BABBLE. Confused, unintelligible talk, such as was used at the building the tower of Babel. BACK BITER. One who slanders another behind his back, i.e. in his absence. His bosom friends are become his back biters, said of a lousy man. BACKED. Dead. He wishes to have the senior, or old square-toes, backed; he longs to have his father on six men's shoulders; that is, carrying to the grave. BACK UP. His back is up, i.e. he is offended or angry; an expression or idea taken from a cat; that animal, when angry, always raising its back. An allusion also sometimes used to jeer a crooked man; as, So, Sir, I see somebody has offended you, for your back is up. BACON. He has saved his bacon; he has escaped. He has a good voice to beg bacon; a saying in ridicule of a bad voice. BACON-FACED. Full-faced. BACON FED. Fat, greasy. BACK GAMMON PLAYER. A sodomite. BACK DOOR (USHER, or GENTLEMAN OF THE). The same. BAD BARGAIN. One of his majesty's bad bargains; a worthless soldier, a malingeror. See MALINGEROR. BADGE. A term used for one burned in the hand. He has got his badge, and piked; he was burned in the hand, and is at liberty. Cant. BADGE-COVES. Parish Pensioners. Cant. BADGERS. A crew of desperate villains who robbed near rivers, into which they threw the bodies of those they murdered. Cant. BAG. He gave them the bag, i.e. left them. BAG OF NAILS. He squints like a bag of nails; i. e. his eyes are directed as many ways as the points of a bag of nails. The old BAG OF NAILS at Pimlico; originally the BACCHANALS. BAGGAGE. Heavy baggage; women and children. Also a familiar epithet for a woman; as, cunning baggage, wanton baggage, &c. BAKERS DOZEN. Fourteen; that number of rolls being allowed to the purchasers of a dozen. BAKER-KNEE'D. One whose knees knock together in walking, as if kneading dough. BALDERDASH. Adulterated wine. BALLOCKS. The testicles of a man or beast; also a vulgar nick name for a parson. His brains are in his ballocks, a cant saying to designate a fool. BALUM RANCUM. A hop or dance, where the women are all prostitutes. N. B. The company dance in their birthday suits. BALSAM. Money. BAM. A jocular imposition, the same as a humbug. See HUMBUG. TO BAM. To impose on any one by a falsity; also to jeer or make fun of any one. TO BAMBOOZLE. To make a fool of any one, to humbug or impose on him. BANAGHAN. He beats Banaghan; an Irish saying of one who tells wonderful stories. Perhaps Banaghan was a minstrel famous for dealing in the marvellous. BANDBOX. Mine a-se on a bandbox; an answer to the offer of any thing inadequate to the purpose for which it is proffered, like offering a bandbox for a seat. BANBURY STORY OF A COCK AND A BULL. A roundabout, nonsensical story. BANDOG. A bailiff or his follower; also a very fierce mastiff: likewise, a bandbox. CANT.