"Paul Clifford", Chapter 4, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

He had now become a young man of extreme fashion, and as much repandu in society as the utmost and most exigent coveter of London celebrity could desire. He was, of course, a member of the clubs, etc. He was, in short, of that oft-described set before whom all minor beaux sink into insignificance, or among whom they eventually obtain a subaltern grade, by a sacrifice of a due portion of their fortune.

-Almack's Revisited.

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St. James's started out as the homes of the aristocracy, but by the 19th century had become a hotbed of "gentleman's clubs", which is not actually a euphemism for dens of iniquity, but just social clubs for men to go and hang out. After WW2 it became more of a commercial district.

public house is the long form of "pub".

beadle: a ceremonial officer of a church, college, or similar institution

the cut direct: to stare in the face someone that you know, while pretending to not know them

ton: not a unit of weight in this case, but rather of fashionable style or distinction. The difference in pronunciation being a result of difference in derivation: the unit of weight comes from the Middle English as a variant spelling of tun, while this meaning comes from the Latin 'tonus'

cornute: to make a cuckold of

hop and feed: Just going from the context, feed sounds like meal, and hop sounds like dance. No footnotes to that effect, and the first time it is used it isn't as obvious as you might hope, but the second use in the invitation to Paul from Bachelor Bill makes it apparent enough.

Bingo and stark-naked the author *did* give us footnotes for, so we know exactly what he meant for those: bingo = brandy, stark-naked = gin

varment gig: another obscure term with no footnote. Varment normally would mean a pest animal, but apparently it also can mean a contemptible or troublesome person, a rascal. Gig can have the meaning of a a light 2-wheeled one-horse carriage. "Drove down his varment gig"... I just don't know how to interpret that. The "snug little box" seems reasonable to fancy as his home.

rattle the ivories: to play dice games, and in this case more specifically, to gamble at dice games

lush and baccy is going to be alcohol and tobacco

A brad would normally be a sort of thin, small nail. Presumably it has some slang or argot meaning here, but I can't find a specific reference to such. I assume, based on context, it means coin, or penny (or half-penny, or even farthing, as the case may be).

out of elbows: wearing clothes that are worn out or torn

Gil Blas is a fictional character from an early 18th century picaresque novel "L'Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane" by Alain-René Lesage

Roderick Random is another fictional character from another 18 century picaresque novel "The Adventures of Roderick Random" by Tobias Smollett

Ghilan's giant palm: I have no idea what this is a reference to. If you recognize it, please comment below

mag: in this context, a half-penny. Would love to know how many British listeners recognize these slang terms for the coins of the realm... (bob, sice, mag, even the familiar quid, but meaning a guinea rather than a pound)

taradididdle: I would have thought this just a nonsense interjection, not no, it's actually a word with real meaning. Specifically, a petty lie, or pretentious nonsense. Go figure!

forks: fingers

Ranelagh: an affluent residential area and urban village on the south side of Dublin

Clocked stockings: so named for the process of weaving the design in the side.

'Ifeaks' is another one of those words I can't puzzle out. So much incredibly obscure language in this text!

"be a bob-cull, - drop the bullies, and you shall have the blunt!" - oh boy! Let's see, "bob-cull" is an argot term for "good fellow". Recall in chapter 2 we had "ben cull" as "friend", but in a ironic sense used to indicate an easy mark, but "bob cull" appears to be a sincerely affectionate term. "Drop the bullies" I have no specific reference for, but seems obvious enough from context to be something along the lines of stop saying mean things. "Blunt" is a slang word for money. We saw the word "blunt" in chapter 2 as well. Expect to hear it a lot more, I guess.

cozen: trick or deceive

The Farthing Rushlight is one of Aesop's Fables, which teaches a lesson in humility

tizzy: another slang term for British coinage, a tizzy is a sixpence

coup de pied: a kick

blue ruin: cheap gin

conish: genteel

quondam: former

lucubration: a piece of writing, typically a pedantic or overelaborate one

mines of Potosi: extremely rich silver mines high up in the mountains of Bolivia

The picture used is "London Gambling, C1810" by Thomas Rowlandson. Scene at a gaming table at Brooks's, London, England.

To follow along: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7735/7735-h/7735-h.htm#link2HCH0004