The Osceola times., 1873-07-26
=" Befoa the Waugh"

slang phrases IN circulation OF q re-
cent date, WHICH display the great
est perspicacity in their authors.
For instance, those well-known cx-
prcssions, You know how it is
yourself" Shoe fly, don't bother
me-" "Keiser don't you want to
buy a dorg; "Botsy and 1 are OUT"
Korrect y" How is this for high !
etc, could have eminatcd from none
but of striking, dazzling and origi-
nal geniuses. We freely offer this
our humble tribute to the creators
ourcurrent slang, which furnishes
10 large part of the conversation
of our young men. Indeed, with
out the kindly aid Of slang phrases
many worthy young men, being
barren of ideas through no fault OF
their own, would be condemned to
perpetual silence. Next to origina-
ting a popular slang phrase, they
are entitled to credit, who by close
observation detect some expression
peculiar to an individual, or in con-
slant use among a people Of the
same characteristics and habits of
thought. "Swlnging around the
circle" and "What l know about
farming" arc specimens oflndividu-
al phrases, and the best government
the world ever saw !" on to Rich
mond !" +" the rebels have evacuated
Bull rum" etc, may be taken rs
specimens of the latter class. The
persons who first started these ex.
pressions into general circulation,
possessed genius, but not Of a crea-
tive character. They could observe,
but not originate like the noble ge-
MUS who gave to the world that
charming phrase, "Keiser don'tyou
want to buy little dorg," or, as we
sometimes hear it varied by young
gentleman Just from some boarding
school ;" Ny dear Keiser, doth wish
to purchase, or invest in a canine 2"
Among this latter class of slanguists,
Poker Jack, or chicfjusticc Mcclure
as he Is sometimes called, seems to
be ambitious of a place. His claims
as slanguist rests upon phrase
of thrco words " BefOa the aoaugh,"
which is supposed to be some pccu-
liar way ofsaying, "before the war;
Notwithstanding the great efforts of
the chief justice this phrase has fail
cd to pass into circulation, and the
only place we ever sec or hear OF
it is in the columns of his own pa
per. While he has laborcd faithful
ly to give currency TO his bogus
slang, two small words descriptive
of himself have passed into general
circulation, and are now rs familiar
rs household words. Why is this ?
Why, as "Jetoa The ,raugA" satirizes
nobody, SO the words /" Poker Jack y
won It's way into popular favor by
the simple force of truth. Who ever
heard a southern man, when speak
ing ofthe late unpleasantness, speak
of it as "befoa the waugh ?" yet it
is the southern people Poker Jack
is trying to satirize by his frequent
use of this phrase. If he were to
put the words "Varmount" and
"Keow" or, "You hadn't ort tew
dew it" in tho mouth of jeff. Da-
Wis, it would not be moro out of
character. We suppose if Poker
Jack were going to make fun ofthe
negroes, he would lard their tongues
with the broguc of tho Irishman.
The merit of caricature is, that
notwithstanding the exaggcration,
the likeness can still be seen, lust
as we recognize our own features
when we look in spoon. Yet who
feels hurt when he reads the words
"befoa the waugh?" Certainly not
the people ofthe south certain.
ly not tho people who, in their