Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-11-13
SLANG LANGUAGE,
The Evolution of Coarse Tramp and
Gypsy Vernacular.

Gypsy yernacular.
vi late years literature and society
have shown an unmistakable tendency
todisinter from the unliterary depths of
the still current speech of the very low
est classes of the people many hundreds
of words that are not to be found in the
dictionaries. These words, or most of
them, were formerly known as cant"
Flash, ""pedlars,' Greek, h"jargon,"
''gibberish, but are now included I'M
der the generic name of slang" But
the slang of our times is by no means
confined to these anachronisms and in
clude many legitimate meanings and
used by sense sometimes ludicrous
aud always offensive to a refined ear
and correct taste; such as the
substitution of "dreadfully,n ''aw-
fully" and other expletiyes of
similarly .'forcible feebleness," for the
good old word very" as in such CON-
mon phrases as an lawfully pretty
girl" an lawfully funny joke" a
"dreadfully fine woman" a scream
ing farce a ''marrow-freezing TRACE
dyn-all of which expressions are
slang of the worst kind. Slang" that
was formerly confined to tramps, beg
CARS, gypsies and thieves, and in II
modified degree and of a somewhat diff
fererent origin and species, to trade and
professional people. when confidentially
speaking to one another of the prac-
tees and mysteries of their various
callinrs, has in our day-and more
especially within the last half century
Invaded the educated and semi-edu-
Gated classes in England, America
and France. and all free countries, al
though it has not yet, to any thing like
the same extent, permeated the liter
erature and conversation of the Euro
pean nations other than the two
named, where liberty has more or less
degenerated into license, both in speech
and action. Democracy, that is RAM
pant in these three great nations, Is
the real parent of vulgar slang, as 1t
threatens to be of many other anomalies
and abuses, until time perhaps
rapidly approaching for all three, when
public calamity, perpleXities, war and
revolution shall turn the thoughts and
language of men and women into a
more elevated channel than that in
which peace, prosperity and concomi-
tant luxury and corruption have caused
them to flow BlGck1c0ods Mdgaztne.
Old lady (on "Germanic" while
waiting at Queenstown)-"What are
we waiting here so long forP' Cour-
teous Gentleman-"We are waiting for
the mails, madam" Old Lady-''W ait
inc for the males, Ell! Three hours
they've kept us here waiting for the
males, and the officers grumbled shock
ingly at a poor, unprotected female
like myself being few minutes late
at Liverpool! | declare our sex will
never get their rights. Ocean.
in literature quotation is good
only when the writer whom follow
goes my way, and, being better mount
ed than I, gives me a cast, as we say;
but if l like the gay equipage so well
as to go out of my road, had better
have gone afoot. Emerson.
-Algernon lwaiting)-"Aw, say,
Bobby, what does you'ah sistah think
of me anyway" Bobby" She says
she thinks you're just too nice to live
and - "Algernon (highly elated)
"Yaasl" Bobby" An she can't see
why the authorities out of mercy don't
have you shot. "-Judge.
-" Remember, Bridget" said Miss
Clara, THAT | am out to every body
but Mr.. Sampson" A little later
Bridget answered ring at the door,
"Who was it, Bridget" asked Miss
Clara. "Young Misther Beauneeamp,
mum" And did you say that was
outp" "Yis; sed yez wee out to
livery body but Misther Sampson"