WHOP, to beat, or hide. FAD, a hobby, a favourite pursuit. WHITEWASH, when a person has taken the benefit of the Insolvent Act he is said to have been WHITEWASHED. Actress Chaplin - OONA. With 5 letters was last seen on the November 10, 2021. A person is said to be FLASH when he apes the appearance or manners of his betters, or when he is trying to be superior to his friends and relations. GAMMY, bad, unfavourable, poor tempered. SHOWFULL PITCHING, passing bad money. SHELF, "on the SHELF, " not yet disposed of; young ladies are said to be so situated when they cannot meet with a husband; "on the SHELF, " pawned. Attractive fashionable man in modern parlance crossword. Such was the origin of CANT; and in illustration of its blending with the Gipsey or Cingari tongue, dusky and Oriental from the sunny plains of Central Asia, I am enabled to give the accompanying list of Gipsey, and often Hindoo words, with, in many instances, their English adoptions. BONES, dice; also called ST. HUGH'S BONES. Some question about Trincomalee was agitated at the same time. Author: A London Antiquary Release Date: October 2, 2014 [EBook #47018] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A DICTIONARY OF SLANG, CANT *** Produced by Chris Curnow, Jennifer Linklater, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive).
On the other hand, who am I to complain? Rude pictures of the performers are arranged outside to give the front a gaudy and attractive look, and at night-time coloured lamps and transparencies are displayed to draw an audience. ELEPHANT, "to have SEEN THE ELEPHANT, " to be "up to the latest move, " or "down to the last new trick;" to be knowing, and not "green, " &c. Attractive fashionable man in modern parlance. Possibly a metaphor taken from the travelling menageries, where the ELEPHANT is the finale of the exhibition. Provincial Gipsey, DEANEE, a pound. Shakespere has MOE, to make mouths. BUM, the part on which we sit.
PEG-TOPS, the loose trousers now in fashion, small at the ankle and swelling upwards, in imitation of the Zouave costume. FIGURE, "to cut a good or bad FIGURE, " to make a good or indifferent appearance; "what's the FIGURE? " —See CATCH 'EM ALIVE. BOLT, to swallow without chewing. The Gradus ad Cantabrigiam suggests the derivation of BORE from the Greek, Βαρος, a burden. LITTLE GO, the "Previous Examination, " at Cambridge the first University examination for undergraduates in their second year of matriculation. A humorous Hibernicism. TOOTH, "he has cut his eye TOOTH, " i. e., he is sharp enough, or old enough, to be so; "up in the TOOTH, " far advanced in age, —said often of old maids. COCK-EYE, one that squints.
It implies also deep cunning and foresight, and generally signifies dishonesty. BUNG, to give, pass, hand over, drink, or indeed to perform any action; BUNG UP, to close up—Pugilistic; "BUNG over the rag, " hand over the money—Old, used by Beaumont and Fletcher, and Shakespere. SWEATER, common term for a "cutting" or "grinding" employer. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. Where did these signs come from, and when were they first used? PAPER WORKERS, the wandering vendors of street literature; street folk who sell ballads, dying speeches and confessions, sometimes termed RUNNING STATIONERS. As a Theatrical term, a part with plenty of FAT in it, is one which affords the actor an opportunity of effective display. CAROON, five shillings. "There are several Hebrew terms in our Cant language, obtained, it would appear, from the intercourse of the thieves with the Jew fences (receivers of stolen goods); many of the Cant terms, again, are Sanscrit, got from the Gipseys; many Latin, got by the beggars from the Catholic prayers before the Reformation; and many, again, Italian, got from the wandering musicians and others; indeed the showmen have but lately introduced a number of Italian phrases into their Cant language. " At Cambridge a boat-race, where the crews are drawn by lot. On the river, more especially a person who contracts to deliver a ship laden with timber. Look at those simple and useful verbs, do, cut, go, and take, and see how they are hampered and overloaded, and then let us ask ourselves how it is that a French or German gentleman, be he ever so well educated, is continually blundering and floundering amongst our little words when trying to make himself understood in an ordinary conversation.
