the wing of a cock sparrow put into his mouth: with this hold, without any other assistance than the motion of his lips, he is to get the sparrow's head into his mouth: on attempting to do it, the bird defends itself surprisingly, frequently pecking the mumbler till his lips are covered with blood, and he is obliged to desist: to prevent the bird from getting away, he is fastened by a string to a button of the booby's coat.
SPARROW-MOUTHED. Wide-mouthed, like the mouth of a sparrow: it is said of such persons, that they do not hold their mouths by lease, but have it from year to year; i.e. from ear to ear. One whose mouth cannot be enlarged without removing their ears, and who when they yawn have their heads half off.
SPATCH COCK. [Abbreviation of DISPATCH COCK.] A hen justkilled from the roost, or yard, and immediately skinned,split, and broiled: an Irish dish upon any sudden occasion.
TO SPEAK WITH. To rob. I spoke with the cull on thecherry-coloured prancer; I robbed the man on the blackhorse. CANT.
SPEAK. Any thing stolen. He has made a good speak; hehas stolen something considerable.
SPECKED WHIPER. A coloured hankerchief. CANT.
SPICE. To rob. Spice the swell; rob the gentleman.
SPICE ISLANDS. A privy. Stink-hole bay or dilberry creek.The fundament.
SPIDER-SHANKED. Thin-legged.
TO SPIFLICATE. To confound, silence, or dumbfound.
SPILT. A small reward or gift.
SPILT. Thrown from a horse, or overturned in a carriage; pray, coachee, don't spill us.
SPINDLE SHANKS. Slender legs.
TO SPIRIT AWAY. To kidnap, or inveigle away.
SPIRITUAL FLESH BROKER. A parson.
SPIT. He is as like his father as if he was spit out of his mouth; said of a child much resembling his father.
SPIT. A sword.
SPIT FIRE. A violent, pettish, or passionate person.
SPLICED. Married: an allusion to joining two ropes ends by splicing. SEA TERM.
SPLIT CROW. The sign of the spread eagle, which being represented with two heads on one neck, gives it somewhat the appearance of being split.
SPLIT CAUSE. A lawyer.
SPLIT FIG. A grocer.
SPLIT IRON. The nick-name for a smith.
SPOONEY. (WHIP) Thin, haggard, like the shank of a spoon; also delicate, craving for something, longing for sweets. Avaricious. That tit is damned spooney. She's a spooney piece of goods. He's a spooney old fellow.
SPOIL PUDDING. A parson who preaches long sermons, keeping his congregation in church till the puddings are overdone.
TO SPORT. To exhibit: as, Jack Jehu sported a new gigyesterday: I shall sport a new suit next week. To sportor flash one's ivory; to shew one's teeth. To sport timber;to keep one's outside door shut; this term is used in theinns of court to signify denying one's self. N.B. Theword SPORT was in great vogue ann. 1783 and 1784.
SPUNGE. A thirsty fellow, a great drinker. To spunge; toeat and drink at another's cost. Spunging-house: a bailiff'slock-up-house, or repository, to which persons arrested aretaken, till they find bail, or have spent all their money: ahouse where every species of fraud and extortion is practisedunder the protection of the law.
SPUNK. Rotten touchwood, or a kind of fungus preparedfor tinder; figuratively, spirit, courage.
SPOON HAND. The right hand.
TO SPOUT. To rehearse theatrically.
SPOUTING CLUB. A meeting of apprentices and mechanics to rehearse different characters in plays: thus forming recruits for the strolling companies.
SPOUTING. Theatrical declamation.
SPOUTED. Pawned.
SPREAD. Butter.
SPREAD EAGLE. A soldier tied to the halberts in order to be whipped; his attitude bearing some likeness to that figure, as painted on signs.
SPREE. A frolic. Fun. A drinking bout. A party ofpleasure.
SPRING-ANKLE WAREHOUSE. Newgate, or any other gaol:IRISH.
SQUAB. A fat man or woman: from their likeness to awell-stuffed couch, called also a squab. A new-hatchedchicken.
SQUARE. Honest, not roguish. A square cove, i.e. aman who does not steal, or get his living by dishonestmeans.
SQUARE TOES. An old man: square toed shoes wereanciently worn in common, and long retained by oldmen.
SQUEAK. A narrow escape, a chance: he had a squeak for his life. To squeak; to confess, peach, or turn stag. They squeak beef upon us; they cry out thieves after us. CANT.
