1811 Slang for Lord Akeldama
- Backgammon player ~ A sodomite
- A bang up cove ~ A dashing fellow who spends his money freely
- Bachelor’s faire ~ Bread and cheese and kisses
- Blanket hornpipe or Buttock ball ~ The amorous congress
- Pink of the fashion ~ The top of the mode
- Prinking ~ Dressing over nicely; prinked up as if he came out of a bandbox, or fit to sit upon a cupboard’s head
- Twiddle poop ~ An effeminate looking fellow
- In twig ~ Handsome or stylish
- Gaying instrument ~ The penis
- Jessamy ~ A smart jemmy fellow, a fopling
~ 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
As the swell’s rattler and prades are bang up prime; the gentleman sports an elegant carriage and fine horses.
![]() |
Banyan 1760s The Los Angeles County Museum of Art Banyans were comfortable robes worn by men while relaxing at home. |
{Gail’s monthly read along for July is: Passion Blue by Victoria Strauss}
GAIL’S DAILY DOSE
Your Moment of Parasol . . .
![]() |
via antique-royals tumblr |
Your Infusion of Cute . . .
A Visual Tour of Monterey Bay Aquarium
Your Tisane of Smart . . .
“In the 1830s and 1840s three waves of contagious diseases had swept across the country: from 1831 to 1833 there were two influenza epidemics, and the first-ever outbreak of cholera in Britain, which alone killed 52,000; from 1836 to 1842 there were epidemics of influenza, typhus, smallpox and scarlet fever; from 1846 to 1849 came typhus, typhoid and cholera again. These three waves of death had a devastating impact on a terrified population that had thought that, with the smallpox vaccination and some success against diseases like diphtheria, epidemic death might be on the wane.”
~ The Victorian House by Judith Flanders
Your Writerly Tinctures . . .
![]() |
via @History_Pics on Twitter Malling-Hansen Writing Ball, the 19th century proto-typewriter that Nietzsche used to type up some 60 manuscripts |
Book News:
A.F. Grappin of One More Full Page says of Etiquette & Espionage:
“I can’t rave enough about this book. I’d heard about it, and it blew my expectations out of the water. From the beginning (the trifle incident) to the very end, I was hooked. This is a wonderful introduction to steampunk for younger readers, and Sophronia and her schoolmates (and other friends who aren’t her classmates) make a great team that I think young adults of all ages can get attached to.”
Quote of the Day:
“They stand round, with soap locks and scented pocket-handkerchiefs, tipping their hats to the ladies.”
~ Around the Tea Table by T. De Witt Talmage (1875)
This post of slang made my entire day!