In both reading and writing historical fiction, we’re on the lookout for expressions and slang that do not fit the era.  Most often the trouble is modern expressions creeping into a historical work. But here are some modern sounding Regency era expressions that would throw most readers (and writers) for a loop.

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Barbecue: 1650s, “framework for grilling meat, fish, etc.,” from American Spanish barbacoa. About 1730 the term was used for an outdoor feast where a whole animal was roasted and to describe the animal so roasted.

Bigwigs: As the cost of wigs increased, very large wigs (perukes) became a scheme for flaunting wealth. Bigwigs were snobs who could afford big, poufy perukes.

Chock-full: found about 1400; “Chock” is an alternative spelling of “choke”.

Croak: A slang verb for “to die”, from the sound of a death rattle.

Pea-shooter: 1803; quickly generalized to any ineffective weapon.

Pronto: A musical direction borrowed from Italian in 1744, meaning “quickly”
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Real thing: meaning genuine, was first used in 1818.

 Red Tape: excessive bureaucratic nonsense, from the red tape used to bind up legal and other official documents. From the 1690’s.

Sell out: An officer who has sold his commission back to the army; the way an officer would retire from an army career.

Snug as a bug in a rug: A rug was a particularly heavy blanket for sleeping and “bug” refers to a bedbug.

 So-so: mediocre; first recorded use as an adverb was in 1530 and as an adjective (so-so wine) in 1542.

Swagger. To bully,

brag, or boast, also to strut.

Sweet heart: a girl’s lover, or a man’s mistress; from a sweet cake in the shape of a heart.

To wet one’s whistle: to drink.

Turned off: a convict would climb a ladder to the gallows. The prisoner would be ‘turned off’ the ladder to be hanged.

White lie: A harmless lie, one not told with a malicious intent, a lie told to reconcile people at odds with one another.

Whitewashed: One who has taken the benefit of an act of insolvency in order to defraud his creditors, has been whitewashed.

Wild-goose chase: A tedious uncertain pursuit, like the following a flock of shy, wild geese.

Word of Mouth: To drink by word of mouth, i.e. out of the bowl or bottle instead, of a glass.

And my personal favorite:

Kerfuffle: an agitated disturbance; goes back to 1583.

References

Grose, Captain (Francis). (2004)  Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811 ed. Ikon Classics
Online Etymology Dictionary 
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