PUP AND RINGER, i.e., the "Dog and Bell," the sign of a flash public house. PURDAH, a curtain.-Anglo-Indian. PURL, hunting term for a fall, synonymous with FOALED, or SPILT; "he 'll get PURLED at the rails." PURL, a mixture of hot ale and sugar, with wormwood infused in it, a favourite morning drink to produce an appetite; sometimes with gin and spice added: "Two penn'orth o' PURL Good early PURL,' 'Gin all the world To put your hair into a curl, When you feel yourself queer of a mornin'." PUSH, a crowd.-Old Cant. PUSSEY-CATS, corruption of Puseyites, a name constantly, but improperly, given to the "Tractarian" party in the Church, from the Oxford Regius Professor of Hebrew, who by no means approved of the Romanising tendencies of some of its leaders. PUT, a game at cards. "PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT," said of a blow or repartee, and equivalent to "take that and profit by it," i.e., let it be a warning to you. "PUT THE POT ON," to bet too much upon one horse.-Sporting. PUT UP, to suggest, to incite, "he PUT me UP to it; " to have done with; PUT IT UP, is a vulgar answer often heard in the streets. PUT UP, to stop at a hotel or tavern for entertainment. PUT UPON, cheated, victimised, oppressed. PUTTUN, regiment.-Anglo-Indian. PYAH, weak, useless, paltry. This word, much in use among sailors, evidently derived from the Indian terin PARIAH, signifying the lowest caste of Hindoos. Thus the Pariah dogs in India are termed PYAH dogs; and the Pariah descendants of the old Portuguese settlers are called PYAH PORTUGUESE. Sailors term the natives of St Helena,a wretched-looking set of individuals,—PYAH ENGLISHMEN. PYGOSTOLE, the least irreverent of names for the peculiar "M.-B." coats worn by Tractarian curates : PYJANDS, a kind of drawers or loose pantaloons.— Anglo-Indian. QUAD. See QUOD. QUAKER, an unlawful sir reverence. QUALITY, gentry, high life. PURE FINDERS, street-collectors of dogs' dung, QUANDARY, described in the dictionaries as a "low word," may fittingly be given here. It illustrates, like HOCUS POCUS, and other compound colloquialisms, the singular origin of Slang expressions. QUANDARY, a dilemma, a doubt, a difficulty, is from the French, QU'EN DIRAI-JE? -Skinner. QUARTEREEN, a farthing.-Gibraltar term. Italian, QUATTRINO. QUEEN BESS, the Queen of Clubs,-perhaps because that queen, history says, was of a swarthy complexion.-North Hants.-See Gentleman's Magazine for 1791, p. 141. QUEER, an old Cant word, once in continual use as a prefix, signifying base, roguish, or worthless,—the opposite of RUM, which signified good and genuine. QUEER, in all probability, is immediately derived from the Cant language. It has been mooted that it came into use from a quare (?) being set before a man's name; but it is more than probable that it was brought into this country by the Gipsies from Germany, where QUER signifies "cross," or "crooked." At all events it is believed to have been first used in England as a Cant word. QUEER, "to QUEER a flat," to puzzle or confound a "gull" or silly fellow. "Who in a row like Tom could lead the van, -Don Juan, canto xi. 19. QUEER BAIL, worthless persons who for a consideration formerly stood bail for any one in court. Insolvent Jews generally performed this office, which gave rise to the term JEW-BAIL.-See MOUNTERS: both nearly obsolete. QUEER STREET, "in QUEER STREET," in difficulty or in want. QUEER CUFFEN, a justice of the peace, or magistrate-a very ancient term, mentioned in the earliest Slang dictionary. QUERIER, a chimney-sweep who calls from house to house soliciting employment-formerly termed KNULLER, which see. QUI-HI, an English resident at Calcutta.-Anglo-Indian. QUICK STICKS, in a hurry, rapidly; "to cut QUICK STICKS," to start off hurriedly, or without more ado.-See OUT ONE'S STICK. QUID, or THICK UN, a sovereign; "half a QUID," half a sovereign; QUIDS, money generally; "QUID for a QUOD," one good turn for another. The word is used by Old French writers :— "Des testamens qu'on dit le maistre -Grand Testament de Villon. QUID, a small piece of tobacco-one mouthful. Quid est hoc? asked one, tapping the swelled cheek of another; hoc est quid, promptly replied QUEAN, (not QUEEN,) a strumpet. Saxon, CWEAN, a barren old cow. QUEER-SOFT, bad money. the other, exhibiting at the same time "a chaw" of the weed. CUD is probably a corruption. Derivation, O. F., or Norman, QUIDER, to ruminate. QUID-NUNC, an inquisitive person, always seeking for news. The words translated simply signify What now?" QUIET, on the QUIET," clandestinely, so as to avoid observation, "under the rose.' QUILL-DRIVER, a scrivener, a clerk,-satirical phrase similar to STEEL BAR-DRIVER, a tailor. QUILLER, a parasite, a person who sucks neatly through a quill.-See SUCK UP. QUILT, to thrash, or beat. QUISBY, bankrupt, poverty-stricken.