Battle of the Nile, subs. phr. (rhyming slang).—A 'tile' = a hat. For synonyms, see Cady.
Battle Royal, subs. (colloquial).—vehement
quarrel.
1698. Howard, All Mistaken, Act i. 1st Nurse. Your husband is the noted'st cuckold in all our street. 2nd Nurse. You lie, you jade; yours is a greater. Phil. Hist—now for a battle-royal.
18(?). Thackeray, Shabby Genteel Story, ch. vi. A battle-royal speedily took place between the two worthy mothers-in-law.
1865. Sketches from Cambridge, p. 137. Our brethren there [in Oxford] seem to be always indulging in battles-royal.
Battlings, subs. (public schools').—A
weekly allowance of money.
At Winchester it is 1s., while
at Repton it is only 6d.
1864. Household Words, p. 188. The business of the latter was to call us of a morning to distribute amongst us our battlings, or pocket-money.
1870. Mansfield, School-Life at Winchester College, p. 184. The expense was defrayed by the boys subscribing the last three battlings (i.e., the weekly shilling allowed each boy). This was rather an illusory coin, for we seldom actually fingered it, as some one of the College servants generally had a kind of prescriptive right to a benefit; and whenever Saturday arrived, Præfect of Hall's valet was sure to come round to ask the boys if they would give their battling to Rat Williams, or Dungy, or Purver, or Long John, or some other equally deserving individual.
1883. Trollope, Autobiogr. (1883), I., 13. Every boy had a shilling a week pocket-money, which we called battels. [This is probably a misprint—the Winchester term, as that used at other schools, is battling. It was advanced out of the pocket of the second master.]
Battner, subs. (old).—An ox;
beef being apt to batten or
fatten those that eat it. The
cove has hushed the battner,'
i.e., has killed the ox.—Grose
[1785].
Batty, subs. (general).—Wages;
perquisites. Derived from
batta, an extra pay given to
soldiers while serving in India.—Hotten.
Col. Yule says in
Indian banking, agio or difference
in exchange; discount on
coins not current; or of short
weight.
1824. T. Hook, Sayings and Doings, 1 S., Merton, ch. viii. Whether he could draw full batta in peace-time.
1868. Brewer, Phrase and Fable, 5 S., 'Batta.' Batta or Batty (Hindustanee). Perquisites; wages. Properly, an allowance to East Indian troops in the field.
Baulk, subs. (Winchester College).—A
false report (especially
that a master is at hand), which
is sported (q.v), not spread.
(Popular.)—A false shot; a mistake.
Baum, verb (American Univ.).—To
fawn; to flatter; to curry
favour.—Hall's College Words
and Phrases.
Bawbels or Bawbles, subs. (old).—A
man's testicles. Originally,
a provincialism. For synonyms,
see Cods.
Bawcock, subs. (old).—A burlesque
term of endearment. [From
either French beau, fine, +
French coq, cock = a fine or
good 'feller'; or from English
boy + cock = a young dandy
or strut.]
1599. Shakspeare, Henry V., iii., 2, 25. Pist. Be merciful, great duke, to men of mould! . . . Good bawcock 'bate thy rage!
1861. H. Ainsworth, Constable of the Tower, p. 131. One of the gamesome little bawcock's jests.
