1865. Evening Citizen, 28 Nov. Codding a Town Council.—The Fife
Circular, Kirkcaldy, says:—According to usual practice, several
members of the new Town Council attended divine service at the
Parish Church on Sunday forenoon last. The Rev. M. J. Bryden
officiated, and preached an eloquent and appropriate sermon to the
Council from these words in the 10th chapter of St. Matthew:—‘Ye
are of more value than many sparrows.’
1884. W. C. Russell, Jack’s Courtship, ch. xxxi. ‘What do you think
of that, cook?’ ‘Think?’ answered the cook, who had a rather sour
eye; ‘why, that that rough sailor man was a-coddin’ of you, sir.’
Codd or Cod, subs. (Charterhouse).—A pensioner of the Charterhouse.—See
quot., and Cf., Cod, sense 4.
1855. Thackeray, Newcomes, II., p. 333. Yonder sit some three score
of gentlemen, pensioners of the hospital, listening to the prayers
and psalms. You hear them coughing feebly in the twilight—the old
reverend blackgowns. Is Codd Ajax alive, you wonder?—the Cistercian
lads called these old gentlemen Codds, I know not wherefore—I know
not wherefore—but is old Codd Ajax alive, I wonder? or Codd
Soldier? or kind old Codd Gentleman? or has the grave closed over
them?
Coddam or Coddom, subs. (common).—A public-house game played three,
four, or more a side. The only ‘property’ required is a coin, a button,
or anything which can be hidden in the clenched hand. The principle of
the game, which is simplicity itself, is that of ‘Guess whose hand it’s
in.’ If the guesser ‘brings it home,’ his side takes the ‘piece,’ and
the centre man ‘works’ it. If the guess be wrong, a chalk is taken to
the holders, who go on again.
1884. J. Greenwood, Seven Years’ Penal Servitude. The convicts take
advantage of that to the extent sometimes of playing a gambling
game called coddom.
1885. Good Words, August, p. 530. Some prefer coddam, and risk
their pint of beer on the discovery of the coin.
1890. Pall Mall Gaz., March 1, p. 5, col. 2. The boys were playing
a game called coddom, a guessing game.
Codding, verbal subs. (common).—Nonsense; humbug; chaff. [From cod
(q.v., verb, sense 3).]
Codger, subs. (common).—A familiar term of address, especially in old
codger; a curious old fellow; an odd fish; a ‘rum’ character; a
precise, and sometimes a mean or miserly man.
English Synonyms. Most of the general slang terms for a man or fellow
correspond in usage to ‘old codger,’ e.g., old chap; ben cull; old man;
my pippin; old cock, etc.
French Synonyms. Un béquillard (popular: French thieves give the same
name to the executioner); vieux canasson (popular: ‘old man,’ ‘old
cock’); un birbe; ma vieille branche.
Italian Synonym. Fuino (literally a pole-cat).
1760. Colman, Polly Honeycombe, in wks. (1777) IV., 39. A clear
coast, I find. The old codger’s gone, and has locked me up with his
daughter.
1760. Smollett, Sir L. Greaves, vol. I., ch. iii. She twisted her
hand in Grove’s neckcloth without ceremony, crying—‘Sha’t then, I
tell thee, old coger.’
1796. Mad. D’Arblay, Camilla, bk. IX., ch. iv. He gave himself the
airs of an old justice of the peace, and said if he did not find
the affair given up, nothing should induce him ever to help me
again. What a mere codger that lad has turned out!
1837. Barham, I. L. (Lay of St. Nicholas). How a thirsty old
codger, the neighbours call’d Roger, With them drank cold water in
lieu of old wine.
1859. Dickens, Tale of Two Cities, bk. II., ch. xxiv. Why, I am a
boy, sir, to half-a-dozen old codgers here.
1876. Hindley, Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, p. 61. His
father, a rum old codger, had been a captain in the army.
