1823. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, 11. 4. A rattler ... is a rumbler,
otherwise a jarvey ... better known perhaps by the name of a hack.
1835. T. Hook, Gilbert Gurney, iii. 1. I stepped into the litter,
... at the bottom of the jarvy.
1838. Glascock, Land Sharks & Sea Gulls, i, 203. And now ... was
Waddy seen to enter a jarvey, and to drive from the Temple Court.
1865. G. F. Berkeley, My Life, i. 275. Dan McKinnon slipped through
the windows of the first, and so on out of the others till the
whole string of jarvies were bumping in procession to the
destination, having no one in them.
Jasey (or Jazey), subs. (old).—1. A worsted wig. Cove with a jazey =
judge.
1789. Parker, Life’s Painter, 172. Wig, jasey.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v.
1837. Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, ‘Jerry Jarvis’s Wig’. With an
infrenzied grasp he tore the jasey from his head. Ibid. ‘The
Coronation’. All jools from his jasey to his di’mond boots.
1841. Punch, i. 208. If you only see his big cock’d hat, Stuck up
on the top of his jazy.
1842. Lever, Jack Hinton, iii. The head would have been bald but
for a scanty wig, technically called a jasy, which shrunk by time,
merely occupied the apex of the scalp.
1869. Thackeray, Lyra Hibernica, ‘Molony’s Lament.’ When spring
with its buds and its dasies, Comes out in her beauty and bloom,
Them tu’ll never think of new jasies.
1895. Sporting Times, No. 1653, p. 9. There is nothing to be
ashamed of in wearing a jasey.
2. (American thieves’).—A man with an enormous quantity of hair upon
his head and face.—Matsell (1859).
Jasker, subs. (American thieves’). A seal.—Matsell (1859). Cf. Jark.
Jason’s Fleece, subs. phr. (Old Cant.).—A citizen cheated of his
gold.—B. E. (1690); Grose (1785).
Jaum, verb. (thieves’).—To discover.
1821. Haggart, Life, 57. McBean ... jaum’d a scout on the
chimney-piece.
Jaw, subs. (vulgar).—Abuse; chatter; impudence; any sort of talk. Hold
(or stow) your jaw = hold your tongue. All jaw, like a sheep’s head =
nothing but talk.
English synonyms. Chin-music; gab (or gob); lingo; lip lobs; patter;
snaffle.
French synonyms. Le debérage (popular); une coup de gaffe (general); la
jactance (thieves’); la jappe (popular); le jaspin (thieves’).
Italian synonyms. Canzonamento; contrapunto (= counterpoint).
Spanish synonyms. Champarrado; chapurrado; dichido.
1748. Smollett, Roderick Random, iii. ‘None of your jaw, you swab’
... replied my uncle.
1751. Smollett, Peregrine Pickle, xxxii. Desiring him to do his
duty without farther jaw.
1753. Foote, Englishman in Paris (1783), 15. Hold your jaw, and
despatch!
1771. G. A. Stevens, Songs Comic and Satyrical, p. 47. O my love,
though I cannot well jaw.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Jaw, speech, discourse.
1825. Todd, Eng. Dict., s.v. Jaw. In low language, gross abuse.
1830. Lytton, Paul Clifford, xvi. Hand me the brandy and cease your
jaw.
1836. M. Scott, Cruise of the Midge, 256. Bring the felt, you
spalpeen, and no jaw.
1852. H. B. Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, viii. ‘Stop that ar jaw o’
yourn, there’ said Tom gruffly.
1859. H. Kingsley, Geoffrey Hamlyn, xxvi. Stop your jaw about him!
1874. E. Lynn Linton, Patricia Kemball, xxi. ‘Dora, I and my father
have had a jaw’, Sydney began.
1876. Hindley, Adventures of a Cheap Jack, 41. He’s all jaw like a
sheep’s head.
1883. Daily Telegraph, 5 Jan. 2. 2. He had audibly expressed his
disgust that some fellows should have all the jaw to themselves.
1883. Clark Russell, Sailor’s Language, s.v. Jaw.
1892. S. Watson, Wops the Waif, i. I’ll hev yer run in ... if yer
don’t hold yer jaw.
1892. Milliken, ’Arry Ballads, 68. These stuckuppy snipsters as jaw
about quiet and peace.
Verb. (vulgar).—To chatter; to abuse; to use violent language. Fr.
faire péter son grelot or jouer du mirliton.
1748. Smollett, Roderick Random, xxiv. They jawed together
fore-and-aft a good spell.
1760–61. Smollett, Sir L. Graves, Bk. II. i. You might give good
words, however: an we once fall a-jawing, d’ye see, I can heave out
as much bilge-water as another.
1825. Todd (Johnson), Eng. Dict. s.v. Jaw. In low language, to
abuse grossly.
1843. Thackeray, Irish Sketch Book, ii. Why should four waiters
stand and jaw, and gesticulate among themselves, instead of waiting
on the guests?
1862. Lowell, Biglow Papers, ii. p. 61. But, neighbour, ef they
prove their claim at law, The best way is to settle, an’ not jaw.
1883. Daily Telegraph, 8 Feb., p. 3, col. 1. If I was to jaw till a
blue moon, I couldn’t tell you more about her.
1888. Detroit Free Press, 8 Dec. She’ll lick both of us and jaw
father all the evening.
To jaw on the toby (or drum) verb. phr. (tramps’).—To go on the road.
Jawbation, subs. (old).—1. A general confab (q.v.); a jawing-match. See
Jobation.