bite
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A cheat; "a Yorkshire BITE," a cheating fellow from that county. The term BITE is also applied to a hard bargainer.—North; also old slang—used by Pope. Swift says it originated with a nobleman in his day.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “bite” mean?
A cheat; "a Yorkshire BITE," a cheating fellow from that county. The term BITE is also applied to a hard bargainer.—North; also old slang—used by Pope. Swift says it originated with a nobleman in his day.
Is “bite” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.