Uphills-loaded dice, that throw high. Upon the town-street-walkers, persons who live about at this place and that, and every where, whether men or women, (the latter particularly) with loose habits-sexually or otherwise. Upper-crust-one who lords it over others, is Mister Upper crust. Upperworks-the head and parts adjacent, in boxing. 'Gas paid serious attention to Tom's upper-works.' Upset-his apple-cart;' ruin his whole pecuniary concern: a costermonger's idea. Upstairs, going-in fair way to the tread-mill. Up to snuff-worldly knowledge, however pungent or errhinical. See Cabbage. A girl who is so up is no virgin. Used-up-one who, by his labours or his irregularities, is no longer the active clever person he was wont to be. Useful men-beggars alive, though they ask no alms. Cockney-breds, who hang about, along-shore in the east, and at the West end of town, to show strangers the sights-a sort of Ciceroni. Another kind of useful men, are little jobbers, small brokers, who effect sales of goods for needy manufacturers and traders upon the go. In number not above two hundred; they are all country-born, and their resorts are to the north of St. Paul's. Vulgar behaviour-the mode of conducting civil life of those immediately below the speaker. See Gentility. W. Wabbler (a)-a boiled leg of mutton, alluding to the noise made in dressing it. Hence Pot-wabblers'-the qualification for some borough-votes; proving, that they are house-keepers, dressing their own victuals-boiling a pot. To Waddle-out-of the Stock-exchange. Jobbers, usually brokers, who cannot make good their engagements for the delivery of stock, or run short in funds to pay for what they have bought, or those who fail to complete the instalments on loans-equally become lame ducks and waddle out. They then retire to the rotunda opposite, or cease their gambling tricks altogether, and turn honest shopkeepers, or black shoes-or vegetate afar off-according to their savings. See Botany-bay, Duck, Taking-in. Wag-one who turns serious matters to jokes; sometimes applied practically, when they become no jokes, and recoil upon the waggish spree-hunting perpetrator. Wagers-some men settle all disputes by offering excessive bets that truth is falsehood, and vice versa; these are wagering kiddies'-or fellows who lay quirking bets on equivocal subjects, and out-vote the persons to be done. See A. B. C-darian, Bets, Bubble (bar the.) Wake-from awake. Very differently used in England, Scotland, and Ireland, maugre the acts of union.' The Scot considers no man awake, or wakeful, who is not alive to his own interests; at Bristol, one eye is ever upon the wake while the other nappeth: hence the question, ' are ye awake?' are ye up? Such an one 'is always awake, or a-fly; the (a) being nearly mute in most cases; very unlike Milton's Awake, arise, or be for ever fallen.' Wakes-in most parts of England, are merry-makings, held once a-year in each parish, on the day preceding (or eve of) the patron-saint's day to whom the church may be dedicated: as St. Bartholomew (Sept. 3); St. David (March 1); St. Nicholas (Dec. 6); a custom introduced by Augustin, first bishop of Canterbury, at the request of his earthly master, Gregory of Nazianzen, Pontifex Max. about A. D. 600. 'Let your flocks get drunk with their pastors,' said the pope; Drink all night, O be joyful," added the pye-house bishop, 'the better to meet saint your in the morning.' If you do you'll be dd, rejoined the modern Methodists; and these new saints got the parliament to sanction their anathema, by fining every man who did as the pope and bishop bid him, 5s. for each extra refresher, which is to be dd indeed.' To 'wake a poor fellow'-an Irish custom, practised by those people every where, and is intended to answer two or three purposes at once: 1st. Lamentation for the loss society has sustained. 2nd. A funeral oration on the virtues of the deceased, in which his love of gin and of potatoes are lauded. 3rd. To raise the wind for defraying the expenses, or to put something in the pockets of the survivors, in order to invite further marriage alliance, or to procure grub. In England, the body is sometimes placed in a coffin; in Ireland, seldom so, the waking being usually called for the purpose of procuring one. The deceased is dressed up as in life, with hat, wig, &c. the body is set upright, and partakes a sup or two of spirits with the company at parting, and the whole then issue! a repeated howl, or balloot, in which the voices of some two or three hired women-weepers are conspicuous, they are adepts. This would wake or awake the deceased, one would imagine, if any thing on earth could do so; and the legend speaks confidently of several corpses having been restored to life by this kind of last sip of their favorite beverage. Name, time, and place, however, are wanting to confirm the accuracy of such statement-with one exception. Early in the 16th century, at Shute, in Devon, lived Sir John Acland, a Bart. very fond of brandy. He, also, 'died one day,' so they say, and his ever-faithful groom watched the body during the night. That he might perform this duty fearlessly, the brandy-bottle was replenished as if Sir John still lived. 