Adj.—Counterfeit; unreal; sham; showy; pretentious.—See substantive, senses 1 and 2.
1637. Calendar Dom. St. Papers, 105. Those swords which he . . . pretends to be blades of his owne makeing are all Bromedgham blades and forraine blades.
1686. D'Urfey, Commonwealth of Women, I., i. A Brummingham, son of a wh—, affront the Noble Admiral!
1866. G. Eliot, Felix Holt, ch. v. 'The most of the middle class are as ignorant as the working people about everything that doesn't belong to their own Brummagem life.'
1883. Echo, March 28, p. 1, col. 5. There is little of a Brummagem character about the municipal, parochial, and philanthropic work of Birmingham, what-*ever we may think of some of her industrial productions.
Brummagem Buttons, subs. (common).—Counterfeit coin.
1836. Dickens, Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, I., p. 11. Bad silver, Brummagem buttons, etc.
1873. Saturday Review, Nov., p. 661. They [Brummagem buttons] were marvellously inexpensive, and being such ingenious imitations of the spade guineas and half-guineas then current that many Englishmen might have failed to detect the difference; they must have been of very great 'use to the Indians' indeed.
Brummish, adj. (common).—Doubtful; counterfeit. [From Brum (q.v.) + ish.]
1805. G. Colman, John Bull Brit. Theat., 55. Two guineas . . . one seems light and t'other looks a little brummish. [m.]
Brums, subs. (Stock Exchange).—London and North Western Stock. (Formerly London and Birmingham Ry.).
1887. Atkin, House Scraps. We kneel at the feet of our 'Nancys,' We load them with 'cottons' and 'tapes.' If anything tickles our fancy, We buy them Brums, 'Caleys' or 'Apes.'
Brush.—1. See Brother of the brush.
2. subs. (old).—A hasty departure. For analogous terms, see Amputate.
1750. Fielding, Tom Jones, bk. VIII., ch. xii. 'I reminded him, not without blushing, of my having no money. He answered, 'That signifies nothing, score it behind the door, or make a bold brush, and take no notice.'
3. (old.)—A person who decamps hastily, or who evades his creditors.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5 ed.). Brush (v.) . . . also a canting term for one who goes off privately, or runs away from his creditors, or with stolen goods.
Verb (Christ's Hospital).—1. To flog.
2. (old.)—To have sexual intercourse. For synonyms, see Ride.
3. (old.)—To run away; to decamp. Also to brush off. For synonyms, see Amputate.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew. Brush, to Fly or Run away. [m.]
1706. E. Coles, Eng. Dict. Brush, c., run away.
1764. A. Murphy, No One's Enemy but his Own, Act ii. Rascal, says my Master, do as I bid you, and so off he brushed to the tune of an old song.
1776. Foote, Bankrupt, I. But I must brush off, for here comes my lady.
1837. Barham, Ingoldsby Legends (1877), 204. And one Sergeant Matcham had brush'd with the dibs.
1837. Barham, I. L. (Dead Drummer). One of their drummers, and one Sergeant Matcham, Had brush'd with the dibs, and they never could catch'em.
Brusher, subs. (old).—A full glass.
2. (old.)—See quotation.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5 ed.). Brusher (s.) . . . also one that gets or steals away privately.
