Chapter IX: Part 9

~Gladstone~, cheap claret. GLADSTONE reduced the duty on French wines.

~Glasgow magistrate~, a salt herring. When George IV. visited Scotland, a wag placed some salt herrings on the iron guard of the carriage belonging to a well-known GLASGOW MAGISTRATE, who made one of a deputation to receive his Majesty.

~Glaze~, glass; generally applied to windows. To “star the GLAZE” is to break a window.

~Glib~, a tongue; “slacken your GLIB,” _i.e._, “loosen your tongue.”

~Glim~, a light, a lamp; “dowse the GLIM,” put out the candle. _Sea and Old Cant._ GLIMS, spectacles. _Gaelic_, GLINN, light. _German_ (provincial), GLIMM, a spark.

~Glim lurk~, a begging paper, giving a circumstantial account of a dreadful fire—which never happened.

~Gloak~, a man. Term much used in old thieves’ cant.

~Glum~, sulky, stem; “to look GLUM,” to appear annoyed or disconcerted.

~Glump~, to sulk.

~Glumpish~, of a stubborn, sulky temper.

~Go~, a GO of gin, a quartern of that liquor. (This word, as applied to a measure of liquor, is stated to have arisen from the following circumstance:—Two well-known actors once met at the bar of a tavern to have a “wet” together. “One more glass and then we’ll GO,” was repeated so often on either hand, that in the end GO was out of the question with both of them, and so the word passed into a saying.) GO is also synonymous with circumstance or occurrence; “a rummy GO,” and “a great GO,” signify curious and remarkable occurrences; “all the GO,” when anything creates unusual interest, “no GO,” no good; “here’s a pretty GO!” here’s a trouble; GO, a term in the game of cribbage; “to GO the jump,” to enter a house by the window.—_See_ LITTLE GO; also CALL-A-GO.

“Gemmen (says he), you all well know
The joy there is whene’er we meet;
It’s what I call the primest GO,
And rightly named, ’tis—‘quite a treat,’”

_Jack Randall’s Diary_, 1820.

~Go along~, a fool, a cully, one of the most contemptuous terms in a thieves’ vocabulary.

~Gob~ or GOBBET, a portion. Generally applied to meat by schoolboys.

~Gob~, the mouth, as in pugilistic slang “a spank on the GOB, drawing the gravy.” Also mucus, or saliva. Sometimes used for GAB, talk—

“There was a man called Job,
Dwelt in the land of Uz;
He had a good gift of the GOB;
The same case happen us.”

ZACH. BOYD.

_Gaelic_—GAB and GOB, a mouth. _See_ GAB.

~God bless the Duke Of Argyle!~ a Scottish insinuation made when one shrugs his shoulders, of its being caused by parasites or cutaneous affections.—_See_ SCOTCH FIDDLE, SCOTCH GREYS. It is said to have been originally the thankful exclamation of the Glasgow folk, at finding a certain row of iron posts, erected by his grace in that city to mark the division of his property, very convenient to rub against. Some say the posts were put up purposely for the benefit of the good folk of Glasgow, who were at the time suffering from the “Scotch fiddle.” This is, however, but a Southern scandal.

~Gods~, the people in the upper gallery of a theatre; “up amongst the GODS,” a seat amongst the persons in the gallery—so named from the high position of that part, and the blue sky generally painted on the ceiling of the theatre; termed by the French, “paradis.”

~Gods~, the quadrats used by printers in throwing on the imposing stone, similar to the movement in casting dice.—_Printers’ term._

~Go due north~, to become bankrupt, to go to Whitecross Street.—_Nearly obsolete._

~Go for the gloves~, to lay against a horse on the chance of its losing, without having the wherewithal to pay if it wins. Probably from the custom of ladies who bet GLOVES, and expect, as the racing men say, to “stand them to nothing,” _i.e._, to be paid if they win, but not to pay if they lose. This is a last resource of the bankrupt turfite; and the big handicaps at the end of the year, the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire, offer both temptation and opportunity to those who can only hope to recoup themselves for their previous losses by “GLOVING IT” successfully. When, in the sporting papers it is stated that a settling at Tattersall’s was more than usually unsatisfactory, it may be fairly assumed that the GLOVES have not been won by those who most desired them.

~Go in~, to enter for, to apply oneself in pursuit of. Men at the Universities are said to GO IN for honours, aquatics, or whatever their chief desire or employment may be. The expression is now general.

~Go it~, a term of encouragement, implying, “keep it up!” Sometimes amplified to “GO IT, ye cripples;” said to have been a facetious rendering of the last line of Virgil’s _Eclogues_—

“Ite domum saturæ, venit Hesperus, _ite capellæ_;”

or, “GO IT, ye cripples, crutches are cheap.”

~Goldbacked uns~, body lice. Sometimes called greybacked uns.

~Goldfinches~, sovereigns. Similar to Canaries.

~Gold-mine~, any profitable investment, from a fried-fish shop to a remunerative speculation involving millions.

~Golgotha~, a hat, “place of a skull.” Hence the “Don’s gallery,” at St. Mary’s, Cambridge, and that part of the theatre at Oxford where the heads of houses sit.

