The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-10-04
SLANG AND JARGON.
ORIGIN OF WORDS THAT BECOME A
PART OF OUR LANGUAGE.
Some Arc Ephemeral, but Others Retain
Their Popuiarity-yarious Caliings Con-
tribute TO This wordmaking-some Well
Known Examples.

] Known Examples.
Slang. new word that has no Jus
reason for existence; popular but III
, authorized word, phrase or mode of ez
| preston; the jargon of some partioula
calling or class in society. -Webster
In other words, anything In tho wa
OF word or expression not in the diction
, airy is slang" When by reason of lon
continued popularity and general usag
1t is deemed worthy of place in tn
textbook and authority of the language
it ceases to be SLANG"
1t is from the jargon of particula
,callings or classes In society that tn
English language is slowly but steadil
enriched. Tho slang phrase first become
dignified with tho term idiom, and the
it creeps into the now dictionary.
Not all slang is destined to thi
apotheosis. Much Of it is ephemeral. !
!, great deal Of it Is meaningless, silly o
weak and dies In its childhood. Acto
folk are given to the invention of ney
phrases more or less expressive, but shor
lived. The ghost walks" is one of tn
few instances of tho jargon of stageland
y, The theatrical term of makeup" /
now in general use as descriptive o
anythingstriking in personal aiornment
referring to the clothing and not to
disguise or enhancement Of tho feature
as originally. Song and dance men
acrobats, serio comics, sketch teams AM
the lower order of theatrical folk in
dulge in slang that renders their con
versation almost unintelligible For in
stance, some knockout artist was strucl
by tho similarity Of the words pardon
and pudding, and to his bright mine
the transition to "tapioca" was not diff
ficult. but there Is no probability tina
tho expression "Beg your tapioca" will
supplant II beg your pardon" In tn,
! language of the polite world.
The song and dance man may be ex
cused In summer days of bankruptcy il
calling the man with money, willing t.
spend 1t for refroslment, an "angel, ,
and this expression may in time creel
into the language, but for tho presen
, the ancient term of sucker" will suf
i! flee.
!. Circus slang was the forerunner O
the jargon Of the variety stage, and il
the good days when the "gaslit city O
, tents" was planted upon every villag,
/ green the circus folk had a language al
!, most their own.
The roots of their vernacular were tht
various parts Of the tent and equipmen
of tho show. Tho boss of the show WA
| called the "main guy," and this expires
sion has to "a certain extent survived thu
decline Of the circus, and the "mair
!. guy" is frequently heard of in work
shops.
The great cattle ranges of the Yves
havo given the world the term round
up" 1t originally referred to the an
nual gathering together of the cattle O
i various owners that they might be sepa
rated for shipment. Today In the bust
ness world it indicates an inquiry into
the affairs of firm or corporation anC
has really the Significance Of stock tax
| ing.
Thieves have gibberish 80 oxtensiv,
as to almost constitute a language. 1t j,
only understood among themselves ant
| by policemen, who are forced to acquire
tho knowledge of its meaning. Many Of
the terms that have been in use fol
years are really corruptions of the He
brew and had their origin among til,
fences" Or depots for tho reception o
} stolen goods i'll London. This jargon
} while continued for years, has never oh
taiAcd outside of the police and crimina
} classes.
Lost his grip ia terso, pathetic,
almost tragic term, coniuring up as il
does the story of wasted ambition
blasted hopes, ruin and despair, in al
probability originated among lodge PEG
pie. A man who had lost his grip
was temporarily In dilemma.
From the mining camps Of the fal
west came ''struck it rich, /" which now
applies to any human success; "up the
fiume, signifying failure; "hard pan, >
which means solid paying basis pc
tered out, !" which suggests gradua
decline and final suspension Of resources
'grubstruck, for assistance given s
new business enterprise on condition Of
a share in perspective or possible profits.
Bonanza has beon good English wore
for 30 years, and the Century diotionar,
accepted it along with such words a,
BOOM" meaning to manufacture sup
port and enthusiasm, and 'squeal, >
meaning TO confess aud betray compan
ions.
From the railroad yards came
switched, with the meaning Of di
verified; "sidetracked, for temporary
: failure and suspension, the result of out
side interference; "ditched, as express
ing ruin and collapse, and wide open
. came from the locomotive, which re-
: ferred to the throttle and the extreme
of speed. Now it means in full swing,
reckless and regardless of interference.
"Out of sight is an anaohronism, a;
1T means plainly in sight, and it i,
; growing more and more in favor every
day as a synonym for the superlative il
appearance, accomplishment or perform
ance. 1t was the balloon soaring toward
the sky that was first declared out Of
, sight, and then came the adaptation Of
i this new form of expressing altitud,
and exemption from competition. Fol
instance, when AsseEblyman JOSEPH
Cahill appears with his fearfully ant
wonderfully plaided trousers, which art
said to have drowned the roar of tn,
surf at Manhattan Beach, his admirins
constituents cry out; Get onto Cahill'.
, pantsl They are out Of sightl"
The race track has given us "cinch, :
as meaning something settled beyond al
} doubt or peradventre A cinch is ,
saddle girth, frightened by tho Spanish
( method Of a complicated knot that will
i not come united, Hence cinch, or sur,
thing, oinched, or all settled before
aand, can't lose Sabe?-Exohanae
Delaware has no state prison Stat,
convicts are sent to the three county