1841.Thackeray,Character Sketches,‘Fashionable Authoress.’ And, gulled themselves, gull the mostgullableof publics.Gullage,subs.(old colloquial).—The act of trickery; the state of being gulled.1605.B. Jonson,Volpone, v., 5. Had you no quirk To avoidgullage, sir, by such a creature?1611.Chapman,May Day, Act II., p. 284 (Plays, 1874). For procuring you the deargullageof my sweetheart, Mistress Franceschina.Gull-catcher(orGuller,Gull-sharper, etc.),subs.(old).—A trickster; a cheat.SeeGull, senses 1 and 3.1602.Shakspeare,Twelfth Night, ii., 5. Here comes my noblegull-catcher.Gullery,subs.(old colloquial).—Dupery; fraud; a cheat’s device.Cf.,Gullage.1596.Jonson,Every Man in His Humour, iii., 2. Your Balsamum and your St. John’s wort are all meregulleriesand trash to it.1608.John Day,Humour out of Breath, Act iv., Sc. 3. I am gulld, palpably gulld … and mine ownegullerygrieves me not half so much as the Dukes displeasure.1630.Taylor,Works. Neverthelesse, whosoever will but looke into the lying legend of goldengullery, there they shall finde that the poore seduced ignorant Romanists doe imitate all the idolatrous fornication of the heathen pagans and infidels.1633.Ile of Guls.Upon you both, so, so, so, how greedily their inventions like beagles follow the sent of their ownegullery, yet these are no fooles, God forbid, not they.1633.Marmion,Fine Companion.Lit.What moregulleriesyet? they have cosend mee of my daughters, I hope they will cheate me of my wife too: have you any more of these tricks to shew, ha?1689.Selden,Table Talk, p. 38 (Arber’s ed.). And how can it be proved, that ever any man reveal’d Confession, when there is no Witness? And no man can be Witness in his own cause. A meergullery.1819.H. More,Defence of Moral Cabbala, ch. iii. The sweet deception andgulleryof their own corrupted fancy.1821.Scott,Kenilworth, ch. xx. Do you think, because I have good-naturedly purchased your trumpery goods at your roguish prices, that you may put anygulleryyou will on me?Gullet,subs.(old: now recognised).—The throat. For synonyms,seeGutter-alley.1383.Chaucer,Canterbury Tales, 12, 477. [Quoted inEncy. Dict.] Out of the harde bones knocken they The mary, for they casten nought away, That may go thurgh thegulletsoft and sote.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew,Gullet, s.v. A Derisory Term for the Throat, fromGula.1836.Dickens,Pickwick, ch. 15. So he puts a pistol to his mouth, and he fires it down hisgullet.1893.National Observer, x. 168. Through sympatheticgullets.Gull-finch,subs.(old).—A simpleton; a fool. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.1630.Taylor,Works. For ’tis concluded ’mongst the wizards all, To make thee master ofGul-fincheshall.Gull-groper,subs.(old).—A gamesters’ money-lender.1609.Dekker,Lanthorne and Candle-light. Thegul-groperiscommonly an old mony-monger, who having travaild through all the follyes of the world in his youth, knowes them well, and shunnes them in his age, his whole felicitie being to fill his bags with golde and silver.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew.Gull-groper, s.v. A Bystander that Lends Money to the Gamesters.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.[233]Gully,subs.(common).—1. The throat. For synonyms,seeGutter-alley.2. (venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.3. (old and Scots’).—A knife. For synonyms,seeChive.1653.Urquhart,Rabelais, bk. I., ch. xxvii. Fairgullieswhich are little haulch-backed demi-knives.1785.Burns,Death and Dr. Hornbook. I red ye weel, tak care o’ skaith, See, there’s agully.1789.Burns,Address to Captain Grose. The knife that nickit Abel’s craig, He’ll prove ye fully It was a faulding jocteleg, Or lang-kailgully.Verb(common).—To gull(q.v.); to dupe; to swindle. For synonyms,seeStick.1834.Ainsworth,Rookwood, bk. III., ch. v. I rode about and speechified, and everybodygullied.Gully-fluff,subs.(colloquial).—Pocket-filth;beggar’s velvet(q.v.). AlsoFlue(q.v.).Gully-gut,subs.andadj.(common).—A glutton. For synonyms,seeStodger.1598.Florio,A Worlde of Wordes.Crapulatore, a surfeiter; a gormand; a glutton; agullie-gut.1672.Lestrange,Fables. Agulli-gutfriar.Gully-hole(orGully),subs.(common).—1. The throat, or gullet. For synonyms,seeGutter-alley.2. (venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.Gully-raker,subs. phr.(venery).—1. Thepenis; and (2) a wencher. For synonyms,seeCreamstick,Prick, andMolrower.2. (Australian). A cattle-whip; a cattle-thief.1881.A. C. Grant,Bush Life in Queensland… following up his admonition by a sweeping cut of hisgully-raker, and a report like a musket-shot.Gulpin,subs.(common).—A simpleton; agapeseed(q.v.). Fr.,un gobemouche;une éponge. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.1886.W. Besant,World Went Very Well Then, ch. xxix. But Jack persisted, and I rose too. ‘Go then!’ the Admiral roared, with a great oath. ‘Go then, for a brace ofgulpins!’Gulpy,adj.(common).—Easily duped.Gulsh.To hold one’s gulsh,verb. phr.(provincial).—To hold one’s tongue; to keep quiet.Gum,subs.(old).—1. Chatter; talk;jaw(q.v.). Also abuse.1751.Smollett,Peregrine Pickle, ch. xiv. There’s no occasion to bowse out so much unnecessarygum.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Come let us have no more of yourgum.1824.R. B. Peake,Americans Abroad, i., 1.Dou.Come, none of yourgum—now you are but an underlin’, tho’ you are so uppish and twistical—where’s the chair?2. (American).—A trick; a piece of dupery; asell(q.v.). Alsogummation.3. (American).—A golosh; an india-rubber overshoe. [Short for ‘gum-shoes.’]1872.Morning Post, 9 Jan. Forbidding him again to cross her threshold or to leave hisgum-shoesin her hall.Verb(common).—To cheat; totake in(q.v.), to roast (q.v.) or quiz. For synonyms,seeGammon.[234]1859.Sala,Twice Round the Clock, 6 p.m., par. I. I began to think either that he was quizzing me—gummingis the proper Transatlantic colloquialism, I think.1875. ‘American English’ inChamb. Journal, 25 Sept., p. 611. To ‘gum-tree’ is to elude, to cheat [from opossum], and this again is shortened into ‘to gum,’ as the phrase, ‘Now don’t you try togumme.’Old Mother Gum,subs. phr.(common).—An old woman: in derision.By gum!intj.(common).—A mild oath. For synonyms,seeOaths.1860.Haliburton(‘Sam Slick’),The Season Ticket, No. ix. Bygum, Squire Shegog, we have had the greatest bobbery of a shindy in our carriage you ever knowed in all our born days.Bless your(orhis,her,its, etc.)gums,phr.(common).—A piece of banter: a facetious way of saying ‘Bless your soul!’Gummagy,adj.(common).—Snarling; of a scolding habit.Gummed,adj.(billiards).—Said of a ball close to the cushion.Gummy,subs.(common).—1. A toothless person;i.e., with nothing but gums to show. Generally,Old Gummy.2. (thieves’).—Medicine. AlsoGummy-stuff.—Matsell.3. (common).—A dullard; a fool. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.Adj.(common).—Puffed; swollen; clumsy.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gummey, clumsy, particularly applied to the ancles of men, or women, and the legs of horses.To feel Gummy,verb. phr.(University).—To perspire.Gump,subs.(common).—A dolt. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.1825.Neal,Bro. Jonathan, bk. II., ch. xv. He’s … sort of a nateral too, I guess; rather agump, hey?Gumption,subs.(colloquial).—Cleverness; understanding;nous(q.v.). AlsoRum Gumption.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue.Gumption, orrum gumption, s.v., docility, comprehension, capacity.1787.Grose,Prov. Glossary, s.v. ‘Gawm.’Gawm, to understand; I dinna gawm ye, I don’t understand you. Hence, possibly, gawmtion, orgumption, understanding.1834.Atlantic Club-book, I., 33. D’ye think I’m a fellow of no moregumptionthan that?1843.Comic Almanack.Poor beasts, ’tis very clear, To any one possess’d ofgumption, That if they’d not come over here, They’d have been carried off by home consumption.1853.Lytton,My Novel, bk. IV., ch. xii.Gumption—it means cleverness.1883.Daily Telegraph, 25 June, p. 3, c. 2. But poor people—leastways, those that have got anygumption—know better than that.1890.Notes and Queries, 7 S., x., 303. As familiar as the Greek wordnousfor what … is known … asgumption.Gumptious,adj.(colloquial).—Shrewd; intelligent; vain.1853.Lytton,My Novel, bk. IV., ch. xii.Landlord.There’s gumption andgumptious! Gumption is knowing, but when I say that sum un isgumptious, I mean—though that’s more vulgar like—sum un who does not think small beer of hisself. You take me, sir?Gum-smasher(ortickler),subs.(common).—A dentist. For synonyms,seeSnag-catcher.Gum-suck,verb. (American).—To flatter; to humbug; to dupe.For synonyms,seeGammon.[235]Gum-sucker,subs.(Australian).—1.Seequot.Cf.,Corn-stalk.1887.All the Year Round, 30 July, p. 67. Agum-suckeris a native of Tasmania, and owes his elegant nickname to the abundance of gum-trees in the Tasmanian forests.2. (common).—A fool. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.Gum-tickler,subs.(colloquial).—1. A drink. Specifically,droporshort, or a dram. For synonyms,seeGo.1814.Quarterly Review, vol. X., p. 521. A gill, taken fasting, is called agum-tickler.1864.Dickens,Our Mutual Friend, bk. IV., ch. iii. I prefer to take it in the form of agum-tickler.2.SeeGum-smasher.Gum-tree.To be up a gum-tree,verb. phr.(American).—To be on one’s last legs; at the end of one’s rope. ‘He has seen his lastgum-tree’ = It is all up with him.Gun,subs.(old).—1. A lie.New Cant. Dict., 1725. For synonyms,seeWhopper.2. (common).—A thief; specifically, amagsman(q.v.) or street-artist. AlsoGun-smithandGunner.Gunning= thieving. [An abbreviation ofGonof(q.v.).]SeeArea-sneakandThieves.1858.A. Mayhew,Paved with Gold, bk. II., ch. i., p. 70. I tell you you ain’t a-going to make agun(thief) of this here young flat.1868.Temple Bar, xxv., 213. … returned to his old trade ofgunsmith,gunningbeing the slang term for thieving, or going on the cross.1882.Cornhill Mag., p. 649. Flats graft forguns.1889.ClarksonandRichardson,Police.Gunnersand grasshoppers sneak about watching their opportunities.3. (American).—A revolver. For synonyms,seeMeat-in-the Pot.4. (Irish).—A toddy glass.SeeIn the Gun.Verb(American).—1. To consider with attention.1859.Matsell,Vocabulum, s.v.Gunned. The coppergunnedme as if he was fly to my mug.2. (American).—To strive hard; to make a violent effort:e.g., togun a stock= to use every means to produce a ‘break’; when supplies are heavy and holders would be unable to resist.In the Gun,phr.(old).—Drunk. For synonyms,seeDrinksandScrewed.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue.Gun, s.v., he’sin the gun, he is drunk, perhaps from an allusion to a vessel called a gun, used for ale in the universities.Son of a Gun.SeeSon.Sure as a Gun,phr.(common).—Quite certain; inevitable.1633.Jonson,Tale of a Tub, ii., 1. ’Tis right; he has spoke astrue as a gun, believe it.1690.B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew.1694.Congreve,Double Dealer, v., 20. All turned topsy-turvy, assure as a gun.1720.Gay,New Song of New Similes.Sure as a gunshe’ll drop a tear.1749.Fielding,Tom Jones, bk. xviii., ch. ix. Assure as a gunI have hit o’ the very right o’t.1759.Sterne,TristramShandy, vol. vi., ch. xxvi. Think ye not that, in striking thesein,—he might, peradventure, strike somethingout? assure as a gun.1825.Egan,Life of an Actor, iv. By gum! he roared out, sir,as sure as a gun.d.1842.Father Prout,Reliques, I. 19. ‘Vert-Vert, the Parrot.’ Scared at the sound,—‘Sure as a gun, The bird’s a demon!’ cried the nun.[236]1849.Thackeray,Pendennis, ch. lviii. In every party of the nobility his name’s down assure as a gun.1891.N. Gould,Double Event, p. 141. Nobbed,sure as a gun!1892.Manville Fenn,New Mistress, xxxv. They were both down there about that school-money Betsey, assure as a gun.Gundiguts,subs.(common).—A fat man; aforty guts(q.v.).1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gunner’s Daughter.To Kiss(orMarry)the Gunner’s Daughter,verb. phr.(nautical). To be flogged. [Gunner’s daughter= the gun to which boys were lashed for punishment.]1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.1833.Marryat,Peter Simple, ch. xxxii. I don’t know what officers are made of now-a-days. I’ll marry some of you young gentlemen to thegunner’s daughterbefore long. Quarter-deck’s no better than a bear-garden.Gunpowder,subs.(old).—An old woman.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gunter.—SeeCocker.Gup,subs.(Anglo-Indian).—Gossip; scandal.1868.FlorenceMarryat,Gup, xix. With regard to my title …Gupis the Hindustani for ‘Gossip.’Voilâ tout!1883.Hawley Smart,Hard Lines, ch. xxix. Our Eastern empire is much addicted to what they termgup, whereby they mean gossip, scandal, or by whatever other equivalent the taking away of one’s neighbours’ characters may be designated.To be a gup,verb. phr.(American).—To be easy to take or steal.Gurtsey,subs.(American Cadet).—A fat man; apodge(q.v.). For synonyms,seeForty-guts.Gush,subs.(colloquial).—The expression of affected or extravagant sentiment.1883.Saturday Review, 3 Feb., p. 148, c. 2. Mr. Picton’s style is pleasant and easy, as long as he allows himself to be natural, and does not fall intogush.1886.Church Times, 17 Sep. Not meregushor oratorical flip-flap.Verb(colloquial).—To overflow with extravagant or affected sentiment.1883.Miss Braddon,Golden Calf, ch. vii. ‘Yes, and you saw much of each other, and you became heart-friends,’gushedMiss Wolf, beaming benevolently at Brian.Gusher,subs.(colloquial).—A practitioner ofgush(q.v.). AlsoGushington.1864.E. Yates,Broken to Harness, ch. vi., p. 66 (1873). The enthusiasticgusherwho flings his or herself upon our necks, and insists upon sharing our sorrow.1882.Miss Braddon,Mount Royal, ch. viii. ‘But, surely there is nothing improper in the play, dear Lady Cumberbridge,’ exclaimed the eldestgusher, too long in society to shrink from sifting any question of that kind.Gushing,adj.(colloquial).—Extravagant; affected or irrational in expression; demonstratively affectionate. AlsoGushingly.1864. ‘The Campaigner’ (No. XVI.), inFraser’s Mag., p. 627. Donald did not belong to what, in the slang of translated Cockneys, is called theGushingSchool.1864.Punch’s Almanack, ‘Our Growling Bard.’ Some, I admit, are Milingtary Dears, Asgushingladies say, and some are Muffs.1872.Sunday Times, 18 Aug. This however, was no surprise to the plaintiff, it having been understood from the first that the parties being past thegushingage the letters between them should be of a business character.1880.Ouida,Moths, ch. viii. Your heroics count for nothing. All girls of sixteen aregushingand silly.[237]1883.Hargrave Jennings, quoted inSaturday Review, 28 Apr., p. 536, c. 1. Women are not thegushinglycredulous creatures that man in his constant condescension and in his appreciation of himself would deem.1884.F. Anstey,Giant’s Robe, ch. xx. ‘It’s not preciselygushing,’ he said to himself, ‘but she couldn’t very well say more just yet.’Gusset,subs.(common).—Generic for the female sex. Thus,Brother(orKnight, orSquire)of the Gusset= a pimp;Gussetting= wenching;Gusseteer= a wencher; etc.Gusset of the Arse,subs. phr.