My Jane Austen Etiquette and Regency Era Lexicon Grows

"High-change in Bond Street, - ou- la Politesse du Grande Monde."  Sums up some rudeness in the Regency Era;   Fashionably dressed pedestrians on Bond Street. In the foreground, five men crowd a woman and girl off the sidewalk as they leer at them. The women, seen from the back, are oddly dressed. In the background, three ladies, also in exaggerated costumes, walking arm-in-arm in the roadway.

As I continue to read these books of Jane Austen's, I cannot help doing a bit of research.  I guess it is just a natural thing I should not fight.  So the following is my 3rd installment of definitions in my lexicon of Regency Era words and phrases:

Alloy : tempering, or tainting, through emotions

Brook: put up with something painful or difficult

Casino: point-scoring card game in which players combine cards exposed on the table with the cards in their hands, the 10 of diamonds being the highest-valued card

No, Anne Elliot's sister does not suffer from colicky gout. She suffers from hypochondriasis.

Colicky gout: abdominal pain and swollen joints, especially the toes and feet

Consequences: a pencil-and-paper game for several players, in which each player adds a line of a story without knowing with the previous lines are. The resulting stories are incongruous and humorous.

"While they were at breakfast, the letters were brought in. Among the rest there was one for Colonel Brandon; he took it, looked at the direction, changed color, and immediately left the room." from "Sense and Sensibility

Direction: return address

Douceur: pleasantry

Exigence: exigency; urgency

Illiberal: narrow minded; bigoted

Importune: troublesome; overly persistent in request or demand

Best dressed goose I've seen in a while!

Michaelmas: September 29th, the feast in honor of Saint Michael. One tradition is that if a young lady finds the ring hidden in a Michaelmas pie, she will soon marry.

Natural child: child born out of wedlock

Pall-Mall: main thoroughfare in the Saint James district of London

Queen Mab is a fairy referred to in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.  She later appears in other poetry and literature, including Jane Austen's

Queen Mab: Queen of the fairies in English literature

Rubber: session or round of playing a card game

More Etiquette and Regency Era Lexicon

Making sense of "Sense and Sensibility" and other works of the Regency Era, Part 2.5

"What do you mean 'you are getting ready to read another book'?!?"

I am getting ready to read another book. No, I am not referring to more research from more old etiquette books that clutter my home. This is an actual novel. I am on some sort of roll, reading two novels in twenty years. Who knows? I may continue this as a trend.

This is another book by Jane Austen, but it was completed after her death. The book is "Sanditon: Jane Austen's Last Novel Completed" loaned to me by my sister in-law Peggy. Getting ready to start this book, I thought I should first study up on the archaic phrases, terms and words of Jane Austen's Regency Era. The following are those I am adding to the growing list that is my "Regency Era Lexicon";

Assiduities: persistent personal attentions

Enormously popular with lower-class Londoners, the Bartholomew Fair was an annual, carnival-type event.

Bartholomew Baby: A person dressed up in a tawdry manner, like the dolls sold at Bartholomew Fair (a two-week festival celebrating the Feast of St. Bartholomew). 

Bear leader: A travelling tutor, who leads his charges as if they were trained bears

The world’s most famous mental hospital, Bedlam.  Its name derives from the "Church of St Mary of Bethlehem"

Bedlam: An insane asylum in London. The full name was the Hospital of Saint Mary of Bethlehem.
 
Bit o'muslin: A woman of who gives sexual favors in exchange for payment

Ignatius Bonomi, an English architect and surveyor.

Bonomi: Ignatius Bonomi, a well known architect at the time

To be played on a Bowling Green

Bowling Green: grassy lawn where game of ninepins could be played

Cavil: a trivial objection

Conjurer: someone who draws astute conclusions

Covert: a thicket providing cover for game

A Curricle Match "I have an IDEA my Lord, that nothing but time or a stone wall will stop them and I'll bet a cool hundred that Frank will not head them for the next mile."

Curricle:  a light, two-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses, side by side

Ebullition:  a sudden outburst, as of emotion

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane ~ Engraving, from the stage, looking into the auditorium

Drury Lane:  general term for the Theatre Royal; street were the London playhouse is located

Enclosure:  common land, previously used by everyone, this is fenced in by the landowner so that others can't use his land for pasture or gathering fuel

Gigs:  light, open, two wheeled carriages

Pear-shaped, ivory vinaigrette, for holding for the Regency Era lady's smelling salts

Hartshorn:  smelling salts or spirits
 
Had as lief:  would just as soon, would just as readily or willingly

"Accomplished women" of the era had mastered several pastimes; Needlework, Playing an instrument, Singing, Painting, etc...  A huswife held items for sewing and needlework

Huswifes:  pocket cases for needles, pins, thread and scissors, forerunner of "housewife"

Importune:  troublesome, overly persistent in request or demand

Incommode:  inconvenience, disturb

One gent lacks money, the other lacks charm; Both suffer from an inferiority of parts.

Inferiority of parts: lack of talent or capabilities

Knowing:  fashionable

La Boulangere: a simple circle dance for a group of couples

"Because breakfast was so late, there was not a regular lunch."

Nuncheon:  also "nunchion," a light, noon drink or snack, forerunner of the word "luncheon"

Offices: parts of the house in which servants work

Open weather:  mild and free from frost

Piquet, a classic game originating in France where it was the dominant card game for many years.

