Wabble, orWOBBLE, to move from side to side, to roll about. Johnson terms it “a low, barbarous word.”Walk into, to overcome, to demolish; “I’llWALK INTOhis affections,”i.e., I will scold or thrash him. “HeWALKED INTOthe grub,”i.e., he demolished it.Walk intoalso means to get into the debt of any one, as “HeWALKED INTOthe affections of all the tradesmen in the neighbourhood.”Walk-over, a re-election without opposition.—Parliamentary, but derived from the turf, where a horse which has no rivalsWALKS OVERthe course.SeeDEAD HEAT.Walk your chalks, be off, or run away,—spoken sharply by any one who wishes to get rid of a troublesome person.SeeCHALKS.Walker, a letter-carrier or postman. From an old song, called, “Walker, the twopenny postman.”Walker!orHookey Walker!an ejaculation of incredulity, used when a person is telling a story which you know to be all gammon, or worse. One explanation of the phrase is this:—“Years ago there was a person named Walker, an aquiline-nosed Jew, who exhibited an orrery, which he called by the erudite name of ‘Eidouranion.’ He was also a popular lecturer on astronomy, and often, telescope in hand, invited his pupils to ‘take a sight’ at the moon and stars. The lecturer’s phrase struck his schoolboy auditory, who frequently ‘took a sight’ with that gesture of outstretched arm and adjustment to nose and eye which was the first garnish of the popular saying. The next step was to assume phrase and gesture as the outward and visible mode of knowingness in general.” This has been denied, however, and a statement made thatHookey Walkerwas a magistrate of dreaded acuteness and incredulity, whose hooked nose gave the title of “beak” to all his successors; it is also said, moreover, that the gesture of applying the thumb to the nose and agitating the little finger, as an expression of “Don’t you wish you may get it?” is considerably older than the first story would seem to indicate. There are many and various explanations of the term, given according to the development of fancy.—Notes and Queries, iv. 425.Walking the pegs, a method of cheating at the game of cribbage, by a species of legerdemain, the sharper either moving his own pegs forward, or those of his antagonist backward, according to the state of the game.Wallflower, a person who goes to a ball and looks on without dancing, either from choice or through not being able to obtain a partner. From the position.Wallflowers, left-off and “regenerated” clothes exposed for sale on the bunks and shop-boards of Seven Dials.SeeREACH-ME-DOWNS.Wallabee-track, Colonial slang for the tramp. When a man in Australia is “on the road” looking for employment, he is said to be on theWALLABEE-TRACK.Wallop, to beat, or thrash. John Gough Nichols derives this word from an ancestor of the Earl of Portsmouth, one Sir John Wallop, Knightof the Garter, who in King Henry VIII.’s time distinguished himself byWALLOPINGthe French; but it is more probably connected with wheal, a livid swelling in the skin after a blow.SeePOT-WALLOPER.Walloping, a beating or thrashing; sometimes used in an adjective sense, as big, or very large.Wapping, orWHOPPING, of a large size, great.Warm, rich, or well off.Warm, to thrash or beat; “I’llWARMyour jacket.” ToWARMthe wax of one’s ear is to give a severe blow on the side of the head. ToWARMis also to rate or abuse roundly. Also varied, as, “to make it hot” for any one.Warming-pan, a large old-fashioned gold watch. A person placed in an office to hold it for another.SeeW.P.War-paint, evening dress. When people go out in full costume they are often said to have theirWAR-PAINTon. Also, military “full-fig.”Wash, “It wontWASH,”i.e., will not stand investigation, will not “bear the rub,” is not genuine, can’t be believed.Waster, a useless, clumsy, or ill-made person.Watch and seals, a sheep’s head and pluck.Watchmaker, a pickpocket or stealer of watches. Often called “aWATCHMAKERin a crowd.”Water-bewitched, very weak tea, the third brew (or the first at some houses). Sometimes very weak tea is called “husband’s tea,” in allusion to the wife taking the first brew, and leaving the rest for her husband. Also grog much diluted.Water-dogs, Norfolk dumplings.Water gunner, a marine artilleryman.Water the dragon, orWATER ONE’S NAG, a hint for retiring.Waterman, a blue silk handkerchief. The friends of the Oxford and Cambridge boats’ crews always wear these—light blue for Cambridge, and a darker shade for Oxford.Wattles, ears.Wax, a rage. “Let’s get him in aWAX.”Waxy, cross, ill-tempered.Wayz-goose, a printers’ annual dinner, the funds for which are collected by stewards regularly appointed by “the chapel.”Weather eye, the cautious eye. Any one who is supposed to have an extra good knowledge of things in general, or to be hard to impose on or cheat, is said to have hisWEATHER EYEwell open.Weather-headed, so written by Sir Walter Scott in hisPeveril of the Peak, but it is more probablyWETHER-HEADED, as applied to a person having a “sheepish” look.Weaving, a notorious card-sharping trick, done by keeping certain cards on the knee, or between the knee and the under side of the table, and using them when required by changing them for the cards held in the hand.Weaving leather aprons.When a knowing blade is asked whathe has been doing lately, and does not choose to tell, his reply is, that he has been very busyWEAVING LEATHER APRONS. (From the reports of a celebrated trial for gold robbery on the South-Western Railway.) Other similar replies are, “I have been making a trundle for a goose’s eye,” or a “whim-wham to bridle a goose.” Sometimes a man will describe himself as “a doll’s-eyeWEAVER.”Wedge, silver.