Page:Farmer - Slang and its analogues past and present - Volume 7.pdf/119

 1614. Overbury, Characters. They call the thumb under the girdle gravity, and because they can hardly smell at all, their posy's are under their girdles.

1639. Optick Glasse of Humours. Of all men wee count a melancholicke man the very sponge of all sad humours, the aqua-fortis of merry company, a thumbe under the girdle, the contemplative slumberer, that sleepes waking, etc.

1648. Herrick, Hesperides, 333. When to a house I come and see The genius wastefull more than free; The servants thumblesse, yet to eat With lawlesse tooth the floure of wheat.

1753. Richardson, Grandison, v. 56. She remembers her delinquency, so she is obliged to be silent: I have her under my thumb.

1809. Malkin, Gil Blas [Routledge], 277. The tenants were all under my thumb. Ibid., 378. He is an old hunks who wants to keep me under his thumb.

1859. Kingsley, Geof. Hamlyn, ix. He is under the thumb of that doctor.

1861. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxford, xxi. We never learnt anything in the navy when I was a youngster, except a little rule-of-thumb mathematics.

Thumber, subs. (common).—(1) A sandwich; and (2) a slice of bread and meat carved and eaten between finger and thumb.

Thumbing, subs. (provincial).—A Nottingham phrase, used to describe that species of intimidation practised by masters on their servants: when the latter are compelled to vote as their employers please, under pain of losing their situations (Halliwell).

Thumb-of-love, subs. phr. (venery).—The penis: cf. Whitman (Children of Adam) and Shakspeare (potato-finger, q.v.).

Thump, subs. (old: now recognised).—A heavy blow with club, fist, or anything that resounds: also as verb (Grose). [Century. Not found in Middle English; apparently a variant of dump.] Hence thumper. Also 'This is better than a thump on the back with a stone' (Grose: said on giving a drink of good liquor on a cold morning); 'Thatch, thistle, thunder, and thump' (Grose: 'words to the Irish, like the Shibboleth of the Hebrews').

1596. Spenser, Fairy Queen, vi. ii. 10. He with his speare Would thumpe her forward and inforce to goe.

1607. Dekker, Northward Ho, iv. 1. As though my heart-strings had been cracked I wept and sighed, and thumped and thumped, and raved and randed and railed.

c.1618. Fletcher, Mad Lover, v. O let me ring the fore bell, and here are thumpers.

1628. Ford, Lover's Melancholy, i. 1. When blustering Boreas Thumps a thunder-bounce.

d.1771. Gray, Letters, 1. 71. With these masqueraders that vast church is filled, who are seen thumping their breasts, and kissing the pavement with extreme devotion.

Verb. (obscene).—To possess a woman.

1604. Shakspeare, Winter's Tale, iv. 4. 195. Delicate burthens of dildos and fadings, 'jump her and thump her.'

Thumper (Thumping, etc.), subs. (common).—1. Anything impressive: cf. Whopper; thumping = unusually large, heavy, etc. (Grose).

c.1709. Ward, Terræfilius, ii. 5. Here comes a Thumping Brother of the Law.

1710-13. Swift, Journ. to Stella [Oliphant, New English, ii. 150. The word thumper stands for mendacium].