Buz-Bloke.—See Buz-napper.
Buz-Cove.—See Buz-napper.
Buz-Gloak.—See Buz-napper.
Buz-Man, subs. (thieves’).—1. A pickpocket. Cf., Buz-napper.
1856. H. Mayhew, Gt. World of London, p. 111. The London buzman
(swell mobsman) can keep his pony by abstracting ‘skins’ (purses)
from gentlemen’s pockets.
2. (thieves’.)—An informer. [From buzz, to talk or whisper, + man.] For
synonyms, see Nark.
1877. W. Black, Green Past. and Picc., ch. xi. What was all this
about ‘Billy Rowland,’ ‘Scotland Yard,’ ‘Spy,’ ‘Buzman,’ and the
rest?
Buz-Napper, subs. (old).—1. A pickpocket. [From buz, to pick pockets, +
napper or nabber, one who seizes or snatches. ‘Buz-bloke,’ ‘buz-cove,’
‘buz-gloak,’ ‘buz-man,’ and ‘buzzer,’ are all variants of buz-napper;
‘bloke,’ ‘cove,’ and ‘gloak,’ are old canting terms for a man.] For
synonyms, see Area-sneak.
1781. G. Parker, View of Society, II., 174. A young fry of boys ...
follow the profession of a buz-napper.
1819. J. H. Vaux, Memoirs of Convict Life in Australia. Buz-cove or
buz-gloak, a pickpocket; a person who is clever at this practice is
said to be a ‘good buz.’
1834. H. Ainsworth, Rookwood, bk. III., ch. v.
Until at last there was none so knowing,
No such sneaksman or buz-gloak going.
1856. H. Mayhew, Gt. World of London, p. 46. Those who plunder by
stealth, as ... ‘buzzers,’ who pick gentlemen’s pockets.
1859. Sala, Twice Round the Clock, 3 p.m., par. 10. Where these
ruffiani, these copper captains and cozening buz-gloaks, are to be
found during the day, or even up to midnight ... must remain a
secret.
1862. Mayhew, Crim. Prisons, 46. Buzzers who pick gentlemen’s
pockets, and ‘wires’ who pick ladies’ pockets.
1867. Galaxy, p. 634. While the [New York] police had no right to
arrest pickpockets unless they caught them committing a theft, yet
as they had the power to do so, they exercised it, and many were
the car-buzzers they led captives to police headquarters.
Buz-Napper’s Academy, subs. (old).—A school in which young thieves were
trained. Figures were dressed up, and experienced tutors stood in
various difficult attitudes for the boys to practise upon. When clever
enough they were sent on the streets. Dickens gives full particulars of
this old style of ‘business’ in Oliver Twist.
1781. G. Parker, View of Society, II., 173. [A Buz-napper’s Academy
is named and described in this work.]
Buz-Napper’s Kinchin, subs. (old).—A watchman. Synonymous terms in the
sense of police will be found under beak (q.v.).
Buzzer.—See Buz-napper.
Buzzing or Buz-Faking, subs. (thieves’).—Pocket-picking. Cf., Buz,
verb, sense 2.
By-Blow, subs. (old).—An illegitimate child. [An allusion to the
unacknowledged status of the mother, and the ‘accident’ of the birth of
such children.] Also called by-chop and by-slip.
1594. Barnfield, Affectionate Shepherd. In such a ladies lappe, at
such a slipperie by-blow, That in a world so wide could not be
found such a wilie Lad; in an age so old, could not be found such
an old lad.
1625. Massinger, Parl. of Love, II., i. Give to each by-blow, I
know mine, a farm.
1678. C. Cotton, Scarronides, bk. I., p. 21 (ed. 1725).
Now Venus was Æneas Mother,
In the behalf then of her by-blow,
Which had endured many a dry-Blow,
She weeping came, sighing and throbbing.
1705–7. Ward, Hudibras Redivivus, vol. II., pt. II., p. 19.
The poor Man’s House abound with Brats,
As country Barn with Mice and Rats;
And Parishes be fill’d with by-blows
As thick as Butchers’ Stalls with Fly-blows.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5 ed.). By-blow (s.), a bastard or
illegitimate child.
1868. Browning, Ring and Bk., iv., 612. A drab’s brat, A beggar’s
bye-blow.
1875. Ouida, Signa, vol. I., ch. iii., p. 34. The one who held the
child turned his light on the little wet face;... ‘And whose
by-blow is this?’ said he. ‘The devil knows,’ said he who knelt by
the mother. ‘But it is Pippa.’
By-Chop.—See By-blow.
1632. Jonson, Magnetic Lady, iv., 2.
First I have sent
By-chop away; the cause gone, the fame ceaseth.
By Cracky! intj.—A meaningless ejaculation conveying no idea beyond
that of general surprise.—See Oaths.
1888. Superior Inter-Ocean. Say, haint Tubbs a Methodist? By
cracky! here’s where it is, and in we walked.
Bye-Drink, subs. (common).—Liquid refreshment taken at other than
meal-times. [From bye = not in regular course + drink.]
1766. Kenrick, Falstaff’s Wedding, i., 1. I could wish,
nevertheless, old white wine stood higher in his lordship’s favour;
that I may not be stinted at table, or in my by-drinkings.
