Nab, to catch, to seize; “NABthe rust,” to take offence.—Ancient, fourteenth century.SeeNAP.Nab the rust, to take offence.Nabob, an Eastern prince, a retired Indian official,—hence a slang term for a capitalist. From Nawaub.Nabs, self; myNABS, myself; hisNABS, himself.—North Country Cant.Nag, to persistently talk in a scolding manner, after the manner of Mrs. Caudle.Naggingis supposed to be persistent, persevering, passionless scolding.Nail, to steal, or capture; “paid on theNAIL,”i.e., paid ready money;NAILED, taken up, or caught,—probably in allusion to the practice ofNAILINGbad money to the counter. We say, “as dead as a door-NAIL;” most possibly because of “apt alliteration.” Shakspeare has the expression inHenry IV.—“Falstaff.What! is the old king dead?Pistol.AsNAILin door.”Dickens, in that marvellous little book,A Christmas Carol, says:—“Old Marley was as dead as aDOOR-NAIL.“Mind! I don’t mean to say that I know of my own knowledge what there is particularly dead about aDOOR-NAIL. I might have been inclined myself to regard aCOFFIN-NAILas the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile: and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the country’s done for. You will, therefore, permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as aDOOR-NAIL.”Nail in one’s coffin, a dram, “a drop o’ summat’ short,” a jocular, but disrespectful phrase, used by the lower orders to each other at the moment of lifting a glass of spirits to their lips. “Well, good luck! here’s anotherNAIL IN MY COFFIN.” This is probably in ridicule of teetotal or temperance preachers, and the arguments adduced by them. Another phrase with old topers is “shedding a tear,” also “wiping an eye.”Namby-pamby, particular, over-nice, effeminate. This was possibly of Pope’s invention, and first applied by him to the affected short-lined verses addressed by Ambrose Phillips to Lord Carteret’s infant children.See Johnson’s Life of Pope.Nammus, orNAMOUS, to be off, to get away; “let’sNAMMUS, somebody’s coming.”SeeVAMOS.Nanny-shop, a disreputable house.Nantee, not any, or “I have none.”Nanteealso means “shut up!” or “leave off!”Italian,NIENTE, nothing.SeeDINARLY.—Lingua Franca.Nantee palaver, no conversation,i.e., hold your tongue. Very often in this sense also shortened toNANTEEonly. OriginallyLingua Franca, but now general.Nap, orNAB, to take, steal, or receive; “you’llNAPit,”i.e., you will catch a beating.—North; alsoOld Cant.Nap, to break, or rap with a hammer.SeeKNAP.—North.Nap, orNAPPER, a hat. From “nab,” a hat, cap, or head.—Old Cant.Nap nix, a person who works at his trade, and occasionally goes on the stage to act minor parts without receiving any pay. The derivation is obvious.SeeNAPandNIX,i.e.,NICHTS.Nap one’s bib, to cry, shed tears, or carry one’s point.Nap the regulars, to divide the booty.Nap the teaze, to be privately whipped in prison.Nark, a person in the pay of the police; a common informer; one who gets his living by laying traps for publicans, &c. Sometimes called a “nose.”Nark, to watch, or look after; “NARKthe titter,” watch the girl.Narp, a shirt.—Scotch.Narrow, mean, sordid.—Scotch.In common slang, dull of comprehension, as distinguished from wide awake.Nasty, ill-tempered, cross-grained. “He was veryNASTY,”i.e., he was ill-humoured.Nation, orTARNATION, very, or exceedingly. Corruption of damnation.Natty, pretty, neat, tidy.—Old.Natural, an idiot, a simpleton. SometimesHALF-NATURAL.Navvy, an excavator employed in making railways, canals, &c. Originally slang, but now a recognised term. Short for navigator, a term humorously applied to excavators when their chief work was that of cutting and banking canals, making dykes to rivers, &c.N. C., “enough said,” being the initials ofNUF CED. A certain theatrical manager spells, it is said, in this style.Near, mean and stingy.Neardy, a person in authority over another; master, parent, or foreman.