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Search results for tag #literature

[?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
@TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

COW'S THUMB. Done to a cow's thumb; done exactly.

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

--
@histodons

Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): COW'S THUMB. Done to a cow's thumb; done exactly. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): COW'S THUMB. Done to a cow's thumb; done exactly. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

    Saiwal boosted

    [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
    @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

    Looking for your next book on Project Gutenberg? Benjamin Laird has some suggestions.

    youtube.com/watch?v=SjVnReMlGH

      [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
      @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

      A.A. Milne's crossword-puzzle heart in the Hundred Acre Wood

      A hundred years of Winnie-the-Pooh

      by Henry Oliver

      commonreader.co.uk/p/aa-milnes

      Winnie-the-Pooh (illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard) at PG:
      gutenberg.org/ebooks/67098

      We see Pooh and Piglet walking into the sunset. Pooh is carrying his present. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/67098/pg67098-images.html

      Alt...We see Pooh and Piglet walking into the sunset. Pooh is carrying his present. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/67098/pg67098-images.html

        [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
        @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

        DOWN HILLS. Dice that run low.

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

        --
        @histodons

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

        Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): DOWN HILLS. Dice that run low. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

          [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
          @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

          HISTORY OF THE FOUR KINGS, or CHILD'S BEST GUIDE TO THE GALLOWS. A pack of cards. He studies the history of the four kings assiduously; he plays much at cards.

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

          --
          @histodons

          Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): HISTORY OF THE FOUR KINGS, or CHILD'S BEST GUIDE TO THE GALLOWS. A pack of cards. He studies the history of the four kings assiduously; he plays much at cards. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

          Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): HISTORY OF THE FOUR KINGS, or CHILD'S BEST GUIDE TO THE GALLOWS. A pack of cards. He studies the history of the four kings assiduously; he plays much at cards. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

            [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
            @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

            On the Death of Branwell Brontë and the Shadow of Grief It Cast Upon His Literary Family

            Deborah Lutz Considers the Impact of a Brother’s Absence

            lithub.com/on-the-death-of-bra

            At PG:

            Charlotte:

            gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/408

            Emily:

            gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/405

            Ann:

            gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/404

            Self portrait of Bramwell Bronte. It is a simply line-drawing of his head. He is in profile with longish hair, glasses and a pointed nose.

            Alt...Self portrait of Bramwell Bronte. It is a simply line-drawing of his head. He is in profile with longish hair, glasses and a pointed nose.

              [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
              @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

              The Golden Bough is a fantastical object in the Aeneid, an epic poem by the 1st century BCE Roman poet Virgil. The Trojan hero Aeneas is tasked to find the bough and remove it from its host tree to prove his divine favour before his journey into the Underworld.

              en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_B

              via @wikipedia

              There are several versions of Aeneid at PG:
              gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?q

              Aeneas, holding the golden bough and accompanied by the Cumaean Sibyl, approaches the entrance to the Elysian Fields. From folio 52r of the 4th-century manuscript known as the Vatican Vergil (Vergilius Vaticanus). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vergilius_Vaticanus_(Vat._lat._3225),_fol_52r_-_Aeneas_and_the_Sibyl_at_the_entrance_to_the_Elysian_Fields_(detail).jpg

              Alt...Aeneas, holding the golden bough and accompanied by the Cumaean Sibyl, approaches the entrance to the Elysian Fields. From folio 52r of the 4th-century manuscript known as the Vatican Vergil (Vergilius Vaticanus). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vergilius_Vaticanus_(Vat._lat._3225),_fol_52r_-_Aeneas_and_the_Sibyl_at_the_entrance_to_the_Elysian_Fields_(detail).jpg

                [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                Growling in a corner: Samuel Johnson’s lost years

                by Henry Oliver

                commonreader.co.uk/p/growling-

                Samuel Johnson at PG:
                gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/297

                Johnson (1775) showing his intense concentration and the weakness of his eyes; he did not want to be depicted as "Blinking Sam". This unique portrait showing his nearsightedness is in the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Samuel Johnson in a powdered wig and red coat, squinting intently at a document held close to his face, reflecting his poor eyesight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson#/media/File:Portrait_of_Samuel_Johnson_(%22Blinking_Sam%22).jpg

                Alt...Johnson (1775) showing his intense concentration and the weakness of his eyes; he did not want to be depicted as "Blinking Sam". This unique portrait showing his nearsightedness is in the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Samuel Johnson in a powdered wig and red coat, squinting intently at a document held close to his face, reflecting his poor eyesight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson#/media/File:Portrait_of_Samuel_Johnson_(%22Blinking_Sam%22).jpg

                  [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                  @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                  FETCH. A trick, wheedle, or invention to deceive.

