The overwhelming success of Shondaland’s Netflix series, Bridgerton – 82 million viewers – has brought oodles of fans out of their closets (or should I say wardrobes and clothes presses?) to celebrate all things Regency. Historical romance readers and writers are busily sharing their favourite Regency-era book titles, while period clothing aficionados are eagerly showcasing their 1800s styles.
Now, it’s time for us language lovers to take a turn. Many of the Regency terms seem quaint and foreign to us now, but they shed light on life three centuries past. The British Regency Era marks the period from 1811-1820 when the Prince Regent took over the reins in Britain while his father, King George III, was incapacitated by mental illness. Despite the light tone conveyed by Bridgerton, life in the early 19th century wasn’t all sweetness and light.
Anyone who watched the series will have heard multiple references to the Ton – from the French, bon ton, or good form (i.e., manners or breeding). This was high society, the wealthy, upper class to which the Bridgertons belonged. Some members belonged as a result of their titles, other their bloodlines. One’s heritage was all important in Regency England.
Well-to-do ladies and gentlemen didn’t work – their wealth made it unnecessary. Instead, like Daphne, Eloise and their brothers, they flocked to London for the Season, a period that extended early spring until the end of June. The Season offered the Ton an endless round of entertainments, designed to divert the leisure class.
Of course, the Regency overlapped the Industrial Revolution, and as agriculture was replaced by industry as the main driver of the economy, the wealth of the moneyed classes was equalled by that of industrialists and merchants. However, if these newly rich families were audacious enough to try to mingle with the ton, they might be derided as mushrooms, a term that refers to fungus that starts up in the dark of night. Not exactly welcoming!
In fact, the Ton enforced its social norms strictly and derision was one its weapons. Women who had intellectual or literary interests were often condescendingly called bluestockings and those who were unmarried after attending a few Seasons might be mocked as ape leaders, says author Candice Hearn, since spinsters, according to an old English adage, would be punished after death for failing to procreate by leading apes in hell. Definitely not an era of women’s rights!
Yet, it was certainly an era of colourful slang. See if you can match these terms with their definitions. If so, you’re certainly ready for Season 2 of Bridgerton, filming now (answers below):
- Blunt: a. Cursed or damned. In dice, a pair of twos is the worst possible roll.
- Cast Up One’s Accounts: b. Give someone a black eye. Boxing was a favourite sport of the time.
- Darken His Daylights: c. To vomit. Undoubtedly a frequent occurrence among the Ton.
- Deuced: d. As used in current Regency literature, a playboy or womanizer.
- Diamond of the First Water: e. Gossip. From the French, “One said.”
- Leg-shackled: f. Money or cash on hand.
- On-dit: g. Beyond marriageable age (women) — as young as 22!
- On the Shelf: h. Married. A reference to being imprisoned in leg irons.
- Rake: i. an exceedingly attractive woman – Daphne would qualify.
Answers: 1f; 2c; 3b; 4a; 5i; 6h; 7e; 8g; 9d
supergrammarian 