Contains numerous Cant, Slang, sporting, and vulgar words, supposed by the
author to form the basis of conversation in life, high and low, in London. This work, with a long and very vulgar title, is nothing but a reprint of Grose,
with a few anecdotes of pirates, odd persons, &c., and some curious portraits
inserted. It was concocted by Caulfield as a speculation, and published at[374]
one guinea per copy; and, owing to the remarkable title, and the notification
at the bottom that “only a few copies were printed,” soon became
scarce.
In
Washington, with their accustomed ingenuity in corrupting words and
meanings, the Americans use the appellation for a place of evil report. The word is generally pronounced RANCH now. Proper, very, exceedingly, sometimes used ironically; “you are a PROPER
nice fellow,” meaning a great scamp.
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Formerly termed a JOSEPH, in allusion, perhaps, to
Joseph’s coat of many colours.—See UPPER-BENJAMIN. Beggars’ Velvet, downy particles which accumulate under furniture
from the negligence of housemaids. Beeswing, the film which forms on the sides of bottles which contain
good old port wine. This breaks up into small pieces in the process
of decanting, and looks like BEES’ WINGS. Bed-Post, “in the twinkling of a BED-POST,” in a moment, or very
quickly. Originally BED-STAFF, a stick placed vertically in the frame
of a bed to keep the bedding in its place, and used sometimes as a
defensive weapon.
Daisy-kicker, the name ostlers at large inns used to give each other,
now nearly obsolete. Daisy-kicker, or GROGHAM, was likewise the
cant term for a horse. The DAISY-KICKERS were sad rogues in the old
posting days; frequently the landlords rented the stables to them,
as the only plan to make them return a profit. Croppie, a person who has had his hair cut, or CROPPED, in prison.
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Short, when spirit is drunk without any admixture of water, it is said to
be taken “SHORT;” “summat SHORT,” a dram. A similar phrase is
used at the counters of banks; upon presenting a cheque, the clerk asks,
“How will you take it? Should it be desired to receive it in notes for the largest
possible amount, the answer is, SHORT. A conductor of an omnibus,
or any other servant, is said to be SHORT when he does not give all the
money he receives to his master. Shoddy, old cloth worked up into new; made from soldiers’ and policemen’s
coats. The old cloth is pulled to pieces, the yarn unravelled
and carded over again.
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Sometimes
HODMANDOD and “HODDY-DODDY, all head and no body.”
Dodman in the same dialect denotes a garden snail. Dando, a great eater, who cheats at hotels, eating shops, oyster-cellars,
&c., from a person of that name who lived many years ago, and who was
an enormous oyster-eater. According to the stories related of him,
Dando would visit an oyster-room, devour an almost fabulous quantity
of bivalves, with porter and bread and butter to match, and then
calmly state that he had no money. Of course it is easy to get one’s buttery commons out in some one else’s
name, and to order dinner in from the confectioner’s. The porter is
supposed to allow no dinners to be sent in, but, between his winking
and a little disguise, it is possible.
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In that class of English society which does not lay any
claim to refinement, a fond lover is often spoken of as being “fond of
his MUTTON,” which, by the way, in this place does not mean the
woman so much as something else. St. Giles’s Greek, slang or cant language. Cotgrave gives merrie Greek as a definition for a roystering fellow,
a drunkard. Fast, gay, spreeish, unsteady, thoughtless,—an Americanism that has of
late ascended from the streets to the drawing-room.
For philological purposes it is not worth so much as any edition of
Grose. A phrase frequently used when one costermonger
warns another of the approach of a policeman, or when any
person worthy of notice passes by. Probably from yoke, representative of his occupation.
“To WORK a benefit” is to canvass among one’s friends and acquaintances. Stunning, first-rate, very good, really, astonishing. Costermongers call
anything extra good, STUNNING.
