Part 37

~Ullages~, the wine of all sorts left in the bottoms of glasses at a public dinner. This is emptied into a measure, and drunk behind the screen or in any convenient place by the waiters, which accounts for their stony glare and fishy appearance late in the evening. Maybe from _Lat._ ULLUS, any.

~Unbleached American~, Yankee term, since the war, for coloured natives of the United States.

~Uncle~, the pawnbroker. _See_ MY UNCLE.

~Under a cloud~, in difficulties. An evident reference to shady circumstances.

~Under the rose.~ _See_ ROSE.

~Understandings~, the feet or boots. Men who wear exceptionally large or thick boots, are said to possess good UNDERSTANDINGS.

~Understudy~, to STUDY a part for the stage, not with the view of playing it at once, but so as to be ready in the event of anything happening to its present representative. Some actors of position, who suffer from delicate health, or mental weakness, have always other and inferior, but more robust, artists UNDERSTUDYING their parts.

~Unfortunate~, a modern euphuism for a prostitute, derived from Thomas Hood’s beautiful poem of _The Bridge of Sighs_:—

“One more UNFORTUNATE, Weary of breath, Rashly importunate, Gone to her death.”

It is almost needless to remark that the poet had no intention of using the word in any but its widest and most general sense.

~Unicorn~, a style of driving with two wheelers abreast and one leader—termed in the United States a “spike team.” “Tandem” is one wheeler and one leader. “Random,” three horses in line. “Manchester” means three horses abreast. _See_ HARUM-SCARUM.

~Unlicked~, ill-trained, uncouth, rude, and rough; an “UNLICKED cub” is a loutish youth who has never been taught manners; from the tradition that a bear’s cub, when brought into the world, has no shape or symmetry until its dam licks it into form with her tongue. Possibly said of a boy who has been petted, _i.e._, who has been insufficiently thrashed or licked. Case of spared rod and spoilt child.

~Unparliamentary~, or UNSCRIPTURAL, language, words unfit for use in ordinary conversation.

~Unutterables~, or UNWHISPERABLES, trousers. _See_ INEXPRESSIBLES.

~Up~, “to be UP to a thing or two,” to be knowing, or understanding; “to put a man UP to a move,” to teach him a trick; “it’s all UP with him,” _i.e._, it is all over with him; when pronounced U.P., naming the two letters separately, means settled, or done UP. “UP a tree,” _see_ TREE. “UP to snuff,” wide awake, acquainted with the last new move; “UP to one’s gossip,” to be a match for one who is trying to take you in; “UP to slum,” proficient in roguery, capable of committing a theft successfully; “what’s UP?” what is the matter? what is the news?

~U.P.~, United Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

~Upper Benjamin~, or BENJY, a great coat; originally “Joseph,” but, because of the preponderance of tailors named BENJAMIN, altered in deference to them.

~Upper storey~, or UPPER LOFT, a person’s head; “his UPPER STOREY is unfurnished,” _i.e._, he does not know very much. “Wrong in his UPPER STOREY,” crazy. _See_ CHUMP.

~Uppish~, proud, arrogant.

~Used up~, broken-hearted, bankrupt, fatigued, vanquished.

~Vakeel~, a barrister.—_Anglo-Indian._

~Vamos~, VAMOUS, or VAMOOSH, to go, or be off. Spanish, VAMOS, “Let us go!” Probably NAMUS, or NAMOUS, the costermonger’s word, was from this.

~Vamp~, to spout, to leave in pawn. Also to cobble, as, “a VAMPED play,” and “a VAMPED accompaniment,” both terms reflecting discredit on the work, but not necessarily upon the musician.

~Vamps~, old, or refooted stockings. From VAMP, to piece.

~Vardo~, to look; “VARDO the carsey,” look at the house. VARDO formerly was old cant for a waggon. This is by low Cockneys generally pronounced VARDY.

~Vardy~, verdict, vulgarly used as opinion, thus, “My VARDY on the matter is the same as yourn.”

