cathedral
Old-fashioned. An old cathedral-bedstead, chair, &c.
English · UK & Ireland 1488
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Where will you be? Anywhere UK & IrelandUnited StatesOnline slangBusiness jargon
Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
cats and dogs
It is said to rain cats and dogs when a shower is exceptionally heavy. Probably in ridicule of the remarkable showers which used to find their way into the papers during the "silly season."
cattle
Sad cattle: whores or gypsies. Black cattle, bugs. CANT.
cattle
A term of contempt applied to the mob, or to a lot of lazy, helpless servants.
cat’s-meat
A coarse term for the lungs—the "lights" or lungs of animals being usually sold to feed cats.
cat’s-paw
A dupe or tool. From the old story of the monkey who used the cat’s-paw to remove his roast chestnuts from the fire. A sea term, meaning light and occasional breezes occurring in calm weather.
caucus
A private meeting held for the purpose of concerting measures, agreeing upon candidates for office before an election, &c. This is an American term, and a corruption of CAULKER’S MEETING, being derived from an association of the shipping interest at Boston, previous to the War of Independence, who were very active in getting up opposition to England.—See Pickering’s Vocabulary.
cauliflower
A large white wig, such as is commonly worn by the dignified clergy, and was formerly by physicians. Also the private parts of a woman; the reason for which appellation is given in the following story: A woman, who was giving evidence in a cause wherein it was necessary to express those parts, made use of the term cauliflower; for which the judge on the bench, a peevish old fellow, reproved her, saying she might as well call it artichoke.
caulk
To take a surreptitious nap; sleep generally, from the ordinary meaning of the term; stopping leaks, repairing damages, so as to come out as good as new.—Sea term.
caulker
A dram. The term "caulker" is usually applied to a stiff glass of grog—preferably brandy—finishing the potations of the evening. See WHITEWASH.
caution
Anything out of the common way. "He’s a CAUTION," is said of an obdurate or argumentative man. The phrase is also used in many ways in reference to places and things.
cautions
The four cautions: I. Beware of a woman before.--II. Beware of a horse behind.--III. Beware of a cart side-ways.--IV. Beware of a priest every way.
cavaulting
A vulgar phrase equivalent to "horsing." The Italian CAVALLINO, signifies a rake or debauchee.—Lingua Franca, CAVOLTA. From this comes the Americanism "cavorting," running or riding round in a heedless or purposeless manner.
cave
Or CAVE IN, to submit, shut up.—American. Metaphor taken from the sinking of an abandoned mining shaft.
caxon
An old weather-beaten wig.
chafed
Well beaten; from CHAUFFE, warmed.
chaff
To gammon, joke, quiz, or praise ironically. Originally "to queer" represented our modern word "CHAFF." CHAFF-bone, the jaw-bone.—Yorkshire. CHAFF, jesting. In Anglo-Saxon, CEAF is chaff; and CEAFL, bill, beak, or jaw. In the Ancren Riwle, A.D. 1221, CEAFLE is used in the sense of idle discourse.
chaffer
The mouth; "moisten your CHAFFER," i.e., take something to drink.
chal
Old Romany term for a man; CHIE was the name for a woman.
chalkers
Men of wit, in Ireland, who in the night amuse themselves with cutting inoffensive passengers across the face with a knife. They are somewhat like those facetious gentlemen some time ago known in England by the title of Sweaters and Mohocks.
chalking
The amusement above described.
chalks
"to walk one’s CHALKS," to move off, or run away. An ordeal for drunkenness used on board ship, to see whether the suspected person can walk on a chalked line without overstepping it on either side.
chancery
A pugilistic phrase for difficulties; "to get a man’s head into CHANCERY," i.e., to get an opponent’s head firmly under one’s arm, where it can be pommelled with immense power, and without any possibility of immediate extrication. From the helplessness of a suitor in Chancery. This opportunity was of very rare occurrence when the combatants were at all evenly matched.
change
Small money. The overplus returned after paying for a thing in a round sum. Hence a slang expression used when a person receives a "settler" in the shape of either a repartee or a blow—"Take your CHANGE out of that!"
chap
A fellow; An odd chap; A strange fellow.
chap
A fellow, a boy; "a low CHAP," a low fellow—abbreviation of CHAPMAN, a huckster. Used by Byron in his Critical Remarks.
chapel
A printers’ assembly, held for the purpose of discussing differences between employer and workmen, trade regulations, or other matters. The term is scarcely slang, but some "comps" ask its insertion in this work.
chapel-of-ease
French, CABINET D’AISANCE, a house of office.
