word first noticed as buzza by the burly lexicographer of the 'Vulgar Tongue.' [? A corruption of booze or bouze, i.e., to drink a bumper or to excess.] The Scotch say bouse a', drink all.
1785. Grose, Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. To buzza one, is to challenge him to pour out all the wine in the bottle into his glass, undertaking to drink it, should it prove more than the glass would hold; it is commonly said to one who hesitates to empty a bottle that is nearly out.
1795. Gent. Mag., p. 118. Briskly pushed towards me the decanter containing a tolerable bumper, and exclaimed, 'Sir, I'll buzz you: come, no heel taps!'
1821. W. T. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, Act ii., Sc. 1. Cribb. . . . I'll give you, 'May the best man win.' (All drink.) May the best man win. Green. May the best man vin. Log. With all my heart; but, zounds! we've almost buzz'd the bowl. Let's have another, and d'ye hear, Tom, serve it up in your prize cup; Jerry hasn't seen it, and we mustn't omit that.
1846-48. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, II., 138. 'Get some more port, Bowls, old boy, whilst I buzz this bottle here—what was I saying?' 'I think you were speaking of dogs killing rats,' Pitt remarked mildly, handing his cousin the decanter to buzz.
1871. Archibald Forbes, My Experiences of the War between France and Germany, I., p. 234. The Hotel which I had seen a few days before, where Von Tümpling's staff were buzzing the bottles.
2. To pick pockets. [Probably an allusion to buzz in the sense of to talk busily. The victim in buzzing or buz-faking (q.v.) is generally engaged in conversation with a confederate, while the buzzer (q.v.) is committing the robbery.] For synonyms, see Prig.
1789. Geo. Parker, Life's Painter, p. 158. In order to give them an opportunity of working upon the prig and buz, that is, picking of pockets.
1857. Snowden, Mag. Assistant, 3 ed., p. 445. To pick pockets—to buzz.
1876. C. Hindley, Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, p. 261. In my young days there used to travel about in gangs, like men of business, a lot of people called 'Nobblers,' who used to work the 'thimble and pea rig' and go buzzing, that is, picking pockets, assisted by some small boys.
3. (American thieves'.)—To search for; to look about one.
Buz-Bloke.—See Buz-napper.
Buz-Cove.—See Buz-napper.
Buz-Gloak.—See Buz-napper.
Buz-Man, subs. (thieves').—1. A pickpocket. Cf., Buz-napper.
1856. H. Mayhew, Gt. World of London, p. 111. The London buzman (swell mobsman) can keep his pony by abstracting 'skins' (purses) from gentlemen's pockets.
2. (thieves'.)—An informer. [From buzz, to talk or whisper, + man.] For synonyms, see Nark.
1877. W. Black, Green Past. and Picc., ch. xi. What was all this about 'Billy Rowland,' 'Scotland Yard,' 'Spy,' 'Buzman,' and the rest?
Buz-Napper, subs. (old).—1. A pick-*pocket. [From buz, to pick pockets, + napper or nabber, one who seizes or snatches. 'Buz-bloke,' 'buz-cove,' 'buz-gloak,' 'buz-man,' and 'buzzer,' are all variants of buz-napper; 'bloke,' 'cove,' and 'gloak,' are old canting terms for a man.] For synonyms, see Area-sneak.
1781. G. Parker, View of Society, II., 174. A young fry of boys . . . follow the profession of a buz-napper.
