If you were a sailor, a reference to someone's birth would do the trick, so calling them a "son of a gun" "bastard" or "whore's son" would be insulting. We only recommend products we genuinely like, and purchases made through our links support our mission and the free content we publish here on AoM. Loon, which first appeared in English during the early 1600s, is believed to be derived from the Scandinavian term for the loon, lomr. Below are some of the tome's most hilarious, vivid, and archaic insults, arranged in alphabetical order for your put-down pleasure. For history buffs and word nerds, You jerk just doesn't have the same ring as You unlicked cub, an insult from Georgian England. 1. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana), 13 June 1837. Absquatulate - To leave or disappear. Following its sartorial beginnings, flummadiddle began to be employed in other fashions; it comes up as a single-word headline for an article in a Massachusetts newspaper, The Salem Gazette, in 1829, without any apparent relation to the text of the article (which is about a walking stick); perhaps the editors of that paper simply liked the way the word looked. Era: The 1800s. what is the slang word for rich but uneducated people? 79. Origin of the slang term "Becky" -- was there originally a vulgar connotation? What It Meant: Doing well. His voice sounded like someone forgot to grease the wagon. Wow, what a fun list! Loco: Borrowed from Spanish about 1844, the word has the same meaning in both languages: insane. Loco-weed, meaning a species of plants that make cattle behave strangely, arose about 1877. The duel that took the life of the legendary American naval hero Stephen . Yellow-belly: from 1842, a Texian term for Mexican soldiers. A list of some of the funniest curse words not in use today. He was told there was no game of that kind there, but that if he wanted to see the elephant he was on the right track," the Lawrence, Kan., Daily Journal reported on Sept. 2, 1891. A Blowse, or Blowsabella An unkempt woman: "A woman whose hair is. African Americans played a role in Adams defeat too, even though they were prohibited from voting. Cop is an old word for the head, making a dalcop (literally a dull-head) a particularly stupid person. Probably derived from scopperloit, an old English dialect word for a vacation or a break from work, a scobberlotcher is someone who never works hard. May I be tetotally twisted if I cant ram-squaddle two like you, you jimber-jawed rascal. Gouge himchew him up. Here the noise increased to such a pitch, that the Englishman thought all the imps of the lower regions were let loose upon him. Tenderfoot: newcomer; inexperienced person. Arose during the American Civil War. Someone who constantly interrupts a conversation, typically only to contradict or correct someone else. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. I'm looking forward to the answers to this one. Informal words and expressions that popped up in popular parlance, especially in the 19th century, says Lynne Murphy an American linguist who teaches at the University of Sussex in England are "going to stay fairly local, and so there can be a lot of variation not just between countries, but between cities, between social classes, et cetera. Was to hornswoggle Grant, He dont know any more about it than a hog does a sidesaddle. If all his brains were dynamite, there wouldnt be enough to blow his nose. There is the expression "To cuss like a sailor" which clearly indicates that sailors used "colorful language" to express themselves. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. She just asked me if I wanted to party. (Wandoughty is an old word for impotence. Want to improve this question? Below are some that were popular in the 19th-century American west. Babies sometimes literally were born in the shadow of a gun carriage. What's your damage? Brutal Insults From the 1800s That Demand a Comeback. The 1800 election saw Americas first contested presidential campaigns: Thomas Jefferson vs. John Adams. Like bottom-feeder. There a stop-Jefferson movement (he was seen by opponents as tied to potential mob rule and to the support of the French) failed, eventually leading to the election of Thomas Jefferson as Americas third president. This is a 17th-century term for a slacker. Old West Words Quotes from real people of the West, Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Easy Travel Organization Tips You Will Love, Bidwell-Bartleson Party Blazing the California Trail. VASPKIT and SeeK-path recommend different paths. or "I heard the cavalry came to town about the time your mother excused herself from public." 32. By the late 1940s, thanks to the burgeoning interstate highway system in the U.S., the term had taken on the opposite meaning fast as a reference to a heavy foot on a vehicles accelerator. But please don't, I fear pigeons the most. A short gun, with a wide bore, for carrying slugs; also, a dumb, blundering fellow. The word ultimately comes from the Italian buffare, "to puff the cheeks," a comic gesture, which . During the American Civil War (1861-1865), any Union sympathizer, especially a Union soldier. