OT - Manly slang of the 19th Century

[JohnM]

Thought the board might enjoy this since it is in regards to a time period which interests us all. I wonder if any of these are found on early recordings?

http://artofmanliness.com/2010/03/10/ma ... th-century

[gramophoneshane]

That's actually quite an interesting site John, & I'm sure at least some of them must have made it into recordings in the Victorian/Edwardian era.
I know Gilbert & Sullivan used quite a bit of slang in their works, but that slang may have varied greatly between USA & UK.
I did notice that the site has listed- Saucebox... A pert young person, in low life also signifies the mouth.
I've got a couple discs recorded in UK by Wish Wynne, & these are a bit like Eliza Dolittle telling the stories of Cinderella & Red Riding Hood to her little brothers & sisters.
In one of them, she calls a little girl a "sauce cat", so I'm guessing that's the UK variation of Saucebox.

Here's part 1 of Red Riding Hood if anyone wants a listen. Excuse the excessive camera movement. It was one of my first youtube videos before I started using a tripod.
Thanks again for the link John. I'll be printing out the list & keeping an ear open for any of the terms in early comic songs.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN49-ILIIYU[/youtube]

[Kirkwood]

Interesting topic. I remember hearing (older) people using the phrase "month of Sundays" when I was a kid. As the language continues to change, there are a lot of phrases that we hear on older records that won't make any sense to a younger generation. "You're just as sweet as Huyler's" comes to mind (the candy company name was pronounced "high-lerz" back then). I'm sure there are many more examples.

I had been thinking that the term "sauce box" meant something like "wise guy" or "smart a**". I only heard the term used in an old episode of the British comedy "Are You Being Served?" Sounds like the cockney variant was the "sauce cat" we hear on Shane's record (fun stuff there, thanks for the link!) Of course, once we get into Cockney English, we enter another realm again. If you've ever seen the Austin Powers comedy films, there is a dialogue segment where they break into "English - English" to mask their randy escapades from the tender ears of the American girls nearby. To my American ears, yeah it was in English, but I scarcely understood it without subtitles.

[SonnyPhono]

Thanks John! It was interesting enough that I had to show my "gunpowder"!!

[beaumonde]

That slang term "all overish" sounded familiar, and I had to brainstorm for a few seconds to remember Fess Williams's chatter using it in "I'm Feelin' Devilish".

Here's John R.T. Davies' mid-80s transfer of this recording, which I've transferred from vinyl:

I'm Feelin' Devilish (originally Victor V-38131; 59760-2; NY, 4/18/30)

[Lenoirstreetguy]

The expression " the tune the old cow died on ( not of) " was a very common one in the rural southern Ontario of my youth. I haven't thought of it in years, but I've had the expression applied...ahem...to my humble self when I was taking beginner's violin lessons as a young adult in university. It was a singularly appropriate description of my abilities, actually.

Jim

[Henry]

Very interesting list in the link. My grandmother used the expressions "Honor bright" and "A month of Sundays". Like all my ancestors here, she was a life-long Southerner born and bred, and we know that archaic language and customs have endured down there longer than elsewhere.

I don't recognize any of the expressions on the list as occurring in the G&S operettas that I'm most familiar with, but Gilbert certainly used a lot of very witty and clever language in those works.

[phonophan79]

If you've ever seen the Austin Powers comedy films, there is a dialogue segment where they break into "English - English" to mask their randy escapades from the tender ears of the American girls nearby. To my American ears, yeah it was in English, but I scarcely understood it without subtitles.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pTXi9Z2AYA[/youtube]

I can't imagine British people actually talk like this, but it is funny.

[txhog]

Thanks John! It was interesting enough that I had to show my "gunpowder"!!

Does ya Gunpowder know ya a Rusty Gut, you old Crab!