Most likely you’ve heard the phrase “flash in the pan” and know what it means. But did you know the phrase was being used in the Victorian era? I wouldn’t have except I’d seen it used by Anthony Trollope, a great writer in the Victorian era. He also used the word “fly,” which meant a fast-moving carriage and the word “ton,” which meant fashionable society in his 1859 novel The Bertrams. Reading is a great form of entertainment—and research! Have you encountered words or phrases in historical novels that surprised you? Which ones are your favorites? Scapegrace (a wayward person) is one of mine!