77 Charming Victorian Slang Expressions You Ought to Embrace

In 1909, British author James Redding Ware, also known by his pen name Andrew Forrester, released Passing English of the Victorian era, a compilation of unconventional English, slang, and phrases. In the book's preface, he notes, 'Numerous words and phrases from 1870 have vanished, transformed, or been assimilated, while countless new ones have emerged or are emerging.' He describes 'Passing English' as a dynamic flow from myriad sources, creating a linguistic river that ebbs and flows, carrying fresh ideas while sweeping away outdated ones. Ware's Passing English is filled with amusing and fascinating terms; it's puzzling why these slang expressions ever faded, but we advocate for their revival.

1. Art Gallery Ache

Ware described this ailment as emerging when art became excessively trendy. 'Now it broadly refers to headaches experienced in any art exhibition,' he explained.

2. Afternoonified

A term used in high society to describe something as 'stylish' or 'elegant.' Ware illustrated its use with the example: 'The items aren’t sufficiently 'afternoonified' for my taste.'

3. Amen Corner

A term used in California to refer to a church.

4. Arf’arf’an’arf

A phrase used to depict someone heavily intoxicated. Ware noted, '[He’s] very arfarfanarf,' implying he consumed numerous 'arfs,' or half-pints of alcohol.

5. Back Slang It

Thieves employed this expression to signal their desire 'to exit through the rear.' (Back slang was also a prevalent form of slang during the Victorian era.)

6. Bags o’ Mystery

A mid-19th century term for sausages, 'since only the creator knows their contents,' as Ware explained. 'The 'bag' signifies the casing that holds the minced meat.'

7. Bang Up to the Elephant

This expression emerged in London in 1882, signifying something as 'flawless, absolute, and unrivaled.'

8. Batty-fang

A colloquial term from lower-class London meaning 'to beat soundly,' potentially derived from the French battre à fin.

9. Basket of Oranges

This expression, used to describe an attractive woman, originated in Australia and later spread to England. 'A metaphor built upon another metaphor,' Ware explained, 'as the basket of oranges symbolized the discovery of gold nuggets in mining fields.'

10. Beer Bottle

Not a drinking vessel, but a street slang term for 'a robust, ruddy-faced man.'

11. Benjo

19th-century sailor slang for 'A boisterous celebration, a lively day out in the streets.'

12. Bow wow mutton

A nautical term describing meat of such poor quality 'it could be mistaken for dog meat.'

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13. Bricky

Courageous or daring. According to Ware, 'Adroit—like a brick,' even used to describe women, as in, 'What a bricky girl she is.'

14. Bubble around

A verbal assault, typically delivered through the media. Ware illustrated its use with a line from The Golden Butterfly: 'I will support a top-tier British citizen in verbally confronting all of humanity.'

15. Butter Upon Bacon

Excessiveness. Over-the-top indulgence. 'Are you planning to add lace over the feather—isn’t that a bit like butter upon bacon?'

16. Can’t you feel the shrimps?

A Cockney expression from 1877 that translates to 'smell the sea.'

17. Cat-lap

A term used in London society to mock tea and coffee, 'employed derisively by those who favor beer and spirits ... in club circles, it’s one of the more disparaging labels given to champagne by those who prefer stronger drinks,' as noted by Ware.

18. Champagne Weather

A somewhat mocking term used in society from 1860 onwards to describe unpleasant weather conditions.

19. Cheek-ache

'Blushing or flushing in the face due to someone else’s actions rather than your own.'

20. Cheese and Crust

A phrase used by the lower classes as a substitute for Jesus Christ. 'While shocking at first glance, this expression shows a hint of reverence by softening the oath,' Ware noted. 'It’s also somewhat poignant, as it’s linked to comfort among those who rarely experience it.'

21. Chuckaboo

A term of endearment for a dear friend.

22. Church-bell

A woman who loves to talk.

23. Coffee-sisters

A 19th-century German expression for 'malicious gossips,' as described by Ware. 'Similar to the English term tea talker.'

24. Collie shangies

Arguments or disputes. A term from Queen Victoria’s diary, More Leaves, published in 1884: 'At five minutes to eleven, we rode off with Beatrice, accompanied by Sharp, who occasionally had collie shangies (a [Scottish] term for quarrels or scuffles, inspired by dog fights) with collies near cottages.' (Ware mistakenly spelled it collie shangles.)

25. Cop a Mouse

To receive a black eye. 'In this context, cop means to catch or endure,' Ware explained, 'while the appearance of the injury resembles the color and size of the small animal it’s named after.'

26. Cut a Finger

A phrase used by the lower class to mean 'to produce an unpleasant smell.'

27. Daddles

A charming term borrowed from boxing to describe your rather unremarkable hands. Ware provided an example: 'Everything was set, and after the men shook daddles, the seconds retreated to their corners...'

28. Damfino

This clever curse is a shortened version of 'damned if I know.'

29. Damned Good Swine Up

A phrase from 1880, 'believed to have American roots,' used to describe a noisy argument.

30. Dimber-damber

A street slang term meaning 'clever, lively, skillful. One of those alliterative expressions that carry no real meaning.'

