Japan, verb. (common).—1. To ordain: To be japanned = to take orders.
1756. Connoisseur, 29 Jan. Jack . . . sent me a very hearty letter, informing me that he had been double japanned (as he called it) . . . and was the present incumbent of. . . .
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v. japanned . . . to put on the black cloth, from the color of the Japan ware which is black.
1819. Moore, Tom Crib, 5. Lobsters will lie such a drug upon hand, That our do-nothing Captains must all get japanned.
1852. Bristed, Five Years in an English University, 344. Many . . . step . . . into the Church without any pretence of other change than in the attire of their outward man, on being japanned, as assuming the black dress and white tie is called in University slang.
1879. James Payn, High Spirits (Change of Views). He . . . was to be japanned in a fortnight. That was the expression which, I am grieved to say, he used, in those unregenerate days, for the ceremony of ordination.
2. (American thieves').—To convert: to be japanned = to be converted.—Matsell (1859).
3. (common).—To black one's boots. Fr. sabouler. Also to japan one's trotter-cases.
1712. Gay, Trivia, [quoted by Johnson]. And aids with soot the new japanning art.
1734. Pope, Satire, iii, 156. Prefer a new japanner to their shoes.
1755. Johnson, Eng. Dict., s.v. Japan. To black and gloss shoes. A low phrase.
1772. G. A. Stevens, Songs Comic and Satyrical, 171. With Courtier-like bowing the shoe-cleaners call, And offer their Brush, Stool and shining Blackball: 'Japanning, your Honour', these Colourists plan; And, really, some Honours may want a japan.
1837. Dickens, Oliver Twist, xviii. He applied himself to a process which Mr. Dawkins designated as japanning his trotter-cases. The phrase, rendered into plain English, signifieth cleaning his boots.
Japanese Knife-trick, subs. phr.
(common).—Eating with one's
knife.
Jappers. See Jabers.
Jape, verb. (old).—To copulate.
Formerly (Chaucer) = to trifle; to
scoff. For synonyms see Greens
and Ride.
1510. Hycke Scorner [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), i. 171]. Nay, brother, lay hand on him soon; For he japed my wife, and made me cuckold.
1530. Palsgrave. I iape a wench, i.e. fout and ie bistocque, it is better to iape a wench than to do worse.
1540. Lyndsay, Thrie Estaitis, in Works (1879), ii. 23. line 324. There is ane hundred heir sittand by That luiffis geaping als weill as I.
c.1550. A. Scott, Poems (1821), p. 26. Sum gois so gymp in gyis Or sche war kissit plane, Sche leir be japit thryis.
1568. Bannatyne MSS. [Hunterian Club Rept. vi. 764]. 'The Vse of Court.' His wyfe jaippit, his siller spendit.
1572. Gascoigne, Councell . . . to Master . . . Withipoll (Chalmers, ii. 533). First, in thy journey jape not overmuch.
1589. Puttenham. Art of Eng. Poesie, B. iii, ch. 22. Such wordes as may be drawen to a foule and unshamefast sense, as one that should say to a young woman, I pray you let me jape with you, which is indeed no more than let me sport with you. . . . For it may be taken in another perverser sense.
1598. Florio, Worlde of Wordes, Fottere, to jaipe, etc.
b.1600. Grim the Collier etc. [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), viii. 389]. Heard you not never how an actor's wife, Whom he (fond fool) lov'd dearly as his life, Coming in's way did chance to get a jape.
1602. Speght, in Wks. of Chaucer. 'Hard Words of Chaucer Explained', s.v.