1883. F. R. Stockton, Rudder Grange, ch. xi. I knew that any
sensible man would rather have me in charge of his tent than a
young codger like that.
1887. Baumann, Londinismen, Slang u. Cant. pref., vi. So from
hartful young dodgers, From vaxy old codger, From the blowens we
got Soon to know vot is vot.
Codicils, subs. (American journalists’).—A kind of literary sparring
match; also called accumulatives (q.v.). Some editor will make a remark
or a joke—with a capital J; another will cite it with comments; and, in
his turn, he will be handled by a third. There are cases in which the
original paragraph has gone the round of twenty or thirty prints. [A
codicil is properly a writing by way of supplement to a will.]
1889. Polytechnic Mag., 24 Oct., p. 253. ‘How many apples did Adam
and Eve eat?’ Some say Eve 8 and Adam 2—a total of 10. Now, we
figure the thing out far different. Eve 8, and Adam 8 also—total
16.—Boston Journal. We think the above figures are entirely wrong.
If Eve 8, and Adam 8–2, certainly the total will be 90. Scientific
men, however, on the strength of the theory that the antidiluvians
were a race of giants, and consequently great eaters, reason
something like this:—Eve, 8–1st, and Adam 8–2—total,
163.—Gloucester Advertiser. Wrong again; what could be clearer than
if Eve 8–1–1st, and Adam 8–1–2, would not the whole be
1,623?—Boston Journal. Now we think these figures are not according
to Cocker. The following is probably the true solution:—Eve 8–1–4
Adam, Adam 8–1–2–4 Eve—total, 8,698.—Veritas. Stop friend; still
another calculation is as follows:—If Eve 8–1–4 Adam, Adam
8–1–2–4–2 oblige Eve—total, 82,056. We think, however, this is not
a sufficient quantity; for, if we admit that Eve 8–1–4 Adam, Adam,
if he 8–0-8–1–2–4–2 keep Eve company—total, 1,082,056.—New York
Mail. You do the fair thing by Adam, brother, but you slight Eve.
This poor smit 10–1–8–1–4–2 please the serpent, and Adam, of
course, if he as good husbands do of-10–8–0–8–1–2–4–2 keep Eve
company—total, 109,099,384.—Syracuse Journal. The American
newspaper calculators, with the savagery of all other historians,
meanly stigmatise the woman. Adam, a mere dupe, lacked the nobility
to try a dangerous experiment first. Eve eat an apple for dinner:
Adam, forgetting the injuries to many an unborn 1,000,000–8–1–4
millions more—the coward! True total, 1,000,000,814,000,000.
Whoopee! Now is the time to subscribe.—Polytechnic Magazine.
Codland, subs. (American).—Newfoundland. Cf., Cod-preserves.
Codlings.—See Cods.
Cod-Preserves, subs. (nautical).—The Atlantic Ocean. [An obvious
allusion. Cf., Codland = Newfoundland; also Briney.]
Cods, subs. (venery).—1. The testicles. [From A.S. cod or codd = a
small bag.] Also codlings.
English Synonyms. Bawbels, baubels, or bobbles; bollocks; balls; beef
(the penis and testes); bird’s-eggs; bobbies; bullets; bum-balls;
cannon-balls; clock-weights; culls (old); dowsetts (old); gingambobs;
jelly-bags (more properly in sing = the scrotum); knackers;
love-apples; marbles; nick-nacks; pebbles; seals (Cf., watch-and-seals
= the male pudenda); spunk-holders; stones; thingambobs.
French Synonyms. Les antilles (thieves’: f. pl.); les virolets
(obsolete: in allusion to a man’s virility); les sonnettes (common:
literally bells); les frères siamois (popular: an allusion to the
Siamese twins); les prunes (common); les grains (leger de deux grains =
an eunuch).
German Synonym. Dickmann (also ‘an egg,’ and ‘the penis.’ Dick =
enciente; dick machen, to deflower and quicken. Dick means literally
‘thick’).
Spanish Synonym. Cojones.