Victorian Vernacular

This list is incomplete, non-exhaustive, and probably not even alphabetized. If you've got more that could be added, lemme know.

For a long list of period terms used in Jane Austen novels, look at Language of "The Fancy".

For a list of contemporary British slang, check out The Best of British.

breakfasted

The Victorians used the term "breakfast" as a verb. "We are breakfasting", "Have you breakfasted?", etc.

cheroot

A thin, hand-rolled cigarillo typically black or dark in color; a very thin cigar

constable

A low rank held by a policeman in Britan. Usually a walks a beat and reports to a police station (not a precinct). (Interestingly, Cheif Constable is the highest rank a policeman can hold.)

Update: Lewis Griffiths, a fellow Victoran gamer and genuine Brit, has checked in on this one. Here is the short list of police ranks in England. Also, here is the official website of the "Met"

corset

A tight-fitting undergarment worn by women, designed to make them look more shapely. Usually tied up in the back.

crinoline

A stiff fabric used underneath women's dresses (and occasionally in hats) to expand the dress worn over it. Originally made of hair.

flash

Slang term meaning "neat" or "keen", i.e. "Oooh, very flash!" Also refers to the bright flare of gunpowder. See also "report".

foolscap

A writing paper made in sheets, ordinarily 16 x 13 inches, and folded so as to make a page 13 x 8 inches

iron rations

Used by the military (English? US? Both? Not sure.) in the 1870s to refer to emergency food rations, esp those with a long shelf life. (And you thought it originated in D&D...)

nativity

a delicate euphamism for the genitals (I saw this in Charles Dickens' Lamplighter short story)

petticoat

A undergarment worn under a skirt; a slip

report

The sound of a gunshot. "Flash and report" refers to the bright flash of gunpowder followed by the loud sound.

"time out of mind"

An idiom that communicates "longer than anyone can remember"