Adj. (once literary: now colloquial or humorous).—Tall.
c. 1189. Destruction of Troy [E. E. T. S.], 1. 3805. Off Duke
Nestor to deme, doughty in werre, He was long and large, with lemys
full grete.
c. 1440. Isumbras, line 258. For he es bothe lange and heghe, The
faireste mane that ever I seghe.
1888–9. Broadside Ballad. ‘If only I were long enough.’
The long (University).—The summer vacation.
1852. Bristed, Five Years in an English University, p. 37. For a
month or six weeks in the long they rambled off to see the sights
of Paris.
1863. Reade, Hard Cash, i. 17. ‘I hope I shall not be [‘ploughed
for smalls’] to vex you and puss.’... ‘... Puss? that is me [sister
Julia] How dare he? Did I not forbid all these nicknames and all
this Oxfordish, by proclamation, last long.’ ‘Last long?’
[remonstrates mamma]. ‘Hem! last protracted vacation.’
The longs, subs. (Oxford University).—The latrines at Brasenose. [Built
by Lady Long].
Adj. (colloquial).—Heavy; great: as a ‘long price’, ‘long odds’ etc.
etc.
1850. Aytoun, Dreepdaily Burghs, 10. If we look sharp after it, I
bet the long odds you will carry it in a canter.
1854. Whyte Melville, General Bounce, xiii. Now for good
information, long odds, a safe man, and a shot at the favourite!
1892. Milliken, ’Arry Ballads, 63. Too long in the purse to let
slip.
The long and the short of it, phr. (common).—The sum of a matter; the
whole. See Long Attachment.
d. 1845. Hood, Paired not Matched. For I am small, My wife is tall,
And that’s the short and the long of it.
Long in the mouth, adj. phr. (common).—Tough.
Long in the tooth, adj. phr. (common).—Elderly.
Long acre, subs. phr. (rhyming).—A baker; a burn-crust (q.v.).
Long-attachment, subs. (common).—A tall man and short woman walking
together, or vice versâ: also the long and the short of it.
Long-bill, subs. (thieves’).—A long term of imprisonment. Short-bill =
a short term.
Long-bit, subs. (old American).—A defaced 20 cent piece (Matsell); also
15 cents in Western U. S. (Century). Short-bit = 10 cents (Century).
Long-bow. To draw (or pull) the long-bow, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To
tell improbable stories. Hence, long-bow man = a liar.
1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, v. ch. 30. ’Twas Ælian, that long-bow
man, that told you so, never believe him, for he lies as fast as a
dog can trot.
1767. Ray, Proverbs [Bohn (1893), 64], s.v.
1819–24. Byron, Don Juan, xvi. 1. At speaking truth perhaps they
are less clever, But draw the long-bow better now than ever.
1849. Thackeray, Pendennis, xxx. What is it makes him pull the long
bow in that wonderful manner?
1871. Daily News, 29 Dec. If now and then he appears to draw the
long bow, or rather to shoot with an extraordinary rifle, he does
not abuse the reader’s faith unmercifully.
1883. A. Dobson, Old-World Idylls, p. 134. The great Gargilius,
then, behold! His long bow hunting tales of old Are now but duller.
English synonyms. To climb a steep hill; to come (or cut) it strong (or
fat, or thick); to embroider; to gammon (q.v.); to lay it on thick; to
put on the pot; to pull a leg; to slop over.
French synonyms. La faire à l’oseille; en voilà une sévère; c’est plus
fort que de jouer au bouchon.
Spanish synonym. Jacarear.
Italian synonym. Spalare.
Long Chalk. By a long chalk, phr. (colloquial).—By far; in a large
measure.
1837. R. H. Barham, Ingoldsby Legends (ed. 1862), 447. Still Sir
Alured’s steed was by long chalks the best.
1838–40. Haliburton, The Clockmaker, p. 26 (ed. 1826). ‘Yes,’ says
he, ‘your factories down East beat all natur; they go ahead on the
English a long chalk.’
1844. Charles Selby, London by Night, ii. 2. Jack. Yes, and I opine
which will come off second best by long chalks.
1848. Ruxton, Life In The Far West, 2. Not a hundred years ago by a
long chalk.
1856. C. Brontë, Professor, iii. ‘You are not as fine a fellow as
your plebeian brother by a long chalk.’
1883. Grenville Murray, People I Have Met, 133. The finest thing in
the world; or ... ‘the best thing out by many chalks.’
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, v. ‘Isn’t it as easy to
carry on for a few years more as it was twenty years ago?’ ‘Not by
a long chalk.’
1892. Hume Nisbet, Bushranger’s Sweetheart, 209. ‘Oh, everyone to
their taste, of course; she’s not mine by a long chalk.’
Long-crown, subs. (old).—A clever fellow: as in the proverb, ‘That caps
long-crown, and he capped the Devil.’
Long-dispar, subs. (Winchester College).—See quot.
1866. Mansfield, School Life, 84. There were six of these [dispars
(q.v.) or portions] to a shoulder, and eight to a leg of mutton,
the other joints being divided in like proportion. All these
‘dispars’ had different names; the thick slice out of the centre of
the leg was called a ‘middle cut,’ ... the ribs ‘Racks,’ the loin
long dispars.
Long drink, subs. phr. (common).—A considerable quantity, as compared
to a nip (q.v.), i.e., a drop of short (q.v.).
1883. Daily Telegraph, 2 July, p. 5, col. 3. The list of long
drinks which may be imbibed with deliberation and through the
medium of a couple of straws.
Long-ear, subs. (American University).—1. A reading man; a sober
student. See Short-ear.