1710. Tatler, No. 268. It is our custom, upon the first coming of
the news, to order a youth, who officiates as the kidney of the
coffee-house, to get into the pulpit and read every paper with a
loud and distinct voice.
(Stock Exchange).—A fractional part of a shilling. [A corruption of
Cadney, the name of the first dealer known to deal under 1⁄32].
Kidney-hit, subs. (pugilistic).—A punch in the short ribs.
Kid’s-eye, subs. (old).—A fippenny piece.
1821. Haggart, Life, p. 114. I got three jumpers and a kid’s-eye.
Kidsman, subs. (thieves’).—See quot. 1859.
1836. Brandon, Poverty, Mendacity and Crime, p. 149, s.v.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum. A fellow that boards and lodges boys for
the purpose of teaching them how to steal, putting them through a
course of training, as a dog trainer will train dogs for the hunt.
The kidsman accompanies the kid, and though committing no
depredations himself, he controls and directs the motions of the
others.
Kid-stretcher, subs. (venery).—A man addicted to the use of kid-leather
(q.v.).
Kilkenny, subs. (old).—A frieze coat.—Grose (1785).
Kill, subs. (tailors’).—A garment utterly spoiled.
Dressed to kill. See Dressed and Death.
Kill-calf (or -cow), subs. (old).—A butcher: also a murderous ruffian.
Also Kill-buck.
... Old Ballad [quoted by Nares]. Of all occupations that nowadays
are used I would not be a butcher, for that’s to be refused; For
whatever is gotten, or whatever is gained, He shall be call’d
kill-cow, and so shall be named.
1628. Clavell, Recantation of an Ill-bred Life [quoted by Nares].
But in the night, yet then take heed of those Base padding
rascalls, for their kill-calfe law.
1630. Taylor, Wks. [Nares]. They make private shambles with
kil-calfe cruelty, and sheepe-slaughtering murther, to the abuse of
Lent, the deceiving of the informers, and the great griefe of every
zealous fishmonger.
c. 1636. London Chanticleers, Sc. iv. I know there’s never a
kill-cow i’ th’ city becomes a woollen apron better than I do.
Kill-devil, subs. (old and American).—Rum: specifically new spirit.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Kill-devil, new still-burnt rum.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
Killers, subs. (common).—The eyes. For synonyms see Peepers.
1780. Marsell, in Whibley, Cap and Gown, p. 85. Oer the poor
country curate that’s near How their eyes (in fine language called
killers).
Killing, adj. and adv.. (common).—1. Fascinating; bewitching;
irresistible. Also Killingly.
1619. Fletcher, Wild Goose Chase, iii. As killing eyes as yours, a
wit as poignant.
1677. Wycherley, Plain Dealer, ii. Nov. Ay, ay, madam, with you
ladies too, martial men must needs be very killing.
1700. Congreve, Way of the World, iv. 1. L. Wish. And—well—and how
do I look, Foible? Foi. Most killing well, Madam.
1712. Pope, Rape of the Lock, v. 64. Those eyes were made so
killing.
1751. Smollett, Peregrine Pickle, lxxx. The killing edge of her
charms was a little blunted by the accidents of time and fortune.
1765. Goldsmith, Essays, v. Your modern Briton cuts his hair on the
crown, and plasters it with hog’s lard and flour; and this to make
him look killing.
1828–45. T. Hood, Poems, i. 231 (ed. 1846). The crowd including two
butchers in blue (The regular killing Whitechapel hue).
1847. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, iv. Mr. Joseph Sedley ... was
actually seated tête-à-tête with a young lady, looking at her with
a most killing expression.
1883. Saturday Review, 21 April, p. 502, col. 2. Mr. Toole is as
killingly funny in this as he is in the still and constantly
popular farce of Mr. Guffin’s Elopement.
Kill-priest, subs. (provincial).—Port wine.
Kill-the-beggar, subs. (common).—Whiskey. For synonyms see Drinks and
Old Man’s Milk.
Kill-time, subs. (colloquial).—A pastime.
Kilmarnock-cowl, subs. (old Scots’).—1. A knitted nightcap; and (2) by
implication the wretch that wore one.
1830. Scott, Bonnie Dundee. These Cowls of Kilmarnock had spits and
had spears And long-hafted gullies to kill Cavaliers.
Kilmarnock-whittle, subs. (Scots’). A person of either sex, already
engaged or betrothed.—Jamieson.
Kilter. See Kelter.
Kilt, adv. (Irish).—Killed.
1836. Marryat, Japhet, iii. Sure enough, it cured me, but wasn’t I
quite kilt before I was cured.
