Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-04-22
"Cheek.v


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'yAs a general thing, we deprecate the
use of slang phrases; but there are some
OF them that seem so exactly expressive
of habit or characteristic that the most
fastidious etymologist might be pardoned
in the occasional use of them. .i.,....,.
There lisa kind of guerrilla English hav-
ing Its origin on the streets, along the
wharves among the newsboys, and every
where beyond the precincts of the schools
II annexes itself to the language In spite
Of dictionary makers; 1t will not be
frowned away by the disapproval Of any
LII. D.; 1t has its birth somewhere, some
how, because there is need of it; and
presently 1t ascends from the servants hall
TO the parlor and gets foothold on the
tapestry the newspapers adopt IL, and
thus we have it engrafted upon the Ian
Suage. The erudite will tell us that this
| Is all wrong; that we ought to draw every
expression from the" well of English un.
defled y and that (for instance) the word
"cheek signifies nothing else than that
part of the face below. the eyes, on each
side" But facts are facts, after all and
people will continue TO use this word in
the highly expressive senses Of "unblush-
inp impudence," or effrontery." We
have selected it from the great stream Of
slang running through the speech of the
people as perhaps better calculated than
any other to illustrate the wonderful ex-
pressiveness of this "guerrllla English"
"What dye think of young T--?"
was lately asked in our hearing. ,s4
ga cheeky boy" was the answer
Could volumes have spoken more accu-
rately of fast, saucy young America than
thatS ,...,,,,,, 81. T..
Al table lately, clean and 'htihgry"
looking person, whose appearance denoted
that "square meals" were with him as
angel visits, coolly appropriated the whole
contents of an uncommon dish, of which
the supply was known to be limited. His
opposite sat waiting for the dish to reach
him and as he saw it replaced, empty,
upon the table, after this Wholesale appro-
priation of its contents, his vexation and
disappointment found vent in one word,
uttered with an emphasis that no amount
of underscoring here can reproduce' .
"Cheek!" ..4H' -. 1901
The other diners laughed and smiled
approvingly, and the dinner-table private
redeemed from his nose beyond his ears.
! The lesson will not be lost on him.
We have ali had some experience on
the railway trains with a class of people
whose conduct can only aow from a plen-
| tiful supply of the quality named herein.
| We enter car, and the first, view tells us
! that it is full-or nearly so. No vacant
seats attract our eye, We walk on, and 10
us appears the figure of a spruce young
| man. with a look Of hard decision about
the angles Of his face, sitting by the win
dow, while great valise beside him oc-
cupies the balance of the seat. We stop
we hesitate; we don't like to address him,
for we don't fancy that look; but we want
a seat. lie looks straight out of the win
dow, and pretends to be unaware of ouI
presence.
"Sir!" say we. "Sir--"
He turns his head, and contemplates us
with stony eye.
Osiris the whole of this seat taken p
ayes, sir!"
He hurls the words at us like charge
of shot. We murmur Indignantly
"Cheek," and pass on. No other word
that we know of can describe such con
duct.
"Here is the bill for that suit you're
wearing, Mr.. Blue Jay" says the exas'
perated tailor, Do you propose to pay
it or not, sirH If I've presented it once
l have eleven times, sir"
"Ah, indeed?' blandly replies the
Jeremy Diddler, "Well, now, think
you'd better present it again, and thatl
lust make the even dozen, don't you see
I never did like the odd numbers"
Would anybody think of giving that
any such mild name as impudence? 1t IL
cheek downright cheek.
"Got any iour?" asked fellow who
sauntered into a country store with his
hands in his pockets.
"Oh, yes, siri" answers the merchant
with alacrity. extra and superfne-'
"Any sugar"
"Certainiy, sir; white and yellow cof
fee, crushed, powdered
"Butter9"
"some has just come in-sweet ant
nice
"EggsH"
"Plenty of 'em, sir"
"Well, I'm glad to hear it." drawls tn,
Joker. "These things are all useful in
family and I'm glad you've got 'em Hope
you'll not allow your family obe withou
'em. Good morning. 3
Can this be called anything bu
"cheek," and that of the very cheekies
description
The careless donkey who treads OIL
your corns at an evening party, and thel
remarks, audibly, that some people shav
| feet as large as school districts; the'youn
scamp who proposes marriage U eyer
pretty girl of his acquaintance, "3ust t
keep his hand in, so he can do it grace
fully when the right time comes; tn
blood.sucker who offers to borrow 30 O
, the strength of as many minutes acquaiI
tance; the adventurer who energeticaIl
courts handsome widow, and winds u
; his visits by an elopement with her daugf
L ter; the man who asks q " oman her ag,
a politician his p" conscientious opinion,
a girl if she has ever had an offer, and an
one for the amount of his income,-aa
: these are memorable examples of-a qual
r ,ty of mind that is, and must continue
q be known as cheek"
a We are not advocating the use of slam
t We only say that this illegitimate Englis
t is most pungently expressive.-PhrOnOso
Q icdl Journal.
q otoru has lately pirpulatp