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 1861. Miss Braddon, Trail of the Serpent, Bk. iv. ch. vi. 'You're not much good, my friend, says I, with your lardy-dardy ways and your cold-blooded words, whoever you are.'

1870. London Figaro, 8 June. The fast young men among the natives—called in their favourite slang lardy-dardy coves—affect a pronunciation in which the 'v's' are substituted for the 'w's,' and vice versa.

1871. Atkins, House Scraps, p. 166. The young 'un goes to music-halls. And does the la-di-da.

c.1876. Broadside Ballad, 'Tiddy Fol Lol.' He's no lardy dardy swell, Though he looks and dresses well, For he lives at an hotel, Tiddy fol lol, tiddy fol lol.

1879. Mrs. B. H. Buxton, Nell, xxv. p. 280 (1884). 'Not one of your haw-haw, lardy-dardy, eye-glass simpletons.'

1890. Punch, 22 Feb. The skim-milk of life's for the many, the lardy few lap up the cream.

1892. Milliken, 'Arry Ballads, 25. See lardy toffs.

Lareover, subs. (old).—See quots.

1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Lare-over, said when the true name of the thing must (in decency) be concealed.

1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.

1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Lareovers for Medlers, an answer frequently given to children, or young people, as a rebuke for their impertinent curiosity, in enquiring what is contained in a box, bundle, or any other closed conveyance.

Large, adj. and adv. (colloquial).—A. vulgarism expressive of excess. Thus, to dress large = (1) to dress showily, and (2) to flash one's packet (q.v.); to go large = to go noisily; to play large = to play high; to talk large = to brag, etc.

1852. Judson, Mysteries of New York, ii. ch. 4, p. 29. The eyes of the gamblers sparkled all the brighter, when they noted the hundred marks upon the bills and saw that he intended to 'play large.'

1891. Globe, 17 Sept., col. 2, p. 2. This is indeed all very fine and large, but can it be that instead of 'which ' we ought to read 'who'?

1892. Kipling, Barrack-Room Ballads. Tommy. An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.

Large blue kind, phr. (American).—A general intensitive; e.g. a monstrous lie; a bad headache; an interesting book and so forth.

Large House, subs. (common).—A workhouse.

English synonyms. Big-*house; grubbing-ken; lump; Lump-Hotel; pan; spinniken; wool-hole.

Large Order, subs. (common).—A difficult undertaking; something exaggerated; extensive, or big.

1890. Pall Mall Gazette, 17 Feb., p. 7, col. 1. A large order [Title].

1891. Tit Bits, 8 Aug., 274, 1. In asking me to tell you about my clients and their wills, you give a pretty large order.

1892. Illustrated Bits, Oct. 22, 10, 1. Well, sir, that's a largish order.

Lark, subs. (colloquial).—1. See quot. 1811. [A corruption of M. E. lak, laik, from A. S. lác = game, sport; cogn. with Icl. leikr = game; Sw. lek; Dan. leg; Goth. laiks]. Cf. Larking, subs., sense 1.

1811. Lex. Bal., s.v. Lark. A piece of merriment. People playing together jocosely.

1819. Moore, Tom Crib, 37. Is any spark Among you ready for a lark?

1823. Moncrieff, Tom & Jerry, p. 46.