subs. (colloquial).—1. A certainty in fact, an accentuated or abnormal instance in character. When two persons fall in love, or are engaged to marry, it is said to be a CASE with them. An eccentric person is likewise a CASE. [As a designation for persons, CASE probably had its origin in Journalese and Police-court English; e.g., a CASE of larceny.]
1848. BARTLETT, Dictionary of Americanisms. CASE: a character, a queer one; as ‘That Sol Haddock is a CASE.’ ‘What a hard CASE he is,’ meaning a reckless scapegrace, mauvais sujet.
1859. H. KINGSLEY, Recollections of Geoffry Hamlyn, ch. xlii. Tossed from workhouse to prison, from prison to hulk—every man’s hand against him—an Arab of society. As hopeless a CASE, my lord judge, as you ever had to deal with.
1868. O. W. HOLMES, The Guardian Angel, ch. iv., p. 35 (Rose Lib.). ‘It was a devilish hard CASE,’ he said, ‘that old Malachi had left his money as he did.’
1872. M. E. BRADDON, To the Bitter End, ch. xlviii. They have only been engaged three weeks; but from the day we first met Lord Stanmore at a hunting breakfast at Stoneleigh, the business was settled. It was a ‘CASE,’ as you fast young men say.
1880. HAWLEY SMART, Social Sinners, ch. xxiv. He saw people began to make way for him where she was concerned; in short, that they looked upon it as ‘a CASE.’
1887. Cassell’s Magazine, Dec., p. 26. It isn’t Mr. and Mrs. Cardewe he comes to see! It’s Miss Amy…. They have met before; and in my opinion it’s a CASE!
2. (thieves’).—A bad five-shilling piece; HALF A CASE, a bad half-crown. Cf., CASER. In America a dollar, good or bad. [There are two sources, either of which may have contributed this slang term. (1.) Caser, the Hebrew word for a crown; (2.) silver coin is frequently counterfeited by coating or CASING pewter or iron imitations with silver.—Hotten.]
1857. SNOWDEN, Magistrates Assistant, 3 ed., p. 444. Bad five shillings—CASE.
3. (old).—A house, respectable or otherwise. Subsequently restricted to a brothel, and, by derivation, a ‘water-closet.’ [Presumably from the Italian casa, a house, through the Lingua Franca. It is found in various forms, CASA, CASE, CASER, CARSER, CARSEY, the last a phonetic rendering of the usual pronunciation of CASA.] For synonyms, see KEN.
1678. MARVELL, An Horatian Ode, wks. (1875) III., 497.
| He wove a net of such a scope, | |
| That Charles himself might chase | |
| To Caresbrook’s narrow CASE. [M.] |
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew. CASE: a House, Shop, or Ware-house.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. CASE, a house, perhaps from the Italian casa. In the canting lingo it meant store or warehouse, as well as dwelling house. Tout that CASE; mark or observe that house. It is all bob, now let’s dub the gigg of the CASE; now the coast is clear let us break open the door of the house.
1883. Echo, Jan. 25, p. 2, col. 3. From the Italian we get the thieves’ slang term CASA for house.
4. (Westminster School).—The discussion by Seniors and Upper Election preceding a TANNING (q.v.), and the tanning itself.
A CASE OF CRABS, subs. phr. (colloquial).—A failure.
A CASE OF PICKLES, subs. phr. (colloquial).—An incident; a bad break-down; a break up.
A CASE OF STUMP, subs. phr. (colloquial).—Said of one absolutely guiltless of the possession of coin.
