Griddler, a person who sings in the streets without a printed copy of the words.-Seven Dials.

Gridiron, a County Court summons. Originally a summons to the Court of Westminster only; from the GRIDIRON arms. The Grafton Club is nearly always known as the GRID or GRIDIRON, that instrument being brought into requisition whenever possible in the cuisine.

Gridiron and dough boys, the flag of the United States, in allusion to the stars and stripes.-Sea.

Grief, "to come to GRIEF," to meet with an accident, to be ruined. Griffin, in India, a newly-arrived cadet; general for an inexperienced youngster.

Grind, "to take a GRIND," i.e., a walk, or constitutional. The daily GRIND is a term representing employment containing much routine. At Oxford college sports are called sometimes the GRIND.

Grind, to work up for an examination, to cram by oneself, or with a private tutor.

Grinder, private tutor, a coach.—University.

Grinder, a tooth.

Grindoff, a miller. From The Miller and his Men.

Gripes, the stomach-ache. See TRIPES.

Grist to the mill, money to the pocket, food to the family; anything which is supposed to add to a man's immediate prospects, to his income, or to his benefit in any way, is said to "bring GRIST TO THE MILL."

Grizzle, to fret or cry continuously.

Grog blossoms, pimples on the face, caused by hard drinking.

Of

such a person it is often said, "He bears his blushing honours thick upon him."

Grog-fight, a drinking party.-Military. Groggy, tipsy; when a prize-fighter becomes "weak on his pins," and nearly beaten, he is said to be GROGGY. The same term is applied to horses that are overworked and unsteady. From similarity of appearance to the peculiarity of gait consequent on imbibing too much

GROG.

Grove of the Evangelist, a facetious name for St. John's Wood. Growler, a four-wheeled cab. It is generally supposed that drivers of these vehicles take a less favourable view of life than do their Hansom brethren.

Grub and bub, victuals and drink of any kind,- -GRUB signifying food, and BUB, drink.

Grubbing ken, or SPINIKIN, a workhouse; a cook-shop.
Grubby, musty, or old-fashioned.-Devonshire.

Gruel, "to give a person his GRUEL," to kill him. An expression in all probability derived from the report of a trial for poisoning, or from the easiest manner of administering a dose of poison. In the old days

a similar phrase was "to drug a posset." Compare "to settle his hash," and "cook his goose."

Guardevine, a cellaret.—Scotch.

Guinea pigs, habitual directors of public companies; special jurymen ; and engineer officers doing civil duty at the War Office, and paid a GUINEA per diem.

Guinea to a goose, a sporting phrase, meaning long odds in favour of, or against, anything under notice. In the City this state of things is represented by the phrase, Lombard Street to a China orange. There are also other colloquialisms on this subject, but their power is, as a rule, mainly dependent upon their indecency.

Gulfed, originally a Cambridge term, denoting that a man is unable to enter for the classical examination from having failed in the mathematical. These men's names appeared in the list of "Degrees Allowed." The name GULF for this list is said to have arisen from the boast of a former "wooden spoon.' "I would have you to know there is a great GULF between me and the captain of the poll." Candidates for classical honours were compelled to go in for both examinations. From the alteration of the arrangements, the term as thus applied is now obsolete. The expression is common now in Oxford as descriptive of a man who goes in for honours, and only gets a pass. An Honorary Fourth is when a candidate who only tries for a pass does so well that he is raised to the honours' list.

Gull, to cheat, to deceive; also one easily cheated. From the easy manner in which the bird of that name is deceived.

Gullyfluff, the waste-coagulated dust, crumbs, and hair-which accumulates imperceptibly in the pockets of schoolboys.

Gully rakers, cattle thieves in Australia, the cattle being stolen out of almost inaccessible valleys, there termed GULLIES.

Gulpin, a weak, credulous fellow, who will GULP down anything. Gummy, thick, fat-generally applied to a woman's ankles, or to a man whose flabby person betokens him a drunkard.

Gumption, or RUMGUMPTION, comprehension, capacity. From GAUM, to comprehend; "I canna gauge it, and I canna GAUM it," as a Yorkshire exciseman said of a hedgehog.

