Itch.

(thieves': also a confessional or brothel); un gare l'eau (thieves': cf. GARDY-LOO); un Jules (popular: also aller chez Jules = to ease oneself: prendre, pincer, or tirer les oreilles à Jules = to carry away the privy tub: passer la jambe à Jules to assist at an IRISH WEDDING (q.v.): travailler pour Jules = to eat).

2. (venery). The female pudendum. For synonyms MONOSYLLABLE.

ITCH.

see

TO HAVE AN ITCH IN THE BELLY, verb. phr. (venery).—To be sexually excited; to have a MUST (q.v.). Also TO ITCH.

1675. COTTON, Scoffer, Scoffed, 4th ed. 1725, p. 173. Why then to cure thy ITCHING, Jove, thou art now going a bitching.

1720. DURFEY, Pills to Purge etc., vi, 324. Each has an ITCH IN HER BELLY. To play with the scarlet hue.

ITCHER (or ITCHING JENNY), subs. (venery). The female pudendum. For synonyms seeMONOSYLLABLE. ITCH-BUTTOCKS. TO PLAY AT ITCHBUTTOCKS, verb. phr. (venery). -To copulate. For synonyms see GREENS and RIDE.

1598. FLORIO, Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Giocar'aleua culo, to play at leuell coile or ITCH BUTTOCKES.

ican journalist) a paragraph of news; (thieves') a warning.

d.1680. GLANVIL, (quoted in Enc. Dict.). If this discourse have not concluded our weakness, I have one more ITEM of mine.

1823. BEE, Dict. of the Turf., s.v. ITEM. It was I that gave the ITEM that the traps were a coming.

1893. RUSSELL, Current Americanisms, s.v. ITEM. 'To give an ITEM', is to signal information to a confederate unfairly.

1864. KIMBALL, Was He Successful? 129. Otis is ITEM-man and reporter for the Clarion.

b.1877. New York Spirit of the Times, (quoted in BARTLETT). Keep your eyes skinned and your rifles clean, and the minit yer get ITEM that I'm back, set off for the cross roads.

IVORIES, subs. (common).—
-I. The
teeth.
For synonyms see GRIND-
ERS.

2

1782. MRS. COWLEY, Bold Stroke for a Husband, ii. Gas. What, Don Sancho, who, with two-thirds of a century in his face, affects .... to make you believe that the two rows of IVORY he carries in his head grew there.

1811. Lex. Bal., s.v. IVORIES. HOW the swell flashed his rVORIES: how the gentleman shewed his teeth.

1818-24. EGAN, Boxiana, iii. 253. So severe a blow on his mouth as to dislodge some of his IVORY.

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 22. The Adonis would ne'er flash his IVORY again.

1849. THACKERAY, Pendennis, lxvii. Chatter your old IVORIES at me, do you, you grinning old baboon.

1868. Orchestra, 20 Oct. Mr. Buckstone might let us off with what Bell's Life would designate a rattling

on the IVORIES.

1882. Punch, lxxxii, 185, 2. I never heard of him sluicing his IVORIES with what you call S. & B.

1889. Notes and Queries, 7, S. vii. 13 April, p. 292. I sometimes think that the attrition in which we SO joyously indulge when we 'sharpen' Our IVORIES may be easily overdone.

2

Ivy-Bush.

country and an ixciption to my family Who all FLASHED THEIR IVORIES at Surgeon's Hall', added the metaphorical Dummie.

TO SLUICE (WASH or RINCE) ONE'S IVORIES, verb. phr. (common). To drink.

1823. MONCRIEFF, Tom & Jerry, ii. 6. Mr. J. Sluice your dominos vill you? Green. Vot! I never plays at dominos-it's too wulgar. Mr. J. Vy then, vash your IVORIES? Green. I've got no HIVERIES to vash. Mr. J. Drink vill you? dont you understand Hinglish?

IVORY-BOX, Subs. (pugilists').-The mouth. For synonyms see Po

TATO-TRAP.