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the provided link on any marketing message. Hes so lazy, molasses wouldnt run down his legs. "It is shinning around corners to avoid meeting creditors that is sapping the energies of this generation," opined the Dallas, Texas, Daily Herald on Oct. 31, 1877. A large relaxed penis, also a dull inanimate fellow., A low mean fellow, employed in all sorts of dirty work., An ill-dressed shabby fellow; also a mean-spirited person., A poor sneaking fellow, a man of no spirit., A ragged fellow, whose clothes hang all in tatters., A vulgar address or nomination to any person whose name is unknown Thingum-bobs, testicles.. Want to start taking action on the content you read on AoM? It was so dry the bushes followed the dogs around. Outrageous newspaper invective. The word also appears to have had some currency in the 19th century, little-remarked upon by dictionaries, as a synonym of nonsense, as seen in the alliterative headline from The Cincinnati Enquirer in 1875: Hifalutin Legal Hogwash, and Slobbery, Sentimental Slumgullion About That White-Souled Woman., That his speech will abound in scurrillity and falsehood we are aware, judging from the one delivered in Sacramento and San Francisco, in which the Union and the Bulletin were literally covered with filth from the slum-gullion of his mud-valve. Santa Cruz (California) Weekly Sentinel, 17 Aug. 1866. He is so fat, youd have to throw a diamond hitch to keep him in the saddle. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! Part-novel, part-travelogue, Sternes book featured a grumblingly quarrelsome character called Smelfungus, who was modeled on Smollett. Originally (late-15th C.) bellows for an organ.. To look at books for examples of swearing is the wrong direction. Sorning was the 16th century equivalent of mooching or sponging, and so a sorner is someone who unappreciatively lives off other people. Why did US v. Assange skip the court of appeal? Addle Pate "An inconsiderate foolish fellow." 2. Dude: a fastidious man; fop or clotheshorse. (The related British term nutter, meaning insane person, first appeared in print 1958.). Also sometimes used by members of the military to describe going to war. JSTOR, the JSTOR logo, and ITHAKA are registered trademarks of ITHAKA. He had a ten-dollar Stetson on a five-cent head. It's derived from the name of an old French scholar named Nicolas d'Orbellis, who was well known as a supporter of the much-derided philosopher John Duns Scotus (whose followers were the original. rev2023.4.21.43403. First Known Use: 14th century.. The words may change (and you can look them up yourself) but the idea is always the same. High-binder: swindler, confidence man, cheat (especially of the political variety). Given that sockdolager appears to have appeared in print as a highly colloquial term in the 1820s, and has had more spelling variants than it has letters, it is unlikely that its true origins will be made clear anytime soon. Im going to have to start using that in places for bad guys. An old Scots word for a swindling businessman, or someone who gets into debt and then flees. Twelve years after the vicious election of 1800, Adams and Jefferson began writing letters to each other and became friends again. Well send you our daily roundup of all our favorite stories from across the site, from travel to food to shopping to entertainment. Boston Spectator and Ladies Album, 21 Apr. In a statement at 11 a.m. Eastern . Below are the definitions for these Victorian insults, plus 14 more rude words that . It was Americas first contested presidential election campaign, and one of its most important, influencing the way elections and government have been established ever since. Zoilus was a Greek grammarian who became known as one of the most vitriolic critics of Homer, author of The Iliad and The Odyssey. In some cases, however, where words have died, no equally worthy substitutes have risen in their places. What is a non-humorous 19th or 18th century alternative to the In the 1800s arguments and slights often led to the characters picking up pistols and dueling. Clack-box is the more derisive variation. So he looked up at me slantindicler, and I looked down on him slantindiclerhe took out a chor o tobaccer and, says he I dont vallee you tantamount to that! and then the varmint flapped his wings and crowed like a cock. It does not matter whether they are British, American, or translations from the French. Flummadiddle is the sort of word that rolls nicely off the tongue, and even if people with whom you use the word don't quite know what it means the conversation will be the richer for its presence. Library of Congress Probably a shortened form of lunkhead, which arose in the U.S. about 1852. "When anyone told a thumper more palpably outrageous than usual, it was sufficiently understood " Reminiscences of the Turf by William Day, 1891. Yellow dog: contemptible person. Looking for a quick comeback or insult? Son of a gun: politer version of the epithet son of a bitch, indicating extreme contempt. He made an ordinary fight look like a prayer meetin'. Below weve put together 50 of our favorite old-time put-downs, with their original definitions pulled directly from dictionaries published more than a century back (with some slight tweaking for added clarity). Could you please explain why your attention is on those two states? Some say "yes" assuming that people were just as vulgar in "the good ole' days." The work appears to have remained unpublished (perhaps the title had something to do with this), but in reporting on the words contained in the books nascent form the article provides early written evidence of a number of 19th century Americanisms. Slantindicular sounds a bit similar to a good number of other fanciful 19th century Americanisms on this list, and much like several of them it is a portmanteau. His mustache smelled like a mildewed saddle blanket after it had been rid on a sore back hoss three hundred miles in August. First documented use 1830. People are people. What does "ratchet" mean and when was it first used? Some total church bell on the street wouldn't stop lecturing me about Scientology. in his absence." 