1888. Sporting Life, 28 Nov. On new premises ... where erstwhile
the click of ivories was heard.
To flash the ivories, verb. phr. (common).—1. To show the teeth.—Grose
(1785).
2. (medical).—To be dissected or ‘anatomised’ after execution, the
skeleton being taken to the College of Surgeons; hence, to be hanged.
1830. Lytton, Paul Clifford, ii. ‘I want to make him an honour to
his country and an ixciption to my family’ ‘Who all flashed their
Ivories at Surgeon’s Hall’, added the metaphorical Dummie.
To sluice (wash or rince) one’s ivories, verb. phr. (common).—To drink.
1823. Moncrieff, Tom & Jerry, ii. 6. Mr. J. Sluice your dominos
vill you? Green. Vot! I never plays at dominos—it’s too wulgar. Mr.
J. Vy then, vash your ivories? Green. I’ve got no hiveries to vash.
Mr. J. Drink vill you? dont you understand Hinglish?
Ivory-box, subs. (pugilists’).—The mouth. For synonyms see Potato-trap.
1888. Sportsman, 28 Nov. Harris countered heavily on Joseph’s ivory
box, a compliment which he at once returned, and with considerable
interest.
Ivory-carpenter, subs. (common).—A dentist. For synonyms see
Snag-catcher.
Ivory-gate, subs. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms see
Monosyllable.
Ivory-thumper, (or Spanker), subs. (common).—A pianist.
Ivy-bush, subs. (old).—See quot.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Ivy-Bush. Like an owl in an ivy
bush, a simile for a meagre, or weazle-faced man, with a large wig,
or very bushy hair.
J
Jab (or Job), subs. (colloquial American).—A prod; a poke; a stab.
1872. C. D. Warner, Backlog Studies, 279. ‘Oh yes, I have,’ I
cried, starting up and giving the fire a jab with the poker.
1884. Detroit Free Press, 3 May, p. 5, col. 4. He gave each of the
Epistles a vicious jab with the cancelling stamp, and then tossed
it into the mail-bag.
Verb. (colloquial American).—To handle harshly; to hustle; to prod or
poke; to stab (with a pointed weapon).
1868. Putnam’s Magazine, Sept. (quoted by De Vere). ‘The Missouri
stoker pulls and jabs his plutonic monster as an irate driver would
regulate his mule.’
1885. F. R. Stockton, Rudder Grange, iv. ‘Shall we run on deck and
shoot him as he swims?’ I cried. ‘No,’ said the boarder, ‘we’ll get
the boat-hook, and jab him if he tries to climb up.’
1888. Denver Republican, 6 May. When it [hair] don’t twist easily
she’s as like to jab at it with her scissors and shorten it herself
as trust it to anybody as knows how.
1889. Detroit Free Press, 5 Jan. Moses jabbed at him and ran the
umbrella clean through him.
1890. Tit Bits, 26 April, p. 55, col. 3. If you jab that umbrella
in my eye again, you’ll get a broken head!
Jabber, subs. (old colloquial).—Chatter; incoherent or inarticulate and
unintelligible speech (as a foreign language heard by one ignorant of
it). See verb.
1706. Ward, Hudibras Redivivus, I, v. 5. And stopp’d their bold
presumptuous labour, By unintelligible jabber.
1726. Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, ‘Gulliver, to his cousin Sympson.’
They use a sort of jabber and do not go naked.
1827. Johnson, Eng. Dict. [Todd] s.v. Jabber, garrulity.... Bishop
Fleetwood somewhere uses the word in his works; and it is still a
colloquial term.
1854. Our Cruise in the Undine, p. 35. The jabber began ... and
almost distracted us.
1879. Jas. Payn, High Spirits (Aunt by Marriage). When one
considers the packing, and the crossing the Channel, and the jabber
upon the other side of it, which not one in ten of us understands
and the tenth only imperfectly.
1888. Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, viii. Is it French or
Queensland blacks’ jabber?
Verb. (old: now recognised). See quots.
1543. Bale, Yet a Course, fol. 43, b. Censynge, Latyne, jabberinge.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Jabber, to Talk thick and fast,
as great Praters do, or to Chatter, like a Magpye.
1716. Addison, Tory Foxhunter, [in Freeholder, No. 22, Mar. 5]. He
did not know what travelling was good for but to teach a man to
ride the great horse, to jabber French &c.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v. Jabber.
1728. Pope, Dunciad, ii. 237. ’Twas chatt’ring, grinning, mouthing,
jabb’ring all.
d. 1745. Swift, [quoted by Johnson]. We scorn, for want of talk, to
jabber Of parties.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Jabber ... also to speak a foreign
language; he jabbered to me in his damned outlandish parlez-vous.
1853. Thackeray, Barry Lyndon, vi. p. 82. A couple more of the same
nation were jabbering oaths and chattering incessantly.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v. Jabber. To talk in an unknown
language.
1884. W. C. Russell, Jack’s Courtship, xvii. We sallied forth arm
in arm, he jabbering incessantly.
1888. Daily Chronicle, 19 Oct. The woman said that he was a perfect
stranger to her, and ... jabbered something she did not understand.
Jabberer, subs. (old: now colloquial).—One who jabbers (q.v.).
1678. Butler, Hudibras, III., c. 2. T’out-cant the Babylonian
labourers, At all their dialects of jabberers.
Jabbering, subs. (old: now colloquial).—Nonsense; indistinct and rapid
speech; Patter (q.v.).
1690. Durfey, Collin’s Walk, C. IV., p. 183. With which, and wild
Egyptian jabbering, She got her Living without Labouring.
1720. Defoe, Capt. Singleton, I., xi. Pray what are we the wiser
for all their jabbering?
Jabberingly, adv. (old: now colloquial).—Indistinctly; nonsensically.
Jabberment, subs. (old: now colloquial).—Nonsense; gibberish; Jabber
(q.v.).
1645. Milton, Colasterion [quoted in Enc. Dict.]. At last, and in
good hour, we are come to his farewel, which is to be a concluding
taste of his jabberment in law.
Jabbernowl. See Jobbernowl.
Jabers (or Jabez). Be (or by) jabers (or jabez), intj. (common).—An
oath.
1821. Haggart, Life, 118. By jappers! we were tould he was the boy.
1890. Hume Nisbet, Bail up, p. 265. A head wind, be jabbers!
1892. Hume Nisbet, Bushranger’s Sweetheart, p. 152. Arrah, be
jabbers! but that’s the foinest song I have listened to since I
left Ould Oirland.
Jack, subs. (old).—1. A farthing; also (American thieves’), a small
coin.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew. s.v. Jack.
1714. Memoirs of John Hall, p. 12, s.v.
1725. New Cant. Dict. s.v. Jack. He wou’d not tip me a jack, Not a
farthing wou’d he give me.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.