“He first began to eye his pipe,And then toPIPE HIS EYE.”Old Song.Metaphor from the boatswain’s pipe, which calls to duty.PIPE, “to put one’sPIPEout,” to traverse his plans, “take a rise” out of him.PIPKIN, the stomach,—properly, an earthen round-bottomed pot.—Norwich.PIT, a breast pocket.PITCH, a fixed locality where a patterer can hold forth to a gaping multitude for at least some few minutes continuously; “to do aPITCHin the drag,” to perform in the street.PITCH INTO, to fight; “PITCH INTOhim, Bill,”i.e., give him a thrashing.PITCH THE FORK, to tell a pitiful tale.PITCH THE NOB,PRICK THE GARTER, which see.PLANT, a dodge, a preconcerted swindle; a position in the street to sell from.Plant, a swindle, may be thus described: a coster will join a party of gambling costers that he never saw before, and commence tossing. When sufficient time has elapsed to remove all suspicions of companionship, his mate will come up and commence betting on each of hisPAL’Sthrows with those standing around. By a curious quickness of hand, a coster can make the toss tell favourably for his wagering friend, who meets him in the evening after the play is over and shares the spoil.PLANT, to mark a person out for plunder or robbery, to conceal, or place.—Old cant.PLEBS, a term used to stigmatise a tradesman’s son at Westminster School.Latin,PLEBS, the vulgar.PLOUGHED, drunk.—Household Words, No. 183. Also aUniversityterm equivalent toPLUCKED.PLUCK, the heart, liver, and lungs of an animal,—all that isPLUCKEDaway in connection with the windpipe, from the chest of a sheep or hog; among low persons, courage, valour, and a stout heart.—SeeMOLLYGRUBS.PLUCK’D-’UN, a stout or brave fellow; “he’s a rarePLUCKED-’UN,”i.e., dares face anything.During the Crimean war,PLUCKY, signifying courageous, seemed likely to become a favourite term in May-Fair, even among the ladies. An eminent critic, however, who had been bred a butcher, having informed the fashionable world that in his native town thesheep’s headalways went with thePLUCK, the term has been gradually falling into discredit at the West End.It has been said that a brave soldier isPLUCKYin attack, andGAMEwhen wounded. Women are moreGAMEthanPLUCKY.PLUCKED, turned back at an examination.—University.PLUNDER, a common word in the horse trade to express profit. Also anAmericanterm for baggage, luggage.PLUM, £100,000, usually applied to the dowry of a rich heiress, or a legacy.PLUMMY, round, sleek, jolly, or fat; excellent, very good, first rate.PLUMPER, a single vote at an election, not a “split ticket.”PODGY, drunk; dumpy, short and fat.POGRAM, a dissenter, a fanatic, formalist, or humbug.POKE, “come, none of yourPOKINGfun at me,”i.e., you must not laugh at me.POKE, a bag, or sack; “to buy a pig in aPOKE,” to purchase anything without seeing it.—Saxon.POKER, “by the holyPOKERand the tumbling Tom!” an Irish oath.POKERS, the Cambridge slang term for the Esquire Bedels, who carry the silver maces (also calledPOKERS) before the Vice-Chancellor.POKY, confined or cramped; “that corner isPOKYand narrow.”—Timesarticle, 21st July, 1859.POLE-AXE, vulgar corruption of policeman.POLICEMAN, a fly.POLISH OFF, to finish off anything quickly—a dinner for instance; also to finish off an adversary.—Pugilistic.POLL, orPOLLING, one thief robbing another of part of their booty.—Hall’s Union, 1548.POLL, the “ordinary degree” candidates for the B.A. Examination, who do not aspire to the “Honours” list. From theGreek, ὁι πόλλοι, “the many.” Some years ago, at Cambridge, Mr. Hopkins being the most celebrated “honour coach,” or private tutor for the wranglers, and Mr. Potts the principal “crammer” of the non-honour men, the latter was facetiously termed the “POLLY HOPKINS” by the undergraduates.POLL, a prostitute;POLLED UP, living with a woman without being married to her.POLONY, aBolognasausage.POONA, a sovereign.—Corruption ofpound; or from theLingua Franca?PONY, twenty-five pounds.—Sporting.POPS, pocket pistols.POP, to pawn or pledge; “toPOPup the spout,” to pledge at the pawnbroker’s,—an allusion to the spout up which the brokers send the ticketed articles until such times as they shall be redeemed. The spout runs from the ground floor to the wareroom at the top of the house.POSH, a halfpenny, or trifling coin. Also a generic term for money.POSTERIORS, a correspondent insists that the vulgar sense of this word is undoubtedly slang (Swift, I believe, first applied it as such), and remarks that it is curious the wordanteriorhas not been so abused.POST-HORN, the nose.—SeePASTE-HORN.POST-MORTEM, at Cambridge, the second examination which men who have been “plucked” have to undergo.—University.POT, a sixpence,i.e., the price of a pot or quart of half-and-half. A half crown, in medical student slang, is aFIVE-POT PIECE.POT, “toGO TO POT,” to die; from the classic custom of putting the ashes of the dead in an urn; also, to be ruined, or broken up,—often applied to tradesmen who fail in business.Go to pot!i.e., go and hang yourself, shut up and be quiet.L’Estrange, toPUT THE POT ON, to overcharge, or exaggerate.POT, to finish; “don’tPOTme,” term used at billiards. This word was much used by our soldiers in the Crimea, for firing at the enemy from a hole or ambush. These were calledPOT-SHOTS.POT-HUNTER, a sportsman who shoots anything he comes across, having more regard to filling his bag than to the rules which regulate the sport.POT-LUCK, just as it comes; to takePOT-LUCK,i.e., one’s chance of a dinner,—a hearty term used to signify whatever the pot contains you are welcome to.POT-WALLOPERS, electors in certain boroughs before the passing of the Reform Bill, whose qualification consisted in being housekeepers,—to establish which, it was only necessary to boil a pot within the limits of the borough, by the aid of any temporary erection. This implied that they were able to provide for themselves, and not necessitated to apply for parochial relief.Wallop, a word ofAnglo Saxonderivation, from the same root aswall.POTTED, orPOTTED OUT, cabined, confined; “the patriotic member of ParliamentPOTTED OUTin a dusty little lodging somewhere about Bury-street.”—Timesarticle, 21st July, 1859. Also applied to burial.POTTY, indifferent, bad looking.POTATO TRAP, the mouth. A humorousHibernicism.POWER, a large quantity.—FormerlyIrish, but now general; “aPOWERof money.”PRAD, a horse.PRAD NAPPING, horse stealing.PRANCER, a horse.—Ancient cant.PRICK THE GARTER, orPITCH THE NOB, a gambling and cheatinggame common at fairs, and generally practised by thimble riggers. It consists of a “garter” or a piece of list doubled, and then folded up tight. The bet is made upon your asserting that you can, with a pin, “prick” the point at which the garter is doubled. The garter is then unfolded, and nine times out of ten you will find that you have been deceived, and that you pricked one of the false folds. The owner of the garter, I should state, holds the ends tightly with one hand. This was, doubtless, originally a Gipsey game, and we are informed byBrandthat it was much practised by the Gipseys in the time ofShakespere. In those days, it was termedPRICKING AT THE BELT, orFAST AND LOOSE.PRIG, a thief.Used byAddisonin the sense of a coxcomb.Ancient cant, probably from theSaxon,PRICC-AN, to filch, &c.—Shakespere.Prig, to steal, or rob.Prigging, thieving. InScotlandthe termPRIGis used in a different sense from what it is in England. In Glasgow, or at Aberdeen, “toPRIGa salmon,” would be to cheapen it, or seek for an abatement in the price. A story is told of two Scotchmen, visitors to London, who got into sad trouble a few years ago by announcing their intention of “PRIGGINGa hat” which they had espied in a fashionable manufacturer’s window, and which one of them thought he would like to possess.PRIME PLANT, a good subject for plunder.—SeePLANT.PRIMED, said of a person in that state of incipient intoxication that if he takes more drink it will become evident.PRO, a professional.—Theatrical.PROG, meat, food, &c.Johnsoncalls it “a low word.”PROP, a gold scarf pin.PROP-NAILER, a man who steals, or rather snatches, pins from gentlemen’s scarfs.PROPS, crutches.PROPER, very, exceedingly, sometimes ironically; “you are aPROPERnice fellow,” meaning a great scamp.PROS, a water-closet. Abbreviated form of πρὸς τινα τόπον.—Oxford University.PROSS, breaking in, or instructing, a stage-infatuated youth.—Theatrical.PSALM-SMITER, a “Ranter,” one who sings at a conventicle.—SeeBRISKET BEATER.PUB, orPUBLIC, a public-house.PUCKER, poor temper, difficulty,déshabillé.PUCKER, orPUCKER UP, to get in a poor temper.PUCKERING, talking privately.PUDDING SNAMMER, one who robs a cook shop.PUFF, to blow up, swell with praise, was declared by a writer in theWeekly Register, as far back as 1732, to be illegitimate.“Puffhas become a cant word, signifying the applause set forth by writers, &c., to increase the reputation and sale of a book, and is an excellent stratagem to excite the curiosity of gentle readers.”Lord Bacon, however, used the word in a similar sense a century before.PULL, an advantage, or hold upon another; “I’ve thePULLover you,”i.e., you are in my power—perhaps an oblique allusion to the judicial sense.—See the following.PULL, to have one apprehended; “to bePULLEDup,” to be taken before a magistrate.PULL, to drink; “come, take aPULLat it,”i.e., drink up.PULLEY, a confederate thief,—generally a woman.PUMMEL, to thrash,—fromPOMMEL.PUMP SHIP, to evacuate urine.—Sea.PURE FINDERS, street collectors of dogs’ dung.PURL, hunting term for a fall, synonymous withFOALED, orSPILT; “he’ll getPURLEDat the rails.”PURL, a mixture of hot ale and sugar, with wormwood infused in it, a favourite morning drink to produce an appetite; sometimes with gin and spice added:—“Two penn’orth o’PURL—Good ‘earlyPURL,’’Gin all the worldTo put your hair into a curl,When you feel yourself queer of a mornin’.”PUSH, a crowd.—Old cant.PUSSEY CATS, corruption ofPuseyites, a name constantly, but improperly, given to the “Tractarian” party in the Church, from the Oxford Regius Professor of Hebrew, who by no means approved of the Romanising tendencies of some of its leaders.PUT, a game at cards.PUT THE POT ON, to bet too much upon one horse.