—North.Neat, unmixed with water. “Two half goes of gin, oneNEAT, the other cold,” meaning one as drawn, the other diluted with cold water. The Americans use the word “straight” instead ofNEAT: “I’ll take mine straight.”Neck, to swallow. Neck-oil, drink of any kind.Neck and crop, entirely, completely; “he chuck’d himNECK AND CROPout of window.”Neck and neck.Horses runNECK AND NECKin a race when they are so perfectly equal that one cannot be said to be before the other.Neck or nothing, desperate. Originally a steeplechase phrase.Neck beef, a synonym for coarseness. “As coarse as neck ends of beef.”Neckinger, a cravat.SeeMUCKENGER.Ned, a guinea.Half-ned, half-a-guinea.Neddy, a considerable quantity, as “aNEDDYof fruit,” “aNEDDYof fish,” &c.—Irish slang.Neddy, a donkey. On Sunday, when a costermonger, if at all well to do, takes his family out for an airing in his “shallow,” the donkey is called “Eddard.”Neddy, a life preserver. Possibly contraction of Kennedy, the name of the first man, it is said in St. Giles’s, who had his head broken by a poker.Ned Stokes, the four of spades.—North Hants.SeeGentleman’s Magazinefor 1791, p. 141.Needful, money, cash; the “one thingNEEDFUL” for the accomplishment of most pet designs.Needle, to annoy. To “cop theNEEDLE” is to become vexed or annoyed.Needy mizzler, a shabby person; a tramp who runs away without paying for his lodging.Never trust me, an ordinary phrase with low Londoners, and common in Shakspeare’s time,videTwelfth Night. It is generally used instead of an oath, calling vengeance on the asseverator, if such-and-such does not come to pass.Newgate fringe, orFRILL, the collar of beard worn under the chin; so called from its occupying the position of the rope when Jack Ketch operates. Another name for it is aTyburn collar.Newgate Knocker, the term given to the lock of hair which costermongers and thieves usually twist back towards the ear. The shape is supposed to resemble the knocker on the prisoners’ door at Newgate—a resemblance that carries a rather unpleasant suggestion to the wearer. Sometimes termed aCOBBLER’S KNOT, orCOW-LICK.Newmarket, in tossing, when the game is “two out of three,” that is, when he who gains the first two tosses wins. When the first toss is decisive, the game is termed “sudden death.”Nibble, to take, or steal.Nibbler, a petty thief.Nib-cove, a gentleman.Nibsomest cribs, best or gentlemen’s houses.—Beggar’s Cant.Nib-like, gentlemanly.Nibs, self. HisNIBS, means any one who may be referred to. As, “I told hisNIBS,” or “stag hisNIBS.” “YourNIBS,” yourself.Nick, orOld Nick, the devil.—Scandinavian,Knickar, one of the names of Odin, as the destroying or evil principle.Nick, to hit the mark; “he’sNICKEDit,”i.e., won his point. Also to steal. To be “out on theNICK,” is to be out thieving. Sometimes described as being “on the pinch.”Nick-nack, a trifle.—OriginallyCant.Niggling, trifling, or idling; taking short steps in walking.—North.Nightcap, a glass of “warm with” taken the last thing at night.Night-hunter, a poacher.—North.Also a London prostitute. Sometimes in the latter capacity varied to night-hawk.Nil, half; half profits, &c.Nilly-willy,i.e.,NILL YE, WILL YE, whether you will or no; a familiar version of theLatin,NOLENS VOLENS. Generally written now,WILLY-NILLY.Nimming, stealing.Old English,NIM, to take. Motherwell, the Scotch poet, thought the old wordNIM(to snatch or pick up) was derived fromnam, nam, the tiny words or cries of an infant, when eating anything which pleases its little palate. A negro proverb has the word:—“Buckra manNAMcrab,CramNAMbuckra man.”Or, in the buckra man’s language—“White man eat [or steal] the crab,And then crab eat the white man.”Shakspeare evidently had the wordNIMin his head when he portrayed Nym.Nincompoop, a fool, a hen-pecked husband, a “Jerry Sneak.”