1888. Sportsman, 28 Nov. Harris countered heavily on Joseph's IVORY BOX, a compliment which he at once returned, and with considerable interest. IVORY-CARPENTER, subs. (common). -A dentist. For synonyms see SNAG-CATCHER.

IVORY-GATE, Subs. (venery).-The female pudendum. For synonyms

see MONOSYLLABLE.

IVORY-THUMPER, (or SPANKER), subs. (common).-A pianist.

IVY-BUSH, Subs. (old).—See quot.

1785. GROSE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. IVY-BUSH. Like an owl in an IVY BUSH, a simile for å meagre, or weazle-faced man, with a large wig, or very bushy hair.

AB (or JOB), subs. (colloquial American). A prod; a poke; a stab.

1872. C. D. WARNER, Backlog Studies, 279. Oh yes,

I have,' I cried, starting up and giving the fire a JAB with the poker.

1884. Detroit Free Press, 3 May, p. 5, col. 4. He gave each of the Epistles a vicious JAB with the cancelling stamp, and then tossed it into the mail-bag.

Verb. (colloquial American).— To handle harshly; to hustle; to prod or poke; to stab (with a pointed weapon).

1868. Putnam's Magazine, Sept. (quoted by DE VERE). The Missouri stoker pulls and JABS his plutonic monster as an irate driver would regulate his mule.'

1885. F. R. STOCKTON, Rudder Grange, iv. 'Shall we run on deck and shoot him as he swims?' I cried. 'No,' said the boarder, 'we'll get the boathook, and JAB him if he tries to climb up.'

1888. Denver Republican, 6 May. When it [hair] don't twist easily she's as like to JAB at it with her scissors and shorten it herself as trust it to anybody as knows how.

1889. Detroit Free Press, 5 Jan. Moses JABBED at him and ran the umbrella clean through him.

1890. Tit Bits, 26 April, p. 55, col. 3. If you JAB that umbrella in my eye again, you'll get a broken head!

JABBER, subs. (old colloquial).—

Chatter; incoherent or inarticulate

Jabberer.

237.

1728. POPE, Dunciad, ii. 'Twas chatt'ring, grinning, mouthing, JABB'RING all.

d.1745. SWIFT, [quoted by JOHNSON]. We scorn, for want of talk, to JABBER Of parties.

1785. GROSE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. JABBER. also to speak a foreign language; he JABBERED to me in his damned outlandish parlez-vous.

1853. THACKERAY, Barry Lyndon, vi. p. 82. A couple more of the same nation were JABBERING Oaths and chattering incessantly.

1859. MATSELL, Vocabulum, s.v. JABBER. To talk in an unknown language.

1884. W. C. RUSSELL, Jack's Courtship, xvii. We sallied forth arm in arm, he JABBERING incessantly.

1888. Daily Chronicle, 19 Oct. The woman said that he was a perfect stranger to her, and JABBERED

....

something she did not understand.

JABBERER, Subs. (old: now colloquial). One who JABBERS (q.v.).

1678. BUTLER, Hudibras, III, c.2. T'out-cant the Babylonian labourers, At all their dialects of JABBerers.

JABBERING, Subs. (old: now colloquial).-Nonsense; indistinct and rapid speech; PATTER (q.v.).

1690. DURFEY, Collin's Walk, C. IV, p. 183. With which, and wild Egyptian JABBERING, She got her Living without Labouring.

1720. DEFOE, Capt. Singleton, I, xi. Pray what are we the wiser for all their JABBERING?

JABBERINGLY, adv. (old: now colloquial). Indistinctly; nonsensically.

JABERS (or JABEZ). BE (or BY) JABERS (or JABEZ), intj. (common).—An oath.

1821. HAGGART, Life, 118. By JAPPERS! we were tould he was the boy. 1890. HUME NISBET, Bail up, p. 265. A head wind, BE JABBERS!

