Heading
1857. O. W. Holmes, Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, ch. vii. He will certainly knock the little man's head off, if he strikes him. Feinting, dodging, stopping, hitting, countering—little man's head not off yet.
1871. Daily News, 17 April, p. 2, col. 2. The Jockey Club met on Wednesday last, when they countered the Hunt Committee . . . by refusing to father the said 'wrangling stakes' by a majority of eleven to three.
1873. Conservative, 15 Feb. If 'The Druid' is the prettier sparrer, 'The Ædile' must be admitted to have shown unexpected powers of countering, and has stood up gamely to his bigger opponent.
Another lie nailed to the counter.—See Another.
Counterfeit-Cranke, subs. (old).—Explained in quots.—See Cranke.
1567. Harman, Caveat. These that do counterfet the cranke be yong knaves and yonge harlots, that deeply dissemble the falling sickness.
1621. Burton, Anatomy of Melancholy, p. 159. A lawyer of Bruges hath some notable examples of such counterfeit cranks. Ibid, 436. Thou art a counterfeit crank, a cheater.
1622. Fletcher, Beggar's Bush, ii., 1. And these, what name or title e'er they bear, Jarkman, or Patrico, Cranke, or Clapper-dudgeon, Frater, or Abram-man, I speak to all That stand in fair election for the title Of king of beggars.
1671. R. Head, English Rogue, pt. I., ch. v., p. 39 (1874), s.v.
Counter-Jumper (or Skipper),
subs. (common).—A draper's assistant;
a shopman. Fr., chevalier
du mètre. For synonyms, see
Knight of the yard. Also
counter-jump = to act as a shop-assistant,
and counter-jumping,
verbal subs.
1855. C. Kingsley, Westward Ho. 'Why,' said he, stifling his anger, 'it seems free enough to every counter-jumper in the town.'
1860. Guide to Eton, p. 236. They are like the young counter-jumper, mentioned by Dickens, on the outside of a coach, who lighted a great many cigars, and threw them away when he thought no one was looking.
1863. C. Reade, Hard Cash, II., 189. Mamma, dear, you open that gigantic wardrobe of yours, and I'll oil my hair, whitewash my mug (a little moan from Mrs. D.), and do the counter-jumping business to the life.
1864. G. A. Sala, in Temple Bar, Dec., p. 40. He is as dextrous as a Regent Street counter-jumper in the questionable art of 'shaving the ladies.'
1876. M. E. Braddon, Joshua Haggard, ch. viii. I don't want my son and heir to keep company with counter jumpers.
Count-Noses, verbal phr. (parliamentary).—To
count the 'Ayes'
and 'Noes.' [A punning allusion
to the latter.] Generally, to take
the sense of any assembly.
Country, subs. (cricket).—That
part of the ground at a great distance
from the wicket; thus, a
fielder at 'deep-long-off,' or
'long-on' is said 'to be in the
Country,' and a ball hit to the
far boundary is 'hit into the
Country.'
Country-Put, subs. (old).—An
ignorant, country fellow. For
synonyms, see Joskin.
1717. Mrs. Centlivre, Bold Stroke for a Wife, Act iv., Sc. 2. Col. F. Enough. Now for the country-put.
County-Crop, subs. (general).—The
hair cut close to the skull;
a mode once common to all
prisoners, but now to convicts
only. Also prison-crop. [An
abbreviation of county-prison
crop.] Used likewise adjectively.
1867. Jas. Greenwood, Unsent. Journeys, xxv., 199. A slangy, low-
