brief
A pawnbroker’s duplicate; a raffle card, or a ticket of any kind.
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Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
brim
(Abbreviation of Brimstone.) An abandoned woman; perhaps originally only a passionate or irascible woman, compared to brimstone for its inflammability.
brim
A violent irascible woman, as inflammable and unpleasant as brimstone, from which the word is contracted.
briney
The sea. A "dip in the BRINEY" once a year is a great attraction to Cockney excursionists. A story is told of one excursionist saying to another, as they stripped in a double machine, "Why, ’Arry, what dirty feet you’ve got!" "’Ave I; well yer see I wasn’t down last year."
bring-up
Or BRING-TO, to stop suddenly, as a team of horses or a vessel. To BRING-UP also means to feed, clothe, and educate a child. To BRING-UP by hand is to bring up a newly-born child or animal without assistance from the natural fount.
brisket beater
A Roman catholic. SEE BREAST FLEET, and CRAW THUMPER.
bristol man
The son of an Irish thief and a Welch whore.
bristol milk
A Spanish wine called sherry, much drunk at that place, particularly in the morning.
broad and shallow
Lacking depth or detail, but covering a wide range of topics
broad-brim
Originally applied to a Quaker only, but now used in reference to all quiet, sedate, respectable old men.
broad-cooper
A person employed by brewers to negotiate with publicans.
broad-faking
Playing at cards. Generally used to denote "work" of the three-card and kindred descriptions.
broad-fencer
A "k’rect card" seller at races.
broads
Cards. BROADSMAN, a card-sharper. See BROAD-FAKING.
broadway swell
A New York term for a great dandy, Broadway being the principal promenade in the "Empire City."
broady
Cloth. Evidently a corruption of broadcloth. BROADY workers are men who go round selling vile shoddy stuff under the pretence that it is excellent material, which has been "got on the cross," i.e. stolen.
broganier
One who has a strong Irish pronunciation or accent.
brogue
A particular kind of shoe without a heel, worn in Ireland, and figuratively used to signify the Irish accent.
brolly
An umbrella. Term used at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
brome’s
(Rich.) Joviall Crew; or, The Merry Beggars. Presented in a Comedie at the Cockpit, in Drury Lane, in the Year (4to) 1652.
brosier
A bankrupt.—Cheshire. BROSIER-MY-DAME, school term, implying a clearing of the housekeeper’s larder of provisions, in revenge for stinginess.—Eton.
broth of a boy
An Irish term for a jolly good fellow.
brother of the blade
A soldier BUSKIN. A player. BUNG. A brewer QUILL. An author. STRING. A fiddler. WHIP. A coachman.
brother starling
One who lies with the same woman, that is, builds in the same nest.
brother-chip
Originally fellow carpenter. Almost general now as brother tradesman of any kind. Also, BROTHER-WHIP, a fellow coachman; and BROTHER-BLADE, of the same occupation or calling—originally a fellow-soldier.
brother-smut
A term of familiarity. "Ditto, BROTHER SMUT," tu quoque.
broughtonian
A boxer: a disciple of Broughton, who was a beef-eater, and once the best boxer of his day.
brown
A halfpenny.—See BLUNT.
brown bess
A soldier's firelock. To hug brown Bess; to carry a firelock, or serve as a private soldier.
brown george
An ammunition loaf, A wig without powder; similar to the undress wig worn by his majesty.
brown study
a state of deep thought or daydreaming
brown talk
Conversation of an exceedingly proper character, Quakerish. Compare BLUE.
brown to
To understand, to comprehend.
brown’s
(Rev. Hugh Stowell) Lecture on Manliness, 12mo. 1857.
bruiser
A boxer; one skilled in the art of boxing also an inferior workman among chasers.
bruiser
A fighting man, a pugilist. Shakspeare uses the word BRUISING in a similar sense.
brum
A counterfeit coin. Nearly obsolete. Corruption of Brummagem, for meaning of which see Introductory Chapter.
brush
A fox’s tail, a house-painter. Also a scrimmage.
brusher
A bumper, a full glass. See BUMPER.
brydges’
(Sir Egerton) British Bibliographer, 4 vols. 8vo. 1810-14.
bub
Drink of any kind.—See GRUB. Middleton, the dramatist, mentions BUBBER, a great drinker.
bubber
A drinking bowl; also a great drinker; a thief that steals plate from public houses. CANT.
bubble
To over-reach, deceive, to tempt by means of false promises.—Old. (Acta Regia, ii. 248, 1726.)
bubble and squeak
A Greek.
bubble-and-squeak
A dish composed of pieces of cold roast or boiled meat and greens, afterwards fried, which have thus first BUBBLED in the pot, and then SQUEAKED or hissed in the pan.
bubble-company
A swindling association.
bubbley-jock
A turkey, or silly boasting fellow; a prig.—Scottish. In the north of England the bird is called a BOBBLE-COCK. Both names, no doubt, from its cry, which is supposed by imaginative persons to consist of the two words exactly.
bubbly jock
A turkey cock. SCOTCH.
bube
The venereal disease.
buck
A blind horse; also a gay debauchee.
buck
A gay or smart man; an unlicensed cabman; also a large marble used by schoolboys.
buck bail
Bail given by a sharper for one of the gang.
buck fitch
A lecherous old fellow.
bucket
To kick the bucket; to die.
bucket afloat
A coat. This is also called I’m AFLOAT, and is generally contracted to "cool his Imer," or "nark his bucket." There is no necessity to particularize all contractions. With the key already given they will be evident.
buckhorse
A smart blow or box on the ear; derived from the name of a celebrated "bruiser" of that name. Buckhorse was a man who either possessed or professed insensibility to pain, and who would for a small sum allow anyone to strike him with the utmost force on the side of the face.
buckinger's boot
The monosyllable. Matthew Buckinger was born without hands and legs; notwithstanding which he drew coats of arms very neatly, and could write the Lord's Prayer within the compass of a shilling; he was married to a tall handsome woman, and traversed the country, shewing himself for money.
buckle
To bend; "I can’t BUCKLE to that." I don’t understand it; to yield or give in to a person. Shakspeare uses the word in the latter sense, Henry IV., i. 1; and Halliwell says that "the commentators do not supply another example."
buckle-beggar
A COUPLE-BEGGAR, which see.
buckle-to
To bend to one’s work, to begin at once, and with great energy—from buckling-to one’s armour before a combat, or fastening on a bundle.