Chapter 31

T, “to suit to a T,” to fit to a nicety.—Old.Perhaps from the T-square of carpenters, by which the accuracy of work is tested.Tabby party, a party consisting entirely of women, a tea and tattle gathering. In America, a gathering of men only is called a “stag party.”Tabooed, forbidden. This word, now very common, is derived from a custom of the South-Sea islanders, first noticed inCook’s Voyages.Tack, a taste foreign to what was intended; a barrel may get aTACKupon it, either permanently mouldy, sour, or otherwise.Tacked, tied down. When a man has another vanquished, or for certain reasons bound to his service, he is said to have “got himTACKED.”Tackle, clothes.—Sea.Also to encounter a person in argument.Taffy(corruption of David), a Welshman. Compare Sawney (fromAlexander), a Scotchman; Paddy (from Patrick), an Irishman; and Johnny (from John Bull), an Englishman.Tag-rag-and-bobtail, a mixed crowd of low people, the lower orders generally.Tail-block, a watch.—Sea.Tail-buzzer, a thief who picks coat-pockets.Tail-down, “to get theTAIL DOWN,” generally means to lose courage. When a professional at any game loses heart in a match he is said to get hisTAIL DOWN. “HisTAILwas quiteDOWN, and it was all over.” The origin is obvious.Take, to succeed, or be patronized. “Do you think the new opera willTAKE?” “No, because the same companyTOOKso badly under the old management.” “ToTAKEon,” to grieve; Shakspeare uses the wordTAKINGin this sense. To “TAKEup for any one,” to protect or defend a person; “toTAKEoff,” to mimic; “toTAKEheart,” to have courage; “toTAKEdown a peg or two,” to humiliate, or tame; “toTAKEup,” to reprove; “toTAKEafter,” to resemble; “toTAKEin,” to cheat or defraud, probably from the lower class lodging-house-keepers’ advertisements, “Single menTAKENin and done for,”—an engagement which is as frequently performed in a bad as a good sense; in reference to this performance, Scripture is often quoted: “I was a stranger and yeTOOKme in.” “ToTAKEthe field,” when said of a general, to commence operations against the enemy. When a racing manTAKESthe field he stakes his money against the favourite, that is, he takes the chances of the field against the chance of one horse.Take beef, to run away.Take in, a cheating or swindling transaction,—sometimes termed “a deadTAKE IN.” Shakspeare hasTAKE INin the sense of conquering. To be “had,” or to be “spoken to,” were formerly synonymous phrases with to beTAKEN IN.Take it out, to obtain value for money, labour, &c. A rich man is said to “TAKE IT(i.e., his money)OUTin fine footmen, fine feeding,” &c. A poor man “TAKES IT(i.e., his trouble)OUTin drink.”Talking, a stable term, of a milder kind, applied to those horses which are addicted toROARING.Seethe latter expression.Talk shop, to intrude oneself or one’s private business too freely into conversation. Any one who does this is said to be shoppy.Tall, extensive, exaggerated,—generally applied to conversation, as “loud” is to dress, or personal appearance; “TALLtalk that,”i.e., conversation too boastful or high-flown to be true. Among pedestrians a great rate of speed is spoken of asTALL.Tally, five dozen bunches of turnips.—Costermongers’ term.Tally, “to liveTALLY,” to live in a state of unmarried impropriety;TALLY-WIFE, a woman who cohabits with a man to whom she is not married.Tallyman, an accommodating salesman who takes payment by instalments to suit the convenience of the purchaser, but who is anything but accommodating when payments are irregular.Tallymenare the cause of much misfortune to the working classes, from their high andexorbitant rates, and the temptations they offer to weak-minded women, who purchase in haste and repent at leisure.Tan, to beat or thrash; “I’llTANyour hide,”i.e., I’ll give you a good beating.Tan, an order to pull.—Anglo-Indian.Tanner, a sixpence. PerhapsGipsy,TAWNO, little, orLatin,TENER, slender.Tanny, orTEENY, little.Gipsy,TAWNO, little.Tantrems, pranks, capers, frolicking; from theTarantuladance.Seeaccount of the involuntary frenzy and motions caused by the bite of the tarantula in Italy.—Penny Cyclopædia.Tantrums, ill-tempers. “He’s in hisTANTRUMSthis morning,” is often said of a peevish, querulous man. They are not peculiar to the one sex, however.Tap the Admiral, to suck liquor from a cask by means of a straw, said to have been done with the rum-cask in which Lord Nelson’s body was brought to England, to such an extent as to leave the gallant Admiral dry.Tap-tub, theMorning Advertiser,—so called by vulgar people from the fact that this daily newspaper is the principal organ of the London brewers and publicans. Sometimes termed theGin and Gospel Gazette, though this title is fast fading out since the paper has been in the hands of its present editor.Tape, gin,—term with female servants. Also, a military term used in barracks when no spirits are allowed.SeeRIBBON.Taper, to give over gradually, to run short.Taradiddle, a falsehood.Tar-brush, a person whose complexion indicates a mixture of negro blood, is said to have had a lick of theTAR-BRUSH. Sometimes a man of this description is said to have been dipped in the black-pot, and he is often reminded that “another dip would have done it,”i.e., another dip would have made a negro of him.Tar-out, to punish, to serve out.Tarpaulin, a sailor.Tartar, a savage fellow, an “ugly customer.” To “catch aTartar,” is to discover somewhat unpleasantly that a person is by no means so mild or good-tempered as he or she at first appeared.Tat-box, a dice-box.Tater, “s’elp myTATER,” an evasion of a profane oath, sometimes varied by “s’elp my greens.”Tatler, a watch; “nimming aTATLER,” stealing a watch.Tats, dice.Tats, old rags; milkyTATS, white rags.Tatterdemalion, a ragged fellow.Tatting, gathering old rags.Tattoo, a pony.—Anglo-Indian.Taw, a large or principal marble; “I’ll be one on yourTAW,” I will pay you out, or be even with you,—a simile taken from boys aiming always at winning theTAWwhen playing at marbles.Tea-fight, an evening party, alias a “muffin-worry.”Tea-spoon, five thousand pounds.SeeSPOONS.Teagueland, Ireland. From the national character of the nameTeague.Teeth, “he has cut his eyeTEETH,”i.e., is old and ’cute enough.Teeth-drawing, wrenching off knockers. Medical students’ term.Teddy Hall, St. Edmund Hall.—Oxford University.Teetotaller, a total abstainer from alcoholic drinks. The origin of this term is not known. It is said to be from the expression of a fanatical and stuttering enthusiast in the cause of total abstinence. It has nothing to do with tea.Teetotally, amplification ofTOTALLY.Te-he, to titter, “Upon this ITE-HE’D.”—Madame d’Arblay.As an interjection it is as old as Chaucer.SeeMiller’s Tale:—“Te-he, quod she, and clapt the window to.”Tell on, to tell about, to talk of, to inform against. (This is formed by a simple misuse of the preposition.)Ten commandments, a virago’s fingers, or nails. Often heard in a female street disturbance. “I’ll leave theTEN COMMANDMENTSmarked on his chump,” shows that the term may be applied to either the fingers or the scratchings. It would be a strange hand, however, that, with the best opportunity, could made five marks simultaneously.Tench, the Penitentiary, of which it is a contraction.SeeSTEEL.Tenpence to the shilling, a vulgar phrase denoting a deficiency in intellect.Testamur, the slip of paper on which the examiners testify (testari) to the fact that the candidate has satisfied their requirements.—University.Tester, sixpence. FromTESTONE, a shilling in the reign of Henry VIII., but a sixpence in the time of Queen Elizabeth.—Shakspeare.French,TESTE, orTÊTE, the head of the monarch on the coin.Teviss, a shilling. Costermongers’ and tramps’ term.Thatch, the human hair. “He’s wellTHATCHED,” is said of a man with a good head of hair.The Tavern, New Inn Hall.—Oxford University.The thing, the style, the proper proportion. Application varied. A good appearance, a decent dinner, or a fair bottle of wine, is said to be “theTHING,” sometimes “the correctTHING.”Thick, intimate, familiar. The Scotch use the word “chief” in this sense, as, “the two are very chief now.”Thick;“to lay it onTHICK,” to flatter unduly, to surfeit with praise or adulation.Thick un, a sovereign; originally a crown piece, or five shillings.Thimble, orYACK, a watch.—Prison Cant.Thimble-rig, a noted cheating game some years back, played at fairs and places of great public thronging, consisting of two or three thimbles rapidly and dexterously placed over a pea. TheTHIMBLE-RIGGER, suddenly ceasing, asks under which thimble the pea is to be found. Any one not a practised hand would lose nine times out of ten any bet he might happen to make with him. The pea is generally concealed under his nail.Thimble-rigginghas of late years given way to “broad-working.”Thimble-twisters, thieves who rob persons of their watches.Thingumy,THINGUMBOB, expressions used for the name of a thing which cannot be recollected at the instant.Thin-skinned, over-nice, petulant, apt to get a “raw.”Seethat term.Three-cornered scraper, a cocked hat.—Sea.Three sheets in the wind, unsteady from drink.—Sea.Three-up, a gambling game played by costers and others of like grade. Three halfpennies are thrown up by one man to the call of another. If they do not come all alike, the cry is void, and the calling and tossing are resumed. When the three coins are all alike they are said to “come off,” and then all bets are decided according to the success or failure of the caller. When two men toss, they play “up for up,”i.e., they toss and cry alternately. When three or more join in, the gathering is named a school, and one man, who is called a pieman, cries to the halfpence of the others until he loses, when the winner of the toss becomes pieman in turn.Through, finished. In America, where this word is most used in the sense now given, a guest who has had enough will, when asked to take more, say, “I’mTHROUGH,” which is certainly preferable to the other Americanism, “crammed.”Thrummer, a threepenny bit.Thrums, threepence. Also, in Coventry, remnants and waste pieces of silk.Thrups, threepence.Seethe preceding, which is more general.Thud, the dull, dead sound made by the fall of a heavy body, or the striking of a bullet against any soft, fleshy substance.Thumper, a magnificently constructed lie, a lie about which there is no stint of imaginative power.Thumping, large, fine, or strong.Thunderbomb, an imaginary ship of vast size.SeeMerry Dun of Dover.Thunderer, theTimesnewspaper, sometimes termed “theThundererof Printing House Square,” from the locality where it is printed.Thundering, large, extra-sized.Tibbing out, going out of bounds.—Charterhouse.Tibby, the head. Street slang, with no known etymology. To drop on one’sTIBBYis to frighten or startle any one, to take one unawares.Tib’s eve, “neither before Christmas nor after,” an indefinite period; like the Greek Kalends,Tib’s evehas a future application; an indefinite period of past time is sometimes said to be “when Adam was an oakum-boy in Chatham Dockyard.” “The reign of Queen Dick” is another form of this kind of expression, and is used to indicate either past time or future.Tick, credit, trust. Johnson says it is a corruption of “ticket,”—tradesmen’s bills being formerly written on tickets or cards. OnTICK, therefore, is equivalent to onTICKET, or on trust. In use in 1668, and before, as follows:—“No matter upon landing whether you have money or no—you may swim in twentie of their boats over the river uponTICKET.”—Decker’s Gulls’ Hornbook, 1609.Ticker, a watch. Formerly cant, now street slang.Ticket, “that’s theTICKET,”i.e., that’s what is wanted, or what is best. Probable corruption of “that’setiquette,” or, perhaps, fromTICKET, a bill or invoice. This phrase is sometimes extended into “that’s theTICKETfor soup,” in allusion to the card given to beggars for immediate relief at soup kitchens.SeeTICK.Tickle, to puzzle; “a reg’larTICKLER” is a poser.Tiddlywink, slim, puny; sometimesTILLYWINK.Tidy, tolerably, or pretty well; “How did you get on to-day?”—“Oh,TIDY.”—Saxon.Tie, a dead heat. A game of any kind, in which the possibility exists, is said to end in a tie, if the markings are level on each side at the finish. In racing parlance, all level finishes are called dead-heats.Tied up, given over, finished; also married, in allusion to the hymeneal knot, unless a jocose allusion be intended to the “halter” (altar).SeeBUCKLED, term in use among costermongers and street folk generally.Tiff, a pet, a fit of ill humour.Tiffin, a breakfast,déjeûner à la fourchette.—Anglo-Indian Slang.Tiffy, easily offended, apt to be annoyed.Tiger, a parasite; also a term for a ferocious woman; a boy employed to wait on gentlemen—one who waits on ladies is a page.Tiger, a superlative yell. “Three cheers, and the last inTIGERS.”