Bantlings, Kinchins and Cossets: Colorful Language Regarding Children.

Francis Grose, author of 
Dictionary of he Vulgar Tongue

by Maria Grace

One of the things that fascinates me most about slang is its very changeable nature. Words can change meaning at the drop of a hat. New words come into lay and may be gone in an instant, or they may stay around for a very long time.

I found some very familiar terms in this offering of Regency era language pertaining to children.

Infants

• Bantling
• Brat
• Chit  
• Lullaby Cheat

Boys

• Young shaver
• Kid
• Little Breeches

Girls

• Sow Child

Children

• Kinchin. A little child.
• Urchin. A child, a little fellow: also, a hedgehog.

Bull Chin. A fat chubby child.
Cherubim. Peevish children, because cherubim and seraphim continually do cry.
Chip of the old block. A child who, either in person or sentiments, resembles its father or mother.
Cosset. A foundling.
One of his get. One of his offspring or begetting.
Mother's loll. A favorite child, the mother's darling
Pin-basket. The youngest child.

Illegitimate children

• Love-begotten Child 
• Merry-begotten
• Squeaker
• A natural son or daughter

To stand Moses: a man is said to stand Moses when he has another man's bastard child fathered upon him, and he is obliged by the parish to maintain it.
A wrinkle-bellied whore. One who has had a number of bastards as child-bearing leaves wrinkles in a woman's belly.

Being with Child

• A woman has got her belly full
• A girl who sprained her ankle
• A woman has a white swelling.
• That wench is poisoned, see how her belly is swelled

Hans In Kelder. Jack in the cellar; i.e. the child in the womb: a health frequently drank to breeding women or their husbands.
Jack In A Box.  A child in the mother's womb.
Launch. The delivery, or labor, of a pregnant woman.

Interesting Expressions related to children
Heavy baggage; women and children.
Black Monday. The first Monday after the school-boys' holidays, or breaking up, when they are to go to school and produce or repeat the tasks set them. 
To sing the black psalm; to cry
A chip of the old block; a child who, either in person or sentiments, resembles its father or mother.
Chitty-paced. Baby-faced; said of one who has a childish look. 
He has deserved the cushion; a saying of one whose wife is brought to bed of a boy: implying, that, having done his business effectually, he may now indulge or repose himself. 
Foundling. A child dropped in the street, and found and educated at the parish expense.
Free of fumbler's hall; a saying of one who cannot get his wife with child.
Marriage Music. The squalling and crying of children.
His mouth is full of pap; he is still a baby.
Prattle. Insignificant talk: generally applied to women and children.
He is as like his father as if he was spit out of his mouth: said of a child much resembling his father.
Sunburnt. Clapped: also, having many male children.

Quoted from: Grose, Captain (Francis). (2004) Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811 ed. Ikon Classics

Related articles

• A little colorful language: Weddings and Marriage
• Clod Pates, Sapsculls and Noddies: Fools in the Regency Era
• They didn't say that...did they?
• Come play with me-part 1
• Toys and Games of the Long 18th Century

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Maria Grace is the author of Darcy's Decision,  The Future Mrs. Darcy, All the Appearance of Goodness, and Twelfth Night at Longbourn.  Click here to find her books on Amazon. For more on her writing and other Random Bits of Fascination, visit her website. You can also like her on Facebook, follow on Twitter or email her.

Grimalkins, Buffers, Prancers and Chick-a-Biddies: Animals of the Regency Era

by Maria Grace

Francis Grose 
Author of Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue

We have a house full of cats and a dog who thinks she a momma-cat.  They all have their own proper names. But they've also got multiple nicknames each. I may just incorporate a few of these regency Era slang terms as new nicknames for them!
  
Cat

• Grimalkin. 
• Tibby.

Ram Cat. A he cat.
Gib Cat. A northern name for a he-cat, there commonly called Gilbert.
Cherry-coloured Cat. A black cat, their being black cherries as well as red.
Smellers. A cat's whiskers.

Dog

• Buffer
• Jugelow

Gnarler. A little dog that, by his barking, alarms the family when any person is breaking into the house.
Rum Bugher. A valuable dog. 

