Queen's (or King's) English, subs. phr. (colloquial).—The English language correctly written or spoken.
1593. Nash, Strange Newes. [Grosart, Works, ii. 184]. He must be running on the letter, and abusing the Queenes English without pittie or mercie.
c.1604. Shakspeare, Merry Wives (played c.1600), i. 4, 6. Abusing of God's patience and the King's English.
1836. E. Howard, R. Reefer, xxxv. They . . . put the King's English to death so charmingly.
1869. Alford, Plea for the Queen's English [Title].
1886. Oliphant, New English, i. 212. King Henry V. comes before us, and we may now fairly begin to talk of King's English.
Queen's (or King's) Head, subs.
phr. (common).—A postage-stamp.
1843. Moncrieff, Scamps of London, i. 2. On that occasion you sent me a queen's head, politely inviting me . . . to . . . advance you a few hundreds on your personal security.
Queen's-herb, subs. phr. (old).—Snuff.
Queen's (or King's) Picture (or
Portrait), subs. phr. (old).—1.
Money: generic: see Rhino.
Also (2—spec.) = a sovereign;
20/-: hence to draw the
Queen's (or King's) picture (or
portrait) = to coin money.—B.
E. (c.1696); Grose (1785).
1632. Brome, The Court Beggar [Works (1873), i. 258], v. 2. This picture drawer drew it, and has drawn more of the King's pictures than all the limners in the town.
1706. Ward, Hudibras Redivivus, I. vii. 26. In short. Queen's pictures, by their features, Charm all degrees of human creatures.
1845. Disraeli, Sybil, III. i. I have been making a pound a-week these two months past, but, as I'm a sinner saved, I have never seen the young Queen's picture yet.
1858. Mayhew, Paved with Gold, III. iii. 265. 'I've brought a couple of bene coves, with lots of the Queen's pictures in their sacks.'
1887. Judy, 27 April, 202. While we had the Queen's portrait in our pockets we were well received everywhere.
Queen's (or King's) pipe.—See
Pipe.
Queen's-stick, subs. phr. (common).—A
stately person.
Queen Street. To live in
Queen Street (or at the sign
of the Queen's Head), verb.
phr. (old).—To be under petticoat-government (q.v.).—Grose
(1785).
Queen's-woman, subs. phr. (military).—A
soldier's trull: see
Tart.
1871. Royal Commission on Cont. Dis. Act. [Report]. Some of them are called Queen's Women, and consider themselves a privileged class, and exhibit the printed order to attend the periodical examination as a certificate of health.
Queer (Quire or Quyer), subs.
and adj. (Old Cant: now in some
senses colloquial or accepted).—A
generic depreciative: criminal,
base, counterfeit, odd
(B. E., c.1696, and Grose,
1785): cf. Rum. Later usages
are (1) = out of sorts or seedy
(q.v.) from drink, sickness, or accident;
(2) unfavourable or unpropitious;
and (3) strange or cranky
(q.v.): whence also queers
(subs.), queered, and queery.
Thus (old) queer-bail = fraudulent
bail, straw-bail (q.v.);
queer-bird = a jail-bird, a convict;
queer-bitch = 'an odd,
out-of-the-way fellow' (Grose);
