Heading
broke and robbed the boot. Also cutting through the back of the coach to snatch the large and costly wigs then fashionable.—Grose. [From Chive, a knife.]
Chivy or Chevy, subs. (thieves').—The
face. For synonyms, see
Dial.
c. 1886. Music Hall Song. Aint he got an artful chevy.'
Verb.—To scold; to bullyrag. For synonyms, see Wig.
Choakee.—See Chokey.
Chock, verb (streets').—To strike
a person under the chin. [Probably
a corruption of to chuck,
i.e., 'chuck under the chin.']—See
Chocker.
Chocker, subs. (streets').—A man.
Generally Old Chocker, and
thus comparable with Old
Codger (q.v.). The term is not
however, used in contempt;
presumably, therefore, it signifies
a manly man, i.e., one who
is capable of 'chocking.'—See
Chock.
Chocolate. To give chocolate
without sugar, phr. (old).—To
reprove;—Grose [1785], and
Lexicon Balatronicum [1811].
Choke-Dog, subs. (common).—Cheese;
especially that made in
Devonshire.
1870. Good Words, March. As I have said before, the Dorsetshire hind is undoubtedly under-fed. Bread and choke-dog, as he calls his county's cheese, etc.—these, as I have said before, are the chief items in his bill of fare.
Choke Off, verb (common).—To
get rid off; to put a stop to; and
in a milder sense, 'to run contrary
to.' [In the first instance
the idea was associated with the
throttling of bull-dogs to make
them loose their hold; but the
editor of a recent edition of the
Slang Dictionary (Mr. Henry M.
Sampson of The Referee) adds en
parenthèse, 'Of course by those
who don't know the scientific
way used in canine exhibitions
and dog-fights—of biting their
tails till they round to bite the
biter.']
English Synonyms. To shut off; to shunt; to fub off; to rump; to cold shoulder. For synonyms in a more emphatic sense, see Floor.
French Synonyms. Envoyer quelqu'un s'asseoir (popular: Cf., 'to set one down'); arrêter les frais ('to put a stop to proceedings.')
1818. Cobbett, Pol. Reg., XXXIII., 72. The Duke's seven mouths . . . made the Whig party choak off Sheridan. [m.]
1848. New York Exp., 21 Feb. (Bartlett). In the House . . . of . . . Representatives. The operation of choking off a speaker was very funny, and reminded me of the lawless conduct of fighting school-boys.
1864. Derby Day, p. 155. 'That will do, mother,' he said; 'I think I have had my five shillings' worth'; but the gipsy would not be choked off until she had finished the patter she had learnt by heart.
1870. London Figaro, 26 November. The hair-oil vendor was proceeding in this strain of eulogium on the virtues of his particular invigorating application when he was gently but firmly choked off.
1883. Graphic, July 7, p. 11, col. 2. English dealers attend these fairs with the object of purchasing these noble-looking animals, but prices have now risen to £20 per head, and the English demand is being choked off.
