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Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
The knees; "I’ll bring him down upon his MARROW BONES," i.e., I’ll make him bend his knees as he does to the Virgin Mary. Supposed to be from Mary Bones, an objectionable term used by the first Protestants in reference to the supposed adoration of the Virgin Mary by Catholics.
The knees. To bring any one down on his marrow bones; to make him beg pardon on his knees: some derive this from Mary's bones, i.e. the bones bent in honour of the Virgin Mary; but this seems rather far-fetched. Marrow bones and cleavers; principal instruments in the band of rough music: these are generally performed on by butchers, on marriages, elections, riding skimmington, and other public or joyous occasions.
A very old term of asseveration, originally (in Popish times) a mode of swearing by the Virgin Mary; q.d., by Mary.
A military term for a strict disciplinarian: from the name of a French general, famous for restoring military discipline to the French army. He first disciplined the French infantry, and regulated their method of encampment: he was killed at the siege of Doesbourg in the year 1672.
A gambling term, which means the doubling of a stake every time you lose; so that when you win once you win back all that you have lost. So called from the fact that, as in all fair games you must win once, you have a safe hold of fortune. The difficulty is to obtain a bank large enough to do this effectively, or having the bank to find any one who will follow you far enough, in a fair game.
The title of the dea ex machinâ evolved from trades-unionism at Sheffield, to the utter destruction of recalcitrant grinders. She is supposed to do all the "blow-ups," steal all the bands, and otherwise terrorize over victims of the union.
One million sterling. See PLUM.
Never mind, no consequence.—Anglo-Chinese.
A sham sore above the elbow, to counterfeit a broken arm by a fall from a scaffold.
When the leader of the House of Commons goes through the doleful operation of devoting to extinction a number of useful measures at the end of the session, for want of time to pass them. Vide Times, 20th July, 1859: Mr. C. Foster, on altering the time of the legislative sessions.—Parliamentary Slang.
One who pawns his clothes to purchase liquor.
The term a coster or low person applies to a friend, partner, or companion; "me and my MATE did so and so," is a common phrase with a low Londoner. Originally a sea term.
A labourer in one of Her Majesty’s dockyards. Common elaboration of the word MATE.
The sugar-stick, or arbor vitae.
Magdalen College, Oxford. This is the old English pronunciation of the word.
Crying drunk: perhaps from Mary Magdalene, called Maudlin, who is always painted in tears.
Extremely drunk, or soundly beaten.
A fist, that with which one strikes as with a mall.—Pugilistic.
To beg; "MAUNDERING on the fly," begging of people in the streets.—Old Cant. MAUNG, to beg, is a term in use amongst the gipsies, and may also be found in the Hindoo vocabulary. MAUND, however, is pure Anglo-Saxon, from MAND, a basket. Compare BEG, which is derived from BAG—a curious parallel.
Asking or begging. CANT:
The mouth; "hold your MAW," cease talking.
A filthy composition, sufficient to provoke vomiting.
A hand. Tip us your mawley; shake hands. with me. Fam the mawley; shake hands.
A hypocrite of the most unpleasant kind. From Bickerstaff’s play of The Hypocrite. Originally a MAWWORM was a worm in the stomach, the thread worm.
Gin; MAX upon tick, gin obtained upon credit.
May bees don't fly all the year long; an answer to any one who prefaces a proposition with, It may be.
(Henry) London Labour and the London Poor, 4 vols. 1851-61.
The platform beneath the stage in large theatres. Probably corruption of Italian, MEZZANINO.
Over-modest or backward in speech.
Soft-spoken, plausible, deceitful. A specious liar is said to be MEALY-MOUTHED.
A term of contempt among negroes, in the old slavery days, for white men without landed property. A white man in the Southern States had no locus standi unless he possessed property, and the blackest of niggers would have felt insulted at any "poor white trash" claiming to be "a man and brother."
Mean, miserable-looking, "seedy;" "what a MEASLEY-looking man!" i.e., what a wretched, unhappy fellow.
The slang used by medical students at the hospitals. At the London University they have a way of disguising English, described by Albert Smith as the Gower Street Dialect, which consists in transposing the initials of words, e.g., "poke a smipe"—smoke a pipe; "flutter-by"—butterfly, &c. This disagreeable nonsense, which has not even the recommendation of a little ability in its composition, is often termed Marrowskying. See GREEK, ST.
A fruit, vulgarly called an open a-se; of which it is more truly than delicately said, that it is never ripe till it is as rotten as a t--d, and then it is not worth a f--t.
A missionary, Chinese pronunciation of the English word.—Anglo-Chinese.
A fat man and woman in the amorous congress.
Men born east of the river Medway, who are said to have met the Conqueror in a body, each carrying a green bough in his hand, the whole appearing like a moving wood; and thereby obtaining a confirmation of their ancient privileges. The inhabitants of Kent are divided into Kentish men and men of Kent. Also a society held at the Fountain Tavern, Bartholomew Lane, A.D. 1743.
Hired bail, so called from having straw stuck in their shoes to distinguish them.
The orchestra of a theatre.—Theatrical.
Odd money remaining after the daily accounts are made up at a railway booking-office,—usually divided among the clerks. See OVERS and SHORTS.
Counterfeit hair for women's privy parts. See BAILEY'S DICT.
A term usually applied to a woman’s privities. Originally false hair for those parts.
A large ship figuring in sailors’ yarns. She was so large that when passing through the Straits of Dover her flying jib-boom knocked down Calais steeple; while, at the same time, the fly of her ensign swept a flock of sheep off Dover cliffs. She was so lofty that a boy who attempted to go to her mast-head found himself a grey old man when he reached the deck again. This yarn is founded on a story in the Scandinavian mythology.
A name given to Eaton Square and neighbourhood when first built. This part was also called Cubitopolis.—Fashionable slang.
To interfere unduly. Costermongers refer to police supervision as MESSING. Among sailors, a dead man is said to have lost the number of his MESS.
A Scotch presbyterian teacher or parson.
One who eats at the same mess, companion or comrade.
A racing bookmaker. Bookmakers use metallic books and pencils.
The semen. To fetch mettle; the act of self pollution. Mettle is also figuratively used for courage.
Hip, Michael, your head's on fire. See HYP.
(Thomas) and ~Decker’s~ (Thomas) Roaring Girl; or Moll Cut Purse, 4to. 1611.
Abbreviation of midshipman.—Naval.
A sheep's heart and pluck.
An Irish hodman, or general labourer.
Second-rate, inferior. See DRAW IT MILD. Also feeble, inefficient, as "a MILD attempt." Weak young men who keep bulldogs, and dress in a "loud" stable style, from a belief that it is very becoming, are sometimes called "MILD bloaters."
A term used in connexion with racing; when a horse is entered in a race for which his owner does not intend him to run, or at all events in which he does not intend him to win, and bets against him, the animal is said to "be MILKED." MILKING, is keeping a horse a favourite, at short odds, for a race in which he has no chance whatever, or in which he will not be allowed to try, for the purpose of laying against him.
Both ends of the busk.
A fight, or set to. Ancient Cant, MYLL, to rob. Probably from the special opportunities afforded to pickpockets when the ring was a "national institution."
To force open the doors of houses in order to rob them.
To drown the MILLER is to put too much water in anything. The phrase was originally "to drown the MILLER’S thumb," or go over the specified mark, i.e., the thumb-mark, in adding water to ardent spirits.