Adj. (colloquial).—1. See quot., and Near.
c. 1696. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Narrow. A narrow-soul'd Fellow, poor or mean-spirited, stingy.
2. (common).—Stupid; foolish; the reverse of fly (q.v.) or WIDE-AWAKE (q.v.).
3. (bowlers').—See quot.
c. 1696. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Narrow. When the Bias of the Bowl holds too much.
4. (old).—See quot.
c. 1696. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Narrow. Narrow or Near search, Watch him narrowly or nearly. Ibid. Of a Narrow or slender Fortune.
All narrow, adv. phr. (old). —See quot.
c.1696. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Narrow. 'Tis all Narrow. Said by the Butchers one to another when their meat proves not so good as expected.
Narrowdale noon, subs. phr. (provincial).—See quot.
1868. Brewer, Phrase and Fable, s.v. Narrowdale Noon. One o'clock. The top of Narrowdale Hills, in Staffordshire, is so high that the inhabitants under it never see the sun for one quarter of the year, and when it reappears they do not see it till one o'clock, which they call Narrowdale Noon. A thing long deferred.
Narrow-gauge, adj. phr. (American).—Inferior; small: e.g., a narrow-gauge mule = a worthless beast.
Narrow-squeak. See Squeak.
Nary, adj. (American).—Not one [ne'er a]. See Narrow, Nary red = not a red cent. Also as an emphatic negative.
1848. Lowell, Biglow Papers [Bartlett]. It's a good way, though, come to think, coz ye enjoy the sense o' lendin' lib'rally to the Lord, an' nary red o' expense.
1850. Seaworthy, Nag's Head, xix., 162. There shan't nary drop on't go into him.
1857. Philadelphia Bulletin, May, As regards the old cents, there will be nary red to be seen, except such as will be found in the cabinets of coin collectors.
1858. New York Evening Post, 1 Sept. The Atlantic Cable and the White Mountains—both monuments of God's power, but nary one alike.
Nasal, subs. (pugilists').—The nose: see Conk.
1888. Sporting Life, 21 Nov. Planted a couple of well-delivered stingers on Harris's nasal.
Nase, adj. (old).—Drunken. Also nace, naze, and nazy. See quots.—B. E. (c. 1696); Bailey (1728); Matsell(1859).
1536. Copland, Spittel-hous [Hazlitt, Early Pop. Poet. (1866), iv. 69]. With bousy cove maimed nace.
1567. Harman, Caveat, p. 86. Now I tower that bene bouse makes nase nabes.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Nazie, drunken: Nazie cove or mort, a drunken rogue or harlot; nazie nabs, drunken coxcombs.
NASH, verb, (old).—1. See quot. 1819.—Grose (1823); Bee (1823).
1819. Vaux, Memoirs, I, 191, s.v. Nash, to go away from, or quit, any place or company; speaking of a person who is gone, they say, he is nash'd, or Mr. Nash is concerned.
2. (old).—To throw away: e.g., 'Nash your leading-strings' = throw off all restraint.
NASH-GAB, subs. phr. (common). —Insolent language; impertinence.
Nask (or Naskin), subs. (old). —See quots. and Cage.
1686. Higden, On Tenth Satire of Juv., p. 38. Each heir by dice, drink, whores, or masking, Or, Stistead brought into the [*]Naskin. [* Note:—The cant word for a Prison.]
