Contractions
(taken from English Through the Ages, by William Brohaugh, Writer’s Digest Books, 1998)
Red indicates contractions used by Jane Austen
ain’t – in use by 1780
‘cause (because) in use by 1450
can’t – by 1655
couldn’t – by 1650
don’t – c. 1640
e’en (even) – c. 1300
e’er (ever) – c. 1300
‘em (them) – c. 1100
I’d – c. 1655
I’ll – c. 1570
I’m – c. 1595
I’ve – c. 1745
it’s – c. 1625 (see also t'is)
ma’am – c. 1670
mustn’t – c. 1745
ne’er (never) – c. 1300
o’ (of) – c. 1300
o’clock – c. 1720
shan’t – c. 1655
she’d – c. 1745
she’ll – c. 1595
shouldn’t – c. 1850
tain’t – c. 1820
they’d – c. 1680
they’ll – c. 1615
they’re – c. 1595
they’ve – c. 1615
t'is or 'tis -- c. 1400
tone (the one) – c. 1350
tother (the other) – c. 1350
‘twas – c. 1590
‘tween – c. 1300
'twere – c. 1590
‘twixt – c. 1350
wasn’t – c. 1850
we’d – c. 1605
we’ll – c. 1580
we’ve – c. 1745
who’d – c. 1640
won’t – c. 1655
wouldn’t – c. 1830
you’d – c. 1605
you’ll – c. 1595
you’re – c. 1595
you’ve – c. 1695
Etymology of Expressions
The following is an etymology of expressions in use during the Georgian, Regency and early Victorian periods:
ahem - c. 1765
bah - c. 1600
balderdash - c.1675
barmy - c. 1600
beastly - c. 1200
begad - c. 1600
blast and bugger your eyes - c. 1793
blasted (damned) - c. 1600
bleater - 17th-early 19th C.
blister it - c. 1840
bloody (very) - mid 17th-18th C.
bloody (damned) - c. 1670
Bollocks! (nonsense!) - early 20th C.
botheration - c. 1745
bravo - c. 1765
brava - c. 1805
bugger (noun) - c. 1719
by (Saint) George - c. 1719
by gum - c. 1825
by Jove - c. 1570
by the bye - c. 18th C.
capital - c. 1760
cheeky - c. 1830
cheerio - c. 1910
confound it - c. 1850
criminy - c. 1700
daft - c. 1450
damned - from 16th C.
damnable – from 16th C.
damnation - c. 1630
dang - c. 1790
darling (n) c. 900 (adj) - c. 1510
darn - c. 1790
darned - c. 1815
Dash! (damn!) - c. 1810
Dash it all! - c. 1870
Dash my wig! - c. 1810-1880
dear - c. 1675
dem/demned (damn/damned) - from late 17th C.
demme (damn me) - c. 1753
destroy himself/herself (suicide) c. 17th C.
deuced (damned) - c. 1785
devil a bit – after 1750
devilish - c. 1450
devil of a... - c. 1750
devil take it – from 16th C.
devil to pay - from 15th C.
dickens (What the dickens?) - late 1600
drat - c. 1815
egad - c. 1675
eureka - c. 1570
excelsior - c. 1780
fancy that - c. 1834
fiddle-de-dee - c. 1785
fiddle faddle - from 18th C.
fiddlesticks - from 17th C.
frigging (exceedingly) - c. 1820
frightfully - c. 1830
fudge - c. 1770
fun (joke) - c. 1835
fustian (bombast) - from late 18th C.
gads - from 17th C.
gadzooks - c. 1655
gammon (nonsense) - from 1825
ghastly - c. 1325
glory be - c. 1820
goody - c. 1800
golly - c. 1775
good gracious - from 18th C.
goodness! - mid 19th C.
gosh - c. 1760
go to the devil - from 14th C.
gracious - from 18th C.
gracious alive! - mid 18th C.
gracious me - from 19th
guts for garters - c. 1592
hallo - c. 1570
halloo - c. 1700
hell - c. 1600
hellfire - before 1760
honey - 19th C.
humbug - c. 1740-54
hurrah - c. 1690
huzzah - c. 1595
hurray/hooray - c. 1800
I’ll be bound - c. 1530
I say - from 17th C.
Jupiter! - from 17th C.
kiss my ass - c. 1705
la! - from 16th C.
lawks - c. 1765
lo and behold - by 1810
lud! - c. 1720-1850
mind (note what I say) - from 1806
ninny/ninnyhammer - c. 17th C.
oh! - c. 1550
oh-oh - c. 1730
outside of enough – c. 1811 (check out this article about its use.)
pah - c. 1600
Perdition - c. 1450-1600
Piffle - c. 1847
pish - c. 1595
pooh - c. 1600
Poppycock - c. 1865
pshaw - c. 1675
(all) right - c. 1837
right you are - c. 1865
ring a peal - 18th--mid 19th C
rot it – 17th - 18th C.
rubbish - c. 1630
shag - c. 1790
shit - c. 1510
sirrah - from 16th C.
smashing - c. 1850
son of a bitch (interjection) by 1675
son of a bitch (noun) c. 1710
son of a gun - c. 1710
sweetheart - c. 1290
sweetie - c. 1800
sweetikins - c. 1600
sweeting - c. 1350
tallyho - c. 1770
tosh - (nonsense) c. 1530
What (how) the devil - from 17th C.
Whoreson - from c. 1300
zooks - c. 1635
zounds - c. 1600
Resources:
A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, by Eric Partridge, MacMillan Company, 1970
English Through the Ages, by William Brohaugh, Writer’s Digest Books, 1998
Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993