—Corruption ofnon compos mentis.Nine corns, a pipeful of tobacco.Ninepence, “nice asNINEPENCE,” all right, right to a nicety. A correspondent says:—“This most undoubtedly should beNINE-PINS. For at the game of that name, in fairness to both parties, the nine pins must always be set up with great accuracy. There is no nicety inNINEPENCE!” Evidently this correspondent does not know how nice it is to have ninepence, after being without money. At all events the phraseis“nice asNINEPENCE.”Nines, “dressed up to theNINES,” in a showy orrecherchémanner. Up to theNINES, up to the dodges and “wrinkles” of life.Nine Shillings, cool audacity; most probably derived from theFrench,NONCHALANCE.Ning-nang, horse-coupers’ term for a worthless thoroughbred.Ninnyhammer, a foolish, ignorant person. Generally shortened toNINNY.Ninnyis also short for nincompoop.Nip, to steal, to take up quickly.SeeNAPandNIB.Nipcheese, a purser.—Old Sea Slang.Nipper, a sharp lad. Originally a superior grade among cut-purses.Nix, nothing.German,NICHTS.SeeMUNGARLY.Nix!the signal word of schoolboys and workpeople to each other that the master, or other person in authority, is approaching.Nix my dolly, once a very popular slang song, beginning—“In a box of a stone jug I was born,Of a hempen widow all forlorn;And my old dad, as I’ve heard say,Was a famous merchant in capers gay;Nix my dolly, pals, fake away!”“Capers” of course here refers to the mode of the old gentleman’s decease.Niz-priz, a writ of nisi-prius.—Legal.Nizzie, a fool, a coxcomb.—Old Cant,videTriumph of Wit.Nob, the head.—Pugilistic; “bob aNOB,” a shilling a head.Ancient Cant,NEB.Nobis an early English word, and is used in the romance ofKynge Alinaunder(thirteenth century) for a head; originally, no doubt, the same asknob.Nob, a person of high position, a “swell,” aNOBleman,—of which word it may be an abbreviation, or ofNOBILIS.SeeSNOB.Nob.When the knave of trumps is held at the game of cribbage, the holder counts “one for hisNOB.”Nobba, nine.Italian,NOVE;Spanish,NOVA,—thebandvbeing interchangeable, as in sabe and savvey. Slang introduced by the “organ-grinders” from Italy.Nobba saltee, ninepence.Lingua Franca,NOVE SOLDI.Nobbing cheat, the gallows.—Old Cant.Nobbing, collecting money; “whatNOBBINGS?”i.e., how much haveyou got or collected from the crowd? This term is much used by “buskers.”Nobble, to cheat, to overreach; to discover. In the racing world, to “NOBBLE” a horse, is to “get at,” and lame or poison him.Nobbler, a blow on theNOB, a finishing stroke; “that’s aNOBBLERfor him,”i.e., a settler.—Pugilistic.Nobbler, a confederate of thimble-riggers and card-sharpers, who plays earnestly, as if a stranger to the “rig,” and thus draws unsuspecting persons into a game. The same as a “bonnet” or “bearer-up.” In the North of England, a low, cunning lawyer.Nobby, orNOBBISH, fine or showy;NOBBILY, showily.SeeSNOBfor derivation.No flies, an emphatic addition made to an assertion for the purpose of giving it weight. It really means “no error” or “no mistake.” Both of them popular; as, “A jolly fine girl, andNO FLIES!”No-fly, artful, designing. Term much used among printers, who shorten it to “N.F.”Noli-me-tangere, the Scotch fiddle, or other contagious disease.Non-com, a non-commissioned officer in the army.No odds, no matter, of no consequence.—Latimer’s Sermon before Edward VI.Nooning, an interval for rest and refreshment, taken at midday by travellers in hot countries.Norfolk-Howards, bugs; a person named Ephraim Bug some few years back advertised, that for the future he would call himself by the more aristocratic appellation ofNorfolk Howard.North, cunning. The inhabitants of Yorkshire and the Northern counties are supposed, like the canny Scots, to get the better of other people in dealing; hence the phrase, “He’s too farNORTHfor me,”i.e., too cunning for me to deal with.North country compliment, to give or offer anything that is not wanted by either giver or receiver is to pass aNORTH COUNTRY COMPLIMENT.Norwicher, more than one’s share; said of a person