Forms: 6 whydd, 7– whid, 9 Sc. whud. [Origin uncertain. That it is a dial. variant of OE. cwide speech (otherwise not represented in the language) is possible, but the absence of parallels is a serious objection. The sense-development is remarkably similar to that of YED.]
1. A word. (Usually in pl.) Thieves’ cant.
1567. Harman, Caveat (1869), 84. To cutte bene whydds, to speake or geue good wordes, to cutte quyre whyddes, to geue euell wordes or euell language. Ibid., 86. Stowe your bene, cofe, and cut benat whydds.
1673. R. Head, Canting Acad., 49. Be wary. Stow your whids.
1728. [De Foe], Street-Robberies Consider’d, 34. Plant the Whids, take Care what you say.
1821. Scott, Kenilw., x. The swaggering vein will not pass here, you must cut boon whids.
1861. Reade, Cloister & H., lv. I pray Heaven thou mayest prove to paint better than thou cuttest whids.
2. A lie, fib, falsehood; an exaggerated story. Sc.
1791. Burns, Death & Dr. Hornbook, i. Ev’n Ministers, they hae been kenn’d,… A rousing whid, at times, to vend, And nail’t wi’Scripture.
1863. M. Dods, Early Lett. (1910), 330. This is your πρῶτον ψεῦδος, i.e. your fundamental whid.
1894. Crockett, Raiders, xlvi. Kennedy thinks no more o’ tellin’ a whud (lie) than o’ slappin’ a cleg that nips him on the hench bane.
3. A dispute, quarrel. dial.
1847. Halliwell, Whid, a dispute; a quarrel. East.
