Higher-malthusianism, subs. phr. (colloquial).—Sodomy.
Highfalute, verb. (American).—To use fine words. Also to yarn (q.v.).
See Highfaluting. Fr., faire l’étroite.
Highfaluting, subs. (formerly American: now general).—Bombast; rant.
1865. Orchestra. We should not think of using high-falutin on
ordinary serious occasions, and that we never shall use it in
future, unless we happen to speak of the Porcupine critic.
1886. Pall Mall Gaz., 3 May, 6, 2. A glib master of frothy fustian,
of flatulent high-falutin’, and of oratorical bombast.
Adj. (general).—Bombastic; fustian; thrasonical.
1870. Friswell, Modern Men of Letters. A driveller of tipsy,
high-flown, and high-falutin’ nonsense.
1884. Echo, 17 Mar., p. 1, c. 4. It is the boast of high-falutin’
Americans that theirs is a country ‘where every man can do as he
darn pleases.’
High-feather. In high feather, adv. phr. (colloquial).—In luck; on good
terms with oneself and the world.
High-fly. To be on the high-fly, verb. phr. (thieves’).—Specifically,
to practise the begging-letter imposture, but (generally) to tramp the
country as a beggar.
1839. Brandon, Poverty, Mendicity, and Crime, 163. The
High-fly—beggars, with letters, pretending to be broken-down
gentlemen, captains, etc.
1857. Snowden, Mag. Assistant, (3rd ed.), p. 445. Begging
letters—the highfly.
Highflyer, subs. (old).—1. Anything or anybody out of the common, in
opinion, pretension, attire, and so forth: as a prostitute (high-priced
and well-dressed); an adventurer (superb in impudence and luck). 2. A
dandy, male or female, of the first water. 3. A fast coach.
1690. Dryden. Prol. to Mistakes in Wks., p. 473 (Globe). He’s no
high-flyer—he makes no sky-rockets, His squibs are only levelled at
your pockets.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. High-flyers, Impudent, Forward,
Loose, Light Women. Also, bold adventurers.
1693. Congreve, Old Bachelor, i., 1. Well, as high a flyer as you
are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
1706. R. Estcourt, Fair Example, Act i., p. 10. You may keep
company with the highest flyer of ’em all.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1818. Scott, Heart of Midlothian, i. Mail-coach races against
mail-coach, and high-flyer against high-flyer, through the most
remote districts of Britain.
1821. Egan, Tom and Jerry, v. As you have your high-fliers at
Almack’s, at the West End, we have also some ‘choice creatures’ at
our All Max in the East.
1823. Bee, Dict. Turf, s.v. High-flyers—women of the town, in
keeping, who job a coach, or keep a couple of saddle-horses at
least.
1830. Lytton, Paul Clifford, (Ed. 1854) p. 75. Howsomever, the
high-flyers doesn’t like him; and when he takes people’s money, he
need not be quite so cross about it!
1860. Dickens, Uncommercial Traveller, xxii., p. 131. The old room
on the ground floor where the passengers of the High-flyers used to
dine.
1864. Dickens, Our Mutual Friend, i., 5. Mrs. Boffin, Wegg ... is a
’ighflyer at fashion.
1892. Milliken, ’Arry Ballads, p. 40. Foller yer leader, ... all
who can carry sufficient skyscrapers to keep in the ’unt, with that
’ighflyer ’Arry.
4. (thieves’).—A beggar with a certain style; a begging-letter writer;
a broken swell.
1851–61. H. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, vol. I., p. 268.
While pursuing the course of a high-flyer (genteel beggar).
1858. A. Mayhew, Paved with Gold, bk. III., ch. iii., p. 268. He
was a high-flier, a genteel beggar.
1887. Standard, 20 June, p. 5, c. 2. The pretended noblemen and
knights who ‘say they have suffered by war, fire, or captivity, or
have been driven away, and lost all they had,’ are still
represented by the high-flyers or broken-down gentlemen.