Language

"Such language was so new to Fanny that it quite embarrassed her."



Coaching language      
Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue      
"The Fancy"      
       
       
       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Language of "The Fancy"

  back slums low neighbourhood
  ball in the stable cash available
  bang up first class
  bash strike
  bender sixpence
  benjamin coat
  black diamond coal porter
  black-letter gentry writers
  blade a gallant
  blind suit blind alley
  blow a cloud smoke (a pipe)
  blowed up ruined
  blunt cash
  bob shilling
  bob-stick shillingsworth
  bobby pony
  bone-setter bone shaker
  boniface publican
  bottle-man second
  bottom guts, courage
  breeched, well- well-off
  broom depart or run away
  browns coppers
  bruiser boxer
  bub buck
  buffer dog
  bunch of fives fist
  castor a hat
  cattle horses
  chaff ridicule, banter
  chaffing-crib den
  chaffer mouth
  chancery suit the head held fast under the opponent's arm
  charley night watchman
  chaunt a sone (usually with a chorus)
  chaw bacon yokel
  claret blood
  clie pocket
  come it strong to assert (literally of fituratively
  Commander-in-Chief John Jackson
  Corinthian man-about-town
  cove man
  crambonian doggerel rhyme
  crib room
  crispite shoemaker
  cross a 'thrown' fight
  cross-buttock a throw to the ground over and across the buttocks
  current, to pass c. to be accepted, acceptable
  cut a swell cut a dash
  cutting-up tribe tailors
  cut up bankrupt
  Cyprian prostitute
  dab bed
  daddle hand
  daffy gin (daffy's elixir)
  Daffy Club social and sporting Club who met at the Castle Tavern
  darky (or, darkman's) night
  deep sly
  dished ruined, exhausted
  do cheat
  done up ruined, exhausted
  down wide-awake, alive to
  drag coach
  draw the cork draw blood
  dunnock bull
  facer blow to the face
  fancy usually followers of prizefighting
  fib punch
  fiddlers hands
  flappers hands
  flash knowing
  flat greenhorn
  floor knock to the floor
  flue faker chimney sweep
  fly artful, aware
  fogle handkerchief
  funking being cowardly
  game resolute, ready for
  gammon deceit, to deceive
  gig mouth, also fun
  gill fellow
  give the office give information about
  gloque man
  glutton one who takes a lot of beating before he is satisfied
  gob mouth
  greek gambler, card-sharper, cheat
  grocery copper coins
  grubber eater
  grubbery stomach
  half minute time the usual interval between the rounds of a boxing match
  hammer punch strongly
  handy convenient for
  hedge off lay off a bet
  heavy wet (or whet) porter or stout
  hell gambling den
  high toby highway
  hit a success
  ivories teeth
  Johnny Raw bumpkin, novice
  ken room -- short for kennel
  kid man
  lark prank
  leary artful
  lushing-crib public house
  Lushington (Mr) drunkard
  lushy drunkard
  mace swindle, swindler
  mag halfpenny
  mauley hand
  max gin
  mill fight
  milling fighting
  mug face
  neddy donkey
  nib sprig gentlemanly type
  nob head
  nobber blow to the head
  noddle head
  nob pitcher cheat
  ogles eyes
  pannies places
  P.C. Pugilistic Club
  peel strip, undress
  peepers eyes
  P.R. prize ring
  prad horse
  prig thief
  queer, dealer in counterfeiter
  queer lay difficult business
  queer street in difficulties
  quodded imprisoned
  rag money
  rampers footpads
  rattler a coach
  roost sleep
  rum strange, or, as in the weventeenth and eighteenth centuries, good
  scaley mean
  scout constable
  screen note (money)
  serve it out dish it out
  shell out pay out
  shutters eyes
  shy one who is reluctant to pay
  slug tot of liquor
  slum deceit
  spec speculation
  sport to show, wear
  star the principle performer
  starch nonsense
  steamer clay pipe
  steven cash -- vide 'even steven'
  stews lowest slums
  string trick
  stumping it walking
  suit or mourning black eye
  swaddy discharged soldier
  swell toff
  tap the claret draw blood
  taper diminished
  teazer that which teazes
  tip hand over
  tip the whole nine drink one over the eight
  tit horse
  titfer hat
  toddle walk
  togs clothes
  topper top hat
  togged dressed
  trump reliable man, a 'brick'
  turn-up an unarranged (extempore) fight
  twankay strong drink
  twig style
  tyke dog
  up alive to
  upper customer upper class
  weed tobacco
  whiff puff

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Stage & Mail Coaching Language
  Artist............................................................ Expert coachman
  Benjamin...................................................... Greatcoat worn by coachmen
  Bit of fish...................................................... Passengers not entered on the Way-bill
  Both Sides of the Road (also Two Seats)...... Team worked up and back a stage, the same day
  Bye-Coach................................................... Cross-country coach
  Bye-Mail...................................................... Cross-country Mail coach
  Bye-Mails..................................................... Letter bags sent across country, not via London
 

Cock-horse..................................................

Additional horse to assist the team on steep hills.
Ridden by a pistillion.
  Cross-team................................................... Two greys and two darker ones
  Feather edging it........................................... Driving very close
  Handling the ribbons..................................... Holding the reins
  Jobmaster.....................................................

 Person who hired out horses, harness and vehicles.
Either carried on business at a coach office or at an inn.
  Kicking them................................................ Asking for a fare
  Leaders........................................................ Front pair of a four horse team
  Lower ground............................................... Near destination
  Mail bags...................................................... Sometimes known as letter bacs
  Mail coach.................................................... Always referred to as "the Mail"
  Mail receiving office...................................... Country inn which received letters
  Middle ground In between starting point and destination
  Putten 'em to................................................. Harnessing the team
  Pykie............................................................ Keeper of turnpike or toll gate
  Scaly one...................................................... Passenger who gave a small tip
  Shouldering................................................... Not declaring passengers
  Springing the team......................................... Putting the team into a canter at the bottom of a steep hill
  Stage............................................................ Distance between one change of horse and another
  Stagecoach...................................................

 Public coach running over an advertised route. Almost always named, for example, Rocket, Telegraph, and so on
  Stones.......................................................... Cobbles in towns
  Sub-office..................................................... Sub-post office
  Two cock-horses.......................................... Known as a long set
  Upper mail.................................................... Travelling up to London
  Upper ground............................................... Near London or other point of departure
  Wheelers...................................................... Rear pair of a four horse team