Heading
Clinkerum. The same as clink, sense 1.
Clinking, ppl. adj. (common).—First-rate;
extra good; about
the best possible. Cf., Clipping,
Thumping, Whopping, Battling,
etc.
1868. Daily Telegraph, 6 June. Vermouth was a clinking good horse.
1887. Sporting Times, 12 March, p. 2, col. 2. Prince Henry must be a clinking good horse when in the humour to go.
1889. Polytechnic Mag., 24 Oct., p. 263. Soon afterwards the Poly. obtained a free kick, and Young notched a point for them. Heard again steered the ball to the Clapham goal, and Toghill put in a clinking shot which just shaved the upright.
Clink-Rig or Cling-Rig, subs.
(old).—Stealing silver tankards
from public-houses, etc. [From
clink, plate, + rig, a theft, or
dodge.]
1781. G. Parker, View of Society, II., 174, s.v.
1864. Hotten, Slang Dict., s.v.
Clip, subs. (colloquial).—A smart
blow, e.g., a clip in the eye.
For synonyms, see Dig, bang,
and wipe.
1830. Marryat, King's Own, xxvi. The master fires and hits the cat a clip on the neck.
1835. Haliburton ('Sam Slick'), The Clockmaker (1862), 89. He made a pull at the old-fashioned sword . . . and drawing it out he made a clip at him.
1860. Police Gazette, 17 November. He ran up to him, hit him a severe clip, and dashed through the window.
Verb (colloquial).—To move quickly. For analogous terms, see Amputate. [Probably originally a falconry term = to fly swiftly.]
1833. M. Scott, Tom Cringle, xii. (1859), 281. He clipped into the water with the speed of light.
1835-40. Haliburton ('Sam Slick'), The Clockmaker (1862), 46. He sees a steam-boat a clippin it by him like mad.
1843-4. Sam Slick in England, viii. (Bartlett). I ran all the way, right down as hard as I could clip.
Clipe, verb (school).—To tell
tales; to 'split'; to Peach; q.v.
(for synonyms).
Clipper, subs. (colloquial).—A
triumph in horses, men, or
women; a splendid man; a
brilliant or very stylish woman;
an admirable horse. [From
Clipper, = a vessel built with a
view to fast sailing; previous to
which the term was applied to
a hack for the road.]
1835. Haliburton, Clockmaker, 1 S., ch. xv. A perfect pictur' of a horse, and a genuine clipper; could gallop like the wind.
1846. Thackeray, V. Fair, ch. xvi. You have head enough for both of us, Beck, said he. You're sure to get us out of the scrape. I never saw your equal, and I've met with some clippers in my time, too.
1851. Mayhew, Lon. Lab. and Lon. Poor, I., p. 133. They [wild ducks] come over here when the weather's a clipper; for you see cold weather suits some birds and kills others.
Clipping or Clippingly, ppl. adj. and adv. (common).—Excellent; very showy; first-rate. [From that sense of clipping = that flies or moves fast.—See quot., 1643.] For synonyms, see A1 and Fizzing.
1643. P. Quarles, Emblemes, B. IV., ii., p. 194 (ed. 1648). O that the pinions of a clipping Dove Would cut my passage through the Empty Air, Mine eyes being sealed, how would I mount above The reach of danger and forgotten care!
1860. Thackeray, Philip, ch. i., p. 46. What clipping girls there were in that barouche.
1864. E. Yates, Broken to Harness, ch. xxiii. [Mr. Commissioner Beresford loq.:] Clipping riders, those girls! good as Kate Mellon anyday!
