Verb (American).—To cajole; to exchange endearments; to deceive by soft
words or promises.
1596. Shakspeare, Hamlet, iii., 4. Stew’d in corruption; honeying
and making love Over the nasty sty.
1602. Marston, Antonio and Mellida, A. 4. Can’st thou not honey me
with fluent speach, And even adore my toplesse villany?
1604. Marston and Webster, Malcontent, O.P., iv., 66. O unpeerable!
invention rare! Thou god of policy, it honies me.
1631. Chettle, Hoffman. Clo. A pretious villaine: a good villaine
too. Well if he be no worse; that is doe worse, And honey me in my
death-stinging thoughts, I will preferre him.
1888. Tuskaloosa News. It is of no use to honey; payments must be
made at least once a year.
To sell honey for a half-penny, verb. phr. (old).—To rate at a vile
price.
1592. Nashe, Pierce Penilesse [1842], p. 43. Thou that in thy
dialogues soldst hunnie for a halfe-penie, and the choysest writers
extant for cues a peece.
Honey-blobs, subs. (Scots’).—Large, ripe, yellow gooseberries.
1746. Walpole, Letters, i., 144. As he returned to the Tower, he
stopped the coach at Charing Cross to buy honey-blobs, as the
Scotch call gooseberries.
Honeycomb, subs. (old).—A sweetheart; a general term of endearment.
1552. Huloet, Abcedarium, s.v. Darlynge, a wanton terme used in
veneriall speach, as be these: honycombe, pyggisnye, swetehert,
true love.
Honey-fogle (or fugle), verb. (American).—To cheat; to swindle; to
humbug. For synonyms, see Gammon.
1888. Missouri Republican, 20 Jan. Noonan’s companion objected to
this honey-fugling by knocking the demonstrative stranger down.
Honey-pot, subs. (old).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see
Monosyllable.
1719. Durfey, Pills, etc., iii., 342. For when you have possession
got, Of Venus’ Mark, or hony-pot.
Honour Bright! intj. (common).—Upon my honour.
1819. Moore, Tom Crib, p. 36. At morning meet, and,—honour
bright,—Agree to share the blunt and tatters!
1843. Selby, Antony and Cleopatra Married. Cle. Will you love me as
dearly as ever? Ant. Dearer, dear Chloe, dearer! Cle. Honour? Ant.
Bright and shining.
1869. F. Hall, Marginal reading to Lyndsay’s Satire of Three
Estates [E.E. Text Soc.], p. 382. She is more than a match for
twenty-four a night, honour bright.
1878. Hatton, Cruel London, bk. VIII, ch. ii. Honour bright, no
kid, as we say in London.
1881. W. Black, Beautiful Wretch, ch. xix. ‘I do not mean to marry
Mr. Jacomb, if that is what you mean.’ ‘No? Honour bright?’ ‘I
shall not marry Mr. Jacomb.’
1892. Cassell’s Sat. Jour., 28 Sep., p. 29., c. 3. ‘Come, come, Mr.
Smith, you’re drawing the long bow!’ ‘Honour bright, I’m not.’
1892. N. Gould, Double Event, p. 158. ‘She did, honour bright,’
said Smirk.
Hood. two faces under one hood (or Hat), phr. (old).—Double-dealing.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Hood.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1823. Bee, Dict. Turf, s.v. Hood. May the man be d——d and never
grow fat, Who carries two faces under one hat.
To put a bone in one’s hood, verb. phr. (obsolete).—To cuckold.
1560. Nice Wanton (Dodsley, Old Plays, 4th ed., 1875, ii., 169). I
could tell you who putteth a bone in your hood. Ibid. (p. 170),
Then by the rood, a bone in your hood, I shall put you ere long.
Hoodlum, subs. (American).—A boy rough. Also, a rough of either sex.
Also (political), a low-class voter. Originally Californian. Cf., Arab.
1872. Sacramento Weekly Union, 24 Feb., p. 2. All the boys to be
trained as scriveners, tape-measurers, counter-hoppers, clerks,
pettifoggers, polite loafers, street-hounds, hoodlums, and bummers.
1877. Los Angeles Express, 25 Aug. A gang of boys ... associated
for the purpose of stealing.... Their words of warning were ‘Huddle
’em, Huddle ’em.’ ... soon contracted into hoodlum.
1877. Boston Journal, Aug. You at the East have but little idea of
the hoodlums of this city. They compose a class of criminals of
both sexes, far more dangerous than are to be found in the Eastern
cities. They travel in gangs, and are ready at any moment for the
perpetration of any crime.
1877. Congregationalist, 26 Sep. A newspaper man attempting to coin
a word to designate a gang of young street Arabs under the beck of
one named ‘Muldoon,’ hit upon noodlums, simply reversing the
leader’s name.... The compositor, taking the n for an h, printed it
hoodlum.
1877. Morning Call, 27 Oct. The rowdy element in the city ... who
were soon after designated as hoodlums.
1885. G. A. Sala, in Daily Telegraph, 12 Aug., p. 5, c. 5. In order
to guard against the contingency of the white hoodlums, or roughs,
coming down in force from the American quarter of the city [San
Francisco], and ‘going for’ the Celestials.
1888. Missouri Republican, 31 Mar. It is conceded by all that the
hoodlums have nominated weak men, and the citizens will have easy
sailing on Tuesday.
1890. Norton, Political Americanisms, s.v. hoodlums, A general name
for roughs. It originated on the Pacific coast, as the designation
of a company of young ruffians in San Francisco (about 1868).
Subsequently it spread Eastward, and attained some political
significance; as ‘the hoodlum element’ in politics.
1892. Pall Mall Gaz., 29 Feb., p. 2, c. 2. A right of public
meeting dependent on the good will of the hoodlum is not worth
having.
1893. National Observer, 4 Mar., ix., 398. In America, home of the
Hoodlum, where they turn their murderers into mayors.
Hoodman, subs. (old).—A blind man; a groper (q.v.).
Adj. (old).—1. Blind. Also Hoodman Blind = blind drunk; cf., sense 2.
Fr., berlu and sans mirettes.