dine, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

dine v.

SE in slang uses

In phrases

dine at the downstairs restaurant (v.)

to have homosexual oral intercourse.

2000

Guardian G2 16 Feb. 22: I’m an uphill gardener! I dine at the downstairs restaurant!

dine at the Y (v.) [play on eat v. (4); Y = the conjunction of the thighs, plus a pun on the YMCA/YWCA]

(orig. US) to perform cunnilingus.

1963–74		B. Humphries Barry McKenzie [comic strip] in Complete Barry McKenzie (1988) 74: I dunno about you, Suke, but I feel like dinin’ at the Y.
1997		Solar Project ‘Zeitgest’ 🎵 You sit on my face, I dine at your Y / Blow job, gob job, sixty-eight / You feed your face and eat my meat / My fist into your Dead End Street.
2000		‘Be A Cunning Linguist’ in Maxim Feb. 🌐 Dine at the Y: Despite the dinners men bought her, Jen preferred to dine at the Y.

dine in (v.)

(US gay) to invite someone home for sex (as opposed to picking up a partner for alfresco coupling).

1972

B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 62: dine in to entertain sexually at home ‘Too rainy to go out and cruise? Call a model and dine in tonight.’.

dine out (v.)

1. to go without a meal.

1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 3: Dine Out - To go without dinner, as among the better classes to ‘dine with Duke Humphrey’.
1888		All the Year Round 9 June 542: To ‘dine with Duke Humphrey,’ or, as it is now sometimes more shortly phrased, to ‘dine out,’ in both cases meaning not to dine at all [F&H].

2. (US gay) to pick up a partner for alfresco coupling, rather than taking someone home.

1972

B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 62: dine out opposite of dine in, to dawdle or cruise around a park in search of sexual sustenance.

dine with Duke Humphrey (v.) (also drink a health to Duke Humphrey, feed with Duke Humphrey, sup...) [Duke Humphrey’s Walk at Old St Paul’s Cathedral. The real Duke Humphrey of Gloucester was actually buried in St Albans, but a statue of Sir John Beauchamp, which stood in one of the cathedral aisles, was popularly supposed to be the duke; thus to dine with Duke Humphrey meant to frequent this aisle, in the hope, often vain, of being invited to dinner. The Scottish equivalent was dine with St Giles and the Earl of Murray ; the earl was buried in St Giles’ Church; note, however, Fuller’s alternative def. in cit. 1655; Lambs Conduit, in cit. a.1704 was the site of a public pump]

to go without one’s meal.

