Whiskey (Tim-whiskey or Timmy-whiskey), subs. (old).—A light one-horse chaise without a hood (Grose).
1772. Bridges, Burlesque Homer, 481. In spite of him these youths so frisky, Went out and hir'd a timmy-whisky.
1774. Foote, Cozeners, i. A journey to Tyburn in a tim-whisky and two would have concluded your travels.
1809. Byron, Childe Harold, i. 69. Thy coach of hackney, whiskey, one-horse chair, And humblest gig through sundry suburbs whirl.
d.1832. Crabbe, Works, II. 174. Whiskeys and gigs and curricles.
1834. Southey, Doctor, Interch. xiv. It is not like the difference between . . . a whiskey and a tim-whiskey, that is to say, no difference at all.
1884. Dowell, Taxes in England, III. 227. The increased taxation of the curricle had the effect of bringing into existence the less expensive gig, a development or an imitation of a two-wheeled carriage known in the country as a whiskey.
Whiskey-bloat, subs. phr.
(American).—A person bloated
from drinking whiskey.—(Bartlett.)
Whiskeyfied (or Whiskified),
adj. (common).—Drunk, bemused
with whiskey: see Screwed.
1857-9. Thackeray, Virginians, xxxviii. The two whiskeyfied gentlemen are up with her, however.
1872. Black, Adventures of a Phaeton, xxviii. This person was a sort of whiskified Old Mortality, who claimed to have cut all manner of tombstones standing around.
Whiskey-mill, subs. phr. (American).—A
grog-shop, a grocery
with a license.
1870. M'Clure, Rocky Mountains, 55. Platt City consists of one fair hotel, several small boarding-houses for operatives, several warehouses, as many stores, and about forty whiskey-mills, or small groceries where whiskey, tobacco, and portable eatables are sold at fabulous prices.
Whisking, adj. (old).—Large,
great, whopping (q.v.).—Bailey,
1731.
Whisk-telt, adj. phr. (provincial).—Whorish,
hot (q.v.).
Whisky-frisky, adj. phr. (old).—Flighty,
maggoty (q.v.).
1782. Burney, Cecilia, ix. iii. As to talking in such a whisky-frisky manner that nobody can understand him, why it's tantamount to not talking at all.
Whisper, subs. (racing).—A secret
tip (q.v.): spec. information
passed from mouth to mouth on
the pretence of secrecy. Hence
to give the whisper = (1) to
blaze abroad a supposed secret,
and (2) to give a quick tip
(Hotten); a whisper at the
post = an owner's final instructions
to a jockey.
Verb (common).—To borrow: spec. small sums. Hence whisperer = a petty borrower.
Angel's Whisper, subs. phr. (military).—The call to defaulters' drill: usually extra fatigue duty.
1899. Wyndham, Queens Service, xxxv. Effective measures are taken to prevent defaulters leaving barracks. . . . All day long, the bugle sounds at unexpected moments the . . . angel's whisper . . . when there is some extra fatigue to be performed.
Pig's-whisper, subs. phr. (common).—1. A grunt; (2) = a very short space of time: that is, as brief as a grunt (Bee): also (American) Pig's-whistle.
1836. Dickens, Pickwick, xxxii. You'll find yourself in bed in something less than a pig's whisper.
Whispering syl.-slinger, subs.
phr. (theatrical).—A prompter
[that is, 'syllable'-slinger].
