Candle-lighting: dusk.
- 1810: From dinner to dark I give to Society; and from candle-light to early bed-time I read. Thom. Jefferson, from Monticello, February 26
- 1824: The Rev. Mr. Kidwell, a Unitarian Universalist, will preach at the courthouse at early candle light on Sunday evening. Liberty Hall and Cincinnati Gazette, March 26
- 1853: The dancing commenced at early candle-lighting, and continued until long after midnight. Turnover, A Tale of New Hampshire, p.80
- 1888: The meeting was appointed for early candle-lighting. American Humorist, August
Cap the climax: to beat all; to surpass everything.
- 1804: Your correspondent caps the climax of Misrepresentation. Lancaster Intelligencer, February 21
- 1811: It caps the climax of French arrogance and turpitude. Massachusetts Spy, September 18
- 1821: To cap the climax of his infamy and barbarity, he severed the head from the body of the infant. Pennsylvania Intelligencer, March 21
- 1860: All that was wanting to cap the climax to this absurd (Lincoln) nomination was the selection of Hannibal Hamlin as a candidate for Vice-Presidency. Richmond Enquirer, May 25, pp.4-5
Carryings-on: frolicking, partying, etc.
- 1840s: Everybody tuck Christmas, especially the niggers, and sich carry-ins-on-sich dancin' and singin'-and shootin' poppers and sky-rackets as you never did see. Major Jones's Courtship
Catawamptiously chewed up: utterly defeated, badly beaten. An expression largely confined to the South and West, from at least the 1840s on.
Catch a weasel asleep, to: referring to something impossible or unlikely, in regard to someone who is always alert and is seldom or never caught off guard, e.g., You can't trick old Joe any sooner than you can catch a weasel asleep.
Caution, a: a warning. Also a ludicrous example, or someone or something striking.
- 1839: Off we hied to the prairie, and the way the feathers flew was a caution. John Plumbe, Sketches in Iowa, p.56
- 1840: The way Mrs. N. rolls up her eyes when the English are mentioned is certainly a caution. Mrs. Kirkland, A New Home, p.259
- 1851: The way he squalled, rolled, kicked, puked, snorted, and sailed into the air, was a caution to old women on three legs. An Arkansaw Doctor, p.151
Cavort: to frolic or prance about.
- 1834: Government's bought their land, and it's wrong for them to be cavorting around quiet people's houses any more. C.F. Hoffman, A Winter in the Far West, p.28
- 1845: She better not come a cavortin' bout me with any of her carryins on. W. T. Thompson, Chronicles of Pineville, p 178
Chance (smart): a quantity.
- 1819: A considerable quantity is expressed by a smart chance; and our hostess at Madison said there was a smart chance of Yankees in that village. David Thomas, Travels, p.230
- 1833: "There's a smart chance of cigars there in the bar, stranger, if you'd try some of them," said one of the Hoosiers. C.F. Hoffman, A Winter in the Far West, p.219
- 1833: There was a right smart chance of sickness when she came to the settlement. James hall, Legends of the West p.88
Chirk: cheerful. Synonyms: chirp, chirpy.
- 1843: She is not very chirk, but more chirkier than she had been; and all our folks appear more chirkier than they really feel, in order to chirk her up. Yale Literary Magazine, p.26
-
1857: Chirk and lively we both were. Knickerbocker Magazine, January
- 1878: I didn't feel real cherk this week, so't I didn't go to sewin' s'ciety. Rose T. Cooke, Happy Dodd
- 1878: If there's a mortal thing I can do to help ye, or chirk ye up, I want to do it right off. Rose T. Cooke, Happy Dodd
Circumstance: anything to speak of
- 1836: [The new hotel] will be a smasher, to which the Astor House will be no circumstance. Philadelphia Public Ledger, November 16
- 1854: You'd better think of all the pretty girls you ever seed, all at once, and then it won't be a circumstance. Elvira takes the rag off everything there's about these parts. Knickerbocker Magazine, December
- 1856: To be beaten by a mere circumstance of a gal-child. W.G. Simms, Eutaw, p.394
- 1857: I've traveled on the cars in my day, but that kind of going wasn't a circumstance to the way we tore along. S.H. Hammond, Wild Northern Scenes, p.62
Cocked hat: To knock someone senseless or to shock him completely; e.g., "to knock into a cocked hat."
- 1833: I told Tom I'd knock him into a cocked hat if he said another word. J.K. Paulding, Banks of the Ohio, p.217
- 1840: Why pummel and beat over again that which is already beaten to a jelly, jammed into a cocked hat, and flung into the middle of next week? Mr. Wick, Indiana, House of Reps., Congressional Globe, July 20, p.545
- 1848: It has completely knocked us into a cocked hat. Seba Smith, Major Jack Downing, p.306
- 1852: We will knock [the groggeries] into a cocked hat. Ezra T. Benson, at the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Journal of Discourses, September 12
Cockneyisms: speaking in a Cockney dialect or pronouncing words with a Cockney accent, a popular speech affectation in Philadelphia from the beginning of the century to 1860. Some of the Cockneyisms were influenced by the writings of Charles Dickens.
