Lord, a humpbacked man. See [MY LORD].
Lord, “drunk as a LORD,” a common saying, probably referring to the facilities a man of fortune has for such a gratification; perhaps a sly sarcasm at the supposed habits of the aristocracy. This phrase had its origin in the old hard drinking days, when it was almost compulsory on a man of fashion to get drunk regularly after dinner.
Lord-mayor’s-fool, an imaginary personage who likes everything that is good, and plenty of it.
Lothario, a “gay” deceiver; generally a heartless, brainless villain.
Loud, flashy, showy, as applied to dress or manner. See [BAGS].
Lour, or LOWR, money; “gammy LOWR,” bad money. From the Wallachian Gipsy word, LOWE, coined money. Possibly connected with the French, LOUER, to hire.—Ancient Cant and Gipsy.
Louse-trap, a small-tooth comb.—Old Cant. See [CATCH-’EM-ALIVE].
Love, at billiards, rackets, and many other games, nothing: five points to none would be “five LOVE,”—a LOVE game being when one player does not score at all. The term is also used at whist, “six LOVE,” “four LOVE,” when one side has marked up six, four, or any other number, and the other none. A writer in the Gentleman’s Magazine for July, 1780, derives it either from LUFF, an old Scotch word for the hand, or from the Dutch, LOEF, the LOOF, weather-gauge (Sewell’s Dutch Dictionary, 4to, 1754); but it more probably, from the sense of the following, denotes something done without reciprocity.
Love, “to do a thing for LOVE,” i.e., for nothing. A man is said to marry for LOVE when he gets nothing with his wife; and an Irishman, with the bitterest animosity against his antagonist, will fight him for LOVE, i.e., for the mere satisfaction of beating him, and not for a stake.