Category Archives: vocabulary

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

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

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?

Posted on May 12, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

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

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Regina Jeffers

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

Do You Know These Words and Phrases?

Posted on August 5, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

Inexpressibles ~ Etymology Compare to unmentionables ‎(“underwear”). Geri Walton at her Unique Histories from the 18th and 19th Centuries tells us “That part of the dress which it is now unlawful to name, seems of old to have had the … Continue reading →

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

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

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?

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

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 →

Posted in etymology, language choices, Pop Culture, tall tales, vocabulary, word origins | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Author’s Voice

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

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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Do You Know These Words and Phrases?

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

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?

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

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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Do You Know the Origin of These Words and Phrases?

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Do You Know The Origin of These Words and Phrases? I have been editing again, as well as judging a few writing contests. The process had me searching out some of the least common words and phrases I encountered. Check … Continue reading →

Posted in editing, etymology, language choices, vocabulary, word choices, word origins, word play, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments