1849. C. Kingsley, Alton Locke, ‘What’s elevation?’ ‘Opium, bor
alive.’
Elfen, verb (American thieves’).—To walk lightly; to go on tiptoe.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, or Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v.
Ellenborough Lodge, or Spike, or Park, subs. phr. (old).—The King’s
Bench. [From Lord Chief-Justice Ellenborough.] For synonyms, see Cage.
Ellenborough’s Teeth = the chevaux de frize round the prison wall.
Elrig, subs. (back slang).—A girl.
Elycampane or Elecampane.—See Allacompain and quot.
1823. W. T. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, ii., 4. Go and get a
pennyworth of elycampane. Jerry. There’s a pair of men-milliners.
Emag, subs. (back slang).—Game: e.g., ‘I know your little emag.’
Embroider, verb (common).—To exaggerate; to add to the truth.
1877. S. L. Clemens (‘Mark Twain’), The Mississippi Pilot. Tom
tried to make himself appear to be a hero too, and succeeded to
some extent, but then he always had a way of embroidering.
Embroidery, subs. (common).—Exaggeration; the American sass and
trimmin’s (q.v.).—[See Embroider.]
1890. Standard, 5 April, p. 2, col. 1. Fanny Burney had many good
qualities, no doubt, but we fancy that when she tells us with such
evident unction how great folks loved and admired her she puts a
good deal of embroidery into her narrations.
Emma.—See Whoa Emma and Street-cries.
Emperor, subs. (American thieves’).—A drunken man. [An intensification
of ‘drunk as a lord’; whence ‘drunk as an emperor.’]
1881. New York Slang Dict. ‘On the Trail.’ A pinch for an Emperor’s
slang.
Drunk as an Emperor, phr. (common).—An intensitive of ‘drunk as a
lord.’ Fr., saoul comme trente mille hommes, or un âne.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Empty the Bag.—See Bag.
Encumbrances, subs. (common).—Children.—See Certainties and
Uncertainties.
End. To be all on end, verb. phr. (American).—To be very angry;
irritated. Also expectant.
At loose ends, adv. phr. (common).—Neglected; precarious.
End on, adv. phr. (colloquial).—Straight; full-tilt.
To be end on, verb. phr. (venery).—To have an erection.
To keep one’s end up, verb. phr. (American).—To rub along.
End of the Sentimental Journey, subs. phr. (venery).—The female
pudendum. For synonyms, see Monosyllable.
Enemy, subs. (common).—Time: e.g., ‘How goes the enemy’ = what’s
o’clock? ‘To kill the enemy’ = to kill time.
1839. Dickens, Nich. Nickleby, ch. xix., p. 149. ‘How goes the
enemy, Snobb?’ asked Sir Mulberry Hawke. ‘Four minutes gone.’
1864. Glasgow Citizen, 19 Nov. The swell who is bored by his
efforts to ‘kill the enemy.’
English Burgundy, subs. phr. (old).—Porter.—See Drinks.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, or Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v.
Enif, adj. (back slang).—Fine.
Enin Gen, subs. phr. (back slang).—Nine shillings. Enin Yanneps =
Ninepence.
Enjoy, verb (old).—To ‘possess’ a woman.
1594. Shakspeare, The Rape of Lucrece, st. 74. ‘Lucrece,’ quoth he,
‘this night I must enjoy thee; if thou deny, then force must work
my way.’
Eno, adj. (back slang).—One.
1850. Lloyd’s Weekly, 3 Feb. ‘Low Lodging Houses of London.’
There’s people there will rob their own brother. There’s people
there talk backward—for one they say eno, for two owt, for three
eerht, for four ruof, for five evif, for six exis. I don’t know any
higher.
Ensign-Bearer, subs. (old).—A drunkard; especially one with a red nose
and blotchy face.—See Elbow-crooker.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Ephesian, subs. (old).—A boon companion; a ‘spreester.’ Cf.,
Corinthian.
1596. Shakspeare, Merry Wives of Windsor, iv., 5. Art thou there?
it is thine host, thine Ephesian, calls.
1598. Shakspeare, 2 Henry IV., ii. 2. P. H. What company? Page.
Ephesians, my lord, of the old church.
Epip, subs. (back slang).—A pipe.
Epsom-races, subs. (rhyming slang).—A pair of braces.
Equal to the Genuine Limburger.—See Limburger.
Equipped, ppl. adj. (American thieves’).—Rich; well-dressed; in good
circumstances. Cf., well-ballasted.
Erif, subs. (back slang).—Fire.
Eriff, subs. (American thieves’).—A young thief.
