This site is in danger of going away; please consider the Donate link above...

Wake (Grose 1811 Dictionary)

Wake

A country feast, commonly on the anniversary of the tutelar saint of the village, that is, the saint to whom the parish church is dedicated. Also a custom of watching the dead, called Late Wake, in use both in Ireland and Wales, where the corpse being deposited under a table, with a plate of salt on its breast, the table is covered with liquor of all sorts; and the guests, particularly, the younger part of them, amuse themselves with all kinds of pastimes and recreations: the consequence is generally more than replacing the departed friend.

Definition taken from The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose.

Waits * Walking Cornet

Nearby

Nathan Bailey's 1736 Dictionary of canting and thieving slang

John S. Farmer's collection of canting songs and slang rhymes

Buy a modern reprint of this book from Amazon CA; US;

About

Francis Grose was independently wealthy, having inherited money from his father, a jeweller. Finding himself overspending, he published a number of books; his Provincial Glossary seems to have been the starting-point for the Vulgar Tongue reproduced here.

Wabler
To Waddle
Wag
Waggish
Wagtail
Waits
Wake
Walking Cornet
Walking Poulterer
Walking Stationer
Walking the Plank
Walking Up Against the Wall
Wall
To Wap
Wapper-eyed
Ware
Ware Hawk