~Varmint.~ “You young VARMINT, you!” you bad, or naughty boy. Corruption of VERMIN.

~Varnisher~, an utterer of false sovereigns. Generally “snide-pitcher.”

~’Varsity~, either UNIVERSITY—more rarely University College, Oxford.

~Velvet~, the tongue; especially the tongue of a magsman. Also, men who have succeeded in their speculations, especially on the turf, are said to stand on VELVET.

~Veneer~, the artificiality of society, conventionality. Dickens expressed his dislike for certain forms of VENEER repeatedly, and especially by means of his Veneerings in _Our Mutual Friend_.

~Vet~, colloquial term for VETERINARIAN.

~Vic~, the Victoria Theatre, London. Also the street abbreviation of the Christian name of her Majesty the Queen.

~Village~, or THE VILLAGE, _i.e._, London. Birmingham is called “the hardware VILLAGE.” Also a Cambridge term for a disreputable suburb of that town, viz., Barnwell, generally styled “the VILLAGE.”

~Ville~, or VILE, a town or village—pronounced PHIAL, or VIAL.—_French._

~Vinnied~, mildewed, or sour.—_Devonshire._

~Voker~, to talk; “can you VOKER Romany?” can you speak the canting language?—_Latin_, VOCARE; _Spanish_, VOCEAR.

~Vowel.~ “To VOWEL a debt” is to acknowledge with an I O U.

~Vulpecide~, one who shoots or traps foxes, or destroys them in any way other than that of hunting. A foxhunter regards a VULPECIDE as rather worse than an ordinary murderer.

~Wabble~, or WOBBLE, to move from side to side, to roll about. Johnson terms it “a low, barbarous word.”

~Walk into~, to overcome, to demolish; “I’ll WALK INTO his affections,” _i.e._, I will scold or thrash him. “He WALKED INTO the grub,” _i.e._, he demolished it. WALK INTO also means to get into the debt of any one, as “He WALKED INTO the affections of all the tradesmen in the neighbourhood.”

~Walk-over~, a re-election without opposition.—_Parliamentary_, but derived from the turf, where a horse which has no rivals WALKS OVER the course. _See_ DEAD HEAT.

~Walk your chalks~, be off, or run away,—spoken sharply by any one who wishes to get rid of a troublesome person. _See_ CHALKS.

~Walker~, a letter-carrier or postman. From an old song, called, “Walker, the twopenny postman.”

~Walker!~ or HOOKEY WALKER! an ejaculation of incredulity, used when a person is telling a story which you know to be all gammon, or worse. One explanation of the phrase is this:—“Years ago there was a person named Walker, an aquiline-nosed Jew, who exhibited an orrery, which he called by the erudite name of ‘Eidouranion.’ He was also a popular lecturer on astronomy, and often, telescope in hand, invited his pupils to ‘take a sight’ at the moon and stars. The lecturer’s phrase struck his schoolboy auditory, who frequently ‘took a sight’ with that gesture of outstretched arm and adjustment to nose and eye which was the first garnish of the popular saying. The next step was to assume phrase and gesture as the outward and visible mode of knowingness in general.” This has been denied, however, and a statement made that HOOKEY WALKER was a magistrate of dreaded acuteness and incredulity, whose hooked nose gave the title of “beak” to all his successors; it is also said, moreover, that the gesture of applying the thumb to the nose and agitating the little finger, as an expression of “Don’t you wish you may get it?” is considerably older than the first story would seem to indicate. There are many and various explanations of the term, given according to the development of fancy.—_Notes and Queries_, iv. 425.

~Walking the pegs~, a method of cheating at the game of cribbage, by a species of legerdemain, the sharper either moving his own pegs forward, or those of his antagonist backward, according to the state of the game.

~Wallflower~, a person who goes to a ball and looks on without dancing, either from choice or through not being able to obtain a partner. From the position.

~Wallflowers~, left-off and “regenerated” clothes exposed for sale on the bunks and shop-boards of Seven Dials. _See_ REACH-ME-DOWNS.

