Page:Farmer - Slang and its analogues past and present - Volume 7.pdf/277

 TO STAND ON VELVET, verb. phr. (racing).—To arrange one's bets so that loss is impossible.

1896. Farjeon, Betray. John Fordham, III. 289. I'd won a matter of five thousand quid. 'Now I'm on welvet,' said I, grinnin' and rubbin' my 'ands. 'Fortune o' war,' sed Maxwell.

TO PLAY ON VELVET, verb. phr. (gaming).—To gamble with winnings.

To TIP the velvet, verb. phr. (venery).—To tongue a woman (B. E. and Grose).

Velvet-cap, subs. phr. (old).—A physician: a velvet-cap formed a distinctive part of a doctor's garb.

1606. Ret. from Parnassus. Theod. O monsier, I have a singular care of your valetudo. It is requisite that the French phisitions be learned and carefull; your English velvet-cap is malignant and envious.

Velveteen, subs. (common).—In pl. = a gamekeeper.

1885. D. Teleg., 29 Dec. Were the English velveteens less conservative and orthodox in his views of what the limits of his duties are, he might take a hint from the foreigner in trapping blue rocks.

Velvet-jacket, subs. phr. (old colloquial).—A steward in a nobleman's family, a man in the King's service: in quot. = the mayor of a city.

1600. Heywood, I Edward IV. [Pearson, Works (1874), I. 17]. Spoken like a man, and true veluet-iacket, And we will enter and strike by the way.

Velvet-pee, subs. phr. (old).—A velvet pea-jacket.

1607-8. Beaumont and Fletcher, Love's Cure, ii. I. Though now your blockhead be covered with a Spanish block, and your lashed shoulders with a VELVET-PEE.

Ventilator, subs. (theatrical).—A play, player, or management that empties a house.

Venture. As in the proverbial saying, 'I'll venture it as Johnson did his wife, and she did well' (Ray).

Venturer, subs. (old).—A harlot: see Tart.

Venus, subs. (venery).—Generic for sexuality: thus, Venus's-curse = syphilis: see Ladies'-FEVER; VENUS'S-CELL(or-MARK) = the female pudendum: see Monosyllable; also Venus's SECRET CELL (HIGHWAY or honypot), Venus's-game (or rites of Venus) = copulation: see Greens and Ride.

c. 1508. Colin Blowbol's Testament [Hazlitt, Early Pop. Poet, i. 94]. He gaf me many a good certacion, With right and holsome predicacion, That he had laboured in Venus' secrete celle.

1719. DurfeY, Pills, i. 16. I've no Scars of Venus there, Twiddle come Tweedle twee. Ibid., iii. 342 [Hotten]. For when you have possession got Of Venus's Mark, or Honypot.

1772. Bridges, Burlesque Homer, 256. You whoring rascal, leave this job, And come along and bear a bob : Why can't you run the risk of scars In Mars' as well as Venus' wars?

1809. Malkin, Gil Blas [Routledge], 147. He could not stomach these beauties who call a spade a spade. Such were not for his market; the rites of Venus must be consummated in the temple of Vesta.

Verb- (or Gerund-) grinder, subs. phr. (common).—A schoolmaster or tutor: spec. a pedantic pedagogue (Grose). Also gerund-grinding = the study of grammar.

1759-67. Sterne, Tristram Shandy, IV. 112. Tutors, governors, gerund-grinders, and bear-leaders.