Heading
Chit, subs. (Anglo-Indian).—1. A letter; corruption of a Hindoo word.
1785. In Seton-Karr, I., 114. [They] may know his terms by sending a chit. [m.]
1887. Chamb. Jour., 25 June, p. 411. He had brought a note or chitti, as they call it in those parts [Bengal].
2. (society).—An order for drinks in clubs, etc. [Obviously an extended use of sense 1. In India the practice of writing chits or notes on the smallest provocation has always been carried to excess.]
3. (common).—A girl, under age and undersized. For general synonyms, see Titter.
4. subs. (Scots). Food eaten in the hand: as a thumber (q.v.), a workman's lunch, and a child's piece (q.v.).
Chitterlings, subs. (old).—The
shirt frills once fashionable.
[Properly the entrails of a pig,
to which they are supposed to
bear some resemblance.]
Chitty, subs. (tailors').—An assistant
cutter or trimmer.
Chitty-Faced, adj. (old).—Thin;
weazened; baby-faced. Cf., Chit,
sense 3.
1601. Munday, Downf. R. Earl of Huntingdon, I., iii. You halfe-fac't groat, you thick [? thin] cheekt chitti-face. [m.]
1621. Burton, Anat. of Melan, [2nd ed.], p. 519. A thin, lean, chitty-face.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew.
1725. New Cant. Dict.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum.
1859. Hotten, Slang Dict.
Chiv.—See Chive.
Chivalry, subs. (old).—Coition.
[From the Lingua Franca or O. F.
chevaulcher.] For synonyms, see
Greens and Cf., Ride.
Chive or Chiv, subs. (thieves').—1.
A knife. [The Gypsy has
chive, to stab.]
English Synonyms. Arkansas toothpick (a bowie knife); cabbage-bleeder; whittle; gully; jocteleg (a clasp knife: a corruption of Jacques de Liége); snickersnee (nautical); cuttle; cuttle-bung; pig-sticker.
French Synonyms. Un bince (thieves'); un coupe-lard (popular: literary 'a bacon slicer,' lard being used as the English 'bacon' for the human body); un coupe-sifflet (thieves': couper le sifflet à quelqu'un = 'to cut any one's throat'); un lingre or lingue (thieves': from Langres, a manufacturing town); un trente-deux or un vingt-deux (thieves': originally terms used by Dutch and Flemish thieves'); un chourin or surin (thieves': possibly from the Gypsy churi, 'a knife'); un pliant (thieves'); une petite flambe (thieves': also a sword, said by Michel to be derived from Flamberge, the name of the sword of Renaud de Montauban. Mettre flamberge au vent = 'to draw').
German Synonyms. Hechtling; Kaut (possibly connected with the English 'cut'); Mandel or Mandle: (Viennese thieves': in the Gaunersprache = 'a man,' especially a little one); Sackin, Sackem, Sackum, Zackin, Zacken (from the Hebrew sochan); Schorin or Schorie (from the Gypsy churi, which in Hanover appears as Czuri).
