1857. Snowden, Mag. Assistant, (3rd ed.), p. 445. Begging letters—the highfly.
Highflyer, subs. (old).—1. Anything
or anybody out of the common,
in opinion, pretension,
attire, and so forth: as a prostitute
(high-priced and well-dressed);
an adventurer (superb in impudence
and luck). 2. A dandy,
male or female, of the first water
3. A fast coach.
1690 Dryden, Prol. to Mistakes in Wks., p. 473 (Globe). He's no high-*flyer—he makes no sky-rockets, His squibs are only levelled at your pockets.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. High-flyers, Impudent, Forward, Loose, Light Women. Also, bold adventurers.
1693. Congreve, Old Bachelor, i., 1. Well, as high a flyer as you are, I have a lure may make you stoop.
1706. R. Estcourt, Fair Example, Act i., p. 10. You may keep company with the highest flyer of 'em all.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1818. Scott, Heart of Midlothian, i. Mail-coach races against mail-coach, and high-flyer against high-flyer, through the most remote districts of Britain.
1821. Egan, Tom and Jerry, v. As you have your high-fliers at Almack's, at the West End, we have also some 'choice r eatures at our All Max in the East.
1823. Bee, Dict. Turf, s.v. High-*flyers—women of the town, in keeping, who job a coach, or keep a couple of saddle-horses at least.
1830. Lytton, Paul Clifford, (Ed. 1854) p. 75. Howsomever, the high-*flyers doesn't like him; and when he takes people's money, he need not be quite so cross about it!
1860 Dickens, Uncommercial Traveller, xxii., p. 131. The old room on the ground floor where the passengers of the High-flyers used to dine.
1864. Dickens, Our Mutual Friend, i., 5. Mrs. Boffin, Wegg . . . is a 'ighflyer at fashion.
1892. Milliken, 'Arry Ballads, p. 40. Foller yer leader, . . . all who can carry sufficient skyscrapers to keep in the 'unt, with that 'ighflyer 'Arry.
4. (thieves').—A beggar with a certain style; a begging-letter writer; a broken swell.
1851-61. H. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, vol. I., p. 268. While pursuing the course of a high-flyer (genteel beggar)
1858. A. Mayhew, Paved with Gold, bk. III., ch. iii., p. 268. He was a high-*flier, a genteel beggar.
1887. Standard, 20 June, p. 5, c. 2. The pretended noblemen and knights who 'say they have suffered by war, fire, or captivity, or have been driven away, and lost all they had,' are still represented by the high-flyers or broken-down gentlemen.
5. (circus).—A swing fixed in rows in a frame much in vogue at fairs.
High-flying, subs. (old).—1. Extravagance
in opinion; pretension
or conduct.
1689. Dryden, Epil. to Lee's Princess of Cleves, 6. I railed at wild young sparks; but without lying Never was man worse thought on for high-*flying.
2. (thieves').—Begging; the high-fly (q.v.); stilling (q.v.).
High-gag, subs. (American).—A
whisperer.—Matsell.
The high-gag, subs. phr. (American).—Telling secrets.—Matsell.
High-game, subs. thieves').—See
quot.
1889. C. T. Clarkson and J. Hall Richardson, Police, p. 321. A mansion . . . a high game.
High-gig. In High-gig, adv.
phr. (old).—In good fettle; lively.
Cf., Gig.
