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Break. World English Historical Dictionary

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Break. World English Historical Dictionary Dictionary Biographies Literary Criticism Welcome Terms of Service ⧏ Previous Next ⧐ Bibliographic Record Farmer’s Slang & Its Analogues. 1890–1909, rev. 2022. Break subs. (thieves’).—A collection (of money) got up by a prisoner’s friends, either to defray the expenses of his defence, or as a ‘lift’ when leaving prison: orig. a pause in street-performances to enable the hat to be passed round: see LEAD. Fr. bouline.

1   1879.  J. W. HORSLEY, ‘Autobiography of a Thief,’ in Macmillan’s Magazine, XL., 502. The mob got me up a BREAK (collection), and I got between five or six foont (sovereigns).

2   Verb. (old cant).—To deflower; to CRACK THE RING (q.v.): to PUNCTURE (q.v.): see DOCK, GREENS, and RIDE: also to BROKE (q.v.).

3   1567.  HARMAN, A Caveat or Warening for Common Cursetors, 75. A dell is a yonge wenche, able for generation, and not yet knowen or BROKEN by the upright man.

4   1606.  S. DANIEL, The Queen’s Arcadia, iii. 3.        ’Tis as I tell you, Colax, she’s as coy, And hath as shrewd a spirit, as quicke conceipt, As ever wench I BROK’D in all my life.

5   A BREAK IN THE STOCK-MARKET, subs. phr. (American Stock-Exchange).—See quot.

6   1870.  J. K. MEDBERY, Men and Mysteries of Wall Street [BARTLETT]. A BREAK IN THE STOCK-MARKET. A Wall Street phrase: where stock is kept up by artificial means, and a money stringency, or similar cause, makes it difficult to carry a load, the attack of a bear clique or the actual inability to holders will produce a decline in value. The market breaks down.

7   TO BREAK ONE’S BACK, verb. phr. (colloquial).—1.  To be overburdened; to become bankrupt.

8   1601.  SHAKESPEARE, Henry VIII., i. 1.                            O, many HAVE BROKE THEIR BACKS with laying manors on ’em For this great journey.

9   1620.  MIDDLETON, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, iii., 2. [The word is here used in the sense of bankruptcy and ruin.]

10   1887.  BARING-GOULD, The Gaverocks, xxviii. ‘They are very poor, and have made a hard fight to get on. I fear this change would BREAK THEIR BACK.’

11   1888.  J. ASHTON, Modern Street Ballads, 13. The cesses, rates, and tithes nearly BREAKS THEIR BACKS.

12   2.  (venery).—To exhaust oneself in the act of kind.

13   c. 1709.  WARD, Terræ Filius, I. 21. She never gets a man upon the Hug, but she always BREAKS HIS BACK before she has done with him.

14   3.  See TO BREAK THE NECK.

15   TO BREAK THE BALLS, verb. phr. (billiards).—To commence playing.

16   TO BREAK THE BRAINS, verb. phr. (old).—To drive mad.

17   1630.  TAYLOR (‘The Water Poet’), Workes.        Let fortunes mounted minions sinke or swim, Hee neuer BREAKES HIS BRAINES, all’s one to him. He’s free from fearefull curses of the poore, And liues, and dies content, with lesse or more.

18   1661.  PEPYS, Diary. Nor his papers so well sorted as I would have had them, but all in confusion, that BREAK MY BRAINS to understand them.

19   TO BREAK DOWN, verb. phr. (colloquial).—1.  To show strong emotion; to be deeply affected.

20   2.  (colloquial).—To fail; to withdraw.

21   1877.  New York Tribune, 11 May. The District Attorney entered a nolle prosequi in its [a court’s] indictment of … It would be interesting after this flat BREAK-DOWN.

22   3.  See BREAK-DOWN.23   TO BREAK ONE’S EGG. See CRACK.

24   TO BREAK THE ICE, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To commence; to lead the way.

25   TO BREAK THE MOLASSES JUG, verb. phr. (American).—To come to grief; to make a mistake.

26   TO BREAK THE NECK, verb. phr. (old).—To disconcert.

27   [?].  Select Lives of English Worthies. Yet did not this BREAK THE NECK of Henries design, but having by his fair deportment gained forces from the duke of Brittain, and some other princes envious of the prosperity of the house of York, Richmond puts forth to sea, and lands at Milford Haven in Wales.

28   TO BREAK THE NECK (or BACK) OF ANYTHING, verb. phr. (common).—To accomplish the major portion of a task; to be near the end of an undertaking; to be past the middle of same.

29   TO BREAK OUT ALL OVER (or IN A FRESH SPOT), verb. phr. (American).—To commence some new undertaking; to assume a different position in argument or action; to do something else.

30   TO BREAK SHINS, verb. phr. (old).—To borrow money. See SHIN.

31   c. 1696.  B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. BREAKING SHINS, c. borrowing of Money.

32   TO BREAK WITH, verb. phr. (old).—1.  To open a secret to. Also—2. (modern) = to cease friendly relations: also TO BREAK OFF WITH.

33   1607.  SHAKESPEARE, Julius Cæsar, ii. 1.        O! name him not, let us not BREAK WITH him; For he will never follow anything That other men begin.

34   1809.  MALKIN, Gil Blas [ROUTLEDGE], 138. It may be, you will repent hereafter of having BROKEN OFF with Isabella.

35   TO BREAK NO SQUARES, verb. phr. (old).—To do no harm. TO BREAK (or HEED) SQUARES = to give offence.

36   1696.  SIR R. L’ESTRANGE, Life of Æsop I will BREAK NO SQUARES whether it be so or not.

37   TO BREAK A STRAW WITH, verb. phr. (old).—To fall out with; to quarrel.

38   1564.  UDALL, The Apophthegmes of Erasmus, 68. I Prophecie (quoth he) that Plato and Dyonysius wil erre many daies to an ende BREAKE A STRAWE betwene them.

39   TO BREAK A LANCE WITH, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To enter into competition; to try conclusions.

40   TO BREAK PRISCIAN’S HEAD, verb. phr. (old).—To violate the laws of grammar. [Lat. diminuëre Prisciani caput. Priscian a famous grammarian of the 5th century].

41   1527–37.  H. ELLIS, Original Letters, Illustrative of English History … [The well-known Father Forrest being ungrammatical is said to] BREKE MASTER PRECYENS HEDE.

42   1664.  BUTLER, Hudibras, II. ii. 219.        And hold no sin so deeply red, As that of BREAKING PRISCIAN’S HEAD.

43   1728.  POPE, The Dunciad, iii. 161.        Some, free from rhyme or reason, rule or check, BREAK PRISCIAN’S HEAD, and Pegasus’s neck.

44   1819.  BYRON (Life, ‘To Moore’]. Also if there be any further BREAKING OF PRISCIAN’S HEAD, will you supply the plaster.

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