nurse
Preserved but no longer current.
A curious term applied to competition in omnibuses. Two omnibuses are placed on the road to NURSE, or take care of, each opposition "bus," one before, the other behind. Of course the central or NURSED bus has very little chance, unless it happens to be a favourite with the public. Recent legislation and tramways have done much to do away with NURSING. NURSE also means to cheat or swindle; trustees are sometimes said to NURSE property, i.e., gradually eat it up themselves.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
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 “nurse” mean?
A curious term applied to competition in omnibuses. Two omnibuses are placed on the road to NURSE, or take care of, each opposition "bus," one before, the other behind. Of course the central or NURSED bus has very little chance, unless it happens to be a favourite with the public. Recent legislation and tramways have done much to do away with NURSING. NURSE also means to cheat or swindle; trustees are sometimes said to NURSE property, i.e., gradually eat it up themselves.
Is “nurse” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.