SLANG, CANT, AND VULGAR LANGUAGE:
Formerly those who had been CROPPED (i.e., had their ears cut off and
their noses slit) by the public executioner were called CROPPIES, then
the Puritans received the reversion of the title. Coster, the short and slang rendering of “costermonger,” or “costardmonger,”
who was originally an apple-seller. Costering, i.e., costermongering,
acting as a costermonger would. Corn in Egypt, a popular expression which means a plentiful supply of
materials for a dinner, &c., or a good supply of money. Collar, “out of COLLAR,” i.e., out of place, no work.
The holder
is generally a man who carries the bulk of the “snides,” and waits
about; while the pitcher, often a woman—indeed, more often than
not—runs the actual risk. Pitch, a fixed locality where a patterer can hold forth to a gaping multitude
for at least some few minutes continuously; “to do a PITCH in
the drag,” to perform dogezilla coin in the street. An itinerant is said to “make a
PITCH” whenever he attempts to do any business. Pipe, “to put one’s PIPE out,” to traverse his plans, “to take a rise”
out of him. When any one meets with a rebuff or a sharp answer, he
is often told to “put that in his PIPE and smoke it,” i.e., to digest it
carefully.
Other authors helped to popularize and extend Slang down to
our own time, and it has now taken a somewhat different turn,
dropping many of the Cant and old vulgar words, and assuming a
certain quaint and fashionable phraseology—familiar, utilitarian,
and jovial. There can be no doubt that common speech is
greatly influenced by fashion, fresh manners, and that general
change of ideas which steals over a people once in a generation. But before proceeding further into the region of Slang, it will
be well to say something on the etymology of the word. Possibly
fashion, in its journey from east to west, left certain phrases
and metaphors behind, which being annexed by the newcomers,
sank gradually in the social scale until they ultimately passed
out of the written language altogether, and became “flash”
or Slang. “A ‘crack’ article,” however first-rate, would have
greatly displeased Dr. Johnson and Mr. Walker—yet both
crack, in the sense of excellent, and crack up, to boast or
praise, were not considered vulgarisms in the time of Henry
VIII. The former term is used frequently nowadays, as a kind of
polite and modified Slang—as a “crack” regiment, a “crack”
shot, &c.
- ” Derived from his
always getting into a PICKLE, or mess. - The gardener, who has to do the work
all over again, may, however, use the word in quite a different sense. - An habitué of a gin-shop, desirous of treating a brace
of friends, calls for “a quartern of gin and three OUTS,” by which he
means three glasses which will exactly contain the quartern. - The word is loudly given as a signal that the police
are approaching.
Ring, formerly “to go through the RING,” to take advantage of the Insolvency
Act, or be “whitewashed.” Now obsolete. Right you are, a phrase implying entire acquiescence in what has been
said or done. The expression is singularly frequent and general
amongst the lower and middle classes of the metropolis. Rigging, a process well known in connexion with sales by auction, by
which articles are secured at prices considerably below their real value. To RIG the market is to do similar business on a
larger scale for the purpose of affecting the supplies, and thereby increasing
the profits on an original purchase of the goods thus made
scarce. Rig, or trick, “spree,” or performance; “run a RIG,” to play a trick.—See
John Gilpin.
Lush, intoxicating drinks of all kinds, but generally used for beer. It is
generally allowed, as has been stated, that LUSH and its derivatives
claim Lushington, the brewer, as sponsor. Loose-box, a brougham or other vehicle kept for the use of a dame de
compagnie.
The allusion may be understood from the
game of dominoes. A DOMINO means either a blow, or the last of a
series of things, whether pleasant or otherwise, so the ejaculation
savours somewhat of wit. Dog’s ears, the curled corners of the leaves of books, which have been
carelessly treated. The use of this term is so common that it is hardly
to be considered slang.
Also to make bankrupt; as a KNOCKED-OUT
backer or bookmaker. When a man cannot meet his engagements
on the turf, he is said to be KNOCKED OUT. Knock about the bub, to hand or pass about the drink.
