- cally to the heads of various
guilds and associations, and to the leaders in popular assemblages and disorderly festivities, e.g., the Abbot of Bell-ringers, the Abbot of Misrule, the Abbot of Unreason. Henceforward deterioration was both easy and rapid to the point when 'abbot' and its co-relative abbess, signified a steward and stewardess of the stews (q.v.). The terms are now obsolete on both sides of the Channel. In England the modern equivalent for abbess is mother (q.v.); and in France la maca, mère maca, la maquecée, or l'institutrice, do similar duty.
1782. Wolcot [P. Pindar], Odes to the Pope, Ode ii. in Works (Dublin, 1795), vol. II., p. 492.
So an old abbess, for the rattling rakes, A tempting dish of human nature makes, And dresses up a luscious maid.
1840. W. Kidd, London and all Its Dangers. The infernal wretches who traffic in the souls and bodies of their helpless victims are called lady abbesses.
Abbey Lubber, subs. phr. (old).--[From abbey + lubber.]
1. An old term of contempt for an able-bodied idler who grew sleek and fat upon the charity of religious houses; also sometimes, especially subsequent to the Reformation, applied to monks. In this sense it has long fallen into disuse.
1680. Dryden, Spanish Friar, III. 3. This is no huge, overgrown abbey lubber.
2. The term survives, however, and is still occasionally used by seafaring men, although 'lubber' is now more common amongst our Jack tars for a lazy, thriftless individual. If a sailor wishes to express the utmost scorn for laziness and meanness, he finds a very much more forcible expression in a 'dirty dog and no sailor.'--See Lubbers' hole.
Abbot, subs. (old).--The husband or 'fancy man' of an abbess (q.v.); now called a ponce (q.v.)[**.] In the old French argot these gentry were dignified by the title of sacristain. They were occasionally spoken of as croziered abbots, or abbots on the cross, in which case the establishments over which they mounted guard were not so much brothels as panel cribs (q.v.), where prostitution served mainly as a cloak for robbery.
Abbott's Priory, subs. phr. (popular).--The King's Bench Prison was formerly so-called; perhaps from Chief Justice Abbott.
Abbreviations.--These occasionally partake most clearly of the nature of slang. As illustrative examples may be mentioned:--K.D.Gs., the King's, now the First Dragoon Guards.--O.K., all right; 'orl krect.'--B.T.I., a big thing on ice.--Q.T., generally 'on the strict Q.T.', i.e., quiet--T.T., too thin.--Cri., the Criterion (restaurant or theatre).--The Ox., the Oxford Music Hall.--Tec., detective.--B.P., British Public.--B. and S., brandy and soda.--P.D.Q., pretty d----d quick.
A.B.C.'s (London).--1. The Aërated Bread Co.'s establishments are, familiarly speaking, A. B. C.'s.
2. (Christ's Hospital).--Ale, Bread and Cheese on 'going home night.'