~Gol-mol~, noise, commotion.—_Anglo-Indian._

~Golopshus~, splendid, delicious, luscious.—_Norwich._

~Gonnof~, an expert thief, a master of his craft; one of the greatest compliments a London pickpocket can pay another is to say, “he’s a reglar GONNOF.”—_See_ GUN. The word GONNOF is very old. During Kett’s rebellion in Norfolk, in the reign of Edward VI., a song was sung by the insurgents in which the term occurs—

“The country GNOFFES, Hob, Dick, and Hick,
With clubbes and clouted shoon,
Shall fill up Dussyn dale
With slaughter’d bodies soone.”

~Good people~, the name given by country folk, evidently from fear of offending by any less decided term, to fairies, brownies, pixies, &c. Mothers often say to querulous children, “I wish the GOOD PEOPLE would run away with you.”

~Goods~, in the sporting world, men or horses. A horse or man of exceptionable quality is called “good GOODS,” and a backer will speak of either as being in his opinion “best GOODS,” as compared with others in the race.

~Good time~, an expressive phrase, which means all earthly bliss to the American mind. The finest reminiscence a Yankee can have is that of a GOOD TIME, wherever it may have been spent. No moderate amount of happiness is ever recorded in the register which denotes how often its possessor has “had a GOOD TIME.”

~Good woman~, a not uncommon public-house sign, representing a woman without a head,—the ungallant allusion is that she cannot scold. Maybe, the publican does not think that it means also that she cannot drink. The Honest Lawyer, another sign, is depicted in the same manner.

~Goose~, a tailor’s pressing iron. Originally a slang term, but now in most dictionaries.

~Goose;~ “Paddy’s GOOSE,” _i.e._, the White Swan, a celebrated public-house in Ratcliff Highway.

~Goose~, “to cook his GOOSE,” to kill him; the same as “to give him his gruel,” or “settle his hash.”

~Goose~, “to get the GOOSE,” “to be GOOSED,” signifies to be hissed while on the stage. The big-bird, the terror of actors. _See_ BIG BIRD.—_Theatrical._

~Goose~, to ruin, or spoil; to hiss a play.—_Theatrical._ To be “sound on the GOOSE” is in America to be orthodox in one’s political creed.

~Gooseberry~, to “play up old GOOSEBERRY” with any one, to defeat or silence a person in a quick or summary manner.

~Gooseberry-pickers~, sharp children, who are ostensibly placed in charge of their elder sisters, when the latter go out shopping, but who are in reality a check on any chance of flirtation.

~Goosecap~, a simpleton, a booby, or noodle.—_Devonshire._

~Gooser~, a settler, or finishing blow.

~Go over~, in clerical slang, signifies to join the Church of Rome.

~Gorge~, to eat in a ravenous manner. “Rotten GORGERS” are those hungry lads who hang about Covent Garden Market, and devour the discarded fruit.

~Gorger~, a swell, a well-dressed, or gorgeous man—probably derived from the latter adjective. Sometimes used to denote an employer, or principal, as the manager of a theatre.

~Gormed~, a Norfolk corruption of a profane oath. So used by Mr. Peggotty in _David Copperfield_.

~Gospel grinder~, a City missionary, or tract-distributor.

~Gospel Shop~, an irreverent term for a church or chapel of any denomination. Mostly in use among sailors.

~Goss~, a hat—from the gossamer silk of which modern hats are made.

~Goss~, “to give a man GOSS,” to requite an injury, to beat, or kill. This is an Americanism, and is applied variously. A steamboat captain on the Mississippi, determined to pass his rival, called out, so the story goes, to the fireman, “Give her GOSS and let her rip, as I mean to pass that boat, or bust.”

~Goth~, an uncultivated person. One who is ignorant of the ways of society.

~Go the whole pile~, to put all one’s bank on a solitary chance. An Americanism which had its origin in the PILES of gold dust used as circulating medium by gambling miners.

~Gourock ham~, a salt herring. GOUROCK, on the Clyde, about twenty-five miles from Glasgow, was formerly a great fishing village.—_Scotch._

~Government sign-post~, the gallows. This is necessarily almost obsolete.

~Governor~, a father, a master or superior person, an elder; “which way, GUV’NER, to Cheapside?”

~Gowler~, a dog.—_North Country Cant._ _Query_, GROWLER.

~Gownsman~, a student at one of the universities, as distinguished from a TOWNSMAN.

~Grab~, to clutch, or seize; GRABBED, caught, apprehended.

~Grace-card~, the six of hearts, so termed in Ireland. A Kilkenny gentleman, named GRACE, being solicited, with promises of royal favour, to espouse the cause of William III., gave the following answer, written on the back of the six of hearts, to an emissary of Marshal Schomberg’s, who had been commissioned to make the proposal to him:—“Tell your master I despise his offer; and that honour and conscience are dearer to a gentleman than all the wealth and titles a prince can bestow.” This would have been a much better story had James II. been a better King, and had he not earned for himself, even among Catholic Irishmen, a disgraceful name, through his craven conduct at the Battle of the Boyne.

