Edited by HujanBatuTiga at 14-6-2017 01:49 PM
1. ADDLE-PLOTB. E. defined this as a “Martin Mar-All,” and in doing so name-checked the title character of a 1667 comedy by John Dryden that would have been popular at the time. But in modern terms, an addle-plot is someone who spoils or ruins the progress of any undertaking—a spoilsport.
2. AMBIDEXTERIf you’re ambidextrous, you’re able to use both hands equally well. But if you’re an ambidexter, you’re “one that goes snacks [divide profits] in gaming with both parties”—or, put another way, an untrustworthy double-dealer.
3. ANTIQUATED ROGUEAn ex-thief.
4. ARSWORMNot a particularly complimentary nickname for “a little diminutive fellow.”
5. BALSAMReady money or cash. One explanation is that dispensing chemists always held a lot of cash, but according to slang lexicographer Eric Partridge, it’s more likely this alluded to the “healing properties” of being wealthy.
6. BANBURY STORYA ridiculous story, or a tale that rambles on without going anywhere is a Banbury story or Banbury tale. According to etymological folklore, this was the original “cock and bull” story (it’s also called the Banbury story of a cock and bull)—so called because of two pubs with those names close to the village of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England—but just how true that theory is remains debatable.
7. BEARD-SPLITTER“An enjoyer of women,” according to B.E. The mind boggles.
8. BORACHIOA drunkard, so called because this was originally a word for an animal skin used to hold wine.
9. BROTHER OF THE QUILLA professional writer. A brother of the blade was a swordsman or soldier, and a brother of the string was a musician.
10. BROWN STUDYWhen you're deep in thought.
11. CHAMELEON DIETBecause chameleons move so slowly, they were once believed to get all the nutriment they need from the air—and as a result, a chameleon diet was a missed meal or a particularly meager diet.
12. CHIRPING-MERRYFeeling in a good mood because you’re having a drink with friends? You’re chirping-merry—or, as B.E. put it, “very pleasant over a glass of good liquor.”
13. CRAMP-WORDSDifficult or obscure words are cramp-words.
14. DIRTY-BEAU“A slovenly fellow, yet pretending to beauishness.” Or in other words, a man acting or dressing more prim and proper than he really is.
15. EBB-WATERAn allusion to the receding waters of a tide, ebb-water is a lack of money.
16. ENGLISH MANUFACTUREA euphemism for “ale, beer, or cider.”
17. FARTING CRACKERS… is the best synonym for trousers you’ll hear all year.
18. FIDDLER’S PAYBeing thanked and bought a drink, but not being paid for your work, is fiddler’s pay.
19. GAPESEEDAny astonishing sight is a gapeseed.
20. A GOOD VOICE TO BEG BACONTelling someone they’ve “a good voice to beg bacon” is effectively the 17th century version of “don’t quit your day job.”
21. GUT-FOUNDEREDExtremely hungry.
22. HABERDASHER OF NOUNS AND PRONOUNSA schoolteacher.
23. HEATHEN PHILOSOPHERA messy or shabbily-attired man whose underwear can be seen through the holes in his trousers.
24. JUMBLE-GUT LANEAny rough or bumpy road that shakes you around as you travel down it is a jumble-gut.
25. MULLIGRUBSBeing down in the dumps has been known as being in the mulligrubs since the late 1500s, but according to B.E., by the late 1600s it was being used to mean “a counterfeit fit of the sullens”—or in other words, a faked or exaggerated bad mood.
26. NIPPERKINA small glass of liquor (although B.E.’s definition of “small” is “half a pint of wine”).
27. PICKTHANKA gossiping telltale or someone who spreads malicious rumors in order to “curry favor.”
28. ROAST MEAT CLOTHESBecause of the traditional English Sunday roast, your roast meat clothes are your Sunday best—namely, your best or most expensive outfit.
29. SWILL-BELLYA heavy drinker.
30. THOROUGH-COUGHCoughing and farting at the same time. There really is a word for everything…
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Post time 14-6-2017 01:40 PM
