More London Proverbs/Sayings (Idea's & Experimentation)

All round St Paul's, not forgetting the trunkmaker's daughter
A booksellers' catchphrase used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when referring to unsaleable books. The St Paul's area was at that time well known for its bookshops and the 'trunkmaker' was a nickname for the repository of unwanted literature.

Always in trouble, like a Drury Lane whore
An unsympathetic expression dating from the late 19th century, said of or to someone who wallows in self-pity. It derives from the alleged tendency of these ladies to hyperbolize their woes.

The devil among the tailors
Formerly said whena slanging match was in progress. The phrase is said to have originated from a fracas made at a benefit performance for the actor William Dowtown (1764-1851). The piece was a burlesque called The Tailors: A tragedy for Warm Weather, and the row was made outside the Haymarket theatre by a large crowd of tailors who considered the play a slur on their trade.

To ride backwards up Holborn Hill
An 18th Century term meaning to travel from Newgate to be hanged at Tyburn. Condemned men were transported facing backwards, probably to prevent them panicking as the cart apporached the gallows.

To walk penniles in Mark Lane
To have been swindled. This ancient expression punned on a slang meaning of mark; one who is easliy duped.