—American.To “fight theTIGER” is also American, and refers to gambling with professionals—dangerous pastime.Tight, close, stingy; hard up, short of cash;TIGHT, spruce, strong, active; “aTIGHTlad,” a smart, active young fellow;TIGHT, drunk, or nearly so, generally the result of “going on the loose;” “TIGHT-laced,” puritanical, over-precise. Money is said to beTIGHTwhen the public, from want of confidence in the aspect of affairs, are not inclined to speculate.Tightener, a dinner, or hearty meal.SeeSpitalfields’ breakfast.Tike-, orBUFFER-LURKING, dog-stealing.Tile, a hat, a covering for the head.“I’m a gent, I’m a gent,In the Regent-Street style,—Examine my costume,And look at myTILE.”—Popular Song.Sometimes used in another sense, “having aTILEloose,”i.e., being slightly crazy.SeePANTILE.Timber merchant, orSPUNK FENCER, a lucifer-match seller.Timber-toes, a wooden-legged man. Also at the East-end one who wears clogs,i.e., wooden soled boots.Time, cabman’s slang for money. If they wish to express 9s. 9d. they say that “it is a quarter to ten;” if 3s. 6d., half-past three; if 11s. 9d. a quarter to twelve. Cab-drivers can hardly have originated a system which has been in existence as long as the adage, “Time is money.” They have, however, the full use of the arrangement, which is perhaps the simplest on record.Time,TO DO, to work out a sentence of imprisonment. Time is the generic term for all quantities of incarceration, whether short or long. Sometimes stir-time (imprisonment in the House of Correction) is distinguished from the more extended system of punishment which is called “pinnel (penal) time.”Time o’ day, a dodge, the latest aspect of affairs; “that’s yourTIME O’ DAY,”i.e., that’s well done; to put a person up to theTIME O’ DAY, or let him know “what’s o’clock,” is to instruct him in the knowledge needful for him.Tin, money,—generally applied to silver.Tinge, the per-centage allowed by drapers and clothiers to their assistants upon the sale of old-fashioned articles.SeeSPIFFS.Tinkler, a bell. “Jerk theTINKLER,” ring the bell. Refined or affected slangists sometimes say, “Agitate the communicator,” which, though it represents “ring the bell,” should more properly mean “pull the cord.”Tin-pot, “he plays aTIN-POTgame,”i.e., a low, mean, or shabby game. In theContes d’Eutrapel, a French officer at the siege of Chatillon is ridiculously spoken of as CaptainTin-pot—Capitaine du Pot d’Etain.Tin-pot, as generally used, means worthless. As applied to billiards and kindred games, it means pretentious and inferior play.Tip, advice or information respecting anything, but mostly used in reference to horse-racing, so that the personTIPPEDmay know how to bet to the best advantage. The “straightTIP” is theTIPwhich comes direct from the owner or trainer of a horse. Of late years a “straightTIP” means a direct hint on any subject.Tip, a douceur; “that’s theTIP,”i.e., that’s the proper thing to do. “To miss one’sTIP,” to fail in a scheme.—Old Cant.Tip, to give, lend, or hand over anything to another person; “come,TIPup the tin,”i.e., hand up the money; “TIPthe wink,” to inform by winking; “TIPus your fin,”i.e., give me your hand; “TIPone’s boom off,” to make off, or depart. From the seafaring phrase.Tip the double, to “bolt,” or run away from any one.Tip-top, first-rate, of the best kind.Tip-topper, a “swell,” or dressy man, a “Gorger.”Tipper, a kind of ale brewed at Brighton. Mrs. Gamp preferred the “BrightonTIPPER.”Tipster, a “turf” agent who collects early and generally special information of the condition and racing capabilities of horses in the training districts, and posts the same to his subscribers to guide their betting.“The racingTIPSTERShave much less patronage than formerly, before “Geoffry Greenhorn” laid a trap for them, and published the tips he received inThe Life. Professor Ingledue, M.A., the mesmerist, is silent; and if their subscribers, ‘for whose interests I have collected my old and able staff, with many additional ones, who are already at work in the training districts,’ could only get a sight of the ‘old and able staff,’ they would find it consisting of a man and a boy, at work in the back room of a London public-house, and sending different winners for every race to their subscribers.”—Post and Paddock, by the “Druid.”There are, however, whatever non-racing men may think, many “touts” whose information is valuable to even the “best informed” writers.Tit, a favourite name for a horse.“They scorned the coach, they scorned the rails,Two spanking tits with streaming tails,Them swiftly onward drew.”—End of All Things.Tit for tat, an equivalent.Titivate, to put in order, or dress up. OriginallyTIDY-VATE.Titley, drink, generally applied to intoxicating beverages.Titter, a girl; “nark theTITTER,”i.e., look at the girl.—Tramp’s term.Tizzy, a sixpence. Corruption ofTESTER.Toad-in-the-hole, a kind of pudding, consisting of small pieces of meat immersed in batter, and baked. Also, a term applied to perambulating advertising mediums.SeeSANDWICH.Toasting-fork, a regulation sword, indicative of the general uselessness of that weapon.Toby, the road. The highwayman or swell robber was in old days said to be on the highTOBY, from the high or main road, while those meaner fellows, the footpad and the cutpurse, were but “lowTOBY-MEN,” from their frequenting the by-ways.To-do(pronounced quickly, and as one word), a disturbance, trouble; “here’s a prettyTO-DO,” here is an unpleasant difficulty. This exactly tallies with theFrench,AFFAIRE(à faire).—SeeForby’s Vocabulary of East Anglia.To the nines, to the dodges of the day. “He’s up to theNINES,” means he’s up to everything. “Dressed to theNINES,” means dressed loudly, or, as it is more generally known now, “dressed to death.”Toddle, to walk as a child.Toe, to kick. “I’llTOEyour backside.” Common in London.Toff, a dandy, a swell of rank. Corruption probably ofTUFT.SeeTOFT.Toffer, a well-dressed “gay” woman. One who deals withTOFFS.Tofficky, dressy, showy.Toft, a showy individual, a swell, a person who, in a Yorkshireman’s vocabulary, would be termed “uppish.”SeeTUFT.Tog, a coat.Latin,TOGA.—Ancient Cant.Tog, to dress, or equip with an outfit; “TOGGEDout to the nines,” dressed in the first style.Toggery, clothes, harness, domestic paraphernalia of any kind.Togs, clothes; “SundayTOGS,” best clothes. One of the oldest cant words—in use in the time of Henry VIII.SeeCANT.Toke, dry bread. Sometimes used to denote a lump of anything.Toko for yam, a Roland for an Oliver. Possibly from a system of barter carried on between sailors and aborigines.Tol-lol, orTOL-LOLLISH, tolerable, or tolerably.Toll-shop, a Yorkshire correspondent gives this word as denoting in that county a prison, and also the following verse of a song, popular at fairs in the East Riding:—“But if ivver he get out agean,And can but raise a frind,Oh! the divel may tak’TOLL-SHOP,At Beverley town-end!”This is but a variation of the ScottishTolbooth.Tom,e.g., “afterTom,” after the hour at which BigTomof Christchurch rings. At its last stroke the gates are closed, and undergrads entering after have to pay an increasing sum for each hour up to twelve. To be out after that involves an interview with the Master.—Oxford University.Tom and Jerry shop, a low drinking shop. Probably some allusion to Pierce Egan’s famous characters in hisLife in London. Generally contracted toJerry shop.Tom Toppers, a waterman, from a popular song, entitled,Overboard he vent.Tom Tug, a waterman. From the small stage-play. Also rhyming slang for a flat, or rather a “mug.”Tomboy, a hoyden, a rude romping girl.Tombstone, a pawn-ticket—“In memory of” whatever has been pawned,—a well-known slang expression with those Londoners who are in the habit of following “my uncle.”Tomfoolery, nonsense; trashy, mild, and innocuous literature.Tom-fool’s colours, scarlet and yellow, the ancient motley. Occasionally, as a rhyme of quality suitable to the subject,“Red and yellow,Tom fool’scolour.”A proposition is said to beTOM FOOLwhen it is too ridiculous to be entertained or discussed.Tom-tom, a street instrument, a kind of small drum beaten with thefingers, somewhat like the ancient tabor; a performer on this instrument. “Hark! ’tis the Indian drum.”Tommy,SeeDICKEY.Tommy, bread,—food generally. Sometimes applied by workmen to the supply of food which they carry in a bag or handkerchief as their daily allowance.Tommy-bagis the term for the bag or handkerchief in which the “daily bread” is carried.Tommy, truck, barter, the exchange of labour for goods, not money. Both term and practice, general among English operatives for half-a-century, are by a current fiction supposed to have been abolished by Act of Parliament.Tommy Dodd, in tossing when the odd man either wins or loses, as per agreement. A phrase in frequent use in London. A music-hall song has been given with this title and on this subject.Tommy-master, one who pays his workmen in goods, or gives them tickets upon tradesmen, with whom he shares the profit.Tommy-shop, a shop where wages are paid to mechanics or others, who are expected to “take out” a portion of the money in goods. Also, a baker’s shop.Tongue, “toTONGUEa person,”i.e., to talk him down.Tongued, talkative.Tony Lumpkin, a young, clownish country fellow. FromShe Stoops to Conquer.Tool, as “a poorTOOL,” a bad hand at anything.Tool, to drive a coach, or any other vehicle. To “handle the ribbons” in fine style.Tool, a very little boy employed by burglars to enter at small apertures, and open doors for the larger thieves outside.Tooler, a pickpocket.Moll-tooler, a female pickpocket.Tooley Street tailor, a self-conceited, vainglorious man. The “three tailors of Tooley Street” are said to have immortalized themselves by preparing a petition for Parliament—and some say, presenting it—with only their own signatures thereto, which commenced, “We, the people of England.”Tooth, “he has cut his eyeTOOTH,”i.e., he is sharp enough, or old enough, to do so; “old in theTOOTH,” far advanced in age,—said often of old maids. From the stable term for aged horses which have lost the distinguishing marks in their teeth.Tootsies, feet, those of ladies and children in particular. In married life it is said the husband uses this expression for the first six months; after that he terms them “hoofs.”Top, the signal among tailors and sempstresses for snuffing the candle; one criesTOP, and all the others follow; he who last pronounces the word has to snuff the candle.Top-dressing, in journalism, is the large-type introduction to a report, generally written by a man of higher literary attainments than the ordinary reporter who follows with the details.Top-heavy, drunk.Top-sawyer, the principal of a party, or profession. “ATOP-SAWYERsignifies a man that is a master-genius in any profession. It is a piece of Norfolk slang, and took its rise from Norfolk being a great timber county, where theTOP SAWYERSget double the wages of those beneath them.”—Randall’s Diary, 1820.Top up, a finishing drink. “He drank two bottles of claret and one of port, which heTOPPED UPwith half a bottle of brandy.”Topped, hanged, or executed.Topper, anything or person above the ordinary; a blow on the head. “Give him aTOPPERand chance it,” “Let him have aTOPPERfor luck.”Topper, the tobacco which is left in the bottom of a pipe-bowl—lucus a non lucendo; or the stump of a smoked cigar.Topper-huntersare men who pick up cigar ends and odd pieces of stale tobacco, which they mix and chop up for home consumption or sale.Topsy-turvy, the bottom upwards. Grose gives an ingenious etymology of this once cant term, viz., “top-side turf-ways,”—turf being always laid the wrong side upwards. This is so far ingenious that it creates a fact for the purpose of arguing from it. Turfs are laid with the grass part together during carriage; so, anyhow, the definition could be only half right. In fact,TOPSY-TURVYis but short for “top-side t’other way.”To-rights, excellent, very well, or good.—Low London slang.Tormentors, the large iron flesh-forks used by cooks at sea.Torpids, the second-class race-boats at Oxford, answering to the Cambridge “sloggers.”Toshers, men who steal copper from ships’ bottoms in the Thames.Toss, a measure of sprats.—Billingsgate.Tot, a small glass; a “TOTo’ whisky” is the smallest quantity sold.Tot-up, to add together,—as columns of figures, £s.d.FromTOTAL-UP, through the vulgarismTOTTLE.Totting, bone-picking, either peripatetically or at the dust-heaps. “Tot” is a bone, but chiffoniers and cinder-hunters generally are calledTOT-PICKERSnowadays.Tottingalso has its votaries on the banks of the Thames, where all kinds of flotsam and jetsam, from coals to carrion, are known asTOTS.Touch, a slang expression in common use in phrases which express the extent to which a person is interested or affected, “as a fourpennyTOUCH,”i.e., a thing costing fourpence.Seean example in Mr., afterwards Sir Erasmus, Philipps’s Diary, at Oxford, in 1720. “Sept. 22.