What do these words mean?

coloraday, can you please give the context in which you read these words? Only the first has any meaning - as a sailing term, I believe. The others are not real words at all.

They'll be from an old book again. My guesses:

1. Tack about -- Nautical term meaning to veer from one direction to the other by adjusting the sails. Possibly used figuratively.

2. Gads-bud -- Some sort of oath, like "Good ***". "Gads" is probably euphemistic for "***'s"; could "bud" be for "body"? I'm guessing...

3. Eringo -- A type of plant: see

Hi,

2. Gads-bud -- Some sort of oath, like "Good ***". "Gads" is probably euphemistic for "***'s"; could "bud" be for "body"? I'm guessing...

***'s blood.

6. Zoons -- Some sort of oath, I'd guess.

Zounds. (a contraction from the oath 'By ***'s wounds'.)



It sounds like someone heard these words in a historical movie, and

CliveIt sounds like someone heard these words in a historical movie, and wrote them down with incorrect spelling.

Hi Clive

Thanks for the clarifications. These are the original spellings -- at least according to the edition of Congreve's Comedies at

Mr WordyI'm guessing from Coloraday's earlier posts that this is the source

Yes,you're right . I'm reading The Double Dealer by William Congreve.
Thanks for your answers.

"Zoons," spelled as such appears in Farquhar's play, The Inconstant, 1702.