Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-10-18
SLANG PHRASES.
Some of Recent Coinage That Are
Highly Expressive.

Every live language is always fol-
lowing the scriptural injunction TO in
crease and multiply and thus replen-
ish the world with words and phrases.
Some of these additions to the verbal
family, says the New York World, are
black sheep, slang that offends ones
sense of the fitness of things, but
many of them become Incorporated.
not only in daily speech, but in litera-
ture, and after Il while lose the twang
of slanginess ana acquire smooth
and pleasant flavor. Men are COLI
stantly inventing new words inten
tionally, and new terms spring into
popularity by accident, or from the
name Of the man who first invents
something.
For instance, the terms in the sci
ence of electricity; A volt comes from
Volta, an early electrician, and am
phere, another term of measurement,
was the name of French expert
menter. The word boycott, which in
the last twenty years has been so de-
seryedly popular, was the name of Il
captain in Ireland. The term pan
tata" is recent humorous addition
which will probably for years to come
be applied to the police force. Cox
eyite," as the name for tramp, and
a Commonwealth" are fresh in
stances, though one might suppose
that the latter would be applied more
truly to a bicyclist.
1t is only in the last twenty years
that we have had the word natural
list" applied to that school of writer's,
with lola at the top and Albert Ross
at the bottom, who find their satisfac-
ton in depicting the most coarse, ugly
or nasty conditions of human life.
.Realist," too, is a word of recent orl.
gin. and 'veritist'' is still more fresh,
very fresh indeed, being the invention
of the school of Hamlin Garland for
the sake of describing itself and CON
tanning somewhat egotistic assump-
ton. as if the only truth in literature
belonged to it.
"Cinch' is another word that has
recently come to us, very expressive
metaphor taken from the Mexican
"cincha," meaning the tightening of a
saddle-girth. Hence to get a cinch on
one is to have grip as tight as the
saddle on mustange. The true sig
MITIGATION of the metaphor appears III
that amusing western poem Zone OF
the Pals" writer by Jonah lie Roy
Robinson, oil Watertown, ). D.;
Joe he'd no sense o the time To quit;
Stunted discretion and stall-fed grit
Helped him onbuckle many cinch,
Whar sensible men nd have died in
the pinch.
| Among the slang phrases, some oil
which have really been assimilated
into the language and are frequently
used by editorial writers, great
many have come from the race track
in recent years, showing that, in this
country, Mr.. Crockcr's private college
is beginning to have almost as much
'intiooence" on our daily life as in
England, where some wag has re-
marked that in point of intrinsic popu-
lar interest the human race is nothing
10 horse race. For example take
the terms ito have the inside track, :
Ito make the running, ito set the
pace" "a point "a straight tip, ~
gutter" meaning a coward: "touting.
word that almost explains itself; ITO
win hands down." "a pony" meaning
$25, and "a monkey" meaning $500.
"a century, for 500 is one that has
quite a classic flavor.
ITO give one the go-by" also comes
from the race track. The Mime
haha' and recently the "Merryhaha"
are recent improvements on the go-by,
Just as Congressman William Everett,
of classic fame, amplitied the phrase
'put me in hole" to deposit Inc in a
cavity" ITO give one the laugh has
theatrical addition TO give me the
dirty laugh" sicnifying some, mean
trick. TO show one the marble
heart for the cold shoulder is quite
expressive-a sort of poetic quartz.
1.-THE con smile" and the glad hand"
are picturesque expressions taken
from the life of the confidence man,
1.-THE gum viz and the hurry touch"
is a phrase applied to the man who.
with a long face, strikes one for a
small loan and vanishes rapidly.
To speak Of Il striking young lady rs
a "killiloo" is the same thing as to
call her "pin-feather," which, going
back few years, Is equivalent to say.
ing ooh. she's bird" Brooklyn's IA
vocite instrument for the commission
Of a new variety of popular murder
by unpopular corporations, the devas-
tating trolley, has furnished us with
the phrase "Oh, he's off his trolley"
that supersedes In pavement parlance
the older phrase "off his base" which
has gone into the language as 4oler-
ably good English. A new piece OF
slang to express the same thing is the
saying, ooh he has wheels" This
may be taken from the use of the bi.
cycle running to craze with some
people. or possibly from the trolley
also.
Englishmen used TO laugh at Amer
leans even cultured Americans like