Imatges de pàgina
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you got or collected from the crowd? This term is much used by "buskers."

Nobble, to cheat, to overreach; to discover. In the racing world, to "NOBBLE a horse, is to "get at," and lame or poison him.

Nobbler, a blow on the NOB, a finishing stroke; "that's a NOBBLER for him," i.e., a settler.-Pugilistic. Nobbler, a confederate of thimble-riggers and card-sharpers, who plays earnestly, as if a stranger to the "rig," and thus draws unsuspecting persons into a game. The same as a "bonnet" or 66 bearer-up." In the North of England, a low, cunning lawyer. Nobby, or NOBBISH, fine or showy; NOBBILY, showily. See SNOB for derivation.

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No flies, an emphatic addition made to an assertion for the purpose of
giving it weight. It really means no error" or 66 no mistake." Both
of them popular; as, A jolly fine girl, and NO FLIES!"
No-fly, artful, designing. Term much used among printers, who shorten
it to "N.F."

Noli-me-tangere, the Scotch fiddle, or other contagious disease.
Non-com, a non-commissioned officer in the army.

No odds, no matter, of no consequence.-Latimer's Sermon before
Edward VI.

Nooning, an interval for rest and refreshment, taken at midday by travellers in hot countries.

Norfolk-Howards, bugs; a person named Ephraim Bug some few years back advertised, that for the future he would call himself by the more aristocratic appellation of NORFOLK HOWARD.

North, cunning. The inhabitants of Yorkshire and the Northern counties are supposed, like the canny Scots, to get the better of other people in dealing; hence the phrase, "He's too far NORTH for me," i.., too cunning for me to deal with.

North country compliment, to give or offer anything that is not wanted by either giver or receiver is to pass a NORTH COUNTRY

COMPLIMENT.

Norwicher, more than one's share; said of a person who leaves less than half the contents of a tankard for his companion. In what way the term originated, or why Norwich was selected before any other city is not known. Most likely from the slanders which the inhabitants of one town are always inventing about their neighbours.

Nose, a thief who turns informer; a paid spy; generally called a policeman's NOSE; "on the NOSE," on the look-out.

Nose, to give information to the police, to turn approver.

Nose, "to pay through the NOSE," to pay an extravagant price.

Nose-bag, a visitor at a watering-place, or house of refreshment, who carries his own victuals. Term applied by waiters.

Nose 'em, or FOGUS, tobacco. NOSE 'EM is but a contraction of the rhyming slang, which see.

Nose-ender, a straight blow delivered full on the nasal promontory.
Nose in the manger, TO PUT ONE'S, to sit down to eat.
To "put

on the nose-bag" is to eat hurriedly, or to eat while continuing at work. Nose out of joint, TO PUT ONE'S; to supplant, supersede, or mortify a person by excelling him,

Noser, a hard blow, leading to a bloody or contused nose.-Pugilistic. Notional, imaginative, full of ideas. Used in America to express a wife's imaginations with regard to her husband's doings.

Nouse, comprehension, perception.-Old, apparently from the Greck, νοῦς. Gaelic and Irish, NOS, knowledge, perception.

Nowhere, horses not placed in a race-that are neither first, second, nor third-are said to be NOWHERE, especially when this lack of position happens to favourites.

Number of his mess, when a man dies in the army or navy, he is said to "lose the NUMBER OF HIS MESS. Nurse, a curious term applied to competition in omnibuses. Two omnibuses are placed on the road to NURSE, or take care of, each opposition "bus," one before, the other behind. Of course the central or NURSED bus has very little chance, unless it happens to be a favourite with the public. Recent legislation and tramways have done much to do away with NURSING. NURSE also means to cheat or swindle; trustees are sometimes said to NURSE property, i.e., gradually eat it up themselves.

Nut, the head, in pugilistic slang. Used as an exclamation at a fight, it means to strike on the head. In tossing it is a direction to hide the head; to be" off one's NUT," to be crazed or idiotic.

Nut-cut, roguish, mischievous. A good-natured term of reproach. Anglo-Indian.

Nuts, to be NUTS on anything or person is to be pleased with or fond of it or him; a self-satisfied man is said to be NUTS on himself. NUTTED, taken in by a man who professed to be NUTS on you.

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Oat, an atom. Probable corruption of iota, or perhaps from the small size of an oat. "I never got an OAT of it," I never received the smallest portion.

Oat-stealer, an ostler.

Obfuscated, intoxicated.

Obliquitous, oblivious of distinction between right and wrong.American.

Obstropolous, Cockney corruption of obstreperous.

Ochre, money, generally applied to gold, for a very obvious reason. O'clock, "like ONE O'CLOCK," a favourite comparison with the lower orders, implying briskness; otherwise "like winkin'." "To know

what's O'CLOCK" is to be wide-awake, sharp, and experienced. Odd man out, a street or public-house game at tossing. The number of players is three or more. Each tosses up a coin, and if two come down head, and one comes tail, or vice versa, the ODD MAN loses or wins, as may have been agreed upon. Frequently used to victimize a "flat." If all be alike, then the toss goes for nothing, and the coppers are again "skied." It is easy for two men to arrange matters beforehand at this game, and so swindle a third.

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Odd man, a man who trains in company with a boat's crew, so that in the event of any one falling ill the seat will be fairly occupied. Odds, a phrase equivalent to consequence;" "what's the ODDS?" i.e., what is the expected result? "It's no ODDS," i.e., of no consequence. ODDS, in sporting phraseology, refers to the proportions or differences of a bet. One bookmaker will lay ODDS of "six to one" against such a horse winning; whilst another, more speculative, or in the receipt of a first-rate "tip" (information about the horse in question) will lay "eight," or even ten to one.

