generalize
A shilling, almost invariably shortened to GEN.
English · UK & Ireland 17968
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Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
gent
A contraction of "gentleman,"—in more senses than one. A dressy, showy, foppish man, with a little mind, who vulgarizes the prevailing fashion.
gentle craft
The art of shoemaking. One of the gentle craft: a shoemaker: so called because once practised by St. Crispin.
gentleman commoner
An empty bottle; an university joke, gentlemen commoners not being deemed over full of learning.
gentleman of four outs
In Ireland when a vulgar, blustering fellow asserts that he is a gentleman, the retort generally is, "Yes, a GENTLEMAN OF FOUR OUTS"—that is, without wit, without money, without credit, and without manners.
gentleman of three ins
In debt, in gaol, and in danger of remaining there for life: or, in gaol, indicted, and in danger of being hanged in chains.
gentleman of three outs
That is, without money, without wit, and without manners: some add another out, i.e. without credit.
gentleman's master
A highway robber, because he makes a gentleman obey his commands, i.e. stand and deliver.
gentry cove ken
A gentleman's house. CANT.
geordie
General term in Northumberland and Durham for a pitman, or coal-miner. From the Greek, GEORGE meaning one who works the earth, originally a cultivator; the term has been in use more than a century.
george
Yellow George; a guinea. Brown George: an ammunition loaf.
german duck
Haifa sheep's head boiled with onions.
get
One of his get; one of his offspring, or begetting.
get up
A person’s appearance or general arrangements. Probably derived from the decorations of a play.
ghost
"the GHOST doesn’t walk," a theatrical term which implies that there is no money about, and that there will be no "treasury."
gib cat
A northern name for a he cat, there commonly called Gilbert. As melancholy as a gib cat; as melancholy as a he cat who has been caterwauling, whence they always return scratched, hungry, and out of spirits. Aristotle says, Omne animal post coitum est triste; to which an anonymous author has given the following exception, preter gallum gallinaceum, et sucerdotem gratis fornicantem.
gib-face
A heavy, ugly face; GIB is properly the lower lip of a horse; "to hang one’s GIB," to pout the lower lip, to be angry or sullen.
gibbe
A horse that shrinks from the collar and will not draw.
gibberish
The cant language of thieves and gypsies, called Pedlars' French, and St. Giles's Greek: see ST. GILES'S GREEK. Also the mystic language of Geber, used by chymists. Gibberish likewise means a sort of disguised language, formed by inserting any consonant between each syllable of an English word; in which case it is called the gibberish of the letter inserted: if F, it is the F gibberish; if G, the G gibberish; as in the sentence How do you do? Howg dog youg dog.
giblets
To join giblets; said of a man and woman who cohabit as husband and wife, without being married; also to copulate.
gibus
An opera hat. From the inventor of the crush hat.
giffle-gaffle
Or GIBBLE-GABBLE, nonsense. See CHAFF. Icelandic, GAFLA.
gift of the gab
The ability to speak fluently and persuasively
gifts
Small white specks under the finger nails, said to portend gifts or presents. A stingy man is said to be as full of gifts as a brazen horse of his farts.
gig
A farthing. Formerly GRIG.
gig lamps
Spectacles; also a person who wears spectacles is often called GIG-LAMPS. Connexion obvious. This term has been in use probably as long as GIG-LAMPS themselves—if GIG-LAMPS were invented after spectacles.
gigg
A nose. Snitchel his gigg; fillip his nose. Grunter's gigg; a hog's snout. Gigg is also a high one-horse chaise, and a woman's privities. To gigg a Smithfield hank; to hamstring an over-drove ox, vulgarly called a mad bullock.
gigger
A latch, or door. Dub the gigger; open the door. Gigger dubber; the turnkey of a jaol.
gilflurt
A proud minks, a vain capricious woman,
gill
The abbreviation of Gillian, figuratively used for woman. Every jack has his gill; i.e. every jack has his gillian, or female mate.
gill
Or JILL, a homely woman; "Jack and Gill," &c.
gills
The cheeks. To look rosy about the gills; to have a fresh complexion. To look merry about the gills: to appear cheerful.
gills
The lower part of the face.—Bacon. "To grease one’s GILLS," "to have a good feed," or make a hearty meal. A man suffering from the effects of a previous night’s debauch, is said to "look queer about the gills."
gilly gaupus
A Scotch term for a tall awkward fellow.
gilt
Money. German, GELD; Dutch, GELT.
gimblet-eyed
Squinting, either in man or woman.
gimcrack
A bijou, a slim piece of mechanism. Old slang for "a spruce wench."—New Bailey. Any things which are gaudy and easily breakable, are known now as GIMCRACKS.
gin-spinner
A distiller, or rectifier of gin.
gingambobs
Toys, bawbles; also a man's privities. See THINGAMBOBS.
ginger
A showy, fast horse—as if he had been figged with GINGER under his tail; a red-haired man. Term commonly used in depreciation of a person’s appearance.
ginger hackled
Having flaxen, light yellow hair. Term originally used to describe a certain colour or colours in game-cocks.—See HACKLE.
gingerbread
A cake made of treacle, flour, and grated ginger; also money. He has the gingerbread; he is rich.
gingerbread work
Gilding and carving: these terms are particularly applied by seamen on board Newcastle colliers, to the decorations of the sterns and quarters of West-Indiamen, which they have the greatest joy in defacing.
gingerly
Softly, gently, tenderly. To go gingerly to work: to attempt a thing gently, or cautiously.
gingerly
To do anything with great care.—Cotgrave.
gingham
An umbrella. Term very common in London.
ginny
An instrument to lift up a great, in order to steal what is in the window. CANT.
girds
Quips, taunts, severe or biting reflections.
girl and boy
A saveloy,—a penny sausage.
give
To strike, to scold; "I’ll GIVE it to you," i.e., I will thrash you. To lead to, in the sense of directions. Thus, in one of the Christmas numbers of All the Year Round we are told that "a side portal and a passage, dark at noon, GAVE upon Paradise Alley." This usage of the word, from the French idiomatic use of donner, is becoming by no means uncommon.
give in
To admit oneself defeated, to "throw up the sponge," or "strike one’s flag."
gizzard
To grumble in the gizzard; to be secretly displeased.
gladstone
Cheap claret. GLADSTONE reduced the duty on French wines.
glass eyes
A nick name for one wearing spectacles.
glaymore
A Highland broad-sword; from the Erse GLAY, or GLAIVE, a sword; and MORE, great.
glaze
Glass; generally applied to windows. To "star the GLAZE" is to break a window.
glazier
One who breaks windows and shew-glasses, to steal goods exposed for sale. Glaziers; eyes. CANT.--Is your father a glazier; a question asked of a lad or young man, who stands between the speaker and the candle, or fire. If it is answered in the negative, the rejoinder is--I wish he was, that he might make a window through your body, to enable us to see the fire or light.
glib
Smooth, slippery. Glib tongued; talkative.
glib
A tongue; "slacken your GLIB," i.e., "loosen your tongue."
glim
A candle, or dark lantern, used in housebreaking; also fire. To glim; to burn in the hand. CANT.
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