cannot place one before the other; consequently, a DEAD-HEAT is a heat
which counts for nothing, so far as the even runners are concerned, as
it has to be run over again. When a race between dead-heaters has been
unusually severe, or when the stake is sufficiently good to bear
division, it is usual to let one of the animals walk over the course so
as to make a deciding heat, and to divide the money. In such case all
bets are divided. Sometimes, however, when no arrangement can be made,
an owner will withdraw his horse, in which case the animal that walks
over wins the whole of the stake, and his backers the whole of their
money. Where the course is short and the money of small amount, the
DEAD-HEAT is run off, the second essay being called the decider, though
on certain occasions even the decider has resulted in a
DEAD-HEAT.—_See_ NECK AND NECK.
~Dead-horse~, “to draw the DEAD-HORSE;” DEAD-HORSE work—working for
wages already paid; also any thankless or unassisted service.
~Dead-letter~, an action of no value or weight; an article, owing to
some mistake in its production, rendered utterly valueless,—often
applied to any instrument in writing, which by some apparently trivial
omission, becomes useless. At the general and large district
post-offices, there is a department for letters which have been
erroneously addressed, or for which, from many and various causes, there
are no receivers. These are called DEAD-LETTERS, and the office in
connexion with them is known as the DEAD-LETTER office.
~Dead-lock~, a permanent standstill, an inextricable entanglement.
~Dead-lurk~, entering a dwelling-house during divine service.
~Dead-man~, a baker. Properly speaking, it is an extra loaf smuggled
into the basket by the man who carries it out, to the loss of the
master. Sometimes the DEAD-MAN is charged to a customer, though never
delivered. Among London thieves and low people generally a “dead’un” is
a half-quartern loaf.
~Dead-men~, the term for wine bottles after they are emptied of their
contents.—_Old._—_See_ MARINES.
~Dead-men’s shoes~, property which cannot be claimed until after decease
of present holder. “To wait for a pair of DEAD-MEN’S SHOES,” is
considered a wearisome affair. It is used by Fletcher:—
“And ’tis a general shrift, that most men use,
But yet ’tis tedious waiting DEAD MEN’S SHOES.”
_Fletcher’s Poems_, p. 256.
~Dead-set~, a pointed and persistent attack on a person.
~Dead’un~, a horse which will not run or will not try in a race, and
against which money may be betted with safety.—_See_ SAFE UN.
~Deaner~, a shilling. From DENIER.
~Death~, “to dress to DEATH,” _i.e._, to the very extreme of fashion,
perhaps so as to be killing.
~Death-hunter~, a running patterer, who vends last dying speeches and
confessions. More modernly the term is supposed to mean an undertaker,
or any one engaged in or concerned with burials.
~Deck~, a pack of cards. Used by Shakspeare, 3 _K. Hen. VI._, v. 1.
Probably because of DECKING or arranging the table for a game at cards.
General in the United States.
~Dee~, a pocket-book; term used by tramps.—_Gipsy._ DEE (properly D), a
detective policeman. “The DEES are about, so look out.”
~Delicate~, a false subscription-book carried by a LURKER.
~Demirep~ (or DEMIRIP), a courtezan. Contraction of DEMI-REPUTATION,
which is, in turn, a contraction for _demi-monde_ reputation.
~Derby-dog~, a masterless animal, who is sure to appear as soon as the
Epsom course is cleared for the great race of the season. No year passes
without a dog running between the two dense lines of spectators and
searching in vain for an outlet, and he is almost as eagerly looked for
as are the “preliminary canters.” It is said that when no DERBY-DOG
appears on the course between Tattenham Corner and the judge’s box, just
before the start, a dead-heat will take place between all the placed
horses.
~Derrick~, an apparatus for raising sunken ships, &c. The term is
curiously derived from a hangman of that name frequently mentioned in
Old Plays, as in the _Bellman of London_, 1616.
“He rides circuit with the devil, and DERRICK must be his host, and
Tyborne the inn at which he will light.”
The term is now almost general for all cranes used in loading ships, or
doing similar work of a heavy nature.
~Despatchers~, false dice with two sets of numbers, and, of course, no
low pips. So called because they bring the matter to a speedy issue.
