The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1889-08-02
VERBAL CURI0SITIES.
FRANK STAUFFER'S RESEARCH AZ
TER THE ORIGIN OF WORDS.

Many Expressions That Sound Awkward
and Redundant Had n Sensible Begiu-
ning-words That Have Been Twisted
Yet Retain Their Original Significance.
The origin of some words Is as peculiar
as the subsequent detection of their
meaning is interesting. The word tariff
had queer origin. A promontory called
Tarifa, in southern Spain, juts into the
Straits of Gibraltar and commands the
entrance into the Mediterranean sea.
The ancient Moors built fortress upon
1t and levied duty on the merchandise
carried by the passing ships. This tax
was called "tarifa," which was finally
shortened to tariff. Another word with
queer origin is the word stoker In
old English "steik" means TO shut"
and stoke" to shut up" Chaucer SAYS:
Then hatlst thou the gate stoke" shut.
The man on the engine who puts the
coal into the furnace, and then stokes"
the door, becomes "stoker," or shut
up-er
COMMON SkLUTATIoN.
Tie annual fair in the Isle of Ely was
called st. Audreys fair, and much ordi-
nary but snowy lace was sold to the
country lasses. st. Audrey's lace soon
became proverbial, and from that cause
taudry, corruption of st. Audrey, was
established as a common expression to
denote not only cheap lace, but any other
part Of female dress which was more
gaudy in appearance than warranted by
its quality or value. We now spell the
word "tawdry" and use it in the Same
sense.
The salutation, "How do you do?'
sounds like an awkward and redundant
sentence, and yet its origin was n sensi-
bic one. Dow IN old English, pro-
nounced do, means ito be able" "to
thrive" "to prosper. 1t should not
suggest redundancy, for it is equivalent
to saying, "How do you thrivey" "How
do you prosper The colloquialism,
"He is a do-less (dow -less) fellow" had
the same origin, and means one who is
too weak or shiftless to prosper.
When. as Americans, we use the word
cute IN the sense of "clever" or "sharp,"
we keep within the legitimate, which
cannot be said when we use it instead of
pretty. "Ain't it cutter has been adopt.
ed by the fair sex to an exasperating ex-
tent. When we hear aspeaker say ''sist-
rem (sisters) we consider him lacking in
education. 1t is as legitimate word as
brethren and both words date back to
the time of Chaucer, who called the
fates "the fatal sistren."
RIGHT TO SAY "ANYwHEN"
If it is proper to say "anyhow" and
Anywhere" why is it not proper to say
''anywhen?' The others merely survived
it, for Mackay quotes the expression, Il
will talk the matter over with you any
where and anywhen." "Craft" and
cunning" at one time stood for "skill''
and liability" The word "botcb," ap-
piled TO bad workman or his work, is
from the word "bauch," meaning indif-
ferent. Putting the cart before the
horse" a common expression for begin
ming to do u thing at the wrong end,
was in use as early as 1888, and first APP
peared in the Greek of Lucien, nearly
1900 years ago.
"Vamose," Il slang expression which
the Spanish vamos, "let us CO." To
"bully," meaning to worry or torment
in staggering manner, is said to have
been derived from the noisy way in
which drovers take bullocks to market.
Bogus is corruption of Borgese, the
name of man who at one time flooded
the west and southwest with counterfeit
money. Bother is said to have been
first used by sergeant. who cried out
to two incessant takers, one at each ear
Don't both ear me-"
Cantoen is one of the few words in the
English language which passed into q
foreign tongue and was afterwards taken
back In modified form. The Saxon
called it "tincan," but the Gaul. as il
wont, placed the noun before the adiec.
tive, and pronounced the as e, thus
rendering it canteen. 1t became French
military term, and the English incorpo.
rated it among their military terms. The
changes that have occurred in the Eng.
lish language are remarkable. Goinl
back to the time of Queen Elizabeth, we
can readily note them. In the time OF
Chaucer and Cover, little more than SOC
years ago, the dialect has half foreign
look, while as early as the days of King
Alfred it is unintelligible without thu
aid of u glossary. Frank s. Stauffer il
Detroit Free Press.