Horse

• Grogham
• Keffel
• Prad
• Prancer

Rip. A miserable rip; a poor, lean, worn-out horse.
Roarer. A broken-winded horse.
Rum Prancer. A fine horse. 
Star Gazer. A horse who throws up his head
Queer Prancer. A bad worn-out foundered horse
Scarlet Horse. A high red, hired or hack horse: a pun on the word hired.
Galloper. A blood-horse, a hunter.
Gibbe. A horse that shrinks from the collar, and will not draw.

Chickens ect

• Cackler. 
• Margery Prater.
• Chick-a-biddy. 

Sucking Chicken. A young chicken
Cackler's Ken. A hen-roost. 
Cackling Cheats. Fowls. 
Cackling Farts. Eggs. 
Cobble Colter. A turkey.
Gobbbler. A turkey cock.
Quacking Cheat. A duck.
Tib Of The Buttery. A goose.

Cow

• Dunnock. 
• Mower. 

Cow's Spouse. A bull.
Churk. The udder.

Calf

• Blater
• Cow's Baby
• Essex Lion
• Quaking Cheat
• Rumford lion

Sheep

• Bleating Cheat
• Woolbird
• Havil

Bleating Rig. Sheep-stealing. 

Hogs

• Grunter. 
• Swing Tail. 

Lice

• Active Citizen 
• Creepers 
• Scotch Greys  

Other Animals
Dickey. An ass.
Roll your dickey; drive your ass.
Kingswood Lion. An ass. Kingswood is famous for the great number of asses kept by the colliers who inhabit that place.
Long One. A hare: a term used by poachers.
Pantek. A hart; that animal is, in the Psalms, said to pant after the fresh water brooks
Sea Lawyer. A shark.

Quoted from: Grose, Captain (Francis). (2004) Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811 ed. Ikon Classics

Related articles

• The Vulgar Tongue - a dictionary of slang by Francis Grose
• The sheer delight of historical slang...
• A little colorful language: Weddings and Marriage
• They didn't say that...did they?
• Addle-Pates, Gudgeons and Paper-sculls: Fools in the Regency Era
• A LIttle Colorful Language--Soldiers

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Maria Grace is the author of Darcy's Decision,  The Future Mrs. Darcy, All the Appearance of Goodness, and Twelfth Night at Longbourn.  Click here to find her books on Amazon. For more on her writing and other Random Bits of Fascination, visit her website. You can also like her on Facebook, follow on Twitter or email her.

Pudding sleeves, Finger Posts, and Mr. Prunella: A little colorful language for the parson

Francis Grose, author of Dictionary of he Vulgar Tongue

by Maria Grace

I confess, I am a word nerd. I love language captivates me, especially in the way it relates to a culture. Slang, the speech of the common man, paints such a picture of the speaker's world. I love it!

Since every place and time has its own unique slang, I thought it would be interesting to share some Regency era slang from time to time. Today's offering a little colorful language related to the church.

Colorful names for a Parson...

• Autem Bawler 
• Body Of Divinity Bound In Black Calf
• Devil Catcher, or Devil Driver Snub Devil
• Dominee
• Parish-bull
• Pudding Sleeves 
• Levite  
• Spiritual Flesh-broker 

Sir John. The old title for a country parson
Postilion Of The Gospel. A parson who hurries over the service.
Turnpike-man. A parson; because the clergy collect their tolls at our entrance into and exit from the world.
Finger-post. A parson; so called, because he points out a way to others which he never goes himself. Like the fingerpost, he points out a way he has never been, and, probably, will never go, i. e. the way to heaven.
Mr. Prunella. parsons' gowns being frequently made of prunella.
One In Ten. A parson: an allusion to his tithes.
Gluepot. A parson: from joining men and women together in matrimony.
Puzzle-text. An ignorant blundering parson.

…and his curate

Parson's Journeyman. A curate.

Hedge Priest. An illiterate, unbeneficed curate, apatrico.

Colorful names for a Parish clerk

• Amen Curler 
• Canticle 
• Chuck Farthing 

The church...

