Knowing.

I WANT TO KNOW, phr. (American colloquial).-'Is it possible?' 'You surprise me.'

KNOWING, adj. (common).-I. Artful; FLY (q.v.).

1712. Spectator, No. 314. If this gentleman be really no more than eighteen, I must do him the justice to say he is the most KNOWING infant I have yet met with.

1752. FIELDING, Amelia, Bk. x. v. 'We have so much the advantage, that if the KNOWING ones were here, they would lay odds of our side.'

1819-24. BYRON, Don Juan. 'Who, on a spree with black-eyed Sal, his blowen, So swell, so prime, so nutty, and so KNOWING?'

1821. HAGGART, Life, p. 11. Our first business of the day, was. • .. not very unusual among KNOWING ones.

1823. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, p. 6. Flash, my young friend, or slang, as others call it, is a species of cant in which the KNOWING ones conceal their roguery from the flats.

1830. SIR E. B. LYTTON, Paul Clifford, p. 29 (ed. 1854). Paul, my ben cull,' said he with a KNOWING wink.

1834. H. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, bk. III. v. Until at last there was none so KNOWING.

1835. SELBY, Catching an Heiress, sc. 1. Ho, ho! he's a KNOWING one.

1841. Punch, i. 29, 2. Why is a cunning man like a man in debt? Because he's a KNOWING one (an owing one).

1843. DICKENS, Christmas Carol in Prose. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what the KNOWING ones call 'nuts' to Scrooge.

1845. The late fight between the Premier (Peel) and young Ben (D'Israeli), v. 9, p. 163. The KNOWING ones suspect that if he comes up to the scratch again-which is doubtful-he will come off second best.

1856. WHYTE-MELVILLE, Kate Coventry, xviii. There was a slight bustle among the KNOWING ones.

1863. READE, Hard Cash, i. 214. He had a very pleasant way of conveying appreciation of an officer's zeal, by a KNOWING nod with a kindly smile on the heels of it.

1863. Frazer's Mag., Dec. 'The English Spy'. Much which is unfair in ordinary life is very clever and KNOWING on the race-course.

1883. Broadside Ballad, 'Happy Thoughts,' st. 4. My Uncle Dowle has lots of money; He's a very KNOWING looking blade.

2. (common).-Stylish.

1811. JAME AUSTEN, Sense and S., xix. Many young men, who had chambers in the Temple, made a very good appearance in the first circles, and drove about town in very KNOWING gigs.

1844. Puck, p. 14. With his weed in his cheek and his glass on his eye, His cut-away neat, and KNOWING tie, The milliner's hearts he did trepan My spicy swell small-college man.

1861. HUGHES, Tom Brown at Oxford, i. 5. Tom thought his cap a very KNOWING affair.

KNOWING BLOKE, subs. phr. (military).-A sponger on new recruits.

c.1887. BRUNLEES PATTERSON, Life in the Ranks. Some of the KNOWING BLOKES, prominent among whom will be the 'grousers,' will, in all probability, be chewing the rag or fat.

Knub.

1840. C. BRONTE, in Mrs. Gaskell's Life, ch. ix. The wind. . . . has produced the same effects on the contents of my KNOWLEDGE-BOX that a quaigh of usquebaugh does upon those of most other bipeds.

1868. MISS BRADDON, Trail of the Serpent, Bk. vi. iii. The gentlemen of the Prize ring were prepared to fight as long as they had a bunch of fives to rattle upon the KNOWLEDGE-BOX of the foe.

KNUB, verb. (old).-To rub against; to tickle.

1653. BROME, The City Wit, in Wks. (1874), 1. 444. As you have beheld two horses KNUBBING one another. Ka me, ka the, an old kind of court service.

KNUCK, subs. (old and American). -A thief. Short for KNUCKLE (q.v.).

1834. HARRISON AINSWORTH, Rookwood. The KNUCKS in quod did my schoolmen play.

1851. JUDSON, Mysteries etc. of NewYork, ch. iv. For many a year it has been known the crossmen' and KNUCKS of the town, as Jack Circle's watering place.' Ibid. You're as good a KNUCK as ever frisked a swell.

Verb. (American).-To steal. For synonyms see PRIG.

1851. JUDSON, Myst. etc. of NewYork, iv. It's enough to break my heart to see a man of your talent forced to prig prancers, KNUCK trikers, and go on the low sneaks!

KNUCKLE, Subs. (old).-See quot.

