The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1878-11-28
-IhIri-s Nackay iH Special N"ir-.''I
FASHIONABLE SLANG.
How Genteel People Allow Their Con
vcFSatiom Ia Be Deba<-d lHi
Disgrdctd.

That the dir.y c,-sspbDlsuf fsllnIsiIIuld
empty themselves into the clear river of
classical English IS a result of our mDl-
cTn manner. which Is much to be dr-
. plored. and against which the leaders
OF society should set themselves rs r5-s-
olutrly as they do against other breach
. - of dccor1im ami good manners. The
. vulgar among the middle and upper
. GLASSES affect eXaggeTati0n in their eX-
plctiycs. Very good AMI very bad
are phrases that are very seldom heard
having been superseded hy such words
as awful and -lrcadfGl.' \ very
. pretty girl is an G'cfHlly pretty girl, or
Il dre1aJHiig fine woman. Our
golden youth, male and female, as well
aS the lower grade of people who ape
their manners and Language are at
some times PAINFULLY jolly at other
. times "dre0dtHiiy bored. Il was at an
. uIrfHity nice dinner party last night.
saws one. "Eou should see the new
/ farce says another; 1t is ScredmiIigiy
! funny" Il am going down to Bright
( Oh next week SAWS third; 1T is 50
/ jolly hy the briny" While young la
/ dy acceptinga bouquet from an admirer
she graciOuSlV acknowledges the gift
Q ~ III XIV Nb4fiH- kbll- AAlftllh N'Al ~
much Tii, IUfulIy Ia ," II is an
other Characteristic of the present time
I that vOu!Ig Deuple-at least in company
or the ordinary current of conversation
-ncycr talk Of "friendship" OF love"
Those old words are antiquated, and
| il is almost as contrary to good man
ncr5 To- mention them as il would he to
speak Of the cOmmoneSt functions of
nature. Fashion often disguises what
il ha la SAY in this respect under syn
0nyms derived from the gutter. Il am
uAgfHily GOred in general society," said
{; lady of title; but 1 enjoy myself
immensely among my pais." .'He is a
great dily of mime" sad one member
of Parliament to another, as if he were
afraid of believing in friendship and
both To utter its name. Love fares
still worse than friendship in 1873.
jerks is aWful!y SpDOHy upon Miss
Jones" saws one. Well replied his
companions. "She is I'M immensely fine
girl, bat she lIas no tin" Il can't UNI
derStand," SAYS SnOb the first 10 SnOb
the second, How a fellow can 90
SyOOniHy about girl that hasn't got Il
penny Ia bless herself with; and SnOb
the second replies: Nor ! either.
Neither can ! understand how that
dfpfiU ass (JOneS or Robinson, as the
case may be- can spoon about his own
wife as he does after being married
two wears Two words de-
rived from the stable are constantly
heard from the mouths of men who
may have studied at Oxford or Cam
bridge, who may hold commissions in
the army OF navy, OF he high in the civil
service of the crown, or who may 9th
wise rank hOnOrably i'll the estimation
of the world and society. These words
are groom" and "fOrm." \ fashion,
able newspaper, noted for its excellent
caricItIres of the nOtables of the day,
writes of Il lady, whose name shall not
he repeated: 'She is fair, and splendid,
and has prGfusiOn of hair, which she
grCOHIS in the plaineSt way, without
fringe" Look at that little fiIy." says
a vulgarman in a iiall room, chow nice
" she is grOOmed." Form" in the
stable signifies state of health and
general condition of horse. The
word is of such modern acceptance as
to DE unknown not only to Captain
GrOse in the last century, but to the
cOmpileTS of lIOtten'S slang dictionary,
published SO lately as 1864. 1t is no
longer confined TO the race course. TO
TatteSall'S or To the stables where il
originated, but is constantly employed
to convey the idea of fashion manners,
customs and polite observance. 1t is
not good form" to arrive too late to
dinner, to dance with animation, or to
applaud heartily at the opera, etc
1t is good form however, to call Il
hat a tile, a child Il Rid, money dibs, Il I
father a retieoiag oticer, mother or
wife an Oid gCOHGIl, a cigar a aDeed.
clothes toys, a pocket handkerchief Il
2Cipe, a cravat chOker, shilling Il
bob, e2j a pony, etc, etc. That man of
superior culture, by frequenting low
society should pick up the words of
their associates, is Ineligible, but |
when out of such society they should |
repeat and 10 proud of tho vulgarity |
which they have caught as they would !
catch fever, is no more To be under
stood than that a gen .leman should !
like To be considered Il cOstermOnger or
Il chimney-SWeep.