Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK black) a knife.

2020

G. Krauze What They Was 167: We’ve brought kitchen knives [...] big wetters to make a man shook.

(US black) to shoot someone.

2000

Ebonics Primer at www.dolemite.com 🌐 wet someone’s ass Definition: to shoot someone. Example: Nigga keep mad doggin me nam finna wet that ass.

see wet the other eye

to celebrate a promotion by drinking (to excess); thus wetting-in n.

1974

G.F. Newman You Flash Bastard 263: A party [...] was given for Doodie on his last day [...] Sneed was there and so it served as his wetting-in also.

to have a drink .

1610		Jonson Alchemist V iv: We’ll wet it tomorrow: and our silver beakers, / And tavern cups.
1894		A. Morrison Tales of Mean Streets (1983) 132: They wetted it for two or three hours, from many quart pots.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 27 Jan. 28/1: [He] was so much given to ‘wetting it’ that once when with the Simonsen’s opera company he had to take the pledge for six months to save his engagement.
1908		Denton (MD) Journal 7 Mar. 3/8: I’ve been wetting it pretty well today. I feel pretty jolly now and I shouldn’t wonder if I went home loaded.
1956		B. Behan Quare Fellow (1960) Act I: We were just wetting it.

see wet the other eye

(US) to have a drink.

1929

L. Axley ‘“Drunk’ Again” in AS IV:6 441: Some methods of drinking, expressed in slang, are: ‘take a shot,’ or ‘take a short in the arm,’ [...] or ‘wet your goozle.’.

(Aus.) to drink in celebration of one’s good fortune.

1908

H. Lawson ‘Instinct Gone Wrong’ in Roderick (1972) 775: He looked in at the (say) Royal Hotel to wet his luck.

1. to get drunk.

1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Wetting the neck A drunkard [sic]. Cant.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.

2. to have a drink.

1820		Jack Randall’s Diary 34: A Go of blue ruin should start up within it, The inside of your white neck to wet once more.
1906		Sun. Times (Perth) 11 Mar. 4/8: Oh the landlord he was busy when we gathered in his bar, / For we had half-a-dozen necks to wet.
1914		Bulletin (Sydney) 6 Aug. 32/4: Now, Mister, wot do you think of feller that’ll let a feller graft and talk like that for ’em an’ then forget he’s got a neck to be wetted.

to have a drink.

1911

Wash. Post 10 Dec. 4/4: Slimmy was leanin’ on the mahogany wettin’ his nose.

to have a drink.

1966

R.E. Alter Carny Kill (1993) 80: ‘A pannikin to wet your pipe like,’ he said, misquoting Long John Silver.

to have a drink.

1867

‘There’s Nothing Like Raising the Wind’ in Champagne Charley Songster 26: There’s nothing like wetting your throttle, / And drink like a cock till you die.

(US) to drink.

[1654		Mercurius Fumigosus 26 22–30 Nov. 222: The good Women, after they had filled their bellies, and whetted their clacks, began to talke of the sufficiency of their Husbands in the Art of generation].
2000		(con. 1940s–60s) Décharné Straight from the Fridge Dad.

1. to take a drink; thus whistle-wetter n., a drink.

