It’s definitely time for more
fun with 19th century slang and cant, courtesy of that compendium of
all bygone bad language, the 1811
Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Enjoy!
Addle plot: A spoil-sport, a mar-all. (Jane insisted on wearing a heavy veil to Richmond Park because of an
outbreak of spots on her chin, and was a horrid addle plot at what was supposed
to be a lovely spring day’s picnic.)
Grig: A fellow as merry as a grig: an allusion to the apparent liveliness
of a grig, or young eel. (But she was as merry as a grig after she read that
rubbing lemons on them would make then vanish.)
Duke of limbs: A tall awkward fellow. (Cousin Ralph has grown eight inches since last Easter, and is the
veriest duke of limbs.)
Bell swagger: A noisy bullying fellow. (Ernest, Ralph’s bell swagger of an elder brother no longer dares to
try to thrash him during school holidays.)
Crabbed: Sour, ill-tempered, difficult. (My Great-aunt Agatha’s toy spaniel is so dreadfully crabbed that even
Uncle Fred’s gamekeeper is afraid of it.)
All the crack: The fashionable theme, the go. (Of course, the only reason Aunt Agatha even has a spaniel is because
she had heard that lap-dogs were all the crack, and she never passes up a chance
to demonstrate just how fashionable she is.)
Rum Ned: A very rich silly fellow. Cant. (Lord Lucre’s waistcoat buttons set with pigeon’s blood rubies
have earned him a reputation as a very rum Ned indeed.)
2 comments:
Love these, thank you!
You're welcome! I have so much fun with these.
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