Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1883-11-28
BAD .WORKMEN ; NiOKNAh ED.
What Skilled Tradssirsn Call Inferior
y - Hands.

3 - 3 4 + 81 !. =
Strikes bring ont The technical slang
OF the trades. aud particularly the OPP
probrious epithets with which the diff
ferent classes of workMen Distinguish
the unskilledi operatives fwhoE labor st
the same tpaies. N most casss it will
be found that these slang terms origi-
nate in some technicality of the trade.
Thus the telegrapiiers .caliiA poor ope-
rator Il plug. after the little metal
implement which divides tha switches.
on the key-boarh inasnarr&rsas the plug.
al~skeJ n-i4 4 ctrupar.atita; -drirnpof-
tant part Of the machinery. Printers
designate an anskillett type setter
''sh0elnaker" or 'sbiacksmith. Ihe
derivation of the former appcilation is
from the fact that a compo-i,or who
makes errors is obliged to correct them
after the type is set up by taking out
the misplaced letters and "pogging'
the proper ones into their places. Tail
ors slso use the word shoemaker" to
distinguish a poor hand, as an unskilled
workman takes his stitches too far
apart. and is therefore better adapted
TO sew leather, where he can punch
holes with an awl before putting Ills
needle through The appeIatjon
"blacEsmith" IS applied to printer
whose fingers are clumsy. and jewel.
er also terms an unskilled worker at his
trade "blacksm forth same rea-
son. A term Of opprobtium. which was
used by old New York printers to ades-
ignate an unskilled compos.tor, was the
word ''boarder,n from the fact that
poor hand was generally drinking
man. and spent his time loahng or
"hoarding'' in liquor saloons. All
striking tradGs-worKers in common use
the generic word ..scab'' 10 distinguish
work men who take the places of sirik-
ers. The derivation is obviously from
the fact that the scab is morbid
growth, and lives only at the eXpense.ot
the well being Of the rest OF the body.
L9mpositors cali a scab q rat in
contetnptuou5 allusiou to the rodents
who intest printing offices. The tele-
graphers have only recently invented a
term for scab operators. They call
them "coutum.sts.n though the appli-
cation is not of technical derivation,
but is probably an attempt TO manutac-
ture word from the Latin contumae.
,he root of contumacious. to describe
stubborn and obstinate person.
The various names actors e. : 10 the
ansktiEed> mem Oers OF their profession
are familiar to most of the reading
world. A poor actor is termed various
lv stick, .'fakir,' statue or
dummy A "stiekN or statue is,
naturally enough. an actor who is awk-
ward and sltt on the stage. The term
",um mMv' is derived from the fact that
when trav ling company mas not
enough members in the troupe to al up
q iatge stage. men and women are en-
ploYed 10 ststnd in the back with t'io-
rnseS of supcrnumoTaries and take no
other part. They are called ''dLsa-
mes" "Fakir' : generic form, aud
comprises those netor> who lack Ia ent
and depend upon o,h"r RESOURCES. For
instance, & comedian who makes faces
is called a 1'mugger. y and a tragedian
who bellows is a 'rauter. aud both are
"fakirs.' The professors Of the manly
art are also apt in TINS style Of romen.
clature, They call q cowardly fighter
'.autfcr- and weak or un, skilled
boxer 4 '-sand bag or a '.stuil, " tie
latter terms being derived from the
rontrivanec upon which the pugilist
does his practice. .-~ActO York Times.