Heading
1609. Jonson, Case is Altered, IV., 4. Juniper, to the door; an eye to the main chance. [Removes the dung, and shews him the gold.]
1693. Dryden, Persius, VI., 158. Be careful still of the main chance, my son; Put out the principal in trusty hands.
1711. Spectator, No. 196. I am very young, and yet no one in the world, dear sir, has the main chance more in her head than myself.
1844. Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit, ch. xviii., p. 190. 'Was it politics? Or was it the price of stock?' 'The main chance, Mr. Jonas, the main chance, I suspect.'
Chancer, subs. (tailors').—A liar.
Also an incompetent workman:
i.e., one who 'chances' what he
cannot do.
Chancery. In Chancery, adv.
phr. (common).—'To have or get
your man in chancery' is to get
his head under your left arm so
that you can Fib (q.v.) him with
your right until he gets it out, or
you go to grass (q.v.) together.
Primarily pugilistic. Figuratively
the expression = in a parlous case;
in an awkward fix. The French
have adopted the phrases mettre
en chancellerie and coup de chancellerie
which are almost literal
translations.
1819. Thomas Moore, Tom Crib's Memorial to Congress, p. 77. Lord St-w-rt's a hero (as many suppose) and the Lady he woos is a rich and a rare one; his heart is in chancery, every one knows, and so would his head be, if thou wert his fair one.
1845. Punch, vol. IX., p. 9. 'Lord Brougham's Handbook for Political Boxing' Getting the nob into Chancery is a fine achievement, I once got several nobs into Chancery: and I certainly gave several of them severe punishment. This Chancery manœuvre has been a capital thing for me.
1860. Chambers' Journal, vol. XIII., p. 15. Marsden suffered him to approach within distance, dashed his outstretched arms away, and received his transatlantic head into chancery.
1883. Daily News, 9 Mar., p. 3, col. 7. Thinking the man was a burglar he rode up to assist, and saw the constable holding Burtenshaw, and striking him. The constable had the prisoner in chancery.
Chance the Ducks, phr. (common).—An
expression signifying
'come what may.' [From the
colloquial use of chance, to risk,
or take one's chance of + ducks
(q.v.), probably a pleonasm. Cf.,
please the pigs.
1886. T. Ratcliffe, in N. and Q., 7 S., i., 108. An' chance the ducks—this when a man makes up his mind to a risky venture. He will say, 'I'll do it, an' chance th' ducks.'
Chance your Arm, phr. (tailors').—'Chance
it!' 'Try it on!'
etc.—[See Chance the ducks,—of
which it seems a variant.]
Chaney-Eyed, adj. (common).—One-eyed.
[From Chaney, a
corruption of 'China' or
'Chinese'; hence, eyes as small
as those of the Celestials.] Cf.,
Squinny-eyed.
Change.—This word, in the sense
of coins of one denomination
given in exchange for those of
another is responsible for several
expressive colloquialisms.
To give change, phr. (common).—To 'pay out'; to give one his deserts. Cf., To take one's change out of.
To have all one's change about one, phr. (common).—To be clever; quick-witted; quite 'compos mentis'; with 'twelve pence to the shilling about one.'
To put the change on, phr. (old).—To deceive, or mislead.