Great skill in palming is necessary for their successful use.
~Deuce~, the devil.—_Old._ Stated by _Junius_ and others to be from
DEUS or ZEUS.
~Deuce~, twopence; DEUCE at cards or dice, one with two pips or spots.
~Devil~, among barristers, to get up the facts of a case for a leader;
to arrange everything in the most comprehensive form, so that the Q.C.
or Serjeant can absorb the question without much trouble. DEVILLING is
juniors’ work, but much depends on it, and on the ability with which it
is done.
~Devil~, a printer’s youngest apprentice, an errand-boy in a
printing-office.
~Devil dodger~, a clergyman; also a person who goes sometimes to church
and sometimes to meeting.
~Devil-may-care~, reckless, rash.
~Devil’s bed-posts~, the four of clubs. Otherwise Old Gentleman’s
BED-POSTS.
~Devil’s books~, a pack of playing-cards; a phrase of Presbyterian
origin.—_See_ FOUR KINGS.
~Devil’s delight~, a noise or row of any description. Generally used
thus:—“They kicked up the DEVIL’S DELIGHT.”
~Devil’s dung~, the fetid drug assafœtida.
~Devil’s dust~, a term used in the manufacturing districts of Yorkshire
to denote shreds of old cloth torn up to re-manufacture; also called
SHODDY. Mr. Ferrand, in his speech in the House, March 4, 1842, produced
a piece of cloth made chiefly from DEVIL’S DUST, and tore it into shreds
to prove its worthlessness.—_See Hansard’s Parliamentary Debates_,
third series, vol. lxi. p. 140.
~Devil-scolder~, a clergyman.
~Devil’s livery~, black and yellow. From the mourning and quarantine
uses of the colours.
~Devil’s teeth~, or DEVIL’S BONES, dice.
~Devotional habits~, horses weak in the knees, and apt to stumble and
fall, are said to have these.—_Stable._
~Dew-beaters~, feet; “hold out your DEW-BEATERS till I take off the
darbies.”—_Peveril of the Peak._ Forby says the word is used in Norfolk
for heavy shoes to resist wet.
~Dew-drink~, a morning draught, such as is served out to labourers in
harvest time before commencing work.
~Dewskitch~, a good thrashing, perhaps from catching one’s due.
~Dibbs~, money; so called from the huckle bones of sheep, which have
been used from the earliest times for gambling purposes when money was
not obtainable—in one particular game being thrown up five at a time
and caught on the back of the hand like halfpence.
~Dick~, a riding whip; gold-headed DICK, one so ornamented.
~Dick~, abbreviation of “Dictionary,” but often euphemistically rendered
“Richard,”—fine language, long words. A man who uses fine words without
much judgment is said to have “swallowed the DICK.”
~Dickens~, synonymous with devil; “what the DICKENS are you after?” what
the devil are you doing? Used by Shakspeare in the _Merry Wives of
Windsor_. In many old stories his Satanic Majesty is called the DICKENS,
and by no other name, while in some others the word is spelt “diconce.”
~Dickey~, bad, sorry, or foolish; food or lodging is pronounced DICKEY
when of a poor description; “very DICKEY”, very inferior; “it’s all
DICKEY with him,” _i.e._, all over with him.
~Dickey~, formerly the cant for a worn-out shirt, but nowadays used for
a front or half-shirt. DICKEY was originally “tommy” (from the Greek,
τομή, a section), a name which was formerly used in Trinity College,
Dublin. The students are said to have invented the term, and love of
change and circumlocution soon changed it to DICKEY, in which dress it
is supposed to have been imported into England.
~Dickey~, a donkey.—_Norfolk._
~Dickey Sam~, a native of Liverpool.
~Dicking;~ “look! the bulky is DICKING,” _i.e._, the constable has his
eye on you.—_North Country Cant._
~Diddle~, old cant word for geneva, or gin.
~Diddle~, to cheat, or defraud.—_Old._ In _German_, DUDELN is to play
on the bagpipe; and the ideas of piping and cheating seem to have been
much connected. “Do you think I am easier played on than a pipe?” occurs
in _Hamlet_.