(common).—The inside edge of the buttocks.d.1796.Burns,Merry Muses, pp. 99–100. An’ he grippit her fast by thegusset of her arse.Gut,subs.(vulgar).—The vice or habit of gluttony; the belly [as opposed to theGroin(q.v.).]2.in. pl.(common).—The stomach and intestines.1609.Dekker,Gul’s Horne-Booke, chap. ii. TheNeapolitanwill (likeDerick, the hangman) embrace you with one arme, and rip yourgutswith the other.1640.Rawlins,The Rebellion, iii. (Dodsley,Old Plays, 4th ed., 1875, xiv., 48). Thou hast agutcould swallow a peck loaf.1661.Brome,Poems, ‘A Satire on the Rebellion.’ The grumblingguts, the belly of the State.1713.Bentley,On Free Thinking, sect. 53. What then was our writer’s soul? Was it brain orguts?1754.Fielding,Jonathan Wild, bk. iv., c. 1. But so it was that the knife, missing these noble parts (the noblest of many)the guts, perforated only the hollow of his belly.1787.Burns,Death and Dr. Hornbook, st. 27. A countra Laird had ta’en the batts, Or some curmurring in hisguts.3.in. pl.(old).—A fat man; aforty-guts(q.v.). AlsoGuts-and-garbage.More Guts(alsoMore Balls)than Brains= a fool.1598.Shakspeare,Henry IV., pt. 1, ii., 2. Peace, ye fat-guts.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.Gutts, a very fat gross Person.4. (artists’ and colloquial).—Spirit; quality; a touch of force, or energy, or fire:e.g., a picture, a book, an actor.With guts= a strong thing. Put yourgutsinto it (aquatic) = Row the very best you can. He (or it) hasno gutsin him (or it) = He (or it) is acommon rotter(q.v.). Hence,Gutsy,adj.= havingguts, andGutsiness,subs.= the condition of beinggutsy.1738.Swift,Polite Conversation, I. The fellow’s well enough if he had anygutsin his brain.1893.Pall Mall Budget.No. 1292 (June 29), 1906. The body of the cigar, or what might vulgarly be called theguts.Verb(vulgar).—1. To plunder, or take out all or most of the contents (i.e., intestines) of a place or thing; to drain; to ‘clean out’:e.g.,to gut a house(thieves’) = to rifle it;to gut an oyster= to eat it;to gut a book= to empty it of interesting matter;to gut a quart pot= to drain at a draught. Whence,Gutted= dead-broke.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.1819.Moore,Tom Crib, p. 1. Whether diddling your subjects orguttingtheir jobs.1849–61.Macaulay,Hist. of England. The king’s printing-house … was, to use a coarse metaphor, which then for the first time came into fashion, completelygutted.[238]1892.R. L. StevensonandL. Osbourne,The Wrecker, p. 373. Well, we’ve got thegutsout of you!2. (schools’).—To eat hard, fast, and badly. For synonyms,seeWolf.To fret one’s guts,verb. phr.(common).—To worry.To have plenty of guts but no bowels,verb. phr.(common).—To be unfeeling, hard, merciless.My great guts are ready to eat my little ones,phr.(old).—‘I am very hungry.’ Also,my guts begin to think my throat’s cut;my guts curse my teeth; andmy guts chime twelve.—Grose.Not fit to carry guts to a bear,phr.(common).—To be worthless; absolutely unmannerly;unfit for human food(q.v.).Gut-entrance,subs.(venery).—The femalepudendum. Alsofront-gut. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.Gut-foundered,adj.(old).—Exceedingly hungry.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gut-pudding,subs.(old).—A sausage.—Nomenclator(1696). For synonyms,seeMysteries.Gut-puller,subs.(common).—A poulterer; achicken-butcher(q.v.).Gut-scraper,subs.(common).—A fiddler. Alsocatgut scraper, andtormentor of catgut. Forsynonyms,seeRosin-the-bow.1719.Durfey,Pills, ii., 218. ‘A Song’ etc. Strike up, drowsiegut-scrapers.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.1785.Burns,Jolly Beggars. Her charms had struck a sturdy Caird, As weel’s a poorgut-scraper.1834.W. H. Ainsworth,Rookwood, p. 192 (ed. 1864). Make ready there, yougut-scrapers, you shawm-shavers; I’ll put your lungs in play for you presently. In the mean time—charge, pals, charge—a toast, a toast!1834.Marryat,Peter Simple, ch. xxxi. ‘You may save yourself the trouble, you dingygut-scraper,’ replied O’Brien [addressing a fiddler].Gut-stick,subs.(venery).—Thepenis. For synonyms,seeCreamstickandPrick.To have a bit(ora taste)of the gut-stick= to copulate (of women only).Gut-sticker,subs. phr.(venery).—A sodomite. Alsogut-fuckerandgut-monger. For synonyms,seeUsher.Gutter,subs.(American thieves’).—1. Porter.—Matsell.[Probably a corruption ofgatter(q.v.).]2. (venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.Verb(Winchester College).—To fall in the water flat on the stomach. Fr.,piquer un plat-ventre.To lap the gutter,verb. phr.(common).—To be in the last stage of intoxication. For synonyms,seeDrinksandScrewed.Carry me out and leave me in the gutter,phr.(American).—SeeCarry me out.[239]Gutter-alley(orLane),subs.(common).—The throat.All goes down Gutter-lane= ‘He spends all on his stomach.’English Synonyms.—Beer Street; common sewer; drain; funnel; Gin Lane; gulf; gullet; gully-hole; gutter; Holloway; Peck Alley; Red Lane; the Red Sea; Spew Alley; swallow; thrapple; throttle; whistle.French Synonyms.—La carafe(tramps’);la creuse(popular = Holloway);le corridor;le cornet(popular);le couloir;le lampas;la goule(popular);le gose(popular: an abbreviation ofgosier: alsogésier);la gargoine(thieves’);la gargarousse(thieves’ = Old Gargles);le four(popular = the oven);le fanal(popular);l’entonnoir(popular = the funnel);l’avaloir(thieves’ = the swallow).German Synonym.—Kollert(Hanoverian).Spanish Synonym.—La gorja.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.1787.Grose,Prov. Glossary, g. (1811), p. 81. All goeth downGutter Lane. That is, the throat. This proverb is applicable to those who spend all their substance in eating and drinking.2. (common).—A urinal. For synonyms,seePissing-post.Gutter-blood,subs.(common).—1.Seequot. Also (2) a vulgarian; an upstart from the rabble.1822.Scott,The Fortunes of Nigel, ch. v. In rushed a thorough Edinburghgutterblood—a ragged rascal.Gutter-chaunter,subs.(common).—A street singer.Gutter-hotel,subs.(tramps’).—The open air. For synonyms,seeHedge-square.Gutter-literature.SeeBlood-and-thunder, andAwful.Gutter-master,subs.(old).—A term of reproach.1607.Marston,What You Will, iii, 1. And now my soule is skipt into a perfumer, aguttermaster.Gutter-prowler,subs.(thieves’).—A street thief. For synonyms,seeArea-sneakandThieves.Gutter-snipe,subs.(common).—1. A street arab. AlsoGutter-slush. For synonyms,seeMudlark.2. (American printers’).—A poster for the kerb.3. (American Commercial).—An ‘outside’ broker who does business chiefly in the street; akerbstone broker(q.v.). Fr.,un loup-cervier.Guttie,subs.(golfers’).—1. A gutta-percha ball.2. (colloquial).—A glutton.—For synonyms,seeStodger.3. (colloquial).—Aforty-guts, whichseefor synonyms.Guttle,verb.(vulgar).—To eat greedily; togormandize(q.v.). Also to drink:e.g.,to guttle a pint= to take off, or do, a pint; ‘He’s beenguttlingswipes’ = he’s been drinking beer. Henceguttler= a coarse, or greedy eater; a sturdy pot-companion: agorger(q.v.).Cf., Thackeray’sBook of SnobsforGuttleburyFair.SeeGuzzle.1672.Lestrange,Fables, p. 260. A jollyguttlingpriest.[240]Guttle-shop,subs.(Rugby).—A pastry-cook’s; atuck-shop(q.v.).Guv,subs.(common).—An abbreviation ofgovernor(q.v.).Guy,subs.(colloquial).—1. A Fifth of November effigy; whence (2) an ill-dressed person. As in the old street cry, ‘Hollo, boys, there goes anotherguy!’(an abbreviation of Guy Fawkes) = a figure of fun; a fright.English Synonyms.—Caution; Captain Queer-nabs; chivey; comic bird; ragamuffin; sight.French Synonyms.Un paquet(popular);une hallebarde(popular = a clothes-prop);un nippe-mal(popular);une bécasse(= a gaby);un carnavale(popular = a figure of fun).1806.W. Burrell, in C. K. Sharpe’sCorrespondence(1888), i., 277. A month ago there was neither shape nor make in use … noguyever matched me.1837.Barham,Ingoldsby Legends. ‘The Nurse’s Story.’ Did you see her, in short, that mud-hovel within, With her knees to her nose, and her nose to her chin, Leering up with that queer, indescribable grin, You’d lift up your hands in amazement and cry, ‘Well!—I neverdidsee such a regularguy!’1858.G. Eliot,Janet’s Repentance, ch. vi. Ned Phipps … whispered that he thought the Bishop was aguy, and I certainly remember thinking that Mr. Prendergast looked much more dignified with his plain white surplice and black hair.1871.Morning Advertiser, 26 Jan. There is no imperative reason why a constable should be aguy.3. (common).—A dark lantern. [Obviously a reminiscence of the Gunpowder Plot].1811.Lexicon Balatronicum.Guy, s.v. Stow theguy, conceal the lanthorn.1859.Matsell,Vocabulum, s.v.4. (streets).—A jaunt; an expedition.1889.Sporting Times, 3 Aug., p. 5, c. 5. Therewasa gee, therewasa buggy, but therewasn’ta punctual Pitcher. So a cheerfulguyto Waterloo was the game.Verb(common).—1. To quiz; to chaff;to roast(q.v.);to josh(q.v.).1889.Detroit Free Press, 26 Jan. His advent here created much merriment, and the operatorsguyedhim loud enough for him to hear them.2. (common).—To escape;to hedge(q.v.); to run away. Alsoto do a guy(which also = to give a false name). For synonyms,seeAmputateandSkedaddle.1879.J. W. Horsley, inMacmillan’s Mag., xl. 500. I planned with another boy toguy(run away).1887.Fun, 23 Mar., p. 125. ‘Boat-race Day, as per usual,’ said the clerk to the court, ‘they’ll all bedoing guys’ (giving false names!).1889.ClarksonandRichardson,Police, p. 321. To run away.…Do a guy.1892.Punch, 24 Sept. ‘’Arry at Arrygate.’ I justdid a guy.3. (American).—To spoil; to muddle; to disfigure or distort.1891.New York Herald, 31 May, p. 12, c. 4. Finally, I would remind them that they are apt toguytheir cause by making ‘guys’ of themselves, and that the best way of making women a power in the land is by encouraging them to be womanly women.4. (theatrical).—To damn; to hiss;to slate(q.v.) orgive the bird(q.v.).Guzzle(orGuttle),subs.(vulgar).—1. An insatiable eater or drinker. For synonyms,seeStodgerandLushingtonrespectively.2. (vulgar).—A debauch.1876.Hindley,Adventures of Cheap Jack, 58. Doing aguzzlewith money he earned.3. (common).—Drink.[241]1653.Urquhart,Rabelais, Bk. II., ch. i.,note. It signifies rum-booze, as our gipsies call good-guzzle.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1698–1700.Ward,London Spy, part III., p. 47. A Pennyworth of burnt Bread soften’d in a Mug of Porter’sguzzle.c.1795.Wolcot[P. Pindar],Peter’s Pension, in wks. (Dublin, 1795), vol. i., p. 484. Lo, for a little meat andguzzle, This sneaking cur, too, takes the muzzle.Verb.(vulgar).—1. To drink greedily, or to excess.1607.Dekker,Westward Ho, v., 1. My master and Sir Gosling areguzzling; they are dabbling together fathom-deep.1693.Dryden,Persius, vi., 51. And, lavish of suspense, Quaffs, crams, andguttles, in his own defence.1698.Farquhar,Love and a Bottle, Act i. His education could reach no farther than toguzzlefat ale.1727.Gay,Beggars Opera, i., 3.Tom Tipple, aguzzlingsoaking sot, who is always too drunk to stand himself.1748.T. Dyche,Dictionary(5th ed.).Guzzle(v.) to tipple, to fuddle, to drink much and greedily.1782.Wolcot[P. Pindar],Lyric Odes, Ode i. The poet might haveguttledtill he split.1849.Thackeray,Pendennis, ch. lxi. Are you … to tell me that the aim of life is toguttlethree courses and dine off silver?Guzzle-guts,subs.(common).—A glutton; a hard drinker.—Lex. Bal.(1811).SeeGuzzle.Guzzler,subs.(colloquial).—A hard drinker; a coarse, voracious feeder.SeeGuzzle.a.1760.T. Brown,Works, iii., 265 [ed. 1760]. Being an eternalguzzlerof wine, his mouth smelt like a vintner’s vault.1841.Dickens,Barnaby Rudge, ch. xiii. To be looked upon as a common pipe-smoker,beer-bibber, spirit-guzzler, and toss-pot.Guzzling,subs.(vulgar).—Eating or drinking to excess; also eating or drinking in a coarse unmannerly fashion.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1819.Moore,Tom Crib, p. 28. What with snoozing, high-grubbing andguzzlinglike Chloe.1882.F. Anstey,Vice Versâ, ch. xv. There shall be no pocketing at this table, sir. You will eat that pudding under my eye at once, and you will stay in and write out French verbs for two days. That will put an end to any moreguzzlingin the garden for a time, at least.Guzzum,subs.(American).—Chatter; noise. For synonyms,seePatter.1888.Detroit Free Press, 22 Dec. ‘Now, Jerry, if yer don’t stop yerguzzumI’ll skin yer alive!’ she exclaimed as she stood in the door and flourished a skillet at him.G.Y.All a G.Y.,adv. phr.(North Country).—Crooked; all on one side; ‘all of a hugh.’Gybe,subs.(old).—A written paper.1567.Harman,Caveat(1814), p. 65 Agyb, a writing.1608.Dekker,Belman of London, in wks. (Grosart) III., 104. His office is to make counterfet licences, which are calledgybes.1724.E. Coles,Eng. Dict.Gybe, any Writing or Pass.1818.Scott,Heart of Midlothian, ch. xxv. He knows mygybe[pass] as well as the jark [seal] of e’er a queer cuffin [justice of peace] in England.Verb(old).—1. To whip; to castigate.E.g.,gybedat the cart’s arse = whipped at the cart’s tail.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew,Gyb’d, jerkt or whipt.[242]Gybing(alsoGibery),subs.(old: now recognised).—Jeering.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gyger.SeeJigger.Gymnasium,subs.(venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.Gyp,subs.(Cambridge University).—1. A college servant. At Oxford, a scout, at Dublin, a skip.[Etymology doubtful: according toSat. Rev.an abbreviation of Gipsy Joe; according to Cambridge undergraduates from the Greekγύψ(gups) = a vulture; from the creature’s rapacity.]1794.Gent. Mag., p. 1085. [A Cambridge college servant is called ajip.]1842.Tait’s Mag., Oct., ‘Reminiscences of Coll. Life.’ There is attached to colleges and halls a person more useful than ornamental, and better known than paid, whom Oxonians nameGyp, from his supposed moral affinity to a vulture (γύψ). The same is in Dublin denominated aSkip, because of the activity which is an indispensable item in his qualifications.1849.C. Kingsley,Alton Locke, ch. xii. I’ll send you in luncheon as I go through the butteries; then, perhaps, you’d like to come down and see the race. Ask theGypto tell you the way.1850.Smedley,Frank Fairleigh, p. 254. Fellow you call thegypwanted to make me believe you were out—thought I looked too like a governor to be let in, I suppose.1882.F. Anstey,Vice Versâ, ch. v. Who should we see coming straight down on us but a Proctor with his bull-dogs (not dogs, you know, but the strongestgypsin the college).2. (American).—A thief. For synonyms,seeThieves.Gypsies of Science,subs. phr.(literary.)—The British Association.1846.Times, 5 Sept. On Thursday next,the Gipsies of Science(the British Association) will have pitched their tents at Southampton.Gyrotwistive,adj.(American).—Full of evasions and tricks; a ‘portmanteau word.’Gyte,subs.(common).—1. A child; in contempt. [A corruption of goat.]2. (Scots’).—A first year’s pupil in the Edinburgh High School.Gyvel,subs.(Scots’ venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.d.1796.Burns,The Merry Muses, ‘Nine Inches for a Lady,’ 33–4. Come louse and lug your battering ram, An’ thrash him at mygyvel.
