Heading
Spanish Synonyms.—El mundo (also = the world); el geme (a woman's face. Properly, the space between the extended ends of thumb, and forefinger).
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
1889. Bird o' Freedom, 7 Aug., p. 3. An absinthe tumbler which caught him a nasty crack across the dial finally convinced him that discretion was the better part of valour.
1890. Polytechnic Magazine; 21 March. 'Boxing Brutalities.' Now if there is a rule that no competitor may strike another with a force greater than a fixed number of pounds, it will be easy to disqualify a man whose opponent's dial shows a greater amount of punishment.
Dials, subs. (prison).—Convicts
and thieves hailing from Seven
Dials.
Diamond-Cracking, subs. (Australian
thieves').—1. Stonebreaking.
1885. Australian Printers Keep-*sake. He caught a month, and had to white it out at diamond-cracking in Castieu's Hotel [Melbourne Gaol].
2. (English miners').—Working in a coal mine. Cf., Black Diamonds.
Dibble, subs. (common).—The
penis. For synonyms, see Creamstick.
Dibs or Dibbs, subs. (common).—Generic
for money. [Said to be
a corruption of diobs, i.e., diobolus,
a classic coin = 2-1/2d. Another
derivation is from the huckle-*bones
of sheep, popularly dibbs,
used for gambling; Scots 'chuckies.']
For synonyms, see Actual
and Gilt. To brush with the
dibs = to abscond with the cash;
TO TIP OVER THE DIBS = to pay
down or 'shell out'; To flash
the dibs = to show money, etc.
1837. Barham, I. L. (Dead Drummer). One of their drummers, and one Sergeant Matcham, Had brush'd with the dibs, and they never could catch 'em.
1842. Comic Almanack, p. 313. Governor,—Science can't be purchased without dibbs. When we want subjects we must shell out.
1862. Penny Newspaper. The other informed him that if he did not tip over the dibs he would blow his brains out.
1880. Punch's Almanack, p. 7. Time to think about my outing. No dibs yet, though, so it's no use shouting.
1887. W. E. Henley, Villon's Straight Tip. The merry little dibbs you'll bag.
Dice. To box the Dice, verb.
phr. (legal).—To carry a point
by tricking or swindling.
Dick, subs. (common).—1. A
dictionary; a Richard (q.v.);
also, by implication, fine language
or long words.—See Swallow
the Dick.
1860. Haliburton ('Sam. Slick'), The Season Ticket, No. xii. Ah, now you are talking 'Dic.,' exclaimed Peabody, and I can't follow you. When I talk You use the vulgar tongue, retorted the Senator.
2. (coachman's).—A riding whip.
3. (military).—The penis. For synonyms, see Creamstick.
4. (common).—An affidavit.
1861. Dutton Cook, Paul Foster's Daughter, ch. xxvi. No. I'd take my dying dick he hasn't got a writ in his pocket, or he couldn't move along so easy as that.
5. (American).—An Irish Catholic—See Crawthumper.
Verb (thieves').—To look; to PIPE (q.v.); e.g., the bulky's dicking = the policeman is watching you. [From the gypsy dikk.] Fr., gaffer. For synonyms, see Pipe.
