Mrs. Sago. Burn this book, ’t has an unlucky air [tears them].
Bring some more books.
2. (Winchester College.)—(a.) The prizes formerly presented by Lord Say
and Sele, now given by the governing body, to the ‘Senior’ in each
division at the end of ‘Half.’
(b.) The school is thus divided:—Sixth Book—Senior and Junior Division;
the whole of the rest of the School is in Fifth Book—Senior Part,
Middle Part, Junior Part, each part being divided into so many
divisions, Senior, Middle and Junior, or Senior, 2nd, 3rd and Junior,
as the case may require. Formerly there was also ‘Fourth Book,’ but it
ceased to exist about twenty-five years ago.
1876. Mansfield, School-Life at Winchester College, p. 104. The
school was divided into three classes, or books, as they were
called. Of these, the Præfects formed one, Sixth Book; Fifth Book
was sub-divided into three parts, called respectively, ‘Senior,
Middle, and Junior part of the Fifth’; in speaking of them, the
words, ‘of the Fifth’ were generally omitted. The rest of the boys
made up ‘Fourth Book.’
(c.) Up at books.—In class; repeating lessons; now called Up to books.
1876. Mansfield, School-Life at Winchester College, p. 101. At each
end of school are three tiers of benches rising gradually one above
the other,—that on the ground being called ‘Senior Row,’ and the
others ‘Middle,’ and ‘Junior Row’ respectively. On these the
Classes sit when ‘up at books,’ i.e., when repeating lessons.
(d.) Books chambers.—Explained by quotation.
1876. Mansfield, School-Life at Winchester College, p. 103. On
Remedies (a kind of whole holiday), we also went into School in the
morning and afternoon for an hour or two without masters; this was
called books chambers; and on Sundays, from four till a quarter to
five.
(e) To get or make books.—To make the highest score at anything. Cf.,
Books, sense 2a.
Bookwork, subs. (University).—Mathematics that can be learned verbatim
from books—all that are not problems.
Boom.—This word is a comparatively recent production in its slang
sense; and is variously used as a substantive or as a verb. Before
particularizing its special usages, it may be interesting to note how,
within a few years, it has made its appearance in a variety of
combinations; as, ‘the whole State is booming for Smith,’ or ‘the boys
have whooped up the State to boom for Smith,’ or ‘the Smith boom is
ahead in this State,’ etc., etc. Stocks and money are said to be
booming when active; and any particular spot within a flourishing
district is regarded as within the boom-belt. A successful team or
party is said to be a booming squad, and we even read of boomlets to
express progress of a lesser degree. [Its origin is largely a matter of
conjecture, but the most probable derivation is from the nautical
phrase ‘boom-out,’ signifying a vessel running rapidly before the wind;
but Murray points out that as various associations are probable, and as
the actual use of the word has not been regulated by any distinct
etymological feeling, it is not likely that any derivation will account
for all its applications.]
Subs.—Commercial activity; rapid advance in prices; a flourishing state
of affairs—in all its applications it is synonymous with extreme vigour
and effectiveness. The first quotation carries its use back a few years
beyond the earliest date given in the New English Dictionary.
1875. Scribner’s Mag., July, p. 277. Another boom in prices is to
be looked for.
1883. Referee, May 6, p. 3, col. 2. ‘The Merry Duchess’ is a big
boom, and I understand that money is being turned away nightly.
1883. M. Twain, Life on the Mississippi, ch. lvii., p. 499. I lived
here in 1857—an extraordinary year there in real-estate matters.
The boom was something wonderful. Everybody bought, everybody sold
... anything in the semblance of a town lot, no matter how
situated, was saleable.
1888. Boston Daily Globe. After the Sheridan reception, of course
John Sherman must come to Boston. The Ohio statesman knows where
all the real live booms start. If Mr. Blaine is wise he also will
come to the ‘Hub’ without delay.
1888. Missouri Republican, 16 Feb. ‘Jim, they say thar is a big bum
up at Rome.’ ‘What’s that?’ said Jim. ‘It’s a kind of new tradin’
business what swells and shrinks, and the sweller and shrinker
stays down in a celler and works the machine. They trade in stock.’