SQUEAKER. A bar-boy; also a bastard or any other child. To stifle the squeaker; to murder a bastard, or throw It into the necessary house.—Organ pipes are likewise called squeakers. The squeakers are meltable; the small pipes are silver. CANT.
SQUEEZE CRAB. A sour-looking, shrivelled, diminutivefellow.
SQUEEZE WAX. A good-natured foolish fellow, ready tobecome security for another, under hand and seal.
SQUELCH. A fall. Formerly a bailiff caught in a barrack-yard in Ireland, was liable by custom to have three tosses in a blanket, and a squelch; the squelch was given by letting go the corners of the blanket, and suffering him to fall to the ground. Squelch-gutted; fat, having a prominent belly.
SQUIB. A small satirical or political temporary jeu d'esprit, which, like the firework of that denomination, sparkles, bounces, stinks, and vanishes.
SQUINT-A-PIPES. A squinting man or woman; said to be born in the middle of the week, and looking both ways for Sunday; or born in a hackney coach, and looking out of both windows; fit for a cook, one eye in the pot, and the other up the chimney; looking nine ways at once.
SQUIRE OF ALSATIA. A weak profligate spendthrift, the squire of the company; one who pays the whole reckoning, or treats the company, called standing squire.
SQUIRISH. Foolish.
SQUIRREL. A prostitute: because she like that animal, covers her back with her tail. Meretrix corpore corpus alit. Menagiana, ii. 128.
SQUIRREL HUNTING. See HUNTING.
STAG. To turn stag; to impeach one's confederates: from a herd of deer, who are said to turn their horns against any of their number who is hunted.
TO STAG. To find, discover, or observe.
STAGGERING BOB, WITH HIS YELLOW PUMPS. A calf just dropped, and unable to stand, killed for veal in Scotland: the hoofs of a young calf are yellow.
STALL WHIMPER. A bastard. CANT.
STALLING. Making or ordaining. Stalling to the rogue; an ancient ceremony of instituting a candidate into the society of rogues, somewhat similar to the creation of a herald at arms. It is thus described by Harman: the upright man taking a gage of bowse, i.e. a pot of strong drink, pours it on the head of the rogue to be admitted; saying,—I, A.B. do stall thee B.C. to the rogue; and from henceforth it shall be lawful for thee to cant for thy living in all places.
STALLING KEN. A broker's shop, or that of a receiver of stolen goods.
STALLION. A man kept by an old lady for secret services.
STAM FLESH. To cant. CANT.
STAMMEL, or STRAMMEL. A coarse brawny wench.
STAMP. A particular manner of throwing the dice out of the box, by striking it with violence against the table.
STAMPS. Legs.
STAMPERS. Shoes.
STAND-STILL. He was run to a stand-still; i.e. till he couldno longer move.
STAR GAZER. A horse who throws up his head; also ahedge whore.
TO STAR THE GLAZE. To break and rob a jeweller's showglass. CANT.
STARCHED. Stiff, prim, formal, affected.
STARING QUARTER. An ox cheek.
START, or THE OLD START. Newgate: he is gone to thestart, or the old start. CANT.
STARTER. One who leaves a jolly company, a milksop; heis no starter, he will sit longer than a hen.
STARVE'EM, ROB'EM, AND CHEAT'EM. Stroud, Rochester, and Chatham; so called by soldiers and sailors, and not without good reason.
STAR LAG. Breaking shop-windows, and stealing some article thereout.
STASH. To stop. To finish. To end. The cove tipped the prosecutor fifty quid to stash the business; he gave the prosecutor fifty guineas to stop the prosecution.
STATE. To lie in state; to be in bed with three harlots.
STAY. A cuckold.
STAYTAPE. A taylor; from that article, and its coadjutor buckram, which make no small figure in the bills of those knights of the needle.
STEAMER. A pipe. A swell steamer; a long pipe, such as is used by gentlemen to smoke.
STEEL. The house of correction.
STEEL BAR. A needle. A steel bar flinger; a taylor, stay-maker, or any other person using a needle.
STEENKIRK. A muslin neckcloth carelessly put on, from the manner in which the French officers wore their cravats when they returned from the battle of Steenkirk.
STEEPLE HOUSE. A name given to the church by Dissenters.
STEPHEN. Money. Stephen's at home; i.e. has money.
STEPNEY. A decoction of raisins of the sun and lemons inconduit water, sweetened with sugar, and bottled up.
STEWED QUAKER. Burnt rum, with a piece of butter: anAmerican remedy for a cold.
STICKS. Household furniture.
