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
Happify, verb. (American).—To please.
1612. Sylvester, Lach. Lach., 642. One short mishap for ever
happifies.
1848. Burton, Waggeries, etc., p. 70. For eatin’ and drinkin’, it
happifies me to say that we bang the bush.
Happy, adj. (common).—Slightly drunk; elevated (q.v.). For synonyms,
see Drinks and Screwed.
Happy-despatch, subs. (common).—Death, specifically, a sudden or
violent end.
Happy-dosser. See Dosser.
Happy Eliza, subs. (common).—A female Salvationist [As in the Broadside
Ballad (1887–8), ‘They call me Happy Eliza, and I’m Converted Jane:
We’ve been two hot’uns in our time.’]
Happy-family, subs. (colloquial).—See quot.
1851–61. H. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, iii., p. 224. Happy
families, or assemblages of animals of diverse habits and
propensities living amicably, or at least quietly, in one cage.
Happy-go-lucky, subs. (colloquial).—Careless; thoughtless; improvident.
Fr., va comme je te pousse and à la flan.
1856. Reade, Never Too Late to Mend, ch. xv. In the happy-go-lucky
way of his class.
1883. Illust. London News, 8 Dec., p. 551, c. 1. He dashes off a
play in a happy-go-lucky style, basing it on theatrical precedent
so far as certain stock situations are concerned.
Happy Hunting-grounds, subs. (American).—1. The future state; glory
(q.v.). [From the North-American Indian’s conception of heaven.]
1848. Ruxton, Life in the Far West, p. 98. After a long journey,
they will reach the happy hunting-grounds.
1891. Gunter, Miss Nobody of Nowhere, ch. v. Old Mescal is now
keeping a sharp eye out for the child and the cowboy, that he may
send them to the happy hunting-grounds also.
2. (colloquial).—A favourable place for work or play.
1892. Cassell’s Sat. Journal, 26 Oct., p. 119. The happy
hunting-ground of the swell mobsman is the opening of some
Exhibition.
3. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see Monosyllable.
Happy-land, subs. (common).—The after life; glory (q.v.).
1893. Danvers, The Grantham Mystery, ch. xiii. The old ’un will
soon join the young ’un in the happy land.
Happy-returns, subs. (Australian).—Vomiting. See Flay the Fox.
Harbour, subs. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see
Monosyllable. Also Harbour of Hope.
Hard, subs. (prison).—1. Hard labour.
1890. Globe, 26 Feb., p. 1, c. 4. Monetary penalties, therefore, do
not act as deterrents, but the certainty of seven days’
incarceration, with or without hard, would soon diminish the
nuisance.
2. See Hard-Shell.
3. (colloquial).—Third-class. As opposed to soft (q.v.). Thus: ‘Do you
go hard or soft?’ = ‘Do you go Third or First?’ An abbreviation of
Hard-arse.
Adj. (American).—1. Applied to metal of all kinds: e.g., hard (cole or
stuff) = silver or gold as compared to cheques or soft (q.v.).
1825. Neal, Bro. Jonathan, ii., ch. 18. The bill ... amounted to
one dollar and a quarter hard money.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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