HIKE. To hike off; to run away. CANT.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): HIKE. To hike off; to run away. CANT. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

EARNEST. A deposit in part of payment, to bind a bargain.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): EARNEST. A deposit in part of payment, to bind a bargain. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

FLAG. A groat. CANT.--The flag of defiance, or bloody flag is out; signifying the man is drunk, and alluding to the redness of his face. SEA PHRASE.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): FLAG. A groat. CANT.--The flag of defiance, or bloody flag is out; signifying the man is drunk, and alluding to the redness of his face. SEA PHRASE. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

MEDLAR. A fruit, vulgarly called an open arse; of which it is more truly than delicately said, that it is never ripe till it is as rotten as a t--d, and then it is not worth a f--t.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): MEDLAR. A fruit, vulgarly called an open arse; of which it is more truly than delicately said, that it is never ripe till it is as rotten as a t--d, and then it is not worth a f--t. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

FRENCHIFIED. Infected with the venereal disease. The mort is Frenchified: the wench is infected.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): FRENCHIFIED. Infected with the venereal disease. The mort is Frenchified: the wench is infected. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

The Space Between is more than a Dave Matthews song. It's how Romantic writing evolved from contiguous strings.
https://philosophics.blog/2026/05/08/a-brief-and-largely-accurate-history-of-punctuation/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social
#artificialintelligence #books #emdash #fiction #history #language #Latin #blog #podcast #philosophy #punctuation #satire #writing

BROTHER STARLING. One who lies with the same woman, that is, builds in the same nest.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): BROTHER STARLING. One who lies with the same woman, that is, builds in the same nest. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

A new colleague, Alaka Oluwatobi, shared his decolonial essay with me. I share this interest, so I read it and wrote a blog post. The essay is linked there as well as in the first comment if you'd like to read it without my opinions.

👉 https://philosophics.blog/2026/05/07/the-masters-concepts-decolonising-the-house-without-keeping-the-furniture/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

#philosophy #politics #society #culture #humancondition #language #morality #colonialism #liberalism #imperialism #hegemony #sovereignty #agency #autonomy #assey #blog #podcast #metaethics #metaphysics #fanon #hegel #history #critique

FLICKING. Cutting. Flick me some panam and caffan; cut me some bread and cheese. Flick the peter; cut off the cloak-bag, or portmanteau.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): FLICKING. Cutting. Flick me some panam and caffan; cut me some bread and cheese. Flick the peter; cut off the cloak-bag, or portmanteau. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

LAND LOPERS, or LAND LUBBERS. Vagabonds lurking about the country who subsist by pilfering.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): LAND LOPERS, or LAND LUBBERS. Vagabonds lurking about the country who subsist by pilfering. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

FOXING A BOOT. Mending the foot by capping it.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): FOXING A BOOT. Mending the foot by capping it. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

Hi!, I'm a bot posting selections from Francis Grose’s 1785 “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue”, a compilation of slang terms, the coded language of the underclass and the demi-monde.

[18th-century-content warning: possible racism, animal cruelty, homophobia, sexism, slut-shaming. Let me know of any problems.]

#FollowFriday #books #literature #dictionaries #history #society #crime #language #slang #18thCentury

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Montage of dictionary items posted by this account

Language is not the bridge. I respond to another Substack post – one I agree with 85 % – but the missing portion is key.

https://brywillis634737.substack.com/p/language-is-not-the-bridge?r=pvxh5

#philosophy #language #bridges #communication #ontology #systems #ontologicalgrammar #languageinsufficiency #artificialintelligence #knowledgegraphs #metadata #infrastructucture #systems #semantics #substack #blog #podcast #essay #writing #metaphor #model #schema #protocol

CAPPING VERSES. Repeating Latin Verses in turn, beginning with the letter with which the last speaker left off.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): CAPPING VERSES. Repeating Latin Verses in turn, beginning with the letter with which the last speaker left off. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

I've generally been suspicious of free speech for a while, so I wrote an essay articulating why. We’ve all likely heard that the freedom to swing one’s fist ends at the tip of another’s nose. I can accept this without argument for this assertion. Your freedom TO violates my freedom FROM. These freedoms should cancel out.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/05/05/free-speech-pseudo-invariance-and-the-grammar-of-liberal-rights-part-1/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

#philosophy #freespeech #freedom #violence #language #silence #commons #grammar #essay #video #rights #liberalism #blog #YouTube #spotify #podcast

LOW TIDE, or LOW WATER. When there is no money in a man's pocket.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): LOW TIDE, or LOW WATER. When there is no money in a man's pocket. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

Hiberno-English word/phrase of the day:

Langer (Noun), Langers/Langered (Adjective)

There is an important difference between these very similar words: a ‘langer’ is an annoying person; but to be ‘langers/langered’ is to be drunk! So, if you say “he’s a langer” it means he’s very annoying, but “he was langered” means he was drunk.

