Buck

subs. (common).—1.  A man of spirit or gaiety of conduct; hence a fop, a dandy. OLD BUCK = a familiar address: cf. MASHER, DUDE, SWELL, and BLOOD. AS MERRY AS A BUCK = as gay and merry as may be.

  [?].  MS. Harleian, 1701, f. 22.

  1637.  BILLINGSLY, Brachy-Martyrologia, 187. s.v.

  1725.  A New Canting Dictionary. BUCK, as a bold BUCK, is sometimes used to signify a forward daring Person of either Sex.

  1752.  FIELDING, Amelia, X., ii. A large assembly of young fellows, whom they call BUCKS.

  1772.  BRIDGES, A Burlesque Translation of Homer, 17. Militia BUCKS that know no fears.

  1824.  SCOTT, St. Ronan’s Well, xxi. ‘Come, none of your quizzing, my old BUCK,’ said Sir Bingo—‘what the devil has a ship to do with horse’s furniture?—Do you think we belong to the horse-marines?’

  1844.  THACKERAY, Barry Lyndon, xvi. They had some friend of their own in view for the young lady, and had scornfully rejected the proposal of Ulick Brady, the ruined gentleman; who was quite unworthy, as these rustic BUCKS thought, of the hand of such a prodigiously wealthy heiress as their sister.

  1846–48.  THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, vi. She had sate by him on the box of his open carriage (a most tremendous BUCK he was, as he sat there, serene, in state, driving his greys).

  1865.  H. KINGSLEY, The Hillyars and the Burtons, xix. My pad-clinking … BUCKS, Good day.

  1889.  Answers, Feb. 9. The ancient BUCK was last seen (at the age of eighty-four) wearing a wig, a pair of stays, ‘plumpers,’ rouge, and padding, and he daily anointed his face with a compound called ‘skin-tightener.’ ‘Skin-tightener’ removes wrinkles, and after the face has been washed with ‘bloom of roses,’ the wearer can strut forth with the consciousness that all the world takes him for a quarter of a century younger than he is.

  2.  (common).—An unlicensed cabdriver: also a sham fare: see last quot.

  1851–61.  H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, III. 362. The long-day men are the parties who mostly employ the BUCKS … they are glad to avail themselves of the services of a BUCK for some hours at the end of the day. Ibid. The BUCKS are unlicensed cabdrivers, who are employed by those who have a license to take charge of the cab while the regular drivers are at their meals or enjoying themselves.

  1865.  Morning Star, 14 Sept. What is the prisoner? Constable: He is a BUCK, who hangs about an omnibus stand.

  1887.  Daily News, 5 October, 5, 4. At Bow Street something was further heard of the BUCK. This person … is the sham fare whom a cabby drives past the police in order to get up to the theatre doors out of his proper turn, and so increase his chance of securing a legitimate fare.

  3.  (old).—A sixpence: cf. FYEBUCK: rarely used by itself, but generally denoting the sixpence attached to shillings in reference to cost; e.g., THREE AND A BUCK = three shillings and sixpence: see RHINO.

  1885.  Household Words, June 20, 155. ‘BUCK’ is most likely a corruption of ‘fyebuck,’ a slang name for sixpence, which is now almost, if not altogether, obsolete.

  4.  (schoolboys’).—A large marble: cf. ALLEY, BONCE, MIVVY, etc.

  1885.  Household Words, June 20, 155. Readers whose school-days are still green in their memories will also recognise in BUCK the name for the large marble once dear to their boyish hearts.

  5.  (American).—A term used in POKER (q.v.): cf. TIGER.

  Adj. (American university).—An intensive: good; excellent; pleasant; agreeable (Princeton College).

  Verb. (American).—1.  To oppose; to run counter to.

  2.  (Western American).—As applied to horses this term is used to describe the action of plunging forward and throwing the head to the ground in an effort to unseat the rider; also as subs. and BUCKING: see BUCK-JUMPER.

  18[?].  Newspaper Cutting. When I was told how hard he could BUCK, I only laughed, my impression being that no pony standing on four legs could throw me off. I mounted, and galloped away in a dignified style. Suddenly the horse stopped. His ears went back, and his hind legs went between his front. Realizing that the man on his back could ride a little bit, the pony got right down to business. My stomach seemed to fly up into my mouth, and millions of stars floated about my head. I stuck on well, however, as the saddle, blanket, gun and bridle came off with me. When an old-timer tried to fix things for me by saying. ‘It’s no disgrace, pardner, that horse can BUCK off a porus plaster,’ I thanked him from the bottom of my heart.

  1859.  H. KINGSLEY, Recollections of Geoffry Hamlyn, xxviii. ‘He can sit some BUCKING horses which very few men will attempt to mount.’ ‘And that same BUCKING, Miss Brentwood,’ said Halbert, ‘is just what puzzles me utterly. I got on a BUCKING horse in Sydney the other day, and had an ignominious tumble in the sale-yard, to everybody’s great amusement.’

