Bib. To nap a bib, or one's bib, phr. (popular).—To weep; to 'blubber'; to 'snivel.'
French Synonyms. Lâcher les écluses (popular: 'to let loose the floodgates'; the phrase also means 'to void urine'); pisser des yeux (common: 'to urinate with the eyes'); pleuvoir des châsses (thieves': pleuvoir = 'to rain'; in military slang to void urine; châsse = eye); verver (thieves': a corrupted form of verser, 'to pour out,' to shed); viauper (popular: this argotic verb also means 'to go molrowing' or 'to lead a dissolute life'); chasser des reluits (popular: chasser = 'to expel,' 'to drive out'; reluits = 'the eyes,' or 'ogles'); chier des châsses (popular: a coarse term); chigner (popular); baver des clignots (popular: literally 'to drivel, slaver' or 'slobber the eyes'—cligner signifying 'to wink' or 'blink'; hence clignots, 'the blinkers' or 'winkers'); beugler (popular: properly 'to bellow' [like a bull]).
German Synonyms. Echen eichen (from the Hebrew echa, the first word in the Lamentations of Jeremiah) ;flonen, phlonen, flannen, flaussen, or flennen (to pull one's mouth awry, either for laughing or crying, but among German thieves mainly in the former sense); jalen jaulen, or jolen machen (from the Hebrew jolal, whining; 'to howl,' to whine).
Italian Synonyms. Trignare (this also signifies to rain': Cf., the French, pleuvoir des châsses); slenzare or slenzire(also 'to urinate': Cf., French, lâcher les écluses); ventare (the primary slang sense of ventare is 'to moisten,' hence 'to shed tears': properly 'to blow,' 'to be windy'); lenzare or lenzire (primarily, in a slang sense, 'to soak,' 'to wet'; from this the meaning is transferred to signify 'to make water,' i.e., 'to urinate,' and also 'to shed tears': the word is properly written l'ance; the derivation will be found under the French synonyms for Adam's ale, q.v).
In Spanish there is one expression for 'to cry' which is full of poetry—fabricar las perlas, i.e., 'to make pearls.' Arabs likewise speak of tears as 'pearls on the face.'
Bibables or Bibibles, subs. (American).—Drink,
as distinguished
from food. [A coinage on the
model of 'edibles,' 'eatables,'
'drinkables,' etc.; from Latin
bib-[)e]re, to drink, + able, i.e.,
able to be drunk.]
1860. William Howard Russell (Special Correspondent of the Times), My Diary in India in the years 1858-9, I., p. 8. Could all the pale-ale, soda-water, sherry, porter, and vin ordinaire, and the feebler bibables be turned into nectar, etc.
1860. Pittsburg Despatch, Aug. The table was loaded and spread with edibles and bibibles of every possible kind. [de v.]
Bib-All-Night, subs. (old).—A toper; a confirmed drunkard. [From bib-[)e]re, to drink, + all-night.]
1612. Sylvester, Lacrymæ Lacrymaram, p. 101. Bats, Harpies, Syrens, Centaurs, Bib-all-nights.
Bible, subs. (nautical).—See quotations.
1867. Admiral Smyth, Sailors' Word Book. Bible, a hand-axe; a small holy-stone [a kind of sand-stone used in cleaning decks], so called from seamen using them kneeling.
