Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day Thirty-Six

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

Bouncer

The dictionary defines this as “a large man or woman”, which is interesting insomuch as that using the word bouncer as a slang for door staff is thought to originate from a novel by Horatio Alger called The Young Outlaw. I was hoping that instead the word evolved from inns and pubs using large men to ensure order at their establishments, but unfortunately I can’t find any evidence of that…..