Nevele, adj. (back-slang).—Eleven. Thus, nevele gen, eleven shillings; nevele yanneps, elevenpence.
Never. Never- (or -nare) -a-face-but-his-own,
phr. (old).—See
quot.
c.1696, B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Nare-a-face-but-his-own, Not a Penny in his Pocket.
Never-fear, subs. phr. (rhyming).—Beer:
see Drinks and Swipes.
Never-never country, subs. phr.
(Australian).—The confines of
civilization: specifically (in
Queensland) the occupied pastoral
land furthest from the more settled
districts.
1890. Nisbet Bail up! An Australian hot wind in the great Never-never land.
1895. Pall Mall Gaz., 15 Aug. 3, 1. 'Yarns' about traces of the party have often been told by bushmen from the Never-never country, but nothing has ever been recovered from the wide waste-*lands of the interior to back up the romantic stories.
2. (Australian).—The future life; heaven.
1888. Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, 2. I want to die and go with him to the Never-never country parson tells us about up there!
Never-out (The), subs. (venery).—The
female pudendum: see
Monosyllable.
Never-too-late-to-mend-shop,
subs. phr. (tailors').—A repairing
tailor's.
Never-wag Man-of-war, subs.
phr. (old).—The Fleet Prison:
see Cage.
1821. Egan, Life in London, ii., viii. Bob Logic . . . will be happy to see them in Freshwater Bay, on board the Never-wag man-of-war, on the homeward-bound station.
Never-waser, subs. (circus). = See
quot.
1891. Sportsman, 1 April. He is one of the 'has beens' or else one of the never wasers as Dan Rice, the circus man, always called ambitious counterfeits.
Nevis, adj. (back-slang).—Seven.
Thus, nevis-gen = seven shillings;
nevis-stretch = seven
year's hard; nevis-yanneps =
sevenpence.
New. To new collar and cuff
verb. phr. (clerical).—To furbish
up an old sermon.
New-Billingsgate, subs. phr.
(Stock Exchange).—See Gorgonzola
Hall.
1887. Atkin, House Scraps. Gorgonzola Hall got changed into New Billingsgate.
New-bug, subs. phr. (Marlborough
School).—A new boy.
Newcastle. To carry (or send)
coals to Newcastle, verb. phr.
(colloquial).—To undertake a
work of supererogation; see
Owl. [Newcastle is a large coal
centre].
1662. Arsy Versy, x. Stanza [Rump songs (1874), ii., 48]. So that their fewel upon him to spend, What was it but coals to Newcastle to send.
1670. Ray, Proverbs [Bohn],154, s.v.
1813. Byron, Occasional Verses [Henley, Works, 1. 434]. When coals to Newcastle are carried, and owls sent to Athens as wonders.
New-Chum, subs. (Australian).—A
new arrival: cf. Currency,
Sterling and Lime-Juice.
1887. All the Year Round, 30 July, 66. The new chum generally betrays his character by the newer cut of his clothes, the shape and brilliance of his hat . . . and by the topics of his conversation.
1889. Star, 2 Jan. We quickly rolled up our blankets into swags, somewhat 'tokening' of the new chum, and started on the road to Castlemaine.