—Sporting.PUT UP, to suggest, to incite, “hePUTmeUPto it;” to have done with;PUT IT UP, is a vulgar answer often heard in the streets.Put Up, to stop at an hotel or tavern for entertainment.PUT UPON, cheated, deluded, oppressed.PYGOSTOLE, the least irreverent of names for the peculiar “M.B.” coats worn by Tractarian curates.—“It is true that the wicked make sportOf ourPYGOSTOLES, as we go by;And one gownsman, in Trinity Court,Went so far as to call me a ‘Guy,’”QUARTEREEN, a farthing.—Gibraltar term.Ital.,QUATTRINO.QUEAN (notQUEEN), a strumpet.QUEER, an old cant word, once in continual use as a prefix, signifying base, roguish, or worthless,—the opposite ofRUM, which signified good and genuine.Queer, in all probability, is immediately derived from the cant language. It has been mooted that it came into use from aquære(?) being set before a man’s name; but it is more than probable that it was brought into this country by the Gipseys from Germany, where QUER signifies “cross,” or “crooked.” At all events, it is believed to have been first used in England as a cant word.QUEEN BESS, the Queen of Clubs,—perhaps because that queen, history says, was of a swarthy complexion.—North Hants.—See Gentleman’s Magazine for 1791, p. 141.QUEER, “toQUEERa flat,” to puzzle or confound a “gull” or silly fellow.“Who in arowlike Tom could lead the van,Boozein theken, or at thespellkenhustle?WhoQUEERa flat,” &c.Don Juan, canto xi., 19.QUEER BAIL, worthless persons who for a consideration would stand bail for any one in court. Insolvent Jews generally performed this office, which gave rise to the termJEW-BAIL.—SeeMOUNTERS: both nearly obsolete.QUEER BIT-MAKERS, coiners.QUEER SCREENS, forged bank notes.QUEER SOFT, bad money.QUEER STREET, “inQUEER STREET,” in difficulty or in want.QUEER CUFFEN, a justice of the peace, or magistrate—a very ancient term, mentioned in the earliest slang dictionary.QUERIER, a chimney-sweep who calls from house to house,—formerly termedKNULLER, which see.QUI-HI, an English resident at Calcutta.—Anglo Indian.QUICK STICKS, in a hurry, rapidly; “to cutQUICK STICKS,” to be in a great hurry.QUID, or THICK UN, a sovereign; “half aQUID,” half a sovereign;QUIDS, money generally; “QUIDfor aQUOD,” one good turn for another. The word is used byOld Frenchwriters:—“Des testamens qu’on dit le maistreDe mon fait n’auraQUIDneQUOD.”Grand Testament de Villon.QUID, a small piece of tobacco—one mouthful.Quid est hoc?asked one, tapping the swelled cheek of another;hoc est quid, promptly replied the other, exhibiting at the same time “a chaw” of the weed. Probably a corruption ofCUD.QUIET, “on theQUIET,” clandestinely, so as to avoid observation, “under the rose.”QUILL-DRIVER, a scrivener, a clerk—satirical phrase similar toSTEEL BAR-DRIVER, a tailor.QUILT, to thrash, or beat.QUISBY, bankrupt, poverty stricken.—Ho. Words, No. 183.QUIZ, a prying person, an odd fellow.Oxford slang; lately admitted into dictionaries. Not noticed byJohnson.QUIZ, to pry, or joke.QUIZZICAL, jocose, humorous.QUOCKERWODGER, a wooden toy figure, which, when pulled by a string, jerks its limbs about. The term is used in a slang sense to signify a pseudo-politician, one whose strings of action are pulled by somebody else.—West.QUOD, a prison, or lock up;QUODDED, put in prison. A slang expression used by Mr. Hughes, inTom Brown’s Schooldays(Macmillan’s Magazine, January, 1860), throws some light upon the origin of this now very common street term:—“Flogged or whipped inQUAD,” says the delineator of student life, in allusion to chastisement inflicted within theQuadrangleof a college. Quadrangle is the term given to the prison inclosure within which culprits are allowed to walk, and where whippings were formerly inflicted. Quadrangle also represents a building of four sides; and to be “withinFOUR WALLS,” or prison, is the frequent slang lamentation of unlucky vagabonds.RABBIT, when a person gets the worst of a bargain he is said “to have bought theRABBIT.”RACKET, a dodge, manœuvre, exhibition; a disturbance.RACKETY, wild or noisy.RACKS, the bones of a dead horse. Term used by horse slaughterers.RACLAN, a married woman.—Gipsey.RAFE, or RALPH, a pawnbroker’s duplicate.—Norwich.RAG, to divide or share; “let’sRAG IT,” orGO RAGS,i.e., share it equally between us.—Norwich.RAGAMUFFIN, a tattered vagabond, a tatterdemalion.RAG SPLAWGER, a rich man.RAGS, bank notes.RAG-SHOP, a bank.RAIN NAPPER, umbrella.RAISE THE WIND, to obtain credit, or money—generally by pawning or selling off property.RAMP, to thieve or rob with violence.RAMPSMAN, a highway robber who uses violence when necessary.RAMSHACKLE, to shatter as with a battering ram;RAMSHACKLED, knocked about, as standing corn is after a high wind. Corrupted fromram-shatter, or possibly fromransack.RANDOM, three horses driven in line, a very appropriate term.—SeeTANDEM.RANDY, rampant, violent, warm, amorous.North,RANDY-BEGGAR, a gipsey tinker.RAN-TAN, “on theRAN-TAN,” drunk.—Ho. Words, No. 183.RANTIPOLE, a wild noisy fellow.RAP, a halfpenny; frequently used generically for money, thus: “I hav’nt aRAP,”i.e., I have no money whatever; “I don’t care aRAP,” &c. Originally a species of counterfeit coin used for small change inIreland, against the use of which a proclamation was issued, 5th May, 1737. Small copper or base metal coins are still calledRAPPENin the Swiss cantons. Irish robbers are calledRAPPAREES.RAP, to utter; “heRAPPEDout a volley of oaths.”RAPPING, enormous; “aRAPPINGbig lie.”RAPSCALLION, a low tattered wretch.RAT, a sneak, an informer, a turn-coat, one who changes his party for interest. The late Sir Robert Peel was called theRAT, or theTAMWORTH RATCATCHER, for altering his views on the Roman Catholic question. From rats deserting vessels about to sink.RAT, term amongst printers to denote one who works under price.Old cantfor a clergyman.RATHER! a ridiculous street exclamation synonymous with yes; “do you like fried chickens?” “RATHER!” “are you going out of town?” “RATHER!”RATHER OF THE RATHEREST, a phrase applied to anything slightly in excess or defect.RATTLECAP, an unsteady, volatile person.RATTLER, a cab, coach, or cart.—Old cant.RATTLERS, a railway; “on theRATTLERSto the stretchers,”i.e., going to the races by railway.RAW, uninitiated; a novice.—Old.Frequently aJOHNNY RAW.RAW, a tender point, a foible; “to touch a man up on theRAW” is to irritate one by alluding to, or joking him on, anything on which he is peculiarly susceptible or “thin-skinned.”READER, a pocket-book; “give it him for hisREADER,”i.e., rob him of his pocket-book.—Old cant.READY, orREADY GILT(properlyGELT), money. Used byArbuthnot, “Lord Strut was not veryflushinREADY.”REAM, good or genuine. From theOld cant,RUM.REAM-BLOAK, a good man.RECENT INCISION, the busy thoroughfare on the Surrey side of the Thames, known by sober people as theNEW CUT.REDGE, gold.RED HERRING, a soldier.RED LANE, the throat.RED LINER, an officer of the Mendicity Society.RED RAG, the tongue.REGULARS, a thief’s share of the plunder. “They were quarrelling about theREGULARS.”—Times, 8th January, 1856.RELIEVING OFFICER, a significant term for a father.—Univ.RENCH, vulgar pronunciation ofRINSE. “Wrenchyour mouth out,” said a fashionable dentist one day.—North.RE-RAW, “on theRE-RAW,” tipsy or drunk.—Household Words, No. 183.RHINO, ready money.RHINOCERAL, rich, wealthy, abounding inRHINO.RIB, a wife.—North.RIBBONS, the reins.—Middlesex.RIBROAST, to beat till the ribs are sore.—Old; but still in use:—“And he departs, not meanly boastingOf his magnificentRIBROASTING.”—Hudibras.RICH, spicy; also used in the sense of “too much of a good thing;” “aRICHidea,” one too absurd or unreasonable to be adopted.RIDE, “toRIDE THE HIGH HORSE,” orRIDE ROUGH-SHODover one, to be overbearing or oppressive; toRIDE THE BLACK DONKEY, to be in an ill humour.RIDER, in a University examination, a problem or question appended to another, as directly arising from or dependent on it;—beginning to be generally used for any corollary or position which naturally arises from any previous statement or evidence.RIG, a trick, “spree,” or performance; “run aRIG,” to play a trick—Gipsey; “RIGthe market,” in reality to play tricks with it,—a mercantile slang phrase often used in the newspapers.RIGGED, “wellRIGGED,” well dressed.—Old slang, in use 1736.—See Bailey’s Dictionary.—Sea.RIGHT AS NINEPENCE, quite right, exactly right.RIGHTS, “to have one toRIGHTS,” to be even with him, to serve him out.RIGMAROLE, a prolix story.RILE, to offend, to render very cross, irritated, or vexed. Properly, to render liquor turbid.—Norfolk.RING, a generic term given to horse-racing and pugilism,—the latter is sometimes termed thePRIZE-RING. From the practice of forming the crowd into aringaround the combatants, or outside the race-course.RING, “to go through theRING,” to take advantage of the Insolvency Act, or bewhitewashed.RING DROPPING,seeFAWNEY.RINGING CASTORS, changing hats.RINGING THE CHANGES, changing bad money for good.RIP, a rake; “an oldRIP,” an old libertine, or debauchee. Corruption ofReprobate. A person reading the letters R. I. P. (Requiescat in Pace) on the top of a tombstone as one word, said, soliloquising, “Rip! well, he was an oldRIP, and no mistake.”—Cuthbert Bede.RIPPER, a first-rate man or article.—Provincial.RIPPING, excellent, very good.RISE, “to take aRISEout of a person,” to mortify, outwit, or cheat him, by superior cunning.RISE (orRAISE) A BARNEY, to collect a mob.ROARER, a broken-winded horse.ROARING TRADE, a very successful business.ROAST, to expose a person to a running fire of jokes at his expense from a whole company, in his presence.Quizzingis done by a single person only.ROCK A LOW, an overcoat. Corruption of theFrenchROQUELAURE.ROCKED, “he’s onlyHALF-ROCKED,”i.e., half witted.ROLL OF SNOW, a piece of Irish linen.ROMANY, a Gipsey, or the Gipsey language; the speech of the Roma or Zincali.—Spanish Gipsey.ROOK, a clergyman, not only from his black attire, but also, perhaps, from the old nursery favourite, theHistory of Cock Robin.“I, says theROOK,With my little book,I’ll be the parson.”ROOK, a cheat, or tricky gambler; the opposite ofPIGEON.—Old.ROOKERY, a low neighbourhood inhabited by dirty Irish and thieves—asST. GILES’ ROOKERY.