c.
2018 Rod Ice
All
rights reserved
(12-18)
New
Year.
With
the old calendar about to be flipped into our household trash bin, I
decided to complete a personal project in tribute to the pages about
to expire. While running between Thompson and West Virginia, for
reasons of family business, I had accidentally discovered a curious
Instagram page on my iPhone. At first, this photo repository, with
the unlikely moniker ‘More Whores of Yore’ seemed to be one of
many documenting adult themes from the postwar era. But peeling
layers of the virtual onion revealed that it also boasted a reserve
of antiquated words and slang terminology. Something of particular
interest to a creative writer.
I
resolved to revisit the page at a future date, when a better
opportunity might visit for further study.
In
this week of ‘in between’ holidays, with Christmas having passed
and the New Year sparkling from just days in the future, I remembered
my mental bookmark. There seemed to be no better time to turn back
toward this happy task, and peer more deeply into the MWOY reserve of
olden-days linguistic curiosities.
At
my desk, I began to scroll through their entries:
GRIMALKIN
(18th Century) – A bad tempered old woman.
Shakespeare is the first recorded use of ‘grimalkin’ as the name
of a witch’s familiar in Macbeth. During the 18th
century, it came to be used for a grumpy old woman.
FINGER-POST
(1785) – A vicar. Francis Grose’s ‘Classical Dictionary of the
Vulgar Tongue’ explains “so called, because he points out a way
to others which he never goes himself. Like the finger post, he
points out a way he has never been and probably never go, i.e. the
way to heaven.”
PANSHITE
19th Century) – An old Scottish word
meaning to be in a state of excitement or rage. “Brexit has caused
a right panshite, hasn’t it?”
ECDYSIAST
(1940) – A striptease artist. Pronounced ‘eck-dizzy-ast’ &
coined by H. L. Mencken. ‘Ecdysiasm’ is the act of removing your
clothes & both some from the Greek ‘ekdysis’ meaning to cast
off.
ARSE-FEET
(18th Century) – Penguins. In “History
of the Earth and Animated Nature” (1774), Oliver Goldsmith
described how penguins have an ‘awkward position of the legs, which
so unqualifies them for living on land… Our sailors, for this
reason, give these birds the very homely, but expressive, name of
arse-feet.’
LADYBIRD
(1695) – A sex worker. “I’m afraid your father and I have spent
your inheritance on whiskey and ladybirds.”
BRIM
(19th Century) – A violent and irascible
woman, as inflammable and unpleasant as brimstone, from which the
word is contracted.
ARFARFANARF
(19th Century) – a glass of porter and ale
was called an ‘arf-an-’arf.’ Someone who was drunk could be
described as being ‘arfarfanarf’ - the suggestion being that too
many ‘arfs of ‘arf-an-’ arf had been consumed.
FRIDAY
FACE (18th Century) – A grumpy face.
Before, and long after the reformation, Friday was a day of
abstinence. After the restoration of Charles II, a proclamation was
issued, prohibiting all publicans from dressing any suppers on a
Friday.
SCOLLOGUE
(19th Century) – To behave in a wild or
debauched way: for example, if somebody had been out on a drinking
spree, you would say that they “had been out scollogueing.”
DIFFIBULATE
(1656) – To unbutton or unzip.
WIMBLING
(1600’s) – Kissing with tongues. ‘Wimble’ meant to penetrate.
In ‘Kisses Loathsome’ (1648), Robert Herrick warns readers to
‘Not a wimbling tongue admit.’
SCANDAL-BROTH
(1811) – Tea. “Me & Edwardo have just got back from Magaluf,
so sit yourself down Eunice, and I’ll put on a pot of
scandal-broth.’
SPROGDROP
– Pregnancy. “I say Miss Bennett, have you been truffling the
Scotch Eggs, or has Mr. Darcy infected you with the sprogdrop?”
(Jane Austen, ‘Pride and Prejudice’)
CRAPULOUS
(1500’s) – Hungover. From Latin crapula, from Greek kraipale
“hungover, drunken headache, nausea from debauching.”
YULE
SKREP – A very old word from the Shetland Islands, meaning a
spanking administered over Christmas time for bad behavior.
BETWATTLED
(18th Century) – Completely surprised. “He
betwattled me with a birthday party.”
MANESS
(16th Century) – A woman.
MA’AM
PUSS (1820) - “A pert lass, a barmaid at a tavern; one suspected of
loose practices, with a saucy tongue, is said to be a Ma’am Puss.”
JACK-WHORE
(18th Century) – Defined in “Dictionary
of Vulgar Tongue” as ‘A large masculine, overgrown wench.’
TIDDY-DOLL
(18th Century) – One who is dressed
tawdrily or above their station. Named after a Georgian gingerbread
seller, known as “Tiddy Doll,” who wore ruffles, feathers and a
gold suit. “You look as tawdry as a Tiddy Doll” / ”You’re
tarted up like a Tiddy Doll.”
TRUMPERY
(1780’s) – Defined in “Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue” as “An
old whore, or goods of no value; rubbish.”
STEWED-QUAKER
(18th Century) – Burnt rum, with a piece
of butter. (An American remedy for a cold.)
PUDDING
SPOILER (18th Century) – Someone who talks
at great length. From clergymen whose sermons are so long on a Sunday
that by the time you get home, the puddings are spoilt.
BIT
OF FAT FROM THE EYE (19th Century) – A
compliment. Comes from eating the eyes of a boiled sheep head, which
have a layer of fat inside that was said to be the best part.
RABBIT
CATCHER (1780) – A midwife. “I’m only having the one jar of gin
this morning, Bettie – the Rabbit Catcher has me on a health kick.”
BEHINDATIVENESS
(19th Century) – Positively referring to a
ladies’ large bottom: “I say, she has a great deal of
behindativeness.”
DEADLY
NEVERGREEN (18th Century) – The gallows.
The branch that bears fruit all year round.
CURTAIN
LECTURE (1780) – A woman who scolds her husband in bed, is said to
read him a curtain lecture.
DUCKLING
(1715) – An affectionate name for a lover. / A hopelessly besotted
lover.
BARREL
FEVER (1790) – A hangover. “No gym today, Bertie – I’ve got
barrel fever.”
TRUMP
(1425) – To break wind audibly. The earliest recorded use of this
meaning of trump is in ‘Wyntoun Cron’ (vi. ii. 176). “In
publick placis ay fra pat day Scho was behynde pan trumpade ay; Sa
wes scho schamyt in ilk steid.” (In public places on that very day
she was behind & trumped; she was so embarrassed on that
occasion.)
WHITHER-GO-YE
(1785) – A wife. Wives being sometimes apt to question husbands
whither they are going.
PUNK
(1575) – A sex worker. An etymological mystery. The pu-prefix
echoes pure and public, but where this word came from is unknown. Its
original meaning regularly surprises people who come across it in
Shakespeare (he uses it four times).
My adventure-in-text had been productive. One guaranteed to generate
more writing projects in the upcoming months. I felt glad to have
stumbled upon this bit of adult theater and its unexpected history
lesson.
Now it was time to ring in the New Year!
Comments
about ‘Words on the Loose’ may be sent to:
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