The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue dates from 1811 and this is probably the only full, uncensored and searchable version of this dictionary on the internet. All the original crudities have been restored and it offers an interesting perspective on Common English from the time of the Regency and Jane Austen.

Select a letter or type a word and click Find. Searches are automatically wild-carded and clicking on words in the first column will look for all occurrences of that word, or related word.

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Entries releated to SWELL

 

BANG UP		Quite the thing, hellish fine. Well done. Compleat. Dashing. In a handsome stile. A bang up cove; a dashing fellow who spends his money freely. To bang up prime: to bring your horses up in a dashing or fine style: as the swell's rattler and prads are bang up prime; the gentleman sports an elegant carriage and fine horses.
BLOWEN		A mistress or whore of a gentleman of the scamp. The blowen kidded the swell into a snoozing ken, and shook him of his dummee and thimble; the girl inveigled the gentleman into a brothel and robbed him of his pocket book and watch.
BLOWER		A pipe. How the swell funks his blower and lushes red tape; what a smoke the gentleman makes with his pipe, and drinks brandy.
BREECHED		Money in the pocket: the swell is well breeched, let's draw him; the gentleman has plenty of money in his pocket, let us rob him.
BUM		To arrest a debtor. The gill bummed the swell for a thimble; the tradesman arrested the gentleman for a watch.
BURNER		A clap. The blowen tipped the swell a burner; the girl gave the gentleman a clap.
CADGE		To beg. Cadge the swells; beg of the gentlemen.
DRAW		To take any thing from a pocket. To draw a swell of a clout. To pick a gentleman's pocket of a handkerchief. To draw the long bow; to tell lies.
FLASH		Knowing. Understanding another's meaning. The swell was flash, so I could not draw his fogle. The gentleman saw what I was about, and therefore I could not pick his pocket of his silk handkerchief. To patter flash, to speak the slang language. See PATTER.
GAMES		Thin, ill-shapped legs: a corruption of the French word jambes. Fancy gambs; sore or swelled legs.
IVORIES		Teeth. How the swell flashed his ivories; how the gentleman shewed his teeth.
PIT		A watch fob. He drew a rare thimble from the swell's pit. He took a handsome watch from the gentleman's fob.
POISONED		Big with child: that wench is poisoned, see how her belly is swelled. Poison-pated: red-haired.
PRAD		A horse. The swell flashes a rum prad: the e gentleman sports a fine horse.
QUID		The quantity of tobacco put into the mouth at one time. To quid tobacco; to chew tobacco. Quid est hoc? hoc est quid; a guinea. Half a quid; half a guinea. The swell tipped me fifty quid for the prad; the gentleman gave fifty pounds for the horse.
REGULARS		Share of the booty. The coves cracked the swell's crib, fenced the swag, and each cracksman napped his regular; some fellows broke open a gentleman's house, and after selling the property which they had stolen, they divided the money between them.
SHAKE		To draw any thing from the pocket. He shook the swell of his fogle; he robbed the gentleman of his silk handkerchief.
SNOOZING KEN		A brothel. The swell was spiced in a snoozing ken of his screens; the gentleman was robbed of his bank notes in a brothel.
SPICE		To rob. Spice the swell; rob the gentleman.
STEAMER		A pipe. A swell steamer; a long pipe, such as is used by gentlemen to smoke.
SWELL		A gentleman. A well-dressed map. The flashman bounced the swell of all his blunt; the girl's bully frightened the gentleman out of all his money.
SWELLED HEAD		A disorder to which horses are extremely liable, particularly those of the subalterns of the army. This disorder is generally occasioned by remaining too long in one livery-stable or inn, and often arises to that height that it prevents their coming out at the stable door. The most certain cure is the unguentum aureum - not applied to the horse, but to the palm of the master of the inn or stable. N. B. Neither this disorder, nor its remedy, is mentioned by either Bracken, Bartlet, or any of the modern writers on farriery.
THIMBLE		A watch. The swell flashes a rum thimble; the gentleman sports a fine watch.
TOGS		Clothes. The swell is rum-togged. The gentleman is handsomely dressed.
WEED		To take a part. The kiddey weeded the swell's screens; the youth took some of the gentleman's bank notes.
WHITE SWELLING		A woman big with child is said to have a white swelling.