~Diddler~, or JEREMY DIDDLER, an artful swindler. A diddler is generally
one who borrows money without any intention of ever repaying it; the
sort of man who, having asked for half-a-crown and received only a
shilling, would consider that eighteenpence was owing to him.—From
_Raising the Wind_.
~Diddling~, cheating or swindling. Borrowing money without any intention
of repaying it. Edgar Allan Poe wrote a very amusing article once on
DIDDLING, which he seemed to regard as a rather high art.
~Didoes~, pranks or capers; “to cut up DIDOES,” to make pranks.
~Dig~, a hard blow. Generally in pugilistic circles applied to a
straight “left-hander,” delivered under the guard on the “mark.”
~Diggers~, spurs; also the spades on cards.
~Diggings~, lodgings, apartments, residence; an expression probably
imported from California, or Australia, with reference to the gold
diggings. It is very common nowadays for a man moving in very decent
society to call his abode or his office, or anyplace to which he
frequently resorts, his “DIGGINGS.”
~Dilly~, originally a coach, from _diligence_. Now a night-cart.
~Dilly-dally~, to trifle.
~Dimber~, neat or pretty.—_Worcestershire_, but old cant.
~Dimber-damber~, very pretty; a clever rogue who excels his fellows;
chief of a gang. _Old Cant_ in the latter sense.
~Dimmock~, money; “how are you off for DIMMOCK?” diminutive of DIME, a
small foreign silver coin, in the United States 10 cents.
~Dinarly~, money; “NANTEE DINARLY,” I have no money, corrupted from the
_Lingua Franca_, “NIENTE DINARO,” not a penny. _Turkish_, DINARI;
_Spanish_, DINERO; _Latin_, DENARIUS.
~Dine out~, to go without dinner. “I DINED OUT to-day,” would express
the same among the very lower classes that “dining with Duke Humphrey”
expresses among the middle and upper.
~Ding~, to strike; to throw away, or get rid of anything; to pass to a
confederate by throwing. _Old_, used in old plays.
“The butcher’s axe (like great Alcides’ bat)
_Dings_ deadly downe ten thousand thousand flat.”
_Taylor’s Works_, 1630.
~Dingy~, a small boat. Generally the smallest boat carried by a ship.
The _g_ in this is pronounced hard.
~Dipped~, mortgaged.
~Dirt~, TO EAT, an expression derived from the East, nearly the same as
“to eat humble (_Umble_) pie,” to put up with a mortification or insult.
~Dirty Half-hundred~, a nickname given to the 50th Regiment on account
of their tattered and soiled appearance during the Peninsular War. A
term to be proud of, as it implies much work and little reward.
~Disguised~, intoxicated. A very old term is that of “DISGUISED in
drink.”
“Some say drinking does DISGUISE men.”—_Old Song._
“The saylers and the shipmen all,
Through foul excesse of wine,
Were so DISGUISED that at the sea
They shew’d themselves like swine.”
_Thos. Deloney’s Strange Histories_, p. 14.
~Dish~, to stop, to do away with, to suppress; DISHED, done for,
floored, beaten, or silenced. To “do brown” and to “DISH,” both verbs
with very similar meanings, have an evident connexion so far as origin
is concerned, and most likely were both first used in the kitchen as
synonymous with “done for.” The late Lord Derby made the word “DISH”
famous by his latest public act, that of “DISHING the Whigs.”
~Dithers~, nervous or cold shiverings; “it gave me the DITHERS.”
~Dittoes~, A SUIT OF, coat, waistcoat, and trousers of the same
material.—_Tailor’s term._
~Ditty-bag~, the bag or huswife in which sailors keep needles, thread,
buttons, &c., for mending their clothes.
~Diver~, a pickpocket. Also applied to fingers, no doubt from a similar
reason. To DIVE is to pick pockets.
~Do~, this useful and industrious verb has for many years done service
as a slang term. To DO a person is to cheat him. Sometimes another tense
is employed, such as “I DONE him,” meaning, I cheated or “paid him out;”
this is only used in the lowest grades of society. DONE BROWN, cheated
thoroughly, befooled; DONE OVER, upset, cheated, knocked down, ruined.