—Old.InMilitary slangthat part of the barracks occupied by subalterns, often by no means a pattern of good order.ROOKY, rascally, rakish, scampish.ROOST, synonymous withPERCH, which see.ROOTER, anything good or of a prime quality; “that is aROOTER,”i.e., a first-rate one of the sort.ROSE, an orange.ROSE, “under theROSE” (frequently used in itsLatinform,Sub rosâ),i.e., under the obligation of silence and secresy, of which the rose was anciently an emblem, perhaps, as Sir Thomas Browne remarks, from the closeness with which its petals are enfolded in the bud. The Rose of Venus was given, says the classic legend, to Harpocrates, the God of Silence, by Cupid, as a bribe not to “peach” about the Goddess’ amours. It was commonly sculptured on the ceilings of banquetting rooms, as a sign that what was said in free conversation there was not afterwards to be divulged and about 1526 was placed over the Roman confessionals as an emblem of secrecy. The White Rose was also an emblem of the Pretender, whose health, as king, his secret adherents used to drink “under theROSE.”ROT, nonsense, anything bad, disagreeable, or useless.ROT GUT, bad small beer,—inAmerica, cheap whisky.ROUGH, bad; “ROUGHfish,” bad or stinking fish.ROUGH IT, to put up with chance entertainment, to take pot luck, and what accommodation “turns up,” without sighing for better.“Roughing itin the Bush” is the title of an interesting work on Backwoods life.ROUGHS, coarse, or vulgar men.ROULEAU, a packet of sovereigns.—Gaming.ROUND, to tell tales, to “SPLIT,” which see; “toROUNDon a man,” to swear to him as being the person, &c. Synonymous with “BUFF,” which see.ShakesperehasROUNDING, whispering.ROUND, “ROUNDdealing,” honest trading; “ROUNDsum,” a large sum. Synonymous also in aslangsense withSQUARE, which see.ROUNDS, shirt collars—apparently a mere shortening of “All Rounds,” or “All Rounders,” names of fashionable collars.ROUNDS (in the language of the street), theBEATSor usual walks of the costermonger to sell his stock. A term used by street folk generally.“Watchmen, sometimes they made their sallies,And walk’d theirROUNDSthrough streets and allies.”Ned Ward’s Vulgus Britannicus, 1710.ROUND ROBIN, a petition, or paper of remonstrance, with the signatures written in a circle,—to prevent the first signer, or ringleader, from being discovered.ROUNDABOUTS, large swings of four compartments, each the size, and very much the shape, of the body of a cart, capable of seating six or eight boys and girls, erected in a high frame, and turned round by men at a windlass. Fairs and merry-makings generally abound with them. The frames take to pieces, and are carried in vans by miserable horses, from fair to fair, &c.ROW, a noisy disturbance, tumult, or trouble. OriginallyCambridge, now universal. Seventy years ago it was writtenROUE, which would indicate aFrenchorigin fromroué, a profligate, or disturber of the peace.—Vide George Parker’s Life’s Painter, 1789, p. 122.ROWDY, money. InAmerica, a ruffian, a brawler, “rough.”ROWDY-DOW, low, vulgar; “not theCHEESE,” or thing.RUB, a quarrel, or impediment: “there’s theRUB,”i.e., that is the difficulty.—Shakespere and L’Estrange.RUBBER, a term at whist, &c., two games out of three.—Old, 1677.RUCK, the undistinguished crowd; “to come in with theRUCK,” to arrive at the winning post among the non-winning horses.—Racing term.RUGGY, fusty, frowsy.RUM, like its opposite,QUEER, was formerly a much used prefix, signifying, fine, good, gallant, or valuable, perhaps in some way connected withROME. Now-a-days it means indifferent, bad, or questionable, and we often hear even persons in polite society use such a phrase as “what aRUMfellow he is, to be sure,” in speaking of a man of singular habits or appearance. The term, from its frequent use, long since claimed a place in our dictionaries; but, with the exception ofJohnson, who saysRUM, a cant word for a clergyman (?), no lexicographer has deigned to notice it.“ThusRUMLYfloor’d, the kind Acestes ran,And pitying, rais’d from earth the game old man.”Virgil’s Æneid, book v.,Translation by Thomas Moore.RUMBUMPTIOUS, haughty, pugilistic.RUMBUSTIOUS, orRUMBUSTICAL, pompous, haughty, boisterous, careless of the comfort of others.RUMGUMPTION, orGUMPTION, knowledge, capacity, capability,—hence,RUMGUMPTIOUS, knowing, wide-awake, forward, positive, pert, blunt.RUM MIZZLERS, persons who are clever at making their escape, or getting out of a difficulty.RUMPUS, a noise, disturbance, a “row.”RUMY, a good woman, or girl.—Gipsey slang.In the regularGipseylanguage,ROMI, a woman, a wife, is the feminine ofRO, a man; and in theRobber’s Languageof Spain (partlyGipsey),RUMIsignifies a harlot.RUN (good or bad), the success of a performance—Theatrical.RUN, to comprehend, &c.; “I don’tRUN, to it,”i.e., I can’t do it, or I don’t understand, or I have not money enough.—North.RUN, “to get theRUNupon any person,” to have the upper hand, or be able to laugh at them.Run down, to abuse or backbite anyone.RUNNING PATTERER, a street seller who runs or moves briskly along, calling aloud his wares.RUNNING STATIONERS, hawkers of books, ballads, dying speeches, and newspapers. They formerly used to run withnewspapers, blowing a horn, when they were also termedFLYING STATIONERS.RUSH, “doing it on theRUSH,” running away, or making off.RUST, “to nab theRUST,” to take offence.Rusty, cross, ill-tempered, morose, one who cannot go through life like a person of easy andpolishedmanners.RUSTY GUTS, a blunt, rough old fellow. Corruption ofRUSTICUS.SACK, “to get theSACK,” to be discharged by an employer.SADDLE, an additional charge made by the manager to a performer upon his benefit night.—Theatrical.SAD DOG, a merry fellow, a joker, a gay or “fast” man.SAINT MONDAY, a holiday most religiously observed by journeymen shoemakers, and other mechanics. An Irishman observed that this saint’s anniversary happened every week.—North, where it is termedCOBBLERS’ MONDAY.SAL, a salary.—Theatrical.SALAMANDERS, street acrobats, and jugglers who eat fire.SALOOP,SALEP, orSALOP, a greasylooking beverage, formerly sold on stalls at early morning, prepared from a powder made of the root of theOrchis mascula, or Red-handed Orchis. Within a few years coffee stands have supersededSALOOPstalls, but Charles Lamb, in one of his papers, has left some account of this drinkable, which he says was of all preparations the most grateful to the stomachs of young chimney sweeps.SALT, “its rather tooSALT,” said of an extravagant hotel bill.SALT BOX, the condemned cell in Newgate.SALTEE, a penny. Pence, &c., are thus reckoned:—Oney saltee, a penny, from theItal.,UNO SOLDO.Dooe saltee, twopenceDUE SOLDI.Tray saltee, threepenceTRE SOLDI.Quarterer saltee, fourpenceQUATTRO SOLDI.Chinker saltee, fivepenceCINQUE SOLDI.Say saltee, sixpenceSEI SOLDI.Say oney saltee, orSETTER SALTEE, sevenpenceSETTE SOLDI.Say dooe saltee, orOTTER SALTEE, eightpenceOTTO SOLDI.Say tray saltee, orNOBBA SALTEE, ninepenceNOVE SOLDI.Say quarterer saltee, orDACHA SALTEE, tenpenceDIECI SOLDI.Say chinker saltee, orDACHA ONE SALTEE, elevenpenceDIECI UNO SOLDI, &c.Oney beong, one shilling.A beong say saltee, one shilling and sixpence.Dooe beong say saltee, orMADZA CAROON, half-a-crown, or two shillings and sixpence.⁂ This curious list of numerals in use among the London street folk is, strange as it may seem, derived from theLingua Franca, or bastardItalian, of the Mediterranean seaports, of which other examples may be found in the pages of this Dictionary.Saltee, the cant term used by the costermongers and others for a penny, is no other than theItalian,SOLDO(plural,SOLDI), and the numerals—as may be seen by theItalianequivalents—are a tolerably close imitation of the originals. After the numberSIX, a curious variation occurs, which is peculiar to the London cant, seven being reckoned asSAY ONEY,six-one,SAY DOOE,six-two= 8, and so on.Dacha, I may remark, is perhaps from theGreek,DEKA(δέκα), ten, which, in the ConstantinopolitanLingua Franca, is likely enough to have been substituted for theItalian.Madza, is clearly theItalianMEZZA. The origin ofBEONGI have not been so fortunate as to discover, unless it be theFrench,BIEN, the application of which to a shilling is not so evident; but amongst costermongers and other street folk, it is quite immaterial what foreign tongue contributes to their secret language. Providing the terms are unknown to the police and the public generally, they care not a rushlight whether the polite French, the gay Spaniards, or the cloudy Germans helped to swell their vocabulary. The numbers of low foreigners, however, dragging out a miserable existence in our crowded neighbourhoods, organ grinders and image sellers, foreign seamen from the vessels in the river, and our own connection with Malta and the Ionian Isles, may explain, to a certain extent, the phenomenon of these Southern phrases in the mouths of costers and tramps.SALT JUNK, navy salt beef.—SeeOLD HORSE.SALVE, praise, flattery, chaff.SAM, to “standSAM,” to pay for refreshment, or drink, to stand paymaster for anything. AnAmericanism, originating in the letters U.S. on the knapsacks of the United States soldiers, which letters were jocularly said to be the initials ofUncle Sam(the Government), who pays for all. In use in this country as early as 1827.SANGUINARY JAMES, a sheep’s head.—SeeBLOODY JEMMY.SANK WORK, making soldiers’ clothes.Mayhewsays from theNorman,SANC, blood,—in allusion either to the soldier’s calling, or the colour of his coat.SAP, orSAPSCULL, a poor green simpleton, with no heart for work.SAUCEBOX, a mouth, also a pert young person.SAVELOY, a sausage of chopped beef smoked, a minor kind ofPOLONY.SAVEY, to know; “do youSAVEYthat?”—French,SAVEZ VOUS CELA? In the nigger andAnglo Chinese patois, this isSABBY, “me noSABBY.” The Whampoa slang of this description is very extraordinary; from it we have got our wordCASH!SAW YOUR TIMBER, “be off!” equivalent tocut your stick.—SeeCUT.SAWBONES, a surgeon.SAWNEY, orSANDY, a Scotchman. Corruption of Alexander.SAWNEY, a simpleton.SAWNEY, bacon.Sawney hunter, one who steals bacon.SCAB, a worthless person.—Old.ShakespereusesSCALDin a similar sense.SCALDRUM DODGE, burning the body with a mixture of acids and gunpowder, so as to suit the hues and complexions of the accident to be deplored.SCALY, shabby, or mean.ShakespereusesSCALD, an old word of reproach.SCAMANDER, to wander about without a settled purpose;—possibly in allusion to the winding course of the Homeric river of that name.SCAMMERED, drunk.SCAMP, a graceless fellow, a rascal; formerly the cant term for plundering and thieving. AROYAL-SCAMPwas a highwayman, whilst aFOOT-SCAMPwas an ordinary thief with nothing but his legs to trust to in case of an attempt at capture. Some have derivedSCAMPfromqui ex campo exit, viz., one who leaves the field, a deserter.SCARPER, to run away.