To go on the batter, i.e., to walk the streets for purposes of
prostitution; but cf., Bat.
Battle of the Nile, subs. phr. (rhyming slang).—A ‘tile’ = a hat. For
synonyms, see Cady.
Battle Royal, subs. (colloquial).—A vehement quarrel.
1698. Howard, All Mistaken, Act i.
1st Nurse. Your husband is the noted’st cuckold in all our street.
2nd Nurse. You lie, you jade; yours is a greater.
Phil. Hist—now for a battle-royal.
18(?). Thackeray, Shabby Genteel Story, ch. vi. A battle-royal
speedily took place between the two worthy mothers-in-law.
1865. Sketches from Cambridge, p. 137. Our brethren there [in
Oxford] seem to be always indulging in battles-royal.
Battlings, subs. (public schools’).—A weekly allowance of money. At
Winchester it is 1s., while at Repton it is only 6d.
1864. Household Words, p. 188. The business of the latter was to
call us of a morning to distribute amongst us our battlings, or
pocket-money.
1870. Mansfield, School-Life at Winchester College, p. 184. The
expense was defrayed by the boys subscribing the last three
battlings (i.e., the weekly shilling allowed each boy). This was
rather an illusory coin, for we seldom actually fingered it, as
some one of the College servants generally had a kind of
prescriptive right to a benefit; and whenever Saturday arrived,
Præfect of Hall’s valet was sure to come round to ask the boys if
they would give their battling to Rat Williams, or Dungy, or
Purver, or Long John, or some other equally deserving individual.
1883. Trollope, Autobiogr. (1883), I., 13. Every boy had a shilling
a week pocket-money, which we called battels. [This is probably a
misprint—the Winchester term, as that used at other schools, is
battling. It was advanced out of the pocket of the second master.]
Battner, subs. (old).—An ox; beef being apt to batten or fatten those
that eat it. ‘The cove has hushed the battner,’ i.e., has killed the
ox.—Grose [1785].
Batty, subs. (general).—Wages; perquisites. Derived from batta, an
extra pay given to soldiers while serving in India.—Hotten. Col. Yule
says in Indian banking, agio or difference in exchange; discount on
coins not current; or of short weight.
1824. T. Hook, Sayings and Doings, 1 S., Merton, ch. viii. Whether
he could draw full batta in peace-time.
1868. Brewer, Phrase and Fable, 5 S., ‘Batta.’ Batta or Batty
(Hindustanee). Perquisites; wages. Properly, an allowance to East
Indian troops in the field.
Baulk, subs. (Winchester College).—A false report (especially that a
master is at hand), which is sported (q.v.), not spread.
(Popular.)—A false shot; a mistake.
Baum, verb (American Univ.).—To fawn; to flatter; to curry
favour.—Hall’s College Words and Phrases.
Bawbels or Bawbles, subs. (old).—A man’s testicles. Originally, a
provincialism. For synonyms, see Cods.
Bawcock, subs. (old).—A burlesque term of endearment. [From either
French beau, fine, + French coq, cock = a fine or good ‘feller’; or
from English boy + cock = a young dandy or strut.]
1599. Shakspeare, Henry V., iii., 2, 25. Pist. Be merciful, great
duke, to men of mould!... Good bawcock ’bate thy rage!
1861. H. Ainsworth, Constable of the Tower, p. 131. One of the
gamesome little bawcock’s jests.
Bawd, subs. (old).—A female procuress. A carted bawd meant one who had
been placed in a cart and led through the town to make her person known
to the inhabitants. Cf., Abbess. See also Cart and Barrack-hack for
synonyms.
Bawde Phisicke.—See quotation.
1560–1. Awdeley, The XXV. orders of Knaues, (ed. 1869), p. 14.
Bawde Phisicke, is he that is a Cocke, when his Maysters meate is
euyll dressed, and he challenging him therefore, he wyl say he wyll
eate the rawest morsel thereof him selfe. This is a sausye knaue,
that wyl contrary his Mayster alway.
Bawdy Banquet, subs. (old).—Whoremongering. [From bawdy, lewd, +
banquet.]
1567. Harman, Caveat (1869), p. 63. ‘Where haue I bene?’ quoth he,
and began to smyle. ‘Now, by the mas, thou hast bene at some baudy
banquet.’
Bawdy Banquet, subs. (old).—A running after loose women; molrowing.
Bawdy Basket, subs. (old cant).—1. The twenty-third rank of canters
(see Harman), who carried pins, tape, ballads, and obscene books to
sell, but lived mostly by stealing,
1567. Harman, Caveat (ed. 1869), p. 65. These bawdy baskets be also
wemen, and go with baskets and Capeases on their armes, where in
they haue laces, pynnes, nedles, white ynkell, and round sylke
gyrdles of al coulours. These wyl bye conneyskins and steale linen
clothes of on hedges. And for their trifles they will procure of
mayden seruaunts, when [leaf 20, back] their mystres or dame is
oute of the waye, either some good peece of béefe, baken, or
chéese, that shalbe worth xij pens, for ii pens of their toyes. And
as they walke by the waye, they often gaine some money wyth their
instrument, by such as they sodaynely mete withall. The vpright men
haue good acquayntance with these, and will helpe and relieue them
when they want. Thus they trade their lyues in lewed lothsome
lechery. Amongest them all is but one honest woman, and she is of
good yeares; her name is Ione Messenger. I haue had good proofe of
her, as I haue learned by the true report of diuers.
1671. R. Head, English Rogue, pt. I., ch. v., p. 39 (1874). [In
list of orders of thieves], bawdy-baskets.