~Graft~, work; “where are you GRAFTING?” _i.e._, where do you work? “What GRAFT are you at?” what are you doing? Perhaps derived from gardening phraseology; or a variation of _craft_.

~Granny~, a knot which will not hold, from its being wrongly and clumsily tied.—_Sea._

~Granny~, to know, or recognise; “do ye GRANNY the bloke?” do you know the man?

~Grappling irons~, fingers.—_Sea._

~Grass~, “gone to GRASS,” dead,—a coarse allusion to burial; absconded, or disappeared suddenly; also, gone to waste; it is said of wasted limbs that they have “gone to GRASS;” “oh, go to GRASS,” a common answer to a troublesome or inquisitive person,—possibly a corruption of “go to GRACE,” meaning, of course, a directly opposite fate.

~Grass~, to knock down. Also to throw in a wrestling-match. “He GRASSED his man with a heavy righthander,” or “He brought his man to GRASS by means of a swinging hipe.”

~Grass-comber~, a country fellow, a haymaker.

~Grasshopper~, a waiter at a tea-garden.

~Grass widow~, an unmarried mother; a deserted mistress. In the United States, during the gold fever in California, it was common for an adventurer to put both his wife (termed in his absence a GRASS-WIDOW) and his children to school during his absence. Also a married woman, resident in England, whose husband is in India or the colonies.

~Gravel~, to confound, to bother; “I’m GRAVELLED,” _i.e._, perplexed or confused.—_Old._ Also, to prostrate, to beat to the ground.

~Gravel-rash~, a scratched face,—telling its tale of a drunken fall. A person subject to this is called a GRAVEL-GRINDER.

~Gravesend sweetmeats~, shrimps. GRAVESEND TWINS are solid particles of sewage.

~Gray~, a halfpenny, with either two “heads” or two “tails”—both sides alike. They are used for cheating the unwary at “Tommy Dodd,” or pitch and toss. They are often “rung in” with a victim’s own money, so that the caller of “heads” or “tails” cannot lose. Thus if A has to call, he or a confederate manages to mix the selected GRAYS with B’s tossing halfpence. There are various and almost obvious uses for them.

~Gray-coat parson~, a lay impropriator, or lessee of great tithes.

~Gray mare~, a wife who “wears the breeches.” From an old story in which the point is to show that the “GRAY MARE,” the wife’s choice, “is the better horse,” and by parity of reasoning that the wife is superior to the husband.

~Grays~, or SCOTCH GRAYS, lice. These pretty little things are called by many names, among others by those of GRAY-BACKS, and GOLD-BACKED UNS, which are popular among those who have most interest in the matter.

~Grease spot~, a minute remnant, humorously the only distinguishable remains of an antagonist after a terrific contest.

~Greasing~, bribing. Sometimes called “GREASING the palm” of a man’s hand.

~Grecian bend~, modern milliner slang for an exaggerated bustle, the effect of which is generally assisted by unnaturally high-heeled boots.

~Greek~, a wide-awake fellow, a sharper.

~Greek kalends~, an expression signifying an indefinite period; never. Term used in making promises never intended to be carried out. The Greeks had no KALENDS.

~Greeks~, the low Irish. St. Giles’s GREEK, slang or cant language. Cotgrave gives merrie GREEK as a definition for a roystering fellow, a drunkard. The GREEKS have always been regarded as a jolly, luxurious race; so much so, that the Latins employed the verb _Græcari_ (lit. to play the GREEK) to designate fine living and free potations, a sense in which Horace frequently uses it; while Shakspeare often mentions the merry GREEKS; and “as merry as a grig” (or GREEK) was long a favourite allusion in old English authors. It is said by some that grig is in this sense intended to represent the small eel of that name which from its lively movements is supposed to be always merry; while others incline to the belief that the cricket, which is also in some parts of the provinces known as a grig, is meant. Readers may take their choice.

~Green~, ignorant, not wide-awake, inexperienced.—_Shakspeare._ “Do you see any GREEN in my eye?” ironical question in a dispute.

~Greenbacks~, the paper money issued in the United States during the war. The term was at first applied only to the notes for small amounts, which were backed with green, but eventually the one word represented all descriptions of what is now known in America as “currency.”

~Green-horn~, a fresh, simple, or uninitiated person.

~Greenlander~, an inexperienced person, a spoon. Sometimes an Irishman.

~Greenwich goose~, a pensioner of the Naval Hospital.

~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. Romance-reading 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, (γύψ), 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.

~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 homœopathy 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.

~Half-rocked~, silly, half-witted. Derived from a vulgar idea that in the Westcountry children are nursed in a peculiar manner, which in afterlife affects 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. If 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.

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. The 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 fighting-man 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,” _i.e._, a man to whom any change must be for the better.

~Hangman’s wages~, thirteenpence halfpenny.—_Old. 17th century._

“’Sfoot, what a witty rogue was this to leave this fair
thirteenpence halfpenny, and this old halter,” intimating aptly—

“Had the hangman met us there, by these presages
Here had been his work, and here his wages.”

