American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-11-06
The Jargon Of a Printing-Omce

The slang phrases and technIcafities of
business pursuits constitute curious
array of words, intricate in their meanin g
and often amusing to those unfamiliar with
them. Each kind of business has its own
peculiar words, which would be as much
out of place in other trades as sailors
marline-spike in dentists Office. The
Is putsn and "callse on Change would be
"rusticated by any college faculty, and
the promiscuons assemblage of sits, !"
"slugs, p g subs y rats and !" takes, ',with
other similar thingsthat find their way " on
printing establishment, would put " peg
top-head,'s on the yeriest cop" knock
everything into pi'' in a bakery, or
chase" with an >" imposing-stone" the
"devil into the /" galley $50
The slang of the printing-office is rich
and diversified. Much could be said on
the subject of "sub," who somehow,
the world over, manages to live until a
regularly employed printer gives him a
chauce at his case" Sometimes he
proves to be a hard case, and not unfre-
quently has to bear the sins of others who
find it convenient to lay the blame for
dirty proof" to him. One of these
subs" or substitutes, years ago, asked
Mr. James Gordon Bennett, ST., for en-
ployment. Mr.. Bennett asked him if he
had ever worked in that office, and he re-
piled that he had worked there as a sub. -
"Ohi you have, have you," replied Mr..
made all the dirty proof?' don't want
you"
"Dirty proof" is where the compositor
has made numerous errors, and if too
dirty he loses his work. Then there is
clean proof -" proof for the proc Tread:
err" and "press proof" the last-na med
being smoother than that taken from the
proof press. Pulling proof" is the act
of taking the impression. and the ere
wise" is the second proof intended for the
editor. Copy" isthe matter prepared
| for publication, and the "takes' con-
stitute the amount given out to each COM
position, the copy being taken from the
hook" as required.
A "horse-heed' is full display, say
half q column, of alternating black and
| light lines, intimating the contents of the
matter following !" pOny-heads" are of the
same style but smaller; a peg-top head''
| has one straight line across the column,
the remainder tapering down to a point
below in the form of an equilateral trian-
| gle; and wine-glass head is not OF
that kind experienced the next morning
| after an aldermanic dinner, but simply a
"peg-top' with an additional line across
the column at the lower angle. There are
sub-heads" dropped in along the column
dividing up the subjects; side-heads'
placed at the beginning of an arti-
Gle, and running heads" which are, in
spite of Mr.. Bergh and the society, kept
constantly 4" standing" for immediate use
when required. {. Loaded" and "solid'
matter differ only by separation of the
lines of type by thin strips known as
leads" A "slug' is equivalent to
about six leads in thickness, and reaches
across the column at the beginning OF
every take denoting by the number
upon it the compositor who set the type,
and who has a corresponding number in
the chapel" by which name every
printing office is known. This chapel
must not be considered the wickedesi
place in the world because it contains d
"hell" and is frequented by the "devil. y
The " HELP is the place where damaged
type is thrown, and the devil is that ubiq.
uitous boy who is generally bullied by
everybody in the office, but is usually
cheerful, and expects some day to be .
Benjamin Franklin or Captain of 9
Nine"
Pi" is a good thing to round off din
ner with sometimes, but in printing
| establishment it serves to round off sen