To grease a fat sow in the arse, verb. phr. (old).—To bribe a rich
man.—Grose.
To grease one’s gills, verb. phr. (common).—To make a good or luxurious
meal.
Greased Lightning, subs. phr. (American).—An express train.
1871. De Vere, Americanisms, p. 359. The usual Express Train is not
half fast enough for the impatient traveller; he must have his
Lightning Express Train, and in the Far West improves still farther
by calling it greased lightning, after a favourite Yankee term.
Like Greased Lightning, adv. phr. (American).—Very quick. See Bed-post.
1848. Durivage, Stray Subjects, p. 72. Quicker than greased
lightnin’, My covies, I was dead.
1890. Globe, 27 Aug., p. 2, c. 5. He is drawn along at a rapid
rate, or, as the correspondent puts it, he is whisked all over town
like greased lightning.
1891. J. Newman, Scamping Tricks, p. 98. He measured again, and
then off went his coat like greased lightning, and we all followed
suit.
Greaser, subs. (American).—1. A Mexican in general; also a Spanish
American: see quots. 1848 and 1888. The term originated during the
Mexican war.
1848. Ruxton, Life in the Far West, p. 3. Note. The Mexicans are
called Spaniards or greasers (from their greasy appearance) by the
Western people.
1855. Marryat, Mountains and Mole Hills, p. 236. The Americans call
the Mexicans greasers, which is scarcely a complimentary
soubriquet; although the term greaser camp as applied to a Mexican
encampment is truthfully suggestive of filth and squalor.
1876. Besant and Rice, Golden Butterfly, Prologue i. Behind the
leaders followed a little troop of three, consisting of one English
servant and two greasers.
1883. Bret Harte, In the Carquinez Woods, footnote to ch. vii.
Greasers, Californian slang for a mixed race of Mexicans and
Indians.
1888. Century Mag., October. To avenge the murder of one of their
number the cowboys gathered from the country round about, and
fairly stormed the greaser—that is, Mexican—village where the
murder had been committed, killing four of the inhabitants.
1891. Gunter, Miss Nobody, ch. 2. Don’t let the greaser git his
fingers in your ha’r.
2. in. pl. (Royal Military Academy).—Fried potatoes, as distinguished
from boilers = boiled potatoes.
To give one greaser, verb. phr. (Winchester College).—To rub the back
of the hand hard with the knuckles.
Grease-spot, subs. (common).—The imaginary result of a passage at arms,
physical or intellectual.
1844. Haliburton, The Attaché, ch. xvi. If he hadn’t a had the
clear grit in him, and showed his teeth and claws, they’d a
nullified him so you wouldn’t see a grease-spot of him no more.
Greasy-chin, subs. (old).—A dinner.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1837. Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, ‘Lay of St. Gengulphus.’ And to
every guest his card had express’d ‘Half past’ as the hour for a
greasy chin.
Great Cry and Little Wool.—See Cry.
Great Go (or Greats), subs. (Cambridge University).—The final
examination for the B.A. degree; cf., Little-go. At Oxford, greater.
1841. Prince of the New-made Baccalere, Oxford. Great-go is passed.
1861. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxford, ch. x. Both small and great are
sufficiently distant to be altogether ignored, if we are that way
inclined.
1856–7. Thackeray, King of Brentford’s Test., st. 7. At college,
though not fast, Yet his little-go and great-go, He creditably
pass’d.
1871. Morning Advertiser, 28 Apr. Yes, Mr. Lowe has been plucked
for his great go.
1883. Echo, 3 May, p. 2, c. 4. But few, indeed, are the men who
have been in for greats during the last twenty years, and who have
not blessed Mr. Kitchin for his edition of the Novum Organum.
Great Gun, subs. phr. (common).—1. A person of distinction; a thing of
importance.
English Synonyms.—Big bug; big dog of the tanyard; big dog with the
brass collar; big gun; big head; big one; big (or great) pot; big wig;
biggest toad in the puddle; cock of the walk; don; large potato; nob;
rumbusticator; stunner; swell; swell-head; topper; top-sawyer.
