Regency Cant and Expressions Heyer Set-Downs Heyer Endearments Regency Expressions Collected from the Pages of Georgette Heyer Expression Definition 'pon rep polite exclamation a fudge false rumour a trifle disguised slightly drunk all the crack very fashionable ape-drunk very drunk bag of moonshine lot of nonsense bamboozle trick Banbury stories falsehoods bandy words talk bang up to the mark on time barque of frailty woman of easy virtue base<-born child illegitimate offspring be with malt above water be drunk beautiful stepper fine piece of horseflesh become a tenant for life marry befogged confused being cupped have blood taken/let bellows to mend with boxing term - having the wind knocked out - this may happen to a young buck who sees an attractive woman beneath my touch not good enough Bird of Paradise woman of easy virtue bit of muslin woman of easy virtue bleed very freely give lots of money Blue Ruin gin bluestocking academic female blunt money bone-setters poor quality horses boot is quite on the other leg the situation is quite the reverse bosky drunk bouncer lie brought to Point Non Plus in a situation with no options by-blows illegitimate children calf-clingers pantaloons calf-love immature love of a young man Canterbury tales lies carte-blanche an offer by a gentleman that includes living under his protection, but not marriage cat-lap milk - champagne if used as a joke cattle horses chitterlings inside parts of the pig civil whiskers polite small talk cleaned out has no money cock-sure proud and confident colour up to blush commonplace mind dirty or vulgar mind convenients women of easy virtue corky bright and lively cry rope on someone give them away, tell secrets etc cucumberish to have no money cut a wheedle ingratiate self with someone by lying cut up my peace disturb me cutting shams lying Cythereans mistresses damned hum false rumour, lie, trick etc damned low water with me have no money, be in debt dangling after hanging about, enamoured of dibs not in tune to be in poor financial state dicked in the nob crazy dipping rather deep drinking quite heavily displays to advantage fights well - boxing cant doing it much too brown overdoing it so that it is not credible done to a cow's thumb fatigued to the point of illness/fainting draw someone's cork punch in the nose and cause to bleed drawing the bustle too freely spending too much money drive unicorn drive a vehicle with 3 horses, 1 in front of 2 others drunk as a wheelbarrow very drunk dudgeon bad mood Dun territory debt eaten Hull cheese drunk elbow-crooker drinker fagged to death exhausted, tired fair gutfounded very hungry fairly flush in the pockets quite rich faradiddles lies fiend seize it damn it find oneself on the rocks to have no money, be in debt find self at a stand to have no money fit of the blue-devils depressed Flash of Lightning gin flat person, able to be tricked fly a kite raise money fly to the time of day wise to the ways of the world flying one's colours blushing foxed drunk free-traders smugglers Friday-faced sad looking full of juice very rich fustian nonsense rubbish gabster person who talks a lot gammon trick gingerbread money gobble-cock turkey (less important than a Duke) grease someone in the fist bribe them hadn't an ounce of steel in her not strong-willed half-sprung tipsy, not fully drunk hang on someone's sleeve to let self be supported financially haven't a sixpence to scratch with have no money havey-cavey business suspicious goings-on Haymarket ware low class prostitutes high in the instep haughty, proud hobble as in to be in a hobble or a predicament in quite deep in debt in the suds to be in trouble Incognitas higher class prostitutes inexpressibles breeches jug-bitten drunk kick up a lark get up to mischief knocked-up exhausted, tired lady-bird woman of easy virtue land a facer punch in the face Lawks vulgar exclamation leech doctor leg-shackled married light o' love mistress light-skirts women of easy virtue Lud polite exclamation make a cake of oneself make a fool of self make a May game of someone fool someone make a mull of something to make a mess of it make an offer propose marriage making indentures drinking mawkish sentimental miff ie to get into a miff or bad mood mill brawl, fight neck-or-nothing young blood of the Fancy a very sporty young nobleman never a feather to fly with to have no money not a mean bit yet still attractive not give a tinker's damn not care notoriously picksome fussy Old Tom gin on the cut on a drinking binge on-dit gossip Paphians women of easy virtue parting company falling off horse peculiar woman of easy virtue peep-of-day boy someone always involved in kicking up larks etc Pinkest of the Pinks a very fashionable man pitching the gammon lying plant a facer punch in the face pluck to the backbone brave plume yourself on something to be proud of it plumper lie pockets to let has no money prime articles women of easy virtue prime bit of blood fine piece of horseflesh properly shot in the neck drunk pudding-house stomach purse-pinched have little money queer as Dick's hatband ill-looking, faint looking raise a breeze make a fuss raising some kind of breeze up to some mischief rake a man who has all the vices has attracted and perhaps "ruined" many women ready to sport one's canvas eager to fight regular out and outer person of high spirit, awake on every suit, and with enviable abilities ring a fine peal over someone yell at them, scold them riveted married rolled-up to have no money run quite off one's legs have no money scrape as in "devil's own scrape" or a predicament screw not a very good horse set up someone's bristles to make them angry set your cap at someone aim to snare them for marriage shamming it lying shine everyone else down be the most attractive shockingly loose in the haft has many vices, and little respect for proprieties shoot the crow leave in a hurry without paying sick as a cushion very ill side-slips illegitimate children slum rubbish, nonsense Spanish coin untrue flattery Stark Naked gin started in the petticoat line associating with women of easy virtue, a practice frowned on at Oxford strait-laced upholding the proprieties, prudish stricken in years quite old swallow one's spleen control one's anger sweep/make a magnificent leg bow deeply, and a little theatrically sweet-goer fine piece of horseflesh swell of the first stare a very fashionable man swimming in lard very rich tap-hackled drunk Tare an' hounds exclamation tempting armful attractive female the devil to pay trouble throwing a rub in the way spoiling the plans Thunder an' turf exclamation tie one's garter in public do something extremely shocking to be in the basket be in lots of trouble toad-eaten flattered and made up to toilette outfit too ripe and ready by half always up to something too smoky by half very suspicious top-heavy drunk Top-of-the Trees someone/thing of high esteem top-sawyer person who handles horses superbly trollops women of easy virtue trotting too hard doing too much, exhausting yourself try to break someone's shins borrow money turn someone up sweet ingratiate self with by lying vowels IOUs want to pull caps with someone want to argue with them wanton woman of easy virtue well-inlaid rich windmill dwindled to a nutshell to lose one's money winged injured in the arm, usually the shoulder wish someone at Jericho find them in the way within ames-ace near Home \ Join the Heyer list \ Looking for things Heyer? \ Notes and Queries \ List information The pictures on this page are thanks to The Regency Library an organisation well worth subscribing too ifyou are keen on the Regency Period.