~Wallabee-track~, Colonial slang for the tramp. When a man in Australia is “on the road” looking for employment, he is said to be on the WALLABEE-TRACK.

~Wallop~, to beat, or thrash. John Gough Nichols derives this word from an ancestor of the Earl of Portsmouth, one Sir John Wallop, Knight of the Garter, who in King Henry VIII.’s time distinguished himself by WALLOPING the French; but it is more probably connected with wheal, a livid swelling in the skin after a blow. _See_ POT-WALLOPER.

~Walloping~, a beating or thrashing; sometimes used in an adjective sense, as big, or very large.

~Wapping~, or WHOPPING, of a large size, great.

~Warm~, rich, or well off.

~Warm~, to thrash or beat; “I’ll WARM your jacket.” To WARM the wax of one’s ear is to give a severe blow on the side of the head. To WARM is also to rate or abuse roundly. Also varied, as, “to make it hot” for any one.

~Warming-pan~, a large old-fashioned gold watch. A person placed in an office to hold it for another. _See_ W.P.

~War-paint~, evening dress. When people go out in full costume they are often said to have their WAR-PAINT on. Also, military “full-fig.”

~Wash~, “It wont WASH,” _i.e._, will not stand investigation, will not “bear the rub,” is not genuine, can’t be believed.

~Waster~, a useless, clumsy, or ill-made person.

~Watch and seals~, a sheep’s head and pluck.

~Watchmaker~, a pickpocket or stealer of watches. Often called “a WATCHMAKER in a crowd.”

~Water-bewitched~, very weak tea, the third brew (or the first at some houses). Sometimes very weak tea is called “husband’s tea,” in allusion to the wife taking the first brew, and leaving the rest for her husband. Also grog much diluted.

~Water-dogs~, Norfolk dumplings.

~Water gunner~, a marine artilleryman.

~Water the dragon~, or WATER ONE’S NAG, a hint for retiring.

~Waterman~, a blue silk handkerchief. The friends of the Oxford and Cambridge boats’ crews always wear these—light blue for Cambridge, and a darker shade for Oxford.

~Wattles~, ears.

~Wax~, a rage. “Let’s get him in a WAX.” WAXY, cross, ill-tempered.

~Wayz-goose~, a printers’ annual dinner, the funds for which are collected by stewards regularly appointed by “the chapel.”

~Weather eye~, the cautious eye. Any one who is supposed to have an extra good knowledge of things in general, or to be hard to impose on or cheat, is said to have his WEATHER EYE well open.

~Weather-headed~, so written by Sir Walter Scott in his _Peveril of the Peak_, but it is more probably WETHER-HEADED, as applied to a person having a “sheepish” look.

~Weaving~, a notorious card-sharping trick, done by keeping certain cards on the knee, or between the knee and the under side of the table, and using them when required by changing them for the cards held in the hand.

~Weaving leather aprons.~ When a knowing blade is asked what he has been doing lately, and does not choose to tell, his reply is, that he has been very busy WEAVING LEATHER APRONS. (From the reports of a celebrated trial for gold robbery on the South-Western Railway.) Other similar replies are, “I have been making a trundle for a goose’s eye,” or a “whim-wham to bridle a goose.” Sometimes a man will describe himself as “a doll’s-eye WEAVER.”

~Wedge~, silver.—_Old Cant._

~Wedge-feeder~, a silver spoon.

~Weed~, a cigar; _the_ WEED, tobacco generally.

~Weed~, a hatband.

~Weight-for-age~, a sporting phrase which, applied to a race, distinguishes it from a handicap or catch-weight event, and informs all interested that the animals which run carry according to their ages, and not their abilities. Winners of certain great races generally carry penalties in addition to WEIGHT-FOR-AGE, for the purpose of equalizing matters somewhat; but as a rule the results are fairly foreshadowed as soon as in these races the horses are at the post, or as soon as the starters are positively known.

~Wejee~, a chimney-pot. Often applied to any clever invention, as, “That’s a regular WEJEE.”

