A fair old lick

Posted by James Briggs December 08, 2002In reply to A fair old lick posted by James Briggs on December 05, 2002

Hello peeps!
Can anybody enlighten me of the origin of the phrase a fair old lick?
Thanks, Sam

I can find nothing at the moment, but I'll keep on trying - all my references only describe the use of the saying and not its origin. Pity.

I promised to try to find the origin, but not much luck, I'm afraid.
The Cassel Dictionary of Slang gives two possible sources, one from the late 18c where the word means 'an effort; an attempt' and the other from mid-19c+ NZ/Australia/US - 'a short sprint'.
More I could not find.
Any better sources from others?