slangterms

[slangterms]

Gravestones and Graveyard - [19c - 1930s] - Teeth and Mouth

[slangterms]

Summer Cabbage - N. [18c] - an umbrella (due to the spread of leaves)

[slangterms]

Blind Both Eyes (phrase) - Late 19c - of eggs, fried on both sides, “turned over” or “over easy”

Source:  Green, Jonathon. Casell’s Dictionary of Slang - 2nd Edition. Weidenfeld & Nicholson. 2005. Print

[slangterms]

Balloon Soup

Balloon Soup: Noun - (1920s-30s) Nonsense, Empty chatter. similar to “balloon juice”

Source:  Green, Jonathon. Casell’s Dictionary of Slang - 2nd Edition. Weidenfeld & Nicholson. 2005. Print

[slangterms]

NON-SKID (n) [1920s] (US) A woman who can hold her drink - “She doesn’t skid in the wet”

Source:  Green, Jonathon. Casell’s Dictionary of Slang - 2nd Edition. Weidenfeld & Nicholson. 2005. Print

[slangterms]

Nanny Goat Sweat

Nanny Goat Sweat n. [1940s] Rough or inferior liquor

Green, Jonathon. Casell’s Dictionary of Slang - 2nd Edition. Weidenfeld & Nicholson. 2005. Print

[slangterms]

20 words to make you long for the Jazz Age

[slangterms]

Silent, like the “P” in “swimming”

Silent, like the “P” in “swimming” (1914) - used as a pun when explaining pronunciation.

Example: “Her name is Fenwick, but the w is silent, like the “p” in “swimming.”

The pun is on “p” as in “pee”

Source: Partidge, Eric. A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 8th Ed.. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York. 1984.

[slangterms]

Pin Basket

Pin Basket (17-1800s) - the youngest child in a concluded family

Related to “pin the basket” - meaning “to conclude or end” (likely to stop a leak/flow of grain)

Source: Partidge, Eric. A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 8th Ed.. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York. 1984.

[slangterms]

Wife in Water-Colours

Wife in Water-Colours (1780-1840):

1. A mistress or concubine (said because she could easily fade or dissolve)

2. A morganatic wife

Source: Partidge, Eric. A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 8th Ed.. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York. 1984.

[slangterms]

“Dance the reel of O’Stumpie”

Dance the reel of O’Stumpie (or “of bogie”) [18-19c Scotland] - to copulate

Source: Partidge, Eric. A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 8th Ed.. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York. 1984.

[slangterms]

Turnip

Turnip [1890s-1950s]: A pocket watch Source: Dapping, William Osborne. The Muckers: A Narrative of the Crapshooter's Club. Syracuse Univesity Press. 2016. (Page 102).

[slangterms]

Ben Franklin's Drunk Dictionary

First, a note from Mr. Franklin: “The Phrases in this Dictionary are not (like most of our Terms of Art) borrow’d from Foreign Languages, neither are they collected from the Writings of the Learned in our own, but gather’d wholly from the modern Tavern-Conversation of Tiplers. I do not doubt but that there are many more in use; and I was even tempted to add a new one my self under the Letter B, to wit, Brutify’d: But upon Consideration, I fear’d being guilty of Injustice to the Brute Creation, if I represented Drunkenness as a beastly Vice, since, ‘tis well-known, that the Brutes are in general a very sober sort of People.”

A He is Addled, He’s casting up his Accounts, He’s Afflicted, He’s in his Airs.

B He’s Biggy, Bewitch’d, Block and Block, Boozy, Bowz’d, Been at Barbadoes, Piss’d in the Brook, Drunk as a Wheel-Barrow, Burdock’d, Buskey, Buzzey, Has Stole a Manchet out of the Brewer’s Basket, His Head is full of Bees, Has been in the Bibbing Plot, Has drank more than he has bled, He’s Bungey, As Drunk as a Beggar, He sees the Bears, He’s kiss’d black Betty, He’s had a Thump over the Head with Sampson’s Jawbone, He’s Bridgey.