STICKS. Pops or pistols. Stow your sticks; hide your pistols. CANT. See POPS.
STICK FLAMS. A pair of gloves.
STIFF-RUMPED. Proud, stately.
STINGRUM. A niggard.
STINGO. Strong beer, or other liquor.
STIRRUP CUP. A parting cup or glass, drank on horsebackby the person taking leave.
STITCH. A nick name for a taylor: also a term for lyingwith a woman.
STITCHBACK. Strong ale.
STIVER-CRAMPED. Needy, wanting money. A stiver is aDutch coin, worth somewhat more than a penny sterling.
STOCK. A good stock; i.e. of impudence. Stock andblock; the whole: he has lost stock and block.
STOCK DRAWERS. Stockings.
STOCK JOBBERS. Persons who gamble in Exchange Alley, by pretending to buy and sell the public funds, but in reality only betting that they will be at a certain price, at a particular time; possessing neither the stock pretended to be sold, nor money sufficient to make good the payments for which they contract: these gentlemen are known under the different appellations of bulls, bears, and lame ducks.
STOMACH WORM. The stomach worm gnaws; I am hungry.
STONE. Two stone under weight, or wanting; an eunuch.Stone doublet; a prison. Stone dead; dead as a stone.
STONE JUG. Newgate, or any other prison.
STONE TAVERN. Ditto.
STOOP-NAPPERS, or OVERSEERS OF THE NEW PAVEMENT.Persons set in the pillory. CANT.
STOOP. The pillory. The cull was served for macing andnapp'd the stoop; he was convicted of swindling, andput in the pillory.
STOP HOLE ABBEY. The nick name of the chief rendzvousof the canting crew of beggars, gypsies, cheats,thieves, &c. &c.
STOTER. A great blow. Tip him a stoter in the halteringplace; give him a blow under the left ear.
STOUP. A vessel to hold liquor: a vessel containing a sizeor half a pint, is so called at Cambridge.
STOW. Stow you; be silent, or hold your peace. Stow your whidds and plant'em, for the cove of the ken can cant'em; you have said enough, the man of the house understands you.
STRAIT-LACED. Precise, over nice, puritanical.
STRAIT WAISTCOAT. A tight waistcoat, with long sleeves coming over the hand, having strings for binding them behind the back of the wearer: these waistcoats are used in madhouses for the management of lunatics when outrageous.
STRAMMEL. See STAMMEL.
STRANGER. A guinea.
STRANGLE GOOSE. A poulterer.
To STRAP. To work. The kiddy would not strap, so he went on the scamp: the lad would not work, and therefore robbed on the highway.
STRAPPER. A large man or woman.
STRAPPING. Lying with a woman. CANT.
STRAW. A good woman in the straw; a lying-in woman.His eyes draw straw; his eyes are almost shut, or he isalmost asleep: one eye draws straw, and t'other serves thethatcher.
STRETCH. A yard. The cove was lagged for prigging apeter with several stretch of dobbin from a drag; thefellow was transported for stealing a trunk, containingseveral yards of ribband, from a waggon.
STRETCHING. Hanging. He'll stretch for it; he will behanged for it. Also telling a great lie: he stretched stoutly.
STRIKE. Twenty shillings. CANT.
STRIP ME NAKED. Gin.
STROKE. To take a stroke: to take a bout with a woman.
STROLLERS. Itinerants of different kinds. Strolling morts; beggars or pedlars pretending to be widows.
STROMMEL. Straw. CANT.
STRONG MAN. To play the part of the strong man, i.e. to push the cart and horses too; to be whipt at the cart's tail.
STRUM. A perriwig. Rum strum: a fine large wig.(CAMBRIDGE) To do a piece. Foeminam subagitare. CANT.
To STRUM. To have carnal knowledge of a woman; also to play badly on the harpsichord; or any other stringed instrument. A strummer of wire, a player on any instrument strung with wire.
STRUMPET. A harlot.
STUB-FACED. Pitted with the smallpox: the devil ran over his face with horse stabs (horse nails) in his shoes.
STUBBLE IT. Hold your tongue. CANT.
STULING KEN. See STALLING KEN. CANT.
STUM. The flower of fermenting wine, used by vintners to adulterate their wines.
STUMPS. Legs. To stir one's stumps; to walk fast.
STURDY BEGGARS. The fifth and last of the most ancient order of canters, beggars that rather demand than ask CANT.
