mon).—Thoroughly; vigorously. A simile as general in its application as it is irrelevant. It may mean anything, everything, and nothing. Why old boots and not new boots is beyond comprehension.
1868. Miss Braddon, Sir Jasper, ch. xxvii., p. 282. I'll stick to you like old boots.
1874. Saturday Review, Jan., p. 55. An Oxford man, nay even a Balliol man . . . introduced in the story a pleasing change by such a phrase as jawing away like old boots.
To buy old boots, phr. (old).—To marry or keep the cast-off mistress of another man.
To die in one's boots (q.v).
Boots and Leathers.—See Commoner
peal.
Booty. To play booty, phr. (old).—To
play falsely; dishonestly;
or unfairly; this with the object
of not winning, a previous
arrangement having been made
with a confederate to share the
spoils resulting from the bogus
play. Sometimes it takes the
form of permitting the victim to
win small stakes in order to
encourage him to hazard larger
sums which, naturally, he is not
allowed to win.—See quotation
from Dyche.
1575. Frat. of Vacabondes, p. 13. They wil make as much as they can, and consent as though they wil play booty againt him.
1608. Dekker, Belman of London, in wks. (Grosart) III., 133. They . . . haue still an eare how the layes [bets] are made, and according to that leuell doe they throw their bowles, so that be sure the bowlers play booty.
1742. Fielding, Joseph Andrews, bk. I., ch. ii. The best gamesters, before they laid their money, always inquired which horse little Joey was to ride; and the bets were rather proportioned by the rider than by the horse himself; especially after he had scornfully refused a considerable bribe to play booty on such an occasion.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5 ed.). Booty (s.), plunder, spoil, prize; also a cant word signifying a pretence to one thing, and at the same time intends and does the contrary, in order to cheat, impose upon, and draw in a person to lay wagers, play at some game, etc.
1776. Colman, The Spleen, in wks. (1777) IV., 276. Jubilee started and stumbled but, by-the-bye, I believe his rider played booty—Duenna won the stakes, and the knowing ones were all taken in.
1817. Scott, Rob Roy, ch. vii. 'Were he caught playing booty, he would be disarmed, and probably dismounted.'
1831. Disraeli, Young Duke. One thing remained to be lost—what he called his honour, which was already on the scent to play booty.
So also booty = playing booty, and booty-fellow, a sharer in the plunder.
Booze, subs. ( popular ).—1.
Drink; a draught. The older
forms are bouse or bouze (q.v.),
but booze in its present form
appears as early as 1714. For
synonyms, see Drinks.
1714. Memoirs of John Hall (4 ed.), p. 11. Booze, Drink. [List of cant words.]
1821. W. T. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, Act ii., Sc. 6. Jemmy. Gemmen, nave you ordered the peck and booze for the evening? Sold. Suke. Aye, aye, I've taken care of that—shoulder of veal and garnish—Turkey and appendleges—Parmesan—Filberds—Port and Madery.
1889. Sporting Times, 6 July. Kid. The Music Hall Sports are at Alexandra Park on the 23rd, and there will be rare doings on that occasion. Master and Shifter both give prizes, and there will be booze in our drag.
2. A drinking bout; a tipsy frolic. Murray's first quote for this form and sense is dated 1864; but, from the following,
