Half-moon, subs. (old).—1. A wig; and (2) the female pudendum. For
synonyms, see Periwinkle and Monosyllable.
1611. Lodowick Barry, Ram Alley (Dodsley, Old Plays, vii., 326, ed.
1875). Is not her half-moon mine?
Half-mourning, subs. (common).—A black eye. Full-mourning = two black
eyes or deep grief.
Half-nab (or nap), adv. (old).—See quot.
1791. Bampfylde-Moore Carew, Life. Half-nab—at a venture, unsight
unseen, hit or miss.
Half-on, adj. (colloquial).—Half-drunk.
Half-rocked, adv. (common).—Half-witted; silly. [From a West Country
saying that all idiots are nursed bottom upwards.] See Apartments and
Tile Loose.
Half-saved, adv. (common).—Weak-minded; shallow-brained. See Apartments
and Tile Loose.
1834. Southey, The Doctor, ch. x. William Dove’s was not a case of
fatuity. Though all was not there, there was a great deal. He was
what is called half-saved.
1874. M. Collins, Frances, ch. xlii. This groom was what they call
in the west country half-saved.
Half-screwed, adj. (common).—More or less in liquor. See Drinks and
Screwed.
1839. Lever, Harry Lorrequer, ch. ii. He was, in Kilrush phrase,
half-screwed, thereby meaning more than half tipsy.
Half-seas Over, adv. phr. (colloquial).—Loosely applied to various
degrees of inebriety. Formerly = half way on one’s course, or towards
attainment. For synonyms, see Screwed.
[In its specific sense Gifford says, “a corruption of the Dutch op-zee
zober, ‘over-sea beer,’ a strong heady beverage introduced into Holland
from England.” ‘Up-zee Freese’ is Friezeland beer. The German zauber
means ‘strong beer’ and ‘bewitchment.’ Thus (1610) in Jonson,
Alchemist, iv., 2. ‘I do not like the dulness of your eye, It hath a
heavy cast, ’tis upsee Dutch.’ Other nautical terms = drunk are
water-logged; sprung; slewed; with one’s jib well bowsed; three sheets
in the wind; channels under, but see Drinks and Screwed.]
1631–1701. Dryden. I am half-seas over to death.
1690. B. E., Cant. Crew, s.v. Half-seas over, almost Drunk.
1697. Vanbrugh, Relapse, iii., 3. Good; that’s thinking half-seas
over. One tide more brings us into port.
1714. Spectator, No. 616. The whole magistracy was pretty well
disguised before I gave them the slip. Our friend the alderman was
half-seas over before the bonfire was out.
1738. Swift, Pol. Convers., Dial. 1. You must own you had a drop in
your eye; when I left you, you were half seas over.
1751. Smollett, Peregrine Pickle, ch. ix. Who, by this time, had
entered into all the jollity of his new friends, and was indeed
more than half-seas-over.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1829. J. B. Buckstone, Billy Taylor. The public-houses will not
close till morn, And wine and spirituous liquors are so cheap, That
we can all get nicely half seas over, And see no sea at all.
1839. Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard [1889], p. 40. Mr. Smith, now being
more than half-seas over, became very uproarious.
1849. Thackeray, Pendennis, ch. xxx. It’s pay-day with the General
... and he’s a precious deal more than half-seas over.
1866. G. Eliot, Felix Holt, ch. xxviii. There’s truth in wine, and
there may be some in gin and muddy beer.... I’ve got plenty of
truth in my time out of men who were half-seas-over, but never any
that was worth a sixpence to me.
1890. Globe, 16 Apr., p. 2, c. 1. The familiar phrase half-seas
over, for example, is wanting, and for this we appear to be
indebted to the Dutch.
1892. The Cosmopolitan, Oct., p. 724. The fellow half-seas-over
everyone excuses.
Half-slewed, adj. (common).—Parcel drunk. For synonyms, see Screwed.
Half-snacks (or Half-snags), adv. phr. (colloquial).—Half-shares. See
quots.
1683. Earl of Dorset, A Faithful Catalogue. She mounts the price
and goes half snack herself.
1887. Walford’s Antiquarian, p. 252. Half-snags is a corrupted form
of half snacks, i.e., half shares. If one of a party of arabs finds
any article it becomes his entire property unless his fellows say
Half-Snags, or ‘Quarter-bits,’ or ‘Some for your neighbours.’
Half-’un, subs. (common).—Half-a-glass of spirits and water; Half-a-Go
(q.v.).
Half-widow, subs. (American).—A woman with a lazy and thriftless
husband.
[For Half in combination, see also Bean: Borde; Bull; Case:
Century; Couter; Dollar; George; Go; Grunter; Hog; Jack; James;
Ned; Ounce; Quid; Skiv; Stretch; Tusheroon; Wheel.]
Halifax. Go to Halifax, verb. phr. (American).—Be off! go to hell
(q.v.). The full text is Go to Hell, Hull, or Halifax. Cf., Bath,
Blazes, Hull, Putney, etc.
1599. Nashe, Lenten Stuffe (Grosart, 1883–84, p. 284). If frier
Pendela and his fellowes, had any thing to say to him, in his
admiral court of the sea, let them seek him, and neither in hull,
hell, nor halifax.
