Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-11-13
American Turf Lingo.

Americans are so very original, especially In
come over TO "whlp the Britisher" on his own
race courses we might have expected them to In
troduce perfectly new and humorousy
quaint phraSeology for the ediflcation of hOr5ey
people and the mystlfcation of everybody else.
IL Is rather disappointing, therefore, to learn
from dictionary OF glossary" which has been
compiled expressly for the patrons of horse
racing In the United States, that, as with their
horses, so with their racing terms and slang they
have scarcely anything to show that Is not OF our
production-that they have not been able to i'm
prove even upon our "welcher," an expression
which rings from the compiler the humiliating
confession that 1.-The word Is oil English origin,
as nearly all turf phrases are" 1t Is sometimes
a little difficult TO decide whether the American
or the Englishman can lay claim to the origin
OF some particular phrase; but the term "back-
end as applied to THAT portion OF the years
racing which takes place between October and
November" though 1t may sound familiar 10
English ears and may not be uncommon In
Journals devoted to sport, has an unqueStion-
ably Yankee tWang, and, so far as this country
Is concerned, Is probably an importation. AS
regards the word "burster." which the compiler
considers to be the term applicable to a severe
Iall. the schooimaster is evidently abroad on the
buster To hear the Derby described as
mile and half dash" might make a Newman
het Jockey stare but dash" In the sense Of a
race decided at the first essay, and not run In
heats is genuine American. dollars to
cents again, to express what we express by
saving that 1t is guinea to shilling
whether In favor Of or against anything under
notice." Is clearly Indigenous. The same thing
may De said OF fixed" when horse mas by
any means been put In such condition that he
cannot wia-being poisoned, or lamed or given
a pail OF water before running;" we should say
tnat the horse had been ''got att or '.Dobblei,"
and the American says so zoo, out he also, ana
p9fnaps s more commonly says axed Is
American, at any rate, and Is applied to an
arrangement under which, in a sweepstakes or
a purse race, such OF the subscribers as choose
10 do so make up second sWeep5take to be
decided by the running for the main event"
Inc Paris mutualS," as certain machines
were called which were at one time very
popular In the United States, and were legal
LED, 1t Is said, under the name of 'totaltzat0rs'
IN Australia. owe their designation, OF course
TO ludicrous mistake which converted the
words paris mutuels,n by which the betting
pet into phrase meaning something that
came from Paris. Patrol Judges" is an ey-
preston which explains itself; and, whether 1t
usually assigned to positions On the course
where the horses are out OF the ken of the
Judges OF the race" would sometimes, it has
been suggested. be very useful aids to our
United !, s.. States, there is with us also
The difficulty OF getting competent men 70
to be "pocketed" when, Through CON.
b!nation OF the riders Of other animals, he Is
placed in race behind one horse and between
Two Others, or one other and the fence, so that
cant phrase enough for what we generally un-
deTStand by ''shut In" The American term
pools Is scarcely known, If at all, ON our race
courses. The system to which the name is ap-
piled is asserted to be thoroughly Americana
though something very like It is believed to be,
and to have been for many years, In vogue
among sportsmen in midland to have "bagun
In New Orleans just before the war" The
Americans bet as. we do as well as In "pOols.'
As for 'Duck-bets, both the term and the prac-
t1ce which gave rise to 1t are apparently pecu-
liar TO the United States. where, we are told,
oets are sometimes made about horses Iinish-
Ing In a race regardless OF a place. which
are called buck bets the decision Of them be-
ing left to third person." Or perhaps the
term rather than the practice Is unknown on
our turf, where bets are occasionally laid that
one horse Will finish before another, though
neither OF them may be placed; such bets Offer
ing excellent opportunities sometimes for To-
terminable SquabbleS, very strong language
and even free fight Why at Saratoga In
the United States, The Handicapped should al
ways be mysteriouSly spoken OF as ''a man
from Ballston" Is explained In this way: the
Americans, contrary TO our practice, "keep the
name or the Handicapped or The names of handi-
Gaping committee secret" so that the late
Mr.. John MOrriSsey, who was the American
Gully, great On the turf and in the twenty-four
FOOT ring, having been asked "who made the
handicaps at Saratoga" replied With the humor
and mystery characteristic OF his kind "a man
from BalSton.' And the saying has endured to
this day.-N. JdnleS'S Gazette.