• Autem 
• Gospel Shop
• Steeple-house  

…and its pulpit

• Clack-loft 
• Hum Box 
• Prattling-box

To look over the wood; to ascend the pulpit, to preach

Referring to the devil

• Black Spy 
• Old Harry
• Old One
• Old Poger
• Ruffian. 
• Old Nick.  from Neken, the evil spirit of the north.
• Old Scratch. probably from the long and sharp claws with which he is frequently delineated.

Complaining about the preaching

Canting. Preaching with a whining, affected tone, perhaps a corruption of chanting
Spoil Pudding. A parson who preaches long sermons, keeping his congregation in church till the puddings are overdone.
Scraping. A mode of expressing dislike to a person, or sermon, practised at Oxford by the students, in scraping their feet against the ground during the preachment.
Long-winded. A long-winded parson; one who preached long tedious sermons.

Complaining about the tithe

 Black Fly. The greatest drawback on the farmer is the black fly, i. e. the parson who takes the tithe of the harvest.
Pinch On The Parson's Side. To defraud the parson of his tithe.
Priest-craft. The art of awing the laity, managing their consciences, and diving into their pockets.
  
Interesting Expressions related to church and the clergy

Church Work. Said of any work that advances slowly.
Churchyard Cough. A cough that is likely to terminate in death.
Hums. Persons at church.
Japanned. Ordained. To be japanned; to enter into holy orders, to become a clergyman, to put on the black cloth; from the color of the japan ware, which is black.
Thorough Churchman. A person who goes in at one door of a church, and out at the other, without stopping.
To boil one's lobster. for a churchman to become a soldier; lobsters, which are of a bluish black, being made red by boiling.
To cuckold the parson. to go to bed with one's wife before she has been churched.
To dine with Duke Humphrey. to fast. In old St. Paul's church was an aisle called Duke Humphrey's walk, and persons who walked there while others were at dinner, were said to dine with Duke Humphrey.
To fly a blue pigeon. to steal lead off a church.


Quoted from: Grose, Captain (Francis). (2004) Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811 ed. Ikon Classics

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Maria Grace is the author of Darcy's Decision,  The Future Mrs. Darcy, All the Appearance of Goodness, and Twelfth Night at Longbourn.  Click here to find her books on Amazon. For more on her writing and other Random Bits of Fascination, visit her website. You can also like her on Facebook, follow on Twitter or email her.

Clod Pates, Sapsculls and Noddies: Fools in the Regency Era

Francis Grose, author of Dictionary of he Vulgar Tongue

by Maria Grace

Since I am a writer, language captivates me, especially in the way it relates to a culture. With three teen aged sons living at home I get to hear a lot of the slang they encounter. I never cease to be fascinated by the terms that come up, and how often I haven't a clue what they are referring to.

Since every era has its own unique slang, I thought it would be interesting to share some Regency era slang from time to time. Today's offering: calling out a fool in a Regency appropriate way.

A Fool

AddlePate, Clod Pate, Shallow Pate

Ben

Buzzard

Chaw Bacon. A countryman. A stupid fellow.

Cod's Head

Dummie: A wooden man. A fool.

Gudgeon: One easily imposed on. from the fish of that name, which is easily taken.

Gull: A simple credulous fellow, easily cheated.

Jack Adams

Jacob

Jolter Head: A large head; metaphorically a stupid fellow.

Loggerhead

Lout: A clumsy stupid fellow.

Mud

Nick Ninny, Nickumpoop, or Nincumpoop, Ninny, or Ninnyhammer

Nickin, Nikey, or Nizey. A soft simple fellow: also, a diminutive of Isaac.

Nocky Boy

Noddy

Nokes

Paper-scull,  Sapscull

Pig-widgeon

Ralph Spooner

Rum Cull: A rich fool, easily cheated, particularly by his mistress.

Simkin

Simon: Sixpence. Simple Simon; a natural, a silly fellow;

Simpleton: Abbreviation of simple Tony or Anthony, a foolish fellow.

