Wichita eagle., 1888-04-29
SLANG OF THE STAGE.
VIGOROUS LANGUAGE WHICH THE
COMMUNITY ADOPTS.

COWmOiNl AOOF
| The Lower the Grade of Actor the Nor
Slang He Uses-A Long List of Word
and Phrases in Current Use among tn
| Fraternity.
The stage not only has its peculiar SLAM
and idioms, but is charged with furnishing
more free and original language to the com
munity than the community draws from an.
other source. The lower the grade of acto
the more slang he uses, and group of variet,
performers in conversation seem at times Il
speak in an unknown tongue.
The actor seldom refers to himself as such
he is a professional" or "fakir." If he
very bad he sometimes speaks respectfully o
himself as an artist"
His clothes are his wardrobe" Al
s'ancient wardrobe" is for a ''dreSs piece,
! and includes everything from a Roman tog'
to trunks and tights; modern wardrobe" il
for a 'sclean shirt piece" and includes modern
raiment only.
A star or manager is known among hi
company by some irreverent title, as "hl
jays" ''hs nibs,n ''her niblets," 1.-THE Ouch
ess," or ''the man with head"
Those people who are delighted to be or
familiar terms with actors, and especially
those who haunt stage doors for a word oil
smile from actresses, are "gillies, "gills,
"guys,n "chappies." 'mashers," ''chumps,
'.luEkheads" and Jugs"
Any kind of a deed il an "act," whethe,
connected with the stage or not. II see
Smith has been doing the bare bodkin act,
applies to a case of suicide "Cleveland's
sprung the veto act on them again Lang.
try's been doing the citizenship oct;" "Jones
tried the S. borrowing act on me this morn
ing" are other examples.
An actors character is his part" II it is
eccentric, original or grotesque, 1t is "char'
acter part" II he is "a good study" he mas
tiers his lines with ease; if he is "a bad study"
he finds his work laborious. long part is a
"soaker," lively one "hummer" or a
"screecher," poor one is "bum" or Start, !"
one that is left to his own discretion to supply
action is "fake part" a small one with good
opportunities is q "bit" and men who play
that line of characters are "bit actors" A
part is "fatn when it is "sure to GO" A part
is measured by 'lengths," a length being
forty-two lines of written matter or blank
verse.
Action on the stage is business" and the
word is also made to apply to other things.
An actor will refer to debt, or a watch, or
house, or a book, or his dinner, or his land
lady, as cuisines"
The lines of business for which actors en-
gage are those of star, heavy or lead, juve-
nile walking gentleman, light comedy, low
comedy, villain, eccentric, character, SOU
brette, walking lady, responsible, utility,
ballet and supernumerary, or "supe."
An actor uncertain in his part is "shaky in
his lines;" when he supplies words that do not
belong in the text, until he can recollect his
part, be is 'fishing for his lines" when be sup
plies humor he gags the part" when he has
to rely on the prompter and repeat the words
after him he swings the part" and when he
forgets entirely he "fukes," 'funks," 'flats"
OF Sticks"
A hotel is achuck mill" or "hashery;" a
small room is "can;" a lodging room is a
"den;" trunk is "bumper;" clothes are
"togs" and "duds;" hat is "dicer' or
"cady;" coat is topper" an overcoat is a
"ben;" trousers are "kicls;" a shirt is a
"smish :" shoes are skates" an umbrella is
Camp" a handkerchief is "wipe;" dia-
mond pin is spark; ring is a "circlet."
When salaries are punctually paid, as they
sometimes are in theatres, the recipients say
that "the ghost walks regularly" When
wages are not forthcoming it is said that
'sthe ghost is deadn Money is .'glue,-
sugar" "rocks," 'melty," "brads" ana
''wherewith." Silver dollars are "iron dol
lars, "buzzards," 'plunkers," ''rollers" and
whites" Small silver coins are pegs"
Beer is conversation water" and "the
soamy." Wine is ''exhilarator," ''fizz" and
.headache" Liquor is dynamite" ''lush,"
'bug juice" ''red eye" "tanglefoot, :" 'booze,"
"pizen," ruby shot stuff" ''care killer"
spain Killer hardware" ''alco" and ''de-
stroyer."
When man is drunk he Is "lush," or has
been 'communing with spirits, " taking on
CARGO 'hitting the ruby" 'biting off more
than he can chew" 'hoisting the elegant"
studying snakes" or "tampering with booze"
When trying to get trusted for drink a
man is ''bracing the bar" singing song"
"stihing his jags" and ''sparring"
II he walks from town to town the actor
shoots it." ''ties it." ''collars the pike"
uppers."
Small companies in the back country dis
tricts are "ay by nights, ""water tank shows"
"Jim Crows" "cross road concerns" or fbarn
stormers."
An express train is "fyer," freight train
a snail" passenger car a "velvet coach"
berth in sleeping coach is a Slider" A steam
boat is "Roat." An omnibus is a "rack;"
small carriage is 'fy;;" a hack is a CLOSE"
To die is to "croak, ""push clouds" plume"
''psss over" go to that bourne" ewing
hight," ''make an exit" 'go to swell the
rhorus.n leash in," "hand in his part" and
death is ''the last curtain. "-Brooklyn Eagle.