2. (common).—A hoax; a fool-*trap.
3. in pl. (colloquial).—A marriage certificate.
1847. Chronicles of Pineville, 64. One of the women, not the one who held the lines.
18[?]. Fast Life; an Autobiography, p. 170. Those good-natured ladies who never had their lines.
1862. Thackeray, Phillip, xii. 'How should a child like you know that the marriage was irregular?' 'Because I had no lines,' cries Caroline.
4. in pl. (common).—Reins; ribbons (q.v.).
1852. Bristed, Upper Ten Thousand, 67. Handing the lines to Ashburner, as he stopped his team.
On the line, subs. phr. (common).—Hung on the line at the Royal Academy.
1865. Fortnightly Review, ii. p. 28. Every picture should be hung at that height which in the Royal Academy Exhibition is known as the line.
Verb, (venery).—1. Properly, to impregnate a bitch; hence, to copulate. For synonyms see Greens and Ride.
1601. P. Holland, Plinie, viii. ch. xi. The Indians take great pleasure to have their salt bitches lined with tigres.
1725. N. Bailey, Erasmus, II. 160. He would with the utmost diligence look for a dog that was on all accounts of a good breed, to line her, that he might not have a litter of mongrels.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
2. (colloquial).—To fill: as to line one's stomach = to eat; To line one's pockets = to take money.
1837. Dickens, Oliver Twist, 43. 'A couple of pocket-books,' replied that young gentleman. 'Lined?' enquired the Jew.
A line of the old author, subs. phr. (old).—A dram of brandy. For synonyms see Go.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
To get into (or on) a line, verb. phr. (old).—See quot. Cf. String and Gammon.
1819. De Vaux, Memoirs, s.v. Line. To get a person in a line, or in a string, is to engage them in a conversation, while your confederate is robbing their person or premises; to banter or jest with a man by amusing him with false assurances or professions, is also termed stringing him, or getting him in tow; to keep any body in suspense on any subject without coming to a decision, is called keeping him in tow, in a string, or in a tow-line. To cut the line, or the string, is to put an end to the suspense in which you have kept any one, by telling him the plain truth, coming to a final decision, &c. A person, who has been telling another a long story, until he is tired, or conceives his auditor has been all the while secretly laughing at him, will say at last, I've just dropped down, you've had me in a fine string, I think it's time to cut it. On the other hand, the auditor, having the same opinion on his part, would say, Come, I believe you want to string me all night, I wish you'd cut it; meaning, conclude the story at once.
To line one's jacket. See Jacket.
The devil's regiment of the line, subs. phr. (common).—Felons; convicts; the police-*van corps.
Line-age, subs. (journalistic).—Payment
by line.
Linen. The linen, subs. phr.
(common).—The stage curtain: the
rag (q.v.).
To wrap up in clean linen, verb. phr. (old).—To deliver sor*
