Heading
Chaldese, verb (old).—To trick, cheat, or 'take in.' [Thought to be from 'Chaldee,' in allusion to astrology. Cf., to Jew.] For synonyms, see Stick.
1664. Butler, Hudibras, II., iii.,
1010. He stole your cloak and pick'd your pocket, Chows'd and Caldes'd you like a blockhead.
1680. Rem. (1759), I., 24. Asham'd,
that Men so grave and wise, Should be chaldes'd by Gnats and Flies. [m.]
1697. Dennis, Plot and No Plot, I.
I caldes'd a Judge while he was taking my Depositions. [m.]
Chalk, subs. (colloquial).—1. A
score, reckoning; and (in a more
decidedly slang sense) by Chalks,
many chalks, long chalks,
etc., i.e., 'degrees' or 'marks';
also 'credit,' or 'tick.' Cf.,
Clock stopped.
1529. Skelton, El. Rummyng, 613.
We're fayne with a chalke To score on the balke. [m.]
1592. Nashe, P. Penilesse, B j b.
Hee that hath no money must goe and dine with Sir John best betrust, at the signe of the chalke and the Post.
1634. S. R., Noble Soldier, v., 3, in
Bullen's O. Pl., I., 333. There's lesse chalke upon you[r] score of sinnes. [m.]
1704. T. Brown, Lat. on Fr. King,
wks. (1730) I., 60. I trespassed most enormously in chalk. [m.]
1719. D'Urfey, Pills (1872), I., 270.
This wheedling talk you fancy will rub out my chalk.
1838-40. Haliburton, The Clockmaker
(ed. 1862), p. 102. They reckon themselves here a chalk above us Yankees. . .
1864-5. Edmund Yates, Broken to
Harness, I., p. 174. 'Can you say that I have deceived or thrown you over in any way? Never!' 'Thank God for that!' says the girl, with some bitterness; 'for that's a chalk in my favor, at least.'
2. (nautical).—A scratch or scar. Cf., verb, sense 2, and Chalkers, sense 1.
1840. Marryat, Poor Jack, vi. I
got this chalk.
Adj. (turf).—Unknown or incompetent. [From the practice at race-meetings of keeping blank slides at the telegraph board on which the names of new jockeys can be inscribed in chalk, while the names of well-known men are usually painted or printed in permanent characters. The former were called chalk-jockeys, and the general public argued that they were incompetent, being unknown.]
Verb (old).—1. To score up, or tick off, in chalk, a material at one time handier than pen-and-ink. Subsequently in pugilistic circles merit marks, etc., were made with the same.
2. (nautical).—To make one 'stand treat' or 'pay his footing.' If an old hand succeeds in chalking the shoes of a green hand, the latter has to 'stand drinks all round.'
3. (thieves').—To strike, Cf., Chalkers, sense 1.
1822. Scott, Fortunes of Nigel, ch.
xvii. (II., p. 84). Chalk him across the peepers with your cheery [which, translated, means slash him over the eyes with your dagger].
To chalk up, or to chalk it
up, phr. (common).—To credit,
or take credit; to put to one's
account.
1597. 1st Pt. Return Parnass., I., i.,
451. All my debts stande chaukt upon the poste for liquor. [m.]
1611. Chapman, May-Day, Act I., p.
278 (Plays, 1874). Faith, sir, she [hostess] has chalked up twenty shillings already, and swears she will chalk no more.
1843. Punch's Almanack, Jan. . . .
'When you wish for beer resort freely to the chalk, and go on, getting as much as you can upon this principle, until it becomes unproductive, when you may try it in another quarter.'
