pay-away
Preserved but no longer current.
"go on with your story, or discourse." From the nautical phrase PAY-AWAY, meaning to allow a rope to run out of a vessel. When the hearer considers the story quite long enough, he, carrying out the same metaphor, exclaims "hold on."
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 “pay-away” mean?
"go on with your story, or discourse." From the nautical phrase PAY-AWAY, meaning to allow a rope to run out of a vessel. When the hearer considers the story quite long enough, he, carrying out the same metaphor, exclaims "hold on."
Is “pay-away” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.