French Synonyms.—Un gros bonnet (familiar = big wig); un fiérot (a
stuck-up); un herr (from the German); Monsieur Raidillon or Monsieur
Pointu (= Mr. Stuck-up).
1836. M. Scott, Tom Cringle’s Log, ch. ii. A Spanish Ecclesiastic,
the Canon of ——. Plenty of great guns, at any rate—a regular park
of artillery.
1843. Haliburton, Sam Slick in England, ch. xv. The great guns and
big bugs have to take in each other’s ladies.
Ibid., p. 24. Pick out the big bugs and see what sort of stuff
they’re made of.
1853. Wh. Melville, Digby Grand, ch. x. The great guns of the
party, the rector of the parish, the member for the county.
2. (pedlers’).—A peculiar practice; a trick of particular usefulness
and importance; a favourite wheeze (q.v.).
1851. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, i., 256. The
street-seller’s great gun, as he called it, was to make up packets,
as closely resembling as he could accomplish it those which were
displayed in the windows of any of the shops.
To Blow Great Guns, verb. phr. (nautical).—To blow a gale; also to blow
great guns and small arms.
1839. Harrison Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard [1889], 23. ‘Curse me, if I
don’t think all the world means to cross the Thames this fine
night!’ observed Ben. ‘One’d think it rained fares as well as
blowed great guns.’
1854. H. Miller, Sch. and Schm. (1858), 14. It soon began to blow
great guns.
1865. H. Kingsley, Hillyars and Burton, ch. lxxvii. It was blowing
pretty high guns, sou’ eastern by east, off shore and when we came
to the harbour’s mouth there was Tom Wyatt with his pilot just
aboard.
1869. Arthur Sketchley, Mrs. Brown on Things in General. I never
did see such weather, a-blowin great guns as the sayin’ is.
1892. R. L. Stevenson and L. Osbourne, The Wrecker, p. 340. It blew
great guns from the seaward.
Great-house. See Big-house.
Great-Joseph, subs. (old).—An overcoat.
Great Scott! intj. (American).—An exclamation of surprise; an apology
for an oath. [Possibly a memory of the name of Gen. Winfield Scott, a
presidential candidate whose dignity and style were such as to win him
the nickname “Fuss-and-Feathers.”] Also Great Cæsar.
1888. New York Mercury. Great Scott! you don’t say so.
1891. Gunter, Miss Nobody of Nowhere, p. 98. Bob, what’s the matter
with you? Great Scott! the mine hain’t give out.
1891. Licensed Vict. Gaz., 19 June, p. 396, c 2. Great Scotch!—no,
we mean Scott—well, language worthy of the great Harry prevailed
for awhile.
1891. N. Gould, Double Event, p. 305. ‘Great Scott! what the deuce
is Wells up to?’ said the Squire.
1892. R. L. Stevenson and L. Osbourne, The Wrecker, p. 106. Great
Cæsar!
1892. Tit Bits, 19 Mar., p. 416, c. 1. He. Great Cæsar! There you
go again! She. James will you please remember that it is your wife
to whom you are speaking, sir? He. No other woman could drive me
raving, distracted, crazy, asking silly questions about—She. James!
Great Shakes. See Shakes.
Great Smoke, subs. (thieves’)—London.
Great Sun, intj. (common).—An exclamation.
1876. Besant and Rice, Golden Butterfly. Great Sun! I think I see
it now.
Great-unwashed, subs. (colloquial).—The lower classes; the rabble. Also
the unwashed. [First used by Burke; popularised by Scott.]
1892. Sydney Watson, Wops the Waif, ch. iii., p. 4. We begin to
understand what is meant by the lowest classes, the great unwashed.
Great Whipper-in, subs. phr. (common).—Death; old floorer (q.v.).
Grecian, subs. (old).—1. A roysterer; a greek (q.v.).