chain n.
1. (US tramp) hobo slang.
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Ekalaka Eagle (MT) 18 July 2/2: Let us give a little talk in the ‘chain’ — the tramp word for this slang [...] Were you a member of a gang of tramps, you would be a ‘hobo,’ a ‘stiff’ or a ‘burly bum,’ the gang would be known as a ‘push’ or ‘outfit’. |
2. (US prison) a group of prisoners transported, or to be transported, together.
| Suicide Hill 24: ‘I heard a dream score the other day, from this guy on the Folsom chain’ [ibid] 44: ‘A guy at the County. Big blond guy on the Quentin chain’. |
3. (N.Z. prison) a group of inmates, whether friends or united by business dealings.
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 39/2: chain n. a group of friends or business associates in prison. |
4. see daisy chain n. (1)
In compounds
1. the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of London.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | DSUE (8th edn) 195/1: since ca. 1920. |
2. married men.
| DSUE (8th edn) 195/1: late C19–20. |
3. (US teen) a group of students walking to class.
| N.Y. Herald Trib. 28 Feb. 46/3: ‘Doing time’ is used for staying after school and the ‘chain gang’ refers to walking to class in groups. |
4. (US gay) a circle of three or more people, hetero- or homosexual, all linked physically in mutual sex acts.
| Queens’ Vernacular 59: an orgy of men; men linked anus-to-penis, anus-to-penis simultaneously [...] chain gang. |
(US) joint masturbation, often in competition, by a group of boys, poss. sitting in a circle; also as v.
| Americana Sexualis 15: Chain-jerk [...] n. Masculine group-masturbation in which several males lie adjacent to each other [..] Each individual grasps another’s penis [...] Post-war American neologism [...] v. To participate in masculine group-masturbation. | |
| No Laughing Matter 111: ‘Circle-jerks,’ ‘chain-jerks,’ or ‘pulling parties,’ in which all the boys masturbate together. |
see under lightning n.
(US) a waterfront bar or dancehall frequented by sailors.
| N.Y. Times 2 Aug. 3/8: The Fourth Ward Dance Houses. [...] Water street, the location of the chief of these ‘chain lockers’ as the sailors call them. |
(US tramp) a thief or pickpocket who specializes in taking watches.
| Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 49: Chain Man. – A thief or pickpocket specializing in watches. | |
| et al. DAUL 42/1: Chain-man. (Obsolete) Specialist in stealing watches and chains worn in vests. |
In phrases
1. (orig. Aus.) free, unrestrained or unrestricted.
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Truth (Sydney) 4 Feb. 1/7: Defence minister Reid [is] now on a politico-pleasure trip to England [...] It is a great thing to be a glorified linen-draper off the chain. | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 10 Feb. 14/2: ‘C.C.’ sends some slanders on the bush-teacher-off-the-chain: – Dear Bulletin. – Funnier even than those letters received by bush teachers which you print occasionally is it to listen to the bush pedagogue off duty. [Ibid.] 10 Mar. 15/1: It is doubtless true that when ‘off the string’ the bush teacher is apt to be careless in speech and everything else, and no wonder. [...] [Ibid.] 15/2: Re bush-teachers ‘off the chain’ [...]. [...] The small bush-school teacher has very few decently-educated people to mix with; so naturally, unless unusually mentally alert, he falls back into the vernacular out of school. [Ibid.] 8 Dec. 27/3: ‘And my dooty’s to see what them black chaps is up to. I left ’em in your charge, an’ you let ’em off the chain like this.’. | |
| Sport (Adelaide) 29 May 3/5: Was Bray off the chain again on Saturday night, Hilda, he seemed to be enjoying himself. | |
| Bride of Gospel Place 88: Renie: (to the company) I’m off the chain to-night. Master: Bill’ll be after you. | |
| Miss Pym Disposes (1957) 84: ‘Once they come back from the match they are free for the week-end. So they will be gay this Saturday. Off the chain’ . | |
| Jimmy Brockett 121: You sneak off the chain one night, brother, and I’ll find you the best seat in the house. | |
| Pagan Game (1969) 169: He always loved getting off the chain to go to the big game. | |
| ‘2 Live Is Here’ 🎵 I’m off the chain, I’m off the key. | |
| Source Aug. 93: In a club, it means, like, high energy, off the chain, buckwild. | |
| ‘Chain Heavy’ 🎵 I’m off the chain as soon as I hit the streets. |
2. (Aus./US) of people or circumstances, out of control, extreme; also attrib.
| Tell Morning This 21: He had known women to get off the chain for much less than a man pulling a gun on them,. | |
| mydogharriet.blogspot.com 2 Mar. 🌐 Shady-ass motherfucker is obviously throwed off, nutted up, and off the chain. The man is plain shot-out. | |
 | ‘Ain’t No Way Around It’ 🎵 We can be the best of friends, shawty, but you off the chain. | |
| On the Bro’d 11: [T]he shit that happened later is too off-the-chain not to spit at you. | |
| On the Bro’d 11: Carl Marcus and his off-the-chain double-fisted party vibe. |
3. excellent, very satisfying.
| ‘Sweet, Tight and Hella Stupid’ in S.F. University High School Update Mar.–Apr. 2: Ill – to be extremely pleasing (‘off the chain’; sick; tight) ‘ill’ means sort of awesome. | |
| mydogharriet.blogspot.com 23 Sept. 🌐 Maybe that is why she decided to go off the chain and doowop her crimeys choney. |