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The Slang Dictionary: Etymological, Historical and Andecdotal: [335]

The Slang Dictionary: Etymological, Historical and Andecdotal
[335]
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  1. THE SLANG DICTIONARY ETYMOLOGICAL HISTORICAL AND ANECDOTAL
  2. PREFACE.
  3. CONTENTS.
  4. THE HISTORY OF CANT, OR THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF VAGABONDS.
  5. ACCOUNT OF THE HIEROGLYPHICS USED BY VAGABONDS.
  6. A SHORT HISTORY OF SLANG, OR THE VULGAR LANGUAGE OF FAST LIFE.
  7. THE SLANG DICTIONARY.
  8. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE BACK SLANG.
  9. GLOSSARY OF THE BACK SLANG.
  10. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE RHYMING SLANG.
    1. NOTE.
  11. GLOSSARY OF THE RHYMING SLANG.
  12. CENTRE SLANG.
  13. THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SLANG, CANT, AND VULGAR LANGUAGE: A LIST OF THE BOOKS CONSULTED IN COMPILING THIS WORK.
  14. DICTIONARIES
  15. FOOTNOTES:
  16. Transcriber’s Note

Vakeel, a barrister.—Anglo-Indian.

Vamos, VAMOUS, or VAMOOSH, to go, or be off. Spanish, VAMOS, “Let us go!” Probably NAMUS, or NAMOUS, the costermonger’s word, was from this.

Vamp, to spout, to leave in pawn. Also to cobble, as, “a VAMPED play,” and “a VAMPED accompaniment,” both terms reflecting discredit on the work, but not necessarily upon the musician.

Vamps, old, or refooted stockings. From VAMP, to piece.

Vardo, to look; “VARDO the carsey,” look at the house. Vardo formerly was old cant for a waggon. This is by low Cockneys generally pronounced VARDY.

Vardy, verdict, vulgarly used as opinion, thus, “My VARDY on the matter is the same as yourn.”

Varmint. “You young VARMINT, you!” you bad, or naughty boy. Corruption of VERMIN.

Varnisher, an utterer of false sovereigns. Generally “snide-pitcher.”

’Varsity, either UNIVERSITY—more rarely University College, Oxford.

Velvet, the tongue; especially the tongue of a magsman. Also, men who have succeeded in their speculations, especially on the turf, are said to stand on VELVET.

Veneer, the artificiality of society, conventionality. Dickens expressed his dislike for certain forms of VENEER repeatedly, and especially by means of his Veneerings in Our Mutual Friend.

Vet, colloquial term for VETERINARIAN.

Vic, the Victoria Theatre, London. Also the street abbreviation of the Christian name of her Majesty the Queen.

Village, or THE VILLAGE, i.e., London. Birmingham is called “the hardware VILLAGE.” Also a Cambridge term for a disreputable suburb of that town, viz., Barnwell, generally styled “the VILLAGE.”

Ville, or VILE, a town or village—pronounced PHIAL, or VIAL.—French.

Vinnied, mildewed, or sour.—Devonshire.

Voker, to talk; “can you VOKER Romany?” can you speak the canting language?—Latin, VOCARE; Spanish, VOCEAR.

Vowel. “To VOWEL a debt” is to acknowledge with an I O U.

Vulpecide, one who shoots or traps foxes, or destroys them in any way other than that of hunting. A foxhunter regards a VULPECIDE as rather worse than an ordinary murderer.

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