Gallivate, verb (American).—To frisk; to 'figure about'; cf., Gallivant.
Gallon. What's a gallon of rum
among one? phr. (American).—The
retort sarcastic; applied,
eg., to those with 'eyes too big
for their stomach'; to disproportionate
ideas of the fitness
of things, and so forth.
Gallon Distemper, subs. phr. (common).—1. Delirium tremens; (2.) the lighter after-effects of drinking.
English Synonyms.—(1) For the former, barrel-fever; black-dog; blue-devils; blue Johnnies (Australian); B. J's. (idem.); blues; bottle-ache; D. T.; horrors; jim-jams; jumps; pink-spiders; quart-mania; rams; rats; shakes; snakes in the boots; trembles; triangles; uglies.
2. For the latter: a head; hot-coppers; a mouth; a touch of the brewer; a sore head (Scots).
French Synonyms.—Avoir mal aux cheveux (familiar = the hair-ache); les papillons noirs (Cf., pink spiders; also = hypochondria); avoir fumé dans une pipe neuve (= sick of a new clay).
Galloper, subs. (old).—1. A blood
horse; a hunter.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v. The toby gill clapped his bleeders to his galloper and tipped the straps the double.
2. (military).—An aide-de-camp.
Gallow-grass, subs. phr. (old).—Hemp.
[i.e., halters in the rough.]
1578. Lyte, Trans. of Dodoens History of Plantes, fol. 72. Hempe is called in . . . English, Neckweede, and gallowgrass.
Gallows, subs. (old).—1. A
rascal; a wretch deserving the
rope.
1594. Shakspeare, Love's Labour Lost, v., 2. A shrewd unhappy gallows too.
1754. B. Martin, Eng. Dict. (2nd ed.). s.v. = a wicked rascal.
1837. Dickens, Oliver Twist. (To Oliver). Now young gallows.
1838. Jas. Grant, Sketches in London, ch. ii., p. 58. Blow me tight, young gallows, if I don't pound your ribs to powder!
2. (common: generally in. pl.—Gallowses).—A pair of braces
1835. Haliburton, Clockmaker, 1 S., ch. xv. Chock-full of spring, like the wire end of a bran new pair of trouser galluses.
1848. Durivage, Stray Subjects, p 168. If I wouldn't spile his picter bust my boots and gallowses.
1851-61. H. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, vol. I., p. 431. The braces, which in some parts of the country are called 'gallowses.'
c. 1852. Traits of American Humor, p. 58. Hole on, dod drot you, wait till I unbutton my gallowses.
1864. James, etc, Italian-English Dict. Gallowses, batilla.
1883. G. A. S[ala], in Ill. Lond. News, Sept. 22, p. 275, c. i. Braces (which, when I was young, used, in the north of England, to be known by the expressive name of gallowses.)
Adv. (old).—Excessively; same as bloody, bleeding, (q.v.), etc. (As adj.) great; uncommon; real.
c. 1551. L. Shepherd. John Bon in Arber's Garner, Vol. IV., p. 109. Ye, are much bound to God for such a spittle holiness. A gallows gift!
1789. Parker, Life's Painter, p. 120. Some they pattered flash with gallows fun and joking.
1827. Egan, Anecdotes of the Turf, etc., p. 44. Then your blowen will wax gallows haughty! [Also quoted in notes to Don Juan.]
