1860. Trollope, Framley Pars., i. 10. There was no part of the country more decidedly true blue.
1866. Eliot, Felix Holt, xvii. This gentleman . . . is one of ourselves: he is a true blue.
True Inwardness, subs. phr.
(literary).—The real meaning,
bottom (q.v.) facts, final result
or end of a matter.
Truepenny, subs. (old).—A
familiar address: in commendation,
but sometimes loosely
used (cf. Casaubon, De Quatuor
Linguis Commentatio, pars prior
[1650], p. 362; Truepenie is
defined as 'veterator vafer,' that
is, a sly, cunning fellow, an old
soldier): also (as in 'old boy')
Old Truepenny.
1596. Shakspeare, Hamlet, i. 5. 150. 'Say'st thou so? art thou there, truepenny? Come on.'
1604. Marston, Malcontent [Old Truepenny].
1618. Fletcher, Loyal Subject, i. 3. Go, go thy ways, old True-penny! Thou hast one fault: Thou art even too valiant.
1830. Forby, Vocab. East Anglia. True-penny. 'Generally Old-Truepenny, as it occurs in Sh. Hamlet, where the application of it to the ghost is unseemly and incongruous, yet it has attracted no notice from any commentator. Its present meaning is, hearty old fellow; staunch and trusty; true to his purpose or pledge' (Forby). This appears more to the purpose than the information given by Mr. Collier, 'it is a mining term, and signifies a particular indication in the soil of the direction in which ore is to be found.'
Truff, verb. (Scots).—To steal:
see Prig.
d. 1758. Ramsay, Lucky Spence [Century]. Be sure to truff his pocket-book.
Trug (Trugge or Truk), subs.
(old).—1. A concubine, a harlot:
see Tart; (2) 'a dirty Puzzel, an
ord'nary sorry Woman (B. E., c.
1696); (3) a catamite. Hence
trugging-ken (or house) = a
brothel: see Nanny-shop.
1592. Greene, Quip [Harl. Misc., v. 405]. A bowsie bawdie miser, goode for none but himself and his trugge. Ibid., 406. The trug his mistress. Ibid., Thieves Falling Out [Harl. Misc. (Park), viii. 401]. One of those houses of good hospitallity whereunto persons resort, commonly called a trugging-house, or to be plain, a whore-house.
1607. Middleton, Five Gallants, i. 1. A pretty middle-sized trug.
1608. Dekker, Belman of London. The whore-house, which is called a trugging-place.
1620. Healey, Disc. New World, 194. Every other house keepes sale trugges or Ganymedes, all which pay a yearly stipen, for the licence they have to trade.
1630. Taylor, Works [Nares]. Besides, I found a cursed catalogue of these veneriall caterpillars, who were supprest with the monasteries in England, in the time of king Henry the eight, with the number of trugs which each of them kept in those daies.
1648-50. Braithwait, Barnaby's Jo., iv. Steepy ways by which I waded, And those trugs with which I traded.
Trull, subs. (old).—A wanton, a
harlot: spec. a hedge-whore, a
trollop (q.v.); 'a soldier's,
beggar's, or tinker's wife or wench'
(B. E. and Grose).
d. 1529. Skelton, Works [Oliphant, New Eng., i. 372. There is trowle (trull) from the High German.]
c. 1530. Rastell, Four Elements. For to satisfye your wanton lust I shall apoynt you a trull of trust, not a feyrer in this towne.
1567. Turberville, Poems [Chalmers, ii. 618]. A filthie Trull is yrksome to the eie.
1569. Preston, Cambyses [Dodsley, Old Plays (Hazlitt), iv. 181]. Meretrix. What, is there no lads here that hath a lust To have a passing trull?
1605. Chapman, All Fools, iv. A beggar too, a trull, a blowse!
