Smuggings, snatchings, or purloinings,—shouted out by boys, when snatching the tops, or small play property, of other lads, and then running off at full speed.“Tops are in; spin ’em agin.Tops are out;SMUGGING’Sabout.”Smut, a copper boiler. Also, the “blacks” from a furnace.Smutty, obscene,—vulgar as applied to conversation. Variation of dirty.Snack, a share or division of plunder. To “goSNACKS,” to divide equally. Also, a light repast.—Old CantandGipsy term.Snack, to quiz or chaff with regard to a particular weakness or recent transaction. As a substantive in this senseSNACKmeans an innuendo.Snaffle, conversation on professional or private subjects which the rest of the company cannot appreciate. InEast Anglia, toSNAFFLEis to talk foolishly.Snaffled, arrested, “pulled up,”—so termed from a kind of horse’s bit called aSNAFFLE.Snaggle teeth, those that are uneven, and unpleasant looking.—West.Snaggling, angling after geese with a hook and line, the bait being a worm or snail. The goose swallows the bait, and is quietly landed and bagged. See Seymour’sSketches.Snaggy, cross, crotchety, malicious.Snam, to snatch, or rob from the person. Mostly used to describe that kind of theft which consists in picking up anything lying about, and making off with it rapidly.Snaps, share, portion; any articles or circumstances out of which money may be made; “looking out forSNAPS,” waiting for windfalls, or odd jobs.—Old.Scotch,CHITS, term also used for “coppers,” or halfpence.Snapps, spirits.Dutch,SCHNAPPS. The word, as originally pronounced, is used by East-end Jews to describe any kind of spirits, and the Gentiles get as near as they can.Sneaksman, a shoplifter; a petty, cowardly thief.Sneeze-lurker, a thief who throws snuff in a person’s face, and then robs him.Sneezer, a snuff-box; a pocket-handkerchief.Snell-fencer, a street salesman of needles.Snellsare needles.Snick-ersnee, a knife.—Sea.Thackeray uses the term in his humorous ballad ofLittle Billee.Snicker, a drinking-cup. AHORN-SNICKER, a drinking-horn.Snid, a sixpence.—Scotch.Snide, bad, spurious, contemptible. As, “aSNIDEfellow,” “SNIDEcoin,” &c. Also used as a substantive, as, “He’s aSNIDE,” though this seems but a contraction ofSNIDE ’UN.Snigger, to laugh in a covert manner. Also a mild form of swearing,—“I’mSNIGGEREDif you will.” Another form of this latter isJIGGERED.Sniggering, laughing to oneself.—East.Snip, a tailor,—apparently fromSNIPES, a pair of scissors, or from the snipping sound made by scissors in cutting up anything.Snipe, a long bill or account; also a term for attorneys,—a race with a remarkable propensity for long bills.Snipes, “a pair ofSNIPES,” a pair of scissors. They are occasionally made in the form of a snipe.Snitch, to give information to the police, to turn approver.Snitchingis synonymous in thieves’ slang with “nosing” and “peaching.”Snitchers, persons who turn Queen’s evidence, or who tell tales. InScotland,SNITCHERSsignify handcuffs.Snob, a low, vulgar, or affected person. Supposed to be from the nickname usually applied to a cobbler or maker of shoes; but believed by many in its later sense to be a contraction of theLatin,SINE OBOLO. Others go to work for an etymology thus:—They assume thatNOBS,i.e.,nobiles, was appended in lists to the names of persons of gentle birth, whilst those who had not that distinction were marked down asS NOB,i.e.,sine nobilitate, without marks of gentility,—thus, by a simple transposition, quite reversing the meaning. Others, again, remark that, as at college sons of noblemen wrote after their names in the admission lists,fil. nob., son of a lord, and hence all young noblemen were calledNOBS, and what they didNOBBY, so those who imitated them would be calledquasi-nobs, “like a nob,” which by a process of contraction would be shortened tosi-nob, and thenSNOB,one who pretends to be what he is not, and apes his betters. The short and expressive terms which many think fitly represent the three great estates of the realm—NOB,SNOB, andMOB—were all originally slang words. The last has safely passed through the vulgar ordeal of the streets, and found respectable quarters in the standard dictionaries. For fuller particulars of the genusSNOB, in all its ramifications, the reader cannot do better than apply to the general works of that great master of the subject, William Makepeace Thackeray, though it may be as well to remark that theSNOBfor whom the novelist had such an aversion is now very widely known as “cad.”Snobbish, stuck up, proud, make-believe.Snob-Stick, a workman who refuses to join in strikes, or trade-unions. Amplification ofKNOB-STICK.Snooks, an imaginary personage often brought forward as the answer to an idle question, or as the perpetrator of a senseless joke. Said to be simply a shortening or abbreviation of “Sevenoaks,” the Kentish village.Snooze, orSNOODGE(vulgar pronunciation), to sleep or doze.Snooze-case, a pillow-slip.Snorter, a blow on the nose. A hurry is sometimes called a “reg’larSNORTER.”Snot, a term of reproach applied to persons by the vulgar when vexed or annoyed, meaning really a person of the vilest description and meanest capacity. In a Westminster school vocabulary for boys, published in the last century, the term is curiously applied. Its proper meaning is the glandular mucus discharged through the nose.Snot, a small bream, a slimy kind of flat fish.—Norwich.Snotter, orWIPE-HAULER, a pickpocket whose chief fancy is for gentlemen’s pocket-handkerchiefs.—North.Snottinger, a coarse word for a pocket-handkerchief. The GermanSchnupftuchis, however, nearly as plain. A handkerchief was also anciently called a “muckinger” or “muckender,” and from that a neckerchief was called a “neckinger.”Snow, wet linen, or linen hung out to dry.—Old Cant.Snow-gatherer, orSNOW-DROPPER, a rogue who steals linen from hedges and drying-grounds.Snuff, “up toSNUFF,” knowing and sharp; “to takeSNUFF,” to be offended. Shakspeare usesSNUFFin the sense of anger, or passion.Snuff it, to die. Term very common among the lower orders of London. A fanciful variation of “putting one’s light out,” and used simply in reference to the action of the person dying. Thus any one threatening to murder another says, “I’ll put your light out,” or any one committing suicide is said to “put his own light out;” but to “SNUFF IT” is always to die from disease or accident. To “lay down one’s knife and fork,” to “peg out,” or “give up,” are variations of this form of euphemism.Snuffy, tipsy, drunk.Snuggle, to lie closely and cosily.Snyder, a tailor.German,SCHNEIDER.Soaker, an habitual drunkard.Soap, flattery.SeeSOFT SOAP.Sober-water, a jocular allusion to the uses of soda-water.Social evil, a name for some years applied to our street-walking system, in consequence of the articles in the newspapers which treat on the evils of prostitution being so headed. A good story has been often told on this subject, which will bear repeating:—“A well-known divine and philanthropist was walking in a crowded street at night in order to distribute tracts to promising subjects. A young woman was walking up and down, and he accosted her. He pointed out to her the error of her ways, implored her to reform, and tendered her a tract with fervent entreaties to go home and read it. The girl stared at him for a moment or two in sheer bewilderment; at last it dawned on her what he meant, and for what he took her, and looking up in his face with simple amazement, she exclaimed, ‘Lor’ bless you, sir, I ain’t aSOCIAL EVIL; I’m waitin’ for the ’bus!’” The enthusiasm which was felt in this direction a few years back has received considerable modification, as it has been proved that the efforts of the promoters of midnight meetings and other arrangements of a similar nature, praiseworthy though they are, have little or no effect; and that the early-closing movement in the Haymarket has done more to stamp out theSOCIAL EVILthan years of preaching, even when accompanied by tea and buns, could ever have done.Sock, the Eton College term for a treat, synonymous with “chuck” used at Westminster and other schools. Believed to be derived from the monkish wordSOKE. An old writer speaks of a pious man “who did notSOKEfor three days,” meaning that he fasted. The word is still used by the boys of Heriot’s Hospital School at Edinburgh, and signifies a sweetmeat; being derived from the same source as sugar,suck,SUCRE, &c.Sock, credit. As, “He gets his goods onSOCK, while I pay ready.”Sock into him,i.e., give him a good drubbing; “give himSOCK,”i.e., thrash him well.Sockdolager.SeeSTOCKDOLLAGER.Socket-money, money extorted by threats of exposure. To be applied to forSOCKET-MONEYis perhaps one of the most terrible inflictions that can befall a respectable man.Socketers, as the applicants are called, should be punished with the utmost possible severity.Sodom, a nickname for Wadham, due to the similarity of the sounds.—Oxford University.Soft, foolish, inexperienced. A term for bank-notes.Soft-horn, a simpleton; literally a donkey, whose ears, the substitutes of horns, are soft.Soft-sawder, flattery easily laid on or received. Probably introduced by Sam Slick.Soft-soap, or soft-sawder, flattery, ironical praise.Soft-tack, bread.