…. This line of prose was uttered in one of the early epidsodes of the PBS TV series: Jamestown… I’m working on researching the bespoken word of the peoples of that era… as I am working on my own historical fiction….
I have come across such a knot of phrases… to be used or discarded as the spirit so moves… I’ve also discovered a few phrases that still puzzle… used in the 17th century and barely known today, but still interesting…
For example… what does “Arsworm” mean…. as used in this sentence…. The fellow was an arsworm as he could not reach the high step.
or… what is a “brown study” – hint: it does not refer to furniture!
There are so many of these quaint phrases… I shall use a few… and end my day with a Nipperkin. 😉
Think you know what these phrases might mean… add your guesses in the space below…
- Arsworm
- Brown Study
- Nipperkin
Did you find the above in a 17th century slang dictionary by chance? In these days of “google” it’s hard just to take a guess.
Fabulous image, btw