1841.Thackeray,Character Sketches,‘Fashionable Authoress.’ And, gulled themselves, gull the mostgullableof publics.Gullage,subs.(old colloquial).—The act of trickery; the state of being gulled.1605.B. Jonson,Volpone, v., 5. Had you no quirk To avoidgullage, sir, by such a creature?1611.Chapman,May Day, Act II., p. 284 (Plays, 1874). For procuring you the deargullageof my sweetheart, Mistress Franceschina.Gull-catcher(orGuller,Gull-sharper, etc.),subs.(old).—A trickster; a cheat.SeeGull, senses 1 and 3.1602.Shakspeare,Twelfth Night, ii., 5. Here comes my noblegull-catcher.Gullery,subs.(old colloquial).—Dupery; fraud; a cheat’s device.Cf.,Gullage.1596.Jonson,Every Man in His Humour, iii., 2. Your Balsamum and your St. John’s wort are all meregulleriesand trash to it.1608.John Day,Humour out of Breath, Act iv., Sc. 3. I am gulld, palpably gulld … and mine ownegullerygrieves me not half so much as the Dukes displeasure.1630.Taylor,Works. Neverthelesse, whosoever will but looke into the lying legend of goldengullery, there they shall finde that the poore seduced ignorant Romanists doe imitate all the idolatrous fornication of the heathen pagans and infidels.1633.Ile of Guls.Upon you both, so, so, so, how greedily their inventions like beagles follow the sent of their ownegullery, yet these are no fooles, God forbid, not they.1633.Marmion,Fine Companion.Lit.What moregulleriesyet? they have cosend mee of my daughters, I hope they will cheate me of my wife too: have you any more of these tricks to shew, ha?1689.Selden,Table Talk, p. 38 (Arber’s ed.). And how can it be proved, that ever any man reveal’d Confession, when there is no Witness? And no man can be Witness in his own cause. A meergullery.1819.H. More,Defence of Moral Cabbala, ch. iii. The sweet deception andgulleryof their own corrupted fancy.1821.Scott,Kenilworth, ch. xx. Do you think, because I have good-naturedly purchased your trumpery goods at your roguish prices, that you may put anygulleryyou will on me?Gullet,subs.(old: now recognised).—The throat. For synonyms,seeGutter-alley.1383.Chaucer,Canterbury Tales, 12, 477. [Quoted inEncy. Dict.] Out of the harde bones knocken they The mary, for they casten nought away, That may go thurgh thegulletsoft and sote.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew,Gullet, s.v. A Derisory Term for the Throat, fromGula.1836.Dickens,Pickwick, ch. 15. So he puts a pistol to his mouth, and he fires it down hisgullet.1893.National Observer, x. 168. Through sympatheticgullets.Gull-finch,subs.(old).—A simpleton; a fool. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.1630.Taylor,Works. For ’tis concluded ’mongst the wizards all, To make thee master ofGul-fincheshall.Gull-groper,subs.(old).—A gamesters’ money-lender.1609.Dekker,Lanthorne and Candle-light. Thegul-groperiscommonly an old mony-monger, who having travaild through all the follyes of the world in his youth, knowes them well, and shunnes them in his age, his whole felicitie being to fill his bags with golde and silver.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew.Gull-groper, s.v. A Bystander that Lends Money to the Gamesters.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.[233]Gully,subs.(common).—1. The throat. For synonyms,seeGutter-alley.2. (venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.3. (old and Scots’).—A knife. For synonyms,seeChive.1653.Urquhart,Rabelais, bk. I., ch. xxvii. Fairgullieswhich are little haulch-backed demi-knives.1785.Burns,Death and Dr. Hornbook. I red ye weel, tak care o’ skaith, See, there’s agully.1789.Burns,Address to Captain Grose. The knife that nickit Abel’s craig, He’ll prove ye fully It was a faulding jocteleg, Or lang-kailgully.Verb(common).—To gull(q.v.); to dupe; to swindle. For synonyms,seeStick.1834.Ainsworth,Rookwood, bk. III., ch. v. I rode about and speechified, and everybodygullied.Gully-fluff,subs.(colloquial).—Pocket-filth;beggar’s velvet(q.v.). AlsoFlue(q.v.).Gully-gut,subs.andadj.(common).—A glutton. For synonyms,seeStodger.1598.Florio,A Worlde of Wordes.Crapulatore, a surfeiter; a gormand; a glutton; agullie-gut.1672.Lestrange,Fables. Agulli-gutfriar.Gully-hole(orGully),subs.(common).—1. The throat, or gullet. For synonyms,seeGutter-alley.2. (venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.Gully-raker,subs. phr.(venery).—1. Thepenis; and (2) a wencher. For synonyms,seeCreamstick,Prick, andMolrower.2. (Australian). A cattle-whip; a cattle-thief.1881.A. C. Grant,Bush Life in Queensland… following up his admonition by a sweeping cut of hisgully-raker, and a report like a musket-shot.Gulpin,subs.(common).—A simpleton; agapeseed(q.v.). Fr.,un gobemouche;une éponge. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.1886.W. Besant,World Went Very Well Then, ch. xxix. But Jack persisted, and I rose too. ‘Go then!’ the Admiral roared, with a great oath. ‘Go then, for a brace ofgulpins!’Gulpy,adj.(common).—Easily duped.Gulsh.To hold one’s gulsh,verb. phr.(provincial).—To hold one’s tongue; to keep quiet.Gum,subs.(old).—1. Chatter; talk;jaw(q.v.). Also abuse.1751.Smollett,Peregrine Pickle, ch. xiv. There’s no occasion to bowse out so much unnecessarygum.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Come let us have no more of yourgum.1824.R. B. Peake,Americans Abroad, i., 1.Dou.Come, none of yourgum—now you are but an underlin’, tho’ you are so uppish and twistical—where’s the chair?2. (American).—A trick; a piece of dupery; asell(q.v.). Alsogummation.3. (American).—A golosh; an india-rubber overshoe. [Short for ‘gum-shoes.’]1872.Morning Post, 9 Jan. Forbidding him again to cross her threshold or to leave hisgum-shoesin her hall.Verb(common).—To cheat; totake in(q.v.), to roast (q.v.) or quiz. For synonyms,seeGammon.[234]1859.Sala,Twice Round the Clock, 6 p.m., par. I. I began to think either that he was quizzing me—gummingis the proper Transatlantic colloquialism, I think.1875. ‘American English’ inChamb. Journal, 25 Sept., p. 611. To ‘gum-tree’ is to elude, to cheat [from opossum], and this again is shortened into ‘to gum,’ as the phrase, ‘Now don’t you try togumme.’Old Mother Gum,subs. phr.(common).—An old woman: in derision.By gum!intj.(common).—A mild oath. For synonyms,seeOaths.1860.Haliburton(‘Sam Slick’),The Season Ticket, No. ix. Bygum, Squire Shegog, we have had the greatest bobbery of a shindy in our carriage you ever knowed in all our born days.Bless your(orhis,her,its, etc.)gums,phr.(common).—A piece of banter: a facetious way of saying ‘Bless your soul!’Gummagy,adj.(common).—Snarling; of a scolding habit.Gummed,adj.(billiards).—Said of a ball close to the cushion.Gummy,subs.(common).—1. A toothless person;i.e., with nothing but gums to show. Generally,Old Gummy.2. (thieves’).—Medicine. AlsoGummy-stuff.—Matsell.3. (common).—A dullard; a fool. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.Adj.(common).—Puffed; swollen; clumsy.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gummey, clumsy, particularly applied to the ancles of men, or women, and the legs of horses.To feel Gummy,verb. phr.(University).—To perspire.Gump,subs.(common).—A dolt. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.1825.Neal,Bro. Jonathan, bk. II., ch. xv. He’s … sort of a nateral too, I guess; rather agump, hey?Gumption,subs.(colloquial).—Cleverness; understanding;nous(q.v.). AlsoRum Gumption.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue.Gumption, orrum gumption, s.v., docility, comprehension, capacity.1787.Grose,Prov. Glossary, s.v. ‘Gawm.’Gawm, to understand; I dinna gawm ye, I don’t understand you. Hence, possibly, gawmtion, orgumption, understanding.1834.Atlantic Club-book, I., 33. D’ye think I’m a fellow of no moregumptionthan that?1843.Comic Almanack.Poor beasts, ’tis very clear, To any one possess’d ofgumption, That if they’d not come over here, They’d have been carried off by home consumption.1853.Lytton,My Novel, bk. IV., ch. xii.Gumption—it means cleverness.1883.Daily Telegraph, 25 June, p. 3, c. 2. But poor people—leastways, those that have got anygumption—know better than that.1890.Notes and Queries, 7 S., x., 303. As familiar as the Greek wordnousfor what … is known … asgumption.Gumptious,adj.(colloquial).—Shrewd; intelligent; vain.1853.Lytton,My Novel, bk. IV., ch. xii.Landlord.There’s gumption andgumptious! Gumption is knowing, but when I say that sum un isgumptious, I mean—though that’s more vulgar like—sum un who does not think small beer of hisself. You take me, sir?Gum-smasher(ortickler),subs.(common).—A dentist. For synonyms,seeSnag-catcher.Gum-suck,verb. (American).—To flatter; to humbug; to dupe.For synonyms,seeGammon.[235]Gum-sucker,subs.(Australian).—1.Seequot.Cf.,Corn-stalk.1887.All the Year Round, 30 July, p. 67. Agum-suckeris a native of Tasmania, and owes his elegant nickname to the abundance of gum-trees in the Tasmanian forests.2. (common).—A fool. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.Gum-tickler,subs.(colloquial).—1. A drink. Specifically,droporshort, or a dram. For synonyms,seeGo.1814.Quarterly Review, vol. X., p. 521. A gill, taken fasting, is called agum-tickler.1864.Dickens,Our Mutual Friend, bk. IV., ch. iii. I prefer to take it in the form of agum-tickler.2.SeeGum-smasher.Gum-tree.To be up a gum-tree,verb. phr.(American).—To be on one’s last legs; at the end of one’s rope. ‘He has seen his lastgum-tree’ = It is all up with him.Gun,subs.(old).—1. A lie.New Cant. Dict., 1725. For synonyms,seeWhopper.2. (common).—A thief; specifically, amagsman(q.v.) or street-artist. AlsoGun-smithandGunner.Gunning= thieving. [An abbreviation ofGonof(q.v.).]SeeArea-sneakandThieves.1858.A. Mayhew,Paved with Gold, bk. II., ch. i., p. 70. I tell you you ain’t a-going to make agun(thief) of this here young flat.1868.Temple Bar, xxv., 213. … returned to his old trade ofgunsmith,gunningbeing the slang term for thieving, or going on the cross.1882.Cornhill Mag., p. 649. Flats graft forguns.1889.ClarksonandRichardson,Police.Gunnersand grasshoppers sneak about watching their opportunities.3. (American).—A revolver. For synonyms,seeMeat-in-the Pot.4. (Irish).—A toddy glass.SeeIn the Gun.Verb(American).—1. To consider with attention.1859.Matsell,Vocabulum, s.v.Gunned. The coppergunnedme as if he was fly to my mug.2. (American).—To strive hard; to make a violent effort:e.g., togun a stock= to use every means to produce a ‘break’; when supplies are heavy and holders would be unable to resist.In the Gun,phr.(old).—Drunk. For synonyms,seeDrinksandScrewed.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue.Gun, s.v., he’sin the gun, he is drunk, perhaps from an allusion to a vessel called a gun, used for ale in the universities.Son of a Gun.SeeSon.Sure as a Gun,phr.(common).—Quite certain; inevitable.1633.Jonson,Tale of a Tub, ii., 1. ’Tis right; he has spoke astrue as a gun, believe it.1690.B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew.1694.Congreve,Double Dealer, v., 20. All turned topsy-turvy, assure as a gun.1720.Gay,New Song of New Similes.Sure as a gunshe’ll drop a tear.1749.Fielding,Tom Jones, bk. xviii., ch. ix. Assure as a gunI have hit o’ the very right o’t.1759.Sterne,TristramShandy, vol. vi., ch. xxvi. Think ye not that, in striking thesein,—he might, peradventure, strike somethingout? assure as a gun.1825.Egan,Life of an Actor, iv. By gum! he roared out, sir,as sure as a gun.d.1842.Father Prout,Reliques, I. 19. ‘Vert-Vert, the Parrot.’ Scared at the sound,—‘Sure as a gun, The bird’s a demon!’ cried the nun.[236]1849.Thackeray,Pendennis, ch. lviii. In every party of the nobility his name’s down assure as a gun.1891.N. Gould,Double Event, p. 141. Nobbed,sure as a gun!1892.Manville Fenn,New Mistress, xxxv. They were both down there about that school-money Betsey, assure as a gun.Gundiguts,subs.(common).—A fat man; aforty guts(q.v.).1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gunner’s Daughter.To Kiss(orMarry)the Gunner’s Daughter,verb. phr.(nautical). To be flogged. [Gunner’s daughter= the gun to which boys were lashed for punishment.]1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.1833.Marryat,Peter Simple, ch. xxxii. I don’t know what officers are made of now-a-days. I’ll marry some of you young gentlemen to thegunner’s daughterbefore long. Quarter-deck’s no better than a bear-garden.Gunpowder,subs.(old).—An old woman.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gunter.—SeeCocker.Gup,subs.(Anglo-Indian).—Gossip; scandal.1868.FlorenceMarryat,Gup, xix. With regard to my title …Gupis the Hindustani for ‘Gossip.’Voilâ tout!1883.Hawley Smart,Hard Lines, ch. xxix. Our Eastern empire is much addicted to what they termgup, whereby they mean gossip, scandal, or by whatever other equivalent the taking away of one’s neighbours’ characters may be designated.To be a gup,verb. phr.(American).—To be easy to take or steal.Gurtsey,subs.(American Cadet).—A fat man; apodge(q.v.). For synonyms,seeForty-guts.Gush,subs.(colloquial).—The expression of affected or extravagant sentiment.1883.Saturday Review, 3 Feb., p. 148, c. 2. Mr. Picton’s style is pleasant and easy, as long as he allows himself to be natural, and does not fall intogush.1886.Church Times, 17 Sep. Not meregushor oratorical flip-flap.Verb(colloquial).—To overflow with extravagant or affected sentiment.1883.Miss Braddon,Golden Calf, ch. vii. ‘Yes, and you saw much of each other, and you became heart-friends,’gushedMiss Wolf, beaming benevolently at Brian.Gusher,subs.(colloquial).—A practitioner ofgush(q.v.). AlsoGushington.1864.E. Yates,Broken to Harness, ch. vi., p. 66 (1873). The enthusiasticgusherwho flings his or herself upon our necks, and insists upon sharing our sorrow.1882.Miss Braddon,Mount Royal, ch. viii. ‘But, surely there is nothing improper in the play, dear Lady Cumberbridge,’ exclaimed the eldestgusher, too long in society to shrink from sifting any question of that kind.Gushing,adj.(colloquial).—Extravagant; affected or irrational in expression; demonstratively affectionate. AlsoGushingly.1864. ‘The Campaigner’ (No. XVI.), inFraser’s Mag., p. 627. Donald did not belong to what, in the slang of translated Cockneys, is called theGushingSchool.1864.Punch’s Almanack, ‘Our Growling Bard.’ Some, I admit, are Milingtary Dears, Asgushingladies say, and some are Muffs.1872.Sunday Times, 18 Aug. This however, was no surprise to the plaintiff, it having been understood from the first that the parties being past thegushingage the letters between them should be of a business character.1880.Ouida,Moths, ch. viii. Your heroics count for nothing. All girls of sixteen aregushingand silly.[237]1883.Hargrave Jennings, quoted inSaturday Review, 28 Apr., p. 536, c. 1. Women are not thegushinglycredulous creatures that man in his constant condescension and in his appreciation of himself would deem.1884.F. Anstey,Giant’s Robe, ch. xx. ‘It’s not preciselygushing,’ he said to himself, ‘but she couldn’t very well say more just yet.’Gusset,subs.(common).—Generic for the female sex. Thus,Brother(orKnight, orSquire)of the Gusset= a pimp;Gussetting= wenching;Gusseteer= a wencher; etc.Gusset of the Arse,subs. phr.