spoffish

SPOFFISH A Fussy B Liable to be boisterous C Spongy texture who am I?

Readers will find interesting material about Abernethy biscuits, said to relieve flatulence; about John Dando, a celebrated glutton with a remarkable appetite for oysters; and about the legendary pig-faced lady, "born to a wealthy lady as her punishment for scorning a beggar's child as a 'nasty pig.'" Some of the eccentric spellings and pronunciations of Dickens' characters, such as "kervorten" for "quartern," are annotated, and the fact that the glossary is combined with an index allows one to determine a variety of interesting things: For example, that Dickens seems to have employed the slang term "spoffish" only twice, both times in 1834.