chuck-farthingn.
a. A game of combined skill and chance in which coins were pitched at a mark, and then chucked or tossed at a hole by the player who came nearest the mark, and who won all that alighted in the hole. (In modern use probably often applied to pitch and toss, or the like.)
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > pitch and toss, etc. > [noun]
vanning1606
pitch-and-chuck1688
pitch-and-hustle1688
chuck-farthing1699
hustle-cap1709
chuck1711
pitch-and-toss1721
pitch-farthing1737
pitch1745
chock1819
pinch1828
pitch-penny1830
chuck-hole1837
chuck-halfpenny1838
toss-halfpenny1848
three-up1851
chuck-button1863
toss-penny1874
toss and catch1904
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Chuck farthing, a Parish-Clerk (in the Satyr against Hypocrites) also a Play among Boies.
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 466. ⁋3 I catched her once..at Chuck-Farthing among the Boys.
1712 J. Arbuthnot John Bull in his Senses ii. 9 He lost his Money at Chuck-Farthing, Shuffle-Cap, and All-Fours.
1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker III. 216 He understands..games from chess down to chuck-farthing.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xxxvii. 149 They presently fell to pitch and toss, chuck-farthing, [etc.].
b. Misapplied to the farthing chucked.
ΚΠ
1797 C. Lamb Let. 7 Apr. in Lett. C. & M. A. Lamb (1975) I. 105 I cannot scatter friendship[s] like chuck-farthings.
c. attributive or as adj. Petty, of paltry value.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [adjective] > paltry, mean, or contemptible
unworthlyc1230
wretcha1250
seely1297
vilec1320
not worth a cress (kerse)1377
the value of a rushc1380
threadbarec1412
wretched1450
miserable?a1513
rascal1519
prettya1522
not worth a whistlea1529
pegrall1535
plack1539
pelting1540
scald1542
sleeveless1551
baggage1553
paltering1553
piddling1559
twopenny1560
paltry1565
rubbish1565
baggagely1573
pelfish1577
halfpenny1579
palting1579
baubling1581
three-halfpenny1581
pitiful1582
triobolar1585
squirting1589
not worth a lousea1592
hedge1596
cheap1597
peddling1597
dribbling1600
mean1600
rascally1600
three-farthingc1600
draughty1602
dilute1605
copper1609
peltry?a1610
threepenny1613
pelsy1631
pimping1640
triobolary1644
pigwidgeon1647
dustya1649
fiddling1652
puddlinga1653
insignificant1658
piteous1667
snotty1681
scrubbed1688
dishonourable1699
scrub1711
footy1720
fouty1722
rubbishing1731
chuck-farthing1748
rubbishy1753
shabby1753
scrubby1754
poxya1758
rubbishly1777
waff-like1808
trinkety1817
meanish1831
one-eyed1843
twiddling1844
measly1847
poking1850
picayunish1852
vild1853
picayune1856
snide1859
two-cent1859
rummagy1872
faddling1883
finicking1886
slushy1889
twopence halfpenny1890
jerk1893
pissy1922
crappy1928
two-bit1932
piddly1933
chickenshit1934
pissing1937
penny packet1943
farkakte1960
pony1964
gay1978
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. xlii. 243 At war..about some pitiful chuck-farthing thing or other.
d. to play (at) chuck-farthing with: to throw away or risk heedlessly. (Cf. ‘to play ducks and drakes with’.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > carelessness > incautiousness > enter into incautiously or rashly [verb (transitive)] > be reckless with
to play (at) chuck-farthing with1837
1837 S. Smith Let. to Singleton in Wks. (1859) II. 278/1 Playing at chuck-farthing with human happiness.
1883 Pall Mall Gaz. 1 Nov. Lord Randolph..declines to ‘play chuck-farthing with the Constitution’.
1888 Pall Mall Gaz. 18 Dec. 1/1 What are our Imperialist Ministers doing?..they are playing chuckfarthing with the Empire.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1889; most recently modified version published online June 2019).
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