The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-01-16

= Slang. Phrases.
: Noah Webster was doubtless a very
learned mamie has left us ponderous
, volume to testify to the fact-but he did
: not know everything. Eminent phllo-
logists have lived and glorified the
world and passed away. ReqMiescnnt
an pace. We will not censure them, bat
they died in olisstul ignorance of many
words. Of which we are now in the
peaceful ~ emf Iyment. Orators have
assembled the worlds rostrum and, let
us believe, have shaken the earth to its
foundation by the thunder of their elo-
quence. Their writings have descended
10 an appreciatiYe pOsIerity, who have
| expended no small portion of THEN ex
lstence in proclaiming the beauties of
their poetic figures, hyperboles and
| gilded rhetoric Blair, the self S 4tisfied.
self-suthcIent and egotistic rhetOrician,
| who respected nothing less modern in
literature than Milton, or only OCCASION
ally IN some sweeping criticism stripped
modern peacock of its feathers to show
us Inc quality OF the bird we admired;
Blair, who, Notwithstanding, comprised
the land and the sea for one poetic figs
ure, is, alas, beyond all knowledge Of
the hgurative slang that enTiches our
language and social intercourse to-day
Fancy some modern young man, in
nj oil madness or merrimrnt, threaten
ing Ito 90 through h;mi' Would he |
appreciate the figure, do you think? |
Alas, we fea- that the obstinate rhetor- |
ician would only cling more tenaciousIy |
TO the anclents, however much the mod |
ern young man might declare to b IN
mat those old prigs had gone up tie |
spout" Another expression purely fig
uratlve, since only sonnet hing aerIform
can take that manner of ascension. o.
course the Young man meant their spir-
lis had gone up [" spOut.a still straight
er and narrower way to heaven than we
had ever thought OF
As fol Webster, we have searched 1853
pages of his famous Unabridged for a
slight approach to the meaning which |
the word "hacked" has come o convey.
viii not some generous phiIOlogist as
sist us to find it's orig n? Webster:-
Hacked, Up. p.), cut in small pieces"
Cut IN small pieces! o light breaks
through the darkness. The CannibaI
Islands; yes, it must have originated
there. Some unsophiStic4ted American,
doubtless, wandering on the savage
shore, entered an inn and demanded en-
Lertalnment for man and beast. The
meal was slow in coming, but in the
interval the lordly Caunibal proceeded
10 show him how business was done in |
trjee. We are willing to admit that the
lnhocert man was hacked, cut in small
pieces, masticateC, at the same time TAX
en an. But since the austere Cannibal
d shuft1ing another mortal coil, how
Gould IL hap pen that the word express 9
ny he proceeding was brought over to d
L.? Only the Fejee remained to tell the | ,
tory, and he, probably preferred TO re !
main silent The fancy is illogical, and | Q
very elegant reader declares us ''hack> p
ID. !"
We once dined at the house of gem q
leman popularity supposed to have but q
ne weakness, an inveterate habit OF =
sing slang in his most cordial moods.
lie filled the place of master of ceremo> u
les with such manly grace, that we o
'ere beginning to believe even the one n
barge against him unjust, when he SID Ju
emily looked up during the profouno al
ILLNESS OF the meal, and gravely re- ~
uested us $50 sting him the grease" y
he civilized ear may doubt it, hut the Al
quest interpreted into good En- glish II
IMPLY meant, pass the butter. On the co
rounds of his innumerable charms, we Ill
led to forgive him, but it is unnecessa-
TO add we didn't sting. But the en- 70
re of slang is not restricted 1t is not nc
masculine kingdom. In this age OF W
OPPRESSION, even woman may avail her "a
II OF the privilege of using slang. su
OF all quotations respecting women, trs
me has become so popular unless il iol
Shakpeares in HamIet) as that from On
ordsworth: Jill
"A perfect woman nobly planned, otf
To warm, TO comfort and commando;
\ creature not too bright or good de
or human natures daily food - at
But when the creature becomes also
t too good for slang and balsam, we hiL
If she greatly mars the plan and the fro
riectlon. Al a concert or at some So owe
j gathering. you sit opposite ravish- RE
: creature IN rapt contemplation OF '
r beauty. OutwRrdiy she is an inter to
ing study, for she in ladv, HOwev- We
|
time~hOnored Provsrb, You know L
idy when she opens her mouth" ST. Ed
lily you await this additional proof At
e gentlsnIa1 to whom she is giving bel
attention has reached the climax OF ped
remarks, an extravagAnt joke. Here Let
crisis. The lady on his left, who boo
suddenly become interested, cIaps you
hands like an electric battery explo- wal
II and cries ont, "a whOpperi" You sho
RI; but then you did not expect much sab
her, she is decidedly plain. But ma,
uty is about to speak Her eyes sup
rkle Ike sunlight piercing the sill
y blue above. Her matchless DIM
: rise and swell and glide away like
pies on the lake. Her rose bud Inns
II, lsweet lips where only honey dew TT
uld rest she looks the humorous diad
tlemHn i'll the eye and says, "tOo zinI
;, Yes: beauty, very thin; not year
] deep. simply skin deep, alas d, thar
be too severe with her. As Victor we y
go "ouId tell you, society or her with
nuMother Is 10 blame. Well, sOcie> Culle
dictionary and society's require her
us are, and some little disgust on hope
r part Is wholesome sign. II shows place
r capacity to make wise choice whic
m you shall have learned by faiths chas,
trial that you cannot worship both by Il
and mammOT; and it shows her who
you require from her dignity and here
raint without which vvoT,,pii1ass child
lOt exist, 20