(common).—The inside edge of the buttocks.d.1796.Burns,Merry Muses, pp. 99–100. An’ he grippit her fast by thegusset of her arse.Gut,subs.(vulgar).—The vice or habit of gluttony; the belly [as opposed to theGroin(q.v.).]2.in. pl.(common).—The stomach and intestines.1609.Dekker,Gul’s Horne-Booke, chap. ii. TheNeapolitanwill (likeDerick, the hangman) embrace you with one arme, and rip yourgutswith the other.1640.Rawlins,The Rebellion, iii. (Dodsley,Old Plays, 4th ed., 1875, xiv., 48). Thou hast agutcould swallow a peck loaf.1661.Brome,Poems, ‘A Satire on the Rebellion.’ The grumblingguts, the belly of the State.1713.Bentley,On Free Thinking, sect. 53. What then was our writer’s soul? Was it brain orguts?1754.Fielding,Jonathan Wild, bk. iv., c. 1. But so it was that the knife, missing these noble parts (the noblest of many)the guts, perforated only the hollow of his belly.1787.Burns,Death and Dr. Hornbook, st. 27. A countra Laird had ta’en the batts, Or some curmurring in hisguts.3.in. pl.(old).—A fat man; aforty-guts(q.v.). AlsoGuts-and-garbage.More Guts(alsoMore Balls)than Brains= a fool.1598.Shakspeare,Henry IV., pt. 1, ii., 2. Peace, ye fat-guts.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.Gutts, a very fat gross Person.4. (artists’ and colloquial).—Spirit; quality; a touch of force, or energy, or fire:e.g., a picture, a book, an actor.With guts= a strong thing. Put yourgutsinto it (aquatic) = Row the very best you can. He (or it) hasno gutsin him (or it) = He (or it) is acommon rotter(q.v.). Hence,Gutsy,adj.= havingguts, andGutsiness,subs.= the condition of beinggutsy.1738.Swift,Polite Conversation, I. The fellow’s well enough if he had anygutsin his brain.1893.Pall Mall Budget.No. 1292 (June 29), 1906. The body of the cigar, or what might vulgarly be called theguts.Verb(vulgar).—1. To plunder, or take out all or most of the contents (i.e., intestines) of a place or thing; to drain; to ‘clean out’:e.g.,to gut a house(thieves’) = to rifle it;to gut an oyster= to eat it;to gut a book= to empty it of interesting matter;to gut a quart pot= to drain at a draught. Whence,Gutted= dead-broke.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.1819.Moore,Tom Crib, p. 1. Whether diddling your subjects orguttingtheir jobs.1849–61.Macaulay,Hist. of England. The king’s printing-house … was, to use a coarse metaphor, which then for the first time came into fashion, completelygutted.[238]1892.R. L. StevensonandL. Osbourne,The Wrecker, p. 373. Well, we’ve got thegutsout of you!2. (schools’).—To eat hard, fast, and badly. For synonyms,seeWolf.To fret one’s guts,verb. phr.(common).—To worry.To have plenty of guts but no bowels,verb. phr.(common).—To be unfeeling, hard, merciless.My great guts are ready to eat my little ones,phr.(old).—‘I am very hungry.’ Also,my guts begin to think my throat’s cut;my guts curse my teeth; andmy guts chime twelve.—Grose.Not fit to carry guts to a bear,phr.(common).—To be worthless; absolutely unmannerly;unfit for human food(q.v.).Gut-entrance,subs.(venery).—The femalepudendum. Alsofront-gut. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.Gut-foundered,adj.(old).—Exceedingly hungry.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gut-pudding,subs.(old).—A sausage.—Nomenclator(1696). For synonyms,seeMysteries.Gut-puller,subs.(common).—A poulterer; achicken-butcher(q.v.).Gut-scraper,subs.(common).—A fiddler. Alsocatgut scraper, andtormentor of catgut. Forsynonyms,seeRosin-the-bow.1719.Durfey,Pills, ii., 218. ‘A Song’ etc. Strike up, drowsiegut-scrapers.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.1785.Burns,Jolly Beggars. Her charms had struck a sturdy Caird, As weel’s a poorgut-scraper.1834.W. H. Ainsworth,Rookwood, p. 192 (ed. 1864). Make ready there, yougut-scrapers, you shawm-shavers; I’ll put your lungs in play for you presently. In the mean time—charge, pals, charge—a toast, a toast!1834.Marryat,Peter Simple, ch. xxxi. ‘You may save yourself the trouble, you dingygut-scraper,’ replied O’Brien [addressing a fiddler].Gut-stick,subs.(venery).—Thepenis. For synonyms,seeCreamstickandPrick.To have a bit(ora taste)of the gut-stick= to copulate (of women only).Gut-sticker,subs. phr.(venery).—A sodomite. Alsogut-fuckerandgut-monger. For synonyms,seeUsher.Gutter,subs.(American thieves’).—1. Porter.—Matsell.[Probably a corruption ofgatter(q.v.).]2. (venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.Verb(Winchester College).—To fall in the water flat on the stomach. Fr.,piquer un plat-ventre.To lap the gutter,verb. phr.(common).—To be in the last stage of intoxication. For synonyms,seeDrinksandScrewed.Carry me out and leave me in the gutter,phr.(American).—SeeCarry me out.[239]Gutter-alley(orLane),subs.(common).—The throat.All goes down Gutter-lane= ‘He spends all on his stomach.’English Synonyms.—Beer Street; common sewer; drain; funnel; Gin Lane; gulf; gullet; gully-hole; gutter; Holloway; Peck Alley; Red Lane; the Red Sea; Spew Alley; swallow; thrapple; throttle; whistle.French Synonyms.—La carafe(tramps’);la creuse(popular = Holloway);le corridor;le cornet(popular);le couloir;le lampas;la goule(popular);le gose(popular: an abbreviation ofgosier: alsogésier);la gargoine(thieves’);la gargarousse(thieves’ = Old Gargles);le four(popular = the oven);le fanal(popular);l’entonnoir(popular = the funnel);l’avaloir(thieves’ = the swallow).German Synonym.—Kollert(Hanoverian).Spanish Synonym.—La gorja.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.1787.Grose,Prov. Glossary, g. (1811), p. 81. All goeth downGutter Lane. That is, the throat. This proverb is applicable to those who spend all their substance in eating and drinking.2. (common).—A urinal. For synonyms,seePissing-post.Gutter-blood,subs.(common).—1.Seequot. Also (2) a vulgarian; an upstart from the rabble.1822.Scott,The Fortunes of Nigel, ch. v. In rushed a thorough Edinburghgutterblood—a ragged rascal.Gutter-chaunter,subs.(common).—A street singer.Gutter-hotel,subs.(tramps’).—The open air. For synonyms,seeHedge-square.Gutter-literature.SeeBlood-and-thunder, andAwful.Gutter-master,subs.(old).—A term of reproach.1607.Marston,What You Will, iii, 1. And now my soule is skipt into a perfumer, aguttermaster.Gutter-prowler,subs.(thieves’).—A street thief. For synonyms,seeArea-sneakandThieves.Gutter-snipe,subs.(common).—1. A street arab. AlsoGutter-slush. For synonyms,seeMudlark.2. (American printers’).—A poster for the kerb.3. (American Commercial).—An ‘outside’ broker who does business chiefly in the street; akerbstone broker(q.v.). Fr.,un loup-cervier.Guttie,subs.(golfers’).—1. A gutta-percha ball.2. (colloquial).—A glutton.—For synonyms,seeStodger.3. (colloquial).—Aforty-guts, whichseefor synonyms.Guttle,verb.(vulgar).—To eat greedily; togormandize(q.v.). Also to drink:e.g.,to guttle a pint= to take off, or do, a pint; ‘He’s beenguttlingswipes’ = he’s been drinking beer. Henceguttler= a coarse, or greedy eater; a sturdy pot-companion: agorger(q.v.).Cf., Thackeray’sBook of SnobsforGuttleburyFair.SeeGuzzle.1672.Lestrange,Fables, p. 260. A jollyguttlingpriest.[240]Guttle-shop,subs.(Rugby).—A pastry-cook’s; atuck-shop(q.v.).Guv,subs.(common).—An abbreviation ofgovernor(q.v.).Guy,subs.(colloquial).—1. A Fifth of November effigy; whence (2) an ill-dressed person. As in the old street cry, ‘Hollo, boys, there goes anotherguy!’(an abbreviation of Guy Fawkes) = a figure of fun; a fright.English Synonyms.—Caution; Captain Queer-nabs; chivey; comic bird; ragamuffin; sight.French Synonyms.Un paquet(popular);une hallebarde(popular = a clothes-prop);un nippe-mal(popular);une bécasse(= a gaby);un carnavale(popular = a figure of fun).1806.W. Burrell, in C. K. Sharpe’sCorrespondence(1888), i., 277. A month ago there was neither shape nor make in use … noguyever matched me.1837.Barham,Ingoldsby Legends. ‘The Nurse’s Story.’ Did you see her, in short, that mud-hovel within, With her knees to her nose, and her nose to her chin, Leering up with that queer, indescribable grin, You’d lift up your hands in amazement and cry, ‘Well!—I neverdidsee such a regularguy!’1858.G. Eliot,Janet’s Repentance, ch. vi. Ned Phipps … whispered that he thought the Bishop was aguy, and I certainly remember thinking that Mr. Prendergast looked much more dignified with his plain white surplice and black hair.1871.Morning Advertiser, 26 Jan. There is no imperative reason why a constable should be aguy.3. (common).—A dark lantern. [Obviously a reminiscence of the Gunpowder Plot].1811.Lexicon Balatronicum.Guy, s.v. Stow theguy, conceal the lanthorn.1859.Matsell,Vocabulum, s.v.4. (streets).—A jaunt; an expedition.1889.Sporting Times, 3 Aug., p. 5, c. 5. Therewasa gee, therewasa buggy, but therewasn’ta punctual Pitcher. So a cheerfulguyto Waterloo was the game.Verb(common).—1. To quiz; to chaff;to roast(q.v.);to josh(q.v.).1889.Detroit Free Press, 26 Jan. His advent here created much merriment, and the operatorsguyedhim loud enough for him to hear them.2. (common).—To escape;to hedge(q.v.); to run away. Alsoto do a guy(which also = to give a false name). For synonyms,seeAmputateandSkedaddle.1879.J. W. Horsley, inMacmillan’s Mag., xl. 500. I planned with another boy toguy(run away).1887.Fun, 23 Mar., p. 125. ‘Boat-race Day, as per usual,’ said the clerk to the court, ‘they’ll all bedoing guys’ (giving false names!).1889.ClarksonandRichardson,Police, p. 321. To run away.…Do a guy.1892.Punch, 24 Sept. ‘’Arry at Arrygate.’ I justdid a guy.3. (American).—To spoil; to muddle; to disfigure or distort.1891.New York Herald, 31 May, p. 12, c. 4. Finally, I would remind them that they are apt toguytheir cause by making ‘guys’ of themselves, and that the best way of making women a power in the land is by encouraging them to be womanly women.4. (theatrical).—To damn; to hiss;to slate(q.v.) orgive the bird(q.v.).Guzzle(orGuttle),subs.(vulgar).—1. An insatiable eater or drinker. For synonyms,seeStodgerandLushingtonrespectively.2. (vulgar).—A debauch.1876.Hindley,Adventures of Cheap Jack, 58. Doing aguzzlewith money he earned.3. (common).—Drink.[241]1653.Urquhart,Rabelais, Bk. II., ch. i.,note. It signifies rum-booze, as our gipsies call good-guzzle.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1698–1700.Ward,London Spy, part III., p. 47. A Pennyworth of burnt Bread soften’d in a Mug of Porter’sguzzle.c.1795.Wolcot[P. Pindar],Peter’s Pension, in wks. (Dublin, 1795), vol. i., p. 484. Lo, for a little meat andguzzle, This sneaking cur, too, takes the muzzle.Verb.(vulgar).—1. To drink greedily, or to excess.1607.Dekker,Westward Ho, v., 1. My master and Sir Gosling areguzzling; they are dabbling together fathom-deep.1693.Dryden,Persius, vi., 51. And, lavish of suspense, Quaffs, crams, andguttles, in his own defence.1698.Farquhar,Love and a Bottle, Act i. His education could reach no farther than toguzzlefat ale.1727.Gay,Beggars Opera, i., 3.Tom Tipple, aguzzlingsoaking sot, who is always too drunk to stand himself.1748.T. Dyche,Dictionary(5th ed.).Guzzle(v.) to tipple, to fuddle, to drink much and greedily.1782.Wolcot[P. Pindar],Lyric Odes, Ode i. The poet might haveguttledtill he split.1849.Thackeray,Pendennis, ch. lxi. Are you … to tell me that the aim of life is toguttlethree courses and dine off silver?Guzzle-guts,subs.(common).—A glutton; a hard drinker.—Lex. Bal.(1811).SeeGuzzle.Guzzler,subs.(colloquial).—A hard drinker; a coarse, voracious feeder.SeeGuzzle.a.1760.T. Brown,Works, iii., 265 [ed. 1760]. Being an eternalguzzlerof wine, his mouth smelt like a vintner’s vault.1841.Dickens,Barnaby Rudge, ch. xiii. To be looked upon as a common pipe-smoker,beer-bibber, spirit-guzzler, and toss-pot.Guzzling,subs.(vulgar).—Eating or drinking to excess; also eating or drinking in a coarse unmannerly fashion.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1819.Moore,Tom Crib, p. 28. What with snoozing, high-grubbing andguzzlinglike Chloe.1882.F. Anstey,Vice Versâ, ch. xv. There shall be no pocketing at this table, sir. You will eat that pudding under my eye at once, and you will stay in and write out French verbs for two days. That will put an end to any moreguzzlingin the garden for a time, at least.Guzzum,subs.(American).—Chatter; noise. For synonyms,seePatter.1888.Detroit Free Press, 22 Dec. ‘Now, Jerry, if yer don’t stop yerguzzumI’ll skin yer alive!’ she exclaimed as she stood in the door and flourished a skillet at him.G.Y.All a G.Y.,adv. phr.(North Country).—Crooked; all on one side; ‘all of a hugh.’Gybe,subs.(old).—A written paper.1567.Harman,Caveat(1814), p. 65 Agyb, a writing.1608.Dekker,Belman of London, in wks. (Grosart) III., 104. His office is to make counterfet licences, which are calledgybes.1724.E. Coles,Eng. Dict.Gybe, any Writing or Pass.1818.Scott,Heart of Midlothian, ch. xxv. He knows mygybe[pass] as well as the jark [seal] of e’er a queer cuffin [justice of peace] in England.Verb(old).—1. To whip; to castigate.E.g.,gybedat the cart’s arse = whipped at the cart’s tail.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew,Gyb’d, jerkt or whipt.[242]Gybing(alsoGibery),subs.(old: now recognised).—Jeering.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gyger.SeeJigger.Gymnasium,subs.(venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.Gyp,subs.(Cambridge University).—1. A college servant. At Oxford, a scout, at Dublin, a skip.[Etymology doubtful: according toSat. Rev.an abbreviation of Gipsy Joe; according to Cambridge undergraduates from the Greekγύψ(gups) = a vulture; from the creature’s rapacity.]1794.Gent. Mag., p. 1085. [A Cambridge college servant is called ajip.]1842.Tait’s Mag., Oct., ‘Reminiscences of Coll. Life.’ There is attached to colleges and halls a person more useful than ornamental, and better known than paid, whom Oxonians nameGyp, from his supposed moral affinity to a vulture (γύψ). The same is in Dublin denominated aSkip, because of the activity which is an indispensable item in his qualifications.1849.C. Kingsley,Alton Locke, ch. xii. I’ll send you in luncheon as I go through the butteries; then, perhaps, you’d like to come down and see the race. Ask theGypto tell you the way.1850.Smedley,Frank Fairleigh, p. 254. Fellow you call thegypwanted to make me believe you were out—thought I looked too like a governor to be let in, I suppose.1882.F. Anstey,Vice Versâ, ch. v. Who should we see coming straight down on us but a Proctor with his bull-dogs (not dogs, you know, but the strongestgypsin the college).2. (American).—A thief. For synonyms,seeThieves.Gypsies of Science,subs. phr.(literary.)—The British Association.1846.Times, 5 Sept. On Thursday next,the Gipsies of Science(the British Association) will have pitched their tents at Southampton.Gyrotwistive,adj.(American).—Full of evasions and tricks; a ‘portmanteau word.’Gyte,subs.(common).—1. A child; in contempt. [A corruption of goat.]2. (Scots’).—A first year’s pupil in the Edinburgh High School.Gyvel,subs.(Scots’ venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.d.1796.Burns,The Merry Muses, ‘Nine Inches for a Lady,’ 33–4. Come louse and lug your battering ram, An’ thrash him at mygyvel.
