Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-30
ENGLISH. YOU KNOW.
What a Chicago Newspaper Man Pound in
English As ha is spoken On the other
Side of the Wat r.


YOU must pardon me for using that
word molasses. Having lived six months
In Britain should have said treacle.
study to be correct even in little matters
of this kind, but 1 find it very hard TO
conform TO English as it Is spoken this
side of the saline Tool.
Quite at random make up list of arti-
cles TO which the English assign names
differing from those we use.
That which we call a bowl is here
known as basin. In England you ask
for basin of bread and milk.
That which is known 20 US as pitcher
Is here called jug.
A donkey is here called moke: in
Amerira a mOke is a negro. Local slang
for a cab horse is leafs meat. - be-
cause the meat of horses is peddIed
around the streets for feeding 10 cats.
By-the-wav, British cats average much
larger than our American cats, and they
are notorious chicken killers. The brln-
die cat seems TO be the commonest.
What we call crackers are here called
biscuit, and l suspect that this is strictly
correct.
boots, and what we call boots are here
called the hilO, because it runs high from
the heel up back of the ankle and is cut
low in front.
Our druggist Is here a chemist, many
of the older practitioners retaining the
old spelling chymist -
What we call ale is here known as
bitter beer.
What is here known as q hash we
should call stew, and what we call
bash is here known as a miuce
In England our overcoat becomes q
great coat, our undershirt becomes
vest and our drawers becomes panta-
looms. 1t is said that when George w.
Childs, of Philadelphia, was in London a
number of years ago he walked into
haberdashery, and, seeking to appear to
be native, asked TO be shown the styles
in silk waistcoats. "Jeemes, - cried
the proprietor To his assistant, "step
this way and show this Hamerican
gentleman our fiowery weskits!''
What we call sick the Englishmsn
calls i'll; sickness here implies nausea and
vomiting. The British usage is wrong,
but the late Richard Grant White settled
the point pretty definitely. How came the
British TO fall into this perversion? 1t
was, l think because the British can 20
nowhere except by water; that travel by
water induces UNPLEASANT symptoms of
nausea and retching, which condition,
called sickness, gradually came to be re-
garded as the correct definition of the
word sickness. 1 can't imagine how the
British justify their use OF the words
hOmesick, heartsick and lovesick.
Here they call a street car a tram;
II,
and that is right.
What we call telegram is here called
a telegraph; il will probably never be
determined which of these usages is the
better.
Our postal card is here post card;
cuffs become wrists.
That material known to US as canton
flannel is here called swans down, and
our muslin is known heTeabouts as calico.
Our locomotive becomes engine and
our conductor is here guard.
What we call stewing Culinary term) |
the British call simmering; our lunch is
here luncheon and our baggage be- |
comes luggage.
Our wheat is called corn, and our corn |
is called maize, or sometimes Indian /
corn. Pigs feet are called trotlers. By |
the way. a theatrical name for bad &C
tor is rotter.
A "Chill is here called "rigor, -
and the eruption commonly known |
among US as "'hives' is here known as
'dnettle rash. - Candy is variously !
known as "sweets, - '"sweetmeats'
and "lolly. -
Writing to John Smith, your social |
equal, you are expected to address him
as John Smith, Esq; if he be your
tailor, grocer, etc. you address him as /
Mr.. John Smith.
The word ''apt' is exceedingly popu- |
lar here. It is capt 10 rain, - ''apt to /
be muddy. - a man is capt to go down |
town, a bank is capt TO suspend, "
etc. Even the best prints use this WORD /
as synonyme for ''lkely' and |
like. - Another Larlarism every |
where prevalent in the United Kingdom |
is the use Of the adverb directly for |
the conjunction las soon as ''-e g,
''directly he went out 1 shut the door -
Charles Dickens, who was quite slovenly /
az times, seems TO have been addicted to
this indefensible vice.
What does this British word cleft ten |
anti mean? should like to know.
Quite Is another hackneyed word !
here; ii is edged in upon every occasion. |
The first criticism l would pass upon |
the press of London would be for the in !
dlrectueSS of its speech. When news |
paper writer wishes 10 convey the idea |
that yesterday was q pleasant day he !
SAYS: Yesterday was not an uupleas-
ant day - a good play is ''not half |
bad - a humorous speech is "not uure-
lieved by wit rIotously applauded !
address is "not wholly unaccented by
demonstrations of approval, - and so on,
ad infin. eft al naus. Now all this sort
Of thing may be subtle and it may be
conservative, but il is not in the spirit Of
the Anglo Saxon, and it vexes me to
md so little of the Anglo Saxon in the
literature. the speech aud the practices
of the very people where 1 had thought
TO find so much.