20 January 2006
Originally posted on greenfairydotcom
I like to think of myself as somewhat of a swear word dilettante and I am always pleased to have new life injected into my (not inconsiderable) range of obscenities so I was happy to read this morning a Guardian story about a new book that details dirty insults used between the 16th and 18th centuries in Britain.
It included the insults jade, quean, baggage, harlot, drab, filth, flirt, gill, trull, dirtyheels, draggletail, flap, naughty-pack, slut, squirt and strumpet. All of these words were synonyms for whore, which had been weakened by massive overuse. The nouns were "generally heightened by adjectives such as arrant, base, brazenfaced or scurvy".
"Venereal disease, especially syphilis or the pox, also featured prominently in abusive language. Taunts such as 'burnt-arsed whore' and 'pocky whore' were familiar throughout the country. At Bury St Edmunds, Faith Wilson told her neighbour in 1619 to 'pull up your muffler higher and hide your pocky face, and go home and scrape your mangy arse'."
Splendid.