subs. (Royal Military Academy).—1. Vegetables. Cf., BUNNY-GRUB. Fr., gargousses de la canonnière.
2. (American).—Fresh mint.
3. (common).—Short for SPARROW-GRASS (q.v.) = asparagus.
1851–61. H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, I., 539. He sold GRASS, and such things as cost money.
4. (Australian printers’).—A temporary hand on a newspaper; hence the proverb, ‘a GRASS on news waits dead men’s shoes.’ Cf., GRASS-HAND = a raw worker, or green hand.
a. 1889. FITZGERALD, Printers’ Proverbs, quoted in A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant. Why are the GRASS, or casual news hands not put on a more comfortable footing?
Verb (pugilistic).—To throw (or be thrown); to bring (or be brought) to ground. Hence, to knock down; to defeat; to kill.
1818. P. EGAN, Boxiana, ii., 375. He had much the worst of it, and was ultimately GRASSED.
1819. T. MOORE, Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress, p. 57. The shame, that aught but death should see him GRASS’D.
1846. DICKENS, Dombey and Son, xliv., 385. The Chicken himself attributed this punishment to his having had the misfortune to get into Chancery early in the proceedings, when he was severely fibbed by the Larkey One, and heavily GRASSED.
1881. Daily Telegraph, 26 Nov. The Doctor had killed twenty out of twenty-five, while his opponent had GRASSED seventeen out of the same number.
1883. BESANT, All in a Garden Fair, Introduction. It was a sad example of pride before a fall; his foot caught in a tuft of grass, and he was GRASSED.
1888. Sporting Life, 11 Dec. Just on the completion of the minute GRASSED his man with a swinging right-hander.
1891. J. NEWMAN, Scamping Tricks, p. 119. I saw I was GRASSED, so I took his measurement.
1892. T. A. GUTHRIE (‘F. Anstey’), Voces Populi, ‘The Riding-Class,’ p. 108. Didn’t get GRASSED, did you?
TO GIVE GRASS, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To yield.
TO GO TO GRASS, verb. phr. (colloquial).—1. To abscond; to disappear. Also to HUNT GRASS.
2. (common).—To fall sprawling; to be ruined; to die.
1876. C. HINDLEY, ed. The Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, p. 237. Elias was SENT TO GRASS to rise no more off it.
3. (common).—To waste away (as of limbs).
TO HUNT GRASS, verb. phr. (common).—1. To decamp.
2. (cricket).—To field; to HUNT LEATHER (q.v.).
3. (American).—To fall; to go to ground; hence, to be puzzled or bewildered.
1869. S. L. CLEMENS (‘Mark Twain’), The Innocents at Home, p. 21. You’re most too many for me, you know. When you get in with your left I HUNT GRASS every time.
TO CUT ONE’S OWN GRASS, verb. phr. (thieves’).—To earn one’s own living.
1877. W. H. THOMSON, Five Years’ Penal Servitude, iii. 242. ‘CUT HER OWN GRASS! Good gracious! what is that!’ I asked. ‘Why, purvide her own chump—earn her own living,’ the old man replied.
TO BE SENT TO GRASS, verb. phr. (university).—To be rusticated; to RECEIVE A TRAVELLING SCHOLARSHIP (q.v.).
1794. Gentleman’s Magazine, p. 1085. And was very near rustication [at Cambridge] merely for kicking up a row after a beakering-party. ‘Soho, Jack!’ briskly rejoined another, ‘almost presented with a travelling fellowship? very nigh being SENT TO GRASS, hey?’
GO TO GRASS! phr. (common).—Be off! You be hanged! Go to hell!
1848. DURIVAGE, Stray Subjects, p. 95. A gentleman who was swimming about,… upon being refused, declared that he might GO TO GRASS with his old canoe, for he didn’t think it would be much of a shower, anyhow!
1865. G. W. BACON, Descriptive Handbook of America, p. 363. GO TO GRASS! be off! get out!
TO LET THE GRASS GROW UNDER ONE’S FEET, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To proceed or work leisurely. Fr., limer.
TO TAKE NEBUCHADNEZZAR OUT TO GRASS, subs. phr. (venery).—To take a man. [NEBUCHADNEZZAR = penis.] For synonyms, see GREENS.
