Today, projectgutenberg posted a link to the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue: A Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit and Pickpocket Eloquence (1811), where I found this gem:
CUCKOLD. The husband of an incontinent wife: cuckolds, however, are Christians, as we learn by the following story: An old woman hearing a man call his dog Cuckold, reproved him sharply, saying, ‘Sirrah, are not you ashamed to call a dog by a Christian’s name ?’ To cuckold the parson; to bed with one’s wife before she has been churched.
An incontinent wife? Did the word have the same meaning in 1811 as it does today? In any case, if you are fond of hilarious word plays, check the link out, it’s full of vintage invectives.
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