Babes, subs. (auctioneers’).—A set of auction thieves, who attend sales
for the express purpose of blackmail. Their modus operandi is as
follows. In consideration of a small bribe of money or beer, or both,
they agree not to oppose the bidding of the larger dealers, who thus
dishonestly keep down the price of lots. The practice is generally
worked in connection with knock-outs (q.v.).
(American).—A set of Baltimore rowdies are so-called; at various times
they have also received the names of blood tubs and plug-uglies (q.v.).
Baboo-English, subs. (Anglo-Indian).—A species of ‘English as she is
wrote’ (q.v.). Its main peculiarity is its grandiloquence, a feature
born of an attempt to adapt Western speech to Eastern imagery and
hyperbole.
Baby-Herder, subs. (American).—A nurse; a simile drawn from life on the
plains, and worked out with true cowboy humour.
Babylonitish, subs. (Winchester College).—A dressing gown. An
abbreviated form of ‘Babylonitish garment.’
Baby-Pap, subs. (thieves’).—A cap; part of the so-called rhyming slang
(q.v.).
Bacca.—See Baccy.
Bacca-Pipes, subs. (common).—Whiskers when curled in ringlets, a now
obsolete fashion.—See Mutton-chops.
Baccare! Backare! intj. (old cant).—Go back! [a humorous form of back +
a simulated Latin termination]. In use from about 1553–1660.
1592. Lyly, Midas, V., 2. The masculine gender is more worthy than
the feminine. Therefore, Licio. backare.
1593. Shakspeare, Taming of the Shrew, ii.;
Saving your tale, Petruchio, I pray
Let us, that are poor petitioners, speak too;
Baccare! you are marvellous forward.
[N.]
Baccy, also Bacca, subs. (common).—A corrupted form of ‘tobacco.’
Apparently of quite recent introduction. An equivalent term in French
is perlot, from perle.
1833. Marryat, Peter Simple, ch. ii. ‘You must larn to chaw baccy.’
1861. Jas. Conway, Forays among Salmon and Deer, p. 228. I lay on
an Affghan goat-rug spread over fresh heather, with a pipe filled
with good baccy in my mouth.
Bach or Batch, verb. (American).—To live as a bachelor.
Bachelor’s Baby, subs. (old).—An illegitimate child. For synonyms, see
Bye-blow.
Bachelors-Fare, subs. (familiar).—Bread and cheese and kisses—a
humorous allusion to the real or alleged ‘short commons,’ generally
assumed to be meted out to a man who is unattached. Like many other
proverbial sayings there is more sound than truth in it.
1738. Swift, Polite Conversation, conv. i. Lady Ans. Colonel, some
ladies of your acquaintance have promised to breakfast with you,
and I am to wait on them; what will you give us? Col. Why, faith,
madam, bachelor’s-fare, bread and cheese and kisses.
Back, verb. (popular).—To bet or wager; to support by means of money,
kind, or influence, on the turf or elsewhere. From the earlier and more
legitimate meaning to support, maintain, or strengthen. Possibly in the
sense of to wager or support by betting, back can hardly nowadays be
classed as slang; there seems too, to be long and constant usage to
support its claim as a regular dictionary word.
(Uppingham School).—At football, to be ready for a chance.
To put or set up one’s back, phr. (familiar).—To rouse oneself to
antipathy; to get angry; to resist. The figure presented is that of a
cat, which, when irritated, arches or sets up its back. Also used
negatively as an exhortation to keep one’s temper. Don’t get your back
up! For synonymous phrases, see Hold your hair on!
1726. Vanbrugh and Cibber, Provoked Husband, V., iii., 112. O Lud!
how her back will be up then when she meets me.
1771. Smollett, Humphry Clinker, ch. 66. My uncle’s back was up in
a moment; and he desired him to explain his pretensions.