—At night went to the ball at the Angel, a guineaTOUCH.” It is also used at Eton in the sense of a “tip,” or present of money; and is sometimes said of a woman to imply her worthlessness, as, “Only a half-crownTOUCH.”Touch-and-go, an expression often applied to men with whom business arrangements should be of the lightest possible character. Thus, “He’s aTOUCH-AND-GOsort of fellow. Be careful of him.”Toucher, “as near as aTOUCHER,” as near as possible without actuallytouching.—Coaching term.The old Jarveys, to show their skill, used to drive against things so closely as absolutely to touch, yet without injury. This they called aTOUCHER, orTOUCH-AND-GO, which was hence applied to anything which was within an ace of ruin.Touchy, peevish, irritable. Johnson terms it a low word.Tout.In sporting phraseology aTOUTsignifies an agent in the training districts, on the look-out for information as to the condition and capabilities of those horses entering for a coming race.Toutsoften get into trouble through entering private training-grounds. They, however, are very highly paid, some making 40l.or 50l.a week during the season. Now frequently called horse-watchers.Tout, to look out, or watch.Touter, a looker out, one who waits at railway stations and steamboat piers, and touts for customers; a hotel runner. Term in general use.Touzle, to romp with or rumple.—Scotch.Towel, to beat or whip. In old English phraseology a cudgel was termed an oakenTOWEL—whence, perhaps, the verb.Towelling, a rubbing down with an oakenTOWEL, a beating.Town and Gown.The fight which used to come off every 5th of November between the undergrads and the “cads.” The sides used to shout respectively “TOWN!” and “GOWN!” as war-cries.—Oxford University.Town-lout, a derogatory title at Rugby School for those pupils who reside with their parents in the town, in contradistinction from those who live in the boarding-houses.Tow-pows, grenadiers. From the bearskins, most likely, unless it was originallyTALL-POWS, the grenadiers being the tallest men in the company.Towzery gang, swindlers who hire sale-rooms, usually in the suburbs, for mock auction sales of cheap and worthless goods, and who advertise their ventures as “Alarming Sacrifices,” “Important Sales of Bankrupts’ Stock,” &c. The American name for a mock auctioneer is a “Peter Funk.”Tracks, “to makeTRACKS,” to run away.SeeSTREAK.Tradesman, one who thoroughly understands his business, whatever it may be. No better compliment can be passed on an individual, whether his profession be housebreaking, prizefighting, or that of a handicraftsman, than the significant “He’s a regularTRADESMAN.”Translator, a man who deals in old shoes or clothes, and refits them for cheap wear. These people generally live in or about Dudley Street, Seven Dials.Translators, second-hand boots mended and polished, and sold at a low price.Trap, a “fast” term for a carriage of any kind.Traps, goods and chattels of any kind, but especially luggage and personal effects; in Australia, “swag.”Trapesing, gadding or gossiping about in a slatternly way. Generally applied to girls and women in low neighbourhoods, who wander frompublic-house to public-house, and whose clothes are carelessly fastened, causing them to trail on the ground.Traveller, name given by one tramp to another. “ATRAVELLERat her Majesty’s expense,”i.e., a transported felon, a convict.Tree, “up aTREE,” in temporary difficulties,—out of the way. American expression, derived from racoon or bear-hunting. When Bruin isTREED, or is forced up aTREEby the dogs, it means that then the tug of war begins.See’COON. Hence when an opponent is fairly run to bay, and can by no evasion get off, he is said to beTREED. These expressions originated with Colonel Crockett, of backwoods celebrity. In Scotland the phrase is “up a close,”i.e., up a passage with no outlet, acul-de-sac, therefore suggestive of an unpleasant predicament.Triangles, a slang term fordelirium tremens, during a fit of which everything appears out of the square.Trimmings, the necessary adjuncts to anything cooked, but specially applied to a boiled leg of mutton, as turnips, potatoes, bread, beer, salt, &c. Bets are frequently made for a leg of mutton andTRIMMINGS. Or one person will forfeit the mutton if another will “stand theTRIMMINGS.” It is generally a supper feast, held in a public-house, and the rule is for the landlord to charge asTRIMMINGSeverything, except the mutton, placed on the table previous to the removal of the cloth. A boiled leg o’ mutton andTRIMMINGSwill be always known as a “swarry” to admirers of Sam Weller.Tripes, the bowels.“Next morning Miss Dolly complained of herTRIPES,Drinking cold water had given her gripes.”Trollies, orTROLLY-CARTS, term given by costermongers to a species of narrow carts, which can either be drawn by a donkey or driven by hand.Trolling, sauntering or idling, henceTROLLandTROLLOCKS, an idle slut, a “moll,” whichsee.Trollop, a slatternly woman, a prostitute.Trot, to “run up,” to oppose, to bid against at an auction. Private buyers at auctions know from experience how general is the opposition against them from dealers, “knock-outs,” and other habitués of sales, who regard the rooms as their own peculiar domain. “WeTROTTEDhim up nicely, didn’t we?”i.e., we made him (the private buyer) pay dearly for what he bought.Trot out, to draw out or exploit, to show off the abilities of a companion; sometimes to roast for the amusement and with the assistance of an assembled company.Trotter, a tailor’s man who goes round for orders.—University.Trotter cases, shoes.Trotters, feet. Sheep’sTROTTERS, boiled sheep’s feet, a favourite street delicacy.Truck, a hat—from the cap on the extremity of a mast.—Sea.Truck, to exchange or barter.Trucks, trousers.Trull, corruption of “troll” or “trollop,” a dirty, slatternly woman, a prostitute of the lowest class.Trump, a good fellow; “a regularTRUMP,” a jolly or good-natured person—in allusion to aTRUMPcard; “TRUMPSmay turn up,”i.e., fortune may yet favour me.Trunks, short trousers worn above hose or tights.—Theatrical.Try it on, to make attempt, generally applied to an effort at imposition. An extortionate charge or a begging-letter is frequently described as “a regularTRY-ON.”Tub, the morning bath. ToTUBhas now become a regular verb, so far as colloquialism is concerned, though no one uses aTUBas the word was originally understood.Tub-thumping, preaching or speech-making, from the old Puritan fashion of “holding forth” from a tub, or beer barrel, as a mark of their contempt for decorated pulpits.Tubs, nickname for a butterman.Tuck, a schoolboy’s term for fruit, pastry, &c.Tuck in, orTUCK OUT, a good meal.Tuft-hunter, a hanger on to persons of quality or wealth—one who seeks the society of wealthy people. Originally University slang, but now general.Tufts, at the University, noblemen, who pay high fees and are distinguished by goldenTUFTS, or tassels, in their caps.Tumble, to comprehend or understand. A coster was asked what he thought ofMacbeth, and he replied, “The witches and the fighting was all very well, but the other moves I couldn’tTUMBLEto exactly; few on us canTUMBLEto the jaw-breakers; they licks us, they do.”Tumble to pieces, to be safely delivered, as in childbirth.Tune the old cow died of, an epithet for any ill-played or discordant piece of music. Originally the name of an old ballad, referred to by dramatists of Shakspeare’s time.Tuns, a name at Pembroke College, Oxford, for small silver cups, each containing half a pint. Sometimes aTUNhad a handle with a whistle, which could not be blown till the cup was empty.Turf, horse-racing, and betting thereon; “on theTURF,” one who occupies himself with race-horse business; said also of a street-walker, or nymph of thepavé.Turkey merchants, dealers in plundered or contraband silk. Poulterers are sometimes termedTURKEY MERCHANTSin remembrance of Horne Tooke’s answer to the boys at Eton, who wished in an aristocratic way to know whathisfather was: “ATURKEY MERCHANT,” replied Tooke—his father was a poulterer.Turkey merchant, also, was formerly slang for a driver of turkeys or geese to market.Turnip, an old-fashioned watch, so called from its general appearance, if of silver. Also called “a frying-pan.” Old-fashioned gold watches are called “warming-pans.”Turn it up, to quit, change, abscond, or abandon; “Ned hasTURNED IT UP,”i.e., run away; “I intendTURNING IT UP,”i.e., leaving my present abode or employment, or altering my course of life.Turn-out, personal show or appearance; a man with a showy carriage and horses is said to have a goodTURN-OUT.Turn-over, an apprentice who finishes with a second master the indentures he commenced with another, who has died or become bankrupt.Turn up, a street fight; a sudden leaving, or making off. An unexpected slice of luck. Among sporting men bookmakers are said to have aTURN UPwhen an unbacked horse wins.Turn up, to appear unexpectedly. Also to happen; “Let’s wait, and see what willTURN UP.”Turn up, to make sick. People are said to beTURNED UPby sea-sickness, or when they are made ill by excessive smoking or drinking.Turned over, remanded by the magistrate or judge for want of evidence.Turned up, to be stopped and searched by the police. To be discharged from a police-court or sessions-house; to be acquitted.Turnpike sailors, beggars who go about dressed as sailors. A sarcastic reference to the scene of their chief voyages.Tusheroon, a crown piece, five shillings. Otherwise a bull or cartwheel.Tussle, a row, struggle, fight, or argument.Tussle, to struggle, or argue.Twelve godfathers, a jury, because they give a name to the crime the prisoner before them has been guilty of, whether murder or manslaughter, felony or misdemeanor. Consequently it is a vulgar taunt to say, “You will be christened byTWELVE GODFATHERSsome day before long.”Twelver, a shilling.Twice-laid, a dish made out of cold fish and potatoes.—Sea.CompareBUBBLE AND SQUEAK, andRESURRECTION PIE.Twig, style. PrimeTWIG, in good order and high spirits.Twig, to comprehend, as, “Do youTWIG?” Also, “Hop theTWIG,” to decamp.Twist, brandy and gin mixed.Twist, capacity for eating, appetite; “He’s got a capitalTWIST.”Twitchety, nervous, fidgety.Twitter, “all in aTWITTER,” in a fright or fidgety state.Two eighteener, an Americanism for a man or woman of the fastest kind—two minutes eighteen seconds, or close thereabouts, being the fastest time for a mile recorded in connexion with the Transatlantic national sport, trotting. “Two forty on a plank road,” a once favourite expression with a similar meaning, derived from a feat of the famous trotting mare Flora Temple, has died out since trotting has become faster, and courses have been prepared on a different principle.Two-eyed-steak, a red-herring or bloater. Otherwise “Billingsgate pheasant.”Two-handed, expert at fisticuffs. Ambidextrous generally.Two-handed game, a game or proposal in which the chances are fairly even; as, “I’ll punch your head;” “Ah, that’s aTWO-HANDED GAME—you’ll get no good at that.”Two to one, the pawnbroker’s sign of three balls. So called because it is supposed by calculating humourists to beTWO TO ONEagainst the redemption of a pledged article.Two upon ten, orTWO PUN’ TEN, an expression used by assistants to each other, in shops, when a customer of suspected honesty makes his appearance. The phrase refers to “two eyes upon ten fingers,” shortened as a money term toTWO PUN’ TEN. When a supposed thief is present, one shopman asks the other if thatTWO PUN’(pound)TENmatter was ever settled. The man knows at once what is meant, and keeps a careful watch upon the person being served. If it is not convenient to speak, a piece of paper is handed to the same assistant, bearing the, to him, very significant amount of£2: 10: 0CompareSharp,John Orderly.Twopenny, the head; “tuck in yourTWOPENNY,” bend down your head.Twopenny-halfpenny, paltry, insignificant. ATWOPENNY-HALFPENNYfellow, a not uncommon expression of contempt.Twopenny-hops, low dancing rooms, the price of admission to which was formerly twopence. The clog hornpipe, the pipe dance, flash jigs, and hornpipes in fetters,à laJack Sheppard, were the favourite movements, all entered into with great spirit.Twopenny rope, a lodging-house of the lowest kind, where tramps and cadgers sleep on sacking stretched by means of ropes. Sleeping at these places is called having “twopenn’orth of rope.”Tyburnia, the Portman and Grosvenor Square district. It is facetiously divided by the Londoners into “Tyburnia Felix,” “Tyburnia Deserta,” and “Tyburnia Snobbica.” The old gallows at Tyburn stood near the N.E. corner of Hyde Park, at the angle formed by the Edgware Road and the top of Oxford Street. In 1778 this was two miles out of London.Tyburn tippet, in the old hanging days, Jack Ketch’s rope.Tye, orTIE, a neckerchief. Proper hosiers’ term now, but slang thirty years ago, and as early as 1718.Tyke, a Yorkshireman. Term used by themselves, as well as by Southerners, in reference to them.Typo, a printer.