—Old Cant.Wedge-feeder, a silver spoon.Weed, a cigar;theWEED, tobacco generally.Weed, a hatband.Weight-for-age, a sporting phrase which, applied to a race, distinguishes it from a handicap or catch-weight event, and informs all interested that the animals which run carry according to their ages, and not their abilities. Winners of certain great races generally carry penalties in addition toWEIGHT-FOR-AGE, for the purpose of equalizing matters somewhat; but as a rule the results are fairly foreshadowed as soon as in these races the horses are at the post, or as soon as the starters are positively known.Wejee, a chimney-pot. Often applied to any clever invention, as, “That’s a regularWEJEE.”Welcher, a person who makes a bet without the remotest chance of being able to pay, and, losing it, absconds, or “makes himself scarce.” In the betting ring aWELCHERis often very severely handled upon his swindling practices being discovered. The Catterick “Clerk of the Course” once provided some stout labourers and a tar-barrel for the special benefit of theWELCHERSwho might visit that neighbourhood. The word is modern, but the practice is ancient.“One Moore, the unworthy incumbent of the ‘Suffolk curacy,’ dedicated a book to ‘Duke Humphrey,’ and was then entirely lost sight of by his old college friends, till one of them espied him slung up in ‘the basket,’ for not paying his bets at a cock-pit.”—Post and Paddock.One writer says the term “arose from a fellow who took deposits on account of Welsh ponies, which he said he was importing, and never delivered them.” It is not unfrequently suggested by irreverent persons that the word was suggested by the dislike his gracious Majesty George the Fourth had, when a young man, for settling. Others derive it from the nursery rhyme,“Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief.”There can be no doubt that, from the days when the stout Earl of Chester and others were constantly employed in checking and cutting off the expeditions of their neighbours till comparatively recently, the term “Welshman” has been hardly one of kindness. It is not hard, therefore, to imagine its use on the Roodee, and its subsequent corruption intoWELCHER. The spelling of the word,WELCHERorWELSHER, is optional.Well, to pocket, to save money. Any one of fair income and miserly habits is said to “WELLit.”Welt, to thrash with a strap or stick. Probably meaning to raise wheals.West central, a water-closet, the initials being the same as those of the London Postal District. It is said that for this reason very delicate people refuse to obey Rowland Hill’s instructions in this particular. An old maid, who lived in this district, was particularly shocked at havingW.C.marked on all her letters, and informed the letter-carrier that she could not think of submitting to such an indecent fashion. On being informed that the letters would not be forwarded without the obnoxious initials, she remarked that she would have them left at the Post-Office. “Then, marm,” said the fellow, with a grin, “they will putP.O.on them, which will be more ondacenter than the tother.”Wet, a drink, a drain.Wet, to drink. Low people generally ask an acquaintance toWETany recently purchased article,i.e., to stand treat on the occasion. “Wet(originallyWHET, to sharpen,) your whistle,”i.e., take a drink; “WETthe other eye,”i.e., take another glass.SeeSHED A TEAR.Wet Quaker, a man who pretends to be religious, and is a dram-drinker on the sly.Wet un, a diseased cow, unfit for human food, but nevertheless sold to make into sausages.Comparestaggering-Bob.Whack, a share or lot. “Give me myWHACK,” give me my share.—Scotch,SWEG,orSWACK.Whack, orWHACKING, a blow, or a thrashing.Whack, to beat.Whacker, a lie of unusual dimensions, sometimes called a “round un.”Whacking, large, fine, or strong.Whacks, to goWHACKS, to divide equally; to enter into partnership.Whale, “very like aWHALE,” said of anything that is very improbable. A speech of Polonius’s inHamlet.What d’yecall’em, a similar expression to “thingumy.”Wheeze, a joke, an anecdote, or dialogue, not strictly connected with a piece that is being played, but introduced by an actor, sometimes with the assistance and for the benefit of others. The dialogues which take place between the songs at nigger entertainments are also known asWHEEZES. The word actually means a new notion as applied to dialogue.Wherret, orWORRIT, to scold, trouble, or annoy.—Old English.Whid, a word. Sometimes, a fib, a falsehood, a word too much.—Modern Slang, from the ancient cant.Whiddle, to enter into a parley, or hesitate with many words, &c.; to inform, or discover.SeeWHEEDLE.Whim-wham, an alliterative term, synonymous with fiddle-faddle, riff-raff, &c., denoting nonsense, rubbish, &c.Whip, after the usual allowance of wine is drunk at mess, those who wish for more put a shilling each into a glass handed round to procure afurther supply.Whip-roundis now a common term for a subscription of a similar kind to that described.Whip, to “WHIPanything up,” to take it up quickly; from the method of hoisting heavy goods or horses on board ship by aWHIP, or running tackle, from the yard-arm. Generally used to express anything dishonestly taken.Whip, the member of the House of Commons whose duty it is to collect and keep together his party to vote at divisions. To give him greater influence, the ministerialWHIPholds, or is supposed to hold, the minor patronage of the Treasury.Whipjack, a sham shipwrecked sailor, called also a turnpike-sailor.Whip the cat, when an operative works at a private house by the day. Term used amongst tailors and carpenters.Whipper-snapper, a waspish, diminutive person.Whisper, a tip given in secret, a rumour which is spread under the pretence of its being a secret. To “give theWHISPER,” is to give a quick tip to any one. An owner’s final instruction to his jockey is called “theWHISPERat the post.”Whisper, to borrow money—generally small sums—as, “HeWHISPEREDme for a tanner.”Whisperer, a constant borrower.Whistle, “as clean as aWHISTLE,” neatly, or “slickly done,” as an American would say; “To whet (or more vulgarly wet) one’sWHISTLE,” to take a drink. This last is a very old expression. Chaucer says of the Miller of Trumpington’s wife (Canterbury Tales, 4153)—“So was hir jolyWHISTALwell y-wet.”