Heading
Coachee, subs. (colloquial).—A coachman. Cf., Cabby. 1819. Thos. Moore, Tom Crib's Mem. Cong, p. 79. This song . . . in which the language and sentiments of Coachee are transferred so ingeniously. 1825. English Spy, I., pp. 134-5.
Coaching, verbal subs. (common).—1.
Instruction; training, etc.—See Coach,
subs. French students
call it la barbe.
1836. Pluck Examination Papers for
Candidates at Oxford and Cambridge, by
Scriblerus Redivivus [Oxford]. The
system of coaching pupils considerably
improved by the examiners becoming
pupils.
2. (Rugby School).—A flogging. Now obsolete.
Coachman, subs. (anglers').—A fly-fisher's
rod. [In allusion to
whipping the stream.]
Coach-Wheel, subs. (popular).—A
crown-piece, or five shillings.
For synonyms, see Cart-wheel.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue.
Coach wheel: a half crown piece is a
fore coach wheel, and a crown piece a
hind coach wheel, the fore wheels of a
coach being less than the hind ones.
Coal.—See Cole.
TO TAKE IN ONE'S COALS, or winter coals, phr. (nautical).—To contract a venereal disease. For synonyms, see Ladies' fever.
Coal-Box, subs. (musical).—A
chorus. [Obviously 'music-hally'
or 'circussy' in derivation:
a cross between rhyming
slang and a clown's wheeze
(q.v.).]
1809-70. Mark Lemon, Up and Down
London Streets. The slang word for
chorus, coal box, if we might mention
anything so ungenteel.
Coaley, subs. (common).—A coal-heaver,
or porter.
1880. Jas. Greenwood, 'Diddler
Domesticus,' in Odd People in Odd Places,
p. 93. With such arguments the bargain
is driven to a conclusion, and the grateful
Coaley takes his departure.
1889. Star, 3 Dec, p. 3, col. 4. The
COALIES demonstrated last night in right
novel fashion at St. Pancras Arches.
Coaling or Coally, adj. (theatrical).—Among
'pros' a coally
or coaling part is one that is
grateful to the player. [Hotten
says it means 'profitable,' and
derives it from cole = money,
but this is doubtful.—See quot.]
1872. M. E. Braddon, Dead Sea
Fruit, ch. xiv. The gorger's awful
coally on his own slumming, eh?. . .
I mean to say that our friend the manager
is rather sweet upon his own acting.
Coal-Scuttle, subs. (common).—A
poke bonnet; modish once,
but now reserved for old-fashioned
Quakeresses and
'Hallelujah Lasses.' [From the
shape.]
1838. Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby.
There was Miss Snevellici . . . glancing
from the depths of her coal-scuttle
bonnet at Nicholas.
Coat. To get the sun into a
horse's coat, phr. (racing).—Explained
by quot.
1889. Standard. 'Sir Chas. Russell's Speech in Durham - Chetwynd Case,' June 25. An owner says to his trainer, 'I suppose, Mr. Jones, we'll have very good luck to-morrow?' (laughter). 'Well no, sir,' says the trainer; 'I don t think the horse has any chance to-morrow. The fact is, he isn't fit.' A fortnight elapses, and on comes another meeting at Newmarket, and the owner goes down again, and he sees the horse. To his uninitiated eye the horse seems as well as when he saw it on the previous occasion. In the interval the trainer had 'slipped in a lot of work into him,' I think that is the term, and the owner, who thinks he knows something about horses (laughter) says to his trainer 'You're going to run this horse
