Another pip of the scavy The Whorl list — 1 messages, 1 voices, 15 May 1998 https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/whorl/473 Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it. Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact. ============================================================================== Gordon Brain — 15 May 1998, 23:00 As promised, some more feedback for Mantis's booklet LS-2, Languages Of The Short Sun Whorl: Most of it from 'A Dictionary Of Slang And Unconventional English', Eric Partridge (abbreviated Prt2). Bob cull – a 'good fellow', pleasant companion, late C18-19 (Prt2) Books – a pack of cards, C18-20 (Prt2) Card in a cart – I'm struggling with this one. Anyone got any ideas? Only references I could find are as follows, but I can't see how they'd fit together: Card – as in Whorl currency Card – a device, expedient (c. 1700-1900) Cart – a bed: army C19-20, a bunk in the cart – wrong, in the wrong in the cart – in the know (later C19) (all from Prt2) Dimberdamber – a Cockney adj. C19-20, 'smart, active, adroit' (Prt2) Dog's right - I've got a sneaking suspicion this might be rhyming slang. But dog's right what? And rhyming with what? Nanny nipper – possibly from nanny as in rhyming slang for nanny goat = coat, hence type of thief who cuts into coats? Pip of the scavy - sense of "a bit of the knowledge required" Meaning: pip = each spot on playing cards, dice or dominoes; (OED) Scavy – see below Pure = adj. excellent, splendid, very pleasant (Prt2) Pure keg – (can't find it on either of the pages mentioned – have you got any other references?) Keg = the stomach, human copulation, a small piece of common meat (Prt2) Scavy = scavey = alternate form of 'savvy' = common sense, good sense, gumption (Prt2) Scrape out – possibly from 'scrape the kettle' = to go to confession, lower middle class and proletarian Catholic C19-20 (Prt2) Sweatin' ken – pawn shop, from sweat = to pawn (c. 1800) (Prt2) That's all I've got this week. Brain gone! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------