6 Hang it!' exclaimed the groom to his companion of the watch, Sir John used to like a drap out of this bottle, and I ordain he shall have a drap now, by my truly; Vath, ha lookth as if ha was a little a-dry. There, there, there!' ended the groom as he poured the last drain of a bumper into the mouth of his deceased master. Hereupon arose a throttling noise in the throat of the corpse; it articulated 'more brandy,' and the faithful groom supplied its wishes, while his co-watchman ran tumbling down-stairs, awoke the doctor, who that night slept at Shute; and Sir John Acland rose again, took supper, and lived several years afterwards, to the great annoyance of the disbelievers in miracles, and the lasting edification of all the old women in East Devon. 6 Walk (in cocking)—the ground for keeping them. Among Cyprians, it means the district where she plies for game. To walk over' another, is to domineer or assume the upper hand, swellishly; also, to set him at naught, as a racer which is so vastly superior to other cattle that none dare start, and he walks over the course. To walk the chalk-a military manœuvre to discover which is drunkest. Wall-chalkers-fellows who, having received due qualification at the charity-school, scrawl balderdash upon garden walls, empty houses, and builders' hoards, to prove to their benefactresses (in particular) that' a little learning is a dangerous thing,' unless it teach respect for the feelings of all others, and not for a party only. When they reach maturity, they chalk up Quoz-B. Č. Y. or — and in 6 process of time reach Tyburn-tree, or cross the herringpond. Others chalk up their trades-as 'try Warren's blacking;' Qui-hi,' a book-advertisement;' Bonassus,' a beast; or, try Dr. Eady'—and these fellows, though they may amass money, are nevertheless low souled rips, despised of all that is worthy in society. Wallup-a random hit, any where. A good wallupping' cannot be mistaken for plum-pudding. A walluping sort of fellow,' one whose walk, or gait, is of the aukward kind, rolling, knock-kneed, unkid, and difficult. A walluping bout,' a fight without skill. Wan-horse-chaise (a)—lean cattle; a Hyde-park corner joke upon an one-horsed vehicle. Wap-a species of slap, resounding, as if imparted by a wet dishclout. So, a man may tumble down, wap, in battle, when he gets grassed by the first intention. Wapped and licked are nearly synonimous, as regards the patient. Wapper-eyed-heavy-eyed, drunk, so that the eyelids lose the retractile function, occasionally. A wupper-a big one, whether man, woman, or thing. A stiff stick is a wapping one, capable of administering a good wap. Wapeti-the largest species of deer extant, serving the double purpose of roadster and the chase. Imported here 1820, from the back settlements of North America. Warblers- singers who go about to 'free and easy' meetings, to chaunt for pay, for grog, or for the purpose of putting off benefit-tickets. Some of them dish up a song, now and then, and are dubbed poets (agrah!); others' spout Billy,' and are thought great actors,'' fair orators,' 'up to snuff,' and 'all that sort of thing.' Ware-haunch-in stag-hunting; ill-taught hounds, afraid of the stag's horns, fasten upon the hind-quarters of their prey; whereupon the people up, cry Ware-haunch! Warehaunch, ye scoundrels!' and whip off the canine as soon as the chase is pulled down. Play these babblers with the antlers as soon as the face is cut off; let them lick it for reward, dab their head with the croches, and, finally, throw the head among them; they will thus learn to fight at the head fearlessly. See Do. Ware-hawk, derived from the last, is used among poachers and rogues, when their pursuers would make prey of them, as hawks are wont to do when they pounce upon small birds. Warm flannel-spirits, mixed; hot, perhaps. Watch the instrument for marking the egress of time is never so named but by flats, or persons not up to the things that be. It is a tattler, a thimble, a ticker, or turnip. A watch of nightingales,' expresses the presence of several of those 'sweet songstresses of the night,' as the saying goes, though the cock-bird alone sings-the female never. He also assists in hatching the young. Water bewitched-grog too weak, or tea fit only for husbands to sip. Watery chops, hath he or she who long for a thing that is uncomeatable. A watery head hath the wife, whose nob, like Niobe's, is all tears; sometimes termed 'the New River head,' after an elevated back-water near Islington. Wax-persons who receive impressions easily, are said to have a nose of wax.' 6 Ah, my cock of wax!' is a shoemaker's salutation. Some bootmakers of Cockaigne, when a customer forgets to pay his account, they insert a ball of wax at the toe, which renders the boot a fixture. Waxy-a cobbler or shoemaker; sometimes he is dubbed 'lad of wax ;' at others, 'ball o' wax:' this latter is frequently contracted into two syllables, by dropping the w; the former is well illustrated by Atrides, when speaking of Diomed's father: ""Tis known he was a 'lad of wax,' Way of life' (the)—a state of prostitution. To the question What are you, young woman?' a prisoner replied, 'I am in the vay of life, your vorship.' Weapons-in cocking, the spurs appearing on hens or young Weed (the) tobacco. To weed-to steal part only. |