Ware J. Redding. Passing English of the Victorian Era. A Dictionary of Heterodox English, Slang and Phrase

G. Routledge and Sons, 1909. — 271 p.A dictionary of old English slang, compiled by James Redding Ware (1832-1909, pseudonym Andrew Forrester), a British writer, novelist and playwright, known as a creator of one of the first female detectives in fiction. Thousands of words and phrases in existence in 1870 have drifted away, or changed their forms, or been absorbed, while as many have been added or are being added. 'Passing English' ripples from countless sources, forming a river of new language which has its tide and its ebb, while its current brings down new ideas and carries away those that have dribbled out of fashion. Not only is 'Passing English' general; it is local; often very seasonably local. Careless etymologists might hold that there are only four divisions of fugitive language in London—west, east, north and south.