What does “throw a flourish mean”? In the book I am reading it seems to mean the sex act. Is this an authentic Regency slang term?
Thanks for the question, Christine, and for being a Regency Reader!
I have seen throw used with boxing cant and gambling terms, but not in combination with flourish.
There is a similarity, however, that is likely what the author was playing off of.
“Take a flourish” and “Take a flyer” was cant for “enjoy a woman in a hasty manner”. These expressions appear in Grose’s Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue in addition to Grose’s other slang dictionaries published in the early 19th century. In some dictionaries, the expression “take a flyer” implies sex while still dressed and in others its simply a quickie.
A Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit and Pickpocket Eloquence (1811)
I hope that answers your question.
You can find this expression and many more euphemisms for sex in our Regency Cant database.
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