—Sea.Soft-tommy, loaf-bread, in contradistinction to hard biscuit.Soiled doves, the “Midnight Meeting” term for prostitutes and “gay” ladies generally.Sold, “SOLDagain! and got the money,” gulled, deceived.VideSELL.Sold up, orOUT, broken down, bankrupt.Soldier, a red herring. Common term in seaport towns, where exchange is made, a soldier being called by the fishy title.Something damp, a dram, a drink.Son of a gun, a familiar term for a man. Sometimes applied eulogistically, never contemptuously. Generally said of an artful person, and perhaps, originally, son of a “gun,” (or “gonnof”). In the army it is sometimes applied to an artilleryman.Sonkey, a clumsy, awkward fellow.Soor, an abusive term.Hindostanee, a pig.—Anglo-Indian.Soot-bag, a reticule.Sop, a soft or foolish man. Abbreviation ofMILKSOP.Soph(abbreviation of “sophister”), a title peculiar to the University of Cambridge. Undergraduates are juniorSOPHSbefore passing their “Little Go,” or first University examination,—seniorSOPHSafter that.Sort, used in a slang sense thus—“That’s yourSORT,” as a term of approbation. “Pitch it into him, that’s yourSORT,”i.e., that is the proper kind of plan to adopt.So-so, not particularly reputable. “A verySO-SOsort of a person,” a person whom it is no advantage to know. “It was verySO-SO” (said of a piece of work or an entertainment), it was neither good nor bad.Sound, to pump, or draw information from a person in an artful manner.Souper, an Irish Roman Catholic who pretends conversion—or perversion—so as to obtain a share of the soup and blankets provided for Protestants only by Christian missionaries. These recalcitrants are also called “swaddlers.”Sou’-wester, a hat with a projection behind. Much worn at sea in “dirty” weather. A hat similar to that of a dustman or coalheaver, which is called a “fantail.”Sov, contraction of sovereign; much used in sporting parlance to denote the amount of entrance money, forfeit, and added coin in connexion with a race. In the published conditions of a race the wordSOVSis almost invariably used in preference to pounds, though in reckoning the net value of a big stake, after its decision, the common £ is used.Sow, the receptacle into which the liquid iron is poured in a gun-foundry. The melted metal poured from it is termedPIG.Sow’s baby, a pig; sixpence.Spanish, money. Probably a relic of buccaneering days.“Save its synonymsSpanish, blunt, stumpy, and rowdy.”—Barham.Spank, a smack, or hard slap.Spank, to move along quickly; hence a fast horse or vessel is said to be “aSPANKERto go.”Spanking, large, fine, or strong;e.g., aSPANKINGpace, aSPANKINGbreeze, aSPANKINGfellow.Sparks, diamonds. Term much in use among the lower orders, and generally applied to stones in rings and pins.Specklebellies, Dissenters. A term used in Worcester and the North, though the etymology seems unknown in either place.Specks, damaged oranges.—Costermonger’s term.Speech, a tip or wrinkle on any subject. On the turf a man will wait before investing on a horse until he “gets theSPEECH,” as to whether it is going to try, or whether it has a good chance. To “give theSPEECH,” is to communicate any special information of a private nature.Speel, to run away, make off; “SPEELthe drum,” to go off with stolen property.—North.Spell, a turn of work, an interval of time. “Take aSPELLat the capstern.”—Sea.“He took a longSPELLat that tankard.” “After a longSPELL.”Spell, “toSPELLfor a thing,” to hanker after it, to desire possession.Spell, to advertise, to put into print. “Speltin the leer,”i.e., advertised in the newspaper.Spell, contracted fromSPELLKEN. “Precious rum squeeze at theSPELL,”i.e., a good evening’s work at the theatre, might be the remark of a successful pickpocket.Spellken, orSPEELKEN, a playhouse. German,SPIELEN.SeeKEN.—Don Juan.Spick and span, applied to anything that is quite new and fresh.—Hudibras.Spidireen, the name of an imaginary ship, sometimes mentioned by sailors. If a sailor be asked what ship he belongs to, and does not wish to tell, he will most probably reply—“TheSPIDIREENfrigate, with nine decks, and ne’er a bottom.”Seemerry dun of Dover.Spierized, to have your hair cut and shampooed, from the shop of Spiers in High Street.—Oxford University.Spiff, a well-dressed man, a “swell.”Spiffed, slightly intoxicated.—Scotch Slang.Spiffs, the per-centages allowed by drapers to their young men when they effect a sale of old-fashioned or undesirable stock.Spiffy, spruce, well-dressed,tout à la mode.Spifflicate, to confound, silence, annihilate, or stifle. A corruption of the last word, or of “suffocate.”Spike Park, the Queen’s Bench Prison.SeeBurdon’s Hotel.Spill, to throw from a horse or chaise.SeePURL.Spin, to reject from an examination.—Army.Spindleshanks, a nickname for any one who has thin legs.Spin-’em rounds, a street game consisting of a piece of brass, wood, or iron, balanced on a pin, and turned quickly round on a board, when the point, arrow-shaped, stops at a number, and decides the bet one way or the other. The contrivance very much resembles a sea compass, and was formerly the gambling accompaniment of London piemen. The apparatus then was placed on the tin lids of their pie-cans, and the bets were ostensibly for pies, but were frequently for “coppers,” or for beer when two or three apprentices or porters happened to meet. An active and efficient police have, however, changed all that now.Spiniken, St. Giles’s Workhouse. “Lump,” Marylebone Workhouse. “Pan,” St. Pancras. “Pan” and “Lump” are now terms applied to all workhouses by tramps and costers.Spinning-house, the place in Cambridge where street-walkers are locked up, if found out after a certain time at night.Spirt, orSPURT, “to put on aSPIRT,” to make an increased exertion for a brief space, to attain one’s end; a nervous effort. Abbreviation or shortening ofSPIRIT, or allusion to aSPIRTof water, which dies away as suddenly as it rises.“So here for a man to run well for aSPURT, and then to give over ... is enough to annul all his former proceedings, and to make him in no better estate than if he had never set foot into the good waies of God.”—Gataker’s Spirituall Watch, 4to. 1619, p. 10.Spitalfields’ breakfast.At the East-end of London this is understood as consisting of a tight necktie and a short pipe. Amongst workmen it is usual to tighten the apron string when no dinner is at hand. Hunters and trappers always take in their belts when supplies are short. “An Irishman’s dinner” is a low East-end term, and means a smoke and a visit to the urinal. Sometimes the phrase is, “I’ll go out and count the railings,”i.e., the park or area railings, mental instead of maxillary exercise.Spitfire, a passionate person.Splash, complexion powder used by ladies to whiten their necks and faces. The finest rice flour, termed in Francepoudre de riz, is generally employed.SeeSLAP.Splendiferous, sumptuous, first-rate.Splendacioussometimes used with similar meanings.Splice, to marry; “and the two shall become one flesh.”—Sea.Also, a wife.Splice the main brace, to take a drink.—Sea.Split, to inform against one’s companions, to tell tales. “ToSPLITwith a person,” to cease acquaintanceship; to quarrel. Also to divide a bottle of aërated water; as, “two brandies and a sodaSPLIT;” in which case “toSPLITwith” a person has a very different meaning from that just given.Split up, long in the legs. Among athletes, a man with good length of limb is said to be “wellSPLIT UP.”Splodger, a lout, an awkward countryman.Spoffy, a bustling busybody is said to beSPOFFY.Sponge, “to throw up theSPONGE,” to submit, to give over the struggle,—from the practice of throwing up theSPONGEused to cleanse a combatant’s face at a prize-fight, as a signal that the side on which that particularSPONGEhas been used has had enough—that theSPONGEis no longer required.Spoon, synonymous withSPOONEY. ASPOONhas been defined to be “a thing that touches a lady’s lips without kissing them.”Spooney, a weak-minded and foolish person, effeminate or fond; “to beSPOONEYon a girl,” to be foolishly attached to one.Spoons, the condition of two persons whoSPOONon each other, who are deeply in love. “I see, it’s a case ofSPOONSwith them,” is a common phrase when lovers are mentioned.Spoons, a method of designating large sums of money, disclosed at the Bankruptcy Court during the examination of the great leather failures of Streatfield and Laurence in 1860-61. The origin of the phrase was stated to be the reply of the bankrupt Laurence to an offer of accommodating him with £5000,—“Oh, you are feeding me with aTEA-SPOON.” Hence, £5000 came to be known in the firm as aTEA-SPOON; £10,000, aDESSERT-SPOON; £15,000, aTABLE-SPOON; and £20,000, as aGRAVY-SPOON. The public were amused at thisTEA-SPOONphraseology, but were disgusted that such levity should cover a gigantic swindle of the kind. It came out in evidence, however, that it was not the ordinary slang of the discount world, but it may not improbably become so. To “take it with aSPOON,” is to take anything in small quantities. The counsel for the defence in the Tichborne perjury case was reminded a short time back by one of the judges that he was using aTEA-SPOONinstead of a shovel, to clear through the evidence.Sport, to exhibit, to wear, &c.,—a word which is made to do duty in a variety of senses, especially at the Universities.