Old Slang
I've been mulling over a problem I have.
So much of our useful vocabulary related to crime comes from America and was coined (or written down) in the early twentieth century. We owe our modern crime vocabulary to Dashiell Hammett and the noir movies with all those hard-boiled private detectives.
'On the lam', 'snoop' (meaning an informer,) 'tail' (to follow,) 'frame', 'plant' (as in plant false evidence,) 'case'(to reconnoiter,) 'tart' and 'tramp' (slut,) 'cathouse'. All of them lovely technical terms, too late for my period.
The ones I miss the most, (I should not use them in 1810,) are 'frame', 'planted' and 'tail', because they are perfect and specific and have no early C19 equivalent. Especially 'frame'. I don't know the date in this usage, but I'm virtually certain it's early C20 vintage. Long after my time, anyway. But I need it in a plot that involves the forging of incriminating evidence.
I like 'caper'. I can use 'rig' or 'lay', which I know are period. But I like 'caper'. How far is it out of my era?
I wish the OED referenced slang.
I'm going to admit, shamefaced, that I've put 'framed', 'caper' and 'planted' in the ms. I've used them in dialog. I just don't know a contemporary cant substitute for 'framed'. The circumlocutions - 'rigged up evidence against', 'incriminated', 'placed a false trail' -- do not 'sound' like my Cockney character.
Am I going to leave this glaring error in the submitted draft? Nobody but me will know 'frame' and 'plant' are out of period. Even 'caper' might pass cursory inspection. Nobody will care.
Who knows ... maybe they are in my era and I just haven't come across the references. Slang is poorly accounted for.
I could add an endnote admitting my guilt.
I could say nothing and just do it.
Guilt, guilt, guilt.
It feels like I'm planning to shoplift or something.
So much of our useful vocabulary related to crime comes from America and was coined (or written down) in the early twentieth century. We owe our modern crime vocabulary to Dashiell Hammett and the noir movies with all those hard-boiled private detectives.
'On the lam', 'snoop' (meaning an informer,) 'tail' (to follow,) 'frame', 'plant' (as in plant false evidence,) 'case'(to reconnoiter,) 'tart' and 'tramp' (slut,) 'cathouse'. All of them lovely technical terms, too late for my period.
The ones I miss the most, (I should not use them in 1810,) are 'frame', 'planted' and 'tail', because they are perfect and specific and have no early C19 equivalent. Especially 'frame'. I don't know the date in this usage, but I'm virtually certain it's early C20 vintage. Long after my time, anyway. But I need it in a plot that involves the forging of incriminating evidence.
I like 'caper'. I can use 'rig' or 'lay', which I know are period. But I like 'caper'. How far is it out of my era?
I wish the OED referenced slang.
I'm going to admit, shamefaced, that I've put 'framed', 'caper' and 'planted' in the ms. I've used them in dialog. I just don't know a contemporary cant substitute for 'framed'. The circumlocutions - 'rigged up evidence against', 'incriminated', 'placed a false trail' -- do not 'sound' like my Cockney character.
Am I going to leave this glaring error in the submitted draft? Nobody but me will know 'frame' and 'plant' are out of period. Even 'caper' might pass cursory inspection. Nobody will care.
Who knows ... maybe they are in my era and I just haven't come across the references. Slang is poorly accounted for.
I could add an endnote admitting my guilt.
I could say nothing and just do it.
Guilt, guilt, guilt.
It feels like I'm planning to shoplift or something.