_Match at Midnight._

The clothes of the culprit were also the hangman’s wages. See one of Lord Bacon’s aphorisms, beginning “A cursed page.”

~Hang out~, to reside,—in allusion to the ancient custom of hanging out signs.

~Hang up~, to rob with violence, to garrotte. Most likely from throttling associations in connexion with the practice of garrotting.

~Hannah~, “that’s the man as married HANNAH,” a Salopian phrase to express a matter begun or ended satisfactorily. Meaning actually, “that’s the thing.”

~Hansel~, or HANDSEL, the lucky money, or first money taken in the morning by a pedlar.—_Cocker’s Dictionary_, 1724. “Legs of mutton (street term for sheep’s trotters, or feet) two for a penny; who’ll give me a HANSEL? who’ll give me a HANSEL?” Hence, earnest money, first-fruits, &c. In Norfolk, HANSELLING a thing is using it for the first time, as wearing a new coat, taking seisin of it, as it were. Danish, HANDSEL; _Anglo-Saxon_, HANDSELEN.

~Ha’porth o’ coppers~, Habeas Corpus.—_Legal slang._

~Ha’porth o’ liveliness~, the music at a low concert, or theatre. Also a dilatory person.

~Happy-go-lucky~, careless, indifferent as to the favours or reverses of fortune.

~Haramzadeh~, a very general Indian term of contempt, signifying base-born.—_Anglo-Indian._

~Hard lines~, hardship, difficulty. Soldiers’ term for hard duty on the lines in front of the enemy. LINES was formerly synonymous with _Lot_, _see_ Ps. xvi. 6.—_Bible version_—“The LINES are fallen unto me in pleasant places;” _Prayer-Book do._—“The LOT is fallen unto me in a fair ground.”

~Hard mouthed un~, any one difficult to deal with, a sharp bargainer, an obstinate person. Derivation obvious.

~Hard tack~, ship biscuits. This is a term used by sailors to distinguish their ordinary sea-bread from that obtained on shore, which is called soft TACK, or soft tommy. HARD TACK is also a phrase used by the London lower classes to signify coarse or insufficient food.

~Hard-up~, a cigar-end finder, who collects the refuse pieces of smoked cigars from the gutter, and having dried them, smokes them, or sells them as tobacco to the very poor. _See_ TOPPER.

~Hard-up~, in distress, poverty-stricken.—_Sea._

~Hardy~, a stone.—_North._

~Harebrained~, reckless, unthinking.

~Harry~, or OLD HARRY, (_i.e._, Old Hairy?) the Devil; “to play OLD HARRY with one,” _i.e._, ruin or annoy him.

~Harry-soph~, (ἐρίσοφος, very wise indeed), a student of law or physic at Cambridge who, being of the same standing as the students in arts in his year, is allowed to wear a full-sleeved gown when they assume their B.A. gowns, though he does not obtain his actual degree so soon. An undergraduate in his last year is a Senior Soph, in his last term a Questionist.

~Harum-scarum~, wild, dissipated, reckless; four horses driven in a line. This is also called SUICIDE. _See_ TANDEM, RANDEM, UNICORN, &c.

~Hash~, a mess, confusion; “a pretty HASH he made of it;” to HASH UP, to jumble together without order or regularity. The term also occurs in the phrase “to settle his HASH,” which is equivalent to “give him his gruel,” or “cook his goose,” _i.e._, to kill him.

~Hatchet~, “to throw the HATCHET,” to tell lies. Same as “to draw the long bow.”

~Hatchet~, “to sling the HATCHET,” to skulk.—_Sea._

~Hawbuck~, a vulgar, ignorant, country fellow, but one remove from the clodpole.

~Hawse holes~, the apertures in a ship’s bows through which the cables pass; “he has crept in through the HAWSE-HOLES,” said of an officer who has risen from the grade of an ordinary seaman, whose original position in the vessel was forward—before the mast.—_Navy._

~Hay bag~, a woman.

~Haymarket Hectors~, bullies who, in the interest of prostitutes, affect the neighbourhood of Leicester Square and the Haymarket.

~Haze~, to confuse and annoy a subordinate by contradictory, unnecessary, and perplexing orders.

~Hazy~, intoxicated, also dull and stupid.

~Head-beetler~, the bully of the workshop, who lords it over his fellow-workmen by reason of superior strength, skill in fighting, &c. Sometimes applied to the foreman.

~Header~, a plunge head foremost into water, or a fall in the same posture from accident. Nowadays a theatrical expression for any supposedly daring jump of hero or heroine in sensational dramas.

~Head or tail~, “I can’t make HEAD OR TAIL of it,” _i.e._, cannot make it out. Originally a gambling phrase.

~Head-rails~, the teeth.—_Sea._

~Head-serag~, a master, overseer, or other important personage; from SERANG, a boatswain.—_Bengalee_, and _Sea_.

~Heap~, “a HEAP of people,” a crowd; “struck all of a HEAP,” suddenly astonished.

~Heat~, a bout, or turn, in horse or foot racing. By means of heats the field is gradually reduced.

