turf
Horse-racing, and betting thereon; "on the TURF," one who occupies himself with race-horse business; said also of a street-walker, or nymph of the pavé.
English · UK & Ireland 17968
All languages English Tiếng Việt
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.
turk
A cruel, hard-hearted man. Turkish treatment; barbarous usage. Turkish shore; Lambeth, Southwark, and Rotherhithe side of the Thames.
turkey merchants
Dealers in plundered or contraband silk. Poulterers are sometimes termed TURKEY MERCHANTS in remembrance of Horne Tooke’s answer to the boys at Eton, who wished in an aristocratic way to know what his father was: "A TURKEY MERCHANT," replied Tooke—his father was a poulterer. TURKEY MERCHANT, also, was formerly slang for a driver of turkeys or geese to market.
turn it up
To quit, change, abscond, or abandon; "Ned has TURNED IT UP," i.e., run away; "I intend TURNING IT UP," i.e., leaving my present abode or employment, or altering my course of life.
turn up
A street fight; a sudden leaving, or making off. An unexpected slice of luck. Among sporting men bookmakers are said to have a TURN UP when an unbacked horse wins.
turn-out
Personal show or appearance; a man with a showy carriage and horses is said to have a good TURN-OUT.
turn-over
An apprentice who finishes with a second master the indentures he commenced with another, who has died or become bankrupt.
turncoat
One who has changed his party from interested motives.
turned over
Remanded by the magistrate or judge for want of evidence.
turned up
Acquitted; discharged.
turnip
An old-fashioned watch, so called from its general appearance, if of silver. Also called "a frying-pan." Old-fashioned gold watches are called "warming-pans."
turnip-pated
White or fair-haired.
turnpike man
A parson; because the clergy collect their tolls at our entrance into and exit from the world.
turnpike sailors
Beggars who go about dressed as sailors. A sarcastic reference to the scene of their chief voyages.
tusheroon
A crown piece, five shillings. Otherwise a bull or cartwheel.
tussle
A row, struggle, fight, or argument.
twaddle
Perplexity, confusion, or any thing else: a fashionable term that for a while succeeded that of BORE. See BORE.
tweague
In a great tweague: in a great passion. Tweaguey; peevish, passionate.
twice-laid
A dish made out of cold fish and potatoes.—Sea. Compare BUBBLE AND SQUEAK, and RESURRECTION PIE.
twiddle poop
An effeminate looking fellow.
twig
Style. Prime TWIG, in good order and high spirits.
twiss
(IRISH) A Jordan, or pot de chambre. A Mr. Richard Twiss having in his "Travels" given a very unfavourable description of the Irish character, the inhabitants of Dublin, byway of revenge, thought proper to christen this utensil by his name--suffice it to say that the baptismal rites were not wanting at the ceremony.
twist
A mixture of half tea and half coffee; likewise brandy, beer, and eggs. A good twist; a good appetite. To twist it down apace; to eat heartily.
twist
Brandy and gin mixed.
All in a twitter; in a fright. Twittering is also the note of some small birds, such as the robin, &c.
"all in a TWITTER," in a fright or fidgety state.
two eighteener
An Americanism for a man or woman of the fastest kind—two minutes eighteen seconds, or close thereabouts, being the fastest time for a mile recorded in connexion with the Transatlantic national sport, trotting. "Two forty on a plank road," a once favourite expression with a similar meaning, derived from a feat of the famous trotting mare Flora Temple, has died out since trotting has become faster, and courses have been prepared on a different principle.
two handed put
The amorous congress.
two thieves beating a rogue
A man beating his hands against his sides to warm himself in cold weather; called also beating the booby, and cuffing Jonas.
two to one
The pawnbroker’s sign of three balls. So called because it is supposed by calculating humourists to be TWO TO ONE against the redemption of a pledged article.
two to one shop
A pawnbroker's: alluding to the three blue balls, the sign of that trade: or perhaps to its being two to one that the goods pledged are never redeemed.
