New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-01-08
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

DICTIONARY OF AMERICANIsMs. BY J9iiN H pII
BArTLEIT Fourth edition. $40 pp ST. L'ue' Dio"H'
The first edition of this work, which was
published just thirty years undertook TO FURNISH
vocabulary Of the colloquial language OF the Ohed
States. In preparing the volume the au'hof sou" uS
covered that the provipciasms OF New-Eneahu "hich
had been carried by the emgrans from those suites 10
NeyYork Ohio Indiana. Illinois, and Michigan pore
striking resemblance to the provincial and colloqua
lonouaco ot fbe northern counties Of England. Mcrc
than nine-teLths Of the cOOqual pecuiarues oi new"
England are in fact derived from Great brita'u
are now provincial in the parts from which
the early colonlsts elligrated, aud are iouhd III
writings Of the penod at which That ensfa'ioh
took place. In making his selection OF words an"
phrases the author decided not to cohnhe hlDsch "
those of purely American origin, but to hciuoe az INC
expressions which usually considered pr"Nino"o VI
vulgar, and are used in familiar conversation ""' i
seldom employed in composition. On TINS pan many
ors arc embraced which are designated as low or vui
gar or coooual IN the dictionaries as well as the terms
in the English provincial gossares ara the slang "oI
which are not mentioned by leXicographers' pu' are VA
sufficient importance deserve place Ill glossary Inc
work met with great success as TO pass to seoonu
edition IN 1859 greatly enlarged from the ofisiua'
edition while a third edition without change
was issued in the following year Since the
last revision, the eOOquial vocabulary Oh our hsu"eo
has been greatly enlarged chiefly from the ne" se''e
ments especially from the mining districts, from com
e.
slang Such words have been copiously introduced INTO
the present edition. which contains about onethrd more
matter than the preceding issue. The fact nat "ofu
is found in this dictionary is not intended by the author
as a proof of its legmae character In fact large
proportIon of the new that have been introduced
have grown out of the necessity Of the case ana arc
recognized as valid additions TO the language In some
eases word is set down which Is an exclusively EhsIsh
expression or used only by persons who are lahi"i
with English slang either IN books or conversation
.'Bumptious," fer instance ia the sense OF sell
couceted -; forward; pushing" Is ne" conner
among English cooGualisms, and has not yet mace It's
way into general use as slang term in this country
"Gumptous." to which cross-reference Is made az
SYNONYM is never used adjective in Yankee par
lance but in New England when they wish to speak OF
man as "smar" or as "cute fellow, they say he mas
.some gumpti0n." "On" instead OF "in," vicious eA-
pressiOn which have cTept into common use IN
New-York from the pralr!es che hives on broadway
81 met him on the street., che arrived on the steamer
is Justly put down Americanism pure snd SIMPLE
"On yesterday"is described as corruption common
among editors and Congressman who seem To nave TOT
gotten that yesterday is adyerb rs well as noun
'Al our newspapers contain more or less coIlOiua
words expression out of place in the volume oens
found in the preface Up. xviii instead OF among INGRAM
matical AmcTicanisms.