Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. ‘melting butter in a wig’ (Grose, 1796) [presumably Grose’s own joke definition].

1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd edn).
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.

2. ‘a girl playing with a dead man’s penis’.

c.1786

Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Nonsense, a Girl playing with a dead man’s penis.

3. money.

1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 559: [? To dub up the possibles—To stand the nonsense—are nearly synonymous, and mean—will pay up any demand rather than be detained].
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict. 31: Stand the nonsense – pay the money, stand treat.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open [as cit. 1835].
1905		Exeter & Plymouth Gaz. 4 Feb. 5/6: Money in general is known as: The Actual, Coliander Seeds, [...] Hard, John Davis, King’s Pictures, [...] Nonsense, Oil of Angels, [...] Rowdy.

4. a fiasco, a farce.

1943		in P. Cheyney Stars Are Dark [DSUE].
1984		Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 801: since ca. 1938.