T, “to suit to a T,” to fit to a nicety.—Old.Perhaps from the T-square of carpenters, by which the accuracy of work is tested.

Tabby party, a party consisting entirely of women, a tea and tattle gathering. In America, a gathering of men only is called a “stag party.”

Tabooed, forbidden. This word, now very common, is derived from a custom of the South-Sea islanders, first noticed inCook’s Voyages.

Tack, a taste foreign to what was intended; a barrel may get aTACKupon it, either permanently mouldy, sour, or otherwise.

Tacked, tied down. When a man has another vanquished, or for certain reasons bound to his service, he is said to have “got himTACKED.”

Tackle, clothes.—Sea.Also to encounter a person in argument.

Taffy(corruption of David), a Welshman. Compare Sawney (fromAlexander), a Scotchman; Paddy (from Patrick), an Irishman; and Johnny (from John Bull), an Englishman.

Tag-rag-and-bobtail, a mixed crowd of low people, the lower orders generally.

Tail-block, a watch.—Sea.

Tail-buzzer, a thief who picks coat-pockets.

Tail-down, “to get theTAIL DOWN,” generally means to lose courage. When a professional at any game loses heart in a match he is said to get hisTAIL DOWN. “HisTAILwas quiteDOWN, and it was all over.” The origin is obvious.

