1866. Ruskin, Crown of Wild Olives, p. 25. The deceased was a bone-picker. he was in the lowest stage of poverty, etc.
Boner, subs. (Winchester College).—A
sharp blow on the spine.
Bones, subs. (common).—I. Dice,
which are also called St. Hugh's
bones (q.v.). [So called because
made of bone or ivory.]
'To rattle the bones,' i.e., 'to
play at dice.' The term is a
very old one, as also seem to
be games played with the little
cubes in question.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Pard. T., 328. This fruyt cometh of the bicched bones two, fforsweryng, Ire, falsnesse, Homycide.
a. 1529. Skelton, wks. (ed. Dyce) I., 52. On the borde he whyrled a payre of bones.
1608. Dekker, Belman of London, in wks. (Grosart) III., 123. Who being left by his parents rich in money and possessions, hath to the musicke of square ratling bones danced so long, that hee hath danced himselfe into the company of beggers.
1698. Dryden, Persius, III., 96. But then my study was to cog the dice, And dexterously to throw the lucky sice: To shun ames-ace, that swept my stakes away; And watch the box, for fear they should convey False bones, and put upon me in the play.
1772. Foote, Nabob, Act ii. When your chance is low, as tray, ace, or two deuces, the best method is to dribble out the bones from the box.
1849. Thackeray, Pendennis, ch. xviii. 'I saw you sit down to écarté last week at Trumpington's, and taking your turn with the bones after Ringwood's supper.'
1861. Whyte Melville, Good for Nothing, ch. xxviii. 'What with speculations failing, and consols dropping all at once, not to mention a continual run of ill-luck with the bones, I saw no way out of it but to bolt.'
2. (common.)—Pieces of bones held between the fingers and played Spanish castanet fashion. Generally used as an accompaniment to banjo and other 'negro' minstrel music.
1592. Shakspeare, Midsummer Night's Dream, iv., I, line 27. Tita. What, wilt thou hear some music, my sweet love? Bot. I have a reasonable good ear in music: let us have the tongs and the bones.
1851. Mayhew, London Labour and London Poor, III., p. 195. Peter rolling about in his chair like a serenader playing the bones, and the young Othello laughing as if he was being tickled. Ibid, p. 201. The bones, we've real bones, rib-of-beef bones, but some have ebony bones, which sound better than rib-bones—they tell best, etc.
1865. Times, 17 July. Amateur negro melodists . . . thumped the banjo and rattled the bones. [m.]
3. (common.)—A member of a 'negro' minstrel troupe; generally applied to one of the 'end' men who plays the bones (sense 2).
1851. Mayhew, London Labour and London Poor, III. First of all we formed a school of three—two banjos and a tambourine, and after that we added a bones and a fiddle.
1867. Rhoda Broughton, Cometh up as a Flower, p. 236. The band clashes out; big fiddle and little fiddle, harp and bones, off they go.
1884. Sat. Review, June 7,740, col. I. A single row of negro minstrels seated on chairs . . . while at the end are Bones and Sambo. [m.]
4. (general.)—The bones of the human body, but more generally applied to the teeth. French thieves call these les piloches (f); and les osselots (m). Cf., Bone-box and Bone-house, and for synonyms, see Grinders.
5. (common.)—A surgeon; generally sawbones (q.v.). A list of curious nicknames for the medical profession will also be found under Squirt.
1887. Chamb. Journal, Jan. 8, p. 30. 'I have sent for the village bones, and
