subs. (old).—1. Moist sugar (GROSE, VAUX).
2. (American).—See quots.
1847. ROBB, Streaks of Squatter Life, 73. He set his brain to work conning a most powerful speech, one that would knock the SAND from under Hoss.
1884. S. L. CLEMENS (‘Mark Twain’), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, viii. When I got to camp I warn’t feeling very brash, there warn’t much SAND in my craw; but I says, this ain’t no time to be fooling around.
1892. JOHN HILL, Treason-Felony, i. 22. You’re a long-winded old fraud, Mac, with a bonnet full of bees, and a head full of maggots, but you’ve got the SAND.
1896. LILLARD, Poker Stories, 19. SAND enough and money enough to sit out the game.
TO EAT SAND, verb. phr. (old).—See quot.
1743. Memoirs of M. du Gué-Trouin (2nd ed.), p. 95. Now it is very common for the man at the helm to shorten his watch by turning the glass before it is quite run out, which is called EATING OF SAND … as we had not seen the sun for nine days together … it happened, that the helmsmen had EATEN SO MUCH SAND, that at the end of nine days they had changed the day into night, and the night into day.
