Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a heavy blow; esp. as douse/dowse on the chops.

1700		Farquhar Constant Couple III ii: There, up comes her bravo; the Italian grows saucy, and I give him an English douse of the face.
1764		Foote Mayor of Garrat in Works (1799) I 163: The horse threw up his head, gave the Major a dowse in the chops, and plumped him into a gravel-pit.
1765		H. Brooke Fool of Quality I 165: She ups with her brawny Arm, and gave Susy such a Douse on the Side of the Head.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 186: Rising on his toes, / Lent him a dowse across his nose.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Douse on the chops, a blow on the face.
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) I 251: [as cit. 1772].
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1819		‘One of the Fancy’ Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 16: While SANDY’S long arms – long enough for a douse [...] Kept paddling about the poor Porpus’s muns.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 69: A man is supposed to have ‘Got his dose’ when he has been well thrashed. Thence probably comes ‘a douse in the chops’ and ‘douse [...] his jacket’.
1825		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 14 Aug. 229/2: [M]any of those who exclaimed against the butcher and sawyer, would not have liked the blows they gave and received, particularly that blow, vulgarly called a ‘douse on the chops,’ which the sawyer received from the butcher.
1825		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 30 Oct. 319/1: Mrs. O’Shaughnessy takes up her big fist, and with one douse she crumppled me up like a leaf of brocoli.
1831		Satirist (London) 2 Oct. 202/3: [H]e up with his fist and gave her a ‘dowse between the eyes,’ that blackened them in the manner every one could now see.
1842		Flash (NY) 2 Oct. n.p.: Lize gave her a severe douse in the ivory box.
1843		Satirist & Sporting Chron. (Sydney) 8 Apr. 3/2: If he is not pounded by the beak he is sure of a dowse on the chops.
1877		H. Hartigan Stray Leaves (1st ser.) 270: I caught the first man I could come at; hit him such a ‘dowse’ in the mouth as must have made him fancy a horse kicked him.