~Regency Wednesday~ Pluck

Today's random slang definition is a word I'm sure many of you have seen at least once in a Regency romance, especially in reference to the heroine or another female character. I'm not sure I've ever see the word applied to any male characters, to be honest, though it's certainly not female exclusive.

PLUCK. 

Courage. He wants pluck: he is a coward. Against the pluck; against the inclination. Pluck the Ribbon; ring the bell. To pluck a crow with one; to settle a dispute, to reprove one for some past transgression. To pluck a rose; an expression said to be used by women for going to the necessary house, which in the country usually stands in the garden. To pluck also signifies to deny a degree to a candidate at one of the universities, on account of insufficiency. The first three books of Euclid, and as far as Quadratic Equations in Algebra, will save a man from being plucked. These unfortunate fellows are designated by many opprobrious appellations, such as the twelve apostles, the legion of honor, wise men of the East, &c.*

*Taken verbatim from the Kindle edition of 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Get your free e-copy HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ Breaking Benjamin ~ Breath (This song has been stuck in my head for DAYS. lol)

~Regency Wednesday~ Inkle Weavers

Have you missed my weekly Regency posts? I have. I need to get back into the habit. I have no more excuses for procrastinating. RNConvention is long since past and there's nothing standing in my way now. 

That said, here's a lovely little slang definition for you. Enjoy! 

INKLE WEAVERS.

Supposed to be a very brotherly set of people; 'as great as two inkle weavers' being a proverbial saying.*

*Taken verbatim from the Kindle edition of 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Get your free e-copy HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ Shinedown ~ The Crow and the Butterfly 

~Regency Wednesday~ Sixes and Sevens

I've become very lax in my Regency Wednesday posts. Well, in an effort to get back into the groove, I'm gonna start with a simple cant definition. You all remember what cant is, right? (For new readers of this blog or the Regency genre, cant is slang.)

Here's my trusty 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, one of the best slang references, in my opinion. And the random term for this week is.... 

SIXES AND SEVENS. 

Left at sixes and sevens: i.e. in confusion; commonly said of a room where the furniture, &c. is scattered about; or of a business left unsettled.*

*Taken verbatim from the Kindle edition of 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Get it for free HERE. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ OneRepublic ~ Apologize

~Regency Wednesday~ Chaw Bacon

♫ Now playing in Jaimey's mind: Billie Piper ~ Honey to the Bee ♫

Simple definition post today, folks (and my apologies for failing to post a Regency Wednesday last week). 

Chaw Bacon. A countryman. A stupid fellow. 

*Taken verbatim from 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, available for free download from Amazon's Kindle store (as far as I know...) 

~Regency Wednesday~ Random Cant Day (#6)

It's that time again! Time for more random cant (slang) from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. YAY!! 

Affidavit Men. Knights of the post, or false witnesses, said to attend Westminster Hall, and other courts of justice, ready to swear any thing for hire. 

Degen, or Dagen. A sword. Nim the degen; steal the sword. Dagen is Dutch for a sword. Cant
Demy-rep. An abbreviation of demy-reputation; a woman of doubtful character. 

Gift of the Gab. A facility of speech. 

Mushroom. A person or family suddenly raised to riches and eminence: an allusion to that fungus, which starts up in a night. 

*Taken verbatim from 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, available for free download from Amazon's Kindle store

~Regency Wednesday~ Random Cant Day (#5)

I haven't posted a Regency Wednesday in quite some time so here's a few random slang terms from my trusty 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Enjoy!! 

Bucket. To kick the bucket. To die.
Chuckle-headed. Stupid, thick-headed. 

Elbow Grease. Labour. Elbow grease will make an oak table shine. 

Facer. A bumper, a glass filled so full as to leave no room for the lip. Also a violent blow on the face. 

Half Seas over. Almost drunk. 

*Taken verbatim from 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. 

~Regency Wednesday~ Random Cant Day, Part 4

More random selections from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Enjoy! 

Agog, All-a-gog. Anxious, eager, impatient: from the Italian agogare, to desire eagerly. 

Beau-nasty. A slovenly fop; one finely dressed, but dirty. 

Cuckold. The husband of an incontinent wife: cuckolds, however, are Christians, as we learn by the following story: An old woman hearing a man call his dog Cuckold, reproved him sharply, saying, 'Sirrah, are not you ashamed to call a dog by a Christian's name?' To cuckold the parson; to bed with one's wife before she has been churched. 

Marplot. A spoil sport. 

Row. A disturbance; a term used by the students at Cambridge. 

*Taken verbatim from 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. 

~Regency Wednesday~ Random Cant Day, Part 3

Every once in a while, I pull my trusty Regency slang dictionary (1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue) from my bookshelf and post a few randomly chosen words here, for your reading pleasure. This is part three. Enjoy! 

Caper Merchant. A dancing master, or hop merchant. 

Ferret. A tradesman who sells goods to young unthrift heirs, at excessive rates, and then continually duns them for the debt. 

Glimstick. A candlestick. Cant 

Grog. Rum and water. 

Topping Cheat. The gallows. Cant 

*Taken verbatim from 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, available for free download from Amazon's Kindle store. 

~Regency Wednesday~ Random Cant Day, Part 2

Due to an irritating cold that includes a raging headache, today's (late) Regency Wednesday post will be some more random cant from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. On a wonderful side note, this book is available for free download in the Amazon Kindle store. If you're a Regency author or just a lover of words, I highly recommend you download this book. 

Cent-per-Cent. An usurer. 

Fiddle Faddle. Trifling discourse, nonsense. A mere fiddle faddle fellow; a trifler. 

Heel Tap. A peg in the heel of a shoe, taken out when it is finished. A person leaving any liquor in his glass, is frequently called upon by the toast-master to take off his heel-tap. 

Natty Lads. Young thieves or pickpockets. 

Scapegrace. A wild, dissolute fellow. 

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

*All definitions taken verbatim from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. 

~Regency Wednesday~ Random Cant Day

Today I will open my 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue to a random page (or pages), selecting a few definitions for your enjoyment. I just love when I come across a word or phrase we still use today. LOL 

Cup-shot. Drunk. 

Dudgeon. Anger.

Gentry Mort. A gentlewoman.

Mutton-headed. Stupid. 

Puff Guts. A fat man. 

Scandal Broth. Tea.

So now that you've learned a few slang expressions from the early 1800s, use them with care.

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!