1849–61. Macaulay, Hist. of Eng., ch. xxv. Garreteers, who were
never weary of calling the cousin of the Earls of Manchester and
Sandwich an upstart.
1886. Shelley (quoted in Dowden’s Life), i., 47. Show them that we
are no Grub-street garreteers.
1892. National Observer, 18 Mar., p. 453. Has proclaimed urbi et
orbi that governments have no business to manufacture specious
sentiment by greasing the palms of ignorant and greedy garreteers.
Garret-master, subs. (trade).—A cabinet-maker who works on his own
account, selling his manufacture to the dealers direct.
1851–61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab., ii., p. 376. These trading operatives
are known by different names in different trades. In the shoe
trade, for instance, they are called ‘chamber-masters,’ in the
cabinet trade garret-masters, and in the cooper’s trade the name
for them is ‘small trading-masters.’
Garrison-hack, subs. (common).—1. A woman given to indiscriminate
flirtation with officers at a garrison.
1889. Daily Telegraph, 14 Feb. Lord Normantower, Philip’s dearest
friend, to whom she, when a garrison-hack, had been engaged, and
whom she had thrown over simply because he was poor and
prospectless.
1890. Athenæum, 8 Feb., p. 176, c. 1. The heroine is a
garrison-hack, but the hero is an Australian.
2. (common).—A prostitute; a soldier’s trull. For synonyms, see Barrack
Hack and Tart.
Garrotte, subs. (common).—A form of strangulation (see verb). [From the
Spanish la garrota = a method of capital punishment, which consists in
strangulation by means of an iron collar.]
Verb. (common).—1. A method of robbery with violence, much practised
some years ago. The victims were generally old or feeble men and women.
Three hands were engaged: the front-stall who looked out in that
quarter, the back-stall at the rear, and the ugly or nasty-man who did
the work by passing his arm round his subject’s neck from behind, and
so throttling him to insensibility.
1869. Greenwood, Seven Curses of Lond. Committed for trial for
garrotting and nearly murdering a gentleman.
1873. Trollope, Phineas Redux, ch. xlvi. In those days there had
been much garrotting in the streets.
2. (cards).—To cheat by concealing certain cards at the back of the
neck.
Garrotter, subs. (common).—A practitioner of garrotting (under verb,
sense 1.)
1869. Greenwood, Seven Curses of London, p. 201. The delectable
epistle was written by garrotter Bill to his brother.
Garrotting. 1. See Garrotte (verb, sense 1).
2. (gamblers’).—Hiding a part of one’s hand at the back of the neck for
purposes of cheating.
Garter, subs. (nautical).—1. in. pl. the irons, or bilboes. For
synonyms, see Darbies.
To get over the Garter, verb. phr. (venery).—To take liberties with a
woman.
To Fly or Prick the Garter. See Prick the Garter.
Garvies, subs. (Scots’).—1. Sprats. Sometimes Garvie-Herring.
1845. P. Alloa, Statis. Acc., viii., 597. They are often very
successful in taking the smaller fish, such as herrings, garvies or
sprats, sparlings or smelts.
2. (military).—The Ninety-fourth Foot. [From the small stature of the
earlier recruits.]
1869. Notes and Queries, 4 S. iii., p. 349. Garvie. The soubriquet
points to the low average height of the recruits in the Fifeshire
regiments, which, however, may not now be the case, since
recruiting has become less local.
Gas, subs. (common).—Empty talk; bounce; bombast.
1847. Porter, Quarter Race, etc., p. 120. The boys said that was
all gas to scare them off.
1867. Chambers’ Jour., 29 June. I’ve piped off Sabbath gas in my
time I don’t deny, but under the woods we mostly tell the truth.
1868. Chambers’ Jour., 15 Feb., p. 110. I don’t, an’ never could
splice ends with them as blow off gas about gold-digging—saying
it’s plunder easy come an’ easy gone, seeking the root of evil, an’
other granny talk which hasn’t no meaning.
a. 1871. Emerson (quoted in De Vere’s Amer.). ’Tis odd that our
people should have not water on the brain, but a little gas there.
1889. Globe, 31 Oct., p. 4, c. 4. It went on to state that the
petitioner’s talk about a divorce was all gas, and made a further
appointment.
Verb. (common).—1. To talk idly; to brag; to bounce; to talk for
talking’s sake. Fr., faire son cheval de corbillard (in American ‘to be
on the tall grass.’) See Long Bow.
1872. Lond. Figaro, 14 Dec. There is no good to be got out of
gassing about rallying around standards, uniting as one man to
resist, etc.
1875. ‘American English’ in Chambers’ Jour., 25 Sept., p. 610. To
gas is to talk only for the purpose of prolonging a debate.
1885. Society, 7 Feb., p. 7. Agitators and place-seekers may gas as
much as they please, but they cannot make black appear white.
2. (common).—To impose on by ‘gas’; to pill (q.v.); to splash (q.v.).
For synonyms, see Gammon.
To take the gas out of one, verb. phr. (common).—To take the conceit
out of; to take down a peg.
To turn on the gas, verb. phr. (common).—To begin bouncing; also to Gas
(q.v.).
To turn off the gas, verb. phr. (common).—To cease, or cause to cease,
from bouncing, vapouring, or Gas (q.v.).
To gas round, verb. phr. (common).—To seek information on the sly; also
to Gas (q.v.).
Gas-Bag, subs. (common).—A man of words or gas (q.v.); a gasconader.
Also gasometer. For synonyms, see Mouth Almighty.
1889. Referee, 6 Jan. That great gas-bag of modern days.
Gash, subs. (American).—1. The mouth. For synonyms, see potato-trap.
1878. H. B. Stowe, Poganuc People, ch. xiv., p. 122. Ef Zeph
Higgins would jest shet up his gash in town-meetin’, that air
school-house could be moved fast enough.