The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-07-14
HE REVIEW.


hours very pleasantly over this dictionary. By
Americanisms," the author means
Il. Archaisms, 4. G. old English words,obso-
lete, or nearly so, in England, but retained in
use in this country
90. English words used in a different sense
from what they are in England.
3. Words which have retained their original
meaning in the United States, although not
in England.
"a. English provincialisms adopted into gen
eral use in America.
"5. Newly coined words, which owe their orr
gin to the productions or to the circumstances
of the country.
SO. Words borrowed from European Ian
guages, especially the French, Spanish, Dutch,
and German.
az. Indian words.
"8. Negroisms.
"S Peculiarities of pronunciation"
1t will readily be seen that such a work, even
tolerably well executed, must contain vast
amount of curious and valuable information,
both for the etymologist and the general reader
AS the result of his researches, the author de-
clares that nine-tenths of the coloquial pecu-
liarities of New England are derived directly
from Great Britain, and that they are now pro
vincial in those parts from which the early col
onists.emigrated, or are to be found in the
writings of wellaccredited authors of the pc
Rod when that emigration took place. This
is striking confirmation of Mr.. Palfrey's as
Al 81 IL |,
are Of as pure English blood as those of any
county in England The Introductory essay
is not the least interesting part of the book
Perhaps we can best give an idea Of its scope
by citing few ofthe definitions
Bogus, adj. Counterfeit false. The Bos
ton Courier of June u, 1857, in reporting
case before the Superior Court in that city.
gives the following as the origin Of this word
The word bogus is a corruption of the name
of one BOrghese, very corrupt individual,
who, twenty years ago or more, did tremen-
dous business in the way of supplying the
great West and portions of the Southwest with
counterfeit bills, and bills on fictitious banks.
The Western people fell into the habit of short.
ening the name Of Borghese into that of bogus
and his bills, as we'll as others Of like charac-
ter. were universally a4.l~1 ~ tirvru bogus
currency" By an easy and not very unnatural
transition, the word is now applied to other
fraudulent papers, such as sham mortgages,
bills of sale, conveyances, etc " Then follow
various examples; Bonny-clabber. Irish,
barni milk, and claJ6er, mud.) Milk turned
sour and thick 1t is sometimes called simnIv
cla6ber. The etymology shows that the sense
in which the term is used in America is the
true and original one, although it is usually
explained in dictionaries as meaning sour
buttermlk.'
" BuncoDa6e-Bunhum. : The orr
gin of the phrase, talking for BlacoD,be, is
thus related in Wheeler's History of North
Carolina Several years ago, in Congress,
the member from this district arose to address
the House, without any extraordinary powers
In manner or matter to interest the audience
Many members left the hall. Very naively, he
told those who remained that they might 20,
too he should speak for some time, but he
was only talking for BuncomGe'
Concerning the word caucus, he quotes from
Gordon, More than fifty years ago, Mr.. Samuel
Adams's father, and twenty others, one or two
from the north end Of the town, where all ship
business is carried on, used to meet make "a
caucus and lay their plan for introducing Ger
tain persons into places of trust and power
When they had settled it, they separated, and
used each his particular influence within has
own circle
no IL - a Il, ID L
ering, +" it would seem that these meetings were
in some measure under the direction of men
concerned in the ship business; had there
fore thought it not improbable that caucus
might be a corruption of caulkers,' the word
meetings being understood | was after |
wards informed that several gentlemen in Sa
lem and Boston believed this to be the origin |
of the word
The volume is rich in etymology though not |
so rich as we should like to have it. or as it |
might be. So many words contain within
themselves history, that to know words thor. |
oughly is of itself an education. Yet nothing |
is more evanescent than words. The body re- |
mains, but the spirit vanishes in witness where
of, this very word caucus, of recent yet entirely
uncertain origin. Many words and phrases are
explained in this dictionary, concerning whose |
formation we are left in the dark. In some
cases no doubt this cannot be ascertained. vet
in many more we cannot but think it might he. |
AT any rate, we should lake to have it. As it
is, the book is what good books ought to be.
entertaining and instructive.
Compendium OF the Impending Crisis OF he South Nv
Hinton r. Helper, of North Carolina New York A
B Burdick, No. Spruce street. 1879
This is a cheap edition of the work of Mr.. |
Helper, intended for a wide circulation. Be
sides various tables derived from the census, |
presenting in strong contrast the superiority
OF Freedom over Slavery, the work contains |
compact array of authorities, Northern and |
Southern, ancient and modern, which will be |
highly useful to the public speaker, the editor,
and to the controversialist. Mr.. Helper claims
to be an Abolitionist, and, from cursory pc
rusal of his work, we infer that his views con-
form more nearly to those of the Radical Adolf
tionists, of which Mr.. Gerrit Smith is the type,
than to the old Liberty Party or Republican
schools
His plan for abolishing Slavery will find
more favor with Aboitionists than with slave
holders, or even the non-slaveholders of the
South. 1t simply proposes abolition without
same time requires the shareholders to advance
sixty dollars per head to each slave. What
ever merits this scheme may possess, feasibili-