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CAT-HEADS. A Woman's breasts. SEA PHRASE.
TO CAT, or SHOOT THE CAT. To vomit from drunkenness.
CAT AND BAGPIPEAN SOCIETY. A society which met at
their office in the great western road: in their summons,
published in the daily papers, it was added, that the kittens
might come with the old cats without being scratched.
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 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
CAT CALL. A kind of whistle, chiefly used at theatres, to
interrupt the actors, and damn a new piece. It derives
its name from one of its sounds, which greatly resembles
the modulation of an intriguing boar cat.
CAT HARPING FASHION. Drinking cross-ways, and not, as
usual, over the left thumb. SEA TERM.
CAT IN PAN. To turn cat in pan, to change sides or
parties; supposed originally to have been to turn CATE or CAKE
in pan.
CAT'S FOOT. To live under the cat's foot; to be under the
dominion of a wife hen-pecked. To live like dog and cat;
spoken of married persons who live unhappily together.
As many lives as a cat; cats, according to vulgar
naturalists, have nine lives, that is one less than a woman.
No more chance than a cat in hell without claws; said of
one who enters into a dispute or quarrel with one greatly
above his match.
CAT LAP. Tea, called also scandal broth. See SCANDAL
BROTH.
CAT MATCH. When a rook or cully is engaged amongst
bad bowlers.
CAT OF NINE TAILS. A scourge composed of nine strings
of whip-cord, each string having nine knots.
CAT'S PAW. To be made a cat's paw of; to be made a tool
or instrument to accomplish the purpose of another: an
allusion to the story of a monkey, who made use of a cat's
paw to scratch a roasted chesnut out of the fire.
CAT'S SLEEP. Counterfeit sleep: cats often counterfeiting
sleep, to decoy their prey near them, and then suddenly
spring on them.
CAT STICKS. Thin legs, compared to sticks with which
boys play at cat. See TRAPSTICKS.
CAT WHIPPING, or WHIPPING THE CAT. A trick often
practised on ignorant country fellows, vain of their strength,
by laying a wager with them that they may be pulled
through a pond by a cat. The bet being made, a rope is
fixed round the waist of the party to be catted, and the
end thrown across the pond, to which the cat is also
fastened by a packthread, and three or four sturdy fellows
are appointed to lead and whip the cat; these on a signal
given, seize the end of the cord, and pretending to whip
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 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
the cat, haul the astonished booby through the water.
To whip the cat, is also a term among tailors for working
jobs at private houses, as practised in the country.
CATAMARAN. An old scraggy woman; from a kind of float
made of spars and yards lashed together, for saving
ship-wrecked persons.
CATCH CLUB. A member of the patch club; a bum bailiff.
CATCH FART. A footboy; so called from such servants
commonly following close behind their master or mistress.
CATCH PENNY. Any temporary contrivance to raise a
contribution on the public.
CATCH POLE. A bum bailiff, or sheriff's officer.
CATCHING HARVEST. A dangerous time for a robbery,
when many persons are on the road, on account of a
horse-race, fair, or some other public meeting.
CATER COUSINS. Good friends. He and I are not cater
cousins, i.e. we are not even cousins in the fourth degree,
or four times removed; that is, we have not the least
friendly connexion.
CATERPILLAR. A nick name for a soldier. In the year
1745, a soldier quartered at a house near Derby, was desired
by his landlord to call upon him, whenever he came
that way; for, added he, soldiers are the pillars of the
nation. The rebellion being finished, it happened the same
regiment was quartered in Derbyshire, when the soldier
resolved to accept of his landlord's invitation, and
accordingly obtained leave to go to him: but, on his arrival,
he was greatly surprised to find a very cold reception;
whereupon expostulating with his landlord, he reminded him of
his invitation, and the circumstance of his having said,
soldiers were the pillars of the nation. If I did, answered the
host, I meant CATERpiliars.
CATERWAULING. Going out in the night in search of
intrigues, like a cat in the gutters.
