Verb. (old).—1. To beat. For synonyms see Tan.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v.
2. (colloquial).—1. To dislike: 'If he does not like it he may lump it' = if he isn't satisfied he may do the other thing. Also, (2) to take without choice (i.e. to swallow 'whole').
1833. Neal, Down Easters, vii. Let 'em lump it if they don't like it.
1837-40. Haliburton, The Clockmaker, p. 6, preface (ed. 1862). A man that would be guilty of such an action is no gentleman, that's flat, and if you don't like it you may lump it.
1864. Dickens, Our Mutual Friend, Bk. iv, ch. iii. If you don't like it, it's open to you to lump it.
1878. H. B. Stowe, Poganuc People, xi. And if anybody don't like it, why they may lump it, that's all.
1887. F. R. Stockton, The Hundredth Man, ch. xv. If old Stull didn't like it, he could lump it. And to know that he lumped it would be a rare joy to Mrs. People.
1888. Bret Harte, Five O'clock in the Morning. And I told him, if he didn't like it he might lump it, and he travelled off on his left ear, you bet.
1888. Detroit Free Press, 20 Oct. If the white folks didn't like it they could lump it.
3. (colloquial).—To take off at a draught.
4. (racing).—To stake heavily; to plunge (q.v.).
1864. Derby Day, 12. Acting upon the gamblers' favourite axiom, that if you venture nothing you win nothing, he lumped it all upon an outsider, and backed him to win the Chester Cup.
1891. Licensed Vict. Gaz., 3 April. Had laid against Cortolvin for the Grand National while lumping it down on Lecturer had not done much to repair his losses.
To knock lumps out of, verb. phr. (theatrical).—To command a great deal of applause.
1885. Coun, Nutts about the Stage, p. 12. We knock lumps out of them in these parts, don't we Mac?
To lump the lighter, verb. phr. (old).—To be transported.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v.
Lumper, subs. (old).—1. A riverside
labourer; (2) a riverside thief,
and (3) a contractor in a small
way for labour and materials for
unloading and loading ships. See
quots.
1781. G. Parker, View of Society, ii. 78. They then commence lumpers, which is skulking about ships, lighters, etc. hanging about quays, wharfs, etc. stealing old iron, fruit, sugar, or whatever comes to hand.
1796. Colquhoun, Police of the Metropolis, p. 57. The prevailing practice of discharging and delivering the cargoes of ships by a class of aquatic labourers, known by the name of lumpers.
1851-61. H. Mayhew, London Lab. & Lon. Poor, ii. 374. 'The men to whom it is sublet only find labour, while the lumper, or first contractor, agrees for both labour and materials.' Ibid. ii. p. 107. Then the lumpers, or those engaged in discharging the timber ships.
1853. Dickens, Down with the Tide, in Reprinted Pieces, p. 268. Then there were the lumpers, or labourers employed to unload vessels. They wore loose canvas jackets with a broad hem in the bottom, turned inside, so as to form a large circular pocket in which they could conceal, like clowns in pantomimes, packages of surprising sizes. . . . The lumpers dispose of their booty easily to marine store dealers. . . . lumpers also smuggle goods ashore for the crews of vessels.
2. (thieves').—See quot.
1851-61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab., i. 413. A lumper would sell linens, cottons, or silks, which might be really the commodities represented; but which, by some management or other, were
