Tag: 17th century
Fox tossing was an aristocratic pastime of the 17th century, truly a case of the unmentionable tossing the uneatable. The aim of the game was to launch the fox …
In the Medieval period, monkeys were a stand in for depraved humanity, often appearing in the margins of illuminated manuscripts. The prayer book written for Charles V. of Austria …
In 17th and 18th century England, you could hire a sin-eater for a nominal fee to eat the sins of the dead. Village in parts of England, Scotland, and …
This game of dice is not for devious maids. Dicing for Maids’ Money Dating from a 1674 legacy, two servant girls of Guildford throw a dice to win the …
Are you an “arsworm” (“a little diminutive Fellow”) or a “bundletail” (“a short Fat or squat Lass”)? Dictionaries of slang have been delighting lexicographers, lowlives and librarians since the …
The first vending machine was invented as a result of British people being very, very upset at laws banning the wide-scale sale of gin in 1736. In fact, one …