Page:Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant (1889) by Barrere & Leland.djvu/158



This term is said to have originated in Philadelphia in 1838.

Black Monday (popular), executions used to take place on Mondays.

Black mummer (old), a person unshaved and unwashed.

Black ointment (thieves), pieces of raw meat.

Black psalm (old), to sing a black psalm was to cry.

Black Sal (popular), the tea-kettle.

Black Saturday (workmen's). When a labourer or mechanic has anticipated or drawn all his wages and has no money to take at the end of the week, his mates say "he has a black Saturday in his week."

Black-sheep (Winchester). When a man in "junior part" jockeyed a man in "middle part" he was said to black-sheep him, whilst the other was said to be black-sheeped. This could only happen in "cloisted time," that is, during the last eleven weeks of "long half," when "middle" and "junior parts" went up together. It refers now to senior and junior divisions of "middle part."

Blacksmith's daughter (old), the large keys with which the doors of sponging-houses were furnished.

Black spy (popular), the devil.

Black strap (popular), port wine. (American), New England rum and molasses. (Nautical), the dark country wines of the Mediterranean. Also, bad port, such as was served for the sick in former times.

(Old), the name by which a certain punishment, a labour task imposed on soldiers at Gibraltar for small offences, was called.

Black teapot (popular), a black footman.

Black town (Anglo-Indian), the popular local English name for Madras. It is also used at