-Household Words, No. 183. QUI-TAM, a solicitor. It properly means "who so," and is the title given to an action in the nature of an information on a penal suit. QUIZ, a prying person, an odd fellow. Oxford Slang; lately admitted into the dictionaries. Not noticed by Johnson. QUIZ, to pry, or joke; to hoax. QUIZZICAL, jocose, humorous. QUOCKERWODGER, a wooden toy figure, which, when pulled by a string, jerks its limbs about. The term is used in a Slang sense to signify a pseudo-politician, one whose strings of action are pulled by somebody else.-West. QUOD, a prison, or lock-up; QUODDED, put in prison. A Slang expression used by Mr Hughes, in Tom Brown's Schooldays, (Macmillan's Magazine, January 1860,) throws some light upon the origin of this now very common street term :-"Flogged or whipped in QUAD," says the delineator of student life, in allusion to chastisement inflicted within the Quadrangle of a college. Quadrangle is the term given to the prison enclosure within which culprits are allowed to walk, and where whippings were formerly inflicted. Quadrangle also represents a building of four sides; and to be "within FOUR WALLS," or prison, is the frequent Slang lamentation of unlucky vagabonds. "Breakfast was done, white tie put on, Wearily did we plod; Past Balliol, past Trinity, Into the great-go QUOD.' -The Rime of the New-Made Baccalere, Oxford, 1841. QUODGER, a contraction, or corruption rather, of the Latin law phrase, QUO JURE, by what law.-Legal. RABBIT, when a person gets the worst of a bargain, he is said "to have bought the RABBIT." RACKET, a dodge, manœuvre, exhibition; a disturbance. RACKETY, wild or noisy. RACKS, the bones of a dead horse. Term used by horse-slaughterers. RACLAN, a married woman.-Originally Gipsy, but now a term with English tramps. RAFE, or RALPH, a pawnbroker's duplicate.-Norwich. RAG, to divide or share; "let's RAG IT," or "go RAGS," i.e., share it equally between us.- Norwich. RAGAMUFFIN, an ill-clad vagabond, a tatterdemalion. RAG SPLAWGER, a rich man. RAG, a bank-note. RAG-SHOP, a bank. RAIN NAPPER, an umbrella. "RAISE THE WIND," to obtain credit, or money,-generally by pawning or selling property. Sometimes varied to "WHISTLE UP THE BREEZE." RAMSHACKLE, to shatter as with a battering ram; RAMSHACKLED, knocked about, as standing corn is after a high wind. Corrupted from ram-shatter, or possibly from ransack. RANCHO, originally a Spanish-American word, signifying a hunting-lodge, or cattle-station, in a wood or desert far from the haunts of men. hunting or fishing station in the Highlands or elsewhere. In Washington, with their accustomed ingenuity in corrupting words and meanings, the Americans use the appellation for a place of evil report. RANDALS-MAN.-See BILLY. A RANDAN, a boat impelled by three rowers, using four oars; the midship rower having two sculls, the bowman and strokesman one oar each. RANDOM, three horses driven in line.-See TANDEM, SUDDEN DEATH, HARUM-SCARUM. RANDY, rampant, violent, warm.—North, RANDY-BEGGAR, a Gipsy tinker. RANK, to cheat. RAN-TAN, on the RAN-TAN," drunk.-Household Words, No. 183. RAP, a halfpenny; frequently used generically for money, thus:-I haven't RAPSCALLION, a low tattered wretch-not worth a RAP. RAMPSMAN, a highway robber who uses violence when necessary. RAT, a sneak, an informer, a turn-coat, one who changes his party for in terest. The late Sir Robert Peel was called the RAT, or the TAMWORTH RATCATCHER, for altering his views on the Roman Catholic question. From rats deserting vessels about to sink. The term is often used amongst printers to denote one who works under price. Old Cant for a clergyman. RAT, TO SMELL A, to suspect something, guess that there is something amiss. RATHER! a ridiculous street exclamation synonymous with yes; "do you like fried chickens?" "RATHER!" "are you going out of town?" RATHER!" Very often pronounced RAYTHER! "RATHER OF THE RATHEREST," a phrase applied to anything slightly in excess or defect. RATTLECAP, an unsteady, volatile person. Generally applied to girls. RATTLER, a cab, coach, or cart.-Old Cant. RATTLERS, a railway; on the RATTLERS to the stretchers," i.e., going to the races by railway. RAW, a tender point, or foible; "to touch a man UPON THE RAW" is to irritate one by alluding to, or joking him on, anything on which he is peculiarly susceptible or thin-skinned."--Originally Stable Slang. RAW, uninitiated; a novice.-Old. Frequently "JOHNNY RAW." READY, or READY GILT, (properly GELT,) money. Used by Arbuthnot,—— "Lord Strut was not very flush in READY.' READY-RECKONERS, the Highland regiments of the British army. RECENT INCISION, the busy thoroughfare on the Surrey side of the Thames, known by sober people as the NEW CUT. REDGE, gold. RED HERRING, a soldier. RED LANE, the throat. RED LINER, an officer of the Mendicity Society. RELIEVING OFFICER, a significant term for a father.-University. RASPING-GANG, the mob of roughs and thieves who attend prize-fights. READER, a pocket-book; "give it him for his READER,” ¿.e., rob him of his pocket-book.-Old Cant. REAM, good or genuine. From the Old Cant, RUM. REAM-BLOAK, a good man. REDDING, a gold watch, probably RED 'UN. REGULARS, a thief's share of the plunder. "They were quarrelling about the REGULARS."-Times, 8th January 1856. |