“making a SHAVE,” is just escaping a “pluck” by coming out at the bottom
of the list.
“My terms are anything but dear,
Then read with me, and never fear;
The examiners we’re sure to queer,
And get through, if you make a SHAVE on’t.”
_The Private Tutor._
~Shave;~ “to SHAVE a customer,” charge him more for an article than the
marked price. Used in the drapery trade. When the master sees an
opportunity of doing this, he strokes his chin, as a signal to his
assistant who is serving the customer.
~Shaver~, a sharp fellow; there are young and old SHAVERS.—_Sea._
~Shebeen~, an unlicensed place where spirituous liquors are illegally
sold. A word almost peculiar to Ireland.
~Shed a tear~, to take a dram, or glass of neat spirits; jocular phrase
used, with a sort of grim earnestness, by old topers to each other. “Now
then, old fellow, come and SHED A TEAR!” an invitation to take “summat
short.” The origin may have been that ardent spirits, taken neat by
younger persons, usually bring water to their eyes. With confirmed
drinkers, however, the phrase is used with an air of mingled humour and
regret at their own position. A still more pathetic phrase is—“putting
a NAIL IN ONE’S COFFIN,” which _see_. The term SHED A TEAR is probably
derived from “eye-water.”
~Sheen~, bad money.—_Scotch._
~Sheeny~, a Jew. This word is used by both Jew and Gentile at the
East-end of London, and is not considered objectionable on either side.
~Sheep’s eyes~, loving looks, “to make SHEEP’S EYES at a person,” to
cast amorous glances towards one on the sly.
“But he, the beast, was casting SHEEP’S EYES at her
Out of his bullock head.”
_Colman, Broad Grins._
~Shelf~, “on the SHELF,” not yet disposed of; young ladies are said to
be so situated when they cannot meet with husbands. “On the SHELF” also
means pawned, or laid by in trust.
~Shell out~, to pay or count out money. Also a game played on a billiard
table, a variation of pool.
~Shepherd~, to look after carefully, to place under police surveillance.
~Shice~, nothing; “to do anything for SHICE,” to get no payment. The
term was first used by the Jews in the last century. Grose gives the
phrase CHICE-AM-A-TRICE, which has a synonymous meaning. _Spanish_,
CHICO, little; _Anglo-Saxon_, CHICHE, niggardly; or perhaps connected
with the _German_, SCHEISSEN.
~Shicer~, a mean man, a humbug, a “duffer,”—a worthless person, one who
will not work. This is the worst term one Jew can use to another. At the
diggings it means a hole which yields nothing.
~Shickery~, shabby, bad. From SHAKY, SHAKERY.
~Shickster~, a lady. _See_ SHAKESTER.
~Shickster-crabs~, ladies’ shoes.—_Tramps’ term._
~Shigs~, money, silver.—_East London._
~Shikaree~, a hunter, a sportsman.—_Anglo-Indian._ An English sportsman
who has seen many ups and downs in jungles of the East styles himself
“an OLD SHIKAREE.”—_Anglo-Indian._ Also spelt SHEKARRY.
~Shilly-shally~, to trifle or fritter away time; to be irresolute.
Corruption of “Shall I, shall I?”
~Shin~, an Americanism for walking. “I’m tired of SHINNING around.”
~Shindy~, a row, or noise. A SHINDY generally means a regular mêlée.
~Shine~, a row, or disturbance.
~Shine~, “to take the SHINE out of a person,” to surpass or excel him.
~Shiners~, sovereigns, or money.
~Shiney rag~, “to win the SHINEY RAG,” to be ruined,—said in gambling,
when any one continues betting after “luck has set in against him.”
~Shin-plaster~, a bank-note. Originally an Americanism.
~Shins.~ “To break one’s SHINS,” figurative expression meaning to borrow
money.
~Ship-shape~, proper, in good order; sometimes the phrase is varied to
“SHIP-SHAPE and Bristol fashion.”—_Sea._ The latter portion of the
expression went out with Bristol’s fame as a seaport.
~Shirty~, ill-tempered, or cross. When one person makes another in an
ill-humour he is said to have “got his SHIRT out.”
