blow the grampus

English

Verb

blow the grampus

  1. (nautical, slang, obsolete) To throw water on a sleeping person, generally as a practical joke.
    • 1829, William Nugent Glascock, Sailors and Saints: Or Matrimonial Manœvres, page 179:
      There was the goggle-eyed daughter a blowing the Grampus with the platter-faced planter, whenever he caulked [slept] upon deck; […]
    • 1840, Edward Howard, Jack Ashore, page 127:
      " […] why then we must blow the grampus."
      He then discharged the contents of the water-jug on her face and neck, and she opened her eyes, and would have screamed, had not the prompt Horatio clapped his hand over her mouth.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.