Paste, subs. (printers').—Brains. [From 'paste-and-scissors': in sarcasm.]
Verb. (common).—To beat; to thrash: specifically to slap the face right and left. [From bill-sticking]. Hence pasting = a drubbing.
1851. Mayhew, London Lab.,1. 461. He . . . gave me a regular pasting.
1882. Daily Telegraph, 6 Oct. 2, 2. No matter how he punches her and pastes her, she won't give in about that.
1887. Henley, Villon's Good Night. Paste 'em, and larrup 'em, and lamm! Give Kennedy, and make 'em crawl!
1888. Sport. Life, 11 Dec. Set to work in earnest, and, driving his man round the ring, pasted him in rare style.
1896. Crane, Maggie, iii. I'll paste yeh when I ketch yeh!
Paste-and-scissors, subs. phr. (journalistic).—Extracts; 'padding': as distinguished from original matter.
Pasteboard, subs. (common).—1. A playing card.
1857. Thackeray, Virginians, xv. The company voted . . . three honours in their hand, and some good court cards, more beautiful than the loveliest scene of nature; . . . hour after hour delightfully spent over the pasteboard.
1896. Farjeon, Betrayal of John Fordham, 111. 277. I might 'ave done well among the swells, I'm that neat with the pasteboards. I can shuffle 'em any way I want, kings at top, aces at bottom, in the middle, anywhere you like.
2. (common).—A visiting card. Also as verb (or TO shoot, or DROP, ONE'S PASTEBOARD) = to leave a visiting card at a person's house.
1849. Thackeray, Pendennis, xxxvi. We shall only have to leave our pasteboards.
1861. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxford, xxv. I shall just leave a pasteboard.
1886. Kennard, Brown Habit, x. I told my missus to drop a card on you to-day. You see . . . we hunting men have not much time for that sort of thing; and pasteboard leaving is quite out of my line.
1891. Ally Sloper, 3 Jan. Then his pasteboard he presented—puffed a cigarette, contented.
1897. Mitford, Romance Cape Frontier, ii. 'Engaged,' said the sharp boy. . . . 'Take that pasteboard in.'
Pasteboard-customer, subs. phr. (trade).—A customer taking long credit.
Paste-horn, subs. (shoemakers').—The nose: see Conk : hence Old Paste-horn = a large-nosed man.
1856. Mayhew, World of London, 6, note. Upon this principle the mouth has come to be styled the 'tater-trap'; . . . the nose, the paste-horn.
Pastern, subs. (common).—In pl. = the feet: see Creepers. Hence, full in the pasterns = thick-ancled.
1700 Dryden, Wife of Bath's Tale, 32. So straight she walked on her pasterns high.
Pasty, subs. (common).—A book-*binder.
Adj. (colloquial).—Out of sorts; angry; off colour (q.v.).
1885. Daily Telegraph, 25 Aug. A mealy-faced, at least a pasty-faced boy.
1891. Newman, Scamping Tricks, 2. I feel pasty, but am better now.
1892. Milliken, 'Arry Ballads, 65. Miss Bonsor went pasty, and reared.
PAT, subs. (common).—An Irishman. Also Patlander.
1828. Bee, Picture of London, 170. Mild rebuke is little calculated to cool a Patlander.
1836. Scott, Tom Cringle. The officer was a Patlander.
