Adj. (common).—Bulging. Also Gampish.
1864. Derby Day, p. 18. I wasn’t joking, there is an air of
long-suffering about you, as if you had been mortifying the flesh
by carrying a gampish umbrella up Piccadilly, and back again.
1881. Mac. Mag., Nov., p. 62. Grasping his gamp umbrella at the
middle.
Gamut, subs. (artists’).—Tone; general scheme; swim (q.v.). Thus in the
gamut = a picture, a detail, or a shade of colour, in tone with its
environment.
Gan (also Gane), subs. (old).—The mouth. [A.S., ganian = to yawn.]
Occasionally = throat, lip. For synonyms, see Potato-trap.
1512–13. Douglas, Virgil, 250, 29. To behald his ouglie ene twane,
His teribill vissage, and his grislie gane.
1567. Harman, Caveat (1814), p. 64. Gan, a mouth.
1610. Rowland, Martin Mark-all, p. 38. (H. Club’s Rept., 1874).
Gan, a mouth. Ibid. A gere peck in thy gan.
1656. Broome, A Jovial Crew, Act ii. This bowse is better than
rombowse, it sets the gan a giggling.
1671. R. Head, English Rogue, Pt. I., ch. v., p. 49. (1874.) Gan, a
lip.
1690. B. E., Cant. Crew. Ganns, the lips.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1881. New York Slang Dict., s.v.
Gander, subs. (colloquial).—A married man; in America one not living
with his wife; a grass-widower (q.v.).
Verb. (old).—To ramble; to waddle (as a goose). Also, to go in quest of
women; to grouse (q.v.).
1859. H. Kingsley, Geoff. Hamblyn, ch. x. Nell might come gandering
back in one of her tantrums.
1861. H. Kingsley, Ravenshoe, ch. xlvii. She gandered upstairs to
the dressing-room again.
Gone Gander.—See Gone Coon.
To see how the gander hops, verb. phr. (American.)—To watch events. A
variant of To see how the cat jumps.
1847. Porter, Big Bear, p. 96. Seein’ how the gander hopped I
jumped up and hollered, Git out, Tromp, you old raskel!
What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, phr. (common).—A
plea for consistency.
Gander-month, subs. (common).—The month after confinement; when a
certain license (or so it was held) is excusable in the male. Also
Gander-moon, the husband at such a period being called a Gander-mooner.
Cf., Buck-hutch and Goose-month.
1617. Middleton, A Faire Quarrell, iv., 4. Wondering
gander-mooners.
1653. Brome, English Moor in Fiue New Playes. I’le keep her at the
least this gander-month, while my fair wife lies-in.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
Gander-party, subs. (common).—A gathering of men; a stag-party (q.v.);
also Bull-dance, Gander-gang, etc. Cf., Hen-party = an assembly of
women.
Gander-pulling. See Goose-riding.
Gander’s Wool, subs. phr. (common.)—Feathers.
Gang, subs. (old: now recognised).—A troop; a company.
1639–61. Rump, i., 228. ‘The Scotch War.’ With his gay gang of
Blue-caps all. Ibid., ii., 104, ‘The Gang; or, the Nine Worthies,
etc.’
1690. B. E., Cant. Crew, s.v. Gang, an ill knot or crew of thieves,
pickpockets or miscreants; also a society of porters under a
regulation.
1704. Cibber, Careless Husband, i., 1. Sir C. Who was that other?
More. One of Lord Foppington’s gang.
1754. Fielding, Jonathan Wild, bk. i., c. 14. What then have I to
do in the pursuit of greatness, but to employ a gang, and to make
the use of this gang centre in myself? Idem. bk. iii., c. 14. But
in an illegal society or gang, as this of ours, it is otherwise.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum. Gang, company, squad, mob.
Ganger, subs. (old: now recognised).—An overseer or foreman of a gang
of workmen; one who superintends. For synonyms, see Governor.
1851–61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab., ii., 487. The ganger, or head of the
working gang, who receives his orders from the inspector, and
directs the men accordingly.
