— frowsty, unclean
carser
house, home
poll
young lady with whom a gentleman is having an irregular relationship
killing
adjective of high commendation; outstanding; unique
ginger-hackled
adj. — having auburn or flaxen hair
skull-thatcher
a straw-bonnet maker
on the nose, to be
on the look-out
jomer
sweetheart
fake the rubber, to
stand treat in an extravagant manner
mendozy
dear, darling; a term of endearment probably from the valiant fighter, Mendoza
out and out
adj. — first-rate; splendid
glorious sinner
dinner (rhyming slang)
alderman in chains, an
a turkey hung with sausages
Ben Flake, a
a steak (rhyming slang)
neddy, a
a large quantity of commodity, as in “a neddy of fruit”, “a neddy of fish”
Sharp’s Alley blood worms
black puddings. Sharp’s Alley was very recently a noted slaughtering place near Smithfield
Irish apricots
potatoes
Joe Savage
cabbage (rhyming slang)
storrac
carrots (back slang)
beargeared
bleary
blued
primed
lumpy
top-heavy
moony
scammered on the ran-tan
ploughed
muddled
obfuscated
swipy
kisky
sewed up
all mops and brooms
lap the gutter, to
not be able to see a
hole in the ladder, to
}
adjectives and phrases denoting various stages of drunkenness
go to a Bungay Fair and lose both legs, to
to have reached the ultimate degree of intoxication. In the Ancient Egyptian language, the determinative character of the hieroglyphic verb “to be drunk” has the significant form of the leg of a man being amputated
flare-up, a
row
soush
house (back slang)
drop into somebody, to
give them an unprovoked beating
twist
appetite, e.g. “Will’s got a capital twist for a Ben Flake” or, in the case of the hero of our anecdote, a capital twist for …
batty fang, a
a sound beating, a drubbing
dragging time
the evening of a country fair day, when the young fellows begin pulling the wenches about
sick as a horse
popular simile denoting extreme ennui
catchy
inclined to take undue advantage
fancy-bloke
gentleman friend
bed-fagot
bed companion
gooseberry pudden
Gill
Moll
}
terms of disapprobation applied to females
blast, to
to curse
give jessie, to
to commit assault and battery upon someone
Mullingar heifer
said of a lady whose ankles are “beefy”, or thick. A term of Irish origin. It is said that a traveller passing through Mullingar was so struck with this pecularity in the local women that he determined to accost the first he met next. “May I ask,” said he, “if you wear hay in your shoes?” “Faith, an what if I do?” said the girl. “Because,” says the traveller, “that accounts for the calves of your legs coming down to feed on it.”
barnacled
adj. — applied to a wearer of spectacles (corruption of Latin binnoculi?). Derived by some from the barnacle (Lepas Anatifera), a kind of conical shell adhering to ships’ bottoms. Hence a marine term for goggles, and for which they are used by sailors in a case of ophthalmic derangement
cove
or covey; a man or boy of any age
spoffy
adj. — officious, intrusive
blackberry swagger
a person who hawks tapes, bootlaces, etc.
Newgate fringe, a
the collar of beard worn under the chin; so called from its indicating the position of the rope when Jack Ketch operates
sing out, to
exclaim in a loud voice
knife it, to
to stop, to bring to a halt
stow faking, to
to cease evil activity
stunning
adj. — astounding
fag
blow
twopenny
head
Albertopolis
a facetious appelation given by Villagers to the Kensington Gore district
buy the rabbit, to
make a bad bargain; obtain a deal of trouble and inconvenience by some action
slubberdegullion
worthless wretch
pepper, to
clump, to
leather, to
}
degrees of beating
flop down, to go
to collapse totally
Rory O’More
floor (rhyming slang)
step it, to
abscond
frog and toad
main road (rhyming slang)
Joe Blake the Bartlemy, to go to
to visit a low woman in a house of ill-repute
hop the twig, to
to run away; to leave someone in the lurch
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