Jaimey's Writerly Blog

—Regency Wednesday— Ninnyhammer

6/29/2016

I've been shamefully neglecting my blog of late, and my site in general. We were without internet for a while, which made blogging rather difficult. Then we had internet and I still didn't post. So sorry. Please forgive me and enjoy this selection of fun Regency slang. ♥

—Regency Wednesday--
Ninnyhammer

Martinet.
A military term for a strict disciplinarian: from the name of a French general, famous for restoring military discipline to the French army. He first disciplined the French infantry, and regulated their method of encampment: he was killed at the siege of Doesbourg in the year 1672.

Natty Lads.
Young thieves or pickpockets. Cant.

Ninny, or Ninnyhammer.
A simpleton.

Ottomised.
To be ottomised; to be dissected. You'll be scragged, ottomised, and grin in a glass case: you'll be hanged, anatomised, and your skeleton kept in a glass case at Surgeons' Hall.

Peckish.
Hungry.*

*Taken verbatim from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Get your free Kindle edition HERE.

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—Regency Wednesday— Beau Brummell

6/8/2016

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For today's Regency Wednesday post, I've decided to re-post one I did on my old blog. The original post was from October 5, 2011.

Beau Brummell was born June 7, 1778. I figured today was a good Wednesday to re-post this. Enjoy! ♥

—Regency Wednesday--
Beau Brummell

One very famous Regency figure was George Bryan Brummell, more commonly known as Beau Brummell.

He set the trends for fashion and cleanliness of person. His acerbic wit was both loved and feared by his contemporaries. In the early years of the century, he was never far from the Prince of Wales's side.

At the start of the Regency in 1811, the newly appointed Prince Regent started distancing himself from some of his friends, Brummell included. Towards the end of the Regency, as his debts piled up until he couldn't afford to pay them, Brummell lost favor with the Regent and fled to the continent in 1816 to escape debtor's prison. He died in Caen, France in 1840, insane and poor.

Thank you so much for stopping by! To read more about Brummell, check out the Wikipedia article HERE.

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—Regency Wednesday— Heart's Ease

6/1/2016

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I missed Regency Wednesday last week and then, due to an internet outage today, I almost missed it again. I apologize both for the lateness and the simplicity of this post, but I hope you enjoy these slang terms from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. ♥

—Regency Wednesday--
Heart's Ease

Heart's Ease.
Gin.

Ivories.
Teeth. How the swell flashed his ivories; how the gentleman shewed his teeth.

Jail Birds.
Prisoners.

Keelhauling.
A punishment in use among the Dutch seamen, in which, for certain offences, the delinquent is drawn once, or oftener, under the ship's keel: ludicrously defined, undergoing hard-ship.

Lubber.
An awkward fellow: a name given by sailors to landsmen.*

*Taken verbatim from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Get your free Kindle copy HERE.

Thank you for stopping by and have a lovely week! ♥

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