Who knew buttoned-up Victorians were secretly slang geniuses?
I emotion a bully slang moment. I get wherefore we usage them and honestly, they marque beingness consciousness a small much spicy.
But astatine immoderate constituent I started wondering if slang has ever been this fun. Surely radical successful the past had their ain small phrases and wrong jokes too.
That thought sent maine down a rabbit spread of aged expressions, and that’s erstwhile I realized thing important. The Victorians weren’t arsenic prim arsenic we imagine. They perfectly had slang, and immoderate of it is amazingly comic successful a precise modern way.
What I recovered genuinely feels similar linguistic treasure. These Victorian gems had maine laughing successful implicit shambles, and I tin already spot myself utilizing them successful existent life. Pantaloons, sadly, not included.
Get acceptable for a small nanty narking, a fewer church-bells, and possibly adjacent a touch of the morbs.
1. Got the Morbs

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Verb phrase
Back successful the mid-1800s, Victorians said got the morbs erstwhile a random question of sadness deed them for nary coagulated reason. It wasn’t a crisis, conscionable that weird affectional dip that shows up uninvited. I tin spot myself utilizing it, particularly connected a time erstwhile my java doesn't slap similar it usually does: “I’ve got the morbs today. Nothing really happened, I’m conscionable weirdly affectional astir my java being a small excessively cold.”
2. Doing the Bear

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Verb phrase
A cheeky operation from 19th-century London meaning PDA-heavy flirting, fundamentally Victorian mates photos successful nationalist parks. Today, you’d usage it erstwhile couples are acting similar they’re auditioning for a romanticist euphony video: “Those 2 successful the café were afloat doing the carnivore portion the remainder of america tried to eat."
3. Mafficking

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Verb
Around 1900, the connection mafficking came from immense thoroughfare celebrations wherever radical poured extracurricular to cheer, sing and fundamentally crook the full spot into 1 large party. It was each astir nationalist joyousness that didn’t acceptable wrong a room. I tin already spot this 1 sliding into mundane conversations like: “If Real Madrid wins tonight, the full metropolis is going to beryllium mafficking till sunrise.”
4. Chuckaboo

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Noun
In Victorian times, chuckaboo was a saccharine small nickname for a adjacent friend, the benignant of idiosyncratic who conscionable gets you without trying. This 1 feels similar the Victorian mentation of calling your best person babe. And honestly, I tin wholly spot myself writing: “my beloved chuckaboo,” nether my adjacent Instagram photograph with my champion friend.
5. Afternoonified

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Adjective
Victorian precocious nine utilized afternoonified to picture idiosyncratic who looked polished and good enactment together, the benignant of idiosyncratic who seemed acceptable for a fancy sojourn oregon an important tea. It was their mode of saying idiosyncratic had their beingness successful order. Now it works perfectly for those uncommon moments erstwhile you negociate to look similar you tried: “You wore matching socks today. Very afternoonified of you.”
6. A Lick and a Promise

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Noun phrase
Back successful the 1800s, a lick and a promise was what you said erstwhile you did thing rapidly and not precise well, with each volition of fixing it later. It was fundamentally the unofficial motto of anyone who had bigger plans than cleaning. This 1 is my favourite due to the fact that it fits existent beingness perfectly, particularly connected days erstwhile you lone person 5 minutes to unreal your abstraction is nether control: “I truly gave my country a lick and a committedness earlier my Zoom call.”
7. Arfarfan’arf

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Adjective
This wonderfully odd-looking connection was Victorian slang for a antheral who’d had much than a fewer drinks. It came from the thought of idiosyncratic knocking backmost respective half-pints and dilatory losing their equilibrium and their dignity. The sanction itself feels similar thing you could lone pronounce aft a mates of rounds: “He wasn’t drunk-drunk, but helium was decidedly arfarfan’arf.”
8. Whooperups

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Noun (plural)
In the 1800s, whooperups was the connection for radical who sang truthful severely that adjacent their humming felt risky. It was the Victorian mode of saying idiosyncratic should astir apt beryllium retired the chorus. The connection inactive lands today, particularly connected karaoke nights wherever assurance is louder than talent: “The full spot was packed with whooperups and they each grabbed the mic similar they were headlining Coachella.”
9. Sauce-box

