Ripper-Related Victorian Vocabulary

[Carol]

[QUOTE=ansonfish;168717]Certainly Black Maria (pronounced as in Mariah Carey) was used in Plymouth area in the 1970's. Cant say I've heard it since then and maybe the term has been consigned to history.

Welcome to the boards ansonfish!

When I left Chatham for foreign parts (Berkshire) in 1971 I'm sure we were still calling the police transport vans Black Marias. While trying to find out about Drury Lane I came across the year when 'Black Maria' is first known to have been used - namely 1874. (Oxford Universal Dictionary).

Take care
Carol

[Archaic]

"Dury Lane Vestals", "Vestals" & Prostitutes

Hi Carol. Thanks so much for your posts.

"Drury Lane Vestals" was a very sarcastic euphemism for "prostitutes". "Vestal" is normally only applied to virgins, as in the familiar phrase "vestal virgins".

Here's why.

VESTAL: "In Roman religion, priestess of Vesta. The vestals were first two, then four, then six in number. While still little girls, they were chosen from prominent Roman families to serve for 30 (originally 5) years, during which time they could not marry. Their duties included the preparation of sacrifices and the tending of the sacred fire. If any vestal broke her vow of chastity, she was entombed alive. The vestals had great influence in the Roman state." (Definition taken from the Free Online Dictionary.)

My guess is that the phrase "Drury Lane Vestals" originated as a witticism, and was so clever it caught on.

I've read 19th C. books in which the phrase "actress!" is hurled a woman as an angry epithet.

Best regards,
Archaic

[Archaic]

Victorian Slang Words For "Prison"

Since we were talking about Bridewell, here's a nice collection of British slang terms for "Prison" taken from a book published in 1890.

PRISON: academy; boat; boarding-house; bower; block-house; bastille; floating hell; floating academy; mill; stone-jug; jug; calaboose; cooler; coop; clowns; clink.

I believe “floating academy” and “floating hell” derive from the fact that large ships were used as makeshift holding-cells for prisoners in the 18th C., often prior to their deportation to a penal colony.

“Mill” came from the prisons that punished criminals by forcing them to do pointless hard labor, such as turning a heavy mill-wheel that didn’t actually grind grain or serve any purpose other than those of 'punishment' and 'penitence'. The prisoners were forbidden to speak to one another and were supposed to be silently laboring, contemplating their sins, and repenting. (Oscar Wilde was subjected to this while in prison and it broke his health.)

“Clink” comes of course from the clink of metal prison-keys & of metal bars slamming shut.

I’m not sure of the origins of “stone-jug”, but I’m wondering if it could refer to the fact that a mouse which enters the mouth of a stone jug can’t climb out again even if the jug is dry? (That idea came to mind because I saw a variation of this once. I accidentally left the lid partially open on my metal bin full of horse grain, and a family of little field-mice entered. They ate themselves silly and were all fat and happy for a while hours...but they ate the level of grain down to the point that they could no longer jump out of the bin; it had smooth sides. When I peeked in, they all looked very fat and very worried. I sighed, tipped the can over, and let them go. They waddled away.)

Best regards,
Archaic

[Steven Russell]

Might "vestals" as in virgins have some connection to the practice, exposed by WT Stead, of rich men paying large sums to deflower the virgin daughters of poor eastenders?

Phil: "ax", pronounced "arks", is becoming more and more widespread in Britain as teenagers from all around the country but particularly in London are adopting the accent known as "Jafaican". If I can locate a young person, I'll ax 'im innit.

Best wishes,
Steve.

[Archaic]

"Drury Lane Vestals" & "Drury Lane Ague"

Hi Steven. Thank you for your post.

I think in this instance "Drury Lane Vestals" refers to actresses and prostitutes rather than to genuine virgins.

An accompanying term was "Drury Lane Ague", which referred to the venereal diseases common to these women. It usually meant gonorrhea, which a virgin is unlikely to have been infected with.

An 1811 dictionary gives this definition: "A woman of the town, or prostitute; Drury-lane and its environs were formerly the residence of many of those ladies."

But I bet you are right and their were other slang terms directly associated with the terrible sex trade that Stead called "the Maiden Tribute of Babylon".
I'll see if I can find any.

Best regards,
Archaic

[Steven Russell]

Thanks, Archaic. No doubt you are right. But I would be interested in any slang terms you can find for the vile trade we mentioned.

Best wishes,
Steve.

