Wardpur Street English
Preserved but no longer current.
The affected use of archaic words and phrases. The term was first applied by William Morris, in 1888, to a translation of the Odyssey, couched in lan- guage which reminded him of the pseudo- antique furniture that in those days was sold in Wardour Street, London.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Wardpur Street English” mean?
The affected use of archaic words and phrases. The term was first applied by William Morris, in 1888, to a translation of the Odyssey, couched in lan- guage which reminded him of the pseudo- antique furniture that in those days was sold in Wardour Street, London.
Is “Wardpur Street English” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.