jaw v.1
1. to talk, to argue.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Tatler 26: I never Jaw above the First Act of a Play. | |
| Roderick Random (1979) 141: They jawed together fore and aft a good spell. | |
| Sir Launcelot Greaves II 9: An once we fall a-jawing, d’ye see, I can heave out as much bilge-water as another. | |
| Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 73: Whilst thus the noisy varlets chat, / And jaw about they know not what. | |
| ‘Diary of a Sporting Etonian’ in Sporting Mag. Dec. XV 111/1: Dame, jawed – spewed in her face. | |
| Sporting Mag. Sept. XXII 324/1: [He] replied, ‘He was ready to jaw him dead!’. | |
| ‘L.A.W — LAW!’ in London Songster 10: While the counsel loudly jaw, J,A,W — Jaw / Is a very great thing in the Law. | |
| ‘Chapter of Cheats’ in (1979) II 301: The first is the Lawyer to bother and jaw. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Clockmaker I 167: Don’t stand starin and jawin there all night. | |
| ‘The Dead Drummer’ in Ingoldsby Legends (1842) 200: One of us two has good reason for fear – / You to jaw about drummers, with nobody near us! | |
| Mrs. Cuddle’s Bed-Room Lectures (10–15) 6: Jawing away all night she keeps [...] She will at him jaw and roar and ball. | |
 | Orpheus C. Kerr I 75: Some kind friend would take the job of [...] finding my beloved wife in subjects to jaw about. | |
| Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 97/2: I [...] said no more, for I knew he would ‘jaw’ for a week if I answered back. | |
| Luck of Roaring Camp (1873) 15: There they was, just as free and sociable as anything you please, a jawin’ at each other just like two cherry-bums. | |
| Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday 8 May 7/2: [title] One day we was drinkin’ and jawin’ / Round Haggarty’s bar. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Robbery Under Arms (1922) 273: Dash it, man, what’s the use of us wasting time jawing here? | |
| Chimmie Fadden Explains 81: His Whiskers and Mr. Burton and Mr. Paul used t’ jaw and jaw so much bout politics. | |
| More Fables in Sl. (1960) 138: They Jawed back and forth and finally made a Bet. | |
| Boy’s Own Paper 16 Mar. 376: Gibbering, ‘jawing,’ and interchanging their opinions for all the world. | |
| [perf. Marie Lloyd] Sleep! Sleep! 🎵 It’s no good me a-jawing, the bounder’s always snoring. | |
| Lonely Plough (1931) 119: It’s no use my jawing; he won’t take anything from me. | |
| Amateur Army 38: Grease the paper along as quick as you know ’ow, and keep the picket jorin’ till I’m safe. | |
![[Ire]](/static/img/flags/ire.png "Ireland") | Ulysses 240: And they eating crumbs of the cottage fruit cake jawing the whole blooming time and sighing. | |
| Home to Harlem 166: Quit jawing with me, nigger waiter, or I’ll jab this heah ice-pick in you’ mouf. | |
| I Can Get It For You Wholesale 219: Twenty girls were jammed into the small space, dressing, undressing, smoking, and [...] jawing away at each other. | |
| ‘Feature Snatch!’ Dan Turner - Hollywood Detective Feb. 🌐 He and the cop went into a questions-and-answers act with the harried nephew [...] left them jawing there. | |
| Always Leave ’Em Dying 77: The rear of the stage where I’d jawed with the Guardians. | |
| Batman No. 251 3: C’mon ... Let’s jaw while I work out! | |
| (con. early 1950s) L.A. Confidential 395: He’d just jaw at me like I some kind of dog you talk to. | |
| (con. 1964–8) Cold Six Thousand 439: Let’s jaw first. We discuss the nigger problem, and I show you my correspondence file from the Missouri State Pen. | |
| (con. 1990s) in One of the Guys 113: ‘We go to the park and play basketball, come back here and sit, just chill all day jawing’. | |
| Pirate for Life 152: Moose jawing at [umpire] Kibler about his strike zone. | |
| Widespread Panic 204: Jack jaws on overdrive. He’s every [...] dirt-digger’s dream. |
2. to address censoriously or abusively, to scold or lecture.
