Scale, verb. (venery).—To mount (q.v.): see Greens and Ride.
1607. W[entworth] S[mith], Puritan, i. 1. I, whom never man as yet hath scaled.
Scales. See Shadscales.
Scallops, subs. (old).—An awkward
girl (Halliwell).
Scalp, verb. (American).—To sell
under price; to share commission
or discount: e.g., to scalp
stock = to sell stock regardless
of value; ticket-scalping =
the sale of unused railway tickets,
or tickets bought in quantities as
a speculation, at a cheaper than
the official rate; ticket-scalper
= a ticket broker.
1882. Nation, 5 Oct., 276. With the eternal quarrel between railroads and scalpers, passengers have nothing to do.
1892. Pall Mall Gaz., 1 Nov., 2, 1. Ticket-scalping . . . has reference to the transferability or otherwise of tickets rather than to their date of expiry.
1894. Standard, 3 May, 7, 1. These huge grouped tenderings on a preconcerted plan . . . when successful merely represent a scalping of the Stock at the expense of the genuine investor.
2. (American party-politician's).—(a) To ostracise for rebellion, and (b) to ruin one's influence.
Scaly, adj. (common).—Shabby;
mean; fishy (q.v.).—Grose.
1821. Egan, Life in London, II. iii. If you are too scaly to tip for it, I'll shell out, and shame you.
1843. Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit, xxviii. Don't you remember hold mother Todgers's?. . . a reg'lar scaly old shop, warn't it?
1848. Lowell, Biglow Papers, I. 99. The scaliest trick they ever played wuz bringin' on me hither.
1851-61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab., I. 85. They find the ladies their hardest of scaliest customers.
1880. J. B. Stephens, Poems, 'To a Black Gin.' Methinks that theory is rather scaly.
1883. Payn, Thicker than Water, xlv. Do you mean to say he never gave you nothing?. . . Scaly varmint!
Scaly-fish, subs. phr. (nautical).—'A
honest, rough, blunt sailor'
(Grose).
Scamander, verb. (common).—To
loaf (q.v.).
Scammered, adj. (common).—Drunk:
see Screwed.
1891. Carew, Auto. of a Gipsy, 435. He'll think he was scammered over night.
Scamp, subs. (Old Cant).—1. A
highway robber (also scamps-*man);
and (2) highway robbery
(also scampery). Whence as
verb = to rob on the highway;
royal-scamp = 'a highwayman
who robs civilly'; royal-foot-*scamp
= 'a footpad behaving in
like manner'; done for a
scamp = convicted (Grose, Parker,
Vaux). See quot. 1823.
1754. Disc. of John Poulter, 42. I'll scamp on the panney.
1781. Messink, Choice of Harlequin. 'Ye scamps, ye pads, ye divers.'
1823. Bee, Dict. Turf, s.v. Scamp. . . . Beggars who would turn their hands to any thing occasionally, without enquiring in whom the thing is vested, are said to go upon the scamp. Fellows who pilfer in markets, from stalls or orchards, who snatch off hats, cheat publicans out of liquor, or toss up cheatingly—commit scamping tricks.
c. 1824. Egan, Boxiana, iii. 622. And from the start the scamps are cropp'd at home.
1830. Moncrieff, Heart of London, ii. 1. Cracksmen,. . . scampsmen, we; fol de rol, &c.
1834. Ainsworth, Rookwood, 'The Game of High Toby.' Forth to the heath is the scampsman gone. Ibid., III. 5. A rank scamp, cried the upright man.
