Bad Language Catherine Johnson

Jack Shephard and Edgeworth bess escaping from Clerkenwell Jail

Don't worry! This is a pre watershed blog. All above board. Well mostly.  In between everything else I've been lucky enough to read an advance copy of  a truly brilliant new novel, The Fatal Tree by Jake Arnott. It's set in the early 18th century and is the story - mostly - of Edgeworth Bess, lover of cracksman extraordinaire Jack Sheppard.

This period of London history is ripe for stories, and the slang, known as flash, was the language of the street. I fell in love with it myself writing A Nest of Vipers, my novel about a gang of coney catchers (conmen) in London (Romeville). But there's only so much you can get away with in a story for 12 year olds. Jake Arnott lets rip with the flash (otherwise known as St Giles' Greek).  And it is exhilarating.

I think if you're writing historical fiction slang is are a marvellous way into the time. I think lots of us writers rely on speech rhythms and patterns to get under our characters skins and slang dictionaries including the contemporary A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew first published in 1698 is invaluable. I like Jonathan Green's Slang Dictionary too.





These are some of my favourites;

moon-curser   a criminal link boy Who would offer to guide you round the streets of 18th century London at night, then mug you.

glim stick  is rather lovely and means a candle

wrap-rascal  is a red cloak

cover -me decent  is merely a coat

cacafuego  is someone who talks, well caca, and may properly be applied to one such as Mr Trump

slabberdegullion is as it sounds, a flithy, slobbering fellow

rides the horse foaled of an acorn  is simply being hanged, after which you might be...

put to bed with a shovel

I could go on.

What are your favourites?



Catherine's latest book is Blade and Bone from Walker Books