In the nineteenth century, as now, slang and peculiar phrases could be heard in all manner of establishments and echelons of society. The music halls and theatres were no different. They, like the pugilists, had their own brand of (often) non-sensical terms to refer to the various aspects of music hall and theatrical life. To mark the release of the seventh Bow Street Society Mystery, The Case of The Fatal Flaw, I’m going to briefly explore these terms, many of which I hadn’t heard before.
Artful fox.
Commonly heard in music halls, this term was rhyming slang for ‘box,’ as in the private boxes either side of the stage.
Back o’ the green.
Although this may sound like it could’ve had its origins in sport, it actually refers to behind the scenes, ‘the green’ being (presumably) the green of a scenery backdrop or fire curtain.
Butter-churn.
Another term commonly heard in music halls this was rhyming slang for ‘turn;’ the fifteen minutes a performer occupied the stage for. In time, ‘turn’ evolved into a synonym for the performer themself.
Early-turners and Enders.
Relating to when a performer was scheduled to occupy the stage, an Early-turner was an inferior performer who had their ‘turn’ in the early evening before the audience was either considerable in size, fashionable or both.
In contrast, an Ender was a performer considered even more inferior than an Early-turner who would only have their ‘turn’ late in the evening after the better performers.
Curtain-takers, Faking a curtain, Good curtain, and Lightning curtain-takers.
Emerging in the 1880s, these terms all refer to the different ways in which actors could expect, or accept, applause for their performance.
A Curtain-taker was an actor who was even more eager than his colleagues to appear before the curtain after it fell.
To Fake a curtain was to agitate the curtain to induce the audience to applaud a little so the actor could justify taking the curtain when no applause was previously given. This was sometimes directed by the manager of the theatre, but the stage manager was generally the one who manipulated the manoeuvre.
A Good curtain simply referred to the good ending to an act.
A Lightning curtain-taker was an actor who rushed onto the stage to take the curtain without waiting for applause in case he didn’t get any.
Gin and fog.
This referred to a peculiar hoarseness of the voice which performers generally believed to be caused by the abuse of alcohol.
Jerking a wheeze
A Wheeze referred to a comical line in a play. To Jerk a wheeze was to deliver this line with brilliant effect.
Paper house.
This simply referred to free admission to the music hall or theatre.
Salt junk
Commonly heard in the music halls in the late 1890s, this term was rhyming slang for drunk.
Village blacksmith
This term originated in music halls but passed into theatres and was a euphemism for failure in that it referred to performers whose engagements didn’t last longer than a week.
There are many more terms and phrases I didn’t include here, but all can be found in J. Redding Ware’s The Victorian Dictionary of Slang & Phrase. I’ve also included some others in The Case of The Fatal Flaw. I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief journey into the word of C19th theatrical slang as much as I have, and be sure to use one or two the next time you visit a theatre with friends.
~ T.G. Campbell, March 2025
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ARTFUL FOXES AND BUTTER CHURNS:
The Slang and Phrases of C19th Theatres & Music Halls.