Ripper-Related Victorian Vocabulary

[DVV]

I’m going to start with a phrase that’s being discussed right now on one of the Toppy threads, “military bearing”. The witness George Hutchinson was described as exhibiting "military bearing” by a newspaper reporter. The term occurs in many Victorian-era dictionaries and other publications and is actually still in use today. It doesn’t necessarily mean George was ever in the army, and it means much more than that he stood up straight.

'Military Bearing' is a term used to describe subjective impressions of professionalism, manliness, and dependability.

-Exhibiting an air of confidence, integrity, competence, calmness, courtesy, and respect.

-Comporting oneself with poise and dignity.

-Standing proudly erect with a respectful, confident, manly attitude.

- How one comports oneself; poise.

- A respectful manner which inspires confidence.

- A fine proud soldierly posture.

- Listening carefully and respectfully to one’s superiors; giving direct and forthright replies when spoken to.

- Modern Meaning(2010): ‘Military Bearing’ refers to the manner in which one addresses seniors and superiors, answering questions calmly, respectfully, and accurately while projecting an air of professionalism and competence. Standing up straight and proud; being attentive, courteous and well-mannered. Being neat, clean, and well-groomed. Comporting oneself as a gentleman.


In my opinion the reporter who used the phrase “military bearing” to describe George Hutchinson was paying him a compliment, and indicating that George was a young man who carried himself well and exhibited an air of quiet confidence, respect, and dependability.

Best regards,
Archaic

Excellent, Bunny !

Some posters should read this, but I won't name them.

All the best

[babybird67]

hi Archaic

yes i thought nymph of the pave was quite sweet myself lol...almost something for the 'fallen' to aspire to. Maybe it was a position you got to after a year or so just being fallen lol.

Another euphemism the author suggests might have been used for prostitutes was

" Persons Engaged in Entertaining, and Performing Personal Offices for Man" i.e. domestic service.

Quite what these services might have included would be open to debate one would think!

Once again, Archaic, great thread.

Jen x

[Archaic]

Prostitutes

Hi Jen. Wow, I never heard "nymph of the pave" before! That's a great one; thank you.

"Lucifer Woman" sounds like the name of a female rock band.

Late 19th C. medical journals often use the euphemism "women of a certain class" when referring to prostitutes. They're often called "degraded females" or "fallen women" too.

I've also seen "daughters of Eve" (poor Eve, she gets blamed for everything!)

Higher-class prostitutes were often called "kept women", "fancy women" or "courtesans".

"Harlot", "strumpet" and "whore" were often used too, though the latter was considered a vulgar phrase, as it is today.

Gotta run, I'm in the middle of a big job and was just taking a break. I'll post a few more later when I have a little time.

Best regards,
Archaic

PS: Thanks Dave.

[protohistorian]

what an awesome idea for a thread! It is now on my watch list! not-Dave

[Archaic]

"Military Bearing" In Late 19th C. Usage

I’m going to start with a phrase that’s being discussed right now on one of the Toppy threads, “military bearing”. The witness George Hutchinson was described as exhibiting "military bearing” by a newspaper reporter. The term occurs in many Victorian-era dictionaries and other publications and is actually still in use today. It doesn’t necessarily mean George was ever in the army, and it means much more than that he stood up straight.

'Military Bearing' is a term used to describe subjective impressions of professionalism, manliness, and dependability.

-Exhibiting an air of confidence, integrity, competence, calmness, courtesy, and respect.

-Comporting oneself with poise and dignity.

-Standing proudly erect with a respectful, confident, manly attitude.

- How one comports oneself; poise.

- A respectful manner which inspires confidence.

- A fine proud soldierly posture.

- Listening carefully and respectfully to one’s superiors; giving direct and forthright replies when spoken to.

- Modern Meaning(2010): ‘Military Bearing’ refers to the manner in which one addresses seniors and superiors, answering questions calmly, respectfully, and accurately while projecting an air of professionalism and competence. Standing up straight and proud; being attentive, courteous and well-mannered. Being neat, clean, and well-groomed. Comporting oneself as a gentleman.


In my opinion the reporter who used the phrase “military bearing” to describe George Hutchinson was paying him a compliment, and indicating that George was a young man who carried himself well and exhibited an air of quiet confidence, respect, and dependability.

Best regards,
Archaic

[babybird67]

hi Archaic

that's a really good idea.

I've been reading an article about the Victorian census and there are some gems of job descriptions in there. For example the article states that there were tens of thousands of prostitutes in Victorian England, but never does the job description of prostitute appear. Some of the euphemisms were 'unfortunate', 'fallen', and my favourite, 'nymph of the pave'.

There was also a job for a 'Lucifer woman'...no, not another synonym for prostitute, but instead a woman who made Lucifer matches.

From an article in BBC History magazine by Edward Higgs.

Jen x

[Archaic]

Hi everyone.

I’ve been going through a number of Victorian-Era dictionaries looking up the contemporary meanings of various words and phrases encountered in Ripperology. The meaning and usage of words often changes over time, so 21st C. English speakers must bear this in mind when reading 19th C. sources. Sometimes a word used in the 1880’s will have certain nuances or connotations which were well understood in the past, but which we no longer recognize today.

Slang in particular changes quite rapidly (Just try talking to a modern teenager and you'll see what I mean!) In Ripper studies we often encounter 19th C. colloquial expressions, archaic phraseology, and East End slang when reading witness testimonies, but we might not even recognize a phrase as being an archaic or colloquial expression- in which case we might misunderstand what the witness was actually saying. We've encountered this on some recent threads. The mutability of language is just a natural thing; a person from the 1880's transplanted to today would encounter the same phenomenon.

I’ve collected a few examples that I thought I’d post. If anyone has any Victorian words or phrases you'd like clarified, please feel free to ask. I’d be happy to look them up for you, and I'm sure others will be happy to respond as well. You're welcome to ask about Victorian clothing and accessories too. I have a background in antique clothing, so I'll do my best to explain them and perhaps post photos or illustrations.

Of course others are very welcome to chime in and share their knowledge. Hopefully this thread will become a helpful resource for all.

Thanks and best regards,
Archaic