is dece ance) ed scan at slip the same PS. The at TOM ally h IPED CIT y bort Selves DUNE ary ist en they er For pe Slang of intoxication. I shall only examine the last two. If society, as has been remarked. is a sham, from the vulgar foundation of commonalty to the crowning summit of royalty, especially do we perceive the justness of the remark in the Slang makeshifts for oaths, and sham exclamations for passion and temper. These apologies for feeling are a disgrace to our vernacular, although it is some satisfaction to know that they serve the purpose of reducing the stock of national profanity. "You BE BLOWED," or "I'll BE BLOWED IF," &c., is an exclamation often heard in the streets. BLAZES, or "like BLAZES," came probably from the army. BLAST, too, although in general vulgar use, may have had a like origin; so may the phrase, "I wish I may be SHOT, if," &c. BLOW ME TIGHT, is a very windy and common exclamation. The same may be said of STRIKE ME LUCKY, NEVER TRUST ME, and so HELP ME DAVY; the latter derived from the truer old phrase, I'LL TAKE MY DAVY ONʼT—¿. e., my affidavit, DAVY being a corruption of that word. BY GOLLY, GOL DARN IT, and so HELP ME BOB, are evident shams for profane oaths. NATION is but a softening of damnation; and OD, whether used in OD DRAT IT, or OD'S BLOOD, is but an apology for the name of the Deity. MARRY, a term of asseveration in common use, was originally, in Popish times, a mode of swearing by the Virgin Mary; q. d., by Mary.—So also MARROW-BONES, for the knees. I'll bring him down upon his marrow-bones—i. e., I'll make him bend his knees as he does to the Virgin Mary. The Irish phrase, BAD SCRAN TO YER! is equivalent to wishing a person bad food. "I'm SNIGGERED if you will," and "I'm JIGGERED," are other stupid forms of mild swearing,—fearful of committing an open profanity, yet slily nibbling at the sin. Both DEUCE and DICKENS are vulgar old synonymes for the devil; and ZOUNDS is an abbreviation of GOD'S WOUNDS,—a very ancient Catholic oath. SE DATE lent In a casual survey of the territory of Slang, it is curious to observe how well represented are the familiar wants and failings of life. First, there is money, with one hundred and twenty Slang terms and synonymes; then comes drink, from small beer to champagne; and next, as a very natural sequence, intoxication, and fuddlement generally, with some half a hundred vulgar terms, graduating the scale of drunkenness from a slight inebriation, to the soaky state of gutterdom and stretcherdom,-I pray the reader to forgive the expressions. The Slang synonymes for mild intoxication are certainly very choice,—they are BEERY, BEMUSED, BOOZY, BOSKY, BUFFY, CORNED, FOGGY, FOU, FRESH, HAZY, ELEVATED, KISKY, LUSHY, MOONY, MUGGY, MUZZY, ON, SCREWED, STEWED, TIGHT, and WINEY. A higher or more intense state of beastliness is represented by the expressions, PODGY, BEARGERED, BLUED, CUT, PRIMED, LUMPY, PLOUGHED, MUDDLED, OBFUSCATED, SWIPEY, THREE SHEETS IN THE WIND, and TOP-HEAVY. But the climax of fuddlement is only obtained when the DISGUISED individual CAN'T SEE A HOLE IN A LADDER, or when he is all MOPS AND BROOMS, or OFF HIS NUT, or with his MAIN-BRACE WELL SPLICED, or with the SUN IN HIS EYES, or when he has LAPPED THE GUTTER, and got the GRAVEL RASH, or on the RAN-TAN, or on the RE-RAW, or when he is SEWED UP, or regularly SCAMMERED, —then, and not till then, is he entitled, in vulgar society, to the title of LUSHINGTON, or recommended to PUT IN THE PIN. Slang derivations are generally indirect, turning upon metaphor and fanciful allusions, and other than direct etymological connexion. Such allusions and fancies are essentially temporary or local; they rapidly pass out of the public mind: the word remains, while the key to its origin is lost. A DICTIONARY OF MODERN SLANG, CANT, AND VULGAR WORDS; MANY WITH THEIR ETYMOLOGIES TRACED. A 1, first-rate, the very best; "she's a prime girl, she is; she is A 1.”— Sam Slick. The highest classification of ships at Lloyd's; common term in the United States; also at Liverpool and other English sea ports. Another, even more intensitive, form is, "first-class, letter A, No. I. ABIGAIL, a lady's-maid; derived from old comedies. ABOUT RIGHT, "to do the thing ABOUT RIGHT," i.e., to do it properly, soundly, correctly; "he guv it 'im ABOUT RIGHT," i.e., he beat him severely. ABRAM-MAN, a vagabond, such as were driven to beg about the country after the dissolution of the monasteries.-See BESS O' BEDLAM, infra. They are well described under the title of Bedlam Beggars.-Shakspeare's K. Lear ii. 3. "And these, what name or title e'er they bear, That stand in fair election for the title " Of king of beggars."