two upon ten
Or TWO PUN’ TEN, an expression used by assistants to each other, in shops, when a customer of suspected honesty makes his appearance. The phrase refers to "two eyes upon ten fingers," shortened as a money term to TWO PUN’ TEN. When a supposed thief is present, one shopman asks the other if that TWO PUN’ (pound) TEN matter was ever settled. The man knows at once what is meant, and keeps a careful watch upon the person being served.
two-eyed-steak
A red-herring or bloater. Otherwise "Billingsgate pheasant."
two-handed
Great. A two-handed fellow or wench; a great strapping man orwoman,
two-handed
Expert at fisticuffs. Ambidextrous generally.
twopenny
The head; "tuck in your TWOPENNY," bend down your head.
twopenny-halfpenny
Paltry, insignificant. A TWOPENNY-HALFPENNY fellow, a not uncommon expression of contempt.
twopenny-hops
Low dancing rooms, the price of admission to which was formerly twopence. The clog hornpipe, the pipe dance, flash jigs, and hornpipes in fetters, à la Jack Sheppard, were the favourite movements, all entered into with great spirit.
tyburn blossom
A young thief or pickpocket, who in time will ripen into fruit borne by the deadly never-green.
tyburn tippet
A halter; see Latimer's sermon before. Edward VI. A. D. 1549.
tyburnia
The Portman and Grosvenor Square district. It is facetiously divided by the Londoners into "Tyburnia Felix," "Tyburnia Deserta," and "Tyburnia Snobbica." The old gallows at Tyburn stood near the N.E. corner of Hyde Park, at the angle formed by the Edgware Road and the top of Oxford Street. In 1778 this was two miles out of London.
tye
Or TIE, a neckerchief. Proper hosiers’ term now, but slang thirty years ago, and as early as 1718.
tyke
A dog, also a clown; a Yorkshire tyke.
tyke
A Yorkshireman. Term used by themselves, as well as by Southerners, in reference to them.
u.p
United Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
ugly
Wicked, malicious, resentful.—American.
ullages
The wine of all sorts left in the bottoms of glasses at a public dinner. This is emptied into a measure, and drunk behind the screen or in any convenient place by the waiters, which accounts for their stony glare and fishy appearance late in the evening. Maybe from Lat. ULLUS, any.
uncle
Mine uncle's; a necessary house. He is gone to visit his uncle; saying of one who leaves his wife soon after marriage. It likewise means a pawnbroker's: goods pawned are frequently said to be at mine uncle's, or laid up in lavender.
uncle
The pawnbroker. See MY UNCLE.
understandings
The feet or boots. Men who wear exceptionally large or thick boots, are said to possess good UNDERSTANDINGS.
understrapper
An inferior in any office, or department.
understudy
To STUDY a part for the stage, not with the view of playing it at once, but so as to be ready in the event of anything happening to its present representative. Some actors of position, who suffer from delicate health, or mental weakness, have always other and inferior, but more robust, artists UNDERSTUDYING their parts.
unfortunate
A modern euphuism for a prostitute, derived from Thomas Hood’s beautiful poem of The Bridge of Sighs:—
unfortunate gentlemen
The horse guards, who thus named themselves in Germany, where a general officer seeing them very awkward in bundling up their forage, asked what the devil they were; to which some of them answered, unfortunate gentlemen.
unfortunate women
Prostitutes: so termed by the virtuous and compassionate of their own sex.
ungrateful man
A parson, who at least once a week abuses his best benefactor, i.e. the devil.
unicorn
A coach drawn by three horses.
unicorn
A style of driving with two wheelers abreast and one leader—termed in the United States a "spike team." "Tandem" is one wheeler and one leader. "Random," three horses in line. "Manchester" means three horses abreast. See HARUM-SCARUM.
unlicked
Ill-trained, uncouth, rude, and rough; an "UNLICKED cub" is a loutish youth who has never been taught manners; from the tradition that a bear’s cub, when brought into the world, has no shape or symmetry until its dam licks it into form with her tongue. Possibly said of a boy who has been petted, i.e., who has been insufficiently thrashed or licked. Case of spared rod and spoilt child.
unlicked cub
A rude uncouth young fellow.
Advertisement
Ad space — ads help keep Idiomer free. Premium will remove them.