Your guide to Bridgerton dating phrases and the history behind them

Virgin Radio

4 Apr 2022, 11:29

It’s been over a week since Netflix released the second season of its hit romance series Bridgerton and we’re back to obsessing over the gowns, mansions and slang of the Regency era.

From watching the show, you may have picked up on some terms and phrases used a lot- especially when characters are flirting or declaring their love for each other.

So, the team at Preply has done some research and provided a roundup of classic Regency terms from Bridgerton and the history behind them.

Being ruined

This term was mostly used in the first season of the show when The Duke first kissed Daphne out of wedlock.

It’s fairly self-explanatory, but the phrase refers to a young lady who is caught getting too close to a man before they are married. ‘Ruined’ describes her status in high society and the marriage season if she does not end up engaged to the man.

Rake

You may have heard this term in the current series of conversations between Anthony Bridgerton and Benedict.

In the 1810s, the term ‘Rake’ was a man who didn’t display any values and had a habit of partaking in immoral conduct- particularly with women.

These days, you might call him a womanizer or a player.

The word comes from the term ‘rakehell’, which was an alteration of the Middle English word rake meaning rash or hasty.

You may know a few rakes in the world today…

Promenade

Now, this is definitely a phrase you would have heard multiple times over the two seasons of Bridgerton.

When the characters would go for a promenade in the park, it may have seemed like they were simply going for a walk, but in the Regency era, a promenade meant so much more than that.

It was a way to show yourself off to society, maybe to bump into a potential suitor or to let others know who you were courting. The word Prom is also derived from the phrase.

Coming out

This phrase had slightly different connotations in the 19th century than it does today.

In the second season of Bridgeton, we see Eloise (reluctantly) coming out after being encouraged by her mother. During the Regency era, this referred to a woman making her grand debut into society and her transition from girlhood into womanhood.

It would normally happen at a special ball or party and would indicate to eligible bachelors that she was ready for courtship or marriage.

She would then be known as a ‘debutante’.

Trousseau

With its origins in French, trousseau has a few meanings.

In some contexts, it can be a fancy word for underwear, but it was more commonly used to describe the personal possessions of a bride collected throughout her life to prepare her for marriage and was usually stored in a trunk or case.

A trousseau would sometimes include her clothes, accessories, household linens and wares.

Modiste

The word Modiste is probably mentioned in most episodes of Bridgerton- after all, how can you go to a ball without first consulting your modiste.

Modiste actually refers to a person, more specifically a female dressmaker, who will advise women on what is fashionable and best suited to various events and make their garments.

As you probably know, the modiste in Bridgerton is Madame Delacroix.

Countenance

It might sound like a fancy Regency word, but it’s got quite a simple meaning and you probably heard it flung around in conversations between Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton in the latest series.

Countenance refers to the look or expression on someone’s face and, in historical terms, references a person trying to keep their cool in the era of polite society.

The social season

The season is something referred to a lot in Bridgerton because that is when most of the storyline takes place in both seasons one and two.

It refers to the time when people would come back to London from their country homes to attend parties and find themselves a fiancé.

The season would typically start at the end of March when temperatures started to warm up and would last until the end of June.

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