1593. Shakspeare, Venus and Adonis, 697. Poor Wat, far off upon a hill Stands on his hinder legs with listening ear.
1622. Drayton, Polyolbion, xxiii. 1115. The man whose vacant mind prepares him for the sport, The finder sendeth out, to seek the nimble wat, which crosseth in each field, each furlong, every flat, Till he this pretty beast upon the form hath found.
d. 1635. Randolph, Poems (1668), 94. Watt, though he fled for life, yet joy'd withall So brave a dirge sung forth his funeral.
d. 1650. R. Fletcher, Epigr., 139. Thus once concluded out the teazers run, All in full cry and speed 'till Wat's undone.
2. (old).—A fellow; 'a wily, cautious man' (Halliwell).
c. 1400. Coventry Mysteries, 294. Ffor be my thryfte I dare sweryn at this seyl, e xal fynde hym a strawnge watt!
Watch, subs. (Old Cant).—1.
Self: the ancient equivalent of
nibs (q.v.). Thus his watch =
the person referred to; my
watch = myself; your watch
= yourself; our watch = ourselves,
us, etc.
c. 1530. Copland, Hye Way to the Spyttel Hous. The patryng coue in the darkman cace Docked the dell for a coper meke His watch shall feng a prounces nobchete.
1567. Harman, Caveat (1869), 86. The vpright man canteth to the Roge; Man! That is beneshyp to our watche.
1622. Head, English Rogue, 'Canting Song.' I met a Dell, I viewed her well, She was benship to my watch.
2. (Westminster).—A junior who has to remain in College during play-hours to answer inquiries, receive messages, and so forth, performing, in fact, the duties of a servant.
To watch out, verb. phr. (Winchester, cricket).—To field.
c. 1840. Mansfield, School Life, 138. Football wasn't all beer and skittles to the Fags. There was an institution called 'Kicking in,' which, while it lasted, was much worse than watching out at cricket.
Paddy's watch. See Paddy-whack.
Watch-and-seals, subs. phr.
(common).—A sheep's head and
pluck.
Watch-birth, subs. phr. (old).—A
midwife.
1605. Sylvester, Du Bartas, ii., 'Magnificence.' Th' eternall Watch-births of thy sacred Wit.
Watcher, subs. (venery).—A
person set to watch a dress-lodger
(q.v.).
1869. Greenwood, Seven Curses of London. Not alone. Dress lodgers are never allowed to do that, sir. I haven't been one long, but long enough to find that out. There's always a watcher. Sometimes it's a woman—an old woman, who isn't fit for anything else—but in general it's a man. He watches you always, walking behind you, or on the opposite side of the way. He never loses sight of you, never fear.
Watchmaker, subs. (thieves').—A
thief whose speciality is stealing
watches: also 'watchmaker in
a crowd' (Hotten).
Water, subs. (Westminster School).—Boating;
aquatics; the Eton
wet-bobbing (q.v.).
1881. Pascoe, Everyday Life in our Public Schools. Water, as it is called at Westminster, is in a very flourishing condition.
Verb (old).—1. To drink: see Lush.
1598. Shakspeare, 1 Henry IV., ii. 4. When you breathe in your waterings, they cry 'hem!'
