Silly Buggers, playing – Goofing around or causing mischief.
Sister – Medical nurse, also called a “nursing sister.” In England, nurse is usually used to indicate someone who takes care of children, though that is slowly changing.
Sleep Rough – Camping, often without equipment.
Smoke, the – London.
Snap – Photograph, a candid shot.
Snark* – Cynicism.
Snarky – Sarcastic.
Sniggle* – Small, inconsequential.
Snog – Kiss.
Snogging – Making out or petting.
SOCO – Scene of Crime Officer.
Sod all – To hell (sort of) with everyone.
Sod off – Go to hell (sort of).
Spanner – A wrench.
Stafford and beyond* – Foreign parts or lands.
Strapper* – Foreigner, outsider or newcomer.
Suss – Find out something, reconnoitre.
Tharn* – Catatonic, staring without seeing; oblivious.
Toff – Gentleman or someone who thinks he is.
Tom – Hooker, prostitute.
Tomfool – Idiot.
Topping – Execution, hanging. England’s capital punishment ended in 1964 with the deaths of Peter Allen and Gwen Evans.
Torch – Flashlight.
Tosser – Idiot.
Traffic Warden – the police who enforce traffic & parking rules; hated by all.
Wanker – At one time, am extremely vulgar term for a masturbator, but now commonly used as a general, though still pejorative, term for a wastrel. The turning point came when author Kingsley Amis had two Oxford dons discuss it in a novel.
Wellies – Wellington boots (rain boots) to protect good shoes.
Wild-way* – Troublesome or immoral.
Wrait* – A ghost or spectre.
Wrinklies* – Old people, pejorative.
WPC – Woman Police Constable. Not so much used officially, but still found in the vernacular since they are often called upon for special duties such as to assist female victims and to observe at interrogations. Otherwise, their duties are the same as any other constable.
Yob – Thug, punk or troublemaker. If you want to know the etymology of the word, spell it backwards.
Yonks – A long time, probably from ‘donkey’s years.’
About the Author
Ralph E. Vaughan has written several Sherlock Holmes stories and is responsible for writing the first pastiche which brought together the literary worlds of HP Lovecraft and Sherlock Holmes, “The Adventure of the Ancient Gods.” An expert on the life and work of HP Lovecraft, he is the author of H.P. Lovecraft in the Comics, a survey of how Lovecraft’s stories were presented in graphic format over the years. He is the author of the Paws & Claws series, in which three amazing dogs fight for justice, protect the weak, and occasionally save the world. He has also written the Folkestone & Hand Interplanetary Steampunk Adventures, set in an alternate universe where the Solar System is subject to a benevolent and progressive Pax Britannia. Also from his pen are the DCI Arthur Ravyn mysteries, set in fictional and legend-haunted Hammershire County in England. A writer since the late Sixties, Mr Vaughan primarily wrote short stories until 2010, writing a story every week or two, of which about three hundred saw publication in various magazines and journals; several of his favourite stories were collected in Beneath Strange Stars in 2015. While in the U.S. Army (1974-1980) Mr Vaughan was a photojournalist, deployed to many areas in support of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Mobile), writing stories and taking photographs for military and civilian newspapers and magazines. Mr Vaughan is a long-time resident of Chula Vista, California, the setting for all the Paw & Claws books. He has been married more than forty years. He and his wife, Pat, have two children and four grandchildren. Their house is also called home by two dogs, and just about any canine waif that finds its way to their front door.
Also by Ralph E. Vaughan
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes: The Coils of Time & Other Stories
Sherlock Holmes: Cthulhu Mythos Adventures
The Dreaming Detective/Adventure of the Laughing Moonbeast
Paws & Claws
Paws & Claws: A Three Dog Mystery (P&C #1)
A Flight of Raptors (P&C #2)
K-9 Blues (P&C #3)
The Death & Life of an American Dog (P&C #4)
Dogs of S.T.E.A.M. (P&C #5)
Folkestone & Hand Interplanetary Steampunk Adventures
Shadows Against the Empire (F&H #1)
Amidst Dark Satanic Mills (F&H #2)
DCI Arthur Ravyn Mysteries
Murder in the Goblins’ Playground (DCI Ravyn #1)
Village of Ghosts (DCI Ravyn #2)
Beast of Robbers Wood (DCI Ravyn #3)
Murderer in Shadow (DCI Ravyn #4)
Other Works
Professor Challenger & The Secrets of the Dreamlands
Beneath Strange Stars (short story collection)
Reflections Upon Elder Egypt (essays)
H.P. Lovecraft in the Comics (pop culture)
Oh, Mr Yoda! (play, w/ Patricia E Vaughan)
Fear & Loathing in the Alien’s Universe (literary criticism)
As Editor/Illustrator
Fungi From Yuggoth (w/ HP Lovecraft & Nick Petrosino)
Martian Twilight (w/ John Eric Holmes & David Barker)
The Book of Rimel (w/ Duane Rimel)
The Second Book of Rimel (w/ Duane Rimel)
The Illustrated Dreams of Yith (w/ Duane Rimel)
How to Contact the Author
For Ralph E Vaughan on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/RalphEVaughan
For the Paws & Claws series on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/007paws
To see what books have been published, meet me on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Ralph-Vaughan/e/B001KCJ7MY/
GoodReads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2769338.Ralph_E_Vaughan
or on my blog Book Scribbles:
http://bookscribbles.blogspot.com/
Additionally, you can follow me on Twitter: @RalphTheWriter
To contact me about readings, signings or convention appearances, please send me an email: [email protected]
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