1892. KIPLING, Barrack Room Ballads. 'Gentlemen Rankers.' To dance with blowzy housemaids at the regimental HOPS.
HOP-AND-GO-KICK, subs. phr. (tailors').—A lameter; a HOP-AND-GO-ONE. Cf., DOT-AND-CARRY-ONE.
TO HOP THE WAG, verb. phr. (common).—To play truant, or CHARLEY-WAG (q.v.).
1851-61. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, iii., 207. They often persuaded me TO HOP THE WAG, that is play truant from school.
TO HOP (or JUMP) OVER THE BROOM (or BROOMSTICK), verb. phr. (colloquial).—To live as husband and wife; to LIVE (or GO) TALLY (q.v.).
1811. POOLE, Hamlet Travestied, ii., 3. JUMP O'ER A BROOMSTICK, but don't make a farce on The marriage ceremonies of the parson.
1851-61. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, i., 336. There was always a BROOMSTICK wedding. Without that ceremony a couple weren't looked on as man and wife.
1860. DICKENS, Great Expectations, xlviii., 227. This woman in Gerrard Street, here, had been married very young, over the BROOMSTICK (as we say), to a tramping man.
c. 18(79). Broadside Ballad, 'David Dove that Fell in Love.' By L. M. THORNTON. The girl that I had hoped to hear Pronounce my happy doom, sir, Had bolted with a carpenter, In fact HOPPED O'ER THE BROOM, sir.
TO HOP THE TWIG, verb. phr. (common).—1. To leave; to run away; TO SKEDADDLE (q.v.). For synonyms, see AMPUTATE.
1785. GROSE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1789. GEO. PARKER, Life's Painter, p. 143. HOP THE TWIG . . . means to depart suddenly.
1830. EGAN, Finish to Life in London, p. 217. I have lost my ticker; and all my toggery has been boned, I am nearly as naked as when I was born—and the cause—the lady bird—has HOPPED THE TWIG.
1884. Daily News, 31 Oct., p. 3, c. 1. They knocked the Liberals down as fast as they could until they got too numerous and strong, and then we HOPPED THE TWIG.
1888. All the Year Round, 9 June 543. To HOP THE TWIG . . . and the like, are more flippant than humorous.
2. (common).—To die; to 'kick the BUCKET' (q.v.); to PEG OUT (q.v.). Also To HOP OFF.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS. To be content; to cock up one's toes; to croak; to cut (or let go) the painter; to cut one's stick; to give in; to give up; to go to Davy Jones' locker; to go off the hooks; to go under; to go up; to kick the bucket; kickeraboo (West Indian); to lay down one's knife and fork; to lose the member of one's mess; to mizzle; to pass in one's checks; to peg out; to put on a wooden surtout; to be put to bed with a shovel; to slip one's cable; to stick one's spoon in the wall; to snuff it; to take an earth bath; to take a ground sweat.
FRENCH SYNONYMS.—Passer l'arme à gauche (pop.: = to ground arms); casser sa pipe (=to break one's pipe); dévisser or décoller son billard (=to break one's cue); graisser ses bottes (= to grease one's boots); avaler sa langue (=to swallow one's tongue); avaler sa gaffe (=to lower one's boat-hook); avaler sa cuiller or sa fourchette (=to swallow one's spoon or one's fork); avaler ses baguettes (military: = to swallow one's drumsticks); n'avoir plus mal aux dents (=to get rid of the toothache: mal de dents, also = love);