1841.Thackeray,Character Sketches,‘Fashionable Authoress.’ And, gulled themselves, gull the mostgullableof publics.Gullage,subs.(old colloquial).—The act of trickery; the state of being gulled.1605.B. Jonson,Volpone, v., 5. Had you no quirk To avoidgullage, sir, by such a creature?1611.Chapman,May Day, Act II., p. 284 (Plays, 1874). For procuring you the deargullageof my sweetheart, Mistress Franceschina.Gull-catcher(orGuller,Gull-sharper, etc.),subs.(old).—A trickster; a cheat.SeeGull, senses 1 and 3.1602.Shakspeare,Twelfth Night, ii., 5. Here comes my noblegull-catcher.Gullery,subs.(old colloquial).—Dupery; fraud; a cheat’s device.Cf.,Gullage.1596.Jonson,Every Man in His Humour, iii., 2. Your Balsamum and your St. John’s wort are all meregulleriesand trash to it.1608.John Day,Humour out of Breath, Act iv., Sc. 3. I am gulld, palpably gulld … and mine ownegullerygrieves me not half so much as the Dukes displeasure.1630.Taylor,Works. Neverthelesse, whosoever will but looke into the lying legend of goldengullery, there they shall finde that the poore seduced ignorant Romanists doe imitate all the idolatrous fornication of the heathen pagans and infidels.1633.Ile of Guls.Upon you both, so, so, so, how greedily their inventions like beagles follow the sent of their ownegullery, yet these are no fooles, God forbid, not they.1633.Marmion,Fine Companion.Lit.What moregulleriesyet? they have cosend mee of my daughters, I hope they will cheate me of my wife too: have you any more of these tricks to shew, ha?1689.Selden,Table Talk, p. 38 (Arber’s ed.). And how can it be proved, that ever any man reveal’d Confession, when there is no Witness? And no man can be Witness in his own cause. A meergullery.1819.H. More,Defence of Moral Cabbala, ch. iii. The sweet deception andgulleryof their own corrupted fancy.1821.Scott,Kenilworth, ch. xx. Do you think, because I have good-naturedly purchased your trumpery goods at your roguish prices, that you may put anygulleryyou will on me?Gullet,subs.(old: now recognised).—The throat. For synonyms,seeGutter-alley.1383.Chaucer,Canterbury Tales, 12, 477. [Quoted inEncy. Dict.] Out of the harde bones knocken they The mary, for they casten nought away, That may go thurgh thegulletsoft and sote.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew,Gullet, s.v. A Derisory Term for the Throat, fromGula.1836.Dickens,Pickwick, ch. 15. So he puts a pistol to his mouth, and he fires it down hisgullet.1893.National Observer, x. 168. Through sympatheticgullets.Gull-finch,subs.(old).—A simpleton; a fool. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.1630.Taylor,Works. For ’tis concluded ’mongst the wizards all, To make thee master ofGul-fincheshall.Gull-groper,subs.(old).—A gamesters’ money-lender.1609.Dekker,Lanthorne and Candle-light. Thegul-groperiscommonly an old mony-monger, who having travaild through all the follyes of the world in his youth, knowes them well, and shunnes them in his age, his whole felicitie being to fill his bags with golde and silver.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew.Gull-groper, s.v. A Bystander that Lends Money to the Gamesters.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.[233]Gully,subs.(common).—1. The throat. For synonyms,seeGutter-alley.2. (venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.3. (old and Scots’).—A knife. For synonyms,seeChive.1653.Urquhart,Rabelais, bk. I., ch. xxvii. Fairgullieswhich are little haulch-backed demi-knives.1785.Burns,Death and Dr. Hornbook. I red ye weel, tak care o’ skaith, See, there’s agully.1789.Burns,Address to Captain Grose. The knife that nickit Abel’s craig, He’ll prove ye fully It was a faulding jocteleg, Or lang-kailgully.Verb(common).—To gull(q.v.); to dupe; to swindle. For synonyms,seeStick.1834.Ainsworth,Rookwood, bk. III., ch. v. I rode about and speechified, and everybodygullied.Gully-fluff,subs.(colloquial).—Pocket-filth;beggar’s velvet(q.v.). AlsoFlue(q.v.).Gully-gut,subs.andadj.(common).—A glutton. For synonyms,seeStodger.1598.Florio,A Worlde of Wordes.Crapulatore, a surfeiter; a gormand; a glutton; agullie-gut.1672.Lestrange,Fables. Agulli-gutfriar.Gully-hole(orGully),subs.(common).—1. The throat, or gullet. For synonyms,seeGutter-alley.2. (venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.Gully-raker,subs. phr.(venery).—1. Thepenis; and (2) a wencher. For synonyms,seeCreamstick,Prick, andMolrower.2. (Australian). A cattle-whip; a cattle-thief.1881.A. C. Grant,Bush Life in Queensland… following up his admonition by a sweeping cut of hisgully-raker, and a report like a musket-shot.Gulpin,subs.(common).—A simpleton; agapeseed(q.v.). Fr.,un gobemouche;une éponge. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.1886.W. Besant,World Went Very Well Then, ch. xxix. But Jack persisted, and I rose too. ‘Go then!’ the Admiral roared, with a great oath. ‘Go then, for a brace ofgulpins!’Gulpy,adj.(common).—Easily duped.Gulsh.To hold one’s gulsh,verb. phr.(provincial).—To hold one’s tongue; to keep quiet.Gum,subs.(old).—1. Chatter; talk;jaw(q.v.). Also abuse.1751.Smollett,Peregrine Pickle, ch. xiv. There’s no occasion to bowse out so much unnecessarygum.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Come let us have no more of yourgum.1824.R. B. Peake,Americans Abroad, i., 1.Dou.Come, none of yourgum—now you are but an underlin’, tho’ you are so uppish and twistical—where’s the chair?2. (American).—A trick; a piece of dupery; asell(q.v.). Alsogummation.3. (American).—A golosh; an india-rubber overshoe. [Short for ‘gum-shoes.’]1872.Morning Post, 9 Jan. Forbidding him again to cross her threshold or to leave hisgum-shoesin her hall.Verb(common).—To cheat; totake in(q.v.), to roast (q.v.) or quiz. For synonyms,seeGammon.[234]1859.Sala,Twice Round the Clock, 6 p.m., par. I. I began to think either that he was quizzing me—gummingis the proper Transatlantic colloquialism, I think.1875. ‘American English’ inChamb. Journal, 25 Sept., p. 611. To ‘gum-tree’ is to elude, to cheat [from opossum], and this again is shortened into ‘to gum,’ as the phrase, ‘Now don’t you try togumme.’Old Mother Gum,subs. phr.(common).—An old woman: in derision.By gum!intj.(common).—A mild oath. For synonyms,seeOaths.1860.Haliburton(‘Sam Slick’),The Season Ticket, No. ix. Bygum, Squire Shegog, we have had the greatest bobbery of a shindy in our carriage you ever knowed in all our born days.Bless your(orhis,her,its, etc.)gums,phr.(common).—A piece of banter: a facetious way of saying ‘Bless your soul!’Gummagy,adj.(common).—Snarling; of a scolding habit.Gummed,adj.(billiards).—Said of a ball close to the cushion.Gummy,subs.(common).—1. A toothless person;i.e., with nothing but gums to show. Generally,Old Gummy.2. (thieves’).—Medicine. AlsoGummy-stuff.—Matsell.3. (common).—A dullard; a fool. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.Adj.(common).—Puffed; swollen; clumsy.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gummey, clumsy, particularly applied to the ancles of men, or women, and the legs of horses.To feel Gummy,verb. phr.(University).—To perspire.Gump,subs.(common).—A dolt. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.1825.Neal,Bro. Jonathan, bk. II., ch. xv. He’s … sort of a nateral too, I guess; rather agump, hey?Gumption,subs.(colloquial).—Cleverness; understanding;nous(q.v.). AlsoRum Gumption.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue.Gumption, orrum gumption, s.v., docility, comprehension, capacity.1787.Grose,Prov. Glossary, s.v. ‘Gawm.’Gawm, to understand; I dinna gawm ye, I don’t understand you. Hence, possibly, gawmtion, orgumption, understanding.1834.Atlantic Club-book, I., 33. D’ye think I’m a fellow of no moregumptionthan that?1843.Comic Almanack.Poor beasts, ’tis very clear, To any one possess’d ofgumption, That if they’d not come over here, They’d have been carried off by home consumption.1853.Lytton,My Novel, bk. IV., ch. xii.Gumption—it means cleverness.1883.Daily Telegraph, 25 June, p. 3, c. 2. But poor people—leastways, those that have got anygumption—know better than that.1890.Notes and Queries, 7 S., x., 303. As familiar as the Greek wordnousfor what … is known … asgumption.Gumptious,adj.(colloquial).—Shrewd; intelligent; vain.1853.Lytton,My Novel, bk. IV., ch. xii.Landlord.There’s gumption andgumptious! Gumption is knowing, but when I say that sum un isgumptious, I mean—though that’s more vulgar like—sum un who does not think small beer of hisself. You take me, sir?Gum-smasher(ortickler),subs.(common).—A dentist. For synonyms,seeSnag-catcher.Gum-suck,verb. (American).—To flatter; to humbug; to dupe.For synonyms,seeGammon.[235]Gum-sucker,subs.(Australian).—1.Seequot.Cf.,Corn-stalk.1887.All the Year Round, 30 July, p. 67. Agum-suckeris a native of Tasmania, and owes his elegant nickname to the abundance of gum-trees in the Tasmanian forests.2. (common).—A fool. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.Gum-tickler,subs.(colloquial).—1. A drink. Specifically,droporshort, or a dram. For synonyms,seeGo.1814.Quarterly Review, vol. X., p. 521. A gill, taken fasting, is called agum-tickler.1864.Dickens,Our Mutual Friend, bk. IV., ch. iii. I prefer to take it in the form of agum-tickler.2.SeeGum-smasher.Gum-tree.To be up a gum-tree,verb. phr.(American).—To be on one’s last legs; at the end of one’s rope. ‘He has seen his lastgum-tree’ = It is all up with him.Gun,subs.(old).—1. A lie.New Cant. Dict., 1725. For synonyms,seeWhopper.2. (common).—A thief; specifically, amagsman(q.v.) or street-artist. AlsoGun-smithandGunner.Gunning= thieving. [An abbreviation ofGonof(q.v.).]SeeArea-sneakandThieves.1858.A. Mayhew,Paved with Gold, bk. II., ch. i., p. 70. I tell you you ain’t a-going to make agun(thief) of this here young flat.1868.Temple Bar, xxv., 213. … returned to his old trade ofgunsmith,gunningbeing the slang term for thieving, or going on the cross.1882.Cornhill Mag., p. 649. Flats graft forguns.1889.ClarksonandRichardson,Police.Gunnersand grasshoppers sneak about watching their opportunities.3. (American).—A revolver. For synonyms,seeMeat-in-the Pot.4. (Irish).—A toddy glass.SeeIn the Gun.Verb(American).—1. To consider with attention.1859.Matsell,Vocabulum, s.v.Gunned. The coppergunnedme as if he was fly to my mug.2. (American).—To strive hard; to make a violent effort:e.g., togun a stock= to use every means to produce a ‘break’; when supplies are heavy and holders would be unable to resist.In the Gun,phr.(old).—Drunk. For synonyms,seeDrinksandScrewed.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue.Gun, s.v., he’sin the gun, he is drunk, perhaps from an allusion to a vessel called a gun, used for ale in the universities.Son of a Gun.SeeSon.Sure as a Gun,phr.(common).—Quite certain; inevitable.1633.Jonson,Tale of a Tub, ii., 1. ’Tis right; he has spoke astrue as a gun, believe it.1690.B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew.1694.Congreve,Double Dealer, v., 20. All turned topsy-turvy, assure as a gun.1720.Gay,New Song of New Similes.Sure as a gunshe’ll drop a tear.1749.Fielding,Tom Jones, bk. xviii., ch. ix. Assure as a gunI have hit o’ the very right o’t.1759.Sterne,TristramShandy, vol. vi., ch. xxvi. Think ye not that, in striking thesein,—he might, peradventure, strike somethingout? assure as a gun.1825.Egan,Life of an Actor, iv. By gum! he roared out, sir,as sure as a gun.d.1842.Father Prout,Reliques, I. 19. ‘Vert-Vert, the Parrot.’ Scared at the sound,—‘Sure as a gun, The bird’s a demon!’ cried the nun.[236]1849.Thackeray,Pendennis, ch. lviii. In every party of the nobility his name’s down assure as a gun.1891.N. Gould,Double Event, p. 141. Nobbed,sure as a gun!1892.Manville Fenn,New Mistress, xxxv. They were both down there about that school-money Betsey, assure as a gun.Gundiguts,subs.(common).—A fat man; aforty guts(q.v.).1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gunner’s Daughter.To Kiss(orMarry)the Gunner’s Daughter,verb. phr.(nautical). To be flogged. [Gunner’s daughter= the gun to which boys were lashed for punishment.]1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.1833.Marryat,Peter Simple, ch. xxxii. I don’t know what officers are made of now-a-days. I’ll marry some of you young gentlemen to thegunner’s daughterbefore long. Quarter-deck’s no better than a bear-garden.Gunpowder,subs.(old).—An old woman.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gunter.—SeeCocker.Gup,subs.(Anglo-Indian).—Gossip; scandal.1868.FlorenceMarryat,Gup, xix. With regard to my title …Gupis the Hindustani for ‘Gossip.’Voilâ tout!1883.Hawley Smart,Hard Lines, ch. xxix. Our Eastern empire is much addicted to what they termgup, whereby they mean gossip, scandal, or by whatever other equivalent the taking away of one’s neighbours’ characters may be designated.To be a gup,verb. phr.(American).—To be easy to take or steal.Gurtsey,subs.(American Cadet).—A fat man; apodge(q.v.). For synonyms,seeForty-guts.Gush,subs.(colloquial).—The expression of affected or extravagant sentiment.1883.Saturday Review, 3 Feb., p. 148, c. 2. Mr. Picton’s style is pleasant and easy, as long as he allows himself to be natural, and does not fall intogush.1886.Church Times, 17 Sep. Not meregushor oratorical flip-flap.Verb(colloquial).—To overflow with extravagant or affected sentiment.1883.Miss Braddon,Golden Calf, ch. vii. ‘Yes, and you saw much of each other, and you became heart-friends,’gushedMiss Wolf, beaming benevolently at Brian.Gusher,subs.(colloquial).—A practitioner ofgush(q.v.). AlsoGushington.1864.E. Yates,Broken to Harness, ch. vi., p. 66 (1873). The enthusiasticgusherwho flings his or herself upon our necks, and insists upon sharing our sorrow.1882.Miss Braddon,Mount Royal, ch. viii. ‘But, surely there is nothing improper in the play, dear Lady Cumberbridge,’ exclaimed the eldestgusher, too long in society to shrink from sifting any question of that kind.Gushing,adj.(colloquial).—Extravagant; affected or irrational in expression; demonstratively affectionate. AlsoGushingly.1864. ‘The Campaigner’ (No. XVI.), inFraser’s Mag., p. 627. Donald did not belong to what, in the slang of translated Cockneys, is called theGushingSchool.1864.Punch’s Almanack, ‘Our Growling Bard.’ Some, I admit, are Milingtary Dears, Asgushingladies say, and some are Muffs.1872.Sunday Times, 18 Aug. This however, was no surprise to the plaintiff, it having been understood from the first that the parties being past thegushingage the letters between them should be of a business character.1880.Ouida,Moths, ch. viii. Your heroics count for nothing. All girls of sixteen aregushingand silly.[237]1883.Hargrave Jennings, quoted inSaturday Review, 28 Apr., p. 536, c. 1. Women are not thegushinglycredulous creatures that man in his constant condescension and in his appreciation of himself would deem.1884.F. Anstey,Giant’s Robe, ch. xx. ‘It’s not preciselygushing,’ he said to himself, ‘but she couldn’t very well say more just yet.’Gusset,subs.(common).—Generic for the female sex. Thus,Brother(orKnight, orSquire)of the Gusset= a pimp;Gussetting= wenching;Gusseteer= a wencher; etc.Gusset of the Arse,subs. phr.(common).—The inside edge of the buttocks.d.1796.Burns,Merry Muses, pp. 99–100. An’ he grippit her fast by thegusset of her arse.Gut,subs.(vulgar).—The vice or habit of gluttony; the belly [as opposed to theGroin(q.v.).]2.in. pl.(common).