Page:Farmer - Slang and its analogues past and present - Volume 2.pdf/204

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1876, Once a Week, 23 August. Every drop of milk brought into Paris is tested at the barriers by the lactometer, to see if the iron tailed cow has been guilty of diluting it; if so, the whole of it is remorselessly thrown into the gutter—the Paris milk is very pure in consequence.

Coxy, adj. (public schools').—Stuck up; conceited; impudent.

1856. Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, p. 202. He's the coxiest young blackguard in the house—I always told you so. Ibid, p. 214. 'Confoundly coxy those young rascals will get if we don't mind,' was the general feeling.

1882. F. Anstey, Vice Versâ, ch. iv. 'Now then young Bultitude, you used to be a decent fellow enough last term, though you were coxy. So, before we go any further—what do you mean by this sort of thing?'

COYDUCK, verb (old).—To decoy. [An ingenious blend of conduct and decoy.]

1829. A Laconic Narrative of the Life and Death of James Wilson. That awful monster, William Burke. Like Reynard sneaking on the lurk, Coyducked his prey into his den And then the woeful work began.

COYOTE, subs. (old).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see Monosyllable.

Cozza, subs. (cheap Jacks').—See quot.

1876. Hindley, Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack. p. 28. Mo declared he would never eat another bit of cozza, i.e., pork, as long as he lived.

Crab, subs. (auction).—The same as bonnet (q.v.), subs., sense 1.

Verb (thieves').—To expose; to inform; to offend or insult; and especially to interrupt, to get in the way of, to spoil. [Properly to render harsh, sour, or peevish; to make crabbed.] Also used adjectively. For synonyms, see Peach and Rile, respectively.

1825. The English Spy, vol. I., p. 179. Liveryman, Eglantine. What coming crabb over us, old fellow? Very well, I shall bolt and try Randall, and that's all about it.

1851-61. H. Mayhew, London Lab. and Lon. Poor, vol. I., p. 232. If a patterer has been crabbed, that is offended at any of the 'cribs' (houses), he mostly chalks a signal on or near the door. Ibid, vol. II., p. 568. 'We don't crab one another when we are sweeping; if we was to crab one another, we'd get to fighting and giving slaps of the jaw to one another.'

1876. Hindley, Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, pp. 5-6. Others, however, would be what we termed crabbed.

1880. Millikin, Punch's Almanack. Crab your enemies,—I've got a many, You can pot 'em proper for a penny.

To catch a crab; also to cut a crab; to catch or cut a cancer or lobster, verbal phr. (common).—There are various ways of catching a crab, as, for example, (1) to turn the blade of the oar or 'feather' under water at the end of the stroke, and thus be unable to recover; (2) to lose control of the oar at the middle of the stroke by 'digging' too deeply; or (3) to miss the water altogether.

Crab Louse, subs. (old).—The pulex pubis, the male whereof is called a cock, the female a hen.—Grose [1785].

Crabs, subs. (thieves').—1. The feet. [A punning comparison of the feet and ten toes to the ten-footed, short-tailed crustaceans popularly known as 'crabs.'] For synonyms, see Creepers. In Haggart (see Glossary, 1821) crabs = shoes.