A Pocket Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A Pocket Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
Author: Captain Francis Grose
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2020-04-07
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 1797203436

A Pocket Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue is a profane guide to the slang from the backstreets and taverns of 18th-century London. This slang dictionary gathers the most amusing and useful terms from English history and helpfully presents them to be used in the conversations of our modern day. Originally published in 1785, the Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue was one of the first lexicons of English slang, compiled by a militia captain who collected the terms he overheard on his late-night excursions to London's slums, dockyards, and taverns. Now the legacy lives on in this colorful pocket dictionary. • Learn the origin of phrases like "birthday suit" and discover slang lost to time. • An unexpected marriage of lowbrow humor and highbrow wit Discover long lost antique slang and curse words and learn how to incorporate them into modern conversation. A Pocket Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue is perfect for enlivening contemporary conversation with historical phrases; it includes a topical list of words for money, drunkenness, the amorous congress, male and female naughty bits, and so on. • A funny book for wordplay, language, swearing, and insult fans, as well as fans of British humor and culture • Perfect for those who loved How to Speak Brit: The Quintessential Guide to the King's English, Cockney Slang, and Other Flummoxing British Phrases by Christopher J. Moore; Knickers in a Twist: A Dictionary of British Slang by Jonathan Bernstein; and The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm by James Napoli

Strange Vernaculars

Strange Vernaculars
Author: Janet Sorensen
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2020-09-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 0691210748

"While eighteenth-century efforts to standardize the English language have long been studied--from Samuel Johnson's 'Dictionary' to grammar and elocution books of the period--less well-known are the era's popular collections of odd slang, criminal argots, provincial dialects, and nautical jargon. 'Strange Vernaculars' delves into how these published works presented the supposed lexicons of the 'common people' and traces the ways that these languages, once shunned and associated with outsiders, became objects of fascination in printed glossaries--from 'The New Canting Dictionary' to Francis Grose's 'Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue'--and in novels, poems, and songs, including works by Daniel Defoe, John Gay, Samuel Richardson, Robert Burns, and others"--Front jacket flap.

Regency Slang Revealed

Regency Slang Revealed
Author: Louise Allen
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2016-06-10
Genre:
ISBN: 9781534626799

From Corinthians to Hell-Born Babes - The Regency underworld revealed Francis Grose's Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue and later versions and editions contain hundreds of words and phrases that take us into a colourful, violent and alien late Georgian and Regency world. Here we encounter criminals, gamesters, sportsmen, gentlemen and prostitutes as they fight, cheat, thieve, gamble and carouse their way through London's underworld. The dictionaries themselves are all arranged in alphabetical order of the terms being defined, making it impossible to find a word for a specific thing, or browse related terms, without reading through the entire volume. This book arranges the words and phrases from two editions of Grose, Pierce Egan's version of the book and John Bee's Slang: A Dictionary to make them accessible both thematically and by an index. This book is designed for anyone interested in the period, its language and what it reveals and can be used alongside the dictionaries themselves - available in both reprints and e-versions.

A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
Author: Francis Grose
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2017-07-05
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 1473348692

First published in 1811, this book is an extensive dictionary of contemporary slang and colloquialisms written by Francis Grose. Francis Grose (before 1731 - 1791) was an English draughtsman, antiquary, and lexicographer. Other notable works by this author include: "The antiquities of England and Wales", (1784), "A glossary of provincial and local words used in England" (1839) and "The antiquities of Scotland" (1797). "A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue" will appeal those with an interest in lexicography and historical slang, and it would make for a charming addition to any collection. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in a modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on the history of erotic literature.