—The stomach and intestines.1609.Dekker,Gul’s Horne-Booke, chap. ii. TheNeapolitanwill (likeDerick, the hangman) embrace you with one arme, and rip yourgutswith the other.1640.Rawlins,The Rebellion, iii. (Dodsley,Old Plays, 4th ed., 1875, xiv., 48). Thou hast agutcould swallow a peck loaf.1661.Brome,Poems, ‘A Satire on the Rebellion.’ The grumblingguts, the belly of the State.1713.Bentley,On Free Thinking, sect. 53. What then was our writer’s soul? Was it brain orguts?1754.Fielding,Jonathan Wild, bk. iv., c. 1. But so it was that the knife, missing these noble parts (the noblest of many)the guts, perforated only the hollow of his belly.1787.Burns,Death and Dr. Hornbook, st. 27. A countra Laird had ta’en the batts, Or some curmurring in hisguts.3.in. pl.(old).—A fat man; aforty-guts(q.v.). AlsoGuts-and-garbage.More Guts(alsoMore Balls)than Brains= a fool.1598.Shakspeare,Henry IV., pt. 1, ii., 2. Peace, ye fat-guts.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.Gutts, a very fat gross Person.4. (artists’ and colloquial).—Spirit; quality; a touch of force, or energy, or fire:e.g., a picture, a book, an actor.With guts= a strong thing. Put yourgutsinto it (aquatic) = Row the very best you can. He (or it) hasno gutsin him (or it) = He (or it) is acommon rotter(q.v.). Hence,Gutsy,adj.= havingguts, andGutsiness,subs.= the condition of beinggutsy.1738.Swift,Polite Conversation, I. The fellow’s well enough if he had anygutsin his brain.1893.Pall Mall Budget.No. 1292 (June 29), 1906. The body of the cigar, or what might vulgarly be called theguts.Verb(vulgar).—1. To plunder, or take out all or most of the contents (i.e., intestines) of a place or thing; to drain; to ‘clean out’:e.g.,to gut a house(thieves’) = to rifle it;to gut an oyster= to eat it;to gut a book= to empty it of interesting matter;to gut a quart pot= to drain at a draught. Whence,Gutted= dead-broke.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.1819.Moore,Tom Crib, p. 1. Whether diddling your subjects orguttingtheir jobs.1849–61.Macaulay,Hist. of England. The king’s printing-house … was, to use a coarse metaphor, which then for the first time came into fashion, completelygutted.[238]1892.R. L. StevensonandL. Osbourne,The Wrecker, p. 373. Well, we’ve got thegutsout of you!2. (schools’).—To eat hard, fast, and badly. For synonyms,seeWolf.To fret one’s guts,verb. phr.(common).—To worry.To have plenty of guts but no bowels,verb. phr.(common).—To be unfeeling, hard, merciless.My great guts are ready to eat my little ones,phr.(old).—‘I am very hungry.’ Also,my guts begin to think my throat’s cut;my guts curse my teeth; andmy guts chime twelve.—Grose.Not fit to carry guts to a bear,phr.(common).—To be worthless; absolutely unmannerly;unfit for human food(q.v.).Gut-entrance,subs.(venery).—The femalepudendum. Alsofront-gut. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.Gut-foundered,adj.(old).—Exceedingly hungry.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gut-pudding,subs.(old).—A sausage.—Nomenclator(1696). For synonyms,seeMysteries.Gut-puller,subs.(common).—A poulterer; achicken-butcher(q.v.).Gut-scraper,subs.(common).—A fiddler. Alsocatgut scraper, andtormentor of catgut. Forsynonyms,seeRosin-the-bow.1719.Durfey,Pills, ii., 218. ‘A Song’ etc. Strike up, drowsiegut-scrapers.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.1785.Burns,Jolly Beggars. Her charms had struck a sturdy Caird, As weel’s a poorgut-scraper.1834.W. H. Ainsworth,Rookwood, p. 192 (ed. 1864). Make ready there, yougut-scrapers, you shawm-shavers; I’ll put your lungs in play for you presently. In the mean time—charge, pals, charge—a toast, a toast!1834.Marryat,Peter Simple, ch. xxxi. ‘You may save yourself the trouble, you dingygut-scraper,’ replied O’Brien [addressing a fiddler].Gut-stick,subs.(venery).—Thepenis. For synonyms,seeCreamstickandPrick.To have a bit(ora taste)of the gut-stick= to copulate (of women only).Gut-sticker,subs. phr.(venery).—A sodomite. Alsogut-fuckerandgut-monger. For synonyms,seeUsher.Gutter,subs.(American thieves’).—1. Porter.—Matsell.[Probably a corruption ofgatter(q.v.).]2. (venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.Verb(Winchester College).—To fall in the water flat on the stomach. Fr.,piquer un plat-ventre.To lap the gutter,verb. phr.(common).—To be in the last stage of intoxication. For synonyms,seeDrinksandScrewed.Carry me out and leave me in the gutter,phr.(American).—SeeCarry me out.[239]Gutter-alley(orLane),subs.(common).—The throat.All goes down Gutter-lane= ‘He spends all on his stomach.’English Synonyms.—Beer Street; common sewer; drain; funnel; Gin Lane; gulf; gullet; gully-hole; gutter; Holloway; Peck Alley; Red Lane; the Red Sea; Spew Alley; swallow; thrapple; throttle; whistle.French Synonyms.—La carafe(tramps’);la creuse(popular = Holloway);le corridor;le cornet(popular);le couloir;le lampas;la goule(popular);le gose(popular: an abbreviation ofgosier: alsogésier);la gargoine(thieves’);la gargarousse(thieves’ = Old Gargles);le four(popular = the oven);le fanal(popular);l’entonnoir(popular = the funnel);l’avaloir(thieves’ = the swallow).German Synonym.—Kollert(Hanoverian).Spanish Synonym.—La gorja.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.1787.Grose,Prov. Glossary, g. (1811), p. 81. All goeth downGutter Lane. That is, the throat. This proverb is applicable to those who spend all their substance in eating and drinking.2. (common).—A urinal. For synonyms,seePissing-post.Gutter-blood,subs.(common).—1.Seequot. Also (2) a vulgarian; an upstart from the rabble.1822.Scott,The Fortunes of Nigel, ch. v. In rushed a thorough Edinburghgutterblood—a ragged rascal.Gutter-chaunter,subs.(common).—A street singer.Gutter-hotel,subs.(tramps’).—The open air. For synonyms,seeHedge-square.Gutter-literature.SeeBlood-and-thunder, andAwful.Gutter-master,subs.(old).—A term of reproach.1607.Marston,What You Will, iii, 1. And now my soule is skipt into a perfumer, aguttermaster.Gutter-prowler,subs.(thieves’).—A street thief. For synonyms,seeArea-sneakandThieves.Gutter-snipe,subs.(common).—1. A street arab. AlsoGutter-slush. For synonyms,seeMudlark.2. (American printers’).—A poster for the kerb.3. (American Commercial).—An ‘outside’ broker who does business chiefly in the street; akerbstone broker(q.v.). Fr.,un loup-cervier.Guttie,subs.(golfers’).—1. A gutta-percha ball.2. (colloquial).—A glutton.—For synonyms,seeStodger.3. (colloquial).—Aforty-guts, whichseefor synonyms.Guttle,verb.(vulgar).—To eat greedily; togormandize(q.v.). Also to drink:e.g.,to guttle a pint= to take off, or do, a pint; ‘He’s beenguttlingswipes’ = he’s been drinking beer. Henceguttler= a coarse, or greedy eater; a sturdy pot-companion: agorger(q.v.).Cf., Thackeray’sBook of SnobsforGuttleburyFair.SeeGuzzle.1672.Lestrange,Fables, p. 260. A jollyguttlingpriest.[240]Guttle-shop,subs.(Rugby).—A pastry-cook’s; atuck-shop(q.v.).Guv,subs.(common).—An abbreviation ofgovernor(q.v.).Guy,subs.(colloquial).—1. A Fifth of November effigy; whence (2) an ill-dressed person. As in the old street cry, ‘Hollo, boys, there goes anotherguy!’(an abbreviation of Guy Fawkes) = a figure of fun; a fright.English Synonyms.—Caution; Captain Queer-nabs; chivey; comic bird; ragamuffin; sight.French Synonyms.Un paquet(popular);une hallebarde(popular = a clothes-prop);un nippe-mal(popular);une bécasse(= a gaby);un carnavale(popular = a figure of fun).1806.W. Burrell, in C. K. Sharpe’sCorrespondence(1888), i., 277. A month ago there was neither shape nor make in use … noguyever matched me.1837.Barham,Ingoldsby Legends. ‘The Nurse’s Story.’ Did you see her, in short, that mud-hovel within, With her knees to her nose, and her nose to her chin, Leering up with that queer, indescribable grin, You’d lift up your hands in amazement and cry, ‘Well!—I neverdidsee such a regularguy!’1858.G. Eliot,Janet’s Repentance, ch. vi. Ned Phipps … whispered that he thought the Bishop was aguy, and I certainly remember thinking that Mr. Prendergast looked much more dignified with his plain white surplice and black hair.1871.Morning Advertiser, 26 Jan. There is no imperative reason why a constable should be aguy.3. (common).—A dark lantern. [Obviously a reminiscence of the Gunpowder Plot].1811.Lexicon Balatronicum.Guy, s.v. Stow theguy, conceal the lanthorn.1859.Matsell,Vocabulum, s.v.4. (streets).—A jaunt; an expedition.1889.Sporting Times, 3 Aug., p. 5, c. 5. Therewasa gee, therewasa buggy, but therewasn’ta punctual Pitcher. So a cheerfulguyto Waterloo was the game.Verb(common).—1. To quiz; to chaff;to roast(q.v.);to josh(q.v.).1889.Detroit Free Press, 26 Jan. His advent here created much merriment, and the operatorsguyedhim loud enough for him to hear them.2. (common).—To escape;to hedge(q.v.); to run away. Alsoto do a guy(which also = to give a false name). For synonyms,seeAmputateandSkedaddle.1879.J. W. Horsley, inMacmillan’s Mag., xl. 500. I planned with another boy toguy(run away).1887.Fun, 23 Mar., p. 125. ‘Boat-race Day, as per usual,’ said the clerk to the court, ‘they’ll all bedoing guys’ (giving false names!).1889.ClarksonandRichardson,Police, p. 321. To run away.…Do a guy.1892.Punch, 24 Sept. ‘’Arry at Arrygate.’ I justdid a guy.3. (American).—To spoil; to muddle; to disfigure or distort.1891.New York Herald, 31 May, p. 12, c. 4. Finally, I would remind them that they are apt toguytheir cause by making ‘guys’ of themselves, and that the best way of making women a power in the land is by encouraging them to be womanly women.4. (theatrical).—To damn; to hiss;to slate(q.v.) orgive the bird(q.v.).Guzzle(orGuttle),subs.(vulgar).—1. An insatiable eater or drinker. For synonyms,seeStodgerandLushingtonrespectively.2. (vulgar).—A debauch.1876.Hindley,Adventures of Cheap Jack, 58. Doing aguzzlewith money he earned.3. (common).—Drink.[241]1653.Urquhart,Rabelais, Bk. II., ch. i.,note. It signifies rum-booze, as our gipsies call good-guzzle.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1698–1700.Ward,London Spy, part III., p. 47. A Pennyworth of burnt Bread soften’d in a Mug of Porter’sguzzle.c.1795.Wolcot[P. Pindar],Peter’s Pension, in wks. (Dublin, 1795), vol. i., p. 484. Lo, for a little meat andguzzle, This sneaking cur, too, takes the muzzle.Verb.(vulgar).—1. To drink greedily, or to excess.1607.Dekker,Westward Ho, v., 1. My master and Sir Gosling areguzzling; they are dabbling together fathom-deep.1693.Dryden,Persius, vi., 51. And, lavish of suspense, Quaffs, crams, andguttles, in his own defence.1698.Farquhar,Love and a Bottle, Act i. His education could reach no farther than toguzzlefat ale.1727.Gay,Beggars Opera, i., 3.Tom Tipple, aguzzlingsoaking sot, who is always too drunk to stand himself.1748.T. Dyche,Dictionary(5th ed.).Guzzle(v.) to tipple, to fuddle, to drink much and greedily.1782.Wolcot[P. Pindar],Lyric Odes, Ode i. The poet might haveguttledtill he split.1849.Thackeray,Pendennis, ch. lxi. Are you … to tell me that the aim of life is toguttlethree courses and dine off silver?Guzzle-guts,subs.(common).—A glutton; a hard drinker.—Lex. Bal.(1811).SeeGuzzle.Guzzler,subs.(colloquial).—A hard drinker; a coarse, voracious feeder.SeeGuzzle.a.1760.T. Brown,Works, iii., 265 [ed. 1760]. Being an eternalguzzlerof wine, his mouth smelt like a vintner’s vault.1841.Dickens,Barnaby Rudge, ch. xiii. To be looked upon as a common pipe-smoker,beer-bibber, spirit-guzzler, and toss-pot.Guzzling,subs.(vulgar).—Eating or drinking to excess; also eating or drinking in a coarse unmannerly fashion.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1819.Moore,Tom Crib, p. 28. What with snoozing, high-grubbing andguzzlinglike Chloe.1882.F. Anstey,Vice Versâ, ch. xv. There shall be no pocketing at this table, sir. You will eat that pudding under my eye at once, and you will stay in and write out French verbs for two days. That will put an end to any moreguzzlingin the garden for a time, at least.Guzzum,subs.(American).—Chatter; noise. For synonyms,seePatter.1888.Detroit Free Press, 22 Dec. ‘Now, Jerry, if yer don’t stop yerguzzumI’ll skin yer alive!’ she exclaimed as she stood in the door and flourished a skillet at him.G.Y.All a G.Y.,adv. phr.(North Country).—Crooked; all on one side; ‘all of a hugh.’Gybe,subs.(old).—A written paper.1567.Harman,Caveat(1814), p. 65 Agyb, a writing.1608.Dekker,Belman of London, in wks. (Grosart) III., 104. His office is to make counterfet licences, which are calledgybes.1724.E. Coles,Eng. Dict.Gybe, any Writing or Pass.1818.Scott,Heart of Midlothian, ch. xxv. He knows mygybe[pass] as well as the jark [seal] of e’er a queer cuffin [justice of peace] in England.Verb(old).—1. To whip; to castigate.E.g.,gybedat the cart’s arse = whipped at the cart’s tail.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew,Gyb’d, jerkt or whipt.[242]Gybing(alsoGibery),subs.(old: now recognised).—Jeering.1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gyger.SeeJigger.Gymnasium,subs.(venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.Gyp,subs.(Cambridge University).—1. A college servant. At Oxford, a scout, at Dublin, a skip.[Etymology doubtful: according toSat. Rev.an abbreviation of Gipsy Joe; according to Cambridge undergraduates from the Greekγύψ(gups) = a vulture; from the creature’s rapacity.]1794.Gent. Mag., p. 1085. [A Cambridge college servant is called ajip.]1842.Tait’s Mag., Oct., ‘Reminiscences of Coll. Life.’ There is attached to colleges and halls a person more useful than ornamental, and better known than paid, whom Oxonians nameGyp, from his supposed moral affinity to a vulture (γύψ). The same is in Dublin denominated aSkip, because of the activity which is an indispensable item in his qualifications.1849.C. Kingsley,Alton Locke, ch. xii. I’ll send you in luncheon as I go through the butteries; then, perhaps, you’d like to come down and see the race. Ask theGypto tell you the way.1850.Smedley,Frank Fairleigh, p. 254. Fellow you call thegypwanted to make me believe you were out—thought I looked too like a governor to be let in, I suppose.1882.F. Anstey,Vice Versâ, ch. v. Who should we see coming straight down on us but a Proctor with his bull-dogs (not dogs, you know, but the strongestgypsin the college).2. (American).—A thief. For synonyms,seeThieves.Gypsies of Science,subs. phr.(literary.)—The British Association.1846.Times, 5 Sept. On Thursday next,the Gipsies of Science(the British Association) will have pitched their tents at Southampton.Gyrotwistive,adj.(American).—Full of evasions and tricks; a ‘portmanteau word.’Gyte,subs.(common).—1. A child; in contempt. [A corruption of goat.]2. (Scots’).—A first year’s pupil in the Edinburgh High School.Gyvel,subs.(Scots’ venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.d.1796.Burns,The Merry Muses, ‘Nine Inches for a Lady,’ 33–4. Come louse and lug your battering ram, An’ thrash him at mygyvel.
1841.Thackeray,Character Sketches,‘Fashionable Authoress.’ And, gulled themselves, gull the mostgullableof publics.
Gullage,subs.(old colloquial).—The act of trickery; the state of being gulled.
1605.B. Jonson,Volpone, v., 5. Had you no quirk To avoidgullage, sir, by such a creature?
1611.Chapman,May Day, Act II., p. 284 (Plays, 1874). For procuring you the deargullageof my sweetheart, Mistress Franceschina.
Gull-catcher(orGuller,Gull-sharper, etc.),subs.(old).—A trickster; a cheat.SeeGull, senses 1 and 3.