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Noun
Victorians utilized sauce-box arsenic a nickname for the mouth, which feels oddly close adjacent now. It has the cleanable premix of sass and informing built into it. I conscionable utilized it portion talking to my person this morning: “Stop moving your sauce-box and nonstop the screenshot already.” It definite had maine feeling satisfied.
10. Church-Bell

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Noun
In Victorian thoroughfare slang, a church-bell was idiosyncratic who talked nonstop, a statement they mostly threw astatine women because… of people they did. The connection itself is excessively entertaining to ignore, though, and it deserves a friendlier comeback: “One iced latte and I crook into a afloat church-bell.”
11. Pumblechook

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Noun
Borrowed from Dickens, a Pumblechook is that self-important idiosyncratic who treats each tiny task similar a large achievement. Every radical has one. And honestly, this 1 is rolling close disconnected my tongue: “The bureau Pumblechook conscionable explained a elemental Google Doc similar helium invented the internet.”
12. Not Up to Dick

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Adjective phrase
I cognize it sounds similar I’m making this 1 up, but I committedness it’s real. I honestly privation I had invented it due to the fact that it made maine laughter for a coagulated 10 minutes. Back successful the 19th century, not up to dick was conscionable a elemental mode of saying you felt unwell oregon not rather yourself. Nothing remotely scandalous. Imagine saying: “No brunch for me, I’m truly not up to dick this morning.” You’d decidedly get a fewer confused stares from everyone astatine the table, but you cannot archer maine it doesn’t perfectly deed the spot.
13. Bang Up to the Elephant

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Adjective phrase
Victorians had a flair for melodramatic compliments, and bang up to the elephant was their mode of saying thing was perfectly perfect. It was fundamentally their top-tier support stamp. And honestly, I tin already spot myself saying it to a waiter the adjacent clip the nutrient is really good: “These wings are bang up to the elephant. My compliments to the chef.” I cognize I’ll get a weird look, but it’ll beryllium wholly worthy it.
14. Nanty Narking

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Noun
Back successful the Regency days, nanty narking was the operation for a nighttime filled with laughter, stories and the benignant of amusive you lone realise you needed erstwhile it's over. It covered everything from pub hopping to late-night chaos. This one's for 1 of those unexpectedly large hangouts: “Group therapy connected the balcony past night? Straight-up nanty narking.”
15. Damfino

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Interjection
This clever small connection is conscionable a squished-together mentation of "damned if I know,” utilized whenever idiosyncratic had nary hint what was going on. It’s short, snappy and inactive hits the aforesaid mode today: “What’s adjacent happening successful this radical chat?” “Damfino.”
16. Gal-Sneaker

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Noun
Back successful the 1870s, a gal-sneaker was the word for a antheral whose full property revolved astir chasing women. The benignant who thought helium was creaseless but mostly conscionable hovered astir similar an unwanted notification. The vigor translates a small excessively good today: “Tell your bestie to run. The gal-sneaker has entered the chat."
17. Umble-Cum-Stumble

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Verb phrase
This wonderfully clunky operation was utilized to accidental thing was wholly understood, nary disorder near successful sight. It’s the old-school mentation of “got it” but with mode much personality. It feels similar thing I’d blurt retired without thinking: “You privation iced coffee, other cold, nary sugar? Umble-cum-stumble.”
18. Gigglemug

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Noun
A gigglemug was idiosyncratic who couldn’t halt smiling, the benignant of idiosyncratic whose look people sits successful “happy mode.” It has a cute, astir cartoonish vigor to it.:“Of people she got the job, she walked successful looking similar a full gigglemug.”
19. Kruger-Spoof

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Noun and verb
Dating backmost to 1896, kruger-spoof was a snappy mode to telephone idiosyncratic retired for lying. It had that quick, astir playful wound to it, the benignant radical utilized erstwhile they knew the communicative wasn’t adding up. I tin already deliberation of a 100 moments this would acceptable today: “He said helium was ‘five minutes away’ but that was axenic kruger-spoof.”
20. Poked Up

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Adjective
Poked up was the aged mode to accidental idiosyncratic was painfully embarrassed, the benignant of blush that makes you see relocating to a caller city. And it truly works perfectly for those tiny humiliations that haunt you for hours: “I accidentally said ‘you too’ erstwhile the transportation feline told maine to bask my food. I was truthful poked up I wanted to vanish into bladed air.”

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