1901. Walker, In the Blood, 39. And they were off for a day's holiday and a camp-out as long as they could run it, tucker being the one essential.
Verb. (old university).—See quot.
d.1695. Wood, Life, 45. If any of the Freshmen came off dull or not cleverly some of the . . . Seniors would tuck them—that is set the nail of their Thumb to their chin, just under the Lipp, and by the help of their other fingers under the Chin, they would give him a mark which would sometimes produce Blood. Ibid., 46. Nothing was given him but salted drink . . . with Tucks to boot.
To tuck up, verb. phr. (old).—1. To hang: see Ladder. Hence tucked up = hanged; Tuck-'em fair = an execution (B. E. and Grose).
1740. Richardson, Pamela, 1. 141. I never saw an execution but once, and then the hangman asked the poor creature's pardon, and . . . then calmly tucked up the criminal.
1789. Parker, Variegated Characters. He was knocked down for the crap the last sessions. He went off at the fall of the leaf at Tuck'em Fair.
c.1811. Maher, The Night before Larry was Stretched. He was tucked up so neat and pretty.
2. (colloquial).—To perplex, to put in a fix or difficulty, to cramp.
1886. Field, 13 Feb. They have been playing the old game of skirting, eventually to find themselves fairly tucked-up by wire-fencing.
1887. Bury and Hillier, Cycling, 189. A . . . fifty-eight inch racer will be noticeably too short in the reach . . . and he will feel that he is what cyclists call tucked-up.
To tuck on, verb. phr. (American).—To unduly increase or enhance: e.g. 'That horse is not worth half what you gave for him; the dealer has tucked it on to you pretty well': cf. 'Stick it on.'
See Twopenny.
Tucker. See Tuck.
Tuckered. Tuckered out, phr.
(American).—Tired out.
c.1840. Story of Bee Tree [Bartlett]. I'm clear tuckered out with these young ones. They've had the agur this morning, and are as cross as bear cubs.
c.1859. N. York Family Comp. [Bartlett]. I guess the Queen don't do her eating very airly; for we sot and sot, and waited for her, till we got e'en a'most tuckered out.
18[?]. Southern Sketches, 123. We fought until we were completely tuckered out.
Tucker-in (or Tucker-up), subs.
phr. (old).—A chamber-maid, 'a
supposed mistress' (Grose): cf.
Scotch warming-pan.
Tuck-man, subs. phr. (commercial).—A
moneyed partner.
Tuel (or Tewel), subs. (old).—The
fundament (Halliwell).
Tuft, subs. (University).—1. A
young nobleman: students of
rank formerly wore a gold tuft
or tassel in their cap: obsolete.
Whence tuft-hunter = a hanger
on to a man of title, a sycophant,
toady, lick-spittle; tuft-hunting
= sponging (q.v.) on men of
title or means. See Gold-hatband
(Grose).
1840. Thackeray, Shabby Genteel Story, ii. The lad . . . followed with a kind of proud obsequiousness all the tufts of the University. Ibid. (1842), Book of Snobs, v. At Eton . . . Lord Buckram was birched with perfect impartiality. Even there, however, a select band of sucking tuft-hunters followed him. Ibid., xiv. In the midst of a circle of young tufts.
1851. Carlyle, Life of Sterling, 11. iii. He was at no time the least of a tuft-hunter, but rather had a marked natural indifference to tufts.