SUCCESSFULLY. Used by the vulgar for SUCCESSIVELY: as three or four landlords of this house have been ruined successfully by the number of soldiers quartered on them. IRISH.
SUCH A REASON PIST MY GOOSE, or MY GOOSE PIST. Saidwhen any one offers an absurd reason.
SUCK. Strong liquor of any sort. To suck the monkey;see MONKEY. Sucky; drunk.
To SUCK. To pump. To draw from a man all be knows.The file sucked the noodle's brains: the deep one drewout of the fool all he knew.
SUCKING CHICKEN. A young chicken.
SUDS. In the suds; in trouble, in a disagreeable situation, or involved in some difficulty.
SUGAR STICK. The virile member.
SUGAR SOPS. Toasted bread soked in ale, sweetened withsugar, and grated nutmeg: it is eaten with cheese.
SULKY. A one-horse chaise or carriage, capable of holdingbut one person: called by the French a DESOBLIGEANT.
SUN. To have been in the sun; said of one that is drunk.
SUNBURNT. Clapped; also haying many male children.
SUNDAY MAN. One who goes abroad on that day only, for fear of arrests.
SUNNY BANK. A good fire in winter.
SUNSHINE. Prosperity.
SUPERNACOLUM. Good liquor, of which there is not even a drop left sufficient to wet one's nail.
SUPOUCH. A landlady of an inn, or hostess.
SURVEYOR OF THE HIGHWAYS. One reeling drunk.
SURVEYOR OF THE PAVEMENT. One standing in the pillory.
SUS PER COLL. Hanged: persons who have been hangedare thus entered into the jailor's books.
SUSPENCE. One in a deadly suspence; a man just turnedoff at the gallows.
SUTRER. A camp publican: also one that pilfers gloves,tobacco boxes, and such small moveables.
SWABBERS. The ace of hearts, knave of clubs, ace and duce of trumps, at whist: also the lubberly seamen, put to swab, and clean the ship.
SWAD, or SWADKIN. A soldier. CANT.
To SWADDLE. To beat with a stick.
SWADDLERS. The tenth order of the canting tribe, who notonly rob, but beat, and often murder passenges. CANT.Swaddlers is also the Irish name for methodist.
SWAG. A shop. Any quantity of goods. As, plant the swag;conceal the goods. Rum swag; a shop full of rich goods.CANT.
SWAGGER. To bully, brag, or boast, also to strut.
SWANNERY. He keeps a swannery; i.e. all his geese are swans.
SWEATING. A mode of diminishing the gold coin, practiced chiefly by the Jews, who corrode it with aqua regia. Sweating was also a diversion practised by the bloods of the last century, who styled themselves Mohocks: these gentlemen lay in wait to surprise some person late in the night, when surrounding him, they with their swords pricked him in the posteriors, which obliged him to be constantly turning round; this they continued till they thought him sufficiently sweated.
SWEET. Easy to be imposed on, or taken in; also expert, dexterous clever. Sweet's your hand; said of one dexterous at stealing.
SWEET HEART. A term applicable to either the masculineor feminine gender, signifying a girl's lover, or a man'smistress: derived from a sweet cake in the shape of aheart.
SWEETNESS. Guinea droppers, cheats, sharpers. To sweetento decoy, or draw in. To be sweet upon; to coax, wheedle,court, or allure. He seemed sweet upon that wench; he seemed tocourt that girl.
SWELL. A gentleman. A well-dressed map. The flashman bounced the swell of all his blunt; the girl's bully frightened the gentleman out of all his money.
SWELLED HEAD. A disorder to which horses are extremely liable, particularly those of the subalterns of the army. This disorder is generally occasioned by remaining too long in one livery-stable or inn, and often arises to that height that it prevents their coming out at the stable door. The most certain cure is the unguentum aureum—not applied to the horse, but to the palm of the master of the inn or stable. N. B. Neither this disorder, nor its remedy, is mentioned by either Bracken, Bartlet, or any of the modern writers on farriery.
SWIG. A hearty draught of liquor.
SWIGMEN. Thieves who travel the country under colour of buying old shoes, old clothes, &c. or selling brooms, mops, &c. CANT.
TO SWILL. To drink greedily.
SWILL TUB. A drunkard, a sot.
SWIMMER. A counterfeit old coin.
SWIMMER. A ship. I shall have a swimmer; a cant phrase used by thieves to signify that they will be sent on board the tender.
TO SWING. To be hanged. He will swing for it; he will be hanged for it.
SWING TAIL. A hog.
TO SWINGE. To beat stoutly.
