Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day 110

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….

Dumplin

Ah, at least, a Norfolk themed word in the dictionary, defined as “a short thick man or woman. Norfolk dumpling; a jeering appellation of a Norfolk man, dumplins being a favourite kind of food in that county”. This also ties in with an image I posted last week entitled ‘Norfolk Dumplin’. The word origin here is from ‘dump’, which means the consistency of dough. The word is still used in a negative manner, someone seen as a stupid country person, although it has evolved into almost an affectionate meaning today. Incidentally, apparently the recipe for dumplings in Norfolk don’t call for fat, but instead flour and a raising agent, but I have no idea….