1883. Daily Telegraph, Jan. 10, p. 5, col. 3. Our business men—and
many others who are not men of business—take, as it is, a great
many more ‘bye-drinks’ in the way of ‘sherry’ and ‘whiskey cold’
than is good for them.
By George! intj. phr. (popular).—An ejaculation signifying either
surprise, or anger, or used without any special meaning. Phrases of the
kind are very numerous, and are mainly employed by those whose poverty
of language is otherwise very marked. [By George! may either be a
reference to St. George, the patron saint of England, or to the
predominant Christian name of the early sovereigns of the Brunswick
dynasty.]
1731. Fielding, Grub Street Opera, Act iii., Sc. 7. By George, I’ll
make an example of him.
1737. Bacchus and Venus, p. 117. ’Fore George, I’d knock him down.
1852. Dickens, Bleak House, ch. xxxviii. ‘I—er—a little subject to
this sort of thing—er—By George!’
By Goldam! intj. phr. (American).—A semi-veiled oath. The Yankee is
peculiarly fertile in variations on the name of God, and gives a
striking proof of his ingenuity in inventing new forms for the
forbidden I swear. He has his by Gorram! by Goldam! and by Goshdang! by
the side of the English oath by Golly! which occurs as early as
1743.—See Oaths.
By Golly! intj. phr. (popular).—A euphemistic phrase for by God!—See
Oaths.
1743. W. Warren, Five Arguments against Tythes. ‘The first person
consulted a gentleman-farmer, and declared that he never read
anything so good in his life. “By golly,” says he, “he ’as mauled
the parsons.”’
1851–61. H. Mayhew, London Lab. and Lon. Poor, vol. III., p. 204.
Then I turn round to him and say, ‘By golly, if you don’t leave
off, I’ll broke you over de jaw.’
By Gorram!—See By Goldam!
By Gosh! intj. phr. (popular).—A compromise for By God!
1804. C. K. Sharpe, in Correspondence (1888), I., 210. I promise,
by Gosh (which is the most elegant and classical oath imaginable).
1877. W. Black, Green Past. and Picc., ch. xxxv. ‘If this goes on,’
said he suddenly, ‘by Gosh, I’ll heave!’
By Gum! By Gummy! intj. phr. (American).—Both these expletives are
extracts from the great American Dictionary of Oaths and Cuss Words,
compiled by descendants of the Puritan Fathers.—See Oaths.
1860. Haliburton (‘Sam Slick’), The Season Ticket, No. ix. ‘By gum,
Squire Shegog, we have had the greatest bobbery of a shindy in our
carriage you ever knowed in all our born days.’
By Hook or By Crook.—See Hook.
By Hooky, intj. phr. (popular).—A mild form of swearing.—See Oaths.
1882. Jas. Payn, For Cash Only, ch. xxii. ‘Pay me what you owe me,’
says I, ‘or, by hooky, I’ll tell your father.’
Byng, Bing, verb (old).—To go. Bynge-awaste, to go away.
1567. Harman, Caveat, or Warening for Commen Cursetors, p. 86. Man.
What, stowe your bene, cofe, and cut benat whydds, and byng we to
rome vyle, to nyp a bong; so shall we haue lowre for the bousing
ken and when we byng back to the deuseauyel, we wyll fylche some
duddes of the Ruffemans, or myll the ken for a lagge of dudes.
[i.e.] What, holde your peace, good fellowe, and speake better
wordes, and go we to London, to cut a purse; then shall we haue
money for the ale house, and when wee come backe agayne into the
country, we wyll steale some lynnen clothes of one hedges, or robbe
some house for a bucke of clothes.
1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-all, p. 37 (H. Club’s Repr., 1874).
Bing a wast, get you hence.
1785. Grose, Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Binged avast in a
darkmans, stole away in the night. Bing we to Rumeville, shall we
go to London?
1815. Scott, Guy Mannering, ch. xxviii. ‘Bing out and tour [go out
and watch] ye auld devil, and see that nobody has scented.’
1822. Scott, Fortunes of Nigel, ch. xvii. ‘I smell a spy,’ replied
the other, looking at Nigel.... ‘Bing avast, bing avast!’ replied
his companion.
By-Scape, subs. (old).—A bastard. Cf., By-blow.
1646. Earl Monm., Biondi’s List., VI., ix., 197. For his being
God-son to her Brother, and ... for that (being very fair) she
thought him a by-scape of his. [M.]
By-Slip, subs. (old).—A bastard. See By-blow.
1692. Hacket, Life of Williams, ii., 37. As Pope Paul the Third
carried himself to his ungracious by-slips (an Incubus could not
have begot worse), who made no further inquisition after their
horrid facts but to say, They learnt it not of him.
Byte.—See Bit.
By the Ever-Living Jumping Moses! intj. phr.—An effective ejaculation
and moral waste-pipe for interior passion or wrath is seen in the
exclamation, by the ever-living jumping Moses!—a harmless phrase, that
for its length expends a considerable quantity of fiery anger.—Hotten.
By the Living Jingo! or By Jingo!—See Jingo.
By the Wind, phr. (nautical).—Hard up; in difficulties. [In reference
to the wind being formerly the most important element of success in a
sailor’s calling.]