“ToWHISTLEfor anything,” to stand small chance of getting it, from the nautical custom ofWHISTLINGfor a wind in a calm, which of course comes none the sooner for it. “To pay for one’sWHISTLE,” to pay extravagantly for any fancy.Whistling-Billy, orpuffing-Billy, a locomotive engine.Whistling-shop, a place in which spirits are sold without a licence.WhitechapelorWestminster brougham, a costermonger’s donkey-barrow.Whitechapel, anything mean or paltry. Potting one’s opponent at billiards is often known as “Whitechapelplay.”Whitechapel, in tossing, when “two out of three wins.”SeeSUDDEN DEATH.Whitechapel fortune, a clean gown and a pair of pattens.White eye, military slang for a very strong and deleterious kind of whisky, so called because its potency is believed to turn the eyes round in the sockets, leaving the whites only visible.White feather, “to show theWHITE FEATHER,” to evince cowardice. In times when great attention was paid to the breeding of game-cocks, a white feather in the tail was considered a proof of cross-breeding.White horses, the foam on the crests of waves, seen before or after a storm.“Now the wild white horses play.Champ and chafe and toss in the spray.Children, dear, let us away,This way, this way.”—Matthew Arnold.White lie, a harmless lie, one told to reconcile people at variance. “Mistress is not at home, sir,” is aWHITE LIEoften told by servants.White-livered, orLIVER-FACED, cowardly, much afraid, very mean.White prop, a diamond pin.—East London.White satin, gin,—term amongst women.SeeSATIN.White serjeant, a man’s superior officer in the person of his better half.White tape, gin,—term used principally by female servants.SeeRIBBON.White un, a silver watch.White wine, the fashionable term for gin.“Jack Randall then impatient rose,And said, ‘Tom’s speech were just as fineIf he would call that first ofGOESBy that genteeler name—WHITE WINE.’”Randall’s Diary, 1820.Whitewash, to rehabilitate. A person who took the benefit of the Insolvent Act was said to have beenWHITEWASHED. Now said of a person who compromises with his creditors.Whitewash, a glass of sherry as a finale, after drinking port and claret.Whittle, to nose or peach.—Old Cant.To cut and hack as with a pocket-knife.—American.Whop, to beat, or hide. Corruption ofWHIP; sometimes speltWAP.Whop-straw, cant name for a countryman; JohnnyWhop-straw, in allusion to threshing.Whopper, a big one, a lie. A lie not easily swallowed.Widdle, to shine.SeeOLIVER.Wide-awake, a broad-brimmed felt or stuff hat,—so called because it never had a nap, and never wants one.Wido, wide awake, no fool.Wife, a fetter fixed to one leg.—Prison.Wiffle-woffles, in the dumps, sorrow, stomach-ache.Wig, move off, go away.—North Country Cant.Wigging, a rebuke before comrades. If the head of a firm calls a clerk into the parlour, and rebukes him, it is anEARWIGGING; if done before the other clerks, it is aWIGGING.Wild, a village.—Tramps’ term.SeeVILE.Wild, vexed, cross, passionate,—said to be fromWILLED (SELF-WILLED), in opposition to “tamed” or “subdued.” In the United States the word “mad” is supplemented with a vulgar meaning similar to our CockneyismWILD; and to make a man mad on the other side of theAtlantic is to vex him, or “rile” his temper—not to render him a raving maniac, or a fit subject for Bedlam.Wild Irishman, the train between Euston and Holyhead, in connection with the Kingstown mail-boats.Wild oats, youthful pranks. A fast young man is said to be “sowing hisWILD OATS.”William, a bill. The derivation is obvious.Willow, a cricket-bat. From the material of which it is made. The great batsman, W. G. Grace, is often called “champion of theWILLOW.”Wind, “to raise theWIND,” to procure money; “to slip one’sWIND,” a coarse expression, meaning to die.SeeRAISE.Wind, “I’llWINDyour cotton,”i.e., I will give you some trouble. The Byzantine General, Narses, used the same kind of threat to the Greek Empress,—“I will spin a thread that they shall not be able to unravel.”Windows, the eyes, or “peepers.”Winey, intoxicated.Winged, hurt, but not dangerously, by a bullet. Originally to be shot in the arm or shoulder. To slightly wound birds is toWINGthem.Winkin, “he went off likeWINKIN,”i.e., very quickly. FromWINK, to shut the eye quickly.Winks, periwinkles.Winn, a penny—Ancient Cant.Seeintroductory chapter.Wipe, a pocket-handkerchief.