Regency Slang

From this site. Part of the Articles series.

A

• abigail
  • A lady's maid.
• Ace of Spades
  • A widow.
• a fudge
  • A false rumor. Also referred to as a damned hum.
• all the crack
  • To be very fashionable.
• angelic
  • Simple young women.
• Apartments to Let
  • A widow on the catch. Also referred to as empty-headed and shallow cove.
• ape-drunk
  • To be very drunk. Also referred to as drunk as a wheelbarrow.
• ape-leader
  • An old maid or spinster. (Their punishment after death for failing to procreate, it was said, would be to lead the apes into hell.)
• a trifle disguised
  • To be slightly drunk. Also referred to as half-sprung.

B

• Babes in the Wood
  • People confined to the stocks, or the pillory. Also referred to as dice.
• bachelor fare
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, convenient, Cyprian, Demi-rep, game pullet, lady-bird, light-skirt, Paphian, peculiar, prime article, trollop, and wanton.
• bacon-brained
  • A silly person; fool. Also referred to as beef witted, bird witted, caper witted, chucklehead, fatwit, goose, jingle-brained, nincompoop, rattleplate, slow top, and scatter witted.
• bag of moonshine
  • A lot of nonsense. Also referred to as fustian nonsense and slum.
• bamboozle
  • To trick. Also referred to as a gammon.
• Banbury stories
  • Falsehoods.
• bandy words
  • To talk.
• bang up to the mark
  • To be on time.
• banyan
  • A loose-skirted coat worn by men as a dressing gown.
• barking irons
  • Pistols.
• barque of frailty
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, convenient, Cyprian, Demi-rep, gamepullet, lady-bird, light-skirt, Paphian, peculiar, prime article, trollop, and wanton.
• batman
  • An orderly assigned to a military officer as a soldier-servant.
• Beau Monde
  • High society; the fashionable elite. Also known as the Bon Ton, the Haut Monde, High Society, the Quality, and the Ton.
• beautiful stepper
  • A fine piece of horseflesh. Also referred to as prime bit of blood and sweet-goer.
• Beau Traps
  • A loose stone that, when stood on, would squirt dirty water on one's clean white stockings; a 'Sharper' who preyed on raw young country squires or ignorant fops.
• become a tenant for life
  • To marry.
• beef witted
  • silly person; fool. Also referred to as bacon-brained, bird witted, caper witted, chucklehead, fatwit, goose, jingle-brained, nincompoop, rattleplate, slow top, and scatter witted.
• befogged
  • To be confused.
• be in alt
  • To be ecstatic.
• being cupped
  • To have blood taken/let.
• be in your cups
  • To be drunk. Also referred to as bosky, be with malt above water, castaway, disguised, eaten Hull cheese, foxed, jug-bitten, properly shot in the neck, tap-hackled, and top-heavy.
• bellows to mend with
  • To have the wind knocked out of you.
• below hatches
  • To be poor.
• beneath my touch
  • To not be good enough.
• be with malt above water
  • To be drunk. Also referred to as bosky, be in your cups, castaway, disguised, eaten Hull cheese, foxed, jug-bitten, properly shot in the neck, tap-hackled, and top-heavy.
• Billy Buzman
  • Pickpockets who stole only silk handkerchiefs.
• Bird of Paradise
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, bit of muslin, convenient, Cyprian, Demi-rep, game pullet, lady-bird, light-skirt, Paphian, peculiar, prime article, trollop, and wanton.
• bird witted
  • A silly person; fool. Also referred to as bacon-brained, beef witted, caper witted, chucklehead, fatwit, goose, jingle-brained, nincompoop, rattleplate, slow top, and scatter witted.
• bit of muslin
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, convenient, Cyprian,Demi-rep, game pullet, lady-bird, light-skirt, Paphian, peculiar, prime article, trollop, and wanton.
• bleed very freely
  • To give lots of money.
• blue devils
  • The blues, depression. Also referred to as megrims.
• Blue Ruin
  • Gin. Also referred to as Flash of Lightning, Old Tom, and Stark Naked.
• Blues, the
  • Nickname for the Royal Horse Guards, one of the three cavalry regiments charged with guarding the Royal Household; the regiment received the epithet due to the colour of their uniforms.
• bluestocking
  • An academic female.
• blunt
  • Money. Also referred to as dibs, gingerbread, and rhino.
• bolt to the Village
  • To go to London.
• bone-setters
  • A horse of poor quality. Also referred to as a screw.
• Bon Ton
  • High society; the fashionable elite. Also known as the Beau Monde, the Haut Monde, High Society, the Quality, and the Ton.
• boot is quite on the other leg
  • The situation is quite the reverse.
• bosky
  • To be drunk. Also referred to be in your cups, be with malt above water, castaway, disguised, eaten Hull cheese, foxed, jug-bitten, properly shot in the neck, tap-hackled, and top-heavy.
• bouncer
  • A lie. Also referred to as a Canterbury tale, cutting shams, faradiddle, pitching the gammon, plumper, and shamming it.
• bounder
  • An ill-bred, unscrupulous man; a cad. Also referred to as a dirty-dish, loose screw, and rake.
• bowled out
  • Cricket term; to get the better of.
• bread-basket
  • Stomach. Also referred to as pudding-house.
• brought to Point Non Plus
  • To be in a situation with no options.
• bulls-eye
  • Crown (the coin, not coronet). Also referred to as coachwheel.
• bumble-broth
  • To make a mull of things.
• by-blows
  • Illegitimate children. Also referred to as side-slips.

