Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-11-25
DICTIONARY OF AMERICANIsMs.

garded as peculiar 10 the United States" In handsome
volume of four hundred pages he goes over his ground with
great and eruion The introduction contains agree
able and sound essay the dialects Of this country aud Of
England. Mr. Bartlett constantly illustrates the fact that
many Of proSncasms the rcpetons of those Of the
mother country, brought hther by the English settlers Many
words which have died out of in England, but
have been tenacious Of life here Let this
those who fearful that wandering Engshman may
pronounce them unworthy of kin with Shakespeare let it be
warning those who putting their sylabes all in train
ing in the hope that future day good natued blue
nose" or Yorkshire man may pronounce them speak English
almost well Engsaman. II you have fap-jacks
for breakfast, call them fapjack and learn from Mr. Bart
lett, you have forgotten BEFORE that in Shakspeares Peri
Giles Ofit be Saakspeare's) you may read;
oven have flesh for holidays fish for fasting days. and
moreo'er buildings and fdp-jacks."
The width of ground to be covered in book of this kind
wde probably than the study of the dialects Of any other
nation Thus speak simply of the origin of our people,
Mr. Bartlett reminds that he has to trace dialects derived
from English, Scotch, Irish, Welsh, Dutch, Norwegian,
French and Spanish coonss besides the words and phrases
the Aborcines which still nger in use, for which and
the things they represent cannot be grateful in the
of Samp, honny spG,rn, and sucfatash All these
he has investigated with great and,
while dictionary of any sort always entertaining, here
have peculiarly interesting to travellers and
readers.
We were little surprised to find from the preface that the
residents the city Of New York perhaps less marked in
their pronunciation and of words than the residents Of
any other city or State To New Yorker, of course they
are But in the Of intonaon and pronunciation
section of country call the other black The ehcIn
and opa and rcashn Of the New Yorker sbboh which
expose his nativity quickly the dooy of the Bosonan
The whole book diligently complied with such
u study the classics Of dialect and dom, Major JONES'
Jack Downing Sam Slick Margaret, and others, that it
hard pick any class Of phrases better illustrated than
the Mr. Inman Of the Commercial Advertiser, has fur
nshed the political phrases articles especially interesting in
the amfcaions of the incompehensibe party lines Of the
State of New York. The quotations introduced show in
of the of words very laughable. The whole
book indeed furnishes fund of fun entertain any winter
circle Of truebred Americans.
We make three extracts, only of these almost at
random dictionary of course only to be judged
whole And whoever undertakes to have any books Of re-
ference at haad must obtain Mr. Barletts for himself.
"HucKLEBERRY ABOVE THE PERsIaMoS.-A Southern
phrase"
"The way he and his companions used destroy the beasts
Of the forests hucs5erry a6oue The psinmOn of any
tive in the cuntry. "-1horPs, Backpoods
"PEcK o. TRouBLEs-Great trouble"
Ne,rne at that his speed redoubles,
To them oil their peck Of troubles
Cotton-Hirgl travestie.
"When wrote my last letter you, in peck Of
troubles aud did TO like heaven and earth WAS IN
spired sgn me.''-.Hyor J0nes's Courtshp.
sRocK-A stone In the Southern and Western States
stones Of any size are absurdly called rocks This absury
is in ia parts Of New England.
"To RoCK-To throw stones at to stone. This su-
premely ridiculous expression derived from the preceding
ssThey commenced rocking the Clay Clubhouse in June,
and occasion threw rock in at the window, Ne
[-JOnesbOrOugh Tenn Mig.
"SaARr SPRIsKLE-A good deal; good many. Used
in the interior Of the Western States.
In query about snakes our landlord said
there sprink OF vstlesuakes Red Run aud
a powerful nice day to themselves"
Mr.. PIcKrnSe, late President Of the American Academy
published in 1916 vocabulary of this character, which Mr.
Bartlett has Of course occasion to refer to- But since that
time the number of Amsrcanisms has probably least kept
pace with the increase Of the people that them Foil
is Mr.. Bares book, even, travelling commission pro-
vncasns would probably make many additions to il, which
have never slipped print away from the frontiers The
value OF merely bringing them to the light would be ques
onabe but each such pro,ncs give. very valuable sug
gestons il pathology, an t.ey phrase fixed assists in
tracing the derivation Of others. In this view regard this
curious volume as OF very great value.
Mr. Bartlett deiocs CAr.srIcx a bat cujge, used by
boys game ball giving Rhode Island the locality Of
the phrase. The word has general il is Yankee
for any un-spi stick Of wood with the bark on which is small
enough be gIssped in the hand. This is probably the
English provincial Of it. The stick used in playing ball
is the ckey STICK harkysc, see Mr. Abbots Caleb
in Boston for the latter speng Of the New England play
ground the bandysck Of the Southern and English schools
It have crook at the end furthes from the hand
FILLIrEES on PHILLIPiSA-Mr Bartlett describes plea
sanity this Ie game and gives account Of similar game
Germany, where the presents given in it called U
JeIeas. From this word he derives The derivation
probably hybrid one, perhaps through the French
from philo,, friend, and poena, gase fac, pledge.
The proper spelling is PhioPoens.
HrGE Paws is hot Of New York, but Of Boston origin.
"CArersA private meeting Of the leading politicians Of
party agree upon the plans to be pursued ia approach
ing election"
This the Leading meaning OF this word, but in New Eng
land at least also any party meeting however large,
held with reference election.
Lucr-vrE [omiacdl Fl. Loup-eevrie The wildca, or
lynx Of Maine.
" SAss.rEI-A Discretion OF Sassafss says Mr.. Bart.
lett lie has been happy enough never have met With
Ja,seytea, or uintea, or sageea. We beg him 70
spend a few months Gin the back Of New Hampshire or
Name prepare himself re-wre his articles SASS and
SArcE. HIS Lefniion is Websters Culinary Vegetables
and roots eaten with flesh" This is quite too much limited.
Conscious d this, perhaps he has added in his appendix,
sed by Carlton, the word SAsvEs for preserves giving the
following authority