Clargy-a chimney-sweep, from the colour of his tog. A clear road for the clargy,' in a crowd. • Cleaned out, quite'-lost every farthing-at gambling, is commonly understood. Wiped out as clean as a whistle,' means the same thing. Click -a hit, with a small report, as made by a back-hander on the cheek. “ Hereupon Cut-away took Ma'am a click in the winker, which grassed her cleanly." Clicker,' a shoemaker's cutter-out. Clicket is used for foxes in actus coitu;' as 'to line,' is for that of dogs. Both terms are applied to all bipedes occasionally. Clerk of the Works-he who takes the lead in minor affairs— as an ale-house dinner, or wrestling-match. Clincher--a lie by refraction, or lie for lie. Two carpenters, Ned and Dick, being at high dispute as to which was most eminent in this department of oratory, left to the decision of a third person the all-interesting fact. Says Ned, "I drove a nail into the Moon last August, without the use of a ladder." "I know you did," replied Dick, " for on the first of September, after supper-time, I stood behind Ma'am Luna and clenched your nail." Close-rubbed-When play is going on, the best of two out of three to be the winner, he who wins the two first games, has close-rubbed his opponent. Mostly applied to cards, tossing-up, and nine-pins. See Newmarket. Clover, to live in'-to eat and drink joyously; Clover being the food most desired by cattle. Clout--a clumsy blow, as if given with a damp cloth, which is a clout. Clubs One of the four suits, the coat-cards whereof wear dark babiliments, &c. Any black-muzzled man might 'sit for the knave of clubs' to advantage of the pack. Club-Law-is where sticks settle disputes; the Argumentum Bacculinem, in which a ground-ash is more efficacious than an act of parliament. A club,' of people, an association, thus we may have a Sick-Club,' not one of the members whereof are indisposed, a Singing-Club,' quite roupy, and other incongruities. Besides the King of Clubs' belonging to the pack alluded to, there is now assembled a 'Club of Kings' at Verona, not one of whom knows but he may pack before the rubber is over. See Free and Easy. · Clutter-the rising of birds from the stubble, &c. Clye, clyes-the purse or pocket, and by an easy transition, the shining inhabitants thereof: no clye;' no money;— 'empty clyes;' out of cash, unblunted. Co-to act in Co,' or company; to be leagued together. Coach-wheels-large silver coin. Hind-wheel,' a crown; 'fore-wheel,' half-a-crown. Cock, game: a thorough-bred fowl, that never runs away. Hence any hardy, evergreen, indomptable fellow acquires the adjunct (cock) in some shape or other. As a hearty cock,' 'cock of the walk; he may be 'cock-a-hoop,' at times, or 'strut like a cock in a gutter;' and be ' a good old cock' for all that; and cock his eye or his glass, or his hat awry, or indeed any motion to show his cockishness. He may be fond of cocking too, but not of a cockatrice ; "She lives and lies and cries alone, And her eggs she lays Just as she may please, While the old Cock' pecks at each moan!" A woman cannot be a cock in any sense, even though she may 'cock her eye' ever so prettily. A colour between red and yellow is cock-like; a feeling of exultation, has been expressed by Cock-a-mi-cary-kee, demme!' Chief cock of the walk'-he who boasts or blusters over others, or takes the lead-in parish-affairs, &c. Cockney-See 'Cock. Quere, Is he a cock?' nay' is the answer, i. e. not a game one. The tale about the cock crowing and the horse neighing, is not worthy of credit-not pointed or semblable. Within Cockneyshire' and 'Cockaigne,' lies all that district which is within the sound of Bowbells, (Cheapside), and every native is a Cockney-certain; and the appellation has been extended to Westminsterborn and Boroughonian people. All three together are denominated Cockneyshire; and the wit of Cockaigne,' its school of poetry, and school of rhetoric,' have been spoken of by Blackwood in cauterising termswith a political bias. When applied scornfully, 'tis considered a reproach; but when boasted of, the speaker has good reason to be proud of being a particle in the population of the first of cities. In manners, no two nations can differ more than the high and the low classes of Cockneyshire: the vulgar high, ignorant, sordid, and proud, all they perform is by imitation; their feeling of richness is unbearable, and the recent access of titles among the Cits (proper) in removing them farther from themselves, disconnect them from their neighbours, whilst those with whom they sojourn in the Western part of 'the shire' will not amalgamate, and they subside in sediment, or ascend as naphta does-showy, frothy, and puerile. The low are full of prejudices, the lowest invariably dishonest: in the centre (the bulk) the shopkeeper is manifest, the merchant predominates, intelligence abounds though learning is scanty. "Cock and a Bull-story;' a tale of great length; vapid and trifling, with endless repetitions and drawling. Cockney Slang-of several classes follow: Ist. the Dandyswell of the Bon-ton. "As to the fight, I have been cursedly disappointed, not to say disgusted, at the entire set of proceedings: my person has experienced extreme inconvenience from the weather and the pressure of the populace; my stomach has been much deranged at the horrid exhibition, and I have been clandestinely deprived of my property by some adept at irregular appropriation." 2nd. On Change. "How is things I vonders! Tallows is bad I knows vell enough." "Yes, they 're down; but Rum's ris." A. "Aye and Sugar's fell—that's rum." 3rd. 