1882. McCabe, New York, xxiii. 369. During the British occupation
of the city, in the war of Independence, military patrols kept the
streets at night.... After the close of the war a patrol of
civilians was appointed.... They wore a leather hat with a wide
brim, something like a fireman’s hat, and this won for them the
name of leatherheads.
1888. New York Mercury, 21 July. Here the old police or
leatherheads tried to restrain them, but in vain. Hostilities took
place, several of the police were killed and several mortally
wounded.
Leather-hunting. See Leather, subs., sense 4.
Leathering, subs. (common).—A thrashing.
Leather-lane, subs. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms see
Monosyllable.
Adj. (old).—Paltry; bad.—Grose (1823); De Vaux (1823).
Leathern-convenience, subs. (old).—A stage-coach; a carriage.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1703. Ward, London Spy, vii. p. 144. Our Leathern Conveniency being
bound in the Braces to its Good Behaviour had no more Sway than a
Funeral Herse.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1782. Centlivre, Bold Stroke for a Wife, v. 1. Col. F. Ah! thou
wicked one. Now I consider thy face, I remember thou didst come up
in the leathern conveniency with me.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Leather ... leathern conveniency,
term used by quakers for a stage coach.
1801. C. K. Sharpe, in Correspondence (1888), i. 102. I left Oxford
with Stapleton in his mama’s leathern conveniency.
1824. Scott, St. Ronan’s Well, xx. At the duly appointed hour,
creaked forth the leathern convenience, in which, carefull screened
by the curtain ... sat Nabob Touchwood, in the costume of an Indian
merchant.
Leatherneck, subs. (nautical).—A soldier. For synonyms see Mud-crusher
and Fly-slicer.
Leathernly, adj. (old).—Clumsily; sordidly; poorly.
1594. Nashe, Unf. Traveller [Grosart (1883–4), v. 71]. So filthily
acted, so leathernly set forth.
Leather-stretcher, subs. (venery).—The penis. For synonyms see
Creamstick and Prick. To go leather-stretching = to copulate.
Leave, subs. (billiards’).—A favorable position for a stroke.
To take French leave. See French leave.
To leave in the air. See Air.
To leave in the lurch. See Lurch.
Leaving-shop, subs. (common).—1. An unlicensed pawn-brokery; a
dolly-shop (q.v.). For synonyms see Uncle.
1857. Morning Chronicle, 21 Dec. Proprietress of one of those
iniquitous establishments called leaving-shops.
1867. Jas. Greenwood, Unsentimental Journeys, II. 15. I no longer
wondered to find my friend a pawnbroker! He had a hankering for it
at the pig’s head period, and kept, besides the sausage-shop, a
leaving-shop, in Brick-lane, St. Luke’s.
1871. Daily Telegraph, 10 Oct. A large portion of the least
valuable was received in ‘dolly’ or leaving-shops. The parties
carrying them on purchased goods from whoever brought them, upon an
understanding that they might be repurchased within a week or a
month.
1880. Jas. Greenwood, Odd People in Odd Places, p. 37. There’s a
little shop in the second-hand clothes line, a leaving-shop, I
think they call it, in —— Street. There’s a parcel there that
belongs to me, and which it will cost one and eightpence to redeem;
at least, the woman promised I might redeem it in a month if I paid
double what she gave me for what’s in it.
1893. Daily Chronicle, 9 Jan., p. 9, col. 1. Two pawnbrokers, who
appeared to have acted in a most reckless manner, and to a Mrs.
Waldey, who kept what was known as a leaving shop.