who leaves less than half the contents of a tankard for his companion. In what way the term originated, or why Norwich was selected before any other city is not known. Most likely from the slanders which the inhabitants of one town are always inventing about their neighbours.Nose, a thief who turns informer; a paid spy; generally called a policeman’sNOSE; “on theNOSE,” on the look-out.Nose, to give information to the police, to turn approver.Nose, “to pay through theNOSE,” to pay an extravagant price.Nose-bag, a visitor at a watering-place, or house of refreshment, who carries his own victuals. Term applied by waiters.Nose ’em, orFOGUS, tobacco.Nose ’emis but a contraction of therhyming slang, whichsee.Nose-ender, a straight blow delivered full on the nasal promontory.Nose in the manger,TO PUT ONE’S, to sit down to eat. To “put on the nose-bag” is to eat hurriedly, or to eat while continuing at work.Nose out of joint,TO PUT ONE’S; to supplant, supersede, or mortify a person by excelling him.Noser, a hard blow, leading to a bloody or contused nose.—Pugilistic.Notional, imaginative, full of ideas. Used in America to express a wife’s imaginations with regard to her husband’s doings.Nouse, comprehension, perception.—Old, apparently from theGreek, νοῦς.GaelicandIrish,NOS, knowledge, perception.Nowhere, horses not placed in a race—that are neither first, second, nor third—are said to beNOWHERE, especially when this lack of position happens to favourites.Number of his mess, when a man dies in the army or navy, he is said to “lose theNUMBER OF HIS MESS.”Nurse, a curious term applied to competition in omnibuses. Two omnibuses are placed on the road toNURSE, or take care of, each opposition “bus,” one before, the other behind. Of course the central orNURSEDbus has very little chance, unless it happens to be a favourite with the public. Recent legislation and tramways have done much to do away withNURSING.Nursealso means to cheat or swindle; trustees are sometimes said toNURSEproperty,i.e., gradually eat it up themselves.Nut, the head, in pugilistic slang. Used as an exclamation at a fight, it means to strike on the head. In tossing it is a direction to hide the head; to be “off one’sNUT,” to be crazed or idiotic.Nut-cut, roguish, mischievous. A good-natured term of reproach.—Anglo-Indian.Nuts, to beNUTSon anything or person is to be pleased with or fond of it or him; a self-satisfied man is said to beNUTSon himself.Nutted, taken in by a man who professed to beNUTSon you.Nux, the “plant,” or object in view. “Stoll up to theNUX?” “Do you fully comprehend what is wanted?”—North Country Cant.
Nab, to catch, to seize; “NABthe rust,” to take offence.—Ancient, fourteenth century.SeeNAP.
Nab the rust, to take offence.
Nabob, an Eastern prince, a retired Indian official,—hence a slang term for a capitalist. From Nawaub.
Nabs, self; myNABS, myself; hisNABS, himself.—North Country Cant.
Nag, to persistently talk in a scolding manner, after the manner of Mrs. Caudle.Naggingis supposed to be persistent, persevering, passionless scolding.
Nail, to steal, or capture; “paid on theNAIL,”i.e., paid ready money;NAILED, taken up, or caught,—probably in allusion to the practice ofNAILINGbad money to the counter. We say, “as dead as a door-NAIL;” most possibly because of “apt alliteration.” Shakspeare has the expression inHenry IV.—“Falstaff.What! is the old king dead?Pistol.AsNAILin door.”Dickens, in that marvellous little book,A Christmas Carol, says:—“Old Marley was as dead as aDOOR-NAIL.“Mind! I don’t mean to say that I know of my own knowledge what there is particularly dead about aDOOR-NAIL. I might have been inclined myself to regard aCOFFIN-NAILas the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile: and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the country’s done for. You will, therefore, permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as aDOOR-NAIL.”
