1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

For those who understand that the right and proper use of a dictionary is looking up rude words, this book might just be the perfect copy of the perfect dictionary. Francis Grose’s dictionary of slang, The Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1785 is the founding text of obscene lexicography, and we have acquired the author’s own copy of the first edition, thoroughly annotated by him with additions (and some expurgations) in preparation for the second edition of 1788.


In 1785, Francis Grose published his dictionary of slang in Britain. It was the first of it's kind and contains a wonderful array of slang terms used back then.  It shows a colourful and expressive time, and not only gives us a snapshot of language, it also helps us see how many words are still used to this day (in the UK at least):


Words/terms like:  cat call, chubby, cockney, cow juice, cupboard love, dram, easy virtue, old fogey, hanker, peepers, paunch, riff raff, sick as a horse and slouch.