New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-10
INANE JOCULARITIES.
WORDS AND PHRASES TO BE FORGOTTEN

Ser,ain 10 turn the Intellectual stomach than the use
0aon th,nk NJ To- adorn their conversation The
people who find IL impossible 10 sp"ak o, LII; ~,
whom lie sea is always 1.-The brny' or The herring.
pond. and horse "a fiery stced', Wno -. va rh
talk about sunday omectng' clothes, anu WIZ
have such phrases as no extra charge, "aeitate
the tintinabnatOr, Tie nOxiolis Weed ue ppe "
foreycr ON their lips are capable OF produchls Il
sense OF disgust IN tnose VINO care 10 see r,l.uhr
~ SnIcnlt 10 saw whehe these cant phrases-thut
is perfectly proper description Oh tllci-are n'ore
odious when used consciously or unconsciousiy.ui
~ by people Who believe them to be funny, ana IN
TEND that their hearers should CONSIDER hei" iu'S
or by those who dhave merely caught them up anu
rsnest them like parrots and without any Intention
good or bad. In our own opinion the use Vi bo
tink OF them as wit, though most painful In peisols
who them Ana t @s H ihnt sose who
try TO force laugh out Of such expressions US my
d0wny couch" or committing matrln1ny; room
for a little one VIII! speak Of japanning w 1h.r
trotter cases. might fairly be shot at sight, wnsn
family catches up. and used almost unconsciousfyss
such phrases as sT;nS outside She's square no ScEcn'
tie father mechanically a So Of p SydTsos all
other feelings. With such an exhibition miore our
s sgss by Mo w S S Sy De- heads As rule hcveys
people who take 10 the use OF Irrmu J1eu' az, t
b. funny with the hollow rrg9ln,ss OF a mere hn ,
tation. They have hall hearted belel IGil ny, ny
s are being rdson i4 ior talking about maternal relatives
and "peOple OF the masculine persuasion a. -. d;nr
the same. They say "Why this thusness ~ or, .
aNo Gay q '0' the 00'Ns '''' 80 ,', ..nr
AS so many people are. ocular without really
meaning it, 1t may be WORTH WINE 10 9"%'e shomld
avoid In all probability there are thousands oi
persons of most exemplary behavior, ana ol ne eN
speech Is Inadvertently srewn with the verbal auoc
frue
hibiton they often make OF themstlTes Ley ~ nos
be supposed for moment 1as Is S other Who are
stepped to the lips In jocularities The use o. Joel
iaTef Is Sy nG % pe@pe Who Would not talk about
athe Marquis Lord Hamilton WHEN they meani
nature by a drink from the flowing bowl and
declaring that they are full inside thoasn d,t tTy
have been very pcckish" All sorts ana eonoiuoh u,
of men and women boys and girls, are implicated III
our charge. and there is no class or set thar can
be held llameless. Since however, there are so
many unconscious sinners we propose as we nHHs
said above to select stme specially N p %ssd Of eon
version may have their consciences awakened ana
so be brought to better way Those VINO haNe
expressions a hundred times day will be able TO
themselves in mirrcr and I" mndc,aahG IN | d
blood We will begin with what Is perhaps ,he mos.
ghasy example IN ~ cemioD D Of what is sound
and of good repue III language Thought ana senu ht
when some one comes near TO treading on you. Ware
Is TO exclaim. with the requisite VNacN, ar
Anything disagreeably foolish ana inanely n mll
no harm In tang about eorls put TINS remote ana ha
feeble "1okele'-to borrow phrase loVea ny ,ae
}prases as Spare my bushes "to ndlte epstle,'
Ito be shot d. 10 be phoiosrapaed oo se o poe
noon. PLAYING the giddy garden goat, the best
Of everything is good enough for me- sound aImns ,
the plague. for catching and so insidous IS ihe
habit Of using 1ocularites. that man who begins
Wi, , Mare w s Another very Common and very
shocking cant phrase is lit doesn't suit my peculiar
ali air. right @cGy his little joke III like them, but
they don't like @s Now there bi sa s1emv Sfe ar
in addition. many single words, which, by derivau"n
or on3 ee ss one rank Can S be more o
rhle than the word "to0tsCme," especially when ap-
r rSss Of as oo tS Green is perhaps
the most nauseous form OF words 1t is possible 10
1.-THE saccuent chop Of commerce" which so often
passes for Wit in the eating house, when Rununs
asks Bunting what he is going to have ior dihher 'S
win perhaps he sad i nssns % Sast
reason for the disapprobatlon with which
Ing rational option win. we may fairly ASSUME ne,
agree that cheap and conventional ocnlares OF tne
nav still like to have the sources OF disgust anayzed
and investigated: In our o'lnion. one OF the CHIEF
be found in the fact that they are blurred and de-
faced by usage. They originally made OF some,
into shapeless carlcalures of their former selves;
They are. In fact, like those worn cng,avngs OF
pictures which In seaside lodgings. Inc
original picture may have been well enough, but the
ten-thousandth impression is most revolving object.
total effect is unbcara.le. When Diogcnrs. or who
eyer i was asked As,os to take po'Ef sa %l.n
thing, and sufficiently humorous. Now, how
greasy 'n as one Of the Sc notes that
pass current in Italy feeling below par again,
when Mr. Levison first let II Of at tho House TO an
admirng "runner' Now 1t Is so sorry joke that In
preston for a condition of health below normal The
brst boy. too. who COMPLAINED Of "a Lone N ms leg
but who feels inclined 10 lan=h at 1t now Turns OF
phrase intended TO I've comic are ~ very we'll ana
Se had ' in as the Shops say resas fresh' The
moment they the least bit of color they not
ioathiHg and become things as abonlna'lc as eggs
that have ceased to be f h IN bm S ca r who
replied Fresh clougl, for me, thank youD when ne
Sen ef si" broih.rparsoa exclam aDear me-
afraid your egg isn't quite fresh! We can keep
the unfreshness Of our Jokes In addition also to
those wornout jokes whose Ghosts like th chests IN
streets. and ,a'ar about with them ghastly mockry
OF fun. there iocnlaritics which We're never any
thing but vulgar and iisarsting They ar, disgust,
cannot recognize them we can only say-u we are
sense of smell that he .scines great deal No
doubt there r,m.Is when all Is said and done,
certain scope for private judgment. The best judges
Of pictures and sic quite agree In their cen
sures. For example some would condemn \ nttlr
bird told me" jocnarity. TO the present writ"r
the phrase Is so venerable and historic that he
cannot place II jocrlarities. j, was under
cover this form Of speech that our ancestors passed
70 each other some dangerous piece OF news:
Ding. a-dncding.
! heard a bird sing.
e. The Parliament soldiers
Are the King
That was how the that Monk was going TO bring
back Charles SPREAD among the people VIII" hah gown
tired of the reign OF the Saints. To condemn the
old phrase may. for all We know; be to condemn
direct mode OF expressing his meaning. The maids
who called on lertha In deep forest glades; donDt