1602.Shakspeare,Twelfth Night, ii., 5. Here comes my noblegull-catcher.
Gullery,subs.(old colloquial).—Dupery; fraud; a cheat’s device.Cf.,Gullage.
1596.Jonson,Every Man in His Humour, iii., 2. Your Balsamum and your St. John’s wort are all meregulleriesand trash to it.
1608.John Day,Humour out of Breath, Act iv., Sc. 3. I am gulld, palpably gulld … and mine ownegullerygrieves me not half so much as the Dukes displeasure.
1630.Taylor,Works. Neverthelesse, whosoever will but looke into the lying legend of goldengullery, there they shall finde that the poore seduced ignorant Romanists doe imitate all the idolatrous fornication of the heathen pagans and infidels.
1633.Ile of Guls.Upon you both, so, so, so, how greedily their inventions like beagles follow the sent of their ownegullery, yet these are no fooles, God forbid, not they.
1633.Marmion,Fine Companion.Lit.What moregulleriesyet? they have cosend mee of my daughters, I hope they will cheate me of my wife too: have you any more of these tricks to shew, ha?
1689.Selden,Table Talk, p. 38 (Arber’s ed.). And how can it be proved, that ever any man reveal’d Confession, when there is no Witness? And no man can be Witness in his own cause. A meergullery.
1819.H. More,Defence of Moral Cabbala, ch. iii. The sweet deception andgulleryof their own corrupted fancy.
1821.Scott,Kenilworth, ch. xx. Do you think, because I have good-naturedly purchased your trumpery goods at your roguish prices, that you may put anygulleryyou will on me?
Gullet,subs.(old: now recognised).—The throat. For synonyms,seeGutter-alley.
1383.Chaucer,Canterbury Tales, 12, 477. [Quoted inEncy. Dict.] Out of the harde bones knocken they The mary, for they casten nought away, That may go thurgh thegulletsoft and sote.
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew,Gullet, s.v. A Derisory Term for the Throat, fromGula.
1836.Dickens,Pickwick, ch. 15. So he puts a pistol to his mouth, and he fires it down hisgullet.
1893.National Observer, x. 168. Through sympatheticgullets.
Gull-finch,subs.(old).—A simpleton; a fool. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.
1630.Taylor,Works. For ’tis concluded ’mongst the wizards all, To make thee master ofGul-fincheshall.
Gull-groper,subs.(old).—A gamesters’ money-lender.
1609.Dekker,Lanthorne and Candle-light. Thegul-groperiscommonly an old mony-monger, who having travaild through all the follyes of the world in his youth, knowes them well, and shunnes them in his age, his whole felicitie being to fill his bags with golde and silver.
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew.Gull-groper, s.v. A Bystander that Lends Money to the Gamesters.
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.[233]
Gully,subs.(common).—1. The throat. For synonyms,seeGutter-alley.
2. (venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.
3. (old and Scots’).—A knife. For synonyms,seeChive.
1653.Urquhart,Rabelais, bk. I., ch. xxvii. Fairgullieswhich are little haulch-backed demi-knives.
1785.Burns,Death and Dr. Hornbook. I red ye weel, tak care o’ skaith, See, there’s agully.
1789.Burns,Address to Captain Grose. The knife that nickit Abel’s craig, He’ll prove ye fully It was a faulding jocteleg, Or lang-kailgully.
Verb(common).—To gull(q.v.); to dupe; to swindle. For synonyms,seeStick.
1834.Ainsworth,Rookwood, bk. III., ch. v. I rode about and speechified, and everybodygullied.
Gully-fluff,subs.(colloquial).—Pocket-filth;beggar’s velvet(q.v.). AlsoFlue(q.v.).
Gully-gut,subs.andadj.(common).—A glutton. For synonyms,seeStodger.
1598.Florio,A Worlde of Wordes.Crapulatore, a surfeiter; a gormand; a glutton; agullie-gut.
1672.Lestrange,Fables. Agulli-gutfriar.
Gully-hole(orGully),subs.(common).—1. The throat, or gullet. For synonyms,seeGutter-alley.
2. (venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.
Gully-raker,subs. phr.(venery).—1. Thepenis; and (2) a wencher. For synonyms,seeCreamstick,Prick, andMolrower.
2. (Australian). A cattle-whip; a cattle-thief.
1881.A. C. Grant,Bush Life in Queensland… following up his admonition by a sweeping cut of hisgully-raker, and a report like a musket-shot.
Gulpin,subs.(common).—A simpleton; agapeseed(q.v.). Fr.,un gobemouche;une éponge. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.
1886.W. Besant,World Went Very Well Then, ch. xxix. But Jack persisted, and I rose too. ‘Go then!’ the Admiral roared, with a great oath. ‘Go then, for a brace ofgulpins!’
Gulpy,adj.(common).—Easily duped.
Gulsh.To hold one’s gulsh,verb. phr.(provincial).—To hold one’s tongue; to keep quiet.
Gum,subs.(old).—1. Chatter; talk;jaw(q.v.). Also abuse.
1751.Smollett,Peregrine Pickle, ch. xiv. There’s no occasion to bowse out so much unnecessarygum.
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Come let us have no more of yourgum.
1824.R. B. Peake,Americans Abroad, i., 1.Dou.Come, none of yourgum—now you are but an underlin’, tho’ you are so uppish and twistical—where’s the chair?
2. (American).—A trick; a piece of dupery; asell(q.v.). Alsogummation.
3. (American).—A golosh; an india-rubber overshoe. [Short for ‘gum-shoes.’]
1872.Morning Post, 9 Jan. Forbidding him again to cross her threshold or to leave hisgum-shoesin her hall.
Verb(common).—To cheat; totake in(q.v.), to roast (q.v.) or quiz. For synonyms,seeGammon.[234]
1859.Sala,Twice Round the Clock, 6 p.m., par. I. I began to think either that he was quizzing me—gummingis the proper Transatlantic colloquialism, I think.
1875. ‘American English’ inChamb. Journal, 25 Sept., p. 611. To ‘gum-tree’ is to elude, to cheat [from opossum], and this again is shortened into ‘to gum,’ as the phrase, ‘Now don’t you try togumme.’
Old Mother Gum,subs. phr.(common).—An old woman: in derision.
By gum!intj.(common).—A mild oath. For synonyms,seeOaths.
1860.Haliburton(‘Sam Slick’),The Season Ticket, No. ix. Bygum, Squire Shegog, we have had the greatest bobbery of a shindy in our carriage you ever knowed in all our born days.
Bless your(orhis,her,its, etc.)gums,phr.(common).—A piece of banter: a facetious way of saying ‘Bless your soul!’
Gummagy,adj.(common).—Snarling; of a scolding habit.
Gummed,adj.(billiards).—Said of a ball close to the cushion.
Gummy,subs.(common).—1. A toothless person;i.e., with nothing but gums to show. Generally,Old Gummy.
2. (thieves’).—Medicine. AlsoGummy-stuff.—Matsell.
3. (common).—A dullard; a fool. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.
Adj.(common).—Puffed; swollen; clumsy.
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.Gummey, clumsy, particularly applied to the ancles of men, or women, and the legs of horses.
To feel Gummy,verb. phr.(University).—To perspire.
Gump,subs.(common).—A dolt. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.
1825.Neal,Bro. Jonathan, bk. II., ch. xv. He’s … sort of a nateral too, I guess; rather agump, hey?
Gumption,subs.(colloquial).—Cleverness; understanding;nous(q.v.). AlsoRum Gumption.
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue.Gumption, orrum gumption, s.v., docility, comprehension, capacity.
1787.Grose,Prov. Glossary, s.v. ‘Gawm.’Gawm, to understand; I dinna gawm ye, I don’t understand you. Hence, possibly, gawmtion, orgumption, understanding.
1834.Atlantic Club-book, I., 33. D’ye think I’m a fellow of no moregumptionthan that?
1843.Comic Almanack.Poor beasts, ’tis very clear, To any one possess’d ofgumption, That if they’d not come over here, They’d have been carried off by home consumption.
1853.Lytton,My Novel, bk. IV., ch. xii.Gumption—it means cleverness.
1883.Daily Telegraph, 25 June, p. 3, c. 2. But poor people—leastways, those that have got anygumption—know better than that.
1890.Notes and Queries, 7 S., x., 303. As familiar as the Greek wordnousfor what … is known … asgumption.
Gumptious,adj.(colloquial).—Shrewd; intelligent; vain.
1853.Lytton,My Novel, bk. IV., ch. xii.Landlord.There’s gumption andgumptious! Gumption is knowing, but when I say that sum un isgumptious, I mean—though that’s more vulgar like—sum un who does not think small beer of hisself. You take me, sir?
Gum-smasher(ortickler),subs.(common).—A dentist. For synonyms,seeSnag-catcher.
Gum-suck,verb. (American).—To flatter; to humbug; to dupe.For synonyms,seeGammon.[235]
Gum-sucker,subs.(Australian).—1.Seequot.Cf.,Corn-stalk.
1887.All the Year Round, 30 July, p. 67. Agum-suckeris a native of Tasmania, and owes his elegant nickname to the abundance of gum-trees in the Tasmanian forests.
2. (common).—A fool. For synonyms,seeBuffleandCabbage-head.
Gum-tickler,subs.(colloquial).—1. A drink. Specifically,droporshort, or a dram. For synonyms,seeGo.
1814.Quarterly Review, vol. X., p. 521. A gill, taken fasting, is called agum-tickler.
1864.Dickens,Our Mutual Friend, bk. IV., ch. iii. I prefer to take it in the form of agum-tickler.
2.SeeGum-smasher.
Gum-tree.To be up a gum-tree,verb. phr.(American).—To be on one’s last legs; at the end of one’s rope. ‘He has seen his lastgum-tree’ = It is all up with him.
Gun,subs.(old).—1. A lie.New Cant. Dict., 1725. For synonyms,seeWhopper.
2. (common).—A thief; specifically, amagsman(q.v.) or street-artist. AlsoGun-smithandGunner.Gunning= thieving. [An abbreviation ofGonof(q.v.).]SeeArea-sneakandThieves.
1858.A. Mayhew,Paved with Gold, bk. II., ch. i., p. 70. I tell you you ain’t a-going to make agun(thief) of this here young flat.
1868.Temple Bar, xxv., 213. … returned to his old trade ofgunsmith,gunningbeing the slang term for thieving, or going on the cross.
1882.Cornhill Mag., p. 649. Flats graft forguns.
1889.ClarksonandRichardson,Police.Gunnersand grasshoppers sneak about watching their opportunities.
3. (American).—A revolver. For synonyms,seeMeat-in-the Pot.
4. (Irish).—A toddy glass.SeeIn the Gun.
Verb(American).—1. To consider with attention.
1859.Matsell,Vocabulum, s.v.Gunned. The coppergunnedme as if he was fly to my mug.
2. (American).—To strive hard; to make a violent effort:e.g., togun a stock= to use every means to produce a ‘break’; when supplies are heavy and holders would be unable to resist.
In the Gun,phr.(old).—Drunk. For synonyms,seeDrinksandScrewed.
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue.Gun, s.v., he’sin the gun, he is drunk, perhaps from an allusion to a vessel called a gun, used for ale in the universities.
Son of a Gun.SeeSon.
Sure as a Gun,phr.(common).—Quite certain; inevitable.
1633.Jonson,Tale of a Tub, ii., 1. ’Tis right; he has spoke astrue as a gun, believe it.
1690.B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew.
1694.Congreve,Double Dealer, v., 20. All turned topsy-turvy, assure as a gun.
1720.Gay,New Song of New Similes.Sure as a gunshe’ll drop a tear.
1749.Fielding,Tom Jones, bk. xviii., ch. ix. Assure as a gunI have hit o’ the very right o’t.
1759.Sterne,TristramShandy, vol. vi., ch. xxvi. Think ye not that, in striking thesein,—he might, peradventure, strike somethingout? assure as a gun.
1825.Egan,Life of an Actor, iv. By gum! he roared out, sir,as sure as a gun.
d.1842.Father Prout,Reliques, I. 19. ‘Vert-Vert, the Parrot.’ Scared at the sound,—‘Sure as a gun, The bird’s a demon!’ cried the nun.[236]
1849.Thackeray,Pendennis, ch. lviii. In every party of the nobility his name’s down assure as a gun.
1891.N. Gould,Double Event, p. 141. Nobbed,sure as a gun!
1892.Manville Fenn,New Mistress, xxxv. They were both down there about that school-money Betsey, assure as a gun.
Gundiguts,subs.(common).—A fat man; aforty guts(q.v.).
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Gunner’s Daughter.To Kiss(orMarry)the Gunner’s Daughter,verb. phr.(nautical). To be flogged. [Gunner’s daughter= the gun to which boys were lashed for punishment.]
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1833.Marryat,Peter Simple, ch. xxxii. I don’t know what officers are made of now-a-days. I’ll marry some of you young gentlemen to thegunner’s daughterbefore long. Quarter-deck’s no better than a bear-garden.
Gunpowder,subs.(old).—An old woman.
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Gunter.—SeeCocker.
Gup,subs.(Anglo-Indian).—Gossip; scandal.
1868.FlorenceMarryat,Gup, xix. With regard to my title …Gupis the Hindustani for ‘Gossip.’Voilâ tout!
1883.Hawley Smart,Hard Lines, ch. xxix. Our Eastern empire is much addicted to what they termgup, whereby they mean gossip, scandal, or by whatever other equivalent the taking away of one’s neighbours’ characters may be designated.
To be a gup,verb. phr.(American).—To be easy to take or steal.
Gurtsey,subs.(American Cadet).—A fat man; apodge(q.v.). For synonyms,seeForty-guts.
Gush,subs.(colloquial).—The expression of affected or extravagant sentiment.
1883.Saturday Review, 3 Feb., p. 148, c. 2. Mr. Picton’s style is pleasant and easy, as long as he allows himself to be natural, and does not fall intogush.
1886.Church Times, 17 Sep. Not meregushor oratorical flip-flap.
Verb(colloquial).—To overflow with extravagant or affected sentiment.
1883.Miss Braddon,Golden Calf, ch. vii. ‘Yes, and you saw much of each other, and you became heart-friends,’gushedMiss Wolf, beaming benevolently at Brian.
Gusher,subs.(colloquial).—A practitioner ofgush(q.v.). AlsoGushington.
1864.E. Yates,Broken to Harness, ch. vi., p. 66 (1873). The enthusiasticgusherwho flings his or herself upon our necks, and insists upon sharing our sorrow.
1882.Miss Braddon,Mount Royal, ch. viii. ‘But, surely there is nothing improper in the play, dear Lady Cumberbridge,’ exclaimed the eldestgusher, too long in society to shrink from sifting any question of that kind.
Gushing,adj.(colloquial).—Extravagant; affected or irrational in expression; demonstratively affectionate. AlsoGushingly.
1864. ‘The Campaigner’ (No. XVI.), inFraser’s Mag., p. 627. Donald did not belong to what, in the slang of translated Cockneys, is called theGushingSchool.
1864.Punch’s Almanack, ‘Our Growling Bard.’ Some, I admit, are Milingtary Dears, Asgushingladies say, and some are Muffs.
1872.Sunday Times, 18 Aug. This however, was no surprise to the plaintiff, it having been understood from the first that the parties being past thegushingage the letters between them should be of a business character.
1880.Ouida,Moths, ch. viii. Your heroics count for nothing. All girls of sixteen aregushingand silly.[237]
1883.Hargrave Jennings, quoted inSaturday Review, 28 Apr., p. 536, c. 1. Women are not thegushinglycredulous creatures that man in his constant condescension and in his appreciation of himself would deem.
1884.F. Anstey,Giant’s Robe, ch. xx. ‘It’s not preciselygushing,’ he said to himself, ‘but she couldn’t very well say more just yet.’
Gusset,subs.(common).—Generic for the female sex. Thus,Brother(orKnight, orSquire)of the Gusset= a pimp;Gussetting= wenching;Gusseteer= a wencher; etc.
Gusset of the Arse,subs. phr.(common).—The inside edge of the buttocks.
d.1796.Burns,Merry Muses, pp. 99–100. An’ he grippit her fast by thegusset of her arse.
Gut,subs.(vulgar).—The vice or habit of gluttony; the belly [as opposed to theGroin(q.v.).]
2.in. pl.(common).—The stomach and intestines.
1609.Dekker,Gul’s Horne-Booke, chap. ii. TheNeapolitanwill (likeDerick, the hangman) embrace you with one arme, and rip yourgutswith the other.
1640.Rawlins,The Rebellion, iii. (Dodsley,Old Plays, 4th ed., 1875, xiv., 48). Thou hast agutcould swallow a peck loaf.
