Gentleman Harry Simms, Flash, and the OED

[Jonathan Lighter]

But in the songs it's an adjective, not a noun meaning criminal lingo.

Note too that the OED use of  "slang" in the definition is apparently meant
as an equivalent synonym rather than in the rather different modern sense.

JL

On Mon, Sep 15, 2014 at 6:57 AM, Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Gentleman Harry Simms, Flash, and the OED
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Still current usage among folkies:
>
> http://mainlynorfolk.info/watersons/songs/flashcompany.html
>
> One of my favorite June Tabor/Martin Simpson collabs.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_8kctVuOA8
>
>
> Eric
>
>
> On Mon, Sep 15, 2014 at 2:13 AM, Robin Hamilton <
> robin.hamilton3 at virginmedia.com> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Robin Hamilton <robin.hamilton3 at VIRGINMEDIA.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: Gentleman Harry Simms, Flash, and the OED
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Kudos to Garson for proving me wrong and vindicating the reputation of
> > George Borrow.
> >
> > We now have -- A Narrative of the Various Exploits, Robberies, and
> > Adventures, of Henry Simms, written by himself, after Conviction --
> printed
> > in 1764, probably based on material provided by Simms himself, with a
> > specific reference to "Flash Language".  This is taken up and quoted,
> both
> > title and reference to the Flash Language, by Borrow in _Zincali_,
> probably
> > directly from the _Select Trials_ of 1764, since the republication of the
> > text in _The Terrific Register_ of 1825 fails to reproduce the title of
> > Simms' work.
> >
> > This still leaves a gap between 1747, when Simms is hanged, and 1764, but
> > it's a short enough space of time to allow the text to derive directly
> from
> > Simms.
> >
> > Following on from Garson's discovery, I found that the text of A
> Narrative
> > is also reproduced in _The Tyburn Chronicle_, Vol. III, pp. 179 ff, also
> > printed in 1764, which may constitute an independent witness to the Simms
> > Narrative text.
> >
> > Now if someone can provide a bridge between 1747 and 1764 ...  There is
> > this, from the end of John Taylor, then Ordinary of Newgate's Account of
> > Simms:
> >
> >         On Monday next (June 21) will be publish'd, Price Six-pence, The
> > above mention'd LIFE of   Henry Simms, call'd Gentleman Harry.
> >         All Wrote with his own Hand.
> >         Printed for   Thomas Parker and   Charles Corbett.
> >         N. B. For the Satisfaction of the Curious, the Original Copy
> wrote
> > by Gentleman Harry, consisting of near 30 Sheets, may be seen at the
> above
> > C. Corbett's.
> >
> > Perhaps The Narrative, as found in the _Select Trials_ that Garson
> > identified, is based on this manuscript, before it was sanitised by John
> > Taylor in the Life as published in 1747.
> >
> > Robin Hamilton
> >
> >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: ADSGarson O'Toole
> > Sent: Monday, September 15, 2014 4:02 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: Re: Gentleman Harry Simms, Flash, and the OED
> >
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail
> > header -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: Gentleman Harry Simms, Flash, and the OED
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Here is an earlier citation in 1764.
> >
> > Year: 1764  (MDCCLXIV)
> > Title: Select Trials for Murder, Robbery, Burglary, Rapes, Sodomy,
> > Coining, Forgery, Pyracy: And Other Offences and Misdemeanours, at the
> > Sessions-house in the Old-Bailey
> > Volume: 1 of 4
> > Section: Select Trial at the Sessions-House in the Old-Bailey, 1741
> > Sub-Section: Henry Simms for the Highway, Feb 1746
> > Printed for J. Wilkie in St. Paul's Church-yard
> > Start Page 151
> > Quote Page 156
> >
> > http://bit.ly/1sUbzrH
> >
> >
> >
> http://books.google.com/books?id=odMrAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Flash+language%22#v=snippet&
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > They soon recollected me, and were glad
> > to see me, so I went with them to a music Booth,
> > where they made me almost drunk with Gin, and
> > began to talk their Flash Language, which I did not
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org