1881. New York Slang Dict. ‘On the Trail.’ It’s the gait all them
eriffs dances, observed the one-eyed man.
Errand. To send a baby on an errand, verb. phr. (common).—To undertake
what is pretty sure to turn out badly.
Error.—See No Error.
Erth (back slang).—Three. Erth Gen = Three shillings. Erth-pu =
Three-up, a street game, played with three halfpence. Erth Sith-Noms =
Three months’ imprisonment; a ‘drag.’ Erth Yanneps = Threepence.
Esclop (back slang).—A police-constable; esclop is pronounced ‘slop’
the c is never sounded. For synonyms, see Beak and Copper.
Es-roch (back slang).—A horse. For synonyms, see Prad.
Essex-Lion, subs. (old).—A calf: e.g., ‘as valiant as an essex-lion.’
Cf., Cotswold Lion, Cambridgeshire Nightingale, etc.
1787. Grose, Prov. Glossary, s.v. Essex lions. Calves, great
numbers of which are brought alive in carts to the London markets.
Essex-Stile, subs. (old).—A ditch.
1787. Grose, Prov. Glossary. Explained to be either real stiles
which, because of the very small enclosures in Essex, are very
frequent or the ‘narrow bridges, such as are laid between marsh and
marsh in the hundreds of this county, only jocularly called stiles,
as the loose stone walls in Derbyshire are ludicrously called
hedges.’
Esuch (back slang).—A house. For synonyms, see Ken.
Eternity-Box, subs. (common).—A coffin.
English Synonyms.—Cold meat box; wooden surtout; coffee-shop; deal
suit.
French Synonyms.—Boîte à dominos (popular); étui à lorgnette (popular);
boîte à doche (thieves’); redingote de sapin (popular).
German Synonyms.—Pron (from the Hebrew); Teba (Hebrew leba).
Evaporate, verb (common).—To run away; to disappear. For synonyms, see
Amputate and Skedaddle.
1852. Dickens, Bleak House, ch. xxii., p. 191. Upon which the young
man, looking round, instantly evaporates.
1854. Ainsworth, Flitch of Bacon, pt. I., ch. x. You may evaporate
if you think proper, Sir G.; but split me if I stir a step.
1857. Cuthbert Bede, Verdant Green, pt. II., ch. ix. Mr. Bouncer
evaporates with a low bow, leaving the Ladies to play with their
parasols, and converse.
Evatch, verb (back slang).—To have: e.g., ‘Evatch a kool at the elrig’
= Have a look at the girl.
Everlasting-Shoes, (also Everlastings), subs. (common).—The naked feet.
For synonyms, see Creepers.
Everlasting-staircase, subs. (thieves’).—The treadmill. For synonyms,
see Wheel of Life.
1851–61. H. Mayhew, London Lab. and Lon. Poor, vol. i., p. 300. Why
we should be very soon taking reg’lar exercise on Colonel
Chesterton’s everlasting staircase. We has a great respect for the
law—O, certainly!
1874. H. Mayhew, London Characters, p. 349. I had ‘done’ my quarter
of an hour on the everlasting staircase (treadmill).
Everton-toffee, subs. (rhyming slang).—Coffee.
Everything is lovely and the goose hangs high, phr.
(American).—Everything is going swimmingly. [An allusion to the ‘sport’
of gander pulling. A gander was plucked, thoroughly greased, especially
about the head and neck, and tied tight by the feet to the branch of a
tree. The game was then to ride furiously at the mark, catch it by the
head or neck, and attempt to bear it away. With every failure the fun
would get more uproarious].
1867. Round Table, 30 July. I am not aware that any one has asked
you the meaning of the slang phrase, everything goes lovely and the
goose hangs high; but doubtless ... it is derived from the Southern
sport(!) of ‘Gander-pulling.’
Eve’s Custom-House, subs. phr. (venery).—The female pudendum.
Evif, adj. (back slang).—Five Evif-gen = A crown, or five shillings.
Evif-yanneps = five pence.
Evil, subs. (old).—A wife. For synonyms, see Dutch.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, or Rogue’s Lexicon. Evil. A wife; a
halter; matrimony.
Evlenet-gen, (back slang).—Twelve shillings. Evlenet sith-noms = twelve
months: generally known as a ‘stretch.’
Ewe.—See White Ewe and Old Ewe.
Ewe-mutton, subs. (common).—An elderly strumpet or ‘piece.’
Exalted, ppl. adj. (old).—Hanged. For synonyms, see Ladder. Cf.,
elevated = drunk.