~Shivering Jemmy~, the name given by street-folk to any cadger who
exposes himself, half naked, on a cold day, to obtain alms. The “game”
is unpleasant, but was, before exposure of a different kind spoilt it,
exceedingly lucrative.
~Shockhead~, a head of long, unkempt, and rough hair.
~Shoddy~, old cloth worked up into new; made from soldiers’ and
policemen’s coats. The old cloth is pulled to pieces, the yarn
unravelled and carded over again. This produces shoddy, which is very
short in the fibre, and from it are produced, on again twisting and
weaving, cloth fabrics used for ladies’ mantles, &c. Also, a term of
derision applied to workmen in woollen factories.—_Yorkshire._
~Shoddy~, the plutocracy created out of bogus contracts during the civil
war in the United States. The SHODDYITES enriched themselves at the
expense of their country in the most shameless manner, having most
likely studied under those contractors who should have supplied our
soldiers with necessaries during the Crimean War.
~Shoe~, to free or initiate a person,—a practice common in most trades
to a new-comer. The SHOEING consists in paying for beer, or other
liquor, which is drunk by the older hands. The cans emptied, and the
bill paid, the stranger is considered properly SHOD. SHOEING is a
variation of “paying one’s footing.”
~Shoe leather!~ a thief’s warning cry when he hears footsteps. This
exclamation is used in the spirit which animated the friend who, when he
suspected treachery towards Bruce at King Edward’s court, in 1306, sent
him a purse and a pair of spurs, as a sign that he should use them in
making his escape.
~Shoes~, “to die in one’s SHOES,” to be hanged. In the old hanging days
a highwayman would often kick off his shoes when the rope was round his
neck, so as—oh, vain and impotent attempt!—to defeat the prophecy that
had foreshadowed his present position.
~Shoes, children’s, to make~, to suffer oneself to be made sport of, or
depreciated. Commonly used in Norfolk.—_Cf._ Mrs. Behn’s comedy, _The
Roundheads_.
_Hews._ “Who, pox! shall we stand MAKING CHILDREN’S SHOES all the
year? No: let’s begin to settle the nation, I say, and go
through-stitch with our work.”
~Shoful~, a Hansom cab. This favourite carriage was the invention of a
Mr. Hansom, afterwards connected with the _Builder_ newspaper. It has
been asserted that the term SHOFUL was derived from “shovel,” the
earliest slang term applied to Hansoms by other cab-drivers, who
conceived their shape to be after the fashion of a scoop or shovel. A
logical friend of the present Editor’s argues thus:—SHOFUL, full of
show, _ergo_, beautiful—handsome—Hansom. This is clever, but it
certainly never entered into the heads of those who gave the name of
SHOFUL to the Hansom cabs.
~Shoful~, bad or counterfeit money. Perhaps, as some think, from the
_Danish_, SKUFFE, to shove, to deceive, cheat; _Saxon_, SCUFAN,—whence
the _English_, SHOVE. The term, however, is possibly one of the many
street words from the _Hebrew_ (through the low Jews); SHEPHEL, in that
language, signifying a low or debased estate. _Chaldee_, SHAPHAL.—_See_
Psalm cxxxvi. 23, “in our low estate.” A correspondent suggests a very
probable derivation, from the _German_, SCHOFEL, trash, rubbish,—the
_German_ adjective, SCHOFELIG, being the nearest possible translation
of our shabby. SHOFUL means anything mock, as SHOFUL jewellery. A SHOFUL
is also a humbug, an impostor.
~Shoful-pitcher~, a passer of bad money. SHOFUL-PITCHING, passing bad
money. “Snide-pitcher” and “Snide-pitching” are terms exchangeable with
the preceding.
~Shoful pullet~, a “gay” or unsteady woman, especially a young woman.
~Sholl~, to bonnet one, or crush a person’s hat over his eyes.—_North._
~Shool~, to saunter idly, to become a vagabond, to beg rather than
work.—_Smollett’s Roderick Random_, vol. i., p. 262.
~Shool~, Jews’ term for their synagogue.
~Shoot the cat~, to vomit. From a story of a man being sick in the back
yard, and suffocating a cat and all her kittens.
