Page:Farmer - Slang and its analogues past and present - Volume 1.pdf/68

 la calcosa (lit. 'to beat the earth.' Cf., American 'to cut dirt'); dare a lata; scoscare.

Spanish Germania. Piñarse (an old and now obsolete term); alar; alarse; alolargo (lit. 'at large'); picar (lit. 'to use the spurs'); safarse (lit. 'to escape' or 'save oneself' [from arrest]).

Amuse, verb, (old cant).--To fling dust or snuff in the eyes of a person intended to be robbed. Also, to invent some plausible tale, to delude shop-keepers and others, thereby to put them off their guard, and so to obtain an opportunity of robbing them.

Amusers, subs, (old cant and American thieves').--A certain class of thieves' accomplices who throw snuff, pepper, and other noxious substances in the eyes of the person they intend to rob, a confederate then, while apparently coming to the rescue, completing the operation. In this, as in much of the slang of the criminal classes, there runs a vein of brutal cynicism. Though obsolete in England the term survives in America amongst the criminal classes.

Anabaptist, subs, (old slang).--A pickpocket caught in the act, and punished with the discipline of the pump or horse-pond.--Grose.

Anchor. To come to an anchor, verb. phr. (nautical and common).--To stop; to sit down; to rest. [From the operation of bringing ships to a standstill by casting anchor.]

Anchorage, subs, (common).--An abode; where one dwells. Of nautical origin (see Anchor). For synonyms, see Diggings.

Ancient Mariners, subs. (Univ. Oxford).--A term applied to rowing dons.

And Don't You Forget It, phr. (American).--A senseless string of words employed indiscriminately in season and out of season. Like 'Who's your hatter?' 'How's your poor feet?' 'Not for Joe!' 'Does your mother know you're out?' 'What! again! so soon?' and many others, which every now and then have caught the 'fancy' of the streets of our large towns, the phrase under consideration has run an almost riotous course through the large centres of population in America. In most cases these strings of words convey no special idea, and can only be described as utterly vulgar, without the slightest scintilation[**P2: typo "scintillation"?] of wit or humour of any kind.

1888. Boston Weekly Globe, Feb. 29. There can be no two opposing opinions in that respect. Great capital demands dividends. Dividends can be had only from a prosperous business. A prosperous business must recognise the law of supply and demand, and if the public demand dirt the newspapers will furnish dirt--and don't you forget it.

1888. Detroit Free Press, Oct. 6. 'Did you see any Quakers in Philadelphia?' was asked of a Detroiter who lately returned from that city.

'Only one that I was sure of.'

'Did he 'thee' and 'thou' you ?'

'He did. He got down off his hack and said: 'If thee don't pay me 2 dols. I'll knock thy blamed head off,' and I paid, although I knew the regular fare was twelve shillings. You don't want to fool with those Quakers any, and don't you forget it.'