Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-05-12


STATED the use of postage stamps n
in9 the quinn its stead. IL - II
. shin plaster" was applied ~ ~ q
Continental bills, it is sid. fbr
that they were 20 plenty - NestAlos
that the soIdien used then q 1900
Tor slight wounds on their hG&
Is A groteeque fancy has named I'D
"belly timber" and its recenfae1G pc
bread basket. II would not b onth0c
tory to some to speak of l0com0ttvePr
an engine, but join the idea a. 81 tnh.
rated animal to the syllable Gtne -
the word bullgine" becomes vesY pop
lar. The dentist has receivod ~ 10pf
= tusk- hoisserr and t00<h-capems.1 IN
the Southwest during the war, the m
educated people spoke generally OF de-
tachment of cavalry as . "critter. com.
pany," Of infantry - walk-soldiers,
and Of s-tillery as "cannoa-wagons
The young men Of Chicago are classified
as TO their skill on the veloeipede, 1t is
said, into the timid toddleTs, the wary
wabblers,n the "go-itgracefuh" and the
'ifancy few" Still more grotesque was
the fancy of q young man who always re-
ferred tos stone house as one in which the
under pinnipg reached clear TO the root,
and who, when asked if he would have
milk and sugar in his tea, replied, !" No,
gently take my tea barefoot"
In the same way flowers get sud- names
as shepherd sdia1, because Of is Aiscepti.
bility 10 changes Of weather; waterobin
and cuckoo. flower, which blossoh when
tae songs of those birds are first heard !;
lady'ssmock, "all silver white" q Shak-
speare sings, because it resemblet white
linen laid out upon the meadows, lady's
ear-drop, lady's-slipper, morning glory,
youth and old age, love-lies-ar bleeding,
and many more which might be mentioned
In the eastern part Of England, evening is
called crows time, because OF the gathering
of the rocks to rest. The word afdl," for
autumn, which is usually called an Ameri-
canism, though 1t is used by DryGen in
that sense, Is pretty metaphor BY itself
Local circumstances suggest idbmatic
metaphors and descriptive terms. In the
Southwest where people wear colOred
wooden shirts, they speak with great con.
tempt of person with white one as the
man with the billed shirt" A New Eng
lander talks of whittling through the
world, and when he gets the best Of man
he makes him "whittle down. In a
country where the raccoons are common,
the people say that thing won't be done
in coon's age" In some English coun-
ties where rabbits or comics abound. sandy
land is called conyland, because it is only
fit for breeding and feeding rabbits, and a
common lest IL that it may be plowed
with two rabbits and knife. From this
1t will be seen how appropriate is the
name of that sandy place Of resort IN New
York harbor called Cony Island.
All occupations contribute to our fund
of metaphorical phrases. Thus, when q
sailor wishes TO shake hands with you, he
says, Zip us your I'm y; when he wishes
to procure money, he says he wants to
raise the wind y: when he Is pursuing
an uncertain course, he Is "oH sound
ings "; when he is the worse for liquor,
he is "half seas over" or "three sheets
in the wind" Such phrases get not only
into common conversation, but into the
finest speeches of the orators. Burke In
his eulOglum on Charles Townshend said,
His style of argument was neither dry,
nor vulgar, nor subtle and abtruse; he
hit the house just betocen mind and soater."
The phrase to which we have drawn at
tention might remind the reader of the
mystical song in Swinburne's "Atalanta
in Calydon," beginning
as Between the sunset and the sea. 5;.1
A correspondent says of common con-
- Ay--Asokat. that thakARe ~
the street never throw stdB: they
heave" it. People out walkingpr driv.
ing are "gone on a cruise" They don't
stop or rest; they clay by" place is
not so many rods but 50 many "ship's
lengths" away. Clothing and knick-
knacks generally are "tackle +" and "rig-
ging." To go from side to side, or from
room to room, is to "gam." They put
things "aft, they " stow them away" or
haul them over" they "shew light"
and every man Is q captain.
When dying, q sailor says he is about
TO "slip his cable" but California stage
driver on his dcath-bed was still more ex-
pressive. "Bill," said he. to brother
"whip," Il am on the down grade, and
can't reach the brake" "Then,' said his
friend, mindful that he had made no dis
position Of his property, hadn't you bet
ter hand in your checks!"
In view Of the word candrd, meaning
duck in French, 1t is noticeable that in
many parts of the United States com
mon remark, when q person is telling an
improbable story, is, II hear ducks. :
Among fishermen such an exaggerated
narrative would be fish story" but in
locality where rumors Of sea-serpents
were prevalent it might be called a
snake story" In French, 1t is q duck
story, and the original "snard" is said
to be that Of person who related that he
had eighteen Of those voracious fowls
that he cut up one Of them and fed it to
the remaining seventeen; he cut up an
other, and fed it to the remaining sixteen
another, and fed it to the fifteen; and SO
on until there was but one left, which had
consequently eaten all the other seven.
teen ducks.
This subject is further illustrated by the
thousands of homely metaphorical prov.
cribs which have gained currency in all
parts of the world. How expressive Of
perjury to say Of a man, :" He is out at the
elbows" Of compulsion to say, his nose
was brought to the grindstone;" Of hu.
mility and repentance to say, :" He was
brought to his marrow bones Of receiv-
ing q strong hint to say, He went away
with flea in his ear" of sudden energy
to say, /" He took the bull by the horns,
or He took time by the forelock !" Of
useless repining to say, "He is crying for
spilled milk," or "He is shivering for last
years snow" What could be better to
saw of bOaster than. HE II awful great