C

• calf-clingers
  • Pantaloons.
• calf-love
  • Immature love of a young man.
• canaray
  • Sovereign (money, not ruler) - new in 1817. Also referred to as quid and yellow-boy.
• cant
  • The generic term for the language used by beggars, gypsies, and thieves.
• Canterbury tales
  • Lies. Also referred to as bouncers, cutting shams, faradiddles, pitching the gammon, plumper, and shamming it.
• caper merchant
  • A dancing instructor.
• caper witted
  • A silly person; fool. Also referred to as bacon-brained, beef witted, bird witted, chucklehead, fatwit, goose, jingle-brained, nincompoop, rattleplate, slow top, and scatter witted.
• Captain Sharp
  • A cheater. Also referred to as an ivory tuner.
• carte-blanche
  • An offer made by a gentleman that includes living under his protection, but not marriage.
• castaway
  • To be drunk. Also referred to as bosky, be in your cups, be with malt above water, disguised, eaten Hull cheese, foxed, jug-bitten, properly shot in the neck, tap-hackled, and top-heavy.
• cast one's resources into a pool-dish
  • To share the work.
• cast up your account
  • To vomit. Also referred to as flash the hash.
• cat-lap
  • Milk, or champagne if used as a joke.
• cattle
  • Horses. Also referred to as prime-goers and tits.
• chemisette
  • A short linen or muslin shirt, originally part of a riding costume, worn to fill in a wide-necked bodice for day wear - sometimes with a stand-up collar or ruff. Also referred to as a habit shirt.
• Children in the wood
  • Dice.
• chit
  • A young girl.
• chitterlings
  • The inside parts of the pig.
• chucklehead
  • A silly person; fool. Also referred to as bacon-brained, beef witted, bird witted, caper witted, fatwit, goose, jingle-brained, nincompoop, rattleplate, slow top, and scatter witted.
• cit
  • A contemptuous term for a member of the merchant class.
• civil whiskers
  • Polite small talk.
• cleaned out
  • To have no money. Also referred to as cucumberish, damned low water with me, find oneself on the rocks, find self at a stand, haven't a sixpenceto scratch with, never a feather to fly with, pockets to let, punting on River Tick, rolled-up, and run quite off one's legs.
• clunch
  • A rock-like material. To be used in association with a person, usually in the manner of an insult.
• coachwheel
  • Crown (the coin, not coronet). Also referred to as a bulls-eye.
• cock-sure
  • To be proud and confident.
• cock up one's toes
  • To die.
• coiffure
  • A hairstyle; to arrange or dress hair.
• colour up
  • To blush. Also referred to as flying one's colours.
• come up to scratch
  • Make an offer of marriage.
• commonplace mind
  • A dirty or vulgar mind.
• congé
  • Formal permission to depart; an abrupt dismissal; a leave-taking; a formal bow.
• consumption
  • Turberculosis.
• convenient
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, Cyprian, Demi-rep, game pullet, lady-bird, light-skirt, Paphian, peculiar, prime article, trollop, and wanton.
• Corinthian
  • Fashionable man about town, usually a sportsman.
• Corinthian Path
  • Gentleman Jackson's boxing saloon.
• corky
  • To be bright and lively.
• Cossacks
  • Loose trousers.
• cow-handed
  • Clumsy. Also referred to as ham-fisted.
• cow juice
  • Milk.
• coxcomb
  • A man who affects extreme elegance in clothes and manners. Also referred to as a dandy and fop.
• cross as crabs
  • To be ill tempered and sour.
• cry rope on someone
  • To give them away, tell secrets, etc.
• cucumberish
  • To have no money. Also referred to as cleaned out, damned low water with me, find oneself on the rocks, find self at a stand, haven't a sixpence to scratch with, never a feather to fly with, pockets to let, punting on River Tick, rolled-up, and run quite off one's legs.
• cuffin
  • A man.
• curricle
  • A fashionable open-air two-wheeled sporting vehicle designed for a pair of horses and seating for two.
• curtain lectures
  • A private lecture given by a wife to her husband.
• cut a wheedle
  • To ingratiate self with someone by lying. Also referred to as turn someone up sweet.
• cut direct
  • A deliberate and public snub.
• cutting shams
  • Lying. Also referred to as bouncer, Canterbury tales, faradiddles, pitching the gammon, plumper, and shamming it.
• cut up my peace
  • To disturb me.
• Cyprian
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, convenient, Demi-rep, game pullet, lady-bird, light-skirt, Paphian, peculiar, prime article, trollop, and wanton.
• Cythereans
  • Mistresses. Also referred to as demimonde and light o' love.

