verb (American thieves’).—To turn a corner; to get out of sight.
1859. G. W. MATSELL, Vocabulum; or, The Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v.
TO SHAKE THE ELBOW, verb. phr. To play dice. [From the motion of the arm in ‘casting.’]
1680. COTTON, The Compleat Gamester. [Gaming is compared to] a paralytical distemper, which seizing the arm, the man cannot chuse but SHAKE HIS ELBOW.
1705. VANBRUGH, The Confederacy, Act i. He’s always SHAKING his heels with the ladies and HIS ELBOWS with the lords.
1709. CENTLIVRE, The Gamester, I. (1872), i., 134. He is at SHAKING HIS ELBOWS over a table … courting the dice like a mistress, and cursing them when he is disappointed.
1713. ADDISON, The Guardian, No. 120, 29 July. What would you say, should you see the Sparkler SHAKING HER ELBOW for a whole night together, and thumping the table with a dice-box?
1822. SCOTT, The Fortunes of Nigel, ch. xvii.
| To eke out your living | |
| By the WAG OF YOUR ELBOW. |
TO CROOK THE ELBOW, verb. phr. (common).—To drink.—See ELBOW-CROOKER. [From the action of the arm.] For synonyms, see LUSH.
