Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-03-13
Some Slang Phrases
Harper's Week..

IL Ttto tCIIh Ct lIOIl Vic lNOI1Iltl1l SLP}}IIIP
or slang or insulting words), and this
when connected with the Latin wore
hngua (tongue), signifed the bad Iangu
age our forefathers supposed the gyp
sizes INDUCED IN. 1t then became syn
onymous for every word used ia 9
thiefs vocabulary; but as beth gypsies
and thieves are not withouta great dea-
OF mother-wit, the word slang, original
~ their property, was borrowed from
them by their respectable neighbors
and applied to all phrases of a pithy
and familiar nature, whether coarse or
refined, that expressed in one or a few
brief words definite, unmistakable
meaning, which brought picture be-
tore the mind, and there fixed the inn
preston itwas desired to convey.
i The origin Of some Of these phras es
is curious and interesting. Take for
instance, the familiar expression. 1" You
can not say 30 to goose" How Of
ten have we relieved our feelings of If
rltatlon at the weakness Of others by
hurting this phrase at them. Had they
only known It's 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 q 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 dramatist, was introduced to a
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 !!
to q goose" "Bo p 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 forme rly trick
among country folks to substitute cat
for suckingpig, and bring it in bag
to market. If any greenborn chose to
buy pig in q poke-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
q secret: Who will bell the cat?o be-
came another popular phrase, and is
taken from the fable of the cunning old
mouse who suggested that they should
hang a 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
hn boil
shorter words, who was to bell the cat Z?
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 smile, 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 in Kilkenny that
contended 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 it
strong" have their origin in music, be-
ing the terms used by the leader of an
orchestra when he wishes his violin
players to play loud or gently. From
this they have passed into synonyms
for eXaggerators Or boosters, who are
requested either to moderate their
statements or to astonish their audi
ence.
4 have bone to pick with YOU" is
q phrase that is uncomplimentary to
the ladies at starting. 1t means, as is
we'll known, having an unpleasant mat
ter to settle with you; and this is the
origin Of the phrase: cat the marriage
banquets of the Sicilian poor, the brides
father, after the meal, used to hand the
bridegroom a bone, saying: Pick this
bone, for you have taken in hand a
much harder task The gray mare
is the better horse" comes, we'll after
this last aspersion upon the fair sex, to
show that woman is paramount. The
origin Of this proverb was that man
wished to buy horse, but his wife took
"a fancy to q gray mare, and SO pertina-
ciously insisted that the gray mare was
the better horse that her husband was
obliged to yield the point. But then,
no doubt he saw that she was right in
the end, and in all probability boasted
afterward of has selection.
"To be among the gods" at theatre,
is a common phrase applied to those
who are seated near the ceiling, which
in most theatres is generally painted
blue, to represent the sky, and inhabit-
ed by rosy-faced Cupids sitting on
clouds.
First catch your hare" is the result
of q mistake It was supposed to be in
a cookery book written by certain
Mrs Glasse, and was evidently caught
hold of by some wag, who read it for,
First scatch or scradge your hare"
that is, skin and trim tan East An
CLAN wore; or else, First scotch your
hare before you jug it, that is, cut it
into small pieces, as the sentence, as it
is now quoted, is nowhere in the book.
But the wag was a clever one who gave
it the precautionary turn, as the phrase
! has done good service in warning many
to secure their prize before they ar
! range how to dispose of it. f4e +