day. Ibid. The bucks are unlicensed cabdrivers, who are employed by those who have a license to take charge of the cab while the regular drivers are at their meals or enjoying themselves.
1865. Morning Star, 14 Sept. What is the prisoner? Constable: He is a buck, who hangs about an omnibus stand, [m.]
1887. Daily News, 5 October, 5, 4. At Bow Street something was further heard of the buck. This person . . . is the sham fare whom a cabby drives past the police in order to get up to the theatre doors out of his proper turn, and so increase his chance of securing a legitimate fare.
3. (old.)—A sixpence. [Thought to be a corruption of fyebuck (q.v.).] The word is rarely used by itself, but generally denotes the sixpence attached to shillings in reference to cost, as, 'three and a buck,' three shillings and sixpence. For synonyms, see Bender.
1885. Household Words, June 20, p. 155. 'Buck' is most likely a corruption of 'fyebuck,' a slang name for sixpence, which is now almost, if not altogether, obsolete.
4. (schoolboys'.)—A large marble. Cf., Alley, Bonce, Mivey.
1885. Household Words, June 20, p. 155. Readers whose school-days are still green in their memories will also recognise in buck the name for the large marble once dear to their boyish hearts.
5. (American.)—A term used in poker (q.v.). Cf., Tiger.
Adj. (American University).—At Princeton College anything which is of an intensive degree, good, excellent, pleasant or agreeable, is called buck.
Verb (American).—1. To oppose; to run counter to. [Possibly a corruption of butt, or from buck as applied to a horse.—See sense 2.]
2. (Western American.)—As applied to horses this term is used to describe the action of plunging forward and throwing the head to the ground in an effort to unseat the rider—a motion of which probably no domesticated beast is capable, aside from the Texan miserable and treacherous species of horse. A raw hand thus relates his experience:—'When I was told how hard he could buck, I only laughed, my impression being that no pony standing on four legs could throw me off. I mounted my new horse, and waving my bran new hat about my head, galloped away in a dignified style. Suddenly the horse stopped. His ears went back, and his hind legs went between his front. The motion was a curious one. But I did not fall. Realizing that the man on his back could ride a little bit, the pony got right down to business. My stomach seemed to fly up into my mouth, and millions of stars floated about my head. I am not prepared to state what kind of hold the pony got on me, but I went sprawling on the ground, my nose making an irrigating ditch. It was all done not more than one hundred yards from where my girl was standing. I stuck on well, however, as the saddle, blanket, gun and bridle came off with me. The wild yell that greeted my exploit nearly drove me mad. While I spit the dirt and curses out of my mouth, I thought that if I had that pony back I'd break him in or break my head. It ran out on the prairie and joined the Government herd. When an old-timer tried to fix