c.1386		Chaucer Reeve’s Tale line 4153: To bedde he gooth, and with him goth his wyf. As any Iay she light was and Iolyf, So was hir ioly whistle wel y-wet.
c.1460		Towneley Mysteries ‘Secunda Pastorum’ 4 line 103: Had she oones wett hyr whystyll she couth syng fulle clere.
1530		Palsgrave Lesclarcissement de la Langue Francoyse n.p.: Verbes: I wete my whystell as good drinkers do [...] Will you wete your whystell.
1593		‘Philip Foulface’ Bacchus’ Bountie in Harleian Misc. II (1809) 307: Scarse had they tipled gyrum-wise [...] to whet their whistles; but comes in Bat Barlicap.
1617		Fletcher Mad Lover II ii: Lets to’th Taverne, I have some few Crownes left yet: My whistle wet once Ile pipe him such a Paven.
1622		Beaumont & Fletcher Beggar’s Bush III i: Give the boy some drink there! — Piper, wet your whistle.
1635		H. Glapthorne Hollander IV i: Come hither Captaine, sing the hymne [...] but wet your pipes first, Ganimed, they’l squeake the better.
1655		Mercurius Fumigosus 43 21–28 Mar. 341: Callin in for their three pence apiece to wet their Whistles.
1663		J. Wilson Cheats I i: He was got drunk ere I could wet my whistle.
1671		‘L.B.’ New Academy of Complements 164: Pond-water shall wet their whistles.
1690		‘Teague’ Teagueland Jests II 145: A dish or two of Usquebach had wet their whistles.
1696		D’Urfey Comical Hist. of Don Quixote Pt 3 IV i: [He] could not spare me so much as a Knipperkin to wet my Whistle, as the Saying is.
1714		T. Lucas Lives of the Gamesters (1930) 210: Drought compelling him to wet his whistle, he takes up a tankard of beer.
1739		R. Bull Grobianus 160: Begin thy Whistle, as at first, to whet, Drink thy dear self entirely out of Debt.
1748		Richardson Clarissa V 179: I only intended to whet my whistle.
1782		‘Country Clergyman’ in Gent.’s Mag. Apr. 198: Let me but wet my whistle.
a.1796		Burns Poems (Globe) 150: But till we meet and weet our whistle, Tak this excuse for nae epistle [F&H].
1810		C. Dibdin Yngr Spectre Knight 15: He’d so often be wetting his whistle.
1820		Jack Randall’s Diary 68: They wet their whistles, and return’d to Town.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 183: Come, ould chap, vet your vistle and tip it us rum — go it my kiddy, that are’s just vat I likes.
1832		Egan Bk of Sports 85: ‘Old Amen’ comes in for his fee, and perhaps for something to whet his whistle.
1832		Spirit of the Times (NY) 7 Apr. 2/1: [T]hinking he should want to ‘wet his whistle,’ concluded [...] to take some ‘change’.
1838		W.N. Glascock Land Sharks and Sea Gulls I 232: A captain of a collier, who never woke but to ‘wet his whistle.’.
1841		‘Murphy’s Weather Almanack’ Dublin Comic Songster 356: It rains, and there’s no chance of fare / For us to ‘wet our whistle’.
1843		Satirist & Sporting Chron. (Sydney) 18 Feb. 2/2: Up comes feeding time — [...] and summut to wet the whistle.
1845		T.J. Green Journal of the Texian Expedition 276: The sight of a picayune, and the good creature never failed to wet their whistles.
1846		Bell’s Life in Sydney 1 Aug. 2/6: The prisoner had taken French leave [...] for the more pleasant occupation of whetting [sic] his whistle at a neighbouring boozing ken.
1853		Delhi Sketch Bk 1 Sept. 50/2: Commissariat rum was the swizzle, / They gave us for wetting our whistle.
1855		J. Brougham Basket of Chips 368: I was a-goin’ to wet my whistle from the junk-bottle.
1867		Stirling Obs. 7 Feb. 8/3: I like a wee driddle, my wizen t’ weet.
1877		Punch 13 Oct. 161/1: As the matter for discussion was rather a dry subject, they had better wet their whistles.
1879		H. Hartigan Stray Leaves (2nd ser.) 244: ‘[I]s that yer gratitude for me givin’ ye a drop to wet yer whistle!’.
1887		W.T. Call Josh Hayseed in N.Y. 83: I’ll step over and wet my whistle.
1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 16 Nov. 4/4: Every joker ’ad a Dead Bird in ’is kicksy, ’n a little flask of something to wet his whistle.
1891		H. Lawson ‘The God-Forgotten Election’ in Roderick (1967–9) I 110: Never stop to wet your whistles — drive like hell to God-Forgotten.
1901		W.S. Walker In the Blood 161: ‘Well, I will,’ replied Jim, ‘when I’ve wet my whistle.’.
1910		Truth (Perth) 10 Dec. 4/8: My word, they can wet their whistle.
1919		C. Williams A Master of Crime 20: Wet your whistle with this, and give us a song.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 319: The blessing of God and Mary and Patrick on you, says the citizen. And he ups his pint to wet his whistle.
1925		Dos Passos Manhattan Transfer 73: Sposin we all [...] have somethin to wet our whistles in the private bar.
1933		B. Ross Tragedy of Z 103: I wants to wet my whistle.
1943		(con. 1850–60s) G.A. Little Malachi Horan Remembers 40: They came from Killenarden / Their whistles for to wet.
1944		E. Wilson 11 Oct. [synd. col.] [He] sent me a bottle of scotch to wat my wheesle.
1946		S. Jackson An Indiscreet Guide to Soho 89: A nice bar for wetting one’s whistle.
1952		J. Jones From Here to Eternity (1998) 148: You gonna play, you’ll want to wet your whistle. Singin makes a guy get dry.
1960		J. Boswell Ernie and the Rest of Us 15: A certain black-currant cordial was to be reserved for David to ‘wet his whistle.’.
1972		J. O’Grady It’s Your Shout, Mate! 32: Come in [...] an’ wet your whistle.
1983		W. Trevor Fools of Fortune 89: Would you wet your whistle with us in the Lamb’s?
2014		S.A. Cosby ‘Grandpa’s Place’ in ThugLit Sept. [ebook] ‘I wouldn't mind something to wet my goddamn whistle’.

