Heading
2. (Up-country Australian).—The master, 'boss,' or 'gaffer' of a sheep station.
Cove of Dossing-Ren, subs. phr. (thieves').—The landlord of a common lodging-house. Fr., marchand de sommeil.
Covent-Garden, subs. (rhyming
slang).—A 'farden' or farthing.
Covent-Garden Abbess, subs.
(old).—A procuress. [Covent
Garden at one time teemed with
brothels: as Fielding's Covent
Garden Tragedy (1751-2) suggests.
Cf., Bankside ladies
and Barnwell ague.]—See Covent-Garden
ague and Abbess.
For synonyms, see Mother.
Covent-Garden Ague, subs. phr.
(old).—A venereal disease. [An
allusion to brothels in the neighbourhood
in question.] Cf., Bankside
ladies. For synonyms, see
Ladies' fever.
Covent-Garden Nun, subs. phr.
(old).—A prostitute.—[See Covent-garden
ague and Nun.]
Coventry. To send one to, or
to be in Coventry, verbal phr.
(colloquial).—To exclude from
social intercourse, or notice; to
be in disgrace. [Variously but
indecisively explained:—(1) From
Coventry Gaol, as a place of imprisonment
for Royalists during
the Parliamentary war. (2) From
the fact that in Coventry, as
elsewhere, the privilege of trading
was anciently confined to certain
privileged persons. (3) As
a corruption of put or sent
into quarantine, the transition
from 'Coventry' formerly
pronounced and written Cointrie—('his
breech of Cointrie blewe.'
Drayton's Dowsabell: 1593)—being
easy and natural, in
which connection, see quot., 1821.
The expression appears first in
Grose, but 'Quarantine' used
analogically is found in Swift.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1821. Croker, in Croker Papers; vol. I., p. 203. I found MacMahon in a kind of Coventry, and was warned not to continue my acquaintance with him.
1838. Lytton, Alice, bk. IV., ch. iii. 'If any one dares to buy it, we'll send him to Coventry.'
1869. Spencer, Study of Sociology, ch. x., p. 244 (9 ed.). The skilful artizan, who in a given period can do more than his fellows, but who dares not do it because he would be sent to Coventry by them.
1872. Post, 21 June. Another representation on behalf of Lieutenant Tribe, of the 9th Lancers, now for some months past in Coventry, will be made in the course of a few days to the Minister for War and to his Royal Highness Commanding-in-Chief.
Cover, subs. (thieves').—A pickpocket's
confederate: one who
'fronts,' i.e., distracts the attention
of, the victim; a stall
(q.v.).
Verb (thieves').—1. To act as a pickpocket's confederate.
1868. Glasgow Gazette, 13 Nov. 'A Sensitive Thief.' I saw Merritt lift up the tail of a gentleman's coat and thrust his hand into the pocket. . . . Jordan and O'Brien were covering Merritt while so acting. I knew them all to be regular thieves.
2. (American).—To drink. For synonyms, see Lush.
3. (venery).—To 'have' or 'possess' a woman. [Properly used of a stallion and a mare.]
1653. Urquhart, Translation of Rabelais. Madam, it would be a very great benefit to the commonwealth, delightful to you, honourable to your progeny, and necessary for me, that I cover you for the propagating of my race.
