1888. Sporting Life, 7 Dec. So quiet was the first round that the
ire of the company was raised, and they called out, ‘No hank!’
Verb (common).—To worry; to bait; to drive from pillar to post.
Hanker, verb (old: now recognised).—To desire eagerly; to fret after;
to long or pine for: generally with ‘after.’ Also, Hankering (subs.) =
an importunate and irritating longing.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Hanker after, to Long or wish
much for.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. To hanker after anything, to have a
longing after or for it.
1847. Robb, Squatter Life, p. 98. I did see a creatur’ once, named
Sofy Mason ... that I tuk an orful hankerin’ arter.
1878. Whitman, Leaves of Grass, ‘Spontaneous Me,’ 90 (ed. 1884).
The hairy wild-bee that murmurs and hankers up and down.
Hankin, subs. (commercial).—The trick of putting off bad work for good.
[Cf., To play hankey, or To play hanky-panky.]
Hanktelo, subs. (old).—See quots.
1593. Nashe, Strange Newes (Grosart, Wks., ii., 251). Is the
Astrologicaall Discourse a better booke than Pierce Pennilesse?
Gabriel Hangtelow saies it is?
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Hanktelo, a silly Fellow, a
meer Cods-head.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Hanky-Panky, subs. (common).—(1) Legerdemain; whence (2) trickery;
underhand (q.v.) work; cheating; any manner of double-dealing or
intrigue. Hanky-panky business = conjuring; hanky-panky work (or
tricks) = double-dealing. A bit of hanky-panky = a trick; a piece of
knavery.
1841. Punch, Vol. I., p. 88. Only a little hanky-panky.
1880. G. R. Sims, Zeph, ch. xiii. He knew that ... any crime
committed on his premises would tell against him on licensing day,
and he kept a pretty sharp look out to see that what he was pleased
to term hanky panky was not carried on under his nose.
1864. E. Yates, Broken to Harness, ch. xxxviii. If there was any
hanky panky, any mystery I mean, he’d always swear he was out
whenever he called, for fear it should be bullied out of him.
1877. Five Years’ Penal Servitude, ch. v., p. 323.——There’s some
hanky panky business going on among the men of No. 2 prison; the
Catholic side is ringing changes and it is done in this shop.
Hanky-panky-bloke, subs. phr. (theatrical).—A conjuror; a pile of mags
(q.v.).
Hanky-Spanky, adj. (common).—Dashing; nobby (q.v.). Specifically of
well-cut clothes.
Hannah. That’s the man as married Hannah, phr. (streets’).—‘That’s the
thing’: used of a thing well begun and well ended; or as an expressive
of certainty. Varied sometimes by that’s what’s the matter with Hannah.
Hans Carvel’s Ring, subs. phr. (venery).—The female pudendum. For
synonyms, see Monosyllable. [From Poggio (tit. Annulus); Cent Nouvelles
Nouvelles (xi.); Ariosto (Sat. v.); the Nouvelle of Malespini (89,
ii.); Rabelais (Pantagruel, iii., 28); and Matthew Prior.]
Hansel (or Handsel), subs. (common).—The first money taken in the
morning; lucky money. Hence, earnest money; first-fruits, &c.
Hansel-Monday = the first Monday in the new year, when presents were
received by children and servants. [A. S., handselen = to deliver into
the hand.]
1587. Greene, Menaphon (Arber), p. 71. He should like inough haue
had first handsell of our new Shepheards sheepehooke.
1614. Jonson, Bartholomew Fair, ii. Bring him a sixpenny bottle of
ale: They say a fool’s handsel is lucky.
1679. Holland, Ammianus Marcellinus. With which wofull tidings
being sore astonied, as if it were the first hansell and beginning
of evils comming toward him.
1787. Grose, Prov. Glossary, etc. (1811), p. 121. It is a common
practice among the lower class of hucksters, pedlars, or dealers in
fruit or fish, on receiving the price of the first goods sold that
day, which they call hansel, to spit on the money, as they term it,
for good luck.
