Slang and its analogues past and present, volume 3 [of 7] : $b A dictionary, historical and comparative, of the heterodox speech of all classes of society for more than three hundred years. With synonyms in English, French, German, Italian, etc.Henley, William Ernest
History
Slang and its analogues past and present, volume 3 [of 7] : $b A dictionary, historical and comparative, of the heterodox speech of all classes of society for more than three hundred years. With synonyms in English, French, German, Italian, etc.
Henley, William Ernest
English language -- Slang -- Dictionaries; Slang -- Dictionaries
1597. Hall, Satires, III., vi., 14. So long he drinks, till the
black caravell Stands still fast gravelled on the mud of hell.
1600. Shakspeare, As You Like It. When you were gravelled for lack
of matter.
1604. Marlowe, Faustus, Act i., Sc. 1. And I, that have with
concise syllogisms gravell’d the pastors of the German church.
1659. Torriano, Vocabulario, s.v.
1667. Dryden, Sir Martin Marr-all, Act iii. Warn. He’s gravelled,
and I must help him out.
1663. Dryden, An Evening’s Love, Act ii. A difficult question in
that art, which almost gravels me.
1857. A. Trollope, Three Clerks, ch. xxxiv. He was somewhat
gravelled for an answer to Alaric’s earnest supplication, and
therefore made none till the request was repeated.
1886. R. L. Stevenson, Kidnapped, p. 206. I thought Alan would be
gravelled at that, for we lacked the means of writing in that
desert.
1893. National Observer, 11 Feb., p. 321. In truth to talk of Burns
as the apotheosis of Knox is really to gravel and confound your
readers; and but for the context one might be suspected that the
innuendo hid a touch of sarcasm.
2. (American).—To go against the grain.
1887. Clemens, Life on the Mississippi, ch. xiv., p. 138. By long
habit, pilots came to put all their wishes in the form of commands.
It gravels me to this day, to put my will in the weak shape of a
request, instead of launching it in the crisp language of an order.
Gravel-crusher, subs. (military).—A soldier doing defaulter’s drill.
Gravel-grinder, subs. (popular).—A drunkard. For synonyms, see
Lushington.
Gravel-rash, subs. (colloquial).—The lacerations caused by a fall.
To have the gravel rash, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To be reeling drunk.
For synonyms, see Drinks and Screwed.
Gravesend-bus, subs. (common).—A hearse.
Gravesend-sweetmeats, subs. (popular).—Shrimps.
Gravesend-twins, subs. (common).—Solid particles of sewage.
Grave-yard, subs. (common).—1. The mouth. For synonyms, see
Potato-trap.
To keep a private grave-yard, verb. phr. (American).—To affect
ferocity; to bluster.
Gravy, subs. (venery).—The sexual discharge; the spendings (q.v.) both
male and female. [Hence gravy-giver = the penis and the female
pudendum; and gravy-maker = the female pudendum. Hence, too, to give
one’s gravy = to spend (q.v.). Cf., Beef and Mutton.]
d. 1796. Burns, ‘Dainty Davie,’ in Merry Muses. I wot he cam atween
my thie, An’ creeshed it weel wi’ gravy.
Gravy-eye, subs. (common).—A derisive epithet: e.g., Well Old
gravy-eye.
Grawler, subs. (old).—A beggar. For synonyms, see Cadger.
1821. D. Haggart, Life, Glossary p. 62. Not so much as would
sweeten a grawler in the whole of them.
Gray, subs. (thieves’).—1. A coin showing either two heads or two
tails; a pony (q.v.).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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