"fork *up*" (July 1837), and other slang

[Joel S. Berson]

"fork up" and other slang:

Sun, published as The Pittsfield Sun.; Date:
07-13-1837; Volume: XXXVII; Issue: 1921; Page: [1]

An Explanation.---"Come, my friend, tip us the
rhino." "What's tip us the rhino?"  "Why, out
with the dust."  "I don't understand."  "Why,
post the poney."---"Post the poney?"  "Yes, shell
out."---"Really, I am at a loss."  "Why, fork
up."---Inexplicable."  "Zounds, man, cash down."

[When we get to "shell out", I'm with it.]

"tip us the rhino" -- Not in OED as
phrase.  rhino 1.  "Money. (Often ready rhino.)".  1688 and thereafter.

"out with the dust" -- Not in OED as
phrase.  dust n.1, sense 6: Money, cash; esp. in
phr. down with the ({dag}your) dust."  [1526
Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 23b, Neuer wery to
labour for this erthly dust & rychesse.] 1607 G.
WILKINS Miseries Enforced Marr. IV. in Hazl.
Dodsley IX. 531 Come, down with your dust. [And a few thereafter.]

"post the poney" -- OED 1819 [not 17898], s.v.
post, v.4:  J. H. VAUX New Vocab. Flash Lang. in
Mem., Post or post the poney, to stake, or lay
down the money.  [No other quotations.]

"shell out" -- OED 1801 and ff.

"cash down" -- OED [1722 P. LLOYD Let. 28 July in
Maryland Hist. Soc. Publication (1894) XXXIV. 31
A Reserve was made of Allmost all the Lands upon
the Western shore, for the Value of £120 Cash pd
downe.] 1800 Green's Impartial Observer I. 29
Nov. 4 (Advt.), I have for sale..a few Negroes,
for Cotton or Cash down.   [and later]

"fork up" -- OED 1831 for "fork out", 1839 for "fork over", 1843 for "fork up".

"cash down" --  Cash, n.1, sense 2.f:  "ready
money. orig. U.S."  [1722 P. LLOYD Let. 28 July
in Maryland Hist. Soc. Publication (1894) XXXIV.
31 A Reserve was made of Allmost all the Lands
upon the Western shore, for the Value of £120
Cash pd downe.] 1800 Green's Impartial Observer
I. 29 Nov. 4 (Advt.), I have for sale..a few
Negroes, for Cotton or Cash down.  [and later].

Joel

At 2/27/2010 09:50 PM, George Thompson wrote:
>As a bonus: "fork up" = pay up (I miss it by one year):
>1837:           Henry Munro, of
>Brooklyn-Balloon-failure, and
>Garden-street-bell-metal notoriety, . . .
>purchased a gold watch and chain of  the value
>of $147.  He wished to take the watch away with
>him, and not being able to "fork up," he offered . . . a promissory note. . . .
>         N-Y D Express, August 15, 1837, p. 2, col. 5
>
>HDAS: 1836 & 1839, from DAE

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org