and secreted about their clothes, an averaged-sized can holding about four quarts. A more aristocratic method of private Sunday drinking was by means of the 'small cask.' The small cask industry was said to be an exceedingly prosperous one in certain districts. Grocers advertised for casks as a speciality, and one grocer advertised on a Saturday fifty and sixty and sometimes even 100 empty casks.
Belly-Cheat or Belly-Chete, subs. (old).—An apron; also food. [From belly + slang cheat, a thing; from Anglo-Saxon ceat, a thing.]
1609. Dekker, Lanthorne and Candlelight, wks. (1885) III., 196. A BELLY-CHETE, an apron.
1622. Fletcher, Beggar's Bush, II., i. Each man shall eat his own stol'n eggs and shall possess what he can purchase—back or BELLY-CHEATS.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum. Belly-cheat, an apron.
Belly-Cheer or Belly-Chere, subs. (old).—Food. This term is of considerable antiquity, as also is belly-cheering for eating and drinking. For synonyms, see Grub.
1559. Eliotes Dictionarie. Abdomini indulgere, to geve hym selfe to bealy-CHERE.
1612. Rowlands, Knaves of Spades, etc. Gluttonie mounted on a greedie beare, To belly-cheere and banquets lends his care.
1699. Coles, English Dictionary. Belly-cheer, Cibaria.
belly-chere.—See Belly-cheer.
Belly-Chete.—See Belly-cheat.
Belly-Full, subs. (old).—1. A sound drubbing; a thrashing.
1599. Nashe, Lenten Stuffe, in wks. V., 265. The churlish frampild waues gaue him his belly-full of fish broath.
1605. Chapman, All Fooles, Act ii., p. 58 (Plays, 1874). Walk not too boldly; if the serjeants meet you, you may have swaggering work your belly-full.
1666. Pepys, Diary, Oct. 28. He says that in the July fight, both the Prince and Holmes had their belly-fulls, and were fain to go aside.
1835. Haliburton, Clockmaker, 3 S., ch. xvi. Bunker's Hill, where, Mr. Slick observed, 'the British first got a taste of what they afterwards got, a BELLY-FULL.'
2. A woman with child was also formerly said to have her belly-full.—See Belly-up.
Belly-Furniture, subs. (old).—Food; something wherewith to furnish the belly. Cf., Belly-timber, Back-timber, etc.
1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, bk. I., ch. v. (Bohn's), i., 110. Then did they fall upon the victuals, and some belly-furniture to be snatched at in the very same place.
Belly-go-Firster, subs. (pugilistic).—An initial blow, generally given, say some authorities, in the stomach—whence its classic name!
Belly-Gut, subs. (old).—A lazy, greedy fellow.
1540. Morysine, transl., Vives' Introd. Wisd., viij. Such as be skoffers, swell feastes . . . bely guts. [m.]
1733. Bailey, Erasmus, p. 346. Since then thou would'st not have a belly-gut for thy servant, but rather one brisk and agile, why then dost thou provide for thyself a minister fat and unwieldy?
Belly-Guts, subs. (American schoolboys').—1. In Pennsylvania, molasses candy.
2. (American.)—Equivalent to BELLY-BUMPER (q.v.).
Belly-Hedges, subs. (Shrewsbury School).—In school steeple-chases, obstructions of such a height that they can easily be cleared—i.e., about 'belly-high.'
