Such Language! Part 13 (yikes!)

A stroll through the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue is always a delight...and a giggle!

Bear-garden jaw: Rude, vulgar language, as was used at the bear-baiting gardens or arenas. ("I do wish Miranda wouldn’t imitate Henry’s bear-garden jaw, but she is only six, after all.") 

Draw the long bow: Tell lies. ("Henry was drawing the long bow last night at dinner when talking to Uncle George; it’s a wonder he can keep all his fibs straight.")  

Fly: Knowing or acquainted with another’s meaning or proceedings. ("But I think Uncle George is fly enough to know exactly what stories Henry tells him.") 

Gundiguts: a fat, out-of-shape fellow. ("Sir Thomas’s new cook may be excellent, but he’s turning his master into quite a gundiguts.") 

Be in bad loaf: To find oneself in trouble or a difficult situation. ("Adelaide found herself in bad loaf when her corset strings snapped in the middle of waltzing with Lord Delish, but she kept her wits about her and didn’t exhale too much.") 

Jingle Brains: A wild, thoughtless, rattling fellow. ("However, Lord Delish, being a complete jingle-brains, immediately claimed Adelaide’s hand for a polka after the waltz was done.") 

Long-tongued: Loquacious, unable to keep a secret. ("My cousin Mary is so long-tongued that all of us pretended to be hard of hearing when she visited last autumn.") 

Nicknackatory: A toyshop. ("Bertram promised to take his little brothers to a nicknackatory if they in turn promised to not tell Lord Uppraite about what they’d seen him doing with the upstairs parlour-maid.")