Green’s Dictionary of Slang

see also under relevant n. or adj.

(Aus.) to be full of opinions and predictions, after the event.

1900–10		Stephens & O’Brien Materials for a Dict. of Aus. Sl. [unpub. ms.] 47: COMING THE AFTERGAME: sporting slang: – to make an assertion of the ‘didn’t I tell you so’ or ‘I knew it’ kind after the conclusion of any event. Also – expressing repentance after losing money and swearing never to bet again.
1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.

to hoax, to deceive.

1841		New Sporting Mag. Mar. 218: then comes the doubt as to whether the Derby winner will follow the example of so many predecessors, and fail to come the artful dodge over ‘Canny Yorkshire’.
1844		Devizes & Wilts. Gaz. 25 Jan. 3/5: It enabled some of the ‘prads’ [...] to come the ‘artful’.
1846		Hereford Jrnl 21 Oct. 3/7: [The bull] made a desperate charge at his mounted enemy, who tried [...] to come the artful dodge by manoeuvring about among the trees.
1853		Naturalist III 239: These moths it generally caught on the wing, but should one chance to ‘come the artful dodge,’ and endeavour to baffle the intentions of its pursuer, by dropping amongst the herbage, it would be down upon it in a moment.
1875		G. Rose Mrs. Brown on the Skating Rink 136: Oh! he come the artful dodge more than once, ritin’ letters, a-sayin’ as he were a-dyin’, and a-goin’ to prisin and all like that.

see big-note v.

see under bludger n.

1. (US) to doublecross.

1836		N.Y. Times 3 Sept. 2/5: She is a smart woman, but [...] not smart enough to come the double over him.
1868		H.L. Williams Black-Eyed Beauty 13: I think you’re coming the double over me, Bill [...] You must have got more than sixteen dollars for that watch!
1924		C.J. Dennis ‘A Holy War’ Rose of Spadgers 43: A crooked crook is Spike amongst the crooks, / A rat, ’oo’d come the double on ’is friends.
1968		S. Gore Holy Smoke 51: ‘Oh yeah!’ He says. ‘Comin’ th’ double, eh?’.

2. (Aus.) to take more than one’s fair share.

1915		C.E.W. Bean Anzac Book 47/2: So ’e gets ’is grub after all, but ’e couldn’t come the double no more after that.
1919		W.H. Downing Digger Dialects 17: come the double — Demand one’s dues after having already received them.
1925		(con. WWI) Fraser & Gibbons Soldier and Sailor Words 62: Come The Double, To: To take more than one’s share.

(Aus.) to make a fuss, to burst into tears.

1874

M. Clarke Term of His Natural Life (1897) 38: Wot’s wrong with yer? Don’t come the drops ’ere.

see come the nob under nob n.²

to pose as a member of a superior class to that to which one actually belongs.

1984

Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 243/2: from ca. 1860.

(UK und.) to pretend to piety and reform.

1862

Morn. Post (London) 18 Dec. 3/3: ‘Come the holy blues’ affect pious penitence.

(US) to fool, ‘bamboozle’.

1842

Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 3 Dec. n.p.: ‘You can’t come the load over me, love,’ as the dog said to the carman.

(orig. milit.) to bluff, to ‘try it on’.

1937–84		Partridge DSUE.
1947		J. Maclaren-Ross Of Love And Hunger 103: They’re all right so long’s you don’t let ’em come the old bag. One o’ mine’d been getting me nothing but duds all week.

to act in a lazy manner, to shirk one’s duties.

1925

(con. WWI) Fraser & Gibbons Soldier and Sailor Words 61: Come The Old Man [...] To attempt to shirk anything. To try to bluff someone.

to deceive another for one’s own benefit, esp. to avoid an unpleasant task.

