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 1872. De Vere, Americanisms. Limb, instead of leg, one of the ludicrous evidences of the false prudishness prevailing in certain classes of American society.

3. in pl. (common).—A gawk. Also Duke or Duchess of Limbs.

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

1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.

Verb. (common).—To cheat.

1878. Hatton, Cruel London, Bk. II. ch. v. 'They have had me, bless you,' said Bragford, 'the men who have limbed you and cursed the hand that fed them.'

Limb of the Law, subs. phr. (old).—A lawyer or lawyer's clerk. Also Limb.

1762. Smollett, Sir L. Greaves, I. ii. Then fixing his eyes upon Ferret, he proceeded—'An't you a limb of the law, friend?'

1770. Foote, Lame Lover, iii. Sir Luke. Well said, my young limb of the law.

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

1786-1805. Horne Tooke, Div. of Purley, ii. ch. 4. Limb is from the A.S. verb Limpian, pertinere 'Limb of the Body, Limb of the law,' etc.

1818-24. Egan, Boxiana, iii. 210. Jack and his pal, a limb of the law, were screwed up the whole of the darkey in the compter.

1836. Dickens, Pickwick, xliii. p. 377. 'Now, Sammy, I know a gen'l'm'n here, as'll do the rest o' the bisness for us, in no time—a limb o' the law, Sammy, as has got brains like the frogs, dispersed all over his body a friend of the Lord Chancellorship's, Sammy.'

1889. Cassell's Saturday Journal, 9 Feb., p. 471. That good-looking limb of the law who went wild over you.

To mingle limbs, verb. phr. (old).—To copulate.

1629. Davenant, Albovine, iv. I'st fit I proffer her to mingle limbs?

Limbo, subs. (old).—1. A prison; a place of confinement. [From limbus patrum = purgatory]. See Cage and Slowed.

1553. Lindsay, The Dreme [Laing (1879), i. 14. 360]. That was the Lymbe in the quhilk did remaine.

1592. Greene, Quip, in Works, xi. 253. That reprobate is the vserers executioner, to bring such gentlemen to Limbo, as he hath overthrowne with his base brocage.

1653. Brome, Damoiselle, iii. 1. Had I raked limbo as I did the compter.

1664. Etherege, Comical Revenge, v. 4, in Wks. (1704), 78. Sir Fred. No consideration; dispatch, or to limbo. Whead. Was there ever such a dilemma? I shall rot in prison.

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

1796. J. G. Holman, Abroad & at Home, ii. 3. Har. Captain O'Neill, my friend, Jack Flourish, is a very whimsical fellow. If he had been out of limbo, you would have seen him earlier.

1823. Moncrieff, Tom & Jerry, iii. 5. Never desert an old pal in limbo, Bob.

1836. Marryat, Japhet, lxviii. Who would soon have found out that I had two legs, and have put me into limbo as an impostor.

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, iv. 263. It was a heartless, cruel robbery on his part, and had brought ill-luck on him ever since. Before that occurred he had never been in limbo.

2. (old).—A pawnshop; uncle's (q.v.): in limbo = in pawn.

1693. Congreve, Old Batchelor, ii. 1. I let him have all my ready money, to redeem his great sword from limbo.

1754. D. Martin, Eng. Dict., 2nd ed. s.v.

3. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms see Monosyllable.

Limburger. See Cheese.