—SeetheGradus ad Cantabrigiam. “ToSPORTa new tile;” “toSPORTanÆgrotat” (i.e., a permission from the Dons to abstain from lectures, &c., on account of illness); “toSPORTone’s oak,” to shut the outer door and exclude the public,—especially duns and boring acquaintances. Common also in the Inns of Court.See Notes and Queries, 2nd series, vol. viii. p. 492, andGentleman’s Magazine, December, 1794.Sport, an American term for a gambler or turfite—more akin to our sporting man than to our sportsman.Sporting door, the outer door of chambers, also called theOAK.SeeunderSPORT.—University.Spot, to mark, to recognise. Originally an Americanism, but now general. “ISPOTTEDhim (or it) at once.”Spotted, to be known or marked by the police.Spout, “up theSPOUT,” at the pawnbroker’s;SPOUTING, pawning.SeePOPfor origin.Spout, to preach, or make speeches;SPOUTER, a preacher or lecturer.Sprat, sixpence.Spread, butter. Term with workmen and schoolboys.SeeSCRAPE.Spread, a lady’s shawl, an entertainment, a display of good things.Spread, a meal. Sporting term for a dinner. A sporting man often challenges another to compete with him at any athletic pursuit or pastime, for so much wine and aSPREADof large or small proportions.Spree, a boisterous piece of merriment; “going on theSPREE,” starting out with intent to have a frolic.French,ESPRIT. In theDutchlanguage,SPREEUWis a jester.Springer-up, a tailor who sells low-priced ready-made clothing, and gives starvation wages to the poor men and women who “make up” for him. The clothes are said to beSPRUNG-UP, or “blown together.”Sprint race, a short-distance race, ran at the topmost speed throughout.Sprintis in the North synonymous withSPURT, and hence the name.Sprung, inebriated sufficiently to become boisterous.Spry, active, strong, manly. Much used in America, but originally English.Spuddy, a seller of bad potatoes. In lower life, aSPUDis a raw potato; and roastedSPUDSare those cooked in the cinders with their skins on.Spun, when a man has failed in his examination at Woolwich, he is said to beSPUN; as at the Universities he is said to be “plucked” or “ploughed.”Spunge, a mean, paltry fellow, sometimes called aSPUNGER.Spunge, to live at another’s expense in a mean and paltry manner.Spunging-house, the sheriff’s officer’s house, where prisoners, when arrested for debt, used to be taken. As extortionate charges were made there for accommodation, the name was far from inappropriate.Spunk, spirit, fire, courage, mettle, good humour.“In that snug room, where any man ofSPUNKWould find it a hard matter to get drunk.”Peter Pindar, i. 245.Common in America, and much used in some parts of Scotland.Spunk-fencer, a lucifer-match seller.Spunks, lucifer-matches.—Herefordshire;Scotland.Spunk, says Urry, in his MS. notes to Ray, “is the excrescency of some tree, of which they make a sort of tinder to light their pipes with.”Spurt.—Old.SeeSPIRT.Squabby, flat, short and thick. FromSQUAB, a sofa.Square, honest; “on theSQUARE,”i.e., fair and strictly honest; “to turnSQUARE,” to reform, and get one’s living in an honest manner,—the opposite of “cross.” The expression is, in all probability, derived from the well-known masonic emblem theSQUARE, the symbol of evenness and rectitude.“You must keep within the compass, and act upon the square with all mankind, for your masonry is but a dead letter if you do not habitually perform its reiterated injunctions.”—Oliver’s Lectures on Signs and Symbols, p. 190.Square, “to beSQUAREwith a man,” to be even with him, or to be revenged; “toSQUAREup to a man,” to offer to fight him. Shakspeare usesSQUAREin the sense of to quarrel.Square cove, an honest man, as distinguished from “cross cove.”Square moll, an honest woman, one who does not “batter.”Squaring his nibs, giving a policeman, or any official, money for an immoral or unlawful purpose. The termHIS NIBShas no reference to any functionary, as the words mean simply “him,” and may be applied to any one.Square rigged, well dressed.—Sea.Square up, to settle, to pay a debt.Squarum, a cobbler’s lapstone.Squash, to crush; “to goSQUASH,” to collapse.Squeak, an escape. Generally used with regard to the avoidance of casualties. Among thieves, too, a prisoner acquitted after a hard trial is said to have had “a narrowSQUEAKfor it.”Squeak on a person, to inform against, to peach.Squeal, to inform, to peach. A North country variation of squeak;SQUEALER, an informer, also an illegitimate baby.Squeeze, silk; also, by a very significant figure, a thief’s term for the neck.Squib, ajeu d’esprit, which, like the firework of that denomination, sparkles, bounces, stinks, and vanishes.—Grose.Generally used in reference to political and electioneering attacks of a smart kind, which sting for a moment and are then forgotten.Squibs, paint-brushes.Squiffy, slightly inebriated.Squinny-eyed, said of one given to squinting.—Shakspeare.Squirt, a doctor, or chemist.Squish, common term among University men for marmalade.Stab, “Stabyourself and pass the dagger,” help yourself and pass the bottle.—Theatrical Slang.Stab, “on theSTAB,”i.e., paid by regular weekly wages on the “establishment,” of which wordSTABis an abridgment.—Printer’s term.Stab-rag, a regimental tailor.—Military Slang.Stag, a shilling.Stag, a term applied during the railway mania to a speculator without capital, who took “scrip” in proposed lines, got the shares up to a premium, and then sold out. Caricaturists represented the house of Hudson, “the Railway King,” at Albert Gate, with aSTAGon it, in allusion to this term.Stag, to see, discover, or watch,—like aSTAGat gaze; “STAGthe push,” look at the crowd. Also, to dun, or demand payment; to beg.Stage-whisper, one loud enough to be heard. From the stage “asides.”Stagger, to surprise. “He quiteSTAGGEREDme with the information.”Stagger, one who looks out, or watches.Staggering-bob, an animal to whom the knife only just anticipates death from natural disease or accident,—said of meat on that account unfit for human food. Also a newly-born calf.Stale drunk, unevaporated fumes of liquor. A man is said to beSTALE DRUNKwhen he has been drunk overnight, and has doctored himself with stimulants a little too much in the morning—when he has tried too many of the “hairs of the dog that bit him.” If this state of things is long continued, it is often called “sameOLD DRUNK,” from a well-known nigger story. The nigger was cautioned by his master for being too often drunk within a given period, when the “cullud pusson” replied, “Same old drunk, massa—same old drunk.”Stalking-horse, originally a horse covered with loose trappings, under which the mediæval sportsman concealed himself with his bow, so as to approach his game unobserved. Subsequently a canvas figure, made light, so as to be easily moved with one hand. Now used to represent any bugbear persistently paraded; any constant and unpleasant reference to the possible consequences of an act.Stall, to lodge, or put up at a public-house. Also, to act a part.—Theatrical.Stall, to frighten or discourage. In the days of dog-fighting and pugilism, a dog or man who had originally shown great pluck would, after a hard battle or two, show signs of cowardice. In such case he was said to have beenSTALLEDby his previous encounters. ASTALLis a spurious excuse or an imposition, a dodge, &c.Stall-off, to put off by means of a device, to misdirect purposely.Stall off, to blind, excuse, hide, to screen a robbery during the perpetration of it by an accomplice.Stall your mug, go away; spoken sharply by any one who wishes to get rid of a troublesome or inconvenient person.Stallsman, sometimesSTALL, an accomplice.Stampers, shoes.—Ancient Cant.Stand, “toSTANDtreat,” to pay for a friend’s entertainment; to bear expense; to put up with treatment, good or ill, as, “Will youSTANDthat?” a question often asked when a man has been struck or insulted. Also in the sense of aggregate cost, as, “This houseSTOODme in £1000;”i.e., cost that sum; “toSTANDpad,” to beg on the kerb with a small piece of paper pinned on the breast, inscribed, “I am starving.”Stand in, to make one of a party in a bet or other speculation; to take a side in a dispute.Standing, the position at a street corner, or on the kerb of a market street, regularly occupied by a costermonger, or street seller.Standing patterers, men who take a stand on the kerb of a public thoroughfare, and deliver prepared speeches to effect a sale of any articles they have to vend.SeePATTERER.Stangey, a tailor, a person under petticoat government,—derived from the custom of “riding theSTANG,” mentioned inHudibras:—“It is a custom used of courseWhere the grey mare is the better horse.”Star, a common abbreviation of the name of the well-knownStar and GarterInn at Richmond. Clever people, who delight in altering names, call this hostelry the “Gar and Starter.”Star it, to perform as the centre of attraction, with inferior subordinates to set off one’s abilities.