1840. C. Bronte, in Mrs. Gaskell's Life, ch. ix. The wind . . . has produced the same effects on the contents of my knowledge-box that a quaigh of usquebaugh does upon those of most other bipeds.
1868. Miss Braddon, Trail of the Serpent, Bk. vi. iii. The gentlemen of the Prize ring were prepared to fight as long as they had a bunch of fives to rattle upon the knowledge-box of the foe.
Knub, verb. (old).—To rub against;
to tickle.
1653. Brome, The City Wit, in Wks. (1874), i. 444. As you have beheld two horses knubbing one another. Ka me, ka the, an old kind of court service.
Knuck, subs. (old and American).—A
thief. Short for knuckle
(q.v.).
1834. Harrison Ainsworth, Rook-*wood. The knucks in quod did my schoolmen play.
1851. Judson, Mysteries etc. of New-York, ch. iv. For many a year it has been known the 'crossmen' and knucks of the town, as 'Jack Circle's watering place.' Ibid. You're as good a knuck as ever frisked a swell.
Verb. (American).—To steal. For synonyms see Prig.
1851. Judson, Myst. etc. of New-York, iv. It's enough to break my heart to see a man of your talent forced to prig prancers, knuck trikers, and go on the low sneaks!
Knuckle, subs. (old).—See quot.
1781. Parker, View of Society. 'Knuckle in the flash language signifies those who hang about the lobbies of both Houses of Parliament, the Opera-House, and both Play-Houses, and in general wherever a great crowd assemble. They steal watches, snuff-boxes etc.'
Verb. (thieves').—1. To fight with fists; to pummel.
2. (thieves').—To pick pockets: applied especially to the more refined or artistic branch of the art, i.e. extracting notes or money from the waistcoat, or breeches pockets, whereas 'buzzing' is used in a more general sense.—De Vaux (1819). Also to go on the knuckle.
1754. Parker, Life's Painter, p. 43. s.v.
To knuckle (knuckle down to or knuckle under), verb. phr. (colloquial).—1. See quots.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5th ed.). Knuckle-down (v.) to stoop, bend, yield, comply with, or submit to.
b.1794. Wolcot [P. Pindar], Ode to Tyrants, in Works (Dublin), v. ii. p. 526. To knuckle down to Jove, And pray the gods to send an Emp'ror down. Ibid. Rights of Kings. Poor gentlemen! how hard, alas! their fate, To knuckle to such nuisances of State!
1846. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, ii. vii. So he knuckled down, again to use his own phrase, and sent old Hulker with peaceable overtures to Osborne.
1860. Chamber's Journal, xiii. p. 289. Considering how he has talked scoffingly of Benedict's knuckling under and being second best and of some one having always the whiphand of him and so on.
1869. Blackmore, Lorna Doone, liv. When the upperhand is taken upon the faith of one's patience by a man of even smaller wits . . . why it naturally happens that we knuckle under with an ounce of indignation.
1888. Daily Chronicle, 31 Dec. He knuckled under to the last-named at the second time of asking.
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, xxxvii. I wouldn't knuckle down to you like some of them.
2. (colloquial).—To apply oneself earnestly; to engage vigorously.
Knuckle-bone. Down on the
knuckle-bone, phr. (thieves').—Hard-up.;
stoney (q.v.).
1883. Daily Telegraph, 4 August, p. 2, col. 1. I once had the honour of being present at a 'select harmonic'