~Heavy dragoons~, bugs, in contradistinction from fleas, which are “light infantry.”—_Oxford University._

~Heavy wet~, malt liquor—because the more a man drinks of it, the heavier and more stupid he becomes.

~Hedge~, to get away from any dangerous spot. “We saw the slop coming, and HEDGED at once.”

~Hedge~, to secure oneself from loss over one bet by making others. HEDGING, as a system of betting, is entirely dependent upon what happens in the market after a horse has been backed. From information, or good judgment, a backer selects, say, three horses, A, B, and C, whom he thinks likely to advance in the betting, and takes 50 to 1—say £1000 to £20—against each of them. As the race-day approaches the horse A may fall out of the betting, from accident or other cause, and have to be written off as a dead loss of £20. But the other two horses, as anticipated, improve in public favour, and the backer, who now becomes a HEDGER, succeeds in laying 5 to 1—say £500 to £100—against B, and 2 to 1—say 500 to £250—against C. The account then stands thus:—A is a certain loss of £20; but if B wins, the HEDGER will receive £1000 and pay £500; balance in favour, £500. If B loses, the HEDGER will receive £100 and pay £20; balance in favour, £80. If C wins, the hedger will receive £1000 and pay £500; balance in favour, £500. If C loses, the HEDGER will receive £250 and pay £20; balance in favour, £230. Deducting, then, the loss of £20 on A, the HEDGER’S winnings will be considerable; and he cannot lose, providing his information or judgment lead to the required result. It must be borne in mind that very often a man who feels inclined to go in for a HEDGING speculation, may back half a dozen horses, not one of which sees a short price or goes to the post; besides which it must never be forgotten, that, however well turf speculations may look on paper, they are subject to the contingency of the bets being honourably paid on settling-day—the Monday after a race—when unfortunately there are often more “receivers” than “payers” at the clubs. However, turf transactions are among professionals conducted at least as honourably as are any other business matters; and it is only the fledgling swell, to whom the Legislature gives special opportunities of losing his money, who is generally _non est_ when paytime comes. “The Druid” in _Post and Paddock_ has remarked:—

“The term HEDGING has been quite superseded by “laying off;” and we
had, in fact, quite forgotten it till we saw it stated in the papers
lately, by a clergyman, who did not answer a question on doctrine as
the Bishop of Exeter exactly liked, that his lordship addressed him
to this effect: ‘You are HEDGING, sir; you are HEDGING!’”

Usually correct as “The Druid” was, he seems to have fallen into an error here, as HEDGING, and “laying off,” have been exchangeable terms, as far as the oldest turfite can say. It should be remembered that HEDGING is generally done with the man who has originally laid the odds; for as a natural consequence, when the backer finds it convenient to hedge, the layer finds it equally so to back the horse back,—the first loss being considered always the best by bookmakers who _are_ bookmakers. Besides which, the layer has generally a lot of “dead money”—money to the good over horses he has laid against, which have since been struck out—and this he profitably expends in backing certain horses back for the purpose of levelling up the book.

~Hedge-popping~, shooting small birds about the hedges, as boys do; unsportsmanlike kind of shooting.

~Heel-tap~, the small quantity of wine or other beverage left in the bottom of a glass, considered as a sign that the liquor is not liked, and therefore unfriendly and unsocial to the host and the company. _See_ DAY-LIGHT.

~Heigh-ho!~ a cant term for stolen yarn, from the expression used to apprize the dishonest shopkeeper that the speaker had stolen yarn to sell.—_Norwich Cant._

~Hell~, a fashionable gambling-house. Small places of this kind are called “silver hells.” Reason obvious.

~Hell and Tommy~, utter destruction.

~Helter-skelter~, anyhow, without regard to order or precedence.

~Hempen cravat~, the hangman’s noose.

~Hen and Chickens~, large and small pewter pots.

~Hen-pecked~, said of one whose wife “wears the breeches.” From the action of the hen in paired cage-birds.

~Herring-pond~, the sea; “to be sent across the HERRING-POND,” to be transported.

~Hiding~, a thrashing. Webster gives this word, but not its root, HIDE, to beat, to flay by whipping. Most likely from the part attacked. The threat of thrashing is sometimes conveyed thus:—“I’ll tan (or dress) your HIDE.”

~Higgledy-piggledy~, confusedly, all together,—as pigs lie.

~High and dry~, an epithet applied to the _soi-disant_ “orthodox” clergy of the last century, for whom, while ill-paid curates did the work, the comforts of the Establishment were its greatest charms.

“Wherein are various ranks, and due degrees,
The Bench for honour, and the Stall for ease.”

Though often confounded with, they are utterly dissimilar to, the modern High Church or Anglo-Catholic party, who now receive the title at times; while their opponents receive the corresponding appellation of “Low and Slow,” and the so-called “Broad Church” is defined with equal felicity as the “Broad and Shallow.” Humourists have divided these three portions of one Church into Attitudinarians, Platitudinarians, and Latitudinarians.

~High Church~, term used in contradistinction from “Low Church.”