—Spanish,ESCAPAR, to escape, make off;Italian,SCAPPARE. “Scarperwith the feele of the donna of the cassey,” to run away with the daughter of the land-lady of the house; almost pureItalian, “scappare colla figlia della donna della casa.”SCHISM-SHOP, a dissenters’ meeting-house.—University.SCHOFEL, bad money.—SeeSHOW FULL.SCHOOL, orMOB, two or more “patterers” working together in the streets.SCHOOLING, a low gambling party.SCHWASSLE BOX, the street performance of Punch and Judy.—Household Words, No. 183.SCONCE, the head, judgment, sense.—Dutch.SCORE, “to run up aSCOREat a public house,” to obtain credit there until pay day, or a fixed time, when the debt must beWIPED OFF.SCOT, a quantity of anything, a lot, a share.—Anglo Saxon,SCEAT, pronouncedSHOT.SCOT, temper, or passion,—from the irascible temperament of that nation; “oh! what aSCOThe was in,”i.e., what temper he showed,—especially if you allude to the following.SCOTCH FIDDLE, the itch; “to play theSCOTCH FIDDLE,” to work the index finger of the right hand like a fiddlestick between the index and middle finger of the left. This provokes a Scotchmen in the highest degree, it implying that he is afflicted with the itch.SCOTCH GRAYS, lice. Our northern neighbours are calumniously reported, from their living on oatmeal, to be peculiarly liable to cutaneous eruptions and parasites.SCOTCHES, the legs; also synonymous withNOTCHES.SCOUT, a college valet, or waiter.—Oxford.—SeeGYP.SCRAG, the neck.—Old cant.Scotch,CRAIG. Still used by butchers. Hence,SCRAG, to hang by the neck, andSCRAGGING, an execution,—alsoold cant.SCRAN, pieces of meat, broken victuals. Formerly the reckoning at a public-house.Scranning, begging for broken victuals. Also, anIrishmalediction of a mild sort, “BadSCRANto yer!”SCRAPE, a difficulty;SCRAPE, low wit for a shave.SCRAPE, cheap butter; “bread andSCRAPE,” the bread and butter issued to school-boys—so called from the butter being laid on, and thenscrapedoff again, for economy’s sake.SCRAPING CASTLE, a water-closet.SCRATCH, a fight, contest, point in dispute; “coming up to theSCRATCH,” going or preparing to fight—in reality, approachingthe line usually chalked on the ground to divide the ring.—Pugilistic.SCRATCH, “no greatSCRATCH,” of little worth.SCRATCH, to strike a horse’s name out of the list of runners in a particular race. “Tomboy wasSCRATCHEDfor the Derby, at 10, a.m.,on Wednesday,” from which period all bets made in reference to him (with one exception) are void.—SeeP.P.—Turf.SCRATCH-RACE (on theTurf), a race where any horse, aged, winner, or loser, can run with any weights; in fact, a race without restrictions. AtCambridgea boat-race, where the crews are drawn by lot.SCREAMING, first-rate, splendid. Believed to have been first used in theAdelphiplay-bills; “aSCREAMINGfarce,” one calculated to make the audience scream with laughter. Now a general expression.SCREEVE, a letter, a begging petition.SCREEVE, to write, or devise; “toSCREEVEa fakement,” to concoct, or write, a begging letter, or other impostor’s document. From theDutch,SCHRYVEN;German,SCHREIBEN;French,ECRIVANT(old form), to write.SCREEVER, a man who draws with coloured chalks on the pavement figures of our Saviour crowned with thorns, specimens of elaborate writing, thunderstorms, ships on fire, &c. The men who attend these pavement chalkings, and receive halfpence and sixpences from the admirers of street art, are not always the draughtsmen. The artist, orSCREEVER, drew, perhaps, in half-a-dozen places that very morning, and rented the spots out to as many cadaverous looking men.SCREW, an unsound, or broken-down horse, that requires both whip and spur to get him along.SCREW, a key,—skeleton, or otherwise.SCREW, a turnkey.SCREW, a mean or stingy person.SCREW, salary or wages.SCREW, “to put on theSCREW,” to limit one’s credit, to be more exact and precise.SCREW LOOSE, when friends become cold and distant towards each other, it is said there is aSCREW LOOSEbetwixt them; said also when anything goes wrong with a person’s credit or reputation.SCREW, a small packet of tobacco.SCREWED, intoxicated or drunk.SCRIMMAGE, orSCRUMMAGE, a disturbance or row.—Ancient.Corruption ofskirmish?SCROBY, “to getSCROBY,” to be whipped in prison before the justices.SCROUGE, to crowd or squeeze.—Wiltshire.SCRUFF, the back part of the neck seized by the adversary in an encounter.SCRUMPTIOUS, nice, particular, beautiful.SCUFTER, a policeman.—North country.SCULL, orSKULL, the head or master of a college.—University, but nearlyobsolete; the gallery, however, in St. Mary’s (the University church), where the “Heads of Houses” sit in solemn state, is still nicknamed theGOLGOTHAby the undergraduates.SCURF, a mean fellow.SEALS, a religious slang term for converts.—SeeOWNED.SEEDY, worn out, poverty stricken, used up, shabby. Metaphorical expression from the appearance of flowers when off bloom and running toseed; hence said of one who wears clothes until they crack and become shabby; “howSEEDYhe looks,” said of any man whose clothes are worn threadbare, with greasy facings, and hat brightened up by perspiration and continual polishing and wetting. When a man’s coat begins to look worn out and shabby he is said to lookSEEDYand ready forcutting. This term has been “on the streets” for nearly two centuries, and latterly has found its way into most dictionaries. Formerly slang, it is now a recognised word, and one of the most expressive in the English language. The French are always amused with it, they having no similar term.SELL, to deceive, swindle, or play a practical joke upon a person. A sham is aSELLin street parlance. “Soldagain, and got the money,” a costermonger cries after having successfully deceived somebody.ShakespereusesSELLINGin a similar sense, viz., blinding or deceiving.SELL, a deception, disappointment; also a lying joke.SENSATION, a quartern of gin.SERENE, all right; “it’s allSERENE,” a street phrase of very modern adoption, the burden of a song.SERVE OUT, to punish, or be revenged on any one.SETTER, sevenpence.Italian,SETTE.—SeeSALTEE.SETTER, a person employed by the vendor at an auction to run the biddings up; to bid againstbonâ fidebidders.SETTLE, to kill, ruin, or effectually quiet a person.SETTLED, transported.SET TO, a sparring match, a fight; “a dead set,” a determined stand, in argument or in movement.SEVEN PENNORTH, transported for seven years.SEWED-UP, done up, used up, intoxicated.Dutch,SEEUWT, sick.SHACK, a “chevalier d’industrie.”SHACKLY, loose, rickety.—Devonshire.SHAKE, a prostitute, a disreputable man or woman.—North.SHAKE, to take away, to steal, or run off with anything; “whatSHAKES, Bill?” “None,”i.e., no chance of committing a robbery.—See the following.SHAKE, orSHAKES, a bad bargain is said to be “no greatSHAKES;” “pretty fairSHAKES” is anything good or favourable.—Byron.InAmerica, a fairSHAKEis a fair trade or a good bargain.SHAKE LURK, a false paper carried by an impostor, giving an account of a “dreadful shipwreck.”SHAKER, a shirt.SHAKESTER, orSHICKSTER, a prostitute. Amongst costermongers this term is invariably applied toladies, or the wives of tradesmen, and females generally of the classes immediately above them.SHAKY, said of a person of questionable health, integrity, or solvency; at theUniversity, of one not likely to pass his examination.SHALER, a girl.SHALLOW, a flat basket used by costers.SHALLOWS, “to go on theSHALLOWS,” to go half naked.SHALLOW-COVE, a begging rascal who goes about the country half naked,—with the most limited amount of rags upon his person, wearing neither shoes, stockings, nor hat.SHALLOW-MOT, a ragged woman,—the frequent companion of theSHALLOW-COVE.SHALLOW-SCREEVER, a man who sketches and draws on the pavement.—SeeSCREEVER.SHAM ABRAHAM, to feign sickness.—SeeABRAHAM.SHANDY-GAFF, ale and ginger beer; perhapsSANG DE GOFF, the favourite mixture of oneGOFF, a blacksmith.SHANKS, legs.SHANKS’ NAG, “to rideSHANKS’ NAG,” to go on foot.SHANT, a pot or quart; “SHANTof bivvy,” a quart of beer.SHAPES, “to cut up” or “showSHAPES,” to exhibit pranks, or flightiness.SHARP, orSHARPER, a cunning cheat, a rogue,—the opposite ofFLAT.SHARP’S-ALLEY BLOOD WORMS, beef sausages and black puddings. Sharp’s-alley was very recently a noted slaughtering place near Smithfield.SHARPING-OMEE, a policeman.SHARK, a sharper, a swindler.Bow-streetterm in 1785, now in most dictionaries.—FriesicandDanish,SCHURK.—SeeLAND-SHARK.SHAVE, a false alarm, a hoax, a sell. This was much used in the Crimea during the Russian campaign.SHAVE, a narrow escape. At Cambridge, “justSHAVINGthrough,” or “making aSHAVE,” is just escaping a “pluck” by coming out at the bottom of the list.
“He first began to eye his pipe,And then toPIPE HIS EYE.”Old Song.
“He first began to eye his pipe,And then toPIPE HIS EYE.”Old Song.
“He first began to eye his pipe,
And then toPIPE HIS EYE.”
Old Song.
Metaphor from the boatswain’s pipe, which calls to duty.
PIPE, “to put one’sPIPEout,” to traverse his plans, “take a rise” out of him.
PIPKIN, the stomach,—properly, an earthen round-bottomed pot.—Norwich.
PIT, a breast pocket.
PITCH, a fixed locality where a patterer can hold forth to a gaping multitude for at least some few minutes continuously; “to do aPITCHin the drag,” to perform in the street.
PITCH INTO, to fight; “PITCH INTOhim, Bill,”i.e., give him a thrashing.
PITCH THE FORK, to tell a pitiful tale.
PITCH THE NOB,PRICK THE GARTER, which see.
PLANT, a dodge, a preconcerted swindle; a position in the street to sell from.Plant, a swindle, may be thus described: a coster will join a party of gambling costers that he never saw before, and commence tossing. When sufficient time has elapsed to remove all suspicions of companionship, his mate will come up and commence betting on each of hisPAL’Sthrows with those standing around. By a curious quickness of hand, a coster can make the toss tell favourably for his wagering friend, who meets him in the evening after the play is over and shares the spoil.
