Tag: Slang

  • ARTFUL FOXES AND BUTTER CHURNS, March 2025

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    T.G. Campbell
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    The Slang and Phrases of C19th Theatres & Music Halls 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…

  • GETTING SHIPWRECKED, February 2024

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    T.G. Campbell
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    C19th Phrases for Drinking & Drunkenness February may be the month of pancakes and love for some, but for others it marks the end of Dry January and a return to celebrating (almost) anything with a tipple or two (it’s Friday!) Most of us know drunkenness was a major social problem in the nineteenth century.…

  • FROM PUGS TO PUNCHES, December 2022

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    T.G. Campbell
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    The Language of Victorian Era Boxing To celebrate the release of the 6th Bow Street Society Mystery, The Case of The Pugilist’s Ploy, this month’s blog is an exploration of the fascinating world of Victorian Era slang and phrase. The language associated with boxing is particularly interesting as some phrases have entered general use, whilst others…

  • MUG MAY: A Brief History of Mugs, May 2022

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    T.G. Campbell
    in

    ‘Mug (n.) “small, cylindrical drinking vessel, often with a handle,” 1560s, “bowl, pot, jug,” of unknown origin, perhaps from Scandinavian (compare Swedish mugg “earthen cup, jug,” Norwegian mugge “pitcher, open can for warm drinks”), or Low German mokke, mukke “mug,” also of unknown origin. Hence mug-hunter (1883) “one who enters sporting contests solely to win prizes” (frequently in the form of engraved…

  • UP TO SCRATCH, February 2021

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    T.G. Campbell
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    5 Facts about Bare-knuckle Boxing in the Victorian Era “[Miss Trent] stepped in front of him as he shook his head and tried to retrieve more coal. ‘Sam can defend himself if it comes to it—as you well know.’       Conway, having stopped at her obstruction, rubbed his jaw at her mention of Mr…

  • WHERE DID “COPPER” COME FROM? September, 2019

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    T.G. Campbell
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    The 190th Anniversary of the Founding of the Metropolitan Police Force  The 29th September 2019 will mark the 190th anniversary of the founding of the Metropolitan Police by Sir Robert Peel. It’s difficult for many to imagine a world in which there’s no police. Almost more difficult to imagine is a society so resistant to…