Think that's deliberate. PS; you need to consider the context, the author is an heir to Samuel Johnson and was active in late 1800 to 1930s. For that period, I

Think that's deliberate. PS; you need to consider the context, the author is an heir to Samuel Johnson and was active in late 1800 to 1930s. For that period, I think his entries were probably considered 'plain' English.