3. If someone we meet or are apprised of in the news conducts themselves in an objectionable way, what words do we have at our disposable to call them? You rampallion! Definition: something foolish or worthless. Do you know what a thetan is? He was so ugly he had to sneak up on a dipper to get a drink of water. 2 (May, 1990), pp. Hed been in the desert so long, he knew all the lizards by their first names. Swearing and Cussing - 19TH Century style : Always worthwhile to search our past posts prior to asking: Unless somebody produces a written diary from that era, or a serious survey/questionnaire that reported how often people from Tennessee and N. Caroline swore and blasphemed in the 19th century, the answer will be "We don't know". 4) See the elephant to see all the sights of a town, especially the edgier aspects. Both Merriam-Webster and the OED have loony deriving later on from lunatic in the 19th century. United States presidential election of 1800, American presidential election held in 1800 in which Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson was elected as the country's third president. From about 1850, a pretentious, opinionated person. "Brutal Insults from the 1800s That Demand a Comeback," by Kristin Hunt. A Lady's Life in Mid-19th Century America The Exploress Macron's European army is an insult to Nato and the Americans who pay for it. The word katzenjammer had been in use for close to a century before it was appropriated as part of the name of an early 20th century comic strip, The Katzenjammer Kids. Vacations in the Soviet Union were hardly idylls spent with ones dearest. The original meaning of bodacious was somewhat different than the one which was intended when used by the titular heroes of the aforementioned movie; the first sense we have for bodacious is outright, unmistakable. The senses of bodacious that are in common use today (excellent and attractive) do not appear to have been used until the latter portion of the 20th century. 56, No. A badly-behaved child. In your question, you mention lack of education. Let's bring 19th-century slang back! On the scale of vilified critters, this person is only slightly above snakes. . Was the F word used just as much in 1800 as it is today? It has gone through a number of meanings and spellings since it first began being used in the early 19th century, with the earliest use apparently referring to a frill or fringe, as found on a dress. In addition to absquatulate, the reader is informed of the meaning of a number of other similar terms, many of which have retained some degree of currency in our language; flustrated (frustrated and prostrated, greatly agitated), rip-roarious, (ripping and tearing), and fitified (subject to fits) have seen enough continued use that we define them in our Unabridged Dictionary. More so back then, because birth origin was deemed more important than it is in modern times. The name soon came to be used of any buzz-killing faultfinderan in particular someone who always finds fault in the places they visit. thunder! He enjoyed belittling the President. Always interesting to read your posts on word origins and meanings. Slumgullion is a nasty-sounding word, and for most of its time on earth it has been what we might refer to as eponymous (suitably named), for the things it has described have been similarly unpleasant. Our earliest evidence of its use, from 1834, very helpfully provides an explanation of the words German origins: the cats misery. Describing an illustration, a reporter in the Gettysburg, Pa., People's Press of May 22, 1835, wrote: "A gentleman a little 'how came you so' with his hat on the back of his head, is staggering about in the presence of Miss Fanny, who appears to be quite shocked.". But the sport was founded in the 1800s, as a . ", A second-rate singer who produces noise rather than music, Example: "Get that whooperup belting Celine Dion off the stage! He couldnt hit a bulls rump with a handful of banjos. The American Revolution saw 30,000 men become soldiers, while the Civil War saw almost 3 million. The Journal of Southern History, Vol. A loutish youth who has never been taught manners; from the tradition that a bears cub, when brought into the world, has no shape or symmetry until its mother licks it into form with her tongue; ill-trained, uncouth, and rude. Arose in Texas before 1836. While anything is possible, we must caution readers that the majority of popular etymologies that have a charming and fanciful origin story are little-rooted in fact. United States presidential election of 1800 - Britannica Dueling in the 19th Century - ThoughtCo Highfalutin appears to have first been used in print in the US in the 1830s, and in its earliest instances was typically written as high faluting. or "You don't look like your father." ", A general term of abuse; a rogue or an eccentric, Example: "Sheena is a total ratbag. Also, I don't we will know them all because swearing can be very specific to a region or profession. Though Greeley wasnt there hed a hand Saddling geese is a proverbially pointless exercise, so anyone who wastes their time doing itnamely, a saddle-goosemust be an imbecile. Spirit of the Times, 2 Feb. 1839, Definition: something that settles a matter : a decisive blow or answer. or "I hear masters know their servants where you come from." His brain cavity wouldnt make a drinkin cup for a canary. I don't think so. Distrust of government is at an all-time high. An empty boaster; a man who is all talk and no action. Shes so ugly, shed make a freight train take a dirt road! Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. But a quick grab in the insult bag for a vulgarity was certainly done. Political attacks were common. Canton of Mont-Saint-Aignan - Wikipedia However, in actuality political insults in the U.S. are as old as the Republic. Secesh: short for secessionist. Morgan Freeman: Black History Month, African American Is an Insult JSTOR is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students. Also, swearing is a highly individual matter. He was mean enough to eat off the same plate with a snake. 88 Hilarious Slang Terms From the 20th Century To Sprinkle - Bustle This same article provides examples of a number of other linguistic specimens that were thought to be particular to North America in the early 19th century, several of which are worth repeating: honeyfuggle (to quiz, to cozen), mollagausauger (a stout fellow), and coudeript (thrown into fits). ", A bungler, or one who does things clumsily, Example: "God, Karen you are such a foozler. The term is generally considered archaic by some and inadvertently derogatory, especially in the African American community. A few of these surprised me as being used so early. "Political corruption if the clergy only keep to that topic, Lincoln will be Chicagoed!" A discontented person; one who is always railing at the times. This staggeringly beautiful location has long captured the imagination. Some have gone completely extinct from our language, while others are merely endangered; you may have heard them before, but theyre terribly underused. Literally, someone who seems to spend all day in bed. 12 Lost American Slangisms From The 1800s - NPR Steuben County Republican (Angola, Indiana), 12 June 1872. He didnt have nuthin under his hat but hair. Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email, and get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun. Follow me @NPRHistoryDept; lead me by writing lweeks@npr.org. 78. 43 Old English Insults - Mental Floss These old-fashioned put-downs have a flair that modern insults lack theyre clever, nuanced, descriptive, and quite amusing (at least to the issuer and those who overhear, if not to the receiver!). This saloons so bad, a rattlesnaked be ashamed to meet his mother. In composition it makes fop-doodle, a fool double-distilled; one that provokes ridicule and contempt, who thrusts himself into danger with no other chance than a sound beating for his pains. Neat to see where some of these words come from. The trick to be played The U.S. slang meaning dates to about 1877, no doubt from the image of a dog following its masters heels. And furnished the most of the cant. Southwest Airlines has resumed flights after grounding all planes in the U.S. following a technology glitch. Clydesdale: A big all-American boy. A Writer's Guide to the Old West - Legends of America Poltroon An utter coward. Cowboys used the phrase duded up to mean dressed up. Contemporary usage of dude as a minor term of endearment or indication of spiritual kinship arose in Californias surfer culture during the latter half of the 20th century. Arose c. 1866 among miners, apparently in reference to an outsiders need to toughen his feet in order to walk among rocks and stones where mining typically took place. A quisby was someone who did just that. Knucklehead? The information comes courtesy of Chambers Slang Dictionary by Jonathon Green, a noted author of several old-time urban dictionaries. Grass-bellied: disparaging term for the prosperous (especially those whose prosperity had gone to their waist); originally applied to cattle whose stomachs were dangerously distended due to eating too much green grass. He was as shy of brains as a terrapin is of feathers. Originally used to describe fishes, the word became American slang c. 1866. An adulterer. Bodacious has both been around for far longer than one might assume (the word enjoyed a somewhat increased popularity following its repeated use in the 1989 film Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure); this word and the adverb form, bodaciously, have been in use since the early 19th century. Saloons were ever popular in a place filled with soldiers, which included one of the West's first saloons at Bent's Fort, Colorado, in the late 1820s; or with cowboys, such as Dodge City, Kansas; and wherever miners scrabbled along rocks or canyons in search of their fortunes.When gold was discovered near Santa Barbara, California, in 1848, the settlement had but one cantina. The term and the notion are reflected in popular songs of the mid-1800s, including the original lyrics for The Yellow Rose of Texas.. Brett and Kate McKay September 4, 2022. . 76. 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