—Theatrical.Star the glaze, to break a window. Among thieves it means to break the window or show-glass of a jeweller or other tradesman, take any valuable articles, and run away. Sometimes the glass is cut with a diamond, and a strip of leather fastened to the piece of glass cut out to keep it from falling in and making a noise. Another plan is to cut the sash.Starchy, stuck-up, high-notioned, showily dressed, stiff and unbending in demeanour.Stark-naked, originallySTRIP-ME-NAKED,videRandall’s Diary, 1820, raw gin.Start, “theSTART,” London,—the great starting-point for beggars and tramps. This is a term also used by many of superior station to those mentioned.Start, a proceeding of any kind; “a rumSTART,” an odd circumstance; “to get theSTARTof a person,” to anticipate or overreach him.Starvation, though now a recognised word, was originally slang. Its derivation is composite, and it was first introduced into the English language by Mr. Dundas, in a debate in the House of Commons on American affairs, in 1775. “I shall not,” he said, “wait for the advent ofSTARVATIONfrom Edinburgh to settle my judgment.” From this he was always afterwards calledStarvationDundas.—Horace Walpole’s Letters.Starve’em,Rob’em, andCheat’em, the adjoining towns of Stroud, Rochester, and Chatham are so designated by soldiers and sailors; from some fancied peculiarities of the inhabitants.Stash, to cease doing anything, to refrain, be quiet, leave off; “STASHit, there, you sir!”i.e., be quiet, sir; to give over a lewd or intemperate course of life is toSTASHit.Stay, to exhibit powers of endurance at walking, running, rowing, &c.Stayer, one likely to persevere, one not easily discouraged. It is usual forlaudatores temporis acticonnected with the turf to deplore the want of staying power which, according to their statements, characterizes the modern British racehorse; while others, connected and disconnected with sport, make similar remarks with reference to the modern British man. So far, however, both descriptions of old gentlemen have failed signally in endeavouring to make out a good case.Steam-engine, potato-pie at Manchester is so termed.Steel, the House of Correction in London, formerly named the Bastile, but since shortened toSTEEL.SeeBASTILE.Steel-bar drivers, orFLINGERS, journeymen tailors.Stems, the legs.Step it, to run away, or make off.Stepper, the treadmill; the “everlasting staircase.”Stick, a derogatory expression for a person; “a rum, or odd,STICK,” a curious man. More generally a “poorSTICK.”—Provincial.Stick, “cut yourSTICK,” be off, or go away; either simply equivalent to a recommendation to prepare a walking staff in readiness for a journey—in allusion to the Eastern custom of cutting aSTICKbefore setting out—or from the ancient mode of reckoning by notches or tallies on aSTICK. In Cornwall the peasantry tally sheaves of corn by cuts in aSTICK, reckoning by the score. “Cut yourSTICK” in this sense may mean to make your mark and pass on—and so realize the meaning of the phrase, “in the nick (or notch) of time.” Sir J. Emerson Tennent considers the phrase equivalent to “cutting the connexion,” and suggests a possible origin in the prophet’s breaking the staves of “Beauty” and “Bands,”—videZech. xi. 10, 14.Stick, to cheat; “he gotSTUCK,” he was taken in; “I’mSTUCK,” a common phrase to express that the speaker has spent or lost all his money, and can neither play nor pay any longer.Stick, to forget one’s part in a performance.—Theatrical.Stickup, to place in an account; “STICKit up to me,”i.e., give me credit for it;STICKon, to overcharge or defraud;STICKup for, to defend a person, especially when slandered in his absence;STICKup to, to persevere in courting or attacking, whether in fisticuffs or argument; “toSTICKin one’s gizzard,” to rankle in one’s heart; “toSTICKto a person,” to adhere to one, to be his friend through adverse circumstances,—to “cotton” to him; “toSTICKone’s spoon in the wall,” to die.Stick-up, to keep any one waiting at an appointed place or time. To leave a friend or acquaintance to pay the whole or an undue share of a tavern bill.Stick-ups, orGILLS, shirt collars.Sticker, one not likely to be easily shaken off, a stayer.Stickings, coarse, bruised, or damaged meat sold to sausage-makers and penny pie-shops.Sticks, furniture, or household chattels; “pick up yourSTICKSand cut!” summary advice to a person to take himself and furniture away.Sticky, wax.Stiff, paper, a bill of acceptance, &c.; “how did you get it,STIFFor hard?”i.e., did he pay you cash or give a bill? “To do a bit ofSTIFF,” to accept a bill.SeeKITE.Stiff-fencer, a street-seller of writing paper.Stiff un, a corpse. Term used by undertakers.Stills, undertakers’ slang term forSTILL-BORNchildren. The fee paid by nurses and others for their disposal is usually 2s.6d.A separate coffin is never given; theSTILLSare quietly introduced into one containing an adult about to be buried.Stillsare allowed to accumulate at an undertaker’s until they sometimes number as many as a dozen. Some little time back a very bulky coffin was opened, and found to contain a large quantity of small corpses packed carefully round a large corpse. This caused a little excitement, but nothing was done in the matter.Stilton, “that’s theSTILTON,” or “it’s not theSTILTON,”i.e., that isquite the thing, or that is not quite the thing;—affected rendering of “that is not theCHEESE,” whichsee.Stingo, strong liquor.—Yorkshire.Stink, a disagreeable exposure. “To stir up aSTINK” is to make a disclosure which is generally unpleasant in its effect.Stinkomalee, a name given to the then New London University by Theodore Hook. Probably because some cow-houses and dunghills stood on the original site. Some question about Trincomalee was agitated at the same time. It is still applied by the students of the old Universities, who regard it with disfavour from its admitting all denominations.Stipe, a stipendiary magistrate.—Provincial.Stir, a prison, a lock-up; “inSTIR,” in gaol.Anglo-Saxon,STYR, correction, punishment.Stir-up Sunday, the Sunday next before Advent, the collect for that day commencing with the words, “Stir up.” Schoolboys, growing excited at the prospect of the vacation, irreverently commemorate it by stirring up—pushing and poking each other. “Crib-crust Monday” and “tug-button Tuesday” are distinguished by similar tricks; while on “pay-off Wednesday” they retaliate small grudges in a playful facetious way. Forby says good housewives in Norfolk consider themselves reminded by the name to mix the ingredients for their Christmas mince-pies.Stock.“ToSTOCKcards” is to arrange cards in a certain manner for cheating purposes.Stock, “to takeSTOCKof one,” to scrutinize narrowly one whom you have reason to suspect, or one with whom you are likely to have business transactions; taken from the tradesmen’s term for the annual examination and valuation of their stock of goods.Stockdollager, a heavy blow, a “finisher.”Italian,STOCCADO, a fencing term. Also (in a general sense), a disastrous event.—Americanism.Stodge, to surfeit, gorge, or clog with food.Stodgeis in some places bread and milk.Stoll, to understand.—North Country Cant.Stomach, to bear with, to be partial to. Mostly used in a negative character,—as, “I can’tSTOMACHthat.”
Smuggings, snatchings, or purloinings,—shouted out by boys, when snatching the tops, or small play property, of other lads, and then running off at full speed.“Tops are in; spin ’em agin.Tops are out;SMUGGING’Sabout.”
Smuggings, snatchings, or purloinings,—shouted out by boys, when snatching the tops, or small play property, of other lads, and then running off at full speed.
“Tops are in; spin ’em agin.Tops are out;SMUGGING’Sabout.”
“Tops are in; spin ’em agin.Tops are out;SMUGGING’Sabout.”
Smut, a copper boiler. Also, the “blacks” from a furnace.
Smutty, obscene,—vulgar as applied to conversation. Variation of dirty.
Snack, a share or division of plunder. To “goSNACKS,” to divide equally. Also, a light repast.—Old CantandGipsy term.
Snack, to quiz or chaff with regard to a particular weakness or recent transaction. As a substantive in this senseSNACKmeans an innuendo.
Snaffle, conversation on professional or private subjects which the rest of the company cannot appreciate. InEast Anglia, toSNAFFLEis to talk foolishly.
Snaffled, arrested, “pulled up,”—so termed from a kind of horse’s bit called aSNAFFLE.
Snaggle teeth, those that are uneven, and unpleasant looking.—West.
Snaggling, angling after geese with a hook and line, the bait being a worm or snail. The goose swallows the bait, and is quietly landed and bagged. See Seymour’sSketches.
Snaggy, cross, crotchety, malicious.
Snam, to snatch, or rob from the person. Mostly used to describe that kind of theft which consists in picking up anything lying about, and making off with it rapidly.
