subs. (common).—1. Drink. [LUSHINGTON = a once well-known London brewer.] For synonyms, see DRINKS.
1819. J. H. VAUX, Memoirs, p. 188, s.v. LUSH, beer or liquor of any kind.
1830. BULWER-LYTTON, Paul Clifford, ch. xvi. ‘Bring the LUSH and the pipes, old bloke!’ cried Ned, throwing himself on a bench; ‘we are never at a loss for company!’
1841. The Comic Almanack, 270. They are identified equally with the LUSH and the literature of the land; for he is prepared to contend that whatever has been great in literature is deducible from LUSH.
1841. LEVER, Charles O’Malley, xx. The Bursar of Trinity shall be a proverb for a good fellow that loveth his LUSH.
1843. W. T. MONCRIEFF, The Scamps of London, ii. 3. Dispose of your LUSH, and play out your game.
1851. H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, i. 25. ‘Cruickshank’s ‘Bottle’ was very much admired. I heard one man say it was very prime, and showed what LUSH did; but I saw the same man,’ added my informant, ‘drunk three hours afterwards.’
1892. HUME NISBET, The Bushranger’s Sweetheart, 201. Stand me a LUSH and go back again.
2. (common).—A drinking bout.
1891. Licensed Victuallers’ Gazette, 16 Jan. To have a supper and a good LUSH.
3. (Eton College).—A dainty.
Verb. (common).—1. To drink; and (2) to stand treat.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS. To barley-bree; to beer; to bend; to blink; to boose; to bub; to budge; to cover; to crack (or crush) a bottle (a quart, or cup); to crook; to crook (lift, or tip) the elbow (or little finger); to damp; to damp one’s mug; to dip; to dip one’s beak (or nose); to disguise oneself; to do a dram (or wet); to drown the shamrock; to flicker; to flush; to fuddle; to gargle; to give a bottle a black eye; to guttle; to guzzle; to go and see a man (or—of women—one’s pa); to grog; TO HAVE, or GET, or TAKE an ante-lunch, a little anti-abstinence, an appetiser, a ball, a bead, a bit of tape, a bosom friend, a bucket, a bumper, a big reposer, a chit-chat, a cheerer, a cinder, a cobbler, a corker, a cooler, some corn-juice, a damp, something damp, a damper, a dannie, a drain, a dram, a doch-an-dorroch, a digester, an eye-opener, an entr’acte, a fancy smile, a flash, a flip, a forenoon, a go, a hair of the dog that bit one, a heeltap, an invigorator, a Johnny, a jorum, a leaf of the old author, a morning rouser, a modicum, a nip, or nipperkin, a night cap, a nut, one’s medicine, a pistol shot, a pony, a pill, a quantum, a quencher, a refresher, a revelation, a rouser, a reposer, a smile, a swig, a sleeve-button, a something, a slight sensation, a shant, a shout, a sparkler, a settler, a shift, a stimulant, a sneaker, a snifter, a soother, a thimbleful, a tift, a taste, a toothful, a Timothy, a warmer, a willy-wacht; to huff; to irrigate; to knock about the bub; to lap; to lap the gutter; to liquor; to liquor up; to load in; to look thro’ a glass; to lower; to lug; to make fun; to malt; to moisten (or soak) the chaffer (clay, or lips); to mop; to mop-up; to mug; to peg; to potate; to prime oneself; to pull; to put (or drive) another nail in one’s coffin; to read the maker’s name; to revive; to rince; to rock; to save a life; to scamander; to shed a tear; to shake a cloth; to sherry-fog; to shift; to shout; to slosh; to sluice (or wet) the bolt, gob, or ivories; to soak; to splice the mainbrace; to squiff; to stab; to suck the monkey; to swill; to swig; to swipe; to swizzle; to take the pin out; to take a drop in the eye; to take in some O-be-joyful; to tiff; to tipple; to toddy; to wet; to wet one’s whistle; to wine.
