Page 4 - eMuse Vol.9 No.04_Classical

booty you have lately ob- Swimmer: a guard-ship, or
tained, be it of what kind tender; a thief who escapes
it may, except money, as prosecution, when before
Where did you lumber the a magistrate, on condition
swag? That is, where did of being sent on board the
you deposit the stolen prop- receiving-ship, to serve His
erty? To carry the swag is to Majesty, is said by his palls
be the bearer of the stolen to be swimmered.
goods to a place of safety. A
swag of any thing, signifies Swish’d: married .
An on-going series of words and phrases no longer emphatically a great deal. Swoddy, or Swod Gil: a soldier .
To have knap’d a good swag,
in use or shifted in meaning. is to have got a good booty . Tanner: a sixpence. Three and
Convict Speak Swag: Wearing-apparel, linen, a tanner, is three and six-
pence, etc .
Around 1812, James Hardy Vaux was coerced into piece-goods, etc ., are all Tat: to flog or scourge.
writing his book “Flash Language” in return for a comprehended under the Tatts: dice .
name of swag, when de-
sentence reduction and other privileges. scribing any speak lately
During our early convict era, “powers that be” made, etc ., in order to dis- Tatt-box: a dice-box .
could not understand the jargon of the streets. tinguish them from plate, Tatts and all: an expression
jewellery, or other more
Vaux’s book became a handy reference book to portable articles. used out of flash, in the
same manner as the word
bridge the language barrier that existed between bender; and has a similar
upper and lower levels of society and within the Swell: a gentleman; but any meaning .
well-dressed person is em-
Sydney colonial legal system. phatically termed a swell, or Teaz: to flog, or whip.
In part, some of these same words are among the a rank swell. Thimble: a watch.
foundation of Australian English of today. The fol- A family man who appears Thimbled: having, or wearing
lowing definitions are direct quotes from Vaux with to have plenty of money, a watch.
his spelling and almost no additional comment. and makes a genteel figure, Thrums, Thrumbuskins or a
is said by his associates to
Where editorial observations occur, my comments be in swell street. Thrum-mop: three pence .
are in italics and followed by my initials, “WF”. Any thing remarkable for its Through it, or Through the
Stow, or Stow-managing: an with game; as, what suit did beauty or elegance, is called piece: getting acquitted
intimation from one flash- you give it to ‘em upon? in a swell article; so a swell on an indictment, or sur-
cove to another in a mixed what manner did you rob crib, is a genteel house; a mounting any other trou-
company to be silent, or them, or upon what pre- swell mollisher, an elegant- ble, or difficulty, is called
drop the subject, he was tence, etc., did you defraud ly-dressed woman, etc. getting through it, or thro’
upon. See “Mang”. them? Sometimes, in alluding to the piece; so, to get a man

Stow that: When a person ad- One species of imposition a particular gentleman, through it, etc ., is to extri-
vances any assertion which is said to be a prime suit, whose name is not requi- cate him by virtue of your
his auditor believes to be another a queer suit: a man site, he is styled, the swell, counsel and friendly as-
false, or spoken in jest, or describing the pretext he meaning the person who sistance; sometimes called
wishes the former to recant, used to obtain money from is the object of your dis- pulling him through it .
the latter will say, stow that, another, would say, I draw’d course, or attention; and Throw off: to talk in a sarcas-
if you please, or, cheese him if a quid upon the suit whether he is called the tical strain, so as to convey
that, meaning don’t say so, if so and so, naming the swell, the cove, or the gory, offensive allusions under
or that’s out of the ques- ground of his application. is immaterial, as in the fol- the mask of pleasantry, or
tion. See “Draw”. lowing (in addition to many innocent freedom; but, per-
Stretch: Five or ten stretch, sig- A person having engaged other) examples: haps, secretly venting that
nifies five or ten yards, etc.; with another on very ad- I was turned up at China- abuse which you would not
so in dealing for any article, vantageous terms to serve street, because the swell dare to give in direct terms;
as linen, etc., I will give you or work for him, will declare would not appear; mean- this is called throwing off, a
three hog a stretch, means, that he is upon a good suit . ing, of course, the prosecu- practice at which the flash
I’ll give three shillings a To use great submission and tor: again, speaking of a per- ladies are very expert, when
yard. See “Hog”. respect in asking any favour son whom you were on the any little jealousies arise
of another, is called giving point of robbing, but who among them .
Strumel: the hair of the head.
To get your strummel faked it to him upon the humble has taken the alarm, and is To begin to talk flash, and
in twig, is to have your hair suit . therefore on his guard, you speak freely of robberies
dressed in style . Swag: a bundle, parcel, or will say to your pall, It’s of past, or in contemplation,
package; as a swag of snow, no use, the cove is as down when in company with fam-
Stubbs: nothing . as a hammer; or, We may as ily people, is also termed
etc. The swag, is a term
Suit: in general synonymous used in speaking of any well stow it, the gory’s leary. throwing off; meaning to
See “cove” and “Down.” banish all reserve, none but
4 eMuse April 2020