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

                  --
                  @histodons

                  Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): FETCH. A trick, wheedle, or invention to deceive. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                  Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): FETCH. A trick, wheedle, or invention to deceive. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                    [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                    @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                    TO COUCH A HOGSHEAD. To lie down to sleep. CANT.

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

                    --
                    @histodons

                    Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): TO COUCH A HOGSHEAD. To lie down to sleep. CANT. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                    Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): TO COUCH A HOGSHEAD. To lie down to sleep. CANT. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                      [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                      @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                      in 1926, C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien meet for the first time.

                      lithub.com/lit-hub-daily-may-1

                      At PG:

                      Lewis:
                      gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/782

                      Tolkien
                      gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/42

                      Tolkien

                      A black and white photo of J. R. R. Tolkien in the 1920s. It shows his head and shoulders. He is in profile and looking towards his left. He is wearing a dark jacket and white shirt. His hair is cut short and parted on the side.

                      Alt...A black and white photo of J. R. R. Tolkien in the 1920s. It shows his head and shoulders. He is in profile and looking towards his left. He is wearing a dark jacket and white shirt. His hair is cut short and parted on the side.

                        [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                        @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                        Jonathan Swift’s Frustrated Humor

                        On the three-hundredth anniversary of Gulliver’s Travels, Swift’s satire of his own society is remarkably relevant.

                        By Henry Oliver

                        plough.com/en/topics/culture/l

                        Gulliver's Travels at PG:
                        gutenberg.org/ebooks/65473

                        “I found my arms and legs were strongly fastened on each side to the ground” Color illustration of Gulliver bound and surrounded by tiny Lilliputian soldiers from Swift's Gulliver's Travels. The giant figure lies restrained on a green hillside while miniature armed figures swarm around him. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65473/pg65473-images.html

                        Alt...“I found my arms and legs were strongly fastened on each side to the ground” Color illustration of Gulliver bound and surrounded by tiny Lilliputian soldiers from Swift's Gulliver's Travels. The giant figure lies restrained on a green hillside while miniature armed figures swarm around him. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65473/pg65473-images.html

                          [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                          @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

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

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

                          --
                          @histodons

                          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)

                          Alt...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)

                            [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                            @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

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

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

                            --
                            @histodons

                            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)

                            Alt...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)

                              [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                              @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                              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)

                              --
                              @histodons

                              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)

                              Alt...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)

                                [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                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)

                                --
                                @histodons

                                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)

                                Alt...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)

                                  [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                  @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                  Report shows banned non-fiction books doubled over last school year in US

                                  New PEN America report analysed 3,743 unique titles removed from libraries and classrooms and found books about activism and social movements were targeted

                                  by Benjamin Lee

                                  theguardian.com/books/2026/may

                                  List of books banned by governments via @wikipedia
                                  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_

                                  First-edition cover of To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by the American author Harper Lee. The credit "Jacket design by Shirley Smith" is found on the left jacket flap. Cover of the book showing title in white letters against a black background in a banner above a painting of a portion of a tree against a red background. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird#/media/File:To_Kill_a_Mockingbird_(first_edition_cover).jpg

                                  Alt...First-edition cover of To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by the American author Harper Lee. The credit "Jacket design by Shirley Smith" is found on the left jacket flap. Cover of the book showing title in white letters against a black background in a banner above a painting of a portion of a tree against a red background. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird#/media/File:To_Kill_a_Mockingbird_(first_edition_cover).jpg

                                    [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                    @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                    How Dante's Inferno modeled a planetary impact 500 years before modern science

                                    edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan

                                    phys.org/news/2026-05-dante-in

                                    The Inferno by Dante Alighieri & Cosmology at PG:
                                    gutenberg.org/ebooks/41537
                                    gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/7

                                    View of Dante’s Inferno, extending into the Earth, drawn by Michelangelo Caetani Michelangelo Caetani's 1855 cross-section diagram of Dante's Hell (Veduta Interna dell'Inferno). A color-coded geological cutaway showing all nine circles descending from Jerusalem above to Satan at Earth's core, with rivers Styx and Phlegethon labeled throughout. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Divina_Commedia)#/media/File:Michelangelo_Caetani_Cross_Section_of_Hell_1855_Cornell_CUL_PJM_1071_04.jpg

