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Upgrade Your Vocabulary With These Vintage Slang Words

A short collection of Victorian slang words. Queen Victoria would, of course, not have been amused.


Queen Victoria

Fly Rink

Definition: A polished bald head

Usage: “Be sure to wear glasses if you go outside; Grandpa’s fly rink is blinding today.”


Mutton Shunter

Definition: Policeman

Usage: “Is the Queen in town or something? There’s mutton shunters on every blasted corner!”


Arf’arf’an’arf

Definition: A figure of speech, meaning “drunk”.

Etymology: Order an “arf-an-arf” (or “half-and-half”) in a London pub and you’ll receive a malty cocktail of half black beer, half ale. Add one more ‘arf of beer to the mix and your mug suddenly runneth over; you, chum, must be arf’arf’an’arf - that is, drunk.

Usage: “Charlie ordered another Guinness? He’s already arf’arf’an’arf!”


Gigglemug

Definition: An habitually smiling face

Usage: “These beauty contestants are just a bunch of gigglemugs.”


Sauce-box

Definition: The mouth

Usage: “When my kids won’t stop talking, I give them some chips just to fill their little sauce-boxes.”


Pumblechook

Definition: Human ass

Etymology: From Uncle Pumblechook, a character in Dickens’ Great Expectations described as “that basest of swindlers”; greedy, pompous and piggish.

Usage: “This Pumblechook at the mall totally cut me off in his Hummer - then he gave me a sneer in the drive-through.”

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