Nail, to steal, or capture; “paid on theNAIL,”i.e., paid ready money;NAILED, taken up, or caught,—probably in allusion to the practice ofNAILINGbad money to the counter. We say, “as dead as a door-NAIL;” most possibly because of “apt alliteration.” Shakspeare has the expression inHenry IV.—
“Falstaff.What! is the old king dead?Pistol.AsNAILin door.”
“Falstaff.What! is the old king dead?
Pistol.AsNAILin door.”
Dickens, in that marvellous little book,A Christmas Carol, says:—
“Old Marley was as dead as aDOOR-NAIL.“Mind! I don’t mean to say that I know of my own knowledge what there is particularly dead about aDOOR-NAIL. I might have been inclined myself to regard aCOFFIN-NAILas the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile: and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the country’s done for. You will, therefore, permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as aDOOR-NAIL.”
“Old Marley was as dead as aDOOR-NAIL.
“Mind! I don’t mean to say that I know of my own knowledge what there is particularly dead about aDOOR-NAIL. I might have been inclined myself to regard aCOFFIN-NAILas the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile: and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the country’s done for. You will, therefore, permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as aDOOR-NAIL.”
Nail in one’s coffin, a dram, “a drop o’ summat’ short,” a jocular, but disrespectful phrase, used by the lower orders to each other at the moment of lifting a glass of spirits to their lips. “Well, good luck! here’s anotherNAIL IN MY COFFIN.” This is probably in ridicule of teetotal or temperance preachers, and the arguments adduced by them. Another phrase with old topers is “shedding a tear,” also “wiping an eye.”
Namby-pamby, particular, over-nice, effeminate. This was possibly of Pope’s invention, and first applied by him to the affected short-lined verses addressed by Ambrose Phillips to Lord Carteret’s infant children.See Johnson’s Life of Pope.
Nammus, orNAMOUS, to be off, to get away; “let’sNAMMUS, somebody’s coming.”SeeVAMOS.
Nanny-shop, a disreputable house.
Nantee, not any, or “I have none.”Nanteealso means “shut up!” or “leave off!”Italian,NIENTE, nothing.SeeDINARLY.—Lingua Franca.
Nantee palaver, no conversation,i.e., hold your tongue. Very often in this sense also shortened toNANTEEonly. OriginallyLingua Franca, but now general.
Nap, orNAB, to take, steal, or receive; “you’llNAPit,”i.e., you will catch a beating.—North; alsoOld Cant.
Nap, to break, or rap with a hammer.SeeKNAP.—North.
Nap, orNAPPER, a hat. From “nab,” a hat, cap, or head.—Old Cant.
Nap nix, a person who works at his trade, and occasionally goes on the stage to act minor parts without receiving any pay. The derivation is obvious.SeeNAPandNIX,i.e.,NICHTS.
Nap one’s bib, to cry, shed tears, or carry one’s point.
Nap the regulars, to divide the booty.
Nap the teaze, to be privately whipped in prison.
Nark, a person in the pay of the police; a common informer; one who gets his living by laying traps for publicans, &c. Sometimes called a “nose.”
Nark, to watch, or look after; “NARKthe titter,” watch the girl.
Narp, a shirt.—Scotch.
Narrow, mean, sordid.—Scotch.In common slang, dull of comprehension, as distinguished from wide awake.
Nasty, ill-tempered, cross-grained. “He was veryNASTY,”i.e., he was ill-humoured.
Nation, orTARNATION, very, or exceedingly. Corruption of damnation.
Natty, pretty, neat, tidy.—Old.
Natural, an idiot, a simpleton. SometimesHALF-NATURAL.
Navvy, an excavator employed in making railways, canals, &c. Originally slang, but now a recognised term. Short for navigator, a term humorously applied to excavators when their chief work was that of cutting and banking canals, making dykes to rivers, &c.
N. C., “enough said,” being the initials ofNUF CED. A certain theatrical manager spells, it is said, in this style.
Near, mean and stingy.
Neardy, a person in authority over another; master, parent, or foreman.—North.
