Q: "oil the dog's wig"?

[Jonathan Lighter]

"Dog" undoubtedly = S.O.B.  To "oil his wig" might mean to beat him on the head, possibly till blood flowed.

  JL

"Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Joel S. Berson"
Subject: Q: "oil the dog's wig"?
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Is this of any interest, and how is it explained?

In the 1784 _The Whimsical Jester: or, Rochester in High Glee_, there
is a bit on jargon that allegedly "flew about" on the occasion of a
boxing-match. One item is from the barber's speech: "oil the dog's
wig for him".

Joel

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