Father of the House, subs. phr. (Parliamentary).—The oldest elected member. See Babe.
House that Jack built, subs. phr. (common).—A prison. For synonyms, see Cage.
Like a house on fire, adv. phr. (common).—Quickly; with energy. See Like.
1851-61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, ii., 85. I'm getting on like a regler house on fire.
Safe as houses, adv. phr. (common).—Perfectly safe.
1864. E. Yates, Broken to Harness, ch. xxxii., p. 361 (1873). I have the means of doing that, as safe as houses.
1874. T. Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd, ch. lvii. 'The clothes will floor us as safe as houses,' said Coggan.
1886. Grant Allen, In All Shades, ch. i. Why, of course, then, that's the explanation of it—as safe as houses, you may depend upon it.
1890. Grant Allen, Tents of Shem, ch. xxviii. You may make your forgery itself as safe as houses.
House-bit (or -keeper, or -piece),
subs. (colloquial).—A servant-mistress.
House-dove, subs. (old).—A stay-at-home.
Household-brigade. To join the
Household Brigade, verb. phr.
(common).—To marry. For synonyms,
see Splice.
1881. Home Tidings, April, p. 42, c. 1. Jem Ryan joined the household brigade on Easter Monday, E. New acting as best man.
House of Civil Reception, subs.
phr. (old).—A brothel. For synonyms,
see Nanny-shop.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
House of Commons (or House
of Office), subs. phr. (old).—A
W.C. For synonyms, see Mrs.
Jones.
1611. Chapman, May-Day, iv., 2. No room save you turn out my wife's coal-house, and her other house of office attached to it, reserved for her and me sometimes, and will you use it being a stranger?
1748. Smollett, Roderick Random, c. xiii. Taking the candle in his hand, which he had left burning for the purpose, he went down to the house of office.
d. 1780. Robertson of Struan, Poems, 83. So to a House of Office straight a school-boy does repair, To ease his postern of its weight.
House-tailor, subs. (old).—An
upholsterer.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. House-tailers, Upholsterers.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
Housewife (or Huswife, or
Hussy), subs. (colloquial).—1.
Primarily, a house-keeper. Hence
(a) a domestic servant; (b) a
wanton or a gad-about wench;
and (c) a comic endearment.
Hence, too, housewifery, subs.,
and housewife's tricks = the
habit of wantonness, the practice
of men.
1508. Gawain and Gologras, 'Ballade.' (Pinkerton, Scottish Poems, 1792, iii.). A gude husy-wife ay rinning in the toun.
1589. Puttenham, English Poesie, 1589, ii., 16 (ed. Arber, p. 148). Half lost for lack of a good huswife's looking to.
1600. Look about You, sc. 28 (Dodsley, Old Plays, 4th ed., 1875, vii., 476). Huswife, I'll have you whipped for slandering me.
1602. Shakspeare, Twelfth Night, i., 2. I hope to see some housewife take thee between her legs and spin it off.
1659. Lady Alimony, iii., 3 (Dodsley, Old Plays, 4th ed., 1875, xiv., 331). And if the hussy challenge more, Charm the maundering gossip with your roar. Idem. iii., 6. (p. 340). If I make not these haxters as hateful to our hussies as ever they were to us, their husbands, set me up for a Jack-a-Lent.
1672. Ray, Proverbs, s.v., Cat. Cats eat what hussies spare
