Lost American Slang From the 1800s
Life in 19th-century America was far different from life in America today. U.S. society was characterized by its rapid industrialization, vast westward expansion, and the devastating plights of slavery and civil war. But for all the trends that have been left behind — many for the best — it’s still
worth revisiting how Americans communicated back then. One particularly fascinating topic is 19th-century slang. To learn more about it, we consulted an 1891 text, The American Slang Dictionary. Here are 12 instances of lost 1800s slang that caught our eye. The slang phrase “according to Gunter” references a 17th-century English...
