Green’s Dictionary of Slang

to speak; thus crack some queer whids, to speak badly, to use coarse expressions.

1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 234: crack a whid: to speak or utter: as, he crack’d some queer whids, he dropt some bad or ugly expressions: crack a whid for me, intercede, or put in a word for me.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 59: ‘To crack a whid,’ to give a prisoner a character — good.
1830		W.T. Moncrieff Heart of London II i: A word in your ear Stone; let me just crack a private whid to you.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 50: Your doss gorger cracked a wid about you to me, and said she must give you the shoot. [Ibid.] 66: Oh! thunder me flat! mangle my brain box! if I’m cracking a cross whid.
1850		Man of Pleasure’s Illus. Pocket-book n.p.: Mother Willit, of Gerrard Street, who could turn out forty dress mots; and, to crack her own wids, ‘So help her kidnies, she al’us turned her gals out with a clean a—e and a good tog’.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 192/1: And then ‘crack a wid,’ as we say, that is, tell an anecdote.
1876		C. Hindley Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack 254: The ‘whids’ we used to crack over them were – Observe, there is enough stuff in the fore part of this waistcoat to make a bull a bedgown.
1894		(ref. to early 19C) ‘Price Warung’ Tales of the Early Days 274: [note] ‘Crack a whid in prime twig’ — Making a speech in a stylish or masterly manner.

to be quiet.

1823

‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase.

(UK Und.) to be quiet, to stop talking, to be careful.

1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 43: Stow your whids & plant, and whid no more of that.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 52: Stow your whids, Be wary.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn).
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit n.p.: Stow the Whids To speak cunningly.
1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 209: Stow your Whids, that’s to be wary.
1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict. 115: Say little or nothing, for the Man of the House can understand you, or his Wife, or his Child Stow your Whids and plant them; the Cove of the Ken can cant ’em; if the Cove can’t, the Mort can; if the Mort can’t, the Kinchen can.
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict. 15: Be careful of what you say – Sto the whids and plant ’em.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Stow your whidds and plant ’em, for the cove of the ken can cant ’em; you have said enough, the man of the house understands you.
a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795).
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1828		Sussex Advertiser 14 Apr. 4/3: Our friend was completely ‘stow whidded’ and cut his stick.
1833		‘The Slap-Up Cracksman’ in Swell!!! or, Slap-Up Chaunter 42: Coves that have as cracksmen plied, / Coves that have by beaks been tried [...] Hush and stow your whid.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1859		‘Scene in a London Flash-Panny’ Matsell Vocabulum 99: ‘Why, you joskin,’ retorted Jim; ‘if you don’t stow your whids I’ll put your bowsprit in parenthesis.’.
1861		Vanity Fair (N.Y.) 9 Nov. 216: BEAUREGARD. Then I’ll stow my wid, / Button my bone-box and do as FLOYD did.

(UK Und.) to be quiet, to stop talking.

1830		Lytton Paul Clifford II 113: Stubble your whids, / You wants to trick I.
1854		Delhi Sketch Bk 1 Oct. 127/1: ‘Stabble your whids,’ said Augustus.