Jack. - Horntip

Loonslate. 2 34 Loose.
1771. FOOTE, Maid of Bath, iii. 2.
I got acquainted with Maister Foote,
the play-actor : I will get him to bring
the filthy LOON on the stage.
1785. GaosE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1798. COLERIDGE, Ancient Mariner,
i. Hold-off; unhand me, gray-haired LOON.
1822. SCOTT, Fortunes of Nigel,
xxx. It might be worth your lordship's
while to have the LOON sent to a barbersurgeon's
to learn some needful scantling
of anatomy.
To PLAY THE LOON, verb.phr.
(Scots').-To play the whore.
1568. SEMPII.L, Ballats (ed. 1878),
p. 232. Being in ward for PLAYING OF
THE LOUN With every ane list geif hir
half a croun.' [Title].
c.1776. HERD, Ancient & Mod.
Scottish Songs, ii. 7. I am o'er low to
be your bride, Your LOWN I'll never be,
Sir.
17[?]. Old Scots Ballad [quoted by
BURNS], My Wife's a Wanton Wee
Thing.' She PLAY'D THE LOON or she
was married.
c.1802-5. Minstrelsy Border, ii. 75.
I trow some may has PLAID THE LOWN,
And fled her am n countree.
LOONSLATE (or LOONSLATT), subs.
(old).-Thirteen pence halfpenny.
Cf. HANGMAN'S WAGES.-B.
E. (1690) ; New Cant. Dia.
(1725); GROSE (1 7 8 5).
LOONY (or LuNY), adj. (colloquial).-
Crazy. [Short for 'lunatic Also
as subs. = a fool ; a natural. For
synonyms see BUFFLE and CAB-
BAGE-HEAD.
1883. E. C. MANN, Psychol. Med.,
424. He had frequent LUNY spells, as
he called them.
LOOSE, adj. (old).-I. Wanton;
BLUE (q.v.). Hence, LOOSE-LEG-
GED, adj.= LIGHT-HEELED (q.v);
LOOSE IN THE HILTS (or HAFT) =
incontinent ; LOOSE-GIRDLED (or
GOWNED) = approachable; LOOSE-
WOMAN = a harlot ; LOOSE-LIVER
-= a whoremaster, etc.
1595. SHAKSPEARE, Two Gentlemen,
ii. 7, 41. I would pre'vent The LOOSE
encounters of lascivious men.
1633. MASSINGER, New Way to Pay
Old Debts, v. I had a reputation, but
'twas lost In my LOOSE course.
1636. DAVENANT, The Wits, iii. 3.
This mansion is not her's, but a concealed
retirement. .. To hide her LOOSE love.
1711. ADDISON, Sfieciator, No. 262.
I have shown in a former Paper with
how much Care I have avoided all such
Thoughts as are LOOSE, obscene, or
immoral.
1756. The World, No. 182. Apollo
obeyed, and became a wit. He composed
LOOSE sonnets and plays.
1783-85. COWPER, Task, iii. 692.
No LOOSE, or wanton, though a wandering
Muse.
2. (common).-Dissipated.
1864. DICKF.NS, Our Mutual Friend,
it. iv. They were all feverish, boastful,
and indefinably LOOSE; and they all ate
and drank a great deal ; and made bets
in eating and drinking.
ON THE LOOSE, adz,. phr.
(common).-I. On the town.
2. On the drink ; on the SPREE
(q.v.).
1848. RUXTON, Life In The Far
West, 85. They quickly disposed of their
peltries, and were once more ON THE
LOOSE.
1848. JAS. HANNAY, King Dobbs, iv.
p. 63 (18561. One evening, when they
were at Gibraltar, on the look-out for
amusement-in modern parlance, ON THE
LOOSE.
1859. Punch, vol. xxxvn. p. 22.
Our ft iend prone to vices you never may
see, Though he goes ON THE LOOSE, or
the cut, or the spree.
1871. All the Year Round, Sept.
He lives by anything rather than by
steady work, though sometimes, when a
virtuous fit is on him, and he is not out
ON THE rampage, the LOOSE, or the