1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
1823. Scott, Peveril, ch. xxxvi. First hold out your dew-beaters till I take off the darbies. Is that usual? said Peveril, stretching out his feet.
3. (tramps').—Shoes. [Cf., senses 1 and 2.] In Norfolk, heavy shoes for wet weather.—Forby.
Dew-bit, subs. (common).—A
snack before breakfast. Cf.,
Dew-Drink and Dew-Beaters.
Dew-Drink, subs. (common).—A
drink before breakfast. Cf.,
Dew-Bit and Dew-Beaters.
Fr., une goutte pour tuer le ver,
i.e., 'to drown the maggot,' or
'to crinkle the worm.' Not, of
course, the 'early worm[*'] of the
proverb, but his spiritual cousin,
the worm that never dies.
Dewitt, verb (old).—To lynch.
[The two De Witts, opponents
of William of Orange, were
massacred by the mob in 1672,
without subsequent enquiry.] Cf.,
Boycott, Burke, Cellier.
1690. Modest Enquiry into the Present Disasters (Life of Ken, p. 561). It is a wonder the English Nation . . . have not in their fury de-witted some of these men who have brought all this upon us. And I must tell them that the crimes of the two unhappy brothers in Holland (which gave rise to that word) were not fully so great as some of theirs.
b. 1664, d. 1721. Prior, The Viceroy. To her I leave thee, gloomy peer, Think on thy crimes committed; Repent, and be for once sincere, Thou ne'er wilt be DE-WITTED.
1849-1861. Macaulay, Hist. of England. One writer . . . expressed his wonder that the people had not . . . dewitted the nonjuring prelates.
Dewse-a-Vyle.—The country.—See
Daisyville. Cf., Rom-vile
= London.
1567. Harman, Caveat, etc., s.v. 1609. Dekker. Lanthorne and Candle-*light, in wks. (Grosart), iii., 200, s.v. 1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-all, p. 38. (H. Club's Repr., 1874), s.v. 1714. Memoirs of John Hall (4th ed.), p. 12, s.v.
Dewskitch, subs. (tramps').—A
thrashing. For synonyms, see
Tanning.
1851-61. H. Mayhew, London Lab. and Lon. Poor, vol. i., p. 244. It means a dewskitch (a good thrashing).
Dial or Dial-plate, subs. (common).—The
face. To turn the
HANDS ON THE DIAL = to disfigure
the face.
English Synonyms.—Frontispiece; gills (the jaws); chump (also the head); phiz; physog; mug; jib; chivy, or chevy; roach and dace (rhyming); signboard; door-plate; front-window.
French Synonyms.—La binette (familiar: quelle sale binette = what an ugly mug); un abcès (pop. = 'a red or bloated face'); la fertille (thieves': also straw); la fiole (fam. = phial); la bobine (pop: from O. F. bobe = grimace); une balle d'amour (prostitutes': a handsome face); une balle (pop.: also = a franc piece and head); une glutouse (thieves'); une gargouille, gargouine, or gargue (popular); une gargarousse (thieves'); une gargagoitche (thieves'); une frime (thieves': une frime à la manque = ugly face).
German Synonyms.—Bonum or Bunem (Hanoverian: from Heb. ponim = face); Ponim (see preceding); Rauner (also = the eye; im Rauner halten = to keep an eye upon one).
Italian Synonyms.—Berlo; baleffo (literally, a gash or scar: primarily = the mouth).
