Second Installation: D-E-F
D
dandy - a man who was fastidious about his clothing and appearance.
decolletage - the neckline of a low-cut gown.
debtor's prison - people could be sent to jails such
as Fleet Prison or the Clink for not paying their bills. Here’s
how it would work. A shop owner whose bill went unpaid would eventually
file a complaint with the sheriff, who, in turn, would send bailiffs
out to find and arrest the individual. The person was first brought
to a “sponging house” where they were given a last chance
to pay. The authorities would confiscate their personal effects
and sell them. If the money was sufficient to cover the bill, or
if a relative or friend lent them the money at the last minute,
they would be let go. If not, they had to go before the court, and
if they were indeed to be a debtor, they were hauled off to prison
until they could pay. How they were supposed to get the money to
pay back the bill while in prison is a mystery to me; this punishment
must have been intended as a deterrent to scare people away from
getting into debt in the first place. For a glimpse of what all
this might have looked like, the British version of “Vanity
Fair” (the miniseries one starring Natasha Little) shows Rawdon
Crawley’s continued scrapes with the bailiffs as well as his
sojourn in the sponging house.
debutante - upon completing her education and being polished
up with all the social graces, a young girl (usually about seventeen)
would be “presented to Society” by her parents or guardians.
This was also called her “coming-out.” For the elite
of Regency London, the first official event for the new crop of
young ladies who “came out” each year, was to be presented
to the Queen. After that, their parents would usually throw a lavish
debut ball in the girl’s honor, making sure to invite the
most eligible young bachelors of the ton! Basically the point of
all this was one big marketing strategy to “sell” the
girl to Society in the most glamorous, attractive, and elegant way,
in order to lure the interest of a wealthy, high-ranking male and
secure for the daughter the most advantageous marriage, which would
benefit the entire family.
delope, to - in a duel, when a man purposely fires his pistol
into the air instead of firing at his opponent, he is said to delope.
A man might do this when he thought the cause of the duel was stupid
or when he really didn’t want to harm the other person.
demimonde - literally, from the French, “half-world.”
This term referred to the class of women who were considered glamorous
and might even be rich, such as actresses, but were far from respectable.
Usually used in connection with the high-priced courtesans who served
the wealthy; these women were individually referred to as demimondaines
or demireps.
diamond of the first water - an exceptionally beautiful or
graceful young lady.
disguised - drunk.
Dissenters - members of Protestant churches other than the
Church of England, such as Quakers, Methodists, Baptists, etc.
dogcart – a sturdy, two-wheeled carriage used by sportsmen
because it had a special compartment in the back for the hunting
dogs.
dowager - the widow of a nobleman. For example: the Duke
of Cheese, being old and moldy, dies. His wife becomes the Dowager
Duchess of Cheese. Their eldest son inherits the title, and his
wife becomes the new Duchess of Cheese, just as he becomes the new
Duke. So, the new Duke’s wife is the Duchess; his mother is
the Dowager Duchess.
drawing room - (from “withdrawing” room) a formal
room for receiving visitors, and the chamber to which the ladies
would “withdraw” to have tea after dinner while the
men stayed at the table getting foxed and being, well, men.
duel - by the Regency period,
pistols were more frequently used in duels than swords. Duels were
meant to settle disputes of “honor” in the Norman tradition
of “trial by combat” (a la Lancelot fighting other knights
to clear Guinevere’s name). After a challenge had been issued,
the offending party could apologize, but if he opted not to, then
he and his opponent would have to meet on the “field of honor.”
Technically, duelling was illegal, but it was rarely prosecuted,
probably because it was the rich and privileged who were the main
participants. The where and when of a duel was worked out by the
“seconds,” and friend and representative of the participant
who would have to fight in his place if the guy chickened out and
didn’t show up. A duel required the presence of at least one
surgeon to give immediate medical care to the wounded. After the
Regency, the authorities began prosecuting duels more seriously,
until they eventually died out. Famous Regency figures who participated
in duels included Byron, Fox, Pitt, Canning, and Wellington.
E
East India Company - a powerful trading company chartered
in 1600 that took over the job of running India for the British
empire. Since working for this corporate monolith could be highly
lucrative, it was a good, respectable career option for younger
sons, but who got the good jobs was subject to your social or family
connections—it all depended on who you knew. Those who made
fortunes in India were referred to as “nabobs.” The
merchant ships that carried cargo and passengers back and forth
between England and India were called East Indiamen. The Company
had docks and warehouses in London on the Thames.
encroaching toadstool - a social upstart, one who had made
a fortune but was not highborn. They were so called because it was
thought that like mushrooms, they rose up from manure.
entail - a legal term referring to property, which meant
that a landed estate was tied up in such a way that it could be
passed on to one’s heir after the owner’s death, but
the heir could not sell the property. This allowed the great aristocratic
families to protect their huge estates from being broken up and
sold off piece by piece over generations—highly important
when wealth rested in having land.
epaulet - an ornamental shoulder pad on military uniform.
epergne - a large, ornate, often silver center table piece
with multiple tiers holding various dishes and candles or a large
urn of soup. Since the Regency dining table was arranged with all
dishes placed in perfect symmetry around the table, the epergne,
the tallest piece at the center, was important visually as well
as practically.
equipage - one’s carriage.
escritoire - writing desk.
expectations - one’s future financial or career prospects.
exploded - something that’s
gone out of fashion was said to be “exploded.”
F
false calves - padding for a man’s calves to fill out
his stockings with a more muscular look, especially when worn with
knee-breeches.
faro - a game of chance favored by Regency gamblers. Faro
was played at a special table with painted depictions of playing
cards around all the edges of the table. Gamblers set their chips
on the picture of whichever card they thought the dealer would turn
over next.
fateuil - a small arm-chair.
flambeaux - flaming torches.
folly - an ornamental building in a garden.
foolscap - writing paper of the Regency period, so called
because it usually was imprinted with a watermark of a jester’s
cap.
footman - male servant under the authority of the butler.
They served at dinner, accompanied ladies of the house on errands
and social calls, and looked after the lamps and candles in a house.
They wore old-fashioned livery with knee-breeches and powdered wigs.
Because the country was at war and needed all the able-bodied men
it could get to fight Napoleon, there was a steep tax placed on
male servants. Thus, having them was a status symbol.
fop - a dandy, a man overly concerned with his appearance.
fortnight - two weeks.
foxed - drunk.
frank - men in government had the special privilege of sending
their mail for free. (By the way, the person receiving the letter
paid for it back then, not the sender.) To ‘frank’ a
letter to someone was to send it using this privilege. Civil servants
were “supposed” to only use this privilege for mail
related to government business, but most people entitled to it bent
that rule.
frigate - a common, three-masted, square-rigged sailing vessel
of the period, designed for speed and thus often used as Navy warships
or by privateers.
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