The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-06-18

An odd thing about intersections is
that very few people know what they
imply when they use them. One of the
most familiar of all is the cry: 'Dear
metz which, as a comedy that had
very long run some years ago, went to
prove-though proof was not necessary
is susceptible of many interpretations
when differently spoken. Few people
are, perhaps, aware that Dear me" is
believed to be a corruption of the COM
mon French Mon Diev," through the
Italian 'Dio Mic" These words, when
quickly pronounced, sound much like
the often heard Dear me" and are sup
posed to have originated the
phrases; while the companion cry,
80, dear me!' is said to be
the English form of LAY de mi!''
How it happens that words and phrases
from all countries have been pressed
into service by English speakers is a
matter which it would be very difficult
to explain; but the fact remains. One
frequent explanation is borrowed from
1.-THE unspeakable Turk as Mr.. Glad
stone used to call the subjects of the
Sultan few years ago. This is ''bosh!"
for ''bosh'' is the pure Turkish for
empty" There are so many ways of
telling man he is mistaken, or is talk
ING nonsense, that it is strange that the
Turkish method should have been
adopted. ''Jingo' is another Oriental
term, corruption of ''Jenco." which
means the devil. by jingo' is en-
ployed by many people who never sup
pose that they approach to what is COM
prehensiyely called swearing or to the
use of bad language. Many innocent
sounding expressions have a strong
meaning. while, on the other hand, many
strong sounding expressions are perfect
ly innocent. If little boy said, for in
stance, that he didn't care DAM" he
would probably get into trouble, yet
there is no harm in the phrase, except
of course, that don't care" came to a
bad end. A dam" is a small Indian
coin of trifling value; not to ''care a
dam is no to care twopence. Among
the lower classes, ''drat 'em'-or drat
him or her, as the case may
be-is very often employed to
give vent to discomfort or reproof; and
this has a serious significance. ''Drat
en- is a contraction of May the gods
uproot them" and the now extinct "Od'
rot 'em'-eXtinct unless by chance it
fingers among some old-fashioned peo-
pie in out-of-the-way districts-is an
other form of the same imprecahon.
Fools, cd rot 'em'' were 1.-The last
| words of Higginbottom" in a famous
| poem, but it is probable that since Hig-
ginbOttom not very many people have
used the phrase. 'Hurrah!" is another
interiection that had powerful signiti-
canoe. 1t was an appeal to the God
Thor, and was derived from the words
..Tur ale" or Thor aid. y Utterino
| this battle cry believers in the god
| dashed upon their foes. Little does the
| Young lady who cries ''Hurrah' to eel
citrate some such little triumph as the
return or failure to return ball at lawn
tennis know that she is invoking the alC
| of the mighty divinity and proclaiming
herself to be heather. Few huntsmen
| would be ready to credit the assertion
that they talked French to their hounds.
| 1t Is not possible to guess what Mr.. Jor-
rocks would have said if any one had
told him that when he cried ~ oricksn'
to the Handley-cross pack he was adopt
| inc the language of nation for which
he had profound contempt In one O
| his burlesques Robson, after remarklns
that some one had been talking IL
heroics," used to pause to inquire, will
the air of one who sought the solution o
a puzzle: Il wonder what that hunts
man meant by yo-icks?" That is no
the orthodox pronunciation, nor are tn
cries of huntsmen and whips to be trans
lated into the alphabet; but "hoix,'-
yoicks, as it is more generally spelled
is form of ''haut-ici," and ''halloo!"
"auloupr'- the wolf The meaning
of the halloo, therefore, has in no wa.
altered. When a wolf was found tn
Normans cried "Auloup!" to guide tn
wolf hounds to their quarry. When
fox is viewed away at the present tim
halloo is given by the whip OF by some
body elsa somebody very often VIII
halioos in the wrong place, and does ia
more harm than good-but this is by tn
way. To the sportsmen the two shout
sound much alike, and to hounds, al
cient and modern. who do not diScrin
mate in the matter OF spelling, theT
can have been no difference at al
.'Hark forrard'' again, is derived froi
the old cry, "a qui forbeurr -Lonado
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