~Shoot the moon~, to remove furniture from a house in the night without
paying the landlord.
~Shop.~ In racing slang, to secure first, second, or third position in a
race, is to get a SHOP. This is also known as a place, and as a
situation. _See_ PLACE.
~Shop~, a house. “How are they all at your SHOP?” is a common question
among small tradesmen.
~Shop~, the House of Commons. The only instance we have met with of the
use of this word in literature occurs in Mr. Trollope’s _Framley
Parsonage:_—
“‘If we are merely to do as we are bid, and have no voice of our
own, I don’t see what’s the good of our going to the SHOP at all,’
said Mr. Sowerby.”
~Shop~, to discharge a shopman. In military slang, to SHOP an officer is
to put him under arrest in the guard-room. In pugilistic slang, to
punish a man severely is “to knock him all over the SHOP,” _i.e._, the
ring, the place in which the work is done.
~Shop-bouncer~, or SHOP-LIFTER, a person generally respectably attired,
who, while being served with a small article at a shop, steals one of
more value. Shakspeare has the word LIFTER, a thief.
~Shop-walker~, a person employed to walk up and down a shop, to hand
seats to customers, and see that they are properly served. Contracted
also to WALKER.
~Shopping~, purchasing at shops. Termed by Todd a slang word, but used
by Cowper and Byron.
~Shoppy~, to be full of nothing but one’s own calling or profession; “to
talk SHOP,” to converse of nothing but professional subjects.
~Short~, when spirit is drunk without any admixture of water, it is said
to be taken “SHORT;” “summat SHORT,” a dram. A similar phrase is used at
the counters of banks; upon presenting a cheque, the clerk asks, “How
will you take it?” _i.e._, in gold, or notes. If in notes, long or
short? Should it be desired to receive it in notes for the largest
possible amount, the answer is, SHORT. A conductor of an omnibus, or any
other servant, is said to be SHORT when he does not give all the money
he receives to his master.
~Short~, hard-up; a polite term for impecuniosity used in clubs and
among military men.
~Short commons~, short allowance of food. _See_ COMMONS.
~Shorter~, one who makes a dishonest profit by reducing the coin of the
realm by clipping and filing. From a crown-piece a SHORTER could gain
5d. Another way was by chemical means: a guinea laid in aquafortis
would, in twelve hours, precipitate 9d.-worth of sediment; in
twenty-four, 1s. 6d.-worth.—_Rommany Rye._
~Shot~, from the modern sense of the word to SHOOT,—a guess, a random
conjecture; “to make a bad SHOT,” to expose one’s ignorance by making a
wrong guess, or random answer, without knowing whether it is right or
wrong.
~Shot~, from the once general, but now provincial word, to SHOOT, to
subscribe, contribute in fair proportion;—a share, from the
_Anglo-Saxon_ word, SCEAT; “to pay one’s SHOT,” _i.e._, share of the
reckoning, &c.
“Yet still while I have got
Enough to pay the SHOT
Of Boniface, both gruff and greedy O!”
_Fisher’s Garland_ for 1835.
~Shot~, “I wish I may be SHOT, if,” &c., a common form of mild swearing.
~Shot~, a term used among horse chaunters. To SHOT a horse, is to give
him a lot of small shot, which will for a short time effectually “open
his pipes,” and make him appear sound in wind.
~Shot in the locker~, money in pocket, resource of any kind in
store.—_Navy._
~Shoulder~, when a servant embezzles his master’s money, he is said to
SHOULDER his employer.
~Shout~, to pay for drink round. “It’s my SHOUT,” says he who pays.
Possibly because the payer originally SHOUTED to the bar-keeper of an
hotel to score the drink to him.—_Australian_, but now general.
~Shove-halfpenny~, a gambling pot-house pastime, played on a table. A
very old game, originally called push-penny.
~Shove in the mouth~, a glass of spirits, which is taken off quickly and
at once.
