1703. Ward, London Spy, pt. xv., p. 353. He describes a swarthy,
black, ill-looking Fellow, with a down look, or the like.
1879. Jas. Payn, High Spirits (Number Forty-seven). ‘Well, he was
rather a down-looking cove.’ ‘Hang-dog?’ said I. ‘Well, yes, to be
frank, hang-dog.’
4. Verb (common).—To put on one’s back: whether by force or by
persuasion: e.g., to down a woman = to lay her out for copulation.—See
also quot.
1874. Henley, Unpublished Ballad. Then I downs my bleedin’ Judy,
And I puts a new head on her.
To be down a pit, verb. phr. (theatrical).—To be very much ‘taken’ with
a part.
To be, or come down upon one, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To berate; to
attack; to oppose. Sometimes with a tag: e.g., like a thousand, or a
load, of bricks; like one o’clock; like a tom-tit on a horse-turd, etc.
1815. Scott, Guy Mannering, ch. xxviii. I think we should be down
upon the fellow one of these darkmans, and let him get it well.
1823. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry (Dicks’ ed., 1889), p. 6. Prime.
From the cut of the gentleman’s clothes, I presume he’s lately come
from the Esquimaux Islands. Tom. Ha! ha! very good, Primefit; I
say, Jerry—you see he’s down upon you.
1864. London Review, 28 May. There are no loungers in this mortal
sphere who so nicely judge a horse’s points, or who are so
inexorably down upon any blemish as this careless fringe of
observers upon those two fashionable promenades.
1877. Five Years’ Penal Servitude, ch. iii., p. 167. Let him only
find out a man in some artful little game, and he would be down on
him and hunt his life out almost.
To be down pin, verb. phr. (skittle alley).—To be out of sorts, or
despondent. Cf., Down, adv., sense 1.
To drop down to one, verb. phr. (old).—To discover one’s character or
designs.
To put a down upon one, verb. phr. (old).—To peach so as to cause
detection or failure.
To put one down to [a thing], verb. phr. (old).—To apprize, elucidate,
or explain; to coach or prime; to ‘let one into the know.’
To take down a peg.—See Peg.
Downed, ppl. adj. (common).—Tricked; beaten; ‘sat upon.’ [Cf., down,
adv., sense 1.]
Downer, subs. (old).—1. A sixpence. In U.S.A., a five-cent. piece.
[Cf., deaner (q.v.); now corrupted into Tanner (q.v.).] For synonyms,
see Bender.
1857. Snowden, Mag. Assistant, 3rd ed., p. 444. Sixpence, downer,
also sprat.
1861. Whyte Melville, Good for Nothing, ch. vi. It’s not the first
downer I’ve had by a good many; and if it was not for leaving you I
shouldn’t care so much about it!
1885. Household Words, 20 June, p. 155. Two more names for a
sixpence are a downer and a ‘tanner.’
2. (pugilistic).—A knock-down blow. Cf., Bender, Doubler, and Dig, for
synonyms.
1819. Moore, Tom Crib’s Mem. Cong., p. 25. In the twelfth and last
round Sandy fetch’d him a downer.
Down-hills, subs. (old).—Dice cogged to run on the low numbers. [1785,
Grose.]
Downs, subs. (thieves’).—Tothill Fields Prison. For analagous terms,
see Cage.
1856. H. Mayhew, Great World of London, p. 82, note, s.v.
Downstairs, subs. (old).—Hell.
1837. Barham, I. L. (Brothers of Birchington.) Now if here such
affairs Get wind unawares, They are bruited about, doubtless much
more downstairs, Where Old Nick has a register-office they say,
With commissioners quite of such matters au fait.
Down the Road, abj. and adv. phr. (common).—Vulgarly showy; ‘flash.’
1859. Sala, Tw. Round the Clock, 4 p.m., par. 9. A knot of medical
students, who should properly, I take it, in this sporting
locality, have a racing and down-the-road look, but who, on the
contrary, have the garb and demeanour of ordinary gentlemen.
Down to Dandy.—See Up to Dick.