Riding side-saddle

Piquet: a card game for two players, with 32 cards

Porter: a dark brown beer made from charred or brown malt

Post-Horses: horses used or kept at inns, or post-houses, for use by mail-riders, or for hire by travelers

Public School:  in England it is a private school

Red-Gum:  swelling and redness due to teething

Retailed:  repeated

Serviley:  in the manner of a slave

The Inner Temple is one of the four "Inns of Court"

Temple:  one of two sets of buildings in London's Inns of Court, which served as residences for lawyers and law students

Whip Hand:  upper hand, advantage (the hand that holds the whip controls the carriage or horse)

Work-bags:  bags for needlework

Etiquette and a Regency Era Lexicon

I read for research, and rarely is it from a novel.

Making sense of "Sense and Sensibility" and other works of the Regency Era

I recently read a novel. I read "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen. Now, I rarely read novels. And by "rarely," I mean I read one every ten or twenty years. Don't get me wrong... I read a lot. Daily. But when I read, I am reading for research, from my old etiquette books and news archives.

I am surrounded by old etiquette books. I currently have 6 sitting by my nightstand and 3 sitting on my bed, next to the remote control. I have 6 or 7 on my other nightstand, and just recently moved a bookshelf out of the master bedroom entirely, so I would no longer feel like I should be on the television show, "Hoarders." I moved it into our guest room, next to the other 2 bookcases. I dare not say how many books are downstairs. Let's just assume I could open an etiquette library.

My point is, that I read "Sense and Sensibility" in full, and want to read Jane Austen's other books. I have actually read parts of them before, along with parts of other Regency Era works. Those were simply small portions though, while looking for quotes.

Now that I have decided to actually sit and read these books, I thought I should come up with a "Regency Era Dictionary" of sorts, in an effort to make sense of Jane Austen's writings, as they are filled with archaic phrases and words. The following is my list up to this point in time:

"To be well received, you must always be circumspect at table, where it is exceedingly rude, to scratch any part of your body, to spit, or blow your nose, (if you can't avoid it, turn your head,) to eat greedily, to lean your elbows on the table, to sit too far from it, to pick your teeth before the dishes are removed, or leave the table before grace is said." ~ John Tusler 1791

Apes leader: an old maid or a spinster 

Alacrity: briskness

Banditti: wild outlaws, bandits

Batman: an orderly assigned to a military officer

Bluestocking: an academic female

Consumption: a wasting away, a bout of tuberculosis

"Corinthian" can also mean "a rake."

Corinthian: a dandy, a fashionable man, who is also good at sports. It can also mean "a rake." But originally, it meant profligate and derived from the elegant but dissipated lifestyle led in Ancient Corinth.

Coxcomb: a conceited and vain person. In origin, it meant "fool" as fools used to wear caps with bells and a piece of red cloth on top which was shaped like a cock's comb

Cry rope on someone: give them away, to tell secrets

Dilatoriness: slowness, procrastination

Dovecote: small house or box with compartments for nesting doves or pigeons

Drive unicorn: to drive a vehicle with three horses, one in front and the other 2 behind

Lions and tigers and bears... The Exeter Exchange was most famous for the menagerie that occupied its upper floors for over 50 years, from 1773 until it was demolished in 1829.

Exeter Exchange: a wild animal exhibit

Foxed: tipsy, drunk

Flying one's colors: blushing

Frank: a piece of mail marked with an official signature, so that it can be mailed for free

Mr. Darcy had bad breath... from a lack of oral hygiene? Surely this is a false rumour! Austen once wrote of 3 women who called on her: ‘I was as civil to them as their bad breath would allow me.’
"Tooth powder was advertised to whiten and preserve teeth but, of course, they decayed - which led to other advertisements for false ones. The best false teeth were human, usually extracted from corpses. Body snatchers could sell a set of canines for five guineas. Gruesome though it seems, battlefields were a rich source of teeth plundered from fit young bodies." From The Mail Online, 7/4/13

Fudge: a false rumor

Fustian: bombast, pompous language, pretentious speech

Gammon: nonsense (noun), to deceive or lie (verb)

Green Girl: a girl who is young and inexperienced

Glebe House, near Oxted

Glebe: church land to be used by the rector

Gudgeon: it derives from the name of a fish that gets easily caught and means someone who is easily duped or imposed upon

Hard by: nearby or near by

Jarvey: driver of a hackney coach  

Jointure: settlement to a wife from her husband throughout her life, which will then transfer to her children

Everyone lushing some slop.

Lush some slop: to drink some tea.

Moiety: one of two parts, not necessarily equal

Mohurs: 19th & 20th century gold coins used in British India

"Perhaps," said Willoughby, "his observations may have extended to the existence of nabobs, gold mohrs, and palanquins." from Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility"

Nanob: it comes from the Hindustani word "nawab" which was the name for the ruler in the Mogul Empire and means a rich man, a person of great wealth and prominence, especially one who made his fortune in India.

Nonpareil: a leader of fashion. Also known as a nonesuch.

A palanquin or sedan chair.

Palanquins: enclosed litters borne on the shoulders of men by means of poles.

Pinkest of the Pinks: a very fashionable man.

Round Game: game, as in cards, on which each plays on his or her own account.

Reticule: a woman's handbag closed with a draw string.

Snuff: a powdered, often scented, tobacco that was taken into the nose.  It was usually carried around in small and decorated boxes.

Sponging House ~ A place of temporary confinement for debtors in the United Kingdom. 

Sponging House: debtors' quarters before being taken to jail.  

Stewponds: fishponds
  
Town Tabby: an aristocratic dowager  

Two-penny post: In 1801, the charge for mailing letters locally went from one pence (a penny), to two

Wooly bandits are known to steal picnic foods from the unsuspecting.

Wooly bandits: wild sheep who steal picnic baskets

Whist: a card game in which two pairs of players try to take a majority of tricks, with the trump suit being determined by the last card dealt; a forerunner of bridge