PLANT, to mark a person out for plunder or robbery, to conceal, or place.—Old cant.
PLEBS, a term used to stigmatise a tradesman’s son at Westminster School.Latin,PLEBS, the vulgar.
PLOUGHED, drunk.—Household Words, No. 183. Also aUniversityterm equivalent toPLUCKED.
PLUCK, the heart, liver, and lungs of an animal,—all that isPLUCKEDaway in connection with the windpipe, from the chest of a sheep or hog; among low persons, courage, valour, and a stout heart.—SeeMOLLYGRUBS.
PLUCK’D-’UN, a stout or brave fellow; “he’s a rarePLUCKED-’UN,”i.e., dares face anything.
During the Crimean war,PLUCKY, signifying courageous, seemed likely to become a favourite term in May-Fair, even among the ladies. An eminent critic, however, who had been bred a butcher, having informed the fashionable world that in his native town thesheep’s headalways went with thePLUCK, the term has been gradually falling into discredit at the West End.
It has been said that a brave soldier isPLUCKYin attack, andGAMEwhen wounded. Women are moreGAMEthanPLUCKY.
PLUCKED, turned back at an examination.—University.
PLUNDER, a common word in the horse trade to express profit. Also anAmericanterm for baggage, luggage.
PLUM, £100,000, usually applied to the dowry of a rich heiress, or a legacy.
PLUMMY, round, sleek, jolly, or fat; excellent, very good, first rate.
PLUMPER, a single vote at an election, not a “split ticket.”
PODGY, drunk; dumpy, short and fat.
POGRAM, a dissenter, a fanatic, formalist, or humbug.
POKE, “come, none of yourPOKINGfun at me,”i.e., you must not laugh at me.
POKE, a bag, or sack; “to buy a pig in aPOKE,” to purchase anything without seeing it.—Saxon.
POKER, “by the holyPOKERand the tumbling Tom!” an Irish oath.
POKERS, the Cambridge slang term for the Esquire Bedels, who carry the silver maces (also calledPOKERS) before the Vice-Chancellor.
POKY, confined or cramped; “that corner isPOKYand narrow.”—Timesarticle, 21st July, 1859.
POLE-AXE, vulgar corruption of policeman.
POLICEMAN, a fly.
POLISH OFF, to finish off anything quickly—a dinner for instance; also to finish off an adversary.—Pugilistic.
POLL, orPOLLING, one thief robbing another of part of their booty.—Hall’s Union, 1548.
POLL, the “ordinary degree” candidates for the B.A. Examination, who do not aspire to the “Honours” list. From theGreek, ὁι πόλλοι, “the many.” Some years ago, at Cambridge, Mr. Hopkins being the most celebrated “honour coach,” or private tutor for the wranglers, and Mr. Potts the principal “crammer” of the non-honour men, the latter was facetiously termed the “POLLY HOPKINS” by the undergraduates.
POLL, a prostitute;POLLED UP, living with a woman without being married to her.
POLONY, aBolognasausage.
POONA, a sovereign.—Corruption ofpound; or from theLingua Franca?
PONY, twenty-five pounds.—Sporting.
POPS, pocket pistols.
POP, to pawn or pledge; “toPOPup the spout,” to pledge at the pawnbroker’s,—an allusion to the spout up which the brokers send the ticketed articles until such times as they shall be redeemed. The spout runs from the ground floor to the wareroom at the top of the house.
POSH, a halfpenny, or trifling coin. Also a generic term for money.
POSTERIORS, a correspondent insists that the vulgar sense of this word is undoubtedly slang (Swift, I believe, first applied it as such), and remarks that it is curious the wordanteriorhas not been so abused.
POST-HORN, the nose.—SeePASTE-HORN.
POST-MORTEM, at Cambridge, the second examination which men who have been “plucked” have to undergo.—University.
POT, a sixpence,i.e., the price of a pot or quart of half-and-half. A half crown, in medical student slang, is aFIVE-POT PIECE.
POT, “toGO TO POT,” to die; from the classic custom of putting the ashes of the dead in an urn; also, to be ruined, or broken up,—often applied to tradesmen who fail in business.Go to pot!i.e., go and hang yourself, shut up and be quiet.L’Estrange, toPUT THE POT ON, to overcharge, or exaggerate.
POT, to finish; “don’tPOTme,” term used at billiards. This word was much used by our soldiers in the Crimea, for firing at the enemy from a hole or ambush. These were calledPOT-SHOTS.
POT-HUNTER, a sportsman who shoots anything he comes across, having more regard to filling his bag than to the rules which regulate the sport.
POT-LUCK, just as it comes; to takePOT-LUCK,i.e., one’s chance of a dinner,—a hearty term used to signify whatever the pot contains you are welcome to.
POT-WALLOPERS, electors in certain boroughs before the passing of the Reform Bill, whose qualification consisted in being housekeepers,—to establish which, it was only necessary to boil a pot within the limits of the borough, by the aid of any temporary erection. This implied that they were able to provide for themselves, and not necessitated to apply for parochial relief.Wallop, a word ofAnglo Saxonderivation, from the same root aswall.
POTTED, orPOTTED OUT, cabined, confined; “the patriotic member of ParliamentPOTTED OUTin a dusty little lodging somewhere about Bury-street.”—Timesarticle, 21st July, 1859. Also applied to burial.
POTTY, indifferent, bad looking.
POTATO TRAP, the mouth. A humorousHibernicism.
POWER, a large quantity.—FormerlyIrish, but now general; “aPOWERof money.”
PRAD, a horse.
PRAD NAPPING, horse stealing.
PRANCER, a horse.—Ancient cant.
PRICK THE GARTER, orPITCH THE NOB, a gambling and cheatinggame common at fairs, and generally practised by thimble riggers. It consists of a “garter” or a piece of list doubled, and then folded up tight. The bet is made upon your asserting that you can, with a pin, “prick” the point at which the garter is doubled. The garter is then unfolded, and nine times out of ten you will find that you have been deceived, and that you pricked one of the false folds. The owner of the garter, I should state, holds the ends tightly with one hand. This was, doubtless, originally a Gipsey game, and we are informed byBrandthat it was much practised by the Gipseys in the time ofShakespere. In those days, it was termedPRICKING AT THE BELT, orFAST AND LOOSE.
PRIG, a thief.Used byAddisonin the sense of a coxcomb.Ancient cant, probably from theSaxon,PRICC-AN, to filch, &c.—Shakespere.Prig, to steal, or rob.Prigging, thieving. InScotlandthe termPRIGis used in a different sense from what it is in England. In Glasgow, or at Aberdeen, “toPRIGa salmon,” would be to cheapen it, or seek for an abatement in the price. A story is told of two Scotchmen, visitors to London, who got into sad trouble a few years ago by announcing their intention of “PRIGGINGa hat” which they had espied in a fashionable manufacturer’s window, and which one of them thought he would like to possess.
PRIME PLANT, a good subject for plunder.—SeePLANT.
PRIMED, said of a person in that state of incipient intoxication that if he takes more drink it will become evident.
PRO, a professional.—Theatrical.
PROG, meat, food, &c.Johnsoncalls it “a low word.”
PROP, a gold scarf pin.
PROP-NAILER, a man who steals, or rather snatches, pins from gentlemen’s scarfs.
PROPS, crutches.
PROPER, very, exceedingly, sometimes ironically; “you are aPROPERnice fellow,” meaning a great scamp.
PROS, a water-closet. Abbreviated form of πρὸς τινα τόπον.—Oxford University.
PROSS, breaking in, or instructing, a stage-infatuated youth.—Theatrical.
PSALM-SMITER, a “Ranter,” one who sings at a conventicle.—SeeBRISKET BEATER.
PUB, orPUBLIC, a public-house.
PUCKER, poor temper, difficulty,déshabillé.
PUCKER, orPUCKER UP, to get in a poor temper.
PUCKERING, talking privately.
PUDDING SNAMMER, one who robs a cook shop.
PUFF, to blow up, swell with praise, was declared by a writer in theWeekly Register, as far back as 1732, to be illegitimate.
“Puffhas become a cant word, signifying the applause set forth by writers, &c., to increase the reputation and sale of a book, and is an excellent stratagem to excite the curiosity of gentle readers.”
“Puffhas become a cant word, signifying the applause set forth by writers, &c., to increase the reputation and sale of a book, and is an excellent stratagem to excite the curiosity of gentle readers.”
Lord Bacon, however, used the word in a similar sense a century before.
PULL, an advantage, or hold upon another; “I’ve thePULLover you,”i.e., you are in my power—perhaps an oblique allusion to the judicial sense.—See the following.
PULL, to have one apprehended; “to bePULLEDup,” to be taken before a magistrate.
PULL, to drink; “come, take aPULLat it,”i.e., drink up.
PULLEY, a confederate thief,—generally a woman.
PUMMEL, to thrash,—fromPOMMEL.
PUMP SHIP, to evacuate urine.—Sea.
PURE FINDERS, street collectors of dogs’ dung.
PURL, hunting term for a fall, synonymous withFOALED, orSPILT; “he’ll getPURLEDat the rails.”
PURL, a mixture of hot ale and sugar, with wormwood infused in it, a favourite morning drink to produce an appetite; sometimes with gin and spice added:—
“Two penn’orth o’PURL—Good ‘earlyPURL,’’Gin all the worldTo put your hair into a curl,When you feel yourself queer of a mornin’.”
“Two penn’orth o’PURL—Good ‘earlyPURL,’’Gin all the worldTo put your hair into a curl,When you feel yourself queer of a mornin’.”
“Two penn’orth o’PURL—
Good ‘earlyPURL,’
’Gin all the world
To put your hair into a curl,
When you feel yourself queer of a mornin’.”
PUSH, a crowd.—Old cant.
PUSSEY CATS, corruption ofPuseyites, a name constantly, but improperly, given to the “Tractarian” party in the Church, from the Oxford Regius Professor of Hebrew, who by no means approved of the Romanising tendencies of some of its leaders.
PUT, a game at cards.
PUT THE POT ON, to bet too much upon one horse.—Sporting.
PUT UP, to suggest, to incite, “hePUTmeUPto it;” to have done with;PUT IT UP, is a vulgar answer often heard in the streets.Put Up, to stop at an hotel or tavern for entertainment.
PUT UPON, cheated, deluded, oppressed.
PYGOSTOLE, the least irreverent of names for the peculiar “M.B.” coats worn by Tractarian curates.—
“It is true that the wicked make sportOf ourPYGOSTOLES, as we go by;And one gownsman, in Trinity Court,Went so far as to call me a ‘Guy,’”
“It is true that the wicked make sportOf ourPYGOSTOLES, as we go by;And one gownsman, in Trinity Court,Went so far as to call me a ‘Guy,’”
“It is true that the wicked make sport
Of ourPYGOSTOLES, as we go by;
And one gownsman, in Trinity Court,
Went so far as to call me a ‘Guy,’”
QUARTEREEN, a farthing.—Gibraltar term.Ital.,QUATTRINO.
