Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-03-13
Some Slang Phrases.
Harper's Weekly.

The word slang had very low origin.
It was derived from the Norman slgnqge-
or slang or insulting words). and this,
when connected with the Latin word
Hngua (tongue) signitied the bad langu-
age our forefathers supposed the gyp-
sizes INDUCED in. 1t then became syn
onymous for every word used in ~
thief's vocabulary: but as beth gypsies
and thieves are not without great deal
of mother-wit, the word slang, original
ly their property, was borrowed from
them by their respectable neighbors,
and applied to all phrases of pithy
and familiar nature, whether coarse or
ref.,ed, that expressed in one or u few
brief words definite, unmistakable
meaning, which brought picture be-
fore the mind, and there fixed the inn
preston it was desired to convey.
The origin Of some of these phras es
is curious and interesting. Take, for
instance, the familiar expression. "You
can not say 30 to goose" How Of
ten have we relieved our feelings of ir-
ritation at the weakness of others by
hurting this phrase at them! Had they
only known its origin, they could have
paid us back in our own coin, and
made us feel very small indeed. But
though we almost hesitate to arm them
with weapon which they may turn
against ourselves, we must be conscien-
tious, and do what we have undertaken.
The story is this: When Ben Jonson,
the dramatst, was introduced to n
nobleman, the peer was so struck with
his homely appearance that he ex-
claimed, "What. you are Ben Jonson
Why, you look as if you could not 30 4!
to a goose" "Bo" exclaimed the
witty dramatist, turning to the peer and
making his bow.
From geese we pass on to cats, which
are very emblematic in slang, and in
the phrase, Letting the cat out of the
bag" we are reminded of its thievish
ancestry: at was formerly q trick
among country folks to substitute cat
for a sucking pig. and bring it in bag
to market. If any greenhorn chose to
buy a pig in It roke-that is, blind
bargain without examining the contents
of the bag-all very well; but if he
opened the sack, he let the cat out of
the bag. and the trick was discovered"
And so the phrase passed into common
use as applying to any one who let out
a secret. "Who will bell the cat? ?" be-
came another popular phrase, and is
taken from the fable Of the cunning old
mouse who suggested that they should
hang bell round the cats neck, so that
due warning might be had Of her ap-
proach. The idea was approved of by
all the mice assembled; there was only
one drawback to it-who was to hang
the bell round the cats neck? or, in
shorter words, who was to bell the cat
Not one Of them was found ready to
run the risk of sacrificing his own life
for the safety of the others, which is
now the recognized meaning of the
proverb. Fighting like Kilkenny
cats is another slang simile, taken
from story that two cats once fought
so ferociously in a saw-pit that they left
behind them but their tails-which
story is an allegory, and supposed to
represent two towns III Kilkenny that
commended so "stoutly about boundar-
les and rights to the end of the seven
teenth century that they mutually I'M
poverished each other
DRAW it mild" and Come IL
strong" have their origin in music, be-
ing the terms used by tie leader of an
orchestra when he wishes his violin
players to play loud or gently. From
this they have passed into synonyms
for exaggerstors or boosters, who are
requested either to moderate their
statements or to astoni>h their audi
ence. -,
"Thave a bone to pick with you" is
a phrase that is uncompllmentary to
the ladies at starting. 1t means, as Is