The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-10-17
ENGLISH AND AMERICAN SLANG.
[Appleton's Journal I

Some of our readers may recall one of
Punch's society pictures, which depicts an
English and an American young woman play
ing billiards, with legend below which ran,
as nearly as we can recollect, as follows ::
American girl-Oh, what horrible scratch !!
English girl (much shocked)-You should
not talk like that; tbat's slang; say what
beastly fuke." Punch always SO keen, watch
full and truthful, never sent an arrow more
directly to the mark than in this instance.
The sensitiveness of our English friends in
regard to American slang and American man
ners would entitle them to admiration were
they not all the time the most Obtuse people
in the world to their own errors and short
comipgs Of the same nature.
Wholly satisfied with their own mode of
saying and doing things, they seem to have
set their hearts upon exposing our social de-
iciencies and upon trying-we suppose this
must be their object-to reform them. The
latest showing up we have is the current
number OF Temple Bar, where we learn in q
story how one smith fell in love with "a
bea utiful Yankee" and how the fascinating
young person talked and conducted herself.
The hero first sees our countrywoman at the
table d'hote at Trouville and Is Immediately
struck with her exquisite beauty and faultless
dressing, and watches eagerly for her to speak,
to hear the words cripple through the little
coral lips," and is astonished when she does
speak, that instead of the words tripping
through The little coral lips, they descend un-
mistakably through chiseled nostrils.
After the accomplishment of this wonderful
feat, the beautiful Yankee astonishes our hero
by sundry strange utterances- talking about
her mother being 'real SICK" asserting that
Trouvile sis right elegant place and the
company most refined, declaring she is ''pas-
It, IS dan thcfov n inn
all of which Mr.. Smith, still fascinated, seeks
an acquaintance with the queer speaking
lady. Then follows filtration, of course.
1t is true the charming Yankee pronounces
Europe "Yrrup," America "Amurrica," and
Paris "Parlis;' is invited to dance, and talks
about the Boston Slow the "New York
slide" the Saratoga swoop,' and says to her
partner, 81 reckon if you don't squeeze me
tighter, Mr.. Smith, l shall slide;" talks
about ''piggy young lady"-here we have
made blunder; second look shows us That
it is not the Yankee that talks about "a piggy
young lady," but one of the immaculate Eng
lishmen OF the story who, in referring to the
fact that our Yankee Venus is the daughter
of a pork merchant, thus characterlslng her,
and SO on.
Our smitten Mr.. Smith is dazzled by the
beauty and strange sayings of his divinity,
but doesn't win her. Queer and vulgar as the
daughter of a pork merchant is, Mr. Smith
is not alone in his admiration. his making
the seventeenth proposal she had received
that year alone the sixty-ninth being the
grand total. 1t is refreshing to know that q
pretty American woman can make SO many
conquests, not withstanding the drawback of
vulgarity and slang. It would not be q bad
idea for some of our story writers to amplify
the idea in the Punch anecdote with which we
begin this paragraph and write q story in
which the slang and manners Of an English
young woman, shall be set "cheek by jowl
with the slang and manners of an American.
1t is only in this way tbat people on both
sides of the Atlantic can be brought to see
themselves as others see them.