Heading
To draw a cork, verbal phr. (pugilistic).—To draw blood. A variant is to tap one's claret.
1818. P. Egan, Boxiana, vol. I., p. 136. Severa blows exchanged, but no corks were drawn.
1819. Thos. Moore, Tom Crib's Mem. to Cong., p. 25. . . . This being the first Royal claret let flow, Since Tom took the Holy Alliance in tow, The uncorking produced much sensation about, As bets had been flush on the first painted snout.
1837. S. Warren, Diary of a Late Physician, ch. xii. Tap his claret cask—draw his cork!
Cork-brained, adj. phr. (old).—Light
headed; foolish.
Corker, subs. (common).—1. That
which closes an argument, or
puts an end to a course of action;
a settler; a finisher (q.v.);
specifically a lie. Cf., whopper.
2. Anything unusually large, or of first-rate quality; remarkable in some respect or another; e.g., a heavy blow; a monstrous lie.—See Whopper.
1835. Haliburton, Clockmaker, 1 S., ch. xix. 'Then I lets him have it, right, left, right, jist three corkers, beginning with the right hand, shifting to the left, and then with the right hand ag'in.'
To play the corker.—To indulge in the uncommon; to exhibit exaggerated peculiarities of demeanour; specifically in school and university slang to make oneself objectionable to one's fellows.
1882. F. Anstey, Vice Versâ, ch. vii. 'Why, you're sticking up for him now!' said Tom . . . astonished at this apparent change of front. 'If you choose to come back and play the corker like this, it's your look-out.'
Corks, subs. (general).—1. A
butler. [An allusion to one of
the duties of the office.] Cf.,
Burn-crust, a baker; Master
of the mint, a gardener;
Cinder-Garbler, a maid-of-all-work,
etc.
2. (nautical).—Money. [A facetious allusion to money as the means of 'keeping afloat.'] For synonyms, see Actual and Gilt.
Corkscrewing, verbal subs. (common).—The
straggling, spiral
walk of tipsiness.
Corkscrews, subs. pl. (general)—Very
stiff and formal curls, once
called bottle-screws.
1890. Notes and Queries, 5 April. Bottle-screws—Dr. Murray has this word in the N.E.D. as obsolete, meaning cork-screws, as we now call them.
Corky, adj. (colloquial).—Sprightly;
lively. [An allusion to the
buoyancy of a cork.] Shakspeare
uses it in King Lear, iii., 7.
Com., 'Bind fast his corky arms';
but with him (1605) it =
'withered.'
Corn, subs. (American).—1. Food;
sustenance; grub. [A figurative
usage of the legitimate
word.]
1870. Green Bay (Wis.) Gaz., Oct. I therefore take thus to forewarn You not to trust her with a straw, For I will never pay her corn Unless compelled to by the law.
2. (American).—An abbreviated form of corn-juice (q.v.), i.e., whiskey.
1843. John S. Robb. 'The Standing Candidate.' 'Ef you war a babby, just new born, 'Twould do you good this juicy corn!