Neat, unmixed with water. “Two half goes of gin, oneNEAT, the other cold,” meaning one as drawn, the other diluted with cold water. The Americans use the word “straight” instead ofNEAT: “I’ll take mine straight.”
Neck, to swallow. Neck-oil, drink of any kind.
Neck and crop, entirely, completely; “he chuck’d himNECK AND CROPout of window.”
Neck and neck.Horses runNECK AND NECKin a race when they are so perfectly equal that one cannot be said to be before the other.
Neck or nothing, desperate. Originally a steeplechase phrase.
Neck beef, a synonym for coarseness. “As coarse as neck ends of beef.”
Neckinger, a cravat.SeeMUCKENGER.
Ned, a guinea.Half-ned, half-a-guinea.
Neddy, a considerable quantity, as “aNEDDYof fruit,” “aNEDDYof fish,” &c.—Irish slang.
Neddy, a donkey. On Sunday, when a costermonger, if at all well to do, takes his family out for an airing in his “shallow,” the donkey is called “Eddard.”
Neddy, a life preserver. Possibly contraction of Kennedy, the name of the first man, it is said in St. Giles’s, who had his head broken by a poker.
Ned Stokes, the four of spades.—North Hants.SeeGentleman’s Magazinefor 1791, p. 141.
Needful, money, cash; the “one thingNEEDFUL” for the accomplishment of most pet designs.
Needle, to annoy. To “cop theNEEDLE” is to become vexed or annoyed.
Needy mizzler, a shabby person; a tramp who runs away without paying for his lodging.
Never trust me, an ordinary phrase with low Londoners, and common in Shakspeare’s time,videTwelfth Night. It is generally used instead of an oath, calling vengeance on the asseverator, if such-and-such does not come to pass.
Newgate fringe, orFRILL, the collar of beard worn under the chin; so called from its occupying the position of the rope when Jack Ketch operates. Another name for it is aTyburn collar.
Newgate Knocker, the term given to the lock of hair which costermongers and thieves usually twist back towards the ear. The shape is supposed to resemble the knocker on the prisoners’ door at Newgate—a resemblance that carries a rather unpleasant suggestion to the wearer. Sometimes termed aCOBBLER’S KNOT, orCOW-LICK.
Newmarket, in tossing, when the game is “two out of three,” that is, when he who gains the first two tosses wins. When the first toss is decisive, the game is termed “sudden death.”
Nibble, to take, or steal.Nibbler, a petty thief.
Nib-cove, a gentleman.Nibsomest cribs, best or gentlemen’s houses.—Beggar’s Cant.
Nib-like, gentlemanly.
Nibs, self. HisNIBS, means any one who may be referred to. As, “I told hisNIBS,” or “stag hisNIBS.” “YourNIBS,” yourself.
Nick, orOld Nick, the devil.—Scandinavian,Knickar, one of the names of Odin, as the destroying or evil principle.
Nick, to hit the mark; “he’sNICKEDit,”i.e., won his point. Also to steal. To be “out on theNICK,” is to be out thieving. Sometimes described as being “on the pinch.”
Nick-nack, a trifle.—OriginallyCant.
Niggling, trifling, or idling; taking short steps in walking.—North.
Nightcap, a glass of “warm with” taken the last thing at night.
Night-hunter, a poacher.—North.Also a London prostitute. Sometimes in the latter capacity varied to night-hawk.
Nil, half; half profits, &c.
Nilly-willy,i.e.,NILL YE, WILL YE, whether you will or no; a familiar version of theLatin,NOLENS VOLENS. Generally written now,WILLY-NILLY.
Nimming, stealing.Old English,NIM, to take. Motherwell, the Scotch poet, thought the old wordNIM(to snatch or pick up) was derived fromnam, nam, the tiny words or cries of an infant, when eating anything which pleases its little palate. A negro proverb has the word:—“Buckra manNAMcrab,CramNAMbuckra man.”Or, in the buckra man’s language—“White man eat [or steal] the crab,And then crab eat the white man.”Shakspeare evidently had the wordNIMin his head when he portrayed Nym.