2. to give someone a drink.

1613		Middleton Chaste Maid in Cheapside III ii: Now the cups troll about to wet the gossips’ whistles.
1720		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy VI 224: Let’s wet the whistle of the Muse, / That sings the praise of every Juice.
1962		(con. WWII) J.O. Killens And Then We Heard The Thunder (1964) 374: The Southern Cross was dry as a chip, but Worm led Solly to the men’s rest room and wet his whistle with apple brandy from his hip pocket.

to seal a deal with a drink (occas. a non-alcoholic gift; see cit. 1848).

1768		F. Greville Maxims 90: Nor will he fail to wet the bargain with the feller. He has been known to drink very near his gallon of bad ale in an evening with a set of farmers.
1848		J. Richardson Travels in Sahara 149: Haj Ibrahaim made these quondam merchants a present of some almonds and parched peas, ‘to wet the bargain.’.
1859		G.A. Sala Gaslight and Daylight 87: Noggins of Geneva without number [...] are discussed to bind bargains, or ‘wet’ bargains.
1859		Southern Lit. Messenger XXIX 36/1: Captain Julias Wagner intending immediately to brew a flagon of the drink above mentioned, wherewith both parties shall wet the bargain.
1876		C. Hindley Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack 268: I shall be back again shortly, when we will wet the deal .
1876		J.S. Hodges New Godiva 180: Now let’s have a drop of something better in the way of liquor, to wet the bargain.
1890		Atlantic Monthly LXIII 470/2: ‘There’s my hand on it,’ said the first speaker. ‘Now let’s have a drop of something better in the way of liquor, to wet the bargain.’.
1896		M. Williams Round London 22: Wet the bargain, Bill.
1908		Antiquary 101/1: In a recent novel [...] we read ‘we’ll wet the bargain with a drink to make it hold the tighter.’.
1909		T. Catling Press Album 144: That travelled seaman at once called for drinks, as he put it, to ‘wet the deal.’.
1977		B. Mather Memsahib 23: ‘A couple of doubles to wet the deal. Do they still call ’em bara pegs in the Old Shiny?’ ‘Double whiskies? Yes – that’s the term.’.

to follow one drink immediately by another.