~Welcher~, a person who makes a bet without the remotest chance of being able to pay, and, losing it, absconds, or “makes himself scarce.” In the betting ring a WELCHER is often very severely handled upon his swindling practices being discovered. The Catterick “Clerk of the Course” once provided some stout labourers and a tar-barrel for the special benefit of the WELCHERS who might visit that neighbourhood. The word is modern, but the practice is ancient.

“One Moore, the unworthy incumbent of the ‘Suffolk curacy,’ dedicated a book to ‘Duke Humphrey,’ and was then entirely lost sight of by his old college friends, till one of them espied him slung up in ‘the basket,’ for not paying his bets at a cock-pit.”—_Post and Paddock._

One writer says the term “arose from a fellow who took deposits on account of Welsh ponies, which he said he was importing, and never delivered them.” It is not unfrequently suggested by irreverent persons that the word was suggested by the dislike his gracious Majesty George the Fourth had, when a young man, for settling. Others derive it from the nursery rhyme,

“Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief.”

There can be no doubt that, from the days when the stout Earl of Chester and others were constantly employed in checking and cutting off the expeditions of their neighbours till comparatively recently, the term “Welshman” has been hardly one of kindness. It is not hard, therefore, to imagine its use on the Roodee, and its subsequent corruption into WELCHER. The spelling of the word, WELCHER or WELSHER, is optional.

~Well~, to pocket, to save money. Any one of fair income and miserly habits is said to “WELL it.”

~Welt~, to thrash with a strap or stick. Probably meaning to raise wheals.

~West central~, a water-closet, the initials being the same as those of the London Postal District. It is said that for this reason very delicate people refuse to obey Rowland Hill’s instructions in this particular. An old maid, who lived in this district, was particularly shocked at having W.C. marked on all her letters, and informed the letter-carrier that she could not think of submitting to such an indecent fashion. On being informed that the letters would not be forwarded without the obnoxious initials, she remarked that she would have them left at the Post-Office. “Then, marm,” said the fellow, with a grin, “they will put P.O. on them, which will be more ondacenter than the tother.”

~Wet~, a drink, a drain.

~Wet~, to drink. Low people generally ask an acquaintance to WET any recently purchased article, _i.e._, to stand treat on the occasion. “WET (originally WHET, to sharpen,) your whistle,” _i.e._, take a drink; “WET the other eye,” _i.e._, take another glass. _See_ SHED A TEAR.

~Wet Quaker~, a man who pretends to be religious, and is a dram-drinker on the sly.

~Wet un~, a diseased cow, unfit for human food, but nevertheless sold to make into sausages. _Compare_ STAGGERING-BOB.

~Whack~, a share or lot. “Give me my WHACK,” give me my share.—_Scotch_, SWEG, _or_ SWACK.

~Whack~, or WHACKING, a blow, or a thrashing.

~Whack~, to beat.

~Whacker~, a lie of unusual dimensions, sometimes called a “round un.”

~Whacking~, large, fine, or strong.

~Whacks~, to go WHACKS, to divide equally; to enter into partnership.

~Whale~, “very like a WHALE,” said of anything that is very improbable. A speech of Polonius’s in _Hamlet_.

~What d’yecall’em~, a similar expression to “thingumy.”

~Wheeze~, a joke, an anecdote, or dialogue, not strictly connected with a piece that is being played, but introduced by an actor, sometimes with the assistance and for the benefit of others. The dialogues which take place between the songs at nigger entertainments are also known as WHEEZES. The word actually means a new notion as applied to dialogue.

~Wherret~, or WORRIT, to scold, trouble, or annoy.—_Old English._

~Whid~, a word. Sometimes, a fib, a falsehood, a word too much.—_Modern Slang_, from the ancient cant.

~Whiddle~, to enter into a parley, or hesitate with many words, &c.; to inform, or discover. _See_ WHEEDLE.

