"clean conveyance" - not in OED?
Joel S. Berson
Berson at ATT.NET
Sun Nov 10 23:55:34 UTC 2013
Convey -- to manage artfully. A juggler may have a "clean
conveyance" (Johnson).
I don't have a good definition or quotation. Presumably using
"conveyance, n." sense 11.b., "Cunning management or contrivance;
underhand dealing, jugglery, sleight of hand."; see also sense 4.
A manuscript I'm reading says "clean" means with the aid of an
assistant, but I'm skeptical of this explanation. Its author cites
for "conveyance" Butterworth, _Magic on the Early English Stage_, chapter 3.
Joel
------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
More information about the Ads-l
mailing list