bit-maker.—See Turner out and Faker.
Bit Faking, subs. ( thieves').—Manufacturing base coin; counterfeiting. [From bit + fake + ing.—See preceding.] Cf., Turner out.
Biting Up, subs. (tailors').—Grieving over a loss or bereavement.
Bit-Maker, subs. (old).—A counterfeiter.—See Bit-faker.
1857. Snowden, Mag. Assistant, 3 ed., p. 447. Coiners—bit-makers.
Bit-o'-Bull, subs. (old).—Beef. The French say un gobet; formerly, a dainty morsel.
Bit of Blood, subs. (common).—A high-spirited horse; a thoroughbred. The derivation is obvious. For synonyms, see Prad.
1819. Moore, Tom Crib's Memorial to Congress, p. 10. 'Mong the vehicles, too, which were many and various, From natty barouche down to buggy precarious, We twigg'd more than one queerish sort of turn-out, C—n n—g came in a job, and then canter'd about On a showy, but hot and unsound, bit of blood, (For a leader once meant, but cast off, as no good).
1843. Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit, II., p. 156. Not that we slacken in our pace the while, not we: we rather put the bits of blood upon their mettle.
Bit of Cavalry, subs. (old).—A horse.
1821. W. T. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, Act i., Sc. 6. Tom. You are now at Tattersal's, Jerry, a very worthy fellow, who made his fortune by a horse called Highflyer. Jerry. Hum! and if one may judge from the splendour and extent of his premises, he seems to be no small highflyer himself. Tom. You are right, Jerry—I shall here buy a bit of cavalry—that is a prad, on your judgment.
Bit of Ebony, subs. (common).—A negro or negress. For synonyms, see Snowball.
Bit of Fat, subs.(common).—1. An unexpected pecuniary advantage in a transaction.
2. (printers'.)—See Fat.
Bit of Jam.—See Jam.
Bit of Leaf, subs. (thieves').—Tobacco.
Bit of Muslin, subs. (common).—A young girl; generally applied only to prostitutes. Also bit of stuff. For synonyms, see Barrack-hack.
Bit of Mutton, subs. (familiar).—A woman; generally, a prostitute is meant. Cf., Laced mutton, and for synonyms, see Barrack-hack.
Bit of Sticks, subs. phr. (sporting).—A corpse. For synonyms, see Dead meat.
Bit of Stiff, subs. (common).—A bank-note, or other paper money; the equivalent of money when not in specie, i.e., a draft or bill of exchange.
1854. Lever, Dodd Family Abroad, I., 313. I'm sorry that bit of stiff, meaning the bill, wasn't for five thousand francs.
1876. Hindley, Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, p. 234. He liked to have the party's name written across a piece of paper with a stamp attached, commonly called a bit of stiff.
To do a bit of stiff, phr. (common).—To accept a bill.