D

• damned hum
  • A false rumor; a lie; a trick. Also referred to as a fudge; bouncer, Canterbury tale, cutting shams, and faradiddle; bamboozle and gammon.
• damned low water with me
  • To have no money; be in debt. Also referred to as cucumberish, cleaned out, find oneself on the rocks, find self at a stand, hatches, haven't a sixpence to scratch with, never a feather to fly with, pockets to let, Punting on River Tick, rolled-up, and run quite off one's legs.
• dandiprat
  • An insignificant or trifling fellow.
• dandy
  • A man who affects extreme elegance in clothes and manners. Also referred to as a coxcomb and fop.
• dangling after
  • Hanging about, enamoured of.
• darken one's daylights
  • To give a black eye.
• décolletage
  • The low neckline of a woman's dress.
• deedy
  • Industrious; active.
• demimonde
  • Mistress. Also referred to as Cytherean and light o' love.
• Demi-rep
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, convenient, Cyprian, game pullet, lady-bird, light-skirt, Paphian, peculiar, prime article, trollop, and wanton.
• diamond of the first water
  • A very beautiful young woman.
• dibs
  • Money. Also referred to as blunt, gingerbread, and rhino.
• dibs not in tune
  • To be in poor financial state.
• dice
  • People confined to the stocks, or pillory. Also referred to as Babes in the Wood.
• dicked in the nob
  • To be crazy.
• dipping rather deep
  • To drink quite heavily.
• dirty-dish
  • An ill-bred, unscrupulous man; a cad. Also referred to as a bounder, loose screw, and rake.
• disguised
  • To be drunk. Also referred to as bosky, be in your cups, be with malt above water, castaway, eaten Hull cheese, foxed, jug-bitten, properly shot in the neck, tap-hackled, and top-heavy.
• dispatchers
  • False dice.
• displays to advantage
  • To fight well (boxing term).
• doing it much too brown
  • Overdoing it so it is not credible.
• domino
  • A short hooded cloak worn with a mask usually at masquerades.
• done to a cow's thumb
  • Fatigued to the point of illness/fainting.
• done up
  • To be ruined by gambling.
• drawing the bustle too freely
  • To spend too much money.
• draw someone's cork
  • To punch in the nose and cause bleeding.
• drive unicorn
  • To drive a vehicle with 3 horses, 1 in front of 2 others.
• drunk as a wheelbarrow T
  • o be very drunk. Also referred to as ape-drunk.
• dudgeon
  • A bad mood.
• Dun territory
  • A debt.

E

• eaten Hull cheese
  • To be drunk. Also referred to as bosky, be in your cups, be with malt above water, castaway, disguised, foxed, jug-bitten, properly shot in the neck, tap-hackled, and top-heavy.
• elbow-crooker
  • A drinker.
• elbow shaker
  • A gamester casting dice.
• empty-headed
  • A widow on the catch. Also referred to as Apartments to let and shallow cove.

