C.J. Dennis - Glossary - [A

Glossary - [A - D]

Introduction

This page contains a glossary for the poems and prose pieces of CJ Dennis that I have been able to find. It is based on the combined glossaries published in Dennis's various books.

Index

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A.I.F.	Australian Imperial Force
Alley, to toss in the	To give up the ghost
Also ran, The	On the turf, horses that fail to secure a leading place; hence, obscure persons, nonentities
'Ammer-lock (Hammer-lock)	A favourite and effective hold in wrestling
Ar	An exclamation expressing joy, sorrow, surprise, etc., according to the manner of utterance
'Ard Case (Hard Case)	A shrewd or humorous person
Aussie	Australia; an Australian
'Ayseed (Hayseed)	A rustic

Back Chat	Impudent repartee
Back and Fill	To vacillate; to shuffle
Back the Barrer	To intervene without invitation
Bag of Tricks	All one's belongings
Barmy (Balmy)	Foolish; silly
Barrack	To take sides
Beak	A magistrate. (Possibly from Anglo-Saxon, Beag - a magistrate)
Beano	A feast
Beans	Coins; money
Beat	Puzzled; defeated
Beat, off the	Out of the usual routine
Beat the band	To amaze
Beef (to beef it out)	To declaim vociferously
Bellers (Bellows)	The lungs
Biff	To smite
Bint	Girl
Bird, to give the	To treat with derision
Blighter	A worthless fellow
Blighty	London
Bli'me	An oath with the fangs drawn
Blind	Deception, "bluff"
Blither	To talk at random, foolishly
Blob	A shapeless mass
Block	The head
	To keep the block.-To remain calm; dispassionate
Block, the	A fashionable city walk
Bloke	A male adult of the genus homo
Blubber, blub	To weep
Bluff	Cunning practice; make believe. v. To deceive; to mislead
Bob	A shilling
Bokays	Compliments, flattery
Boko	The nose
Bong-tong	Patrician (Fr. bon ton)
Bonzer, boshter, bosker	Adjectives expressing the superlative of excellence
Boodle	Money; wealth
Book	A bookie, q.v.
Booked	Engaged
Bookie	A book-maker (turf); one who makes a betting book on sporting events
Boot, to put in the	To kick a prostrate foe
Boss	Master, employer
Break (to break away, to do a break)	To depart in haste
Breast up to	To accost
Brisket	The chest
Brown	A copper coin
Brums	Tawdry finery (from Brummagem-Birmingham)
Buckley's (Chance)	A forlorn hope
Buck-up	Cheer up
Bump	To meet; to accost aggressively
Bun, to take the	To take the prize (used ironically)
Bundle, to drop the	To surrender; to give up hope
Bunk	To sleep in a "bunk" or rough bed. To do a bunk; To depart
Bunnies, to hawk the	To peddle rabbits
Bus, to miss the	To neglect opportunities

Caboose	A small dwelling
Carlton	A Melbourne Football Team
Cat, to whip the	To cry over spilt milk; i.e., to whip the cat that has spilt the milk
C.B	Confined to barracks
Cert	A certainty; a foregone conclusion
Champeen	Champion
Chap	A "bloke" or "cove.
Chase yourself	Depart; avaunt; "fade away," q.v
Chat	To address tentatively; to "word," q.v
Cheque, to pass in one's	To depart this life
Chest, to get it off one's	To deliver a speech; express one's feelings
Chew, to chew it over; to chew the rag	To sulk; to nurse a grievance
Chiack	Vulgar banter; coarse invective
Chin	To talk; to wag the chin
Chip	To "chat," q.v. Chip in,To intervene
Chiv	The face
Chow	A native of far Cathay
Chuck off	To chaff; to employ sarcasm
Chuck up	To relinquish
Chump	A foolish fellow
Chunk	A lump; a mass
Clean	Completely; utterly
Click	A clique; a "push"
Cliner	A young unmarried female
Clobber	Rainment; vesture
Cobber	A boon companion
Collect	To receive one's deserts
Colour-line	ln pugilisrn, the line drawn by white boxers excluding coloured fighters-for divers reasons
Conk	The nose
Coot	A person of no account (used contemptuously)
Cop	To seize; to secure; also s., an avocation, a job"
Cop (or Copper)	A police constable
Copper-top	Red head
Copper show	A copper mine
Count, to take the	In pugilisrn, to remain prostrate for ten counted seconds, and thus lose the fight
Cove	A "chap" or "bloke," q.v. (Gipsy)
Cow	A thoroughly unworthy, not to say despicable, person, place, thing, or circumstance;
	A fair cow - An utterly obnoxious and otherwise unexpressible person, place, thing, or circumstance
Crack	To smite. s. A blow
Crack a boo	To divulge a secret; to betray emotion
Crack hardy	To suppress emotion; to endure patiently; to keep a secret
Cray	A crayfish
Crib	A dwelling
Croak	To die
Crook	A dishonest or evil person
Crook	Unwell; dishonest; spurious; fraudulent
Crool (cruel) the pitch	To frustrate; to interfere with one's schemes or welfare
Crust	Sustenance; a livelihood
Cut it out	omit it; discontinue it

Dago	A native of Southern Europe
Dash, to do one's	To reach one's Waterloo
Date	An appointment
Dawg (dog)	A contemptible person; ostentation. To put on dawg - To behave in an arrogant manner
Dead	In a superlative degree; very
Deal	To deal it out; to administer punishment, abuse, etc
Deener	A shilling (Fr. Denier. Denarius, a Roman silver coin)
Derry	An aversion; a feud; a dislike
Dickin	A term signifying disgust or disbelief
Digger	An infantryman; a comrade
Dile (dial)	The face
Dilly	Foolish; half-witted
Ding Dong	Strenuous
Dinkum	Honest; true. "The Dinkum Oil"-The truth
Dip the lid, to	To raise the hat
Dipped	Mentally deficient
Dirt	Opprobrium, a mean speech or action
Dirty left	A formidable left fist
Divvies	Dividends; profits
Dizzy limit	The utmost; the superlative degree
Do in	To defeat; to kill; to spend
Done me luck	Lost my good fortune
Dope	A drug; adulterated liquor. v. To administer drugs
Dot in the eye, to	To strike in the eye
Douse	To extinguish (Anglo-Saxon)
Drive a quill	To write with a pen; to work in an office
Duck, to do a	(See "break")
Duds	Personal apparel (Scotch)
Dud	No good; ineffective; used up
Dunno	Do not know
Dutch	German; any native of Central Europe

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Copyright © Perry Middlemiss 2002