Kinchin-lay, subs. (old).—See quot. 1836. [Kinchin (q.v.) + Lay
(q.v.)].
1836. Dickens, Oliver Twist, xlii. The kinchin is the young
children that’s sent on errands by their mothers, with sixpences
and shillings; and the lay is just to take their money away—they’ve
always got it ready in their hands.
1871. Standard, 13 Sept. The prisoner, it appeared, is an adept at
the kinchin-lay, a term known to the initiated for robbing
children.
Kinchin-mort, subs. (Old Cant).—See quots.
1567. Harman, Caveat, p. 76. A kynching morte is a lytle Gyrle; the
Mortes their mothers carries them at their backes in their slates,
whiche is their shetes, and bryngs them vp sauagely, tyll they
growe to be rype, and soone rype, soone rotten.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Kinchin-morts, the
Twenty-seventh and last Order of the Canting Crew, being girls of a
year or two old whom the Morts (their Mothers) carry at their Backs
in Slates (Sheets) and if they have no children of their own they
borrow or Steal them from others.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Kinchin. Kinchin morts in slates,
beggars children carried at their mothers backs in sheets.
1815. Scott, Guy Mannering, xxviii. The times are sair altered
since I was a kinchin mort.
Kinder, adv.. (American colloquial). As it were. Also Kinder sorter.
1848. Durivage, Stray Subjects, 80. ‘You’re short, kinder?’ ‘Wal;
you’ll find me long enough prehaps.’
1848. Burton, Waggeries etc., p. 18. I’m not goin’ to say that I
didn’t feel kinder skeered.
Kind-Heart, subs. (old).—A tooth-drawer: in jest. [Halliwell: From an
itinerant dentist so-named, or nick-named, in the time of Elizabeth].
1614. Jonson, Bartholomew Fayre, Induction. For kind-heart the
tooth-drawer ... a fine oily pig-woman.
1632. Rowley, New Wonder, iii. 1. Mistake me not kindheart; he
calls you tooth-drawer.
Kindness, subs. (common).—The sexual favour; benevolence (q.v.). Fr.
des bontés.
c. 1728. Ramsay, Address of Thanks, in Wks. (at sup.), ii. 345. The
fair one frighted for her fame Shall for her kindness bear nae
blame, Nor with kirk censure grapple.
King Cotton, subs. phr. (American).—Cotton, the staple of the Southern
States of America, and the chief manufacture in England. Cotton-lord =
a man enriched by cotton.
Kingdom Come, subs. phr. (common).—The next life: to go to Kingdom Come
= to die. Fr. la paradouze or part-à-douze (a play on paradis); la
parabole. It. soprano = higher; Sp. claro = light.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1794. Wolcot [P. Pindar], Br. Peter to Br. Tom, in Wks., i. p. 422.
Did gentlemen of fortune die, And leave the church a good round
sum; Lo! in the twinkling of an eye, The Parson frank’d their souls
to kingdom-come.
1836. Marryat, Midshipman Easy, xxxi. ‘They will not have much
mercy from the waves,’ replied Gascoigne; ‘they will all be in
kingdom come to-morrow morning, if the breeze comes more on land.’
1863. Mr. Norton, Lost and Saved, p. 334. Treherne loq. ‘Well, my
child, I don’t mean a great dangerous storm that’s to wreck the
yacht and send us all to kingdom come—but a nasty tossing sea, bad
for women you know; men don’t mind it.’
King John’s Man, subs. phr. (old).—See quots.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. He is one of King John’s men, eight
score to the hundred, a saying of a little undersized man.
1867. Smyth, Sailors’ Word Book, s.v. King John’s Men, the
Adullamites of the navy.
King’s (or Queen’s) Bad Bargain, subs. phr. (old).—A malingering
soldier; a deserter.—Grose (1785).
King’s-bencher, subs. (nautical).—The busiest of the galley orators; a
galley-skulker.—Smyth.
King’s Books, subs. phr. (old).—A pack of cards; the history (or books)
of the Four Kings; devil’s books (q.v.).
1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, i. 22. After supper were brought in the
books of the four Kings.
1760. Foote, The Minor (ed. x, 1789), 31. Come, shall we have a dip
in the history of the four kings this morning?
King’s Cushion, subs. phr. (common).—A seat formed by two persons
holding each other’s hands crossed. Also Queen’s cushion (or chair),
Cats-carriage (or cradle) etc.
1818. Scott, Heart of Midlothian, i. 168. He was now mounted on the
hands of two of the rioters clasped together so as to form what, in
Scotland is called the King’s cushion.
King’s (or Queen’s) Head Inn, subs. phr. (old).—Newgate. For synonyms
see Cage.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew. s.v. King’s Head Inn, or the Chequer
Inn in Newgate street, the prison, or Newgate.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1836. W. H. Smith, The Individual. ‘The Thieves’ Chaunt’. Because
she lately nimmed some tin, They have sent her to lodge at the
King’s Head Inn.
King’s Keys, subs. phr. (old legal).—The crow-bars and hammers used by
sheriffs’ officers to force doors and locks. [Roquefort: faire la clef
du Roy, ouvrir les clefs et les coffres avec des instruments de
serrurier].
1816. Scott, Black Dwarf, 173, 4. ‘And what will ye do, if I carena
to thraw the keys?’... ‘Force our way wi’ the kings keys, and break
the neck of every soul we find in the house.’
Kingsman, subs. (Coster).—A handkerchief with yellow patterns upon a
green ground; the favourite coloured neckerchief of the costermongers.
Sometimes worn by women thrown over their shoulders: cf. Billy.
1851–61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. etc., i. 53. The man who does not wear
his silk neckerchief—his ‘King’s-man’ as it is called—is known to
be in desperate circumstances; the inference being that it has gone
to supply the morning’s stock-money. A yellow flower on a green
ground, or a red and blue pattern, is at present greatly in vogue.