Anent

Walking the dog this evening, and just sort of trying to unwind a bit, I caught the inscription 'In Memoriam Alison Hay Dunlop' on the East Gates of Inverleith Park. I had never noticed it before, never really paying any more interest to the gates rather than looking at the lions. Turns out this lady wrote a book called "Anent Old Edinburgh and some of the worthies who walked its street" published in 1890, which I'm resolute in trying to get hold of now.

I wonder what the 19th Century equivalent of the blipmop / ponce is?