an effeminate coxcomb; seems, er d’hanne dije; q. e. there the effeminate man is in perfection; here we see a complete specimen (exemplification) of a womanish man; of habits natural to the female, but unnatural to the male, and therefore disgusting in him.
And what is more sickening to behold than a masculine woman or a womanish man? Hanne, henne, an effeminate womanish man; also an imbecile person; dije, thrives, the pres. tense of dijen, to prosper.
Timidity and bashfulness exemplify the woman, but disnature the man. The dutch has the substantive dante, in the import of a ridiculously fantastical woman, and danten, dantinner (whence the french dandiner, and our to dandle) in the sense of to idle away (mispend) time; to behave like a fool, sillily; but that is not the source of the term dandy, for a man may be a fool without being a dandy, and a dandy without being destitute of talent. D’hanne dije sounds dandy.
A SCAPE GRACE; one whose habits are unsuitable to the rest of society, seems, er schep-grese; q. e. from there that which is forbidding to us is ellicited; thence is got only that which is appaling to others; and thus one of a forbidding, repulsive conduct; as disregardful of social habits; schep, scheppe, the pres. pot. of scheppen, to get from, to take or draw out or from; gerese, the part. pres. of gresen, geresen, to horrify, to alarm.
A SKIP-JACK; an upstart; also an errand man; seems, er’s kippe j’hack ; q. e. there what is made (that is seen) has been the effect of chance; and thus as one who has become what he is by chance and not merit; in relation to an errand-man, it is simply as one depending upon chance-jobs, over which he has no control as to their happening or offering themselves. Kippe, the part. pres. of kippen, to take, to extract from; hach, chance, also spelt hack; j,’je, some.
“The want of shame or brains does not presently entitle every little SKIP-JACK to the board’s end in “the cabinet.” L’Estrange.
“DANDY, ridiculously foppish fellow.” Maunder’s Dict.
Quoted from: John Bellenden Ker: The Essay on the Archaeology of our Popular Phrases, Terms, and Nursery Rhymes. Andover: John King, 1840: p. 126f.