[curious4]

re cami-knickers

Hello all,

These were in use at least up to the 1940΄s - I found a cutting in a wartime handcraft book given to me by my grandmother with a pattern for making cami-knickers out of one yard (!) - approx one metre of cloth. Presumably they were making do with wartime food rations, doubt they would fit many people today.

Greetings
C4

[Archaic]

"Dell": "Virgin", "Young Wanton"

Hi Curious4. Thank you.

Steven, here's an old slang term for "Virgin" from an 1891 book. It seems to have undergone many changes, so that it once meant "virgin", then "young wanton", then "mistress". (Maybe that reflects what was viewed as a natural progression?)

I don't think I've encountered this word "dell" with these sexual meanings before- or maybe I did, and I simply didn't get it.
Now the old nursery rhyme "The Farmer In The Dell" has an entirely new meaning!

I wonder whether the rhyme or the slang term came first? Many nursery rhymes have old stories or slang behind them.

Note the double entendre in the 1622 example.

Best regards, Archaic

[Steven Russell]

I thought it was "The Farmer's in His Den". Even so, this derivation of "dell" is fascinating - I'd certainly never heard of it. The connection with virginity and desire is suggestive though. Maybe the male Victorian considered the sexual act as one of dominance and education as much as pleasure? This would make sense, I suppose, if the received image about Victorian society (at least the upper strata) is correct.

It's a bit like being rewarded in heaven with virgins. Surely ladies who knew what they were doing would be preferable?

Steve.

[Archaic]

"To Do Over" & "To Do The Trick"

Hi Steven. Some associated terms from an 1892 book:

To Do Over, verb. phr. (common).— I. To knock down; to persuade; to cheat; to ruin.
2. (thieves'). — To search a victim's pockets without his knowing it.
3. (venery). — To seduce; also to copulate.

To Do The Trick: verb. phr. (colloquial). —To accomplish one's object; specifically (venery), to get rid of one's maidenhead.

Best regards,
Archaic

[YankeeSergeant]

Calaboose

Since we were talking about Bridewell, here's a nice collection of British slang terms for "Prison" taken from a book published in 1890.

PRISON: academy; boat; boarding-house; bower; block-house; bastille; floating hell; floating academy; mill; stone-jug; jug; calaboose; cooler; coop; clowns; clink.

I believe “floating academy” and “floating hell” derive from the fact that large ships were used as makeshift holding-cells for prisoners in the 18th C., often prior to their deportation to a penal colony.

“Mill” came from the prisons that punished criminals by forcing them to do pointless hard labor, such as turning a heavy mill-wheel that didn’t actually grind grain or serve any purpose other than those of 'punishment' and 'penitence'. The prisoners were forbidden to speak to one another and were supposed to be silently laboring, contemplating their sins, and repenting. (Oscar Wilde was subjected to this while in prison and it broke his health.)

“Clink” comes of course from the clink of metal prison-keys & of metal bars slamming shut.

I’m not sure of the origins of “stone-jug”, but I’m wondering if it could refer to the fact that a mouse which enters the mouth of a stone jug can’t climb out again even if the jug is dry? (That idea came to mind because I saw a variation of this once. I accidentally left the lid partially open on my metal bin full of horse grain, and a family of little field-mice entered. They ate themselves silly and were all fat and happy for a while hours...but they ate the level of grain down to the point that they could no longer jump out of the bin; it had smooth sides. When I peeked in, they all looked very fat and very worried. I sighed, tipped the can over, and let them go. They waddled away.)

Best regards,
Archaic

Actually I believe Calaboose is a corruption the the Spanish word Calabozo for jail. AS to jug, I'm not sure, I son't remember the mouse story.

[Steven Russell]

Chokey? Doing bird? Slammer?

[The Grave Maurice]

"Doing porridge"?

[YankeeSergeant]

Porridge

"Doing porridge"?

Grave Maurice, When I was in the Navy we referred to someone getting a sentence of three days bread and water as "Cake and Wine."

[Archaic]

Victorian Slang Words for "Prison"

Thanks, guys.

Here are some more slang words for 'prison' from the same 1890 book.

PRISON: jigger; quad; Irish theatre; shop; stir; clinch; steel;toll shop; dry room; House that Jack built.

"Jigger": I wonder if it bears any relation to the old phrase "Well I'll be jiggered"?

“Quad” comes from “quadrangle”, a common prison design.

“Dry room” probably refers to the lack of alcohol.

“Irish Theatre” cracked me up. (I’m Irish )

“House That Jack Built” must be derived from the nursery rhyme of the same name.

Best regards,
Archaic