Tec, subs. (common).—A detective: see Nark.
1886. Echo, 4 Dec. I went to Dartford, in Kent, to Whistler's, so that we should not get picked up by the tecs.
1897. Marshall, Pomes. I went to the bank with the paper cash, And they said they'd send for a 'tec.
1899. Whiteing, John St., v. 'Tecs down, one day, from Scotland Yard to look for dynamit'. Ibid., viii. The depleted brood resist but rarely, for to them the tec is fate.
1901. Pall Mall Gaz., 11 May, 2. 3. This sham 'tec is in refreshing contrast, considered as an artist, to the sham aristocrat with a preposterous title unknown to Debrett.
Teddy. Teddy my godson, phr.
(Irish).—'An address to a simple
fellow or ninny' (Grose).
Teddy Hall (Oxford Univ.).—St.
Edmund's Hall, Oxford.
Te Deum. See Backwards.
Teejay, subs. (Winchester College).—A
new boy; a protegé:
placed for a time under the care
of older scholars. Cf. shadow
and substance.
Teek (or Tique), subs. (Harrow
school).—Mathematics.
Teeny (or Teeny-weeny), adj.
(colloquial).—Tiny.
Teeth, subs. (various colloquial).—Phrases.
In spite of one's
teeth = in defiance of; in the
teeth = to one's face; from
the teeth = apparently, not
seriously; to cast in the
teeth = to taunt, to reproach;
tooth and nail = whole-hearted,
desperate, thorough; to show
one's teeth = to get angry; to
have the teeth well afloat
(or under) = to be drunk; to
the hard teeth = very severely;
'He ought to have his
teeth drawn' = 'He should be
deprived of the power of doing
mischief;' to go to grass
with teeth upwards = to be
buried; to draw teeth = to
wrench off knockers (old: medical
students'). See Turd.
1542. Udal, Erasmus, 355. Cicero mocked her to the hard teeth.
1593. Shakspeare, Comedy of Errors, ii. 2. Dost thou jeer, and flout me in the teeth? Ibid. (1596;, Hamlet, iv. 7. It warms the very sickness in my heart, That I shall live and tell him to his teeth, Thus didest thou. Ibid. (1598), 2 Henry IV., v. 3. 96. Puff in thy teeth, most recreant coward base! Ibid. (1608), Antony and Cleop., iii. 4. 8. When the best hint was given him, he not took't, Or did it from his teeth.
1603. Court and Times James I. [Among the verbs is] show our teeth.
1663. Dryden, Wild Gallant [Little-*dale, Dyce's Glossary], I am confident she is only angry from the teeth outwards.
1885. D. Teleg., 6 Nov. A desperate tooth-and-nail encounter raged for some moments before the tomb.
Teethward, adv. (old).—See
quot.
1593. Hollyband, Dict. He is clarke to the teethward, he hath eaten his service book; spoken in mockage by such as maketh shew of learning and be not learned.
Teetotal, adj. (old).—See quots.
[as applied to total abstinence,
now recognised.]
1827. [Rev. Joel Jewell, Letter to Cent. Dict.] In 1818 a temperance society at Hector, New York, pledged themselves to abstain from distilled spirits only, but in Jan. 1827 another pledge bound all syners to total abstinence. The two classes were distinguished by the initials O.P. (Old Pledge) and T. (Total): T = total became a familiar allocution.
1829. Spence, Tour in Ireland [Edwards, Words, Facts and Phrases, 561. He speaks of the word] 'teetotally' . . . in every-day use by the working classes.