—Old Cant.Wipe, a blow. Frequently sibilated toSWIPE, a cricket-term.Wipe, to strike; “he fetcht me aWIPEover the knuckles,” he struck me on the knuckles; “toWIPEa person down,” to flatter or pacify; “to wipe off a score,” to pay one’s debts, in allusion to the slate or chalk methods of account-keeping; “toWIPEa person’s eye,” to shoot game which he has missed; hence to obtain an advantage by superior activity. With old topers “WIPINGone’s eye,” is equivalent to giving or taking another drink.Wipe-out, to kill or utterly destroy. This is an Americanism, but is in pretty general use here.Wire-in, a London street phrase in general use, which means to go in with a will. In its original form of “WIRE-IN, and get your name up,” it was very popular among London professional athletes. The phrase is now general, and any one who has a hard task before him, knows he mustWIRE-INto bring matters to a successful issue.Wire-pullers, powerful political partisans, who do their work from “behind the scenes.”With and without, words by themselves, supposed to denote the existence or non-existence of sugar in grog. Generally “warmWITH” and “coldWITHOUT.”Wobble-shop, a shop where beer is sold without a licence.Wobbler, a foot soldier, a term of contempt used by cavalrymen.Wobbly, rickety, unsteady, ill-fitting.Wolf, to eat greedily.Wooden spoon, the last junior optime who takes a University degree; denoting one who is only fit to stay at home, and stir porridge.—Cambridge.The expression is also parliamentary slang, and is applied to the member of the ministry whose name appears in the division lists least frequently. At the ministerial dinner annually held at Greenwich, such member sometimes has a wooden spoon presented to him.Wooden surtout, a coffin, generally spoken of as aWOODEN SURTOUTwith nails for buttons.Wedge and spoonWooden wedge, the last name in the classical honours’ list at Cambridge. The last in mathematical honours had long been known as theWOODEN SPOON; but when the classical Tripos was instituted in 1824, it was debated among the undergraduates what sobriquet should be given to the last on the examination list. Curiously enough, the name that year which happened to be last wasWedgewood(a distinguished Wrangler). Hence the title.Wool, courage, pluck; “you are not half-WOOLED,” term of reproach from one thief to another.Wool, bravery, pluck. Term much in use among pugilists and their admirers. The highest praise that can be bestowed on a man of courage in lower-class circles is that which characterizes him as being “a reg’lar wooled un,” or “a rareWOOL-TOPPED UN.” Derived from the great pluck and perseverance shown by many pugilists of whole or partial colour, from Molyneux down to Bob Travers.Woolbird, a lamb; “wing of aWOOLBIRD,” a shoulder of lamb.Wool-gathering, said of any person’s wits when they are wandering, or in a reverie.Wool-hole, the workhouse.Woolly, out of temper.Woolly, a blanket.Work, to plan, or lay down and execute any course of action, to perform anything; “toWORKthe bulls,”i.e., to get rid of false crown pieces; “to work the oracle,” to succeed by manœuvring, to concert a wily plan, to victimize,—a possible reference to the stratagems and bribes used to corrupt the Delphic oracle, and cause it to deliver a favourable response. “ToWORKa street or neighbourhood,” to try at each house to sell all one can, or to bawl so that every housewife may know what is to be sold. The general plan is to drive a donkey-barrow a short distance, and then stop and cry. The term implies thoroughness; to “WORKa street well” is a common saying with a coster. “ToWORKa benefit” is to canvass among one’s friends and acquaintances.Worm.SeePUMP.Worm, a policeman.Worming, removing the beard of an oyster or mussel.W. P., orWARMING-PAN. A clergyman who holds a livingpro tempore, under a bond of resignation, is styled aW. P., orWARMING-PANrector, because he keeps the place warm for his successor.Warming-panwas a term first popularly applied to a substitute in the reign of James II.Wrinkle, an idea, or a fancy; an additional piece of knowledge.Write, as “toWRITEone’s name on a joint,” to leave the impression of one’s handiwork thereon, to have the first cut at anything; to leave visible traces of one’s presence anywhere.Wylo, be off.—Anglo-Chinese.
Wabble, orWOBBLE, to move from side to side, to roll about. Johnson terms it “a low, barbarous word.”
Walk into, to overcome, to demolish; “I’llWALK INTOhis affections,”i.e., I will scold or thrash him. “HeWALKED INTOthe grub,”i.e., he demolished it.Walk intoalso means to get into the debt of any one, as “HeWALKED INTOthe affections of all the tradesmen in the neighbourhood.”
Walk-over, a re-election without opposition.—Parliamentary, but derived from the turf, where a horse which has no rivalsWALKS OVERthe course.SeeDEAD HEAT.
Walk your chalks, be off, or run away,—spoken sharply by any one who wishes to get rid of a troublesome person.SeeCHALKS.
Walker, a letter-carrier or postman. From an old song, called, “Walker, the twopenny postman.”
Walker!orHookey Walker!an ejaculation of incredulity, used when a person is telling a story which you know to be all gammon, or worse. One explanation of the phrase is this:—“Years ago there was a person named Walker, an aquiline-nosed Jew, who exhibited an orrery, which he called by the erudite name of ‘Eidouranion.’ He was also a popular lecturer on astronomy, and often, telescope in hand, invited his pupils to ‘take a sight’ at the moon and stars. The lecturer’s phrase struck his schoolboy auditory, who frequently ‘took a sight’ with that gesture of outstretched arm and adjustment to nose and eye which was the first garnish of the popular saying. The next step was to assume phrase and gesture as the outward and visible mode of knowingness in general.” This has been denied, however, and a statement made thatHookey Walkerwas a magistrate of dreaded acuteness and incredulity, whose hooked nose gave the title of “beak” to all his successors; it is also said, moreover, that the gesture of applying the thumb to the nose and agitating the little finger, as an expression of “Don’t you wish you may get it?” is considerably older than the first story would seem to indicate. There are many and various explanations of the term, given according to the development of fancy.—Notes and Queries, iv. 425.
