verb. (old).—1. To cheat; to swindle: spec. gaming. Hence BURNER = a card-sharper.
2. (nursery).—At hide-and-seek to be very near indeed to the hidden object: cf. WARM.
3. (venery).—To infect; TO POX (q.v.). Whence as subs. (BURNING or BURNER) = the lues venerea, a dose of clap or pox; BURNED = infected.
[?]. Bodleian MS. e. Mus., 229. ‘Regulations of the stews in Southwark.’ Item that no stueholder kepe noo womman withynne his hows that hath any sikenes of BRENNYNGE, but that she be putte out.
1605. SHAKESPEARE, King Lear, iii. 2. No heritics BURN’D, but wenches’ suitors.
1630. TAYLOR (‘The Water Poet’), Laugh and be Fat, 89. No sooner had he found that she had BURNT his Pope.
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. ‘BURNT, Poxt, or swingingly Clapt.’
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. He was sent out a sacrifice, and came home a BURNT offering; saying of seamen who have caught the venereal disease abroad.
TO BURN DAYLIGHT (or TIME), verb. phr. (colloquial).—To light up before darkness renders it necessary: hence proverbial for superfluous or absurd action.
1594. J. LYLY, Mother Bombie (1632). Wee BURNE TIME.
1595. SHAKESPEARE, Romeo and Juliet, i. 4. Come, we BURN DAYLIGHT, ho! Rom. Nay, that’s not so. Merc. I mean, sir, in delay We waste our lights in vain, like lamps by day. Ibid. (1595), Merry Wives of Windsor, ii. 1. We BURN DAYLIGHT: here, read, read.
1587. CHURCHYARD, Worthiness of Wales, 96.
| Tyme rouleth on, I DOO BUT DAY LIGHT BURNE, | |
| And many things indeede to doe I have. |
1647. CARTWRIGHT, The Ordinary, i., 2.
| Hearsay. Her nose the candle in the midst of it. | |
| Shape. How bright it flames! Put out your nose, good lady; | |
| You BURN DAY-LIGHT. |
1710. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, iii. Lady Sm. Here, take away the tea-table, and bring up candles. Lady Ans. O, Madam, no candles yet, I beseech you; don’t let us BURN DAYLIGHT. Nev. I dare swear, Miss for her part will never BURN DAYLIGHT, if she can help it.
1819. SCOTT, Ivanhoe, ii., 364. ‘Your story,’ said the stalwart Churchman; ‘BURN not DAYLIGHT about it; we have short time to spare.’
TO BURN A HOLE IN ONE’S POCKET, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To be eager to spend money: which is said to burn a hole in a spendthrift’s pocket if not disbursed.
1573. TUSSER, Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie, 19. [Money is said to BURN the bottom of the purse].
TO BURN THE PARADE, verb. phr. (old military).—To warn more men for a guard than are necessary, and excusing the supernumeraries for money. This was a practice formerly winked at in most garrisons, and was a very considerable perquisite to the adjutants and sergeant-majors; the pretence for it was to purchase coal and candle for the guard, whence it was called BURNING THE PARADE (GROSE).
BURN MY BREECHES! phr. (old).—A mild oath.
1819. T. MOORE, Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress, 46.
| ‘And blow me tight,’—(Bill Gibbons ne’er | |
| In all his days was known to swear, | |
| Except light oaths, to grace his speeches, | |
| Like ‘dash my wig,’ or ‘BURN MY BREECHES.’) |
TO BURN THE TOWN (or KEN), verb. phr. (old military).—To leave a town (or inn) without paying one’s reckoning.
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. BURNT THE TOWN, when the Soldiers leave the Place without paying their Quarters.
PHRASES: TO BURN ONE’S BOATS BEHIND ONE = to cut off all chance of retreat. TO BURN THE THAMES = to perform some prodigy. TO BURN FINE WEATHER = to fail to use it to advantage. TO BURN THE CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS (see CANDLE). TO BURN THE PLANKS = to remain long sitting. TO BURN ONE’S FINGERS = to suffer through meddling. TO BURN A STONE = to displace by accident.
