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Sack . to “get the SACK,” to be discharged by an employer. Varied in the North of England to “get the BAG.” In London it is sometimes spoken of as “getting the EMPTY.” It is common now to speak of “getting the BULLET,” an evident play on the word discharge.
Sad dog . a merry fellow, a joker, a “gay” or “fast” man.
Saddle . an additional charge made by the manager to a performer upon his benefit night.—_Theatrical._
Safe . trusty, worthy of confidence. A SAFE card is a man who knows “what’s o’clock.” A SAFE man among betters is one who is sure to fulfil his engagements.
Safe un . a horse which will not run, or will not try, in a race. The bookmakers in London have the information sent them by the touts in their pay, and lay against the SAFE UN, who is also called a “stiff un,” a “dead un,” or a “shtumer,” as often as they can, irrespective of the state of their books. Sometimes a SAFE UN will win, owing to the owner or trainer having, for various reasons, altered his mind. Such a result then goes to prove the “glorious uncertainty of the turf,” a phrase in very common use among sporting writers whenever a favourite is beaten, or whenever a horse runs slow one day and loses, and very fast the next day and wins.
Sails . nickname for the sail-maker on board ship.
Saint Monday . a holiday most religiously observed by journeymen shoemakers and other mechanics. An Irishman observed that this saint’s anniversary happened every week. In some parts of the country Monday is termed Cobblers’ Sunday.
Sal . a salary.—_Theatrical._
Salaam . a compliment or salutation.—_Anglo-Indian._
Salamander . a street acrobat and juggler who eats fire.
Saloop . SALEP, or SALOP, a greasy-looking beverage, formerly sold on stalls at early morning, prepared from a powder made of the root of the _Orchis mascula_, or Red-handed Orchis. Coffee-stands have superseded SALOOP stalls; but, in addition to other writers, Charles Lamb, in one of his papers, has left some account of this drinkable, which he says was of all preparations the most grateful to the stomachs of young chimney-sweeps. The present generation has no knowledge of this drink, except that derived from books. The word “slops”—as applied to weak, warm drink—is very likely derived from the Cockney pronunciation of SALOOP.
Salt . a sailor.
Salt . “it’s rather too SALT,” said of an extravagant hotel bill. Also, a sort of black mail or tribute levied on visitors or travellers by the Eton boys, at their triennial festival called the “Montem,” by ancient custom and privileges. It is now abolished. A periodical published at Eton many years ago for circulation amongst the boys was called “_The SALT-box_.” When a person about to sell a business connexion makes fictitious entries in the books of accounts, to simulate that a much more profitable trade is carried on than there really is, he is said to SALT the books—SALTING and COOKING being somewhat similar operations. At the gold diggings of Australia, miners sometimes SALT an unproductive hole by sprinkling a few grains of gold-dust over it, and thus obtain a good price from a “green hand.” Unpromising speculations are frequently thus SALTED to entrap the unwary, the wildest ideas being rendered palatable _cum grano salis_. And though old birds are not readily caught by chaff, the efficacy of SALT in bird-catching, so far as the young are concerned, is proverbial.
Salt junk . navy salt beef. _See_ OLD HORSE.
Salt-box . the condemned cell in Newgate.
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