Nimming, stealing.Old English,NIM, to take. Motherwell, the Scotch poet, thought the old wordNIM(to snatch or pick up) was derived fromnam, nam, the tiny words or cries of an infant, when eating anything which pleases its little palate. A negro proverb has the word:—
“Buckra manNAMcrab,CramNAMbuckra man.”
“Buckra manNAMcrab,CramNAMbuckra man.”
Or, in the buckra man’s language—
“White man eat [or steal] the crab,And then crab eat the white man.”
“White man eat [or steal] the crab,And then crab eat the white man.”
Shakspeare evidently had the wordNIMin his head when he portrayed Nym.
Nincompoop, a fool, a hen-pecked husband, a “Jerry Sneak.”—Corruption ofnon compos mentis.
Nine corns, a pipeful of tobacco.
Ninepence, “nice asNINEPENCE,” all right, right to a nicety. A correspondent says:—“This most undoubtedly should beNINE-PINS. For at the game of that name, in fairness to both parties, the nine pins must always be set up with great accuracy. There is no nicety inNINEPENCE!” Evidently this correspondent does not know how nice it is to have ninepence, after being without money. At all events the phraseis“nice asNINEPENCE.”
Nines, “dressed up to theNINES,” in a showy orrecherchémanner. Up to theNINES, up to the dodges and “wrinkles” of life.
Nine Shillings, cool audacity; most probably derived from theFrench,NONCHALANCE.
Ning-nang, horse-coupers’ term for a worthless thoroughbred.
Ninnyhammer, a foolish, ignorant person. Generally shortened toNINNY.Ninnyis also short for nincompoop.
Nip, to steal, to take up quickly.SeeNAPandNIB.
Nipcheese, a purser.—Old Sea Slang.
Nipper, a sharp lad. Originally a superior grade among cut-purses.
Nix, nothing.German,NICHTS.SeeMUNGARLY.
Nix!the signal word of schoolboys and workpeople to each other that the master, or other person in authority, is approaching.
Nix my dolly, once a very popular slang song, beginning—“In a box of a stone jug I was born,Of a hempen widow all forlorn;And my old dad, as I’ve heard say,Was a famous merchant in capers gay;Nix my dolly, pals, fake away!”“Capers” of course here refers to the mode of the old gentleman’s decease.
Nix my dolly, once a very popular slang song, beginning—
“In a box of a stone jug I was born,Of a hempen widow all forlorn;And my old dad, as I’ve heard say,Was a famous merchant in capers gay;Nix my dolly, pals, fake away!”
“In a box of a stone jug I was born,Of a hempen widow all forlorn;And my old dad, as I’ve heard say,Was a famous merchant in capers gay;Nix my dolly, pals, fake away!”
“Capers” of course here refers to the mode of the old gentleman’s decease.
Niz-priz, a writ of nisi-prius.—Legal.
Nizzie, a fool, a coxcomb.—Old Cant,videTriumph of Wit.
Nob, the head.—Pugilistic; “bob aNOB,” a shilling a head.Ancient Cant,NEB.Nobis an early English word, and is used in the romance ofKynge Alinaunder(thirteenth century) for a head; originally, no doubt, the same asknob.
Nob, a person of high position, a “swell,” aNOBleman,—of which word it may be an abbreviation, or ofNOBILIS.SeeSNOB.
Nob.When the knave of trumps is held at the game of cribbage, the holder counts “one for hisNOB.”
Nobba, nine.Italian,NOVE;Spanish,NOVA,—thebandvbeing interchangeable, as in sabe and savvey. Slang introduced by the “organ-grinders” from Italy.
Nobba saltee, ninepence.Lingua Franca,NOVE SOLDI.
Nobbing cheat, the gallows.—Old Cant.
Nobbing, collecting money; “whatNOBBINGS?”i.e., how much haveyou got or collected from the crowd? This term is much used by “buskers.”
Nobble, to cheat, to overreach; to discover. In the racing world, to “NOBBLE” a horse, is to “get at,” and lame or poison him.
Nobbler, a blow on theNOB, a finishing stroke; “that’s aNOBBLERfor him,”i.e., a settler.—Pugilistic.
