Lexicon Balatronicum
A
DICTIONARY
OF
Buckish Slang, University Wit,
AND
PICKPOCKET ELOQUENCE.
Compiled originally by Captain Grose.
and now considerably altered and enlarged,
with
THE MODERN CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS,
by a
MEMBER OF THE WHIP CLUB.
assisted by
Hell-Fire Dick, and James Gordon, Esqrs. of Cambridge ;
and William Soames, Esq. of the Hon. Society of Newman's Hotel.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR C. CHAPPEL,
Pall-Mall ;
Sold by J. Johnston, Cheapside ;
Goddard, Pall-Mall,
and all other booksellers.
1811.
PREFACE
The merit of Captain Grose's Dictionary of the
Vulgar Tongue
has been long and universally acknowledged.
But its circulation was confined almost exclusively to the lower orders of society :
he was not aware,
at the time of its compilation,
that our young men of fashion
would at no very distant period be
as distinguished for the vulgarity of their
jargon as the inhabitants of
Newgate ;
and he therefore conceived it superfluous to incorporate
with his work the few examples of fashionable
slang
that might occur to his observation.
But our
Jehus
of rank have a phraseology
not less peculiar to themselves, than the disciples of
Barrington :
for the uninitiated to
understand their
modes of expression, is as impossible as for a
Buxton
to construe the
Greek Testament.
To sport an
Upper Benjamin,
and to swear with a good grace,
are qualifications easily attaintable by their
cockney imitators ;
but without the aid of our additional definitions,
neither the cits of
Fish-street,
nor the boors of
Brentford
would be able to attain the language of
whippism.
We trust, therefore,
that the whole tribe of second-rate
Bang ups, will feel grateful for our endeavour to render this part of the work as complete
as possible.
By an occasional reference to our pages,
they may be initiated into all the
peculiarities of language
by which the
man of spirit
is distinguished from the man of worth.
They may now talk
bawdy before their papas,
without the fear of detection,
and abuse their less spirited companions,
who prefer a good dinner at home
to a glorious
up-shot in the highway,
without the hazard of a
cudgelling.
But we claim not merely the praise of gratifying curiosity,
or affording assistance to the ambitious ;
we are very sure that the moral influence of the
Lexicon Balatronicum
will be more certain and extensive than that of any
methodist
sermon
that has ever been delivered within the
bills of mortality.
We need not descant
on the dangerous impressions that are made on the female mind,
by the remarks that fall incidentally from the lips of the brothers or servants
of a family ;
and we have before observed,
that improper topics can with our assistance be discussed,
even before the ladies,
without raising a blush on the cheek of modesty.
It is impossible that a female should understand the meaning of
twiddle diddles,
or rise from table at the mention of
Buckinger's boot.
Besides,
Pope assures us, that
"vice to be hated needs but to be seen ;"
in this volume it cannot be denied,
that she is seen very plainly ;
and a love of virtue is,
therefore,
the necessary result of perusing it.
The propriety of introducing the
University slang
will be readily admitted ;
it is not less curious than that of
the College in the
Old Bailey,
and is less generally understood.
When the number and accuracy of our additions
are compared with the price of the volume,
we have no doubt that its editors will meet
with the encouragement that is due to learning,
modesty,
and virtue.