‘Horses and mules?’ said Jim. ‘No, hit’s all on paper, and nobody
can see what he’s buyin’. You put your money in and wait for a
swell. If it comes you are all right, but if a shrink comes you are
busted, and you feel so ashamed that you don’t say anything about
it, and it never gets into the papers—nothing but the swells gits
into the papers.
Verb, intr.—To go off with a boom.—See subs. To make rapid and vigorous
progress; to advance by leaps and bounds; trans. to push; to puff; to
bring into prominence with a rush.
1874. S. L. Clemens (‘Mark Twain’), Gilded Age, ch. xxvii. There’s
200,000 dollars coming, and that will set things booming again.
1875. Scribner’s Mag., July, p. 272. Stocks may boom to-day, but
droop to-morrow, and with the crash come remorse and repentance.
Ibid, p. 277. When stocks are active they are said to be booming.
1884. M. Twain, Huckleberry Finn, xiii., 3. We boomed along down
the river, watching for lights and watching for our raft.
1888. Chicago Daily Inter-Ocean. The city of Paris is said to be
diminishing instead of increasing in population. They don’t know
how to boom a town over there.
As already stated, boom enters into many combinations; boomer (q.v.),
boom-belt, booming-squad, etc.
1888. New Orleans Picayune. A boom in North Carolina is not the
kind of phenomenon to which we are accustomed here. Sales of land
at from 2 dols. to 10 dols. an acre in a boom belt are not of
record hereabout.
1888. Chicago Herald. Ben Butterworth, of Ohio, one of the
mainstays of John Sherman’s booming squad, has just had the title
of boss Republican tariff debater conferred upon him by the culture
of Boston.
To top one’s boom off, phr. (nautical).—To be off, or to start in a
certain direction.
1871. G. Meredith, Harry Richmond, ch. xxxviii., p. 346 (1886).
‘And now top your boom, and to bed here.’
Boomer, subs. (American).—1. One who booms or causes an enterprise to
become flourishing, active or notorious. [From boom, subs., + er.]
1888. Times, Sept. 26, p. 8. [He] is a North-Western boomer of
great earnestness. [M.]
1885. Boston (Mass.) Journal, Aug. 19, p. 2, col. 4. The Oklahoma
boomers. [M.]
2. Attributively applied to anybody or anything considerably above the
average. Thus, what English people would call a bouncing lie, an
American, if given to slang, would call a boomer; so also a fine woman,
a horse with extra good points, etc., etc.
Boomerang, subs. (American).—Figuratively used to signify acts or
words, the results of which recoil upon the person from whom they
originate. The boomerang is properly an Australian missile weapon
which, when thrown, can be made to return to the thrower; or which,
likewise, can be caused to take an opposite direction to that in which
it is first thrown.
1845. Holmes, Modest Request, Poems (1884), 42. Like the strange
weapon, which the Australian throws, Your verbal boomerang slaps
you on the nose. [M.]
1870. Lowell, Among My Books, 1 S. (1873), 219. The boomerang of
argument, which one throws in the opposite direction of what he
means to hit. [M.]
Booming, ppl. adj. (American).—Flourishing; active; in good form;
large; astonishing.—See Boom and Boomer in all senses.
Boom-Passenger, subs. (nautical).—A sailor’s slang term for a convict
on board ship. Derived from the circumstance that prisoners on board
convict ships were chained to, or were made to crawl along or stand on
the booms for exercise or punishment.—Hotten.
Boon-Companion, subs. (colloquial).—A comrade in a drinking bout; a
good fellow. [Boon is evidently a corruption of the French bon.]
1566. Drant, Med. Morall, A. v. He is my bone companion, it’s he
that cheares up me. [M.]
1592. Greene, Quip, in wks. XI., 220. To seeke good consortes and
boone companions to passe away the day withall.
1594. Nashe, Terrors of the Night, in wks. III., 228. Our Poets or
boone companions they are out of question.