Down to the Ground, adv. phr. (old).—Entirely; thoroughly; to the last
degree. Formerly, up and down. Cf., up to the knocker or the nines, up
to the handle, up to dick, etc. [Literally, from top to bottom.]
1542. Udal’s, Erasmus’s Apophth., p. 324 [ed. 1877]. He [Phocion]
was euen Socrates vp and downe in this pointe and behalfe, that no
man euer sawe hym either laughe or weepe.
1606. John Day, Ile of Guls, Act v., p. 98. For, saies my mother, a
thinge once wel done is twice done: and I am in her mind for that,
vp and downe.
1878. M. E. Braddon, Cloven Foot, ch. xlv. Some sea coast city in
South America would suit me down to the ground.
1883. Echo, 6 Aug., p. 4, col. 1. A post which would suit the noble
lord ... down to the ground.
1889. John Strange Winter, That Imp, p. 3. A name that suited him
well—down to the ground, the officers of the Royal Horse said.
Down upon the nail.—See Nail.
Downy, subs. (common). A bed. Cf., Downy flea pasture.
1857. A. Trollope, Three Clerks, ch. ix. I’ve a deal to do before I
get to my downy.... Good night, Mr. Scott.
Adj. (common).—Artful; knowing (q.v., for synonyms). [Cf., down, adv.,
sense 2, of which downy is a derivative.]
1823. W. T. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, Act ii., Sc. 3. Bob. You’re a
downey von—you’ll not give a chance avay if you knows it.
1842. Punch, vol. II., p. 217, c. 2.
1849. Dickens, David Copperfield, ch. xxii., p. 198. Up to
mischief, I’ll be bound. Oh, you’re a downy fellow.
1849. Thackeray, Pendennis, ch. x. I’m not clever, p’r’aps, but I
am rather downy; and partial friends say I know what’s o’clock
tolerably well.
1860. Punch, vol. XXXVIII., p. 230. You never come across A cove
more downier, I’ll be bound, But you knows that ’ere ’oss.
1869. H. J. Byron, Not Such a Fool as He Looks [French’s acting
ed.], p. 12.... Sharp old skinflint, downy old robber as he is,
he’s under Jane Mould’s thumb.
To do the downy.—See Do.
Downy Bit, subs. phr. (venery).—A half-fledged girl.
Downy Cove, (or Bird, or in pl., The Downies), subs. phr. (common).—A
clever rogue.
English Synonyms.—Mizzler; leary bloke or cove; sly dog; old dog;
nipper; file; Greek; one that knows what’s o’clock; one who knows the
ropes, or his way about; don; dodger; dab; doll’s-eye-weaver;
dam-macker; shaver; dagen; chickaleary-cove; ikey bloke; artful member;
one that is up to the time of day; fly cove; one that’s in the know;
one that has his eye-teeth skinned, or that has cut his wisdoms.
French Synonyms.—Un gaspard (popular); un fouinard (pop.: fouiner = to
slink off); un ficellier (popular); être d’affût (thieves’ = to be on
the track or scent); un arcasien (thieves’: from arcane = a secret); un
pante désargoté (thieves’: one ‘fly to the time of day’); un mariolle
(thieves’ = English file [q.v.]); un lapin (popular); un écopeur (pop.:
a safe hand); un emberlificoteur (O.F., popular).
German Synonyms. Barje or Borje (from the Hebrew birjah: also = a fop);
Bochur, Bacher, or Bocher (from Hebrew bochur: also an official who
understands thieves’ lingo); Chochom, Chochem, or Chochemer (more
frequently spelled with ‘k’: from Hebrew chochom); Lowon (also =
silver, shining).
Spanish Synonyms.—Candonguero (applied to one who is mischievous as
well as cunning); zarapeto; zorrastron; perro viejo; estuche (also = a
pair of scissors); guitarron (also = a large guitar); perillan; pua
(also = a sharp point: es buena pua = he is a keen blade); carlancon;
es un buen sastre (= he is a sly dog or cunning blade. Sastre =
tailor); soga; alpargatilla; sobon or sobonazo (also = a lazy fellow).
Portuguese Synonym.—Tinente.
