Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1889-10-01
ORIGIN OF SOME SLANG.
INFORMATION ABOUT SOME CURIOUS
WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS.

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS.
-Das- Come. frsw .s Ensi,sh Constable
ef That ssm.-"oa,.idsr'' Arose 81 .
Political Cs.,.s,isa-r~. stories Aseai
the nssisnins ef "Ch..,na,.-
This may b. called In ono scnsc the ace
Of slang liui after all what Is called
slang IA frequently the giving Of new
meaning To old words or the invention
of new word. from old roots The slang
Of today hccomes the elegant language
OF tomorrow IL u interesting 10 note
how many Of the commoncst words aud
even phrases which were once regarded
A. slangy and inelegant became part Of
the polite language OF the times Words
like lives. have biography Many
words. indeed. have histories which are
histories Of important personagcs and
events In the Affairs Of the world This
makes the history Of a word often a. In.
tcrcsting and as valuable as tina, Of indi'
viduals
"Dun" Ia a word now whose meaning
Il known 60 every one who understands
the English language Too many wish
they did not know Il Vet No tile bcgin.
ming Of this century Il was unknown AZ
a,crh About that tine constable In
England named John Dun Became cello
bmicd a. Inst class collector II bad 40
counts When Others would fail 20 col
lcci a bad debt Dun would h. sure 10 gc,
Il out 81 the dchtor - well known did
this bccomo that I-'ople from the sur
rounding country scnt him their 40.
count. " then thvy could not collect them
IL -.uu Ias-.,i into a current phrasc that
when Jsr-on owed money and did NO,
pay when a-kc,i. be- would have o. -
~Dunncd Hence Il -oon became com.
mon In such CASES 10 ay."Nou will have
Ia Dun Sp.and-so u you wish 10 collect
your money
BOON - SEw oSG
Until the nomination 81 Franklin
Phrce for the presidency the word "out-
slider was unknown The committee
CA credentials caino In to make its 70
port and cuuld no, gcs into the hall 10
causc ~ the crowd ~ people who were
not mcmlers ~ the convention Tho
chairman ~ the convention asked u the
COMMITTEES vas rcaiy to rrport. and tho
chairman ~ the c0nu.,itics answered.
"Ycs. Mr Chairman. bat the committee
h unable o. st inside on account 81 tho
crosd and pressure ~ tho outsidcrs.'
Tho Newspaper reporters took up tho
-ord AMI used H.
"Iloim. IN IT, new sense ~ meaning
a popular clAnof for man. ~ f6f any
question or movement. l. a recent word
. --bslng Grst u-sd a. such In 1850 GIANT
was tcing run for a third term This
brought bitter opposition One paper
aid the movement was like a boom
acrrss a swollen strcam taking In all
T that was worth having \ ~ Louis
paper took 10 up. ami said the third
I term movement vas properly called a
. toouI. a. u Ulkrd in everything on tho
top ~ the muddy stream 81 politics,
mo.tly trash and scum. This gave a
new meaning % the wou
"Chcsiuuts IN reference o. repeating
stories which are old. h new and not
much can H. said Ia is favor except
that. b,iug a word that IL not inelcgani
I either in s.iund ~ origin and expressing
40 much in two syllablcs u has prob
I ably come o. siay with "a g. origin 10
not positively known and only two pnlb-
able -uurc,s are given one Is that
some shfrsd Wit. sewing an analogy u
TWEEN the propensity u a lokc 20 -
come sale and nat quickly and tho
7 chestnut a. becumc Wouny IN few
days. applied the ~ofj chestnut 10 a
Joke when repeated too often and
palmcl "a a. new on company which
bad beard % % frequently ~ 90 isconie
bur,l
Th,, may H. iis origin. but many arc
Inclined o. attributc ii ca the other al
lceoi slurcr. a. Wit That a theatrical
party. travelling on a tfaln and trying 90
bceuiic thr wrary hour. by reading and
telling stories. bought iot ~ chc,tnuts
az "a station 60 help Jas. thc time \
mrmlsr ~ thc company proposed that
thcy tell stories and that whoever told a
story that haI t-r,n told fccrutiy should
H. trltr,i with chrsiuuis 4 liiilc hyll
in tAr tary was a. H. ruug whenever a
stale joke was p.uetraiel a. signal
that ali wyTc o. ding a chestnut % tie
offender