1887. Francis, Saddle & Mocassin, 152. She can knock the spots out of these boys at that game.
1888. Pall Mall Budget, 26 Ap., p. 5. An American gentleman has just sailed for Sydney to knock spots out of the rabbits.
To knock the bottom (stuffing, wadding, lining, filling, or inside) out of, verb. phr. (common).—To confound; to surpass; to floor (q.v.); to thrash; to finish off.
1889. Sporting Times, 3 Aug., p. 3, col. 1. 'Hold hard—here he is. Good ev'ning, sir 'aven't the pleasure of knowing you, but saw you knock the stuffing out of the ring to-day. Done well?'
1891. Bellamy, Dr. Heidenhoff's Process, p. 52. This cool ignoring of all that had happened that day in modifying their relations at one blow knocked the bottom out of all his thinking for the past week.
To knock smoke out of, verb. phr. (colonial).—To try; to vanquish utterly.
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, xi. You ought to have sense enough not to knock smoke out of fresh horses before we begin. Ibid. xxxix. A regiment or a man-of-war's crew like him would knock smoke out of any other thousand men the world could put up.
To knock saucepans out of, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To run amuck.
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, xxvi. 'He'll begin to knock saucepans out of all the boys between here and Weddin Mountain.
To knock out of the wedges, verb. phr. (American).—To desert; to leave in a difficulty.
To knock round. See To knock about.
To knock under, verb. phr. (old: now colloquial).—To yield; to give out; to confess defeat.
1668. Dryden, An Evening's Love, v. Knock under, you rogue, and confess me conqueror.
1691-2. Gentlemen's Journal, Mar., p. 10. He that flinches his glass, and to drink is not able, Let him quarrel no more, but knock under the table.
1703. The Levellers, in Harl. Misc. (ed. Park), v. 447. Now, my dear, though I must acknowledge our sex to be extraordinary vicious, we will not knock under-board to the men.
1719. Durfey, Pills etc., i. 27. Who with Water and Cannon Mahon did take, And make the Pope knock under.
c. 1730. A. Ramsay, Address of Thanks, in Wks. (1851), ii. 347. They will be forced to thumb your belt, At last and a' knock under.
1782. Geo. Parker, Humorous Sketches, p. 164. When fame from ministers is flown, 'Tis time they should knock under.
1844. Puck, p. 82. Says mighty Dan to the Sassenach chain, I never will knock under.
1851-61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. etc., iii. 71. Several had tried it, but they had to knock under very soon.
1852. Thackeray, Esmond, iii. 4. Colonel Esmond knocked under to his fate.
1866. Argosy, No. 2, p. 191. So the Emperor of Austria has knocked under, and the Hungarian Diet has met for the first time for sixteen years. They have conquered by the force of passive resistance. It is the grandest thing since our Long Parliament.
1871. Five Years' Penal Servitude, iii. 223. The men are drove into being reg'lar devils by being constantly down upon by the blooming officers. Them as 'as any pluck in 'em turns savage, and them as 'asn't they knocks under, as I did, and gets ill, and lots on 'em dies.
1872. Daily Telegraph, 29 Aug. Finally, he knocked under with an abjectness which made every true American blush from the tips of his hair to the soles of his boots.
To knock up, verb. phr. (Christ's Hospital).—1. To gain a place in class: e.g. I knocked up and 'I knocked Jones up.' The Hertford equivalent is ox up (q.v.).
