18(?). Thor Fredur, Sketches from Shady Places. Here they gambol
about like rabbits, until somebody raises the cry, ‘Nix! the chunk’
(the slang term for School Board officer).
Church, verb (thieves’).—To take out the works of a watch and
substitute another set, so that identification is impossible.—See
Christen, verb, sense 1.
1857. Snowden, Mag. Assistant, 3 ed., p. 445. To have the works of
a watch put into another case—To church a yack.
1868. Doran, Saints and Sinn., II., 290. The (thieves’) church
their yacks when they transpose the works of stolen watches to
prevent identification. [m.]
To talk church, verbal phr. (colloquial).—To talk ‘shop’ (q.v.).
1851. Newland, Erne, 217. Looking at those wretched people and
talking church. [m.]
Churchwarden, subs. (general).—A clay pipe with a long stem.—See quot.,
1864, under Clay. The following are general variants.
English Synonyms. Alderman; steamer; yard of clay; clay.
French Synonyms. Une bouffarde; une Belge; une chiffarde (thieves’);
une marseillaise; une gambier (pop. from a manufacturer’s name).
German Synonyms. Lülke (M.H.G. lullen or löllen = to suck; lülken, to
smoke); Massel (Swabian: also = a street-walker; masseln = to smoke);
Nagel; Pilmerstab (only in Zimmermann); Sarcherstock (from the Hebrew
sorach, through särchen, to stink or to smoke. Sarcher, tobacco;
Sarcherkippe or Sarchertiefe, tobacco-box; Sarcherhanjo,
tobacco-pouch); Selcher (Viennese thieves’: from selchen, to smoke);
Schmalfink.
1857. Hood, Pen and Pencil Pictures, p. 269. Give me my willow-tube
for a lance, the lid of a cigar-box for a shield. Thrust me a pair
of cutties into my girdle for pistols; hang a churchwarden by my
side for a sabre.
1863. Alex. Smith, Dreamthorpe, p. 262. He ... lifted a pipe of the
kind called churchwarden from the box on the ground, filled and
lighted it.
1864. Dr. Richardson, on ‘Tobacco,’ before Brit. Assoc. Meeting at
Bath. Cigars are more injurious than any form of pipe; and the best
pipe is unquestionably what is commonly called a churchwarden or
long clay.
Churl. To put a churl upon a gentleman.—See Gentleman.
Cider. All talk and no cider, phr. (American).—Purposeless loquacity;
‘Much cry and little wool.’ Literally, much ado about nothing. [For
suggested derivation, see quot., 1871.]
1835–40. Haliburton (‘Sam Slick’), Clockmaker, 1 S., ch. xxi. It is
an expensive kind of honour that, bein’ Governor.... Great cry and
little wool! all talk and no cider.
1858. Notes and Queries, 2 S., v., 233. All talk and no cider. This
expression is applied to persons whose performances fall far short
of their promises.
1862. C. F. Browne, Artemus Ward: His Book, p. 135. What we want is
more cider and less talk.
1871. De Vere, Americanisms, p. 591. This phrase originated at a
party in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which had assembled to drink a
barrel of superior cider; but politics being introduced, speeches
were made, and discussion ensued, till some malcontents withdrew on
the plea that it was a trap into which they had been lured,
politics and not pleasure being the purpose of the meeting, or, as
they called it, all talk and no cider.
Cider And, subs. phr. (colloquial).—Cider mixed with some other
ingredient. Cf., Cold without, Hot with, etc.
1742. Fielding, Joseph Andrews, bk. I., ch. xvi. She then asked the
doctor and Mr. Barnabas what morning’s draught they chose, who
answered, they had a pot of cider-and at the fire.
Cig, subs. (common).—A cigar. [An abbreviation of the legitimate word.]
For synonyms, see Weed.
Cinch, verb (American).—To get a grip on; to ‘corner’; to put the screw
on; also, in the passive sense, to come out on the wrong side in
speculations. [From the Spanish cincha, a belt or girdle; cinchar, to
girdle. Properly used of the saddling of horses with the huge Mexican
saddle. To cinch a horse, however, is by no means the same as girthing
him. The two ends of the tough cordage which constitute the cinch
terminate in long narrow strips of leather called latigos—thongs—which
connect the cinches with the saddle, and are run through an iron ring
and then tied by a series of complicated turns and knots known only to
the craft.]
1875. Scribner’s Mag., July, p. 277. A man is cinched = he is hurt
in a mining transaction (San Francisco localism).