CHERUBS, or CHERUBIMS, the chorister boys who chaunt in the services at the abbeys. French, TESTE, or TETE, the head of the monarch on the coin. At p. 133 of the Newcomes, Mr. Thackeray writes, "The Cistercian lads call these old gentlemen CODDS, I know not wherefore. " CARNEY, soft talk, nonsense, gammon. Cunning tradesmen join the KNOCK-OUTS when an opportunity for money making presents itself. Many words, owing to the caprices of fashion or society, have wholly disappeared in the parent country, whilst in the colonies they are yet heard. Fairs and merry-makings generally abound with them. SQUIB, a temporary jeu d'esprit, which, like the firework of that denomination, sparkles, bounces, stinks, and vanishes. How far he succeeded in this latter particular his ridiculous etymology of Slang will show. SPOUT, to preach, or make speeches; SPOUTER, a preacher or lecturer. Soup, pastry, &c., are SIZINGS, and are paid for at a certain specified rate per SIZE, or portion, to the college cook.
This is a very old term. LEARY, flash, or knowing. The Choicest Jests of English Wits; from the Rude Jokes of the Ancient Jesters, to the refined and impromptu Witticisms of Theodore Hook and Douglas Jerrold. —Old cant term for picking pockets, and very curious it is to trace its origin. ALL MY EYE, answer of astonishment to an improbable story; ALL MY EYE AND BETTY MARTIN, a vulgar phrase with similar meaning, said to be the commencement of a Popish prayer to St. Martin, "Oh mihi, beate Martine, " and fallen into discredit at the Reformation. They are identical with the very name of money among the early Romans, which was pecunia, from pecus, a flock. CAT, to vomit like a cat. EGAN'S (Pierce) Life in London, 2 vols, thick 8vo, with coloured plates by Geo. An ancient MS. has this couplet, which shows the antiquity of the phrase—. MARINATED, transported;—from the salt-pickling fish undergo in Cornwall. FAWNEY BOUNCING, selling rings for a wager.
QUISBY, bankrupt, poverty stricken. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. HARRY-SOPH (ἐρίσοφος, very wise indeed), an undergraduate in his last year of residence. Grose has a singular derivation, BOTHER, or BOTH-EARED, from two persons talking at the same time, or to both ears.
The conclusion of one of these singular evening parties is generally marked by an "exposition"—an unseasonable sermon of nearly one hour's duration, circumscribed by no text, and delivered from the table by one of the clerical visitors with a view to "improve the occasion. " COMMISSION, a shirt. Hence, earnest money, first fruits, &c. In Norfolk, HANSELLING a thing, is using it for the first time, as wearing a new coat, taking seizin of it, as it were. Pugilists are sometimes termed THE FANCY. It has been formed, he says, from those 'mean and dirty dependants, in great houses, who were selected to carry coals to the kitchen, halls, &c. To this smutty regiment, who attended the progresses, and rode in the carts with the pots and kettles, which, with every other article of furniture, were then moved from palace to palace, the people, in derision, gave the name of black guards; a term since become sufficiently familiar, and never properly explained. Half-a-crown is known as an ALDERMAN, HALF A BULL, HALF A TUSHEROON, and a MADZA CAROON; whilst a crown piece, or five shillings, may be called either a BULL, or a CAROON, or a CARTWHEEL, or a COACHWHEEL, or a THICK-UN, or a TUSHEROON. OFFICE, "to give the OFFICE, " to give a hint dishonestly to a confederate, thereby enabling him to win a game or bet, the profits being shared. BIT, a purse, or any sum of money.
TINGE, the percentage allowed by drapers and clothiers to their assistants, upon the sale of old-fashioned articles. TIP, a douceur; also to give, lend, or hand over anything to another person; "come, TIP up the tin, " i. e., hand up the money; "TIP the wink, " to inform by winking; "TIP us your fin, " i. e., give me your hand; "TIP one's boom off, " to make off, depart. BY GEORGE, an exclamation similar to BY JOVE. WIGGING, a rebuke before comrades. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg-tm work. CORNERED, hemmed in a corner, placed in a position from which there is no escape. GIBBERISH, unmeaning jargon; the language of the Gipseys, synonymous with SLANG, another Gipsey word. FLIP, corruption of FILLIP, a light blow.
"—Saxon and Old English, now a vulgarism.