I’m working on a Civil War diary and just finished transcribing the entries. The diary belonged to a goofy teen boy who went to military academy in the north-east and received demerits regularly.
He finished off one entry with “can not go out of the building after sunset for one month because I plagued one of the servant girls.” I don’t want to pervert the statement by jumping to the assumption that “plagued” is a euphemism for sex, so I’m trying to cover my bases by looking for alternative meanings first.
So, I’m wondering. What were some common contexts the verb “plague” may’ve been used in 19th-century America?
I doubt he was referring to sex. "Plague" as a verb is defined (Meriam-Webster) in this case as "to disturb or annoy persistently" - I have no reason to think that this definition wouldn't have also been around in the Civil War era.
The Oxford English Dictionary gives these 2 meanings for "to plague." I've excerpted its usage from around the time of your diary.
a. To trouble, tease, bother, annoy, or pester, usually repeatedly, insistently, or constantly; to constitute a nuisance, threat, or danger to. Freq. in pass.
1833 H. Martineau Tale of Tyne ii. 33 The big boys used to plague him, and he plagued the little ones.
b. “to plague the life out of” and variants: to wear out by constant or excessive teasing or nagging.
1868 L. M. Alcott Little Women I. xiii. 213 ‘If ever I do get my wish, you see what I'll do for Brooke.’ ‘Begin to do something now, by not plaguing his life out,’ said Meg, sharply.