Get

subs. (old).—1.  A cheating contrivance; a HAVE (q.v.).

  2.  (old).—A child; the result, that is, of an act of procreation or begetting. Thus, ONE OF HIS GETS = one of his making; WHOSE GET IS THAT? = Who’s the father? It’s his GET, anyhow = At all events he GOT it.

  1570.  Satirical Poems of the Time of the Reformation [S.T.S.], 1889–90, I., 171, ‘The Tressoun of Dumbartane’ (1891). Ganȝelons GETTIS relict of Synoins seid.

  d. 1796.  BURNS, The Merry Muses. ‘For a’ that, and a’ that.’

  1891.  N. GOULD, The Double Event, p. 41. This, again, is unusual for a Chester, as his GET are generally quiet and docile, but a bit lazy.

  GET! or YOU GET! intj. (American).—Short for GET OUT! Usually, GIT! (q.v.).

  1892.  HUME NISBET, The Bushranger’s Sweetheart, p. 176. None of your damned impertinence. GET!

  TO GET AT, verb. phr. (colloquial).—1.  To quiz; to banter; to aggravate; to take a rise out of. Also TO GET BACK AT.

  1891.  Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday, 3 Jan. ‘Your family don’t seem to get on, missie.’ ‘On!’ replied the child, with dignity flashing from her great blue eyes; ‘on! I’ve got a father on the booze, a sister on the music ’all, an’ a brother on the treadmill. On! who’re ye GETTIN’ AT?’

  2.  (racing and colloquial).—To influence; to bribe; to nobble (of horses), and to corrupt (of persons); applied to horse, owner, trainer, jockey, and vet. alike.

  1870.  Spectator, 23 April. That, of course, makes it profitable for owners to withdraw horses they have secretly betted against, and for scoundrels to GET AT horses.

  1871.  The Saturday Review, 9 Sept. It is quite clear that some of the foreign working men have been GOT AT.

  1883.  Graphic, 17 March, p. 262, c. 2. The House of Commons … can also be trusted to decide in local questions without any suspicion of being GOT AT, as is sometimes the case elsewhere.

  1886.  A. COVENTRY and A. E. T. WATSON, Steeple-chasing, p. 404. Suspicions that the mare had been ‘GOT AT,’ that is to say, drugged, were afterwards noised abroad.

  1888.  Daily Telegraph, 17 Nov. It was strongly suspected that he had been GOT AT.

  1890.  Globe, 11 Aug., p. 1, c. 1. Fancy the professional agitator trying to GET AT such men as these—men who gloried in being soldiers and nothing else!

  1892.  Pall Mall Gazette, May 10, p. 3, c. 3. The scoundrels (verily of the lowest form) who have tried to GET AT Orme.

  1892.  National Observer, vii. 630. If the horse were GOT AT, then a bookie who stood heavily to lose is probably assumed.

  TO GET ABOUT. verb. phr. (venery).—To do the act of intromission. For synonyms, see GREENS and RIDE.

  TO GET BACK AT, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To satirise; to call to account.

  1888.  Chicago Daily Inter Ocean. The newspapers are GETTING BACK at Sam.

  GET BACK INTO YOUR BOX! phr. (American).—An injunction to silence; STOW IT! (q.v. for synonyms).

  TO GET ENCORED, verb. phr. (tailors’).—To have a job returned for alterations.

  TO GET EVEN WITH, verb. phr. (common).—To take one’s revenge; to give tit for tat.

  TO GET IT, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To be punished (morally or physically); to be called over the coals. Also (venery) to catch a clap.

  TO GET OFF, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To (1) escape punishment, to be let off; (2) to utter, to deliver oneself of, to perpetrate—as to get off a joke; and (3) to get married.

  TO GET ON, verb. phr. (colloquial).—1.  To back a horse; to put a BIT ON (q.v.).

  2.  (colloquial).—To succeed; or, simply, to fare. Thus, HOW ARE YOU GETTING ON? may signify (1) To what extent are you prospering? or (2) How are you doing?

  1871.  Pall Mall Gazette, 29 Dec. That great Anglo-Saxon passion of rising in the world, or GETTING ON—that is, rising into the class above him.

  1892.  A. W. PINERO, The Times: a Comedy, v. 1. We used to go very early to such places and stay right through, now that papa has GOT ON, we arrive late everywhere and murmur an apology!

  TO GET ONE IN THE COLD, verb. phr. (American).—To have at an advantage; to be on the WINDWARD SIDE (q.v.); TO HAVE ON TOAST (q.v.).

  TO GET ONE ON, verb. phr. (pugilists’).—To land a blow.

  TO GET DOWN FINE (or CLOSE), verb. phr. (American).—To know all about one’s antecedents; and (police) to know where to find one’s man.

