THE S WORD

Submitted by ub on

Words and phrases for sex were used in 19th-century England and earned a place in the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

The following is a list in alphabetical order for your information.

Amorous Congress - To say two people were engaged in amorous congress was by far the most polite option on the list. It often served as the definition for other, less discreet synonyms

Basket-Making - As in, “Those two recently opened a basket-making shop.” Apparently, the phrase stems from a method of making children’s stockings, in which knitting the heel is called basket-making.

Bread and Butter - As the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue puts it, this refers to one person on top of the other: “Rumor has it he found her bread and butter fashion with the neighbor.”

Brush - “Yeah, we had a brush once”: The emphasis here is on brevity. Just a fling, no big deal.

Clicket - They left together, so they’re probably at cricket.” This term was originally used only for foxes, but it became less specific as more and more phrases for doing it were needed. One definition from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue maintains the term’s outdoorsy etymology: “The man and woman are copulating in the ditch.”

Face-Making - Aside from the obvious, this also comes from “making children,” because babies have faces.

Blanket Hornpipe - There is probably no way to use this in seriousness or discreetly, but there you have it.

Blow the Grounsils - “Grounsils” are foundation timbers, so this phrase means “to have sex on the floor.”

Convivial Society - Similar to “amorous congress,” this euphemism was a gentler term suitable for the upper classes to use, even if they only whispered it.

Take a Flyer - “Flyers” were shoes, so this phrase describes having sex while still dressed, or “without going to bed.”3

Green gown - Giving a girl a green gown can happen only in the grass.

Lobster Kettle - A woman who sleeps with soldiers coming in at port is said to “make a lobster kettle” of herself.

Melting Moments - Those shared by “a fat man and woman in amorous congress.”

Pully Hawly - A game at Pully Hawly is a series of affairs.

Riding St. George - In the story of St. George and the Dragon, the dragon reared up from a lake to tower over the saint. Playing at St. George or riding in St. George casts a woman as the dragon and puts her on top.

A Stitch - Similar to having a brush, making a stitch is having a casual affair.

Tiff - A tiff could be a minor argument or falling out. But in the 19th century, it was also a term for eating or drinking between meals—or in this case, a quickie.