Heading
gymnastic performances, such as tumbling across the stage on wheels, and catching hold of hands and twirling round.
Verb (old).—To vomit. For synonyms, see Accounts.
1771. Smollett, Humphry Clinker, III., Oct. 4, iii. She cascaded in his urn.
1836. M. Scott, Tom Cringle's Log, ch. ii. I daresay five hundred rank and file, at the fewest, were all cascading at one and the same moment.
Case, subs. (colloquial).—1. A certainty
in fact, an accentuated
or abnormal instance in character.
When two persons fall in love, or
are engaged to marry, it is said to
be a case with them. An
eccentric person is likewise a
case. [As a designation for
persons, case probably had its
origin in Journalese and Police-court
English; e.g., a case of
larceny.]
1848. Bartlett, Dictionary of Americanisms. Case: a character, a queer one; as 'That Sol Haddock is a case.' 'What a hard case he is,' meaning a reckless scapegrace, mauvais sujet.
1859. H. Kingsley, Geoffrey Hamlyn, ch. xlii. Tossed from workhouse to prison, from prison to hulk—every' man's hand against him—an Arab of society. As hopeless a case, my lord judge, as you ever had to deal with.
1868. O. W. Holmes, Guardian Angel, ch. iv., p. 35 (Rose Lib.). 'It was a devilish hard case,' he said, 'that old Malachi had left his money as he did.'
1872. Miss Braddon, To the Bitter End, ch. xlviii. They have only been engaged three weeks; but from the day we first met Lord Stanmore at a hunting breakfast at Stoneleigh, the business was settled. It was a case, as you fast young men say.
1880. Hawley Smart, Social Sinners, ch. xxiv. He saw people began to make way for him when she was concerned; in short, that they looked upon it as a case.
1887. Cassell's Mag., Dec, p. 26. It isn't Mr. and Mrs. Cardewe he comes to see! It's Miss Amy. . . . They have met before; and in my opinion it's a case!
2. (thieves')—A bad five-shilling piece; half a case, a bad half-crown. Cf., caser. In America a dollar, good or bad. [There are two sources, either of which may have contributed this slang term. (1.) Caser, the Hebrew word for a crown; (2.) silver coin is frequently counterfeited by coating or casing pewter or iron imitations with silver.—Hotten.]
1857. Snowden, Mag. Assistant, 3 ed., p. 444. Bad five shillings—case.
3. (old).—A house, respectable or otherwise. Subsequently restricted to a brothel, and, by derivation, a 'water-closet.' [Presumably from the Italian casa, a house, through the Lingua Franca. It is found in various forms, casa, case, caser, carser, carsey, the last a phonetic rendering of the usual pronunciation of casa.] For synonyms, see Ken.
1678. Marvell, wks. (1875) III., 497. A net . . . That Charles himself might chase To Caresbrook's narrow case. [m.]
1690. B.E., Dict. Cant. Crew. Case: a House, Shop, or Ware-house.
1785. Grose, Dict. of Vul. Tongue. Case: a house, perhaps from the Italian casa. In the canting lingo it meant store or warehouse, as well as dwelling house. Tout that case: mark or observe that house. It is all bob, now let's dub the gigg of the case: now the coast is clear, let us break open the door of the house.
1883. Echo, Jan. 25, p. 2, col. 3. From the Italian we get the thieves' slang term casa for house.
4. (Westminster School).—The discussion by Seniors and Upper Election preceding a tanning (q.v.), and the tanning itself.
