 |
| A Midnight Conversation (1733) by William Hogarth |
An essential part of a historical fiction writer's job is using slang appropriate to the era. It wouldn't do to have an 18th century fellow extolling the virtues of "groovy chicks." So, dear Reader, I have rounded up 50 slang terms I garnered from A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785)—written by Francis Grose and placed them, below, in the form of a mix/match quiz with numbered slang terms and lettered meanings. (Answers at the bottom.) After putting all this together I am feeling a bit betwaddled and absolutely swivel-eyed! You can peruse this entertaining tome yourself at: http://archive.org/details/aclassicaldicti01grosgoog
Have fun and feel free to use them at your next gathering. Impress your friends! Confound your...non-friends!
1-all-a-mort
2-apron string-hold 3-arsey
varsey 4-batchelor's fare
5-betwaddled 6-bone
box 7-break-teeth word 8-croaker
9-cacklers ken
10-dry boots 11-dog's soup 12-eternity box
13-execution day
14-featherbed lane 15-fencing
ken 16-gollumpus
17-grumbletonian
18-here and thereian 19-hum
durgeon 20-hop-o-my-thumb
21-India wipe
22-inexpressibles 23-jingle
brains 24-jumblegut lane
25-kill devil 26-knowledge
box 27-locksmith's daughter 28-lully priggers
29-master of the mint 30-mud
lark 31-nicknackatory 32-nigmenog
33-Old
Roger 34-Old Mr. Gory 35-pin basket 36-picaroon
37-quacking cheat 38-quill
driver 39-Ralph Spooner 40-rattle and pad
41-sidledywry 42-swivel-eyed 43-top lights 44-trundlers
45-victualling office
46-vampers 47-unlicked cub 48-used up
49-watery headed 50-word
grubbers
a-stockings b-verbal
critics c-the youngest child d-a clerk, scribe or hackney driver
e-crooked f-new
still-burnt rum g-thieves who steal
wet linen
h-a wild thoughtless rattling fellow i-a discontented person always railing at
the times
j-a diminutive person
k-a pirate l-a coach and
horses
m-an estate held by a man during his wife's life n-mouth
o-struck dumb, confounded
p-imaginary illness
q-a rough road r-one who has no
settled place of residence
s-breeches t-bread
and cheese and kisses u-hen roost v- to fall head over heels
w-apt to shed tears
x-a key y-coffin z-out of one's senses, confounded
aa-hard to pronounce word
bb-washing day cc-a
gardener
dd-someone always foretelling misfortune ee-a rough or stoney lane
ff-rain water
gg-silk handkerchief hh-large
clumsy fellow ii-killed
jj-peas kk-a
fool ll-squinting mm-a duck
nn-the Devil
oo-a hog pp-a piece
of gold qq-a sly humorous fellow
rr-a warehouse where stolen goods are secreted ss-the head tt-a very silly fellow
uu-the eyes vv-a rude
uncouth young fellow ww-the
stomach xx-a toyshop
1o 2m 3v
4t 5z 6n 7aa 8dd
9u 10qq 11ff
12y 13bb 14ee 15rr
16hh 17i 18r
19p 20j 21gg
22s 23h 24q
25f 26ss 27x
28g 29cc 30oo 31xx
32tt 33nn 34pp
35c 36k 37mm
38d 39kk 40l
41e 42ll
43uu 44jj 45ww
46a 47vv 48ii
49w 50b
Have a good week, dear Reader. Thanks for stopping by...Y'all come back now!
Kate
No comments:
Post a Comment