Walking the pegs, a method of cheating at the game of cribbage, by a species of legerdemain, the sharper either moving his own pegs forward, or those of his antagonist backward, according to the state of the game.
Wallflower, a person who goes to a ball and looks on without dancing, either from choice or through not being able to obtain a partner. From the position.
Wallflowers, left-off and “regenerated” clothes exposed for sale on the bunks and shop-boards of Seven Dials.SeeREACH-ME-DOWNS.
Wallabee-track, Colonial slang for the tramp. When a man in Australia is “on the road” looking for employment, he is said to be on theWALLABEE-TRACK.
Wallop, to beat, or thrash. John Gough Nichols derives this word from an ancestor of the Earl of Portsmouth, one Sir John Wallop, Knightof the Garter, who in King Henry VIII.’s time distinguished himself byWALLOPINGthe French; but it is more probably connected with wheal, a livid swelling in the skin after a blow.SeePOT-WALLOPER.
Walloping, a beating or thrashing; sometimes used in an adjective sense, as big, or very large.
Wapping, orWHOPPING, of a large size, great.
Warm, rich, or well off.
Warm, to thrash or beat; “I’llWARMyour jacket.” ToWARMthe wax of one’s ear is to give a severe blow on the side of the head. ToWARMis also to rate or abuse roundly. Also varied, as, “to make it hot” for any one.
Warming-pan, a large old-fashioned gold watch. A person placed in an office to hold it for another.SeeW.P.
War-paint, evening dress. When people go out in full costume they are often said to have theirWAR-PAINTon. Also, military “full-fig.”
Wash, “It wontWASH,”i.e., will not stand investigation, will not “bear the rub,” is not genuine, can’t be believed.
Waster, a useless, clumsy, or ill-made person.
Watch and seals, a sheep’s head and pluck.
Watchmaker, a pickpocket or stealer of watches. Often called “aWATCHMAKERin a crowd.”
Water-bewitched, very weak tea, the third brew (or the first at some houses). Sometimes very weak tea is called “husband’s tea,” in allusion to the wife taking the first brew, and leaving the rest for her husband. Also grog much diluted.
Water-dogs, Norfolk dumplings.
Water gunner, a marine artilleryman.
Water the dragon, orWATER ONE’S NAG, a hint for retiring.
Waterman, a blue silk handkerchief. The friends of the Oxford and Cambridge boats’ crews always wear these—light blue for Cambridge, and a darker shade for Oxford.
Wattles, ears.
Wax, a rage. “Let’s get him in aWAX.”Waxy, cross, ill-tempered.
Wayz-goose, a printers’ annual dinner, the funds for which are collected by stewards regularly appointed by “the chapel.”
Weather eye, the cautious eye. Any one who is supposed to have an extra good knowledge of things in general, or to be hard to impose on or cheat, is said to have hisWEATHER EYEwell open.
Weather-headed, so written by Sir Walter Scott in hisPeveril of the Peak, but it is more probablyWETHER-HEADED, as applied to a person having a “sheepish” look.
Weaving, a notorious card-sharping trick, done by keeping certain cards on the knee, or between the knee and the under side of the table, and using them when required by changing them for the cards held in the hand.
Weaving leather aprons.When a knowing blade is asked whathe has been doing lately, and does not choose to tell, his reply is, that he has been very busyWEAVING LEATHER APRONS. (From the reports of a celebrated trial for gold robbery on the South-Western Railway.) Other similar replies are, “I have been making a trundle for a goose’s eye,” or a “whim-wham to bridle a goose.” Sometimes a man will describe himself as “a doll’s-eyeWEAVER.”
Wedge, silver.—Old Cant.
Wedge-feeder, a silver spoon.
Weed, a cigar;theWEED, tobacco generally.
Weed, a hatband.
Weight-for-age, a sporting phrase which, applied to a race, distinguishes it from a handicap or catch-weight event, and informs all interested that the animals which run carry according to their ages, and not their abilities. Winners of certain great races generally carry penalties in addition toWEIGHT-FOR-AGE, for the purpose of equalizing matters somewhat; but as a rule the results are fairly foreshadowed as soon as in these races the horses are at the post, or as soon as the starters are positively known.
Wejee, a chimney-pot. Often applied to any clever invention, as, “That’s a regularWEJEE.”
Welcher, a person who makes a bet without the remotest chance of being able to pay, and, losing it, absconds, or “makes himself scarce.” In the betting ring aWELCHERis often very severely handled upon his swindling practices being discovered. The Catterick “Clerk of the Course” once provided some stout labourers and a tar-barrel for the special benefit of theWELCHERSwho might visit that neighbourhood. The word is modern, but the practice is ancient.“One Moore, the unworthy incumbent of the ‘Suffolk curacy,’ dedicated a book to ‘Duke Humphrey,’ and was then entirely lost sight of by his old college friends, till one of them espied him slung up in ‘the basket,’ for not paying his bets at a cock-pit.”—Post and Paddock.One writer says the term “arose from a fellow who took deposits on account of Welsh ponies, which he said he was importing, and never delivered them.” It is not unfrequently suggested by irreverent persons that the word was suggested by the dislike his gracious Majesty George the Fourth had, when a young man, for settling. Others derive it from the nursery rhyme,“Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief.”There can be no doubt that, from the days when the stout Earl of Chester and others were constantly employed in checking and cutting off the expeditions of their neighbours till comparatively recently, the term “Welshman” has been hardly one of kindness. It is not hard, therefore, to imagine its use on the Roodee, and its subsequent corruption intoWELCHER. The spelling of the word,WELCHERorWELSHER, is optional.