Spoony: Foolish, half-witted, nonsensical; a man who has been drinking till he becomes disgusting by his very ridiculous behavior, is said to be spoony drunk; and from hence it is usual to call a very prating shallow fellow, a rank spoon

Tom Coney

Tony

To Describe a Fool Plainly

• Beetle-headed, Buffle-headed, Chuckle-headed, Fat Headed, Leatherheaded, Mutton-headed
• Benish
• Bird-witted: Inconsiderate, thoughtless, easily imposed on.
• Cakey
• Clumpish
• Cork-brained
• Sammy
• Sappy
• Squirish
• Windy

To Describe a Fool more colorfully

• A poor honey: a harmless, foolish, good-natured fellow.
• A hubble-bubble fellow: a man of confused ideas, or one thick of speech, whose words sound like water bubbling out of a bottle.
• He is no burner of navigable rivers: he is no man of extraordinary abilities; or, rather, he is but a simple fellow.
• He is a young chub, or a mere chub: a foolish fellow, easily imposed on: an allusion to a fish of that name, easily taken.
• His garret, or upper story is empty, or unfurnished: He has no brains, he is a fool.
• He is like a rope-dancer's pole, lead at both ends: a saying of a stupid sluggish fellow.
• Pudding-headed Fellow: A stupid fellow, one whose brains are all in confusion.
• He was rocked in a stone kitchen: his brains having been disordered by the jumbling of his cradle.
• Sleeveless Errand: A fool's errand, in search of what it is impossible to find.

To Make a Fool of Someone

• Bam. A jocular imposition, the same as a humbug. See
• Humbug. Bamboozle. To make a fool of any one, to humbug or impose on him.
• 
  

Quoted from: Grose, Captain (Francis). (2004) Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811 ed. Ikon Classics

Related articles

• The Vulgar Tongue - a dictionary of slang by Francis Grose
• The sheer delight of historical slang...
• A little colorful language: Weddings and Marriage

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Maria Grace is the author of Darcy's Decision,  The Future Mrs. Darcy, All the Appearance of Goodness, and Twelfth Night at Longbourn.  Click here to find her books on Amazon. For more on her writing and other Random Bits of Fascination, visit her website. You can also like her on Facebook, follow on Twitter or email her.

The Vulgar Tongue - a dictionary of slang by Francis Grose

by Jenna Dawlish

In 1785, Francis Grose published his dictionary of slang in Britain. It was the first of it's kind and contains a wonderful array of slang terms used back then.  It shows a colourful and expressive time, and not only gives us a snapshot of language, it also helps us see how many words are still used to this day (in the UK at least):

Words/terms like:  cat call, chubby, cockney, cow juice, cupboard love, dram, easy virtue, old fogey, hanker, peepers, paunch, riff raff, sick as a horse and slouch.

The full book is available free online here, it's outside copyright. You can also buy paperback versions.
Below are a few of the entries I liked to give you a taste but why not have a look at the full dictionary and see what you like:

ACCOUNTS: to cast up ones accounts - to vomit.

ACT OF PARLIAMENT: A military term for small beer, five pints of which, by an act of parliament, a landlord was formerly obliged to give to each soldier.

APPLE DUMPLING SHOP: A woman's bosom

BUCK FITCH: A lecherous old fellow

BUGABOO: A scare-babe, or bully-beggar

CAMBRIDGE FORTUNE: a woman without any but personal endowments

CAPTAIN QUEERNABS: a shabby, ill-dressed fellow

DANCERS: Stairs

DOCK: to lie to a woman

DUB O' TH' HICK: A lick on the head

FAT CULL: A rich fellow

GRANNAM: Corn

GREEN SICKNESS: The disease of maids occasioned by celibacy

JACK TAR: A sailor

MOON MEN: Gypsies

NUNNERY: A bawdy house

PEPPERED: Infected with the venereal disease

PIMP WHISKIN: A top trader in pimping

REP: A woman of reputation

SCALY FISH: A honest, rough, blunt sailor

TO TROLL: To loiter or saunter about

TURNPIKE MAN: A parson, because the clergy collect their tolls at the entrance into and exit from life.

USED UP: Killed: a military saying, originating from a message sent by the late General Guise on the expedition at Car-thagena, where he desired the commander in chief to order him some more grenadiers for those he had were all used up.


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www.jennadawlish.com

A LIttle Colorful Language--Soldiers

By Maria Grace

I am captivated by language and how it relates to a culture. With three teen aged sons living at home I get to hear a lot of the slang they encounter.  I never cease to be fascinated by the terms that come up, and how often I haven't a clue what they are referring to. Since every era has its own unique slang, I thought it would be interesting to share some Regency era slang from time to time.  Today's offering relates to soldiers.

