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1885. Good Words, August, p. 530. Some prefer coddam, and risk their pint of beer on the discovery of the coin.
1890. Pall Mall Gaz., March 1, p. 5, col. 2. The boys were playing a game called coddom, a guessing game.
Codding, verbal subs. (common).—Nonsense;
humbug; chaff. [From
cod [q.v., verb, sense 3).]
Codger, subs. (common).—A
familiar term of address, especially
in old codger; a curious
old fellow; an odd fish; a 'rum'
character; a precise, and sometimes
a mean or miserly man.
English Synonyms. Most of the general slang terms for a man or fellow correspond in usage to 'old codger,' e.g., old chap; ben cull; old man; my pippin; old cock, etc.
French Synonyms. Un béquillard (popular: French thieves give the same name to the executioner); vieux canasson (popular: 'old man,old cock'); un birbe; ma vieille branche.
Italian Synonym. Fuino (literally a pole-cat).
1760. Colman, Polly Honeycombe, in wks. (1777) IV., 39. A clear coast. I find. The old codger's gone, and has locked me up with his daughter.
1760. Smollett, Sir L. Greaves, vol. I., ch. iii. She twisted her hand in Grove's neckcloth without ceremony, crying—'Sha't then, I tell thee, old coger.'
1796. Mad. D'Arblay, Camilla, bk. IX., ch. iv. He gave himself the airs of an old justice of the peace, and said if he did not find the affair given up, nothing should induce him ever to help me again. What a mere codger that lad has turned out!
1837. Barham, I. L. (Lay of St. Nicholas). How a thirsty old codger, the neighbours call'd Roger, With them drank cold water in lieu of old wine.
1859. Dickens, Tale of Two Cities, bk. II., ch. xxiv. Why, I am a boy, sir, to half-a-dozen old codgers here.
1876. Hindley, Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, p. 61. His father, a rum old codger, had been a captain in the army.
1883. F. R. Stockton, Rudder Grange, ch. xi. I knew that any sensible man would rather have me in charge of his tent than a young codger like that.
1887. Baumann, Londinismen, Slang u. Cant. pref., vi. So from hartful young dodgers, From vaxy old codgers, From the blowens we got Soon to know vot is vot.
Codicils, subs. (American journalists').—A
kind of literary sparring
match; also called accumulatives
(q.v.). Some editor will
make a remark or a joke—with
a capital J; another will
cite it with comments; and, in
his turn, he will be handled by
a third. There are cases in
which the original paragraph has
gone the round of twenty or thirty
prints. [A codicil is properly
a writing by way of supplement
to a will.]
1889. Polytechnic Mag., 24 Oct., p. 253. 'How many apples did Adam and Eve eat?' Some say Eve 8 and Adam 2—a total of 10. Now, we figure the thing out far different. Eve 8, and Adam 8 also—total 16.—Boston Journal. We think the above figures are entirely wrong. If Eve 8, and Adam 8-2, certainly the total will be 90. Scientific men, however, on the strength of the theory that the antidiluvians were a race of giants, and consequently great eaters, reason something like this:—Eve, 8-1st, and Adam 8-2—total, 163.—Gloucester Advertiser. Wrong again; what could be clearer than if Eve 8-1-1st, and Adam 8-1-2, would not the whole be 1,623?—Boston Journal. Now we think these figures are not according to Cocker. The following is probably the true solution:—Eve 8-1-4 Adam, Adam 8-1-2-4 Eve—total, 8,698.—Veritas. Stop friend; still another calculation is as folfows;—If Eve 8-1-4 Adam, Adam 8-1-2-4-2 oblige Eve—total, 82,056. We think, however, this is not a sufficient quantity; for, if we admit that Eve 8-1-4 Adam, Adam, if he 8-0-8-1-2-4-2 keep Eve company—total,