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Od rot it (Colman's Broad Grins), DRAT IT, OD'S BLOOD, and all other exclamations commencing with OD, are nothing but softened or suppressed oaths. OD is a corruption of GOD, and DRAT of ROT.

Off and on, vacillating; "an OFF AND ON kind of a chap," one who is always undecided.

Off at the head, crazy.-Oxfordshire.

Off one's chump. To be crazy is to be OFF ONE'S CHUMP; this is varied by the word CHUMPY. A mild kind of lunatic is also said to be "off his head," which means of course exactly the same as the first phrase. Off one's feed. To be unable to eat is to be OFF ONE'S FEED. Origi nally stable slang.

Off the horn, a term used in reference to very hard steak, which is fancifully said to be OFF THE HORN.

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Office, "to give the OFFICE, to give a hint dishonestly to a confederate, thereby enabling him to win a game or bet, the profits being shared. Also in sporting phraseology to give any information worth having.

Offish, distant, not familiar. Corruption of STAND-OFFISH.

Ogle, to look, or reconnoitre.

Ogles, eyes.-Old Cant. French, IL.

Oil of palms, or PALM OIL, money.

Ointment, medical student slang for butter.

O. K., a matter to be o. K. (OLL KORRECT, i.e., all correct), must be on the " square," and perfectly in order. This is an Americanism, and

is derived from the initials o. K., said to have been marked on a document by an official to signify that all was right and proper.

Old boots, a simile as general in its application as it is irrelevant. "Like OLD BOOTS" means like anything. "As cheeky as OLD BOOTS;""As quick as OLD BOOTS," seem a little more reasonable, new boots being somewhat unfavourable to speedy locomotion.

Old dog, a knowing blade, an experienced person. Butler uses the phrase, Hudibras, part ii. canto iii. 208, where it was said of Sidrophel, "And was OLD DOG at physiology." An Irish proverb says, OLD DOG for hard road," meaning that it requires an experienced person to execute a difficult undertaking.

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Old gentleman, the devil. Also a card almost imperceptibly longer than the rest of the pack, used by sharpers for the purpose of cheating. Old gooseberry (see GOOSEBERRY), OLD HARRY (Old Hairy), OLD SCRATCH, all synonyms for the devil.

Old gown, smuggled tea.

Old horse, salt junk, or beef.—Sea.

Old hoss, a term of endearment, originally an Americanism, but now in common use here among friends.

Old Lady in Threadneedle Street, the Bank of England. Old man, in American merchant ships, the master. The phrase is becoming common in English ships.

Old salt, a thorough sailor.

Various

Old Tom, extra strong gin; sometimes termed CAT'S WATER. reasons are given for the use of the words OLD TOM. The distillers have the sign of a tom cat on their illuminated placards. The origin of the phrase is, however, in the fact that the managing clerk of a once celebrated "gin-spinning" firm, who was known as OLD TOM, used to keep a special bottle of extra good stuff with which to regale customers when they settled their accounts. To get a drink of ŎLD TOM's was then a great favour. Gradually the title became popular as representing very good strong gin.

Oliver, the moon; "OLIVER don't widdle," i.e., the moon does not shine. Nearly obsolete.

Ollapod, a country apothecary. From George Coleman's comedy of The Poor Gentleman.

Omee, a master or landlord; "the OMEE of the carsey's a nark on the pitch," the master of the house will not let us perform. Italian, UOMO, a man ; UOMO DELLA CASA," the master of the house. Latin, HOMO. -Lingua Franca.

Omnium gatherum, an indiscriminate collection of articles; a numerous and by no means select assemblage.

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On, "to be ON," in public-house or vulgar parlance, is synonymous with getting tight" or tipsy; "it's St. Monday with him, I see he's on again," i.e., drunk as usual, or on the road to it. "I'm ON" also expresses a person's acceptance of an offered bet. TO GET ON a horse or a man is to make bets on it or him. "Try it ON," a defiant challenge to a person.

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On the fly, getting one's living by thieving or other illegitimate means; the phrase is applied to men the same as on the loose" is to women. ON THE FLY also means on the drink.

On the loose, obtaining a living by prostitution; in reality, on the streets. The term is applied to females only, excepting in the case of "sprees," when men carousing are sometimes said to be ON THE LOose. On the nose, on the watch or look-out. See NOSE On the shelf, transported. With old maids it has another and very different meaning.

On the tiles, out all night "on the spree," or carousing,—in allusion to the London cats on their amatory excursions. See CATERWAULING. One-er, that which stands for ONE, a blow that requires no repeating. In The Old Curiosity Shop, the "Marchioness" tells Dick Swiveller that "her missus is a ONE-ER"-there a variation of " stunner."

One in ten, a parson. In allusion to the tithing system.

Onion, a watch-seal.

O. P. Publishers' reply to an inquiry for a book or paper that is OUT

OF PRINT.

Open the ball, to commence anything.

Oracle, "to work the ORACLE," to plan, manœuvre, to succeed by a wily

stratagem.

Orate, an Americanism, which means, to speak in public, or make an oration.

Organ-grinder, an itinerant who is supposed to "GRIND" music out of a barrel-organ.

Originator, an inventor of plans for the formation of joint-stock companies. The originator submits his schemes to the promoter, who accepts or rejects them.

Otter, eightpence. Italian, OTTO, eight.-Lingua Franca.

Ottomy, a thin man, a skeleton, a dwarf. Vulgar pronunciation of ANATOMY. Shakspeare has ATOMY.

Out, a dram glass. These glasses are two-OUT (half-quartern), three-OUT, and four-OUT. An habitué of a gin-shop, desirous of treating a brace of friends, calls for "a quartern of gin and three OUTS," by which he means three glasses which will exactly contain the quartern. Really, the word glasses is understood. The man actually means, and one or more three-OUT glasses.

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