CUNNING SHAVER. A sharp fellow, one that trims close, i. e. cheats ingeniously. CUNNY-THUMBED. To double one's fist with the thumb inwards, like a woman. C**T. The nóvvos of the Greek, and the cunnus of the Latin CUPBOARD LOVE. Pretended love to the cook, or any other person, for the sake of a meal. My guts cry cupboard; i. e. I am hungry CUPID, BLIND CUPID. A jeering name for an ugly blind man: Cupid, the god of love, being frequently painted blind. See BLIND CUPID. CUR. A cut or curtailed dog. According to the forestlaws, a man who had no right to the privilege of the chase, was obliged to cut or law his dog: among other modes of disabling him from disturbing the game, one was by depriving him of his tail: a dog so cut was called a cut or curtailed dog, and by contraction a cur. A cur is figurativelyused to signify a surly fellow. CURBING LAW. The act of hooking goods out of windows: the curber is the thief, the curb the hook. Cant. CURE A-SE. A dyachilon plaister, applied to the parts galled by riding. CURLE. Clippings of money, which curls up in the operation. Cant. CURMUDGEON. A covetous old fellow, derived, according to some, from the French term caur mechant. CURRY. To curry favour; to obtain the favour of a person be coaxing or servility. To curry any one's hide; to beat him. CURSE OF SCOTLAND. The nine of diamonds; diamonds, it is said, imply royalty, being ornaments to the imperial crown; and every ninth king of Scotland has been observed for many ages, to be a tyrant and a curse to that country. Others say it is from its similarity to the arms of Argyle; the Duke of Argyle having been very instrumental in bringing about the union, which, by some Scotch patriots, has been considered as detrimental to their country. CURSE OF GOD. A cockade. CURSITORS. Broken petty-fogging attornies, or Newgate solicitors. Cant. CURTAILS. Thieves who cut off pieces of stuff hanging out of-shop windows, the tails of women's gowns, &c.; also, thieves wearing short jackets. CURTAIN CURTAIN LECTURE. A woman who scolds her husband when in bed, is said to read him a curtain lecture. CURTEZAN. A prostitute. CUSHION. He has deserved the cushion; a saying of one whose wife is brought to bed of a boy implying, that having done his business effectually, he may now indulge or repose himself. CUSHION THUMPER, Or DUSTER. A parson; many of whom in the fury of their eloquence, heartily belabour their cushions. CUSTARD CAP. The cap worn by the sword-bearer of the city of London, made hollow at the top like a custard. CUSTOM-HOUSE GOODS. The stock in trade of a prostitute, because fairly entered. CUT. Drunk. A little cut over the head; slightly intoxicated. To cut; to leave a person or company. To cut up well; to die rich. To CUT. (Cambridge.) To renounce acquaintance with any one is to cut him. There are several species of the cur. Such as the cut direct, the cut indirect, the cut sublime, the cut infernal, &c. The cut direct, is to start across the street, at the approach of the obnoxious person in order to avoid him. The cut indirect, is to look another way, and pass without appearing to observe him. The cut sublime, is to admire the top of King's College Chapel, or the beauty of the passing clouds,till he is out of sight. The cut infernal, is to analyze the arrangement of your shoe-strings, for the same purpose. To CUT BENE. To speak gently. To cut bene whiddes; to give good words. To cut queer whiddes; to give foul language. To cut a bosh, or a flash; to make a figure. Cant. 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. DAM DAB. An adept; a dab at any feat or exercise. Dab, quoth Dawkins, when he hit his wife on the a-se with a pound of butter. DACE. Two pence. Tip me a dace; lend me two pence. Cant. DADDLES. Hands. Tip us your daddle; give me your hand. Cant. DADDY. Father. Old daddy; a familiar address to an old man. To beat daddy mammy; the first rudiments of drum beating, being the elements of the roll. DAGGERS. They are at daggers drawing; i. e. at enmity, ready to fight. DAIRY. A woman's breasts, particularly one that gives suck. She sported her dairy; she pulled out her breast. DAISY CUTTER. A jockey term for a horse that does not lift up his legs sufficiently, or goes too near the ground, and is therefore apt to stumble. DAISY KICKERS. Ostlers at great inns. DAM. A small Indian coin, mentioned in the Gentoo code of laws hence etymologists may, if they please, derive the common expression, I do not care a dam, i. e. I dó not care half a farthing for it. DAMBER. A rascal. See DIMBER. DAMME BOY. A roaring, mad, blustering fellow, a scourer of the streets, or kicker up of a breeze. DAMNED SOUL. A clerk in a counting house, whose sole business it is to clear or swear off merchandise at the custom-house; and who, it is said, guards against the crime of perjury, by taking a previous oath, never to swear truly on those occasions. DAMPER. A luncheon, or snap before dinner: so called from its damping, or allaying, the appetite; eating and drinking,being, as the proverb wisely observes, apt to take