F

• fagged to death
  • To be exhausted, tired. Also referred to as knocked-up.
• fair gutfounded
  • To be very hungry.
• fairly flush in the pockets
  • To be quite rich. Can also be referred to as flash the screens, full of juice, post the pony, stump the pewter, swimming in lard, tip the brads, and well-inlaid.
• faradiddles
  • A lie. Also referred to as a bouncer, Canterbury tale, cutting shams, pitching the gammon, plumper, and shamming it.
• fatwit
  • A silly person; fool. Also referred to as bacon-brained, beef witted, bird witted, caper witted, chucklehead, goose, jingle-brained, nincompoop, rattleplate, slow top, and scatter witted.
• fichu
  • A thin fabric inserted scarf-like into the neckline of a woman's dress.
• fiend seize it
  • Damn it.
• find oneself on the rocks
  • To have no money; be in debt. Also referred to as cleaned out, cucumberish, damned low water with me, find self at a stand, haven't a sixpence to scratch with, never a feather to fly with, pockets to let, punting on River Tick, rolled-up, and run quite off one's legs.
• fit of the blue-devils
  • To be depressed.
• five-bottle men
  • Drunks with a remarkable ability to hold their drink. Similar terms include four and six-bottle men, but their ability to hold their drink slightly decreases (four) and increases (six) with each respective number.
• flash-house
  • A pub frequented by criminals.
• flash mort
  • An upper-class girl.
• Flash of Lightning
  • Gin. Also referred to as Blue Ruin, Old Tom, and Stark Naked.
• flash the hash
  • To vomit. Also referred to as cast up your account.
• flash the screens
  • To be rich. Can also be referred to as fairly flush in the pockets, full of juice, post the pony, stump the pewter, swimming in lard,tip the brads, and well-inlaid.
• flat
  • An honest person, foolish.
• Florizel
  • Epithet for the Prince Regent. Also nicknamed Prinny.
• fly a kite
  • To raise money.
• flying one's colors
  • Blushing. Also referred to as coloring up.
• fly to the time of day
  • Wise to the ways of the world.
• fob pocket
  • A small pocket at the front waistline of a man's trousers used to hold a watch.
• fop
  • A man who affects extreme elegance in clothes and manners. Also referred to as a coxcomb and dandy.
• four-bottle men
  • Drunks with a remarkable ability to hold their drink. Similar terms include five and six-bottle men, but their ability to hold their drink was slightly increases with each number.
• foxed
  • To be drunk. Also referred to as bosky, be in your cups, be with malt above water, castaway, disguised, eaten Hull cheese,jug-bitten, properly shot in the neck, tap-hackled, and top-heavy.
• free-traders
  • Smugglers.
• Friday-faced
  • Sad-looking.
• fulhams
  • Loaded dice.
• full of juice
  • To be very rich. Can also be referred to as fairly flush in the pockets, flash the screens, post the pony, stump the pewter, swimming in lard, tip the brads, and well-inlaid.
• fustian nonsense
  • Rubbish. Also referred to as a bag of moonshine and slum.

G

• gabster
  • A person who talks a lot.
• game pullet
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, convenient, Cyprian, Demi-rep, lady-bird, light-skirt, Paphian, peculiar, prime article, trollop, and wanton.
• gaming-hell
  • A gambling den.
• gammon
  • To trick. Also referred to as a bamboozle.
• gently born female of tender years
  • Just out, usually ages 16-19.
• gingerbread
  • Money. Also referred to as blunt, dibs, and rhino.
• give one snuff
  • To rebuke or scold.
• give one the office
  • Assigned a task to one.
• glumping
  • Sulking.
• gobble-cock
  • Turkey (less important than a Duke).
• goose
  • A silly person; fool. Also referred to as bacon-brained, beef witted, bird witted, caper witted, chucklehead, fatwit, jingle-brained, nincompoop, rattleplate, slow top, and scatter witted.
• grease someone in the fist
  • To bribe them.
• green girl
  • A girl who has little experience.
• grubshite
  • To make something dirty.
• gudgeon
  • A fish. To be used in association with a person.
• gulled
  • To be deceived or cheated. Primarily used with gambling.
• Gullgropers
  • Money lenders.
• Gypsy hat
  • A wide-brimmed straw hat with ribbons passing from the crown and tied in a bow under the chin.

H

• habit shirt
  • A short linen or muslin shirt, originally part of a riding costume, worn to fill in a wide-necked bodice for day wear - sometimes with a stand-up collar or ruff. Also referred to as a chemisette.
• hadn't an ounce of steel in him/her
  • Not strong-willed.
• half-sprung
  • Tipsy, not fully drunk. Also referred to as a trifle disguised.
• ham-fisted
  • Clumsy. Also referred to as cow-handed.
• handkerchiefs thrown to him
  • To attract; to aim to snare a man for marriage. Also referred to as set your cap at someone.
• hang on someone's sleeve
  • To let self be supported financially.
• hatches
  • To be in debt. Also referred to as damned low water with me, cucumberish, cleaned out, find oneself on the rocks, find self at a stand, haven't a sixpence to scratch with, never a feather to fly with, pockets to let, Punting on River Tick, rolled-up, and run quite off one's legs.
• hatchments
  • Family shield shrouded in black crape. They were to be mounted over the windows of a great house to inform the public that the family was in mourning.
• haute couture
  • High fashion; trend-setting fashions.
• Haut Monde
  • High society; the fashionable elite. Also known as the Beau Monde, the Bon Ton, High Society, the Quality, and the Ton.
• haven't a sixpence to scratch with
  • To have no money. Also referred to be cleaned out, cucumberish, damned low water with me, find oneself on the rocks, find self at a stand, never a feather to fly with, pockets to let, punting on River Tick, rolled-up, and run quite off one's legs.
• Havey-cavey
  • Suspicious.
• havey-cavey business
  • Suspicious goings-on.
• Haymarket ware
  • Low class prostitutes.
• Hells
  • Gambling houses.
• high fidgets
  • To be very uneasy, nervous or anxious to the point of restlessness.
• high-flyers
  • Gamblers for high stakes.
• high in the instep
  • To be haughty, proud.
• hobble
  • As in to be in a hobble or a predicament.

