1753. Foote, Englishman in Paris (1783), 15. Hold your jaw, and despatch!
1771. G. A. Stevens, Songs Comic and Satyrical, p. 47. O my love, though I cannot well jaw.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Jaw, speech, discourse.
1825. Todd, Eng. Dict. s.v. Jaw. In low language, gross abuse.
1830. Lytton, Paul Clifford, xvi. Hand me the brandy and cease your jaw.
1836. M. Scott, Cruise of the Midge, 256. Bring the felt, you spalpeen, and no jaw.
1852. H. B. Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, viii. 'Stop that ar jaw o' yourn, there' said Tom gruffly.
1859. H. Kingsley, Geoffrey Hamlyn, xxvi. Stop your jaw about him!
1874. E. Lynn Linton, Patricia Kemball, xxi. 'Dora, I and my father have had a jaw', Sydney began.
1876. Hindley, Adventures of a Cheap Jack, 41. He's all jaw like a sheep's head.
1883. Daily Telegraph, 5 Jan. 2. 2. He had audibly expressed his disgust that some fellows should have all the jaw to themselves.
1883. Clark Russell, Sailor's Language, s.v. Jaw.
1892. S. Watson, Wops the Waif, i. I'll hev yer run in . . . if yer don't hold yer jaw.
1892. Milliken, 'Arry Ballads, 68. These stuckuppy snipsters as jaw about quiet and peace.
Verb. (vulgar).—To chatter; to abuse; to use violent language. Fr. faire péter son grelot or jouer du mirliton.
1748. Smollett, Roderick Random, xxiv. They jawed together fore-and-aft a good spell.
1760-61. Smollett, Sir L. Graves, Bk. II. i. You might give good words, however: an we once fall a-jawing, d'ye see, I can heave out as much bilge-water as another.
1825. Todd ( Johnson, Eng. Dict. s.v. Jaw. In low language, to abuse grossly.
1843. Thackeray, Irish Sketch Book, ii. Why should four waiters stand and jaw, and gesticulate among themselves, instead of waiting on the guests?
1862. Lowell, Biglow Papers, ii. p. 61. But, neighbour, ef they prove their claim at law, The best way is to settle, an' not jaw.
1883. Daily Telegraph, 8 Feb., p. 3, col. 1. If I was to jaw till a blue moon, I couldn't tell you more about her.
1888. Detroit Free Press, 8 Dec. She'll lick both of us and jaw father all the evening.
To jaw on the toby (or drum) verb. phr. (tramps').—To go on the road.
Jawbation, subs. (old).—1. A
general confab (q.v.); a jawing-match.
See Jobation.
2. (colloquial).—A scolding.
Jawbone, subs. (American).—Credit;
day (q.v.). To call one's
jawbone = to live on credit,
or run one's face (q.v.).
English synonyms. To run one's face; to get a light; to give (or strike) on the mace; to mace it; to get on sock (or, on the nod), to go tick.
French synonyms. Avoir l'arche; avoir l'ardoise (= to chalk it up); le cróme or croume (tramps'); grésillonner (= to ask credit); avoir l'œil (general); la symbole.
1862. Times, 21 Oct. (San Francisco correspondent). Individuals, who, in digger's parlance, live on jawbone.
Jawbreaker (or Jawtwister) subs.
(common).—1. A hard or many-syllabled
word. Jawbreaking =
difficult.
