Christian Pony, subs. phr. (old Irish slang).—The chairman or president
of a meeting.
Christians, subs. pl. (Cambridge Univ.).—Members of Christ’s
College.—[Of obvious derivation.]
Christmas, Christmassing, subs. and verbal subs. (colloquial).—Holly
and mistletoe.
1836. C. Dickens, Pickwick Papers, p. 228 (ed. 1857). The fat boy
pointed to the destination of the pies. ‘Wery good,’ said Sam,
‘stick a bit o’ Christmas in ’em.’
1851. H. Mayhew, Lon. Lab. and Lon. Poor, vol. I., p. 141. In
London a large trade is carried on in Christmasing, or in the sale
of holly and mistletoe for Christmas sports and decorations....
‘Look,’ said a gardener to me, ‘what’s spent on a Christmasing the
churches!’
Chuck, subs. (prison).—1. Bread; meat; in fact, refreshment of any
kind.
1850. Lloyd’s Newspaper, Oct. 6. ‘Inquest on murder of Rev. Mr.
Hollest, Frimley Grove, Surrey.’ Macey, the village constable,
stated that the prisoner, upon coming to his cottage door had tried
hard to get some chuck out of him, but had failed.
1877. Five Years’ Penal Servitude, ch. i., p. 4. Two large slices
of bread, ... the allowance given out to some prisoner who ... had
forgotten to eat what in prison slang is called his ‘toke’ or
chuck.
1877. S. L. Clemens (‘Mark Twain’), Life on the Mississippi, ch.
lii., p. 463. i wish i was nere you so i could send you chuck
(refreshments) on holidays.
2. (common).—Scraps of meat; block ornaments (q.v.). For synonyms, see
Duck.
1871. Echo, 11 Dec. ‘Sunday amongst the Silk Weavers.’ Few regular
butchers ply their trade on Sunday morning—money is only to be made
by the vendors of nauseous substitutes for wholesome meat—the
refuse portion of beef and mutton, tough, coarse, and meagre pork,
flaccid tripe, lean little sheeps’ chuks, as the natives call them,
the savourless saveloy of Old England.
1887. Standard, 20 Jan. ‘The Poor at Market.’ From a sort of
ludicrous spirit of snobbery a labourer will term a fellow he
dislikes a ‘beggar who eats chuck,’ chuck being a low-priced part
of the carcase.