Take, to succeed, or be patronized. “Do you think the new opera willTAKE?” “No, because the same companyTOOKso badly under the old management.” “ToTAKEon,” to grieve; Shakspeare uses the wordTAKINGin this sense. To “TAKEup for any one,” to protect or defend a person; “toTAKEoff,” to mimic; “toTAKEheart,” to have courage; “toTAKEdown a peg or two,” to humiliate, or tame; “toTAKEup,” to reprove; “toTAKEafter,” to resemble; “toTAKEin,” to cheat or defraud, probably from the lower class lodging-house-keepers’ advertisements, “Single menTAKENin and done for,”—an engagement which is as frequently performed in a bad as a good sense; in reference to this performance, Scripture is often quoted: “I was a stranger and yeTOOKme in.” “ToTAKEthe field,” when said of a general, to commence operations against the enemy. When a racing manTAKESthe field he stakes his money against the favourite, that is, he takes the chances of the field against the chance of one horse.

Take beef, to run away.

Take in, a cheating or swindling transaction,—sometimes termed “a deadTAKE IN.” Shakspeare hasTAKE INin the sense of conquering. To be “had,” or to be “spoken to,” were formerly synonymous phrases with to beTAKEN IN.

Take it out, to obtain value for money, labour, &c. A rich man is said to “TAKE IT(i.e., his money)OUTin fine footmen, fine feeding,” &c. A poor man “TAKES IT(i.e., his trouble)OUTin drink.”

Talking, a stable term, of a milder kind, applied to those horses which are addicted toROARING.Seethe latter expression.

Talk shop, to intrude oneself or one’s private business too freely into conversation. Any one who does this is said to be shoppy.

Tall, extensive, exaggerated,—generally applied to conversation, as “loud” is to dress, or personal appearance; “TALLtalk that,”i.e., conversation too boastful or high-flown to be true. Among pedestrians a great rate of speed is spoken of asTALL.

Tally, five dozen bunches of turnips.—Costermongers’ term.

Tally, “to liveTALLY,” to live in a state of unmarried impropriety;TALLY-WIFE, a woman who cohabits with a man to whom she is not married.

Tallyman, an accommodating salesman who takes payment by instalments to suit the convenience of the purchaser, but who is anything but accommodating when payments are irregular.Tallymenare the cause of much misfortune to the working classes, from their high andexorbitant rates, and the temptations they offer to weak-minded women, who purchase in haste and repent at leisure.

Tan, to beat or thrash; “I’llTANyour hide,”i.e., I’ll give you a good beating.

Tan, an order to pull.—Anglo-Indian.

Tanner, a sixpence. PerhapsGipsy,TAWNO, little, orLatin,TENER, slender.

Tanny, orTEENY, little.Gipsy,TAWNO, little.

Tantrems, pranks, capers, frolicking; from theTarantuladance.Seeaccount of the involuntary frenzy and motions caused by the bite of the tarantula in Italy.—Penny Cyclopædia.

Tantrums, ill-tempers. “He’s in hisTANTRUMSthis morning,” is often said of a peevish, querulous man. They are not peculiar to the one sex, however.

Tap the Admiral, to suck liquor from a cask by means of a straw, said to have been done with the rum-cask in which Lord Nelson’s body was brought to England, to such an extent as to leave the gallant Admiral dry.

Tap-tub, theMorning Advertiser,—so called by vulgar people from the fact that this daily newspaper is the principal organ of the London brewers and publicans. Sometimes termed theGin and Gospel Gazette, though this title is fast fading out since the paper has been in the hands of its present editor.

Tape, gin,—term with female servants. Also, a military term used in barracks when no spirits are allowed.SeeRIBBON.

Taper, to give over gradually, to run short.

Taradiddle, a falsehood.

Tar-brush, a person whose complexion indicates a mixture of negro blood, is said to have had a lick of theTAR-BRUSH. Sometimes a man of this description is said to have been dipped in the black-pot, and he is often reminded that “another dip would have done it,”i.e., another dip would have made a negro of him.

Tar-out, to punish, to serve out.

Tarpaulin, a sailor.

Tartar, a savage fellow, an “ugly customer.” To “catch aTartar,” is to discover somewhat unpleasantly that a person is by no means so mild or good-tempered as he or she at first appeared.

Tat-box, a dice-box.

Tater, “s’elp myTATER,” an evasion of a profane oath, sometimes varied by “s’elp my greens.”

Tatler, a watch; “nimming aTATLER,” stealing a watch.

Tats, dice.

Tats, old rags; milkyTATS, white rags.

Tatterdemalion, a ragged fellow.

Tatting, gathering old rags.

Tattoo, a pony.—Anglo-Indian.

Taw, a large or principal marble; “I’ll be one on yourTAW,” I will pay you out, or be even with you,—a simile taken from boys aiming always at winning theTAWwhen playing at marbles.

Tea-fight, an evening party, alias a “muffin-worry.”

Tea-spoon, five thousand pounds.SeeSPOONS.

Teagueland, Ireland. From the national character of the nameTeague.

Teeth, “he has cut his eyeTEETH,”i.e., is old and ’cute enough.

Teeth-drawing, wrenching off knockers. Medical students’ term.

Teddy Hall, St. Edmund Hall.—Oxford University.

Teetotaller, a total abstainer from alcoholic drinks. The origin of this term is not known. It is said to be from the expression of a fanatical and stuttering enthusiast in the cause of total abstinence. It has nothing to do with tea.

Teetotally, amplification ofTOTALLY.

Te-he, to titter, “Upon this ITE-HE’D.”—Madame d’Arblay.As an interjection it is as old as Chaucer.SeeMiller’s Tale:—“Te-he, quod she, and clapt the window to.”

Te-he, to titter, “Upon this ITE-HE’D.”—Madame d’Arblay.As an interjection it is as old as Chaucer.SeeMiller’s Tale:—

“Te-he, quod she, and clapt the window to.”

Tell on, to tell about, to talk of, to inform against. (This is formed by a simple misuse of the preposition.)

Ten commandments, a virago’s fingers, or nails. Often heard in a female street disturbance. “I’ll leave theTEN COMMANDMENTSmarked on his chump,” shows that the term may be applied to either the fingers or the scratchings. It would be a strange hand, however, that, with the best opportunity, could made five marks simultaneously.

Tench, the Penitentiary, of which it is a contraction.SeeSTEEL.

Tenpence to the shilling, a vulgar phrase denoting a deficiency in intellect.

Testamur, the slip of paper on which the examiners testify (testari) to the fact that the candidate has satisfied their requirements.—University.

Tester, sixpence. FromTESTONE, a shilling in the reign of Henry VIII., but a sixpence in the time of Queen Elizabeth.—Shakspeare.French,TESTE, orTÊTE, the head of the monarch on the coin.

Teviss, a shilling. Costermongers’ and tramps’ term.

Thatch, the human hair. “He’s wellTHATCHED,” is said of a man with a good head of hair.

The Tavern, New Inn Hall.—Oxford University.

The thing, the style, the proper proportion. Application varied. A good appearance, a decent dinner, or a fair bottle of wine, is said to be “theTHING,” sometimes “the correctTHING.”

Thick, intimate, familiar. The Scotch use the word “chief” in this sense, as, “the two are very chief now.”

Thick;“to lay it onTHICK,” to flatter unduly, to surfeit with praise or adulation.

Thick un, a sovereign; originally a crown piece, or five shillings.

Thimble, orYACK, a watch.—Prison Cant.

Thimble-rig, a noted cheating game some years back, played at fairs and places of great public thronging, consisting of two or three thimbles rapidly and dexterously placed over a pea. TheTHIMBLE-RIGGER, suddenly ceasing, asks under which thimble the pea is to be found. Any one not a practised hand would lose nine times out of ten any bet he might happen to make with him. The pea is generally concealed under his nail.Thimble-rigginghas of late years given way to “broad-working.”

Thimble-twisters, thieves who rob persons of their watches.

Thingumy,THINGUMBOB, expressions used for the name of a thing which cannot be recollected at the instant.

Thin-skinned, over-nice, petulant, apt to get a “raw.”Seethat term.

Three-cornered scraper, a cocked hat.—Sea.

Three sheets in the wind, unsteady from drink.—Sea.

Three-up, a gambling game played by costers and others of like grade. Three halfpennies are thrown up by one man to the call of another. If they do not come all alike, the cry is void, and the calling and tossing are resumed. When the three coins are all alike they are said to “come off,” and then all bets are decided according to the success or failure of the caller. When two men toss, they play “up for up,”i.e., they toss and cry alternately. When three or more join in, the gathering is named a school, and one man, who is called a pieman, cries to the halfpence of the others until he loses, when the winner of the toss becomes pieman in turn.

Through, finished. In America, where this word is most used in the sense now given, a guest who has had enough will, when asked to take more, say, “I’mTHROUGH,” which is certainly preferable to the other Americanism, “crammed.”

Thrummer, a threepenny bit.

Thrums, threepence. Also, in Coventry, remnants and waste pieces of silk.

Thrups, threepence.Seethe preceding, which is more general.

Thud, the dull, dead sound made by the fall of a heavy body, or the striking of a bullet against any soft, fleshy substance.

Thumper, a magnificently constructed lie, a lie about which there is no stint of imaginative power.

Thumping, large, fine, or strong.

Thunderbomb, an imaginary ship of vast size.SeeMerry Dun of Dover.

Thunderer, theTimesnewspaper, sometimes termed “theThundererof Printing House Square,” from the locality where it is printed.

Thundering, large, extra-sized.

Tibbing out, going out of bounds.—Charterhouse.

Tibby, the head. Street slang, with no known etymology. To drop on one’sTIBBYis to frighten or startle any one, to take one unawares.

Tib’s eve, “neither before Christmas nor after,” an indefinite period; like the Greek Kalends,Tib’s evehas a future application; an indefinite period of past time is sometimes said to be “when Adam was an oakum-boy in Chatham Dockyard.” “The reign of Queen Dick” is another form of this kind of expression, and is used to indicate either past time or future.