SWINGING. A great swinging fellow; a great stout fellow.A swinging lie; a lusty lie.
SWINDLER. One who obtains goods on credit by false pretences, and sells them for ready money at any price, in order to make up a purse. This name is derived from the German word SCHWINDLIN, to totter, to be ready to fall; these arts being generally practised by persons on the totter, or just ready to break. The term SWINDLER has since been used to signify cheats of every kind.
SWIPES. Purser's swipes; small beer: so termed on boardthe king's ships, where it is furnished by the purser.
SWISH TAIL. A pheasant; so called by the persons whosell game for the poachers.
TO SWIVE. To copulate.
SWIVEL-EYED. Squinting.
SWIZZLE. Drink, or any brisk or windy liquor. In NorthAmerica, a mixture of spruce beer, rum, and sugar, was socalled. The 17th regiment had a society called the SwizzleClub, at Ticonderoga, A. D. 1760.
SWORD RACKET. To enlist in different regiments, and onreceiving the bounty to desert immediately.
SWOP. An exchange.
SYEBUCK. Sixpence.
SYNTAX. A schoolmaster.
TABBY. An old maid; either from Tabitha, a formal antiquated name; or else from a tabby cat, old maids being often compared to cats. To drive Tab; to go out on a party of pleasure with a wife and family.
TACE. Silence, hold your tongue. TACE is Latin for a candle; a jocular admonition to be silent on any subject.
TACKLE. A mistress; also good clothes. The cull hastipt his tackle rum gigging; the fellow has given hismistress good clothes. A man's tackle: the genitals.
TAFFY, i.e. Davy. A general name for a Welchman, St.David being the tutelar saint of Wales. Taffy's day; thefirst of March, St. David's day.
TAG-RAG AND BOBTAIL. An expression meaning an assemblage of low people, the mobility of all sorts. To tag after one like a tantony pig: to follow one wherever one goes, just as St. Anthony is followed by his pig.
TAIL. A prostitute. Also, a sword.
TAKEN IN. Imposed on, cheated.
TALE TELLERS. Persons said to have been formerly hired to tell wonderful stories of giants and fairies, to lull their hearers to sleep. Talesman; the author of a story or report: I'll tell you my tale, and my talesman. Tale bearers; mischief makers, incendiaries in families.
TALL BOY. A bottle, or two-quart pot.
TALLY MEN. Brokers that let out clothes to the women of the town. See RABBIT SUCKERS.
TALLYWAGS, or TARRYWAGS. A man's testicles.
TAME. To run tame about a house; to live familiarly in a family with which one is upon a visit. Tame army; the city trained bands.
TANDEM. A two-wheeled chaise, buggy, or noddy, drawnby two horses, one before the other: that is, AT LENGTH.
TANGIER. A room in Newgate, where debtors were confined,hence called Tangerines.
TANNER. A sixpence. The kiddey tipped the rattling cove a tanner for luck; the lad gave the coachman sixpence for drink.
TANTADLIN TART. A sirreverence, human excrement.
TANTRUMS. Pet, or passion: madam was in her tantrums.
TANTWIVY. Away they went tantwivy; away they wentfull speed. Tantwivy was the sound of the hunting hornin full cry, or that of a post horn.
TAP. A gentle blow. A tap on the shoulder;-an-arrest.To tap a girl; to be the first seducer: in allusion to a beerbarrel. To tap a guinea; to get it changed.
TAPPERS. Shoulder tappers: bailiffs.
TAPE. Red tape; brandy. Blue or white tape; gin.
TAPLASH. Thick and bad beer.
TAR. Don't lose a sheep for a halfpennyworth of tar: tar is used to mark sheep. A jack tar; a sailor.
TARADIDDLE. A fib, or falsity.
TARPAWLIN. A coarse cloth tarred over: also, figuratively, a sailor.
TARRING AND FEATHERING. A punishment lately inflicted by the good people of Boston on any person convicted, or suspected, of loyalty: such delinquents being "stripped naked", were daubed all over wilh tar, and afterwards put into a hogshead of feathers.
TART. Sour, sharp, quick, pert.
TARTAR. To catch a Tartar; to attack one of superior strength or abilities. This saying originated from a story of an Irish-soldier in the Imperial service, who, in a battle against the Turks, called out to his comrade that he had caught a Tartar. 'Bring him along then,' said he. 'He won't come,' answered Paddy. 'Then come along yourself,' replied his comrade. 'Arrah,' cried he, 'but he won't let me.'—A Tartar is also an adept at any feat, or game: he is quite a Tartar at cricket, or billiards.