away the appetite. DANCE UPON NOTHING. To be hanged. DANCERS. Stairs. DANDY. That's the dandy; i. e. the ton, the clever thing; an expression of similar import to "That's the barber." See BARBER. DANDY GREY RUSSET. A dirty brown. His coat's dandy grey russet, the colour of the Devil's nutting bag. DANDY PRAT. An insignificant or trifling fellow. To DANGLE. To follow a woman without asking the question. Also, to be hanged: I shall see you dangle in the sheriff's picture frame; I shall see you hanging on the gallows, DANGLER. One who follows women in general, without any particular attachment. DAPPER FELLOW. A smart, well-made, little man. DARBIES. Fetters. Cant. DARBY. Ready money. Cant. DARK DARK CULLY. A married man that keeps a mistress, whom he visits only at night, for fear of discovery. DARKEE. A dark lanthorn used by housebreakers. Stow the darkee, and bolt, the cove of the crib is fly; hide the dark lanthorn, and run away, the master of the house knows that we are here. DARKMANS. The night. Cant. DARKMAN'S BUDGE. One that slides into a house in the dark of the evening, and hides himself, in order to let some of the gang in at night to rob it. DART. A straight-armed blow in boxing. DASH. A tavern drawer. To cut a dash: to make a figure. DAVID JONES. The devil, the spirit of the sea: called Necken in the north countries, such as Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. DAVID JONES'S LOCKER. The sea. DAVID'S SOw. As drunk as David's sow; a common saying, which took its rise from the following circumstance: One David Lloyd, a Welchman, who kept an alehouse at Hereford, had a living sow with six legs, which was greatly resorted to by the curious; he had also a wife much addicted to drunkenness, for which he used sometimes to give her due correction. One day David's wife having taken a cup too much, and being fearful of the consequences, turned out the sow, and lay down to sleep herself sober in the stye. A company coming in to see the sow, David ushered them into the stye, exclaiming, there is a sow for you! did any of you ever see such another? all the while supposing the sow had really been there; to which some of the company, seeing the state the woman was in, replied, it was the drunkenest sow they had ever beheld; whence the woman was ever after called David's Sow. DAVY. I'll take my davy of it; vulgar abbreviation of affidavit. To DAWB. To bribe. The cull was scragged because he could not dawb; the rogue was hanged because he could not bribe. All bedawbed with lace; all over lace. DAY LIGHTS. Eyes. To darken his day lights, or sow up his sees; to close up a man's eyes in boxing. DEAD CARGO. A term used by thieves, when they are disappointed in the value of their booty. DEAD HORSE. To work for the dead horse; to work for wages already paid. DEAD-LOUSE. Vulgar pronunciation of the Dedalus ship of war. DEAD DEAD MEN. A cant word among journeymen bakers, for loaves falsely charged to their masters' customers also empty bottles. ; DEADLY NEVERGREEN, that bears fruit all the year round. The gallows, or three-legged mare. See THREE-LEGGED MARE. DEAR JOYS. Irishmen: from their frequently making use of that expression. DEATH HUNTER. An undertaker, one who furnishes the necessary articles for funerals. See CARRION HUNTER. DEATH'S HEAD UPON A MOP-STICK. A poor miserable, emaciated fellow; one quite an otomy. See OTOMY.-He looked as pleasant as the pains of death. DEEP-ONE. A thorough-paced rogue, a sly designing fellow in opposition to a shallow or foolish one. : DEFT FELLOW. A neat little man. DEGEN, OF DAGEN. A sword. Nim the degen; steal the sword. Dagen is Dutch for a sword. Cant. DELLS. Young buxom wenches, ripe and prone to venery, but who have not lost their virginity, which the upright man claims by virtue of his prerogative; after which they become free for any of the fraternity. Also a common strumpet. Cant. DEMURE. As demure as an old whore at a christening. DEMY-REP. An abbreviation of demy-reputation; a wo man of doubtful character. DERBY. To comedown with the derbies; to pay the money. DERRICK. The name of the finisher of the law, or hangman about the year 1608.--- For he rides his circuit with 'the Devil, and Derrick must be his host, and Tiburne the inne at which he will lighte.' Vide Bellman of London, in art. PRIGGIN LAW. At the gallows, ' where I leave them, as to the haven at which they must all cast anchor, if Derrick's cables do but hold.' Ibid. DEVIL. A printer's errand-boy. Also a small thread in the king's ropes and cables, whereby they may be distinguished from all others. The Devil himself; a small streak of blue thread in the king's sails. The Devil may dance in his pocket; i. e. he has no money: the cross on our ancient coins being jocularly supposed to prevent him from visiting that place, for fear, as it is said, of breaking his shins against it. To hold a candle to the Devil; to be civil to any one out of fear: in allusion to the story of the old woman, who set a wax taper before the image of St. Michael, and another before the Devil, whom that |