Gun, a magsman or street thief. Diminutive of gonnuf or gunnof. A GUN's practice is known as GUNOVING.

Gunner's daughter, a term facetiously applied to the method of punishing boys in the Royal Navy by tying them securely to the breech of a cannon, so as to present the proper part convenient for the cat, and flogging them. This is called "marrying" or "kissing" the

GUNNER'S DAUGHTER.

Gup, gossip.-Anglo-Indian.

Gurrawaun, a coachman, a native Indian corruption of the English word coachman. For another curious corruption of a similar kind, See SIMPKIN.-Anglo-Indian.

Gusher, one overflowing with sentiment, a rhapsodizer. Romancereading young ladies are generally described as GUSHING, and of late years the word GUSH has done duty as representing the newspaper work necessary for a continuance of the "largest circulation."

Gut scraper, a fiddler.

Gutter blood, a low or vulgar man.-Scotch.

Gutter lane, the throat. Probably from GUTtur.

Guttle, see GUZZLE.

Guy, a fright, a dowdy, an ill-dressed person. Derived from the effigy of Guy Fawkes carried about by boys on Nov. 5. "Hollo, boys, another

GUY!"

Guy, to get away. Same as HEDGE in street phraseology, which see. Guzzle, to eat or drink to excess; to eat loudly, hastily, and clumsily. Gyp, an undergraduate's servant at Cambridge. Popularly derived by Cantabs from the Greek, GYPS, (yú↓), a vulture, from the dishonest rapacity peculiar to GYPS. At Oxford servants are called scouts. Hackle, pluck; "to show HACKLE," to be willing to fight. HACKLES are the long feathers on the back of a cock's neck, which he erects when angry,-hence the metaphor.

Hackslaver, to stammer in one's speech, like a dunce at his lesson. Haddock, a purse.-See BEANS.

66

Hair of the dog, a "modest quencher," taken the morning following a debauch. Originally a HAIR OF THE DOG that bit you.' This is very old, and seems to show that homoeopathy is by no means new, so far as topers, at all events, are concerned.

Half-a-bean, half-a-sovereign.

Half-a-bull, two shillings and sixpence.

Half-a-couter, half-a-sovereign.

Half-a-hog, sixpence; sometimes termed HALF-A-GRUNTER.
Half-and-half, a mixture of ale and porter, much affected by medical
students; occasionally Latinized into "dimidium dimidiumque."
Cooper is HALF-AND-HALF, made of stout and porter. The term of
HALF-AND-HALF is also applied to the issue of marriages between
gipsies and "white people.'

Half-a-stretch, six months in prison.
Half-a-tusheroon, half-a-crown.

Half-baked, soft, doughy, half-witted, silly. HALF-ROCKED has a similar meaning.

Half-foolish, ridiculous; means often wholly foolish.

Half Jack. See JACKS.

Half-mourning, to have a black eye from a blow. As distinguished from whole-mourning," "two black eyes.

66

Half-rocked, silly, half-witted. Derived from a vulgar idea that in the Westcountry children are nursed in a peculiar manner, which in afterlife affect their wits. They are said to be nursed bottom upwards, so

as to sleep without much rocking. If this is inconsequent it is the fault of the saying and not of the dictionary. Compare HALF-BAKED. Half-seas-over, reeling drunk.-Sea. Used by Swift.

Hall, THE, Leadenhall Market, among folk who get their livings there, in the same way as "The Garden" refers to Covent Garden. Hand, a workman or helper, a person. "A cool HAND," explained by Sir Thomas Overbury to be "one who accounts bashfulness the wickedest thing in the world, and therefore studies impudence." Hander, a second, or assistant. At some schools blows on the hand administered with a cane are so called.

Handicap, an arrangement by which, in any description of sport, every competitor in a race is supposed to have a chance of winning equal to the chances of his opponents. HANDICAPPING, in horse-racing signifies the adjudgment of various weights to horses differing in age, power, and speed, so as to place them as much as possible on an equality. At other sports this equalization is managed by means of starts.