Welcher, a person who makes a bet without the remotest chance of being able to pay, and, losing it, absconds, or “makes himself scarce.” In the betting ring aWELCHERis often very severely handled upon his swindling practices being discovered. The Catterick “Clerk of the Course” once provided some stout labourers and a tar-barrel for the special benefit of theWELCHERSwho might visit that neighbourhood. The word is modern, but the practice is ancient.
“One Moore, the unworthy incumbent of the ‘Suffolk curacy,’ dedicated a book to ‘Duke Humphrey,’ and was then entirely lost sight of by his old college friends, till one of them espied him slung up in ‘the basket,’ for not paying his bets at a cock-pit.”—Post and Paddock.
“One Moore, the unworthy incumbent of the ‘Suffolk curacy,’ dedicated a book to ‘Duke Humphrey,’ and was then entirely lost sight of by his old college friends, till one of them espied him slung up in ‘the basket,’ for not paying his bets at a cock-pit.”—Post and Paddock.
One writer says the term “arose from a fellow who took deposits on account of Welsh ponies, which he said he was importing, and never delivered them.” It is not unfrequently suggested by irreverent persons that the word was suggested by the dislike his gracious Majesty George the Fourth had, when a young man, for settling. Others derive it from the nursery rhyme,
“Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief.”
“Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief.”
There can be no doubt that, from the days when the stout Earl of Chester and others were constantly employed in checking and cutting off the expeditions of their neighbours till comparatively recently, the term “Welshman” has been hardly one of kindness. It is not hard, therefore, to imagine its use on the Roodee, and its subsequent corruption intoWELCHER. The spelling of the word,WELCHERorWELSHER, is optional.
Well, to pocket, to save money. Any one of fair income and miserly habits is said to “WELLit.”
Welt, to thrash with a strap or stick. Probably meaning to raise wheals.
West central, a water-closet, the initials being the same as those of the London Postal District. It is said that for this reason very delicate people refuse to obey Rowland Hill’s instructions in this particular. An old maid, who lived in this district, was particularly shocked at havingW.C.marked on all her letters, and informed the letter-carrier that she could not think of submitting to such an indecent fashion. On being informed that the letters would not be forwarded without the obnoxious initials, she remarked that she would have them left at the Post-Office. “Then, marm,” said the fellow, with a grin, “they will putP.O.on them, which will be more ondacenter than the tother.”
Wet, a drink, a drain.
Wet, to drink. Low people generally ask an acquaintance toWETany recently purchased article,i.e., to stand treat on the occasion. “Wet(originallyWHET, to sharpen,) your whistle,”i.e., take a drink; “WETthe other eye,”i.e., take another glass.SeeSHED A TEAR.
Wet Quaker, a man who pretends to be religious, and is a dram-drinker on the sly.
Wet un, a diseased cow, unfit for human food, but nevertheless sold to make into sausages.Comparestaggering-Bob.
Whack, a share or lot. “Give me myWHACK,” give me my share.—Scotch,SWEG,orSWACK.
Whack, orWHACKING, a blow, or a thrashing.
Whack, to beat.
Whacker, a lie of unusual dimensions, sometimes called a “round un.”
Whacking, large, fine, or strong.
Whacks, to goWHACKS, to divide equally; to enter into partnership.
Whale, “very like aWHALE,” said of anything that is very improbable. A speech of Polonius’s inHamlet.
What d’yecall’em, a similar expression to “thingumy.”
Wheeze, a joke, an anecdote, or dialogue, not strictly connected with a piece that is being played, but introduced by an actor, sometimes with the assistance and for the benefit of others. The dialogues which take place between the songs at nigger entertainments are also known asWHEEZES. The word actually means a new notion as applied to dialogue.
Wherret, orWORRIT, to scold, trouble, or annoy.—Old English.
Whid, a word. Sometimes, a fib, a falsehood, a word too much.—Modern Slang, from the ancient cant.
Whiddle, to enter into a parley, or hesitate with many words, &c.; to inform, or discover.SeeWHEEDLE.
Whim-wham, an alliterative term, synonymous with fiddle-faddle, riff-raff, &c., denoting nonsense, rubbish, &c.
Whip, after the usual allowance of wine is drunk at mess, those who wish for more put a shilling each into a glass handed round to procure afurther supply.Whip-roundis now a common term for a subscription of a similar kind to that described.
Whip, to “WHIPanything up,” to take it up quickly; from the method of hoisting heavy goods or horses on board ship by aWHIP, or running tackle, from the yard-arm. Generally used to express anything dishonestly taken.
Whip, the member of the House of Commons whose duty it is to collect and keep together his party to vote at divisions. To give him greater influence, the ministerialWHIPholds, or is supposed to hold, the minor patronage of the Treasury.
Whipjack, a sham shipwrecked sailor, called also a turnpike-sailor.
Whip the cat, when an operative works at a private house by the day. Term used amongst tailors and carpenters.
Whipper-snapper, a waspish, diminutive person.
Whisper, a tip given in secret, a rumour which is spread under the pretence of its being a secret. To “give theWHISPER,” is to give a quick tip to any one. An owner’s final instruction to his jockey is called “theWHISPERat the post.”
Whisper, to borrow money—generally small sums—as, “HeWHISPEREDme for a tanner.”
