Verb (vulgar).—To eat voraciously; also to gulp as a fish does when it
swallows (or gorges) a bait. For synonyms, see Wolf.
1572. Satirical Poems, Scottish Text Society, 1889–91,
‘Lamentacioun,’ ii., 232. Gorged waters ever greater grows.
1633. Massinger, New Way to Pay Old Debts, iii., 2. Mar. Come, have
patience If you will dispense a little with your worship, And sit
with the waiting women, you’ll have dumpling, Woodcock, and
butter’d toasts too. Greedy. This revives me: I will gorge there
sufficiently.
1654. Chapman, Revenge for Honour, Act i., Sc. 1. Here men o’ th’
shop can gorge their musty maws With the delicious capon, and fat
limbs of mutton.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5th ed.). Gorge (v.), to eat over-much,
to cram, glut, or fill unreasonably.
1843. Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit, ch. xxxiv., p. 336. No man had
spoken a word; every one had been intent, as usual, on his own
private gorging; and the greater part of the company were decidedly
dirty feeders.
1853. Wh. Melville, Digby Grand, ch. iii. Who might be such a fine
race, if they would only not gorge their food so rapidly.
Gorger, subs. (vulgar).—1. A voracious eater; a scruncher (q.v.).
Rotten gorger = a lad who hangs about Covent Garden eating refuse
fruit.
2. (common).—A well-dressed man; a gentleman. [Gypsy, gorgio =
gentlemen.] Fr., un gratiné.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v. Mung the gorger; beg child beg, of
the gentleman.
3. (common).—An employer; a principal: especially the manager of a
theatre. [Perhaps because he takes (or gorges) all the fat (q.v.).]
Also cully-gorger. Fr., amendier.
1872. M. E. Braddon, Dead Sea Fruit, ch. xiv. The gorger’s awful
coally on his own slumming, eh?... I mean to say that our friend
the manager is rather sweet upon his own acting.