I

• Incognitas
  • Higher class prostitues.
• inexpressibles
  • Breeches.
• in quite deep
  • To be in debt. Also referred to as damned low water with me, Dun territory, and find oneself on the rocks.
• in the suds
  • To be in trouble.
• ivory tuner
  • A cheater. Also referred to as Captain Sharp.

J

• Jarvey
  • The driver of a hackney coach.
• jaw-me-dead
  • A bore. Also referred to as a windsucker.
• Jerry Sneak
  • A hen-pecked husband.
• jingle-brained
  • A silly person; fool. Also referred to as bacon-brained, beef witted, bird witted, caper witted, chucklehead, fatwit, goose, nincompoop, rattleplate, slow top, and scatter witted.
• jobation
  • A reproof or scolding.
• job-horses
  • Rented horses.
• jointure
  • A financial provision for a widow. Typically the amount is negotiated based on the portion she brought to the marriage, and is generally established as part of the marriage settlement.
• jordan
  • A chamberpot.
• jug-bitten
  • To be drunk. Also referred to as bosky, be in your cups, be with malt above water, castaway, disguised, eaten Hull cheese,foxed, properly shot in the neck, tap-hackled, and top-heavy.

K

• kick up a lark
  • To get into mischief. Also referred to as raising some kind of breeze.
• knocked-up
  • To be exhausted, tired. Also referred to as fagged to death.

L

• lady-bird
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, convenient, Cyprian, Demi-rep, game pullet, light-skirt, Paphian, peculiar, prime article, trollop, and wanton.
• land a facer
  • To punch in the face. Also referred to as plant a facer.
• lark
  • Pranks. Also referred to as reveal-rout.
• Lawks
  • A vulgar exclamation.
• leech
  • A doctor.
• legs
  • A bookmaker. Primarily used with gambling.
• leg-shackled
  • To be married. Also referred to as parson's mousetrap and riveted.
• levanters
  • Persons who run away leaving unpaid debts behind.
• light o' love
  • Mistress. Also referred to as a Cytherean and demimonde.
• light-skirt
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, convenient, Cyprian, Demi-rep, game pullet, lady-bird, Paphian, peculiar, prime article, trollop, and wanton.
• limbo
  • A prison.
• loose screw
  • An ill-bred, unscrupulous man; a cad. Also referred to as a bounder, dirty-dish, and rake.
• lucubrations
  • Ponderous thought.
• Lud
  • A polite exclamation.
• lump
  • A workhouse.
• lush some slop
  • To drink some tea.

M

• make a cake of oneself
  • Make a fool of oneself.
• make a May game of someone
  • To fool someone.
• make a mull of something
  • To make a mess of it.
• make an offer
  • To propose marriage.
• making indentures
  • Drinking.
• mantua-maker
  • Georgian term for dressmaker; named after the mantua, a type of gown worn in the eighteenth century. Also referred to as modiste.
• mawkish
  • To be sentimental.
• megrims
  • The blues, depression. Also referred to as blue devils.
• miff
  • To get into a bad mood.
• milkiness
  • The state of being weak, cowardly or compliant.
• mill
  • A boxing match. The term can also be used to refer to a less formal bout, i.e. a barroom brawl or fist-fight.
• mingle-mangle
  • A mess.
• missish
  • Squeamish, prim, prudish, i.e. behavior befitting a young miss.
• modiste
  • French term for dressmaker. Also referred to as a mantua-maker.
• monkey
  • A £500 bank note.
• mooncalves
  • Twits. Also referred to as popinjays.
• moonling
  • A simpleton; lunatic.
• moulder
  • A lumbering boxer; one who fights as if he were moulding clay.
• mushroom
  • A gate-crasher; a social climber; a brownnoser, a glad-hander; a name-dropper.