1815. Scott, Guy Mannering, ch. iii. There was a whin bonnie lasses
there, forbye mysel’, and deil ane to gie them hansels. Ibid., ch.
xxxii. Grizzy has naething frae me, by twa pair o’ new shoon ilka
year, and maybe a bit compliment at Hansel Monanday.
1821. Scott, Kenilworth, ch. xix. ‘How wears the Hollands you won
of me?’ ‘Why, well, as you may see, Master Goldthred,’ answered
Mike; ‘I will bestow a pot on thee for the handsel.’
Verb (common).—1. To give handsel to; also (2), to use for the first
time.
1599. Nashe, Lenten Stuffe, in Wks., v., 249. And gather about him
as flocking to hansell him and strike him good luck.
1605. Chapman, etc., Eastward Hoe, ii. My lady ... is so ravished
with desire to hansell her new coach.
1639–61. Rump Songs, i. [1662], 137. Belike he meant to Hansell his
New Satten.
1663. Pepys, Diary, 12 Apr. Coming home to-night, a drunken boy was
carrying by our constable to our new pair of stocks to handsel
them.
1874. [G. A. Lawrence], Hagarene, ch. xvii. The habit of stout blue
cloth ... was Pete Harradine’s last and crowning extravagance, as
they passed through town on their way to Fulmerstone, and it had
never been hanselled yet.
1881. Besant and Rice, Sweet Nelly, in Ten Years’ Tenant, etc.,
Vol. I., p. 200. I wanted to present her with something to hansel
friendship.
Hanseller, subs. (common).—A street vendor; a Cheap Jack.
1851–61. H. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, i., 392. The sellers
of tins, who carry them under their arms, or in any way on a round,
apart from the use of a vehicle, are known as hand-sellers.
1876. Hindley, Adventures of a Cheap Jack, p. 10. Cheap-Jacks, as
they were then as now called by the people, although the term
han’-seller is mostly used by themselves.
Hans-en-Kelder, subs. (old).—A child in the womb: literally,
Jack-in-the-Cellar (q.v.). [From the Dutch.]
1647. Cleaveland, Character of a London Diurnall. The originall
sinner in this kind was Dutch; Galliobelgicus, the Protoplast; and
the moderne Mercuries, but hans-en-kelders. The countesse of
Zealand was brought to bed of an almanack; as many children as
dayes in the yeare.
1648. Mercurius Pragmaticus, i. The birthday of that precious new
government which is yet but a Hans-en-kelder.
d. 1658. Lovelace, Poems, p. 63. Next beg I to present my duty To
pregnant sister in prime beauty, Whom [who] well I deem (ere few
months elder) Will take out Hans from pretty kelder.
1663. Dryden, Wild Gallant, v., Wks., i. 61 (1701). Seems you are
desirous I should Father this Hans en Kelder heere.
1672. Marvell, Char. of Holland, line 65. More pregnant then their
Marg’ret, that laid down For Hans-in-Kelder of a whole Hanse town.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Hans-en-Kelder, Jack in the
Box, the Child in the Womb, or a Health to it.
1672. Wycherley, Love in a Wood, v. Then I am as it were a
grandfather to your new Wiffe’s, hans en kelder.
1678. T. Baker, Tunbridge Wells, p. 27. Here’s a health to this
Lady’s Hans in Kelder!
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Hans in Kelder, a health frequently
drank to breeding women, or their husbands.
Hansom, subs. (coster).—A chop.
Hap-Harlot, subs. (old).—A coarse stuff to make rugs or coverlets with;
a rug. Cf., Wrap-rascal = an overcoat.
1577–87. Holinshed, Description of England, bk. ii., ch. xii. A
sheet vnder couerlets made of dagswain, or hap-harlots (I vse their
owne termes).
Ha’porth o’ Coppers, subs. phr. (legal).—Habeas Corpus.
Ha’porth of Liveliness, subs. phr. (Coster).—1. Music.
1851–61. H. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, i., p. 21. Or they
will call to the orchestra, saying, ‘Now then you catgut-scrapers!
Let’s have a ha’porth of liveliness.’