London, April 1755: Samuel Johnson publishes A Dictionary of the English Language, a monumental work full of scholarship, wit and a few very personal opinions about oats
Dictionary Finally Published
LONDON, 15 April 1755 – After around nine years of work, the writer Samuel Johnson has published his Dictionary of the English Language, in two enormous volumes containing over forty thousand entries, illustrated by more than a hundred thousand quotations from English literature. The French Academy, with forty members, reportedly took decades to produce its dictionary. Johnson, with a handful of assistants working in the garret of his house in Gough Square, off Fleet Street, did it in under a decade. Officials describe the achievement as remarkable. Johnson describes it as exhausting.
Not the First, But the Most Famous
Johnson dictionary was not the first English dictionary; earlier works existed. But it was by far the most ambitious and influential, and remained the leading English dictionary for over a century, until the Oxford English Dictionary began to appear in the late nineteenth century. Its great innovation was the use of quotations from respected writers, including Shakespeare, Milton and Dryden, to show how words were actually used, an approach later dictionaries adopted.
The Famous Definitions
What has made Johnson dictionary beloved by readers ever since is the occasional appearance of his own personality and opinions. Several definitions have become famous.
Oats, Johnson wrote, is a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people. Historians note that Johnson had a long-running habit of teasing the Scots, though his close friend and biographer, James Boswell, was Scottish.
Lexicographer, the word for a writer of dictionaries, is defined as a writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words. Historians regard this as one of the most charming examples of self-deprecation in English literature.
Pension he defined as an allowance made to any one without an equivalent, and in England generally understood to mean pay given to a state hireling for treason to his country. Some years later, Johnson himself accepted a royal pension from the government of George III, which his critics never let him forget.
He also admitted mistakes. When a lady asked him why he had defined pastern, part of a horse leg, incorrectly as the knee of a horse, he reportedly replied: ignorance, madam, pure ignorance.
The Patron
Johnson had originally sought the support of the wealthy Lord Chesterfield, who showed little interest until the dictionary was nearly finished, then wrote flattering articles about it. Johnson responded with a famous letter, asking whether a patron is not one who looks with unconcern on a man struggling for life in the water and, when he has reached ground, encumbers him with help. Historians regard the letter as a landmark in the decline of aristocratic literary patronage.
Meanwhile, in 2026
Words, and how they are used, still cause controversy. The London Prat reports Prince William reportedly calling Earl Spencer and Harry traitors after an anonymous source claimed the heir believes his brother read their uncle memoir first. Reports say reconciliation is off, and the uncle says he told everyone. Lexicographers note that Johnson defined a traitor simply as one who being trusted betrays, and suggest that reading a book in the wrong order may not quite meet the definition.
The London Prat has been defining absurdity since 1961 at https://prat.uk/, with its royal row video on YouTube. Bohiney at https://bohiney.com/ covers American spelling.
Study Questions for Students
Why was Johnson dictionary so important? What do his personal definitions reveal about him? How have dictionaries changed since 1755? Discuss, and look up a word you have never used.
SOURCE: https://prat.uk/prince-william-called-earl-spencer-and-harry-traitors/