Archaic constructions in BrE

I'm reading a book with Max called "Five Children and It" described as
"the original classic by E Nesbitt".

Now personally, I've found this a rather anachronistic read, and more
than a little condescending in tone but Max seems to like it so who am
I to protest.

[obAUE: should there be a question mark there?]

There were some odds and ends that I couldn't explain exactly, so I
thought I'd consult our British contributors for clarification.

What is:

A margate spade?

A Norfolk? (perhaps a jacket or trousers)

Another thing I found odd was the following sentence:

"Everyone got its legs kicked or its feet trodden on." Is this typical
or intentionally literary?

....

"'And Jane's hair is simply carrots.'

It was indeed of that Venetian tint so admired by artists."

....

In the phrase,

"It's a rat I shouldn't wonder"

what does "I shouldn't wonder" actually mean?

Thanks all.

Fran

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: OT: My Vegas Trip Report
    ... rather odd. ... And I didn't like the tone of my write-up either. ... family that's on the edge from tragedy. ... Wild Vegas stories just seem to ...
    (alt.fan.letterman)
  • Re: OT: Obama threatens more airstrikes in Pakistan (9/27)
    ... Look, unless you don't clean up your tone and your language, it's ... Leave out the condescending tone, ... just letting The Government do my thinking for me? ... You seem to be an adult. ...
    (rec.sport.tennis)
  • Does NOAA really write this way?
    ... http://wikisource.org/wiki/August_28_2005_10:11_AM_CDT_NOAA_Bulletin purports to be the text of the NOAA bulletin issued before hurricane Katrina, but the language and tone seem odd to me. ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: Meaning of the word sweetie
    ... There's one way a man can use "sweetie" of another man which means ... It's all in the tone and context. ... I hope they don't think I'm being condescending. ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: Grayscaling images causes mangled image + segfault
    ... |> I found your tone to be arrogant and condescending, ...
    (comp.lang.php)