1624. Fletcher, Rule a Wife, iii. 5. Thou art the stock of men, and I admire thee.
1630. Jonson, New Inn, i. 1. And therefore might indifferently be made the courting-stock for all to practise on.
1766. Brooke, Fool of Quality, iii. Such a stock of a child, such a statue! Why he has no kind of feeling either of body or mind.
1778. Sheridan, Rivals, iii. 1. What a phlegmatic sot it is! Why, sirrah, you'r an anchorite!—a vile insensible stock.
1837. Browning, Strafford, iii. 3. Friend, I've seen you with St. John—O stockishness! Wear such a ruff, and never call to mind St. John's head in a charger.
Stock and block, subs. and adv. phr. (colloquial).—The whole; completely (Grose). Also lock-stock-and-barrel, and (American) stock-and-flute: cf. Stick-and-stone, Root-and-branch, &c.
1725. Bailey, Erasmus, 181. Before I came home I lost all, stock and block [orig. sors et usura = capital and interest].
1861. New York Tribune, Oct. In other words, Tammany Hall is sold out stock and fluke to Fernando Wood.
Phrases.—To take stock in = to have faith in; to take stock of = to scrutinize, to size up (q.v.); on the stocks = in hand, in preparation.
d.1704. Brown, Works, iv. 42. I am told Mr. Dryden has something of this nature new upon the stocks.
1865. Dickens, Mutual Friend, ii. In taking stock of his familiarity, worn . . . clothes, piece by piece, she took stock of a formidable knife in a sheath at his waist.
1889. Harper's Mag., Oct., 'Lit. Notices.' Captain Polly gives the right hand of fellowship to two boys, in whom nobody else is willing to take stock, and her faith in them saves them.
See Broad; Water.
Stock-blind, adj. (colloquial).—Quite
blind; blind as a stock or
block: cf. stone-blind.
1675. Wycherley, Country Wife, ii. 1. True lovers are blind, stock-blind.
Stockdollager. See Sockdolager.
Stock drawers, subs. phr. (old).—Stockings
(B. E. and Grose).
Stock Exchange Terms. [The
following list is imperfect, but
it contains the better known and
older colloquialisms. The Stock
Exchange, admittedly a 'close'
corporation, is, in fact, so close
that not only was direct official
information refused, but also an
appeal to be put into communication
with some member
interested in Stock Exchange
colloquialisms was declined.
Perhaps, however, subscribers
will be good enough to help to a
supplementary list as an Appendix.]—Ales
= Messrs. S. Allsopp
and Sons shares; Apes = The
Atlantic and North Eastern Railway
first mortgage bonds; Ayrshires
= Glasgow and South-Western
Railway stock; Baby
Wee-Wees = Buenos Ayres
Water Works shares; Bays =
Hudson Bay Company shares;
Berthas = London Brighton
and South Coast Railway stock;
Berwicks = North Eastern Railway
Ordinary stock; Bones =
(1) North British 4 per cent. 1st
Preference shares: see Bonettas,
and (2) Wickens, Pease and Company
shares; Bonettas = North
British 4 per cent. 2nd Preference
shares; Bottles = Barrett's
Brewery and Bottling Company
shares; Brums = London and
North Western Railway stock
(formerly London and Birmingham
Railway); Bulgarian
Atrocities = Varna and Ruts-