                                    Alt...View of Dante’s Inferno, extending into the Earth, drawn by Michelangelo Caetani Michelangelo Caetani's 1855 cross-section diagram of Dante's Hell (Veduta Interna dell'Inferno). A color-coded geological cutaway showing all nine circles descending from Jerusalem above to Satan at Earth's core, with rivers Styx and Phlegethon labeled throughout. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Divina_Commedia)#/media/File:Michelangelo_Caetani_Cross_Section_of_Hell_1855_Cornell_CUL_PJM_1071_04.jpg

                                      [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                      @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                      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)

                                      --
                                      @histodons

                                      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)

                                      Alt...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 Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                        @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                        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)

                                        --
                                        @histodons

                                        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)

                                        Alt...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)

                                          [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                          @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                          The Best Novels about Witches and Witch Hunts

                                          fivebooks.com/best-books/best-

                                          "Lolly Willowes" at PG:

                                          gutenberg.org/ebooks/72223

                                          A drawing of two witches standing on either side of a cauldron which is over a fire. The witch on the right is holding a snake over the cauldron and the one on the left is adding something to the pot. Above the women are clouds and rain.

                                          Alt...A drawing of two witches standing on either side of a cauldron which is over a fire. The witch on the right is holding a snake over the cauldron and the one on the left is adding something to the pot. Above the women are clouds and rain.

                                            [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                            @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                            Could Pluto Once Again Be Considered a Planet? New Remarks From NASA’s Administrator Highlight an Enduring Debate Among Scientists

                                            Two decades ago, the International Astronomical Union—which defines and names celestial bodies—redefined the criteria for being a planet, putting Pluto into the new category of dwarf planet

                                            by Margherita Bassi

                                            smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/

                                            Pluto at PG:
                                            gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/2

                                            The astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto here shown with his homemade 9-inch telescope. A black-and-white photograph shows a young man standing outdoors beside a large telescope mounted on a tripod-like base. He is wearing glasses, a white dress shirt with rolled sleeves, a striped tie, and high-waisted trousers. One hand rests on the telescope tube while he looks toward it with a focused expression. The telescope has large lettering reading “NEWTONIAN TELESCOPE” and appears to be a long cylindrical reflector telescope pointed upward at an angle. The setting looks rural or open countryside, with grass and vegetation in the background. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto#/media/File:Clyde_W._Tombaugh.jpeg

                                            Alt...The astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto here shown with his homemade 9-inch telescope. A black-and-white photograph shows a young man standing outdoors beside a large telescope mounted on a tripod-like base. He is wearing glasses, a white dress shirt with rolled sleeves, a striped tie, and high-waisted trousers. One hand rests on the telescope tube while he looks toward it with a focused expression. The telescope has large lettering reading “NEWTONIAN TELESCOPE” and appears to be a long cylindrical reflector telescope pointed upward at an angle. The setting looks rural or open countryside, with grass and vegetation in the background. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto#/media/File:Clyde_W._Tombaugh.jpeg

                                              [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                              @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                              Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

                                              By The Editors

                                              Our best stories about the vast histories and cultures of Americans with ancestry in Asia and the Pacific.

                                              daily.jstor.org/celebrating-as

                                              Asian American literature & Pacific Island literature at PG:
                                              gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?q
                                              gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?q

                                              Portrait of Anna May Wong by Carl Van Vechten Black-and-white profile portrait of Anna May Wong, pioneering Chinese-American actress. Sleek bobbed hair, elegant posture, seated before an ornate embroidered fabric backdrop. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anna_May_Wong_2.jpg

                                              Alt...Portrait of Anna May Wong by Carl Van Vechten Black-and-white profile portrait of Anna May Wong, pioneering Chinese-American actress. Sleek bobbed hair, elegant posture, seated before an ornate embroidered fabric backdrop. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anna_May_Wong_2.jpg

                                                [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                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)

                                                --
                                                @histodons

                                                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)

                                                Alt...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)

                                                  Dave Nathanson boosted

                                                  [?]Dr. Zalka Csenge Virág » 🌐
                                                  @TarkabarkaHolgy@ohai.social

                                                  I'm reading a book of classical poems by Arab women, and found this gem from some 1000 years ago:

                                                  "Leave me alone, you’re not my equal, you’re not a man of the world nor a man of faith, yet you want to own me, you mindless twit."

                                                  (by Umm Ja'far bint Ali)

                                                  That's it. That's the whole poem.

                                                    [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                    @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                    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)

                                                    --
                                                    @histodons

                                                    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)

                                                    Alt...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)

                                                      [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                                      @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                                      in 1812 Robert Browning was born.

                                                      He was "English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterisation, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings and challenging vocabulary and syntax."