1836. Michael Scott, Cruise of the Midge, p. 226. Your
great-grandfather was exalted, was he?—that is hanged, I suppose?
Exam, subs. (school).—An abbreviation of ‘Examination.’
1883. James Payn, Thicker than Water, ch. xxi. It’s a mere question
of political economy; I read all about it for my exam.—the supply
will exceed the demand.
Exasperate, verb (common).—To over-aspirate the letter H.
1857. Cuthbert Bede, Verdant Green, pt. II., ch. ix. Mr. Bouncer
replies, with a footman’s bow, and a footman’s hexasperation of his
h’s.
Excellers, subs. (military).—The Fortieth Foot. [A pun upon its number,
xl + ers.]
Excruciators, subs. (common).—Tight boots; especially with pointed
toes.
Execution-day, subs. (common).—Washing day.
Exes, subs. (common).—1. An abbreviation of ‘expenses.’
1871. Fun, 4 Nov. ‘The Policeman’s Complaint.’ Nay oft I’m told
I’ve been deceived, And of my x’s I’m bereaved; So on the whole I
muchly grieved By information I received.
1883. Referee, 18 March, p. 3, col. 3. The piece was ready, but the
‘pieces’ were not, and without the exes Morton would not allow the
gas to be lighted or the curtain to go up. It was a case of no pay
no play.
1890. Montagu Williams, Leaves of a Life, I., p. 153. He was out
for a spree at the races, and I suppose he thought he’d like to pay
his exes.
2. (colloquial).—An abbreviation of ‘ex-officials,’ ‘ex-ministers,’ and
so forth. As in Tom Moore’s ‘We x’s have proved ourselves not to be
wise.’
Exis-evif-gen, (back slang).—Six times five shillings, i.e., 30s. All
monies may be reckoned in this manner, either with yanneps or gens.
Exis-evif-yanneps, literally, ‘sixpence and fivepence = elevenpence.’
Exis gen = six shillings. Exis sith-noms = six months. Exis yanneps =
Sixpence.
Expecting, ppl. (colloquial).—With child.
Experience Does it, phr. (common).—A dog-English rendering of
Experienta docet.
Explaterate, verb (American).—To hold forth; explain in detail. [From
O.E. Explate = to unfold.]
Explosion, subs. (common).—A delivery.
Exquisite, subs. (common).—A fop. For synonyms, see Dandy.
Extensive, adv. (common).—Formerly applied to a person’s appearance or
talk; ‘rather extensive that!’ intimating that the person alluded to is
showing off, or ‘cutting it fat.’
Extinguisher, subs. (common).—A dog’s muzzle.
1890. Standard, 12 May, p. 5, col. 4. I had to appear before Mr.
Curtis-Bennett, at West Kensington, to answer the charge of the dog
being at large without his extinguisher en évidence.
Ex Trumps, adv. phr. (Winchester College).—Extempore. To go up to books
ex trumps = to go to class without preparing one’s lesson.
Eye.—See All My Eye.
To pull wool over the eyes.—See Pull Wool.
To keep the eyes clean, skinned, or peeled, verb. phr. (American).—To
be watchful; alert; with all one’s wits about one.
1837. C. Gilman, Negro Domestic’s Recollections. Mans Ben ax ’em
for sing one hymn for ’em, cause he eye clean.
1865. New York Herald. My son, afore you leave yer home, I want ter
say ter you, Thar’s lots of pitfalls in the world ter let young
roosters through; So keep a padlock on yer mouth and skin yer
weather eye, But never advertise yerself as being monstrous fly.
To have a drop in the eye, verb. phr. (common).—To be drunk. For
synonyms, see Drinks and Screwed.
1738. Swift, Pol. Convers., Dial. 1. You must own you had a drop in
your eye; when I left you, you were half seas over.
1837. Barham, I. L. (Black Mousquetaire). In vain did he try With
strong waters to ply His friend, on the ground that he never could
spy Such a thing as a ghost with a drop in his eye.
In the twinkling of an eye.—See Bedpost.
To bet one’s eyes.—See Bet.
My eyes! intj. phr. (common).—An expression of surprise.
1837. Dickens, Oliver Twist, ch. viii. ‘My eyes, how green!’
exclaimed the young gentleman. ‘Why a beak’s a madgst’rate.’
Eyelashes. To hang on by the eyelashes or eyebrows, verb. phr.
(common).—To be very tenacious; also, by implication, to be in a
difficulty. Cf., Hang on by the splash-board.
Eye-limpet, subs. (common).—An artificial eye.
Eye-opener, subs. (American).—1. Drink generally; specifically, a mixed
drink.