Francis Grose, author of Dictionary of he Vulgar Tongue

Regency slang terms for soldiers:

• Bad bargain: a worthless soldier. Usage: One of his majesty's bad bargains
• Bloody Back: A jeering name for a soldier, for his scarlet coat.
• Brothers of the blade: A soldier
• Fogey or Old Fogey: A nickname for an invalid soldier.
• Galloot: a Soldier
• Foot wabbler: A contemptuous name for a foot soldier, commonly used by the cavalry.
• Light bob: A soldier of the light infantry company.
• Lobster: A nickname for a soldier, from the color of his clothes.
• Parish soldier: A militiaman, from substitutes being frequently hired by the parish for those who do not wish to serve.
• Rag Carrier: an ensign
• Skulker: A soldier who by feigned sickness evades his duty; a sailor who keeps below in time of danger
• Sons of Mars: soldiers
• Swad or Swadkin: A soldier.

Interesting terms related to the military:  

• Act of parliament: A military term for five pints of beer. 
• An act of parliament had formally obliged a landlord was formerly to give to each soldier this amount free.  
• Black Guard: A shabby, mean fellow; 
• derived from a number of dirty, tattered roguish boys, who attended at the Horse Guards and Parade in St. James's Park, to black the boots and shoes of the soldiers, or to do any other dirty offices.    
• Blue plumb: A bullet. 
• Usage: Surfeited with a blue plumb—wounded with a bullet. Assortment of George R—'s blue plumbs—a volley of bullets shot from soldiers' firelocks.    
• Brown Bess: A soldier's firelock.    
• Camp candlestick: A bottle, or soldier's bayonet.    
• Halbert: A weapon carried by an infantry sergeant.    
• He carries the halbert in his face: a saying of one promoted from a sergeant to a commission officer.    
• Lumber: Live lumber; soldiers or passengers on board a ship are so called by the sailors.    
• Messmate: A soldier who eats at the same mess, companion or comrade.    
• Nightingale: A soldier who sings (cries) out at the halberts. 
• -It is a point of honour in some regiments never to cry out under the discipline of the cat of nine tails; to avoid which, they chew a bullet. 
• Rag fair: An inspection of the linen and necessaries of a company of soldiers, commonly made by their officers on Mondays or Saturdays.    
• Sank, Sanky, Centipees: A tailor employed by clothiers in making soldier's clothing.    
• To be brought to the halberts: to be flogged 
•  -soldiers of the infantry, when flogged, being commonly tied to three halberts, set up in a triangle, with a fourth fastened across them.    
• To boil one's lobster— for a churchman to become a soldier: lobsters, which are of a bluish black, being made red by boiling.    
• To get a halbert: to be appointed a sergeant.    
• To hug brown Bess: to carry a firelock, or serve as a private soldier.   
• Smart money: Money allowed to soldiers or sailors for the loss of a limb, or other hurt received in the service.   
• Soldier's mawnd: A pretended soldier, begging with a counterfeit wound, which he claims to have received at some famous siege or battle.    
• Tattoo: A beat of the drum, of signal for soldiers to go to their quarters and for ale to stop being served.   

Finally, in the category of not exactly slang but still pretty interesting:    
Cold burning: A punishment inflicted by private soldiers on their comrades for trifling offenses, or breach of their mess laws; it is administered in the following manner: The prisoner is set against the wall, with the arm that is to be burned tied as high above his head as possible. The executioner then ascends a stool, and having a bottle of cold water, pours it slowly down the sleeve of the delinquent, patting him, and leading the water gently down his body, till it runs out at his breeches knees: this is repeated to the other arm, if he is sentenced to be burned in both.    

Quoted from:   Grose, Captain (Francis). (2004) Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811 ed. Ikon Classics

Maria Grace is the author of Darcy's Decision and The Future Mrs. Darcy. Click here to find her books on Amazon. For more on her writing and other Random Bits of Fascination, visit her website. You can also like her on Facebook, 
follow on Twitter or email her.