- 1800: (In Philadelphia, Noah Webster) will find the London Cockneyisms flourish in perfection - veal - here converted into "weal," - and wine into "vine," -the hot-water-war he will find described as a "hot vater var," etc. Aurora, June 20
- 1830: It is almost impossible to distinguish Americans from English, especially Philadelphians, who like Cockneys talk about "wery good weal and winegar." N. Dana, A Mariner's Sketches, p.16
Codfish aristocracy: a contemptuous term for people who have made money in business.
- 1850: We should regard it as somewhat strange if we should require a codfish aristocracy to keep us in order. Mr. Butler, South Carolina, U.S. Senate, Congressional Globe, July 9, p. 1248
- 1853: D. is evidently a retainer of the codfish aristocracy, who will only go where the price will match with his dignity. Daily Morning Herald, St. Louis, April 22
- 1860: The defender of genius against vulgar money bags, alias codfish aristocracy. Richmond Enquirer, May 15
Cold as a wagon tire: dead.
- 1833: If a man was as cold as a wagon tire, provided there was any life in him, she'd bring him to. James Hall, Legends of the West p.88
Colored person, person of color: a Negro.
- 1812: Christopher Macpherson is a man of color, brought up as bookkeeper by a merchant, his master, and afterwards enfranchised. Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, April 20
Conniption fit: a fit of hysteria.
- 1833: Ant Keziah fell down in a conniption fit. Seba Smith, Major Jack Downing, p.218
- 1842: The Vermont papers are going into conniption fits, because their state is in debt $150,000. Philadelphia Spirit of the Times, August 23
- 1859: She went into a conniption at the sight of the poor Snap. Harper's Weekly, November 19
Considerable: no small specimen.
- 1816: He is considerable of a surveyor. Pickering, Vocabulary
- 1843: Wall You're considerable of a critur, you are, by thunder! You eternal, great, green-eyed, black-devil!
- Yale Literary Magazine
1852: He is really. worth knowing, and considerable of a man, as we say- no fool at all. Charks A. Bristed, The Upper Ten Thousand, p.142
Continental: the money issued by Congress during the Revolutionary War. It eventually became synonymous with anything worthless.
- 1874: I tole him as how I didn't keer three continental derns fer his whole band. Edward Eggleston, The Circuit Rider, p.120
- 1888: I am not worrying about the nomination. I don't care a Continental if I don't receive it. Missouri Republican, February 16
Coon's age: a long time.
- 1845: We won't hear the end of this bisness for a coon's age: you see if we do. W. T. Thompson, Chronicles of Pineville, p.72
- 1848: I never did like this Yanky way of married people livin' all over creation without seein' one another more'n once in a coon's age. W.E. Burton, Waggeries, p.16
- 1851: This child hain't had that much money in a coon's age. Adventures of Captain Simon Suggs, p.155
Coot: an idiot; a simpleton; a ninny.
- 1856: He's an amazin' ignorant old coot, tew. Widow Bedott Papers, No.9
- 1857: It is a poor coot, let me tell you, that will make such excuses. H.C. Kimball, Salt Lake City, Journal of Discourses, September 20, V, p.251
Corned: drunk.
- 1840: William McG. brought a load of corn to market, and got corned on the strength of it. Daily Pennant St. Louis, May 27
Cotton to: to take a liking to, a popular expression throughout the South and West from early in the century on.
Cow-hide, cow-skin: a whip made of cowhide. Also used as a verb, to whip or flog.
- 1801: Dinah was armed with a cow-skin, while Cloe had nothing but the simple weapons of nature. Massachusetts Spy, June 24
-
1818: The enraged barrister, with a hand-whip, or cow-hide as they are called… actually cut his jacket to ribbons. M. Birbeck, Letters from Illinois, p.60
- 1855: His lady had cow-hided him in the streets of his native city. Thomas B. Gunn, New York Boarding Houses, p.21-5
Cracker: a poor white of the South, named after the crackling whips used by rural Southerners.
- 1842: We saw many of the country people coming into town; some on horseback, some in waggons, and some on foot… Single-breasted coats without collars, broad-brimmed and low-crowned hats, and gray hair floating in loose locks over their shoulders, were among their peculiarities… They are called by the townspeople, Crackers, from the frequency with which they crack their whips. J.S. Buckingham, Slave States, p.210
- 1847: I met one of the country crackers, as the backwoodsmen are called, who, having been to Wetempka with a load of shingles, was on his way home. Knickerbocker Magazine, May
Crazy as a loon: very crazy.
- 1854: The old man'll run as crazy as a loon a-thinkin' 'bout his house- hold affairs. H.H. Riley, Puddleford, p.140
Critter: creature; varmint; a contemptible person.
- 1833: It would be ridiculous if it should be a bar; them critters sometimes come in here, and I have nothing but my knife. Knickerbocker Magazine, p.90
- 1836: My little critter [a mustang], who was both blood and bottom, seemed delighted. Colonel Crockett in Texas, p. 149
- 1836: The old critter says he is married, and makes his wife work in the printing office. Philadelphia Public Ledger, September 24
- 1842: One of the clerks in the Baltimore Post Office, on opening a bag of letters, discovered a live garter snake in the same. The critter bore no postmark or frank. Philadelphia Spirit of the Times, July 28
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