Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und.) to change the markings on a stolen watch to facilitate its resale; esp. as christen a yack.

1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 30: We jostle him up, and one knocks his Kelp off, and while he lifts his Hand up, his Loag is napp’d, and after the Gaff it is christened and fenced.
1781		G. Parker View of Society II 74: This alteration is called Christening, and the watch thus transformed faces the world without fear of detection.
c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Christening erasing the name of the true maker from a Stolen Watch & engraving a ficttious one in its place.
1795		Sporting Mag. Nov. VII 81/1: The old family watch-cases were [...] made into a brown gravy, and the guts are new-christened, and on their voyage to Holland.
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 232: christen: obliterating the name and number on the movement of a stolen watch; or the crest, cipher, &c., on articles of plate, and getting others engraved, so as to prevent their being identified, is termed having them bishop’d or christen’d.
1839		H. Brandon Dict. of the Flash or Cant Lang. 162/1: To Christen a Yack – to alter the maker’s name in a yack.
1847		G.M.W. Reynolds Mysteries of London III 66/1: Tim sent the yack to church and christen.
1857		J. Archbold Magistrate’s Assistant (3rd edn) 444: To alter the maker’s name in a watch – to christen a yack.
c.1863		gloss. in Occurence Book of York River Lockup in Seal (1999) 37: Tell swag chovey bloke to christen the yacks quick.
1869		J. Greenwood Seven Curses of London 87: To erase the original name or number from a stolen watch, and substitute one that is fictitious – christening Jack.
1872		Standard ‘Middlesex Sessions Report’ n.p.: He mixed up with watch thieves and housebreakers, and the tools found in his possession he used for christening stolen watches and putting new bows to them [F&H].
1874		Derbyshire Courier 7 Nov. 8/1: Cant language [...] To alter the maker’s name in a watch — to christen a yack.
1881		Trumble Sl. Dict. (1890).
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 2: Christen a Yack - To alter maker’s name in a watch, to escape detection.
1889		Clarkson & Richardson Police! 322: Changing names and numbers on watches ... Re-christening thimbles.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 17: Christening a Yack, altering the name or number in a stolen watch.
1901		J. Caminada Twenty-Five Years of Detective Life II 116: I have come for those two watches he has given you to re-christen.
1904		Sun (NY) 10 July 29/4: Here is a genuine letter written in thieves’ slang, recently found by the English police [...] We must get a thimble fakir to christen and church the red jacks.

2. to water down wine or spirits; thus christened, adulterated.

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Baptized, or christened. Rum, brandy, or any other spirits, that have been lowered with water.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1824		W. Scott Redgauntlet Letter xiii: We’ll christen him with the brewer (here he added a little small beer to his beverage) [F&H].

3. to carry out a practical joke in which a chamberpot is emptied over someone’s head.

1937–84

Partridge DSUE (1984) 215/1: from ca. 1870.

4. to mark or otherwise damage, esp. of a dog that reveals its lack of house-training.

1963–74

B. Humphries Barry McKenzie [comic strip] in Complete Barry McKenzie (1988) 25: I’ll christen the sheets, so help me!

5. to use for the first time.

1938		J. O’Hara Hope of Heaven 129: ‘I want to stay in your nice new house [...] I’d like to christen every room in the house’.
1959		E. De Roo Go, Man, Go! 108: We got a greenie on route 11. You better christen him.
1972		R.A. Wilson Playboy’s Book of Forbidden Words 66: ‘She’ll christen his yak for him,’ which means that she will introduce the male to his first intercourse.
2001		OnLine Dict. of Playground Sl. 🌐 christening n. The ceremony of having people kick the crap out of your new shoes – particularly bad if Dr Marten shoes – seen as a token of hardness.

6. to hit over the head.

1935		R.L. Bellem ‘Beyond Justice’ in Spicy Detective Stories Nov. 🌐 Tony Bogard picked up a bottle from the table in the middle of the room and christened me with it.
1945		R.L. Bellem ‘Coffin for a Coward’ in Hollywood Detective Dec. 🌐 The very things Janet Moore had called him in Plyman’s when she christened him with a jigger of joy-water.