#ireland #slang #language

"86" in the news is sending a lot of new visitors to this old post about the slang term's use and etymology:
https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2019/05/17/86-that-slang-etymology/

#slang #86 #etymology #words #language

Again, I challenge the traditional concept of authorship by arguing that creating written work has always been a matter of social attribution rather than manual production. The use of AI/LLMs is just the latest evolution in a long history of collaborative writing, much like the accepted roles of ghostwriters, speech writers, and editors.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/05/05/the-author-did-not-write-this/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

#philosophy #language #authorship #writing #llms #al #genai #debate #history#blog #podcast #books #research #attribution #technology

JURY MAST. A JOURNIERE mast; i.e. a mast for the day or occasion.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): JURY MAST. A JOURNIERE mast; i.e. a mast for the day or occasion. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

LAGE OF DUDS. A buck of linen.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): LAGE OF DUDS. A buck of linen. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

HUNTING. Drawing in unwary persons to play or game. CANT.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): HUNTING. Drawing in unwary persons to play or game. CANT. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

To FLARE. To blaze, shine or glare.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): To FLARE. To blaze, shine or glare. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

NAILED. Secured, fixed. He offered me a decus, and I nailed him; he offered me a crown, and I struck or fixed him.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): NAILED. Secured, fixed. He offered me a decus, and I nailed him; he offered me a crown, and I struck or fixed him. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

GREENHORN. A novice on the town, an undebauched young fellow, just initiated into the society of bucks and bloods.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): GREENHORN. A novice on the town, an undebauched young fellow, just initiated into the society of bucks and bloods. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

CLEAR. Very drunk. The cull is clear, let's bite him; the fellow is very drunk, let's cheat him. CANT.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): CLEAR. Very drunk. The cull is clear, let's bite him; the fellow is very drunk, let's cheat him. CANT. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

The English word cow is related to other Germanic words: Icelandic kýr and Swedish ko. These words are also connected to a surprising group of words across other Indo‑European branches thought to derive from a common Proto‑Indo‑European root, *gʷṓws, for example Irish bó, Latvian govs, and Armenian  կով (kov).

https://mapologies.com/animals/

#map #mapologies #etymology #etymologymap #language #lingusiticmap #languagemap #cartography #mapa #karte #lingustics #languages #learnlanguages #geography

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Etymology map of cow (bos taurus)

FLUSH IN THE POCKET. Full of money. The cull is flush in the fob. The fellow is full of money.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): FLUSH IN THE POCKET. Full of money. The cull is flush in the fob. The fellow is full of money. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

I hired Claude to articulate my thoughts on the self-improvement industry…

https://philosophics.blog/2026/05/01/the-grammar-of-bettering-yourself/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

…and, frankly, LinkedIn and pop psychology. I leverage my notion of ontological grammar.

#philosophy #psychology #blog #podcast #selfhelp #language #power #reason #rhetoric #personadevelopment #bollocks #vulnerability #writing #reading #cognitivebias #llms #claudeai

DAVY. I'll take my davy of it; vulgar abbreviation of affidavit.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): DAVY. I'll take my davy of it; vulgar abbreviation of affidavit. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

TURK. A cruel, hard-hearted man. Turkish treatment; barbarous usage. Turkish shore; Lambeth, Southwark, and Rotherhithe side of the Thames.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): TURK. A cruel, hard-hearted man. Turkish treatment; barbarous usage. Turkish shore; Lambeth, Southwark, and Rotherhithe side of the Thames. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

CATCHING HARVEST. A dangerous time for a robbery, when many persons are on the road, on account of a horse-race, fair, or some other public meeting.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): CATCHING HARVEST. A dangerous time for a robbery, when many persons are on the road, on account of a horse-race, fair, or some other public meeting. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

DEEP-ONE. A thorough-paced rogue, a sly designing fellow: in opposition to a shallow or foolish one.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): DEEP-ONE. A thorough-paced rogue, a sly designing fellow: in opposition to a shallow or foolish one. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

Hi!, I'm a bot posting selections from Francis Grose’s 1785 “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue”, a compilation of slang terms, the coded language of the underclass and the demi-monde.

