Part 22 (1/2)

DAMPER. A luncheon, or snap before dinner: so called from its damping, or allaying, the appet.i.te; eating and drinking, being, as the proverb wisely observes, apt to take away the appet.i.te.

DANCE UPON NOTHING. To be hanged.

DANCERS. Stairs.

DANDY. That's the dandy; i.e. the ton, the clever thing; an expression of similar import to ”That's the barber.”

See BARBER.

DANDY GREY RUSSET. A dirty brown. His coat's dandy grey russet, the colour of the Devil's nutting bag.

DANDY PRAT. An insignificant or trifling fellow.

To DANGLE. To follow a woman without asking the question.

Also, to be hanged: I shall see you dangle in the sheriff's picture frame; I shall see you hanging on the gallows.

DANGLER. One who follows women in general, without any particular attachment

DAPPER FELLOW. A smart, well-made, little man.

DARBIES. Fetters. CANT.

DARBY. Ready money. CANT.

DARK CULLY. A married man that keeps a mistress, whom he visits only at night, for fear of discovery.

DARKEE. A dark lanthorn used by housebreakers. Stow the darkee, and bolt, the cove of the crib is fly; hide the dark lanthorn, and run away, the master of the house knows that we are here.

DARKMANS. The night. CANT.

DARKMAN'S BUDGE. One that slides into a house in the dark of the evening, and hides himself, in order to let some of the gang in at night to rob it.

DART. A straight-armed blow in boxing.

DASH. A tavern drawer. To cut a dash: to make a figure.

DAVID JONES. The devil, the spirit of the sea: called Necken in the north countries, such as Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.

DAVID JONES'S LOCKER. The sea.

DAVID'S SOW. As drunk as David's sow; a common saying, which took its rise from the following circ.u.mstance: One David Lloyd, a Welchman, who kept an alehouse at Hereford, had a living sow with six legs, which was greatly resorted to by the curious; he had also a wife much addicted to drunkenness, for which he used sometimes to give her due correction. One day David's wife having taken a cup too much, and being fearful of the consequences, turned out the sow, and lay down to sleep herself sober in the stye. A company coming in to see the sow, David ushered them into the stye, exclaiming, there is a sow for you! did any of you ever see such another? all the while supposing the sow had really been there; to which some of the company, seeing the state the woman was in, replied, it was the drunkenest sow they had ever beheld; whence the woman was ever after called David's sow.

DAVY. I'll take my davy of it; vulgar abbreviation of affidavit.

TO DAWB. To bribe. The cull was scragged because he could not dawb; the rogue was hanged because he could not bribe. All bedawbed with lace; all over lace.

DAY LIGHTS. Eyes. To darken his day lights, or sow up his sees; to close up a man's eyes in boxing.

DEAD CARGO. A term used by thieves, when they are disappointed in the value of their booty.

DEAD HORSE. To work for the dead horse; to work for wages already paid.