BOOK EXCERPT: THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT DICTIONARY by Annette Siketa

THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT DICTIONARY

Annette Siketa

© Copyright Annette Siketa, 2025

EXTRACT

Author’s Note.

I have no doubt that some readers will find some of the listings in this dictionary, offensive, and while I regret any discomfort this might cause, neither I nor anyone else has the right to censor history. Therefore, no listing comes with an apology.

Readers should bear the following points in mind:

• Words such as ‘bastard’, ‘gay’, and ‘queer’, are used in their original context.

• Unless specified otherwise, all places are located in England.

• Some quoted text could not be verified due to the passage of time. In these instances, the text is quoted exactly as it appears in the source material.

• Where a word has evolved into different meanings, the oldest known meaning is usually given first.

• As a general rule, some old, misspelt, and hyphenated words have been edited to modern standards. However, some archaic spelling has been retained for its ‘quaintness’.

• ‘Coster’ is short for costermonger. By the middle of the 19th century, over 40,000 costermongers roamed the streets of London, and like most trades & professions, they developed a language of their own, sometimes by the simple expediency of pronouncing a word backwards.

A

Abaxial: (1) off centre. (2) eccentric.

Abditory: a hidden or secret place.

Abel-Wackets: blows given on the palm of the hand with a stone knotted in a handkerchief.

Abigail: a common, lower class maid. Possibly derived from Abigail Hill, who was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne, and who indulged in many sluttish intrigues.

Ablute: to cleanse, usually in relation to hygiene.

Abraham: a male vagabond. The term comes from the Abraham ward in Bethlehem Hospital, (asylum), where it was the practice to allow the less dangerous and insane inmates to go out and raise money for the asylum. Impostors were known as ‘sham Abraham’, the practise and name spawning a multitude of derivatives.

Abram: naked.

Abreaction: the purging of emotional tension.

Absquatulate: to run away or abscond.

Academy: (1) a brothel. (2) a prison.

Acarpous: sterile, fruitless, unproductive.

Acedia: apathy in the practise of virtue. Disinterest in matters intellectual, spiritual, and physical.

Ace of Spades: a widow.

Ackruffs: river or water pirates.

Acres: a coward. Derived from the character Bob Acres in Richard Sheridan’s 1775 comedy play, ‘The Rivals’.

Acroamatical: literally, whispering. Divulged only to one person in private.

Acromegalic: abnormal enlargement of a body part or organ. Also known as 'hypertrophia'.

Acteon: a cuckold. From the horns planted on the head of Acteon by Diana.

Active Citizen: body lice.

Adam Tiler (American): a fencer of stolen goods.

Adam’s Ale: water.

Addlepate: foolish, slow-witted. Possibly the origin of the term ‘addled’, as in, ‘His brains are addled’.

Addle Plot: a spoilsport.

Adfenestrate: to sneak through a window.

Adscititious: supplemental. "It's adscititious rather than an inherent taste."

Affidavit Man: a false witness who will swear anything to a judge or other official for a price.

Affygraphy: a good match, a perfect fit.

After Clap: a disagreeable event that occurs after a cause or circumstance was thought to have ended. Modern: aftermath.

Afternoon Farmer: a person who procrastinates till the last moment.

Agelast: someone who never laughs. Sometimes spelt 'agilest'.

Aggerawators: locks of hair twisted at the temples and then pushed behind the ears. Also known as a Newgate Knocker.

Agnatic: related on the fathers side. "He might have been a better man had he not lacked an agnatic influence."

Agogare: anxious, eager, impatient.

Agon (Greek): a festival that includes competitions & games.

Agonal: a tale of suffering or death, or the death itself.

Aithochrous: reddish brown, ruddy.

Akeybo: a fictitious person used in a comparative sense, as in, "He beats akeybo."

Alamort (American): confounded, struck dumb, unable to say or do anything.

Albertopolis: a facetious term to describe affluent suburbs such as Kensington and Belgravia.

Albescent: whitened, faded, bleached.

Albonised (American): whitened.

Alderman: a roasted turkey garnished with sausages, the latter representing the gold chain worn by this official.

Aldermanic: a person with the qualities of an alderman - stately, dignified.

A Lead: a gathering for the purpose of assisting a friend in trouble. In this instance, the ‘trouble’ is related to the law. For example, the friend needs money to pay for a lawyer, or perhaps he’s just come out of jail and needs a ‘leg up’.

Aleatoric: subject to the roll of the dice. Chance, random.

Ale Draper: the landlord of a public house.

Alfear: a fear of elves.

Algo: a pain.

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