Slang in the 1850s (Snippets 42)

Originally posted on Windows into History:

Tower of London engraving by William Miller, 1832

In 1859, The Vulgar Tongue was published, written by Ducange Anglicus. This is clearly a pseudonym, but the author’s real identity is unknown. The book is subtitled A Glossary of Slang, Cant, and Flash Words and Phrases, Used in London, from 1839 to 1859. A lot of the entries are simply cockney rhyming slang (in fact, this book is probably the most useful source for studying the early development o...