Some words never die

Thanks to the unearthing of a 17th-century text, we can now learn the sorts of word-sounds heard on the streets of London by the likes of John Milton, Andrew Marvell and probably even Shakespeare himself, Alexander Theroux writes in The Wall Street Journal.

This was the first book dedicated to English slang words, the lingo of sharpsters, shills and vagabonds. Originally printed as A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew, it has been newly released as The First English Dictionary of Slang, 1699.

Drinking and its effects are heavily represented. A drunk ("pot-valiant") might be described as "cup shot" or "half seas over" and labeled a "swill-belly" or "Malmesey-nose." A "fuddle" is an "excellent tipple." As for "rum," it was once an adjective with a positive meaning, as in "rum-bluffer" (a jolly host) and "rum-bung" (a full purse). The late 17th century was not an age for delicacy. The Dutch were derisively called "butter-boxes." A "foul Jade" was an ordinary coarse woman. A phrase for women in general was "mutton-in-long-coats." The colorful words for prostitute could make up a dictionary in itself.

There are hundreds of words here that have rarely been used since, although this dictionary keeps them brightly alive: "tarum" (for milk) and "fubbs" (a fond word for children). But many old words have kept their meanings to this day: "shop-lift" and "hen-peckt," for instance, and "grinders" for teeth.

"Slang," Theroux writes, "is eternal."