Among thieves DONE OVER means that a man’s pockets have been all quietly
searched; the term also means among low people seduced; DONE UP, used
up, finished, or quieted. DONE also means convicted, or sentenced; so
does DONE-FOR. To DO a person in pugilism is to beat him. Humphreys, who
fought Mendoza, a Jew, wrote this laconic note to his supporter—“I have
DONE the Jew, and am in good health.—Rich. Humphreys.” Tourists use the
expression, “I have DONE France and Italy,” meaning I have been through
those countries.
~Dobie~, an Indian washerman; and though women wash clothes in this
country, Anglo-Indians speak of a washerwoman as a DOBIE.
~Doctor~, to adulterate or drug liquor; to poison, to hocus; also to
falsify accounts. A publican who sells bad liquors is said to keep the
DOCTOR in his cellars. On board ship the cook is always termed “the
DOCTOR.”—_See_ COOK.
~Doddy~, a term applied in Norfolk to any person of low stature.
Sometimes HODMANDOD and “HODDY-DODDY, all head and no body.” DODMAN in
the same dialect denotes a garden snail.
~Dodge~, a cunning trick. “DODGE, that homely but expressive
phrase.”—Sir Hugh Cairns on the Reform Bill, 2nd March, 1859.
_Anglo-Saxon_, DEOGIAN, to colour, to conceal. The TIDY DODGE, as it is
called by street-folk, consists in dressing up a family clean and tidy,
and parading in the streets to excite compassion and obtain alms.
~Dodger~, a dram. In Kent, a DODGER signifies a nightcap; which name is
often given to the last dram at night.
~Dodger~, a tricky person, or one who, to use the popular phrase, “knows
too much.” Also one who knows all phases of London life, and profits by
such knowledge.
~Dogberry~, a foolish constable.—_Shakspeare._
~Dog cheap~, or DOG-FOOLISH, very or singularly cheap, or foolish.
Latham, in his _English Language_, says:—“This has nothing to do with
dogs. The first syllable is god = _good_, transposed, and the second,
the ch‑‑p, is chapman, merchant: compare EASTCHEAP.”—_Old term._
~Doggery~, nonsense, transparent attempts to cheat.
~Dog gone~, a form of mild swearing used by boys.
~Dog in a blanket~, a kind of pudding, made of preserved fruit spread on
thin dough, and then rolled up and boiled. This pudding is also called
“rolly-polly” and “stocking.”
~Dog in the manger~, a scurvy, ill-conditioned, selfish fellow. From the
fable of that title.
~Dog Latin~, barbarous Latin, such as was formerly used by lawyers in
their pleadings. Now applied to medical Latin.
~Dogs~, TO GO TO THE, to be commercially or socially ruined. Originally
a stable term applied to old or worthless horses, sold to feed hounds.
~Dog’s body~, a kind of pease pudding.—_Sea._
~Dog’s ears~, the curled corners of the leaves of books, which have been
carelessly treated. The use of this term is so common that it is hardly
to be considered slang.
~Dog’s nose~, gin and beer, so called from the mixture being _cold_,
like a dog’s nose.
~Dog stealer~, a DOG DEALER. There is sometimes less difference between
the two trades than between “d” and “st.”
~Doing time~, working out a sentence in prison. “He’s done time,” is a
slang phrase used in reference to a man who is known to have been in
gaol.
~Doldrums~, difficulties, low spirits, dumps.—_Sea._
~Dollop~, a lump or portion.—_Norfolk._ _Anglo-Saxon_, DALE, _dole_.
~Dollop~, to _dole up_, to give up a share.—_Ibid._
~Dolly~, a very mild gambling contrivance, generally used in sweetmeat
and other child’s-ware shops, until stopped by the authorities a few
years back, and consisting of a round board and the figure of an old man
or “DOLLY,” down which was a spiral hole. A marble dropped “down the
DOLLY,” would stop in one of the small holes or pits (numbered) on the
board. The bet was decided according as the marble stopped on a high or
low figure. _See_ DOLLY-SHOP.
~Dollymop~, a tawdrily-dressed maid-servant, a semi-professional
street-walker.
