Cupid's kettle drums...
Cream jugs, diddies & blubber boxes: fun with etymology.
I’ve been working through the second draft of my work in progress.
Tentatively titled ‘A Portrait of a Highlander’, it’s the tale of a cynical Highland stablemaster and an inspired female artist from Edinburgh.
And as with all my second drafts, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time with my head in the thesaurus, historical dictionaries and other sources hunting down just. the right. words.
Why?
Because the words a character uses (and their cadence) say so much about them. Each word must fit not only the history, but who the character is - their class, their upbringing and their general outlook on life.
For example:
The story I’m writing now takes place in 1828. Tavish, my stablemaster, comes from two worlds. He’s the son of a lowly Highlander, and his family has deep roots in the Highlands. But he’s also the best friend of the Earl of Banton. Tavish is educated, with some exposure to the ways of the upper classes, but his lower class roots and cynical nature show through in his concise language, his sarcasm and the slang he sprinkled in.
He’s similar in some ways (though not all) to Will, the Highland hero of ‘A Radical Affair.’ (Book 3 in the Darnalay Castle Series.)
The most interesting (and fun!) part of crafting the language for characters like Will and Tavish is when I get to the taboo words: the swear words, and the words they use in the bedroom.
Words like: Titties.
Yes, I just typed that. And I even spoke it aloud. Try it. It feels .... juvenile? silly? obscene?
It's all of those things. But here's the interesting thing about titties that I’ve discovered in my research - they actually came before tits.
Let me explain.
To find period appropriate slang, I often turn to Green's Dictionary. This amazing website chronicles slang usage in the English language from the 1600's to today.
(Side note: don't click on the above link unless you're prepared to get sucked into a rabbit hole that might not let you out for a good long while.)
I got stuck when I tried to find a word for my Highland heroes to use when they’re talking or thinking about breasts (which of course, they do quite often.) When I looked the word up in Green's dictionary, the choices for the period were ... not exactly sexy: diddies, bubbies, catheads, Cupid's kettledrums, blubber boxes, cream jugs and titties to name a few.
While Cupid's kettledrums has a certain ring to it, after much deliberation and hesitation, I decided to use titties as my characters’ go to. It was really the only choice that would make sense to modern readers.
But the search left me curious. I was intrigued as to why tits wasn't on the list, so I looked it up. Turns out, tits as slang for breasts wasn't in use until 1850, whereas titties goes back to 1746. So, the progression seems to have been: teats, titties, tits.
Who knew?
Small disclaimer: While it's true that I used titties in both ‘A Radical Affair’ and in my current work in progress - when my heros are out of their mind with lust and have lost their filters - I also use tits now and again. It's not precisely historically accurate, but what can I say, I needed a word with a bit more ... gravitas?
Tavish’s story is coming soon… Subscribe to stay up to date.
‘A Radical Affair’ is available now. It’s the third book in the Darnalay Castle Series, and it tells the story of Radical Highlander and a Gothic novelist who are caught in a nightmare of their own making. It’s available in eBook and Paperback.
Use the coupon code: SUBSTACK20 to take 20% off your order.
I love your forays! And there’s a definite possibility I may soon be sucked into the Green’s Dictionary vortex🤣
Can’t wait to read your new book!