1881. New York Times, Dec. 18, quoted in Notes and Queries, 6 S.,
v. 65. Cinch. To subdue, to forcibly bind down and overcome. Thus
it is unfairly said that the Northern Pacific Company intends to
cinch the settlers by exacting large prices for its lands. Query,
from Latin cingere.
1888. Daily Inter-Ocean, 2 Feb. Black and Blue thinks the Dwyers
have a cinch on both the great events.
1888. New York World, 22 July. The bettor, of whom the pool-room
bookmaker stands in dread, however, is the racehorse owner, who has
a cinch bottled up for a particular race, and drops into the room
an hour or two before the races begin.
Cincinnati Olive, subs. (American).—A pig. [A spurious ‘olive oil’ is
manufactured from lard, and Cincinnati is one of the largest centres of
the ‘pork packing industry’ in America.] Cf., Cincinnati Oysters.
Cincinnati Oysters, subs. (American).—Pigs’ trotters. A curious
interchange of names occurs between fish, flesh, and fowl. In
Cincinnati Oysters we have flesh presented in the guise of fish; and
the reverse is the case when the sturgeon is spoken of as Albany beef.
Amongst other examples may be quoted marble-head turkey, for a codfish;
also, in Nova Scotia a digby chicken = a herring smoked and dried in a
peculiar fashion. In England a Billingsgate pheasant is a fresh
herring; whilst a Yarmouth bloater is sometimes a two-eyed steak.
Cinder, subs. (common).—1. Any strong liquor as brandy, whiskey,
sherry, etc., mixed with a weaker, as soda-water, lemonade, water,
etc., to fortify it.
1864. Hotten, Slang Dictionary, s.v.
1883. Referee, March 18, p. 2, col. 4. Having rushed out to get a
glass of cold water with a cinder in it to take the chill off.
2. (sporting).—A running path or track; merely an abbreviation of
‘cinder-path,’ it being laid with ‘cinders.’
Cinder-Garbler, subs. (old).—A female servant. Grose [1785] says the
term was ‘Custom House wit,’ but gives no particulars.
English Synonyms. Marchioness; slavey; cinder-grabber; cinderella; can
(Scots); piss-kitchen; Julia.
French Synonyms. Un extrait de garni (popular); un chambrillon; une
bobonne (for bonne); une larbine; une cambrouse; une jeanneton; une
groule or groulasse.
German Synonyms. Schifche or Schifches; Schammesch or Schammes (from
the Hebrew).
Spanish Synonym. Famula (f).
Circling-Boy, subs. (old).—A ‘rook’; swindler. Nares says a species of
roarer; one who in some way drew a man into a snare, to cheat or rob
him. See Gifford.—Ben Jonson, Barth. Fair, iv., 3, p. 481.
Circs, subs. (common).—Circumstances.
Circumbendibus, subs. (old).—A roundabout; a long-winded story. [From
Lat. circum, around, + Eng. bend, with a Latin termination.]
1681. Dryden, Sp. Friar, V., ii. I shall fetch him back with a
circumbendibus, I warrant him. [m.]
1768. Lord Carlisle, in Jesse’s Selwyn, II., 317 (1882). I can
assure you it grieved me that anything of yours should make such a
circumbendibus before it came to my hands.
1773. O. Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer, Act v., Sc. 2. ‘And from
that, with a circumbendibus, I fairly lodged them in the horse-pond
at the bottom of the garden.’
1849. Lytton, Caxtons, pt. VIII., ch. i. The cabman, to swell his
fare, had thought proper to take a circumbendibus.
1890. Notes and Queries, 7 S., ix., 29 March.... No choice but to
deliver himself of a malediction with a circumbendibus.
Circumlocution Office, subs. (common).—A centre of red-tape; a
roundabout way. [A term invented by Charles Dickens (see quot., 1857),
and applied at first in ridicule to public offices, where everybody
tries to shuffle off his responsibilities upon some one else.]
1857. C. Dickens, Little Dorrit, I., x. The Circumlocution Office
was the most important Department under Government. Ibid. Whatever
was required to be done, the Circumlocution Office was beforehand
with all the public departments in the art of perceiving—How not to
do it.
1870. Graphic, Feb. 19, in ‘By the Bye.’ To complete the
contretemps a portion of the telegraphs struck work on the very
first day of the Government taking them in hand. Of course the
great tribe of evil-wishers ran about chuckling, and rubbing their
hands gleefully. ‘I told you so,’ cried Rubasore. Circumlocution
Office again, sneered Crossgrain.
