turps
(tɜːps)
[Colloq. (workmen's or painters') abbreviation of turpentine; the final -s appears to be collective.]
1. Oil of turpentine.
| 1823 P. Nicholson Pract. Build. 411 Oil of Turpentine, or Turps, is made from the resin of that name, which is obtained from all larch and fir-trees. 1867 F. Francis Angling xiv. (1880) 506 Cut up some white indiarubber..dissolve it in turps. 1894 Brit. Jrnl. Photogr. XLI. 5 Not soluble in either benzole, turps, or xylol. |
2. Austral. slang. Intoxicating liquor, esp. beer.
| 1945 Baker Austral. English 168 Australians have a fair selection of terms to describe drinking and drinking bouts, such as a beer-up,..and to bash the turps. 1962 Marshall & Drysdale Journey among Men 84 The Sergeant alleged that Ah Fong was a notorious drunkard, forever on the ‘turps’. 1973 J. O'Grady Survival in Doghouse 57 He's humping a dozen cans with him. Ice cold. And he gets a great welcome. Not only because of the turps, but because with him there we can have a four-handed game. |