Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. usu. in pl., an eye.

1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn).
1696		Granville She-Gallants I:1: Sir Toby. [S]he gave me such a Look, such sweet Ogles.
1705–07		N. Ward Hudibras Redivivus I:6 25: He rowl’d his Ogles with a Grace, / Becoming so a zealous Face.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: ogles Eyes.
1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict. 115: Eyes Ogles.
1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 43: Ogles; Eyes.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795).
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1819		‘One of the Fancy’ Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 22: One of GEORGY’S bright ogles was put / On the bankruptcy list, with it shop-windows shut.
1821		Egan Life in London (1869) 378: Peg, the ballad-singer [...] did not escape the roving eye of tom, upon her winking and leering her ogles at him.
c.1825		T. Jones ‘The True Bottom’d Boxer’ in Egan Bk of Sports (1832) 74/1: For the victualling office no favor he’ll ask it, / For smeller and ogles he feels just the same.
1833		‘A Chaunt by Slapped-up Kate & Dubber Daff’ in Swell!!! or, Slap-Up Chaunter 47: Her ogles are sharp as a swoddy’s rum dagger.
1841		Sun. Flash (NY) 19 Sept. n.p.: ‘Pitching into’ Miss Muggins, one of whose ogles she swiftly measured for a suit of mourning.
1843		W.L. Rede Our Village II ii: The idea of sailing without her brought salt water aboard my ogles.
1845		Bell’s Life in Sydney 6 Sept. 4/2: I’ve had my ogle smash’d for nix.
1857		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 13:33 11 Apr. 3/1: Some of these fly coppers in piping a place off should keep their ogles out of the sun.
1857		Argus (Melbourne) 30 Nov. 5/5: The report [...] is copiously garnished with the slang of the prize ring; the various features of the brutal combatants being designated ‘ogles,’ ‘probosces,’ ‘smellers,’ ‘kissing traps,’ ‘winkers,’ &c.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 38/1: I was obliged to watch for an opportunity to ‘collar’ his ‘ogle’ and telegraph what I could not speak.
1877		J. Diprose London Life 45: Look to your own ogles.
1880		Bulletin (Sydney) 19 June 3/2: Winking his dexter ogle at a certain vacant block.
1888		‘’Arry on Marriage’ Punch 29 Sept. 156/2: I should [...] / Yank on to one gal, a fair screamer, and yet kep my ogles about.
1889		Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA) 9 July 3/6: Prize Ring Slang [...] ‘goggles,’ ‘ogles,’ ‘peepers,’ ‘squinters,’ the eyes.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 54: Ogles, the eyes.
1903		(ref. to 1810s–50s) Bulletin (Sydney) 23 July 21/4: The eyes too – ‘dexter goggle,’ ‘damaged ogle,’ ‘sinister peeper,’ ‘left ogle,’ ‘left peeper.’.
1906		A.H. Lewis Confessions of a Detective 206: It’s no fun to see that paper go up, bang! right before your ogles.
1927		(con. 1835–40) P. Herring Bold Bendigo 5: ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if you came out of Jem Burn’s booth with an ogle to match the fogle.’ By which he meant an eye the colour of a dark blue belcher.
1962		R. Hauser Homosexual Society Appendix 3, 167: Ogles, eyes.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 143: ogles [...] eyes.
2003		(ref. to 1960s) Baker & Stanley Hello Sailor! 99: Shipmates might talk to each other in Polari about who was fanciable: their dolly eek (pretty face), bona riah (nice hair), fabulosa ogles (fantastic eyes) and shapely lallies (legs).
2019		P. Baker Fabulosa 295/2: ogle [...] 2. an eye.
2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 39: [B]urning my ogles with Surrealist paintings.

2. an amorous glance, a frankly sexual stare.

1697		Vanbrugh Relapse II i: There’s very few of them ever get farther than a Bow and an Ogle.
1704		S. Centlivre Gamester Act III: The charming Company of half a Dozen Ladies [...] to behold their languishing Ogles with their Eyes.
a.1719		J. Addison Fortune Hunter n.p.: When an heiress sees a man throwing particular graces into his ogle... she ought to look to herself [F&H].
1722		S. Centlivre Artifice Act V: I here dismiss all the Retinue of a formal Lover. Such as Vows, Ogles, Sighs, Drams.
1751		Fielding Amelia (1926) III 146: He immediately laid siege in form, setting himself down in a lodging directly opposite to her, from whence the battery of ogles began to play the very next morning.
1791		Bon Ton Mag. Mar. 15/2: The pleading perplexity which a pretty woman always throws her husband into by her amorous ogles.
c.1800		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Out At Last!’ Works (1801) V 132: Art thou a man who dost not care For oglings, squeezes of the Fair.
1818		Byron Beppo xvi: For glances beget ogles, ogles sighs.
1840		Thackeray Shabby Genteel Story (1853) 69: Mr. Fitch’s passion was fully developed – as far, that is, as sighs and ogles could give it utterance.
1848		Thackeray Vanity Fair I 314: ‘Don’t trifle with her affections, you Don Juan!’ ‘Get away,’ said Joe Desley, quite pleased, and leering up at the maid-servant in question with a most killing ogle.
1866		H.L. Williams Gay Life in N.Y. 92: ‘My what nice eyes you’ve got, ain’t you?’ said the fair waitress with an ogle and a leer.
1892		E.J. Milliken ’Arry Ballads 37: They ain’t in it with ogles and antics and ’ints.
1958		E. Dundy Dud Avocado (1960) 119: The Christmas Tree [...] then turned upon Rollo with an ogle of the most vehement lechery I have ever seen.
1984		Benjamin & Pearl Limericks Down Under 30: The little old town of Kyogle, / Under threat of a bogle, / Chose a handsome young stranger / To ward off the danger / By giving the bogle the ogle.

3. a scarf [the only cit. may be misprint for fogle n.]

1840		Carlisle Patriot 8 Feb. 4/1: What a time to get fogles, / Chains, purses and ogles.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 9/2: Crimson colored ‘ogle’ round the neck, a la Byron.