~Shovel~, a term applied by the vulgar crowd to the inelegant twisted
hats worn by the dignitaries of the Church. Dean Alford says, “I once
heard a venerable dignitary pointed out by a railway porter as “an old
party in a SHOVEL.”—_Queen’s English._
~Shrimp~, a diminutive person.—_Chaucer._
~Shtumer~, a horse against which money may be laid without risk. _See_
SAFE UN.
~Shunt~, to avoid, to turn aside from. From the railway term.
~Shut of~, or SHOT OF, _i.e._, rid of. A very common expression amongst
the London lower orders. One costermonger will say to another:—“Well,
Ike, did yer get SHUT O’ them there gawfs [apples]?” _i.e._, did you
sell them all?
~Shut up!~ be quiet, don’t make a noise; to stop short, to cease in a
summary manner, to silence effectually. The following is from a literary
paper:—“Only the other day we heard of a preacher who, speaking of the
scene with the doctors in the Temple, remarked that the Divine disputant
completely SHUT THEM UP!” SHUT UP, utterly exhausted, done for.
~Shy~, a throw. _See_ the following:—
~Shy~, to fling; COCK-SHY, a game at fairs, consisting of throwing short
sticks at trinkets or cocoanuts set upon other sticks,—both name and
practice derived from the old game of throwing or SHYING at live cocks.
This game is best known to the London public as “three shies a penny.”
~Shy.~ “To fight SHY of a person,” to avoid his society either from
dislike, fear, or other reason. SHY has also the sense of flighty,
unsteady, untrustworthy.
~Shy~, to stop suddenly, or turn off, as a horse does when frightened.
~Shyster~, a duffer, a vagabond. Variation of “shicer.”
~Sices~, or SIZES, a throw of sixes at dice.
~Sick as a horse~, a popular simile,—curious, because a horse never
vomits.
~Sickener~, a dose too much of anything. Too much of even a good thing
will make a man sick.
~Side~, an affirmative expression in the cant language of the northern
towns. “Do you stoll the gammy?” (Do you understand cant?) “SIDE, cove”
(yes, mate).
~Side-boards~, or STICK-UPS, shirt collars. Name applied some years ago,
before the present style of collars came into fashion.
~Sift~, to embezzle small coins, those which might pass through a
sieve—as threepennies and fourpennies—and which are, therefore, not
likely to be missed.
~Sight~, “to take a SIGHT at a person,” a vulgar action employed by boys
and others to denote incredulity, or contempt for authority, by placing
the thumb against the nose and extending the fingers, which are agitated
in token of derision.
“The sacristan he says no word that indicates a doubt,
But he puts his finger to his nose, and spreads his fingers out.”
_Nell Cook._
~Silly season~, the period when nobody is supposed to be in London, when
there are no parliamentary debates to publish, and when editors are at
their wits’-ends to fill their papers with readable matter. All kinds of
crazes on political and social subjects are then ventilated, gigantic
gooseberries, monstrous births, and strange showers then become
plentiful, columns are devoted to matters which would not at any other
time receive consideration, and, so far as the newspapers are concerned,
silliness is at a premium.
~Silver beggar~, or LURKER, a vagabond who travels through the country
with “briefs” containing false statements of losses by fire, shipwrecks,
accidents, &c. Forged documents are exhibited with signatures of
magistrates and clergymen. Accompanying these are sham subscription
books. The former, in beggar parlance, is termed “a sham,” whilst the
latter is denominated “a delicate.”
~Sim~, one of a Methodistical turn in religion; a Low Churchman;
originally a follower of the late Rev. Charles Simeon.—_Cambridge._
~Simon~, a sixpenny-piece.
~Simon~, or SIMPLE SIMON, a credulous, gullible person. A character in a
song, but now common.
~Simon Pure~, “the real SIMON PURE,” the genuine article. Those who have
witnessed Mr. Charles Mathews’s performance in Mrs. Centlivre’s
admirable comedy of _A Bold Stroke for a Wife_, and the laughable
coolness with which he, the false SIMON PURE, assuming the Quaker dress
and character of the real one, elbows that worthy out of his expected
entertainment, will at once perceive the origin of this phrase.—_See_
act v. scene i.
~Simpkin~, or SIMKIN, champagne.—_Anglo-Indian._ Derived from the
manner in which native servants pronounce champagne.