~Dolly shop~, an illegal pawnshop,—where goods, or stolen property, not
good enough for the pawnbroker, are received, and charged at so much per
day. If not redeemed the third day the goods are forfeited. Originally
these shops were rag shops as well, and were represented by the _black
doll_, the usual sign of a rag shop. Twenty years ago, a DOLLY SHOP was,
among boys, a small sweetstuff and fruit shop where a hollow wooden
figure, of the kind described above, was kept. A wager was made, and the
customer got double quantity for his money, or nothing. A paternal
legislature, and a police system worthy of the task, have long since
wiped this blot from a nation’s face. The amount at stake was generally
a halfpenny, sometimes less.
~Dominie~, a parson, or master at a grammar school.
~Domino~, a common ejaculation of soldiers and sailors when they receive
the last lash of a flogging. The allusion may be understood from the
game of dominoes. A DOMINO means either a blow, or the last of a series
of things, whether pleasant or otherwise, so the ejaculation savours
somewhat of wit.
~Dominoes~, the teeth.
~Don~, a clever fellow, the opposite of a muff; a person of distinction
in his line or walk. At the English Universities, the Masters and
Fellows are the DONS. DON is also used as an adjective, “a DON hand at a
knife and fork,” _i.e._, a first-rate feeder at a dinner-table.
~Dona and feeles~, a woman and children. _Italian_ or _Lingua Franca_,
DONNE E FIGLIE. The word DONA is usually pronounced DONER.
~Done!~ the expression used when a bet is accepted. To be DONE, is to be
considerably worsted.—_See_ also DO.
~Done up~, an equivalent expression to “dead beat.”
~Donkey~, “tuppence more and up goes the DONKEY,” a vulgar street phrase
for extracting as much money as possible before performing any task. The
phrase had its origin with a travelling showman, the finale of whose
performance was the hoisting of a DONKEY on a pole or ladder; but this
consummation was never arrived at unless the required amount was first
paid up, and “tuppence more” was generally the sum demanded.
~Donkey~, in printers’ slang, means a compositor. In the days before
steam machinery was invented, the men who worked at press—the
pressmen—were so dirty and drunken a body that they earned the name of
pigs. In revenge, and for no reason that can be discovered, they
christened the compositors DONKEYS.
~Don Pedro~, a game at cards. It is a compound of All Fours, and the
Irish game variously termed All Fives, Five and Ten, Fifteen,
Forty-five, &c. It was probably invented by the mixed English and Irish
rabble who fought in Portugal in 1832-3.
~Dookin~, fortune-telling. _Gipsy_, DUKKERIN.
~Dose~, three months’ imprisonment with hard labour.
~Doss~, a bed. Probably from DOZE, though quite as likely from DORSE,
the back. Least likely of all, as any one who knows aught about the
surrounding circumstances of those who use the term will admit, is it
from the Norman, DOSSEL, a hanging or bed canopy, from which some have
professed to derive it.
~Doss~, to sleep, formerly spelt DORSE. _Gael._, DOSAL, slumber. In the
old pugilistic days a man knocked down, or out of time, was said to be
“sent to DORSE,” but whether because he was senseless, or because he lay
on his back, is not known, though most likely the latter.
~Dossing-ken~, a lodging-house.
~Dot and go one~, a lame or limping man.
~Do the high~, to walk up and down High Street on Sunday evenings,
especially just after Church.—_Oxford University._
~Double~, “to tip (or give) the DOUBLE,” to run away from any person; to
double back, turn short round upon one’s pursuers, and so escape, as a
hare does.—_Sporting._
~Double cross~, a CROSS in which a man who has engaged to lose breaks
his engagement, and “goes straight” at the last moment. This proceeding
is called “doubling” or “putting the double on,” and is often productive
of much excitement in athletic circles.—_See_ CROSS.
~Double lines~, ship casualties. So called at Lloyd’s from the manner of
entering in books kept for the purpose.
~Double-shuffle~, a low, shuffling, noisy dance, common amongst
costermongers. Sometimes called “cellar flap,” from its being danced by
the impecunious on the cellar-flaps of public-houses, outside which they
must perforce remain.
