First was Nathaniel Bailey, whose 1721 An [sic] Universal Etymological English Dictionary*4 not only included everyday words but also gave extensive histories, notes on various uses, and stress marks so people would know where to put the emphasis on a word they might have only read. It was aimed at everybody—students, tradesmen, foreigners, the “curious,” and the “ignorant”—and accordingly included a good number of taboo and slang words, including “cunt” and “fuck” (both coyly defined in Latin, not English). Bailey’s dictionaries were wildly popular.
I can imagine.