Nobbler, a confederate of thimble-riggers and card-sharpers, who plays earnestly, as if a stranger to the “rig,” and thus draws unsuspecting persons into a game. The same as a “bonnet” or “bearer-up.” In the North of England, a low, cunning lawyer.
Nobby, orNOBBISH, fine or showy;NOBBILY, showily.SeeSNOBfor derivation.
No flies, an emphatic addition made to an assertion for the purpose of giving it weight. It really means “no error” or “no mistake.” Both of them popular; as, “A jolly fine girl, andNO FLIES!”
No-fly, artful, designing. Term much used among printers, who shorten it to “N.F.”
Noli-me-tangere, the Scotch fiddle, or other contagious disease.
Non-com, a non-commissioned officer in the army.
No odds, no matter, of no consequence.—Latimer’s Sermon before Edward VI.
Nooning, an interval for rest and refreshment, taken at midday by travellers in hot countries.
Norfolk-Howards, bugs; a person named Ephraim Bug some few years back advertised, that for the future he would call himself by the more aristocratic appellation ofNorfolk Howard.
North, cunning. The inhabitants of Yorkshire and the Northern counties are supposed, like the canny Scots, to get the better of other people in dealing; hence the phrase, “He’s too farNORTHfor me,”i.e., too cunning for me to deal with.
North country compliment, to give or offer anything that is not wanted by either giver or receiver is to pass aNORTH COUNTRY COMPLIMENT.
Norwicher, more than one’s share; said of a person who leaves less than half the contents of a tankard for his companion. In what way the term originated, or why Norwich was selected before any other city is not known. Most likely from the slanders which the inhabitants of one town are always inventing about their neighbours.
Nose, a thief who turns informer; a paid spy; generally called a policeman’sNOSE; “on theNOSE,” on the look-out.
Nose, to give information to the police, to turn approver.
Nose, “to pay through theNOSE,” to pay an extravagant price.
Nose-bag, a visitor at a watering-place, or house of refreshment, who carries his own victuals. Term applied by waiters.
Nose ’em, orFOGUS, tobacco.Nose ’emis but a contraction of therhyming slang, whichsee.
Nose-ender, a straight blow delivered full on the nasal promontory.
Nose in the manger,TO PUT ONE’S, to sit down to eat. To “put on the nose-bag” is to eat hurriedly, or to eat while continuing at work.
Nose out of joint,TO PUT ONE’S; to supplant, supersede, or mortify a person by excelling him.
Noser, a hard blow, leading to a bloody or contused nose.—Pugilistic.
Notional, imaginative, full of ideas. Used in America to express a wife’s imaginations with regard to her husband’s doings.
Nouse, comprehension, perception.—Old, apparently from theGreek, νοῦς.GaelicandIrish,NOS, knowledge, perception.
Nowhere, horses not placed in a race—that are neither first, second, nor third—are said to beNOWHERE, especially when this lack of position happens to favourites.
Number of his mess, when a man dies in the army or navy, he is said to “lose theNUMBER OF HIS MESS.”
Nurse, a curious term applied to competition in omnibuses. Two omnibuses are placed on the road toNURSE, or take care of, each opposition “bus,” one before, the other behind. Of course the central orNURSEDbus has very little chance, unless it happens to be a favourite with the public. Recent legislation and tramways have done much to do away withNURSING.Nursealso means to cheat or swindle; trustees are sometimes said toNURSEproperty,i.e., gradually eat it up themselves.
Nut, the head, in pugilistic slang. Used as an exclamation at a fight, it means to strike on the head. In tossing it is a direction to hide the head; to be “off one’sNUT,” to be crazed or idiotic.
Nut-cut, roguish, mischievous. A good-natured term of reproach.—Anglo-Indian.
Nuts, to beNUTSon anything or person is to be pleased with or fond of it or him; a self-satisfied man is said to beNUTSon himself.Nutted, taken in by a man who professed to beNUTSon you.
Nux, the “plant,” or object in view. “Stoll up to theNUX?” “Do you fully comprehend what is wanted?”—North Country Cant.