Tick, credit, trust. Johnson says it is a corruption of “ticket,”—tradesmen’s bills being formerly written on tickets or cards. OnTICK, therefore, is equivalent to onTICKET, or on trust. In use in 1668, and before, as follows:—“No matter upon landing whether you have money or no—you may swim in twentie of their boats over the river uponTICKET.”—Decker’s Gulls’ Hornbook, 1609.

“No matter upon landing whether you have money or no—you may swim in twentie of their boats over the river uponTICKET.”—Decker’s Gulls’ Hornbook, 1609.

Ticker, a watch. Formerly cant, now street slang.

Ticket, “that’s theTICKET,”i.e., that’s what is wanted, or what is best. Probable corruption of “that’setiquette,” or, perhaps, fromTICKET, a bill or invoice. This phrase is sometimes extended into “that’s theTICKETfor soup,” in allusion to the card given to beggars for immediate relief at soup kitchens.SeeTICK.

Tickle, to puzzle; “a reg’larTICKLER” is a poser.

Tiddlywink, slim, puny; sometimesTILLYWINK.

Tidy, tolerably, or pretty well; “How did you get on to-day?”—“Oh,TIDY.”—Saxon.

Tie, a dead heat. A game of any kind, in which the possibility exists, is said to end in a tie, if the markings are level on each side at the finish. In racing parlance, all level finishes are called dead-heats.

Tied up, given over, finished; also married, in allusion to the hymeneal knot, unless a jocose allusion be intended to the “halter” (altar).SeeBUCKLED, term in use among costermongers and street folk generally.

Tiff, a pet, a fit of ill humour.

Tiffin, a breakfast,déjeûner à la fourchette.—Anglo-Indian Slang.

Tiffy, easily offended, apt to be annoyed.

Tiger, a parasite; also a term for a ferocious woman; a boy employed to wait on gentlemen—one who waits on ladies is a page.

Tiger, a superlative yell. “Three cheers, and the last inTIGERS.”—American.To “fight theTIGER” is also American, and refers to gambling with professionals—dangerous pastime.

Tight, close, stingy; hard up, short of cash;TIGHT, spruce, strong, active; “aTIGHTlad,” a smart, active young fellow;TIGHT, drunk, or nearly so, generally the result of “going on the loose;” “TIGHT-laced,” puritanical, over-precise. Money is said to beTIGHTwhen the public, from want of confidence in the aspect of affairs, are not inclined to speculate.

Tightener, a dinner, or hearty meal.SeeSpitalfields’ breakfast.

Tike-, orBUFFER-LURKING, dog-stealing.

Tile, a hat, a covering for the head.“I’m a gent, I’m a gent,In the Regent-Street style,—Examine my costume,And look at myTILE.”—Popular Song.Sometimes used in another sense, “having aTILEloose,”i.e., being slightly crazy.SeePANTILE.

Tile, a hat, a covering for the head.

“I’m a gent, I’m a gent,In the Regent-Street style,—Examine my costume,And look at myTILE.”—Popular Song.

Sometimes used in another sense, “having aTILEloose,”i.e., being slightly crazy.SeePANTILE.

Timber merchant, orSPUNK FENCER, a lucifer-match seller.

Timber-toes, a wooden-legged man. Also at the East-end one who wears clogs,i.e., wooden soled boots.

Time, cabman’s slang for money. If they wish to express 9s. 9d. they say that “it is a quarter to ten;” if 3s. 6d., half-past three; if 11s. 9d. a quarter to twelve. Cab-drivers can hardly have originated a system which has been in existence as long as the adage, “Time is money.” They have, however, the full use of the arrangement, which is perhaps the simplest on record.

Time,TO DO, to work out a sentence of imprisonment. Time is the generic term for all quantities of incarceration, whether short or long. Sometimes stir-time (imprisonment in the House of Correction) is distinguished from the more extended system of punishment which is called “pinnel (penal) time.”

Time o’ day, a dodge, the latest aspect of affairs; “that’s yourTIME O’ DAY,”i.e., that’s well done; to put a person up to theTIME O’ DAY, or let him know “what’s o’clock,” is to instruct him in the knowledge needful for him.

Tin, money,—generally applied to silver.

Tinge, the per-centage allowed by drapers and clothiers to their assistants upon the sale of old-fashioned articles.SeeSPIFFS.

Tinkler, a bell. “Jerk theTINKLER,” ring the bell. Refined or affected slangists sometimes say, “Agitate the communicator,” which, though it represents “ring the bell,” should more properly mean “pull the cord.”

Tin-pot, “he plays aTIN-POTgame,”i.e., a low, mean, or shabby game. In theContes d’Eutrapel, a French officer at the siege of Chatillon is ridiculously spoken of as CaptainTin-pot—Capitaine du Pot d’Etain.Tin-pot, as generally used, means worthless. As applied to billiards and kindred games, it means pretentious and inferior play.

Tip, advice or information respecting anything, but mostly used in reference to horse-racing, so that the personTIPPEDmay know how to bet to the best advantage. The “straightTIP” is theTIPwhich comes direct from the owner or trainer of a horse. Of late years a “straightTIP” means a direct hint on any subject.

Tip, a douceur; “that’s theTIP,”i.e., that’s the proper thing to do. “To miss one’sTIP,” to fail in a scheme.—Old Cant.

Tip, to give, lend, or hand over anything to another person; “come,TIPup the tin,”i.e., hand up the money; “TIPthe wink,” to inform by winking; “TIPus your fin,”i.e., give me your hand; “TIPone’s boom off,” to make off, or depart. From the seafaring phrase.

Tip the double, to “bolt,” or run away from any one.

Tip-top, first-rate, of the best kind.

Tip-topper, a “swell,” or dressy man, a “Gorger.”

Tipper, a kind of ale brewed at Brighton. Mrs. Gamp preferred the “BrightonTIPPER.”

Tipster, a “turf” agent who collects early and generally special information of the condition and racing capabilities of horses in the training districts, and posts the same to his subscribers to guide their betting.“The racingTIPSTERShave much less patronage than formerly, before “Geoffry Greenhorn” laid a trap for them, and published the tips he received inThe Life. Professor Ingledue, M.A., the mesmerist, is silent; and if their subscribers, ‘for whose interests I have collected my old and able staff, with many additional ones, who are already at work in the training districts,’ could only get a sight of the ‘old and able staff,’ they would find it consisting of a man and a boy, at work in the back room of a London public-house, and sending different winners for every race to their subscribers.”—Post and Paddock, by the “Druid.”There are, however, whatever non-racing men may think, many “touts” whose information is valuable to even the “best informed” writers.

“The racingTIPSTERShave much less patronage than formerly, before “Geoffry Greenhorn” laid a trap for them, and published the tips he received inThe Life. Professor Ingledue, M.A., the mesmerist, is silent; and if their subscribers, ‘for whose interests I have collected my old and able staff, with many additional ones, who are already at work in the training districts,’ could only get a sight of the ‘old and able staff,’ they would find it consisting of a man and a boy, at work in the back room of a London public-house, and sending different winners for every race to their subscribers.”—Post and Paddock, by the “Druid.”

There are, however, whatever non-racing men may think, many “touts” whose information is valuable to even the “best informed” writers.

Tit, a favourite name for a horse.“They scorned the coach, they scorned the rails,Two spanking tits with streaming tails,Them swiftly onward drew.”—End of All Things.

Tit, a favourite name for a horse.

“They scorned the coach, they scorned the rails,Two spanking tits with streaming tails,Them swiftly onward drew.”—End of All Things.

Tit for tat, an equivalent.

Titivate, to put in order, or dress up. OriginallyTIDY-VATE.

Titley, drink, generally applied to intoxicating beverages.

Titter, a girl; “nark theTITTER,”i.e., look at the girl.—Tramp’s term.

Tizzy, a sixpence. Corruption ofTESTER.

Toad-in-the-hole, a kind of pudding, consisting of small pieces of meat immersed in batter, and baked. Also, a term applied to perambulating advertising mediums.SeeSANDWICH.

Toasting-fork, a regulation sword, indicative of the general uselessness of that weapon.

Toby, the road. The highwayman or swell robber was in old days said to be on the highTOBY, from the high or main road, while those meaner fellows, the footpad and the cutpurse, were but “lowTOBY-MEN,” from their frequenting the by-ways.

To-do(pronounced quickly, and as one word), a disturbance, trouble; “here’s a prettyTO-DO,” here is an unpleasant difficulty. This exactly tallies with theFrench,AFFAIRE(à faire).—SeeForby’s Vocabulary of East Anglia.

To the nines, to the dodges of the day. “He’s up to theNINES,” means he’s up to everything. “Dressed to theNINES,” means dressed loudly, or, as it is more generally known now, “dressed to death.”

Toddle, to walk as a child.

Toe, to kick. “I’llTOEyour backside.” Common in London.

Toff, a dandy, a swell of rank. Corruption probably ofTUFT.SeeTOFT.

Toffer, a well-dressed “gay” woman. One who deals withTOFFS.

Tofficky, dressy, showy.

Toft, a showy individual, a swell, a person who, in a Yorkshireman’s vocabulary, would be termed “uppish.”SeeTUFT.

Tog, a coat.Latin,TOGA.—Ancient Cant.

Tog, to dress, or equip with an outfit; “TOGGEDout to the nines,” dressed in the first style.

Toggery, clothes, harness, domestic paraphernalia of any kind.

Togs, clothes; “SundayTOGS,” best clothes. One of the oldest cant words—in use in the time of Henry VIII.SeeCANT.

Toke, dry bread. Sometimes used to denote a lump of anything.

Toko for yam, a Roland for an Oliver. Possibly from a system of barter carried on between sailors and aborigines.

Tol-lol, orTOL-LOLLISH, tolerable, or tolerably.

