Names: and Their Meaning

Why is it called Lloyd's? Why the Green Man? Leopold Wagner traced the origins of everything the Victorians had a name for — countries, tavern signs, flowers, wines, London streets, nicknames and battles — and found a story behind nearly all of them.

Class Names and Nicknames

4 pages in this part of Names and Their Meaning.

Class Names and Nicknames

A N unmarried female originally received the designation of Spinster from her employment at the distaff or spindle. According to the…

Class Names and Nicknames: French

The designation Tailor is an Anglicized form of the French Tailleur, derived from the verb tailler, to cut. [For Tallyman see TALLY, in the…

Class Names and Nicknames: Policemen

Beefeaters is a vulgar perversion of Buffetiers, as the Yeoman of the Guard were styled during the reign of Henry VIII., on account of…

Class Names and Nicknames: Hume

A Humbug is one whose representations, though sounding plausible enough, are not to be relied upon. The origin of this word is as follows…

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