Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day 109

The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue was first published at the end of the eighteenth century, and given that the current health crisis is giving too much time to read books, I thought I’d pick a daily word from it until I got bored….

Duke of Limbs

This is really a term of abuse, defined by the dictionary as “a tall, awkward, ill-made fellow”. It’s easy to see how the phrase came into being and it was used relatively frequently during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It was also particularly commonly used in the Nottinghamshire area and although meant as an insult, there are somewhat ruder one in Grose’s book…..