Bit of Stuff, subs. (familiar).—An overdressed man; a man with full confidence in his appearance and abilities; a young woman; also called a bit of muslin.
1835. Marryat, Jacob Faithful, ch. xxiii. 'One night he says to me, "Will, come up and I'll show you a devilish fine piece of stuff." So I walks with him, and he takes me to a shop where they dealed in marine stores, and we goes and finds your mother in the back parlour.'
Bit On.—See On.
Bitter, subs. (popular).—A glass
of beer.
To do a bitter.—To drink a glass of bitter. Originally, says Hotten, an Oxford term varied by to do a beer.
1853. Rev. E. Bradley ('Cuthbert Bede'), Verdant Green, 1st., III., ch. x. Mr. Verdant Green and Mr. Bouncer . . . turned into the coffee-room of 'The Mitre' to do bitters, as Mr. Bouncer phrased the act of drinking bitter beer.
c. 1882. Comic Song, 'The West End Boys,' verse 3.
Let fortune frown and friends betray, There's a class of men that's ever gay, Where some make troubles, they make joys, And are known by the title of the West End Boys. They commence their evening with cigars, And 'How-d'ye-do, dear,'at the bars, 'Another bitter, I really can't go, There's something about you that charms me so.' Oh, don't they like, etc.
Bittock, subs. (originally provincial;
now common).—A distance
of very undecided length. If a
North countryman be asked the
distance to a place, he will most
probably reply, 'a mile and a
bittock.' The latter may be
considered any distance from
one hundred yards to ten miles.
Also of time. [From bit +
ock, a diminutive suffix.]
1802. J. Wilson ('Congleton'), M.S. Let. to F. Boucher. Bittock, a small Piece or small Bit; Cheshire. [m.]
1816. Scott, Old Mortality, ch. x. 'To Chamwood, madam? It's unco late, and its sax miles an' a bittock down the water.'
1884. Daily News, April 15, p. 4, col. 7. Edinburgh University is three hundred years old, or rather, three hundred years and a bittock.
Bit You.—A hair of the dog
that bit you.—See Hair.
Bivvy or gatter, subs. (provincial).—Beer;
'shant of bivvy,' a
pot or quart of beer; probably
from the Italian, bevere, bere.
Latin, bibere. English, beverage.
Biz, subs. (originally American,
now general).—A vulgar corruption
for business, employment,
or occupation. 'Good biz' is
profitable business.
1882. Democracy, ch. vii. A number of gentlemen were waiting for interviews with the President, and among them was the whole Pennsylvania delegation, ready for biz, as Mr. Tom Lord remarked, with a wink.
1884. Saturday Review, Jan. 5, p. 13, col. 2. It is satisfactory to learn from the conductor of the circus that biz is very fair.
1889. Ally Sloper, Aug. 17, p. 262, col. 1. We understand, though we cannot vouch for the truth of the statement, that a New York lady, moving in the best society, while twisting some worsted, hit upon the idea of applying a little system of her own to a larger field than mere yarn, so she invented a machine for twisting wire rope, and has sold the patent for £10,000 and a royalty upon future sales. Very good biz, this, eh!
B. K. S., subs. (military).—An
abbreviation of 'barracks'; its
usage is explained by quotation.
1887. Standard, 10 Feb., p. 5, col. 2. B. k. s., used by officers 'in mufti,' who do not wish to give their address.
