1856. T. Hughes, Tom Brown’s School-days, pt. I., ch. v. You see, a
great deal depends on how a fellow cuts up, at first. If he’s got
nothing odd about him, and answers straightforward, and holds his
head up, he gets on.
1883. Illust. London News, 12 May, p. 463, col. 2. Export again cut
up wretchedly in the Burwell Stakes, which fell to Blue Glass, and
one of the best of the American three-year-olds.
Cut up fat, verbal phr. (common).—To leave a large fortune. Cf., Cut
up, sense 3.
1824. T. Hook, Sayings and Doings, 1 S., Danvers, p. 13 (‘Colburn’s
Stand. Novels’). His property was immense ... and few people
ventured to guess ... what he would cut up for.
1831. Disraeli, The Young Duke, bk. IV., ch. vii., p. 228 (ed.
1866). ‘You think him rich?’ ‘Oh, he will cut up very large,’ said
the Baron.
1848. Thackeray, Book of Snobs, ch. vii. The old banker died in
course of time, and to use the affectionate phrase common on such
occasions, cut up prodigiously well.
1860. O. W. Holmes, The Professor at the Breakfast Table, xi., p.
351. In the midst of these kind expressions, the gentleman with the
diamond, the Koh-i-noor, as we called him, asked in a very
unpleasant sort of way, how the old boy was likely to cut
up,—meaning what money our friend was going to leave behind.
1872. Civilian, 2 March. Time wears on, and old Stubbs pays the
debt of nature, and cuts up splendidly. His colossal fortune is the
making of his needy sons-in-law.
Cut up [rough, rusty, savage, stiff, ugly, etc.], verbal phr.—To become
quarrelsome or dangerous.
1836. Dickens, Pickwick, ch. xliii., p. 377. ‘I’ll trouble you for
the loan of five-and-twenty pound.’ ‘Wot good ’ull that do?’
inquired Mr. Weller. ‘Never mind,’ replied Sam. ‘P’raps you may ask
for it five minits arterwards; p’raps I may say I von’t pay, and
cut up rough.’
1849. Thackeray, Pendennis, ch. 1. I didn’t mean any offence—beg
pardon—hang it! you cut up quite savage.
1855–7. W. M. Thackeray, Miscellanies, II., 272. It is true that
Natty [Edward’s Julia’s younger brother] called many times in
Pocklington Square, and complained to Edward that he, Nat, could
neither see his Mar nor the Gurls, and that the old gent cut up
uncommon stiff.
1864. A. Trollope, The Small House at Allington, ch. iv. She’s
always talking of Lupex being jealous! if he was to cut up rough,
you wouldn’t find it pleasant.
Cut up well, verb. phr. (venery).—To strip well; to be an engaging
bed-fellow.
To be cut up (common).—To be vexed; hurt; dejected; sometimes simply
cut. Formerly, to be in embarrassed circumstances.
1821. P. Egan, Tom and Jerry [ed. 1890], p. 60. But, owing to a
combination of unfortunate circumstances, such as gambling,
dissipation, etc., Jem is so cut up, that all his old pals have
turned their backs upon him.
1846. Thackeray, V. Fair, vol. I., ch. xxv. ‘I should have liked to
see the old girl before we went,’ Rawdon said. ‘She looks so cut up
and altered that I’m sure she can’t last long.’
1855. W. M. Thackeray, Newcomes, II., p. 201. It’s not when a
fellow’s down and cut up, and riled,—naturally riled—as you are,—I
know you are, Marquis; it’s not then that I’m going to be angry
with you....
1864. Glasgow Herald, 28 Dec. Not a word was said. I felt
confoundly cut, and every mouthful of that dinner felt as if it
would choke me.
Cutty, subs.—A short pipe; a nose-warmer, (q.v.).
Cuz, subs. (printers’).—A workman free of the ‘chapel.’
Cymbal, subs. (thieves’).—A watch. For synonyms, see Ticker.
D
D, subs. (common)—1. A penny, or (in pl.) pence; e.g., two d; three d,
etc., = two-pence, three-pence, etc. [The initial letter of the Latin
denarius.]
1880. Punch’s Almanack, p. 3. Got the doldrums dreadful, that is
clear. Two d left! must go and do a beer!
2. (common).—A detective; among thieves, a policeman. For synonyms, see
Beak and Nark.
1879. Thor Fredur, Sketches from Shady Places. Still I play
Shoeblack odd times. I have a few friends among the d’s
(detectives), who give me the job to watch a house occasionally.
To use a big d, verbal phr. (common).—‘To swear’; the ‘d’ stands for
‘damned.’
1878. Gilbert and Sullivan, Her Majesty’s Ship ‘Pinafore.’ ‘What,
never use a big, big D?’
1890. H. D. Traill, Saturday Songs, p. 3. Do we fight the senseless
duel, do we sling the big, big d, No; our strongest word is
‘Bother,’ and revolvers all we see.
The two d’s, phr. (military).—Army regulations enact that a soldier’s
pay must not be so docked in fines as to leave him less than two-pence
a day. Hence, if a man, from any cause, is put on short pay, he is said
to be ‘on the two d’s.’
Dab, subs. (colloquial).—1. An expert; a dabster. [Thought to be a
corruption of ‘adept’ (Latin adeptus); a dep; a dap; a dab.] Cf.,
‘dabbler,’ one who meddles without mastery; a superficial meddler. Fr.,
dab, dabe, or dade.
1733. Letter of Lord Chesterfield to Lady Suffolk, 17 Aug. [Suffolk
Correspondence, 1824, ii., 64.] ... known dabs at finding out
mysteries.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5 ed.). Dab (s.) ... also an expert
gamester is so called [also 1754, Martin, Eng. Dict. (2 ed.),
s.v.].
1759. Goldsmith, The Bee, No. 1. One writer, for instance, excels
at a plan or a title-page, another works away the body of the book,
and a third is a dab at an index.
1838. Comic Almanack, p. 148. Such a dab to get up a commission.
1849. J. D. Lewis, in Whibley, p. 231. When Hicks, who’s no dab,
with his oar cuts a crab, And our coxswain he swears like the
devil.
1860. Dickens, Great Expectations, ch. xlii., p. 200. He was a
smooth one to talk, and was a dab at the ways of gentlefolks.