TAT. Tit for tat; an equivalent.
TATS. False dice.
TATLER. A watch. To flash a tatler: to wear a watch.
TAT MONGER. One that uses false dice.
TATTERDEMALION. A ragged fellow, whose clothes hang all in tatters.
TATTOO. A beat of the drum, of signal for soldiers to go to their quarters, and a direction to the sutlers to close the tap, and draw no more liquor for them; it is generally beat at nine in summer and eight in winter. The devil's tattoo; beating with one's foot against the ground, as done by persons in low spirits.
TAW. A schoolboy's game, played with small round balls made of stone dust, catted marbles. I'll be one upon your taw presently; a species of threat.
TAWDRY. Garish, gawdy, with lace or staring and discordant colours: a term said to be derived from the shrine and altar of St. Audrey (an Isle of Ely saintess), which for finery exceeded all others thereabouts, so as to become proverbial; whence any fine dressed man or woman said to be all St Audrey, and by contraction, all tawdry.
TAWED. Beaten,
TAYLE. See TAIL.
TAYLE DRAWERS. Thieves who snatch gentlemens swords from their sides. He drew the cull's tayle rumly; he snatched away the gentleman's sword cleverly.
TAYLOR. Nine taylors make a man; an ancient and common saying, originating from the effeminacy of their employment; or, as some have it, from nine taylors having been robbed by one man; according to others, from the speech of a woollendraper, meaning that the custom of nine, taylors would make or enrich one man—A London taylor, rated to furnish half a man to the Trained Bands, asking how that could possibly be done? was answered, By sending four, journeymen and and apprentice.—Puta taylor, a weaver, and a miller into a sack, shake them well, And the first that, puts out his head is certainly a thief.—A taylor is frequently styled pricklouse, assaults on those vermin with their needles.
TAYLORS GOOSE. An iron with which, when heated, press down the seams of clothes.
TEA VOIDER. A chamber pot.
TEA GUELAND. Ireland. Teaguelanders; Irishmen.
TEARS OF THE TANKARD. The drippings of liquor on aman's waistcoat.
TEDDY MY GODSON. An address to a supposed simplefellow, or nysey,
TEIZE. To-nap the teize; to receive a whipping. CANT.
TEMPLE PICKLING. Pumping a bailiff; a punishment formerly administered to any of that fraternity caught exercising their functions within the limits of Temple.
TEN TOES. See BAYARD OF TEN TOES.
TEN IN THE HUNDRED. An usurer; more than five inthe hundred being deemed usurious interest.
TENANT AT WILL, One whose wife usually fetches himfrom the alehouse.
TENANT FOR LIFE. A married man; i.e. possessed of awoman for life.
TENDER PARNELL. A tender creature, fearful of the least puff of wind or drop of rain. As tender as Parnell, who broke her finger in a posset drink.
TERMAGANT. An outrageous scold from Termagantes, a cruel Pagan, formerly represented in diners shows and entertainments, where being dressed a la Turque, in long clothes, he was mistaken for a furious woman.
TERRA FIRMA. An estate in land.
TESTER. A sixpence: from TESTON, a coin with a head on it.
TETBURY PORTION. A **** and a clap.
THAMES. He will not find out a way to set the Thames on fire; he will not make any wonderful discoveries, he is no conjuror.
THATCH-GALLOWS. A rogue, or man of bad character.
THICK. Intimate. They are as thick as two inkle-weavers.
THIEF. You are a thief and a murderer, you have killed a baboon and stole his face; vulgar abuse.
THIEF IN A CANDLE. Part of the wick or snuff, which falling on the tallow, burns and melts it, and causing it to gutter, thus steals it away.
THIEF TAKERS. Fellows who associate with all kinds of villains, in order to betray them, when they have committed any of those crimes which entitle the persons taking them to a handsome reward, called blood money. It is the business of these thief takers to furnish subjects for a handsome execution, at the end of every sessions.
THIMBLE. A watch. The swell flashes a rum thimble; the gentleman sports a fine watch.
THINGSTABLE. Mr. Thingstable; Mr. Constable: a ludicrous affectation of delicacy in avoiding the pronunciation of the first syllable in the title of that officer, which in sound has some similarity to an indecent monosyllable.
THINGUMBOB. Mr. Thingumbob; a vulgar address or nomination to any person whose name is unknown, the same as Mr. What-d'ye-cal'em. Thingumbobs; testicles.
