1656. Broome, Jovial Crew, Act ii., I bowse no lage, but a whole gage Of this I bowse to you.
1690. B. E. New Dict. of the Cant. Crew. Gage, c. A pot or pipe. Tip me a gage, c. give me a pot, or pipe.
1714. Memoirs of John Hall (4th ed.), p. 12. Gage, a pot.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue. Gage, a quart pot, also a pint (cant).
1821. Haggart, Life, p. 40. We drank our gauge and parted good friends.
2. (18th century).—A chamber-*pot.
3. (old).—A pipe.
1690. B. E., New Dict. of the Cant. Crew (See quot. 1690 under sense 1).
1796. Grose, Vulg. Tongue (3rd Ed.), s.v.
1834. H. Ainsworth, Rookwood, Bk. III., ch. v. In the mean time, tip me a gage of fogus, Jerry.
4. (American).—A man. For synonyms, see Cove.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum or Rogues Lexicon. Deck the gage, see the man.
Gagers, subs. (American).—The
eyes. For synonyms, see Glims.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
Gagga, subs. (old).—See quot.
1796. Grose, Vulg. Tongue (3rd Ed). Cheats who by sham pretences and wonderful stories of their sufferings impose on the credulity of good people.
Gagger, subs, (theatrical).—A
player who deals in gags (q.v.),
sense 2. Also Gaggist, Gagmaster,
and Gagster.
1841. Punch, Vol. I., p. 169. Men with 'swallows' like Thames tunnels, in fact accomplished gaggers and unrivalled 'wiry watchers.'
1887. Burnand and a'Beckett in Fortn. Review, April, p. 548. Robson . . . was an inveterate gagger.
1890. Globe, 3 March, p. 1, c. 4. The low comedy was much toned down. . . . In other words, the gaggers were gagged.
Gaggery, subs. (theatrical).—The
practice of Gagging (q.v.), sense
3.
Gagging, subs. (old).—1. Bluff
(q.v.); specifically, bunco-steering
(q.v.), the art of talking over
and persuading a stranger that he
is an old acquaintance. Cf., Gag,
verb, sense 2.
1828. G. Smeaton, Doings in London, p. 28. One of the modes of raising money, well known in town by the flash name of gagging, has been practised of late to a considerable extent on simple countrymen, who are strangers to the 'ways of town.'
2. (cabmen's).—Loitering about for 'fares'; 'crawling.'
1851-61. H. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, Vol. III., p. 366. The means used are gagging, that is to say, driving about and loitering in the thoroughfares for jobs.
3. (theatrical).—Dealing in gags (q.v.), sense 1. Also as ppl. adj.
1883. The Echo, 5 Jan., p. 2, c. 3. A protest, by no means unneeded, against the insolence or ignorance of some playwrights, and gagging actors.
1889. Answers, 27 July, p. 143, c. 2. Gagging is a thing about which the public know little.
Gaggler's Coach, subs. phr. (old).—A
hurdle.
1823. Kent, Modern Flash Dict., s.v.
1848. Duncombe, Sinks of London s.v.
Gail, subs. (old).—A horse. For
synonyms, see Prad.
