Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1894-10-23
HE%sIANGOFL0NDON
IT'S RHYMiNo FEATURE, WHICH 81
PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.

~ N""N"" w" ""|"L . 1879
mnds q oood stnra nj zhns - N,t An
offtnv Any mcnns-A Di.ssrisAoO on an
Unhnown Schemes.
BY way o. introducing tho subject let
noe promise that thoro "a certain school
Of hinhms-dwoileru fr tho most pnrt
in very unfaahionabie districts Of Lon
don--who hold that 3 policeman In plain
oi0shoa dress be ever 90 plainly. may
always be Known as such by q cursory
inspection Of his boota Whethor this
opinion Il we'll founded I know noA but
IT, existence, and also tho existence Of
rhyming elnng was brought 10 my no
tioe not long ago IN Oxford street-not
tho Oxford strict Of west endors and
Do Quincy, but Oxford street "out
etepney way" I happened 20 DO rather
stoatly shod and ! req spectacies
which are, I suppose often assumed for
The purpose Of disguise, and as I passed
by q group Of III favored ioiterors at o
street. corner I distinctly heard D Of
them remark 20 another "'Eres q tco
Dyer dick Is goggles and IS blanky
daisiesr'
walked quickly away. but tho words
remained IN my mind The opinion they
conveyed, except rs afording proof that
the speaker belonged 70 the school Of
thinkers above alluded to- did not inter
est mo 80 mucn as tho words themselves
"Teo' Is Of oourse merely an abbrovi-
alton Tor "dstective Much might be
written about dick. Il Is pure RO-
many, connected, Rs every student Of
that attractive language knows With
the Sanskrit ''drish" and the Hindoo-
stance "dekhno, meaning ito zoe "
But daisies "-being the slang form
and, as / shah show. the rhyming slang
term for "boots"-isa good specimen u
q most singular porvorsion Of the Engliah
language, which Is we'll worth tho at
tention of any one who cares about i'm
guistio oddities
Rhyming slang Is peculiar to England
and ] believe, 20 London Tho French
language, 30 rich IN slang, does not ad-
NIT Of such treatment. Il Is Of modern
origin, and ! doubt IL any trace Of it Is
10 be found IA tho records, which are
fairly plentiful Of the slang Of last CEN
fury. Nor do ! ~reoollect any instance Of
it, appearance IN the works of Dickens,
Harrison Ainsworth or Bulwer Lytton.
Rhyming slang expressions may be
divided into two classes-the simple
aud tho complex The simple method
consists In substituting for a word some
other word or phrase which rhymes with
L. Not that every one Is free to choose
bis " rhymes Usage has established
certain Fhyming slang equivalents for
certain words, and, although nc doubt
now rhymes are always being intro
duced on trial yot when one has become
recognized as belonging 20 the dialect
It can never be dislodged For instance,
the Thyming slang for "a pocket Is
''akyrOcket " and neither docket" nor
''sooket' would be tolerated The eyes
are ''mince piesi" the ear and tho nose
are oddly enough, tho frosty and
clear and the "Isuppose How, when
and why these particular rhymes were
universally adopted will never be
Known As Professor Dowden remarks
In connection with o very different sub
teck ITO tho eyes Of no diver amid the
wrecks Of time will that curious tails
man gleam. Who was Charlie Pres
oott, whose name Is immortallzed as
o synonym for "z~vaistcoat?" And why
\ should coat and trousers be concealed
under such circumstances as "Tm
AfoAt" and round tho 'ouses?'
Other examples Of what have called
the simple form Of rhyming slang are
''cat and mouse (house), elephants
trunk (drunk), bull and cow" (row),
and "I'm 80 frishy" whisky But II ]
en- asked how daisies can DO the
rhyming slang for boots" l answer
that we have hero an example Of the
second or complex form Of the jargon,
which finds It's highest development IA
the mouths Of experts Having got you
Ehyme-say, ~''skyrocket" for pocket
-yOu arc permitted. within certain III
defined limits, to make your slang
equivalent shorter and more occult by
emitting the rhyming portion Thus
pocket becomes ''sky" and daisy
roots, " the simple or first standard foru
for boots" is contracted into "dai
sizes. IN the same way no master Of th'
language would ever give brandy or gin
their primitive names, Jack the dan
dy" or ''Brian OiLynn The one Il
always referred to as Jack, " the othel
as brian " II will be seen that word
treated In this way must have q tend
ENJOY, in constant use, TO lose sight, o.
IL were. Of their original forms and &
become merged In the great a Of or
binary prosaic slang. For instance, II
act /, scene /, Of THE Cotton King
some a says that somebody has -
streak Of black across the chivvy." Al
Adelphi audience knows, Of course, tina
"obivvy" means face - but the earle
form Of the word, ''cheyy chase - be
ing now rarely II ever used, the rhym
ing original Is probably known 10 few
playgoers, aud the word "chivvy"
thus in danger Of being left with a
more poetry about IL than Is attached (
such terms as "conk" on ''boro, " CD
ordinary slang for nose
We bear a great deal about the wa.
IN which slang has invaded our CONVEX
saton and our literaturei but. In spit
Of the recent Dopularization Of the COZ
ter, ! doubt II much rhyming slang !
heard IN west end drawing rooms
And have only come eorosa exam
pie ofiE employment except occasional
iy IN a music hall song 10 what Nigh
I, DO called a literary form. There IS
! poem which bagins thus and reader
who have followed me 20 far viii On
no difficulty In t~ranslating It;
was sitting oDe night AZ The Anna Maria
Warming my plates Of meat
I When there came o knock az tho hoTy OMO0l
4 Which mado my raspberry Q
This opening makes "A wish K
q more. but ! am sorry 10 say that I %