JEFFY. It will be done in a jeffy; it will be done in a short space of time, in an instant.
JEHU. To drive jehu-like; to drive furiously: from a king of Israel of that name, who was a famous charioteer, and mentioned as such in the Bible.
JEM. A gold ring. CANT.
JEMMY FELLOW. A smart spruce fellow.
JEMMY. A crow. This instrument is much used by housebreakers. Sometimes called Jemmy Rook.
JENNY. An instrument for lifting up the grate or top of a show-glass, in order to rob it. CANT.
JERRYCUMMUMBLE. To shake, towzle, or tumble about.
JERRY SNEAK. A henpecked husband: from a celebrated character in one of Mr. Foote's plays, representing a man governed by his wife.
JESSAMY. A smart jemmy fellow, a fopling.
JESIUT. See TO BOX THE JESUIT.
JESUITICAL. Sly, evasive, equivocal. A jesuitical answer; an equivocal answer.
JET. A lawyer. Autem jet; a parson.
JEW. An over-reaching dealer, or hard, sharp fellow; an extortioner: the brokers formerly behind St. Clement's church in the Strand were called Jews by their brethren the taylors.
JEW. A tradesman who has no faith, i.e. will not give credit.
JEW BAIL. Insufficient bail: commonly Jews, who for a sum of money will bail any action whatsoever, and justify, that is, swear to their sufficiency; but, when called on, are not to be found.
JEW'S EYE. That's worth a Jew's eye; a pleasant or agreeable sight: a saying taken from Shakespeare.
JIBBER THE KIBBER. A method of deceiving seamen, by fixing a candle and lanthorn round the neck of a horse, one of whose fore feet is tied up; this at night has the appearance of a ship's light. Ships bearing towards it, run on shore, and being wrecked, are plundered by the inhabitants. This diabolical device is, it is said, practised by the inhabitants of our western coasts.
JIG. A trick. A pleasant jig; a witty arch trick. Also a lock or door. The feather-bed jig; copulation.
JIGGER. A whipping-post. CANT.
JILT. A tricking woman, who encourages the addresses of a man whom she means to deceive and abandon.
JILTED. Rejected by a woman who has encouraged one's advances.
JINGLE BOXES. Leathern jacks tipped with silver, and hung with bells, formerly in use among fuddle caps. CANT.
JINGLE BRAINS. A wild, thoughtless, rattling fellow.
JINGLERS. Horse cosers, frequenting country fairs.
IMPOST TAKERS. Usurers who attend the gaming-tables, and lend money at great premiums.
IMPUDENT STEALING. Cutting out the backs of coaches, and robbing the seats.
IMPURE. A modern term for a lady of easy virtue.
INCHING. Encroaching.
INDIES. Black Indies; Newcastle.
INDIA WIPE. A silk handkerchief.
INDORSER. A sodomite. To indorse with a cudgel; to drub or beat a man over the back with a stick, to lay CANE upon Abel.
INEXPRESSIBLES. Breeches.
INKLE WEAVERS. Supposed to be a very brotherly set of people; 'as great as two inkle weavers' being a proverbial saying.
INLAID. Well inlaid; in easy circumstances, rich or well to pass.
INNOCENTS. One of the innocents; a weak or simple person, man or woman.
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. The inside of a **** and the outside of a gaol.
JOB. A guinea.
JOB'S COMFORT. Reproof instead of consolation.
JOB'S COMFORTER. One who brings news of some additional misfortune.
JOB'S DOCK. He is laid up in Job's dock; i.e. in a salivation. The apartments for the foul or venereal patients in St. Bartholomew's hospital, are called Job's ward.
JOBATION. A reproof.
JOBBERNOLE. The head.
TO JOB. To reprove or reprehend. CAMBRIDGE TERM.
JOB. Any robbery. To do a job; to commit some kind of robbery.
JOCK, or CROWDY-HEADED JOCK. A jeering appellation for a north country seaman, particularly a collier; Jock being a common name, and crowdy the chief food, of the lower order of the people in Northumberland.
TO JOCK, or JOCKUM CLOY. To enjoy a woman.