1592		Greene Disputation Betweene a Hee and a Shee Conny-Catcher (1923) 38: [They] crye out when they dine with Duke Humfrey, Oh what wickednes comes from whoores.
1608		Pennyless Parliament of Thread-bare Poets 32: And if I prove not that a Mince-pie is the better Weapon, let me dine twice a Week at Duke Humphrey’s table.
1616		W. Haughton English-Men For My Money D3: I haue been told, that Duke Humfrie dwelles here, and that he keepes open house.
1628		R. Hayman ‘Quidlibets’ in Ebsworth Choyce Drollery (1876) 366: For often with Duke Humfray thou dost dine, / And often with Sir Thomas Gresham sup.
1633		Rowley Match at Midnight II i: Are they none of Duke Humfreyes furies, doe you thinke, that they devis’d this plot in Pauls to get a dinner?
1641		H. Peacham Worth of a Penny (1687) 16: A long Dinner with Duke Humphrey.
1655		Fuller Hist. of Cambridge Viii 161: [As he was] loath to pin himself on any Table uninvited, he was fain to dine with the chaire of Duke Humphrey.
c.1662		‘Honest Tradesman’s Honour Vindicated’ Third Satire against the Jesuits in Ebsworth Roxburghe Ballads (1893) VII:1 38: You work and sing all care away, and drink ale, beer, and wine, / Whil’st Gentlemen do now and then with great Duke Humphrey dine.
1670		J. Ray Proverbs 172: To dine with Duke Humphrey. That is, to fast.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
a.1704		N. Ward ‘The Infallible Predictor’ Writings (1704) 355: Weavers [...] will be glad to make many a Meal of Cucumbers this Summer, or else go to Lambs-Conduit and drink a Health to Duke Humphrey.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy V 269: Item. I give them leave to Pine, / [...] / And with Duke Humphrey for to Dine.
1748		Smollett Roderick Random (1979) 334: When we arrived at our dining-place, we found all the eatables in the inn bespoke by a certain nobleman [...]; and in all likelihood my mistress and her mother must have dined with Duke Humphrey, had I not [...] bribed the landlord with a glass of wine to curtail his lordship’s entertainment a couple of fowls and some bacon, which I sent with my compliments to the ladies.
1750		A. Dawson ‘Bumpers’ in A. Carpenter Verse in Eng. in 18C Ireland (1998) 300: Though all you get by’t is a Dinner oft times, / In Reward for your Rhimes, with Humphrey the Duke.
1785		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Duke Humphrey, to dine with Duke Humphrey, to fast. Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, surnamed the good, was famous for his voluntary mortifications, particularly frequent fasting.
1795		Sporting Mag. Aug. VI 270/2: They will, probably, give Lord Chatham, a billet to dine, whenever he pleases, with Duke Humphrey!
1802		Sporting Mag. Jan. XIX 218/2: If you should want an invitation, or your purse fail you, dine with Duke Humphrey in the Park.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum n.p.: To dine with Duke Humphrey; to fast. In old St. Paul’s church was an aisle called Duke Humphrey’s walk (from a tomb vulgarly called his, but in reality belonging to John of Gaunt), and persons who walked there, while others were at dinner, were said to dine with Duke Humphrey.
1812		Spirit of Irish Wit 126: A Hibernian adventurer, rather hard run for the ready [...] and not much liking the prospect of a gravel hash dinner with Duke Humphrey.
1819		Lancaster Gaz. 17 Apr. 3/5: To dine with Duke Humphrey is to go without one’s dinner. Duke Humphrey was ordered to be executed before he had his dinner.
1823		[C.M. Westmacott] Mammon in London 1 307: As my profits were not always certain I often had the pleasure of supping with Duke Humphrey.
1826		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 495/1: I quaff ‘potations pottle deep’ [...] at the Clarendon, or dine, in the Park, with Duke Humphrey.
1829		Leicester Jrnl 18 Dec. 3/4: Seeing a tempting dish of his favourite Murphies, he [...] greedily devoured the whole! thus leaving the man, his wife and family, to dine that night with Duke Humphrey.
1830		Chester Chron. 8 Oct. 3/5: If I was to give her half that sum, I should often have to dine with Duke Humphrey.
1836		Satirist (London) 1 Jan. 3/1: Annuities, mortgages, leases and deeds, / In no iron chest need he stow; And though with Duke Humphrey he constantly feeds, / He’ll ne’er see the face of John Doe.
1843–44		Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1995) 4: Writing to his friends that if they fail to do so and so by bearer, he will have no choice but to dine again with Duke Humphrey.
1858		Shoreditch Obs. 16 Oct. 3/2: [He] will in all probability ‘dine with Duke Humphrey’ with what he will get out of this lot.
1859		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. 11: Dining with Duke Humphrey, i.e. going without.
1860		Kentish Chron. 1 Dec. 4/1: In the days of the popinjays who fluttered out in the morning to dine with Duke Humphrey at eleven o’clock.
1873		J. Mair Hbk of Phrases 14: Dining with Duke Humphrey. Not dining at all.
1873		Sportsman (London) ‘Notes on News’ 20 Sept. 4/1: Let him find out how many people who are in the City do not dine daily [...] If he will manage to scrape up an acquaintance with Duke Humphrey, discover how many unfortunates are daily entertained by that nobleman.
1876		Morpeth Herald 1 Apr. 4/6: Those who only dine with Duke Humphrey and dance when ordered to ‘move on’ by the policemen.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 3: To go without dinner [...] among the better classes to ‘dine with Duke Humphrey’.
1888		All the Year Round 9 June 542: To ‘dine with Duke Humphrey,’ or, as it is now sometimes more shortly phrased, to ‘dine out,’ in both cases meaning not to dine at all [F&H].
1892		Illus. Police News 26 Nov. 4/1: Yes, we dined with Duke Humphrey, it’s true.
1903		N. Devon Jrnl 23 July 3/2: The narrator forgot to tell whether the honoured ones received a command to dine with Duke Humphrey.
1904		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 28 Sept. 2/4: [O]nce fearless plungers who now disfigure the street corners and dine with Duke Humphrey.
1934		N. Devon Jrnl 19 Apr. 6/4: The chances are that they would dine with Duke Humphrey as far as trout on the domestic menu is concerned.

dine with St Giles and the Earl of Murray (v.)

to go without one’s dinner.

1880		(ref. to 1670-80) Dundee Courier 21 Sept. n.p.: In Scotland a man was said to ‘dine with St Giles and Earl Murray.’ In Francis Semphill’s (1670-80) ‘Banishment of Poverty’ are these lines:— [...] ‘My guts rumbl’d like a hurle barrow; / I din’d with saints and noblemen, / Even sweet St Giles and Earl of Murray’.
1937–84		Partridge DSUE (1984) 309/2: C.18–20 ob.

dine with Sir Thomas Gresham (v.) (also sup with Sir Thomas Gresham) [Sir Thomas Gresham (1519–79), founder of the Royal Society and a well-known philanthropist; the image is of a poor person forced to appeal to Gresham for charity]

to go without one’s dinner.

1628		R. Hayman Quidlibets in Ebsworth (1876) 366: For often with Duke Humfray thou dost dine, / And often with Sir Thomas Gresham sup.
1880		E.C. Brewer Reader’s Handbook 255: Dinnerless (The) are said to [...] ‘dine with Sir Thomas Gresham’.
1896		Lichfield Mercury 12 June 5/6: ‘To dine with Sir Thomas Gresham’ and to ‘dine with the cross-legged knights’ signifies that you have no dinner to go to.