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 1899. Besant, Orange Girl, 25. An overwhelming disgust fell upon my soul as I thought of the long hours driving the quill all the day.

Quill-pipes. See Quail-pipe boots.

Quillet. See Quibble.

Quilt, subs. (old).—A fat man.

1598. Shakspeare, 1 Hen. IV., iv. 2, 53. How now, Bloun Jack? How now, Quilt.

The Quilt, subs. phr. (American).—The Union Jack: cf. rag.

Verb. (common).—To beat; to tan (q.v.): hence quilting = a rope's-ending.—Grose (1785).

1821. Egan, Real Life, i. 351. They were a set of cowardly rascals, and deserved quilting.

d.1828. Randall's Diary, 'To Martin.' Turn to and quilt the Nonparel.

1840. Cockton, Valentine Vox, xii. "Bless his little soul, he shall have a quilting yet."

Quilting, subs. (obsolete American).—A patchworking-party with a spree at the end: see Bee.

1825. Neal, Bro. Jonathan, i. 7. 'Where is Edith?' said he, at last. 'Gone to a quiltin.'

1843. Maj. Jones' Courtship, viii. My time is tuck up with so many things goin to quiltens and partys of one kind another.

1847. Hobb, Squatter Life, 94. As sharp as lightnin', and as persuadin' as a young gal at a quiltin'.

Quim (Queme, Quimsby, Quim-*box, or Quin), subs. (venery).—The female pudendum: see Monosyllable. Hence quim-stake (or wedge) = the penis: see Prick; quim-sticker = a whoremonger; see Mutton-monger; quim-sticking (quimming, or quim-wedging = copulation: see Greens; quim-bush (-wig, or -whiskers) = the pubic hair: see Fleece.—Grose (1785).

1613. Old Play in Rawl. MS. (Bodleian), 'Tumult' [Halliwell]. "I tell you, Hodge, in sooth it was not cleane, it was as black as ever was Malkin's queme."

c.1707. Broadside Ballad, 'The Harlot Unmask'd' [Farmer, Merry Songs and Ballads (1897), iv. iii]. Tho' her Hands they are red, and her Bubbies are coarse, Her quim, for all that, may be never the worse. Ibid. On her quim and herself she depends for support.

1847. Halliwell, Archaic Words, s.v. Queme (3) the same as the old word queint, which, as I am informed by a correspondent at Newcastle, is still used in the North of England by the colliers and common people.

Quinsey. See Hempen-squincey.

Quip, subs. (old colloquial).—1. A play upon words; a jesting or evasive reply; a retort; and (2) a trifling critic.—B. E. (c.1696); Grose (1787). Also as verb. = (1) to trifle; to jest; to censure; and (2) to criticise. Variants more or less allied in meaning and usage are conveniently grouped: e.g., quib, quill, quibble, quiddle, quiblet (also, mod. Amer.: the patter between turns in negro minstrelsy), quidlet, quillet, quiblin, and quidlin; Sir Quibble Queere (quibbler, quipper, or quiddler) = a trifler or shatter-brain (q.v.); quibbling (or quiddling) = uncertain, unsteady, or mincing (of gait); quiddifical = triflingly.

1420. Andrew of Wyntoun, Chronicle [Laing (1872) ]. [Oliphant, New English, i. 229. There is the Celtic word quhype (quip = a quick turn or flirt.

1571. Edwards, Damon & Pitheas [Dodsley (Old Plays, 1744), i. 279]. Set up your huffing base, and we will quiddle upon it.