Bobbish wenches of the world, unite!

[redscharlach]

As regular readers may know, I am forever fascinated by idiomatic idiosyncrasies of the English language and am keen to encourage everybody to explore the farthest-flung fjords of the linguistic landscape. Recently, a passing mention in the Language Log has led me to discover a sensational source of weird and wonderful words, in the form of The

Comments

[jonquil]

I love that book so very, very much.

For instance, who knew that "old hat" was an embalmed dirty joke?

Old hat: a woman's pudenda. So called because frequently felt.

[redscharlach]

I like the fact that "sandwich" requires a detailed explanation, because back then, sandwiches were a cutting-edge culinary concept.

[eir_de_scania]

the farthest-flung fjørds of the linguistic landscape

It's actually fjord, if you mean those narrow inlets between high mountains they have in Norway...no fancy foreign letters. Like å-ä-ö :-P

[redscharlach]

Sørry. It's nøw corrected. I just gøt øverexcited at the pøtential chance tø use an exciting letter and førgøt tø use the dictiønary first. :-D

[redscharlach]

Actually, in keeping with the spirit of 1811, they've been fly-flapped and Temple-pickled. It hurt. Quite a lot.

[sallymn]

Oh yes, wonderful book, albeit one of those that people look at you squint-eyed when you say you're reading it just for fun (some people like romance, others westerns... me, I read dictionaries :)

Have you come across this one? A truly amazing (and often amazingly disgusting) number of words for things you didn't know (and didn't want to know) had words...

[redscharlach]

Amazingly disgusting words, eh? I must keep an eye out for that book, then. I'm always on the look-out for satisfying terms of abuse that I can spit out when my office door is closed...

[themolesmother]

There is a wonderful speech at the beginning of Timberlake Wertenbaker's play, Our Country's Good which is written in 18th Century street language like this. On the surface it's completely incomprehensible but you know exactly what she's talking about.

So much more colourful and imaginative than today's slang.

MM

[redscharlach]

Well, I suppose that if anything is likely to saddle a person with an extreme love (or hate) of weird words, it's living with a name like Lael Louisiana Timberlake Wertenbaker...

[themolesmother]

Good God!

Is that really her full name?

You learn something new every day.

MM

[xtineebee]

What a fantastic find! Thanks for the link - I shall got off and play, and store the naughties I find for later use.