The old game of HANDICAP (hand i' the cap) is a very different affair; and, as it is now almost obsolete, being only played by gentlemen in Ireland, after hunting and racing dinners, when the wine has circulated pretty freely, merits a description here. It is played by three persons, in the following manner :-A wishes to obtain some article belonging to B, say a horse; and offers to challenge" his watch against it. B agrees; and C is chosen as HANDICAPPER to "make the award"—that is, to name the sum of money that the owner of the article of lesser value shall give with it, in exchange for the more valuable one. The three parties, A, B, and C, put down a certain stake each, and then the HANDICAPPER makes his award. If A and B are both satisfied with the award, the exchange is made between the horse and watch, and the HANDICAPPER wins, and takes up the stakes. Or if neither be satisfied with the award, the HANDICAPPER takes the stakes; but if A be satisfied and B not, or vice versâ, the party who declares himself satisfied gets the stakes. It is consequently the object of the HANDICAPPER to make such award as will cause the challenger and challenged to be of the same mind; and considerable ingenuity is required and exhibited on his part. The challenge having been made, as stated, between A's watch and B's horse, each party puts his HAND into a CAP or hat [or into his pocket] while C makes the award, which he purposely does in as rapid and complex a manner as possible. Thus, after humorously exaggerating the various excellences of the articles, he may say "The owner of the superior gold lever watch shall give to the owner of the beautiful thoroughbred bay horse, called Flyaway, the watch and fifteen half-crowns, seven crowns, eighteen half-guineas, one hundred and forty groats, thirteen sovereigns, fifty-nine pence, seventeen shillings and sixty-three farthings. Draw, gentlemen!" A and B must instantly then draw out and open their hands. If money appears in both, they are agreed, and the award stands good; if money be in neither hand, they are also agreed, but the award is rejected. It money be only in one hand, they are not agreed, the award is off, and the stakes go as already stated.

Very frequently, neither A nor B is sufficiently quick in his mental calculation to follow the HANDICAPPER, and not knowing on the instant the total of the various sums in the award, prefers being "off," and, therefore, draws" no money. As in this event the HANDICAPPER gets the stakes, the reason for the complex nature of his award is

obvious.

66

The

When HANDICAPPING has once commenced in a convivial party, it is considered unsportsmanlike to refuse a challenge. So when the small hours draw on, and the fun becomes fast and furious, coats, boots, waistcoats, even shirts are challenged, HANDICAPPED, and exchanged, amidst an almost indescribable scene of good humoured joviality and stentorian laughter. This is the true HANDICAP. application of the term to horse-racing has arisen from one or more persons being chosen to make the award between persons, who put down equal sums of money, on entering horses unequal in power and speed for the same race. So that the HANDICAP has ultimately come to be regarded as an arrangement of a purely business-like nature, by which means affairs, no matter how much they may differ in degree, may be arranged satisfactorily by all parties. The use of the word is spreading rapidly, and it has already a sense beyond that of mere sporting.

Handicap, to make even, as a Roland for an Oliver. Not long since in a pedestrian enclosure, a pugilist who had been specially retained on one side struck a member of the other party, who not being a fightingman received the blow with apparent contentment. The injured person had, however, determined on being revenged, and about an hour afterwards he knocked the professional down with a big stick, using the words at the same time, "that HANDICAPS us" (that makes us even). The word is often used thus also: A man finding himself inferior to another at fisticuffs will, seizing a weapon, exclaim, "I'll HANDICAP you,” i.e., I'll bring you to my level (or "level myself up”) with this.

Handle, a nose; the title appended to a person's name; also a term in boxing, to HANDLE one's fists," to use them against an adversary.

Handling, a method of concealing certain cards in the palm of the hand, or in fashionable long wristbands; one of the many modes of cheating practised by sharpers.

Hand-me-downs, second-hand clothes. See REACH-ME-DOWNS. Hand-saw, or CHIVE FENCER, a man who sells razors and knives in the streets.

Handseller, or CHEAP JACK, a street or open-air seller, a man who carries goods to his customers, instead of waiting for his customers to visit him.

Hanging, in difficulties. A man who is in great straits, and who is, therefore, prepared to do anything desperate to retrieve his fortunes, is said, among sporting men, to be "a man HANGING," ie., a man to whom any change must be for the better.