BLE BLACK INDIES. Newcastle in Northumberland, whofe rich coal mines prove an Indies to the proprietors. BLACK LEGS. A gambler or fharper on the turf or in the cock-pit: so called, perhaps, from their appearing generally in boots; or else from game cocks, whofe legs are always black. BLACK MONDAY. The firft Monday after the school-boys holidays, or breaking up, when they are to go to school, and produce or repeat the tasks set them. BLACK MUNS. Hoods and fcarves of alamode luteftring. BLACK PSALM. To fing the black pfalm; to cry: a saying ufed to children. BLACK SPY. The Devil. BLACK STRAP. Bene Carlo wine; alfo port. A task of labour imposed on soldiers at Gibraltar, as a punishment for fmall offences. BLANK. To look blank; to appear disappointed or confounded. BLARNEY. He has licked the Blarney ftone; he deals in the wonderful, or tips us the traveller. The blarney ftone is a triangular ftone on the very top of an ancient castle of that name, in the county of Cork in Ireland, extremely difficult of accefs; fo that to have afcended to it, was confidered as a proof of perfeverance, courage, and agility, whereof many are supposed to claim the honour, who never achieved the adventure: and to tip the blarney, is figuratively used for telling a marvellous story, or falfity; and also fometimes to express flattery. Irish. A BLASTED FELLOW or BRIMSTONE. An abandoned rogue or prostitute. Cant. TO BLAST. To curfe. BLATER. A Calf. Cant. BLEACHED MORT. A fair-complexioned wench. BLEATERS. Thofe cheated by Jack in a box. JACK IN A BOX. BLEATING CHEAT, A fheep. Cant. BLEATING RIG. Sheep ftealing. Cant. Cant.See BLEEDING CULLY. One who parts easily with his money, or bleeds freely. BLEEDING NEW. BLO A metaphor borrowed from fish, which will not bleed when ftale. BLESSING. A fmall quantity over and above the measure, usually given by hucksters dealing in peafe, beans, and other vegetables. BLEW JOHN. Afh or after-wort. BLIND. A feint, pretence, or shift. BLIND CHEEKS. a-fe. BLIND EXCUSE. The breech. Bufs blind cheeks; kifs mine A poor or infufficient excufe. A blind alehoufe, lane, or alley; an obfcure, or little-known or frequented alehouse, lane, or alley. BLIND HARPERS. Beggars counterfeiting blindness, playing on fiddles, &c. BLINDMAN'S BUFF. A play used by children, where one being blinded by a handkerchief bound over his eyes, attempts to feize any one of the company, who all endeavour to avoid him; the perfon caught must be blinded in his ftead. BLINDMAN'S HOLIDAY. Night, darkness. BLOCK HOUSES. Prifons, houses of correction, &c. BLOOD FOR BLOOD. A term used by tradefmen for bartering the different commodities in which they deal. Thus a hatter furnishing a hofier with a hat, and taking payment in ftockings, is faid to deal blood for blood. BLOODY BACK. A jeering appellation for a foldier, alluding to his fcarlet coat. BLOSS. The pretended wife of a bully, or fhop lifter, Cant. TO BLOT THE SKRIP AND JARK IT. To stand engaged or bound for any one. Cant. BLOW. He has bit the blow, i. e. he has stolen the goods. Cant. BLOWER OF BLOWEN. A miftrefs or whore of a gentleman of the scamp. TO BLOW THE GROUNSILS. To lie with a woman on the floor. Cant. To TO BLOW THE GAB. To confefs, or impeach a confederate, Cant. BLOW-UP. A difcovery, or the confufion occafioned by one. A BLOWSE, or BLOWSABELLA. A woman whofe hair is dishevelled, and hanging about her face; a flattern. BLUBBER. The mouth.-I have stopped the cull's blubber; I have ftopped the fellow's mouth: meant either by gagging or murdering him. TO BLUBBER. To cry. TO SPORT BLUBBER. Said of a large coarse woman, who exposes her bofom. BLUBBER CHEEKS. Large flaccid cheeks, hanging like the fat or blubber of a whale. BLUE. To look blue; to be confounded, terrified, or difappointed. Blue as a razor; perhaps, blue as azure. BLUE BOAR. A venereal bubo. BLUE DEVILS. Low fpirits. BLUE FLAG. He has hoifted the blue flag; he has commenced publican, or taken a public houfe; an allufion to the blue aprons worn by publicans. See ADMIRAL OF THE BLUE, BLUE AND ORANGE. This fociety, ftyling themselves Loyal and Friendly, met, 1742, at Kouli Kahn's head, Leicesterfields. BLUE PIDGEON FLIERS, Thieves who fteal lead off houfes and churches, Cant. BLUE PLUMB. A bullet.