31. Dizzy Age

A phrase meaning 'old,' as it 'makes one feel dizzy just thinking about the person’s age.' Typically used to describe 'a woman, often a spinster, scrutinized by other unmarried women—or others.'

32. Do a Stamp

An American expression that crossed over to England, meaning 'to take a walk.' You could also do a smile, which meant 'to have a drink' (a phrase that was uncommon even in Ware’s era) or do a moan, a Navy term for grumbling.

33. Doing the Bear

'Courting that includes a lot of hugging.'

34. Don’t Sell Me a Dog

Common until 1870, this expression meant 'Don’t deceive me!' It seems that those who sold dogs in the past often tried to pass off mixed breeds as purebreds.

35. Door-knocker

A style of beard 'created by shaving the cheeks and chin, leaving a strip of hair beneath the chin and on either side of the mouth, which, along with the mustache, resembles a door-knocker,' as described by Ware.

36. Eat Strange Meat

A polite term for cannibalism, a desperate measure some took to stay alive. As Ware’s example stated, 'Life isn’t worth the accusation of having ‘eaten strange meat.’'

37. Enthuzimuzzy

A 'mocking term for enthusiasm,' which Ware attributed to Braham the terror (likely John Braham, a renowned tenor opera singer).

38. Evening Wheezes

The Victorian-era equivalent of fake news, 'disseminated in cheap evening papers to boost sales.'

39. Fifteen Puzzle

Not the game you might know, but a phrase meaning 'total and utter chaos' ... inspired by the game you might know.

40. Fly rink

An 1875 expression referring to a shiny bald head.

41. Foot-and-Mouth Disease

A Lancashire phrase for 'cursing followed by kicking.'

42. Gal-sneaker

An 1870 term for 'a man obsessed with seduction.'

43. Gas-Pipes

A phrase used to describe extremely tight trousers.

44. Gigglemug

'A face that is always smiling.'

45. Got the Morbs

Using this 1880 phrase signaled a temporary bout of sadness. Alternatively, you could say you’ve 'got the woefuls,' which, according to Ware, meant 'feeling miserable, wretched, or down in the dumps.'

45. Half-rats

Partially drunk.

46. Jammiest bits of jam

'Absolutely flawless young women,' circa 1883.

47. Kruger-spoof

A 1896 term for 'lying.'

48. Mad as Hops

This phrase described someone who was overly excitable.

49. Mafficking

A fantastic term meaning 'causing a commotion in the streets.'

50. Major MacFluffer

A theater term for a 'sudden memory lapse, followed by using words to catch the prompter’s attention.'

51. Make a Stuffed Bird Laugh

'Completely absurd.'

52. Meater

A slang term meaning 'coward.'

53. Mind the Grease

When moving through a crowd, you could politely ask people to let you pass. Alternatively, you could tell them to 'mind the grease,' which meant the same thing to Victorians.

54. Mouth-pie

A slang term for a scolding, especially when delivered by a woman.

55. Mutton Shunter

This 1883 term for a police officer is far superior to 'pig.'

56. Nanty Narking

A tavern phrase, popular between 1800 and 1840, meaning 'a lot of fun.'

57. Nose bagger

A person who goes on a day trip to the beach, bringing their own food and not spending any money at the resort they visit.

58. Not up to Dick

Feeling unwell? You’re not up to Dick.

59. Nurse the Hoe-Handle

An agricultural American term meaning 'lazy.' You’re not just lounging on your couch—you’re nursing the hoe-handle!

60. Orf chump

No appetite. (Orf is a variation of off.) Not to be confused with orf his chump, which means 'cranky' and is unrelated to the former phrase.

61. Parish Pick-Axe

A prominent nose.

62. Podsnappery

This term, according to Ware, refers to someone with a 'deliberate refusal to acknowledge anything unpleasant or inconvenient, while pretending to be morally superior and nobly resigned.'

63. Poked Up

Feeling embarrassed.

64. Powdering Hair

An 18th-century tavern phrase meaning 'getting drunk.'

65. Rain Napper

An umbrella.

66. Raked Fore and Aft

A sailors’ term meaning 'hopelessly in love,' derived from 'the image of rigging completely destroyed by a well-aimed shell.'

67. Sauce-box

The mouth.

68. Shake a Flannin

Why say you’re going to fight when you could say you’re going to 'shake a flannin' instead?

69. Shoot into the brown

To fail. As Ware explained, 'The phrase originates from rifle practice, where a poor shot misses the black and white target entirely and hits the brown, i.e., the dirt behind it.'

70. Skilamalink

Secretive, suspicious, or questionable.

71. Smothering a Parrot

Drinking a glass of pure absinthe; named for the drink’s green hue.

72. Sponge it Out

This phrase, used from 1883 onward, meant 'forget it.'

73. Start a Jolly

A term from theater and music halls meaning 'to initiate applause.'

74. Suggestionize

A legal term from 1889 meaning 'to prompt.'

75. Take the Egg

To win.

76. Umble-cum-stumble

According to Ware, this lower-class phrase means 'completely understood.'

77. Whooperups

A term describing 'poor, loud singers,' perfect for modern karaoke nights.

This article originally appeared in 2013 and has been refreshed for 2023.

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