-Beaumont and Fletcher's Begg. Bush. ii. 1. It appears to have been the practice in former days to allow certain inmates of Bethlehem Hospital to have fixed days "to go begging;' hence impostors were said to "SHAM ABRAHAM" (the Abraham Ward in Bedlam having for its inmates these mendicant lunatics) when they pretended they were licensed beggars in behalf of the hospital.-See review of 2d edition of this work in The Bookseller, May 26, 1860. ABANDANNAD, E ABRAM-SHAM, or SHAM ABRAHAM, to feign sickness or distress. From ABRAM-MAN, the ancient Cant term for a begging impostor, or one who pretended to have been mad.-Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy, vol. i. p. 360. When Abraham Newland was Cashier of the Bank of England, and signed their notes, it was sung : "I have heard people say That SHAM ABRAHAM you may, But you mustn't SHAM ABRAHAM Newland." ABSQUATULATE, to run away, or abscond; a hybrid American expres sion, from the Latin ab, and "squat," to settle. ACRES, a coward. ADAM'S ALE, water.-English. The Scotch term is ADAM'S WINE. "ADMIRAL OF THE RED," a person whose very red face evinces a fondness for strong potations. AFFYGRAPHY. "It fits to an AFFYGRAPHY," i.e., to a nicety-to a T. AFTERNOON FARMER, one who wastes his best opportunity, and drives off the large end of his work to the little end of his time. AGGERAWATOR, (corruption of Aggravator,) the greasy lock of hair in vogue among costermongers and other street folk, worn twisted from the temple back towards the ear. They are also, from a supposed resemblance in form, termed NEWGATE KNOCKERS, which see.-Sala's Gaslight, &c. AKEYBO, a slang phrase used in the following manner:-' "He beats AKEYBO, and AKEYBO beat the devil." ALBERTOPOLIS, a facetious appellation given by the Londoners to the ALDERMAN, a half-crown- ALDERMAN, a turkey; sausages. ALDERMAN IN CHAINS," a turkey hung with ALL, equal, a term used in various games; thus, if both parties have scored six points each, the marker cries, "Six ALL!” “ ALL OF A HUGH!" all on one side; falling with a thump; the word HUGH being pronounced with a grunt.-Suffolk. “ALL MY EYE," answer of astonishment to an improbable story; "ALL MY EYE AND BETTY MARTIN," a vulgar phrase with similar meaning, said to be the commencement of a Popish prayer to St Martin, "Oh, mihi, beate Martine," and fallen into discredit at the Reformation. ALL OUT, "by far; "-"he was ALL OUT the best of the lot." Oldfrequently used by Burton in his Anatomy of Melancholy. ALL-OVERISH, neither sick nor well, the premonitory symptoms of illness. ALL-ROUNDER, the fashionable shirt collar of the present time worn meeting in front. ALL SERENE, an ejaculation of acquiescence.—See SERENE. ALLS, tap-droppings, refuse spirits sold at a cheap rate in gin-palaces.-See LOVEAGE. ALL THERE, in strict fashion, first-rate, "up to the mark;" a vulgar person would speak of a spruce, showily-dressed female as being ALLTHERE. An artisan would use the same phrase to express the capabilities of a skilful fellow-workman. Sometimes ALL THE WAY THERE. A modern song has→ "Says little Tom Sayers, 'If the blues do not stay us, I'll lead him a dance for the Island; He shall see how we fight here in my land! We're ALL THE WAY THERE in the Island. Although he's so tall, he Shall yet feel my mawley Ere I give up the "Belt" of the Island."" "ALL TO PIECES," utterly, excessively; "he beat him ALL TO PIECES,' i.e., excelled or surpassed him exceedingly. "ALL TO SMASH," or " GONE to PIECES," bankrupt, or smashed to pieces. -Somersetshire. ALMIGHTY DOLLAR, an American expression for the "power of money," first introduced by Washington Irving in 1837.* AMINADAB, a quaker; from old comedies. ANDREW MILLAR, a ship of war.-Sea. AN'T, or AIN'T, the vulgar abbreviation of "am not," or " are not." ANOINTED, used in a bad sense, to express eminent rascality in any one; "an ANOINTED Scoundrel," as if he were the king of scoundrels.-Irish. ANOINTING, a good beating. ANONYMA, a lady of the demi-monde--or worse-a pretty horse-breaker. ANY HOW, in any way, or at any rate, bad; "he went on ANY HOW," ANTISCRIPTURAL, oaths, foul language. "APARTMENTS TO LET," said of one who has a somewhat empty head. APOSTLE'S GROVE, the London district known as St John's Wood. POLL. * The idea of this phrase, at any rate, is far older than the time of Irving. Ben Jonson's Epistle to Elizabeth, Countess of Rutland, commences thus: "Whilst that for which all virtue now is sold, And almost every vice, almightie gold." + The last of all was called ST PAUL, (or Saint Poll,) as being the least of the apostles, and "not meet to be called an apostle," (see 1 Cor. xv. 9.) As in the "Honour". list, (see Gulf,) students who had failed only slightly in one or more subjects were occasionally allowed their degrees, and these were termed ELEGANT EXTRACTS.-Camb. Univ. Slang. |