Heading
in their language, is fyre. These goe with fayned lycences and counterfayted wrytings, hauing the hands and seales of suche gentlemen as dwelleth nere to the place where they fayne them selues to haue bene burnt, and their goods consumed with fyre. They wyll most lamentable demaunde your charitie, and wyll quicklye shed salte teares, they be so tender harted. They wyll neuer begge in that Shiere where their losses (as they say) was.
Demi-doss, subs. (vagrants').—See
quot.
1886. Daily News, 3 Nov., p. 5, col. 5. Others, unable to find the coin wherewith to obtain even a demi-doss, i.e., penny sleep.
Demi-Rep, subs. (old slang, now
recognised).—A woman of doubtful
repute. [A contraction of
demi-reputation.] For synonyms,
see Barrack Hack and Tart.
1750. Fielding, Tom Jones, bk. XV., ch. ix. That character which is vulgarly called a demi-rep; that is to say, a woman who intrigues with every man she likes, under the name and appearance of virtue . . . in short, whom everybody knows to be what nobody calls her.
1754. Connoisseur, No. 4. An order of females lately sprung up . . . usually distinguished by the denomination of Demi-Reps; a word not to be found in any of our dictionaries.
1846-48. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, vol. II., ch. xx. So they went on talking about dancers, fights, drinking, demi-reps, until Macmurdo came down.
Demnition Bow-wows, subs. phr.
(common).—The 'dogs' which
spell 'ruin.' Originally a
Dickensism (see quot., 1838).
For analogues, see Dead Broke.
1838. Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby, II., 32. 'I beg its little pardon,' said Mr. Mantalini, dropping the handle of the mangle, and folding his arms together, 'It's all up with its handsome friend. He has gone to the demnition bow-wows.
1888. New York Herald, 25 March. There are some men who, if they don't make twice as much as they expect to make, will cry hard times, and say that general business is going to the demnition bow-wows, but these men would say the same thing in any event.
1889. The Nation, 19 Dec., p. 499, col. 1. Our great farming industry—the very soil of National growth—is not going to the demnition bow-wows.
Demnition Hot, adv. phr.
(American).—Exceedingly warm;
a heat supposed to be akin to
that of the place where they don't
rake out the fires at night.
1888. San Francisco Weekly Examiner, 22 March. It was demnition hot, and I commenced to hunt for soft spots in my saddle.
Demon, subs. (Australian prison).—1.
A policeman. Forsynonyms,
see Beak and Copper.
2. (colloquial).—A super-excellent adept; e.g., The demon bowler = Mr. Spofforth; The demon jockey = Fordham or Fred Archer, and so forth.
Den, subs. (common).—A place
where intimates are received;
one's 'diggings' or 'snuggery.'
[In Anglo-Saxon = a bed, cave, or
lurking place.] For synonyms,
see Diggings.
1865. Punch, vol. XLVIII., p. 111 col. 2, S.v.
Dennis, subs. (old).—A small
walking stick.
Dep, subs. (common).—1. A deputy;
specifically the night porter or
chamberlain at padding or dossing
kens.
1870. C. Dickens, Mystery of Edwin Drood, ch. v. I'm man-servant up at the Travellers' Twopenny in Gas Works Garding, this thing explains, all man-servants at Travellers' Lodgings is named Deputy
2. (Christ's Hospital).—A deputy Grecian, i.e., a boy in the form below the Grecians.