~Whim-wham~, an alliterative term, synonymous with fiddle-faddle, riff-raff, &c., denoting nonsense, rubbish, &c.

~Whip~, after the usual allowance of wine is drunk at mess, those who wish for more put a shilling each into a glass handed round to procure a further supply. WHIP-ROUND is now a common term for a subscription of a similar kind to that described.

~Whip~, to “WHIP anything up,” to take it up quickly; from the method of hoisting heavy goods or horses on board ship by a WHIP, or running tackle, from the yard-arm. Generally used to express anything dishonestly taken.

~Whip~, the member of the House of Commons whose duty it is to collect and keep together his party to vote at divisions. To give him greater influence, the ministerial WHIP holds, or is supposed to hold, the minor patronage of the Treasury.

~Whipjack~, a sham shipwrecked sailor, called also a turnpike-sailor.

~Whip the cat~, when an operative works at a private house by the day. Term used amongst tailors and carpenters.

~Whipper-snapper~, a waspish, diminutive person.

~Whisper~, a tip given in secret, a rumour which is spread under the pretence of its being a secret. To “give the WHISPER,” is to give a quick tip to any one. An owner’s final instruction to his jockey is called “the WHISPER at the post.”

~Whisper~, to borrow money—generally small sums—as, “He WHISPERED me for a tanner.”

~Whisperer~, a constant borrower.

~Whistle~, “as clean as a WHISTLE,” neatly, or “slickly done,” as an American would say; “To whet (or more vulgarly wet) one’s WHISTLE,” to take a drink. This last is a very old expression. Chaucer says of the Miller of Trumpington’s wife (_Canterbury Tales_, 4153)—

“So was hir joly WHISTAL well y-wet.”

“To WHISTLE for anything,” to stand small chance of getting it, from the nautical custom of WHISTLING for a wind in a calm, which of course comes none the sooner for it. “To pay for one’s WHISTLE,” to pay extravagantly for any fancy.

~Whistling-Billy~, or PUFFING-BILLY, a locomotive engine.

~Whistling-shop~, a place in which spirits are sold without a licence.

~Whitechapel~ or WESTMINSTER BROUGHAM, a costermonger’s donkey-barrow.

~Whitechapel~, anything mean or paltry. Potting one’s opponent at billiards is often known as “WHITECHAPEL play.”

~Whitechapel~, in tossing, when “two out of three wins.” _See_ SUDDEN DEATH.

~Whitechapel fortune~, a clean gown and a pair of pattens.

~White eye~, military slang for a very strong and deleterious kind of whisky, so called because its potency is believed to turn the eyes round in the sockets, leaving the whites only visible.

~White feather~, “to show the WHITE FEATHER,” to evince cowardice. In times when great attention was paid to the breeding of game-cocks, a white feather in the tail was considered a proof of cross-breeding.

~White horses~, the foam on the crests of waves, seen before or after a storm.

“Now the wild white horses play. Champ and chafe and toss in the spray. Children, dear, let us away, This way, this way.”—_Matthew Arnold._

~White lie~, a harmless lie, one told to reconcile people at variance. “Mistress is not at home, sir,” is a WHITE LIE often told by servants.

~White-livered~, or LIVER-FACED, cowardly, much afraid, very mean.

~White prop~, a diamond pin.—_East London._

~White satin~, gin,—term amongst women. _See_ SATIN.

~White serjeant~, a man’s superior officer in the person of his better half.

~White tape~, gin,—term used principally by female servants. _See_ RIBBON.

~White un~, a silver watch.

~White wine~, the fashionable term for gin.

“Jack Randall then impatient rose, And said, ‘Tom’s speech were just as fine If he would call that first of GOES By that genteeler name—WHITE WINE.’”

_Randall’s Diary_, 1820.

~Whitewash~, to rehabilitate. A person who took the benefit of the Insolvent Act was said to have been WHITEWASHED. Now said of a person who compromises with his creditors.

~Whitewash~, a glass of sherry as a finale, after drinking port and claret.