1713		C. Shadwell Humours of the Army Act III: The Devil a Farthing he owes me – but however, I’ll put the old soldier upon him.
1788		Thrale Thraliana i 1 Aug. 719: I have been reading lately De Foe’s Acct of the Plague & there is an Interesting Story in it of three Men who escaped—one of them, apparently the Hero of ye Tale, is an Old Soldier; & has many stratagems on Foot always. Quere whether this is not the Character alluded to in the vulgar Saying I played ye old soldier upon him & c .
1824		W. Scott St Ronan’s Well (1833) 195: Curse me but I should think he was coming the old soldier over me, and keeping up his game.
1844		West Kent Guardian 23 Nov. 6/2: I suppose he thought as I was an Irishman he could come the old soldier over me.
1844		New Sprees of London 22: In one part you may behold a number of vagrants that have probably excited your commiseration in the streets, by [...] shamming fits, coming the old sailor, pitching the Spitalfields weaver, or the tradesman out of work!
1849		Bell’s Life in Sydney 30 June 3/2: Mr. Gilligan, your female friend has come the old soldier over you.
1850		(con. 1843) Melville White-Jacket (1990) 122: When it was my quarter-watch on deck, and not in the top, and others went skulking and ‘sogering’ about the decks, secure from detection [...] my own hapless jacket forever proclaimed the name of its wearer.
1855		(con. 1850) Fights for the Championship 222: He was evidently playing the old soldier and reserving his strength.
1861		T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxford (1880) 369: You needn’t try to come the old soldier over me. I’m not quite such a fool.
1877		Five Years’ Penal Servitude 167: Just try to [...] play the old soldier with him and there was no man in Dartmoor Prison more up to every move than the old Marine.
1877		J. Greenwood Dick Temple II 247: If you and your two friends think of coming what is vulgarly called the old soldier over me [etc.].
1885		Daily News 3 Mar. in Ware (1909) 87/1: A great amount of imposture was practised by means of the ‘old soldier’ dodge upon the Duke of Wellington during the latter part of his life. To ‘come the old soldier’ is in some quarters still a familiar expression signifying the practice of an artful trick, and the ‘old soldiers’ after Waterloo were so numerous and so pestered the Duke of Wellington that he was fain to hand over all applications for alms to the Old Mendicity Society.
[1887		G. Davis Recoll. Sea-Wanderer 74: Mr. Williams was very much discontented at the way in which the captain was 'sogering' below, putting upon his officer's shoulders double duty and the entire responsibility of the voyage].
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 78: Soldier, [...] to manage with stratagem.
1896		‘Frederick Benton Williams’ (H.E. Hamblen) On Many Seas 309: The mate jumped on me for sojering in the halyards.
1899		‘Pot’ & ‘Swears’ Scarlet City 351: Don’t you ever try and come the old soldier over me.
1899		F. Norris McTeague (1958) 323: You soldiered me out of that money once, and played me for a sucker, an’ it’s my turn now.
1902		C.L. Cullen More Ex-Tank Tales 164: The horse soldiered on me something scandalous, so that I was generally about fifteen minutes late.
1904		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 3 Aug. 6/3: Jeffries training and trying to get into condition and Jeffries soldiering and trying to kill a match are two different personages.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 87/1: Come the old soldier over, To (Peoples’). Cajolery, pretended poverty, specious lying statement. ‘Don’t come the old soldier over me’ -from fraudulent uniformed beggars after Waterloo.
1911		S. Ford Torchy 118: When I’ve been soldierin’, and try to run in a stiff bluff instead of the real goods, he looks as disappointed as if I’d done something real low down.
1913		H.A. Franck Zone Policeman 88 268: Then there was Bridgley, who had also once displayed his svelte form in a Z. P. uniform to admiring tourists, but was now a pursuer of ‘soldiering’ Hindus on Naos Island.
1915		Lichfield Mercury 4 May 5/2: When a man attempts to take undue advantage over another he is said to be ‘coming the old soldier’.
1925		(con. WWI) Fraser & Gibbons Soldier and Sailor Words 61: Come The Old Soldier [...] To attempt to shirk anything. To try to bluff someone.
1927		W. Edge Main Stem 90: He soldiered on the job, leaving to Slim and me nearly the entire burden of the heavy rods.
1930		W.R. Burnett Iron Man 105: You been soldiering on me, Coke.
1935		G. Ingram Cockney Cavalcade 282: You can’t come the ‘old soldier’ with me. I know you too well.
1940		C. Rawson Headless Lady (1987) 17: But no soldiering, understand. If you cross me up -.
1952		W.R. Burnett Little Men, Big World 97: They’d take your money and then soldier on the job.
1957		G. Kersh Fowlers End (2001) 97: This is our new manager, Mr. Laverock. Look at ’im, and ask yourself is this the kind of person to come the old soldier with.
1968		Haisman & Lincoln ‘The Web of Fear’ in Dr Who [TV script] Scene xiii: Don’t try to come the old soldier with me, lad!
1977		D. Powis Signs of Crime 204: Tin soldier (a) To be impertinent or obstructive, as in ‘don’t come the old tin soldier with me!’.
1984		(con. WW2) T. Jones Heart of Oak [ebook] Now I knew what Tansy and Bert meant when they described somebody who worked shoddily or slowly as ‘a blinking soldier’ or as ‘coming the old soldier’.
2005		posting at www.bbc.co.uk 3 Mar. 🌐 Now now lad dont come the old soldier, you can be excused cleaning my boots for two weeks send Ron in to do it.