Whisperer, a constant borrower.
Whistle, “as clean as aWHISTLE,” neatly, or “slickly done,” as an American would say; “To whet (or more vulgarly wet) one’sWHISTLE,” to take a drink. This last is a very old expression. Chaucer says of the Miller of Trumpington’s wife (Canterbury Tales, 4153)—“So was hir jolyWHISTALwell y-wet.”“ToWHISTLEfor anything,” to stand small chance of getting it, from the nautical custom ofWHISTLINGfor a wind in a calm, which of course comes none the sooner for it. “To pay for one’sWHISTLE,” to pay extravagantly for any fancy.
Whistle, “as clean as aWHISTLE,” neatly, or “slickly done,” as an American would say; “To whet (or more vulgarly wet) one’sWHISTLE,” to take a drink. This last is a very old expression. Chaucer says of the Miller of Trumpington’s wife (Canterbury Tales, 4153)—
“So was hir jolyWHISTALwell y-wet.”
“So was hir jolyWHISTALwell y-wet.”
“ToWHISTLEfor anything,” to stand small chance of getting it, from the nautical custom ofWHISTLINGfor a wind in a calm, which of course comes none the sooner for it. “To pay for one’sWHISTLE,” to pay extravagantly for any fancy.
Whistling-Billy, orpuffing-Billy, a locomotive engine.
Whistling-shop, a place in which spirits are sold without a licence.
WhitechapelorWestminster brougham, a costermonger’s donkey-barrow.
Whitechapel, anything mean or paltry. Potting one’s opponent at billiards is often known as “Whitechapelplay.”
Whitechapel, in tossing, when “two out of three wins.”SeeSUDDEN DEATH.
Whitechapel fortune, a clean gown and a pair of pattens.
White eye, military slang for a very strong and deleterious kind of whisky, so called because its potency is believed to turn the eyes round in the sockets, leaving the whites only visible.
White feather, “to show theWHITE FEATHER,” to evince cowardice. In times when great attention was paid to the breeding of game-cocks, a white feather in the tail was considered a proof of cross-breeding.
White horses, the foam on the crests of waves, seen before or after a storm.“Now the wild white horses play.Champ and chafe and toss in the spray.Children, dear, let us away,This way, this way.”—Matthew Arnold.
White horses, the foam on the crests of waves, seen before or after a storm.
“Now the wild white horses play.Champ and chafe and toss in the spray.Children, dear, let us away,This way, this way.”—Matthew Arnold.
“Now the wild white horses play.Champ and chafe and toss in the spray.Children, dear, let us away,This way, this way.”—Matthew Arnold.
White lie, a harmless lie, one told to reconcile people at variance. “Mistress is not at home, sir,” is aWHITE LIEoften told by servants.
White-livered, orLIVER-FACED, cowardly, much afraid, very mean.
White prop, a diamond pin.—East London.
White satin, gin,—term amongst women.SeeSATIN.
White serjeant, a man’s superior officer in the person of his better half.
White tape, gin,—term used principally by female servants.SeeRIBBON.
White un, a silver watch.
White wine, the fashionable term for gin.“Jack Randall then impatient rose,And said, ‘Tom’s speech were just as fineIf he would call that first ofGOESBy that genteeler name—WHITE WINE.’”Randall’s Diary, 1820.
White wine, the fashionable term for gin.
“Jack Randall then impatient rose,And said, ‘Tom’s speech were just as fineIf he would call that first ofGOESBy that genteeler name—WHITE WINE.’”Randall’s Diary, 1820.
“Jack Randall then impatient rose,And said, ‘Tom’s speech were just as fineIf he would call that first ofGOESBy that genteeler name—WHITE WINE.’”
Whitewash, to rehabilitate. A person who took the benefit of the Insolvent Act was said to have beenWHITEWASHED. Now said of a person who compromises with his creditors.
Whitewash, a glass of sherry as a finale, after drinking port and claret.
Whittle, to nose or peach.—Old Cant.To cut and hack as with a pocket-knife.—American.
Whop, to beat, or hide. Corruption ofWHIP; sometimes speltWAP.
Whop-straw, cant name for a countryman; JohnnyWhop-straw, in allusion to threshing.
Whopper, a big one, a lie. A lie not easily swallowed.
Widdle, to shine.SeeOLIVER.
Wide-awake, a broad-brimmed felt or stuff hat,—so called because it never had a nap, and never wants one.
Wido, wide awake, no fool.
Wife, a fetter fixed to one leg.—Prison.
Wiffle-woffles, in the dumps, sorrow, stomach-ache.
Wig, move off, go away.—North Country Cant.
Wigging, a rebuke before comrades. If the head of a firm calls a clerk into the parlour, and rebukes him, it is anEARWIGGING; if done before the other clerks, it is aWIGGING.
Wild, a village.—Tramps’ term.SeeVILE.
Wild, vexed, cross, passionate,—said to be fromWILLED (SELF-WILLED), in opposition to “tamed” or “subdued.” In the United States the word “mad” is supplemented with a vulgar meaning similar to our CockneyismWILD; and to make a man mad on the other side of theAtlantic is to vex him, or “rile” his temper—not to render him a raving maniac, or a fit subject for Bedlam.
Wild Irishman, the train between Euston and Holyhead, in connection with the Kingstown mail-boats.
Wild oats, youthful pranks. A fast young man is said to be “sowing hisWILD OATS.”
William, a bill. The derivation is obvious.
