Thirty-pound Knight subs. phr. (old).—A creation of James I. [Nares: 'He created the order of baronet, which he disposed of for a sum of money; and it seems that he sold common knighthood as low as thirty pounds, or at least it was so reported.'
1605. Chapman, Eastward Ho [Dodsley, Old Plays (Reed), iv. 261]. Farewell, farewell; we will not know you for shaming of you. I ken the man well; he is one of my thirty-pound knights.
Thoke, subs. (Winchester College
and prov.).—Rest: spec. lying
in bed. Hence as verb = to lie
in bed late. Thokester = an
idler; thoky (or thokish) =
idle. Also to thoke upon = to
anticipate with pleasure: e.g.,
'I'm thoking on next week;
what a thoke it will be, with a
Leave-out day, a Hatch-thoke,
and a half remedy' (Wrench).
1899. Public School Mag., Dec., 465. He attributed his success—or, at any rate, his long survival—to the art of thoking: . . . which he had laboriously acquired during his first years of office.
Thomas. Man (or John-)
Thomas, subs. phr. (venery).—The
penis: see Prick
(Urquhart).
1619. Fletcher, Monsieur Thomas. My Man Thomas did me promise He would visit me to-night.
Thomas Courteous, subs. phr.
(old).—A churl [Tyndale,
Works, ii. 182].
Thornback, subs. (old).—'An
old Maid; also a well-known
Fish, said to be exceedingly
Provocative' (B. E. and Grose).
[Cf. Scots, maiden-skate = the
thornback, Raia clavata.]
d. 1704. Brown, Works, ii. 186. You were always very careful of your lord's health, and never brought anything to his embraces but unpenetrated maids, or very sound thornbacks.
Thorns. To be (or sit) upon
thorns, verb. phr, (old).—to
be uneasy, anxious, impatient
(Grose).
1555. Cavendish, Cardinal Wolseley [Oliphant, New Eng., i. 533. There are the phrases] sit on thorns . . . broken English . . . etc.
Thorough Churchman, subs.
phr. (Grose).—'A person who
goes in at one door of a church,
and out at the other, without
stopping.
Thorough-Cough, subs. phr.
(old).—'Coughing and breaking
wind backwards at the same
time' (B. E. and Grose).
Thorough-go-nimble, subs.
(old).—An attack of the
squitters (q.v.)', a back-door
trot (q.v.). Also jerry-go-nimble
(q.v.) (Grose and
Halliwell).
1694. Motteux, Rabelais, 'Pant. Prog.,' iii. Those who are troubled with the thorough-go-nimble, or wild-squirt, will often prostitute their blind-cheeks to the bog-house.
Thorough-passage, subs. phr.
(B. E.).—'In at one ear, and
out at t'other.'
Thorough-stitch. See Through-stitch.
Thousand. Another thousand
a year! phr. (common).—A
pledge in drinking: also another
ten thousand a year—any
sum indeed.
See Bricks and Upper Ten.
Thrapple, subs. (old).—The
throat: also thropple. See
Gutter-alley.
