alderman n.
1. a roast turkey.
Humorous Sketches 31: Tho’ still fond of fun he for humour was ripe, / To grub on my Alderman slang’d every night. | ||
Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Alderman a Roasted Turkey garnished with Sausages. The latter are supposed to represent the Aldermans Gold Chain. | ||
Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd edn) n.p.: alderman. A roasted turkey garnished with sausages; the latter are supposed to represent the gold chain worn by those magistrates. | ||
Lex. Balatronicum. | ||
Life and Trial of James Mackcoull 88: Mackcoull suggested, that they should, in place of an alderman, have a goose and green pease for supper. | ||
, | Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. | |
Londres et les Anglais 312/1: alderman, dindon rôti, garni de saucisses qui sont censées représenter les anneaux de la chaine d’or que l’alderman porte au cou dans les cérémonies publiques. | ||
, , | Sl. Dict. |
2. a long smoking pipe; thus broken alderman, a short pipe.
London Mag. Mar. 98/2: The waiter forthwith made his appearance, with an armful of huge clay pipes [...] called ‘aldermen’ from their exaggerated dimensions. | ||
Gaslight and Daylight 61: Where, sir, is the old original alderman pipe, the churchwarden’s pipe, the unadulterated ‘yard of clay.’. | ||
Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 62/2: A large skittle-ball in one hand and a broken alderman (short pipe) in the other. [Ibid.] 107/1: He, a long alderman and a pot of ‘heavy’ were inseparable during the season. | ||
Belfast News-Letter 11 Apr. 6/5: Long clay pipes have long been known as ‘churchwardens’ [which] also used to be known by the name of ‘alderman’. |
3. half-a-crown, 2s 6d (12½p).
Dict. of the Flash or Cant Lang. 161/1: Alderman – half-a-crown. | ||
Mysteries of London III 66/1: Tim sent the yack to church and christen but the churchman came to it through poll, as Tim’s shaler had slummed on him a sprat and an alderman last week. | ||
Vulgar Tongue. | ||
, | Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. | |
Story of a Lancashire Thief 9: There was Downy, a Turkey merchant in a small way, who had such a feeling for tusheroons that he was always changing his tanners and stags, and aldermen, into them. | ||
, , | Sl. Dict. | |
Sydney Sl. Dict. 10/2: The Parson is on the highfly [...] He’ll gammon the swells. He touched one for an alderman the first ten minutes. | ||
Aus. Sl. Dict 3: Alderman, a half-crown. | ||
Argus (Melbourne) 20 Sept. 6/4: A half crown may be either an alderman, half a bull, half a tusheroon, or half-a-caser. | ||
Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 4/2: Alderman (Peoples’). Half a dollar = half a crown, which by the way is fivepence more than the American ‘half’. | ||
Dundee Eve. Teleg. 19 July 2/4: Half-a-crown is known as an ‘alderman’. |
4. a paunch; thus aldermanic, portly.
Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 363: We’ll send some people in their places, / With aldermanic guts and faces. | ||
Mirror of Life 16 Nov. 11/2: [H]is stomach, which was until recently of aldermanic proportions, has come down to respectable workmanlike dimensions. | ||
Collier’s 1 Aug. in Van Loan (2004) 452: Old Pete, rather aldermanic as to paunch, but otherwise fit. | ‘The Indian Sign’ in||
(con. 1920s) Studs Lonigan (1936) 244: He slapped his guts [...] there was no alderman yet. | Young Manhood in||
To Whom It May Concern 153: Red and his wife walked home, Red walking proudly [...] his alderman sticking out. | ‘A Sunday in April’ in
5. a large crowbar [on pattern of citizen n. (1); gentleman n.; lord mayor n.1 : smaller and larger versions of the tool].
Diprose’s Boom about London n.p.: Alderman [...] This is a ‘head [chief] bar’ which would open any safe. | ||
Police! 268: Another ‘stock-in-trade’ consisted of a key-saw, a chisel [...] a ‘little alderman’ – a jemmy in two parts which can be screwed together – and a number of skeleton keys. | ||
Illus. Police News 7 Dec. 12/4: ‘Give us the “Alderman” and the “Lord Mayor” (implements for forcing safes)’. | Shadows of the Night in||
Banker Tells All 137: ‘We had a bar, my lord,’ he added, again addressing the judge, ‘which we did not use on this occasion, and which we call the alderman.’. |
In compounds
a roast turkey garlanded with sausages.
Humorous Sketches 31: Nick often eat a roast fowl and sausage with me, which in cant, is called an Alderman, double slang’d. |
a turkey garlanded with sausages.
Family Recipt Bk 439/2: Stuffing [the turkey] with sausage meat and serving it up surrounded with links of fried sausages. When dressed in this way, it is often called an alderman in chains; and was, formerly, the favourite mode of dressing a turkey for city feasts. | ||
Tom and Jerry II vi: What! de turkey widout de sassinger! him shock – him wouldn’t give pin for turkey widout dem – me like a de Alderman in chain. | ||
Doings in London 124: He would have his [...] turkey, which the cadgers called ‘an alderman in chains’. | ||
Works (1862) II 334: So hungry is my maw, / Give me an Alderman in chains, / And I will eat him raw! | ‘God and Magog’||
Modern Flash Dict. | ||
Geelong Advertiser (Vic.) 23 May 3/3: [H]is London friends, [...] should send him either a goose or an alderman in chains,. | ||
Melbourne Argus 18 Feb. 4/3: [T]rue, fat turkies are reared in Mercer's Vale, but surely an ‘Alderman in Chains’ could never compromise his integrity however sharp set he might be. | ||
Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open. | ||
, | Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. | |
Bendigo Advertiser (Vic.) 25 Dec. 2/2: Plum puddings will be eaten cold, and with no accompaniment of blazing brandy — ‘the alderman in chains’ will give place to cold turkey. | ||
Morn. Post 9 Dec. 3/4: A turkey hung with sausages is facetiously styled ‘an alderman in chains’. | ||
Empire (Sydney) 3 Dec. 3/1: [The] time-honoured baron of beef, and the luscious ‘alderman hung in chains’. | ||
Life and Times of James Catnach 138: Vat’s dat I hears! No sassingers to de turkey? — de Alderman vidout him chain. | ||
South Bourke &Mornington Jrnl (Vic.) 27 May. 2/8: the mayoral banquet [...] The a la Russe menu [...] was of a very varied and toothsome description, embracing among other trifles ‘aldermen in chains’ and ‘council pudding’. | ||
Aus. Sl. Dict. 3: Alderman in Chains, a turkey hung in sausages. | ||
Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 4/2: Alderman hung in Chains (City). A fat turkey decked with garlands of sausages. |
a steady, careful pace, as befits an official with a fine sense of his own importance.
Dict. of Fr. and Eng. Tongues n.p.: Pas d’Abbe alderman’s pace, a leasurely walking, slow gate. | ||
Holy Madness 94: What an alderman’s pace he comes [F&H]. | ||
q. in Derbyshire Advertiser 27/10/1923 3/2: [O]ur madness to see ourselves thus drenched [...] made us in spite ourselves march an alderman’s pace some seven hours. | ||
[ | Proverbs 162: He’s paced like an Alderman]. | |
Gloss. (1888) I 16: †alderman’s pace. A slow stately pace. |