THIRDING. A custom practised at the universities, where two thirds of the original price is allowed by the upholsterers to the students for household goods returned to them within the year.
THIRTEENER. A shilling in Ireland, which there passes for thirteen pence.
THOMOND. Like Lord Thomond's cocks, all on one side. Lord Thomond's cock-feeder, an Irishman, being entrusted with some cocks which were matched for a considerable sum, the night before the battle shut them all together in one room, concluding that as they were all on the same side, they would not disagree: the consequence was, they were most of them either killed or lamed before the morning.
THOMAS. Man Thomas; a man's penis.
THORNS. To be or sit upon thorns; to be uneasy, impatient, anxious for an event.
THORNBACK. An old maid.
THOROUGH CHURCHMAN. A person who goes in at one doorof a church, and out at the other, without stopping.
THOROUGH-GOOD-NATURED WENCH. One who being askedto sit down, will lie down.
THOROUGH GO NIMBLE. A looseness, a violent purging.
THOROUGH COUGH. Coughing and breaking wind backwardsat the same time.
THOROUGH STITCH. To go thorough stitch; to stick at nothing;over shoes, over boots.
THOUGHT. What did thought do? lay'in bed and beshat himself, and thought he was up; reproof to any one who excuses himself for any breach of positive orders, by pleading that he thought to the contrary.
THREE TO ONE. He is playing three to one, though sure to lose; said of one engaged in the amorous congress.
THREE-PENNY UPRIGHT. A retailer of love, who, for the sum mentioned, dispenses her favours standing against a wall.
THREE-LEGGED MARE, or STOOL. The gallows, formerly consisting of three posts, over which were laid three transverse beams. This clumsy machine has lately given place to an elegant contrivance, called the NEW DROP, by which the use of that vulgar vehicle a cart, or mechanical instrument a ladder, is also avoided; the patients being left suspended by the dropping down of that part of the floor on which they stand. This invention was first made use of for a peer. See DROP.
THREE THREADS. Half common ale, mixed with stale and double beer.
THREPS. Threepence.
TO THROTTLE. To strangle.
THROTTLE. The throat, or gullet.
TO THRUM. To play on any instrument stringed with wire. A thrummer of wire; a player on the spinet, harpsichord, of guitar.
THRUMS. Threepence.
THUMB. By rule of thumb: to do any thing by dint ofpractice. To kiss one's thumb instead of the book; a vulgarexpedient to avoid perjury in taking a false oath.
THUMMIKINS. An instrument formerly used in Scotland,like a vice, to pinch the thumbs of persons accused ofdifferent crimes, in order to extort confession.
THUMP. A blow. This is better than a thump on the back with a stone; said on giving any one a drink of good liquor on a cold morning. Thatch, thistle, thunder, and thump; words to the Irish, like the Shibboleth of the Hebrews.
THUMPING. Great! a thumping boy.
THWACK. A great blow with a stick across the shoulders.
TIB. A young lass
TIBBY. A cat.
TIB OF THE BUTTERY. A goose. CANT. Saint Tibb's evening; the evening of the last day, or day of judgment: he will pay you on St. Tibb's eve. IRISH.
TICK. To run o'tick; take up goods upon trust, to run in debt. Tick; a watch. SEE SESSIONS PAPERS.
TICKLE TEXT. A parson.
TICKLE PITCKEB. A thirsty fellow, a sot.
TICKLE TAIL. A rod, or schoolmaster. A man's penis.
TICKRUM. A licence.
TIDY. Neat.
TIFFING. Eating or drinking out of meal time, disputing or falling out; also lying with a wench, A tiff of punch, a small bowl of punch.
TILBUKY. Sixpence; so called from its formerly being thefare for Crossing over from Gravesend to Tilbury Fort.
TILT. To tilt; to fight with a sword. To run full tiltagainst one; allusion to the ancient tilling with the lance.
TILTER. A sword.
TIM WHISKY. A light one—horse chaise without a head.
TIMBER TOE. A man with a wooden leg.
TINY. Little.
TO TIP. To give or lend. Tip me your daddle; give me your hand. Tip me a hog; give me a shilling. To tip the lion; to flatten a man's nose with the thumb, and, at the same time to extend his mouth, with the fingers, thereby giving him a sort of lion-like countenance. To tip the velvet; tonguing woman. To tip all nine; to knock down all the nine pins at once, at the game of bows or skittles: tipping, at these gaines, is slightly touching the tops of the pins with the bowl. Tip; a draught; don't spoil his tip.
