TO CUTTY-EYE. To look out of the corners of one's eyes,
to leer, to look askance. The cull cutty-eyed at us; the
fellow looked suspicious at us.
TO CUTTY-EYE. To look out of the corners of one's eyes,
to leer, to look askance. The cull cutty-eyed at us; the
fellow looked suspicious at us.
TO WIREDRAW. To lengthen out or extend any book, letter,
or discourse.
BEAR. One who contracts to deliver a certain quantity of
sum of stock in the public funds, on a future day, and at
stated price; or, in other words, sells what he has not got,
like the huntsman in the fable, who sold the bear's skin
before the bear was killed. As the bear sells the stock he
is not possessed of, so the bull purchases what he has not
money to pay for; but in case of any alteration in the price
agreed on, either party pays or receives the difference.
Exchange Alley.
RESCOUNTERS. The time of settlement between the bulls
and bears of Exchange-alley, when the losers must pay
their differences, or become lame ducks, and waddle out
of the Alley.
LOOPHOLE. An opening, or means of escape. To find a
loophole in an act of parliament; i.e. a method of
evading it,
HUGOTONTHEONBIQUIFFINARIANS. A society existing in
1748.
MARE'S NEST. He has found a mare's nest, and is laughing
at the eggs; said of one who laughs without any
apparent cause.
PIT. A watch fob. He drew a rare thimble from the swell's
pit. He took a handsome watch from the gentleman's
fob.
WISEACRE. A foolish conceited fellow.
PISSING PINS AND NEEDLES. To have a gonorrhea.
Next for his favourite MOT (Girl) the KIDDEY (Youth) looks
about,
And if she's in a FLASH PANNEY (Brothel) he swears he'll have
her out;
So he FENCES (Pawns) all his TOGS (Cloathes) to buy her DUDS,
(Wearing Apparel) and then
He FRISKS (Robs) his master's LOB (Till) to take her from the
bawdy KEN (House).
GUNDIGUTS. A fat, pursy fellow.
TO BLOW THE GAB. To confess, or impeach a confederate.
Cant.
WISE MEN OF GOTHAM. Gotham is a village in Nottinghamshire;
its magistrates are said to have attempted to
hedge in a cuckow; a bush, called the cuckow's bush, is
still shewn in support of the tradition. A thousand other
ridiculous stories are told of the men of Gotham.
BLOWER. A pipe. How the swell funks his blower and
lushes red tape; what a smoke the gentleman makes
with his pipe, and drinks brandy.
PITT'S PICTURE. A window stopt up on the inside, to save
the tax imposed in that gentleman's administration. PARTY WIT
PIT. To lay pit and boxes into one; an operation in midwifery
or copulation, whereby the division between the
anus and vagina is cut through, broken, and demolished:
a simile borrowed from the playhouse, when, for the benefit
of some favourite player, the pit and boxes are laid together.
The pit is also the hole under the gallows, where
poor rogues unable to pay the fees are buried.
HUGGER MUGGER. By stealth, privately, without making
an appearance. They spent their money in a hugger
mugger way.
TO BLOW THE GROUNSILS. To lie with a woman on the
floor. Cant.
HUG. To hug brown bess; to carry a firelock, or serve as a
private soldier. He hugs it as the Devil hugs a witch:
said of one who holds any thing as if he was afraid of losing
it.
HUMS. Persons at church. There is a great number of hums
in the autem; there is a great congregation in the church.
HEATHEN PHILOSOPHER. One whose breech may be seen
through his pocket-hole: this saying arose from the old
philosophers, many of whom depised the vanity of dress to
such a point, as often to fall into the opposite extreme.
GREY MARE. The grey mare is the better horse; said of
a woman who governs her husband.
FINISH. The finish; a small coffee-house in Coven Garden,
market, opposite Russel-street, open very early in the
morning, and therefore resorted to by debauchees shut out
of every other house: it is also called Carpenter's coffee-
house.
GIRDS. Quips, taunts, severe or biting reflections.
FINE. Fine as five pence. Fine as a cow-t--d stuck with
primroses.
FINE. A man imprisoned for any offence. A fine of eighty-
four months; a transportation for seven years.
FILE, FILE CLOY, or BUNGNIPPER. A pick pocket. To
file; to rob or cheat. The file, or bungnipper, goes
generally in company with two assistants, the adam tiler, and
another called the bulk or bulker, Whose business it is to
jostle the person they intend to rob, and push him against
the wall, while the file picks his pocket, and gives'the booty
to the adam tiler, who scours off with it. CANT.
FILCH, or FILEL. A beggar's staff, with an iron hook at
the end, to pluck clothes from an hedge, or any thing out
of a casement. Filcher; the same as angler. Filching
cove; a man thief. Filching mort; a woman thief.
FIN. An arm. A one finned fellow; a man who has lost
an arm. SEA PHRASE.