Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Such Language! Part 33

 

More wonderfully wordful wackiness, courtesy of the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (a copy of which can be downloaded from Project Gutenberg so that you can embark on your own wordy wanderings.

Blowsabella: A woman whose hair is dishevelled, and hanging about her face; a slattern. (My brother called me Blowsabella when we returned from our walk on the shore this morning; tomorrow, I shall wear a bucket over my head when we take our walk and it will serve him right.)

Whapper: A large man or woman. (Uncle Ambrose is quite the whapper, but has a heart to match.)

Fogram: An old fogram; a fusty old fellow. (Unlike his brother, however, Uncle James is the veriest old fogram.)

Hog Grubber: A mean, stingy fellow. (Based on bonnets Aunt Alice wears, I suspect Uncle James is also a dreadful hog grubber.)

Spiflicate: To confound, silence, or dumbfound. (Poor Mama was utterly spiflicated when Mr. and Mrs. Awffle crashed her dinner party and told her they were certain she’d forgotten to send them an invitation.)

Inching: Encroaching. (I don’t think I’ve met a more inching family than them.)

Glimflashy: Angry, or in a passion. (Cant.)  (Papa was so glimflashy over their temerity that he told the butler to set a separate table for them in the corner of the dining room.)

Any new favorites here? I rather think 'spiflicate' should be more widely known and used, myself.

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