~Highfalutin’~, showy, affected, tinselled, affecting certain pompous or fashionable airs, stuck up; “come, none of yer HIGHFALUTIN’ games,” _i.e._, you must not show off or imitate the swell here.—_American_ slang, now common in Liverpool and the East-end of London. From the _Dutch_, VERLOOTEN. Used generally now in the sense of fustian, high-sounding, unmeaning eloquence, bombast.

~High-flier~, anything above the common order. Apt students, fast coaches, and special trains are sufficient instances of the extreme openness of the qualification.

~High-fly~, “ON THE HIGH-FLY,” on the genteel or letter-bearing begging system.

~High-flyer~, a genteel beggar or swindler. A begging-letter impostor.

~High-flyer~, a large swing, in frames, at fairs and races. The first fast coaches were called high-flyers on account of their desperate speed.

~High jinks~, “ON THE HIGH JINKS,” taking up an arrogant position, assuming an undue superiority. Scott explains this game in _Guy Mannering_. Nowadays HIGH JINKS is often used to mean a jollification.

~High-lows~, laced boots reaching a trifle higher than ankle-jacks.

~High-strikes~, corruption of _Hysterics_.

~Hipped~, bored, offended, crossed, low-spirited, &c. This may have been originally hypped, and have had some connexion with hypochondriacal affections.

~Hitched~, an Americanism for married. From the word HITCH, used in America in the sense of to harness.

~Hittite~, a facetious sporting term for a prize-fighter. Derived from the Bible.

~Hivite~, a student of St. Begh’s College, Cumberland, which is pronounced and generally written St. Bee’s. Literally, Hive-ite.

~Hoax~, to deceive, or ridicule,—Grose says this was originally a University cant word. Corruption of HOCUS, to cheat.

~Hob and nob~, to act in concert with another; to lay “heads together;” to touch glasses in drinking; to fraternize in a convivial meeting or merry-making. Originally meaning “foot and head,”—the touching of the top of one glass with the bottom of another, and then reversing the order. Nowadays it means simply to clink glasses together as a salutation before imbibing.

~Hobbadehoy~, a youth who has ceased to regard himself as a boy, and is not yet regarded as a man.

~Hobble~, trouble of any kind. A man is said to be in a HOBBLE when he has offended the proprieties in any way, “from pitch and toss to manslaughter.”

~Hobbled~, committed for trial; properly said of animals fed by the wayside, with their forelegs fastened together. Hence people who gather burdens about them are said to get into HOBBLES.

~Hob Collingwood~, according to Brockett, a north country term for the four of hearts, considered an unlucky card.

~Hobson’s choice~, “this or none.” Hobson was a carrier at Cambridge, and also a letter-out of horses for hire; and is said to have always compelled his customers to take the horse that stood in the stall next the stable-door or none at all. He was a benefactor to the town, and Hobson’s Conduit still stands as a memorial of him.

~Hock-dockies~, shoes.

~Hocks~, the feet and ankles; CURBY HOCKS, round or clumsy feet and ankles. Term originating with horsey men.

~Hocus~, to drug a person for purposes of robbery. The potion generally consists of snuff and beer among rogues of the lowest class, and is by them called “snuffing a bloke;” or sometimes, when the drug is administered to a woman for purposes other than those of robbery, “snuffing a blowen.”

~Hocus pocus~, gipsy words of magic, similar to the modern “presto fly.” The gipsies pronounce “_Habeas Corpus_,” HAWCUS PACCUS (_see_ Crabb’s _Gipsies’ Advocate_, p. 18); can this have anything to do with the origin of HOCUS POCUS? Turner gives OCHUS BOCHUS, an old demon. Pegge, however, states that it is a burlesque rendering of the words of the Roman Catholic Church service at the delivery of the host, HOC EST CORPUS, which the early Protestants considered as a species of conjuring, and ridiculed accordingly.

~Hodge~, a countryman or provincial clown. Most country districts in England have one or more families in the name of HODGE; indeed, GILES and HODGE appear to be the favourite hobnail nomenclature. HODGE is said to be simply an abbreviation of Roger.

~Hog~, a shilling.—_Old Cant._

~Hog~, “to go the whole HOG;” “the whole HOG or none,” to do anything with a person’s entire strength, not “by halves;” realized by the phrase “in for a penny in for a pound.” Bartlett claims this to be a pure American phrase; whilst Ker, of course, gives it a Dutch origin.—_Old._ “To go the whole HOG” is frequently altered by those people who believe there is wit in circumlocution, into “the entire animal,” or “the complete swine!”

~Hoga~, do. “That wont HOGA,” _i.e._, that wont do, is one of the very commonest of the Anglo-Indian slang phrases.

~Hogmagundy~, the process by which the population is increased.

“There’s many a job that day begun
That ends in Hogmagundy.”—_Burns._

~Hogmany night~, New Year’s Eve, when presents are solicited by the young folk.—_Scotch._

~Hogo~, a tremendous stench. From _haut goût_. Now often pronounced FOGO.

~Hoisting~, shoplifting.

~Hold hard~, an exclamation made when a sudden stoppage is desired. Originally an expression used in riding or driving, now general.

