Beeswaxers, subs. (Winchester College).—Thick boots used for football.
Probably from being smeared with beeswax or other substitute for
rendering footgear supple. Pronounced Bĕswaxers.
1870. Mansfield, School-Life at Winchester College, p. 137. Our
costume consisted of a jersey, flannel trousers, beeswaxers
(lace-up boots), or ‘High-lows’ (low shoes), with two or three
pairs of ‘Worsteders’ (thick worsted stockings), the feet of all
but one pair being cut off.
Beeswing, subs. (common).—A gauzy film or ‘crust,’ in port wines, the
result of age. [From bees + wing; so called from its appearance when
broken up in the process of decanting.] Hence also beeswinged.
1846. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, III., p. 26. Scott from under bushy
eyebrows winked at the apparition of a beeswing.
1850. D. Jerrold, The Catspaw, Act i. Whereupon, the animal spirits
are held in suspense, like—like the beeswing in port.
1873. Fitzedward Hall, Modern English, p. 32. This port is not
presentable unless beeswinged.
Old beeswing, subs. (common).—A nickname for anyone, but especially for
one who ‘takes to his liquor kindly’ as the saying goes.
18(?). Mark Lemon, Golden Fetters, II., p. 74. Mr. Clendon did not
call Mr. Barnard ‘old cock,’ ‘old fellow,’ or old beeswing.
Beetle-Crusher or Beetle Squasher, subs. (popular).—1. A large foot.
The term was popularised by Leech in the pages of Punch. For synonyms,
see Hoof.
2. In a transferred and now more common sense to that originally
obtaining, a large boot or shoe. Also Beetle-cases. For synonyms, see
Trotter-cases.
1869. W. Bradwood, The O.V.H., ch. xxi. Writhing yet striving to
look pleasant on the infliction which the beetle-crusher of a
recent arrival had just inflicted on his pet corn.
c. 1880. Rhoda Broughton, Cometh up as a Flower, II., p. 200. Yes,
but what horrible boots! Whoever could have had the atwocity to
fwame such beetle-crushers.
3. (military.)—An infantry soldier; the term is applied to them by the
cavalry. A variant is Mud-crusher, which see for synonyms.
Beetle-Crushing, adj. (popular).—With solid tread, such as comes from
large heavy feet encased in boots or shoes to match; e.g., the marching
of infantry. Cf., Beetle-crusher, sense 3.
1876. Anteros, I., p. 188. The possibility floated before him, now,
of sending all his live and dead stock into the market,—of exchange
into a sedate beetle-crushing corps.
Beetles, subs. (Stock Exchange).—Colorado mine shares.
1887. Atkins, House Scraps.
Oh supposing our creamjugs were broken,
Or beetles were sowing the babies.
Beetle-Sticker, subs. (common).—An entomologist.
Before the Wind, phr. (colloquial).—In prosperous circumstances; out of
debt or difficulty. From the nautical expression.
Begad! intj. (common).—A corruption of ‘By God!’ and, as such a
euphemistic oath.—See Oaths.
1742. Fielding, J. Andrews. Begad! madam ... ’tis the very same I
met.
1848. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, II., iv., 39. Only one, begad! in the
world.
Beggared. I’ll be beggared if, etc., phr. (common).—An emphatic form of
asseveration; i.e., ‘I’ll give up everything, even to being reduced to
beggary, if,’ etc.
Beggar-Maker, subs. (old).—A publican.
Beggars, subs. (cards’).—The small cards from the deuce to the ten are
so called.
Beggar’s Bolts.—See Beggar’s bullets.
Beggar’s Bullets or Bolts (old).—Stones.
1584. Hudson, Judith, in Sylvester’s Du Bartas (1608), 698. A pack
of country clowns ... that them to battail bownes, with begger’s
bolts and levers. [M.]
1785. Grose, Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. ‘The beggar’s bullets
began to fly’; i.e., they began to throw stones.
Beggar’s Bush. To go home by beggar’s bush, phr. (old).—To go to ruin;
otherwise explained as follows.
1686. Twelve Ingenious Characters. He throws away his wealth as
heartily as young heirs, or old philosophers, and is so eager of a
goal, or a mumper’s wallet, that he will not wait fortune’s leisure
to undo him, but rides post to beggar’s bush, and then takes more
pains to spend money than day-labourers to get it. [N.]
1868. Brewer, Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, p. 78. Beggar’s Bush.
To go by beggar’s bush (or) go home by beggar’s bush, i.e., to go
to ruin. Beggar’s bush is the name of a tree which once stood on
the left hand of the London road from Huntingdon to Caxton, so
called because it was a noted rendezvous for beggars. These punning
phrases and proverbs are very common.
Russell Hill, near Croydon, where the Warehousemen’s and Clerks’
Schools are, is locally known as Beggar’s Bush.
