Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-11-11
! PECULIAR PHRASES. |
TrE KIND OF EXPRESSIONS USED
BY OUR SOCIETY, DARLINas.

-~A-----4H
Words Applied in Way Which Would
Astoni', the Dictionary Makers-Ex-
Carnations of Dizzy Dudes--f'ct Slang
Phrases of Fair Niaidcns.
"Ihan;s awfully," SAYS the society maiden
OF Gotham when some favored youth sends
her $50 bouquet for the german, and she
meets him before the dance with the flowers
in her pretty hand and 4 Acwitchilg smile.
Sh6 doesn't stop to thin that thanks" i,
shInSy, and that awful means terrible or
fearful. Neither does th youth, although lie
| m think tie florists bill really awful
Any one listening with critical ear to the
conversation az a fashionable gathering will
he ar many words uscd in q way not spoken
ct by any Of the great dictionary makers, and
the foreigner Who comes here for q few
months and is admitted int the charmed
circle Is often bowildered by the strangeness
of the language
Isn't Miss So-and- SO just awfully grace
full" remarked a pretty girl at a Delmonico
ball last winter to an Austrian count, with
whom she was promenading. lie was so be-
nildcrcl that ho stood still for u few mo-
n"IitS, and then he stole away to the snrk-
ing room, took cut his little pocket diction.
any and read, Awful: that which strikes
with rCFercntlal fear" and after learning
this well, went back to the ball room and
told another Young lady th"t he thought
Miss S0-and-So was 'Tevcrcntinllv. strikn~ly
graceful" which The young lady thought was
an exquisite compliment, put in such "a neat
way, YOU know
LArpED INTO CONVERSATION
The constant use of the phras,, ..you know
lar,ed into all conversation at an interval of
every two or three words needs the courage
of score of Stunewall Jacksons to crush it
with replies of Il beg your pardon, but l
don't Know" for half the time the subject
spoken to docs not know, and if he does,
what Is the use Of pounding the fact into him
a every breathing place, y reply TO this d.
| Il lhfTl mode Of address has Just lccn i'm
ported from ENGLAND, ard every YOU know"
Is greeted with Just fancy" generally pro-
| nounced "fawncy." If these two phrases
were reversed there might he some reason for
their being, for the story teller should be told
lie knew and the recipient asked TO Just
fancy the situation of the story.
A favoritc mode of address used hy Young
ladies to the young men of their acpuaint-
ancc Is My dear child" spoken in a rather
patTon!zuE tone of voice with a Tr,ttv
dlawL The Young man seldom Objects to
this, but returns the compliment with an en-
phas Ted Now. really" when the young lady
Is leoturinE him about the path he should
follow.
But the Too sweet for anythings" applied
To- men, caramelS, flowers, dresses, dogs,
babies and dozen other objects. the "EX-
quiSltcly ravIshlns' describing pelmonico
lunch. prima douna's voice, or new hon
u"i from Rotiri-Uc's, and tho similar absurd
Vet l'cwitChInC slang used by the girls in 50
yicty Is far outionc by the young men about
town. These Young men have little else to
do except go 10 the club and invent new
slang words. The classic expression "By
Juyo~ Is still used but only as an cntrcc or
s:ir dish, as it were. dreadful bore" An
tiGucly antique" and such phrases are per
united, hut the new expressions are most in
vogue.
SWEARING by MY CANE"
When Young man swcars "by my cane"
he goes to the extreme limit allowed His
cane is his most cherished possession, and his
comrades know that when he swcars by it he
means it.
ooh. cats eye!" is an exclamation used in
contempt and deriSion 1t has its origin in
tho knickcrbockcr club. Que of the mem
hers had a wonderful ring, that was set with
a cats eye and that seemed to change color
at every movement, as though it were a real
eye The ring on examination was found to
he set with yellow and brown sand in tiny
glass globe that revolved by spring attach
mcnt.
" hen one of these dear individuals wakes
IN the morning and does not find his cold
bath ready and his trousers newly ironed he
eNclaims: BY the Prince of Wales! what
do YOU mean and the valet who is generally
English, is so thoroughly frightened at the
mention of H. R. He name that he is in
stantly subdued.
The Guvnor' is no longer considered
proper term to apply to ones father He is
now called the pater, and the mother Is desig-
mated as the madame or the mater Tin
l. too obsolete word for money, and so
new one has been found Have Won few
trutIlcs to spare to-day. old chappie| Not
a traf. my hoy Got cleared out at Del's last
night" Is the way it is spoken now
There are hundred new slangy words and
expressions added to the fashionable vocabu-
larry and some impecunious but noble youth
of Murray Hill might make a fortune GETTING
up dictionary of them called a KEY to
Conversation in Polite Circles New York
Journal