QUEAN (notQUEEN), a strumpet.
QUEER, an old cant word, once in continual use as a prefix, signifying base, roguish, or worthless,—the opposite ofRUM, which signified good and genuine.Queer, in all probability, is immediately derived from the cant language. It has been mooted that it came into use from aquære(?) being set before a man’s name; but it is more than probable that it was brought into this country by the Gipseys from Germany, where QUER signifies “cross,” or “crooked.” At all events, it is believed to have been first used in England as a cant word.
QUEEN BESS, the Queen of Clubs,—perhaps because that queen, history says, was of a swarthy complexion.—North Hants.—See Gentleman’s Magazine for 1791, p. 141.
QUEER, “toQUEERa flat,” to puzzle or confound a “gull” or silly fellow.
“Who in arowlike Tom could lead the van,Boozein theken, or at thespellkenhustle?WhoQUEERa flat,” &c.Don Juan, canto xi., 19.
“Who in arowlike Tom could lead the van,Boozein theken, or at thespellkenhustle?WhoQUEERa flat,” &c.Don Juan, canto xi., 19.
“Who in arowlike Tom could lead the van,
Boozein theken, or at thespellkenhustle?
WhoQUEERa flat,” &c.
Don Juan, canto xi., 19.
QUEER BAIL, worthless persons who for a consideration would stand bail for any one in court. Insolvent Jews generally performed this office, which gave rise to the termJEW-BAIL.—SeeMOUNTERS: both nearly obsolete.
QUEER BIT-MAKERS, coiners.
QUEER SCREENS, forged bank notes.
QUEER SOFT, bad money.
QUEER STREET, “inQUEER STREET,” in difficulty or in want.
QUEER CUFFEN, a justice of the peace, or magistrate—a very ancient term, mentioned in the earliest slang dictionary.
QUERIER, a chimney-sweep who calls from house to house,—formerly termedKNULLER, which see.
QUI-HI, an English resident at Calcutta.—Anglo Indian.
QUICK STICKS, in a hurry, rapidly; “to cutQUICK STICKS,” to be in a great hurry.
QUID, or THICK UN, a sovereign; “half aQUID,” half a sovereign;QUIDS, money generally; “QUIDfor aQUOD,” one good turn for another. The word is used byOld Frenchwriters:—
“Des testamens qu’on dit le maistreDe mon fait n’auraQUIDneQUOD.”Grand Testament de Villon.
“Des testamens qu’on dit le maistreDe mon fait n’auraQUIDneQUOD.”Grand Testament de Villon.
“Des testamens qu’on dit le maistre
De mon fait n’auraQUIDneQUOD.”
Grand Testament de Villon.
QUID, a small piece of tobacco—one mouthful.Quid est hoc?asked one, tapping the swelled cheek of another;hoc est quid, promptly replied the other, exhibiting at the same time “a chaw” of the weed. Probably a corruption ofCUD.
QUIET, “on theQUIET,” clandestinely, so as to avoid observation, “under the rose.”
QUILL-DRIVER, a scrivener, a clerk—satirical phrase similar toSTEEL BAR-DRIVER, a tailor.
QUILT, to thrash, or beat.
QUISBY, bankrupt, poverty stricken.—Ho. Words, No. 183.
QUIZ, a prying person, an odd fellow.Oxford slang; lately admitted into dictionaries. Not noticed byJohnson.
QUIZ, to pry, or joke.
QUIZZICAL, jocose, humorous.
QUOCKERWODGER, a wooden toy figure, which, when pulled by a string, jerks its limbs about. The term is used in a slang sense to signify a pseudo-politician, one whose strings of action are pulled by somebody else.—West.
QUOD, a prison, or lock up;QUODDED, put in prison. A slang expression used by Mr. Hughes, inTom Brown’s Schooldays(Macmillan’s Magazine, January, 1860), throws some light upon the origin of this now very common street term:—“Flogged or whipped inQUAD,” says the delineator of student life, in allusion to chastisement inflicted within theQuadrangleof a college. Quadrangle is the term given to the prison inclosure within which culprits are allowed to walk, and where whippings were formerly inflicted. Quadrangle also represents a building of four sides; and to be “withinFOUR WALLS,” or prison, is the frequent slang lamentation of unlucky vagabonds.
RABBIT, when a person gets the worst of a bargain he is said “to have bought theRABBIT.”
RACKET, a dodge, manœuvre, exhibition; a disturbance.
RACKETY, wild or noisy.
RACKS, the bones of a dead horse. Term used by horse slaughterers.
RACLAN, a married woman.—Gipsey.
RAFE, or RALPH, a pawnbroker’s duplicate.—Norwich.
RAG, to divide or share; “let’sRAG IT,” orGO RAGS,i.e., share it equally between us.—Norwich.
RAGAMUFFIN, a tattered vagabond, a tatterdemalion.
RAG SPLAWGER, a rich man.
RAGS, bank notes.
RAG-SHOP, a bank.
RAIN NAPPER, umbrella.
RAISE THE WIND, to obtain credit, or money—generally by pawning or selling off property.
RAMP, to thieve or rob with violence.
RAMPSMAN, a highway robber who uses violence when necessary.
RAMSHACKLE, to shatter as with a battering ram;RAMSHACKLED, knocked about, as standing corn is after a high wind. Corrupted fromram-shatter, or possibly fromransack.
RANDOM, three horses driven in line, a very appropriate term.—SeeTANDEM.
RANDY, rampant, violent, warm, amorous.North,RANDY-BEGGAR, a gipsey tinker.
RAN-TAN, “on theRAN-TAN,” drunk.—Ho. Words, No. 183.
RANTIPOLE, a wild noisy fellow.
RAP, a halfpenny; frequently used generically for money, thus: “I hav’nt aRAP,”i.e., I have no money whatever; “I don’t care aRAP,” &c. Originally a species of counterfeit coin used for small change inIreland, against the use of which a proclamation was issued, 5th May, 1737. Small copper or base metal coins are still calledRAPPENin the Swiss cantons. Irish robbers are calledRAPPAREES.
RAP, to utter; “heRAPPEDout a volley of oaths.”
RAPPING, enormous; “aRAPPINGbig lie.”
RAPSCALLION, a low tattered wretch.
RAT, a sneak, an informer, a turn-coat, one who changes his party for interest. The late Sir Robert Peel was called theRAT, or theTAMWORTH RATCATCHER, for altering his views on the Roman Catholic question. From rats deserting vessels about to sink.
RAT, term amongst printers to denote one who works under price.Old cantfor a clergyman.
RATHER! a ridiculous street exclamation synonymous with yes; “do you like fried chickens?” “RATHER!” “are you going out of town?” “RATHER!”
RATHER OF THE RATHEREST, a phrase applied to anything slightly in excess or defect.
RATTLECAP, an unsteady, volatile person.
RATTLER, a cab, coach, or cart.—Old cant.
RATTLERS, a railway; “on theRATTLERSto the stretchers,”i.e., going to the races by railway.
RAW, uninitiated; a novice.—Old.Frequently aJOHNNY RAW.
RAW, a tender point, a foible; “to touch a man up on theRAW” is to irritate one by alluding to, or joking him on, anything on which he is peculiarly susceptible or “thin-skinned.”
READER, a pocket-book; “give it him for hisREADER,”i.e., rob him of his pocket-book.—Old cant.
READY, orREADY GILT(properlyGELT), money. Used byArbuthnot, “Lord Strut was not veryflushinREADY.”
REAM, good or genuine. From theOld cant,RUM.
REAM-BLOAK, a good man.
RECENT INCISION, the busy thoroughfare on the Surrey side of the Thames, known by sober people as theNEW CUT.
REDGE, gold.
RED HERRING, a soldier.
RED LANE, the throat.
RED LINER, an officer of the Mendicity Society.
RED RAG, the tongue.
REGULARS, a thief’s share of the plunder. “They were quarrelling about theREGULARS.”—Times, 8th January, 1856.
RELIEVING OFFICER, a significant term for a father.—Univ.
RENCH, vulgar pronunciation ofRINSE. “Wrenchyour mouth out,” said a fashionable dentist one day.—North.
RE-RAW, “on theRE-RAW,” tipsy or drunk.—Household Words, No. 183.
RHINO, ready money.
RHINOCERAL, rich, wealthy, abounding inRHINO.
RIB, a wife.—North.
RIBBONS, the reins.—Middlesex.
RIBROAST, to beat till the ribs are sore.—Old; but still in use:—
“And he departs, not meanly boastingOf his magnificentRIBROASTING.”—Hudibras.
“And he departs, not meanly boastingOf his magnificentRIBROASTING.”—Hudibras.
“And he departs, not meanly boasting
Of his magnificentRIBROASTING.”—Hudibras.
RICH, spicy; also used in the sense of “too much of a good thing;” “aRICHidea,” one too absurd or unreasonable to be adopted.
RIDE, “toRIDE THE HIGH HORSE,” orRIDE ROUGH-SHODover one, to be overbearing or oppressive; toRIDE THE BLACK DONKEY, to be in an ill humour.
RIDER, in a University examination, a problem or question appended to another, as directly arising from or dependent on it;—beginning to be generally used for any corollary or position which naturally arises from any previous statement or evidence.
RIG, a trick, “spree,” or performance; “run aRIG,” to play a trick—Gipsey; “RIGthe market,” in reality to play tricks with it,—a mercantile slang phrase often used in the newspapers.
RIGGED, “wellRIGGED,” well dressed.—Old slang, in use 1736.—See Bailey’s Dictionary.—Sea.
RIGHT AS NINEPENCE, quite right, exactly right.
RIGHTS, “to have one toRIGHTS,” to be even with him, to serve him out.
RIGMAROLE, a prolix story.
RILE, to offend, to render very cross, irritated, or vexed. Properly, to render liquor turbid.—Norfolk.
RING, a generic term given to horse-racing and pugilism,—the latter is sometimes termed thePRIZE-RING. From the practice of forming the crowd into aringaround the combatants, or outside the race-course.
RING, “to go through theRING,” to take advantage of the Insolvency Act, or bewhitewashed.
RING DROPPING,seeFAWNEY.
RINGING CASTORS, changing hats.
RINGING THE CHANGES, changing bad money for good.
RIP, a rake; “an oldRIP,” an old libertine, or debauchee. Corruption ofReprobate. A person reading the letters R. I. P. (Requiescat in Pace) on the top of a tombstone as one word, said, soliloquising, “Rip! well, he was an oldRIP, and no mistake.”—Cuthbert Bede.
RIPPER, a first-rate man or article.—Provincial.
RIPPING, excellent, very good.
RISE, “to take aRISEout of a person,” to mortify, outwit, or cheat him, by superior cunning.
RISE (orRAISE) A BARNEY, to collect a mob.