~Hollow~, “to beat HOLLOW,” to excel.

~Holy Joe~, a sea-term for a parson.

~Holy Land~, a very old term for the Seven Dials,—where St. Giles’s Greek is spoken.

~Homo~, a man. _Lingua Franca_; but _see_ OMEE, the more usual Cockney pronunciation.

~Hondey~, a Manchester name for an omnibus, and the abbreviation of HONDEYBUSH, the original Lancashire pronunciation of the word.

~Honest Shilling~, a shilling earned by a process actually immoral, but not positively illegal. The money earned by a prostitute is said to be honest, as distinguished from that obtained by a thief. Probably from the story of the converted burglar, who determined to sin no more himself, and who lectured against dishonesty, but sent his wife out regularly every evening with instructions to earn an HONEST SHILLING.

~Honey blobs~, a Scotch term for large ripe, yellow gooseberries.

~Honour bright~, an asseveration which means literally, “by my honour, which is bright and unsullied.” It is often still further curtailed to “HONOUR!” only.

~Hook~, an expression at Oxford, implying doubt, either connected with Hookey Walker, or with a note of interrogation (?) “Yes, with a HOOK at the end of it!” _i.e._, with some reservation, generally that of doubt, by the speaker.

~Hook~, to steal or rob. _See_ the following.

~Hook or by crook~, by fair means or foul—in allusion to the hook with which footpads used to steal from open windows, &c., and from which HOOK, to take or steal, has been derived. Mentioned in _Hudibras_ as a cant term.

~Hook it~, “get out of the way,” or “be off about your business;” generally varied by “take your HOOK.” “To HOOK it,” to run away, to decamp; “on one’s own HOOK,” dependent upon one’s own exertions. Originally connected with the preceding, but now perfectly “on its own HOOK.”

~Hookey walker!~ ejaculation of incredulity, usually shortened to WALKER!—which _see_.

~Hooks~, “dropped off the HOOKS,” said of a deceased person—possibly derived from the ancient practice of suspending on hooks the quarters of a traitor or felon sentenced by the old law to be hung, drawn, and quartered, which dropped off the hooks as they decayed.

~Hook um snivey~ (formerly “HOOK and SNIVEY”), a low expression, meaning to cheat by feigning sickness or other means. Also a piece of thick iron wire crooked at one end, and fastened into a wooden handle, for the purpose of undoing from the outside the wooden bolt of a door. Sometimes used as an irrelevant answer by street boys. As, “who did that?”—“HOOK UM SNIVEY”—actually no one.

~Hop~, a dance.—_Fashionable slang._

~Hop merchant~, a dancing master.

~Hop o’ my thumb~, an undersized person. From the story of that name. Portion of a set of phrases established for the benefit of the small, in which Tomtit, Little Breeches, Daniel Lambert, Sixfoot, Twentystun, &c., play a prominent part.

~Hopping Giles~, a cripple. St. Ægidius or Giles, himself similarly afflicted, was the patron saint of lazars and cripples. The ancient lazar houses were dedicated to him.

~Hoppo~, custom-house officer, or custom-house. Almost anything connected with custom-house business.—_Anglo-Chinese._

~Hop the twig~, to run away; also, a flippant expression meaning to die. Many similar phrases are used by the thoughtless and jocose, as “laying down one’s knife and fork,” “pegging out,” from the game of cribbage, and “snuffing it.” A new form of this phraseology is to say that a man has “given up” or “given in.”

~Hornswoggle~, nonsense, humbug. Believed to be of American origin.

~Horrors~, the low spirits, or “blue devils,” which follow intoxication. Incipient _del. trem._

~Horse~, contraction of Horsemonger-Lane Gaol, also a slang term for a five-pound note.

~Horse~, to flog. From the old wooden horse or flogging-stool.

~Horsebreaker.~ _See_ PRETTY HORSEBREAKER.

~Horse chaunter~, a dealer who takes worthless horses to country fairs and disposes of them by artifice. He is generally an unprincipled fellow, and will put in a glass eye, fill a beast with shot, plug him with ginger, or in fact do anything so that he sells to advantage. _See_ COPER.

~Horse marine~, an awkward person. In ancient times the “jollies,” or Royal Marines, were the butts of the sailors, from their ignorance of seamanship. “Tell that to the MARINES, the blue jackets wont believe it!” was a common rejoinder to a “stiff yarn.” A HORSE MARINE (an impossibility) was used to denote one more awkward even than an ordinary “jolly.” Nowadays the MARINES are deservedly appreciated as one of the finest regiments in the service.

~Horse nails.~ At the game of cribbage, when a player finds it his policy to keep his antagonist back, rather than push himself forward, and plays accordingly, he is sometimes said “to feed his opponent on HORSE NAILS.”

~Horse nails~, money.—_Compare_ BRADS.

~Horse’s nightcap~, a halter; “to die in a HORSE’S NIGHTCAP,” to be hanged.

~Horsey~, like a groom or jockey. Applied also to persons who affect the turf in dress or conversation.

~Hot coppers~, the feverish sensations experienced in the morning by those who have been drunk over-night.

