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 To skin the Lamb. See Skin.

Lamback, subs. (old).—A blow.

1591. Greene, Discov. of Cosenage [Grosart (1881-6), x. 60]. Five or six wives gave unto him halfe a score of sound lambeakes with their cudgels.

Lambacker, subs. (old).—A bully; a hector (q.v).

1593. Harvey, Pierces Superer. [Grosart (1885), ii. 210]. Out upon thee for a cowardly lambacker.

Lamb and Salad. To give one Lamb and Salad, verb. phr. (common).—To thrash soundly. For synonyms see Wig and Tan.

Lambaste. See Lamb, verb. sense 1.

Lambasting, subs. (common).—A thrashing; cf. Lamb and Basting. For synonyms see Tanning.

1835. Haliburton, Clockmaker, 1. xii. 'They put me in mind of a great big hulk of a horse in a cart, that won't put his shoulder to the collar at all for all the lambastin' in the world.'

1838. Neal, Charcoal Sketches, ii. 79. 'I can't hide,' says a braggadoccio, 'when anybody owes me a lambasting.'

1883. Clark Russell, Sailor's Language, s.v. Lambusting, a rope's-ending.

Lamb-down, verb. (Australian).—See quot.

1886. Daily Telegraph, 20 Mar. Arrived there he at once handed his cheque to the landlord, and proceeded to lamb the amount—say five-and-forty pounds—'down'; that is to say, he got excessively drunk morning, noon, and night on the infamously bad whiskey supplied to him.

Lamb-pie, subs. (old).—A drubbing.—B. E. (1690); New Cant. Dict. (1725); Dyche (1748); Grose (1785); Lex. Bal. (1811).

Lambskin, verb. (old).—To beat: see Lamb, sense 1.

1593. Harvey, Pierces Superer. [Grosart (1885), ii. 210]. Thou art too young an Artist to coniure him up, that can exercise thee downe; or to lamback him with ten years preparation, that can lambskin thee with a dayes warning.

1612. Chapman, Widow's Tears, ii. 4. What think you of Hercules? his mistress wore his lion's skin and lamb-skinned him if he did not his business.

Lamb-skin Man, subs. (old).—A judge.—B. E. (1690); New Cant. Dict. (1725); Grose (1785); Lex. Bal. (1811).

Lamb's-wool, subs. (old).—Hot ale, spiced, sweetened, and mixed with the pulp of roasted apples.

c.1189. The King & the Miller (Percy, Reliques, iii. 184). A cupp of lambs-wool they dranke unto him then.

1590. Peele, Old Wives' Tale, iv. 6. Lay a crab in the fire to rost for lambswool.

1593. Nashe, Strange Newes, in Works, ii. 198. Before I vnbowell the leane Carcase of thy book any further, Ile drinke one cup of lambswool.

b.1602. Lingua [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), ix. 424]. Lambs-wool, the meekest meat in the world; 'twill let any man fleece it.

1606. Dekker, Newes from Hell [Grosart (1886), ii. 124]. One of those big fellows that stand like gyants, having bellies bumbasted with ale in Lambs-*wool.

1621. Burton, Anat. (ed. 1892), ii. 297. I find more that commend use of apples (lamb's-wool some call it).

1633. Johnson, Gerard's Herbal, p. 1460. The pulpe of the rosted apples, in number foure or five, according to the greatnesse of the apples (especially the pomewater), mixed in a wine quart of faire water, laboured together until it come to be as apples and ale, which we call lambes-wooll.

d.1674. Herrick, Poems, p. 376. Now crowne the bowle With gentle