The sun., 1894-01-29
rnE CENTURY DICTIONARY "Jls."
Baltimore md New Maven Critc- show It
to II. Excessive and wrrnr.


to II. Excessive and WrUns.
New HAVEN. Jan. 2S-Taking the same
ground with THE SuS's recent article entitled
There Are Jags and JaRs." IA Baltimore critic
questions tho accuracy Of the Century Die
tionnry' definition OF the word jag" namely.
a jng Is as much liquor as one can carry ms
to have lag on hence q drunken condition"
He hns plenty OF chronological friends In this
city who are ready to back his opinion for all
they are worth and against tho world. As for
that matter. any New Highlander who Is at all
acquainted with quaint archaic modes OF
speech ia the back country Connecticut hill
towns will rack 1t also.
Tho venerable Journal and Courier OF this
town ably and earnestly discusses the critics
view in n long editorial article entitled Jag
and Load" and comedies with IL exactly. The
baltimore man contends that the definition is
subtly and vitality inaccurate: that a man with
a. Jag on is not drunk: that he has not tax en-
more than he can carry. and that 1t Is only
after he hns taken too much that he may be
properly spoken OF as having a load on" He
cites DIR. Edward ERgleston's studied and ex.
haustivo Investigation OF the word lag in proof
OF the correctness Of the Baltimore assertion:
The Doctor. while visiting a remote and
sequestered part OF England last year. where
pack horses are still in use. took noto that the
local name for the packhorse mode OF trans
on @ffsPhs ,h OntonS GG SF the word
dates back into the early history OF that part
jag is used in the ancient chronicles OF the
land. IL is still popular there. but its meaning
has been shaded somewhat A lag means now
part OF q load. FOR instance, IL man run
dies a half or. n quarter Of u wagon load to
market h" calls it Il jnG And 30. reasoning
from small things to mighty ones. = Ioea,
was impelled to apply tho terms in this way:
aiag is halt drunk ~ load is several laGs "a
sense. a man with a Jag is running before u
still wind. with John Bareycorn ;or Dil0t. with
u wet sheet and flowing sea and merrily. oh !
but in no jeopardy; whereas, man loaded is
beating in heavy weather. with pumps going.
masts gone, aud rigging tattered. iurchinx. or
straininC in imminent peri OF laundering. or
ready to 20 on his beam ends.
In corroboration OF the Doctors findings the
JOiUndt and Courier argues that III rural New
England a Jag Is n small load that II Is com +:
mon to hear farmers speak OF lag OF hay.
What tSs wagon % SHO% Womb carry" That's a. true
as preaching. as every Nutmeg State rural OBJ
The Elm City Journal continues: And
in this university town. contre OF true
learning and OF much discriminntion In re-
gard to the various degrees OF drunkenness.
the distinction between n rag and load Is
clearly recognized. jag Is mostly used here
to desert be states 81 drunkenness In which the
pressions big Jag and horrible rag are are
the ae idss TO ns
has attained proportions which do not usually
belong to JnEs. The distinction between lag
of New Haven. The other day police m an
in the City Court who was asked to describe
the condition OF a man accused OF drupksn-
ness repled that he cuuldn't really call hi IN
loaded. but lie had lag on. Here We have tho
discrimination exactly made by an expert in
experience and description"
IL thinks the Century dictionary should p1S-
ceed to revise ltsoli and revise also i,s denni.
drink I'M Gibed sometimes OF food taken.
that orprcsscs or is more than can be borno
comfortably or with propriety.'
~,
part OF Connecticut farmers. especially in the
northern and eastern quarters OF tn" state.
than their practice OF speaking OF n rart OF u
load Of auv portable commodity. "A little load.
as being u ing; in fact they very rarely use
any other word in connection with II. IL Is note
worthy. too ~ tact that Is manifest to readers
OF Thomas Hardy's novels that great num-
bcr OF quaint. antique. pithy old terms peculiar
to the dialect OF the NesseN part Of the hep,
tarchy. still survive in remote rural hill
towns Of Connecticut and Massachusetts,
Among the Connecticut hills there Is No word
that is more popular than traipsing sin
TO 'galiivanting "a word that is often on the
tongue Of Hardys story characters.