A Dictionary of Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words / Used at the Present Day in the Streets of London; the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge; the Houses of Parliament; the Dens of St. Giles; and the Palaces of St. James.

by John Camden Hotten

Transcriber’s Notes

Variant spelling and hyphenation have been preserved as printed; simple typographical errors have been corrected.

The transcriber added text to the book’s original plain cover. The [cover] has been placed in the public domain.

The following changes were also made (all changes are noted in the source code: search TN:):

• [Page 24]:
  ROME BOUSE [rum booze], [TN: added comma]
• [Page 25]:
  and what schoolboys term “freeing.”] [TN: added closing bracket]
• [Page 32]:
  through the caprices of fashion. [TN: deleted extraneous quotation mark]
• [Page 35]:
  “Houg dog youg dog?” [TN: added closing quotation mark]
• [Page 67]:
  a “GRACIOUS child,” [TN: added closing quotation mark]
• [Page 91]:
  singular enough now, but common forty years ago. [TN: deleted extraneous quotation mark]
• [Page 95]:
  “oh, BETTER ’n a mile.” [TN: added closing quotation mark]
• [Page 95]:
  talk BIG,” i.e. [TN: was "ie.">[
• [Page 96]:
  Blood-red [TN: added hyphen]
• [Page 98]:
  “O du blühende [TN: was "bülhende">[
• [Page 103]:
  having been at first plastered [TN: was "filastered">[
• [Page 127]:
  “tip us your DADDLES,” [TN: added closing quotation mark]
• [Page 133]:
  “what does he intend to imply?” [TN: added opening quotation mark]
• [Page 135]:
  DUNAKER, a stealer of cows or calves. [TN: added period]
• [Page 138]:
  “cut up FAT,” [TN: added opening quotation mark]
• [Page 142]:
  FLUMMUXED, stopped, used up. [TN: added period]
• [Page 148]:
  GO, a GO of gin, [TN: added comma]
• [Page 152]:
  for his customers to visit him. [TN: was a comma]
• [Page 154]:
  ST. BEE’S.—University. [TN: added period]
• [Page 156]:
  feigning sickness or other means. [TN: added period]
• [Page 164]:
  KIMBO, or A-KIMBO [TN: was "A KIMBO">[
• [Page 167]:
  “landsman.”—See [LOAFER] [TN: added opening quotation mark]
• [Page 174]:
  “gay women.” [TN: added opening quotation mark]
• [Page 177]:
  MUMMER, a performer at a travelling theatre. [TN: added period]
• [Page 178]:
  “he picked up a bit of MUSLIN.” [TN: added closing quotation mark]
• [Page 180]:
  NESTS, varieties.—Old. [TN: added period]
• [Page 182]:
  NYMPH OF THE PAVE (French, PAVÉ [TN: was "PAVÈ">[
• [Page 190]:
  “PIPE one’s eye.” [TN: added closing quotation mark]
• [Page 191]:
  “he’s a rare PLUCKED-’UN,” i.e. [TN: added period]
• [Page 194]:
  PRIG, a thief. [TN: added period]
• [Page 194]:
  PUB, or PUBLIC, a public-house. [TN: added period]
• [Page 196]:
  “M.B.” coats worn by Tractarian curates.— [TN: deleted extraneous quotation mark]
• [Page 199]:
  “Lord Strut was not very flush in READY.” [TN: added closing quotation mark]
• [Page 199]:
  RIBROAST, to beat till the ribs are sore. [TN: was a comma]
• [Page 200]:
  “Rip! well, he was an old RIP, and no mistake.” [TN: added closing quotation mark]
• [Page 202]:
  “Roughing it in the Bush” [TN: added opening quotation mark]
• [Page 204]:
  or SALOP, a greasy [TN: deleted extraneous comma]
• [Page 204]:
  NOVE SOLDI. [TN: added period]
• [Page 218]:
  is supposed to be analogous [TN: was "analagous">[
• [Page 220]:
  Tops are out; SMUGGING about.” [TN: single quote changed to double]
• [Page 227]:
  “a rum START,” [TN: added opening quotation mark]
• [Page 227]:
  “to get the START of a person,” to anticipate [TN: deleted extraneous comma]
• [Page 234]:
  “to TAKE THE FIELD,” [TN: added closing quotation mark]
• [Page 236]:
  swim in twentie of their boats over the river UPON TICKET.” [TN: added closing quotation mark]
• [Page 241]:
  TWIST, appetite; “Will’s got a capital TWIST. [TN: was a comma]
• [Page 242]:
  TWOPENNY, the head; “tuck in your TWOPENNY, [TN: was a period]
• [Page 242]:
  hornpipes in fetters, à la Jack Sheppard, [TN: was a period]
• [Page 244]:
  WALK-THE-BARBER, [TN: added comma]
• [Page 244]:
  WALL-FLOWER, [TN: added comma]
• [Page 244]:
  this word from an ancestor of the Earl of Portsmouth, [TN: added comma]
• [Page 245]:
  Generally used to express anything dishonestly taken. [TN: added period]
• [Page 247]:
  “Jack made a DOOGHENO HIT this morning,” [TN: added opening quotation mark]
• [Page 277]:
  BAILEY’S (Nath.) Etymological English Dictionary, 2 vols, 8vo. [TN: added period]
• [Page 283]:
  Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 8vo. 178— [TN: final number missing; em dash added]
• [Page 284]:
  (prefixed to Holinshed’s Chronicle) [TN: added closing parenthesis]
• [Page 293]:
  —South. [TN: added em dash]
• [Page 294]:
  ‘Sam Slick’ [TN: added closing quotation mark]
• [Page 295]:
  many wonderful stories are told.” [TN: added closing quotation mark]
• [Page 299]:
  other sources, hitherto unexplored. [TN: added period]
• [Page 300]:
  one of the Maids of Honour to the Princess Lamballe, &c. [TN: added period]
• [Page 300]:
  The Marchioness Broglio [TN: was "Broglia">[