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 Scoffer, subs. (thieves').—Plate.

1891. Carew, Auto. of a Gipsy, 416. I gets clean off with the scawfer.

Scoldrum. See Scaldrum.

Schollard, subs. (vulgar).—A scholar.

1708-10. Swift, Polite Conversations, Intro. Happily sings the Divine Mr. Tibbald's I am no schollard; but I am polite: Therefore be sure I am no Jacobite.

SCOLOPENDRA, subs. (old).—A harlot: i.e., a ramping thing with a sting in its tail: see Tart (Halliwell).

b. 1660. Davenant, The Siege, v. 1. Go, bring a barrel hither! Why? when you SCOLOPENDRA.

Scold's Cure, subs. phr. (old).—A coffin: 'the blowen has napped the scold's cure; the wench is in her coffin' (Grose).

Sconce, subs. (old).—1. The head (Grose, Halliwell = 'Old Cant'); whence (2) sense, judgment, brains.

1567. Damon and Pithias [Dodsley, Old Plays, iv.].

1593. Harvey, New Letter [Grosart, Wks., i. 283]. That can play vpon his warped sconce, as vpon a tabor, or a fiddle.

1598. Florio, Worlde of Wordes, 82. A head, a pate, a nole, a sconce.

1602. Shakespeare, Hamlet, v. 1. Why does he suffer this rude knave now to knock him about the sconce with a dirty shovel?

1611. Barry, Ram Alley, xii. 436. I say no more, But 'tis within this sconce to go beyond them.

1642. Dr. H. More, Psychodia, iii. 13. Which their dull sconces cannot eas'ly reach.

1655. Fanshawe, Lusiad, viii. 51. Th' infused poyson working in his sconce.

1664. Cotton, Scoffer Scofft [Works (1725), 179]. I go, and if I find him once, With my Battoon I'll bang his sconce.

1771. Smollett, Humphry Clinker, lxiii. And, running into the house, exposed his back and his sconce to the whole family.

1840. Thackeray, Paris Sketch Book, 110. At last Fips hits the West Indian such a blow across his sconce, that the other grew furious.

1856. R Burton, El-Medinah, 357. Though we might take advantage of shade we must by no means cover our SCONCES.

1895. Marriott-Watson [New Review, July, 7]. I've a mind to open that ugly sconce of yours.

2. (old : now University).—A fine; a score. Hence to build a sconce (or to sconce) = (1) to run up a score: spec. with no intention of paying; (2) to be mulcted in fines; and (3) to sconce also = to pay out, to chastise (B. E., Dyche, Grose, Bee, Hotten).

1630. Randolph, Aristippus [Hazlitt, Works (1875), 14 missing]. 'Twere charity in him to sconce 'em soundly.

1632. Shirley, Witty Fair One, iv. 3. I have had a head in most of the butteries of Cambridge, and it has been sconced to purpose.

c. 1640. [Shirley], Capt. Underwit [Bullen, Old Plays, ii. 323]. I can teach you to build a sconce, Sir.

d. 17O4. T. Brown, Works, ii. 282. I never parted with any of my favours, nay, not a clap gratis, except a lieutenant and ensign once  built up a sconce, and left me in the lurch.

1730. Miller, Humours of Oxfora, i. I understand more manners than to leave my friends to go to church—no, though they sconce me a fortnight's commons, I'll not do it.

1760. Johnston, Chrysal., xxviii. These youths have been playing a small game, cribbing from the till, and building sconces, and such like tricks.

1764. Colman, Terræ Filius, No. 1. Any sconce imposed by the proctors.

1768. Foote, Devil on Two Sticks, ii. 1. She paid my bill the next day without sconcing off sixpence.