Old Harry, subs. (common).—The devil. For synonyms, see Skipper.
1693. Congreve, Old Bachelor, ii., 1. By the Lord Harry I’ll stay
no longer.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
1830. Lytton, Paul Clifford, ch. iv. May Old Harry fly off with
him.
1837. Barham, Ingoldsby Legends (1865), p. 406. Shall I summon Old
Harry himself to this spot?
Harry of the West, subs. phr. (political American).—Henry Clay.
To play old Harry, verb. phr. (common).—To annoy; to ruin; to play the
devil.
1889. Licensed Vict. Gaz., 18 Jan. Otherwise played old Harry with
the guardians of the peace.
Tom, Dick, and Harry, phr. (common).—Generic for any and everybody; the
mob.
1886. R. L. Stevenson, Kidnapped, p. 287. He rode from public house
to public house and shouted his sorrows into the lug of Tom, Dick,
and Harry.
What Harry gave Doll, verb. phr. (old venery).—The penis: also generic
for fornication.
Harry-bluff, subs. (rhyming).—Snuff.
Harry-common, subs. phr. (old).—A general wencher.
1675. Wycherley, Country Wife, v., 4. Well, Harry Common, I hope
you can be true to three.
Harry-soph, subs. (Cambridge Univ.: obsolete).—See quots.
1795. Gent. Mag., p. 20. A Harry, or errant Soph, I understand to
be either a person, four-and-twenty years of age, and of an infirm
state of health, who is permitted to dine with the fellows, and to
wear a plain, black, full-sleeved gown: or, else, he is one who,
having kept all the terms, by statute required previous to his
law-act, is hoc ipso facto entitled to wear the same garment, and,
thenceforth, ranks as bachelor, by courtesy.
1803. Gradus ad Cantabrigiam. Harry Soph; or Henry Sophister;
students who have kept all the terms required for a law act, and
hence are ranked as Bachelors of Law by courtesy. They wear a
plain, black, full-sleeved gown.
Harum-scarum, adj. and subs. (old colloquial).—1. Giddy; careless;
wild; a thoughtless or reckless fellow.
1740. Round about our Coal Fire, c. i. Peg would scuttle about to
make a toast for John, while Tom run harum scarum to draw a jug of
ale for Margery.
1780 Mad. D’Arblay, Diary, i., 358 [ed. 1842]. He seemed a mighty
rattling harem-scarem gentleman.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Harum Scarum, he was running harum
scarum, said of any one running or walking carelessly and in a
hurry, after they know not what.
1836. Marryat, Japhet, ch. xcii. I’m not one of those harum-scarum
sort, who would make up a fight when there’s no occasion for it.
1855. Thackeray, Newcomes, ch. v. They had a quarrel with Thomas
Newcome’s own son, a harum-scarum lad, who ran away, and then was
sent to India.
1870. London Figaro, 19 Oct. ‘Within an inch.’ Tom—that’s my
son—has worked with me in the mine ever since he was quite a little
chap; and a harum-scarum young dog he was, when a boy.