ROARER, a broken-winded horse.
ROARING TRADE, a very successful business.
ROAST, to expose a person to a running fire of jokes at his expense from a whole company, in his presence.Quizzingis done by a single person only.
ROCK A LOW, an overcoat. Corruption of theFrenchROQUELAURE.
ROCKED, “he’s onlyHALF-ROCKED,”i.e., half witted.
ROLL OF SNOW, a piece of Irish linen.
ROMANY, a Gipsey, or the Gipsey language; the speech of the Roma or Zincali.—Spanish Gipsey.
ROOK, a clergyman, not only from his black attire, but also, perhaps, from the old nursery favourite, theHistory of Cock Robin.
“I, says theROOK,With my little book,I’ll be the parson.”
“I, says theROOK,With my little book,I’ll be the parson.”
“I, says theROOK,
With my little book,
I’ll be the parson.”
ROOK, a cheat, or tricky gambler; the opposite ofPIGEON.—Old.
ROOKERY, a low neighbourhood inhabited by dirty Irish and thieves—asST. GILES’ ROOKERY.—Old.InMilitary slangthat part of the barracks occupied by subalterns, often by no means a pattern of good order.
ROOKY, rascally, rakish, scampish.
ROOST, synonymous withPERCH, which see.
ROOTER, anything good or of a prime quality; “that is aROOTER,”i.e., a first-rate one of the sort.
ROSE, an orange.
ROSE, “under theROSE” (frequently used in itsLatinform,Sub rosâ),i.e., under the obligation of silence and secresy, of which the rose was anciently an emblem, perhaps, as Sir Thomas Browne remarks, from the closeness with which its petals are enfolded in the bud. The Rose of Venus was given, says the classic legend, to Harpocrates, the God of Silence, by Cupid, as a bribe not to “peach” about the Goddess’ amours. It was commonly sculptured on the ceilings of banquetting rooms, as a sign that what was said in free conversation there was not afterwards to be divulged and about 1526 was placed over the Roman confessionals as an emblem of secrecy. The White Rose was also an emblem of the Pretender, whose health, as king, his secret adherents used to drink “under theROSE.”
ROT, nonsense, anything bad, disagreeable, or useless.
ROT GUT, bad small beer,—inAmerica, cheap whisky.
ROUGH, bad; “ROUGHfish,” bad or stinking fish.
ROUGH IT, to put up with chance entertainment, to take pot luck, and what accommodation “turns up,” without sighing for better.“Roughing itin the Bush” is the title of an interesting work on Backwoods life.
ROUGHS, coarse, or vulgar men.
ROULEAU, a packet of sovereigns.—Gaming.
ROUND, to tell tales, to “SPLIT,” which see; “toROUNDon a man,” to swear to him as being the person, &c. Synonymous with “BUFF,” which see.ShakesperehasROUNDING, whispering.
ROUND, “ROUNDdealing,” honest trading; “ROUNDsum,” a large sum. Synonymous also in aslangsense withSQUARE, which see.
ROUNDS, shirt collars—apparently a mere shortening of “All Rounds,” or “All Rounders,” names of fashionable collars.
ROUNDS (in the language of the street), theBEATSor usual walks of the costermonger to sell his stock. A term used by street folk generally.
“Watchmen, sometimes they made their sallies,And walk’d theirROUNDSthrough streets and allies.”Ned Ward’s Vulgus Britannicus, 1710.
“Watchmen, sometimes they made their sallies,And walk’d theirROUNDSthrough streets and allies.”Ned Ward’s Vulgus Britannicus, 1710.
“Watchmen, sometimes they made their sallies,
And walk’d theirROUNDSthrough streets and allies.”
Ned Ward’s Vulgus Britannicus, 1710.
ROUND ROBIN, a petition, or paper of remonstrance, with the signatures written in a circle,—to prevent the first signer, or ringleader, from being discovered.
ROUNDABOUTS, large swings of four compartments, each the size, and very much the shape, of the body of a cart, capable of seating six or eight boys and girls, erected in a high frame, and turned round by men at a windlass. Fairs and merry-makings generally abound with them. The frames take to pieces, and are carried in vans by miserable horses, from fair to fair, &c.
ROW, a noisy disturbance, tumult, or trouble. OriginallyCambridge, now universal. Seventy years ago it was writtenROUE, which would indicate aFrenchorigin fromroué, a profligate, or disturber of the peace.—Vide George Parker’s Life’s Painter, 1789, p. 122.
ROWDY, money. InAmerica, a ruffian, a brawler, “rough.”
ROWDY-DOW, low, vulgar; “not theCHEESE,” or thing.
RUB, a quarrel, or impediment: “there’s theRUB,”i.e., that is the difficulty.—Shakespere and L’Estrange.
RUBBER, a term at whist, &c., two games out of three.—Old, 1677.
RUCK, the undistinguished crowd; “to come in with theRUCK,” to arrive at the winning post among the non-winning horses.—Racing term.
RUGGY, fusty, frowsy.
RUM, like its opposite,QUEER, was formerly a much used prefix, signifying, fine, good, gallant, or valuable, perhaps in some way connected withROME. Now-a-days it means indifferent, bad, or questionable, and we often hear even persons in polite society use such a phrase as “what aRUMfellow he is, to be sure,” in speaking of a man of singular habits or appearance. The term, from its frequent use, long since claimed a place in our dictionaries; but, with the exception ofJohnson, who saysRUM, a cant word for a clergyman (?), no lexicographer has deigned to notice it.
“ThusRUMLYfloor’d, the kind Acestes ran,And pitying, rais’d from earth the game old man.”Virgil’s Æneid, book v.,Translation by Thomas Moore.
“ThusRUMLYfloor’d, the kind Acestes ran,And pitying, rais’d from earth the game old man.”Virgil’s Æneid, book v.,Translation by Thomas Moore.
“ThusRUMLYfloor’d, the kind Acestes ran,
And pitying, rais’d from earth the game old man.”
Virgil’s Æneid, book v.,Translation by Thomas Moore.
RUMBUMPTIOUS, haughty, pugilistic.
RUMBUSTIOUS, orRUMBUSTICAL, pompous, haughty, boisterous, careless of the comfort of others.
RUMGUMPTION, orGUMPTION, knowledge, capacity, capability,—hence,RUMGUMPTIOUS, knowing, wide-awake, forward, positive, pert, blunt.
RUM MIZZLERS, persons who are clever at making their escape, or getting out of a difficulty.
RUMPUS, a noise, disturbance, a “row.”
RUMY, a good woman, or girl.—Gipsey slang.In the regularGipseylanguage,ROMI, a woman, a wife, is the feminine ofRO, a man; and in theRobber’s Languageof Spain (partlyGipsey),RUMIsignifies a harlot.
RUN (good or bad), the success of a performance—Theatrical.
RUN, to comprehend, &c.; “I don’tRUN, to it,”i.e., I can’t do it, or I don’t understand, or I have not money enough.—North.
RUN, “to get theRUNupon any person,” to have the upper hand, or be able to laugh at them.Run down, to abuse or backbite anyone.
RUNNING PATTERER, a street seller who runs or moves briskly along, calling aloud his wares.
RUNNING STATIONERS, hawkers of books, ballads, dying speeches, and newspapers. They formerly used to run withnewspapers, blowing a horn, when they were also termedFLYING STATIONERS.
RUSH, “doing it on theRUSH,” running away, or making off.
RUST, “to nab theRUST,” to take offence.Rusty, cross, ill-tempered, morose, one who cannot go through life like a person of easy andpolishedmanners.
RUSTY GUTS, a blunt, rough old fellow. Corruption ofRUSTICUS.
SACK, “to get theSACK,” to be discharged by an employer.
SADDLE, an additional charge made by the manager to a performer upon his benefit night.—Theatrical.
SAD DOG, a merry fellow, a joker, a gay or “fast” man.
SAINT MONDAY, a holiday most religiously observed by journeymen shoemakers, and other mechanics. An Irishman observed that this saint’s anniversary happened every week.—North, where it is termedCOBBLERS’ MONDAY.
SAL, a salary.—Theatrical.
SALAMANDERS, street acrobats, and jugglers who eat fire.
SALOOP,SALEP, orSALOP, a greasylooking beverage, formerly sold on stalls at early morning, prepared from a powder made of the root of theOrchis mascula, or Red-handed Orchis. Within a few years coffee stands have supersededSALOOPstalls, but Charles Lamb, in one of his papers, has left some account of this drinkable, which he says was of all preparations the most grateful to the stomachs of young chimney sweeps.
SALT, “its rather tooSALT,” said of an extravagant hotel bill.
SALT BOX, the condemned cell in Newgate.
SALTEE, a penny. Pence, &c., are thus reckoned:—
⁂ This curious list of numerals in use among the London street folk is, strange as it may seem, derived from theLingua Franca, or bastardItalian, of the Mediterranean seaports, of which other examples may be found in the pages of this Dictionary.Saltee, the cant term used by the costermongers and others for a penny, is no other than theItalian,SOLDO(plural,SOLDI), and the numerals—as may be seen by theItalianequivalents—are a tolerably close imitation of the originals. After the numberSIX, a curious variation occurs, which is peculiar to the London cant, seven being reckoned asSAY ONEY,six-one,SAY DOOE,six-two= 8, and so on.Dacha, I may remark, is perhaps from theGreek,DEKA(δέκα), ten, which, in the ConstantinopolitanLingua Franca, is likely enough to have been substituted for theItalian.Madza, is clearly theItalianMEZZA. The origin ofBEONGI have not been so fortunate as to discover, unless it be theFrench,BIEN, the application of which to a shilling is not so evident; but amongst costermongers and other street folk, it is quite immaterial what foreign tongue contributes to their secret language. Providing the terms are unknown to the police and the public generally, they care not a rushlight whether the polite French, the gay Spaniards, or the cloudy Germans helped to swell their vocabulary. The numbers of low foreigners, however, dragging out a miserable existence in our crowded neighbourhoods, organ grinders and image sellers, foreign seamen from the vessels in the river, and our own connection with Malta and the Ionian Isles, may explain, to a certain extent, the phenomenon of these Southern phrases in the mouths of costers and tramps.
SALT JUNK, navy salt beef.—SeeOLD HORSE.
SALVE, praise, flattery, chaff.
SAM, to “standSAM,” to pay for refreshment, or drink, to stand paymaster for anything. AnAmericanism, originating in the letters U.S. on the knapsacks of the United States soldiers, which letters were jocularly said to be the initials ofUncle Sam(the Government), who pays for all. In use in this country as early as 1827.
SANGUINARY JAMES, a sheep’s head.—SeeBLOODY JEMMY.
SANK WORK, making soldiers’ clothes.Mayhewsays from theNorman,SANC, blood,—in allusion either to the soldier’s calling, or the colour of his coat.
SAP, orSAPSCULL, a poor green simpleton, with no heart for work.
SAUCEBOX, a mouth, also a pert young person.
