Old Fashioned Words From the 1800s

If you phone call someone a butt sniffer, they know they've been burnt (Phillips sure did!). But burns like "flapdoodle" and "mumbling cove," on the other manus, don't have quite the same bite. Dorsum in the 19th century, though, throwing one of these insults could get you lot challenged to a duel.

Beneath are the definitions for these Victorian insults, plus 14 more rude words that we definitely think should be integrated dorsum into modern vernacular. The data comes courtesy of Chambers Slang Dictionary by Jonathon Green, a noted author of several former-time urban dictionaries. He'due south no ratbag, but feel free to use that word on your to the lowest degree favorite neighbor.

Church bell

A talkative woman

Example: "Hey man, sorry I'm late. Some total church bell on the street wouldn't stop lecturing me virtually Scientology. Do you lot know what a thetan is?"

Flapdoodle

A sexually incompetent homo, who is either too young to accept had sex or ane who is also old to attempt information technology ("flapdoodle" besides referred to nonsense or rubbish and ladyparts in the same time period)

Instance: "I read in Holly Madison'southward memoir that Hugh Hefner is a weird old flapdoodle, if you lot know what I mean. It means his penis doesn't work."

Foozler

A bungler, or i who does things clumsily

Example: "God, Karen you are such a foozler. Are you at least going to assistance me gum my '99 intramural basketball game trophy back together?"

Gibface

An ugly person, especially ane with a heavy lower jaw

Example: "Jay Leno is a total gibface. I adopt my tardily-night hosts to have weak chins."

Hedge-creeper

A prostitute, who presumably works in the countryside ("creeper" could as well be substituted for "prowler" or "ranger")

Example: "See that hedge-creeper over in the cul-de-sac? She just asked me if I wanted to political party. I think I'm going to phone call the police."

Hornswoggler

A fraud or cheat

Example: "Dan is such a hornswoggler! He told me he was personal friends with an Nigerian prince who needs assist, and I'm starting to believe he's never even been to Nigeria."

Jollocks

A fat person

Case: "That jollocks who got stuck in the bathtub was our 27th president, William Howard Taft."

Malmsey nose

A heavily acned nose (the assumption here was that the acned nose was the result of drinking too much malmsey wine)

Example: "You get full malmsey olfactory organ afterwards two beers. You should probably see a dermatologist."

Meater

A coward

Example: "Quit being such a meater and jump out of the plane, Frank!"

Mumbling cove

A shabby person or an unpleasant, deceitful landlord

Example: "So then the mumbling cove told me he was raising my hire 25%. Can yous believe that? Also, his tattered coat was hideous."

Mutton shunter

A policeman, peculiarly one tasked with harrying street prostitutes

Example: "I ain't telling yous zippo, mutton shunter. Stop laughing, information technology's an insult!"

Pigeon-livered

Cowardly

Example: "Oh human being, I'm then scared of birds, I can't fifty-fifty become outside if at that place are too many out there. I guess you could say I'thousand pigeon-livered. Only please don't, I fear pigeons the most."

Ratbag

A general term of abuse; a rogue or an eccentric

Example: "Sheena is a full ratbag. I'm not certain why I don't like her, but she sucks."

Vazey

Stupid

Example: "Stop being vazey and phone call a cab, Brent. Y'all can't bulldoze. Yous only asked me if Matt Damon was still stuck in infinite."

Wagtail

A promiscuous woman or prostitute; less commonly, a dissolute man

Example: "That dude who hangs out around the hotel late at night is a wagtail. Yep, I know it's the less common employ, but that's what he is, Diane."

Whooperup

A second-rate vocaliser who produces racket rather than music

Example: "Go that whooperup belting Celine Dion off the stage! It's our plough to sing 'No Diggity.'"

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Kristin Hunt is a staff author for Thrillist, and is a total whooperup, but she'due south okay with that. Follow her to Victorian thesauruses at @kristin_hunt.