Revolutionary Era

/LOB-stuhr-bak/

British soldier (for their red coats)

Origin: Patriot insult, 1770s

"The lobsterbacks marched on Concord."

/TOR-ee/

Loyalist to the British Crown

Origin: Irish 'tóraidhe' (outlaw)

"Old Whitcomb is a Tory through and through."

/BUK-skin/

Frontiersman; rough fellow

Origin: From deerskin breeches

"A pack of buckskins came down from the hills."

/in uh PUK-uhr/

Anxious; flustered

Origin: Late 18th c. colloquial

"Father was in a pucker over the tax bill."

/DOK-see/

Sweetheart or mistress

Origin: 16th c. cant

"He called on his doxy at the boarding house."

/shayk uh leg/

Hurry up; also to dance

Origin: Late 1700s naval slang

"Shake a leg, the stagecoach won't wait!"

/HORN-swog-uhl/

To cheat or deceive

Origin: American frontier coinage, c. 1820

"Don't let that peddler hornswoggle you."

/KWOK-uhr-woj-uhr/

A puppet politician

Origin: British dialect, 1700s

"The new alderman is naught but a quockerwodger."

/in hiz AL-tih-tyoodz/

To be high-spirited, haughty, or significantly under the influence of alcohol.

Origin: Early 18th-century English colloquialism popular in the colonies.

"The general was in his altitudes after the victory at Saratoga."

/at SEE/

To be completely confused, bewildered, or lost.

Origin: Nautical origin, became common land-slang by the mid-1700s.

"The redcoats were all at sea when they entered the dense woods."

/BOH-nas-tee/

A man who dresses in fine clothes but is personally filthy or slovenly.

Origin: Late 18th-century satirical term for slovenly pickpockets or fops.

"That young dandy is quite the beau-nasty with his powdered wig and dirty boots."

/al-uh-MORT/

Struck dead, dejected, or in very low spirits.

Origin: Derived from the French 'à la mort,' used in English since the late 17th century.

"I cannot wait for the meeting; I am all-a-mort today."

/RYE-no/

A common slang term for ready money or cash.

Origin: 17th-century London slang that remained popular in the early Republic.

"He spent all his rhino at the tavern last night."

/BAM/

A cheat, a sham, or a deceptive story.

Origin: Shortening of 'bamboozle,' common by the 1770s.

"That tale is nothing but a bam intended to trick us."

/BITE/

A swindler, a cheat, or a deceptive person.

Origin: Rooted in the idea of 'biting' at a hook; common in the late 1700s.

"The merchant proved to be a bite after he sold me the lame horse."

/HAK-uhlz UP/

To become angry or defensive.

Origin: Referring to the feathers on the neck of a cock or dog that rise when agitated.

"Do not get your hackles up over a simple misunderstanding."

/KUP-shot-un/

Drunk or intoxicated to the point of incapacitation.

Origin: An archaic term dating back to the 16th century, still used in 18th-century rural America.

"He was so cupshotten he could barely find the door."

/BLOH-en/

A showy girl or a wench; sometimes used to imply a woman of loose morals.

Origin: Cant slang from the late 18th century.

"The kitchen-maid is a real blowen, isn't she?"

/BLUD/

A man of spirit, a rake, or a high-society fashion plate.

Origin: Late 18th-century term for a young 'man about town.'

"He thinks himself a blood of the first water."

/in thuh SUDZ/

To be in a sulky mood or in a state of embarrassment and difficulty.

Origin: Colloquialism from the mid-1700s referring to soapy water.

"After the raid, he was found to be in the suds."

/HOLE in a LAD-er/

A phrase describing someone who is extremely intoxicated.

Origin: Common 18th-century idiom for visual impairment due to drink.

"He was so drunk he could not see a hole in a ladder."

/NON-plus/

A state of being so perplexed that one can say or do no more.

Origin: From Latin 'non plus' (no more), widely used in 18th-century political discourse.

"I fear I am at a non-plus regarding these new taxes."

/MUM-bull-peg/

A person who is hesitant or slow to speak.

Origin: Derived from a children's game involving a peg and a knife, but used figuratively.

"Don't be such a mumble-peg; speak your mind!"

/RED-ee/

Another term for immediate cash or paper money on hand.

Origin: Abbreviation of 'ready money,' popularized in the mid-1700s.

"The soldier spent his ready at the apothecary."

/SKAR-uh-mouch/

A cowardly buffoon or a person who acts in a boastful but hollow manner.

Origin: From the stock character 'Scaramuccia' in Italian Commedia dell'arte.