~Simpson~, water used in the dilution of milk. Term in use among
cow-keepers. From this the parish pump has been called Mrs. SIMPSON.
~Sing out~, to call aloud.—_Sea._
~Sing small~, to lessen one’s boasting, and turn arrogance into
humility.
~Sing-song~, a harmonic meeting at a pot-house, a free-and-easy.
~Sinkers~, bad money,—affording a man but little assistance in “keeping
afloat.”
~Sinks~, a throw of fives at dice. _French_, CINQ.
~Si quis~, a candidate for “orders.” From the notification commencing SI
QUIS—if any one.
~Sir Harry~, a close stool.
~Sir Reverence~, a corruption of the old phrase, SAVE YOUR REVERENCE, a
sort of apology for alluding to anything likely to shock one’s sense of
decency. _Latin_, SALVÂ REVERENTIÂ. _See_ Shakspeare’s _Romeo and
Juliet_, act i. scene iv. From this it came to mean the thing
itself—human ordure generally, but sometimes other indecencies.
~Siserara~, a hard blow.—_Suffolk._ Many derive this term from the
story of Sisera in the Old Testament, but it is probably a corruption of
CERTIORARI, a Chancery writ reciting a complaint of hard usage.
~Sit under~, a term employed in Dissenters’ meeting-houses, to denote
attendance on the ministry of any particular preacher.
~Sit upon~, to overcome or rebuke, to express contempt for a man in a
marked manner. Also, to chaff or “roast” a man consumedly.
~Sit-upons~, trousers. _See_ INEXPRESSIBLES.
~Sivvy~, “’pon my SIVVY,” _i.e._, upon my soul or honour. Corruption of
“asseveration,” like DAVY, which is an abridgment of “affidavit.”
~Sixes and sevens~, articles in confusion are said to be all SIXES AND
SEVENS. The Deity is mentioned in the _Towneley Mysteries_ as He that
“set all on seven,” _i.e._, set or appointed everything in seven days. A
similar phrase at this early date implied confusion and disorder, and
from these, Halliwell thinks, has been derived the phrase “to be at
SIXES AND SEVENS.” A Scotch correspondent, however, states that the
phrase probably came from the workshop, and that amongst needle-makers,
when the points and eyes are “heads and tails” (“heeds and thraws”), or
in confusion, they are said to be SIXES AND SEVENS, because those
numbers are the sizes most generally used, and in the course of
manufacture have frequently to be distinguished.
~Sixty~, “to go along like SIXTY,” _i.e._, at a good rate, briskly.
~Sixty-per-cent~, a bill-discounter. From the rate of interest generally
charged. If bill-discounters profess to do the business for less, they
generally make up the level sixty by extras.
~Six-water grog~, a sea-term for the weakest grog possible—six portions
of water to one of rum—hardly enough spirit to “swear by.”
~Size~, to order extras over and above the usual commons at the dinner
in college halls. Soup, pastry, &c., are SIZINGS, and are paid for at
a certain specified rate per SIZE, or portion, to the college cook.
Peculiar to Cambridge. Minsheu says, “SIZE, a farthing which schollers
in Cambridge have at the buttery, noted with the letter _s_.”
~Sizers~, or SIZARS, certain poor scholars at Cambridge, annually
elected, who got their dinners (including “sizings”) from what was left
at the upper, or Fellows’ table, free, or nearly so. They paid rent of
rooms, and some other fees, on a lower scale than the “Pensioners” or
ordinary students, and were equal with the “battlers” and “servitors” at
Oxford.
~Sizings.~ _See_ SIZE.
~Skedaddle~, to go off in a hurry. The American war introduced this new
and amusing word. A Northerner who retreated “retired upon his
supports,” but a Southerner was said to SKEDADDLE. The _Times_ remarked
on the word, and Lord Hill wrote to prove that it was excellent Scotch.
The Americans only misapply the word, which means, in Dumfries, “to
spill”—milkmaids, for example, saying, “You are SKEDADDLING all that
milk.” The Yankees therefore adopted the term, and altered the
application.
~Skid~, a sovereign. Fashionable slang. Occasionally SKIV.