| Sporting Mag. XXXVI. 262: He was then very abusive and noisy; he kept jawing us . | |
| Man o’ War’s Man (1843) 322: We have no meeting at present for hearing you and Turner jaw one another. | |
| Pierce Egan’s Life in London 26 June 174/1: They began, according to his account, to ‘jaw’ him, and then proceeded to blows and kicks. | |
| Peter Simple (1911) 66: I Have been jawed for letting you go. | |
| Carlisle Patriot 8 Feb. 4/1: They jaw‘d us so cruel, / And fixed us to gruel. | |
| High Life in N.Y. I 215: If you and marm want to jaw any body, haul our Sam over the coals. | |
| Widow Bedott Papers (1883) 9: He never jawed in all his life, / He never was onkind. | |
| Paved with Gold 283: I never saw such a woman [...] Jawed at me for half an hour, and then asked me to read a cussed ‘fakement’. | |
| Artemus Ward, His Book 115: Otheller jaws him a spell & then cuts a small hole in his stummick with his sword. | |
| Dagonet Ballads 36: Let them as jawed so save him; why, it was death to go! | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 14 Feb. 9/1: So, while Beatrix is jawing the robber chieftain into an early grave, her mercurial school-fellow, Manola, is turning Brasiero’s head with love, and doubling Miguel up with jealousy. | |
![[Scot]](/static/img/flags/sco.png "Scotland") | Dundee Courier 28 Apr. 3/6: A decently-dressed working man [...] stepped into the witness-box and said to the magistrate, ‘ I want to summons my wife [...] she is always jawing me.’ (Laughter). | |
| Mirror of Life 24 Feb. 3/1: [S]he ‘jawed’ him so much that he became a physical and mental wreck, and had to go to the Insane Asylum. | |
| Chimmie Fadden Explains 37: Miss Fannie said it was me what was de wicked mug, and den I near had a fit wid de Duchess jawin so. | |
| [perf. Gus Elen] ‘’e ’as my symperfy’ 🎵 I 'ates those agitating blokes wot jaws on politics / And talks abaht the poor man's wrongs and all those silly tricks. | |
| ‘Dads Wayback’ in Sun. Times (Sydney) 28 June 11/3: ‘[]hey relieves their feelins an’ has a good time jorin’ ther men’. | |
| Derby Dly Teleg. 6 Apr. 3/6: She was always jawing me and her mother jawed me too. She was always chipping me about being out of work. | |
| Maison De Shine 205: He was goin’ to git another before he beat it home, ’cause you’d jaw the life outa him anyway. | |
| Lighter Side of School Life 53: He didn’t jaw me, but said I could take an hour off school and go and telegraph home. | |
| Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1977) 181: The old man called him up and started jawing him about his conduct. | |
| Stand (1990) 175: You still jawing this poor boy? | |
| Pugilist at Rest 79: He came over to the corner and started jawing at me. |
3. (US) to yell.
| Life on the Mississippi (1914) 26: Whooping and jawing like Injuns. |
4. to tell, e.g., a lie.
| ‘My Sally’ in (1902) cxix: Else yer couldn’t jaw me sech fibs! |
In derivatives
1. an empty chatterer.
| Mr Sponge’s Sporting Tour 152: ‘I know a man who’s rayther s—s—s—sweet on the b—b—br—brown,’ observed Jack. [...] ’Is he a buyer or just a jawer?’. |
2. (Aus.) one who nags.
| Bulletin (Sydney) 4 Aug. 16/1: ‘Fancy not knowing that,’ hissed the informing husband between his clenched teeth. ‘It means a nagger, a jawer, a, a, what you are.’. |
In compounds
(US) to talk at length.
| Last Bridge 43: You do have shovels down there, don’t you, Lieutenant? Then God damn it, quit jaw-assing over this telephone and get your balls in gear [HDAS]. |
1. a lawyer.
| Vocabulum 46: Jaw coves. Auctioneers, lawyers. | |
| Aus. Sl. Dict. 39: Jaw Coves, lawyers. |
2. an auctioneer.
| Vocabulum 46: Jaw coves. Auctioneers, lawyers. | |
| Aus. Sl. Dict. 39: Jaw Coves, [...] auctioneers. |
a chatterer.
| , , | | Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. |
| Lex. Balatronicum. | |
| Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. |
(US) the mouth, the tongue, as used in talking; also attrib.
| Life on Board a Man-of-War 107: Belay that jaw tackle of yours, or else it may get you into a confounded scrape. | |
| Recollections of a Naval Life I 269: Clap a stopper upon your jaw tackle, and give me my money. | |
| Knickerbocker Aug. 166: ‘Clap a stopper on your jaw-tackle, youngster,’ says he. | |
| Jack Ashore 90: Poll, keep your distance just now, or stand clear;-—belay with your jaw tackle. Come, sit on my knee, Susan. Not a word, Poll. | |
| Mysteries and Miseries of N.Y. IV 95: We’ll have to clap a stopper on her jaw-tackle, or she’ll blow the gaff! | |
| (con. 1843) White-Jacket (1990) 239: ‘Clap a stopper on your jaw-tackle, will you?’ cried Ringbolt, the sailor on the other side of him. ‘You’ll be getting us all into darbies.’. | |
| Brave Old Salt 207: The cordial indorsement of the admiral was enough to silence all opposition, and to ‘put a stopper on the jaw-tackle of all croakers’. | |
| How They Met – Wops and his Wife 2/1: Jaw-tackle Jemmy [...] was the ship’s barber, used long words, had a smattering of languages. | |
| Southern Reporter 9 Nov. 4/4: Salute him, buillies, He’s the charley-pitcher for to handle this butter-box [...] Let Swallow man the jaw-tackle, boys. | |
| Coming Of Gabrielle 54: You pay out your jaw- tackle all right, young fellow, and them fine names come mighty easy off your tongue,. | |
| Boy’s Life Mar. 6/3: Jo slacks off his jaw tackle and calls ’em all the dirty names he ever learnt. |