1781. PARKER, View of Society. KNUCKLE in the flash language signifies those who hang about the lobbies of both Houses of Parliament, the OperaHouse, and both Play-Houses, and in general wherever a great crowd assemble. They steal watches, snuff-boxes etc.'

Verb. (thieves').-1. To fight with fists; to pummel.

2. (thieves'). To pick pockets: applied especially to the more refined or artistic branch of the art, i.e.

extracting notes or money from the waistcoat, or breeches pockets, whereas 'buzzing' is used in a more general sense.-DE VAUX (1819). Also To GO ON THE

KNUCKLE.

1754. PARKER, Life's Painter, p.

43, s.v.

TO KNUCKLE (KNUCKLE DOWN TO or KNUCKLE UNDER), verb. phr. (colloquial).—1. See quots.

1748. T. DYCHE, Dictionary (5th ed.). KNUCKLE-DOWN (v.) to stoop, bend, yield, comply with, or submit to.

b.1794. WOLCOT [P. Pindar], Ode to Tyrants, in Works (Dublin), v. ii. p. 526. TO KNUCKLE DOWN to Jove, And pray the gods to send an Emp'ror down. Ibid. Rights of Kings. Poor gentlemen! how hard, alas! their fate, To KNUCKLE TO such nuisances of State!

1846. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, u. vii. So he KNUCKLED DOWN, again to use his own phrase, and sent old Hulker with peaceable overtures to Osborne.

1860. Chamber's Journal, xIII. p. 289. Considering how he has talked scoffingly of Benedict's KNUCKLING UNDER and being second best and of some one having always the whiphand of him and

so on.

1869. BLACKMORE, Lorna Doone, liv. When the upperhand is taken upon the faith of one's patience by a man of even smaller wits. why it naturally happens that we KNUCKLE UNDER with an ounce of indignation.

1888. Daily Chronicle, 31 Dec. He KNUCKLED UNDER to the last-named at the second time of asking.

1888. ROLF BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under Arms, xxxvii. I wouldn't KNUCKLE DOWN to you like some of them.

2. (colloquial).-To apply oneself earnestly; to engage vigorously.

KNUCKLE-BONE. DOWN ON THE KNUCKLE-BONE, phr. (thieves'). -Hard-up.; STONEY (q.v.).

1883. Daily Telegraph, 4 August, p. 2, col. 1. I once had the honour of being present at a 'select harmonic'

Knuckled.

held in the shady neighbourhood of Foxcourt, in Grays Inn-lane, which, according to the card pertaining thereto, was for the benefit of someone who was DOWN ON THE KNUCKLE BONE in consequence of having been put away since the previous October (it was then the month of March), and only just now released.

KNUCKLED, adj. (tailors').-Hand

some.

KNUCKLEDABS (or KNUCKLE-CON

FOUNDERS), Subs. (old).-Handcuffs.-GROSE (1785). For synonyms see DARBIES.

KNUCKLE-DUSTER, subs. (common). -A knuckle-guard of iron or brass which, in striking, protects the hand from injury and adds force to a blow.

1858. Times, 15 Feb. KNUCKLEDUSTER.... a formidable American instrument, made of brass, which slips easily on to the four fingers of the hand, and having a projecting surface, across the knuckles, is calculated, in a pugilistic encounter to inflict serious injury on the person against whom it is directed.

1861. SALA, Twice round the Clock, Noon Par. 12. A bunch of skeleton keys, a KNUCKLE-DUSTER, and a piece of wax candle, all articles sufficiently indicative of the housebreaker's stockin-trade.

1866. Era, 18 June. Without a moment's hesitation-except to load a six-barrelled revolver with ball cartridge and to arm himself with a pair of Yankee KNUCKLE-DUSTERS-the intrepid African opened the door of the den.

1872. Standard, Middlesex Sessions Report'. In another box he found a life-preserver, the end of it being loaded with lead, KNUCKLE-DUSTERS, and other things of the same description.

1877. E. L. LINTON, World Well Lost, xii. A kind of panic went through the place, and the demand for revolvers and KNUCKLEDUSTERS, iron shutters and bells. surprised the tradesmen.

...

1883. Daily News, 20 March, p. 6, col. 3. He struck at him in the face with a KNUCKLE-DUSTER he had in his hand.

1887. Daily Chronicle, 8 Dec. Hayzeman stepped from the other side of the road, and struck prosecutor on the nose, the blow, as believed, being given with a KNUCKLE-DUSTER.