~Doublet~, a spurious diamond, made up of two smaller stones for pawning
or duffing purposes. These articles are cleverly manufactured and
excellently set, and a practised eye can alone detect the
imposition.—_See_ MOSKENEER.
~Double up~, to pair off, or “chum” with another man; to beat severely,
so as to leave the sufferer “all of a heap.”
~Doughy~, a sufficiently obvious nickname for a baker.
~Douse~, to put out; “DOUSE that glim,” put out that candle. In Norfolk
this expression is DOUT, which is clearly for DO OUT. Sometimes DOUSE
means to rinse; and sometimes to throw water, clean or dirty, over any
one, is to “DOUSE it.”
~Dovercourt~, a noisy assemblage; “all talkers and no hearers, like
DOVERCOURT.” At Dovercourt, in Essex, a court is annually held; and as
the members principally consist of rude fishermen, the irregularity
noticed in the proverbial saying frequently prevails. Bramston in his
_Art of Politics_ says:—
“Those who would captivate the well-bred throng,
Should not too often speak, nor speak too long;
Church, nor church matters, ever turn to sport,
Nor make St. Stephen’s Chapel DOVER COURT.”
This would seem to be more properly applied to a Court of Dover people,
a DOVER COURT, not a DOVERCOURT COURT.
~Dove-tart~, a pigeon pie. A snake tart is an eel pie.
~Dowd~, a woman’s nightcap.—_Devonshire_: also an American term;
possibly from DOWDY, a slatternly woman.
~Dowlas~, a linendraper. DOWLAS is a sort of towelling.
~Down~, to be aware of, or awake to, any move—in this meaning,
exchangeable with UP; “DOWN upon one’s luck,” unfortunate; “DOWN in the
mouth,” disconsolate; “to be DOWN on one,” to treat him harshly or
suspiciously, to pounce upon him, or detect his tricks.
~Downer~, a sixpence; apparently the Gipsy word, TAWNO, “little one,” in
course of metamorphosis into the more usual “tanner.”
~Downs~, Tothill Fields’ Prison.
~Down the road~, stylish, showy, after the fashion.
~Down to the ground~, an American rendering of the word entirely; as,
“that suits me DOWN TO THE GROUND.”
~Downy~, knowing or cunning; “a DOWNY COVE,” a knowing or experienced
sharper. Literally, a DOWNY person is one who is “DOWN to every move on
the board.” In Norfolk, however, it means low-spirited, _i.e._, DOWN in
the mouth.
~Dowry~, a lot, a great deal; “DOWRY of parny,” lot of rain or
water.—_See_ PARNY. Probably from the Gipsy.
~Dowsers~, men who profess to tell fortunes, and who, by the use of the
divining rod, pretend to be able to discover treasure-trove.—_Cornish._
~Doxy~, the female companion of a tramp or beggar. In the West of
England, the women frequently call their little girls DOXIES, in a
familiar or endearing sense. _Orthodoxy_ has been described as being a
man’s own DOXY, and _heterodoxy_ another man’s DOXY.—_Ancient Cant._
~Drab~, a vulgar or low woman.—_Shakspeare._
~Drab~, poison.—_Romany._
~Draft on Aldgate Pump~, an old mercantile phrase for a fictitious
banknote or fraudulent bill.
~Drag~, a cart of any kind, term generally used to denote any
particularly well-appointed turnout, drawn by a pair or four horses,
especially at race meetings.
~Drag~, feminine attire worn by men. A recent notorious impersonation
case led to the publication of the word in that sense.
~Drag~, a street, or road; BACK-DRAG, back street.
~Drag~, or THREE MOON, three months in prison.
~Drag~, THE, a favourite pursuit with fast-hunting sets; as, THE DRAG
can be trailed over very stiff country.
~Dragging~, robbing carts, &c., by means of a light trap which follows
behind laden vehicles. Cabs are sometimes eased of trunks in this way,
though it is hard to say whether with or without the complicity of the
cabmen.
~Dragging time~, the evening of a country fair day, when the young
fellows begin pulling the wenches about.
~Draggletail~, a dirty, dissipated woman; a prostitute of the lowest
class.
~Drain~, a drink; “to do a DRAIN,” to take a friendly drink—“do a wet;”
sometimes called a “common sewer.”