Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und.) the head.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 82: Nab a head.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching n.p.: Now I tower that bene bouse makes nase nabes.
1608		Dekker Belman of London (3rd) J3: [as cit. 1592].
1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle V i: O I wud lib all the lightmans [...] And couch till a palliard docked my dell, / So my bousy nab might skew rom-bouse well.
1637		Dekker ‘Why the Staff is called a Filch’ in Eng. Villainies (8th edn) M3: Every one of them carries a short staffe [...] which is called a Filch, having in the Nab or head of it, a Ferme (that is to say a hole).
1648		Dekker Canters Dict. Eng. Villainies (9th edn).
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 47: We use [...] Nab, a Head.
1674		‘The Beggars Curse’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 14: [as cit. 1592].
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Nab, head.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Nab or Head.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit.
1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 208: Nab [...] head .
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict.
c.1750–1882		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.
1795		Sporting Mag. May VI 114/2: Nunky pays for we footmen; I’ll, sport a spruce nab.
1835		Metropolitan Mag. XIV Sept. 334: May I [...] be smothered if I had not sent a bit of blue pigeon through his nabs.

2. (UK Und.) the head of a stick or penis.

1612

Dekker Canting Song O per se O O3: This cuffin, getting glimmer I’ th’ prat, so cleymed his jockey, The nab was queer, the bube him nipped, His quaroms all was pocky.

3. (UK Und.) a hat.

1608		Dekker Lanthorne and Candle-Light Ch. 1: The Ruffin cly the nab of the Harman beck.
1622		J. Fletcher ‘Maunder’s Initiation’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 19: Cast your nabs and cares away, / This is maunder’s holiday.
1661		‘Peter Aretine’ Strange Newes 3: Wand. Wh—. I have [...] pickt up many a Dick, and gull’d many a Cully of his Nab, tipt his bung, and sent his Callee to Egypt.
1673		Head Canting Academy 33: Cast our Nabs and Cares away, This is beggars Holiday.
1688		T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia II ii: Here’s a nab! you never saw such a one in your life.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Nab c. a Hat, Cap [...] I’ll Nab ye, c. I’ll have your Hat or Cap. Nim the Nab, c. to Steal the Hat or Cap.
1706		Farquhar Recruiting Officer II iii: I’se keep on my nab.
1719		A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) III 595: Nim the Nab. That is steal a man’s hat off his head.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: I have Clickt the Nab from the Cull; I whipt the Hat from the Man’s Head.
1743		Fielding Life of Jonathan Wild (1784) II 176: Those who preferred the Nab, or trencher-hat with the brim flapping over their eyes.
1754		G. Stevens ‘A Cant Song’ Muses Delight 177: As I derick’d along to doss on my kin / Young Molly the fro-file I touted, / She’d nail’d a rum codger of tilter and nab, / But in filing his tatler was routed.
1774		J. O’Keeffe Tony Lumpkin in Town (1780) 9: If he wants a coat cut in the kick, who can shew him? I – A tasty nab? Why Tim.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
a.1790		C. Dibdin ‘Jack in his Element’ in Collection of Songs II 63: Pray how d’ye like my nib, / My trowsers wide, my trampers rum, / My nab, and flowing jib.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.

4. (UK Und.) a coxcomb, a fop.

c.1698

B.E. Dict.of the Canting Crew.

5. (UK Und.) an important person.

1821–6

‘Bill Truck’ Man o’ War’s Man (1843) 308: The nabs being under way, why, I thought it was my turn to spout a little.

6. (Irish) the devil.

1997

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7. (Irish) the joker (cards).

1997

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