1851-61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, I., 472. It's generally the lower order that he gulls.
1892. Henley and Stevenson, Deacon Brodie, ix. Pay your debts, and gull the world a little longer.
Hence Gullible, adj., = easily duped.
1841. Thackeray, Character Sketches 'Fashionable Authoress.' And, gulled themselves, gull the most gullable of publics.
Gullage, subs. (old colloquial).—The
act of trickery; the state of
being gulled.
1605. B. Jonson, Volpone, v., 5. Had you no quirk To avoid gullage, sir, by such a creature?
1611. Chapman, May Day, Act II., p. 284 (Plays, 1874). For procuring you the dear gullage of my sweetheart, Mistress Franceschina.
Gull-catcher (or Guller, Gull-sharper,
etc.), subs. (old).—A
trickster; a cheat. See Gull,
senses 1 and 3.
1602. Shakspeare, Twelfth Night, ii., 5. Here comes my noble gull-catcher.
Gullery, subs. (old colloquial).—Dupery; fraud; a cheat's device. Cf., Gullage.
1596. Jonson, Every Man in His Humour, iii., 2. Your Balsamum and your St. John's wort are all mere gulleries and trash to it.
1608. John Day, Humour out of Breath, Act iv., Sc. 3. I am gulld, palpably gulld . . . and mine owne gullery grieves me not half so much as the Dukes displeasure.
1630. Taylor, Works. Neverthelesse, whosoever will but looke into the lying legend of golden gullery, there they shall finde that the poore seduced ignorant Romanists doe imitate all the idolatrous fornication of the heathen pagans and infidels.
1633. Ile of Guls. Upon you both, so, so, so, how greedily their inventions like beagles follow the sent of their owne gullery, yet these are no fooles, God forbid, not they.
1633. Marmion, Fine Companion. Lit. What more gulleries yet? they have cosend mee of my daughters, I hope they will cheate me of my wife too: have you any more of these tricks to shew, ha?
1689. Selden, Table Talk, p. 38 (Arber's ed.). And how can it be proved, that ever any man reveal'd Confession, when there is no Witness? And no man can be Witness in his own cause. A meer gullery.
1819. H. More, Defence of Moral Cabbala, ch. iii. The sweet deception and gullery of their own corrupted fancy.
1821. Scott, Kenilworth, ch. xx. Do you think, because I have good-naturedly purchased your trumpery goods at your roguish prices, that you may put any gullery you will on me?
Gullet, subs. (old: now recognised).—The
throat. For synonyms,
see Gutter-alley.
1383. Chaucer, Canterbury Tales, 12, 477. [Quoted in Ency. Dict.] Out of the harde bones knocken they The mary, for they casten nought away, That may go thurgh the gullet soft and sote.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Gullet, s.v. A Derisory Term for the Throat, from Gula.
1836. Dickens, Pickwick, ch. 15. So he puts a pistol to his mouth, and he fires it down his gullet.
1893. National Observer, x. 168. Through sympathetic gullets.
Gull-finch, subs. (old).—A
simpleton; a fool. For synonyms,
see Buffle and Cabbage-head.
1630. Taylor, Works. For 'tis concluded 'mongst the wizards all, To make thee master of Gul-finches hall.
Gull-groper, subs. (old).—A
gamesters' money-lender.
1609. Dekker, Lanthorne and Candle-light. The gul-groperi s commonly an old mony-monger, who having travaild through all the follyes of the world in his youth, knowes them well, and shunnes them in his age, his whole felicitie being to fill his bags with golde and silver.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew. Gull-groper, s.v. A Bystander that Lends Money to the Gamesters.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
