Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1894-04-04
VOCABULARY OF THE "ToUr."
Peculiar Expressions Heard on the Rae

VOCABULARY OF iTE OO Peculiar Expressions Heard on the Race
 Track.
 Race-tracls phrases, as intricate to the uninitiated as d Fiji Islanders love song, are fast creeping into all walks of life, and the slang which makes up the vocabulary of the tarfman is liable to be heard in the social small talk of the day, in the rigid business house and frequently in the clubs Where some of the terms originated is mys- tery, but the genuine tout speaks nothing else, and his jargon is at once interesting and novel Nearly all of the expressions, like the thieves lore, probably came from the English courses, and the English raee-going people are more familiar with the words of the stable boy or lower class bettor than the American patrons of this sport of the kings The running track has loaned some of it's choice ones to the trotters and the mixture at the tracks where the long, tailed light-harness performers win stakes and purses is a combination of later years.
 The modern 'tout," this genius be- ing one who almost sleeps on tracks and imparts his early morning infor- nation to you when half of the win nings of your bet are promised him, can spit it off by the yard, and some of his expressions are indeed unique.
 ''There she goes all to pieces he will exelaim as the Ally he has picked to win suddenly wayers and begins to fall to the rear. He may say some thing about her shutting up like a iack-knife" as she drops into the ,'ruclz," which name is applied to the tail end of the procession Should she go out of her proper course i'll running he will inform you that she has ''bolted, and he will call hera a bore" if she happens to swerve against an other horse impeding his progress If she should have been pulled for some reasons he had not learned he may call her a "dead 'un, meaning that she was not intended to win, but if he ap- plies the word "duffer" to her that means she couldn't beat anything.
 On the turf the term dead beat has two meanings 1t is sometimes applied to horse completely eX- hausted and is always applied to any man who fails to pay his debts In the latter sense the turf is no different from any other place.
 "Why, he'll lead from end te end, would signify that tine animal in ques- tion will be in front of the others from the start to the finish Should another I. gI,Ja fa every inch of the way the newcomer is said to 'challenge" the other and when he arrives alongside of him and there is no difference between their noses from the stand and the two are racing head and head It might seem to be q breach of etiquette to hear man say that some old horse is the 'swellest maiden ons the track. This would indicate that the horse is the best one that has never won raes
 Should track follower tell you that he saw a certain horse out for tpipe opener'' in 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 well.
 The betting terms on the track are quite amusing and some of the express sions for amounts of money are on par with the super, benny, smush" and other common terms among the 1ight-fngered gentry. 'I run a pony into century and then dropped the whole trying to run it into monkey. The pony is twenty-five dollar, the cen tury one hundred dollars and the monkey five hundred dollars. Should he have won the last bet and the bookmaker, taking time by the forelocB, and his cash-boX by the handle. disappeared without paying off the dishonest gentleman would have carried the name ''weleher" around with him the rest of his life. The words ''sinch ''moral 3 Head pipe, and few others not unlike them are used to indicate that horse cannot lose unless he should fall down.
 To win "hands down" is to reach the wire first without effort, or in bloody canter, as track follower might ob- serve in his philosophical way And when they say a bookmaker, the man who lays odds'ag 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 a horse which is catch ing the leaders very rapidly and 'com- ing again" means one that has done this, then fallen back and suddenly gaining courage and speed makes an other dash to the front. Should he jump on to the hind legs of one in the lead he will be said to have "cut him down, and should horse or jockey fall just as they are in sight of the money somebody will probably say. "he came down a cropper.
 The voea abulary of the follower of the track is quite extensive and very catch ing, for the pleasant little dinners after the derby or handicap has been decided are likely to have lots of such eXpres- sions mixed in the idle prattle while the viauds are being discussed. Detroit Free Press
 Londons Thirteen Club
 Thoroughness of a startling nature is to characterize the forthcoming an- nnal dinner of tbe I.ondo,, rrb;r4oo,,