subs. (thieves’).—1. A detective; a police spy: also as verb. (or TO TURN SPLIT) = to inform; to NOSE; to SNITCH (q.v.): see NARK and cf. verb. sense 1.
2. (acrobats’).—In pl. = a sitting posture, the legs extended laterally on the ground. Whence WELL-SPLIT UP = long in limb; SPLIT-UP = a lanky fellow: see LAMP-POST.
1851–61. H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, II. 569. He taught me to put my leg round my neck, and I was just getting along nicely with the SPLITS when I left nim.
3. (common).—(a) A small bottle of ærated water; also as adv. = divided: e.g., ‘two Scotches and a soda (or small soda) SPLIT.’ (b) A half glass of spirits; a dram.’
Verb. (venery).—To copulate: see RIDE and cf. SPLIT-ARSE MECHANIC = a whore. Also BEARD-SPLITTER = a whoremaster; SPLIT-MUTTON = a woman; SPLIT-RUMP = the penis (URQUHART).
PHRASES.—TO MAKE ALL SPLIT = to make a disturbance or commotion; TO SPLIT ALONG (or GO LIKE SPLIT) = (1) to stride, to run quickly; and (2) to move or work with vigour; AT FULL SPLIT = as hard as may be; TO SPLIT ONE’S SIDES (or TO SPLIT) = to burst with laughter; TO SPLIT THE EARS = to deafen; TO SPLIT HAIRS = to cavil about trifles, to be over-nice in argument: hence HAIR-SPLITTER (or SPLITTER) = a PRECISIAN (q.v.), the reverse of LUMPER (q.v.); TO SPLIT ON A ROCK = to fail, to come to grief; TO SPLIT ON ONE (or TO SPLIT) = to betray confidence: see subs. 1; TO SPLIT FAIR = to tell the truth; TO SPLIT OUT (thieves’) = to separate; TO SPLIT WITH ONE = to quarrel; ‘SPLIT my windpipe!’ = ‘a foolish kind of a curse among the Beaux’ (B. E.).
1592. SHAKESPEARE, Midsummer Night’s Dream, i. 2. I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in, TO MAKE ALL SPLIT. Ibid. (1596), Hamlet, iii. 2. TO SPLIT THE EARS of the groundlings.
1609. BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, The Scornful Lady, ii. 3. Two roaring boys of Rome that MADE ALL SPLIT.
1611. MIDDLETON, The Roaring Girle, iv. 2 [DODSLEY, Old Plays (REED), vi. 89]. If I sail not with you both TILL ALL SPLIT, hang me up at the mainyard and duck me.
1612. CHAPMAN, The Widow’s Tears, i. 1 [DODSLEY, Old Plays (REED) vi. 153]. To prepare my next encounter, but in such a fashion as shall MAKE ALL SPLIT.
1693. CONGREVE, The Old Bachelor, ii. 2. Now I must speak; it will SPLIT A HAIR, by the Lord Harry.
1734. POPE, Satires, VI. 131. Each had a gravity would make you SPLIT.
1809. MALKIN, Gil Blas [ROUTLEDGE], 51. I was in danger more than once of SPLITTING MY SIDES with laughing. Ibid., 373. He laughed ready TO SPLIT HIS SIDES. Ibid., 56. They would not SPLIT A HAIR about the loss of a wife.
1826–29. HOOK, The Sutherlands, in Sayings and Doings. Don’t let Emmy know that we have SPLIT, else she’ll be savage with us.
1834. SEBA SMITH (‘Major Downing’), Jack Downing’s Letters, iii. 64. There was no end to the one hoss teams, haulin little carts, and goin LIKE SPLIT all over the city.
1837. R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends, ‘The Babes in the Wood.’
| While his man being caught in some fact, | |
| (The particular crime I’ve forgotten,) | |
| When he came to be hanged for the act | |
| SPLIT, and told the whole story to Cotton. |
1838. DICKENS, Oliver Twist, xxv. I might have got clear off if I’d SPLIT UPON her.
1844. W. T. THOMPSON, Major Jones’s Courtship, 22. I sot the niggers a drummin and fifin as hard as they could SPLIT rite afore the tavern dore.
1862. C. F. BROWNE (‘Artemus Ward’), Artemus Ward: His Book [Works (1870), 47]. You wood have SPLIT YOUR SIDES larfin to see the old man jump up.
1884. GREENWOOD, The True History of a Little Ragamuffin, xii. If I tell you all about it, will you promise that you won’t SPLIT?
1887. J. W. HORSLEY, Jottings from Jail, I. ‘There is a reeler over there which knows me; we had better SPLIT OUT’ (separate).
1888. A. L. GORDON, Poems, ‘Wolf and Hound.’
| We had run him for seven miles and more | |
| As hard as our nags could SPLIT. |
1897. OUIDA, The Massarenes, i. N-n-no. We won’t do that, Boo. Mummy’s a bad un TO SPLIT ON.
1899. R. WHITEING, No. 5 John Street, v. You see, if the baby farm was TO SPLIT ON Ikey, he might SPLIT ON the baby farm.
