A Little Colorful Language: Fools and their Ways
Since I am a writer, language captivates me, especially in the way it relates to a culture. With three teen aged sons living at home I get to hear a lot of the slang they encounter. I never cease to be fascinated by the terms that come up, and how often I haven’t a clue what they are referring to. Since every era has its own unique slang, I thought it would be interesting to share some Regency era slang from time to time. Since it is April Fool’s Day, I thought you might be interested in calling out a fool in a Regency appropriate way.
A Fool
- Addle Pate.
- Ben.
- Buzzard
- Chaw Bacon. A countryman. A stupid fellow.
- Clod Pate.
- Clunch
- Cod’s Head
- Dummie: A wooden man. A fool.
- Gudgeon. One easily imposed on. from the fish of that name, which is easily taken.
- Gull. A simple credulous fellow, easily cheated.
- Ignoramus.
- Jack Adams.
- Jacob
- Jolter Head: A large head; metaphorically a stupid fellow.
- Loggerhead
- Lout: A clumsy stupid fellow.
- Mud
- Nick Ninny, Nickumpoop, or Nincumpoop, Ninny, or Ninnyhammer
- Nickin, Nikey, or Nizey. A soft simple fellow: also, a diminutive of Isaac.
- Nocky Boy
- Noddy
- Nokes
- Paper-scull
- Pig-widgeon
- Ralph Spooner
- Sapscull
- Shallow Pate
- Simkin
- Simon: Sixpence. Simple Simon; a natural, a silly fellow;
- Simpleton: Abbreviation of simple Tony or Anthony, a foolish fellow.
- Tom Coney
- Tony
To Describe a Fool Plainly
- Beetle-headed
- Benish
- Bird-witted: Inconsiderate, thoughtless, easily imposed on.
- Buffle-headed: Confused, stupid.
- Cakey
- Chuckle-headed
- Clumpish
- Cork-brained
- Fat Headed.
- Leatherheaded
- Mutton-headed
- Sammy
- Sappy
- Squirish
- Windy
To Describe a Fool more colorfully
- A poor honey: a harmless, foolish, good-natured fellow.
- A hubble-bubble fellow: a man of confused ideas, or one thick of speech, whose words sound like water bubbling out of a bottle
- He is no burner of navigable rivers: he is no man of extraordinary abilities; or, rather, he is but a simple fellow.
- He is a young chub, or a mere chub: a foolish fellow, easily imposed on: an allusion to a fish of that name, easily taken.
- His garret, or upper story is empty, or unfurnished: He has no brains, he is a fool
- He is like a rope-dancer’s pole, lead at both ends: a saying of a stupid sluggish fellow.
- Pudding-headed Fellow: A stupid fellow, one whose brains are all in confusion.
- He was rocked in a stone kitchen: his brains having been disordered by the jumbling of his cradle.
- Sleeveless Errand: A fool’s errand, in search of what it is impossible to find.
Quoted from: Grose, Captain (Francis). (2004) Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811 ed. Ikon Classics
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