Heading
cash up' he used strange expressions now and then, but that was his way.—'Cash up's a very good expression' observed Martin, 'when other people don't apply it to you.'
1861. Sala, Seven Sons of Mammon, II., p. 197. 'But they may cash up.' 'Cash up! They'll never cash up a farthing piece.'
Cask, subs. (popular ).—A
brougham; otherwise a pill-box
(q.v.). A French equivalent is
une bagniole.
Cass.—See Cassan.
Cassan, subs. (thieves').—Old
Cant for cheese. Also cass,
casson, cassam, cassom, and
casey. The oldest form is
cassan, which is found in
Harman's Caveat or Warening
for Common Cursetors, the first
known dictionary of English cant
[1567]. Cass, chiefly American
thieves, is a latter corruption
probably influenced by the Dutch
kaas, or the M. Dutch kâse, Lat.
caseus. [For suggested derivation,
which corresponds to that
given in the N.E.D., see second
quot.]
English Synonyms. Caz; sweaty-toe; choke-dog.
French Synonyms. Le renâché (thieves' term); une côtelette de menuisier, de perruquier, or de vâche (popular terms for a portion of Brie; literally a cabinet-maker's, hair-dresser's, or cow-cutlet); le dûreme (thieves); une boussole de réfroidi or de singe (popular = a Dutch Cheese.)
German Synonyms. Fendrich (Old Cant appearing in the Liber Vagatorum [1529] as Wenderich or Wendrich; subsequently modified into Fähndrich. The derivation is referable, perhaps, to an old practice, prevalent in North Germany, of using as a board sign [Fahne, a flag, standard, banner] with three cheeses pictured); Gewine (from the Hebrew gewino); Karnet or Kornet; Kawine (a variant of Gewine); Stinkefix (from the O. H. G. Stinchan, to smell, to stink; this is especially applied to old cheese).
Italian Synonyms. Tenerosa (cream cheese); mascherpo; stifello (literally a kind of flute, in allusion to the holes in some kinds of cheese, notably Gruyère).
Spanish Synonym. Formage (evidently a corruption of the French fromage).
1567. Harman, Caveat (1869), p. 86. She hath a Cacking chete, a grunting chete, ruff Pecke, cassan, and popplarr of yarum.
1609. Dekker, Lanthorne and Candlelight, in wks. (Grosart) III., 195. Cassan is cheese, and is a worde barbarously coynd out of the substantive caseus, which also signifies a cheese.
1656. Broome, Jovial Crew, Act ii. Here's ruffpeck and cassan, and all of the best, And scraps of the dainties of gentry cofe's feast.
1714. Memoirs of John Hall (4 ed.), p. 11. Casum: cheese.
1881. New York Slang Dictionary. Cass: cheese.
Castell, verb (old).—To see or
look. [It is uncertain as to
whether this word is slang or
not. It is not included in the
N.E.D.] For synonyms, see Pipe.
1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-all, p. 37 (H. Club's Repr., 1874). To Castell: to see or looke.
Caster, subs. (old).—1. A cloak.
[Cf., Castor, a hat; there
seems to be no historical improbability
for a similar derivation].
