1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar TongueGrose, Francis
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1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
Grose, Francis
English language -- Slang -- Dictionaries
SANK, SANKY, or CENTIPEE'S. A taylor employed by
clothiers in making soldier's clothing.
SAPSCULL. A simple fellow. Sappy; foolish.
SATYR. A libidinous fellow: those imaginary things are
by poets reported to be extremely salacious.
SAUCE BOX. A term of familiar raillery, signifying a bold
or forward person.
SAVE-ALL. A kind of candlestick used by our frugal forefathers,
to burn snuffs and ends of candles. Figuratively,
boys running about gentlemen's houses in Ireland, who
are fed on broken meats that would otherwise be wasted,
also a miser.
SAUNTERER. An idle, lounging fellow; by some derived
from SANS TERRE; applied to persons, who, having no lands
or home, lingered and loitered about. Some derive it
from persons devoted to the Holy Land, SAINT TERRE, who
loitered about, as waiting for company.
SAW. An old saw; an ancient proverbial saying.
SAWNY or SANDY. A general nick-name for a Scotchman,
as Paddy is for an Irishman, or Taffy for a Welchman;
Sawny or Sandy being the familiar abbreviation or
diminution of Alexander, a very favourite name among the
Scottish nation.
SCAB. A worthless man or woman.
SCALD MISERABLES. A set of mock masons, who, A.D.
1744, made a ludicrous procession in ridicule of the
Free Masons.
SCALDER. A clap. The cull has napped a scalder; the
fellow has got a clap.
SCALY. Mean. Sordid. How scaly the cove is; how
mean the fellow is.
SCALY FISH. An honest, rough, blunt sailor.
SCAMP. A highwayman. Royal scamp: a highwayman
who robs civilly. Royal foot scamp; a footpad who
behaves in like manner.
TO SCAMPER. To run away hastily.
SCANDAL BROTH. Tea.
SCANDAL PROOF. One who has eaten shame and drank
after it, or would blush at being ashamed.
SCAPEGALLOWS. One who deserves and has narrowly escaped
the gallows, a slip-gibbet, one for whom the gallows
is said to groan.
SCAPEGRACE. A wild dissolute fellow.
SCARCE. To make one's self scarce; to steal away.
SCARLET HORSE. A high red, hired or hack horse: a pun
on the word HIRED.
SCAVEY. Sense, knowledge. "Massa, me no scavey;"
master, I don't know (NEGRO LANGUAGE) perhaps from the
French SCAVOIR.
SCHEME. A party of pleasure.
SCHISM MONGER. A dissenting teacher.
SCHISM SHOP. A dissenting meeting house.
A SCOLD'S CURE. A coffin. The blowen has napped the
scold's cure; the bitch is in her coffin.
SCHOOL OF VENUS. A bawdy-house.
SCHOOL BUTTER. Cobbing, whipping.
SCONCE. The head, probably as being the fort and citadel
of a man: from SCONCE, an old name for a fort, derived
from a Dutch word of the same signification; To build a
sconce: a military term for bilking one's quarters. To
sconce or skonce; to impose a fine. ACADEMICAL PHRASE.
SCOT. A young bull.
SCOTCH GREYS. Lice. The headquarters of the Scotch
greys: the head of a man full of large lice.
SCOTCH PINT. A bottle containing two quarts.
SCOTCH BAIT. A halt and a resting on a stick, as practised
by pedlars.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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