The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-09-28
SLANG OF THE PERIOD.
Vuigarisms of To-day that Were Elegant
Words of Yesterday.

the age OF slang. But alter all what
is called slang is frequently the Civ.
ing of new meaning to old words
Or the invention of new words from
old roots. The slang of to-day be-
comes the elegant language of to-
morrow. 1t is interesting to note
how many of the commonest words
and even phrases which were once
regarded as slangy and elegant be.
came part of the polite language Of
the times. Words. like lives, have
a biography. Many words, indeed,
have histories which are histories OF
important persons and events in the
affairs of the world. This makes
the history of word often as inter.
esting and as valuable as that of in
dividuals.
"Dun" is a word now whose
meaning is known to every one who
understands the English language.
Too many wish they did not know
it. Yet at the beginning of this CEN
fury it was unknown as a verb.
About that time constable IN Eng
land named John Dun, became cele-
brated as frst-class collector of bad
accounts, When others would fail
to collect a bad debt, Dun would be
sure to get it out of the debtor. So
we'll known did this become that
people from the surrounding country
sent him their accounts when they
could not collect them. 1t soon
passed into current phrase that
when a person owed money and did
not pay when asked, he would have
to be "Dunned." Hence it soon
became common in such cases to
say, "You will have to Dun so and
so if you wish to collect your money!"
Until the nomination of Franklin
Pierce for the Presidency the word
'out-sider" was unknown. The
committee on Credentials came in to
make its report and could not get
into the hall because of the crowd of
people who we're not members of
the convention. The Chairman of
the convention asked if the commit
tee was ready to report, and the
Chairman of the committee answered:
eyes, Mr.. Chairman; but the COM
mittee is unable to get inside on ac-
count Of the crowd and pressure OF
these outsiders. The newspaper
reporters, ever ready to appreciate
good word or phrase, took up the
word and used it. Since then it has
been common word, and we could
not do without it. Boom" in its
new sense of meaning a popular
clamor for man, or for any question
or movement, is recent word-be-
ing first used as such in 1880. Grant
was being run for a third term. This
brought out bitter opposition, even
among republicans. One paper said
the movement was like a boom
across a swollen stream, taking in all
that was worth having. A St. Louis
paper took it up and said the third
term movement was properly called
a boom, as it raked In everything on
the top of the muddy stream of pol
itics, mostly trash and scum. This
gave a new meaning to the word.
Since then it has been in common
use as such.
"Chestnuts," in reference to re.
peating stories which are old, is a
new word, and not much can be said
in its favor except that, being a word
that is not inelegant either in sound
or origin. and expressing so much
in two syllables, it has probably come
to stay with us. Its origin is not
positively known, and only two
probable sources are given. One is
that some shrewd wit, seeing an
analogy between the propensity of a
Joke to become stale and flat quickly
and the chestnut to become wormy
in a few days, applied the WORD
"chestnuts" to joke when repeated
too often and palmed off as new or
a company which had heard it sc
frequently as to become bored. This
may be its origin, but l am inclined
to attribute it to the other alleged
source-to wit: that a theatrical
party travelling on train, and trying
to beguile the weary hours by read.
ing and telling stories, bought lol
of chestnuts at station to help pass
the time. A member OF the company
proposed that they tell stories, anc
that whoever told a story that hac
been told recently should be pelted
with chestnuts. A little bell in the
party was to be rung whenever q
stale joke was perpetrated as sigma
that all we're to fling a chestnut al
the offender. This is said to be the
origin both of the phrase and Of the
chestnut bell craze which ragged ovel
the entire country four years ago.
"You are daisy" is considered
very slangy by those who use it in
discriminatory; and often times it is.
But if used in the sense in which its
inventor, if l may so speak Of q
word. Charles Dickens, intended
it, 1t is good and forcible word. In
David Copperfeld' it Is first used
in the sense of calling a person a
daisy in way to express admira
tion, and, at the same time, to laugh
at, ones credulity. Steer forth says
to young Copperfeld: David, my
daisy, you are innocent of the world.
Let me call you my daisy, as it is So