The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-04-10


Race track phrases as intricate to the
uninitiatcd as Il Fiji islanders love SONY
arc fast creeping into all walks of life
and tho slang which makes up tho yo
cabulary Of tho turfman is liable to bo
heard i'll tho social small talk of tho
day, Ill the rigid business house and fro
Qucntly i'll the clubs Where some of
the terms originated is mystery, but
tho genuine tout" speaks nothing else
and his jargon is at once interesting
and novel. Nearly all of the express
sions, like the thieves lore, probably
came from the English courses, and the
English race going people arc moro ia
mlllar with the words of tho stable boy
or lower class than tho American pa-
irons of this sport of the kings. The
running track has loaned some of it's
choice ones to tho trottcrs, and the mix
turc ut tho tracks where tho long tailed
light harness performers win stakes and
purses is combination of later years.
The modern tout" this genius be-
ing one who almost sleeps on tracks and
imparts his early morning information
to you when half of the winnings of
your bet arc promised him, can spin it
off by the yard, and some of his express
sions are indeed unique.
There she goes all to pieces, s" he
will cXclaim as the filly he has picked
to win suddenly waivers and begins to
fall to The rear. He may say something
about her shutting up like q Jack
knife" as she drops into tho ''ruck.n
which name is applied to the tail end of
thn I1ropnesiny S1n,,1l 81, q l.
proper course in running, he will i'll
form You that she has ''bolted," and he
will call her bore if she happens to
sworvc against another horse, impeding
his progress. If she should have been
pulled for some reasons he had not
learned, he may call her 'dcad r,n."
meaning that she was not intended to
win, but if he applies the word "duf-
fer TO her that means she couldn't beat
anything.
On the turf the term "dcadbeat' has
two meanings. 1t is sometimes applied
to Il horse completely exhausted and is
always applied to any man who fails
to pay his debts. In the latter sense the
turf Is 10 different from any other place
why, he'll lead from end to end"
would signify that the animal in oucs-
ton will be III front of the others from
the start to the finish Should another
horse come up suddenly and dispute
every inch of the way, the newcomer is
sad to challenge" the other, and when
he arrives alongside of him and there
is no difference between their noses from
the stand the two are racing "head and
head. " 1t might seem to be Il breach of
etiquette to hear Il man say that some
old horse is the "swelest maiden on
the track. This would indicate that the
horse Is the best one that has never won
Il race
Should a track follower tell You that
he saw certain horse out for Il 'spipc
opener" i'll the morning but he didn't
negotiate" well, he is intending to
convey the information that in the
morning exercise the horse would not
jump or run we'll
The betting terms on the track are
quite amusing, and some of the express
slons for amounts OF money are on Il par
with the super" "bcmy," ''mush"
and other common terms among the
light fingered gentry. II run a pony
INTO century and then dropped the
whole thing trying to run it into a
monkey. The pony is $50, the century
800 and the monkey $500 Should he
have won the last bet, and the book
maker, taking time by the forclock and
his cashboX by the handle, disappeared
without paying off, the dishonest gen
tlcman would have carried the name
''wclcher' around with him the rest of
his life. The words ''cinch, " moral"
lead pipe" and a few others not unlike
them are used to Indicate that IL horse
cannot lose unless he should fall down.
Town hands down. is to reach the
wire first without effort or lin IL bloody
cantcr, us IL track follower might OBJ
serve i'll his philosophical way And
when they say q boolimaker-th man
who lays odds against your Judgment
is rounding" up his book they mean
he is trying TO get money on some horses
which have not been heavily backed, so
that no matter who wins his percentage
is there just the same
Come" means Il horse which is catch
ing the leaders very rapidly and ''com-
ing again" means ono that has done
this, then fallen back and suddenly
gaining courage and speed makes an
other dash for the front. Should he
jump Oh to the hind legs of one in the
lead no will be said to have "cut him
down, F" and should horse or jockey fall
just as they are i'll sight Of the money
somebody will probably say, He came
down croppcr.
The vocabulary of the follower of tho
track is quite extensive and very catch
ing, for the pleasant little dinners after
die dcrbv or hnmdicnp has boon decided