N

• neck-or-nothing young blood of the Fancy
  • A very sporty young nobleman.
• never a feather to fly with
  • To have no money. Also referred to be cleaned out, cucumberish, damned low water with me, find oneself on the rocks, find self at a stand, haven't a sixpence to scratch with, pockets to let, punting on River Tick, rolled-up, and run quite off one's legs.
• nick
  • To win at dice or hit the mark just in the nick of time.
• nincompoop
  • A silly person; fool. Also referred to as bacon-brained, beef witted, bird witted, caper witted, chucklehead, fatwit, goose, jingle-brained, rattleplate, slow top, and scatter witted.
• nit squeezer
  • A barber.
• nonesuch
  • A leader of fashion. Also referred to as a nonpareil.
• nonpareil
  • A leader of fashion. Also referred to as nonesuch.
• not a mean bit yet
  • To still be attractive.
• not give a tinker's damn
  • To not care.
• notoriously picksome
  • To be fussy.

O

• ogles
  • Eyes.
• Old Tom
  • Gin. Also referred to as Blue Ruin, Flash of Lightning, and Stark Naked.
• on a repairing lease
  • Returning to the country after your funds have run out.
• on-dit
  • Gossip.
• on the cut
  • On a drinking binge.
• on the shelf
  • Beyond marriageable age; no longer wanted; a spinster.
• open the budget
  • To speak freely.

P

• Paphian
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, convenient,Cyprian, Demi-rep, game pullet, lady-bird, light-skirt, peculiar, prime article, trollop, and wanton.
• parson's mousetrap
  • To be married. Also referred to as leg-shackled and riveted.
• parting company
  • To fall off of a horse.
• peagoose
  • A silly person (usually a female).
• peahen
  • A female peacock. To be used in association with a person.
• peculiar
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, convenient,Cyprian, Demi-rep, game pullet, lady-bird, light-skirt, Paphian, prime article, trollop, and wanton.
• peep-of-day boy
  • Someone always involved in mischief.
• pelisse
  • An outdoor coat-like garment worn over a dress - ankle length or 3/4 length.
• pelter
  • A state of worked up emotion.
• phaeton
  • A fashionable open-air four-wheeled sporting vehicle with seating for two.
• pimple
  • Head. Also referred to as pipkin.
• Pinkest of the Pinks
  • A very fashionable man. Also referred to as swell of the first stare.
• pinks
  • Young men. Also referred to as roses and tulips.
• pipkin
  • Head. Also referred to as pimple.
• pitching the gammon
  • Lying. Also referred to as bouncer, Canterbury tales, cutting shams, faradiddles, plumper, and shamming it.
• plant a facer
  • To punch in the face. Also referred to as land a facer.
• pluck to the backbone
  • To be brave.
• plum
  • A £100,000 bank note.
• plume yourself on something
  • To be proud of it.
• plumper
  • A lie. Also referred to as a bouncer, Canterbury tale, cutting shams, faradiddle, pitching the gammon, and shamming it.
• pockets to let
  • To have no money. Also referred to as cleaned out, cucumberish, damned low water with me, find oneself on the rocks, find self at a stand, haven't a sixpence to scratch with, never a feather to fly with, rolled-up, and run quite off one's legs.
• 'pon rep
  • A polite exclamation.
• pony
  • A £25 bank note.
• popinjays
  • Twits. Also referred to as mooncalves.
• post the pony
  • To be rich. Can also be referred to as fairly flush in the pockets, flash the screens, full of juice, stump the pewter, swimming in lard, tip the brads, and well-inlaid.
• prime article
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, convenient, Cyprian, Demi-rep, game pullet, lady-bird, light-skirt, Paphian, peculiar, trollop, and wanton.
• prime bit of blood
  • A fine piece of horseflesh. Also referred to as a beautiful stepper and sweet-goer.
• prime-goers
  • Horses. Also referred to as cattle and tits.
• Prinny
  • Epithet for the Prince Regent. Also nicknamed Florizel.
• properly shot in the neck
  • To be drunk. Also referred to as bosky, be in your cups, be with malt above water, castaway, disguised, eaten Hull cheese, foxed, jug-bitten, tap-hackled, and top-heavy.
• pudding-house
  • Stomach. Also referred to as bread-basket.
• punting on River Tick
  • To be in debt. Also referred to as cucumberish, cleaned out, damned low water with me, find oneself on the rocks, find self at a stand, haven't a sixpence to scratch with, never a feather to fly with, pockets to let, rolled-up, and run quite off one's legs.
• purse-pinched
  • To have little money.

