The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-21
Americas Dialects,

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: I have read
| your recent editorial on the work of the Ameri-
| can Dialect Society, and IL has occurred TO mo
that may he able to make a contribution In that
| line via THE sun. have spent portion of my
life in of those remote localities " whore the
new things slow to come, and where Ian
guage is not changed much by the dictionaries
Some Of these words and expressions may be
fairly we'll known through the efforts of the dia-
lect story writer, but others | think arc very
little known. The locality IL that part of Ken
lucky between the mountains and tho Ohio
River. and the natives are generally known a.
red brush"
can remember when at school In log school
house, the greatest insult that could be put upon
us was to have some one call school butter to
us, and II 1t was another boy who did It, he was
always licked before the insult could be for
gotten. These words were part of verse which
went as follows;
Chicken nutter,
Rotten eggs for your supper
Two words quite common were "briggetty
and "focety." meaning smart and forward. An
other was "hooter "--"I don't care "A hooter."
Hate was used In the same sense, and also II
don't know hate about it," - don't care
shoetckle" was not uncommon 10 the west OF
us. AS cold rs blue hugins" expressed I'M
usually cold weather. Whip was almost invari-
in foot Les play ten like" was common
among children when they were to assume the
characters OF others in their games. The
boys always played "marvels," never marbles.
In this game were such expressions as ven or
went" or fen dubs," "knuckle." "roun's."
Then there wa. IknuckIe down." .knuekle
again; skeowwowed meant sil awry; "iookee
and .et ;" Tor ate; Sbat the eyes" for Wink;
red "or rid up" for clean up; turn on for
charge man. School always took up !" and let
out" 4 man with bad eountenance had a
KILN" dog also prevailed as terms OF mesnness.
"Ornery was OF course. the universal adjective
rSs stnGy and wa%d Tor
as were stomp" and "tTomp" for stamp and
but had va the Hs sound Mort ~ a% as soa
bucket" never coal SHUTTLE or hOd A small
wagon load OF anything WAS jag Chimney
"tremly T" or "trimly +" Was used for trembling.
Sometimes Ss a man would say his hand was all
Among vegetables it was "tomattusses" or
"martisses for tomatoes, eowcnmhers,, Tor
onions. Wainuts were "warnuts" or war
nits," mnskmelons we're mushmeiions or
was a "tagger," wraps were "wrops, and crops
were craps" In calling pigs We said "seuis;"
"quope;" turkeys answered 10 pc pes" sheep
to- co. co, co-nannie:" The milking yard was
led By the words 80" on saw" Horses were
sometimes called up by the word "cO-hO.. -
hoy" "Fotch" and " kOtch " were common a..
sometimes for touch "totch" was used
founding was a woods colt" When children
wanted to crow over each others troubles they
had a verse which went thus:
Goody. RnOdy govt
shirt talis out
ttOody, EoOdy GIN
shirt tails In.
"GOody" was also the common expression Of
satisfaction over anOther's misfortune
"Catablaased was word used In the western
part OF the state 10 express out of line. " Nom
mixed meant mixed mp: "clutterment" in
some families meant OnfnslOn, and one old man
used the word "Amsmitieal" 10 express what
WAS CmphatiCal. An odd word, heard nearer the
mountains. MAS "klhiRgiR" meaning a laAv.
slatternly woman. On Big sandy / have heard
slack twisted " used, meaning mental wrRk
ness; as the man was slack twisted" Tocruc
back 10 marbles, II Was the custom to lag fur
goes; that Is, TO roll up from taw 10 see who
would come nearest the " middle man" ana
thereby win the fret play. The marbles In tho
ring were called ducks" and the one m the
centre was the "middlemRn." TO spuuk up
20 any body Was 10 display bravery For starter
that Is enough, and N the Dialect society wants
more e can md dead OOdlins" Of h NOT luO
niles from eiVlizAttOn's centre.
"ISoHEsEEA, KY, Oct 10.