~Hot tiger~, an Oxford mixture of hot-spiced ale and sherry.

~House of Commons~, a humorous term for the closet of decency.

~Houses;~ “safe as HOUSES,” an expression to satisfy a doubting person; “Oh! it’s as safe as HOUSES,” _i.e._, perfectly safe, apparently in allusion to the paying character of house property as an investment. It is said the phrase originated when the railway bubbles began to burst, and when people began to turn their attention to the more ancient forms of speculation, which though slow were sure.

~Housewarming~, the first friendly gathering in a new or freshly-occupied house.

~How-came-you-so?~ intoxicated.

~How much?~ A facetious way of asking for an explanation of any difficult or pedantic expression. “Why don’t you cook your potatoes in an anhydrohepsaterion?” A waggish listener might be excused for asking, “An anhydro—HOW MUCH!”

~How’s your poor feet?~ an idiotic street cry with no meaning, much in vogue a few years back.

~Hoxter~, an inside pocket.—_Old English_, OXTER. Probably the low slang word HUXTER, money, is derived from this. OXTER is, among the Irish, an armpit.

~Hubble bubble~, the Indian pipe termed a hookah is thus designated, from the noise it makes when being smoked.

~Huey~, a town or village.—_Tramps’ term._

~Huff~, a dodge or trick; “don’t try that HUFF on me,” or “that HUFF wont do.” Also a term in the game of draughts,—the penalty for failing to take an opponent’s piece when an opportunity occurs.

~Huff~, to vex, to offend; a poor temper. HUFFY, easily offended. HUFFED, annoyed, offended. Some folk are tersely and truly described as easily HUFFED.

~Hugger-mugger~, underhand, sneaking. Also, “in a state of HUGGER-MUGGER” means to be muddled.

~Hulk~, to hang about in hopes of an invitation. _See_ MOOCH.

~Hulky~, extra-sized.—_Shropshire._ From this and from hulk we probably get our adjective HULKING, as applied to the great lazy ruffians who infest low neighbourhoods.

~Hum and haw~, to hesitate, or raise objections.—_Old English._

~Humble pie~, to “eat HUMBLE PIE,” to knock under, to be submissive. The UMBLES, or entrails, and other unprime parts of a deer, were anciently made into a dish for servants, while their masters feasted off the haunch.

~Hum-box~, a pulpit. This is a very old term.

~Humbug~, an imposition, or a person who imposes upon others. A very expressive but slang word, synonymous at one time with HUM AND HAW. Lexicographers for a long time objected to the adoption of this term. Richardson uses it frequently to express the meaning of other words, but, strange to say, omits it in the alphabetical arrangement as unworthy of recognition! In the first edition of this work, 1785 was given as the earliest date at which the word could be found in a printed book. Since then HUMBUG has been traced half a century further back, on the title-page of a singular old jest-book—“_The Universal Jester_; or a pocket companion for the Wits: being a choice collection of merry conceits, facetious drolleries, &c., clenchers, closers, closures, bon-mots, and HUMBUGS,” by Ferdinando Killigrew. London, about 1735-40.

The notorious Orator Henley was known to the mob as ORATOR HUMBUG. The fact may be learned from an illustration in that exceedingly curious little collection of _Caricatures_, published in 1757, many of which were sketched by Lord Bolingbroke—Horace Walpole filling in the names and explanations. Halliwell describes HUMBUG as “a person who hums,” and cites Dean Milles’s MS., which was written about 1760. In the last century, the game now known as double-dummy was termed HUMBUG. Lookup, a notorious gambler, was struck down by apoplexy when playing at this game. On the circumstance being reported to Foote, the wit said—“Ah, I always thought he would be HUMBUGGED out of the world at last!” It has been stated that the word is a corruption of Hamburgh, from which town so many false bulletins and reports came during the war in the last century. “Oh, that is _Hamburgh_ [or HUMBUG],” was the answer to any fresh piece of news which smacked of improbability. Grose mentions it in his Dictionary, 1785; and in a little printed squib, published in 1808, entitled _Bath Characters_, by T. Goosequill, HUMBUG is thus mentioned in a comical couplet on the title-page:—

“Wee Thre Bath Deities bee,
HUMBUG, Follie, and Varietee.”

Gradually from this time the word began to assume a place in periodical literature, and in novels written by not over-precise authors. In the preface to a flat, and most likely unprofitable poem, entitled, _The Reign of HUMBUG, a Satire_, 8vo, 1836, the author thus apologizes for the use of the word:—“I have used the term HUMBUG to designate this principle [wretched sophistry of life generally], considering that, it is now adopted into our language as much as the words dunce, jockey, cheat, swindler, &c., which were formerly only colloquial terms.” A correspondent, who in a number of _Adversaria_ ingeniously traced bombast to the inflated Doctor Paracelsus Bombast, considers that HUMBUG may, in like manner, be derived from Homberg, the distinguished chemist of the court of the Duke of Orleans, who, according to the following passage from Bishop Berkeley’s _Siris_, was an ardent and successful seeker after the philosopher’s stone!