JOCKUM GAGE. A chamber-pot, jordan, looking-glass, or member-mug. CANT.
JOGG-TROT. To keep on a jogg-trot; to get on with a slow but regular pace.
JOHNNY BUM. A he or jack ass: so called by a lady that affected to be extremely polite and modest, who would not say Jack because it was vulgar, nor ass because it was indecent.
JOINT. To hit a joint in carving, the operator must think of a cuckold. To put one's nose out of joint; to rival one in the favour of a patron or mistress.
JOLLY, or JOLLY NOB. The head. I'll lump your jolly nob for you; I'll give you a knock on the head.
JOLLY DOG. A merry facetious fellow; a BON VIVANT, who never flinches from his glass, nor cries to go home to bed.
JOLTER HEAD. A large head; metaphorically a stupid fellow.
JORDAIN. A great blow, or staff. I'll tip him a jordain if I transnear; i.e. I'll give him a blow with my staff, if I come near him. CANT.
JORDAN. A chamber-pot.
JORUM. A jugg, or large pitcher.
JOSEPH. A woman's great coat. Also, a sheepish bashful young fellow: an allusion to Joseph who fled from Potiphar's wife. You are Josephus rex; you are jo-king, i. e. joking.
JOSKIN. A countryman. The dropcove maced the Joskin of twenty quid; The ring dropper cheated the countryman of twenty guineas.
JOWL. The cheek. Cheek by jowl; close together, or cheek to cheek. My eyes how the cull sucked the blowen's jowl; he kissed the wench handsomely.
IRISH APRICOTS. Potatoes. It is a common joke against the Irish vessels, to say they are loaded with fruit and timber, that is, potatoes and broomsticks. Irish assurance; a bold forward behaviour: as being dipt in the river Styx was formerly supposed to render persons invulnerable, so it is said that a dipping in the river Shannon totally annihilates bashfulness; whence arises the saying of an impudent Irishman, that he has been dipt in the Shannon.
IRISH BEAUTY. A woman with two black eyes.
IRISH EVIDENCE. A false witness.
IRISH LEGS. Thick legs, jocularly styled the Irish arms. It is said of the Irish women, that they have a dispensation from the pope to wear the thick end of their legs downwards.
IRISH TOYLES. Thieves who carry about pins, laces, and other pedlars wares, and under the pretence of offering their goods to sale, rob houses, or pilfer any thing they can lay hold of.
IRON. Money in general. To polish the king's iron with one's eyebrows; to look out of grated or prison windows, or, as the Irishman expresses them, the iron glass windows. Iron doublet; a prison. See STONE DOUBLET.
IRONMONGER'S SHOP. To keep an ironmonger's shop by the side of a common, where the sheriff sets one up; to be hanged in chains. Iron-bound; laced. An iron-bound hat; a silver-laced hat.
ISLAND. He drank out of the bottle till he saw the island; the island is the rising bottom of a wine bottle, which appears like an island in the centre, before the bottle is quite empty.
IVORIES. Teeth. How the swell flashed his ivories; how the gentleman shewed his teeth.
ITCHLAND, or SCRATCHLAND. Scotland.
JUG. See DOUBLE JUG.
JUGGLER'S BOX. The engine for burning culprits in the hand. CANT.
JUKRUM. A licence.
JUMBLEGUT LANE. A rough road or lane.
JUMP. The jump, or dining-room jump; a species of robbery effected by ascending a ladder placed by a sham lamp- lighter, against the house intended to be robbed. It is so called, because, should the lamp-lighter be put to flight, the thief who ascended the ladder has no means of escaping but that of jumping down.
JUMPERS. Persons who rob houses by getting in at the windows. Also a set of Methodists established in South Wales.
JUNIPER LECTURE. A round scolding bout.
JURY LEG. A wooden leg: allusion to a jury mast, which is a temporary substitute for a mast carried away by a storm, or any other accident. SEA PHRASE.
JURY MAST. A JOURNIERE mast; i.e. a mast for the day or occasion.
JUST-ASS. A punning appellation for a justice.
IVY BUSH. Like an owl in an ivy bush; a simile for a meagre or weasel-faced man, with a large wig, or very bushy hair.