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Nab, c. a Hat, Cap, or Head; also a Coxcomb. I’ll Nab ye, c. I’ll have your Hat or Cap. Nim the Nab, c. to Steal the Hat or Cap. Nab’d, c. Apprehended, Taken or Arrested.
Nab-cheat, c. a Hat.
Nab-girder, c. a Bridle.
Nanny-house, a Bawdy-house.
Nap, c. by Cheating with the Dice to secure one Chance; also a Clap, or Pox, and a short sleep. Nap the Wiper, c. to Steal the Handkerchief. You have Napt it, c. you are Clapt Sir. To be caught Napping, to be Surpriz’d, or Taken a sleep.
Napper, c. a Cheat, or Thief.
Napper of Napps, c. a Sheep-stealer.
Nappy-Ale, very Strong, Heady.
Nare-a-face-but-his-own, Not a Penny in his Pocket.
Narrow, when the Biass of the Bowl holds too much. ’Tis all Narrow, said by the Butchers one to another when their Meat proves not so good as expected. A Narrow-soul’d Fellow, poor or Mean-spirited, stingy. Narrow or near search or Escape, watch him narrowly or nearly. Of a Narrow or slender Fortune.
Nask, c. or Naskin, c. A Prison or Bridewell. The old Nask, c. the City Bridewell. The new Nask, c. Clerkenwell Bridewell. Tuttle Nask, c. the Bridewell in Tuttle-Fields. He Napt it at the Nask, c. he was Lasht at Bridewell.
Natural, c. a Mistress, a Wench; also a Fool.
Natural-children, Bastards.
Mr. Nawpost, a foolish Fellow.
Nay-word, a common By-word, or Proverb.
Nazie, c. Drunken.
Nazie-cove, c. a Drunkard.
Nazy-nabs, c. Drunken Coxcombs.
Neb, the Bill of a Bird, and the slit or point of a Pen. She holds up her Neb, she turns up her Snout to be Kist.
Neck-stamper, c. the Pot-Boy at a Tavern or Ale-house.
Neck-verse, a Favor (formerly) indulged to the Clergy only, but (now) to the Laity also, to mitigate the Rigor of the Letter of the Law, as in Man-slaughter, &c. Reading a Verse out of an old Manuscript Latin Psalter, (tho’ the Book now used by the Ordinary is the same Printed in an old English Character) saves the Criminal’s Life. Nay now even the Women (by a late Act of Parliament) have (in a manner) the benefit of their Clergy, tho’ not so much as put to Read; for in such Cases where the Men are allow’d it; the Women are of course sizz’d in the Fist, without running the risque of a Halter by not Reading.
| Negro | } | Nos’d, | { | Flat. |
| Hawk | } | { | Hook’d. | |
| Roman | } | { | Rais’d in the middle like Kingston Bridge. |
Needle-point, c. a Sharper.
Neither-Vert, all sorts of Under-wood.
Neighborly, Friendly, Kind, Loving, Obliging. You Live a great way off good Neighbors, to him, that is the Trumpet of his own Praises.
Nestlings, Canary-Birds, brought up by Hand. What a Nestling you keep, how restless and uneasy you are. Nest of Rabbets.
Nettled, Teiz’d, provoked, made uneasy. He has pist upon a Nettle, he is very uneasy, or much out of Humor. In Dock, out Nettle, upon the change of Places, when one is no sooner out, but another is in his Place.
Nice, squeemish, precise. More nice than wise, a Sir Courtly Nice, a silly empty, gay, foolish Fellow.
Nickum, c. a. Sharper; also a Rooking Ale-house or Innkeeper, Vintner, or any Retailer. Nick it, to win at Dice, to hit the Mark, to Drink the pin to or button. Old Nick, the Devil. Nick and Froth built the Pye at Aldgate, sharping in the Reckonings and cheating in the Measure built that (once) Noted House.
Nickum-poop, a Fool, also a silly soft, Uxorious Fellow.