C He’s Cat, Cagrin’d, Capable, Cramp’d, Cherubimical, Cherry Merry, Wamble Crop’d, Crack’d, Concern’d, Half Way to Concord, Has taken a Chirriping-Glass, Got Corns in his Head, A Cup to much, Coguy, Copey, He’s heat his Copper, He’s Crocus, Catch’d, He cuts his Capers, He’s been in the Cellar, He’s in his Cups, Non Compos, Cock’d, Curv’d, Cut, Chipper, Chickery, Loaded his Cart, He’s been too free with the Creature, Sir Richard has taken off his Considering Cap, He’s Chap-fallen,

D He’s Disguiz’d, He’s got a Dish, Kill’d his Dog, Took his Drops, It is a Dark Day with him, He’s a Dead Man, Has Dipp’d his Bill, He’s Dagg’d, He’s seen the Devil,

E He’s Prince Eugene, Enter’d, Wet both Eyes, Cock Ey’d, Got the Pole Evil, Got a brass Eye, Made an Example, He’s Eat a Toad & half for Breakfast. In his Element,

F He’s Fishey, Fox’d, Fuddled, Sore Footed, Frozen, Well in for’t, Owes no Man a Farthing, Fears no Man, Crump Footed, Been to France, Flush’d, Froze his Mouth, Fetter’d, Been to a Funeral, His Flag is out, Fuzl’d, Spoke with his Friend, Been at an Indian Feast.

G He’s Glad, Groatable, Gold-headed, Glaiz’d, Generous, Booz’d the Gage, As Dizzy as a Goose, Been before George, Got the Gout, Had a Kick in the Guts, Been with Sir John Goa, Been at Geneva, Globular, Got the Glanders.

H Half and Half, Hardy, Top Heavy, Got by the Head, Hiddey, Got on his little Hat, Hammerish, Loose in the Hilts, Knows not the way Home, Got the Hornson, Haunted with Evil Spirits, Has Taken Hippocrates grand Elixir,

I He’s Intoxicated, Jolly, Jagg’d, Jambled, Going to Jerusalem, Jocular, Been to Jerico, Juicy.

K He’s a King, Clips the King’s English, Seen the French King, The King is his Cousin, Got Kib’d Heels, Knapt, Het his Kettle.

L He’s in Liquor, Lordly, He makes Indentures with his Leggs, Well to Live, Light, Lappy, Limber,

M He sees two Moons, Merry, Middling, Moon-Ey’d, Muddled, Seen a Flock of Moons, Maudlin, Mountous, Muddy, Rais’d his Monuments, Mellow,

N He’s eat the Cocoa Nut, Nimptopsical, Got the Night Mare,

O He’s Oil’d, Eat Opium, Smelt of an Onion, Oxycrocium, Overset,

P He drank till he gave up his Half-Penny, Pidgeon Ey’d, Pungey, Priddy, As good conditioned as a Puppy, Has scalt his Head Pan, Been among the Philistines, In his Prosperity, He’s been among the Philippians, He’s contending with Pharaoh, Wasted his Paunch, He’s Polite, Eat a Pudding Bagg,

Q He’s Quarrelsome,

R He’s Rocky, Raddled, Rich, Religious, Lost his Rudder, Ragged, Rais’d, Been too free with Sir Richard, Like a Rat in Trouble.

S He’s Stitch’d, Seafaring, In the Sudds, Strong, Been in the Sun, As Drunk as David’s Sow, Swampt, His Skin is full, He’s Steady, He’s Stiff, He’s burnt his Shoulder, He’s got his Top Gallant Sails out, Seen the yellow Star, As Stiff as a Ring-bolt, Half Seas over, His Shoe pinches him, Staggerish, It is Star-light with him, He carries too much Sail, Stew’d Stubb’d, Soak’d, Soft, Been too free with Sir John Strawberry, He’s right before the Wind with all his Studding Sails out, Has Sold his Senses.

T He’s Top’d, Tongue-ty’d, Tann’d, Tipium Grove, Double Tongu’d, Topsy Turvey, Tipsey, Has Swallow’d a Tavern Token, He’s Thaw’d, He’s in a Trance, He’s Trammel’d,

V He makes Virginia Fence, Valiant, Got the Indian Vapours,

W The Malt is above the Water, He’s Wise, He’s Wet, He’s been to the Salt Water, He’s Water-soaken, He’s very Weary, Out of the Way.

[slangterms]

Oatsmobile

Oatsmobile [1910s] - a horse (pun on Oldsmobile car company)

Source:

Green, Jonathon. Casell’s Dictionary of Slang - 2nd Edition. Weidenfeld & Nicholson. 2005. Print

[slangterms]

Nurse the hoe handle

Nurse the hoe handle [late 19c-1900s] - to act lazily (referring to the idler leaning on the hoe handle rather than using it)

Source:

Green, Jonathon. Casell’s Dictionary of Slang - 2nd Edition. Weidenfeld & Nicholson. 2005. Print