1901. Walker, In the Blood, 282. Suppose a feller goes on the racket when e's young, what's to prevent 'im splicing 'imself to 'is own daughter when she gets to years o' discretion or indiscretion?
2. (Winchester).—To throw; to fling.
To splice the main brace, verb. phr. (nautical).—To drink: orig. to serve out extra grog. With main brace well-spliced = drunk: see Screwed.
Split, subs. (thieves').—1. A detective;
a police spy: also as
verb. (or to turn split) = to
inform; to nose; to snitch
(q.v): see Nark and cf. verb.
sense 1.
2. (acrobats').—In pl. = a sitting posture, the legs extended laterally on the ground. Whence well-split up = long in limb; split-up = a lanky fellow: see Lamp-post.
1851-61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab., II. 569. He taught me to put my leg round my neck, and I was just getting along nicely with the splits when I left him.
3. (common).—(a) A small bottle of ærated water; also as adv. = divided: e.g., 'two Scotches and a soda (or small soda) split.' (b) a half glass of spirits; a dram.'
Verb. (venery).—To copulate: see Ride and cf. split-arse mechanic = a whore. Also beard-splitter = a whore-*master; split-mutton = a woman; split-rump = the penis (Urquhart).
Phrases.—To make all split = to make a disturbance or commotion; to split along (or go like split) = (1) to stride, to run quickly; and (2) to move or work with vigour; at full split = as hard as may be; to split one's sides (or to split) = to burst with laughter; to split the ears = to deafen; to split hairs = to cavil about trifles, to be over-nice in argument: hence hair-splitter (or splitter) = a precisian (q.v.), the reverse of lumper (q.v.); to split on a rock = to fail, to come to grief; to split on one (or to split) = to betray confidence: see subs. 1; to split fair = to tell the truth; to split out (thieves') = to separate; to split with one = to quarrel; 'Split my windpipe!' = 'a foolish kind of a curse among the Beaux' (B. E.).
1592. Shakspeare, Mid. Night's Dream, i. 2. I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in, to make all split. Ibid. (1596), Hamlet, iii. 2. To split the ears of the groundlings.
1609. Beaumont and Fletcher, Scornful Lady, ii. 3. Two roaring boys of Rome that made all split.
1611. Middleton, Roaring Girl [Dodsley, Old Plays (Reed), vi. 89]. If I sail not with you both 'till all split, hang me up at the main yard and duck me.
1612. Chapman, Widow's Tears [Dodsley, Old Plays (Reed), vi. 153]. To prepare my next encounter, but in such a way as shall make all split.
1693. Congreve, Old Bachelor, ii. 2. Now I must speak; it will split a hair, by the Lord Harry.
1734. Pope, Satires, VI. 131. Each had a gravity would make you split.
1809. Malkin, Gil Blas [Routledge], 51. I was in danger more than once of splitting my sides with laughing. Ibid., 373. He laughed ready to split his sides. Ibid., 56. They would not split a hair about the loss of a wife.
1837. Barham, Ingolds. Leg., 'Babes in the Wood.' His man being caught in some fact . . . When he came to be hanged for the act Split, and told the whole story to Cotton.
1838. Dickens, Oliver Twist, xxv. I might have got clear off if I'd split upon her.
