1887. Payn, Glow Worm Tales. ‘A Failure of Justice.’ He is best known to the public as a guinea-pig, from his habit of sitting at boards and receiving for it that nominal remuneration, though in his case it stands for a much larger sum. 1889. Drage, Cyril, vii. The rector has, as usual, got the gout, and we live under a régime ... of guinea-pigs. 1890. Standard, 26 June, p. 5, c. 4. The least attempt to saddle responsibility for misleading statements upon Boards of Directors would drive prudent, ‘respectable’ men out of what is vulgarly called the guinea-pig business. 3. (nautical).—See quot. 1840. Marryat, Poor Jack, ch. xxvi. While Bramble was questioned by the captain and passengers, I was attacked by the midshipmen, or guinea-pigs as they are called. Guise’s Geese, subs. phr. (military).—The Sixth Foot or ‘Saucy Sixth.’ [From its Colonel’s name, 1735–63.] Guiver, subs. (theatrical).—(1) Flattery, and (2) artfulness (q.v.). For synonyms, see Soft Soap. Adj. (common).—Smart; fashionable; on it (q.v.). Guiver lad = a low-class dandy; also an artful member (q.v.). a. 1866. Vance, Chickaleary Cove. The stock around my squeeze of a guiver colour see. Verb (sporting).—To humbug; to fool about (q.v.); to show off. 1891. Sporting Life, 25 Mar. He goes into a ring to fight his man, not to spar and look pretty, and run, and dodge, and guiver. Gulf, subs. (old).—1. The throat; also the maw. For synonyms, see Gutter-alley. 1579. Spencer, Shephearde’s Calendar, Sept. That with many a lamb had glutted his gulf. 2. (Cambridge Univ.).—The bottom of a list of ‘passes,’ with the names of those who only just succeed in getting their degree. 1852. Bristed, Five Years in an English University, p. 205. Some ten or fifteen men just on the line, not bad enough to be plucked, or good enough to be placed, are put into the gulf, as it is popularly called (the examiners’ phrase is ‘degrees allowed’), and have their degrees given them, but are not printed in the calendar. 3. (Oxford Univ.).—A man who, going in for honours, only gets a pass. Verb (Cambridge Univ.).—To place in the gulf, subs., sense 2 (q.v.); to be gulfed = to be on such a list. [Men so placed were not eligible for the Classical Tripos]. Cf., Pluck and Plough. 1853. Bradley, Verdant Green, pt. iii., p. 89. I am not going to let them gulph me a second time. 1863. H. Kingsley, Austin Elliot, p. 123. The good Professor scolded, predicted that they would all be either gulfed or ploughed.