victorian f-slang

did you know that there is a dictionary of slang dictionaries? and that it is not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 volumes long and costs $500? i knew this and was withholding it from you because i have been secretly reading over each volume for the last 2 years on the prowl for the hawtest, newest (oldest) dictionaries in which to extract f-words.

in the third volume, i came across passing english of the victorian era. the dictionary is an attempt to preserve ephemeral victorian slang and is unique in that it catalogs phrases from all walks of life: from the histrionic jargon of theatre dweebs and the dusty argot of library nerds to the salty sea curses of sailors and the rhyming slang of filthy street urchins.

here is a little taste:

• F.C. (Theatre) False Calves (i.e. paddings used by actors in heroic parts to improve the shape of the legs).
• Face ticket (British Museum) The way that a recognizable reader enters the reading room without having to show a ticket the way less recognizable readers may.
• Faire Charlemagne (17C Court) To know when to walk away from a hand of cards.
• Fastidious cove (London, 1882) A fashionable swindler who pretends to be far more wealthy than he he actually is.
• Finger and thumb (Rhyming slang) Rum.
• Fiveoclocquer (Paris 1896) Afternoon tea.
• Flag unfurled (Rhyming slang) A man of the world.
• Flounce (Theatre) The thick line of black paint put on the edge of the lower eyelid.
• Foot-bath (European) Overflow from glass into saucer. Said of a full glass.
• Franc-fileur (French) A man who gets away quietly and won’t dance.
• Fright hair (Theatre) A wig which by a string can be made to stand on end and express fright.
• Frivoller (Society 1879) Person with no serious aim in life.
• Frosy (Devonshire) A delicacy eaten quietly after the children are in bed.

__

source: passing english of the victorian era: a dictionary of heterodox english, slang, and phrase (1909) by james redding ware.