“Two Strings to Her Bow” by John Pettie, 1882. From Wikimedia Commons.
I’m on a personal deadline to finish my book, so I went light on my blog post this week. While not necessarily informative, I hope it’s at least a little fun.
These past several weeks, I’ve been listening (yeah, listening — I spend 2 hours a day shuttling the kids to/from school and it’s about the only way I read books anymore) to several Heyer books and thoroughly enjoying each one of them.
In the process of listening (and when I’m at a red light or in traffic), I’ve taken to jotting down some of my favorite expressions. Here’s a handful, with some helpful “how to use them” expressions (when I could figure out how to use them) and layman’s definitions:
- Inculcated — to implant by repeated statement or admonition (followed by “upon” or “in”); to cause or influence someone to accept an idea (followed by “with”). “I have inculcated upon her the importance of two glasses of wine a night.”
- Most provoking creature — a pest; a nuisance; someone who ticks you off. “My daughter-in-law is the most provoking creature!”
- Equanimity — mental/emotional stability, particularly under stress. “I could tolerate the run on the market with perfect equanimity.”
- Gratification — pleasure. “With gratification, I accepted a fifth helping of chocolate cake.”
- Obliged to — to place under a debt of gratitude. “I’m most obliged to you for furnishing me with the direction to the nearest bar.”
- Monsterously in the wind — in debt. “After losing all my blunt at the faro bank, I’m monsterously in the wind.”
- Spanish coin — false compliments. “I know I look a fright, so don’t give me any of your spanish coin.”
- Flummery — bullshit; complete nonsense or foolish humbug. “Sarah Palin is president?!? What complete and total flummery!”
- All the crack — all the rage; what everyone is doing. “Just because taking snuff is all the crack doesn’t mean Lady Alastair should do it.”
- Spinney — a small wood or thicket. “Lady Eloise hit the croquet ball into the spinney and it hasn’t been seen since.”
- First stare — most fashionable. “Beau Brummell was a fashionista of the first stare.”
- Doesn’t signify — not important. “That Lady Jessica was found alone in another man’s bed doesn’t signify! Now if he’d been found in bed with her…well!”
- Loose fish — troublemaker. “Any boy who sneaks a peek at a lady’s drawers is bound to end up a loose fish.”
- Put to the blush — embarrassed. “Miss Eva’s gown ripped completely in two. She was positively put to the blush.”
What wonderful, funny, or illuminating expressions have you read in books that have stuck with you?
Eight Ladies Writing 
I once read an article that discussed (I think among other things) Georgette Heyer’s use of the word “puce,” which is, of course, a color. The article author had done some research on the words of color that Heyer used, and it turned out that “puce” was used the most often, and almost always in a derogatory context. Just this second I googled “Georgette Heyer’s use of the word puce,” and it turns out that there are a million articles on this topic. Two good resources are:
The Puce Page (Georgette Heyer fan club)
Give puce a chance! (Goodreads discussion)
In general, that first Georgette Heyer fan club link, besides The Puce Page, has a ton of fun and interesting information.
I will have to check them both out!! Thanks, Kay!
Normally repetitions really niggle me, but I never noticed ‘puce’, Kay. Of course, it’s going to leap off the page every time I re-read a Heyer now.
There are so many fabulous turns of phrase, and she uses them so well, it’s hard to know where to start. Miss-ish for overly refined and affected young ladies (Heyer’s heroines are never Miss-ish). Soiled dove for a young lady who’s been caught out behaving scandalously. And so many terms for a woman of easy virtue – Bird of Paradise, Barque of Frailty, Paphian, bit of muslin, light-skirt …
I always liked “in the petticoat line” to describe a man who samples the wares of less-than-virtuous women.