1873. Greenwood, Strange Company. Slices . . . under an inch thick would be regarded with contempt . . . perhaps with an uncomfortable suspicion . . . of the detestable ways of gentility. He [a coster) calls it toffishness.
1879. Punchy 3 May, 201. 1. If the Toffs took a fancy for chewing a stror or a twig . . . Pall Mall would be jolly soon gay.
1883. Sala [Illust. Lond. News, 21 Ap., 379. 2]. Fops flourished before my time, but I can remember the dandy, who was superseded by the count, the toff, and other varieties of the swell.
1897. Marshall, Pomes, 83. (Loud cheers, and a voice, 'Gladstone's an old toff').
1899. Wyndham, Queen's Service, 248. Such appellations as 'Toff Smith' or 'Dandy Jones.'
1899. Whiteing, John St., xxviii. You're a toff, stone-broke—that's what you are . . . I ain't no class for you, I never can be.
1901. Walker, In the Blood, 27. 'I've lived here for six weeks like a toff, old man,' said Jack Oswald.
1902. D. Telegraph, 16 Sep., 5. 4. He held out his wrists to be handcuffed, and exclaimed, 'Now I'll die like a toff.' Ibid. (1903), 10 Feb., 6. 4. Over six thousand of us, I mean genuine out-of-works. Of course, there'll be loafers . . . and supposing the toffs of Pall-mall come along, welcome to them.
Toffee-scramble, subs. phr. (schoolboys').—Toffee-making: cf Tea-fight, Bun-worry; Muffin-circus, etc.
1901. Troddles, 46. . . . 'Foot sugar, my boy.' 'What do you do with it—make it into a poultice?' 'Rats! . . . didn't you ever have a toffee SCRAMBLE?'
Toft, subs. (Hotten).—'A showy individual, a swell': cf. Tuft and Toff.
Togger. See Torpid.
Tog (or Togs). See Togman.
Togman (Toge, Togemans, or Tog), subs. (Old Cant).—A coat, a cloak, a gown (Harman, B. E., Grose, Bee, Hotten): sometimes togger, toggy, and (Tufts) long tog. [Latin, toga = a mantle; lit. a covering. J Also togs (pi.) = clothes: see toggery, infra; SUNDAY TOGS = best clothes; toged (or togged) = cloaked, gowned, togated, or equipped; togged out=carefully dressed; TOGGED UP TO the nines = dressed to kill (q. v.), full-rigged; TOGGERY = (1) clothes : see TOGS, supra; (2) harness, equipment, belongings; (3) worn-out clothes (Halliwell); long-togs (nautical) = shore clothes; upper tog (or upper togger) = an overcoat. As verb—to dress, to clothe, to equip.
1465-70. Morte Arthure [E.E.T.S.], 178. Alle with taghte mene and towne in togers fulle ryche.
1567. Harman, Caveat [E.E.T.S. (1869), 85]. I toure the strummel upon thy nabchet and Togman. Ibid., 105. For want of their Casters and Togemans.
1602. Shakspeare, Othello, i. 1. 25. The toged consuls [in 1st quarto: other editions = tongued]. Ibid. (1610), Coriolanus, ii. 3. 122. Why in this woolvish toge should I stand here? [a modern reading; 1st Folio = tongue; other editions =gown].
c. 1696. B. E., Diet. Cant. Crew, s.v. Nim. Nim a TOGEMAN—to steal a cloak. Ibid., s.v. Togeman . . . 'Tis a rum-togemans, 'tis a good Camlet-Cloak.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Tog. They are said to be well or queerly togged, according to their appearance.
c. 1811. Vidocq's Song. Next slipt off his bottom clo'ing, And his ginger head topper gay. Then his other toggery stowing . . .
1820. London Mag., i. 25. He was always togged out to the nines.
1823. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, 5. This toggery will never fit—you must have a new rig-out.
