Beer! Boys, Beer! all over town and country,
Beer! Boys, Beer! with pewter pot in hand;
Beer! Boys, Beer! for all who don’t mind labour,
Beer! Boys, Beer! who a gallon’s going to stand.
Big ones.—Men of consequence: such as Tom Cribb,—The Duke of Wellington,—John Jackson,—The Lord Chancellor,—John Gully,—The Chancellor of the Exchequer,—Tom Spring,—The Master of the Rolls, &c.
Big Wigs.—Judges, &c.,:—“The wisdom’s in the wig.” If you doubt it, play the part of Paul Pry for half-an-hour in any of the Courts of Law, or ask the Vice-Chancellor. You’ll soon be convinced.
Bilk the Schoolmaster.—Not to stand your regulars, i.e., not to pay for being let into the secret.
Billing and Cooing.—Courting; the two sexes humbugging one another—faking the sweetner, kissing, &c.:—What billing again?—Shakespeare.
Bill of Sale.—A widow’s weeds.
Billy.—The cant term for a silk pocket handkerchief.
Billy Buzman.—A class of pickpockets who confine their attention exclusively to silk pocket handkerchiefs. In thieving as in other professions and arts of life in this highly civilized age, “Division of Labour,” as political economists term it, is particularly attended to in the London School of gonnofs, not only for the sake of convenience, but from the well-known principle that “Practice makes perfect.” Accordingly, it would be considered as untradesman-like for a Billy Buzman to go out of his own line of business, as for an ironmonger to sell treacle, or a silk mercer to deal in or sell neat’s foot oil.
Bird-cage.—Small country watch-houses, or gaols. Come, let’s away to prison; we two alone will sing like birds i’ the cage:—Shakespeare.
Birds of Prey.—Lawyers.—The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.—Jack Cade.