Nick-ninny, an empty Fellow, a meer Cod’s Head.
Nig, c. the Clippings of Money.
Nigler, c. a Clipper.
Nigging, c. Clipping.
Nigling, c. accompanying with a Woman.
Night-Magistrate, a Constable.
Night-men, Gold-finders, Tom-turd-men.
Night-rale, a Woman’s combing Cloth, to dress her Head in.
Night-walker, c. a Bell-man; also a Light Woman, a Thief, a Rogue.
Nigit, a Fool.
Nigmenog, a very silly Fellow.
Nikin, a Natural, or very soft creature; also Isaac.
Nim, c. to Steal, or whip off or away any thing. Nim a Togeman, c. to Steal a Cloak. Nim a Cloak, c. to cut off the Buttons in a Crowd, or whip it off a Man’s Shoulders.
Nim-gimmer, c. a Doctor, Surgeon, Apothecary or any one that cures a Clap or the Pox.
Ninny, c. a Canting whining Begger; also a Fool.
Ninny-hammer, a silly Senseless Fellow.
Nip, c. a Cheat; also to Pinch or Sharp any thing. Nip a-bung, c. to cut a Purse. To Nip, to Press between the Fingers and Thumb without the Nails, or with any broad Instrument like a pair of Tongs as to squeeze between Edged Instruments or Pincers. Nipping Frost or Wind, Sharp or Cutting. To Nip in the Bud, of an early Blast or Blite of Fruit; also to crush any thing at the beginning.
Nipperkin, c. half a Pint of Wine, and but half a Quartern of Brandy, Strongwaters, &c.
Nipps, c. the Shears with which Money was wont to be Clipt.
Nit, wine that is brisk, and pour’d quick into a Glass; also a young Louse. Nitts will be Lice.
Nizy, c. a Fool, or Coxcomb.
Nob, c. a Head.
Nocky, c. a silly, dull Fellow.
Noddle, a Head.
Noddy, c. a Fool. Knave-Noddy, a Game on the Cards.
Nokes, a Ninny or Fool; also a noted Droll but lately Dead.
Nol, Oliver. Old Nol, the late Usurper Cromwel.
Noggin, (of Brandy) a Quarter of a Pint.
A Noble, Six and eight-pence. He has brought a Noble to Nine Pence, of one that has reduced his Fortune.
Noise, used either of Harmonious or confused Sounds, Noise of Thunder, or of a Mill, Noise of the Hounds, a Noise of Fiddles, of Trumpets and Drums, a Noise of Swords, or clashing; make a Noise Tom, Hot Pudding-Pies.
Non-con, one that don’t conform to the Church of England.
Nonjurors, Clergymen and others (Officers in the Army, Navy, &c.) That refus’d to take the Oaths to King WILLIAM and Queen MARY, and were turn’d out of their Livings and Employments.
Nooz’d, or caught in a Nooze, married; also Hanged.
Nose-gent, c. a Nun. As plain as the Nose in your Face, of a fair mark that cannot be hid. He has a good Nose, of a Smell-Feast. He holds up his Nose, of one that is Haughty, and carries his Head high. He is led by the Nose, of one that is easily imposed upon. You make a Bridge of his Nose, when you pass your next Neighbor in Drinking, or one is preferr’d over another’s Head. Follow your Nose, said in a jeer to those that know not the way, and are bid to Smell it out, as we say to Smell a Post.
Nub, c. the Neck.
Nubbing, c. Hanging.
Nubbing-cheat, c. the Gallows.
Nubbing-Cove, c. the Hangman.
Nubbing-ken, c. the Sessions-house.
Nug, a Word of Love, as, my Dear Nug, my Dear Love.
Nugging-Dress, an odd or particular way, out of the Fashion.
Numms, c. a Sham, or Collar, Shirt, to hide the other when Dirty.
Num-skul, a Foolish Person.
Nut-crackers, c. a Pillory. The Cull lookt through the Nut-crackers, the Rogue stood in the Pillory.