Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-08-28
THE GENESIS OF SLANG.

THE GENESIS OF SLANG.
Some of the Popular Expressions of Bygome
Days.
New York Star.l
The tendency of Americans is and has
has been for many years toward quaint
and expressive "slang!' for the terse ex-
preston of thought. A few years ago it
was popularity supposed that only the
lower classes of society INDUCED in this
form of expression, but 1t seems at pres
ent to pervade all grades, and the young
lady of Murray hill will talk of s'tips" at
Jerome park in most n onchalant way,
and suggest that you "take tumble" or
''give us a rest" with the most ingram of
Gotha ANS coarser worldlings.
Tracing these popular slang phrases to
| their origin CONSTITUTE s an interesting
study, and often leads the explorer into
the deepest depths of literature Doubt
less thousands of persons have heard the
| expression, sWhat will Mrs. Grundy say?"
vet not one in thousand is aware that it
| is found in the first scene of the first act
of Morton's favorite comedy, "Speed the
Plough "Too thin" IS often heard
when the nearer wishes to express dis
belief in story, and it may be found In
"Perigrine Pickle, which was published
in London in 1851. The expression is
also to be found in Shakespeare's ''Henry
| VIII, scene l of act v Cali cry and no
weol,'' very common slang expression,
1 = to I porf I of
Buffers ''Hudibras. The orig inal reads:
For the very often heard expression
"What are you giving me?'' Indicative Of
| disbeltef-no less source than the Bible
is responsible. 1t may be found in the
| thirty ghth chapter of Genesis.
By slightly twisting the words Gin
peius nuere,'' in that good old Latin au
thor Virgil we arrive at the saying, s'to
90 to the bad.'' "He's a BRICK" indi-
Gates that the person spoken of is a "good
| fellow and dates from an expression of
King Agesilaus, who, on certain occa-
sion pointing to his army said: "They
are the wells of Sparta. Every man you
see is brick"
| "There's millions in it," comes from
Mark Twain's novel "The Golden Age"
and Bret Harte is responsible for "Ways
| that are dark and tricks that are vain"
Many of the slang phrases in use are To-
| cal. New York is responsible for s'Y ou
bet your boots'' eyes, stree, horse
fy," "Knights of the green cloth" and
thousand like expressions.
| Twenty-Five years ago one of the popu-
lar phrases was "Syksey, take the butt"
1t had its origin in an expression by
Frank Chanfrau, as Nose in "Life in
New York" very popular play of that
period "By large majority is found
in Woolf's play of s'The Mighty Dollar"
ssStep down and out' is attributed to
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, and "Not for
JOe' is the refrain of a London concert
hall song which was very popular ten
wears ago "Dog-gone it, was borne in
Indiana.
From the immortal Shakespeare great
amount of slangis derived. In "Othello''
the bard speaksiof crocodile tears" he
also speaks of ga party" and from the
exclamation of Hamlet, "Y GU cannot play
upon me,'' comes, 'sY gu cannot play that
upon me- meaning that the person does
not accept the truth of the story. "He's
gone on her." is only another way of put
ting PoIonius' words regarding Hamlet'S
love for Ophelia, that he "Was gone, far
gone"
"Giving him taffy," is popularity sup
posed to be Of recent origin, but it is
really 200 years old, and has been in use
in London for fully that period.
| Among the men of note of the past
decade who have contributed to the slang
of the period may be mentioned Andrew
johnson, whose promise, cpl be your
Moses is still heard ''Shoo fy'' was
original with Ben Butler, as applied to
Hon. S. S. Cox. s'On the ragged edge"
is the offspring of Plymouth's pastor
Gone where the woodbine twineth'' was
invented BY Jim Fisk 'sTo hell across
lots' belong to Brigham Young. "Where
it would do the most good'' came from
Cakes Ames, when speaking OF the plac-
ing of Credit Mobilier stock. "Ihe al
mighty dollar may be found in Irving's
works, and Truthful James comes
from Bret Harte ''The regular lum tum
propah capah'' was evolved from the III
, tellectual true inwardness of Archy Cor
don, feullletonist and journalist OF this
city
The following conversation between a
couple of newsboys, in Park Row, viii
give an idea of the American form of the
English language as improved up to date.
, ri told that rooster to hump himself. )"
''Did he acknowledge the cornr :"
"'You bet.' If he hadn't I'd just put
mansard over his eye"
"'Hold you horses, hes on his muscle,
and could LAY you out ,"
! "sNot much He's only 'toddy bios
son. and 'hangs up his landlord"
eThat's small potatoes and if was
his landlord I'd sit down on him. F"
"That would be the correct thing.
y You see he's bad egg and I'll make il
; warm for him. don't you forget it,
"All right; 'let's take nip"
"Have you got the necessary"
" Eyes, met an old chap who was 'deaG
7 gone on piety, and l played innocent,
and he come down with the rhino.'
\ tits estimated that two-thirds of tn
slang now in use originated with Eng