[18th-century-content warning: possible racism, animal cruelty, homophobia, sexism, slut-shaming. Let me know of any problems.]

#FollowFriday #books #literature #dictionaries #history #society #crime #language #slang #18thCentury

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Montage of dictionary items posted by this account

NACKY. Ingenious.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): NACKY. Ingenious. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

Hiberno-English word/phrase of the day:

Tool

‘Tool’ is one of the less-offensive Irish slang phrases and it’s a less-severe way of calling someone an idiot/clown or an obnoxious/uptight person It compares the person’s intelligence to a blunt object, implying a lack of sharpness or wit.

For example, ‘Did you see what she posted on Facebook?! What a tool!’ or 'Stop being a tool and listen to what I’m saying!'

#ireland #slang #language

The Architecture of Willing is not yet complete, but I wanted to lock in my choice of colour: a dark aubergine-violet.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/04/29/architecture-of-willing-cover-art/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

I hope to release it in May 2026, gods willing. Details to follow.

#book #design #philosophy #coverart #writing #publishing #author #independentauthor #independentpublisher #academicpublisher #nonfiction #doagnosis #language #blog

GOADS. Those who wheedle in chapmen for horse-dealers.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): GOADS. Those who wheedle in chapmen for horse-dealers. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

I'm not sure the gender debate is all that these days with the distraction factory in DC; nonetheless, I've been reading Judith Butler's Gender Trouble.

https://open.substack.com/pub/brywillis634737/p/the-striated-woman-no-one-owns-the?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

I like Butler's ideas a lot, so I wanted to engage her material directly. Beauvoir is another favourite.

#philosophy #language #writing #blog #podcast #identity #women #feminism #judithbutler #beauvoir #socialontology #legibility #substack #ontologicalgrammar #gendertheory #criticaltheory #politics

BOUNCING CHEAT. A bottle; from the explosion in drawing the cork. CANT.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): BOUNCING CHEAT. A bottle; from the explosion in drawing the cork. CANT. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

BUG-HUNTER. An upholsterer.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): BUG-HUNTER. An upholsterer. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

ADMIRAL OF THE NARROW SEAS. One who from drunkenness vomits into the lap of the person sitting opposite to him. SEA PHRASE.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): ADMIRAL OF THE NARROW SEAS. One who from drunkenness vomits into the lap of the person sitting opposite to him. SEA PHRASE. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

TYBURN TOP, or FORETOP. A wig with the foretop combed over the eyes in a knowing style; such being much worn by the gentlemen pads, scamps, divers, and other knowing hands.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): TYBURN TOP, or FORETOP. A wig with the foretop combed over the eyes in a knowing style; such being much worn by the gentlemen pads, scamps, divers, and other knowing hands. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

CASH, or CAFFAN. Cheese; CANT. See CAFFAN.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): CASH, or CAFFAN. Cheese; CANT. See CAFFAN. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

GRINDERS. Teeth. Gooseberry grinder; the breech. Ask bogey, the gooseberry grinder; ask mine arse.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): GRINDERS. Teeth. Gooseberry grinder; the breech. Ask bogey, the gooseberry grinder; ask mine arse. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

I’d like to share a NotebookLM summary of an early draft of Chapter 1, which serves as an introductory chapter: Authoring Displacement and the Cake Grammar or some such. Have a listen.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/04/25/the-architecture-of-willing-an-early-peek/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

#philosophy #language #will #cake #analog #spotify #blog #podcast #book #monograph #critique #metaphor #perspective #ego #subjectivity

ONION. A seal. Onion hunters, a class of young thieves who are on the look out for gentlemen who wear their seals suspended on a ribbon, which they cut, and thus secure the seals or other trinkets suspended to the watch.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): ONION. A seal. Onion hunters, a class of young thieves who are on the look out for gentlemen who wear their seals suspended on a ribbon, which they cut, and thus secure the seals or other trinkets suspended to the watch. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

DEAD CARGO. A term used by thieves, when they are disappointed in the value of their booty.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): DEAD CARGO. A term used by thieves, when they are disappointed in the value of their booty. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

GARNISH. An entrance fee demanded by the old prisoners of one just committed to gaol.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): GARNISH. An entrance fee demanded by the old prisoners of one just committed to gaol. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)