Toll-shop, a Yorkshire correspondent gives this word as denoting in that county a prison, and also the following verse of a song, popular at fairs in the East Riding:—“But if ivver he get out agean,And can but raise a frind,Oh! the divel may tak’TOLL-SHOP,At Beverley town-end!”

Toll-shop, a Yorkshire correspondent gives this word as denoting in that county a prison, and also the following verse of a song, popular at fairs in the East Riding:—

“But if ivver he get out agean,And can but raise a frind,Oh! the divel may tak’TOLL-SHOP,At Beverley town-end!”

This is but a variation of the ScottishTolbooth.

Tom,e.g., “afterTom,” after the hour at which BigTomof Christchurch rings. At its last stroke the gates are closed, and undergrads entering after have to pay an increasing sum for each hour up to twelve. To be out after that involves an interview with the Master.—Oxford University.

Tom and Jerry shop, a low drinking shop. Probably some allusion to Pierce Egan’s famous characters in hisLife in London. Generally contracted toJerry shop.

Tom Toppers, a waterman, from a popular song, entitled,Overboard he vent.

Tom Tug, a waterman. From the small stage-play. Also rhyming slang for a flat, or rather a “mug.”

Tomboy, a hoyden, a rude romping girl.

Tombstone, a pawn-ticket—“In memory of” whatever has been pawned,—a well-known slang expression with those Londoners who are in the habit of following “my uncle.”

Tomfoolery, nonsense; trashy, mild, and innocuous literature.

Tom-fool’s colours, scarlet and yellow, the ancient motley. Occasionally, as a rhyme of quality suitable to the subject,“Red and yellow,Tom fool’scolour.”A proposition is said to beTOM FOOLwhen it is too ridiculous to be entertained or discussed.

Tom-fool’s colours, scarlet and yellow, the ancient motley. Occasionally, as a rhyme of quality suitable to the subject,

“Red and yellow,Tom fool’scolour.”

A proposition is said to beTOM FOOLwhen it is too ridiculous to be entertained or discussed.

Tom-tom, a street instrument, a kind of small drum beaten with thefingers, somewhat like the ancient tabor; a performer on this instrument. “Hark! ’tis the Indian drum.”

Tommy,SeeDICKEY.

Tommy, bread,—food generally. Sometimes applied by workmen to the supply of food which they carry in a bag or handkerchief as their daily allowance.Tommy-bagis the term for the bag or handkerchief in which the “daily bread” is carried.

Tommy, truck, barter, the exchange of labour for goods, not money. Both term and practice, general among English operatives for half-a-century, are by a current fiction supposed to have been abolished by Act of Parliament.

Tommy Dodd, in tossing when the odd man either wins or loses, as per agreement. A phrase in frequent use in London. A music-hall song has been given with this title and on this subject.

Tommy-master, one who pays his workmen in goods, or gives them tickets upon tradesmen, with whom he shares the profit.

Tommy-shop, a shop where wages are paid to mechanics or others, who are expected to “take out” a portion of the money in goods. Also, a baker’s shop.

Tongue, “toTONGUEa person,”i.e., to talk him down.Tongued, talkative.

Tony Lumpkin, a young, clownish country fellow. FromShe Stoops to Conquer.

Tool, as “a poorTOOL,” a bad hand at anything.

Tool, to drive a coach, or any other vehicle. To “handle the ribbons” in fine style.

Tool, a very little boy employed by burglars to enter at small apertures, and open doors for the larger thieves outside.

Tooler, a pickpocket.Moll-tooler, a female pickpocket.

Tooley Street tailor, a self-conceited, vainglorious man. The “three tailors of Tooley Street” are said to have immortalized themselves by preparing a petition for Parliament—and some say, presenting it—with only their own signatures thereto, which commenced, “We, the people of England.”

Tooth, “he has cut his eyeTOOTH,”i.e., he is sharp enough, or old enough, to do so; “old in theTOOTH,” far advanced in age,—said often of old maids. From the stable term for aged horses which have lost the distinguishing marks in their teeth.

Tootsies, feet, those of ladies and children in particular. In married life it is said the husband uses this expression for the first six months; after that he terms them “hoofs.”

Top, the signal among tailors and sempstresses for snuffing the candle; one criesTOP, and all the others follow; he who last pronounces the word has to snuff the candle.

Top-dressing, in journalism, is the large-type introduction to a report, generally written by a man of higher literary attainments than the ordinary reporter who follows with the details.

Top-heavy, drunk.

Top-sawyer, the principal of a party, or profession. “ATOP-SAWYERsignifies a man that is a master-genius in any profession. It is a piece of Norfolk slang, and took its rise from Norfolk being a great timber county, where theTOP SAWYERSget double the wages of those beneath them.”—Randall’s Diary, 1820.

Top up, a finishing drink. “He drank two bottles of claret and one of port, which heTOPPED UPwith half a bottle of brandy.”

Topped, hanged, or executed.

Topper, anything or person above the ordinary; a blow on the head. “Give him aTOPPERand chance it,” “Let him have aTOPPERfor luck.”

Topper, the tobacco which is left in the bottom of a pipe-bowl—lucus a non lucendo; or the stump of a smoked cigar.Topper-huntersare men who pick up cigar ends and odd pieces of stale tobacco, which they mix and chop up for home consumption or sale.

Topsy-turvy, the bottom upwards. Grose gives an ingenious etymology of this once cant term, viz., “top-side turf-ways,”—turf being always laid the wrong side upwards. This is so far ingenious that it creates a fact for the purpose of arguing from it. Turfs are laid with the grass part together during carriage; so, anyhow, the definition could be only half right. In fact,TOPSY-TURVYis but short for “top-side t’other way.”

To-rights, excellent, very well, or good.—Low London slang.

Tormentors, the large iron flesh-forks used by cooks at sea.

Torpids, the second-class race-boats at Oxford, answering to the Cambridge “sloggers.”

Toshers, men who steal copper from ships’ bottoms in the Thames.

Toss, a measure of sprats.—Billingsgate.

Tot, a small glass; a “TOTo’ whisky” is the smallest quantity sold.

Tot-up, to add together,—as columns of figures, £s.d.FromTOTAL-UP, through the vulgarismTOTTLE.

Totting, bone-picking, either peripatetically or at the dust-heaps. “Tot” is a bone, but chiffoniers and cinder-hunters generally are calledTOT-PICKERSnowadays.Tottingalso has its votaries on the banks of the Thames, where all kinds of flotsam and jetsam, from coals to carrion, are known asTOTS.

Touch, a slang expression in common use in phrases which express the extent to which a person is interested or affected, “as a fourpennyTOUCH,”i.e., a thing costing fourpence.Seean example in Mr., afterwards Sir Erasmus, Philipps’s Diary, at Oxford, in 1720. “Sept. 22.—At night went to the ball at the Angel, a guineaTOUCH.” It is also used at Eton in the sense of a “tip,” or present of money; and is sometimes said of a woman to imply her worthlessness, as, “Only a half-crownTOUCH.”

Touch-and-go, an expression often applied to men with whom business arrangements should be of the lightest possible character. Thus, “He’s aTOUCH-AND-GOsort of fellow. Be careful of him.”

Toucher, “as near as aTOUCHER,” as near as possible without actuallytouching.—Coaching term.The old Jarveys, to show their skill, used to drive against things so closely as absolutely to touch, yet without injury. This they called aTOUCHER, orTOUCH-AND-GO, which was hence applied to anything which was within an ace of ruin.

Touchy, peevish, irritable. Johnson terms it a low word.

Tout.In sporting phraseology aTOUTsignifies an agent in the training districts, on the look-out for information as to the condition and capabilities of those horses entering for a coming race.Toutsoften get into trouble through entering private training-grounds. They, however, are very highly paid, some making 40l.or 50l.a week during the season. Now frequently called horse-watchers.

Tout, to look out, or watch.

Touter, a looker out, one who waits at railway stations and steamboat piers, and touts for customers; a hotel runner. Term in general use.

Touzle, to romp with or rumple.—Scotch.

Towel, to beat or whip. In old English phraseology a cudgel was termed an oakenTOWEL—whence, perhaps, the verb.

Towelling, a rubbing down with an oakenTOWEL, a beating.

Town and Gown.The fight which used to come off every 5th of November between the undergrads and the “cads.” The sides used to shout respectively “TOWN!” and “GOWN!” as war-cries.—Oxford University.

Town-lout, a derogatory title at Rugby School for those pupils who reside with their parents in the town, in contradistinction from those who live in the boarding-houses.

Tow-pows, grenadiers. From the bearskins, most likely, unless it was originallyTALL-POWS, the grenadiers being the tallest men in the company.

Towzery gang, swindlers who hire sale-rooms, usually in the suburbs, for mock auction sales of cheap and worthless goods, and who advertise their ventures as “Alarming Sacrifices,” “Important Sales of Bankrupts’ Stock,” &c. The American name for a mock auctioneer is a “Peter Funk.”

Tracks, “to makeTRACKS,” to run away.SeeSTREAK.

Tradesman, one who thoroughly understands his business, whatever it may be. No better compliment can be passed on an individual, whether his profession be housebreaking, prizefighting, or that of a handicraftsman, than the significant “He’s a regularTRADESMAN.”

Translator, a man who deals in old shoes or clothes, and refits them for cheap wear. These people generally live in or about Dudley Street, Seven Dials.

Translators, second-hand boots mended and polished, and sold at a low price.

Trap, a “fast” term for a carriage of any kind.Traps, goods and chattels of any kind, but especially luggage and personal effects; in Australia, “swag.”

Trapesing, gadding or gossiping about in a slatternly way. Generally applied to girls and women in low neighbourhoods, who wander frompublic-house to public-house, and whose clothes are carelessly fastened, causing them to trail on the ground.

Traveller, name given by one tramp to another. “ATRAVELLERat her Majesty’s expense,”i.e., a transported felon, a convict.

