Page:Farmer - Slang and its analogues past and present - Volume 4.pdf/14

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of heavy cavalry, as well as light infantry issuing after dark from the cracks of an old wood bedstead.


Infare (or Infair), subs. (Old Scots & American colloquial).—An installation with ceremony and rejoicing; a house-warming; more particularly an entertainment given by a newly married couple on their return from the honey-*moon.

1375. Barbour, The Bruce, xvi. 340 (MSS.) For he thoucht to mak an infar, And to mak gud cher till his men.

1847. Porter, Big Bear, etc. p. 162. I hurried home to put up three shotes and some turkies to fatten for the infare.

1878. E. Eggleston, Roxy, xxix. There could be no wedding in a Hoosier village thirty or forty years ago without an infare on the following day.


Inferior, subs. (Winchester College).—Any member of the School not a Præfect (q.v.).

1870. Mansfield, School Life, p. 28. The Præfect of hall . . . was looked upon by the inferiors with something more than a becoming awe and reverence.


Infernal, adj. (colloquial).—An intensitive: detestable; fit only for Hell. Cf. Awful, Bloody. Also adv.

1602. Cooke, How a Man may Choose a Good Wife etc. [Dodsley: Old Plays (1874), ix. 50]. Not these drugs Do send me to the infernal bugs, But thy unkindness.

1646. Lady Mary Verney [in Seventh Report Hist. MSS. Com. 454]. Besides coaches which are most infe(r)nell dear.

1775. Sheridan, The Duenna, iii. 1. There is certainly some infernal mystery in it I can't comprehend!

1846. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, xi. Besides, he's such an infernal character—a profligate in every way.

1854. Whyte Melville, General Bounce, xi. The nights are infernally dark, though, in this beastly country.

1855. Thackeray, Newcomes, lxxv. What an infernal tartar and catamaran!

1888. Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, ix. It had broken her infernal neck.

1891. N. Gould, Double Event, 114. 'Never is any news in this infernal hole,' growled Smirk.


Infra-Dig, adj. (Winchester College).—Scornful; proud. E.g. 'He sported infra-dig duck,' or 'I am infra-dig to it.'


Ingle, subs. (old).—1. A pathic.

1593. Nashe, Strange Newes, in Works [Grosart, ii. 277]. I am afraid thou wilt make me thy ingle.

1598. Florio, Worlde of Wordes, s. v. Cinedo . . . a bardarsh a buggring boy, a wanton boy, an ingle.

1617. Minshew, Guide into Tongues, s. v. Ingle, or a boy kept for sodomie.

1675. Cotton, Scoffer Scoffed, 4th ed., 1725, p. 186. Both at thy ingles and thy jades.

2. (old).—An intimate; a dear friend.

1601. B. Jonson, Poetaster, i. 1. What! shall I have my son a stager now? an enghle for players.

1602. Dekker, Honest Whore, [Dodsley, Old Plays, iii. 260]. Call me your love, your ingle, your cousin, or so; but sister at no hand.

1609. Ben Jonson, Silent Woman, i. 1. Wks. (1860), p. 208. col. i. His ingle at home.

1659. Massinger, City Madam, iv. 1. Coming, as we do, from his quondam patrons, his dear ingles now.

1773. T. Hawkins, Origin of Dr. iii. p. 118. I never saw mine ingle so dashed in my life before.

1821. Scott, Kenilworth, iii. Ha! my dear friend and ingle, Tony Foster.

Verb. (old).—1 .To practise sodomy; to indorse (q.v.); to chuff (q.v.).

1598. Florio, Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Cinedulare, to bugger, to bardarsh, to ingle.