1888. San Francisco Weekly Examiner, 22 Mar. There are not a few who are pipe-laying and marshalling forces for the fray.
Pipe-merry, adj. and adv. (old).—Merry:
as from wine [Which
is stored in pipes].
1564. Udal, Eras. Apophth., 159. Wine deliuereth the harte from all care and thought when a bodie is pipe merie.
Piper, subs. (common).—1. A detective:
specifically (in England)
an omnibus spy: see Nark.
2. See Pipe, subs. 1.
Drunk as a piper, phr. (old).—Very drunk: also PIPER-FOU: see Fou and Screwed.
1772. Graves, Spiritual Quixote, X. xxix. Jerry . . . proceeded so long . . . in tossing off horns of ale, that he became AS DRUNK AS A PIPER.
TO PAY THE PIPER (or FIDDLER), verb. phr. (colloquial).—To pay expenses; to assume responsibility. Fr. payer les violons.
1695. Congreve, Love for Love, ii. I warrant you, if he danced till doomsday, he thought I were to pay the piper.
1749. Smollett, Gil Blas [Routledge], 69. We will make Doctor Oloroso pay the piper. . . . There is no reason why the forehead of a physician should be smoother than the brow of an apothecary.
1819. Scott, Ivanhoe, 1. 267. 'I like not that music, father Cedric' . . . 'Nor I either,' said Wamba, 'I greatly fear we shall have to pay the piper.'
d. 1868. Brougham [quoted in Century]. They introduce a new tax, and we shall have to pay the piper.
1881. Carlyle, Miscell., iv. 89. Negotiation there now was . . . Dupont de Nemours as daysman between a Colonel and a Marquis, both in high wrath;—Buffière to pay the piper.
Piper's-cheeks, subs. (old).—Swollen
or puffed cheeks.
1608. Withal, Dictionarie, 286. That hath bigge or great cheekes, as they tearme them, piper's cheekes.
Piper's-news, subs. phr. (Scots').—Stale
news.
18[?]. Perils of Man, i. 29. 'I came expressly to inform you'—'Came with piper's news,' said the lady; 'which the fidler has told before you.'
Piper's-wife, subs. phr. (old).—A
whore: see Tart.
Piping hot, adv. phr. (colloquial).—Very
hot.
1383. Chaucer, Cant. Tales, 'Miller's Tale,' 193. Wafres pipyng hoot, out of the glede.
1530. Palsgrave, Lang: Francoyse, s.v.
c. 1600. London Cries, 12 [Halliwell]. Piping hot, smoking hot! What have I got? You have not; Hot grey pease, hot! hot! hot!
1618. Mainwaring, Letter [Lodge, Illus. Brit. Hist., iii. 403]. Foure huge brawnie piggs, pipeing hott, bilted and harnised with ropes of sausages.
1678. Cotton, Virgil Travestie [Works (1725), 103]. Yet having now fall'n to his Lot, A good rich Farm lies PIPING HOT.
1698. Congreve, Old Bachelor [Old Dramatists (1880), 163], iv. 8. She thanked me, and gave me two apples piping hot out of her under-petticoat-pocket.
1759. Goldsmith, Citizen of the World, lxv. A nice pretty bit of ox-cheek, piping-hot, and dressed with a little of my own sauce.
1821. Egan, Life in London, 11. iii. In rushed Chaffing Peter . . . the oracle of the dustmen, piping hot from the Old Bailey, with an account of one Lummy.
Pipkin (The), subs. phr. (venery).—The
female pudendum: see
Monosyllable. Hence, to
crack a pipkin = to deflower.—Grose
(1785).
1709. Ward, London Spy, i. 16. He became one of her earliest suitors, and was very importunate with her to have the CRACKING OF HER PIPKIN.
