Heading
expletives; also employed euphemistically = 'to damn.'—See Buttons and Oaths.
1819. Moore, Tom Crib's Memorial to Congress, p. 46. Except light oaths, to grace his speeches, Like Dash my wig!' or 'burn my breeches!'
1839. Harrison Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard [1889], p. 22. You may try, but dash my timbers if you'll ever cross the Thames to-night!
1842. Punch, vol. II., p. 20, col. 2. Yet henceforth—dash my wig! I'll live with thee, with thee I'll hop the twig!
1849. C. Kingsley, Alton Locke, ch. iv. Gunpowder is your true leveller—dash physical strength! A boy's a man with a musket in his hand, my chap!
1864. Dickens, Our Mutual Friend, bk. IV., ch. iii. And if you hadn't come round to me to-night, dash my wig if I wouldn't have come round to you tomorrow.
1880. G. R. Sims, Three Brass Balls, pledge ii. 'Dash it all!' said the police-surgeon, 'that's two fatal cases I've had to-day.'
Cut a Dash.—See Cut.
To have a dash on, verbal phr. (turf).—To speculate largely or wildly; 'to go it strong.'
Dasher, subs. (old).—i. A showy prostitute. (Cf., sense 2).
1790. C. Dibdin, Sea Songs, 'Old Cunwell the Pilot.' My Poll, once a dasher, now turned to a nurse.
2. (colloquial).—An ostentatious or extravagant man or woman; an impetuous person; a 'clipper'; also latterly,—the word has shown progress towards literary English throughout—a man or woman of fashion; a person of brilliant qualities, mental or physical. Fr., genreux-se; une femme catapulteuse (a fine woman, as also une cocodète). Spanish equivalents are damaza and sibila, while tiene garabato is said of women who 'hook' men by their manner and grace (garabato = a meat-hook).
1843. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit, ch. xxix., p. 289. 'Why, you look smarter by day,' said Poll, 'than you do by candlelight. I never see such a tight young dasher.'
1856. Miss Edgeworth, Almeria, p. 292. She was astonished to find in high life a degree of vulgarity of which her country companions would have been ashamed: but all such things in high life go under the general term dashing. These young ladies were dashers.
Daub, subs, (common).—1. An artist. Verb.—See Dawb.
2. A bad picture.
David, subs, (common).—1.—See Davy, sense 1.
2. (American).—A torpedo. 1872. Morning Advertiser, 3 April.
David Jones or David Jones's Locker.—See under Davy.
David's Sow. Drunk as David's, or Davy's, sow, adv. phr. (old).—Beastly drunk. [For a somewhat far-fetched derivation, see Grose's Diet. Vulg. Tongue.]
c. 1720. Gay, New Song of New Similes. Though as drunk as Davids sow.
1733. Bailey, Erasmus, p. 127. When he comes home, after I have been waiting for him till I do not know what time at night, as drunk as David's sow, he does nothing but lie snoring all night long by my side.
1836. Marryat, Midshipman Easy, ch. xiv. Fellows who have no respect for the articles of war, and who get as drunk as David's sow.
Davy, subs. (colloquial).—1. An affidavit. Synonymous, by implication, with 'God,' in so help, or s'welp me davy, or
