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1567. Harman, Caveat [ed. 1869, E. E. T. Soc.], p. 87. He dokte the dell.
1609. Dekker, Lanthorne and Candlelight. 'Canting Rithmes.' Docked the dell for a Coper meke.
1611. Middleton and Dekker, Roaring Girl, v., 1. And couch till a pallyard docked my dell.
2. (Winchester College).—To scratch out; to tear out (as from a book); also to strike down.
To go into dock, verb. phr. (nautical).—To undergo salivation.
To be docked smack smooth, verb. phr. (old).—To have suffered amputation of the penis.
Docker, subs, (legal).—1. A brief
handed to counsel by a prisoner
in the dock. Legal etiquette
compels acceptance if 'marked'
with a minimum fee of £1 3s. 6d.
2. (colloquial).—A dock labourer.
Dock-walloper, subs. (American).—A
loafer; one who loiters
about docks and wharves; also
an unemployed emigrant.
1871. De Vere, Americanisms, p. 344. . . . A dock-walloper is an object of great contempt to Jack.
Dockyarder, subs. (nautical).—A
skulker. Cf., Strawyarder
(q.v.).
Dockyard-horse, subs. (naval).—An
officer better at correspondence
than at active service.
Doctor, subs. (old).—1. A false
die; sometimes a manipulated
card.—See To put the doctor
on one.
1688. Shadwell, Sq. of Alsatia, I., in wks. (1720), iv., 18. Belf. Sen. Tatts, and Doctor! what's that? Sham. The tools of sharpers, false dice.
1709. Centlivre, Gamester, Act i. Now, sir, here is your true dice, a man seldom gets anything by them; here is your false, sir; hey, how they run! Now, sir, those we generally call doctors.
1750. Fielding, Tom Jones. Here, said he, taking some dice out of his pockets, here are the little doctors which cure the distempers of the purse.
1822. Scott, Fortunes of Nigel, ch. xxxiii. A gamester, one who deals with the devil's bones and the doctors.
1823. Scott, Peveril, ch. xxviii. The dicers with their doctors in their pockets, I presume.
2. (common).—An adulterant. Cf., To keep the doctor.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v. A composition used by distillers to make spirits appear stronger than they really are.
1828. G. Smeaton, Doings in London. Maton, in his 'Tricks of Bakers Unmasked,' says alum, which is called the Doctor, ground and unground, is sold to the bakers at fourpence per pound.
3. (licensed victuallers').—Brown sherry. [Because a 'doctored' (q.v.), wine. Cf., sense 2.]
4. (nautical and up-country Australian).—A ship's cook.
5. (Winchester College).—The head master.
1870. Mansfield, School Life at Winchester College, p. 27. The head master, or the Doctor, as he is always called, lives in 'Commoners' buildings.'
6. (Old gamesters').—The last throw of dice or ninepins.
Verb (common).—1. To patch; adulterate; falsify; 'cook.'
1837. R. H. Barham, Ingoldsby Legends [ed. 1862], p. 464. She doctor'd the punch and she doctor'd the negus, Taking care not to put in sufficient to flavour it.