1661.Brome,Poems, ‘A Satire on the Rebellion.’ The grumblingguts, the belly of the State.
1713.Bentley,On Free Thinking, sect. 53. What then was our writer’s soul? Was it brain orguts?
1754.Fielding,Jonathan Wild, bk. iv., c. 1. But so it was that the knife, missing these noble parts (the noblest of many)the guts, perforated only the hollow of his belly.
1787.Burns,Death and Dr. Hornbook, st. 27. A countra Laird had ta’en the batts, Or some curmurring in hisguts.
3.in. pl.(old).—A fat man; aforty-guts(q.v.). AlsoGuts-and-garbage.More Guts(alsoMore Balls)than Brains= a fool.
1598.Shakspeare,Henry IV., pt. 1, ii., 2. Peace, ye fat-guts.
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.Gutts, a very fat gross Person.
4. (artists’ and colloquial).—Spirit; quality; a touch of force, or energy, or fire:e.g., a picture, a book, an actor.With guts= a strong thing. Put yourgutsinto it (aquatic) = Row the very best you can. He (or it) hasno gutsin him (or it) = He (or it) is acommon rotter(q.v.). Hence,Gutsy,adj.= havingguts, andGutsiness,subs.= the condition of beinggutsy.
1738.Swift,Polite Conversation, I. The fellow’s well enough if he had anygutsin his brain.
1893.Pall Mall Budget.No. 1292 (June 29), 1906. The body of the cigar, or what might vulgarly be called theguts.
Verb(vulgar).—1. To plunder, or take out all or most of the contents (i.e., intestines) of a place or thing; to drain; to ‘clean out’:e.g.,to gut a house(thieves’) = to rifle it;to gut an oyster= to eat it;to gut a book= to empty it of interesting matter;to gut a quart pot= to drain at a draught. Whence,Gutted= dead-broke.
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1819.Moore,Tom Crib, p. 1. Whether diddling your subjects orguttingtheir jobs.
1849–61.Macaulay,Hist. of England. The king’s printing-house … was, to use a coarse metaphor, which then for the first time came into fashion, completelygutted.[238]
1892.R. L. StevensonandL. Osbourne,The Wrecker, p. 373. Well, we’ve got thegutsout of you!
2. (schools’).—To eat hard, fast, and badly. For synonyms,seeWolf.
To fret one’s guts,verb. phr.(common).—To worry.
To have plenty of guts but no bowels,verb. phr.(common).—To be unfeeling, hard, merciless.
My great guts are ready to eat my little ones,phr.(old).—‘I am very hungry.’ Also,my guts begin to think my throat’s cut;my guts curse my teeth; andmy guts chime twelve.—Grose.
Not fit to carry guts to a bear,phr.(common).—To be worthless; absolutely unmannerly;unfit for human food(q.v.).
Gut-entrance,subs.(venery).—The femalepudendum. Alsofront-gut. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.
Gut-foundered,adj.(old).—Exceedingly hungry.
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Gut-pudding,subs.(old).—A sausage.—Nomenclator(1696). For synonyms,seeMysteries.
Gut-puller,subs.(common).—A poulterer; achicken-butcher(q.v.).
Gut-scraper,subs.(common).—A fiddler. Alsocatgut scraper, andtormentor of catgut. Forsynonyms,seeRosin-the-bow.
1719.Durfey,Pills, ii., 218. ‘A Song’ etc. Strike up, drowsiegut-scrapers.
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1785.Burns,Jolly Beggars. Her charms had struck a sturdy Caird, As weel’s a poorgut-scraper.
1834.W. H. Ainsworth,Rookwood, p. 192 (ed. 1864). Make ready there, yougut-scrapers, you shawm-shavers; I’ll put your lungs in play for you presently. In the mean time—charge, pals, charge—a toast, a toast!
1834.Marryat,Peter Simple, ch. xxxi. ‘You may save yourself the trouble, you dingygut-scraper,’ replied O’Brien [addressing a fiddler].
Gut-stick,subs.(venery).—Thepenis. For synonyms,seeCreamstickandPrick.To have a bit(ora taste)of the gut-stick= to copulate (of women only).
Gut-sticker,subs. phr.(venery).—A sodomite. Alsogut-fuckerandgut-monger. For synonyms,seeUsher.
Gutter,subs.(American thieves’).—1. Porter.—Matsell.[Probably a corruption ofgatter(q.v.).]
2. (venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.
Verb(Winchester College).—To fall in the water flat on the stomach. Fr.,piquer un plat-ventre.
To lap the gutter,verb. phr.(common).—To be in the last stage of intoxication. For synonyms,seeDrinksandScrewed.
Carry me out and leave me in the gutter,phr.(American).—SeeCarry me out.[239]
Gutter-alley(orLane),subs.(common).—The throat.All goes down Gutter-lane= ‘He spends all on his stomach.’
English Synonyms.—Beer Street; common sewer; drain; funnel; Gin Lane; gulf; gullet; gully-hole; gutter; Holloway; Peck Alley; Red Lane; the Red Sea; Spew Alley; swallow; thrapple; throttle; whistle.
French Synonyms.—La carafe(tramps’);la creuse(popular = Holloway);le corridor;le cornet(popular);le couloir;le lampas;la goule(popular);le gose(popular: an abbreviation ofgosier: alsogésier);la gargoine(thieves’);la gargarousse(thieves’ = Old Gargles);le four(popular = the oven);le fanal(popular);l’entonnoir(popular = the funnel);l’avaloir(thieves’ = the swallow).
German Synonym.—Kollert(Hanoverian).
Spanish Synonym.—La gorja.
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1787.Grose,Prov. Glossary, g. (1811), p. 81. All goeth downGutter Lane. That is, the throat. This proverb is applicable to those who spend all their substance in eating and drinking.
2. (common).—A urinal. For synonyms,seePissing-post.
Gutter-blood,subs.(common).—1.Seequot. Also (2) a vulgarian; an upstart from the rabble.
1822.Scott,The Fortunes of Nigel, ch. v. In rushed a thorough Edinburghgutterblood—a ragged rascal.
Gutter-chaunter,subs.(common).—A street singer.
Gutter-hotel,subs.(tramps’).—The open air. For synonyms,seeHedge-square.
Gutter-literature.SeeBlood-and-thunder, andAwful.
Gutter-master,subs.(old).—A term of reproach.
1607.Marston,What You Will, iii, 1. And now my soule is skipt into a perfumer, aguttermaster.
Gutter-prowler,subs.(thieves’).—A street thief. For synonyms,seeArea-sneakandThieves.
Gutter-snipe,subs.(common).—1. A street arab. AlsoGutter-slush. For synonyms,seeMudlark.
2. (American printers’).—A poster for the kerb.
3. (American Commercial).—An ‘outside’ broker who does business chiefly in the street; akerbstone broker(q.v.). Fr.,un loup-cervier.
Guttie,subs.(golfers’).—1. A gutta-percha ball.
2. (colloquial).—A glutton.—For synonyms,seeStodger.
3. (colloquial).—Aforty-guts, whichseefor synonyms.
Guttle,verb.(vulgar).—To eat greedily; togormandize(q.v.). Also to drink:e.g.,to guttle a pint= to take off, or do, a pint; ‘He’s beenguttlingswipes’ = he’s been drinking beer. Henceguttler= a coarse, or greedy eater; a sturdy pot-companion: agorger(q.v.).Cf., Thackeray’sBook of SnobsforGuttleburyFair.SeeGuzzle.
1672.Lestrange,Fables, p. 260. A jollyguttlingpriest.[240]
Guttle-shop,subs.(Rugby).—A pastry-cook’s; atuck-shop(q.v.).
Guv,subs.(common).—An abbreviation ofgovernor(q.v.).
Guy,subs.(colloquial).—1. A Fifth of November effigy; whence (2) an ill-dressed person. As in the old street cry, ‘Hollo, boys, there goes anotherguy!’(an abbreviation of Guy Fawkes) = a figure of fun; a fright.
English Synonyms.—Caution; Captain Queer-nabs; chivey; comic bird; ragamuffin; sight.
French Synonyms.Un paquet(popular);une hallebarde(popular = a clothes-prop);un nippe-mal(popular);une bécasse(= a gaby);un carnavale(popular = a figure of fun).
1806.W. Burrell, in C. K. Sharpe’sCorrespondence(1888), i., 277. A month ago there was neither shape nor make in use … noguyever matched me.
1837.Barham,Ingoldsby Legends. ‘The Nurse’s Story.’ Did you see her, in short, that mud-hovel within, With her knees to her nose, and her nose to her chin, Leering up with that queer, indescribable grin, You’d lift up your hands in amazement and cry, ‘Well!—I neverdidsee such a regularguy!’
1858.G. Eliot,Janet’s Repentance, ch. vi. Ned Phipps … whispered that he thought the Bishop was aguy, and I certainly remember thinking that Mr. Prendergast looked much more dignified with his plain white surplice and black hair.
1871.Morning Advertiser, 26 Jan. There is no imperative reason why a constable should be aguy.
3. (common).—A dark lantern. [Obviously a reminiscence of the Gunpowder Plot].
1811.Lexicon Balatronicum.Guy, s.v. Stow theguy, conceal the lanthorn.
1859.Matsell,Vocabulum, s.v.
4. (streets).—A jaunt; an expedition.
1889.Sporting Times, 3 Aug., p. 5, c. 5. Therewasa gee, therewasa buggy, but therewasn’ta punctual Pitcher. So a cheerfulguyto Waterloo was the game.
Verb(common).—1. To quiz; to chaff;to roast(q.v.);to josh(q.v.).
1889.Detroit Free Press, 26 Jan. His advent here created much merriment, and the operatorsguyedhim loud enough for him to hear them.
2. (common).—To escape;to hedge(q.v.); to run away. Alsoto do a guy(which also = to give a false name). For synonyms,seeAmputateandSkedaddle.
1879.J. W. Horsley, inMacmillan’s Mag., xl. 500. I planned with another boy toguy(run away).
1887.Fun, 23 Mar., p. 125. ‘Boat-race Day, as per usual,’ said the clerk to the court, ‘they’ll all bedoing guys’ (giving false names!).
1889.ClarksonandRichardson,Police, p. 321. To run away.…Do a guy.
1892.Punch, 24 Sept. ‘’Arry at Arrygate.’ I justdid a guy.
3. (American).—To spoil; to muddle; to disfigure or distort.
1891.New York Herald, 31 May, p. 12, c. 4. Finally, I would remind them that they are apt toguytheir cause by making ‘guys’ of themselves, and that the best way of making women a power in the land is by encouraging them to be womanly women.
4. (theatrical).—To damn; to hiss;to slate(q.v.) orgive the bird(q.v.).
Guzzle(orGuttle),subs.(vulgar).—1. An insatiable eater or drinker. For synonyms,seeStodgerandLushingtonrespectively.
2. (vulgar).—A debauch.
1876.Hindley,Adventures of Cheap Jack, 58. Doing aguzzlewith money he earned.
3. (common).—Drink.[241]
1653.Urquhart,Rabelais, Bk. II., ch. i.,note. It signifies rum-booze, as our gipsies call good-guzzle.
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1698–1700.Ward,London Spy, part III., p. 47. A Pennyworth of burnt Bread soften’d in a Mug of Porter’sguzzle.
c.1795.Wolcot[P. Pindar],Peter’s Pension, in wks. (Dublin, 1795), vol. i., p. 484. Lo, for a little meat andguzzle, This sneaking cur, too, takes the muzzle.
Verb.(vulgar).—1. To drink greedily, or to excess.
1607.Dekker,Westward Ho, v., 1. My master and Sir Gosling areguzzling; they are dabbling together fathom-deep.
1693.Dryden,Persius, vi., 51. And, lavish of suspense, Quaffs, crams, andguttles, in his own defence.
1698.Farquhar,Love and a Bottle, Act i. His education could reach no farther than toguzzlefat ale.
1727.Gay,Beggars Opera, i., 3.Tom Tipple, aguzzlingsoaking sot, who is always too drunk to stand himself.
1748.T. Dyche,Dictionary(5th ed.).Guzzle(v.) to tipple, to fuddle, to drink much and greedily.
1782.Wolcot[P. Pindar],Lyric Odes, Ode i. The poet might haveguttledtill he split.
1849.Thackeray,Pendennis, ch. lxi. Are you … to tell me that the aim of life is toguttlethree courses and dine off silver?
Guzzle-guts,subs.(common).—A glutton; a hard drinker.—Lex. Bal.(1811).SeeGuzzle.
Guzzler,subs.(colloquial).—A hard drinker; a coarse, voracious feeder.SeeGuzzle.
a.1760.T. Brown,Works, iii., 265 [ed. 1760]. Being an eternalguzzlerof wine, his mouth smelt like a vintner’s vault.
1841.Dickens,Barnaby Rudge, ch. xiii. To be looked upon as a common pipe-smoker,beer-bibber, spirit-guzzler, and toss-pot.
Guzzling,subs.(vulgar).—Eating or drinking to excess; also eating or drinking in a coarse unmannerly fashion.
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1819.Moore,Tom Crib, p. 28. What with snoozing, high-grubbing andguzzlinglike Chloe.
1882.F. Anstey,Vice Versâ, ch. xv. There shall be no pocketing at this table, sir. You will eat that pudding under my eye at once, and you will stay in and write out French verbs for two days. That will put an end to any moreguzzlingin the garden for a time, at least.
Guzzum,subs.(American).—Chatter; noise. For synonyms,seePatter.
1888.Detroit Free Press, 22 Dec. ‘Now, Jerry, if yer don’t stop yerguzzumI’ll skin yer alive!’ she exclaimed as she stood in the door and flourished a skillet at him.
G.Y.All a G.Y.,adv. phr.(North Country).—Crooked; all on one side; ‘all of a hugh.’
Gybe,subs.(old).—A written paper.
1567.Harman,Caveat(1814), p. 65 Agyb, a writing.
1608.Dekker,Belman of London, in wks. (Grosart) III., 104. His office is to make counterfet licences, which are calledgybes.
1724.E. Coles,Eng. Dict.Gybe, any Writing or Pass.
1818.Scott,Heart of Midlothian, ch. xxv. He knows mygybe[pass] as well as the jark [seal] of e’er a queer cuffin [justice of peace] in England.
Verb(old).—1. To whip; to castigate.E.g.,gybedat the cart’s arse = whipped at the cart’s tail.
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew,Gyb’d, jerkt or whipt.[242]
Gybing(alsoGibery),subs.(old: now recognised).—Jeering.
1690. B. E.,Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1785.Grose,Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Gyger.SeeJigger.
Gymnasium,subs.(venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.
Gyp,subs.(Cambridge University).—1. A college servant. At Oxford, a scout, at Dublin, a skip.[Etymology doubtful: according toSat. Rev.an abbreviation of Gipsy Joe; according to Cambridge undergraduates from the Greekγύψ(gups) = a vulture; from the creature’s rapacity.]
1794.Gent. Mag., p. 1085. [A Cambridge college servant is called ajip.]
1842.Tait’s Mag., Oct., ‘Reminiscences of Coll. Life.’ There is attached to colleges and halls a person more useful than ornamental, and better known than paid, whom Oxonians nameGyp, from his supposed moral affinity to a vulture (γύψ). The same is in Dublin denominated aSkip, because of the activity which is an indispensable item in his qualifications.
1849.C. Kingsley,Alton Locke, ch. xii. I’ll send you in luncheon as I go through the butteries; then, perhaps, you’d like to come down and see the race. Ask theGypto tell you the way.
1850.Smedley,Frank Fairleigh, p. 254. Fellow you call thegypwanted to make me believe you were out—thought I looked too like a governor to be let in, I suppose.
1882.F. Anstey,Vice Versâ, ch. v. Who should we see coming straight down on us but a Proctor with his bull-dogs (not dogs, you know, but the strongestgypsin the college).
2. (American).—A thief. For synonyms,seeThieves.
Gypsies of Science,subs. phr.(literary.)—The British Association.
1846.Times, 5 Sept. On Thursday next,the Gipsies of Science(the British Association) will have pitched their tents at Southampton.
Gyrotwistive,adj.(American).—Full of evasions and tricks; a ‘portmanteau word.’
Gyte,subs.(common).—1. A child; in contempt. [A corruption of goat.]
2. (Scots’).—A first year’s pupil in the Edinburgh High School.
Gyvel,subs.(Scots’ venery).—The femalepudendum. For synonyms,seeMonosyllable.
d.1796.Burns,The Merry Muses, ‘Nine Inches for a Lady,’ 33–4. Come louse and lug your battering ram, An’ thrash him at mygyvel.