1875. Notes and Queries, 5 S., iv., p. 66. Go to Halifax. This
expression is sometimes used in the United States as a mild
substitute for a direction to go to a place not to be named to ears
polite.
Hall, subs. (fishmongers’).—1. Specifically the hall = Leadenhall
Market. Cf., Garden, Lane, etc.
2. (Oxford Univ.).—Dinner. [Which is taken in College hall.] To hall =
to dine.
Go and Hire a Hall. phr. (American).—A retort upon loquacious bores.
Hall by the Sea, subs. phr. (medical students’).—The Examination Hall
of the conjoined Board of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and
Surgeons. [Situate on the Embankment at the foot of Waterloo Bridge.]
Hall of Delight, subs. phr. (Australian).—A music hall.
1892. Hume Nisbet, Bushranger’s Sweetheart, p. 53. I thought you
coons would find your way to this hall of delight.
Hallan-shaker (or Hallen-shaker), subs. (old).—A vagabond or sturdy
beggar. For synonyms, see Cadger and Mumper.
c. 1503–4. Dunbar, A General Satyre wks. (ed. David Laing, 1834),
ii., 26. Sic knavis and crakkeris to play at cartis and dyce. Sic
halland-schakkaris.
c. 1600. Montgomerie, Poems (Scottish Text Soc., 1885–7), ‘Polwart
and Montgomerie’s Flyting,’ p. 85. halland-shaker, draught-raiker,
bannock-baiker, ale-beshitten.
(?) 1642. Old Ballad. ‘Maggie Lauder.’ Right scornfully she
answered him, Begone, you Hallan-shaker.
1724. Journal from London, p. 4. Had seen me than staakin about
like a hallen-shaker, You wou’d hae taen me for a water-wraith.
1816. Scott, Antiquary, ch. iv. I, and a wheen Hallenshakers like
mysel’.
Halliballo.—See Hulliballo.
Hallion (or Hallyon), subs. (old).—1. A rogue; a clod; a gentleman’s
servant out of livery; also (2) a shrew. Cf., Hell-cat.
1817. Scott, Rob Roy, ch. iv. This is a decentish hallion.
1847. Porter, Big Bear, etc., p. 69. The scoundrels! the oudacious
little hellions!
Halloo. To halloo with the under dog, verb. phr. (American).—To take
the losing side.
Halo. To work the halo racket, verb. phr. (common).—To grumble; to be
dissatisfied. [From the story of the Saint in Heaven who got
dissatisfied with his nimbus.]
Haltersack, subs. (old).—A gallows-bird; a general term of reproach and
contempt.
1598. Florio, Worlde of Wordes, Bazaro, a shifter, a conicatcher
... a haltersacke.
1619. Beaumont and Fletcher, King and no King, ii., 2. Away, you
haltersack, you.
Halves, subs. (Winchester College).—(pro. Hāves.) Half-Wellington
boots, which were strictly non licet (obs.).—Notions.
To go (or cry) halves, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To take (or claim) a
half share or chance. In America, at the halves.
1831. Neal, Down Easters, ch. iv., p. 45. ‘Lives by preachin’ at
the halves a sabba’-days.’ ‘Preaching at the halves—how’s that?’
‘Why don’t you know? in partnership for what’s taken arter the
sarmon’s over.’
1851–61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, III., 122. He’ll then
again ask if anybody will go him halves.
Ham, subs. (old).—1. (in. pl.) Trousers: also Ham-cases. For synonyms,
see Kicks.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v. Hams, Breeches.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1791. Bampfylde-Moore Carew, Life. Hams—breeches.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v. Hams. Pants.
2. (American).—A loafer (q.v.). Also Ham-fatter. [The American Slang
Dict. says ‘A tenth-rate actor or variety performer.’]
1888. Missouri Republican, 27 Mar. Connelly ... is a good fighter,
but will allow the veriest ham to whip him, if there is any money
to be made by it.
1888. New York Herald, 29 July. The ... more prosperous
professional brother of the hamfatter.
No ham and all hominy, phr. (American).—Of indifferent quality; ‘no
great shakes’; ‘all work and no play’; ‘much cry and little wool.’
Hamlet, subs. (old and American). See quots.
1690. B. E., Cant. Crew, s.v. Hamlet ... a High Constable.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v. Hamlet, a High-Constable.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Hamlet, a high constable (cant).
1791. Bampfylde-Moore Carew. Hamlet, a high-constable.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v. Hamlet. A captain of police.
Ham-match, subs. (common).—A stand-up luncheon.
1890. Daily Telegraph, 4 Feb. At one o’clock they relieve their
exhausted frames by taking perpendicular refreshment—vulgarly
termed a ham match—at some City luncheon bar.
Hammer, subs. (pugilistic).—1. A hard-hitter: especially with the right
hand, like the illustrious Hammer Lane. Also Hammerer and Hammer-man.
1819. Moore, Tom Crib, p. 33. A letter written on the occasion by
Henry Harmer, the hammerer.
1823. Bee, Dict. of the Turf, 93. When a man hits very hard,
chiefly with a favorite hand, his blows are said to fall like those
of a sledge-hammer. Such boxers are hammering fighters, that do not
defend their own vitals, cannot make sure of a blow, and are termed
hammerers and hammermen.