Q

• Quality, the
  • High society; the fashionable elite. Also known as the Beau Monde, the Bon Ton, the Haut Monde, High Society, and the Ton.
• queer as Dick's hatband
  • To be ill-looking, faint looking.
• quid
  • Sovereign (money, not ruler) - new in 1817. Also referred to as canary and yellow-boy.
• quizzing glass
  • A monocle dangling from a neck chain or ribbon, worn as a fashionable accessory by both men and women.

R

• raise a breeze
  • To make a fuss.
• raising some kind of breeze
  • To be up to some mischief. Also referred to as kick up a lark.
• rake
  • A man who has all the vices that has attracted and possibly ruined many women.
• ramshackle
  • Irreverent of society's restrictions.
• rattleplate
  • A silly person; fool. Also referred to as bacon-brained, beef witted, bird witted, caper witted, chucklehead, fatwit, goose, jingle-brained, nincompoop, slow top, and scatter witted.
• ready to sport one's canvas
  • To be eager to fight.
• regular out and outer
  • A person of high spirit; awake on every suit; with enviable abilities.
• repairing lease
  • Rest and relaxation in a quiet place.
• reticule
  • A woman's drawstring purse.
• reveal-rout
  • Pranks. Also referred to as a lark.
• rhino
  • Money. Also referred to as blunt, dibs, and gingerbread.
• ribbons
  • The reins of a horse.
• ring a fine peal over someone
  • To yell at someone; scold them.
• riveted
  • To be married. Also referred to as leg-shackled and parson's mousetrap.
• rolled-up
  • To have no money. Also referred to as cleaned out, cucumberish, damned low water with me, find oneself on the rocks, find self at a stand, haven't a sixpenceto scratch with, never a feather to fly with, pockets to let, punting on River Tick, and run quite off one's legs.
• rookeries
  • Criminal districts.
• roses
  • Young men. Also referred to as pinks and tulips.
• run quite off one's legs
  • To have no money. Also referred to as cleaned out, cucumberish, damned low water with me, find oneself on the rocks, find self at a stand, haven't a sixpence to scratch with, never a feather to fly with, pockets to let, punting on River Tick, and rolled-up.

S

• scatter witted
  • A silly person; fool. Also referred to as bacon-brained, beef witted, bird witted, caper witted, chucklehead, fatwit, goose, jingle-brained, nincompoop, rattleplate, and slow top.
• scrape
  • A predicament. May appear as devil's own scrape.
• screw
  • Not a very good horse. Also referred to as a bone-setter.
• set up someone's bristles
  • To make someone angry.
• set your cap at someone
  • To attract; to aim to snare someone for marriage. Also referred to as handkerchiefs thrown to him (used solely for women).
• shallow cove
  • A widow on the catch. Also referred to as Apartments to Let and empty-headed.
• shamming it
  • Lying. Also referred to as bouncer, Canterbury tales, cutting shams, faradiddles, pitching the gammon, and plumper.
• shine everyone else down
  • To be the most attractive.
• shockingly loose in the haft
  • To have many vices and little respect for propriety.
• shoot the crow
  • To leave in a hurry without paying.
• sick as a cushion
  • To be very ill.
• side-slips
  • Illegitimate children. Also referred to as by-blows.
• six-bottle men
  • Drunks with a remarkable ability to hold their drink. Similar terms include four and five-bottle men, but their ability to hold their drink was slightly decreased with each number.
• slow top
  • A silly person; fool. Also referred to as bacon-brained, beef witted, bird witted, caper witted, chucklehead, fatwit, goose, jingle-brained, nincompoop, rattleplate, and scatter witted.
• slum
  • Rubbish; nonsense. Also referred to as a bag of moonshine and fustian nonsense.
• snowball
  • Nickname for a man of African descent or chimney-sweep.
• Spanish coin
  • Untrue flattery.
• spencer
  • A short, waist-length jacket, with or without sleeves. Generally an outdoor garment worn in the morning or the afternoon, but could also be part of an evening ensemble.
• spunk
  • Prepared tinder.
• Stark Naked
  • Gin. Also referred to as Blue Ruin, Flash of Lightning, and Old Tom.
• started in the petticoat line
  • Associating with women of easy virtue.
• stays
  • A corset.
• strait-laced
  • Upholding propriety; prudish.
• stricken in years
  • To be quite old.
• stump the pewter
  • To be rich. Can also be referred to as fairly flush in the pockets, flash the screens, full of juice, post the pony, swimming in lard, tip the brads, and well-inlaid.
• swallow one's spleen
  • To control one's anger.
• sweep/make a magnificent leg
  • To bow deeply in a theatrical manner.
• sweet-goer
  • A fine piece of horseflesh. Also referred to as a beautiful stepper and prime bit of blood.
• swell cove
  • A fashionable man.
• swell of the first stare
  • A very fashionable man. Also referred to as Pinkest of the Pinks.
• swimming in lard
  • To be very rich. Can also be referred to as fairly flush in the pockets, flash the screens, full of juice, post the pony, stump the pewter, tip the brads, and well-inlaid.

