To make oneself at home, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To take one’s ease;
to be familiar to the point of ill-breeding.
1892. Milliken, ’Arry Ballads, p. 10. As at home as a cat in a
cream-shop.
To come home to, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To reach the conscience; to
touch deeply.
To go (send, or carry) home (or to one’s last home), verb. phr.
(colloquial).—To die; to kill; to bury. [The Chinese say ‘to go home
horizontally.’] See Aloft.
1598. Florio, A Worlde of Wordes. Mandar ’al palegro, to send to
ones last home.
1823. Bee, Dict. Turf, s.v. Home. Gone home, dead.
Home-bird, subs. (colloquial).—A henpecked husband. Also, a milksop.
Fr., chauffe-la-couche (= warming-pan).
Home for lost dogs, subs. phr. (medical).—A large and well known
medical school in London. [From the fact that the majority of its
inmates have strayed there from the various hospital schools, as a last
resource toward taking a degree.]
Home-rule, subs. (common).—Irish whiskey. For synonyms, see Drinks and
Old Man’s Milk.
Home-sweet-home, subs. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see
Monosyllable.
Homo, subs. (old).—A man: generally omee (q.v.). [From the Latin.] For
synonyms, see Cove.
Homoney, subs. (old).—A woman. For synonyms, see Petticoat. Also, a
wife. For synonyms, see Dutch and Cf. Homo.
1754. Discoveries of John Poulter, p. 43. My homoney is in quod, my
wife is in gaol.
Homo-opathise, verb. (American).—To get bills (i.e., petitions) through
Legislature, Congress, or City Council, by means of bills (i.e.,
bank-bills).
Hone, subs. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see
Monosyllable.
1719. Durfey, Pills, etc., i., 204. So I may no more pogue the hone
of a Woman.
Honest, adj. (old).—1. Chaste.
1596. Ben Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, ii., 1. Why’t cannot be,
where there is such resort, O wanton gallants, and young revellers,
That any woman should be honest long.
1599. Henry Porter, Two Angry Women of Abingdon (Dodsley, Old
Plays, 4th ed., 1875, vii., 389). Is my fellow Dick in the dark
with my mistress? I pray God they be honest, for there may be much
knavery in the dark.
1600. Look About You, Sc. 28 (Dodsley, Old Plays, 4th ed., 1875,
vii., 476). What, lecher? No, she is an honest woman. Her husband
is well known.
1602. Shakspeare, Othello, iii., 3. I do not think but Desdemona’s
honest.
1614. Jonson, Bartholomew Fair, v., 3. De honest woman’s life is a
dull scurvy life, indeed.
1663. Killigrew, The Parson’s Wedding, iii., 2 (Dodsley, Old Plays,
4th ed., 1875, xiv., 454). There’s none but honest women.
1663. Killigrew, The Parson’s Wedding, v., 4 (Dodsley, Old Plays,
4th ed., 1875, xiv., 525). Crooked, dirty-souled vermin,
predestined for cuckolds, painted snails with houses on their
backs, and horns as big as Dutch cows.... Can any woman be honest
that lets such hodmandods crawl o’er her virgin breast and belly?
1672. Wycherley, Love in a Wood, ii., 1. A man ... may bring his
bashful wench, and not have her put out of countenance by the
impudent honest women of the town.
1686–7. Aubrey, Gentilisme (1881), p. 163. The towne is full of
wanton wenches, and ... (they say) scarce three honest women in the
Town.
1693. Congreve, Old Bachelor, iii., 10. Silvia. I’m not such a fool
neither, but I can keep myself honest.
1695. Congreve, Love for Love, iii., 14. Mrs. Fore. Do you think
any woman honest? Scan. Yes, several very honest; they’ll cheat a
little at cards sometimes; but that’s nothing. Mrs. Fore. Pshaw!
but virtuous, I mean.
2. (common).—Not positively illegal: as honest penny or shilling =
money earned by means immoral (as by prostitution) but within the law.
Also, To turn an honest penny = to make a profitable deal.
1677. Wycherley, Plain Dealer, iii., 1. You must call usury and
extortion God’s blessing, or the honest turning of the penny.
1886. J. S. Winter, Army Society, ch. xxi. There was a chance of
turning an honest penny in hiring them out for the donkey-race.
To make an honest woman, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To marry a mistress.
1629. Earle, Microcosmographie (5th ed.). ‘A Serving Man.’ The best
work he does is his marrying, for he makes an honest woman, and if
he follows in it his master’s direction, it is commonly the best
service he does him.
1672. Wycherley, Love in a Wood, v., 6. Dap. Why she was my wench.
Gripe. I’ll make her honest then.
1750. Fielding, Tom Jones, bk. XV., ch. viii. Mr. Nightingale, and
his love, stepped into a hackney-coach, which conveyed him to
Doctors’ Commons, where Miss Nancy was, in vulgar language, soon
made an honest woman.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
1825. Scott, St. Ronan’s Well, ch. xxv. My right honourable father
nourished some thoughts of making an honest woman of Marie de
Martigny, and a legitimate elder brother of Francis.
1827. Egan, Anecdotes of the Turf, p. 182. She had now only to play
her cards well, she was sure of winning the game, also of becoming
an honest woman.
As honest a man as when kings are out, phr. (old).—Knavish.
Honest as the skin between the brows (or Horns), phr. (old).—As honest
as may be.
1551. W. Still, Gammer Gurton’s Needle, (O.P.), ii., 67. I am as
true, I wold thou knew, as skin betwene thy brows.
1599. Jonson, Every Man out of his Humour, ii., 2. Punt. Is he
magnanimous? Gent. As the skin between your brows, sir.
1600. Shakspeare, Much Ado, iii., 5. An old man, sir, and his wits
are not so blunt, as, God help, I would desire they were, but in
faith, honest, as the skin between his brows.
1614. Jonson, Bartholomew Fair, iv., 5. It shall be justified to
thy husband’s faish, now: tou shalt be as honesht as the skin
between his hornsh, la.
Honest Injun! phr. (American).—A pledge of sincerity; honour bright
(q.v.).
1884. Clemens [Mark Twain], Huckleberry Finn. She says ‘Honest
Injun, now hain’t you been telling me a lot of lies?’ ‘Honest
Injun’ says I.
1892. Detroit Free Press, 12 Aug. I’ll agree not to feel hard about
it. Honest Injun?
Honey, subs. (American).—1. A good fellow.
1888. Missouri Republican, 24 Feb. Dave is a honey.