of the Garter, who in King Henry VIII.'s time distinguished himself by WALLOPING the French; but it is more probably connected with wheal, a livid swelling in the skin after a blow. See POT-WALLoper. Walloping, a beating or thrashing; sometimes used in an adjective sense, as big, or very large.

Wapping, or WHOPPING, of a large size, great.
Warm, rich, or well off.

Warm, to thrash or beat; "I'll WARM your jacket." To WARM the wax of one's ear is to give a severe blow on the side of the head. To WARM is also to rate or abuse roundly. Also varied, as, "to make it hot" for any one.

Warming-pan, a large old-fashioned gold watch. A person placed in an office to hold it for another. See W.P.

War-paint, evening dress. When people go out in full costume they are often said to have their WAR-PAINT on. Also, military "full-fig." Wash, "It wont WASH," i.e., will not stand investigation, will not "bear the rub," is not genuine, can't be believed. Waster, a useless, clumsy, or ill-made person. Watch and seals, a sheep's head and pluck.

Watchmaker, a pickpocket or stealer of watches. Often called "a WATCHMAKER in a crowd."

Water-bewitched, very weak tea, the third brew (or the first at some houses). Sometimes very weak tea is called "husband's tea," in allusion to the wife taking the first brew, and leaving the rest for her husband. Also grog much diluted.

Water-dogs, Norfolk dumplings.

Water gunner, a marine artilleryman.

Water the dragon, or WATER ONE'S NAG, a hint for retiring.

Waterman, a blue silk handkerchief.

The friends of the Oxford and

Cambridge boats' crews always wear these―light blue for Cambridge, and a darker shade for Oxford.

Wattles, ears.

Wax, a rage.

"Let's get him in a WAX." WAXY, cross, ill-tempered. Wayz-goose, a printers' annual dinner, the funds for which are collected by stewards regularly appointed by "the chapel."

Weather eye, the cautious eye. Any one who is supposed to have an extra good knowledge of things in general, or to be hard to impose on or cheat, is said to have his WEATHER EYE well open.

Weather-headed, so written by Sir Walter Scott in his Peveril of the Peak, but it is more probably WETHER-HEADED, as applied to a person having a "sheepish" look.

Weaving, a notorious card-sharping trick, done by keeping certain cards

on the knee, or between the knee and the under side of the table, and using them when required by changing them for the cards held in the hand.

Weaving leather aprons. When a knowing blade is asked what

he has been doing lately, and does not choose to tell, his reply is, that he has been very busy WEAVING LEATHER APRONS. (From the reports of a celebrated trial for gold robbery on the South-Western Railway.) Other similar replies are, I have been making a trundle for a goose's eye," or a "whim-wham to bridle a goose." Sometimes a man will describe himself as "a doll's-eye WEAVER."

Wedge, silver.-Old Cant.

Wedge-feeder, a silver spoon.

66

Weed, a cigar; the WEED, tobacco generally.
Weed, a hatband.

Weight-for-age, a sporting phrase which, applied to a race, distinguishes it from a handicap or catch-weight event, and informs all interested that the animals which run carry according to their ages, and not their abilities. Winners of certain great races generally carry penalties in addition to WEIGHT-FOR-AGE, for the purpose of equalizing matters somewhat; but as a rule the results are fairly foreshadowed as soon as in these races the horses are at the post, or as soon as the starters are positively known.

Wejee, a chimney-pot. Often applied to any clever invention, as, "That's a regular WEJEE."

Welcher, a person who makes a bet without the remotest chance of being able to pay, and, losing it, absconds, or "makes himself scarce." In the betting ring a WELCHER is often very severely handled upon his swindling practices being discovered. The Catterick "Clerk of the Course" once provided some stout labourers and a tar-barrel for the special benefit of the WELCHERS who might visit that neighbourhood. The word is modern, but the practice is ancient.

"One Moore, the unworthy incumbent of the Suffolk curacy,' dedicated a book to 'Duke Humphrey,' and was then entirely lost sight of by his old college friends, till one of them espied him slung up in the basket,' for not paying his bets at a cock-pit."-Post and Paddock.