'Chill it' says the Cockney, when he would have his beer warmed. Air it,' say another set, as a hint for placing the pot near the fire-place. His wife orders the servant to dust the room,' and his neighbour writes up eatinghouse,' as if the house ate the customers. The termination ess, is used to mark the feminine gender, in imitation of French, but very seldom done rightly-always vulgarly. Even lady Mayoress' is an amplitude, bearable because of her antiquity; but Tayloress' for the wife of cross-legs is intolerable, though not less damnable than Carpentress, Bakeress, or Bellows to mend-ess. Yet are we compelled to stand' Actress' for a female actor, and Jewess' for a She-Jew. Dr. Carey's suggestion, that the ancients. drank Cocagna wine, must be set down to the score of that learned gentleman's ingenuity. The low-bred Cockneys, however rich, bring out the r after w final, particularly of the monosyllables law, jaw, draw: e. g. You Jim, jaw-r him vell, draw-r him if you can, and I'll take the law-r of him.' See Cry. The same class, however, if familiar with 'the varieties of Life,' drop the final r in bawler, bender, and most dissyllables; even their own father is enunciated as 'ould fathey,' although he says a saw is a sawer. A place near Bolton, Lancashire, is called Cockney Moor. Codger- usually addressed with the prefix old,' to one or other of those Evergreens who imagine the first syllable of their cognomen will never fail them. See Coger. Coffee-shops-Coffee-houses of the second, third, and fourth rate: long the nightly resort of thieves and fences and their wenches, who were accommodated' in other respects; they were regulated by law in 1821, and no longer keep open all night: 600 were then going in the metropolis. See Scrub's Coffee-house: Coffee-shop' is another of many appellations bestowed on the Cloacinean receptacle. Cog-a tooth, die and dice. To 'Cog the die—is to conceal or detain it-See Dice. Also, to coax, manage, or wheedle, and whatever is obtained, is Cog too. Cogue-a glass of gin, or rum with sugar in it. Incog. abb. of incognito, a man who has an assumed name, or is dressed uncommonly. Incognita is feminine. Cogey-drunk. Cogers-a Society instituted in 1756, by some of the people of the Inner Temple, who imagined their free thoughts or profound cogitations worthy of attention, and charged half-acrown for the entrée. Complete inanition as a society mark their nightly meetings-unless during elections of members of the hon. H. C. &c. &c. Meet in Bride-lane. Colt-a horse, four years old and under, whether perfect or emasculate. Colts should not be crossed too early: it renders them hollow-backed; and, when so put into a drag, they become roach-backed. Both species of misconformation is the harbinger of predisposed ill-health-the 1st, of diseased kidneys; the 2nd, of distorted chest, and obstructed viscera. A colt' is he who enters upon a new avocation, as apprentice, or juryman for the first time. • A colt's tooth in her head'-is said of a woman in years who retains the lechery of youth. Men show their colt's teeth, too, at times, and imagine they have a notion to taste a fancy bit, which as often turns out mere vanity and vexation of spirit.' Colcannen-stewed vegetables, a fine Irish dish, made in England also. She is as soft as a dish of colcannen,' said of a crummy-lass or fat landlady. Cole-money. College-The Fleet Prison. (New) College of Physicians a society of choice spirits, not quite extinct, who met in Newgate-street some years, and ridiculed the old college by talking dog Latin. 6 Colour (stud)-the coat or hair of horses, and the manner in which they may be described, is their colour' in common parlance; and we say (in order) he is either white, creamcolour, light grey, chesnut, bay, bright bay, blood bay, brown, iron grey, dark brown, or black. Famous horses and their feats seem to be connected, in our recollections, with their colours respectively: a chesnut racer always reminds us of Eclipse, and that colour sometimes comes out in his progeny of the third and fourth generation. To Come it-to comply with a request, as lending money. 'She's a coming'-she is with child. • Come it strong, To'-is to pitch lies heavily upon a person or a circumstance, sometimes done civilly, at others adversely. "How well he comes it!" How well he lies! 'Come it strong as mustard,' to brag of his property; e. g. My poney's the best in all England, and as for my pointer-never was the like-I'll bet a thousand to £500 upon either.' Commoner M. P.'s are commoners, so are the Commoncouncilmen of London, &c.-common enough occasionally. In the ring, 'Commoners' are ordinary boxers; bye commoners those who mistakingly presume they know how to fight, and try it on, when they can get a customer ;—' bye' from bye-men,' non-regular men. Common Garden-Covent Garden market-place, or theatre. Company (to see)-said of a highflyer lass. Constable, to out-run the-to liye beyond one's income or allowance. A youth being sent up to town to follow the law,' he so far out-run the constable,' that at length the law followed him. Convenient (My)-a woman open to the speaker; if a landlady, her's is a very convenient house to call at.' Conveyancers-pickpockets; and a mill, is Term-time to them. Cooped-detained in lock-up-house, or prison. Cooped-up.' Copers-fellows who cheat at horse-fairs. To cope with' is common parlance, for to contend, contest equal-banded. Cope!' an exclamation used as a hint—to be aware of— disused. Copy of uneasiness— -a copy of writ in any court. |