Circumslogdologize.—See Stockdollagize.
Circumstance. Not a circumstance, etc., phr. (American).—Not to be
compared with; a trifle; of no account—unfavourable comparison.
18(?). J. H. Beadle, Western Wilds, p. 28. I took a broadhorn to
Noo Orleens, and when I was paid off on the levee, I was the worst
lost man you ever did see. In the middle of the thickest woods in
the world wasn’t a circumstance to it.
1848. J. R. Lowell, Biglow Papers. For Jacob warn’t a suckemstance
to Jeff at financierin’; He never’d thought of borryin’ from Esau
like all nater An’ then cornfiscatin’ all debts to sech a small
pertater.
To whip [something] into a circumstance = to surpass. Thus a newspaper
correspondent writes that ‘the streets of Georgetown, Demerara, are
broad, smooth, and well laid out. Georgetown could give points to New
York in its roads, and whip it into a circumstance.’
Circus-Cuss, subs. (thieves’).—A circus-rider.
Citizen, subs. (thieves’).—A wedge for ‘prizing open’ safes, before the
alderman (q.v.), and jemmy (q.v.).—See also Citizens’ friend.
Citizens’ Friend, subs. (thieves’).—A smaller wedge than the citizen
(q.v.), for ‘prizing open’ safes. The order in which the tools are used
is (1) Citizens’ Friend; (2) Citizen; (3) the Alderman (i.e., a Jemmy);
and sometimes (4) a Lord Mayor. For synonyms, see Jemmy and Betty.
City College, subs. (thieves’).—Newgate. In New York = ‘The Tombs.’ For
synonyms, see Cage.
City Stage, subs. (old).—The gallows, formerly in front of Newgate. For
synonyms, see Nubbing Cheat.
Civet, subs. (general).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see
Monosyllable.
Civil Reception.—See House of Civil Reception.
Civil-Rig, subs. (vagrants’).—A trick to obtain alms by a profuse show
of civility and obsequiousness.
Civvies, subs. (military).—Civilians’ clothes, as opposed to
regimentals. [A corruption of the legitimate word.]
Clack, subs. (colloquial).—1. Idle, loquacious talk; gossip; prattle—an
exceedingly old usage. For synonyms, see Patter.
c. 1440. York, Myst. XXXIV., 211. Ther quenes vs comeres with her
clakke. [m.]
1599. Nashe, Lenten Stuffe, in wks. V. 251. Their clacke or
gabbling to this purport.
1678. Butler, Hudibras, pt. III., ch. ii. And, with his everlasting
clack, Set all men’s ears upon the rack.
1748. Smollett, Rod. Random, ch. liv. I dreaded her unruly tongue,
and felt by anticipation the horrors of an eternal clack!
1812. H. and J. Smith, Rejected Addresses (‘Punch’s Apotheosis’).
See she twists her mutton fists like Molyneux or Beelzebub, And
t’other’s clack, who pats her back, is louder far than Bell’s
hubbub.
1888. J. Payn, Myst Mirbridge (Tauchn.) II., xviii., 197. The old
fellow would have had a clack with her. [m.]
2. (common).—The tongue [i.e., that which clacks (q.v.), verb.] A more
ancient form was clap dating back to 1225.
English Synonyms. Glib; red-rag; clapper; dubber; velvet; jibb;
quail-pipe.
French Synonyms. La diligence de Rome (popular); un battant (thieves’:
also ‘heart,’ ‘stomach,’ and ‘throat’); un bon battant (‘a nimble
tongue.’ Cf., ‘clapper’); une chiffe or un chiffon rouge (popular); une
gaffe; le grelot.
German Synonym. Lecker (literally ‘the licker’).
Italian Synonyms. Serpentina; dannoso (literally ‘damagable’); zavarina
(properly ‘a trifling old woman’).
Spanish Synonym. La desosada (i.e., Old Boneless).
1598. Greene, Jas. IV., wks. (Gros.) XIII., 210. Haud your clacks,
lads. [m.]
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5 ed.). Clack (s.) ... also a nickname
for a woman’s tongue; a prattler or busybody.
1828. D’Israeli, Chas. I., II., i., 23. Who, as washerwomen ... at
their work, could not hold their clack. [m.]
1864. E. Sargent, Peculiar, III., 76. To hermetically seal up this
Mrs. Gentry’s clack. [m.]
Verb.—To gabble. For synonyms, see Patter.
Clack-Box, subs. (common).—1. The mouth. For synonyms, see Potato-trap.