Snaps, share, portion; any articles or circumstances out of which money may be made; “looking out forSNAPS,” waiting for windfalls, or odd jobs.—Old.Scotch,CHITS, term also used for “coppers,” or halfpence.
Snapps, spirits.Dutch,SCHNAPPS. The word, as originally pronounced, is used by East-end Jews to describe any kind of spirits, and the Gentiles get as near as they can.
Sneaksman, a shoplifter; a petty, cowardly thief.
Sneeze-lurker, a thief who throws snuff in a person’s face, and then robs him.
Sneezer, a snuff-box; a pocket-handkerchief.
Snell-fencer, a street salesman of needles.Snellsare needles.
Snick-ersnee, a knife.—Sea.Thackeray uses the term in his humorous ballad ofLittle Billee.
Snicker, a drinking-cup. AHORN-SNICKER, a drinking-horn.
Snid, a sixpence.—Scotch.
Snide, bad, spurious, contemptible. As, “aSNIDEfellow,” “SNIDEcoin,” &c. Also used as a substantive, as, “He’s aSNIDE,” though this seems but a contraction ofSNIDE ’UN.
Snigger, to laugh in a covert manner. Also a mild form of swearing,—“I’mSNIGGEREDif you will.” Another form of this latter isJIGGERED.
Sniggering, laughing to oneself.—East.
Snip, a tailor,—apparently fromSNIPES, a pair of scissors, or from the snipping sound made by scissors in cutting up anything.
Snipe, a long bill or account; also a term for attorneys,—a race with a remarkable propensity for long bills.
Snipes, “a pair ofSNIPES,” a pair of scissors. They are occasionally made in the form of a snipe.
Snitch, to give information to the police, to turn approver.Snitchingis synonymous in thieves’ slang with “nosing” and “peaching.”
Snitchers, persons who turn Queen’s evidence, or who tell tales. InScotland,SNITCHERSsignify handcuffs.
Snob, a low, vulgar, or affected person. Supposed to be from the nickname usually applied to a cobbler or maker of shoes; but believed by many in its later sense to be a contraction of theLatin,SINE OBOLO. Others go to work for an etymology thus:—They assume thatNOBS,i.e.,nobiles, was appended in lists to the names of persons of gentle birth, whilst those who had not that distinction were marked down asS NOB,i.e.,sine nobilitate, without marks of gentility,—thus, by a simple transposition, quite reversing the meaning. Others, again, remark that, as at college sons of noblemen wrote after their names in the admission lists,fil. nob., son of a lord, and hence all young noblemen were calledNOBS, and what they didNOBBY, so those who imitated them would be calledquasi-nobs, “like a nob,” which by a process of contraction would be shortened tosi-nob, and thenSNOB,one who pretends to be what he is not, and apes his betters. The short and expressive terms which many think fitly represent the three great estates of the realm—NOB,SNOB, andMOB—were all originally slang words. The last has safely passed through the vulgar ordeal of the streets, and found respectable quarters in the standard dictionaries. For fuller particulars of the genusSNOB, in all its ramifications, the reader cannot do better than apply to the general works of that great master of the subject, William Makepeace Thackeray, though it may be as well to remark that theSNOBfor whom the novelist had such an aversion is now very widely known as “cad.”
Snobbish, stuck up, proud, make-believe.
Snob-Stick, a workman who refuses to join in strikes, or trade-unions. Amplification ofKNOB-STICK.
Snooks, an imaginary personage often brought forward as the answer to an idle question, or as the perpetrator of a senseless joke. Said to be simply a shortening or abbreviation of “Sevenoaks,” the Kentish village.
Snooze, orSNOODGE(vulgar pronunciation), to sleep or doze.
Snooze-case, a pillow-slip.
Snorter, a blow on the nose. A hurry is sometimes called a “reg’larSNORTER.”
Snot, a term of reproach applied to persons by the vulgar when vexed or annoyed, meaning really a person of the vilest description and meanest capacity. In a Westminster school vocabulary for boys, published in the last century, the term is curiously applied. Its proper meaning is the glandular mucus discharged through the nose.
Snot, a small bream, a slimy kind of flat fish.—Norwich.
Snotter, orWIPE-HAULER, a pickpocket whose chief fancy is for gentlemen’s pocket-handkerchiefs.—North.
Snottinger, a coarse word for a pocket-handkerchief. The GermanSchnupftuchis, however, nearly as plain. A handkerchief was also anciently called a “muckinger” or “muckender,” and from that a neckerchief was called a “neckinger.”
Snow, wet linen, or linen hung out to dry.—Old Cant.
Snow-gatherer, orSNOW-DROPPER, a rogue who steals linen from hedges and drying-grounds.
Snuff, “up toSNUFF,” knowing and sharp; “to takeSNUFF,” to be offended. Shakspeare usesSNUFFin the sense of anger, or passion.
Snuff it, to die. Term very common among the lower orders of London. A fanciful variation of “putting one’s light out,” and used simply in reference to the action of the person dying. Thus any one threatening to murder another says, “I’ll put your light out,” or any one committing suicide is said to “put his own light out;” but to “SNUFF IT” is always to die from disease or accident. To “lay down one’s knife and fork,” to “peg out,” or “give up,” are variations of this form of euphemism.
Snuffy, tipsy, drunk.
Snuggle, to lie closely and cosily.
Snyder, a tailor.German,SCHNEIDER.
Soaker, an habitual drunkard.
Soap, flattery.SeeSOFT SOAP.
Sober-water, a jocular allusion to the uses of soda-water.
Social evil, a name for some years applied to our street-walking system, in consequence of the articles in the newspapers which treat on the evils of prostitution being so headed. A good story has been often told on this subject, which will bear repeating:—“A well-known divine and philanthropist was walking in a crowded street at night in order to distribute tracts to promising subjects. A young woman was walking up and down, and he accosted her. He pointed out to her the error of her ways, implored her to reform, and tendered her a tract with fervent entreaties to go home and read it. The girl stared at him for a moment or two in sheer bewilderment; at last it dawned on her what he meant, and for what he took her, and looking up in his face with simple amazement, she exclaimed, ‘Lor’ bless you, sir, I ain’t aSOCIAL EVIL; I’m waitin’ for the ’bus!’” The enthusiasm which was felt in this direction a few years back has received considerable modification, as it has been proved that the efforts of the promoters of midnight meetings and other arrangements of a similar nature, praiseworthy though they are, have little or no effect; and that the early-closing movement in the Haymarket has done more to stamp out theSOCIAL EVILthan years of preaching, even when accompanied by tea and buns, could ever have done.
Sock, the Eton College term for a treat, synonymous with “chuck” used at Westminster and other schools. Believed to be derived from the monkish wordSOKE. An old writer speaks of a pious man “who did notSOKEfor three days,” meaning that he fasted. The word is still used by the boys of Heriot’s Hospital School at Edinburgh, and signifies a sweetmeat; being derived from the same source as sugar,suck,SUCRE, &c.
Sock, credit. As, “He gets his goods onSOCK, while I pay ready.”
Sock into him,i.e., give him a good drubbing; “give himSOCK,”i.e., thrash him well.
Sockdolager.SeeSTOCKDOLLAGER.
Socket-money, money extorted by threats of exposure. To be applied to forSOCKET-MONEYis perhaps one of the most terrible inflictions that can befall a respectable man.Socketers, as the applicants are called, should be punished with the utmost possible severity.
Sodom, a nickname for Wadham, due to the similarity of the sounds.—Oxford University.
Soft, foolish, inexperienced. A term for bank-notes.
Soft-horn, a simpleton; literally a donkey, whose ears, the substitutes of horns, are soft.
Soft-sawder, flattery easily laid on or received. Probably introduced by Sam Slick.
Soft-soap, or soft-sawder, flattery, ironical praise.
Soft-tack, bread.—Sea.
Soft-tommy, loaf-bread, in contradistinction to hard biscuit.
Soiled doves, the “Midnight Meeting” term for prostitutes and “gay” ladies generally.
Sold, “SOLDagain! and got the money,” gulled, deceived.VideSELL.
Sold up, orOUT, broken down, bankrupt.
Soldier, a red herring. Common term in seaport towns, where exchange is made, a soldier being called by the fishy title.
Something damp, a dram, a drink.
Son of a gun, a familiar term for a man. Sometimes applied eulogistically, never contemptuously. Generally said of an artful person, and perhaps, originally, son of a “gun,” (or “gonnof”). In the army it is sometimes applied to an artilleryman.
Sonkey, a clumsy, awkward fellow.
Soor, an abusive term.Hindostanee, a pig.—Anglo-Indian.
Soot-bag, a reticule.
Sop, a soft or foolish man. Abbreviation ofMILKSOP.
