1567. Harman, Caveat (1814), p. 66. To Cante, to speake.
1881. New York Slang Dictionary. ‘On the trail.’ ‘But cant us the
cues. What was the job?’ ‘A pinch for an emperor’s slang. We
touched his leather too, but it was very lathy.’
Cantab, subs. (colloquial).—A student at Cambridge. [An abbreviation of
‘Cantabrigian.’]
1750. Coventry, Pompey Litt. II., x. (1785), p. 18, col. 1. The
young cantab ... had come up to London. [m.]
1821. Byron, Don Juan, c. iii., st. 126. And I grown out of many
‘wooden spoons’ Of verse (the name with which we cantabs please To
dub the last of honours in degrees).
Cantabank, subs. (old).—A common ballad singer. [From Latin cantare, to
sing, + banco, bench; i.e., a singer on a stage or platform.]
1589. Puttenham, Eng. Poesie (Arb.), 96. Small and popular Musickes
song by these Cantabanqui vpon benches and barrels heads. [m.]
1834. Taylor, Ph. van Art, pt. I., iii., 2. He was no tavern
cantabank that made it, But a Squire minstrel of your Highness’
court.
Cantankerous, adj. (colloquial).—Cross-grained; ill-humoured;
self-willed; productive of strife. See also quot. 1773. [Thought to be
derived from the M. E. contak, conteke, contention or quarrelling.] So
also cantankerously and cantankerousness. For synonyms, see Crusty.
1773. Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer, II. There’s not a more
bitter cantankerous road in all Christendom.
1775. Sheridan, Rivals, Act v., Sc. 3. But I hope Mr. Faulkland, as
there are three of us come on purpose for the game, you wont be so
cantankerous as to spoil the party by sitting out.
1876. M. E. Braddon, Joshua Haggard, ch. xvi. And who was to nurse
this peevish, cantankerous old man.
Hence the American verb, to cantankerate, and adjective, cantankersome.
1835. Haliburton (‘Sam Slick’), The Clockmaker, 1 S., ch. xxiv. You
may [by contentious writing] happify your inimies [and]
cantankerate your opponents. Ibid. 3 S., ch. xii. Plato Frisk, a
jumpin’ Quaker, a terrible cross-grained cantankersome critter.
Cante.—See Canter.
Canteen Medal, subs. phr. (military).—A good conduct stripe for the
consumption of liquor.
Canter, subs. (old).—A vagrant or beggar; one who cants (q.v.) or uses
the secret language otherwise called Peddlars’ French, St. Giles’
Greek, etc. The form has varied, Greene using cante, whilst many
writers speak of the fraternity as the canting crew.—See Appendix.
[From cant, verb, sense 1, + er.]
1592. Greene, Quip for Upst. Courtiers, Harl. Misc. V., 396. I fell
into a great laughter, to see certain Italianate cantes, humourous
cavaliers, youthful gentlemen, etc.
1625. Ben Jonson, Staple of News, Act ii. A rogue, a very canter I,
sir, one that maunds upon the pad.
1630. Taylor, (‘Water Poet’), wks. II., 239, i. Two leash of
oyster-wives hyred a coach on a Thursday after Whitsontide ... they
were so be-madam’d, be-mistrist, and ladified by the beggars, that
the foolish women began to swell with a proud supposition or
imaginary greatness, and gave all their mony to the mendicanting
canters.
1878. Charles Hindley, Life and Times of James Catnach. ‘Song of
the Young Prig.’ My mother she dwelt in Dyot’s Isle, One of the
canting crew, sirs.
Canticle, subs. (old).—A parish clerk. [From canticle, a song or psalm;
one of the duties of a parish clerk being to lead the congregational
singing.] So given in Grose [1785], and in the Lexicon Balatronicum
[1811]. Also called an amen curler (q.v.).
Canting, verbal subs. (old).—The jargon used by beggars, thieves,
gipsies, and vagrants. The same as Cant, subs., sense 1, which seems to
be an abbreviated and later form of canting; Cf. ‘cab’ from ‘cabriolet’
and ‘bus’ from ‘omnibus.’
1567. Harman, Caveat (1814), p. 6, Their language which they terms
peddelers Frenche or canting.
1610. Jonson, Alchemist, II. Supr. What a brave language here is!
next to canting.
1688. Shadwell, Sq. of Alsatia. I., in wks. (1720) IV., 27. A
particular language which such rogues have made to themselves,
called canting, as beggars, gipsies, thieves, and jail-birds do.
1742. Johnson, Highwayman and Pyrates, p. 57. All the canting
language (which comprehends a parcel of invented words, such as
thieves very well know, and by which they can distinguish one
another from the other classes of mankind.)
Ppl. adj.—Belonging to the jargon of thieves and beggars.
1592. Groundwork of Conny-Catching, 99. The manner of their canting
speech [m.]
