Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US black) a telephone number (in the multiple exchanges of the major cities).

1983		R. Klein Jailhouse Jargon and Street Sl. [unpub. ms.].
2003		A.N. LeBlanc Random Family 303: He ask me for the 7 digits (my #).

(UK Und.) a sentence of seven years’ transportation; often in phr. stand sevenpence, to suffer such a sentence.

1821		Egan Life in London (1869) 266: My Lord, if I am to stand seven-pence, my Lord, I hope you’ll take it into your consideration, and not let me go without my ass!
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict. 29: Seven-pence – to stand; to suffer seven years transportation.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open [as cit. 1835].
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.

1. a sentence of seven years’ transportation.

1823		‘Jon Bee’ A Dict. of the Turf, The Ring, The Chase, etc.
1828		Globe (London) 21 Jan. 4/3: A constable [...] overheard one of them say [...] if they were sent to the assizes, they might be sure of getting seven-penn’orth, meaning seven years’ transportation.
1836		convict’s letter in Champion (Southport, Lancs) 27 Nov. 7/1: Our trade is a rattling one here [...] You must manage to do a small job and get sevenpennorth [Slang for seven years’ transportation] if you can.
1845		Hull Packet (Yorks) 17 Oct. 6/4: ‘Jack, I didn’t think you would have robbed me.’ Prisoner answered, ’Well, I’ve done it, and I suppose it will be seven pennorth for me—’ meaning [...] it would be seven years transportation.
[1848		Bell’s Life in Sydney 23 Dec. 3/1: She had been a matter of 14 pennorth in the colony].
1851		Chelmsford Chron. (Essex) 10 Jan. 3/4: The agreed that ‘they must stick to one tale, or they should get seven pennorth.’ [...] The Learned Recorder addressed Thurgood [and] sentenced him to seven years transportation.
1859		J. Lang Botany Bay n.p.: As drunkenness is not held as an excuse for felony, he got his seven-penn’orth.
1867		Leeds Times (Yorks) 9 Mar. 6/6: There is order among the convicts, I tell you [...] A man who has his seven penn’orth or his fourteen penn’orth [...] is only used by such men [i.e. those with a life sentence] as a ticket porter.
1869		Australasian (Melbourne) 17 July 8/5: [S]even years’ transportation is seven pennorth.
1873		Sl. Dict.

2. seven months in prison.

1838		‘Paul Pry’ Oddities of London Life I 58: Why you was tried last sessions at the Old Bailey, [...] for ‘starring a glaze,’ and got knocked down for seven-penn’orth.
1861		Melbourne Punch ‘City Police Court’ 3 Oct. 234/1: Prisoner.– Your honor, I’ve won the shiney rag, now, and mayhap shall get sevenpen’north, so Don’t be hard upon a cove as is in for patter.

3. seven years in prison.

1889–90

Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.

(S.Afr. gay) a person who is comfortable with taking both an active and passive role in anal intercourse.

2003

K. Cage Gayle 94/1: seven single n. person who is comfortable with being both active and passive in anal intercourse.

see under shit n.

(US) used as a general intensifier; see also relevant n., e.g. seven kinds of hell under hell n., seven kinds of shit under shit n.

1971

R.D. Pharr S.R.O. (1998) 64: They would run to [...] threaten him with bodily harm while calling him seven different kinds of motherfucker.

see under hell n.

the essence, a euph. for intensity in phrs. like kick seven shades out of.

2000		Guardian Weekend 3 June 5: She routinely scared seven shades out of every male journalist who crossed her path.
2000		P. Howard Miseducation of Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (2004) 130: The men all look like they want to kick seven shades out of us.

see seven kinds of shit under shit n.

see cit. 1796.

1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd edn) n.p.: Seven-sided Animal. A one-eyed man or woman, each having a right side and a left side, a fore side and a back side, an outside, an inside, and a blind side.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1796].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1881		Newcastle Courant 2 Sept. 6/5: I saw Peaching Bill about, and felt that the seven-sided animal had spotted me.

(US) a man or a woman with one eye, having a right side and a left side, a fore side and a backside, an outside, an inside and a blind side; thus as a term of abuse.

1942		Z.N. Hurston Dust Tracks On a Road (1995) 720: Starting off in first by calling you a seven-sided son-of-a-bitch, and pausing to name the sides, they proceed to ‘specify’ until the tip-top branch of your family tree has been ‘given a reading’.
1948		Z.N. Hurston Seraph on the Suwanee (1995) 899: You puking-drunk, seven-sided son of a so-and-so!

see seven kinds of shit under shit n.

see look seven ways for Sunday under look v.