                                                      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_B

                                                      Browning at PG:

                                                      gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/146

                                                      An 1865 photo of Robert Browning taken by Julia Margaret Cameron. It shows him from the waist up. In this he is an older man with a beard that is mostly gray. He is looking towards his left and wrapped in a dark robe.

                                                      Alt...An 1865 photo of Robert Browning taken by Julia Margaret Cameron. It shows him from the waist up. In this he is an older man with a beard that is mostly gray. He is looking towards his left and wrapped in a dark robe.

                                                        [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                                        @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                                        The other Brontë sister: why do we always forget about Anne?

                                                        The youngest, quietest sister was over-edited and underestimated – Anne Brontë deserves better.

                                                        by Amy Wilcockson

                                                        theconversation.com/the-other-

                                                        Anne Brontë at PG:
                                                        gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/404

                                                        Anne Brontë, by Charlotte Brontë, 1834. Colorized portrait of Anne Brontë in profile, showing her curly brown hair, delicate features, and blue dress with ribbon neckline. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Bront%C3%AB#/media/File:Anne_Bronte.jpg

                                                        Alt...Anne Brontë, by Charlotte Brontë, 1834. Colorized portrait of Anne Brontë in profile, showing her curly brown hair, delicate features, and blue dress with ribbon neckline. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Bront%C3%AB#/media/File:Anne_Bronte.jpg

                                                          [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                          @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                          FOXING A BOOT. Mending the foot by capping it.

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

                                                          --
                                                          @histodons

                                                          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)

                                                          Alt...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)

                                                            [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                            @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                            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.]

                                                            Montage of dictionary items posted by this account

                                                            Alt...Montage of dictionary items posted by this account

                                                              [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                              @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                              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)

                                                              --
                                                              @histodons

                                                              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)

                                                              Alt...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)

                                                                [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                                                @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                                                Charles Dickens... and Other Bad Men Who are Good Writers

                                                                Francine Prose Explores the Disconnect of Loving Works Written By Monstrous Authors

                                                                lithub.com/charles-dickens-and

                                                                Books by Dickens at PG:
                                                                gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/37

                                                                Dickens at his desk, 1858, by Herbert Watkins. Dickens sits in profile at a writing desk, quill in hand, beard and curly hair characteristic of his middle years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens#/media/File:Dickens_by_Watkins_1858.png

                                                                Alt...Dickens at his desk, 1858, by Herbert Watkins. Dickens sits in profile at a writing desk, quill in hand, beard and curly hair characteristic of his middle years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens#/media/File:Dickens_by_Watkins_1858.png

                                                                  [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                                  @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                                  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)

                                                                  --
                                                                  @histodons

                                                                  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)

                                                                  Alt...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)

                                                                    [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                                    @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                                    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)

                                                                    --
                                                                    @histodons

                                                                    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)

                                                                    Alt...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)

                                                                      [?]Longreads » 🌐
                                                                      @longreads@mastodon.world

                                                                      "I was certain secret doors existed in real life, and spent a lot of time looking for them." Today, Longreads has an excerpt from "Make Believe" by Mac Barnett, the US National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Don't miss it! longreads.com/2026/05/05/mac-b

                                                                        [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                                        @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                                        LAGE OF DUDS. A buck of linen.

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

                                                                        --
                                                                        @histodons

                                                                        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)

                                                                        Alt...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)

                                                                          [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                                          @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

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

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

                                                                          --
                                                                          @histodons

                                                                          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)

                                                                          Alt...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)

                                                                            [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                                                            @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                                                            After a Poet’s Love Story Was Cut Short, His Letters Mysteriously Disappeared—Until Rare Book Dealers Acted on a Hunch

                                                                            Eight letters that John Keats penned to his fiancée before his untimely death are “the literary find of a lifetime”

                                                                            by Mary Randolph

                                                                            smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/

                                                                            Keats at PG:
                                                                            gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/935

                                                                            Engraving of English poet John Keats from title page of "The complete poetical works and letters of John Keats, 1899," after a painting by Joseph Severn, 1899. Engraved frontispiece portrait of John Keats, seated in a chair absorbed in reading, hand raised to his brow. Soft light from a draped window illuminates the pensive, romantic scene. https://archive.org/details/completepoetical00keatrich/page/n11/mode/2up

                                                                            Alt...Engraving of English poet John Keats from title page of "The complete poetical works and letters of John Keats, 1899," after a painting by Joseph Severn, 1899. Engraved frontispiece portrait of John Keats, seated in a chair absorbed in reading, hand raised to his brow. Soft light from a draped window illuminates the pensive, romantic scene. https://archive.org/details/completepoetical00keatrich/page/n11/mode/2up