1871. London Figaro, 13 May, p. 3, col. 2. ‘Bill’s dead on for a
lark with the canting bloke,’ whispered a lean and hungry-looking
‘casual’ to a no less half-starved neighbour.
Canting Crew.—See Canter.
Can’t Say National Intelligencer, phr. (American).—A euphemistic
expression equivalent to ‘drunk.’ [The National Intelligencer is an old
Washington newspaper.] For synonyms, see Screwed.
Can’t see a Hole in a Ladder, phr. (American).—Referring to a
superlative form of intoxication. For synonyms, see Screwed.
Canuck.—See Canack.
Canvass. To receive the canvass, phr. (old).—A seventeenth century
colloquialism for ‘to be dismissed’; in modern slang ‘to get the
sack.’—See Bag, sense 2, and Sack.
1652. Shirley, The Brothers, Act. ii. As much as marriage comes to,
and I lose My honor, if the Don receives the canvas.
Canvasseens, subs. (nautical).—Sailors’ canvas trousers. For synonyms,
see Bags and Kicks.
Canvass-Town, subs. (general).—The Volunteer Encampment at Wimbledon or
Bisley when the National Rifle Association meets; also any camp or
‘baby’-city. Cf., Bull’s-eye Villas.
Cap, subs. (thieves’).—1. A false cover to a tossing coin, called a
cover-down. The cap showed either head or tail as it was left on or
taken off. Obsolete.
2. (old).—The proceeds of an improvised collection. [Cf., ‘to send
round the cap or hat.’]
1851. Eureka; Sequel Ld. Russell’s Post Bag, 21. What amount of cap
is realised out of an average field? [m.]
3. (Westminster School).—The amount of the collection at Play and
Election dinners. [From the College cap being passed round on the last
night of Play for contributions. Cf., ‘to send round the cap.’]
Verb (thieves’).—1. To stand by a friend; to take part in any
undertaking; to lend a hand. Grose has ‘to take one’s oath.’
1785. Grose, Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. I will cap downright;
I will swear home.
2. (public schools’ and University).—To take off or touch one’s hat in
salutation; also to cap to and to cap it.
1593. H. Smith, Serm. (1871) I., 203. How would they cap me were I
in velvets. [m.]
1803. Gradus ad Cantabrigiam p. 23. s.v. bore. Other bores are to
attend a sermon at St. Mary’s on Sunday ... to cap a fellow.
Cap one’s lucky, verbal phr. (American thieves’).—To run away. For
synonyms, see Amputate.
Cap or cast one’s skin, verbal phr. (thieves’).—To strip naked. For
synonyms, see Peel.
To set one’s cap at, phr. (colloquial).—To set oneself to gain the
affections. Said only of women.
1773. Graves, Spiritual Quixote, bk. III., ch. xi. I know several
young ladies who would be very happy in such an opportunity of
setting their caps at him.
1773. O. Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer, Act i., Sc. 1. ‘Well, if
he refuses ... I’ll only break my glass for its flattery, set my
cap to some newer fashion, and look out for some less difficult
admirer.’
1846. Thackeray, V. Fair, ch. iii. The wily old fellow said to his
son, ‘Have a care, Joe; that girl is setting her cap at you.’
To cap a quotation, anecdote, proverb, &c., phr. (colloquial).—To fit
with a second from the same, or another, author; to ‘go one better’ in
the way of anecdote or legend.
1584. Peele, Arraignm. Paris, iv., ii. (1829) 48. Sh’ath capt his
answer in the cue. [m.]
1856. Vaughan, Mystics (1860) I., i. v. Now you come to Shakspeare,
I must cap your quotation with another. [m.]
To pull caps, phr. (colloquial).—To wrangle in an unseemly way.—Said
only of women.
1763. Colman, Deuce is in Him, I., in wks. (1777) IV., 120. A man
that half the women in town would pull caps for.
1771. Smollet, Humphry Clinker, line 19. At length, they fairly
proceeded to pulling caps, and everything seemed to presage a
general battle.
17(?). Wolcot, P. Pindar, p. 140. Behold our lofty duchesses pull caps,
And give each other’s reputation raps, As freely as the drabs of
Drury’s school.
1825. Scott, St. Ronan’s Well, ch. vii. Well, dearest Rachel, we
will not pull caps about this man.
Cape Cod Turkey, subs. phr. (American).—A salted cod fish, another name
for which is marble-head turkey. Cf., Billingsgate pheasant, Yarmouth
capon, and Albany beef.
1865. C. Nordhoff, 1 May (in letter). A salted cod fish is known in
American ships as a cape cod turkey.
1890. New York Herald, 3 June. ‘Newfoundland Fishery Dispute.’
Factories have been established for the production of cape cod
turkeys; i.e., salted cod fish.