subs. (common).—1. A sovereign; 20/-: formerly a guinea. Also, in pl., generic for money: see RHINO.—B. E. (c. 1696); GROSE (1785); PARKER (1789); VAUX (1819). Fr. de quoi and quibus.
1819. T. MOORE, Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress, 27. If QUIDS should be wanting, to make the match good.
1834. W. H. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, III. ix. Zoroaster took long odds that the match was off; offering a bean to half a QUID.
1866. DICKENS, All the Year Round, 23 June. ‘Take yer two quid to one, gov’nor?’ adds the speaker, picking out a stout purple-faced farmer from the group of eager listeners.
1870. C. H. HAZLEWOOD and A. WILLIAMS, Leave It to Me, i. Sarah, I’m going to be rich, I shall have money—lots of money—QUIDS, QUIDS, QUIDS!
1883. Pall Mall Gazette, 27 April, 4, 2. £4 13s. is announced in the plate, amid cheers and exhortations to “make it up to five QUID.”
1900. PERCY WHITE, The West End, 17. ‘I say, Rupert, could you lend me a couple of QUID?’
2. (common).—See quot. 1748: as verb. = to chew.—GROSE (1785).
1748. T. DYCHE, A New General English Dictionary, s.v. QUID, so much tobacco as a person can take between his thumb and two fore-fingers, when cut small, in order to put into his mouth to chew.
1771. SMOLLETT, The Expedition of Humphry Clinker, 57. A large roll of tobacco was presented by way of dessert, and every individual took a comfortable QUID.
1836. M. SCOTT, The Cruise of the Midge, 103. Wait until your wound gets better. Surely you have not a QUID in your cheek now?
1889. Daily Telegraph, 1 Jan. A deleterious custom—that of chewing QUIDS.
3. (venery).—The female pudendum: see MONOSYLLABLE.
Verb. (American).—To puzzle; to embarrass.
See QUIP.
