1887. Clemens, Life on the Mississippi, ch. xiv., p. 138. By long
habit, pilots came to put all their wishes in the form of commands.
It gravels me to this day, to put my will in the weak shape of a
request, instead of launching it in the crisp language of an order.
Gravel-crusher, subs. (military).—A soldier doing defaulter’s drill.
Gravel-grinder, subs. (popular).—A drunkard. For synonyms, see
Lushington.
Gravel-rash, subs. (colloquial).—The lacerations caused by a fall.
To have the gravel rash, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To be reeling drunk.
For synonyms, see Drinks and Screwed.
Gravesend-bus, subs. (common).—A hearse.
Gravesend-sweetmeats, subs. (popular).—Shrimps.
Gravesend-twins, subs. (common).—Solid particles of sewage.
Grave-yard, subs. (common).—1. The mouth. For synonyms, see
Potato-trap.
To keep a private grave-yard, verb. phr. (American).—To affect
ferocity; to bluster.
Gravy, subs. (venery).—The sexual discharge; the spendings (q.v.) both
male and female. [Hence gravy-giver = the penis and the female
pudendum; and gravy-maker = the female pudendum. Hence, too, to give
one’s gravy = to spend (q.v.). Cf., Beef and Mutton.]
d. 1796. Burns, ‘Dainty Davie,’ in Merry Muses. I wot he cam atween
my thie, An’ creeshed it weel wi’ gravy.
Gravy-eye, subs. (common).—A derisive epithet: e.g., Well Old
gravy-eye.
Grawler, subs. (old).—A beggar. For synonyms, see Cadger.
1821. D. Haggart, Life, Glossary p. 62. Not so much as would
sweeten a grawler in the whole of them.
Gray, subs. (thieves’).—1. A coin showing either two heads or two
tails; a pony (q.v.).
1828. G. Smeeton, Doings in London, p. 40. Breslaw could never have
done more upon cards than he could do with a pair of grays
(gaffing-coins).
1851–61. H. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, Vol. II., p. 154.
Some, if they can, will cheat, by means of a half-penny with a head
or a tail on both sides, called a gray.
1868. Temple Bar, Vol. XXIV., p. 539. They have a penny with two
heads or two tails on it, which they call a grey, and of course
they can easily dupe flats from the country. How do they call it a
grey, I wonder? I suppose they have named it after Sir George Grey
because he was a two-faced bloke.