squint-a-pipes
Preserved but no longer current.
A squinting man or woman; said to be born in the middle of the week, and looking both ways for Sunday; or born in a hackney coach, and looking out of both windows; fit for a cook, one eye in the pot, and the other up the chimney; looking nine ways at once.
Người nhìn xiêu vẹo, có thể nhìn nhiều hướng cùng lúc
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “squint-a-pipes” mean?
A squinting man or woman; said to be born in the middle of the week, and looking both ways for Sunday; or born in a hackney coach, and looking out of both windows; fit for a cook, one eye in the pot, and the other up the chimney; looking nine ways at once.
Is “squint-a-pipes” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.