Page:Farmer - Slang and its analogues past and present - Volume 3.pdf/228

 Grounder, subs. (cricketers').—A ball with a ground delivery; a sneak; a grub; and (in America) at base-ball, a ball struck low, or flying near the ground.

Ground-floor. To be let in on the Ground-floor, verb. phr. (American).—To share in a speculation on equal terms with the original promoters.

Ground squirrel, subs. (old).—A hog; a grunter—Lex. Bal. For synonyms, see Sow's Baby.

Ground-sweat. To have (or take) a ground-sweat, verb. phr. (old).—To be buried.

1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew. Ground sweat, s.v., a grave.

1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.

Grouse. To do a grouse (or to go grousing), verb. phr. (venery).—To quest, or to run down, a woman; to molrow (q.v). Groused = Molled (q.v.).

Grouser, subs. (popular).—1. A grumbler. For synonyms, see Rusty-guts.

2. (venery).—One who goes questing after women; a molrower (q.v.).

3. (sporting).—A rowing man; a wet-bob (q.v.).

Grousing, subs. (venery).—Going in quest of women; sparrow-catching (q.v.); molrowing (q.v.).

Groute, verb. (Marlborough and Cheltenham Colleges).—To work or study hard; to swot (q.v.). For synonyms, see Wire In.

Grouty, adj. (common).—Crabbed; sulky.

Grove of Eglantine, subs. phr. (venery).—The female pudendum; also the female pubic hair. For synonyms, see Monosyllable and Fleece.

1772. Carew, Poems. 'A Rapture.' Retire into thy Grove of Eglantine.

Grove of the Evangelist, subs. phr. (common).—St. John's Wood; also Apostle's Grove, and the Baptist's Wood.

Grow, verb. (prison).—To be accorded the privilege of letting one's hair and beard grow. Also to grow one's feathers.

Growler, subs. (common).—A four-wheeled cab. Cf., Sulky.

English Synonyms.—Birdcage; blucher; bounder; fever-trap; flounder-and-dab (rhyming); four-wheeler; groping hutch; mab (an old hackney); rattler; rumbler.

French Synonyms.—Un bordel ambulant (common = a walking brothel); un char numèroté (popular); un flatar (thieves'); un foutoir ambulant (= a fuckery on wheels); un mylord (popular).

1870. Orchestra, 21 Mar. A recent enigmatical bill-poster on the walls, with the device 'Hie, Cabby, Hie!' turns out to be a Patent Cab Call—an ingenious sort of lamp-signal for remote hansoms and growlers.

1873. Land and Water, 25 Jan. The knacker's yard is baulked for a time, while the quadruped shambles along in some poverty-stricken growler.