One-horse (or-eyed), adj. (formerly American; now general).—Petty; insignificant; of no account. Also one-goat.
1858. Washington Star [quoted by Bartlett]. On Friday last, the engineer of a fast train was arrested by the authorities of a one-horse town in Dauphin County, Pa., for running through the borough at a greater rate of speed than is allowed by their ordinances. Having neglected, however, to give publicity to these ordinances, they could not impose any fine; and their discomfiture was aggravated by the malicious excuse of the engineer, that 'he didn't know there was a town there!'
d.1877. Motley, Letters, ii. 334. Any other respectable, one-horse New England city.
1884. Clemens, Huckleberry Finn, xx. 195. There was a little one-horse town about three mile down the bend.
1886. Goldwin Smith, Nineteenth Century, July, p. 21. The provincial University of Toronto was thrown open to Nonconformists, unluckily not before the practice of chartering sectarian institutions had been introduced, and Canada had been saddled with one-horse universities.
1888. Boston Weekly Globe, 28 Mar. It seems a shame to let a petty one-goat power kingdom insult our citizens.
One-in-ten, subs. phr. (old).—A
parson. [In allusion to tithes].
One nitch (or nick), subs. phr.
(printers').—A male child: two
nitch = a baby girl.
One o'clock. See Like.
One-er, subs. (common).—A person
or thing of great parts: as a
very successful play; an exceedingly
pretty woman; a crushing
blow, a 'monumental' lie, etc.
Also wunner.
1840. Dickens, Old Curiosity Shop, lviii. Do they often go where glory waits 'em and leave you here? Oh, yes; I believe you they do, returned the small servant. Miss Sally's sich a one-er for that, she is.
1861. Dutton Cook, Paul Foster's Daughter, x. Oh, I've got it at last—such a onener—clean off my legs—first blood—first knock down—everything.
1869. Greenwood, Seven Curses of London, . . . The watcher is generally hanging about, and he'll 'down' you with a oner in the back or side (he won't hit you in the face, for fear of spoiling it).
1871. Hamilton, Parodies, part 71, p. 269. Before a-inviting of you to enter, and taste the joys of Elysium to be 'ad at the small charge of one penny, I will exhibit to your astonished and admiring gaze a few pictorual illusterations of the wonders to be shortly disclosed to you. Give the drum a one-er!
1893. Emerson, Signor Lippo, xi. Well, pal, forgive me, I always was a one-er for the gab. Here's off or the missus will be waiting. When you're off the pitch there's a bite and a sup at Duke's cottage, Lea, for you. So 'long!
1895. F. Boyle, in Idler, Aug. Mrs. Mumson is a oner.
2. (common).—A shilling: see Blow.
One's Eye, subs. phr. (tailors'
and dressmakers').—A hiding-place
for cabbage (q.v.); hell
(q.v.).
One two, phr. (pugilists').—See
quot. 1823.
1823. Grose, Vulg. Tongue [Egan], s.v. One Two. In boxing, two blows rapidly put in after each other. Jem Belcher was distinguished for his one two.
Onicker, subs. (streets').—See
quot.
1887. Walford's Antiquarian, 252. A mot and onicker are also terms for fallen women.
Onion, subs. (common).—1. The
head. Hence, off his onion =
off his wits. See Tibby.
2. (thieves').—A seal: generally in plural: e.g. bunch of onions.