Willow, a cricket-bat. From the material of which it is made. The great batsman, W. G. Grace, is often called “champion of theWILLOW.”
Wind, “to raise theWIND,” to procure money; “to slip one’sWIND,” a coarse expression, meaning to die.SeeRAISE.
Wind, “I’llWINDyour cotton,”i.e., I will give you some trouble. The Byzantine General, Narses, used the same kind of threat to the Greek Empress,—“I will spin a thread that they shall not be able to unravel.”
Windows, the eyes, or “peepers.”
Winey, intoxicated.
Winged, hurt, but not dangerously, by a bullet. Originally to be shot in the arm or shoulder. To slightly wound birds is toWINGthem.
Winkin, “he went off likeWINKIN,”i.e., very quickly. FromWINK, to shut the eye quickly.
Winks, periwinkles.
Winn, a penny—Ancient Cant.Seeintroductory chapter.
Wipe, a pocket-handkerchief.—Old Cant.
Wipe, a blow. Frequently sibilated toSWIPE, a cricket-term.
Wipe, to strike; “he fetcht me aWIPEover the knuckles,” he struck me on the knuckles; “toWIPEa person down,” to flatter or pacify; “to wipe off a score,” to pay one’s debts, in allusion to the slate or chalk methods of account-keeping; “toWIPEa person’s eye,” to shoot game which he has missed; hence to obtain an advantage by superior activity. With old topers “WIPINGone’s eye,” is equivalent to giving or taking another drink.
Wipe-out, to kill or utterly destroy. This is an Americanism, but is in pretty general use here.
Wire-in, a London street phrase in general use, which means to go in with a will. In its original form of “WIRE-IN, and get your name up,” it was very popular among London professional athletes. The phrase is now general, and any one who has a hard task before him, knows he mustWIRE-INto bring matters to a successful issue.
Wire-pullers, powerful political partisans, who do their work from “behind the scenes.”
With and without, words by themselves, supposed to denote the existence or non-existence of sugar in grog. Generally “warmWITH” and “coldWITHOUT.”
Wobble-shop, a shop where beer is sold without a licence.
Wobbler, a foot soldier, a term of contempt used by cavalrymen.
Wobbly, rickety, unsteady, ill-fitting.
Wolf, to eat greedily.
Wooden spoon, the last junior optime who takes a University degree; denoting one who is only fit to stay at home, and stir porridge.—Cambridge.The expression is also parliamentary slang, and is applied to the member of the ministry whose name appears in the division lists least frequently. At the ministerial dinner annually held at Greenwich, such member sometimes has a wooden spoon presented to him.
Wooden surtout, a coffin, generally spoken of as aWOODEN SURTOUTwith nails for buttons.
Wedge and spoonWooden wedge, the last name in the classical honours’ list at Cambridge. The last in mathematical honours had long been known as theWOODEN SPOON; but when the classical Tripos was instituted in 1824, it was debated among the undergraduates what sobriquet should be given to the last on the examination list. Curiously enough, the name that year which happened to be last wasWedgewood(a distinguished Wrangler). Hence the title.
Wedge and spoon
Wooden wedge, the last name in the classical honours’ list at Cambridge. The last in mathematical honours had long been known as theWOODEN SPOON; but when the classical Tripos was instituted in 1824, it was debated among the undergraduates what sobriquet should be given to the last on the examination list. Curiously enough, the name that year which happened to be last wasWedgewood(a distinguished Wrangler). Hence the title.
Wool, courage, pluck; “you are not half-WOOLED,” term of reproach from one thief to another.
Wool, bravery, pluck. Term much in use among pugilists and their admirers. The highest praise that can be bestowed on a man of courage in lower-class circles is that which characterizes him as being “a reg’lar wooled un,” or “a rareWOOL-TOPPED UN.” Derived from the great pluck and perseverance shown by many pugilists of whole or partial colour, from Molyneux down to Bob Travers.
Woolbird, a lamb; “wing of aWOOLBIRD,” a shoulder of lamb.
Wool-gathering, said of any person’s wits when they are wandering, or in a reverie.
Wool-hole, the workhouse.
Woolly, out of temper.
Woolly, a blanket.
Work, to plan, or lay down and execute any course of action, to perform anything; “toWORKthe bulls,”i.e., to get rid of false crown pieces; “to work the oracle,” to succeed by manœuvring, to concert a wily plan, to victimize,—a possible reference to the stratagems and bribes used to corrupt the Delphic oracle, and cause it to deliver a favourable response. “ToWORKa street or neighbourhood,” to try at each house to sell all one can, or to bawl so that every housewife may know what is to be sold. The general plan is to drive a donkey-barrow a short distance, and then stop and cry. The term implies thoroughness; to “WORKa street well” is a common saying with a coster. “ToWORKa benefit” is to canvass among one’s friends and acquaintances.
Worm.SeePUMP.
Worm, a policeman.
Worming, removing the beard of an oyster or mussel.
W. P., orWARMING-PAN. A clergyman who holds a livingpro tempore, under a bond of resignation, is styled aW. P., orWARMING-PANrector, because he keeps the place warm for his successor.Warming-panwas a term first popularly applied to a substitute in the reign of James II.
Wrinkle, an idea, or a fancy; an additional piece of knowledge.
Write, as “toWRITEone’s name on a joint,” to leave the impression of one’s handiwork thereon, to have the first cut at anything; to leave visible traces of one’s presence anywhere.
Wylo, be off.—Anglo-Chinese.