Soph(abbreviation of “sophister”), a title peculiar to the University of Cambridge. Undergraduates are juniorSOPHSbefore passing their “Little Go,” or first University examination,—seniorSOPHSafter that.
Sort, used in a slang sense thus—“That’s yourSORT,” as a term of approbation. “Pitch it into him, that’s yourSORT,”i.e., that is the proper kind of plan to adopt.
So-so, not particularly reputable. “A verySO-SOsort of a person,” a person whom it is no advantage to know. “It was verySO-SO” (said of a piece of work or an entertainment), it was neither good nor bad.
Sound, to pump, or draw information from a person in an artful manner.
Souper, an Irish Roman Catholic who pretends conversion—or perversion—so as to obtain a share of the soup and blankets provided for Protestants only by Christian missionaries. These recalcitrants are also called “swaddlers.”
Sou’-wester, a hat with a projection behind. Much worn at sea in “dirty” weather. A hat similar to that of a dustman or coalheaver, which is called a “fantail.”
Sov, contraction of sovereign; much used in sporting parlance to denote the amount of entrance money, forfeit, and added coin in connexion with a race. In the published conditions of a race the wordSOVSis almost invariably used in preference to pounds, though in reckoning the net value of a big stake, after its decision, the common £ is used.
Sow, the receptacle into which the liquid iron is poured in a gun-foundry. The melted metal poured from it is termedPIG.
Sow’s baby, a pig; sixpence.
Spanish, money. Probably a relic of buccaneering days.“Save its synonymsSpanish, blunt, stumpy, and rowdy.”—Barham.
Spanish, money. Probably a relic of buccaneering days.
“Save its synonymsSpanish, blunt, stumpy, and rowdy.”—Barham.
“Save its synonymsSpanish, blunt, stumpy, and rowdy.”—Barham.
Spank, a smack, or hard slap.
Spank, to move along quickly; hence a fast horse or vessel is said to be “aSPANKERto go.”
Spanking, large, fine, or strong;e.g., aSPANKINGpace, aSPANKINGbreeze, aSPANKINGfellow.
Sparks, diamonds. Term much in use among the lower orders, and generally applied to stones in rings and pins.
Specklebellies, Dissenters. A term used in Worcester and the North, though the etymology seems unknown in either place.
Specks, damaged oranges.—Costermonger’s term.
Speech, a tip or wrinkle on any subject. On the turf a man will wait before investing on a horse until he “gets theSPEECH,” as to whether it is going to try, or whether it has a good chance. To “give theSPEECH,” is to communicate any special information of a private nature.
Speel, to run away, make off; “SPEELthe drum,” to go off with stolen property.—North.
Spell, a turn of work, an interval of time. “Take aSPELLat the capstern.”—Sea.“He took a longSPELLat that tankard.” “After a longSPELL.”
Spell, “toSPELLfor a thing,” to hanker after it, to desire possession.
Spell, to advertise, to put into print. “Speltin the leer,”i.e., advertised in the newspaper.
Spell, contracted fromSPELLKEN. “Precious rum squeeze at theSPELL,”i.e., a good evening’s work at the theatre, might be the remark of a successful pickpocket.
Spellken, orSPEELKEN, a playhouse. German,SPIELEN.SeeKEN.—Don Juan.
Spick and span, applied to anything that is quite new and fresh.—Hudibras.
Spidireen, the name of an imaginary ship, sometimes mentioned by sailors. If a sailor be asked what ship he belongs to, and does not wish to tell, he will most probably reply—“TheSPIDIREENfrigate, with nine decks, and ne’er a bottom.”Seemerry dun of Dover.
Spierized, to have your hair cut and shampooed, from the shop of Spiers in High Street.—Oxford University.
Spiff, a well-dressed man, a “swell.”
Spiffed, slightly intoxicated.—Scotch Slang.
Spiffs, the per-centages allowed by drapers to their young men when they effect a sale of old-fashioned or undesirable stock.
Spiffy, spruce, well-dressed,tout à la mode.
Spifflicate, to confound, silence, annihilate, or stifle. A corruption of the last word, or of “suffocate.”
Spike Park, the Queen’s Bench Prison.SeeBurdon’s Hotel.
Spill, to throw from a horse or chaise.SeePURL.
Spin, to reject from an examination.—Army.
Spindleshanks, a nickname for any one who has thin legs.
Spin-’em rounds, a street game consisting of a piece of brass, wood, or iron, balanced on a pin, and turned quickly round on a board, when the point, arrow-shaped, stops at a number, and decides the bet one way or the other. The contrivance very much resembles a sea compass, and was formerly the gambling accompaniment of London piemen. The apparatus then was placed on the tin lids of their pie-cans, and the bets were ostensibly for pies, but were frequently for “coppers,” or for beer when two or three apprentices or porters happened to meet. An active and efficient police have, however, changed all that now.
Spiniken, St. Giles’s Workhouse. “Lump,” Marylebone Workhouse. “Pan,” St. Pancras. “Pan” and “Lump” are now terms applied to all workhouses by tramps and costers.
Spinning-house, the place in Cambridge where street-walkers are locked up, if found out after a certain time at night.
Spirt, orSPURT, “to put on aSPIRT,” to make an increased exertion for a brief space, to attain one’s end; a nervous effort. Abbreviation or shortening ofSPIRIT, or allusion to aSPIRTof water, which dies away as suddenly as it rises.“So here for a man to run well for aSPURT, and then to give over ... is enough to annul all his former proceedings, and to make him in no better estate than if he had never set foot into the good waies of God.”—Gataker’s Spirituall Watch, 4to. 1619, p. 10.
Spirt, orSPURT, “to put on aSPIRT,” to make an increased exertion for a brief space, to attain one’s end; a nervous effort. Abbreviation or shortening ofSPIRIT, or allusion to aSPIRTof water, which dies away as suddenly as it rises.
“So here for a man to run well for aSPURT, and then to give over ... is enough to annul all his former proceedings, and to make him in no better estate than if he had never set foot into the good waies of God.”—Gataker’s Spirituall Watch, 4to. 1619, p. 10.
“So here for a man to run well for aSPURT, and then to give over ... is enough to annul all his former proceedings, and to make him in no better estate than if he had never set foot into the good waies of God.”—Gataker’s Spirituall Watch, 4to. 1619, p. 10.
Spitalfields’ breakfast.At the East-end of London this is understood as consisting of a tight necktie and a short pipe. Amongst workmen it is usual to tighten the apron string when no dinner is at hand. Hunters and trappers always take in their belts when supplies are short. “An Irishman’s dinner” is a low East-end term, and means a smoke and a visit to the urinal. Sometimes the phrase is, “I’ll go out and count the railings,”i.e., the park or area railings, mental instead of maxillary exercise.
Spitfire, a passionate person.
Splash, complexion powder used by ladies to whiten their necks and faces. The finest rice flour, termed in Francepoudre de riz, is generally employed.SeeSLAP.
Splendiferous, sumptuous, first-rate.Splendacioussometimes used with similar meanings.
Splice, to marry; “and the two shall become one flesh.”—Sea.Also, a wife.
Splice the main brace, to take a drink.—Sea.
Split, to inform against one’s companions, to tell tales. “ToSPLITwith a person,” to cease acquaintanceship; to quarrel. Also to divide a bottle of aërated water; as, “two brandies and a sodaSPLIT;” in which case “toSPLITwith” a person has a very different meaning from that just given.
Split up, long in the legs. Among athletes, a man with good length of limb is said to be “wellSPLIT UP.”
Splodger, a lout, an awkward countryman.
Spoffy, a bustling busybody is said to beSPOFFY.
Sponge, “to throw up theSPONGE,” to submit, to give over the struggle,—from the practice of throwing up theSPONGEused to cleanse a combatant’s face at a prize-fight, as a signal that the side on which that particularSPONGEhas been used has had enough—that theSPONGEis no longer required.
Spoon, synonymous withSPOONEY. ASPOONhas been defined to be “a thing that touches a lady’s lips without kissing them.”
Spooney, a weak-minded and foolish person, effeminate or fond; “to beSPOONEYon a girl,” to be foolishly attached to one.
Spoons, the condition of two persons whoSPOONon each other, who are deeply in love. “I see, it’s a case ofSPOONSwith them,” is a common phrase when lovers are mentioned.
Spoons, a method of designating large sums of money, disclosed at the Bankruptcy Court during the examination of the great leather failures of Streatfield and Laurence in 1860-61. The origin of the phrase was stated to be the reply of the bankrupt Laurence to an offer of accommodating him with £5000,—“Oh, you are feeding me with aTEA-SPOON.” Hence, £5000 came to be known in the firm as aTEA-SPOON; £10,000, aDESSERT-SPOON; £15,000, aTABLE-SPOON; and £20,000, as aGRAVY-SPOON. The public were amused at thisTEA-SPOONphraseology, but were disgusted that such levity should cover a gigantic swindle of the kind. It came out in evidence, however, that it was not the ordinary slang of the discount world, but it may not improbably become so. To “take it with aSPOON,” is to take anything in small quantities. The counsel for the defence in the Tichborne perjury case was reminded a short time back by one of the judges that he was using aTEA-SPOONinstead of a shovel, to clear through the evidence.
