chuffy
Round-faced, chubby.
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Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
chull
Make haste. An abbreviation of the Hindostanee CHULLO, signifying "go along." CHULL is very commonly used to accelerate the motions of a servant, driver, or palanquin-bearer.
chum
A chamber-fellow, particularly at the universities and in prison.
chum
An intimate acquaintance. A recognised term, but in such frequent use with slangists that it almost demands a place here. Stated to be from the Anglo-Saxon, CUMA, a guest.
chummage
Money paid by the richer sort of prisoners in the Fleet and King's Bench, to the poorer, for their share of a room. When prisons are very full, which is too often the case, particularly on the eve of an insolvent act, two or three persons are obliged to sleep in a room. A prisoner who can pay for being alone, chuses two poor chums, who for a stipulated price, called chummage, give up their share of the room, and sleep on the stairs, or, as the term is, ruff it.
chumming-up
An old custom amongst prisoners before the present regulations were in vogue, and before imprisonment for debt was abolished; when a fresh man was admitted to their number, rough music was made with pokers, tongs, sticks, and saucepans. For this ovation the initiated prisoner had to pay, or "fork over," half-a-crown—or submit to a loss of coat and waistcoat.
chummy
A chimney-sweep—probably connected with chimney; also a low-crowned felt hat. Sometimes, but rarely, a sweep is called a clergyman—from his colour.
chump
The head or face. Also one end of a loin of mutton. A half-idiotic or daft person is said to be off his chump.
chunk
Among printers, a journeyman who refuses to work for legal wages; the same as the flint among taylors. See FLINT.
chunk
A thick or dumpy piece of any substance, as a CHUNK of bread or meat.—Kentish.
church a yack
(or watch), to take the works of a watch from its original case, and put them into another one, to avoid detection.—See CHRISTEN.
church warden
A Sussex name for a shag, or cormorant, probably from its voracity.
church work
Said of any work that advances slowly.
churchwarden
A long pipe, "a yard of clay;" probably so called from the dignity which seems to hedge the smoker of a churchwarden, and the responsibility attached to its use. Sometimes called an Alderman.
churchyard cough
A cough that is likely to terminate in death.
churl
Originally, a labourer or husbandman: figuratively a rude, surly, boorish fellow. To put a churl upon a gentleman; to drink malt liquor immediately after having drunk wine.
cinder
Any liquor used in connexion with soda-water, as to "take a soda with a CINDER in it." The cinder may be sherry, brandy, or any other liquor.
cinder garbler
A servant maid, from her business of sifting the ashes from the cinders. CUSTOM-HOUSE WIT.
circumbendibus
A roundabout way, or story. He took such a circumbendibus; he took such a circuit.
circumbendibus
A roundabout way, a long-winded story.
cit
A citizen of London.
civil reception
A house of civil reception; a bawdy-house, or nanny-house. See NANNY-HOUSE.
civility money
A reward claimed by bailiffs for executing their office with civility.
clack
A tongue, chiefly applied to women; a simile drawn from the clack of a water-mill.
clack-box
A garrulous person, so called from the rattle formerly used by vagrants to make a rattling noise and attract attention.—Norfolk.
clack-loft
A pulpit, so called by orator Henley.
claggum
Boiled treacle in a hardened state, hardbake.—See CLIGGY.
clan
A family's tribe or brotherhood; a word much used in Scotland. The head of the clan; the chief: an allusion to a story of a Scotchman, who, when a very large louse crept down his arm, put him back again, saying he was the head of the clan, and that, if injured, all the rest would resent it.
clank
A silver tankard. CANT.
clank napper
A silver tankard stealer. See RUM BUBBER.
clap
A venereal taint. He went out by Had'em, and came round by Clapham home; i.e. he went out a wenching, and got a clap.
clap
To place; "do you think you can CLAP your hand on him?" i.e., find him out. CLAP is also a well-known form of a contagious disease.
clap on the shoulder
An arrest for debt; whence a bum bailiff is called a shoulder-clapper.
clap-trap
High-sounding nonsense. An ancient theatrical term for a "TRAP to catch a CLAP by way of applause from the spectators at a play."—Bailey’s Dictionary.
clapper
The tongue of a bell, and figuratively of a man or woman.
clapper
The tongue. Said of an over-talkative person, to be hung in the middle and to sound with both ends.
clapper claw
To scold, to abuse, or claw off with the tongue.
clapperdogeon
A beggar born. CANT.
claret
French red wine; figuratively, blood. I tapped his claret; I broke his head, and made the blood run. Claret-faced; red-faced.
claret
Blood.—Pugilistic. Otherwise Badminton—which see.
clashy
A low fellow, a labourer.—Anglo-Indian.
class
The highest quality or combination of highest qualities among athletes. "He’s not CLASS enough," i.e., not good enough. "There’s a deal of CLASS about him," i.e., a deal of quality. The term as used this way obtains to a certain extent among turfites.
clawed off
Severely beaten or whipped; also smartly poxed or clapped.
clawhammer coat
An American term for a tail-coat used in evening costume. Also known as a steel-pen coat.
clean
Expert; clever. Amongst the knuckling coves he is reckoned very clean; he is considered very expert as a pickpocket.
clean
Quite, or entirely; "CLEAN gone," entirely out of sight, or away.—Old, see Cotgrave and Shakspeare. CLEAN CONTRARY, quite different, opposite.
clear
Very drunk. The cull is clear, let's bite him; the fellow is very drunk, let's cheat him. CANT.
cleaver
One that will cleave; used of a forward or wanton woman.
clerked
Soothed, funned, imposed on. The cull will not be clerked; i.e. the fellow will not be imposed on by fair words.
cleymes
Artificial sores, made by beggars to excite charity.
click
A blow. A click in the muns; a blow or knock in the face. CANT.
click
A knock or blow. CLICK-HANDED, left-handed.—Cornish. A term in Cumberland and Westmoreland wrestling for a peculiar kind of throw, as "an inside CLICK," or "an outside CLICK."
clicker
A salesman's servant; also, one who proportions out the different shares of the booty among thieves.
clicker
A female touter at a bonnet shop. In Northamptonshire, the cutter out in a shoemaking establishment. In the Dictionary of the Terms, Ancient and Modern, of the Canting Crew, Lond. n. d. (but prior to 1700), the CLICKER is described as "the shoemaker’s journeyman or servant, that cutts out all the work, and stands at or walks before the door, and saies—‘What d’ye lack, sir?
clicket
Copulation of foxes; and thence used, in a canting sense, for that of men and women: as, The cull and the mort are at clicket in the dyke; the man and woman are copulating in the ditch.
cliggy
Or CLIDGY, sticky.—Anglo-Saxon, CLÆG, clay.—See CLAGGUM.
climb
To climb the three trees with a ladder; to ascend the gallows.
clinch
A pun or quibble. To clinch, or to clinch the nail; to confirm an improbable story by another: as, A man swore he drove a tenpenny nail through the moon; a bystander said it was true, for he was on the other side and clinched it.
clinch
(to get the), to be locked up in jail.
clincher
That which rivets or confirms an argument, an incontrovertible position. Also a lie which cannot be surpassed, a stopper-up, said to be derived as follows:—Two notorious liars were backed to outlie each other. "I drove a nail through the moon once," said the first. "Right," said the other; "I recollect the circumstance well, for I went round to the back part of the moon and clinched it"—hence CLINCHER.