d. 1841. Hook, Sutherlands. Don't let Emmy know that we've split, else she'll be savage with us.
1844. Major Jones's Courtship [Bartlett]. I set the niggers a-drummin' and fifin' as hard as they could split.
1862. Browne, Artemus Ward, His Book [Works (1870), 47]. You wood have split your sides larfin to see the old man jump up.
1865. Downing, May Day, 64. There was no end to the one-horse teams, goin' like split all over the city.
1877. Horsley, Jottings from Jail. There is a reeler over there who knows me. We had better split out.
1884. Greenwood, Little Ragamuffins. If I tell you all about it, will you promise that you won't split.
1888. A. L. Gordon, Poems, 'Wolf and Hound.' We had run him for seven miles and more, As hard as our nags could split.
1897. Ouida, Massarenes, i. We won't do that, Boo. Mummy's a bad un to split on.
1899. Whiteing, John St., v. You see if the baby farm was to split on Ikey, he might split on the baby farm.
Split-arse mechanic, subs. phr.
(venery).—A harlot. Also split-mutton
= (1) the penis; and
(2) generic for the female sex.
Split-asunder, subs. phr. (rhyming).—A
costermonger.
Split-cause, subs. phr. (old).—A
lawyer (Grose): also (B. E.)
splitter of causes.
Split-fig, subs. phr. (old).—A
grocer (B. E. and Grose).
Split Foot (or Old Split Foot),
subs. phr. (common).—The
Devil.
1848. Lowell, Biglow Papers, . . . An' make ole Split Foot wince and squirm.
Splitting, adj. (colloquial).—Extreme;
severe: e.g., a splitting
(= very quick) pace; a
splitting (= painfully throbbing)
head-ache, &c. See
Split.
1868. Whyte Melville, White Rose, II. xv. Though stout he was no mean pedestrian; and on he ran at a splitting pace.
Splodger, subs. (common).—A
lout. Splodgy = awkward (in
gait), coarse (in complexion).
Splosh, subs. (common).—Money:
generic: see Rhino.
1893. Gus Elen, 'E Dunno Where 'E Are. Since Jack Jones come into that little bit o' splosh.
1902. Boothby, My Strangest Case, 166. I reckon we ain't a-goin' to see no splosh this 'ere trip.
Adv. (common).—Plump.
1891. Harry Fludyer, 47. Such larks when you heard the ball go splosh on a man's hat!
Splurge, subs. (colloquial).—Generic
for effort and effect. As
verb. = to make the most and do
the showiest; splurgy = on it
(q.v.).
18[?]. Widow Bedott Papers, 67. Did you see Major Coon's wife?. . . Didn't she cut a splurge?
1844. Major Jones's Courtship, 101. Cousin Pete was thar splurgin' about . . . with his dandy-cut trowsers and big whiskers.
1845. New York Com. Adv., 13 Dec. Members of Congress should not forget when Senator Benton was shinning around, making what they call in Missouri a great splurge, to get gold.
1860. Porter, Tales of South-west, 54. Well, them was great times, but now the Settlements is got too thick for them to splurge.
1885. D. Telegraph, 28 Dec. The great splurge made by our American Cousins when . . . they completed another connection with the Pacific.
1887. Warner, Pilgrimage, 114. You would be surprised to know the number of people who . . . splurge out for a year or two, then fail or get tired of it, and disappear.