  TO GET INTO, verb. phr. (venery).—TO OCCUPY (q.v.). Also TO GET IN and TO GET UP. For synonyms, see GREENS and RIDE.

  1620.  PERCY, Folio MSS., p. 197, ‘A Maid & a Younge Man.’ GETT VP againe, Billy, if that thou louest me.

  TO GET OVER, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To seduce, to fascinate, to dupe. Also TO COME OVER and TO GET ROUND.

  TO GET OUTSIDE OF, verb. phr. (colloquial).—1.  To eat or drink; also to accomplish one’s purpose.

  1892.  SYDNEY WATSON, Wops the Waif, p. 9. Tickle urged Wops again and again to drink, but Wops’s only reply was, ‘Yer go on, Tickle; git OUTSIDE the lot, if yer can; it’ll do yer good, Cully.’

  2.  (venery).—To receive the sexual embrace: of women only.

  TO GET OUT OF BED ON THE WRONG SIDE, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To be testy or cross-grained. [A corruption of an old saying, ‘To rise on the right side is accounted lucky’; hence the reverse meant trials to temper, patience, and luck.]

  1607.  MARSTON, What You Will, v., 1. You RISE ON YOUR RIGHT SIDE to-day, marry.

  1608.  L. MACHIN, The Dumb Knight, iv., 1.

  1614.  Terence in English. C. What doth shee keepe house alreadie? D. Alreadie. C. O good God!; we ROSE ON THE RIGHT SIDE to-day.

  c. 1620.  BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, Women Pleased, i., 3. Clau. You RISS OF YOUR RIGHT SIDE.

  1890.  Globe, 15 May, p. 2, col. 2. Some of them had—if we may employ such a vulgar expression—GOT OUT OF BED ON THE WRONG SIDE.

  TO GET OUT (or ROUND), verb. phr. (racing).—To back a horse against which one has previously laid; to HEDGE (q.v.).

  1884.  HAWLEY SMART, From Post to Finish, p. 318. He had an idea Johnson was this time cleverly working a very well authorised commission, and that he personally had taken more than one opportunity of what is termed GETTING OUT.

  TO GET SET, verb. phr. (cricketing).—1.  To warm to one’s work at the wicket, and collar the bowling; to get one’s eye well in.

  TO GET THERE, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To attain one’s object; to be successful; TO MAKE ONE’S JACK (q.v.); TO GET THERE WITH BOTH FEET = to be very successful.

  1887.  F. FRANCIS, Jun., Saddle and Mocassin, viii. 144. He said as he’d been gambling, and was two hundred dollars ahead of the town. He ‘GOT THERE WITH BOTH FEET’ at starting, and was eight hundred ahead once.

  1888.  New York Herald, 29 July. Although not a delegate he GOT THERE all the same.

  2.  (common).—To get drunk. For synonyms, see DRINKS and SCREWED.

  3.  (venery).—To enjoy the sexual favour.

  TO GET THROUGH, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To pass an examination; to accomplish.

  1853.  REV. E. BRADLEY (‘Cuthbert Bede’), The Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green, an Oxford Freshman, II. ch. xii. So you see, Giglamps, I’m safe to GET THROUGH.

  TO GET UP AND DUST, verb. phr. (American).—To depart hastily. For synonyms, see SKEDADDLE and AMPUTATE.

  TO GET UP BEHIND (or GET BEHIND) A MAN, verb. phr. (common).—To endorse or back a bill.

  1879.  W. H. THOMSON, Whitecross and the Bench, p. 87. In other cases he figured as the drawer, or simply as endorser. This Mr. Whiffen described as ‘GETTING UP BEHIND.’

  TO GET UP THE MAIL, verb. phr. (thieves’).—To find money (as counsels’ fees, etc.) for defence.

  1889.  C. T. CLARKSON and J. HALL RICHARDSON, Police! 322, s.v.

  [Get enters into many other combinations. See BACK TEETH; BAG or SACK; BEAD; BEANS; BEAT; BIG BIRD and GOOSE; BIG HEAD; BILLET; BIT; BOAT; BOLT; BOOKS; BULGE; BULLET; BULL’S FEATHER; CROCKETTS; DANDER and MONKEY; DARK; DROP; EYE; FLANNELS; FLINT; GAME; GRAND BOUNCE; GRAVEL-RASH; GRIND; GRINDSTONE; HAND; HANG; HAT; HEAD; HIP or HOP; HOME; HORN; HOT; JACK; KEEN; LENGTH OF ONE’S FOOT; MEASURE; MITTEN; NEEDLE; RELIGION; RISE; RUN; SCOT, SWOT, or SCRAPE; SET; SHUT OF; SILK; SNUFF; STRAIGHT; SUN; TICKET OF LEAVE; WOOL; WRONG BOX.]