white feather
He has a white feather; he is a coward; an allusion to a game cock, where having a white feather is a proof he is not of the true game breed.
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Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
white horses
The foam on the crests of waves, seen before or after a storm.
white lie
A small, harmless falsehood told to avoid hurting someone's feelings.
white prop
A diamond pin.—East London.
white satin
a euphemism for a coffin
white serjeant
A man fetched from the tavern or ale-house by his wife, is said to be arrested by the white serjeant.
white swelling
A woman big with child is said to have a white swelling.
white tape
Gin.
white wine
Gin.
white-livered
Cowardly, malicious.
white-livered
Or LIVER-FACED, cowardly, much afraid, very mean.
whitechapel
Whitechapel portion; two smocks, and what nature gave. Whitechapel breed; fat, ragged, and saucy: see ST. GILES'S BREED. Whitechapel beau; one who dresses with a needle and thread, and undresses with a knife. To play at whist Whitechapel fashion; i.e. aces and kings first.
whitechapel
Or WESTMINSTER BROUGHAM, a costermonger’s donkey-barrow.
whitechapel fortune
A clean gown and a pair of pattens.
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.
whitewashed
One who has taken the benefit of an act of insolvency, to defraud his creditors, is said to have been whitewashed.
whitfielite
A follower of George Whitfield, a Methodist.
whither-go-ye
A wife: wives being sometimes apt to question their husbands whither they are going.
whittington's college
Newgate; built or repaired by the famous lord mayor of that name.
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.
whore's bird
A debauched fellow, the largest of all birds. He sings more like a whore's bird than a canary bird; said of one who has a strong manly voice.
whore's curse
A piece of gold coin, value five shillings and three pence, frequently given to women of the town by such as professed always to give gold, and who before the introduction of those pieces always gave half a guinea.
whore-monger
A man that keeps more than one mistress. A country gentleman, who kept a female friend, being reproved by the parson of the parish, and styled a whore-monger, asked the parson whether he had a cheese in his house; and being answered in the affirmative, 'Pray,' says he, 'does that one cheese make you a cheese-monger?'
whow ball
A milk-maid: from their frequent use of the word whow, to make the cow stand still in milking. Ball is the supposed name of the cow.
wibling's witch
The four of clubs: from one James Wibling, who in the reign of King James I. grew rich by private gaming, and was commonly observed to have that card, and never to lose a game but when he had it not.
wicket
A casement; also a little door.
widdle
To shine. See OLIVER.
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.
widow's weeds
Mourning clothes of a peculiar fashion, denoting her state. A grass widow; a discarded mistress. a widow bewitched; a woman whose husband is abroad, and said, but not certainly known, to be dead.
wife
A fetter fixed to one leg.
wife
A fetter fixed to one leg.—Prison.
wife in water colours
A mistress, or concubine; water colours being, like their engagements, easily effaced, or dissolved.
wiffle-woffles
In the dumps, sorrow, stomach-ache.
wig
Move off, go away.—North Country Cant.
wigannowns
A man wearing a large wig.
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.
wigsby
Wigsby; a man wearing a wig.
wild
A village.—Tramps’ term. See VILE.
wild oats
Youthful pranks. A fast young man is said to be "sowing his WILD OATS."
wild rogues
Rogues trained up to stealing from their cradles.
wild-goose chase
A pursuit of something elusive or impossible to catch
william
A bill. The derivation is obvious.
willing tit
A free horse, or a coming girl.
willow
Poor, and of no reputation. To wear the willow; to be abandoned by a lover or mistress.
willow
A cricket-bat. From the material of which it is made. The great batsman, W. G. Grace, is often called "champion of the WILLOW."
wilson
(Professor), contributed various Slang pieces to Blackwood’s Magazine; including a Review of Bee’s Dictionary.
wind
To raise the wind; to procure mony.
wind
"to raise the WIND," to procure money; "to slip one’s WIND," a coarse expression, meaning to die. See RAISE.
wind-mill
The fundament. She has no fortune but her mills; i.e. she has nothing but her **** and a*se.
winder
Transportation for life. The blowen has napped a winder for a lift; the wench is transported for life for stealing in a shop.
windfall
A legacy, or any accidental accession of property.
window peeper
A collector of the window tax.
windows
The eyes, or "peepers."
Windward Passage
The anus.
windy
Foolish. A windy fellow; a simple fellow.
winged
Hurt, but not dangerously, by a bullet. Originally to be shot in the arm or shoulder. To slightly wound birds is to WING them.