Beggar’s Plush, subs. (old)?—Corduroy.—See quotation.
1688. London Gazette, No. 2379, page 4. A person ... in a dark grey
Cloth Coat.... Breeches of Beggar’s Plush. [M.]
Beggar’s Velvet, subs. (common).—Downy particles which accumulate under
furniture from the negligence of housemaids. Otherwise called
sluts’-wool (q.v.).
Beggar the Thing! intj. (common).—Equivalent to ‘confound’ or ‘hang the
thing’—used to give additional emphasis to a word or action.
Begin Upon [a Person], verb (common).—To attack; to assault.
Begosh! B’gosh! intj. (American).—An expletive, probably of negro
origin; a half veiled oath; a corruption of ‘By God!’—See Oaths.
1888. The Epoch, May 5. Art dealer (descanting on the virtues of
the picture). ‘You will observe, sir, that the drawing is free,
that—’ Agriculturist. ‘Well, if the drawin’s free an’ you don’t tax
me too much for the frame b’gosh I’ll take it.’
Behind, subs. (common).—1. The posterior; the rump.
c. 1830. George IV., in Saturday Review (1862), 8 Feb. Go and do my
bidding—tell him he lies, and kick his behind in my name. [M.]
2. (Eton and Winchester Colleges.)—A back at football. At Eton called
short behind and long behind, usually abbreviated to ‘short’ and
‘long.’ At Winchester, second behind and last behind. These answer to
the half-back and back of Association football. At Winchester, in the
Fifteens, there is also a third behind.
Behind One’s Side, adv. phr. (Winchester College).—Said of a man when
nearer the opponent’s goal than the player of his team who last touched
the ball.
Beilby’s Ball, subs. (old).—An Old Bailey execution.
1785. Grose, Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Beilby’s Ball,—‘he
will dance at Beilby’s Ball, where the sheriff pays [for] the
musick: he will be hanged. Who Mr. Beilby was, or why that ceremony
was so called remains with the quadrature of the circle, the
discovery of the philosopher’s stone, and diverse other desiderata
yet undiscovered.’
Bejan, Baijan, etc., subs. (Scotch University).—A freshman; a student
of the first year at the Universities of St Andrew’s and Aberdeen: it
is now obsolete at Edinburgh. [From the French bec jaune, yellow beak,
in allusion to the color of the mandibles of young birds.] The term was
adopted from the University of Paris; but, signifying ‘a novice’ it has
been in more or less general use for nearly three hundred years. At
Aberdeen, the second-class students are ‘semi-bejans’; in the third
‘tertians’; while those in the highest rank are ‘magistrands.’ In the
University of Vienna the freshman is called beanus, and in France
‘footing money’ is bejaunia. For synonymous terms for freshmen and raw
recruits, see Snooker.
1611. Cotgrave. Bejaune, a novice ... or young beginner, in a trade
or art.
1865. G. Macdonald, Alec Forbes, ch. xxxiv. The benches were
occupied by about two hundred students, most of the freshmen or
bejans in their red gowns.
1887. Standard, Feb. 10, p. 5, col. 2. The term baijan, used in one
of the Scottish universities to designate a freshman, is from the
French bec jaune, yellow beak—young birds having usually bills of
this hue.
Belch, subs. (common).—Beer, especially poor beer. So called because of
its liability to cause eructation. The term is probably much older than
indicated by quotations. One of Shakspeare’s characters in Twelfth
Night is Sir Toby Belch, a reckless, roystering, jolly knight of the
Elizabethan period. For synonyms, see Swipes.
1698. Ward, London Spy, pt. XV., p. 347. Those Poor Sots who are
gussling belch at his own Ale-house.
1705. Ward, Hudibras Redivivus, vol. I., pt. VII., p. 18.
I sneak’d into a little house,
Where porters do their belch carouse.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5 ed.). Belch (s.), common beer or ale
sold in publick houses is so called.
1785. Grose, Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Belch, all sorts of
beer, that liquor being apt to cause eructation.
1858. A. Mayhew, Paved with Gold, bk. III., ch. iii., p. 265.
‘Let’s have a pot of that fourpenny English Burgundy of yours, and,
whilst my mates are drinking the belch, I want to talk business
with you.’
Belcher, subs. (pugilistic).—A neckerchief named after Jim Belcher, a
noted pugilist. The ground is blue, with white spots. Also,
attributatively, to any handkerchief of a similar pattern. For
synonyms, see Fogle.
1812. Examiner, 21 Sept., 607, 1. The traverser ... tied a belcher
handkerchief round his neck.
18(?). Dickens, The Ghost of Art, in Reprinted Pieces, p. 215. I
saw that the lower part of his face was tied up, in what is
commonly called a belcher handkerchief.
1874. Macmillan’s Magazine, April, p. 506. The spotted blue and
white neckerchief, still called a belcher, bears the name of a
famous prize fighter.