Sport, to exhibit, to wear, &c.,—a word which is made to do duty in a variety of senses, especially at the Universities.—SeetheGradus ad Cantabrigiam. “ToSPORTa new tile;” “toSPORTanÆgrotat” (i.e., a permission from the Dons to abstain from lectures, &c., on account of illness); “toSPORTone’s oak,” to shut the outer door and exclude the public,—especially duns and boring acquaintances. Common also in the Inns of Court.See Notes and Queries, 2nd series, vol. viii. p. 492, andGentleman’s Magazine, December, 1794.
Sport, an American term for a gambler or turfite—more akin to our sporting man than to our sportsman.
Sporting door, the outer door of chambers, also called theOAK.SeeunderSPORT.—University.
Spot, to mark, to recognise. Originally an Americanism, but now general. “ISPOTTEDhim (or it) at once.”
Spotted, to be known or marked by the police.
Spout, “up theSPOUT,” at the pawnbroker’s;SPOUTING, pawning.SeePOPfor origin.
Spout, to preach, or make speeches;SPOUTER, a preacher or lecturer.
Sprat, sixpence.
Spread, butter. Term with workmen and schoolboys.SeeSCRAPE.
Spread, a lady’s shawl, an entertainment, a display of good things.
Spread, a meal. Sporting term for a dinner. A sporting man often challenges another to compete with him at any athletic pursuit or pastime, for so much wine and aSPREADof large or small proportions.
Spree, a boisterous piece of merriment; “going on theSPREE,” starting out with intent to have a frolic.French,ESPRIT. In theDutchlanguage,SPREEUWis a jester.
Springer-up, a tailor who sells low-priced ready-made clothing, and gives starvation wages to the poor men and women who “make up” for him. The clothes are said to beSPRUNG-UP, or “blown together.”
Sprint race, a short-distance race, ran at the topmost speed throughout.Sprintis in the North synonymous withSPURT, and hence the name.
Sprung, inebriated sufficiently to become boisterous.
Spry, active, strong, manly. Much used in America, but originally English.
Spuddy, a seller of bad potatoes. In lower life, aSPUDis a raw potato; and roastedSPUDSare those cooked in the cinders with their skins on.
Spun, when a man has failed in his examination at Woolwich, he is said to beSPUN; as at the Universities he is said to be “plucked” or “ploughed.”
Spunge, a mean, paltry fellow, sometimes called aSPUNGER.
Spunge, to live at another’s expense in a mean and paltry manner.
Spunging-house, the sheriff’s officer’s house, where prisoners, when arrested for debt, used to be taken. As extortionate charges were made there for accommodation, the name was far from inappropriate.
Spunk, spirit, fire, courage, mettle, good humour.“In that snug room, where any man ofSPUNKWould find it a hard matter to get drunk.”Peter Pindar, i. 245.Common in America, and much used in some parts of Scotland.
Spunk, spirit, fire, courage, mettle, good humour.
“In that snug room, where any man ofSPUNKWould find it a hard matter to get drunk.”Peter Pindar, i. 245.
“In that snug room, where any man ofSPUNKWould find it a hard matter to get drunk.”
Common in America, and much used in some parts of Scotland.
Spunk-fencer, a lucifer-match seller.
Spunks, lucifer-matches.—Herefordshire;Scotland.Spunk, says Urry, in his MS. notes to Ray, “is the excrescency of some tree, of which they make a sort of tinder to light their pipes with.”
Spurt.—Old.SeeSPIRT.
Squabby, flat, short and thick. FromSQUAB, a sofa.
Square, honest; “on theSQUARE,”i.e., fair and strictly honest; “to turnSQUARE,” to reform, and get one’s living in an honest manner,—the opposite of “cross.” The expression is, in all probability, derived from the well-known masonic emblem theSQUARE, the symbol of evenness and rectitude.“You must keep within the compass, and act upon the square with all mankind, for your masonry is but a dead letter if you do not habitually perform its reiterated injunctions.”—Oliver’s Lectures on Signs and Symbols, p. 190.
Square, honest; “on theSQUARE,”i.e., fair and strictly honest; “to turnSQUARE,” to reform, and get one’s living in an honest manner,—the opposite of “cross.” The expression is, in all probability, derived from the well-known masonic emblem theSQUARE, the symbol of evenness and rectitude.
“You must keep within the compass, and act upon the square with all mankind, for your masonry is but a dead letter if you do not habitually perform its reiterated injunctions.”—Oliver’s Lectures on Signs and Symbols, p. 190.
“You must keep within the compass, and act upon the square with all mankind, for your masonry is but a dead letter if you do not habitually perform its reiterated injunctions.”—Oliver’s Lectures on Signs and Symbols, p. 190.
Square, “to beSQUAREwith a man,” to be even with him, or to be revenged; “toSQUAREup to a man,” to offer to fight him. Shakspeare usesSQUAREin the sense of to quarrel.
Square cove, an honest man, as distinguished from “cross cove.”
Square moll, an honest woman, one who does not “batter.”
Squaring his nibs, giving a policeman, or any official, money for an immoral or unlawful purpose. The termHIS NIBShas no reference to any functionary, as the words mean simply “him,” and may be applied to any one.
Square rigged, well dressed.—Sea.
Square up, to settle, to pay a debt.
Squarum, a cobbler’s lapstone.
Squash, to crush; “to goSQUASH,” to collapse.
Squeak, an escape. Generally used with regard to the avoidance of casualties. Among thieves, too, a prisoner acquitted after a hard trial is said to have had “a narrowSQUEAKfor it.”
Squeak on a person, to inform against, to peach.
Squeal, to inform, to peach. A North country variation of squeak;SQUEALER, an informer, also an illegitimate baby.
Squeeze, silk; also, by a very significant figure, a thief’s term for the neck.
Squib, ajeu d’esprit, which, like the firework of that denomination, sparkles, bounces, stinks, and vanishes.—Grose.Generally used in reference to political and electioneering attacks of a smart kind, which sting for a moment and are then forgotten.
Squibs, paint-brushes.
Squiffy, slightly inebriated.
Squinny-eyed, said of one given to squinting.—Shakspeare.
Squirt, a doctor, or chemist.
Squish, common term among University men for marmalade.
Stab, “Stabyourself and pass the dagger,” help yourself and pass the bottle.—Theatrical Slang.
Stab, “on theSTAB,”i.e., paid by regular weekly wages on the “establishment,” of which wordSTABis an abridgment.—Printer’s term.
Stab-rag, a regimental tailor.—Military Slang.
Stag, a shilling.
Stag, a term applied during the railway mania to a speculator without capital, who took “scrip” in proposed lines, got the shares up to a premium, and then sold out. Caricaturists represented the house of Hudson, “the Railway King,” at Albert Gate, with aSTAGon it, in allusion to this term.
Stag, to see, discover, or watch,—like aSTAGat gaze; “STAGthe push,” look at the crowd. Also, to dun, or demand payment; to beg.
Stage-whisper, one loud enough to be heard. From the stage “asides.”
Stagger, to surprise. “He quiteSTAGGEREDme with the information.”
Stagger, one who looks out, or watches.
Staggering-bob, an animal to whom the knife only just anticipates death from natural disease or accident,—said of meat on that account unfit for human food. Also a newly-born calf.
Stale drunk, unevaporated fumes of liquor. A man is said to beSTALE DRUNKwhen he has been drunk overnight, and has doctored himself with stimulants a little too much in the morning—when he has tried too many of the “hairs of the dog that bit him.” If this state of things is long continued, it is often called “sameOLD DRUNK,” from a well-known nigger story. The nigger was cautioned by his master for being too often drunk within a given period, when the “cullud pusson” replied, “Same old drunk, massa—same old drunk.”
Stalking-horse, originally a horse covered with loose trappings, under which the mediæval sportsman concealed himself with his bow, so as to approach his game unobserved. Subsequently a canvas figure, made light, so as to be easily moved with one hand. Now used to represent any bugbear persistently paraded; any constant and unpleasant reference to the possible consequences of an act.
Stall, to lodge, or put up at a public-house. Also, to act a part.—Theatrical.
Stall, to frighten or discourage. In the days of dog-fighting and pugilism, a dog or man who had originally shown great pluck would, after a hard battle or two, show signs of cowardice. In such case he was said to have beenSTALLEDby his previous encounters. ASTALLis a spurious excuse or an imposition, a dodge, &c.
Stall-off, to put off by means of a device, to misdirect purposely.
