Fans of “Bridgerton” already know that season two of the hit Netflix series has arrived, but even those all caught up on the show may be confused as to what the characters are talking about. It’s set in the Regency period of England and the language of 1814 isn’t something we’re all familiar with. If you’ve ever wished for a glossary to make sense of what they’re saying on “Bridgerton,” here it is.
- Ancestral home - It’s a family’s place of origin, “often preserved over generations.” The Bridgerton family’s ancestral home is Aubrey Hall, where the father, Edmund, died.
- Courtship - This is the period of time when a couple dates with the intention of getting married. Season two shows us how little women controlled the courtship process and how they had to wait for men to make the moves.
- Dance card - Literally a card fixed to a lady’s wrist to keep track of who she’s supposed to dance with that evening.
- Debutante - A young lady who is making her formal entrance into society, showing she’s eligible for marriage. In season one, it’s Daphne who’s the debutante, in season two, it’s Eloise’s turn.
- Diamond of the First Water - This means an exceptionally beautiful woman. On “Bridgerton,” Queen Charlotte names a debutante diamond of the first water each year, again Daphne nabs it in season one and Edwina Sharma is season two’s.
- Love match - It’s a marriage founded on love, as opposed to marriages arranged for economic reasons.
- Modiste - This is a fashionable dressmaker. Regency ladies didn’t just shop off the rack.
- Pall-mall - Similar to croquet, it’s a game where players use a mallet to hit a ball through raised rings in as few shots as possible.
- Rake - It’s a 19th century word for a player, or a man who indulges in vices and tends to avoid romantic commitments.
- Ton - This refers to high society during the Regency period.
- Viscount [[VI-count]] - The fourth rank in the British peerage system of nobles. The ranks in order are duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron. Anthony Bridgerton is a viscount.
Source: Today
Photo: Getty Images