1891. Gould, Double Event, 301. The fact of the matter was, Kingdon had determined to make a £10,000 book for Mohican, or, in other words, to save that horse to run for him. Ibid., 123. I've put a saver on Caloola.
Hang saving, phr. (old colloquial).—'Blow the expense.'
1708-10. Swift, Polite Conversation, ii. Lord Smart. Come, hang Saving: bring us a Halfporth of Cheeze.
See Bacon.
Save-all, subs. phr. (common).—A
stingy person; a miser (Grose).
Savers, intj. (boys').—"Halves!'
Save-reverence. See Sir-reverence.
Saving-chin, subs. phr. (old).—A
projecting chin: 'that catches
what may fall from the nose':
cf. nutcrackers (Grose).
1772. Bridges, Burlesque Homer, 56. It had your phizz and toothless jaws, And saving-chin and pimpl'd nose.
Savey (or Savvy), subs. and verb.
(American).—1. As verb = to
know; as subs. = understanding;
wit; nous (q.v.).
1833. Carmichael, West Indies [Bartlett]. When I read these stories, the Negroes looked delighted, and said: "We savey dat well, misses."
1884. Graphic, 18 Oct., 418, 2. "Because no can savvey if Chinaman like it," was the answer.
1888. Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, xiv. If George had had the savey to crack himself up a little.
1893. Milliken, 'Arry Ballads, II. Fur too much savvy to frown.
2. (Pidgin).—To have; to know; to do; and all the other verbs that be.
Saw, subs. (whist).—The alternate
trumping by two partners of suits
led for the purpose; a ruff.
Also see-saw, and as verb.
1755. Connoisseur, No. 60. A forces B, who, by leading Spades, plays into A's hand, who returns a Club, and so they get to a saw between them.
2. (American).—A hoax: also as adj. and verb. Fr. scie.
1847. Porter, Quarter Race, 68. 'Running a saw' on a French gentleman.
1847. Darley, Drama in Poterville, 68. The manager was sawed, as certainly as that Mr. Waters was not slain. Ibid. The thoroughly sawed victim made way for him as if he had been the cholera incarnate.
Saw your timber! phr. (common).—Be off! Cut your stick (q.v.).
Held at the (or a) long saw, phr. (old).—Held in suspense.
1742. North, Lord Guildford, i. 148. Between the one and the other he was held at the long saw over a month.
Sawbones, subs. (common).—A
surgeon; flesh-tailor (q.v.).
1836. Dickens, Pickwick, xxx. 'What! Don't you know what a Sawbones is, sir?' inquired Mr. Weller. 'I thought everybody know'd as a Sawbones was a Surgeon.'
1849-50. Thackeray, Pendennis, II. xviii. She has taken on with another chap—another sawbones.
Sawder (or Soft-sawder), subs.
(common).—Soft speech; blarney
(q.v.).
1853. Lytton, My Novel, III. xiii. You've got soft sawder enough.
1863. Reade, Hard Cash, xli. She sent in a note explaining who she was, with a bit of soft sawder.
1866. Eliot, Felix Holt, xxi. My Lord Jermyn seems to have his insolence as ready as his soft sawder.
1896. Allen, Tents of Shem, x. I didn't try bullying; I tried soft sawder.
Sawdust (or Sawdusty), subs.
(common).—1. Humbug: also as
adj.