1884. Cornhill Mag., June, p. 614, The mother and boy do the work,
while the father constitutes himself contractor for and ganger over
their labour.
Ganymede, subs. (old).—1. A sodomist. For synonyms, see Usher.
1598. Florio, Worlde of Wordes. Catamito, a ganimed, an ingle, a
boie hired to sinne against nature. [And in Cotgrave (1611) under
Ganymedes; Any boy that’s loved for carnal abuse, an Ingle.]
1598. Marston, Satyres, ii. But Ho! What ganimede is it doth grace
The gallant’s heels.
2. (popular).—A pot-boy (i.e., a cup-bearer). The masculine of hebe
(q.v.).
1659. Florio-Torriano, Vocabolario. Mescitore, a skinker or filler
of wine; also a mingler, a ganimede.
1841. Punch I., p. 101, c. 1. Lo! Ganymede appears with a foaming
tankard of ale.
Gaol-bird, subs. (old: now recognised).—A person who has been often in
gaol; an incorrigible rogue. Fr., un chevronné. For synonyms, see Wrong
’Un.
1680. Hist. of Edward II., p. 146. It is the piety and the true
valour of an army, which gives them heart and victory; which how it
can be expected out of ruffians and gaol-birds, I leave to your
consideration.
1701. Defoe, True Born Englishman, part II. In print my panegyrics
fill the street, And hired gaol-birds, their huzzas repeat.
1762. Smollett, L. Greaves, vol. II., ch. ix. He is become a
blackguard gaol-bird.
1857. C. Reade, Never Too Late, ch. xi. The gaol-birds who piped
this tune were without a single exception the desperate cases of
this moral hospital; they were old offenders.
1882. Pall Mall Gaz., 5 Oct. Liberating the gaol-birds in
Alexandria.
Gaoler’s Coach, subs. phr. (old).—A hurdle to the place of execution.
1785. Grose. Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
Gap, subs. (venery).—The female pudendum: also Sportsman’s gap and
water-gap (q.v.). For synonyms, see Monosyllable.
d. 1746. Robertson of Struan, Poems, p. 84. O gracious Hymen! Cure
this dire Mishap, Sew up this mighty rent, or fill the gap.
To blow the gap, verb. phr. (old).—The same as to blow the gaff (q.v.).
1821. Egan, Real Life, etc., i., 557. He should like to smack the
bit without blowing the gap.
Gaper, subs. (venery).—The female pudendum. Also, Gaper (and Gape) over
the Garter. For synonyms, see Monosyllable.
Gapes, subs. (colloquial).—A fit of yawning; also the open mouth of
astonishment.
1818. Austen, Persuasion. Another hour of music was to give delight
or the gapes.
1838. Haliburton, Clockmaker (ed. 1862), p. 373. But what gave me
the gapes was the scenes (at the theatre).
Gapeseed, subs. (common).—1. A cause of astonishment; anything
provoking the ignorant to stare with open mouth. Also to seek a gape’s
nest.
1598. Florio, Worlde of Wordes. Ansanare ... to go idly loytring vp
and downe as we say, to go seeking for a halfepenie worth of gaping
seede.
1600. Nashe, Summer’s Last Will, in wks. (Grosart), vi., 144. That
if a fellow licensed to beg, Should all his life time go from faire
to faire, And buy gapeseede, having no businesse there.
1690. B. E., Cant. Crew. Gapeseed, whatever the gazing crowd idly
stares and gapes after; as Puppet-shows, Rope-dancers, Monsters and
Mountebanks, anything to feed the eye.
1694. Poor Robin. ’Tis plainly clear, They for their gapes-seed do
pay dear.
1856. N. and Q., 2 S 1., 362. Plenty of persons were sowing
gapeseed.
1870. B. F. Clark, Mirthfulness p. 24. Do you wish to buy some
gapeseed?
1884. Daily News, 8 Oct. Title (at head of sporting column).