Category Archives: vocabulary

Georgian Era Lexicon – “E” is Next on Our List

In the singular form the lexicon of a particular subject is all the terms associated with it. The lexicon of a person or group is all the words they commonly use. As a plural noun, a lexicon is an alphabetical … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, language choices, Living in the Regency, Regency era, vocabulary, word choices, word origins, word play | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Georgian Era Lexicon – We Take Up Again ~ This Time With Words Beginning with “Co”

In the singular form the lexicon of a particular subject is all the terms associated with it. The lexicon of a person or group is all the words they commonly use. As a plural noun, a lexicon is an alphabetical … Continue reading

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Rotten Row: How This Fashionable Place Earned Such an Unusual Name?

During the Regency Era one of the places to see and be seen was a broad stretch of track running along the south side of Hyde Park in London. It was known as Rotten Row, not a very enticing name … Continue reading

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Life Below Stairs, Part 5 – The “Fallen” Female Servant

The life of a female servant in an English household of the 18th or 19th Century was a lonely one in terms of romantic entanglements, and we can only imagine how easily such a woman might be tempted to “taste” … Continue reading

Posted in British history, commerce, Georgian England, Great Britain, history, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Regency era, romance, servant life, vocabulary | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Sir Walter Scott, the Historical Romance, and the Creation of a National Identity – Part II

Recently, we had our first look at how Sir Walter Scott perfected the “formula” for historical romance while creating a national identity. [June 8, Part I]  Sir Walter Scott’s fiction quite often uses the plot devices of inheritance and lineage. … Continue reading

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Are You Familiar With These Words and Phrases?

Spillikin ~ The Oxford Living Dictionaries gives us: [treated as singular] A game played with a heap of small rods of wood, bone, or plastic, in which players try to remove one at a time without disturbing the others, while Wikitionary … Continue reading

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Author’s Voice

Years ago, when I was still beating my head against the wall while teaching English in the public classrooms of three different states, I attempted repeatedly to explain “author voice” to my students. I encouraged my students to write with … Continue reading

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Are You Familiar with These Words and Phrases?

The words and phrases below are ones I can across in a “more traditional” Regency romance I was reading leisurely, and thought I would share some of the less common ones. Enjoy! Here and Thereian is one who has no … Continue reading

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Do You Know These Words and Phrases?

Dead as a Doornail. The “doornail” is the plate or knocker upon which the hammer of a door knocker strikes. Phrases.org gives us this explanation on the origin of the phrase. In 1350,  William Langland used the phrase in a translation … Continue reading

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Do You Know These Words and Phrases?

These are some of the words and phrases I have encountered of late while reading. Some I knew the meaning and some I did not. Even when I knew the meaning, I was interested in the word’s origin or how … Continue reading

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