-Surfeited with a blue plumb; BLUFF. Fierce, furly. He looked as bluff as bull beef. BLUNDERBUSS. A fhort gun, with a wide bore, for carrying flugs; alfo a ftupid, blundering fellow. BLUNT. Money. Cant. To BLUSTER. To talk big, to hector or bully. BOARDING BOL BOARDING SCHOOL. Bridewell, Newgate, or any other prifon, or houfe of correction. Вов. A fhoplifter's affiftant, or one that receives and carries off ftoien goods. All is bob, all is fafe. BOBBED. Cheated, tricked, difappointed. BOBBISH. Smart, clever, fpruce. Cant. BOB-STAY. A rope which holds the bowfprit to the ftem or cutwater. Figuratively, the frenum of a man's yard. BOB TAIL. A lewd woman, or one that plays with her tail; also an impotent man, or an eunuch. Tag, rag, and bobtail; a mob of all forts of low people. To fhift one's bob; to move off, or go away. To bear a bob, to join in chorus with any fingers. BODIES. The foot guards, or king's body guards. BODY OF DIVINITY BOUND IN BLACK CALF. A parfon. BOG LANDER. An Irishman; Ireland being famous for its large bogs, which furnish the chief fuel in many parts of that kingdom. BOG TROTTER. The fame. BOG HOUSE. The neceffary house. BOG LATIN. Barbarous Latin. Irish.-See DOG LATIN and APOTHECARIES LATIN. BOGY. Sea wit. Ak bogy, i. e. afk mine a-fe. Вoн. Said to be the name of a Danish general, who fo terrified his opponent Foh, that he caufed him to bewray himfelf. Whence, when we fmell a ftink, it is customary to exclaim, Foh! i. e. I fmell general Foh. He cannot fay Boh to a goofe; i. e. he is a cowardly or sheepish fellow. BOLD. Bold as a miller's fhirt, which every day takes a rogue by the collar. BOLT. A blunt arrow. BOLT UPRIGHT. As erect, or ftraight up, as an arrow fet on its end. TO BOLT. To run fuddenly out of one's houfe, or hiding place, through fear; a term borrowed from a rabbit warren, where the rabbits are made to bolt, by fending ferrets into their burrows: we fet the house on fire, and made him bolt. To bolt, alfo means to swallow meat without chew BOR ing the farmers fervants in Kent are famous for bolting large quantities of pickled pork. BOLTER OF WHITE FRIARS, OF THE MINT. One that peeps out, but dares not venture abroad for fear of arrefts. BONE BOX. The mouth. Shut your bone box; fhut your mouth. BONED. Seized, apprehended, taken up by a conftable. Cant. BOLUS. A nick-name for an apothecary. BONE SETTER. A hard-trotting horfe. BOOBY, or DOG BOOBY. An aukward lout, clodhopper, or country fellow. See CLODHOPPER and LOUT.-A bitch booby; a country wench. BOOBY HUTCH. A one-horse chaife, noddy, buggy, or leathern bottle. BOOK-KEEPER. One who never returns borrowed books. Out of one's books; out of one's favour. BOOT CATCHER. The fervant at an inn whose business it is to clean the boots of the guests. BOOTS. The youngest officer in a regimental mess, whose duty it is to skink, that is, to ftir the fire, fnuff the candles, and ring the bell. See SKINK.-To ride in any one's old boots; to marry or keep his caft-off mistress. BOOTY. To play booty; cheating play, where the player purposely avoids winning. BO-PEEP. One who fometimes hides himself, and fometimes appears publicly abroad, is said to play at bo-peep. Alfo one who lies perdue, or on the watch. BORACHIO. A skin for holding wine, commonly a goat's; alfo a nick name for a drunkard. BORDE. A fhilling. A half borde; fixpence. BORE. A tedious, troublefome man or woman, one who bores the ears of his hearers with an uninterefting tale: a term much in fashion about the years 1780 and 1781. BORN UNDER A THREEPENNY HALFPENNY PLANET, NEYER TO BE WORTH A GROAT. Said of any perfon remarkably unfuccefsful in their attempts or profeffion. Ветси. |