to hoodwink, to deceive.

c.1905

J. Furphy Rigby’s Romance (1921) Ch. viii: 🌐 ‘Rats!’ says Parryo [i.e. Pharaoh] . ‘Gorstruth!’ says he, ‘did you think you’d come Paddy over me? Won’t wash no (adj.) road.’.

to pretend to be ill or even dead.

1862

E. Kirby Among Pines 189: He seems well enough, sir; I believe he’s coming the possum over mother [DA].

(Aus.) to act resentfully or unpleasantly, to be rude.

1942		Salt: Army Education Jrnl 25 May 8: Don’t come the raw prawn, don’t try to put one over me .
1948		S.L. Elliott Rusty Bugles I i: He’d better not come the raw prawn on us.
1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 328: Coupla bastards come the raw prawn over me on the last lap up from Melbourne and I done me last bob at Swy.
1963–74		B. Humphries Barry McKenzie [comic strip] in Complete Barry McKenzie (1988) 22: Don’t you come the raw prawn with me neither mate or I’ll flatten you.
1964		B. Hesling Dinkumization or Depommification 48: I’m not coming the raw pommie over you.
1973		J. Murray Larrikins 30: Don’t come the raw prawn with me.
1980		H. Lunn Behind Banana Curtain 43: [Ch. title] Copping the Raw prawn.
1986		R. Beckett Dinkum Aussie Dict. 43: Raw Prawn: If someone ‘comes the raw prawn’, one has behaved in an extremely offensive fashion, hence, ‘Don’t come the bloody raw prawn with me, mate.’.
1993		K. Lette Foetal Attraction (1994) 123: I’m sick of you coming the raw prawn.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 50: come the uncooked crustacean Cause trouble, often by attempting to dupe. A variant on popular Australian phrase ‘come the raw prawn’. Often negative use, don’t come the uncooked crustacean, meaning don’t try to fool me. ANZ.
2004		Guardian 10 July 3: Don’t come the raw prawn with me.

(US campus) to defeat by trickery.

1856		Times 23 Jan. 2/1: A well known merchant on J street was yesterday charged by a teamster with coming ‘roots’ [of all evil!] over him to amount of $30 [DA].
1871		L.H. Bagg Four Years at Yale 46: Roots, tricks. Used only in the phrase, to ‘come the roots over’ a person, that is, to get the better of him by some trick or deceit.
1916		H.L. Wilson Somewhere in Red Gap 327: Some silly game he tried to come the roots over folks with.

to pretend to great wealth.

1905		Farmer & Henley Dict. Sl. 111/2: To come the Rothschild, to pretend to be rich.
1937–84		Partridge DSUE (1984) 244/1: ca. 1880–1914.
1974		J. Gardner Return of Moriarty 57: A relatively young whore, Mary Jane Kelly, who sometimes came the Rothschild about her past, calling herself Marie Jeannette Kelly.

1. to deceive, to bluff.

1905		Aus. Town and Country Jrnl 3 May 16: The most curious slang in the world is that of South Africa. If anyone tries to impose on him , or play him a trick, he is trying to ‘come the tin man’ and will be told to ‘voetsak’.
1984		Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 244/1: C.20.

2. to make oneself a nuisance.

1984

Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 244/1: C.20.

see come the old soldier

of a prostitute, to pretend to be suffering from phthisis or pulmonary consumption.

1937–84

Partridge DSUE (1984) 244/1: C.19 † by 1891.

to make threats, to menace.

1937–84

Partridge DSUE (1984) 244/1: from ca. 1870.

see come the raw prawn