Stall off, to blind, excuse, hide, to screen a robbery during the perpetration of it by an accomplice.
Stall your mug, go away; spoken sharply by any one who wishes to get rid of a troublesome or inconvenient person.
Stallsman, sometimesSTALL, an accomplice.
Stampers, shoes.—Ancient Cant.
Stand, “toSTANDtreat,” to pay for a friend’s entertainment; to bear expense; to put up with treatment, good or ill, as, “Will youSTANDthat?” a question often asked when a man has been struck or insulted. Also in the sense of aggregate cost, as, “This houseSTOODme in £1000;”i.e., cost that sum; “toSTANDpad,” to beg on the kerb with a small piece of paper pinned on the breast, inscribed, “I am starving.”
Stand in, to make one of a party in a bet or other speculation; to take a side in a dispute.
Standing, the position at a street corner, or on the kerb of a market street, regularly occupied by a costermonger, or street seller.
Standing patterers, men who take a stand on the kerb of a public thoroughfare, and deliver prepared speeches to effect a sale of any articles they have to vend.SeePATTERER.
Stangey, a tailor, a person under petticoat government,—derived from the custom of “riding theSTANG,” mentioned inHudibras:—“It is a custom used of courseWhere the grey mare is the better horse.”
Stangey, a tailor, a person under petticoat government,—derived from the custom of “riding theSTANG,” mentioned inHudibras:—
“It is a custom used of courseWhere the grey mare is the better horse.”
“It is a custom used of courseWhere the grey mare is the better horse.”
Star, a common abbreviation of the name of the well-knownStar and GarterInn at Richmond. Clever people, who delight in altering names, call this hostelry the “Gar and Starter.”
Star it, to perform as the centre of attraction, with inferior subordinates to set off one’s abilities.—Theatrical.
Star the glaze, to break a window. Among thieves it means to break the window or show-glass of a jeweller or other tradesman, take any valuable articles, and run away. Sometimes the glass is cut with a diamond, and a strip of leather fastened to the piece of glass cut out to keep it from falling in and making a noise. Another plan is to cut the sash.
Starchy, stuck-up, high-notioned, showily dressed, stiff and unbending in demeanour.
Stark-naked, originallySTRIP-ME-NAKED,videRandall’s Diary, 1820, raw gin.
Start, “theSTART,” London,—the great starting-point for beggars and tramps. This is a term also used by many of superior station to those mentioned.
Start, a proceeding of any kind; “a rumSTART,” an odd circumstance; “to get theSTARTof a person,” to anticipate or overreach him.
Starvation, though now a recognised word, was originally slang. Its derivation is composite, and it was first introduced into the English language by Mr. Dundas, in a debate in the House of Commons on American affairs, in 1775. “I shall not,” he said, “wait for the advent ofSTARVATIONfrom Edinburgh to settle my judgment.” From this he was always afterwards calledStarvationDundas.—Horace Walpole’s Letters.
Starve’em,Rob’em, andCheat’em, the adjoining towns of Stroud, Rochester, and Chatham are so designated by soldiers and sailors; from some fancied peculiarities of the inhabitants.
Stash, to cease doing anything, to refrain, be quiet, leave off; “STASHit, there, you sir!”i.e., be quiet, sir; to give over a lewd or intemperate course of life is toSTASHit.
Stay, to exhibit powers of endurance at walking, running, rowing, &c.
Stayer, one likely to persevere, one not easily discouraged. It is usual forlaudatores temporis acticonnected with the turf to deplore the want of staying power which, according to their statements, characterizes the modern British racehorse; while others, connected and disconnected with sport, make similar remarks with reference to the modern British man. So far, however, both descriptions of old gentlemen have failed signally in endeavouring to make out a good case.
Steam-engine, potato-pie at Manchester is so termed.
Steel, the House of Correction in London, formerly named the Bastile, but since shortened toSTEEL.SeeBASTILE.
Steel-bar drivers, orFLINGERS, journeymen tailors.
Stems, the legs.
Step it, to run away, or make off.
Stepper, the treadmill; the “everlasting staircase.”
Stick, a derogatory expression for a person; “a rum, or odd,STICK,” a curious man. More generally a “poorSTICK.”—Provincial.
Stick, “cut yourSTICK,” be off, or go away; either simply equivalent to a recommendation to prepare a walking staff in readiness for a journey—in allusion to the Eastern custom of cutting aSTICKbefore setting out—or from the ancient mode of reckoning by notches or tallies on aSTICK. In Cornwall the peasantry tally sheaves of corn by cuts in aSTICK, reckoning by the score. “Cut yourSTICK” in this sense may mean to make your mark and pass on—and so realize the meaning of the phrase, “in the nick (or notch) of time.” Sir J. Emerson Tennent considers the phrase equivalent to “cutting the connexion,” and suggests a possible origin in the prophet’s breaking the staves of “Beauty” and “Bands,”—videZech. xi. 10, 14.
Stick, to cheat; “he gotSTUCK,” he was taken in; “I’mSTUCK,” a common phrase to express that the speaker has spent or lost all his money, and can neither play nor pay any longer.Stick, to forget one’s part in a performance.—Theatrical.Stickup, to place in an account; “STICKit up to me,”i.e., give me credit for it;STICKon, to overcharge or defraud;STICKup for, to defend a person, especially when slandered in his absence;STICKup to, to persevere in courting or attacking, whether in fisticuffs or argument; “toSTICKin one’s gizzard,” to rankle in one’s heart; “toSTICKto a person,” to adhere to one, to be his friend through adverse circumstances,—to “cotton” to him; “toSTICKone’s spoon in the wall,” to die.
Stick-up, to keep any one waiting at an appointed place or time. To leave a friend or acquaintance to pay the whole or an undue share of a tavern bill.
Stick-ups, orGILLS, shirt collars.
Sticker, one not likely to be easily shaken off, a stayer.
Stickings, coarse, bruised, or damaged meat sold to sausage-makers and penny pie-shops.
Sticks, furniture, or household chattels; “pick up yourSTICKSand cut!” summary advice to a person to take himself and furniture away.
Sticky, wax.
Stiff, paper, a bill of acceptance, &c.; “how did you get it,STIFFor hard?”i.e., did he pay you cash or give a bill? “To do a bit ofSTIFF,” to accept a bill.SeeKITE.
Stiff-fencer, a street-seller of writing paper.
Stiff un, a corpse. Term used by undertakers.
Stills, undertakers’ slang term forSTILL-BORNchildren. The fee paid by nurses and others for their disposal is usually 2s.6d.A separate coffin is never given; theSTILLSare quietly introduced into one containing an adult about to be buried.Stillsare allowed to accumulate at an undertaker’s until they sometimes number as many as a dozen. Some little time back a very bulky coffin was opened, and found to contain a large quantity of small corpses packed carefully round a large corpse. This caused a little excitement, but nothing was done in the matter.
Stilton, “that’s theSTILTON,” or “it’s not theSTILTON,”i.e., that isquite the thing, or that is not quite the thing;—affected rendering of “that is not theCHEESE,” whichsee.
Stingo, strong liquor.—Yorkshire.
Stink, a disagreeable exposure. “To stir up aSTINK” is to make a disclosure which is generally unpleasant in its effect.
Stinkomalee, a name given to the then New London University by Theodore Hook. Probably because some cow-houses and dunghills stood on the original site. Some question about Trincomalee was agitated at the same time. It is still applied by the students of the old Universities, who regard it with disfavour from its admitting all denominations.
Stipe, a stipendiary magistrate.—Provincial.
Stir, a prison, a lock-up; “inSTIR,” in gaol.Anglo-Saxon,STYR, correction, punishment.
Stir-up Sunday, the Sunday next before Advent, the collect for that day commencing with the words, “Stir up.” Schoolboys, growing excited at the prospect of the vacation, irreverently commemorate it by stirring up—pushing and poking each other. “Crib-crust Monday” and “tug-button Tuesday” are distinguished by similar tricks; while on “pay-off Wednesday” they retaliate small grudges in a playful facetious way. Forby says good housewives in Norfolk consider themselves reminded by the name to mix the ingredients for their Christmas mince-pies.
Stock.“ToSTOCKcards” is to arrange cards in a certain manner for cheating purposes.
Stock, “to takeSTOCKof one,” to scrutinize narrowly one whom you have reason to suspect, or one with whom you are likely to have business transactions; taken from the tradesmen’s term for the annual examination and valuation of their stock of goods.
Stockdollager, a heavy blow, a “finisher.”Italian,STOCCADO, a fencing term. Also (in a general sense), a disastrous event.—Americanism.
Stodge, to surfeit, gorge, or clog with food.Stodgeis in some places bread and milk.
Stoll, to understand.—North Country Cant.
Stomach, to bear with, to be partial to. Mostly used in a negative character,—as, “I can’tSTOMACHthat.”