'draw the long bow'; A SAILOR'S YARN = a traveller's story (q.v.); YARN-CHOPPER (or SLINGER) = (1) a long prosy talker; and (2) a fictional journalist.
1859. Reade, Love Me Little, iii. It isn't everybody that likes these sea-YARNS as you do, Eve. No, I'll belay, and let my betters get a word in now.
1879. Scribner's Mag., viii. 465. The first lieutenant is YARNING with me under the lea of the bulwarks.
1884. Clark Russell, Jack's Courtship, xxx. All the crew . . . YARNING and smoking and taking sailors' pleasure.
1885. D. Teleg., 29 Dec. [He] who has YARNED aforetime 'On the Fo'k'sle Head,' and 'Round the Galley Fire.'
Yarum, subs. (Old Cant).—Milk. Poplars of yarum = milk porridge (Harman, B. E., and Grose).
1567. Harman, Caveat, 86. She has a cackling-chete, a grunting-chete, ruff pecke, cassan, and POPPLAR OF YARUM.
1608. Dekker, Lanthorne and Candlelight [Farmer, Musa Pedestris (1896), 3]. The Ruffin cly the nab of the Harmanbeck, If we maund . . . POPLARS OF YARUM, he cuts, bing to the Ruffmans.
1641. Brome, Jovial Crew, ii. Here's Pannam and Lap, and good Poplars of Yarrum.
Yawney (or Yawnups), subs. (provincial).—A stupid fellow; BUFFLE (q.V.): cf. SAWNEY. Also YAWNEY-BOX = a donkey: see Neddy.
Yaw-sighted, adj. phr. (nautical).—Squinting.
Yaw-yaw, subs. phr. (nautical).—A Dutchman: any man who says 'Yaw-yaw' for 'Yes' (Clark Russell).
Yea-and-nay, adj. phr. (colloquial).—Insipid, watery; e.g. a poor YAY-NAY sort of a person = a stupid, doltish block: one who can say but Yea or Nay to a question: see next entry.
c. 1780. Darblay, Diary, 11. 288. She is a sort of YEA AND NAY young gentlewoman, to me very wearisome.
Yea-and-nay Man, subs. phr. (old).—A Quaker (B. E.).
YEACK, verb (old).—'An imitative word to express the sound with which coachmen encourage their horses (?), unless it is another form of yerk' (Davies).
1606. Dekker, Seven Deadly Sins, iii. Candle light's coach . . . is drawne (with ease) by two rats: the coachman is a chaundler, who so sweats with YEACKING them, that he drops tallowe, and that feedes them as prouender.
Year's-mind (or Year-mind), subs. phr. (old colloquial).—A memorial, a mass, an anniversary: cf. Month's-mind.
Yellow, subs, (old colloquial).—1. Generic for jealousy, envy, melancholy: also YELLOWS and YELLOWNESS: cf. Blue, Brown, Red, White, etc. (B. E.). Also in frequent proverbial phrase: e.g. TO WEAR YELLOW HOSE (BREECHES OR STOCKINGS) = to be jealous; TO ANGER THE YELLOW HOSE, etc. = to provoke jealousy; TO WEAR YELLOW STOCKINGS = to be cuckolded: hence YELLOW-HAMMER (or -GLOAK) = (1) a cuckold, and (2) a jealous man or husband. [Yellow stockings (q.v.) were once, for a long period prior to the civil wars, a fashionable article of dress: the fashion is still preserved amongst Blues (q.v.) at Christ's Hospital.]
