1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue Part 85

WARE. A woman's ware; her commodity.

WARE HAWK. An exclamation used by thieves to inform their confederates that some police officers are at hand.

WARM. Rich, in good circ.u.mstances. To warm, or give a man a warming; to beat him. See CHAFED.

WARMING-PAN. A large old-fas.h.i.+oned watch. A Scotch warming-pan; a female bedfellow.

WARREN. One that is security for goods taken up on credit by extravagant young gentlemen. Cunny warren; a girl's boarding-school, also a bawdy-house.

WASH. Paint for the face, or cosmetic water. Hog-wash; thick and bad beer.

WASP. An infected prost.i.tute, who like a wasp carries a sting in her tail.

WASPISH. Peevish, spiteful.

WASTE. House of waste; a tavern or alehouse, where idle people waste both their time and money.

WATCH, CHAIN, AND SEALS. A sheep's head And pluck.

WATER-MILL. A woman's private parts.

WATER SNEAKSMAN. A man who steals from s.h.i.+ps or craft on the river.

WATER. His chops watered at it; he longed earnestly for it.

To watch his waters; to keep a strict watch on any one's actions. In hot water: in trouble, engaged in disputes.

WATER BEWITCHED. Very weak punch or beer.

WATERPAD. One that robs s.h.i.+ps in the river Thames.

WATERY-HEADED. Apt to shed tears.

WATER SCRIGER, A doctor who prescribes from inspecting the water of his patients. See p.i.s.s PROPHET.

WATTLES. Ears. CANT.

WEAR A--E. A one-horse chaise.

WEASEL-FACED. Thin, meagre-faced. Weasel-gutted; thin-bodied; a weasel is a thin long slender animal with a sharp face.

WEDDING. The emptying of a neoessary-hovise, particularly in London. You have been at an Irish wedding, where black eyes are given instead of favours; saying to one who has a black eye.

WEDGE. Silver plate, because melted by the receivers of stolen goods into wedges. CANT.

TO WEED. To take a part. The kiddey weeded the swell's screens; the youth took some of the gentleman's bank notes.

WEEPING CROSS. To come home by weeping cross; to repent.

WELCH COMB. The thumb and four fingers.

WELCH FIDDLE. The itch. See SCOTCH FIDDLE.

WELCH MILE. Like a Welch mile, long and narrow. His story is like a Welch mile, long and tedious.

WELCH RABBIT, [i. e. a Welch rare-bit] Bread and cheese toasted. See RABBIT.--The Welch are said to be so remarkably fond of cheese, that in cases of difficulty their midwives apply a piece of toasted cheese to the janua vita to attract and entice the young Taffy, who on smelling it makes most vigorous efforts to come forth.

WELCH EJECTMENT. To unroof the house, a method practised by landlords in Wales to eject a bad tenant.

TO WELL. To divide unfairly. To conceal part. A cant phrase used by thieves, where one of the party conceals some of the booty, instead of dividing it fairly amongst his confederates.

WELL-HUNG. The blowen was nutts upon the kiddey because he is well-hung; the girl is pleased with the youth because his genitals are large.

WESTMINSTER WEDDING. A match between a wh.o.r.e and a rogue.

WET PARSON. One who moistens his clay freely, in order to make it stick together.

WET QUAKER. One of that sect who has no objection to the spirit derived from wine.

WHACK. A share of a booty obtained by fraud. A paddy whack; a stout brawney Irishman.

WHAPPER. A large man or woman.

WHEEDLE. A sharper. To cut a wheedle; to decoy by fawning or insinuation. Cant.

WHEELBAND IN THE NICK. Regular drinking over the left thumb.

WHELP. An impudent whelp; a saucy boy.

WHEREAS. To follow a whereas; to become a bankrupt, to figure among princes and potentates: the notice given in the Gazette that a commission of bankruptcy is issued out against any trader, always beginning with the word whereas. He will soon march in the rear of a whereas.

WHET. A morning's draught, commonly white wine, supposed to whet or sharpen the appet.i.te.

WHETSTONE'S PARK. A lane between Holborn and Lincoln's-inn Fields, formerly famed for being the resort of women of the town.

WHIDS. Words. Cant.

TO WHIDDLE. To tell or discover. He whiddles; he peaches. He whiddles the whole sc.r.a.p; he discovers all he knows. The cull whiddled because they would not tip him a snack: the fellow peached because they would not give him a share, They whiddle beef, and we must brush; they cry out thieves, and we must make off. Cant.

WHIDDLER. An informer, or one that betrays the secrets of the gang.

WHIFFLES. A relaxation of the s.c.r.o.t.u.m.

WHIFFLERS. Ancient name for fifers; also persons at the universities who examine candidates for degrees. A whiffling cur, a small yelping cur.

WHIMPER, or WHINDLE. A low cry.

TO WHINE. To complain.