A Dictionary of Slang and its Analogues. (continued 14)

By George! intj. phr. (popular).—An ejaculation signifying either surprise, or anger, or used without any special meaning. Phrases of the kind are very numerous, and are mainly employed by those whose poverty of language is otherwise very marked. [By George! may either be a reference to St. George, the patron saint of England, or to the predominant Christian name of the early sovereigns of the Brunswick dynasty.]

1731. Fielding, Grub Street Opera, Act iii., Sc. 7. By George, I’ll make an example of him.

1737. Bacchus and Venus, p. 117. ’Fore George, I’d knock him down.

1852. Dickens, Bleak House, ch. xxxviii. ‘I—er—a little subject to this sort of thing—er—By George!’

By Goldam! intj. phr. (American).—A semi-veiled oath. The Yankee is peculiarly fertile in variations on the name of God, and gives a striking proof of his ingenuity in inventing new forms for the forbidden I swear. He has his by Gorram! by Goldam! and by Goshdang! by the side of the English oath by Golly! which occurs as early as 1743.—See Oaths.

By Golly! intj. phr. (popular).—A euphemistic phrase for by God!—See Oaths.

1743. W. Warren, Five Arguments against Tythes. ‘The first person consulted a gentleman-farmer, and declared that he never read anything so good in his life. “By golly,” says he, “he ’as mauled the parsons.”’

1851–61. H. Mayhew, London Lab. and Lon. Poor, vol. III., p. 204. Then I turn round to him and say, ‘By golly, if you don’t leave off, I’ll broke you over de jaw.’

By Gorram!—See By Goldam!

By Gosh! intj. phr. (popular).—A compromise for By God!

1804. C. K. Sharpe, in Correspondence (1888), I., 210. I promise, by Gosh (which is the most elegant and classical oath imaginable).

1877. W. Black, Green Past. and Picc., ch. xxxv. ‘If this goes on,’ said he suddenly, ‘by Gosh, I’ll heave!’

By Gum! By Gummy! intj. phr. (American).—Both these expletives are extracts from the great American Dictionary of Oaths and Cuss Words, compiled by descendants of the Puritan Fathers.—See Oaths.

1860. Haliburton (‘Sam Slick’), The Season Ticket, No. ix. ‘By gum, Squire Shegog, we have had the greatest bobbery of a shindy in our carriage you ever knowed in all our born days.’

By Hook or By Crook.—See Hook.

By Hooky, intj. phr. (popular).—A mild form of swearing.—See Oaths.

1882. Jas. Payn, For Cash Only, ch. xxii. ‘Pay me what you owe me,’ says I, ‘or, by hooky, I’ll tell your father.’

Byng, Bing, verb (old).—To go. Bynge-awaste, to go away.

1567. Harman, Caveat, or Warening for Commen Cursetors, p. 86. Man. What, stowe your bene, cofe, and cut benat whydds, and byng we to rome vyle, to nyp a bong; so shall we haue lowre for the bousing ken and when we byng back to the deuseauyel, we wyll fylche some duddes of the Ruffemans, or myll the ken for a lagge of dudes. [i.e.] What, holde your peace, good fellowe, and speake better wordes, and go we to London, to cut a purse; then shall we haue money for the ale house, and when wee come backe agayne into the country, we wyll steale some lynnen clothes of one hedges, or robbe some house for a bucke of clothes.

1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-all, p. 37 (H. Club’s Repr., 1874). Bing a wast, get you hence.

1785. Grose, Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Binged avast in a darkmans, stole away in the night. Bing we to Rumeville, shall we go to London?

1815. Scott, Guy Mannering, ch. xxviii. ‘Bing out and tour [go out and watch] ye auld devil, and see that nobody has scented.’

1822. Scott, Fortunes of Nigel, ch. xvii. ‘I smell a spy,’ replied the other, looking at Nigel.… ‘Bing avast, bing avast!’ replied his companion.

By-Scape, subs. (old).—A bastard. Cf., By-blow.

1646. Earl Monm., Biondi’s List., VI., ix., 197. For his being God-son to her Brother, and … for that (being very fair) she thought him a by-scape of his. [M.]

By-Slip, subs. (old).—A bastard. See By-blow.

1692. Hacket, Life of Williams, ii., 37. As Pope Paul the Third carried himself to his ungracious by-slips (an Incubus could not have begot worse), who made no further inquisition after their horrid facts but to say, They learnt it not of him.

Byte.—See Bit.

By the Ever-Living Jumping Moses! intj. phr.—An effective ejaculation and moral waste-pipe for interior passion or wrath is seen in the exclamation, by the ever-living jumping Moses!—a harmless phrase, that for its length expends a considerable quantity of fiery anger.—Hotten.

By the Living Jingo! or By Jingo!—See Jingo.

By the Wind, phr. (nautical).—Hard up; in difficulties. [In reference to the wind being formerly the most important element of success in a sailor’s calling.]

End of Vol. I.