1851–61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. etc., ii. 325. There never had been
more street larking, or street gambling.
1888. Indoor Paupers, p. 13. There was no hurry over the job—very
much the contrary—but plenty of chatter and larking when the
taskmaster was out of sight.
Adj. (common).—See Larkish.
Larkish (Larky or Larking), subs. (common).—Frolicsome: also rowdy.
1855. Thackeray, The Rose and the Ring, p. 19.... He was neither
more nor less than a knocker! ... and some larking young men tried
to wrench him off, and put him to the most excruciating agony with
a turn-screw.
1863. H. Kingsley, Austin Elliot, iv. Austin, expressing himself in
that low, slangy way which the young men of the present day seem so
conscious to adopt, said that my Lords were ‘uncommonly larky.’
1886. Macdonald, What’s Mine’s Thine. The girls felt larky ... they
tripped gayly along.
1891. Licensed Victuallers Gazette, 3 April. A larky youngster who
loved his wine and women.
1892. Hume Nisbet, Bushranger’s Sweetheart, 247. The landlady was a
free-and-easy, buxom, and larky woman, who made us all feel at home
in the place.
Larky Subaltern’s train. See Cold meat train.
Larrence. See Lazy Laurence.
Larrey, adj. (American thieves’).—Artful.—Matsell (1859).
Larrikin, subs. (Australian).—A rough; cf. arab, cabbage-tree mob,
hoodlum, etc. [For probable derivation see quot. 1884; and for further
details, Notes and Queries, 7, S. vii. 344].
1872. The Age (Melbourne), 15 July. The accused was at the head of
a gang of larrikins, who on the previous night paid a visit to
Hill’s Hotel, Clarendon-street.
1884. Sala, ‘Echoes of the Week’ in Illus. London News, 4 April.
‘It was in a Sydney newspaper that I read about larrikins, but the
term would appear to have spread throughout Australia. ‘H. de S.’
tells me that larrikin was originally Melbourne slang, applied to
rowdy youngsters, who, in the early days of the gold fever, gave
much trouble to the police. ‘An Australian Born’ spells the word
larakin.... Finally, Archibald Forbes tells me: ‘A larrikin is a
cross between the street Arab and the hoodlum, with a dash of the
rough thrown in to improve the mixture.’ It was thus the term had
its origin. A Sydney policeman of the Irish persuasion brought up a
rowdy youngster before the local beak. Asked to describe the
conduct of the misdemeanant, he said, ‘Av if it plase yer honnor,
the blaggard wor a larrakin’ (larking) all over the place.’ The
expression was taken hold of and applied.’
1888. Bulletin, 24 Nov. Sergeant Jem Dalton, whose rich brogue
originated the term larrikin passed out of Melbourne history last
week. Dalton was a born policeman, and after his friends had
persuaded him to send in his resignation he turned gently over on
his sick bed and died forthwith. He had nothing else to live for.
1892. Pall Mall Gaz., 29 Feb., p. 2, col. 2. That is to say, the
disturbance was caused not by the meeting but by the police and
larrikins.
1892. Hume Nisbet, Bushranger’s Sweetheart, 30. He was a larikin of
the larikins, this tiny Stringy Bark, who haunted my thoughts,
waking and sleeping.
Adj. (Australian).—Rowdy.
1883. Saturday Review, 10 Nov., p. 614. ‘In Melbourne the larrikin
element is becoming a danger and a nuisance to decent people.’
Larrikinism, subs. (Australian).—See quot.
1884. Sala, Echoes of the Week, in Illus. Lond. News, 4 April.
‘From the Australian Club, Cambridge, yet another correspondent
writes: ‘Larrikinism’ is a purposeless, destructive rowdyism, which
finds expression, from my own experience, in knocking off the heads
of statues in a mason’s yard, and knocking out the eyes of Chinamen
with a shanghai (anglicè, catapult).’
Larrup, subs. (colloquial).—To flog. Fr. coller du rototo.
1824. Peake, Americans Abroad, i. x. I’ll larrup you till you can’t
stand, if you hang chattering and stickling behind after this
fashion.
1841. Punch, 17 July, p. 5. ‘Toby,’ says she, ‘go and see the old
gentleman; perhaps it might comfort him to larrup you a little’
1847. Lytton, Lucretia, ii. xx. ‘I wanted sum un to take care of
the childern, so I takes Peg into the ’ouse. But Lor! how she
larrupped ’em—she has a cruel heart.’
1854. Dickens, Hard Times, v. ‘There was no rope-dancing for me! I
danced on the bare ground, and was larruped with the rope.’ Ibid.
He tries to coax her into the stall to larrup her.
1867. Smythe, Sailor’s Word Book, s.v. Larrup, An old word, meaning
to beat a rope’s end, strap, or colt.
Larruping, subs. (colloquial).—A thrashing. Fr. la schlague.
1844. Peake, Court and City, i. 3. I’ve a great mind to give you a
good larrupping in the open park!
1860. Punch, xxxix. p. 181. Ain’t a cove just a larrupin’ his wife
up the court.
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, xxi. ‘Your father’ll
give you a fine larrupin’ if he comes home and there’s that cow
lost.’
Larry Dugan’s Eye-water, subs. phr. (old).—See quot.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Larry Dugan’s Eye-water, blacking.
Larry Dugan was a famous shoe-black at Dublin.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v.
Lash, verb. (Blue Coat School).—To envy. Usually used in the imperative
as a taunt.—Blanch (1877).
Lashings (or Lashins), subs. (common).—Plenty; abundance. Also lashin’s
and lavin’s—plenty and to spare.
1841. Lever, Charles O’Mallye, lxvii. I’d as soon be myself as Lord
Mayor, With lashings of drink on the table.
1850. F. E. Smedley, Frank Fairlegh, ch. xxii. ‘A taste for, that
is, an unbounded admiration of, the sublime and beautiful, as
exemplified under the form of—’ ‘Rum punch, and lashings of it,’
chimed in Archer.
1855. Thackeray, Lyra Hibernica, ‘Mr. Malony’s Account of the
Ball.’ A rare buffet before them set Where lashins of good dhrink
there was.
1892. Milliken, ’Arry Ballads, 18. Men patter in pubs about Jack,
over lashing o’ lugs.
Lask, subs. (old).—See quot.
1621. Burton, Anatomy (ed. 1893), i. 304. A grave and learned
Minister, and an ordinary Preacher ... was (one day as he walked in
the fields for his recreation) suddenly taken with a lask or
looseness, and thereupon compelled to retire to the next ditch.
Lass in a red petticoat, subs. phr. (old).—See quot.
1767. Ray, Proverbs (ed. 1893), 59. The lass in the red petticoat
shall pay for all ... meaning a wife with a good portion.
Last compliment, subs. phr. (common).—1. Burial.
1780. Lee, Chapter of Accidents, i. 2. Lord G. Why, then, does not
Hardy bring her up to you? Gov. H. Why, for two very sufficient
reasons. In the first place, that identical parson paid him the
last compliment—that is, buried him a twelvemonth ago.