  1869.  A. K. MCCLURE, Three Thousand Miles through the Rocky Mountains, 301. As if some devilish infection pervaded the atmosphere of Blackfoot, one of our horses (a kiyuse, or native pony, took a fit of ‘BUCKING’ soon after we left, and was particular to select the most dangerous portions of the road for the display of his skill in that line.

  1868.  LADY BARKER, Station Life in New Zealand, 224. I never saw such BUCKS and jumps into the air as she [the mare] performed.

  1881.  A. C. GRANT, Bush-Life in Queensland, i., 130. ‘Well,’ said one, ‘that fellow went to market like a bird.’ ‘Yes,’ echoed another, ‘BUCKED a blessed hurricane.’ ‘BUCK a town down,’ cried a third. ‘Never see’d a horse strip himself quicker,’ muttered a fourth.

  1882.  BAILLIE-GROHMAN, Camps in the Rockies, iv., 102 (‘Standard’). There are two ways, I understand, of sitting a BUCKING horse … one is ‘to follow the BUCK,’ the other ‘to receive the BUCK.’

  1885.  FINCH-HATTON, Advance Australia! iv. The performance is quite peculiar to Australian horses, and no one who has not seen them at it would believe the rapid contortions of which they are capable. In BUCKING, a horse tucks his head right between his forelegs, sometimes striking his jaw with his hind feet. The back, meantime, is arched like a boiled prawn’s; and in this position the animal makes a series of tremendous bounds, sometimes forwards, sometimes sideways and backwards, keeping it up for several minutes at intervals of a few seconds.

  18[?].  H. KENDALL, Billy Vickers.

  1890.  BOLDREWOOD, A Colonial Reformer, 94. ‘I should say that buck-jumping was produced in this country by bad breaking,’ said Mr. Neuchamp oracularly. ‘Don’t you believe it, sir. BUCKING is like other vices—runs in the blood.’

  18[?].  Chicago Tribune [BARTLETT]. ‘In this event,’ writes he, ‘do not select a mustang … unless you want to be initiated into the mysteries of BUCKING. The mustang is the only animal in the world that can BUCK, and it ought to be a source of thanksgiving that such is the case. The BUCK consists of the mustang’s springing forward with quick, short, plunging leaps, and coming down stiff-legged, with his head between his forelegs, and as near the ground as possible.’

  3.  (commercial).—To manipulate figures; to COOK (q.v.) accounts; TO WINDOW-DRESS (q.v.).

  4.  (Western American).—To play against the bank; to gamble heavily, usually TO BUCK THE TIGER.

  1879.  BRET HARTE, Gabriel Conroy, 375. I don’t like your looks at all. I’d BUCK against any bank you ran, all night. Ibid. (1880), Brown of Calaveras (Tales of the Argonauts, 81). Why don’t you say you want to BUCK agin’ faro?

  1888.  Hotel Mail.

  1888.  Chicago Daily Inter Ocean, Feb. 14. More than one unsuspecting wife will have her eyes opened to the fact that the wicked TIGER, and not legitimate business, has been detaining her husband out so late at night.

  1896.  LILLARD, Poker Stories, 8. The gambler who was indicted for running a game of chance, and was triumphantly acquitted on his counsel’s plea that the players who BUCKED AGAINST HIS BANK didn’t have any chance?

  5.  (Western American).—To rouse oneself; to put forth one’s whole energy: also TO BUCK UP.

  1870.  San Antonio Paper. You’ll have to BUCK at it like a whole team, gentlemen, or you won’t hear the whistle near your diggings for many a year.

  1898.  BINSTEAD, A Pink ’Un and a Pelican, 11. Who was it then, that … soothed the sobbing girl, bade her dry her tears, and BUCK-UP ‘poor old dear!’ and his gov’nor would take up the case and make a fortune for her! … Why, Swears!

  1900.  PERCY WHITE, The West End, 46. I suppose you know there’s an examination to pass,’ said his sister. ‘I know that, ’Randa, and of course I’d have to ‘BUCK-UP.’

  1901.  Troddles, 36. BUCK-UP, Bobby! We’ll attend to your portion if you are captured, and you can pay us when you’re out again.

  6.  (venery).—To copulate: see GREENS and RIDE.

  TO RUN A BUCK, verb. phr. (old Irish).—To poll a bad vote at an election (GROSE).

  TO BUCK DOWN, verb. phr. (Winchester College).—To be sorry; to feel unhappy.

  TO BE BUCKED, verb. phr. (Uppingham).—To be tired.

  TO BUCK UP, verb. phr. (Winchester College).—To be glad, to be pleased; the usual expression is ‘Oh, BUCK UP,’ a phrase which at Westminster School would have a very different meaning, namely, exert yourself.

  7.  (colloquial).—See BUCK verb. 5.