TIP-TOP. The best: perhaps from fruit, that growing at the top of the tree being generally the best, as partaking most of the sun. A tip-top workman; the best, or most excellent Workman.
TIPPERARY FORTUNE. Two town lands, stream's town, and ballinocack; said of Irish women without fortune.
TIPPLE. Liquor.
TIPPLERS. Sots who are continually sipping.
TIPSEY. Almost drunk.
TIRING. Dressing: perhaps abbreviation of ATTIRING. Tiringwomen, or tire women: women that used to cut ladieshair, and dress them.
TIT. A horse; a pretty little tit; a smart little girl.a *** or tid bit; a delicate morsel. Tommy tit; a smart livelylittle fellow.
TIT FOR TAT. An equivalent.
TO TITTER. To suppress a laugh.
TITTER TATTER. One reeling, and ready to fall at the least touch; also the childish amusement of riding upon the two ends of a plank, poised upon the prop underneath its centre, called also see-saw. Perhaps tatter is a rustic pronunciation of totter.
TITTLE-TATTLE. Idle discourse, scandal, women's talk, or small talk.
TITTUP. A gentle hand gallop, or canter.
TIZZY. Sixpence.
TOAD EATER. A poor female relation, and humble companion, or reduced gentlewoman, in a great family, the standing butt, on whom all kinds of practical jokes are played off, and all ill humours vented. This appellation is derived from a mountebank's servant, on whom all experiments used to be made in public by the doctor, his master; among which was the eating of toads, formerly supposed poisonous. Swallowing toads is here figuratively meant for swallowing or putting up with insults, as disagreeable to a person of feeling as toads to the stomach.
TOAD. Toad in a hole; meat baked or boiled in pye-crust. He or she sits like a toad on a chopping-block; a saying of any who sits ill on horseback. As much need of it as a toad of a side-pocket; said of a person who desires any thing for which he has no real occasion. As full of money as a toad is of feathers.
TOAST. A health; also a beautiful woman whose health is often drank by men. The origin of this term (as it is said) was this: a beautiful lady bathing in a cold bath, one of her admirers out of gallantry drank some of the water: whereupon another of her lovers observed, he never drank in the morning, but he would kiss the toast, and immediately saluted the lady.
TOASTING IRON, or CHEESE TOASTER. A sword.
TOBY LAY. The highway. High toby man; a highway-man.Low toby man; a footpad.
TOBACCO. A plant, once in great estimation as a medicine:
Tobacco hicWill make you well if you be sick.Tobacco hicIf you be well will make you sick.
TODDY. Originally the juice of the cocoa tree, and afterwardsrum, water, sugar, and nutmeg.
TODDLE. To walk away. The cove was touting, but stagging the traps he toddled; be was looking out, and feeing the officers he walked away.
TODGE. Beat all to a todge: said of anything beat to mash.
TOGE. A coat. Cant.
TOGEMANS. The same. CANT.
TOGS. Clothes. The swell is rum-togged. The gentlemanis handsomely dressed.
TOKEN. The plague: also the venereal disease. She tippedhim the token; she gave him a clap or pox.
TOL, or TOLEDO. A sword: from Spanish swords made atToledo, which place was famous for sword blades of anextraordinary temper.
TOLLIBAN RIG. A species of cheat carried on by a woman,assuming the character of a dumb and deaf conjuror.
TOM T—DMAN. A night man, one who empties necessaryhouses.
TOMBOY. A romping girl, who prefers the amusement usedby boys to those of her own sex.
TOM OF BEDLAM. The same as Abram man.
TOM CONY. A simple fellow.
TOM LONG. A tiresome story teller. It is coming by Tom Long, the carrier; said of any thing that has been long expected.
TOM THUMB. A dwarf, a little hop-o'my-thumb.
TOMMY. Soft Tommy, or white Tommy; bread is so called by sailors, to distinguish it from biscuit. Brown Tommy: ammunition bread for soldiers; or brown bread given to convicts at the hulks.
TO-MORROW COME NEVER. When two Sundays come together; never.
TONGUE. Tongue enough for two sets of teeth: said of a talkative person. As old as my tongue, and a little older than my teeth; a dovetail in answer to the question, How old are you? Tongue pad; a scold, or nimble-tongued person.
TONY. A silly fellow, or ninny. A mere tony: a simpleton.
TOOLS. The private parts of a man.
TOOL. The instrument of any person or faction, a cat's paw. See CATS PAW.