CATHEDRAL. Old-fashioned. An old cathedral-bedstead,
chair,
CATTLE. Sad cattle: whores or gypsies. Black cattle,
bugs. CANT.
CAVAULTING SCHOOL. A Bawdy-house.
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 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
CAUDGE-PAWED. Left-handed.
CAULIFLOWER. A large white wig, such as is commonly
worn by the dignified clergy, and was formerly by physicians.
Also the private parts of a woman; the reason for
which appellation is given in the following story: A
woman, who was giving evidence in a cause wherein it was
necessary to express those parts, made use of the term
cauliflower; for which the judge on the bench, a peevish
old fellow, reproved her, saying she might as well call it
artichoke. Not so, my lord, replied she; for an artichoke
has a bottom, but a **** and a cauliflower have none.
CAUTIONS. The four cautions: I. Beware of a woman
before. II. Beware of a horse behind. III. Beware of a cart
side-ways. IV. Beware of a priest every way.
CAW-HANDED, or CAW-PAWED. Awkward, not dextrous,
ready, or nimble.
CAXON. An old weather-beaten wig.
CENT PER CENT. An usurer.
CHAFED. Well beaten; from CHAUFFE, warmed.
CHALKERS. Men of wit, in Ireland, who in the night amuse
themselves with cutting inoffensive passengers across the
face with a knife. They are somewhat like those facetious
gentlemen some time ago known in England by the title
of Sweaters and Mohocks.
CHALKING. The amusement above described.
CHAP. A fellow; An odd chap; A strange fellow.
CHAPERON. The cicisbeo, or gentleman usher to a lady;
from the French.
CHAPT. Dry or thirsty.
CHARACTERED, or LETTERED. Burnt in the hand. They
have palmed the character upon him; they have burned
him in the hand, CANT. See LETTERED.
CHARM. A picklock. CANT.
CHARREN. The smoke of Charren. His eyes water from
the smoke of Charren; a man of that place coming out
of his house weeping, because his wife had beat him, told
his neighbours the smoke had made his eyes water.
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 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
CHATTER BOX. One whose tongue runs twelve score to the
dozen, a chattering man or woman.
CHATTER BROTH. Tea. See CAT LAP and SCANDAL BROTH.
CHATTS. Lice: perhaps an abbreviation of chattels, lice
being the chief live stock of chattels of beggars, gypsies,
and the rest of the canting crew. CANT. Also, according
to the canting academy, the gallows.
CHATES. The gallows. CANT.
CHAUNTER CULLS. Grub-street writers, who compose
songs, carrols, for ballad-singers. CANT.
CHAUNT. A song.
TO CHAUNT. To sing. To publish an account in the newspapers.
The kiddey was chaunted for a toby; his examination
concerning a highway robbery was published in
the papers.
CHAW BACON. A countryman. A stupid fellow.
CHEAPSIDE. He came at it by way of Cheapside; he gave
little or nothing for it, he bought it cheap.
CHEATS. Sham sleeves to put over a dirty shift or shirt.
See SHAMS.
CHEEK BY JOWL. Side by side, hand to fist.
CHEEKS. Ask cheeks near cunnyborough; the repartee of a
St. Gilse's fair one, who bids you ask her backside, anglice
her a-se. A like answer is current in France: any one
asking the road or distance to Macon, a city near Lyons,
would be answered by a French lady of easy virtue,
'Mettez votre nez dans mon cul, vous serrez dans les
Fauxbourgs.'
CHEESE-TOASTER. A sword.
CHEESE IT; Be silent, be quiet, don't do it. Cheese it, the
coves are fly; be silent, the people understand our discourse.
CHEESER. A strong smelling fart.
CHELSEA. A village near London, famous for the military
hospital. To get Chelsea; to obtain the benefit of that
hospital. Dead Chelsea, by G-d! an exclamation uttered by
a grenadier at Fontenoy, on having his leg carried away by
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 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]