One writer says the term "arose from a fellow who took deposits on account of Welsh ponies, which he said he was importing, and never delivered them.' It is not unfrequently suggested by irreverent persons that the word was suggested by the dislike his gracious Majesty George the Fourth had, when a young man, for settling. Others derive it from the nursery rhyme,

"Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief."

There can be no doubt that, from the days when the stout Earl of Chester and others were constantly employed in checking and cutting off the expeditions of their neighbours till comparatively recently, the term "Welshman" has been hardly one of kindness. It is not hard, therefore, to imagine its use on the Roodee, and its subsequent corrup tion into WELCHER. The spelling of the word, WELCHER or WELSHER, is optional.

Well, to pocket, to save money. Any one of fair income and miserly habits is said to "WELL it."

Welt, to thrash with a strap or stick. Probably meaning to raise wheals.

West central, a water-closet, the initials being the same as those of the London Postal District. It is said that for this reason very delicate people refuse to obey Rowland Hill's instructions in this particular. An old maid, who lived in this district, was particularly shocked at having w.c. marked on all her letters, and informed the letter-carrier that she could not think of submitting to such an indecent fashion. On being informed that the letters would not be forwarded without the obnoxious initials, she remarked that she would have them left at the Post-Office. “Then, marm," said the fellow, with a grin, "they will put P.O. on them, which will be more ondacenter than the tother."

Wet, a drink, a drain.

"WET

Wet, to drink. Low people generally ask an acquaintance to WET any recently purchased article, i.c., to stand treat on the occasion. (originally WHET, to sharpen,) your whistle," i.e., take a drink; "WET the other eye," i.e., take another glass. See SHED A TEAR.

Wet Quaker, a man who pretends to be religious, and is a dramdrinker on the sly.

Wet un, a diseased cow, unfit for human food, but nevertheless sold to make into sausages. Compare STAGGERING-BOB.

Whack, a share or lot.

Scotch, SWEG, or SWACK.

"Give me my WHACK," give me my share.

Whack, or WHACKING, a blow, or a thrashing.

Whack, to beat.

Whacker, a lie of unusual dimensions, sometimes called a "round un."

Whacking, large, fine, or strong.

Whacks, to go WHACKS, to divide equally; to enter into partnership. Whale, "very like a WHALE," said of anything that is very improbable. A speech of Polonius's in Hamlet.

What d'yecall 'em, a similar expression to "thingumy."

Wheeze, a joke, an anecdote, or dialogue, not strictly connected with a piece that is being played, but introduced by an actor, sometimes with the assistance and for the benefit of others. The dialogues which take place between the songs at nigger entertainments are also known as WHEEZES. The word actually means a new notion as applied to dialogue.

Wherret, WORRIT, ro to scold, trouble, or annoy.-Old English. Whid, a word. Sometimes, a fib, a falsehood, a word too much.Modern Slang, from the ancient cant.

Whiddle, to enter into a parley, or hesitate with many words, &c. ; to inform, or discover. See WHEEDLE.

Whim-wham, an alliterative term, synonymous with fiddle-faddle, riffraff, &c., denoting nonsense, rubbish, &c.

Whip, after the usual allowance of wine is drunk at mess, those who wish for more put a shilling each into a glass handed round to procure a

further supply. WHIP-ROUND is now a common term for a subscription of a similar kind to that described.

Whip, to "WHIP anything up," to take it up quickly; from the method of hoisting heavy goods or horses on board ship by a WHIP, or running tackle, from the yard-arm. Generally used to express anything dishonestly taken.

Whip, the member of the House of Commons whose duty it is to collect and keep together his party to vote at divisions. To give him greater influence, the ministerial WHIP holds, or is supposed to hold, the minor patronage of the Treasury.

Whipjack, a sham shipwrecked sailor, called also a turnpike-sailor. Whip the cat, when an operative works at a private house by the day. Term used amongst tailors and carpenters.