                                                                              [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                                                              @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                                                              Honoré de Balzac’s Greatest Fear? Being Photographed

                                                                              Emily Doucet on the Development of the Daguerreotype—and What It Meant For Art and Technology

                                                                              lithub.com/honore-de-balzacs-g

                                                                              Books by Balzac (including the whole series of La Comédie Humaine) at PG:
                                                                              gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/251

                                                                              Honoré de Balzac Revised daguerreotype taken in 1842. Early daguerreotype portrait of Honoré de Balzac, French novelist. Heavyset, open-collared, hand resting on chest, gazing sideways. One of the few known photographic images of the Human Comedy author. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_de_Balzac#/media/File:%E5%A5%A5%C2%B7%E5%B7%B4%E5%B0%94%E6%89%8E%E5%85%8B.png

                                                                              Alt...Honoré de Balzac Revised daguerreotype taken in 1842. Early daguerreotype portrait of Honoré de Balzac, French novelist. Heavyset, open-collared, hand resting on chest, gazing sideways. One of the few known photographic images of the Human Comedy author. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_de_Balzac#/media/File:%E5%A5%A5%C2%B7%E5%B7%B4%E5%B0%94%E6%89%8E%E5%85%8B.png

                                                                                [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                                                @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                                                To FLARE. To blaze, shine or glare.

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

                                                                                --
                                                                                @histodons

                                                                                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)

                                                                                Alt...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)

                                                                                  [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                                                  @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                                                  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)

                                                                                  --
                                                                                  @histodons

                                                                                  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)

                                                                                  Alt...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)

                                                                                    [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                                                                    @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                                                                    This Week in Literary History: Edna St. Vincent Millay Loses Her Manuscript in a Hotel Fire

                                                                                    Did She Ever Truly Recover?

                                                                                    lithub.com/this-week-in-litera

                                                                                    Her works at PG:

                                                                                    gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/70

                                                                                    Photo of Millay. She is in profile and looking to left. Her hair is short and wavy.

                                                                                    Alt...Photo of Millay. She is in profile and looking to left. Her hair is short and wavy.

                                                                                      [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                                                                      @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                                                                      Cicero’s Unsentimental Education

                                                                                      Making it in Ancient Rome

                                                                                      by Ryan S. Olson

                                                                                      hedgehogreview.com/issues/huma

                                                                                      Cicero at PG:
                                                                                      gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/128

                                                                                      The Young Cicero Reading by Vincenzo Foppa (fresco, 1464), now at the Wallace Collection in London. A boy in pink and blue sits absorbed in a book beside a stone window, with stacked volumes nearby and a Latin inscription visible behind him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicero#/media/File:The_Young_Cicero_Reading.jpg

                                                                                      Alt...The Young Cicero Reading by Vincenzo Foppa (fresco, 1464), now at the Wallace Collection in London. A boy in pink and blue sits absorbed in a book beside a stone window, with stacked volumes nearby and a Latin inscription visible behind him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicero#/media/File:The_Young_Cicero_Reading.jpg

                                                                                        [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                                                        @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                                                        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)

                                                                                        --
                                                                                        @histodons

                                                                                        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)

                                                                                        Alt...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)

                                                                                          [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                                                          @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                                                          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)

                                                                                          --
                                                                                          @histodons

                                                                                          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)

                                                                                          Alt...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)

                                                                                            [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                                                                            @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                                                                            The Moral Beauty of Middlemarch

                                                                                            George Eliot’s masterpiece teaches us to live faithfully a hidden life.

                                                                                            By George Scialabba

                                                                                            plough.com/en/topics/life/beau

                                                                                            Middlemarch at PG:
                                                                                            gutenberg.org/ebooks/145

                                                                                            Dorothea Brooke and Will Ladislaw from Middlemarch by George Eliot. A composed woman in red sits beside an earnest young man who leans toward her. Warm, intimate interior with latticed windows. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middlemarch#/media/File:Dorothea_and_Will_Ladislaw.jpg

                                                                                            Alt...Dorothea Brooke and Will Ladislaw from Middlemarch by George Eliot. A composed woman in red sits beside an earnest young man who leans toward her. Warm, intimate interior with latticed windows. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middlemarch#/media/File:Dorothea_and_Will_Ladislaw.jpg

                                                                                              [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                                                              @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                                                              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)

                                                                                              --
                                                                                              @histodons

                                                                                              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)

                                                                                              Alt...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)

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