"That fellow is a mere scaramouch, all talk and no action."

/SMALL-kloze/

The breeches or close-fitting trousers worn by men in the 18th century.

Origin: Euphemistic term for men's undergarments or breeches, late 1700s.

"Wait a moment while I adjust my smallclothes."

/KOG/

To cheat at dice or cards, particularly by controlling the fall of the die.

Origin: 16th-century slang that persisted through the colonial era.

"He was caught playing the cog at the card table."

/HUM/

A deception, a hoax, or a false report.

Origin: Common 18th-century slang, often shortened from 'humbug.'

"That speech was a regular hum; no one believed a word."

/KET-uhl uv FISH/

A mess, a muddle, or a confusing state of affairs.

Origin: Originally referring to a salmon-cooking picnic, turned figurative in the 1700s.

"You've made a fine kettle of fish of this encampment."

/JAW/

Impertinent talk, chatter, or verbal abuse.

Origin: Early 18th-century slang referring to the movement of the mouth.

"I'll have no more of your jaw, young man!"

/BRIDE-well-burd/

A person who has been frequenting or has just been released from prison.

Origin: Bridewell was a famous London prison; the name followed to the colonies.

"The thief is a known Bridewell-bird."

/NAY-bob/

A person of great wealth or prominence, often one who returned from colonies with a fortune.

Origin: Derived from the Hindi 'nawab' during the mid-1700s.

"He lived the life of a true nabob after returning from the West Indies."

/KREE-chur/

A drink of hard liquor, usually whiskey or rum.

Origin: Referring to 'creature comforts,' commonly used for spirits in the 18th century.

"A drop of the creature will warm us on this cold night."

/RAT-uhlz/

A state of nervousness, agitation, or the 'titters.'

Origin: 18th-century colloquialism for shaking or being nervous.

"The captain had the rattles and couldn't command the deck."

/GAL-oze-burd/

A person who deserves to be hanged or who looks like they belong on the gallows.

Origin: Common insult for criminals in the 1700s.

"That rogue is a real gallows-bird."

/BIB and TUK-er/

One's finest clothes or best formal attire.

Origin: A 'bib' and 'tucker' were specific items of 17th and 18th-century women's lace dress.

"Put on your best bib and tucker for the assembly tonight."

/MAG-ing/

To chatter, gossip, or talk incessantly.

Origin: Derived from the 'magpie,' a bird known for noisy chattering.

"Stop your magging and get back to work."

/TAY-pish/

To hang one's head or skulk about in a dejected or ashamed manner.

Origin: Rare 18th-century term related to the behavior of a hunted animal.

"He went tapish after he lost his inheritance."

/FINE-spun/

Over-refined, delicate, or excessively elegant.

Origin: Comparing a person's manners to finely spun thread; common in the late 1700s.

"She is a very fine-spun lady, indeed."

/WHIS-per-pot/

A person who constantly whispers or deals in secretive rumors.

Origin: 18th-century compound word for a busybody.

"The old gossip is a total whisper-pot."

/JAK-uh-dan-dee/

A little, foppish, or impertinent fellow.

Origin: 17th-century term that remained popular for describing vain young men.

"He’s a bit of a Jack-a-dandy with those silk stockings."

/FUDJ/

Nonsense, lies, or a made-up story.

Origin: Attributed to a Captain Fudge in the late 17th century; popular in the late 1700s.

"That story is all fudge and everyone knows it!"

/KEL-ter/

Good condition, order, or state of health/readiness.

Origin: Of uncertain origin, used frequently in New England during the 1700s.

"Keep your kelter in order if you want the farm to succeed."

/ALL-too-PEE-sez/

Completely ruined, failed, or fallen apart.

Origin: Colloquial American expression since the mid-1700s.

"The whole plan went all-to-pieces during the storm."

/PEEZ and KYOOZ/

Be on your best behavior or be very careful.

Origin: Likely from keeping track of Pints and Quarts at a tavern, mid-1700s.

"Mind your P's and Q's when the Governor arrives."

/MAYD a LEG/

To bow by drawing one leg back and bending the other.

Origin: Standard 18th-century description of a formal masculine bow.

"He made a leg to the lady before asking for a dance."

/JAYD/

A horse in poor condition, or a woman of questionable character.

Origin: Middle English but used heavily in 18th-century rural slang.

"That horse is a bit of a jade, I wouldn't buy him."

/NIN-ee-ham-er/

A simpleton, fool, or silly person.

Origin: Late 16th-century term still in common usage during the Revolutionary era.

"Stop being such a ninnyhammer and help me."