chaperon
The cicisbeo, or gentleman usher to a lady; from the French.
characterisms
Or the Modern Age Displayed; being an Attempt to Expose the Pretended Virtues of Both Sexes, 12mo (part i., Ladies; part ii., Gentlemen), E. Owen. 1750.
chariot-buzzing
Picking pockets in an omnibus.
charley
A watchman, a beadle. Almost obsolete now.
charley lancaster
A handkercher,—vulgar pronunciation of handkerchief.
charley-pitcher
A low, cheating gambler.
charlies
A woman’s breasts. Also called dairies and bubbies.
charren
The smoke of Charren.--His eyes water from the smoke of Charren; a man of that place coming out of his house weeping, because his wife had beat him, told his neighbours the smoke had made his eyes water.
chats
Lice, or body vermin. Prov., any small things of the same kind.
chatter box
One whose tongue runs twelve score to the dozen, a chattering man or woman.
chatter broth
Tea. See CAT LAP and SCANDAL BROTH.
chatter-basket
Common term for a prattling child amongst nurses.
chatter-box
An incessant talker or chatterer.
chatts
Lice: perhaps an abbreviation of chattels, lice being the chief live stock of chattels of beggars, gypsies, and the rest of the canting crew. CANT.--Also, according to the canting academy, the gallows.
chatty
A filthy person, one whose clothes are not free from vermin; CHATTY DOSS, a lousy bed. A CHATTY DOSSER or a CRUMMY DOSSER is a filthy tramp or houseless wanderer.
chaunt
To sing the contents of any paper in the streets. CANT, as applied to vulgar language, may have been derived from CHAUNT.
chaunter culls
Grub-street writers, who compose songs, carrols, &c. for ballad-singers. CANT.
chaunters
Those street sellers of ballads, last copies of verses, and other broadsheets, who sang or bawled the contents of their papers. They often termed themselves PAPER WORKERS. Cheap evening papers and private executions have together combined to improve these folks’ occupations off the face of the earth. See HORSE-CHAUNTERS.
chaw
To chew; CHAW UP, to get the better of one, finish him up; CHAWED UP, utterly done for.
chaw bacon
A countryman. A stupid fellow.
chaw over
To repeat one’s words with a view to ridicule.
chaw-bacon
A rustic. Derived from the popular idea that a countryman lives entirely on bread and fat bacon. A country clown, a joskin, a yokel, a clodcrusher. These terms are all exchangeable.
cheap
"doing it on the CHEAP," living economically, or keeping up a showy appearance with very little means.
cheap jacks
Or JOHNS, oratorical hucksters and patterers of hardware, who put an article up at a high price, and then cheapen it by degrees, indulging all the time in volleys of coarse wit, until it becomes to all appearance a bargain, and as such it is bought by one of the crowd. The popular idea is that the inverse method of auctioneering saves them paying for the auction licence.—See DUTCH AUCTION.
cheapside
He came at it by way of Cheapside; he gave little or nothing for it, he bought it cheap.
cheats
Sham sleeves to put over a dirty shift or shirt. See SHAMS.
checks
Counters used in games at cards. In the Pacific States of America a man who is dead is said to have handed (or passed) in his checks. The gamblers there are responsible for many of the colloquialisms current.
chee-chee
This word is used in a rather offensive manner to denote Eurasians, or children by an English father and native mother. It takes its origin in a very common expression of half-caste females, "CHEE-CHEE," equivalent to our Oh, fie!—Nonsense!—For shame!—Anglo-Indian.
cheek
Share or portion; "where’s my CHEEK?" where is my allowance? "All to his own CHEEK," all to himself.
cheeks
Ask cheeks near cunnyborough; the repartee of a St. Gilse's fair one, who bids you ask her backside, anglice her a-se. A like answer is current in France: any one asking the road or distance to Macon, a city near Lyons, would be answered by a French lady of easy virtue, 'Mettez votre nez dans mon cul, & vous serrez dans les Fauxbourgs.'
cheese
Anything good, first-rate in quality, genuine, pleasant, or advantageous, is termed the CHEESE. The London Guide, 1818, says it was from some young fellows translating "c’est une autre CHOSE" into "that is another CHEESE." But the expression CHEESE may be found in the Gipsy vocabulary, and in the Hindostanee and Persian languages. In the last CHIZ means a thing—that is the thing, i.e., the CHEESE.
cheesecutter
A prominent and aquiline nose. Also a large square peak to a cap. Caps fitted with square peaks are called cheesecutter caps.