2. (American).—A trick; a piece of dupery; a sell (q.v.). Also gummation.
3. (American).—A golosh; an india-rubber overshoe. [Short for ‘gum-shoes.’]
1872. Morning Post, 9 Jan. Forbidding him again to cross her threshold or to leave his gum-shoes in her hall.
Verb (common).—To cheat; to take in (q.v.), to roast (q.v.) or quiz. For synonyms, see Gammon. [[234]]
1859. Sala, Twice Round the Clock, 6 p.m., par. I. I began to think either that he was quizzing me—gumming is the proper Transatlantic colloquialism, I think.
1875. ‘American English’ in Chamb. Journal, 25 Sept., p. 611. To ‘gum-tree’ is to elude, to cheat [from opossum], and this again is shortened into ‘to gum,’ as the phrase, ‘Now don’t you try to gum me.’
Old Mother Gum, subs. phr. (common).—An old woman: in derision.
By gum! intj. (common).—A mild oath. For synonyms, see Oaths.
1860. Haliburton (‘Sam Slick’), The Season Ticket, No. ix. By gum, Squire Shegog, we have had the greatest bobbery of a shindy in our carriage you ever knowed in all our born days.
Bless your (or his, her, its, etc.) gums, phr. (common).—A piece of banter: a facetious way of saying ‘Bless your soul!’