19th Century Slang

Coon's age: a long time.  "I haven't heard from him in a coon's age!"

Absquatulate (1843):  to take leave, to disappear. "I had a cake cooling in the kitchen and my husband absquatulated with it, leaving me with the crumbs!"

Savage as a Meat Axe (1835): extremely savage. "He was sitting there sharpening his knife looking as savage as a meat axe."

Conniption fit (1833): a fit of hysteria. "She threw a conniption fit when she realized that he had lost his wedding band."

Seed (1825): used instead of saw or seen. "You can say what you want to about him, but I seed him do it!"

Hang up one's fiddle:  to give up.

Hooter (1839): a bit; a tiny amount.  "Politicians don't care a hooter, so long as their own selfish ends are obtained." (I would think that the more commonly used, "hoot" has it roots here.  i.e "She does not give a hoot about anything.")

Man alive (1840):  popular exclamation expressing surprise, shock. "Man alive!  I can't believe that you just smacked that big bull!"

Wrathy (1834): angry.  "Some folks get might wrathy if you pick on them about their looks."

Tuckered out (1853): exhausted. "After weeding the whole garden, she was plumb tuckered out."

Sour on (1862): to get sick of something or someone.  "Listening to her go on and on about her needlework just totally soured me on the thought of even trying it myself."

The only ones that I have never used or heard used are absquatulate and wrathy. Which ones have you used?

Copyright 2012--All Rights Reserved--The Wheel & Distaff by Kimberly Burnette-Dean.