SAVELOY, a sausage of chopped beef smoked, a minor kind ofPOLONY.
SAVEY, to know; “do youSAVEYthat?”—French,SAVEZ VOUS CELA? In the nigger andAnglo Chinese patois, this isSABBY, “me noSABBY.” The Whampoa slang of this description is very extraordinary; from it we have got our wordCASH!
SAW YOUR TIMBER, “be off!” equivalent tocut your stick.—SeeCUT.
SAWBONES, a surgeon.
SAWNEY, orSANDY, a Scotchman. Corruption of Alexander.
SAWNEY, a simpleton.
SAWNEY, bacon.Sawney hunter, one who steals bacon.
SCAB, a worthless person.—Old.ShakespereusesSCALDin a similar sense.
SCALDRUM DODGE, burning the body with a mixture of acids and gunpowder, so as to suit the hues and complexions of the accident to be deplored.
SCALY, shabby, or mean.ShakespereusesSCALD, an old word of reproach.
SCAMANDER, to wander about without a settled purpose;—possibly in allusion to the winding course of the Homeric river of that name.
SCAMMERED, drunk.
SCAMP, a graceless fellow, a rascal; formerly the cant term for plundering and thieving. AROYAL-SCAMPwas a highwayman, whilst aFOOT-SCAMPwas an ordinary thief with nothing but his legs to trust to in case of an attempt at capture. Some have derivedSCAMPfromqui ex campo exit, viz., one who leaves the field, a deserter.
SCARPER, to run away.—Spanish,ESCAPAR, to escape, make off;Italian,SCAPPARE. “Scarperwith the feele of the donna of the cassey,” to run away with the daughter of the land-lady of the house; almost pureItalian, “scappare colla figlia della donna della casa.”
SCHISM-SHOP, a dissenters’ meeting-house.—University.
SCHOFEL, bad money.—SeeSHOW FULL.
SCHOOL, orMOB, two or more “patterers” working together in the streets.
SCHOOLING, a low gambling party.
SCHWASSLE BOX, the street performance of Punch and Judy.—Household Words, No. 183.
SCONCE, the head, judgment, sense.—Dutch.
SCORE, “to run up aSCOREat a public house,” to obtain credit there until pay day, or a fixed time, when the debt must beWIPED OFF.
SCOT, a quantity of anything, a lot, a share.—Anglo Saxon,SCEAT, pronouncedSHOT.
SCOT, temper, or passion,—from the irascible temperament of that nation; “oh! what aSCOThe was in,”i.e., what temper he showed,—especially if you allude to the following.
SCOTCH FIDDLE, the itch; “to play theSCOTCH FIDDLE,” to work the index finger of the right hand like a fiddlestick between the index and middle finger of the left. This provokes a Scotchmen in the highest degree, it implying that he is afflicted with the itch.
SCOTCH GRAYS, lice. Our northern neighbours are calumniously reported, from their living on oatmeal, to be peculiarly liable to cutaneous eruptions and parasites.
SCOTCHES, the legs; also synonymous withNOTCHES.
SCOUT, a college valet, or waiter.—Oxford.—SeeGYP.
SCRAG, the neck.—Old cant.Scotch,CRAIG. Still used by butchers. Hence,SCRAG, to hang by the neck, andSCRAGGING, an execution,—alsoold cant.
SCRAN, pieces of meat, broken victuals. Formerly the reckoning at a public-house.Scranning, begging for broken victuals. Also, anIrishmalediction of a mild sort, “BadSCRANto yer!”
SCRAPE, a difficulty;SCRAPE, low wit for a shave.
SCRAPE, cheap butter; “bread andSCRAPE,” the bread and butter issued to school-boys—so called from the butter being laid on, and thenscrapedoff again, for economy’s sake.
SCRAPING CASTLE, a water-closet.
SCRATCH, a fight, contest, point in dispute; “coming up to theSCRATCH,” going or preparing to fight—in reality, approachingthe line usually chalked on the ground to divide the ring.—Pugilistic.
SCRATCH, “no greatSCRATCH,” of little worth.
SCRATCH, to strike a horse’s name out of the list of runners in a particular race. “Tomboy wasSCRATCHEDfor the Derby, at 10, a.m.,on Wednesday,” from which period all bets made in reference to him (with one exception) are void.—SeeP.P.—Turf.
SCRATCH-RACE (on theTurf), a race where any horse, aged, winner, or loser, can run with any weights; in fact, a race without restrictions. AtCambridgea boat-race, where the crews are drawn by lot.
SCREAMING, first-rate, splendid. Believed to have been first used in theAdelphiplay-bills; “aSCREAMINGfarce,” one calculated to make the audience scream with laughter. Now a general expression.
SCREEVE, a letter, a begging petition.
SCREEVE, to write, or devise; “toSCREEVEa fakement,” to concoct, or write, a begging letter, or other impostor’s document. From theDutch,SCHRYVEN;German,SCHREIBEN;French,ECRIVANT(old form), to write.
SCREEVER, a man who draws with coloured chalks on the pavement figures of our Saviour crowned with thorns, specimens of elaborate writing, thunderstorms, ships on fire, &c. The men who attend these pavement chalkings, and receive halfpence and sixpences from the admirers of street art, are not always the draughtsmen. The artist, orSCREEVER, drew, perhaps, in half-a-dozen places that very morning, and rented the spots out to as many cadaverous looking men.
SCREW, an unsound, or broken-down horse, that requires both whip and spur to get him along.
SCREW, a key,—skeleton, or otherwise.
SCREW, a turnkey.
SCREW, a mean or stingy person.
SCREW, salary or wages.
SCREW, “to put on theSCREW,” to limit one’s credit, to be more exact and precise.
SCREW LOOSE, when friends become cold and distant towards each other, it is said there is aSCREW LOOSEbetwixt them; said also when anything goes wrong with a person’s credit or reputation.
SCREW, a small packet of tobacco.
SCREWED, intoxicated or drunk.
SCRIMMAGE, orSCRUMMAGE, a disturbance or row.—Ancient.Corruption ofskirmish?
SCROBY, “to getSCROBY,” to be whipped in prison before the justices.
SCROUGE, to crowd or squeeze.—Wiltshire.
SCRUFF, the back part of the neck seized by the adversary in an encounter.
SCRUMPTIOUS, nice, particular, beautiful.
SCUFTER, a policeman.—North country.
SCULL, orSKULL, the head or master of a college.—University, but nearlyobsolete; the gallery, however, in St. Mary’s (the University church), where the “Heads of Houses” sit in solemn state, is still nicknamed theGOLGOTHAby the undergraduates.
SCURF, a mean fellow.
SEALS, a religious slang term for converts.—SeeOWNED.
SEEDY, worn out, poverty stricken, used up, shabby. Metaphorical expression from the appearance of flowers when off bloom and running toseed; hence said of one who wears clothes until they crack and become shabby; “howSEEDYhe looks,” said of any man whose clothes are worn threadbare, with greasy facings, and hat brightened up by perspiration and continual polishing and wetting. When a man’s coat begins to look worn out and shabby he is said to lookSEEDYand ready forcutting. This term has been “on the streets” for nearly two centuries, and latterly has found its way into most dictionaries. Formerly slang, it is now a recognised word, and one of the most expressive in the English language. The French are always amused with it, they having no similar term.
SELL, to deceive, swindle, or play a practical joke upon a person. A sham is aSELLin street parlance. “Soldagain, and got the money,” a costermonger cries after having successfully deceived somebody.ShakespereusesSELLINGin a similar sense, viz., blinding or deceiving.
SELL, a deception, disappointment; also a lying joke.
SENSATION, a quartern of gin.
SERENE, all right; “it’s allSERENE,” a street phrase of very modern adoption, the burden of a song.
SERVE OUT, to punish, or be revenged on any one.
SETTER, sevenpence.Italian,SETTE.—SeeSALTEE.
SETTER, a person employed by the vendor at an auction to run the biddings up; to bid againstbonâ fidebidders.
SETTLE, to kill, ruin, or effectually quiet a person.
SETTLED, transported.
SET TO, a sparring match, a fight; “a dead set,” a determined stand, in argument or in movement.
SEVEN PENNORTH, transported for seven years.
SEWED-UP, done up, used up, intoxicated.Dutch,SEEUWT, sick.
SHACK, a “chevalier d’industrie.”
SHACKLY, loose, rickety.—Devonshire.
SHAKE, a prostitute, a disreputable man or woman.—North.
SHAKE, to take away, to steal, or run off with anything; “whatSHAKES, Bill?” “None,”i.e., no chance of committing a robbery.—See the following.
SHAKE, orSHAKES, a bad bargain is said to be “no greatSHAKES;” “pretty fairSHAKES” is anything good or favourable.—Byron.InAmerica, a fairSHAKEis a fair trade or a good bargain.
SHAKE LURK, a false paper carried by an impostor, giving an account of a “dreadful shipwreck.”
SHAKER, a shirt.
SHAKESTER, orSHICKSTER, a prostitute. Amongst costermongers this term is invariably applied toladies, or the wives of tradesmen, and females generally of the classes immediately above them.
SHAKY, said of a person of questionable health, integrity, or solvency; at theUniversity, of one not likely to pass his examination.
SHALER, a girl.
SHALLOW, a flat basket used by costers.
SHALLOWS, “to go on theSHALLOWS,” to go half naked.
SHALLOW-COVE, a begging rascal who goes about the country half naked,—with the most limited amount of rags upon his person, wearing neither shoes, stockings, nor hat.
SHALLOW-MOT, a ragged woman,—the frequent companion of theSHALLOW-COVE.
SHALLOW-SCREEVER, a man who sketches and draws on the pavement.—SeeSCREEVER.
SHAM ABRAHAM, to feign sickness.—SeeABRAHAM.
SHANDY-GAFF, ale and ginger beer; perhapsSANG DE GOFF, the favourite mixture of oneGOFF, a blacksmith.
SHANKS, legs.
SHANKS’ NAG, “to rideSHANKS’ NAG,” to go on foot.
SHANT, a pot or quart; “SHANTof bivvy,” a quart of beer.
SHAPES, “to cut up” or “showSHAPES,” to exhibit pranks, or flightiness.
SHARP, orSHARPER, a cunning cheat, a rogue,—the opposite ofFLAT.
SHARP’S-ALLEY BLOOD WORMS, beef sausages and black puddings. Sharp’s-alley was very recently a noted slaughtering place near Smithfield.
SHARPING-OMEE, a policeman.
SHARK, a sharper, a swindler.Bow-streetterm in 1785, now in most dictionaries.—FriesicandDanish,SCHURK.—SeeLAND-SHARK.
SHAVE, a false alarm, a hoax, a sell. This was much used in the Crimea during the Russian campaign.
SHAVE, a narrow escape. At Cambridge, “justSHAVINGthrough,” or “making aSHAVE,” is just escaping a “pluck” by coming out at the bottom of the list.