1821. Egan, Tom and Jerry (ed. 1890), p. 95. Mr. Mace had long been
christened by the downies, the ‘dashing covey.’
1841. Leman Rede, Sixteen-String Jack, ii., 4. Tom Bullock, the
downiest cove, the leary one that never goes to sleep.
1877. Greenwood, Dick Temple, Downy-looking Cove, the fair ’un; a
mug like that ought to be worth a fortune to him.
Downy Flea-pasture, subs. phr. (common).—A bed. For synonyms, see Bug
Walk and Kip.
Dowry, subs. (common).—A lot; a great deal; dowry of parny = lot of
rain or water.
Dowse or Douse, verb (old).—1. A verb of action.—See quots.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulgar Tongue. Dowse your dog vane = take the
cockade out of your hat. Dowse the glim = put out the candle. Dowse
on the chops = a blow in the face.
1815. Scott, Guy Mannering. Dowse the glim!
1860. Punch, vol. XXXVIII., p. 252. ‘The Death and Burial of poor
little Bill.’ And who’ll put on mourning ‘Not we,’ said the House
‘The Reform flag we’ll douse, But we won’t put on mourning.’
1863. C. Reade, Hard Cash, I., 212. At nine p.m., all the lights
were ordered out. Mrs. Beresford had brought a novel on board and
refused to comply;... The master-at-arms, finding he had no chance
in argument, doused the glim—pitiable resource of a weak
disputant—then basely fled the rhetorical consequences.
Dout, verb (provincial).—Literally = to do out; as Dup (q.v.) = to do
up, and don = to do on. Cf., Hamlet, iv. Then up he rose and donned his
clothes, And dupped the chamber door.
1874. Mrs. H. Wood, Johnny Ludlow, 1 S., No. VIII., p. 131. The
guard seemed not to hear it, so lost was he in astonishment at
there being no light. Why, what can have douted it? he cried aloud.
Doxology-Works, subs. (common).—A church or chapel. For synonyms, see
Gospel Mill.
Doxy, subs. (old).—A mistress; a prostitute; occasionally, a jade, a
girl, even a wife. In West of England, doxy = a baby. For synonyms, see
Barrack-hack and Tart.
1567. Harman, Caveat (1814), p. 14. And thither repayre at
accustomed tymes, their harlotes which they terme mortes and doxes.
1592. Greene, Quip, in wks., xi., 283. The Pedler as bad or rather
worse, walketh the country with his docksey at the least.
1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark all, p. 14 (H. Club’s Repr., 1874). You
decypher and point out a poore Rogue, or a doxie that steale and
rob hedges of a few ragged clothes.
1611. Chapman, May-Day, Act IV., p. 299 (Plays, 1874). He called me
... pandar, and doxy, and the vilest nicknames.
1617. C. Shadwell, Fair Quaker of Deal, Act v. Thou couldst not
have picked out a wife so fit for thee, out of a whole regiment of
doxies.
1694. Dunton, Ladies’ Dict. Prostitute doxies are neither wives,
maids, nor widows; they will for good victuals, or for a very small
piece of money, prostitute their bodies, and then protest they
never did any such thing before, that it was pure necessity that
now compell’d them to do what they have done, and the like; whereas
the jades will prove common hacknies upon every slight occasion.
1727. John Gay, Beggar’s Opera, Act III., Sc. 3. Finale. Thus I
stand like the Turk, with his doxies around, From all sides their
glances his passion confound.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5th ed.). Doxy (s.) a she-beggar ...
the female companion of a foot-soldier, travelling tinker, etc.
1851–61. H. Mayhew, London Lab. and Lon. Poor, vol. I., p. 231.
List of patterers’ words. Doxy—a wife.
Dozing-crib, subs. (old).—A bed. For synonyms, see Bug Walk and Kip.
D.Q., On the D.Q., phr. (American).—On the dead quiet. Cf., Strict
Q.T., etc.
Drab, subs. (common).—1. Poison; also medicine. [From the gypsey.] Also
used as a verb.
1851. G. Borrow, Lavengro, ch. lxxi., p. 226 (1888). At him, juggal
[a dog], at him; he wished to poison, to drab you.