1737		B. Franklin ‘Drinkers Dictionary’ in Pennsylvania Gazette 6 Jan. in AS XII:2 90: They come to be well understood to signify plainly that A MAN IS DRUNK. [...] Wet both Eyes.
1831		Preston Chron. 28 May 4/2: She treated all present with brandy, and made all drink two glasses, to wet both eyes.
1834		‘Kaatje Kekkelbek or Life Among the Hottentots’ in D.C.F. Moodie (1888) II 556: Die Tronk is een lekker plek / Of ’t was not joost dry, / But soon as I got out again, / At Todd’s I wet my eye.
1836		Morn. Post 21 Oct. 4/5: His friends [...] were not content letting him wet one eye, but would also make him wet the other.
1843		Satirist & Sporting Chron. (Sydney) 18 Feb. 3/2: Down went the lushous draught [...] ‘more,’ says our tee-totally (d—d) friend, ‘now I’ll wet the other eye’ — more than half a pint of Colonial stimulus was safely deposited is this gentleman’s ‘lock-up’.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 135/2: Wet the other Eye, take another glass.
1848		Paul Pry 18 Dec. n.p.: F—W— [...] is a stunning good sort, but at times follows the example of his horses, by kicking over the traces. But being a right’un, we shall allow him to wet his eye, or both.
1852		Kendal Mercury 17 Apr. 6/1: Before ye begins [...] vet yer other eye.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 48/2: But Punch is always moderate; he likes one eye wetted, then the tother after; but he likes the best: not particular to brandy.
1871		Berwicks. News 29 Aug. 6/5: The happy company insisted that she would have her left eye wet, and having done this [...] to wet both eyes.
1877		‘Paddy, the Ladies’ Darling’ Laughing Songster 53: ‘First let’s wet my eye,’ said the blind piper.
1877		‘Comical Incidents’ Laughing Songster 62: I did wet one eye as we say in our town, I thought I might as well wet t’other.
1879		Northampton Mercury 25 Jan. 2/6: He might want to wet both eyes.
1894		Brisbane Courier 16 Mar. 7/2: We ‘wet the other eye’. The old man lit his pipe.
1900		Chelmsford Chron. 5 Jan. 2/5: A pint bottle was brought, and we drank it. I then said, ‘We had better wet the other eye,’ so we had another.
1905		‘The Squatter’s Man’ in ‘Banjo’ Paterson Old Bush Songs 40: Teetotal was my plan. But soon I learned to wet one eye —.
1917		Western Times 7 Dec. 9/3: If you should meet with farmer Spry. / Who has a throat that’s always dry, / And says, ‘Let’s wet the other eye,’ / Take cover!
1920		Essex Newsman 6 Nov. 1/1: I shall wet the other eye / And take a wee, wee drappie.
1933		‘William Juniper’ True Drunkard’s Delight 235: To wet the other eye is to take one drink after another.

1. to have a drink.

1840		T. Haliburton Clockmaker III 147: Come, let’s liquor; I want to wet up.
1882		A. Trumble Mysteries of N.Y. 18: He would [...] wet up at an Italian hotel on Seventeenth street.
1900		Flynt & Walton Powers That Prey 244: When he got up to leave he dropped a ten-dollar bill on the tie, saying: ‘Wet ’er up on me, boys.’.
1905		H. Green Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 365: Can’t do nothin’ till we wet up all ’round, boys.
a.1969		‘The Soughrty Peaks’ in G. Logsdon Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing (1989, 1995) 130–1: ’Twas the good old days when an old cowboy / Could wet up his old inside / They started in at the Kentucky Bar.

2. to shoot.

2005

R. Cea No Lights, No Sirens 37: ‘Yah, Officer, every-ting irie. Don’t fuckin’ wet me up, every-ting cool running’.

3. see sense 4 above.

to become overexcited.

c.1930		(ref. to 1868) N. Kimball Amer. Madam (1981) 59: I got on and nearly wet myself in fear, and sat on the green plush.
1945		‘Henry Green’ Loving (1978) 78: Between screeches Kate managed to get out, ‘Take care I’ll wet myself.’.
1960		A. Seymour One Day of the Year (1977) I i: I thought poor old Wacka’d wet himself.
1974		G.F. Newman You Flash Bastard 56: Once some silly bitch had thought he was Michael Caine and had wet herself asking for his autograph.
1986		F. Taylor Auf Wiedersehen Pet Two 21: Having got through wetting themselves about Barry, they were discussing strategy.
1993		K. Lette Foetal Attraction (1994) 254: Laugh? I used to wet myself readin’ it.
2000		Hip-Hop Connection Jan. 87: When you hear it, you’ll wet yourself.