1888. J. RUNCIMAN, The Chequers, 84. We were a jovial company four of us were wondering how they could rob the fifth, and that fifth resolved, quite early in this seance, to use his KNUCKLEDUSTER promptly, and to prevent either of the male warblers from getting behind him, at any risk.

1890. Standard, 30 July, p. 3, col. 6. The Prisoner made no reply, but struck him with a KNUCKLE-DUSTER, which he took out of his pocket.

2. (common).--A large, heavy, or over-gaudy ring.

KNUCKLER, Subs. (old).—A pickpocket.

1834. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, p. 184. A universal knocking of knuckles by the KNUCKLERS was followed by profound silence.

1843. Punch iv. 129. A rush,-a hustle,-merrily then Begins the KNUCKLERS' war.

KNULLER, Subs. (old).—1. See quot.: also KNELLER.

1851-61. H. MAYHEW, London Lab. and Lond. Poor, ii. p. 405. The KNULLERS or 'queriers', that is to say, those [chimney-sweepers] who solicit custom in an irregular manner, by knocking at the doors of houses and such like.

2. (common).-A clergyman. [Cf. sense I and CLERGYMAN]. KOKUм, subs. (Australian prison).— Sham kindness. See COCUM.

KONE, Subs. (American thieves').Counterfeit coin. MATSELL (1859).

KONIACKER (or COGNIAC-ER), subs. (American thieves').-A counterfeiter.-MATSELL (1859).

KOOL, verb. (back-slang).—To look.

KOTOO (or KOTOW), verb.(common).

-To bow down to; to scrape to; to lickspittle.

1874. E. LYNN LINTON, Patricia Kemball, xlii. He had never concealed his contempt for him nor KOWTOWED to him rest had done.

1890. TRAILL, Saturday Songs, ‘A Manly Protest', p. 70. But never for Chawles! To the traitors and plotters Whom once he denounced he would scorn to KO-TOO.

KOSH (or KOSHER), subs. (thieves'). -I. A short iron bar used for purpose of assault.

2. A blow.

Adj. (common).-Fair; square. [From the Hebrew = lawful]. KROP, subs. (back-slang).—Pork. KUDOS, Subs. (now recognised).

Glory and honor. To KUDOS = to praise; to glorify. [From Gr.] KUDOS praised.

1793. SOUTHEY, Nondescripts, i. Bepraised in prose it was, bepraised in verse, Lauded in pious Latin to the skies, KUDOS'D egregiously in heathen Greek.

1857. CUTHBERT BEDE, Verdant Green, Pt. III. ch. xi. Mr. Smalls gained KUDOS by offering to give the luncheon at his rooms.

1860. Punch, xxxviii. 186. Nought would serve the little man [Lord John] But his private little plan, Whereby he hoped much xvdos he should get.

1889. DRAGE, Cyril, vii. I gained no small KUDOs by spotting a vintage of Léoville at dinner.

1889. Standard, 30 Jan. Should he, then, endeavour to gain the KUDOS of his removal by associating himself conspicuously with the decree of dis

1712. Spectator, No. 317. Mr. Nisby of opinion that LACED coffee is bad for the head.

1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xi. He had his pipe and his tea-cup, the latter being LACED with a little spirits.

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab. etc., iii. 359. Breakfast 1s., good tea and good bread-and-butter, as much as you liked always, with a glass of rum in the last cup for the LACING of it. Tea the same as breakfast, and LACED ditto.

1852. THACKERAY, Esmond, ix. 'D-n it, Polly loves a mug of ale, too, and LACED with brandy, by Jove!'

1872. Athenæum, 2 Nov., p. 556, col. 2. Schiller refreshed himself at the small hours of the morning with coffee LACED with old cognac.

1892. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 35. Talk is like tea; it wants LACING with something a little bit stronger.

2. (common).-To flog. Also TO LACE ONE'S COAT (or JACKET).

1599. PORTER, Two Angry Women [DODSLEY, Old Plays (1874), vii. 359]. I do not love to be lac'd in when I go to LACE a rascal.

1665. R. HEAD, English Rogue, Pt. 1. ch. iii. p. 27 (1874). It was not long after that I was so LACED for it, that comparatively to my punishment Bridewell whipping is but a pastime.

1673. COTTON, Virgil Travestie, in Wks. (1725), Bk. iv. p. 126. Then if they have a mind to LACE us, Let Carthage, if they can, come trace us.

1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. LACING.... I'll LACE YOUR COAT, Sirrah, I will beat you soundly.