I have far too much fun going through books like the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue and others to write these posts…I hope you find them equally amusing!Quirks and Quillets: Tricks and devices. “Lady Bertha’s dressmaker is most accomplished in quirks and quillets to make her clients look like debutantes rather than dowagers.”
To cry beef: To give the alarm. “Esmeralda’s attempt to elope with that dreadful fortune-hunter was foiled when her maid cried beef to Lord Greatpurse.”
Hulver-headed: Having a hard, impenetrable head; stubborn. “Papa can be so hulver-headed over things like letting me go shopping at the Burlington Arcade with Esmeralda!”
Sauce box: A bold or forward person. “That Susan is such a sauce box that she invited herself to go driving with Sir Francis, just as he was inviting me!”
Bobbish: Smart, clever, spruce. “My great-uncle Francis looked so bobbish at the theatre last night that I swear all the dowagers had their opera glasses turned on him rather than on the stage.”
Fallalls: Women’s ornaments, like ribbons or jewelry. “My younger sister Letitia professes a complete disdain for what she calls fallalls and folderols, but guess who I caught rummaging around in my dressing table this morning?”
Barrel-fever: to be drunk. “He told his tutor that he had to stay in bed because of the flu after he came home last night, but we know that Freddy’s real illness was barrel-fever.”
5 comments:
Is it sad that these words sound so outlandish that I can't imagine them being used in actual conversation during that time period?
But then again, we've got odd slang as well so I could see someone from that time period thinking we are outlandish as well ;)
Thanks for the fun post!
You know, I wouldn't let my daughter go shopping with that Esmeralda either... :-)
I actually really like sause box...I would use that one now! I wonder if calling someone sausy comes from that?
Oopps I meant so type sauCe!!!!! Sorry
Thanks for posting, found some of the slang quite funny.
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