ing at cards), who deal falsely and cut one for the other, cheat with Boglein and spies, pick one BRIEF from the ground, and another from a cupboard,' etc.
1720. Old Book of Games, quoted by Hotten. 'Take a pack of cards and open them, then take out all the honours . . . and cut a little from the edges of the rest all alike, so as to make the honours broader than the rest, so that when your adversary cuts to you, you are certain of an honour. When you cut to your adversary cut at the ends, and then it is a chance if you cut him an honour, because the cards at the ends are all of a length. Thus you may make BREEFS end-ways as well as side-ways.'
Brief-Snatcher, subs. (thieves').—Pocket-book thieves. [From BRIEF (q.v., sense 1), slang term for a pocket-book, + SNATCHER.]
Brigh, subs. (thieves').—A pocket.
1879. J. W. Horsley, in Macm. Mag., XL., 502. Having a new suit of clobber on me, and about fifty blow in my BRIGH (pocket).
Some English Synonyms are:—Cly, skyrocket.
French Synonyms are une grande; une profonde, parfonde or prophête (thieves': literally deep; also used for 'cave' or 'cellar'); une fouillouse (thieves': this term is an old one. Fouille = a 'digging' or excavation. There are various forms—foulle, felouse, filoche); une gueularde (thieves': gueulard = wallet in slang, but properly signifies a stove); une baguenaude (thieves' and cads': properly 'a bladder-nut'); une balade or ballade; une valade (thieves': from avaler, to swallow up); une fondrière (thieves'); un four banal (thieves': either used to signify a 'pocket,' a 'false pocket,' or an 'omnibus'); une sonde (literally sonde = probe).
Bright in the Eye, subs. (common)—Slightly tipsy. [An allusion to the sparkling appearance of the eyes at an early stage of intoxication; subsequently they become dull and sleepy.] For synonyms, see Screwed.
Brighton Tipper, subs.—A peculiar kind of ale.—See quotation.
1843. Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit, I., p. 347. Requiring . . . a pint of the celebrated staggering ale, or Real Old Brighton Tipper, at supper. Ibid, p. 447. If they draws the Brighton Tipper here, I takes that ale at night, my love.
Brim, subs. (old).—1. A prostitute. [A contraction of BRIMSTONE (q.v.)] For synonyms, see Barrack-hack.
1730-6. Bailey. Brim [q. a contraction of Brimstone], a common strumpet. [M.]
1764. T. Brydges, Homer Travest. (1797), i., 173. Can mortal scoundrels thee [Hera] perplex, And the great BRIM of brimstones vex?
1808. Jamieson. Brim, a cant term for a trull.—Loth.
2. (common.)—Nowadays the term signifies an angry, violent woman, or a termagant, without reference to moral character. An equivalent French term is une chipie. Cf., Brimstone.
1799. Whim of the Day. She raved, she abused me, and splenetic was; She's a vixen, she's a BRIM, zounds! She's all that is bad.
Brimstone, subs. (old).—1. A violent tempered woman; a virago; a spitfire. [A reference to the inflammable character of the mineral.]
1712. Bp. Burnet, in Walpole's Reminiscences (1819), p. 75. 'Oh, madam,' said the bishop, 'do not you know what a BRIMSTONE of a wife he had?'
