Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day 167

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….

Jark

Another one of Grose’s simple definitions, he simply writes that this is “a seal”, which is meant in the impression or stamps sense, not the thing that lives in the sea. Someone who forged documents was also sometimes referred to as a “jarkman”, as was someone who wrote begging letters. The word dates back to at least the sixteenth century, but the word origin is unknown.

And another word that has mostly gone out of usage….