Nursery, subs. (racing).—A race for two-year-olds; almost always a handicap. Also as adj.
1883. Daily Telegraph, 26 Oct. Winning three nurseries off the reel.
The Nursery, subs. (venery).—The female pudendum: see Monosyllable.
Nursery-business (or Cannon),
subs. (billiards').—Playing the
three balls close together and so
scoring successive cannons.
1891. Licensed Victuallers' Mirror; 30 Jan., 3. Richards, too, is a demon on the nursery business, some of his breaks being extremely interesting.
Nurse's-vail, subs. phr. (common).—A
nurse's petticoats when they
are wet with urine.
Nush, subs. (American).—The
mouth: see Potato-trap.—Matsell
(1859).
Nut, subs. (common).—1. The
head. [Hence, as in quots. 1888
and 1889 = intelligence, brains].
See Crumpet.
1858. A. Mayhew, Paved with Gold, ii. xii The first round was soon terminated, for Jack got a cracker on his nut.
1860. Chambers's Journal, xiii. 348. He has no longer a head, but a nut: his hair is 'wool.'
1879. Mac. Mag., xl. 501. He rammed my nut against the wall.
1888. J. Runciman, The Chequers, 106. It's Tom Tiddler's ground if you've got a nut on you.
1889. Sporting Times, 3 Aug, 1, 2. They gave Gladstone a portico on his golden wedding day. A few tiles to repair deficiencies in the old 'un's nut would have been better while they were at building materials.
1892. Anstey, Voces Populi, 'In the Mall on Drawing-Room Day,' 82. Look at the diamonds all over 'er bloomin' old nut.
1892. Kipling, Barrack-Room Ballads, 'Gonga Diu.' If we charged or brike or cut, You could bet your bloomin' nut, 'E'd be waiting fifty paces right flank rear.
2. (common).—The core of fat in a leg of mutton; the pope's-eye (q.v.).
1611. Cotgrave, Dict., s.v. Nuguette de Mouton, The nut of a leg of mutton.
3. (provincial).—A harum-scarum ass.
4. in pl. (venery).—The testes: see Cods.
5. in pl. (common).—Small round coals.
6. in pl. (common).—A delightful practice or experience.
1678. Cotton, Scarronides, p. 15. It will be nuts, if my case this is, Both Atrides and Ulysses.
1712. Swift, Journal to Stella, Jan. 8, Letter 38. Lord-keeper and Treasurer teazed me for a week. It was nuts to them.
1744. North, Life of Lord Guilford, i. 37 [2nd ed. 1808]. This was nuts to the old Lord, who thought he had outwitted Frank.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Nuts. It was Nuts for them, i.e. it was very agreeable to them.
1805. C. Lamb, Letter, in Wks. (1852), v. 72. But 'tis nuts to the adept.
1840. Dana, Two Years before the Mast, xxv. He . . . found them waiting on the beach, and a little afraid about going off, as the surf was running very high. This was nuts to us; for we liked to have a Spaniard wet with salt water.
1843. Dickens, Christmas Carol, Stave 1. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what the knowing ones call nuts to Scrooge.
1884. Hawley Smart, Post to Finish, 223. Yes, it was nuts to me to find I had just done Phaeton, and hit my black-blooded cousin in his only vulnerable spot—the pocket. But why should Cuthbert detest me.
