Heading
c. 1887. Brunlees Patterson, Life
in the Ranks. Some of the 'knowing blokes,' prominent among whom will be the 'grousers,' will, in all probability, be chewing the rag or fat.
Chewallop! intj. (American).—An
onomatopœia, representing, it
is thought, the sound of an object
falling heavily to the ground or
into water—See Cachunk.
1835. Haliburton ('Sam Slick'),
The Clockmaker, 3 S., ch. ii. I felt . . . only one stop more [and I] was over head and ears chewallop in the water.
1888. Hoppe, Englisch-Deutsches
Supplement-Lexikon, p. 215. It means 'flat down,' and is a strong expression. If a woman, for ex., falls head over heels and flat to the ground, they say, 'she fell chewallop.'
Chewre, verb (Old Cant).—To
steal.
Chic, subs. (popular).—Finish; elegance;
spirit; dash; style—any
quality which marks a person or
thing as superior. [Originally a
French slang term of uncertain
origin, Littré being inclined to
trace it to chicane, tact or skill.
The French chic originally signified
subtlety, cunning, skill;
and, among English painters, to
chic up a picture, or to do a
thing from chic = to work
without models and out of one's
own head.]
1856. Lever, Martins of Cro' M.,
321. The French have invented a slang word . . . and by the expression chic have designated a certain property, by which objects assert their undoubted superiority over all their counterfeits.
1866. Yates, Land at Last, I., p.
110. A certain piquancy and chic in her appearance.
1871. London Figaro, 28 Feb. Those
rollicking break-downs, those screeching girls who are so much admired for their chic, invariably give me a headache.
Adj. (common).—Stylish; elegant; 'up to Dick.' So also chicdom. [From chic + dom.]
1873. Daily News, 9 June. She
must be ready to stick on a bow here and there, to give herself an air of chicdom. The youthful student, however, must not go too far in the direction of chic, . . . the chief thing which distinguishes the dress of a lady is the absence of those prominent and inharmonious decorations, etc.
Chickabiddy, subs. (costers').—A
young girl.—See Biddy. [A
nursery name for a chicken, commonly
used as an endearment.]
For synonyms, see Titter.
Chick-woman.—See 'Much
Ado about Nothing.' Act I, Sc.
iii.
Chickaleary Cove or Bloke, subs.
phr. (costers').—An 'artful member,'
otherwise a downy cove
(q.v., for synonyms).
c. 1869. Vance, Broadside Ballad.
I'm a chickaleary cove, with my one, two, three; Whitechapel was the village I was born in.
Chicken, subs. (thieves').—A pint
pot. Cf., Hens and Chickens
and Cat and kittens.
1851. Mayhew, London Labour and
London Poor, I., p. 276. The hens and chickens, of the low lodging-houses are the publican's pewter measures; the bigger vessels are hens, the smaller chickens.
No chicken, adv. phr. (common).—Elderly.
[The term
chicken is often applied to children.]
1720. Swift, Stella's Birthday. Pursue
your trade of scandel-picking, Your hints that Stella is no chicken.
1738. Swift, Polite Conversation
(conv. i). I swear she's no chicken; she's on the wrong side of thirty if she be a day.
1742. Fielding, Joseph Andrews,
bk. II., ch. ix. Adams, who was no chicken, and could bear a drubbing as well as any boxing champion in the universe.