Kimbaw, verb. (Old Cant).—1. To trick; to cheat; to cozen. Also (2), to
beat; to bully.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Kimbaw. Let’s kimbow the Cull,
Let’s beat that Fellow and get his money.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1839. Ainsworth, J. Sheppard, p. 23 [ed. 1840]. ‘Ay! ay!’ cried
several of the bystanders, ‘let Jonathan kimbaw the cove. He’s got
the gift of the gab.’
Kimbo (or Kimbaw). To set the arms akimbo, verb. phr. (old: now
colloquial).—To set hands on hips with the elbows cocked.
1606. John Day, Ile of Guls, ii. 4, p. 52. Set mine armes a kimbo
thus, Wrethe my necke and my bodie thus.
1677. Wycherley, Plain Dealer, ii. Nov. But he has no use of his
arms but to set ’em on kimbow.
1712. Arbuthnot, Hist. of John Bull, iii. x. He observed Frog and
old Lewis edging towards one another to whisper; so that John was
forced to sit with his arms akimbo to keep them asunder.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5th ed.) [s.v.] Kembo (v.) to set or
put one’s hand upon one’s hip, to strut or look big.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Kimbaw. To set one’s arms a kimbaw,
vulgarly pronounced ‘a kimbo,’ is to rest one’s hands on the hips,
keeping the elbows square, and sticking out from the body, an
insolent bullying attitude.
1837. Marryat, Snarleyow, i. ch. xii. Poll put her arms akimbo; At
the Admiral’s house looked she.
1857. A. Trollope, Barchester Towers, xxxiii. She tossed her head,
and put her arms a-kimbo, with an air of confident defiance.
Kinchin (or Kinchen), subs. (old).—1. A child; a boy; a young man. Also
Kinchen Cove (q.v.).
1567. Harman, Caveat, p. 76. A kynchen co is a young boye, traden
vp to suche peuishe purposes as you haue harde of other young ympes
before, that when he groweth vnto yeres, he is better to hang then
to drawe.
1607. Dekker, Jests to Make You Merie, in Wks. (Grosart), ii. 329.
Kinchen the coue towres, which is as much as, Fellow the man smokes
or suspects you.
1608. Dekker, Belman of London, in Wks. (Grosart), iii. 105. These
kinchins, the first thing they doe is to learne how to cant, and
the onely thing they practise is to creepe in at windowes, or
celler doores.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Kinchin, a little child.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1815. Scott, Guy Mannering, xxxiv. We did the kinchin no harm.
1836. W. H. Smith, The Individual, 13 Nov. ‘The Thieves’ Chaunt.’
Her duds are bob—she’s a kinchin crack, And I hopes as how she’ll
never back.
1837. Disraeli, Venetia, Bk. i. xiv. He is no lanspresado, or I am
a kinchin.
1837. Dickens, Oliver Twist, xlii. ‘The kinchins,’ said the Jew,
‘is the young children that’s sent on errands by their mothers with
sixpences and shillings.’
1839. Harrison Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard [1889], p. 13. ‘Let’s have
a look at the kinchin that ought to have been throttled,’ added he,
snatching the child from Wood.
1841. Leman Rede, Sixteen String Jack, i. 3. Kit. Peter, don’t
patter; you’re werry good in the fancy line—in the light part of
our business,—such as robbing a kinchin of it’s coral, filching an
old lady’s redicule, or getting up small talk vith a nursery maid,
vhile you takes a vax impression of the key.
1859. H. Kingsley, Geoffrey Hamlyn, xxiii. ‘So boss,’ began the
ruffian, not looking at him; ‘we ain’t fit company for the likes of
that kinchin, etc.?’
1876. Hindley, Adventures of A Cheap Jack, p. 2. Nor is his crying
pal the kinchin any more faithfully drawn.
Kinchin-cove, subs. (Old Cant).—1. A child: see Kinchin.
1567. Harman, Caveat, p. 76. [See quot. under Kinchin].
1608. Dekker, Belman of London, in Wks. (Grosart), iii. 105. The
last Ranke of those Runnagates is fild vp with kinchyn coes; and
they are little boyes whose parents (hauing beene beggers) are
dead, or else such as haue run away from their maisters, and in
stead of a trade to liue by, follow this kinde of life to be lowsie
by.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Kinchin-coes, the Sixteenth
Rank of the Canting Tribe, being little Children whose Parents are
dead, having been Beggers; as also young Ladds running from their
Masters, who are first taught Canting, then thieving.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Kinchin. Kinchin coes, orphan
beggar boys, educated in thieving.
1830. Lytton, Paul Clifford, p. 25. [ed. 1854]. Look you my kinchin
cove.
1870. All the Year Round, ‘Bye-gone Cant’, 5 March. Suppose a
kinchin cove should hear the twittle-twattle of cobble colter, or
the sagacious cackle of tib of the buttery, and the said kinchin
cove should think a dinner off these big birds would be delicious
and should steal them for that purpose, short work would have been
made of it, and kinchin cove would simply have been hanged.