1600. W. Kemp, Nine Days’ Wonder, in Arber’s English Garner, vol.
VII., p. 27. And coming to my inn, where the host was a very boon
companion, I desired to see him.
1712. Arbuthnot, History of John Bull, pt. I., ch. v. This was
occasioned by his being a boon companion, loving his bottle and his
diversion.
1825. Scott, St. Ronan’s Well, ch. xxiii. The morning after a
debauch is usually one of reflection, even to the most customary
boon companion.
1827. Lytton, Pelham, ch. lxvii. We went downstairs to our dinner,
as charmed with each other as boon companions always should be.
Boon-Companionship, subs. (colloquial).—Jollity; conviviality.—See
Boon-companion.
1592. Nashe, Strange Newes, in wks. II., 176. Thinke not, though
vnder correction Of your boone-companionship, I am disposd to be a
little pleasant, I condemne you of anie immoderation, either in
eating or drinking.
1849. Lytton, Caxtons, pt. XII., ch. iv. A little society, and
boon-companionship ... would take Roland out of those gloomy
reveries.
Boong.—See Bung.
Boorde.—See Bord.
Boost, subs. (American).—A hoisting; a ‘shove’; a ‘lift’; a ‘push up’—a
New England vulgarism.
1858. Dow, Sermons. Office seekers ask you to give them a boost
into the tree of office. [M.]
1866. T. A. Richards, Rice Fields of the South. [A negro-preacher
in South Carolina, loq.] ‘For, my bredderen, little Zaccheus was
bound to see the Lord for once, dough he had to climb up de tree to
do it. And how did he get up der tree? Ah, how did he get up der
tree, my bredderen? Did he wait for some lazy nigger to bring him a
ladder? Ah, no, my bredderen. Did he wait to be boosted? Ah, no, my
bredderen. Not a boost! He climbed right straight up der tree
hisself, like de possum, by his own hands and feet and de grace of
God!’
1888. Puck’s Library, May, p. 11. A genius took hold of the
business, and gave it a little boost. He was a man of the times,
and he applied his reasoning faculties to the problem presented to
him. ‘What,’ he asked, ‘is the chief means of success?’
Verb.—To hoist; to lift up; to shove.—See subs.
1848–64. J. R. Lowell, Biglow Papers, II., 106. Whereas ole Abram
’d sink afore he’d let a darkie boost him.
1872. S. L. Clemens (‘Mark Twain’), Roughing It, ch. vii. You ought
to have seen that spider-legged old skeleton go! and you ought to
have seen the bull cut out after him, too—head down, tongue out,
tail up, bellowing like everything, and actually mowing down the
weeds, and tearing up the earth, and boosting up the sand like a
whirlwind!
1884. Harper’s Magazine, Aug., p. 481, col. 1. To boost a jurist of
so much helpless avoirdupois in through the carriage door.
Boosy.—See Boozy.
Boot, verb (military).—To beat; to punish with a strap. The punishment
is irregular and unconventional, being inflicted by soldiers on a
comrade discovered guilty of some serious breach of the unwritten law
of comradeship, such as theft, etc. The beating was formerly inflicted
with a bootjack—hence the name.
Booth, subs. (thieves’).—A house; ‘to heave a booth,’ i.e., ‘to rob a
house.’
Booth-Burster, subs. (theatrical).—A loud and noisy actor. A variant of
barn-stormer (q.v.).
Booting, subs. (military).—A punishment administered with a strap. Cf.,
Colting.
Boot-Joe, subs. (military).—Musketry drill.
Boot-Leg Plan.—See On the boot-leg plan.
Bootlick, subs. (American).—A flunkey; hanger-on; or doer of dirty
work. [In England such a one is called a ‘bootlicker,’ of which
bootlick is probably an abbreviated form.]
Verb.—To toady; to hang on; to undertake ‘dirty’ work.
Boots, subs. (colloquial).—1. The servant at hotels and places of a
kindred character who cleans the boots of visitors. Formerly called
boot-catchers, because in the old riding and coaching days part of
their duty was to divest travellers of their footgear.