Tree, “up aTREE,” in temporary difficulties,—out of the way. American expression, derived from racoon or bear-hunting. When Bruin isTREED, or is forced up aTREEby the dogs, it means that then the tug of war begins.See’COON. Hence when an opponent is fairly run to bay, and can by no evasion get off, he is said to beTREED. These expressions originated with Colonel Crockett, of backwoods celebrity. In Scotland the phrase is “up a close,”i.e., up a passage with no outlet, acul-de-sac, therefore suggestive of an unpleasant predicament.

Triangles, a slang term fordelirium tremens, during a fit of which everything appears out of the square.

Trimmings, the necessary adjuncts to anything cooked, but specially applied to a boiled leg of mutton, as turnips, potatoes, bread, beer, salt, &c. Bets are frequently made for a leg of mutton andTRIMMINGS. Or one person will forfeit the mutton if another will “stand theTRIMMINGS.” It is generally a supper feast, held in a public-house, and the rule is for the landlord to charge asTRIMMINGSeverything, except the mutton, placed on the table previous to the removal of the cloth. A boiled leg o’ mutton andTRIMMINGSwill be always known as a “swarry” to admirers of Sam Weller.

Tripes, the bowels.“Next morning Miss Dolly complained of herTRIPES,Drinking cold water had given her gripes.”

Tripes, the bowels.

“Next morning Miss Dolly complained of herTRIPES,Drinking cold water had given her gripes.”

Trollies, orTROLLY-CARTS, term given by costermongers to a species of narrow carts, which can either be drawn by a donkey or driven by hand.

Trolling, sauntering or idling, henceTROLLandTROLLOCKS, an idle slut, a “moll,” whichsee.

Trollop, a slatternly woman, a prostitute.

Trot, to “run up,” to oppose, to bid against at an auction. Private buyers at auctions know from experience how general is the opposition against them from dealers, “knock-outs,” and other habitués of sales, who regard the rooms as their own peculiar domain. “WeTROTTEDhim up nicely, didn’t we?”i.e., we made him (the private buyer) pay dearly for what he bought.

Trot out, to draw out or exploit, to show off the abilities of a companion; sometimes to roast for the amusement and with the assistance of an assembled company.

Trotter, a tailor’s man who goes round for orders.—University.

Trotter cases, shoes.

Trotters, feet. Sheep’sTROTTERS, boiled sheep’s feet, a favourite street delicacy.

Truck, a hat—from the cap on the extremity of a mast.—Sea.

Truck, to exchange or barter.

Trucks, trousers.

Trull, corruption of “troll” or “trollop,” a dirty, slatternly woman, a prostitute of the lowest class.

Trump, a good fellow; “a regularTRUMP,” a jolly or good-natured person—in allusion to aTRUMPcard; “TRUMPSmay turn up,”i.e., fortune may yet favour me.

Trunks, short trousers worn above hose or tights.—Theatrical.

Try it on, to make attempt, generally applied to an effort at imposition. An extortionate charge or a begging-letter is frequently described as “a regularTRY-ON.”

Tub, the morning bath. ToTUBhas now become a regular verb, so far as colloquialism is concerned, though no one uses aTUBas the word was originally understood.

Tub-thumping, preaching or speech-making, from the old Puritan fashion of “holding forth” from a tub, or beer barrel, as a mark of their contempt for decorated pulpits.

Tubs, nickname for a butterman.

Tuck, a schoolboy’s term for fruit, pastry, &c.Tuck in, orTUCK OUT, a good meal.

Tuft-hunter, a hanger on to persons of quality or wealth—one who seeks the society of wealthy people. Originally University slang, but now general.

Tufts, at the University, noblemen, who pay high fees and are distinguished by goldenTUFTS, or tassels, in their caps.

Tumble, to comprehend or understand. A coster was asked what he thought ofMacbeth, and he replied, “The witches and the fighting was all very well, but the other moves I couldn’tTUMBLEto exactly; few on us canTUMBLEto the jaw-breakers; they licks us, they do.”

Tumble to pieces, to be safely delivered, as in childbirth.

Tune the old cow died of, an epithet for any ill-played or discordant piece of music. Originally the name of an old ballad, referred to by dramatists of Shakspeare’s time.

Tuns, a name at Pembroke College, Oxford, for small silver cups, each containing half a pint. Sometimes aTUNhad a handle with a whistle, which could not be blown till the cup was empty.

Turf, horse-racing, and betting thereon; “on theTURF,” one who occupies himself with race-horse business; said also of a street-walker, or nymph of thepavé.

Turkey merchants, dealers in plundered or contraband silk. Poulterers are sometimes termedTURKEY MERCHANTSin remembrance of Horne Tooke’s answer to the boys at Eton, who wished in an aristocratic way to know whathisfather was: “ATURKEY MERCHANT,” replied Tooke—his father was a poulterer.Turkey merchant, also, was formerly slang for a driver of turkeys or geese to market.

Turnip, an old-fashioned watch, so called from its general appearance, if of silver. Also called “a frying-pan.” Old-fashioned gold watches are called “warming-pans.”

Turn it up, to quit, change, abscond, or abandon; “Ned hasTURNED IT UP,”i.e., run away; “I intendTURNING IT UP,”i.e., leaving my present abode or employment, or altering my course of life.

Turn-out, personal show or appearance; a man with a showy carriage and horses is said to have a goodTURN-OUT.

Turn-over, an apprentice who finishes with a second master the indentures he commenced with another, who has died or become bankrupt.

Turn up, a street fight; a sudden leaving, or making off. An unexpected slice of luck. Among sporting men bookmakers are said to have aTURN UPwhen an unbacked horse wins.

Turn up, to appear unexpectedly. Also to happen; “Let’s wait, and see what willTURN UP.”

Turn up, to make sick. People are said to beTURNED UPby sea-sickness, or when they are made ill by excessive smoking or drinking.

Turned over, remanded by the magistrate or judge for want of evidence.

Turned up, to be stopped and searched by the police. To be discharged from a police-court or sessions-house; to be acquitted.

Turnpike sailors, beggars who go about dressed as sailors. A sarcastic reference to the scene of their chief voyages.

Tusheroon, a crown piece, five shillings. Otherwise a bull or cartwheel.

Tussle, a row, struggle, fight, or argument.

Tussle, to struggle, or argue.

Twelve godfathers, a jury, because they give a name to the crime the prisoner before them has been guilty of, whether murder or manslaughter, felony or misdemeanor. Consequently it is a vulgar taunt to say, “You will be christened byTWELVE GODFATHERSsome day before long.”

Twelver, a shilling.

Twice-laid, a dish made out of cold fish and potatoes.—Sea.CompareBUBBLE AND SQUEAK, andRESURRECTION PIE.

Twig, style. PrimeTWIG, in good order and high spirits.

Twig, to comprehend, as, “Do youTWIG?” Also, “Hop theTWIG,” to decamp.

Twist, brandy and gin mixed.

Twist, capacity for eating, appetite; “He’s got a capitalTWIST.”

Twitchety, nervous, fidgety.

Twitter, “all in aTWITTER,” in a fright or fidgety state.

Two eighteener, an Americanism for a man or woman of the fastest kind—two minutes eighteen seconds, or close thereabouts, being the fastest time for a mile recorded in connexion with the Transatlantic national sport, trotting. “Two forty on a plank road,” a once favourite expression with a similar meaning, derived from a feat of the famous trotting mare Flora Temple, has died out since trotting has become faster, and courses have been prepared on a different principle.

Two-eyed-steak, a red-herring or bloater. Otherwise “Billingsgate pheasant.”

Two-handed, expert at fisticuffs. Ambidextrous generally.

Two-handed game, a game or proposal in which the chances are fairly even; as, “I’ll punch your head;” “Ah, that’s aTWO-HANDED GAME—you’ll get no good at that.”

Two to one, the pawnbroker’s sign of three balls. So called because it is supposed by calculating humourists to beTWO TO ONEagainst the redemption of a pledged article.

Two upon ten, orTWO PUN’ TEN, an expression used by assistants to each other, in shops, when a customer of suspected honesty makes his appearance. The phrase refers to “two eyes upon ten fingers,” shortened as a money term toTWO PUN’ TEN. When a supposed thief is present, one shopman asks the other if thatTWO PUN’(pound)TENmatter was ever settled. The man knows at once what is meant, and keeps a careful watch upon the person being served. If it is not convenient to speak, a piece of paper is handed to the same assistant, bearing the, to him, very significant amount of£2: 10: 0CompareSharp,John Orderly.

£2: 10: 0

CompareSharp,John Orderly.

Twopenny, the head; “tuck in yourTWOPENNY,” bend down your head.

Twopenny-halfpenny, paltry, insignificant. ATWOPENNY-HALFPENNYfellow, a not uncommon expression of contempt.

Twopenny-hops, low dancing rooms, the price of admission to which was formerly twopence. The clog hornpipe, the pipe dance, flash jigs, and hornpipes in fetters,à laJack Sheppard, were the favourite movements, all entered into with great spirit.

Twopenny rope, a lodging-house of the lowest kind, where tramps and cadgers sleep on sacking stretched by means of ropes. Sleeping at these places is called having “twopenn’orth of rope.”

Tyburnia, the Portman and Grosvenor Square district. It is facetiously divided by the Londoners into “Tyburnia Felix,” “Tyburnia Deserta,” and “Tyburnia Snobbica.” The old gallows at Tyburn stood near the N.E. corner of Hyde Park, at the angle formed by the Edgware Road and the top of Oxford Street. In 1778 this was two miles out of London.

Tyburn tippet, in the old hanging days, Jack Ketch’s rope.

Tye, orTIE, a neckerchief. Proper hosiers’ term now, but slang thirty years ago, and as early as 1718.

Tyke, a Yorkshireman. Term used by themselves, as well as by Southerners, in reference to them.

Typo, a printer.

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