On tick

[nq:1]What does it mean to buy something "on tick"? I encountered it in Maureen Waller's "London 1945": "Shoes and boots, often bought on tick, were poorly made and needed frequent repair." (p. 209)[/nq]
It means using credit, in this case probably from the shopkeeper. The shoes might not last as long as it took to pay off the credit, leaving one with a debt but no shoes.

David
==

[nq:1]What does it mean to buy something "on tick"? I encountered it in Maureen Waller's "London 1945": "Shoes and boots, often bought on tick, were poorly made and needed frequent repair." (p. 209)[/nq]
As David says, "on credit". (UK synonyms with which you may well already be familiar are "hire purchase" and "the never-never".)

Cheers, Harvey
Canada for 30 years; S England sinc

[nq:1]What does it mean to buy something "on tick"? I encountered it in Maureen Waller's "London 1945": "Shoes and boots, often bought on tick, were poorly made and needed frequent repair." (p. 209)[/nq]
On the never-never; hire purchase; on credit. The term used to cover a good deal of ground. You had things charged to your account, or, in Warrington or Wapping, you bought them on tick

[nq:1]On 15 Jun 2005, Sara Lorimer wrote[/nq]
[nq:2]What does it mean to buy something "on tick"? I ... tick, were poorly made and needed frequent repair." (p. 209)[/nq]
[nq:1]As David says, "on credit". (UK synonyms with which you may well already be familiar are "hire purchase" and "the never-never".)[/nq]
Hire purchase ("the never-never") was subject to formal agreements, but "on ti

[nq:2]What does it mean to buy something "on tick"? I ... tick, were poorly made and needed frequent repair." (p. 209)[/nq]
[nq:1]It means using credit, in this case probably from the shopkeeper. The shoes might not last as long as it took to pay off the credit, leaving one with a debt but no shoes.[/nq]
An abbreviation of "on ticket".
It's more to do with having a credit facility than

[nq:2]What does it mean to buy something "on tick"? I ... tick, were poorly made and needed frequent repair." (p. 209)[/nq]
[nq:1]On the never-never; hire purchase; on credit. The term used to cover a good deal of ground. You had things charged to your account, or, in Warrington or Wapping, you bought them on tick[/nq]
Get something on tick, To. In the seventeenth century, "ticket" was the

[nq:2]On 15 Jun 2005, Sara Lorimer wrote As David says, ... already be familiar are "hire purchase" and "the never-never".)[/nq]
[nq:1]Hire purchase ("the never-never") was subject to formal agreements, but "on tick" was usually an informal agreement with a shopkeeper. "Give us some bacon and eggs, and I'll pay you on Friday when I gets me dole" sort of thing.[/nq]
Thanks I shouldn't have

[nq:1]On 16 Jun 2005, Robin Bignall wrote[/nq]
[nq:2]Hire purchase ("the never-never") was subject to formal agreements, but ... on Friday when I gets me dole" sort of thing.[/nq]
[nq:1]Thanks I shouldn't have used "synonyms", but I've been to the pub, and can't think of a convenient word to suggest "one of the means by which those who needed credit managed to obtain stuff". (If you know w

[nq:1]On 15 Jun 2005, Sara Lorimer wrote[/nq]
[nq:2]What does it mean to buy something "on tick"? I ... tick, were poorly made and needed frequent repair." (p. 209)[/nq]
[nq:1]As David says, "on credit". (UK synonyms with which you may well already be familiar are "hire purchase" and "the never-never".)[/nq]
Another synonym...
Back in the day of The Empire, we would ask the duka-wa

[nq:2]On 16 Jun 2005, Robin Bignall wrote Thanks I ... managed to obtain stuff". (If you know what I mean.)[/nq]
[nq:1]In the pub, the phrase is "put it on the slate" or possibly "chalk it up" - in fact, the transaction would rarely be recorded on an actual slate these days.[/nq]
Mainly, I suspect, because you'd be hard pressed to find a pub that didn't require money or plastic up front be