Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. the vagina.

1956		‘Eskimo Nell’ in ‘Count P. Vicarion’ Bawdy Ballads XIV: She shed her garments one by one [...] Till at last she stood in her womanhood, and they saw the great divide.
1980		Maledicta IV:2 (Winter) 185: The Great Divide (occurs in the well-known poem ‘Eskimo Nell.’ It also refers to the cleavage [an Australian use from the mountain range], especially a neckline of the Biblical type – Lo and behold – when her dumplings are boiling over).

2. (Aus.) the cleavage between a woman’s breasts.

1980

see sense 1.

(Irish) something, or someone, extremely enjoyable.

1939		‘Flann O’Brien’ At Swim-Two-Birds 79: It was good gas all right.
c.1940–5		‘Myles na gCopaleen’ Best of Myles (1968) 48: It would be great gas to prove the brother wrong for once.
1955		J.P. Donleavy Ginger Man (1958) 175: He’s good gas.
1958		(con. 1940s) B. Behan Borstal Boy 198: Someone was imitating my accent, and getting great gas out of it.
1965		L. Dunne Goodbye to The Hill (1966) 16: It was great gas, with me imagining that I was Roy Rogers on Trigger, galloping after the outlaws.
1973		H. Leonard Da (1981) Act I: Your old fellow is great gas.
1987		(con. 1930s) L. Redmond Emerald Square 298: The Barn was great gas then, there was always something going on.
1990		R. Doyle Snapper 149: He was dying to go and watch a bit of the American Wrestling [...] it was great gas.
1999		D. Healy Sudden Times 142: Oh dearie, dearie me, he said, but you’re great gas.
2009		C. Toibin Brooklyn (2015) 36: ‘It’s great gas. You’d enjoy it’.

see grand-daddy n.

the workhouse.

1861

(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 394/1: ‘But anything’s better than the house. I’ll live on 4d. a day, and pay rent and all, and starve half my time, rather nor the great house’ (Union).

(UK Und.) an overcoat.

1703		Hell Upon Earth 5: Great Joseph, a Stout Coat.
1708		J. Hall Memoirs (1714) 12: Great Joseph, a Stout Coat.
c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Great Joseph. A sourtout.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn) .
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

see high muck-a-muck n.

see big pot n.

see under shake n.¹

see great shakes under shake n.¹

see Big Stoush n.

(drugs) opium.

1953		Anslinger & Tompkins Traffic In Narcotics 309: great tobacco. Opium.
1977		S.N. Pradhan Drug Abuse.
2001		ONDCP Street Terms 11: Great tobacco — Opium.

see big boss, the n.

see separate entry.