Page:Farmer - Slang and its analogues past and present - Volume 7.pdf/250

 Twittoc, adj. (Old Cant).—Two (Grose).

Two, adj. (old colloquial).—Doubly: e.g. two fools = twice foolish; two knaves = doubly knavish.

1571. Edwards, Damon and Pithias [Dodsley, Old Plays (Reed), i. 176]. A varlet died in graine. You lose money by him, if you sell him for one knave, For he serves for twaine.

[1595. Shakspeare, Two Gentlemen, iii. 1. I am but a fool, look you; and yet I have the wit to think my master is a kind of knave; but that's all one, if he be but one knave.]

c. 1625. Fletcher, Elder Brother, ii. 1. I grieve to find You are a fool, and an old fool, and that's two.

d. 1631. Donne, Works (Bell), ii. 16. I am two fools, I know, For loving, and for saying so In whining poetry.

Two thieves beating a rogue, subs. phr. (old).—A man's arms when beating his sides for warmth; beating the Booby (q.v.), cuffing Jones (q.v.) (Grose).

See Bow.

Two-backed Beast, subs. phr. (venery).—Two persons piled in the act: see Beast.

1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, i. iii. These two did often do the two-backed beast together in so far that at last she became great with child.

Twoer, subs. (common).—1. A florin; (2) a hansom cab.

Two-eyed Steak, subs. phr. (common).—A bloater: see Glasgow Magistrate.

Twofer, subs. (common).—A wanton, a harlot: see Tart.

Two Fives (The), subs. phr. (military).—The second battalion Border Regiment, formerly the 55th Foot.

Two-foot Rule, subs. phr. (rhyming).—A fool: see Buffle.

Two Fours (The), subs. phr. (military).—The first battalion Essex Regiment, late the 44th Foot.

Two-handed, adj. phr. (old).—1. Great: spec. of a strapping fellow or wench (Grose). Also (2) expert with the 'dukes' (boxing).

Two-handed Game, subs. phr. (common).—A matter in which the chances of success are equal or nearly so: e.g. 'I'll dust your jacket for you,' 'Well, that's a two-handed game.'

Two-handed Put, subs. phr. (venery).—The act of kind: see Greens and Ride (Grose).

Two-legged Cat (Fox, etc.), subs. phr. (common).—A thief: usually as a retort to 'The cat had it,'—'A two-legged cat, then.'

1551. Still, Gammer Gurton's Needle, v. 2. Thy neighbour's hens thou takest, and plays the two-legged fox.

Two-legged Tree, subs. phr. (common).—The gallows: see Nubbing-cheat.

Two-legged Tympany, subs. phr. (old).—A baby; spec. a bastard. [Tympany = dropsy (q.v.).] Hence to have a two-legged tympany = to be got with child (Ray).

Two-nick, subs. (printers').—A girl baby: cf. one-nick.