ADDLE-PATED – foolish, confused
ARSY-VARSY – upside down
BACK-SLANGED – made a run for it
BANBURY TALE – invention
BEDLEM – Bethlehem Hospital, home to unfortunate lunatics
BUFFLE-HEADED – fool (and there are plenty of those around Covent Garden)
CARLTON HOUSE – residence of HRH The Prince of Wales
CAST UP YOUR ACCOUNTS – nothing to do with money and everything to do with being sick
CATTLE – sometimes meaning horses (don’t ask me why)
CHATTERTON’S POEMS – brilliant forgeries by a genius who died young
CLEVELAND BAYS – breed of horses suited to carriages
CORRA LINN – wonderful waterfall in the Clyde Valley
CURRICLE – death trap – sorry, Frank’s spanking new carriage
DASHER – flashy young woman
FIRST STARE OF FASHION – to be right up to date with fashion trends
FLAT – a gullible person
IRISH ASSURANCE – proverbial quality of the Irish; bold, shameless
JOLTERHEAD – idiot
JUDGE JEFFREYS – judge famed for his merciless judgements
LIGHTSKIRT – woman of loose morals
ORIEL WINDOW – a window partly projecting from the building, similar to a bay window
MAKE A CAKE OF YOURSELF – not that I ever do this, you understand, but to make yourself look foolish
MESMER’S EXPERIMENTS – Franz Mesmer, famous for his exploits with hypnosis and channelling of animal spirits (he was barmy if you ask me)
MULE – nothing to do with donkeys a machine for spinning and winding
PATTENS – overshoes
PIECER – child-worker who fixes broken threads
RACK RENTED – forced off land by unfair rises in rent
RATTLEPATE – empty-headed fool
ROUND GOWN – simple, round-necked dress
SAVE YOUR BREATH TO COOL YOUR PORRIDGE – a phrase warning you not to waste the effort
SHIPS OF THE LINE – Royal Naval fighting ships
TACHED – thatched
TENTER – woman working in carding room
TIGER – a groom (yes, i know, ridiculous, isn’t it? why not call a groom a groom?)
TOOL – drive a carriage
AGLEY – astray, off course
BAGREL – a touch on the short side
BLETHERING – chattering
BRAW – fine, handsome
BRIGANER – bandit
BUMBAZED – bewildered
BUTTERY-LIPPIT – smooth-tongued
BY-START – illegitimate offspring
CANNA – can’t
CANNY – clever
CHAP – to knock
CHUCKIE – chick
CLACK – gossip, insolence
CLAMJAMPHRY – rubbish
CLASHING – idle talk, gossip
CLOOTS – clothes
COULDNA – couldn’t
DAFTIE – mad person, fool
DAIDLING – dawdling
DIDNA – didn’t
DINNA – don’t
DISTRACKIT – distracted
DOESNA – doesn’t
DOMINIE – schoolmaster
DOUCE – respectable
DOWIE – ailing
DREICH – dismal
FAITHER – father
FASHED – bothered
FLECHES – fleas
GANG – go
GHILLIE – gamekeeper
GLAIKIT – stupid
GLEG – quick
GLEG-TONGUIT – quick-tongued, glib
GOWK – fool
HAIL – healthy
HALLOCKIT – hoyden, tomboy
HEN – girl or woman
HEN-HERTIT – lily-livered
ILL-DEEDIE – wicked
ILL-LIKIT – unpopular
ISNA – isn’t
JUMMLED – jumbled
KEEK – look
KEN – know
KITTLE – fickle, unpredictable
KITTLIN – kitten
LASSOCK – little girl
MAISTER – master
MITHER – mother
MOSS – moor, bog
NAEBODIE – nobody
NAETHIN – nothing
NO – not
PIBROCH – bagpipe music
QUEAN – girl
RACKLESS – reckless
RAMSTAM – devil-may-care, rash
RAUCLE – stern, uncouth
REESE – flattery
REIVERS/REIVING – thieves, thieving
RICKLE – heap
SAIR-WORK – hard work
SAPSIE – weak
SASSENACH – English person
SCHOOLIE – teacher
SKELPING – beating
SKINNYMALINK – thin person
SNECKING – stealing
SNIPPIE – sharp-tongued person
SOOTHLAN – southern
THE DAY – today
THE MORN’S NICHT – tomorrow night
THRAWN – stubborn, pigheaded
TON – High society, the kind of people waiters do not try to hide behind screens.
TROON SCHOOL – play truant
UNCHANCIE – risky, unlucky
UNCO – strange, odd
UNKENNIN – ignorance
WEANS – young children
WHEEST – hush!
WI’ – with
WIFIE – wife
WIN OFF – get off
WILLNA – won’t
WOULDNA – wouldn’t
WUDSCUD – wild boy or girl