~Whittle~, to nose or peach.—_Old Cant._ To cut and hack as with a pocket-knife.—_American._

~Whop~, to beat, or hide. Corruption of WHIP; sometimes spelt WAP.

~Whop-straw~, cant name for a countryman; Johnny WHOP-STRAW, in allusion to threshing.

~Whopper~, a big one, a lie. A lie not easily swallowed.

~Widdle~, to shine. _See_ OLIVER.

~Wide-awake~, a broad-brimmed felt or stuff hat,—so called because it never had a nap, and never wants one.

~Wido~, wide awake, no fool.

~Wife~, a fetter fixed to one leg.—_Prison._

~Wiffle-woffles~, in the dumps, sorrow, stomach-ache.

~Wig~, move off, go away.—_North Country Cant._

~Wigging~, a rebuke before comrades. If the head of a firm calls a clerk into the parlour, and rebukes him, it is an EARWIGGING; if done before the other clerks, it is a WIGGING.

~Wild~, a village.—_Tramps’ term._ _See_ VILE.

~Wild~, vexed, cross, passionate,—said to be from WILLED (SELF-WILLED), in opposition to “tamed” or “subdued.” In the United States the word “mad” is supplemented with a vulgar meaning similar to our Cockneyism WILD; and to make a man mad on the other side of the Atlantic is to vex him, or “rile” his temper—not to render him a raving maniac, or a fit subject for Bedlam.

~Wild Irishman~, the train between Euston and Holyhead, in connection with the Kingstown mail-boats.

~Wild oats~, youthful pranks. A fast young man is said to be “sowing his WILD OATS.”

~William~, a bill. The derivation is obvious.

~Willow~, a cricket-bat. From the material of which it is made. The great batsman, W. G. Grace, is often called “champion of the WILLOW.”

~Wind~, “to raise the WIND,” to procure money; “to slip one’s WIND,” a coarse expression, meaning to die. _See_ RAISE.

~Wind~, “I’ll WIND your cotton,” _i.e._, I will give you some trouble. The Byzantine General, Narses, used the same kind of threat to the Greek Empress,—“I will spin a thread that they shall not be able to unravel.”

~Windows~, the eyes, or “peepers.”

~Winey~, intoxicated.

~Winged~, hurt, but not dangerously, by a bullet. Originally to be shot in the arm or shoulder. To slightly wound birds is to WING them.

~Winkin~, “he went off like WINKIN,” _i.e._, very quickly. From WINK, to shut the eye quickly.

~Winks~, periwinkles.

~Winn~, a penny—_Ancient Cant._ _See_ introductory chapter.

~Wipe~, a pocket-handkerchief.—_Old Cant._

~Wipe~, a blow. Frequently sibilated to SWIPE, a cricket-term.

~Wipe~, to strike; “he fetcht me a WIPE over the knuckles,” he struck me on the knuckles; “to WIPE a person down,” to flatter or pacify; “to wipe off a score,” to pay one’s debts, in allusion to the slate or chalk methods of account-keeping; “to WIPE a person’s eye,” to shoot game which he has missed; hence to obtain an advantage by superior activity. With old topers “WIPING one’s eye,” is equivalent to giving or taking another drink.

~Wipe-out~, to kill or utterly destroy. This is an Americanism, but is in pretty general use here.

~Wire-in~, a London street phrase in general use, which means to go in with a will. In its original form of “WIRE-IN, and get your name up,” it was very popular among London professional athletes. The phrase is now general, and any one who has a hard task before him, knows he must WIRE-IN to bring matters to a successful issue.

~Wire-pullers~, powerful political partisans, who do their work from “behind the scenes.”

~With and without~, words by themselves, supposed to denote the existence or non-existence of sugar in grog. Generally “warm WITH” and “cold WITHOUT.”

~Wobble-shop~, a shop where beer is sold without a licence.

~Wobbler~, a foot soldier, a term of contempt used by cavalrymen.

~Wobbly~, rickety, unsteady, ill-fitting.

~Wolf~, to eat greedily.