Long-robe, subs. (old).—A lawyer.
1611. Barry, Ram Alley [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), x. 355]. What would you, sir? I guess your long profession By your scant suit.
1662. Adv. Five Hours [Dodsley, (Old Plays (1874), xv. 230]. And, having been affronted by the sword, To pray the aid of the long robe, and take An advocate for second.
1694. Gentlemen's Journal, Mar., p. 49. The third was of the long robe.
Long-row. See Hoe.
Longs and Shorts (also Longs
and Broads), subs. phr. (card-sharpers').—Cards
so manufactured
that all above the eight are a
trifle longer than those below it:
nothing under an eight can be
cut, and the chances against
turning up an honour at whist
are reduced to two to one. Cf.
Brief and Concave.
Long-sauce, subs. (American).—Beets,
parsnips, or carrots, in contradistinction
to short-sauce
(q.v.) = onions, turnips, etc. [An
old English usage].
Long-shanks, subs. (old).—A tall
man. For synonyms see Lamp-post.—B.E.
(1690); New Cant.
Dict. (1725); Grose (1785).
Long-shore butcher, subs. phr.
(nautical).—A coastguardsman; A
shingle-tramper (q.v.).
Long-shot, subs. (racing).—A bet
made at large odds: as 100 to 1
on anything not in favour.
1869. Leisure Hour, May. Will teach the tyro when to take a long shot . . . when to save himself by timely hedging.
1888. Sporting Life, 10 Dec. Bachelor was next in demand at 5 to 1, and long shots were forthcoming about either of the others,
1892. Milliken, 'Arry Ballads, 16. A jolly long shot.
Long-sleeved top, subs. (thieves').—A
silk hat.—Richardson
(1889).
Long-sleeved 'un, subs. phr.
(Australian).—A long glass. Fr.
un wagon.
Long-stomach, subs. (old).—A voracious
eater; a wolfer (q.v.).—Grose
(1785).
Long-tail, subs. (sporting).—1. A
greyhound: hence, as dogs unqualified
to hunt were curtailed,
gentlefolk.
1596. Shakspeare, Merry Wives, iii. 4. Come cut and longtail under the degree of a squire.
1662. Rump Songs, ii. 126. But long-tail and bob-tail can never agree.
1885. Graphic, 17 Oct. 427/2. Grey-*hounds, as all coursers know, are often designated as long-tails.
2. (sporting).—A pheasant.
1854. F. E. Smedley, Harry Coverdale, ch. xxiii. In the meantime, Harry and the Colonel were blazing away at the long-tails most unmercifully.
1871. Standard, 6 Nov. The period of the year at which we have now arrived is quite as important as the advent of the month sounding the note of war against the 'birds,' or initiating the campaign against the long-tails.
3. (old).—A native of Kent.
1628. Robin Goodfellow [Halliwell & Wright], s.v. Truly, sir, sayd my hoastesse, I think we are called longtayles, by reason our tayles are long, that we use to passe the time withall, and make ourselves merry.
1662. Rump Songs, ii. 47. I shall not dispute whether long-tails of Kent.
1701. Broadside (in Dulwich College Library), 'Advice to the Kentish long-*tails by the Wise Men of Gotham'. [Title].
