Lick, subs. (old).—1. A blow. Hence, his licks = a thrashing. For synonyms see Wipe.
d.1701. Dryden [quoted by Johnson]. He gave me a lick across the face.
1753. Foote, Englishman in Paris, i. I lent him a lick in his lanthorn-jaws.
1755. Johnson, Eng. Dict., s.v. Lick. A low word.
b.1785. Forbes, Dominie Deposed, 28. He committed all these tricks, For which he well deserv'd his licks.
1785. Grose, Vulgar Tongue, s.v. Lick. . . . I'll give you a good lick o' the chops, I'll give you a good stroke, or blow on the face.
1786. Burns, Epistle to W. Simpson, 'Postcript.' Frae less to mair it gaed to sticks; Frae words and aiths to clours and nicks, And mony a fallow gat his licks, Wi' hearty crunt.
1821. Pierce Egan, Tom and Jerry [ed. 1890], p. 78. Oh I took him such a lick of his mummer.
1840. Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, 'Ingoldsby Penance.' I gave him a lick With a stick, And a kick.
1851-61. Mayhew, London Lab. and Lon. Poor, i. 41. If a cove was to fetch me a lick of the head, I'd give it him again.
2. (American).—A stroke; hence, an effort; big licks = hard work.
1847. Porter, Quarter Race, p. 128. When he returned we were running a twenty-five knot lick. Ibid. p. 104. He went up the opposite bank at the same lick, and disappeared. Ibid. p. 94. I struck a lick back to the log and looked over.
1848. Jones, Sketches of Travel, 189. He could not swim a lick.
1851. Hooper, Widow Rugby's Husband, etc. 62. I can't swim a lick—how deep is it.
1863. Bryant, Comic Songs [quoted by Bartlett]. At length I went to mining, put in my biggest licks, Went down upon the boulders just like a thousand bricks.
1873. Americans at Home, i. 276. Molly war the most enticin', gizzard-ticklin', heart-distressin' feline creatur that ever made a fellar get owdacious; and I seed Tom Seller cavertin' round her, and puttin' in the biggest kind a licks in the way of courtin'.
1882. Miss Braddon, Mount Royal, xiii. Then I coiled up, and made up my mind to stay in America, till I'd done some big licks in the sporting line.
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, xii. It'll be a short life and a merry one, though, dad, if we go on big licks like this.
1892. Milliken, Jarry Ballads, 36. Stage licks.
3. (common).—A drinking bout.
1886. Daily Telegraph, 3 March. More frequently the 'sowker' wound up his big lick in an attack of delirium tremens.
Verb. (common).—1. See quot. 1573.
1573. Harman, Caveat, s.v. Lycke, to beate.
1732. Fielding, Mock Doctor, Sc. ii. Suppose I've a mind he should drub, Whose bones are they, sir, he's to lick?
1733. Fielding, Don Quixote, ii. vii. Stand away, landlord, stand away—If I don't lick him!
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, Bk. xv. v. 'I'll teach you to father-in-law me. I'll lick thy jacket.'
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Lick, to beat: also, to wash, or to paint slightly over. I'll give you a good lick of the chops; I'll give you a good stroke or blow on the face. Jack tumbled into a cow-turd, and nastied his best clothes, for which his father stepped up and licked him neatly. I'll lick you! the dovetail to which is, If you lick me all over you won't miss my arse.
1786. Burns, 'Second Epistle to Davie.' I'm tauld the Muse ye ha'e negleckit; An gif it's sae, ye suld be licket.
b.1794. Wolcot ('Peter Pindar'), 305. And oft . . . the gentleman would lick her.
1840. Barham, Ingoldsby Legends (The Cenotaph). Chasing him round, and attempting to lick The ghost of poor Tray with the ghost of a stick.
1843. Haliburton ('Sam Slick'), Sam Slick in England, xxii. I would like to lick him . . . round the park . . . to improve his wind, and teach him how to mend his pace.