1892. HUME NISBET, Bushranger's Sweetheart, p. 152. Arrah, BE JABBERS! but that's the foinest song I have listened to since I left Ould Öirland. JACK, subs. (old).—1. A farthing; also (American thieves'), a small coin.

1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew. S.V. JACK.

1714. Memoirs of John Hall, P. 12, s.v.

1725. New Cant. Dict. s.v. JACK. He wou'd not tip me a JACK, Not a farthing wou'd he give me.

1785. GROSE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. 1859. MATSELL, Vocabulum, s.v.

2. (old).-The small bowl aimed at in the game of bowls.

1605. SHAKSPEARE, Cymbeline, ii. 1, 2. Was there ever man had such luck! when I kissed the JACK upon on upcast to be hit away!

1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew. S.V. JACK.

1726. BUTLER, Human Learning, Pt. 2. Like bowlers strive to beat away the JACK.

d.1742. BENTLEY, (quoted by JoHNSON, 1755]. But if it, [a bowl] be made with a byass.. it may spontaneously to the JACK.

....

run

Jack.

suits in a pack of cards. Fr. le galuchet, or le larbin savonné or le mistigris.

1662. Rump Songs, Rump Carbonado'd'. No admiral like an old

Puritan JACK. A craftier knave you can't find in the pack.

1754. MARTIN, Eng. Dict. 2nd Ed. Knave, or a JACK at cards. 1860. DICKENS, Great Expectations, viii. He calls the Knaves JACKS. 5. (old). A post-chaise (GROSE 3rd ed. 1823).

6. (old: now recognised).—A pitcher varying in capacity: generally made of leather; a BLACKJACK (q.v.).

1592. NASHE, Summer's Last Will [DODSLEY, Old Plays (1874), viii. 59]. Rise up Sir Robert Toss-pot. [Here he dubs Will Summer with the BLACK-JACK.]

1606. Return from Parnassus [DODSLEY, Old Plays (1874), ix. 207]. A BLACK-JACK of beer and a Christmas pie. 1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew. s.v. JACK.

1383. CHAUCER, Canterbury Tales [SKEAT (1894), p. 106]. Go fro the window, JAKKE FOOL,' she said.

1580. H. GIFFORD, Posie of Gilleflowers (GROSART 1875), 'A delectable dream', p. 113. I know some peppernosed dame Will term me fool and saucy JACK.

1593. SHAKSPEARE, Taming of the Shrew, ii. A mad-cap ruffian, and a swearing JACK, That thinks with oaths to face the matter out.

1595. SHAKSPEARE, Romeo and Juliet, ii. 4. Nurse. An a' speak any thing against me, I'll take him down, an a' were lustier than he is, and twenty such JACKS, and if I cannot, I'll find those that shall.

1596. Nashe, Have with You, Wks. [GROSART] Teaching it to do tricks, Hey come aloft, JACKE, like an ape over the chain.

1597-8. HAUGHTON, A Woman will have her Will [DODSLEY, Old Plays (1874), x. 496]. Some scoffing JACK had sent thee. To tell a feigned tale of happy luck.

in

1600. NASHE, Summer's Last Will, Works (GROSART, vi. 107). This sawcie upstart JACKE That now doth rule the chariot of the sun.

1606. Return from Parnassus [DODSLEY, Old Plays (1874), ix. 101]. Scurvy in thy face, thou scurvy JACK.

1607. WILKINS, Enforced Marriage [DODSLEY, Old Plays (1874), ix. 488]. Shall I be crossed by such a JACK.

1611. DAVIES, Scourge of Folly, Wks. (GROSART, p. 39, Epig. 282). Suck jocund JACKS as mock thee.

1621. BURTON, Anat. of Mel., 291. A company of scoffers and proud JACKS are commonly conversant and attendant in such places.

1636. T. HEYWOOD, Love's Mistress, i. They call her Queen of Love, will know no other, And swear my Son shall kneel and call her mother. Cup. But Cupid swears to make the JACKS forsworn.