carting
The punishment formerly inflicted on bawds, who were placed in a tumbrel or cart, and led through a town, that their persons might be known.
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Cartridge Paper
A stout, rough paper, originally manufactured for cartridges. The word is a corruption of cartouche.
carts
A pair of shoes. In Norfolk the carapace of a crab is called a crab cart; hence CARTS would be synonymous with CRAB SHELLS, which see.
carved in stone
Definitely decided and unlikely to be changed
carvel's ring
The private parts of a woman. Ham Carvel, a jealous old doctor, being in bed with his wife, dreamed that the Devil gave him a ring, which, so long as he had it on his finger, would prevent his being made a cuckold: waking he found he had got his finger the Lord knows where. See Rabelais, and Prior's versification of the story.
casa
house
casa
Or CASE, a house, respectable or otherwise. Probably from the Italian CASA.—Old Cant. The Dutch use the word KAST in a vulgar sense for a house, i.e., MOTTEKAST, a brothel. CASE sometimes means a water-closet, but is in general applied to a "house of accommodation." CASA is generally pronounced carzey.
case
A house; perhaps from the Italian CASA. In the canting lingo it meant store or ware house, as well as a dwelling house. Tout that case; mark or observe that house. It is all bob, now let's dub the gig of the case; now the coast is clear, let us break open the door of the house.
case
Some years ago the term CASE was applied generally to persons or things; "what a CASE he is," i.e., what a curious person; "a rum CASE that," or "you are a CASE," both synonymous with the phrase "odd fish," common half a century ago. This would seem to have been originally a "case" for the police-court; drunkenness, &c. Among young ladies at boarding-schools a CASE means a love-affair. CASE now means any unfortunate matter. "I’m afraid it’s a CASE with him."
case study
A detailed analysis of a person, situation, or event
case the joint
To carefully explore and examine a place
case vrow
A prostitute attached to a particular bawdy house.
cash and carry
A business where customers pay for goods before taking them away
cash in one's chips
to die or leave a situation
cash on the barrelhead
Payment is required immediately
cash up
To pay someone the money they are owed
cashed up
Having a lot of money available
cask
Fashionable slang for a brougham, or other private carriage. Not very general. "PILLBOX" is the more usual term.
cassam
Cheese—not CAFFAN, which Egan, in his edition of Grose, has ridiculously inserted.—Ancient Cant. Latin, CASEUS. Gael. and Irish, CAISE.
cast
To assist by lightening labour. Men in small boats who want to be towed behind steamers or sailing vessels, say "Give us a CAST." Also used by waggoners and others, who sometimes vary the performance by asking, when stuck on a hill, for a pound, possibly a pound of flesh, horse or human.
cast a chill
To create a feeling of fear or unease
cast a shadow
To have a negative influence or effect on something
cast aside
to reject or abandon something
cast aspersions
To criticize or doubt someone's character or actions
cast away
To discard.
cast in concrete
officially decided and unlikely to be changed
cast in someone's teeth
To remind someone of their past mistakes or failures
cast loose
To set something or someone free
cast of thousands
A large number of people involved in something
cast one's bread upon the waters
Do good deeds without expecting reward or recognition
cast one's mind back
Remember something from the past
cast one's net wide
To explore many options or opportunities
cast one's vote
To participate in an election by selecting a candidate
cast over
To throw or direct something over something else
cast snowballs
to waste effort on a futile task
cast the first stone
To be the first to criticize or punish someone
cast up
To wash something onto the shore.
cast up one's accounts
To calculate and review one's financial situation
casting vote
The vote of the presiding officer when the votes of the assembly are equal. This final vote casts, turns, or deter- mines the question.
castle in the air
An unrealistic or fanciful plan or idea
castle is a culverin
So called from Lat. colubrinus (Fr. coulevrine), snake-like.
Castle of Bungay
In Camden's Britannia (1607) the following lines are attributed to Lord Bigod of Bungay on the borders of Suffolk and Norfolk:—
Castle of Indolence
In Thomson's poem of this name (1748) it is situated in the land of Drowsiness, where every sense is steeped in enervating delights. The owner was an enchanter, who deprived all who entered his domains of their energy and free will.
castle rag
A flag,—cant term for fourpence.
castor
A hat. To prig a castor; to steal a hat.
castor
A hat. Mostly used in pugilistic circles. Indeed many hangers-on of the P.R. have considered that the term arose from the custom of casting the hat into the ring, before entering oneself. CASTOR was the Latin name for the animal now known as the BEAVER; and, strange to add, BEAVER was the slang for CASTOR, or hat, many years ago, before gossamer came into fashion.
Castor and Pollux
Two people or things closely connected or inseparable
casus belli
(Lat.). A ground for war; an occurrence warranting inter- national hostilities.
cat
A common prostitute. An old cat; a cross old woman.
cat
A lady’s muff; "to free a CAT," i.e., steal a muff.
cat and bagpipean society
A society which met at their office in the great western road: in their summons, published in the daily papers, it was added, that the kittens might come with the old cats without being scratched.
cat and dog life
a life of constant fighting or disagreement
Cat and Fiddle
Several fanciful derivations have been found for this inn sign. There can be little doubt that it comes from the nursery rhyme, with a possible reference to the once popular game of tip-cat or trap-ball, and the fiddle for a dance that were provided as attractions for customers. It is worth men- tioning that the Dunciad (i, 224) refers in contempt to Gibber as "the Bear and Fiddle of the town.
Cat and Kittens
A public-house sign, alluding to the range of pewter-pots of various sizes that were so called. Stealing these pots was termed "cat and kitten sneaking.
cat and mouse
a situation where someone is being chased or pursued by someone else
Cat and Mouse Act
To play cat and mouse with one is "to have him on a string"; while he is in your power to pretend constantly to let him go, but not actually to do so. During the Suffragette agitation at the beginning of the 20th century an Act was passed in 1912 with the object of rendering nugatory the tactics of imprisoned suffragettes who went on "hunger-strike.
cat call
A kind of whistle, chiefly used at theatres, to interrupt the actors, and damn a new piece. It derives its name from one of its sounds, which greatly resembles the modulation of an intriguing boar cat.
cat got someone's tongue
Unable to speak due to nervousness or surprise
cat harping fashion
Drinking cross-ways, and not, as usual, over the left thumb. SEA TERM.
cat ice
Very thin, almost transparent ice from which the water that was underneath has receded; so slight as to be unable to bear a cat.
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