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LIFE IN LONDON - A SLANG DICTIONARY
Michael Grant
Taken from Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1823 edition, edited by Pierce Egan,
here are a few of the prime terms from Life in London so that you too can patter the flash like a true Corinthian!
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Abigail |
a lady's waiting maid. |
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Bang up |
quite the thing. Well done. Complete. Dashing. |
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Blunt |
money |
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Bosky |
in the cant of the Oxonians, being tipsy. |
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Bottom |
a polite term for the posteriors. Also, in the sporting sense, strength and spirits to support fatigue. |
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Bunter |
a low dirty prostitute, half whore, half beggar. |
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Chaffer |
tongue. |
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Chaffing |
to talk aloud.
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Charley |
a watchman. |
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Conk |
the nose. Also a thief who impeaches his colleagues. |
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Corinthian Path |
Regent Street. |
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Crib |
a house. To crack a crib: to break open a house. |
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Cyprian |
a prostitute. From Venus, the Cyprus-born goddess. |
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Daffy |
gin. Also known as blue ruin, Old Tom, max, flash of lightning, jackey. |
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Dipper |
a pickpocket.
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Duce |
two-pence. |
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Dunagen |
a privy. |
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Dustman |
to let the dustman get hold of you: to fall asleep. |
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Fancy |
one of the Fancy means a sporting character that is either attached to pigeons, dog-fighting, boxing etc. |
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Flash |
knowing. |
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Flat |
an honest man.
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Fly |
knowing. Acquainted with another's meaning or proceeding. |
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Fogle |
a handkerchief.
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Glim |
a candle. |
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Heavy wet |
beer. |
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Holy Land |
the well-known region of St Giles parish, London . |
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Isle of Bishop |
port wine and roasted oranges and lemons. |
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Ivories |
teeth. How the swell flashed his ivories; how the gentleman showed his teeth. To sluice the ivories; to drink. |
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Knight of the Thimble |
a tailor. |
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Knowledge box |
the head. |
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Macaroni |
an Italian paste of flour and water. Also, a fop. |
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Mauleys |
boxing gloves.
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Miller |
a boxer. |
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Nob |
the head. |
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Ogles |
the eyes. |
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Panny |
a house. The prigs frisked my panny and nailed my screws; the officers searched my house and seized my picklock keys. |
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Phiz |
the face. |
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Prad |
a horse. The swell flashes a rum prad; the gentleman sports a fine horse. |
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Rattler |
a coach. |
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Scran |
food. |
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Slavey |
a servant of either sex. |
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Spoony |
foolish, half-witted, nonsensical. |
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Swell - termed a swell. |
a gentleman, but any well-dressed person is emphatically. |
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Tonic |
a halfpenny.
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Uncle |
a pawnbroker. |
© Michael Grant - English For Techies
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