commodity
A woman's commodity; the private parts of a modest woman, and the public parts of a prostitute.
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Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
commons
The house of commons; the necessary house.
commons
The allowance of anything sent out of the buttery or kitchen. "A COMMONS of bread," or "of cheese," for instance.—University. SHORT COMMONS (derived from the University slang term), a scanty meal, a scarcity.
company
To see company; to enter into a course of prostitution.
competition wallah
One who entered the Indian Civil Service by passing a competitive examination.—Anglo-Indian.
compo
A sailor’s term for his monthly advance of wages.
comprador
A purveyor, an agent.—Originally Spanish, now Anglo-Chinese.
comus's court
A social meeting formerly held at the Half Moon tavern Cheapside.
concaves and convexes
A pack of cards contrived for cheating, by cutting all the cards from the two to the seven concave, and all from the eight to the king convex. Then by cutting the pack breadthwise a convex card is cut, and by cutting it lengthwise a concave is secured.—See LONGS AND SHORTS.
conger
To conger; the agreement of a set or knot of booksellers of London, that whosoever of them shall buy a good copy, the rest shall take off such a particular number, in quires, at a stated price; also booksellers joining to buy either a considerable or dangerous copy.
congo
Will you lap your congo with me? will you drink tea with me?
conjee
A kind of gruel made of rice.—Anglo-Indian.
conk
A nose. Possibly from the Latin, CONCHA, a shell. Greek, κόγχη—hence anything hollow. Somewhat of a parallel may be found in the Latin, TESTA, an earthenware pot, a shell, and in later Latin, a skull; from whence the French TESTE, or TÊTE, head. CONKY, having a projecting or remarkable nose. The first Duke of Wellington was frequently termed "Old CONKY" in satirical papers and caricatures.
connaught rangers
The Eighty-eighth Regiment of Foot in the British Army.
conny wabble
Eggs and brandy beat up together. IRISH.
conscience keeper
A superior, who by his influence makes his dependants act as he pleases.
conshun’s price
Fair terms, without extortion. Probably conscience price.—Anglo-Chinese.
constable
"to overrun the CONSTABLE," to exceed one’s income, or get deep in debt. The origin of this phrase is unknown, but its use is very general.
constitutional
A walk, or other exercise taken for the benefit of the health.
consumah
A butler.—Anglo-Indian.
contango
Among stockbrokers and jobbers, is a certain sum paid for accommodating a buyer or seller, by carrying the engagement to pay money or deliver shares over to the next account day.
content
The cull's content; the man is past complaining: a saying of a person murdered for resisting the robbers. CANT.
continuations
Coverings for the legs, whether trousers or breeches. A word belonging to the same squeamish, affected family as unmentionables, inexpressibles, &c.
contra dance
A dance where the dancers of the different sexes stand opposite each other, instead of side by side, as in the minuet, rigadoon, louvre, &c. and now corruptly called a country dance.
conundrums
Enigmatical conceits.
conveniency
A necessary. A leathern conveniency, a coach.
convey
To steal; "CONVEY, the wise it call."
conveyancer
A pickpocket. Shakspeare uses the cant expression CONVEYER, a thief. The same term is also French slang.
conybeare’s
(Dean) Essay on Church Parties, reprinted from the Edinburgh Review, No. CC., October, 1853, 12mo. 1858.
cooey
The Australian bush-call, now not unfrequently heard in the streets of London.
cook
A term well known in the Bankruptcy Courts, in reference to accounts that have been meddled with, or COOKED, by the bankrupt; also to form a balance-sheet from general trade inferences; stated by a correspondent to have been first used in reference to the celebrated alteration of the accounts of the Eastern Counties Railway, by George Hudson, the Railway King. Any unfair statements of accounts or reports are now said to be COOKED.
cook someone's goose
to ruin someone's plans or chances
cool him
Look at him. A phrase frequently used when one costermonger warns another of the approach of a policeman, or when any person worthy of notice passes by.
cool lady
A female follower of the camp, who sells brandy.
cool tankard
Wine and water, with lemon, sugar, and burrage.
cooler
The backside. Kiss my cooler. Kiss my a-se. It is principally used to signify a woman's posteriors.
cooler
A glass of porter as a wind up, after drinking spirits and water. This form of drinking is sometimes called "putting the beggar on the gentleman."
coolie
A soldier, in allusion to the Hindoo COOLIES, or day labourers.
cooped up
Imprisoned, confined like a fowl in a coop.
cooper
"stout half-and-half," i.e., half stout and half porter. Derived from the coopers at breweries being allowed so much stout and so much porter a day, which they take mixed.
cooter
"a sovereign."—See COUTER. Gipsy, CUTA.
cop
To seize or lay hold of anything unpleasant; used in a similar sense to catch in the phrase "to COP (or catch) a beating." "To get COPT," is to be taken by the police. Probable contraction of Lat. capere.
coper
Properly HORSE-COUPER, a Scotch horse-dealer,—used to denote a dishonest one. COPING, like jockeying, is suggestive of all kinds of trickery.
copper
A policeman, i.e., one who COPS, which see.
coppernose
A nose which is supposed to show a partiality on its owner’s part for strong drink. Synonymous with "jolly nose." Grog-blossoms are the jewels often set in a jolly nose.
copus
A Cambridge drink, consisting of ale combined with spices, and varied by spirits, wines, &c. Corruption of HIPPOCRAS.
corcoron
(Peter.) The Fancy, a Poem, 12mo. 182-.
corduroy roads
An American term for the rough roads made by simply laying logs along a clearing.
corinth
A bawdy-house. CANT.
corinthianism
A term derived from the classics, much in vogue some years ago, implying pugilism, high life, "sprees," roystering, &c.—Shakspeare, 1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. The immorality of Corinth was proverbial in Greece. Κορινθιάζεσθαι, to Corinthianize, indulge in the company of courtezans, was a Greek slang expression. Hence the proverb—
cork
A broken man, a bankrupt. Probably intended to refer to his lightness, as being without "ballast."
cork-brained
Light-headed, foolish.
corkage
Money charged when persons at an hotel provide their own wine—sixpence being charged for each "cork" drawn.
corked
Said of wine which tastes of cork, from being badly decanted, or which has lost flavour from various other obvious causes.
corker
"that’s a CORKER," i.e., that settles the question, or closes the discussion.
corks
A butler. Derivation very obvious.
corn in egypt
A popular expression which means a plentiful supply of materials for a dinner, &c., or a good supply of money. Its origin is of course Biblical.
corned
Drunk or intoxicated. Possibly from soaking or pickling oneself like CORNED beef.
corner
"the CORNER," Tattersall’s famous horse repository and betting rooms, so called from the fact of its situation, which was at Hyde Park Corner. Though Tattersall’s has been removed some distance, to Albert Gate, it is still known to the older habitués of the Subscription Room as "the CORNER."
corner-man
The end singer of a corps of Ethiopian or nigger minstrels. There are two corner men, one generally plays the bones and the other the tambourine. Corner-men are the grotesques of a minstrel company.
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