T

• tap-hackled
  • To be drunk. Also referred to as bosky, be in your cups, be with malt above water, castaway, disguised, eaten Hull cheese, foxed, jug-bitten, properly shot in the neck, and top-heavy.
• Tare an' hounds
  • An exclamation.
• tempting armful
  • An attractive female.
• tendre
  • Liking or affection.
• the devil to pay
  • Trouble.
• the urinal of planets
  • Ireland.
• throwing a rub in the way
  • To spoil plans.
• Thunder an' Turf
  • An exclamation.
• tie one's garter in public
  • To do something extremely shocking.
• tiger
  • A liveried groom, generally small and young.
• tip the brads
  • To be quite rich. Can also be referred to as fairly flush in the pockets, flash the screens, full of juice, post the pony, stump the pewter, swimming in lard, and well-inlaid.
• tit
  • Horse. Also referred to as cattle and prime-goers.
• toad-eaten
  • To be flattered and made up to.
• to be in the basket
  • To be in lots of trouble.
• toilette
  • An outfit.
• Ton, the
  • High society; the fashionable elite. Also known as the Beau Monde, the Bon Ton, the Haut Monde, High Society, and the Quality.
• too ripe and ready by half
  • To always be up to something.
• too smoky by half
  • Always suspicious.
• top-heavy
  • To be drunk. Also referred to as bosky, be in your cups, be with malt above water, castaway, disguised, eaten Hull cheese,foxed, jug-bitten, properly shot in the neck, and tap-hackled.
• Top-of-the Trees
  • Someone or something of high esteem.
• top-sawyer
  • A person who handles horses superbly.
• Town Tabby
  • An aristocratic dowager.
• trollop
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, convenient, Cyprian, Demi-rep, game pullet, lady-bird, light-skirt, Paphian, peculiar, prime article, and wanton.
• trotting too hard
  • Doing too much; exhausting oneself.
• true blue
  • Faithful. Also referred to as will never stain.
• try to break someone's shins
  • To borrow money.
• tulips
  • Young men. Also referred to as pinks and roses.
• turn someone up sweet
  • To ingratiate self with someone by lying. Also referred to as cutting a wheedle.

V

• vapors
  • Hysterics.
• vowels
  • An IOU.

W

• wanton
  • A woman of easy virtue. Also referred to as bachelor fare, barque of frailty, Bird of Paradise, bit of muslin, convenient,Cyprian, Demi-rep, game pullet, lady-bird, light-skirt, Paphian, peculiar, prime article, and trollop.
• want to pull caps with someone
  • To want to argue with someone.
• well-inlaid
  • To be rich. Can also be referred to as fairly flush in the pockets, flash the screens, full of juice, post the pony, stump the pewter, swimming in lard, and tip the brads.
• whey-faced
  • Unattractive.
• widgeon
  • An unintelligent female.
• will never stain
  • Faithful. Also referred to as true blue.
• windmill dwindled to a nutshell
  • To lose one's money.
• windsucker
  • A bore. Also referred to as a jaw-me-dead.
• winged
  • To be injured in the arm, usually the shoulder.
• wish someone at Jericho
  • To find them in the way.
• within ames-ace
  • To be near.
• worldly trumpery
  • Superficial things.
• World, the
  • The select band of people that make up the Beau Monde, or whatever else you would call it. The term originates from the conviction that there is no other world, or none that matters. Members include only the great and the grand: both gentleman and ladies of note. However, since family, name, fortune, distinction, fashion, and figure are all taken into account, membership status can, at best, become a little unclear. Because of this, two points of controversy arise: 1) whether persons of no Breeding, who have achieved high fame and elevated station through their own merits can be considered members, and 2) whether members of the higher orders (i.e. the Gentry and the Aristocracy) who have failed to inherit any of the fortune, elegance or other distinguished qualities of their Ancestors should be considered to have forfeited their membership.

Y

• yard of tin
  • The horn, generally a yard or so long, used by the guard of a mail coach or stage coach to warn of approach and departure.
• yellow-boy
  • Sovereign (money, not ruler) - new in 1817. Also referred to as a canary and quid.