Whipper-snapper, a waspish, diminutive person.

Whisper, a tip given in secret, a rumour which is spread under the pretence of its being a secret. To "give the WHISPER," is to give a quick tip to any one. An owner's final instruction to his jockey is called "the WHISPER at the post."

Whisper, to borrow money-generally small sums-as, "He WHISPERED me for a tanner."

Whisperer, a constant borrower.

Whistle, "as clean as a WHISTLE," neatly, or "slickly done," as an American would say; "To whet (or more vulgarly wet) one's WHISTLE," to take a drink. This last is a very old expression. Chaucer says of the Miller of Trumpington's wife (Canterbury Tales, 4153)

"So was hir joly WHISTAL well y-wet."

"TO WHISTLE for anything," to stand small chance of getting it, from the nautical custom of WHISTLING for a wind in a calm, which of course comes none the sooner for it. "To pay for one's WHISTLE," to pay extravagantly for any fancy.

Whistling-Billy, or PUFFING-BILLY, a locomotive engine.

Whistling-shop, a place in which spirits are sold without a licence. Whitechapel or WESTMINSTER BROUGHAM, a costermonger's donkey

barrow.

Whitechapel, anything mean or paltry. Potting one's opponent at billiards is often known as "WHITECHAPEL play.'

Whitechapel, in tossing, when "two out of three wins." See SUDDEN

DEATH.

Whitechapel fortune, a clean gown and a pair of pattens.

White eye, military slang for a very strong and deleterious kind of whisky, so called because its potency is believed to turn the eyes round in the sockets, leaving the whites only visible.

White feather, "to show the WHITE FEATHER," to evince cowardice. In times when great attention was paid to the breeding of game-cocks, a white feather in the tail was considered a proof of cross-breeding.

White horses, the foam on the crests of waves, seen before or after a

storm,

"Now the wild white horses play,

Champ and chafe and toss in the spray.
Children, dear, let us away,

This way, this way."-Matthew Arnold.

White lie, a harmless lie, one told to reconcile people at variance. "Mistress is not at home, sir," is a WHITE LIE often told by servants. White-livered, or LIVER-FACED, cowardly, much afraid, very mean. White prop, a diamond pin.-East London.

White satin, gin,-term amongst women. See SATIN.

White serjeant, a man's superior officer in the person of his better half. White tape, gin,-term used principally by female servants.

RIBBON.

White un, a silver watch.

White wine, the fashionable term for gin.

"Jack Randall then impatient rose,

And said, 'Tom's speech were just as fine

If he would call that first of GOES
By that genteeler name-WHITE WINE."

Randall's Diary, 1820.

See

Whitewash, to rehabilitate. A person who took the benefit of the Insolvent Act was said to have been WHITEWASHED. Now said of a person who compromises with his creditors.

Whitewash, a glass of sherry as a finale, after drinking port and claret. Whittle, to nose or peach.-Old Cant. To cut and hack as with a pocket-knife.-American.

Whop, to beat, or hide. Corruption of WHIP; sometimes spelt WAP. Whop-straw, cant name for a countryman; Johnny WHOP-STRAW, in allusion to threshing.

Whopper, a big one, a lie. A lie not easily swallowed.

Wide-awake, a broad-brimmed felt or stuff hat, -so called because it never had a nap, and never wants one.

Wido, wide awake, no fool.

Wife, a fetter fixed to one leg.-Prison:

Wiffle-woffles, in the dumps, sorrow, stomach-ache.

Wig, move off, go away.-North Country Cant.

Wigging, a rebuke before comrades.

If the head of a firm calls a clerk into the parlour, and rebukes him, it is an EARWIGGING; if done before the other clerks, it is a WIGGING.

Wild, a village.—Tramps' term. See VILE,

Wild, vexed, cross, passionate,-said to be from WILLED (SELF-WILLED), in opposition to "tamed " or "subdued." In the United States the word "mad" is supplemented with a vulgar meaning similar to our Cockneyism WILD; and to make a man mad on the other side of the