~Skid~, or SKIDPAN, an instrument for locking the wheel of a coach when
going down hill. It is often said that a talkative person might put the
SKID on, with advantage to his listeners, if not to himself.
~Skied~, or SKYED, thrown upwards, as “coppers” in tossing.
~Skied.~ Artists say that a picture is SKIED when it is hung on the
upper line at the Exhibition of the Royal Academy. _See_ FLOORED.
~Skilligolee~, prison gruel. Also sailors’ soup of many ingredients. The
term is occasionally used in London workhouses.
~Skilly~, abbreviation of SKILLIGOLEE.
~Skimmery~, St. Mary Hall, Oxford.—_University._
~Skin~, a purse. This term is mostly in use among thieves.
~Skin~, to abate, or lower the value of anything; “thin-SKINNED,”
sensitive, touchy, liable to be “raw” on certain subjects.
~Skin-the-lamb~, a game at cards, a very expressive corruption of the
term “lansquenet,” also a racing term. When a non-favourite wins a race,
bookmakers are said to SKIN THE LAMB, under the supposition that they
win all their bets, no person having backed the winner. This has been
corrupted into SKINNER.
~Skinflint~, an old and popular simile for a “close-fisted,” stingy
person. Sternberg, in his _Northamptonshire Glossary_, says the Eastern
languages have the same expression. Abdul-Malek, one of the Ommeyade
Khaliphs, noted for his extreme avarice, was surnamed Raschal-Hegiarah,
literally, “the SKINNER of a FLINT.”
~Skinner~, a term among bookmakers. “May we have a SKINNER,” _i.e._, may
we SKIN THE LAMB, which _see_.
~Skipper~, the master of a vessel. _Germ._, SCHIFFER, from SCHIFF, a
ship; sometimes used as synonymous with “governor.”
~Skipper~, a barn.—_Ancient Cant._ From the _Welsh_, YSGUBOR,
pronounced SCYBOR, or SCIBOR, the proper word in that language for a
barn.
~Skipper-birds~, or KEYHOLE-WHISTLERS, persons who sleep in barns or
outhouses from necessity or in preference to sleeping in lodging-houses.
~Skipper-it~, to sleep in the open air, or in a rough way.
~Skit~, a joke, a squib. Term generally used in reference to any pungent
or pointed political allusion.
~Skittles~, a game similar to that of Ten Pins, which, when interdicted
by the Government, was altered to Nine Pins, or SKITTLES. The pins are
set up in an alley, and thrown (not bowled) at with a round piece of
hard wood, shaped like a small flat cheese. The costers used to consider
themselves the best players in London, but they have been frequently
undeceived. SKITTLES has within the past few years received an awful
blow—quite a floorer—from “the powers that be.”
~Skow-banker~, a fellow who loiters about the premises of any one
willing to support him, and who objects to the necessity of working for
his living; a rogue, a rascal. Common in Melbourne, Australia.
~Skrouge~, to push or squeeze.—_North._
~Skull-thatcher~, a straw-bonnet-maker,—sometimes called “a
bonnet-BUILDER.”
~Skunk~, a mean or paltry fellow, one whose name stinks.
~Sky~, a disagreeable person, an enemy.—_Westminster School._ The word
derived its origin from a corruption of the last syllable of the word
“VOLSCI:” Westminster boys being of course understood to be the Romans.
~Sky~, to toss up towards the SKY. Term used in tossing with halfpence;
“It’s all right, Jim SKIED the browns,” _i.e._, threw them up, a proof
that there could have been no collusion or cheating.
~Sky-blue~, London milk much diluted with water, or from which the cream
has been too closely skimmed.
“Hence, Suffolk dairy wives run mad for cream,
And leave their milk with nothing but the name;
Its name derision and reproach pursue,
And strangers tell of three-times-skimm’d—SKY-BLUE.”
_Bloomfield’s Farmer’s Boy._
The recent Adulteration Act has done away with SKY-BLUE, and made
Simpson a relic of the past. SKY-BLUE formerly meant gin.
~Sky-lark.~ _See under_ LARK.
~Sky-parlour~, the garret.