The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1849-12-08
For The Cecil Whig.
AmericaniSms.

Mr.. EDlToR:-Permt me to call the
attention Of your readers to Bartlett's '.Dic-
tionary of Americanisms,' one of the most
interesting books which has fallen under
my eve for many day. In Order to
compile it, the learned author is said to
have expended thousands of dollars for
books which all the public Iibrlries in this
country could not afford.
The following extracts may be taken as
specimens ofthe work:
"AMPERSAND. The character "&."
representing the conjunction and. ]; is a
corruption Of sand, per SC, ond," (and, by
itself, and.)
TO AXE. This word is now consd-
cred a WI lgarism; though, like many 9TH
ers under the same censure, it IS as old as
the English language. Among the early
writers it vas used the same as ASK is row.
In England il still exists in the colloJuial
dialect of Norfolk and other counties. In
the United States it is somewhat used Dy
the vulgar.
"Anh Tilute nriae HIM, ar, thou kyrg Of
jews Aud ll"sus nlsw~rdc and srde 10
him, thou s,.St - WicHJ
- p"or lazar. upon tide
Game 10 the gate, and arra meate " Gorer.
Marraret, Countess OF Richmond and Der
by, in tier 10 her son, Henry VII COR
cludes thus:
"As hcr,y blessings as ye can aas Of God
In the next reign, DR.. John Clarke writes
to cardinal Wolsry, and tells him that
a 4
Our modern American, Sam Slick, says -
IL have often ared nyse!f what sort OF IA gall
ti1nA spirid,ernus Lady of the Lake Vi
SCOTS was
BAGGAGE. This word is applied by
us TO the trunks, clothing, &C., Of trav-
elIer. The English now use the less APP
propriate term luggage. Baggage was
formerly used by them.
BOSS. Dutch. hnos Danish, bas, a
master.l A master, an employer of NE
chanics or laborers II probably originated
in New York, and is now used in many
parts of the United States. The blacks
often employ it in addressing White men
in the Northern States, as they do m"ssa
(maacr,) in the Southern States.
BuCKRA. A white man. A term
universally applied TO white men by the
blacks Of the African coast, the West In
dies and the Southern States. In the Ian
guagc OF the Callahan coast, huckrr means
devil not however. in the sense we APP
ply to 1t, but that OF a demon, a powerful
and superior being. The term $rnnca
burh.r. =, often used bv the blacks. means, an
elegant dressed white man, dandy. |
an indebted TO the Rev. J. l.. Wilson, who
is familiar with the African language al
tuled to, for tn" etymology OF this word.
''~ ich country you like bcsi Buckra
country very GOOD, plenty for yam (iood }
plenty tor ban hn" (clothing.) Buchra man
book larn. Bcckra man rise carly-he like
cold morning, nigga TO like cold"
CarmichaeEs Hest Indies.
BUG. In the United States coIeoptro"S
insects are invariably called bugs; thus
May bug, Jane bug, golden bug, Sec. In
England they are. called beetles; and the
word Bug is restricted to the species found
III bedding.
BY THE BYE. Tn this expression the
latter bye seems to be the same byc as in
by-',w, &C., and oil course tc admit a SINH
lar explanation. In Lord Bacon:
"'Ihere is upon the by to he noted"
that is, upon the way, in passing, indirectly,
this beng collateral and not the main
object of pursuit. In Ben Jonson:
'rhose who have saatch Poetry Gil the by"
on the way, passing; poetry being the
collateral and not the main object of
their pursuit. By the bye then is by The uay.
See Richardson's Dictionary.
BY GOOD RIGHTS. By right, by
strict justice as,
by good rights Mr.. Clay ought to he Presi-
denl ofthe nted Saes.'
CHOP.-A Chinese word signiryiug
quality. Originally the WORD was only
applied to silks, teas, or other good from
China; now it is appied to every thing,
for we hear OF first ,hop teas, first chop to-
bacco, first chop potators.
CLEVER. Good-natured, obliging. in
Great Britain: clerer man is dexterous
man, one who performs an act with skill
and address.
CAVORTIN. Spanish, cnrcr, to paw
used OF horses A word used chiefly in
the Southern States.
sod Alic had a daughter that wal a most
enicin crraiur; and seed Tom Sci Tiers
carortin' round her like young buffalo"
Sqtaifer Life
CRACKER. A small hard buiscuit.
The word seems to be peculiar to the
United States. The following anecdote
was related to me by the Hon. Albert
Galiatin. When travelling in England
with his family in 1918, he stopped at an