1855. Thackeray, Newcomes, ch. xvi. ‘I know she is flighty, and
that; and Brian’s back is up a little. But he ain’t a bad fellow;
and I wish I could see you and his wife better friends.’
1883. Greenwood, Grandmother Cooper, in Odd People in Odd Places, p
2. ‘You don’t know what you’re sayin’; therefore you don’t mean no
harm. If so be you think what you just now said, keep it to
yourself, don’t say it to me. It sets my back up, and when my
back’s set up I’m sometimes orkard.’
To ride on one’s back, phr. (old).—To deceive successfully.
Back and Belly, phr. (vulgar).—1. Back and before; all over.
2. To keep one back and belly, phr. (old).—To feed and clothe. Cf.,
Belly-timber and Back-timber.
Back-Breaker, subs. (common).—One who sets, or that which is, an
example of more than ordinary human powers of endurance; e.g., in
pedestrianism or racing a man or horse whose pace is considerably over
the average. In sporting phraseology he or it is called a scorcher
(q.v.) and the pace of such is also eloquently called ‘killing.’
Back-breaking is therefore synonymous with excessive exertion or effort
of all kinds.
Back-Cap. To give a back-cap, phr. (American).—To expose; to reveal
what one knows of another, in a detrimental sense.
1883. Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi, p. 462. [A pretended
converted thief is made to say]:—i told him all about my being in
prison and about you, and how i had almost done giving up looking
for work and how the Lord got me the job when i asked him ... and
then i felt better than ever i had done in my life, for i had given
Mr. Brown a fair start with me and now i didn’t fear no one giving
me a back-cap and running me off the job.
Back-Cheat, subs. (old cant).—A cloak. Also called a wrap-rascal
(q.v.).
Back-Door. A gentleman of the back-door, subs. phr. (common).—A
sodomist; formerly a backgammon player. The vice itself is called
back-door work. For synonyms, see Usher.
Backdoor-Trot, subs. (provincial).—Diarrhœa. The allusion is obvious. A
more common term is jerry-go-nimble (q.v.).
Back Down, verb, (common).—To yield; to retreat from a position; to
abandon a line of argument; to eat one’s words. Originally an American
turn of expression.—See Back track and Back out.
Subs.—Usually a square back down; a severe rebuff; sometimes, utter
collapse.
Backed, ppl. adj. (old).—Dead—a figurative use of to ‘put on one’s
back,’ i.e., to place hors de combat.
Back-End, subs. (racing).—The last two months of the racing season.
More technical than slang.
1820. Blackw. Mag., Oct., p. 3. When you did me the honour to stop
a day or two at last back-end.
1883. Hawley Smart, Hard Lines, ch. xxix. ‘Most of what I got over
that steeplechase I dropped at the back-end over the October
handicaps.’
Adj.—The meaning, mutatis mutandis, is the same as back-end.
1883. Daily Telegraph, April 30, p. 3, col. 6. And neither [horse]
could beat Palermo on back-end form.
Back-Gammon Player.—See Back-door.
Backhand, verb. (common).—To detain the decanter when it is passed
round, and thus to drink more than one’s share; a more recent phrase is
‘not drinking fair.’—See, however, Backhander.
1857. G. A. Lawrence, Guy Livingstone, ch. viii. ‘Livingstone, if
you begin backhanding already, you’ll never be able to hold that
great raking chestnut I saw your groom leading this evening.’
Back-Handed Turn (Stock Exchange).—An unprofitable bargain.
Backhander, subs. (common).—1. A drink out of turn; also detention of
wine at table so as to get an extra share.
1855. Thackery, Newcomes, ch. xliii. ‘Thank you, Mr. Binnie, I will
take a backhander, as Clive don’t seem to drink.’
1873. Saturday Review, p. 798. Long experience has shown us that to
get small advantages over us gives the Scotch so much pleasure,
that we should not think of grudging them the mild satisfaction,
just as a kindly host affects not to notice a valued guest, who, he
observes, always helps himself to an innocent backhander.