FRENCH SYNONYMS. Absorber (familiar); s’affûter le sifflet (common); arroser ses galons (= to pay one’s footing); asphyxier (= nip); bidonner (= to swig: bidonner à la cambuse = to splice the mainbrace); bocker (popular); boire une chifferlinde (= to take a nip); se rincer le bocal (= to sluice one’s gob); boissonner (popular); se rafraîchir les barres (popular); buvailler (popular); chauffer le four (= to guzzle); se dessaler (specifically to take an EYE-OPENER); écoper (= to bale a boat); écraser une bouteille (= to crack a bottle: écraser un grain = to drink a dram); s’enflaneller (= to take a night-cap); s’éclairer le fanal (= to light-up); se machaber (popular); étouffer une mitrailleuse (popular: cf. boire un canon); se mouiller (RABELAIS); se rincer le moule à blagues (= to moisten the chaffer); étouffer, éreinter une, or éternuer sur, une negresse (= to crack a bottle); se passer quelque chose sous le nez (= to crook the elbow); s’humecter le pavillon (= to dip one’s flag: also pavillonner); s’en pousser dans le battant, le cornet, le fusil, etc. (common); s’humecter le pectoral (familiar); picter (cf. Gr. πιεῖν); pier (old); pitancher (popular); SE RINCER or SE GARGARISER l’avaloir, le bec, le bocal, la gargoine, la corne, la cornemuse, le cornet, la dalle, la dalle du cou, la dent, le fusil, le goulot, le gaviot, le sifflet, le tube, la trente-deuxième, la gargarousse (popular); fioler (familiar); flûter (popular); s’en fourrer dans le gilet (= to line one’s waistcoat); se rincer la gargoine (thieves’); se gargariser le rossignolet (= to gargle one’s nightingale); prendre un coup de gaz (common); se laver le gosier (popular); s’emplir le gilet (popular); sucer un glace (= to take an ice); glouglouter (popular); jouer du, or se rincer, le goulot (= to wash one’s throat); se graisser les roues (= to grease one’s wheels); siffler le guindal (common); pomper les huiles (huile = wine; huile blonde = beer); s’humecter les amygdales (popular); s’imbiber le jabot (popular); faire jambe de vin (old); se laver les yeux (= to take an eye-opener); se laver le tuyau (popular); licher (familiar = to swill); litronner (of wine only); renifler (popular); sabler (common = to shift); sécher (popular); se calfater le bec (common); se blinder (popular); se suiver; sucer (popular); siroter (common); soiffer (popular = to load in); s’en taper; téter; zinguer (= to drink at a bar).
GERMAN SYNONYMS. Ausschassjenen (Heb. schoso); bacheln (Fr. bocal; also pecheln and picheln); bafen (from Lat. bibere); schasjenen (Heb. schoso: also schaskenen); schöchem.
ITALIAN SYNONYMS. Tirar l’alzana; stibbiare; scabbiare; ventare; chiarire.
SPANISH SYNONYMS. Echar una limpia (= to take a peg); champurrar; churrupear: palabrar; remojar.
PORTUGUESE SYNONYM. Piar.
1819. J. H. VAUX, Memoirs, ii. p. 188, s.v. LUSH, to drink; speaking of a person who is drunk, they say, Alderman Lushington is concerned, or he has been voting for the Alderman.
1821. D. HAGGART, Life, 18. We had LUSHED the coachman so neatly that Barney was obliged to drive.
1830. BULWER-LYTTON, Paul Clifford, p. 47, ed. 1854. ‘Vy, I had been LUSHING heavy vet—’ ‘Till you grew light in the head, eh and fell into the kennel.’ ‘Yes.’
1837. DICKENS, Oliver Twist, xxvi. The richest sort you ever LUSHED.
1851–61. H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, i. 187. I was out of work two or three weeks, and I certainly LUSHED too much.
1864. B. HEMYNG, Eton School Days, viii. ‘Gents, will yer please to LUSH?’ inquired Bird’s-eye, with a suavity of manner peculiar to himself.
1888. J. RUNCIMAN, The Chequers, 80. Ain’t I LUSHED you?
1891. J. NEWMAN, Scamping Tricks, 94. I had a lot of militia chaps, and well paid and LUSHED them.
1892. MILLIKEN, ’Arry Ballads, p. 17. A workman well LUSHED shies his ’at for the Queen.
